Chapter 1: Prologue
Notes:
All right, let's do this! I've very rarely posted any of my writing online, so this should be an adventure. This prologue is just a short setup for the story to really begin, so be prepared for much longer chapters in the future. Next chapter we'll meet our two main protagonists!
Chapter Text
The rift is defined by its emptiness, a void of black and blue like a starless sky. Broken chunks of land float about as if suspended in time. It’s silent, the type of quiet usually found in the wake of disasters.
A flash of pink weaves through the dark landscape. Mew moves quickly, eager to leave and already nervous about when she’ll have to return again. She doesn’t want to get caught where she isn’t supposed to be, or in the middle of a dimensional ripple. Still, she slows to a stop when a flicker of bright blue catches her eye.
Another soul?
Mew drifts closer to find that the light wavering in space like a tiny flame is indeed a lost soul. A human soul. She must be closer to the border than she thought.
She glances over her shoulder, unease suddenly less important than the familiar hope blooming in her chest. She shouldn’t be so excited to find a lost soul, especially one like this that snuck through, but she can’t help it! Any shot at finding answers, no matter how small, is a good thing. She takes her duty seriously, knowing how much is at stake.
It doesn’t matter that it’s not her official duty. It’s her responsibility all the same.
“You sure wandered far, huh?” She whispers, reaching her paws out to cradle the soul. “Be careful—that sort of curiosity gets you into trouble. I would know!”
The soul reacts to her touch, pulsing brighter as if happy to feel her warmth. Mew giggles, eyeing the pretty color. She wishes she had the ability to see what this soul is really like, what it’s been through, what it treasures, who it will be.
With the soul held close, she flies off in the opposite direction of the human world’s border. It takes a few minutes or maybe a few hours to traverse the stretch of space and debris (it’s really quite hard to tell in a place like this) but eventually she senses a different blurring of dimensions, where the Pokemon world awaits just ahead. She slows to meet it, finding where the veil of space thins and fades to an even darker void.
“Time to see who you are!” Mew chirps.
She may not be able to peek directly into the souls themselves, but it’s always fun to see what shape they choose, which mold their soul adapts to the best. She touches the soul, and the flame of it licks around her paw while she feeds it her power, lets her status as the Mother of All Pokemon actually mean something. Mew never regrets this part of her duty, even if it leaves her feeling drained. She knows she’s saving the soul from having to scrape together a form for itself.
The soul flickers brighter and expands, and Mew can see the faint outline of a body begin to take shape around it. It’s rather small, maybe a bit larger than Mew herself, and standing on two legs. She thinks she can see a tail and ears forming—
A riolu! She can’t wait to share the news. It’s always encouraging to have a soul change into a different form than all the souls before it. It gives them both a bit more hope that this one might be different, that this might be the one to find the answers they seek.
A distant rumble sounds in the rift, right on cue, and Mew notes it with a twitch of her tail. It’s far off. She still has time.
The soul’s body finishes forming with a gentle shimmer of light, and Mew trills as she circles it, admiring the blue fur and delicate black markings. She reaches out to touch the arm, pleased that the fur is as soft as it looks, and then looks at the riolu’s peaceful face, eyes shut as if asleep.
“Go do great things, okay?” Mew says, more of a plea than a command. She touches her nose to the riolu’s forehead, and with a rush of power sends the soul on its way to the Pokemon world.
Then, Mew is alone again. She sighs, a little sad. She is not overly sentimental, thank you very much! But she also hasn’t ever had the opportunity to really reunite with her charges, and that leaves her with far too many goodbyes.
Mew flicks an ear at another distant rumble and shakes the thought from her head. With one more glance at the border, she slips away, making a mental note to pass on word of this newest transformed soul. But not today—she can’t linger here for much longer.
It’s up to that little soul to seek its own path now.
Chapter 2
Summary:
A lost soul wakes up in a very strange world. Maybe she’d be a bit less terrified if the giant orange lizard she’s trapped with would stop insulting her.
Chapter Text
It’s warm, sunlight harsh against her closed eyes. She tucks her head away from the glare, only half-conscious under a heavy haze of sleep.
“—ou wake up already?”
Is someone talking to her? A hand shakes her, and she bats it away with a whine. Her alarm hasn’t gone off yet, so she should still have time to sleep.
The voice speaks again, sharp with annoyance. “Look, I need to make sure you aren’t dying or something. It’s protocol.”
Dying? She lifts her head with a squint, and the question on her tongue vanishes like morning mist. Standing above her is...a lizard. A big orange lizard—no, a huge orange lizard, standing on two legs and glaring down at her. It’s as big as her! She blinks, hard, trying to decide if she’s dreaming. She has to be dreaming.
The lizard rolls its eyes, grumbling, “Finally.”
She jumps, suddenly wide awake. She wouldn’t have believed it if she hadn’t seen the lizard form the word with his own mouth, but he talked. It sounds like a he, at least, voice young and raspy but a bit masculine—
“So you’re okay?” The lizard asks, looking as if he’d really rather be anywhere else. “I don’t want Maggie tearing me a new one for leaving you here if you’re hurt.”
She stares in response, gaze moving from the lizard’s blue eyes to his orange skin and cream belly. He has a bright red bandana around his neck, and a worn satchel slung over his shoulder. Something about him seems too alive, like what she’s seeing could never be accomplished by puppets or CGI. Maybe it’s the faint scent of smoke wafting off him.
“If you don’t answer I’m gonna assume you’re fine and go. I have a job to do,” the lizard says.
He keeps speaking, but his voice fades into the background as she focuses on the other sensations she can feel, and why exactly they feel so real. This is a dream. Why can she feel her heart pounding against her ribs, the heat on her shoulders, a slight breeze against her face? Her eyes dart around, somehow expecting her bedroom, but no, this is a lush, grassy field, with patches of wildflowers and a ceiling of deep blue sky and walls of green forest. She can smell the nature around her, sharper than usual. Why is she...outside? Where is she?
She moves to sit up, but looks down in confusion when her legs feel...wrong. Clunky. And those—those are not her legs. Those legs are glossy black with fur, all backwards knees with paws like a dog’s. She’s a person, she is 100% a regular human being, so how..? She reaches out to touch them, dumbstruck, and instead a blue hand—paw?—responds, flinching back with surprise. What happened to her?
She tries to reign in her panic, but blood is roaring in her ears as her throat tightens. She’s just dreaming, right? But she doesn’t lucid dream, and how could she know how it feels to have dull claws at her fingertips? Or be wondering about this in the first place? If this was a dream, wouldn’t she just go along with it like every other weird thing that happens in dreams?
But she has to be asleep. Numb with shock, she looks at the soft pads on her inner hands. She’s a human, she knows she is, she has no idea where she is or what she is now but this isn’t her! Hot tears spring into her eyes and blur her vision.
“All right, fine. Maybe Maggie can get you to talk,” The lizard grumbles, reaching out a hand to grab her arm.
The panic boils over.
“No!” She shrieks, shoving him away and scrambling to her feet. Too close, he’s too close and she doesn’t know who he is or what he is or what she is so she—she needs to get away. Maybe if she does she’ll wake up.
She runs.
“Hey!” The lizard yells after her, and now he does sound angry, oh no oh no—
She trips over her feet (paws?) and stumbles. The rush of fear tells her to go go go so she kicks off again and bolts for the forest, crashing through brush and ferns and blindly dodging around tree trunks, hopping roots and rocks with ease.
The lizard shouts something from behind her, but even if she’s stumbling, unused to these legs, they’re long and strong enough for her to stay ahead of him. She gasps and pants and focuses on running, on doing something she can control as she weaves through the forest until her lungs burn.
The lizard yells something again, and she risks glancing behind her. Her heart jumps as she sees a flash of orange. Even on his much shorter legs, he’s racing after her with a fierce expression.
“Stop!” He gasps, sounding out of breath. “Dungeon! There’s a dungeon!”
Dungeon? What is that even supposed to mean?! She looks ahead but sees nothing but forest. Fear spikes even sharper in her gut. The lizard yells again, and suddenly he sounds much closer, more panicked. Then a heavy weight is slamming into her, and the two of them go rolling across the forest floor.
When they stop, the lizard pins her down, lips pulled back into a snarl to show sharp teeth. “Stop running! By Entei’s fire, what’s wrong with you?”
It’s too much, the fear choking her lungs and the anger being thrown at her, and the sob sitting in her chest finally rips free.
The lizard pulls back. “Are you crying?! I was trying to—ugh!”
The lizard shuffles off of her, and she curls in on herself. She tries to sniff back her tears, and looks up. The lizard is quiet, looking around the forest with a frown. Then his face pales, hunched shoulders falling.
“We passed the boundary,” he breathes. Then he turns on her. “Why didn’t you stop?! You ran us right into a mystery dungeon, you idiot!”
She flinches away from his anger. “I-I’m sorry!”
“She speaks! Wonderful. Wish you would’ve done that five minutes ago.” The lizard huffs, and for a moment she thinks she sees smoke (steam?) wisp from his mouth. She sniffs and wipes away more tears so she can see clearly.
Of course, that’s when she sees his tail is on fire.
“Your tail!” She yelps, slapping her hands over her mouth and looking around frantically for some water.
"What about my tail?"
She blinks, terror fading under her confusion. She looks back to his tail, where a small flame burns at the tip. Then she looks at his face. He seems annoyed, but not in pain.
“It’s on fire?” She offers.
He rolls his eyes. “You act like you’ve never seen a fire type before.”
Fire type? She sniffs, hesitantly shaking her head.
He stops. Then gives her a suspicious look. “Where are you from?”
She swallows, looking around the forest. It almost seems...narrower than before. Like the trees and plants have closed in on them or something. She must be imagining it.
“I-I think I’m lost?” She says, finally getting her crying under control. “I’m a human, so I don’t know why I look like this or, um...where I am.”
“Human?” The lizard scoffs. “Yeah, sure. And I’m Moltres.”
“I am!” She protests, weakly. She manages to stand again on shaky legs, giving him a pleading look. “Really! I-I don’t know why I’m blue or have weird dog legs but I am human! I just thought I was dreaming all of this!”
The lizard snorts. “Well, you aren’t dreaming. We’re in a dungeon now thanks to you.”
“Dungeon?” She echoes, looking around at the forest.
He gives her another glare. “A mystery dungeon.” He must see the confusion on her face because his glare falters under a baffled look. “You really don’t know.”
She shakes her head. He seems like he still doesn’t believe her, but a distant cry of something birdlike makes him glance nervously into the undergrowth.
“All you need to know is that we’re stuck in this place until we make it to the exit, so we need to find it fast and get out.”
“E-Exit? But it’s a forest. Don’t we just need to retrace our steps?”
“Look around. The dungeon warps the environment, so even if we went back the way we came the terrain would be totally different.”
She blinks, looking again at their surroundings. She hadn’t been imagining the trees and undergrowth closing in on them. The trunks and plants have changed to form a wall-like barrier boxing them into something vaguely like a hallway. It’s still open, though, with leaf-dappled blue sky above them, and she can kind of see beyond the undergrowth, further into the forest. She steps closer to the “wall” and jumps back with a squeak when the undergrowth moves, twisting and interlocking into something more solid.
“You can’t break through the walls,” the lizard says, watching her. “The only way out is to find the exit.”
“O-Okay,” she whispers, stepping closer to the lizard. He may be sharp and aggressive and alien, but he’s all she knows in this place. “So how do we do that?”
“We have to find the stairs,” he says, glancing over his shoulder. “C’mon, we need to keep moving.”
“We’re looking for stairs? Like steps?”
The lizard grunts an affirmative noise.
She swallows back more questions despite her nerves and follows him forward. Okay. This isn’t so bad, right? Sure, she’s in some strange world with talking lizards (who are on fire), and she’s...also a weird animal now, she guesses? A dog? But the forest is soothing and even if he clearly doesn’t like her, the lizard at least knows what’s going on and isn’t leaving her behind. Her heart slows a bit at the thought that at least she isn’t totally alone.
The undergrowth rustles ahead of them, and the lizard stops. She tries to peek around him.
“Is it someone else?” She asks, quietly. “Are they lost too?”
“Shut up,” the lizard hisses. They stay still and silent until the rustling moves away. Then he sends her another glare. “Probably a feral.”
Well, that’s not a calming term. “Feral?”
The lizard groans and pushes his palms into his eyes, muttering something under his breath. Then, he takes a visible inhale before turning to her. “Ferals are Pokémon who get caught up in mystery dungeons and become mindlessly aggressive. If we run into them, we’ll have to fight.”
“F-Fight?!” She yelps, distantly registering the strange sensation of ears pressing against her skull. “I don’t fight people!”
“Well you’re the one who got us stuck in a mystery dungeon so you’re gonna have to!” He snaps back. “We’ll avoid the ferals when we can, but if we get attacked you won’t have much of a choice.”
“I don’t know how to,” she whimpers, tucking her hands close to her chest. “I don’t think I’ve ever gotten in a fight in my life.”
Has she? She can’t remember right now for some reason. But she does know she’s not the fighting type—the thought of it makes her physically cringe.
“All Pokémon know how to fight,” the lizard protests.
She opens her mouth to argue, then closes it again, her curiosity winning out. “Pokémon?”
The lizard’s mouth closes with a click. “Pokémon,” he says, slowly, like he’s explaining a very simple concept to a child. He sweeps a clawed hand between the two of them. “What we are?”
Oh! Like instead of saying he’s an animal, he calls himself a...Pokémon? And she’s one too? All right, that...kind of makes sense. They have different names for things then.
“Okay,” she says. “S-So we’re both Pokémon?”
“I’m a charmander,” he adds, still staring at her like he’s trying to figure out what exactly is wrong with her.
“Charmander,” she murmurs, looking again at his orange skin and long, lizard-like body. So that must be like his...species? “You do kind of look like a salamander.”
“No idea what that is,” he huffs, then turns to move down the hallway. “C’mon, we need to go or we’ll run into ferals for sure. If you’re going to be useless in a fight we should avoid them.”
She winces at that, but can’t really argue either. She doesn’t know anything about this place or what she is, and she definitely doesn’t want to fight. They walk quietly down the hall, the lizard—charmander?—peeking around the corner before they step down another hall. She looks around at the interwoven roots and plants and at the sun dappling the mossy ground, admiring the beauty of it all. It doesn’t seem so scary. It’s actually kind of peaceful, even if the moving plant life is unnerving. Maybe they won’t run into any ferals.
Of course, that’s exactly when they step into an open room where another animal—Pokémon—is rummaging through the moss. It’s a...bug? Short and compact, with a white body and an orange and yellow helmet-like head with little pincers. It’s bigger than any bug she’s seen, almost half her size, but it’s weirdly...cute?
“A grubbin,” The lizard mutters.
“It’s adorable,” she coos.
The bug turns to them with blank white eyes and chitters aggressively, before shooting some sort of weblike string at them. The lizard dodges, but she yelps and falls as it tangles around her arms and legs. Okay, less cute.
“W-What is this?!” She cries, pulling at the sticky string. It’s unusually strong and hard to break, like some kind of tape or plastic.
“String shot!” The lizard barks, running at the bug.
A flare of light distracts her from her struggling, and she’s stunned to look up and see the lizard spitting a small cloud of embers at the bug, like a dragon. She isn’t sure whether to be awed by the magical feat or concerned about the bug he’s burning to a crisp.
The bug squeaks and shuffles away from the flames, then braces itself and scoops its tiny legs into the dirt, flinging a clump of mud at the lizard and knocking him away with a hiss. It isn’t even muddy, the forest floor is dry and warm, so how did it do that? She hurries to free herself from the string, stumbling to her paws.
“Riolu, duck!”
Riolu? She glances up at the lizard’s shout, just in time for mud to slam into her face and send her sprawling again. The lizard growls something as she swipes at the mud, spitting it out of her mouth. Gross! That actually kind of hurt. As she shakes herself free, the lizard spins to slam his tail into the bug. The little creature tumbles away and falls still.
“Is it dead?” She gasps, suddenly feeling a lot less calm about being stuck with this fire lizard in the middle of some crazy magic dungeon.
“Of course not!” The lizard snaps. “It’s just knocked out.“
“Is that any better?!”
The lizard rolls his eyes. “Battling is normal. And if we lose, we might not make it out of here, so take your pick.”
She pads to his side to look at the bug herself. It’s a little charred, clearly unconscious, but it doesn’t look as bad as she expected it to after having fire breathed directly on it. Huh.
“Let’s keep moving,” the lizard says, a puff of smoke snaking between his teeth. He heads down another hallway, and she follows behind, trying to decide if she wants to ask the questions dancing on the tip of her tongue. He clearly doesn’t like her, but...he just breathed fire! How is she supposed to stay quiet about that?!
“So...you breathe fire.”
The lizard spares her an irritated glance. “And?”
“So magic is normal here?”
He snorts. “It’s not ‘magic.’ I’m a fire type. My body’s made for flames just like a water type’s would be made for water.”
She blinks, then looks down at her paws. So types are kind of like the magic system? “Do...I have a type?”
“Apparently it’s the type that won’t shut up,” he growls. She winces. After a beat, he adds, “You’re a fighting type, if I remember right.”
“Fighting type?” She echoes, unsure. “B-But...I don’t like fighting.”
The lizard groans, lashing his tail and making her hop a step back from the flame. “You don’t have to fight! Arceus. Pokémon fight for fun sometimes, but no one’s going to force you unless it’s your job as a Seeker or something. Fighting type just means your moves will have like. Fighting energy to them. So they’ll be strong against normal types and stuff.”
She stays silent, biting back a hundred more questions. Fighting energy? ‘Moves?’ Seekers? Why couldn’t she have gotten stuck with someone more friendly? She’s dying over here!
The two of them turn another corner, stopping when they emerge into another small room. A set of ivy-covered stone stairs sit in the middle of the room, going up a few steps before stopping at nothing in mid-air.
“Are those the stairs?” She asks.
“No, it’s some other set of stairs in the middle of the woods,” the lizard says.
She tries not to feel hurt by his tone, instead stepping closer to peer at them. “When you said stairs I was expecting them to go, uh. Down, I guess. Or at least to lead to something?”
The lizard ignores her, stepping onto the first stair and then pausing to wait for her. Seeing her surprise, he rolls his eyes. “If we don’t go together we might get separated. You wanna fight your own way out of here?”
She squeaks and shakes her head, hurrying to follow him up. When they reach the top step, the world seems to tilt and blur for the briefest moment. Vertigo makes her dizzy, and her stomach flips with nausea and—
Oh. They’re standing back on solid forest floor, her stumbling and trying to regain her balance. She grabs the lizard’s arm to steady herself, and he’s quick to shake her off.
“Aren’t riolu supposed to be tough?” He sneers.
When she doesn’t think she’s going to throw up, she squints up at him. “Riolu?”
He stares back at her with a look that implies she is perhaps the stupidest person he’s ever had the pleasure of meeting. “You. You’re a riolu.”
She blinks, then looks down again at her strange dog legs and blue arms with a mound of...bone? On them. There are still a few tiny bits of webbing stuck in her fur, and she takes a moment to try pulling them free. “Oh. So...like, my species is called a riolu? Like how you’re a...”
“Charmander.”
“Y-Yeah. That.”
He sighs, rubbing at his face. “I can’t tell if you’re really this stupid or if you’re just dedicated to not telling me the truth.”
“Why would I lie?” She asks, offended. “I don’t know anything about this place! I’m human!”
“Sure,” he grumbles. “Whatever. Let’s just get out of here already.“
The lizard sets off again, and she follows behind him, looking around. Their surroundings look incredibly similar, all dappled sunlight and lush foliage woven into strange hall-like structures.
“This looks exactly the same,” she mumbles.
“It’s how dungeons work,” the lizard says, distracted as he scans the halls. “The different floors usually look alike.”
She glances at him as he picks a direction to follow. “So do you go into a lot of these?”
The lizard snorts. “Nope. I’m not stupid enough to go charging into dungeons for fun. Maggie’s going to kill me for this little stunt.”
She blinks, torn between a couple different questions. He seems so confident and he knows a lot, which makes her wonder how he knows so much if he doesn’t come into dungeons often, but...
“Maggie?” She asks.
“I’m sure you’ll meet her when she chews me out,” he grumbles.
She swallows back her nerves about that. One thing at a time. “Is her species called a...Maggie?”
The lizard actually barks a short laugh. “Her name is Maggie. She’s a meganium.”
She isn’t sure whether to feel proud for making the grouchy lizard laugh or embarrassed about such a dumb question, so she ignores both impulses.
“Wait, so do you have a name?”
“Of course I have a name.”
She waits in silence as they walk, the only sound the rustling of the wind through the forest and distant animal-like sounds.
“Um. What is it?” She asks.
“What’s yours?” He asks back like a challenge.
She opens her mouth to answer, then stops in her tracks as her stomach falls to her toes.
What...what is her name?
She desperately tries to think, can feel the knowledge deep in her mind, but it’s like something is blocking her from reaching it. How can she not know her own name? She thinks harder, tries to remember her human life, but—
Nothing. It’s all locked away. She knows she used to be human, that this canine body is all wrong even if she can’t quite picture her own face. She knows that the plants nearby look an awful lot like ferns and that the sky is just as blue as she’s used to it being. But when she tries to think of who she is, her name, where she came from, who she might have left behind...
It’s all gone.
“Hey!”
She snaps out of her thoughts, surprised to find herself kneeling on the ground, the lizard nothing more than an orange blur through her tears. She’s crying again, harder, a painful ache like homesickness, like heartache, tearing at her chest and choking her throat.
“Why’re you crying?!” The lizard asks. It sounds like he’s trying to be angry but instead only sounds panicked. “Stop crying!”
“I d-don’t know my own name!” She gasps. “Why don’t I remember my name?! I don’t remember anything!”
“Uh.” The lizard leans away from her, sounding uncomfortable.
She cries harder, curling into herself. It’s hitting her all over again that she’s not dreaming, that this seems awfully real and she doesn’t know how she got here or who she is. What is she supposed to do? How can she get home? She doesn’t even have her own body!
She doesn’t know how long she cries, but by the time she feels her tears slowing, her nose is snotty and stuffed up, her head pounding with the beginning of a headache. She lifts her head, wiping at her eyes. She’s surprised to see the lizard still sitting nearby, looking out into the halls. He didn’t leave her?
He glances at her, expression unreadable. “You done?”
“Yeah,” she rasps, sniffing. “Sorry.”
“C’mon then,” he says, getting to his feet. She stumbles to her own feet to follow him as he heads down a hall, still wiping at her eyes.
After a few moments of silence, he says, “Until you give me a name, I’m calling you Riolu.”
She tilts her head at his back. But isn’t her species a riolu? That seems...strange. Like calling a pet “Hamster” or “Dog.” But she supposes if they don’t have anything else to call her it makes sense.
“Should I call you, uh...Charmander, then?”
“Tobias.”
She blinks. “Tobias?”
“No one else calls me Charmander, so you might as well follow their lead,” he grumbles almost too low to hear. Tobias it is. And for now at least, she’s Riolu. She wishes she could remember her actual name.
The two of them find the set of stairs in the next room, and take them up to the next floor. Riolu fights off another wave of nausea and is careful not to grab onto Tobias again.
She glances around at the forest scenery. “How many uh. How many sets of stairs will we have to find to get out?”
“Depends how many floors there are,” Tobias answers. “Hopefully—“
He cuts himself off as they step into another room and find two more feral Pokémon. Riolu steps closer to Tobias as the short acorn-like creature and the purple rat turn to glare at them with blank white eyes.
“Great,” Tobias growls. He shrugs off the satchel looped around his shoulder and shoves it into her chest. “If you aren’t gonna fight, then hold this.”
She takes it, watching with wide eyes as the rat darts forward with a hiss, aiming to bite Tobias’s arm. The lizard snarls in turn and tackles it, the two of them rolling across the ground.
Riolu‘s starting to suspect Tobias has some anger issues to work out.
The little acorn creature turns to Riolu, and she stiffens with a squeak, holding the bag up in front of her like a shield.
“P-Please don’t hurt me!”
The acorn launches itself at her in response, and she dives out of the way, trying not to crush the satchel under her. When she looks behind her, the acorn is already moving to attack again. She stumbles to her feet and runs away from it, a glance over her shoulder telling her that the creature is following on its stubby little feet. How is it moving so fast without legs?!
“Tobias!” She wails, running a lap around the room as the acorn chases her. “What do I do?!”
“Kinda busy!” The lizard snarls, still wrestling with the vicious purple rat. Panicked, Riolu looks around for help. She doesn’t want to leave the room and risk losing Tobias or getting lost, but all that’s around her are the strange walls of roots and vines and—
Oh. Duh.
Riolu slips the satchel over her head and launches herself up at the wall, scrabbling to get a foothold on the shifting branches and plants as they interweave tighter to keep her from escaping. After a moment she manages to hook her dull claws between some branches, panting hard. She glances down. The acorn is hopping up and down trying to reach her.
“Boy am I glad you don’t have arms,” she huffs, risking a smile. She squeaks and almost loses her grip as a sudden cloud of embers consumes the little acorn and leaves it a dazed, crispy heap on the ground.
Tobias huffs a cloud of smoke as he pads closer, nudging the acorn with a foot to make sure it’s out cold.
“Is it okay?” Riolu asks.
Tobias rolls his eyes, looking up at her with an unimpressed expression. “They’ll be fine. Thanks for the help, by the way.”
“I don’t wanna fight anyone,” Riolu protests, feebly. She yelps as her foothold slips and she falls hard onto the mossy ground.
Tobias snorts. “Good, ‘cause I bet you suck at it. Give me my bag.”
Riolu wrinkles her nose at his comment but hands it over, and only then does she notice the blood running down his arm from a gash at his shoulder.
“You’re hurt!” She gasps.
Tobias huffs and digs through the satchel with his good arm. “And you’re observant.” He pull out a round, bright blue fruit. It’s not anything Riolu recognizes, but Tobias stuffs it in his mouth to chew it up, shivering when he swallows.
He turns his head to eye his arm, and Riolu watches in awe as the gash seems to stitch itself up in real-time, stopping the bleeding and scabbing over. The small scrapes littering the lizard’s skin seem to vanish too.
“What was that?!” She asks, fighting back the urge to reach out and touch the injury, just to make sure she’s not seeing things.
“Oran berry,” Tobias says, scooping his bag back onto his shoulder and moving towards the nearest hallway. “C’mon.”
“Did it...heal you? That quickly?”
“‘S kind of the point.”
“That’s amazing,” Riolu breathes. “That’s definitely some kind of magic.”
“It’s not ‘magic,’” Tobias growls, shooting her an annoyed glare. “Now shut up so I can listen. We need to find the stairs, and the more ferals we can avoid the better since you won’t fight.”
Riolu swallows back her wave of questions and nods, looking around nervously at the dungeon walls. After being in a battle herself, she’s not in any hurry to start another one. Luckily, between her silence and Tobias’ caution, the two of them avoid the nearby ferals and make it to the next set of stairs without any issue. This time, when they reach the top of the steps and teleport, it’s clear that something’s different, though Riolu can’t pin down exactly what.
“We’re out,” Tobias sighs, slumping with relief.
Riolu blinks, looking around herself. It takes a moment to be sure, but yes, the forest around them is normal again, no more strange dungeon walls. Instead, she can actually see into the forest beyond the ferns and foliage in front of her, and the ground is more uneven and somehow more natural underfoot.
“S-So where do we go now?” Riolu asks, nervous. Tobias won’t ditch her just because they’re out of the dungeon, right? She still has no idea where she is or what to do next.
“We find Maggie before she loses her petals,” he grumbles.
That’s when Riolu hears a distant voice shouting. It’s feminine, and after she turns her head and strains her ears, she thinks she can make out Tobias’ name.
“I...I think I hear her? Maybe?”
Tobias gives her a skeptical look, but his eyes follow her gaze before he moves to march deeper into the forest. Riolu hurries after him, and within minutes it’s clear that she was right. A woman is calling for Tobias, sounding worried.
“Tobias? Tobias!”
Riolu stops as they arrive at the edge of a clearing—maybe the same one she woke up in, even. There’s a lime green dinosaur standing in the middle of the field, with bright pink petals wreathing her neck like a mane. The creature is tall, noticeably much taller than her or Tobias even from a distance, with a long, slender neck. A large satchel, clearly made to rest on either side of her broad back, is stuffed to bursting with plants.
“Maggie’s a dinosaur,” Riolu says, shocked enough that her tone loops back around to flat. “Of course she’s a dinosaur.”
“She’s a meganium,” Tobias corrects. He huffs out a breath and moves forward with his hands cupped around his mouth. “‘M right here, Maggie!”
Maggie whips around, and even from a distance Riolu can see the dinosaur’s pinched expression smooth out to aching relief. She bustles towards them, and Tobias moves to meet her in the middle while Riolu stays behind at the treeline. As Maggie gets closer, Riolu can see the creature is oddly beautiful, with large, honey-warm eyes and the slightest of wrinkles lining her face.
“Are you all right?” Maggie asks immediately, voice almost motherly as she cranes her neck down to get a good look at Tobias. To Riolu’s surprise, a pair of vines slip out from under the dinosaur’s flower to better tilt Tobias’ head and lift his arms for inspection.
“I’m fine!” Tobias says, pulling away from her. He sounds embarrassed.
Maggie matches his fiery tone, leaning back to give him a gentle bop to the head with her vine. “Good! Don’t scare me like that. I couldn’t find you anywhere.”
“Because the forest is suddenly so dangerous.”
“No, but it’s unlike you to wander off like that and not answer me.” Maggie sighs. “I was afraid something had happened.”
“Well this idiot got us dragged into a dungeon if that counts,” Tobias growls, jerking a thumb over his shoulder.
Maggie looks alarmed all over again, eyes making a quick sweep over Tobias, but then they follow his movement to where Riolu is hidden in the shade.
“Oh,” Maggie says, voice soft. She takes a tentative step forward. “Hello there, dear. Are you all right?”
Riolu should probably be more wary of this stranger who could crush her with a single step, but something about that warm concern being pointed at her makes her eyes water. Riolu swallows hard and steps forward. “Um. Yeah. Sorry, it was my fault we got stuck in the um. Dungeon.”
Maggie’s gaze flits over her too, and then she gives her a warm, comforting smile. “Well, it looks like no harm was done. I don’t believe I’ve seen you around before.”
Riolu laughs, nervously. “Uh, no, I-I’m not from...around here.”
“Fen needs to check her for a head injury,” Tobias scoffs. “She keeps saying she used to be human.”
“I am!” Riolu argues, stung by his disbelief. “Or I was, at least.”
Maggie stares at Riolu with wide eyes, something about her expression looking almost stricken. Before Riolu can panic about it, the dinosaur quickly blinks it away. “You’re...a human?”
Riolu nods, desperately hoping Maggie will believe her. “I know I don’t look like it now, but I am! I don’t know how I got here or where here even is but...”
The meganium’s face softens. “Do you remember your name?”
Riolu swallows back another wave of sorrow at the loss of memory sitting like an open wound in her mind. She shakes her head, blinking hard. “N-No. Tobias said I’m a riolu? So...”
“Wait. Maggie, you aren’t saying you believe her?” Tobias interrupts, clearly incredulous.
“I certainly am,” Maggie scolds. “Do you have a reason not to?”
Tobias throws up his arms. “Aside from the fact that I have a working brain?!”
Maggie sighs. “Tobias, we’ll discuss this later. Right now all that matters is that we make sure she’s all right.”
Tobias huffs out a wisp of smoke before stalking a few feet away and pointedly plopping himself down with his back turned. It would be funny if Riolu wasn’t such a mess.
Maggie gives Riolu an apologetic look. “Don’t worry about him. He takes a while to warm up to you.”
“I’m still here, y’know!”
Maggie ignores the comment. “Did he explain anything to you about this world?”
Riolu blinks up at the dinosaur. “Um. A little? He said you guys are...Po...Poke...”
“Pokémon.”
“Yeah.” Riolu gives her a grateful smile. “And that there are dungeons and...types?”
Maggie laughs softly. “Don’t worry about getting it all figured out right away. You’ll catch on quickly enough. I’m guessing you don’t have anywhere to go, if you’re from the human world?”
Riolu slumps, looking down at her feet. Her paws? “No.”
“In that case, how about returning to the guild with Tobias and I?”
Riolu’s head snaps up. “What?”
“You don’t have to stay if you don’t want to,” Maggie says. “But I’d at least like for you to get a health check-up and eat some food. We have a place for you to rest for the night, and resources about the Pokémon world as well, if you’re interested.”
Riolu tears up again. “That would be great. Thank you.”
Maggie smiles, warm and open. “Of course, dear.” She turns to call to Tobias. “You coming too, stormcloud?”
Tobias pushes off the ground and walks by without looking at either of them, arms crossed and grumbling all the way. Riolu shoots Maggie a nervous look, but the dinosaur just looks fond of the prickly behavior.
“Come along then,” Maggie says, moving to follow Tobias into the forest. Riolu hurries after them, keeping close to Maggie.
As they enter the trees, Riolu takes a moment to once again look around, calmed by the tall trunks and endless maze of foliage painted with dappled sunlight. She isn’t sure, but she thinks some of the plants look...familiar? Like maybe they‘re the same, or at least similar, to what she’s used to. Everything feels a bit...tall, though. Like Riolu is smaller than she’s used to being in her own skin. It’s strange.
Even more than that are the sounds and smells. Once again familiar—the rustling of leaves and distant birdsong, the smell of fresh air and nature—but everything feels a bit...sharper. More distinct, and almost a little overwhelming. She felt ears on her head earlier, and she has dog legs, so she guesses she’s basically in a dog body? Maybe that means she has a better sense of smell and hearing too. That’s pretty cool, at least. Like a superpower!
“You aren’t the first human to pop up in the Haven, you know,” Maggie says eventually. Riolu jumps at the sudden sound.
“Really?”
“Mhm.” Maggie’s gaze lifts up to the trees, a sad smile gracing her face. “I was quite close with one, actually.”
Tobias looks sharply over his shoulder, brow furrowed. Riolu blinks, excitement and hope curling like a tiny flame in her chest. “Was? Did they get back to the human world?”
Maggie’s expression drops. “No...unfortunately not.” She turns her head to give Riolu a soothing smile. “But that doesn’t mean there isn’t a way!”
“Haven’t ‘humans’ been showing up for decades now?” Tobias growls, turning forwards again. “You’d think if there was a way back they would have found it by now.”
Riolu’s heart drops. Decades?!
Maggie frowns. “Well…yes, but with more and more humans showing up, surely together they’ll find a solution sooner or later.” Maggie ruffles her petals and gives Riolu a sympathetic smile. “Don’t worry, dear. One thing at a time! Humans like you are certainly a rarity, but not unheard of. You aren’t alone.”
Riolu tries to smile back instead of breaking down crying. She doesn’t even know how to feel. She’s relieved, of course, that there are others like her, that this isn’t the first time this has happened to someone. And that she ran into someone as kind as Maggie. But she also can’t get rid of the blooming fear at the thought that she could be stuck here for years until someone figures out how to get back to the human world. She doesn’t remember her life as a human, but there’s an ache building in her chest when she thinks of it, a longing for something or someone she doesn’t remember but already knows she misses.
She needs to get back home.
“Sure, you aren’t alone,” Tobias mutters, breaking Riolu out of her thoughts. “But no one likes the humans.”
“Tobias!” Maggie snaps. “Even if you haven’t met a human before, you know that isn’t true. Most of them have settled here just fine.”
“Yeah, but no one trusts them anymore, either,” Tobias says, turning to give Riolu a cold look. “Not since everything really started falling apart.”
Riolu’s shock elevates into real fear when Maggie doesn’t immediately respond, looking conflicted. The dinosaur sighs, a vine slipping out from her petals to touch lightly at Riolu’s back. It feels almost protective.
“Unfortunately,” she says, “He...does have a point. I suppose it’s only right that I warn you now. There have been some...unfortunate things happening in our world over the last few decades. And some have theorized that the increase in humans could be the cause.”
Riolu swallows, wide-eyed. Maggie‘s vine moves up to settle over Riolu’s shoulders.
“Fortunately, most of us at the Haven have enough sense to realize how ridiculous that is,” Maggie soothes. “You shouldn’t have any issues around here, but you should be aware, especially if you end up traveling away from this area.”
Riolu forces herself to nod and breathe, beating her panic back with the mental equivalent of a baseball bat.
Maggie squeezes her shoulders with the vine. “Of course, we will help you any way we can, even if no one is entirely sure of how this transformation happens to humans, or why. But until you decide what to do next, the guild should be a safe place for you to stay.”
Riolu blinks back tears and tries to collect herself. She can sort through her emotions and thoughts later. For now, she should learn everything she can about this world, and about what she has become. “S-So we’re going to this...guild?“
“Ooh, careful Maggie, she’s a sharp one!”
Maggie sighs. “Tobias, be nice.”
Tobias barks a laugh. “When am I ever nice?”
Maggie’s vine leaves Riolu’s shoulder to pull Tobias back against her leg. The dinosaur cranes her neck down so she can nuzzle him. “You’re sweeter than you let on.”
Tobias yells, embarrassed, trying to push her away as his cheeks flush red. Riolu can’t help smiling. It feels good to smile. When Tobias frees himself and stomps forward again, Maggie and Riolu follow.
“To answer your question,” Maggie says, “The Lexym Guild is where Tobias and I live and work. Considering it’s housed in a tree many stories high it’s usually easy to spot. When the leaves are less full, you can see it in the forest from miles around. It’s a wonderful place. Busy, but the Pokémon are lovely.”
“‘Lovely’ my tail,” Tobias grumbles.
“On a wider scale,” Maggie goes on, ignoring Tobias, “The forest we’re in is called Bethoc’s Haven, named after the same eldegoss who founded our branch of the guild. The territory spans half of the forestland on this edge of the continent, with the Lexym Guild at its heart.”
Riolu nods, confused but trying to look like she understands. Bethoc the…eldegoss? A Pokemon, she guesses. She wonders what kind of creature that is and if she’ll see one herself.
“Many of the Pokémon at the guild are types acclimated to the forest environment,” Maggie continues. “Grass types like myself, as well as bug types. But thanks to the Seekers division, we have quite a variety of other types wandering around as well! No other riolu, unfortunately. Having an aura expert around would be ideal for you.”
Riolu peers up at Maggie’s face. “Aura?”
“Aura is a kind of...energy. With a little practice, your species can harness it to do amazing things. I remember it being rather important for young riolu to learn to control their own aura.”
Riolu looks down at her hands again, hardly able to believe that she could use a power like that. “What does aura do?”
Maggie hums and looks up into the trees. “You know, that I’m not sure of. I know it’s related to your emotions, and that it can be used in battle. I think you’ll have to ask Alastair or Tawny about that down in the archives.”
Riolu perks up. Archives? “Like a library?”
Maggie must see the enthusiasm on her face, because she laughs. “Yes, exactly. We have quite the collection of texts at the guild. As long as August is all right with us housing you then you can peruse them all you like.”
“Like August would turn anyone away,” Tobias says. Riolu can’t decide whether the lizard is saying it as a positive thing or not.
Maggie smiles, looking down at Riolu with a twinkle in her eye. “August seems scary at first, but he has a soft heart. He’s the guild’s leader, so you’ll meet him today.”
Riolu nods, nervously twisting her fingers together as Maggie and Tobias guide her deeper into the woods. They don’t seem to be following any path that the riolu can see, but they lead her confidently, weaving through tree trunks and thickets of plants with ease.
“Almost there, dear,” Maggie says eventually.
Riolu blinks, looking around for...something. Maggie said the guild was housed in a tree, but is it literally just a tree, or will there be like...structures built onto it? Like a treehouse? So far they—Pokemon—seem as intelligent as humans, but she doesn’t want to assume anything either.
It’s not much longer before their group stops by a tree, its roots twisted and arched above the dirt and creating a small space underneath. Is this…the guild? It doesn’t look like there’s anything here. Just a hollow and some dirt.
“Guild members Magnolia the meganium and Tobias the charmander returning,” Maggie announces.
For a moment, nothing happens. Then, the ground under the roots bulges, and the top of a flat, hippo-like head emerges from the crumbling dirt as if it were as thin as water. Riolu can’t help stepping back behind Maggie’s leg, wide-eyed. It’s huge! And hippos are really dangerous, right?
The creature blinks red eyes at the group, then lifts its head further and smiles with blocky teeth. “Maggie! How was the haul today?”
Riolu is surprised to hear the voice is deep but friendly.
“Hello, Abana. We found plenty of the herbs we were running low on! And we brought back a little something extra.” Maggie shifts her leg to reveal Riolu, still cowering.
Abana’s nostrils flare with interest. “Oh! And who’s this little thing?”
“A human,” Tobias says, in a mocking tone. Riolu winces. She isn’t surprised by now that he doesn’t believe her, but still. Ouch.
Abana’s tiny ears perk up. “Oh? Well that’ll be sure to shake up the guild. Come on in, scrap, I won’t bite.”
Riolu swallows, unconvinced, but Tobias moves first. He slips under the roots and steps up onto the hippo’s gray head. Maggie ducks and follows him in, crouching to the side of Abana and urging Riolu forward with an encouraging smile. Riolu hesitantly steps after them, joining Tobias on top of Abana’s wide head. She feels rude literally stepping on someone, but if that’s what she’s supposed to do…
“All set up there?”
“Looks like it,” Maggie says.
“Then down we go!” Abana crows.
Before Riolu can ask exactly what is about to happen, they drop into the earth. She screams at the top of her lungs, squeezing her eyes shut and scrambling to cling to the first solid warmth she can find. The sound of earth rushing up around them is deafening, and Riolu gets the distinct feeling that her stomach is flipping like she’s on a rollercoaster.
This is how she dies, on the back of a magic hippo.
But then they’re slowing and coming to a stop, and Tobias’ voice is sharp in her ear.
“Get off!”
Riolu peeks her eyes open, and all she can see is orange. She leans back, and realizes that the warmth she’d ducked into was Tobias’ shoulder. “O-Oh! Sorry!”
He gives her a cross look and turns away.
Wait. Riolu realizes she can see. Underground. She turns to look around, marveling at their new location. “Oh...wow.”
They’re in some sort of underground tunnel, ceiling of earth closing up from where they must have come barreling down. Roots and traces of leaves are everywhere, intertwined within the rocky walls, and patches of surprisingly lush grass dot the ground. Most impressive of all are the light sources—bright blue-green cuts of crystal, some as small as coins and some as large as her. They’re everywhere, jutting up out of the ground and imbedded in the walls, glowing bright and beautiful. Even the leaves look luminescent, like some kind of fantasy movie!
“Is this the guild?” Riolu asks, turning to see Maggie finishing up a quiet conversation with Abana. The hippo nods to Maggie and winks at Riolu before digging into the wall as easily as if it were melted butter. The rocky wall closes up behind her, surprisingly stable.
Maggie walks over, no longer having to duck in the spacious tunnel. “In a way. The guild is one central area, mostly within the trunk of the Lexym Tree, but there are many entrances to reach it. Quite a few are tunnels like this, branching out under the forest.”
This is just a tunnel into the guild? Riolu knows that Maggie mentioned how huge the guild is, how it can be easily spotted from miles and miles away even amidst the other trees of the forest, but it’s still hard to imagine.
“This is amazing,” Riolu whispers, feeling like she should be quiet in such a magical space.
Maggie smiles. “It is, isn’t it? Sometimes we forget, with how used to it we are.”
“You know what really sounds magical?” Tobias grunts. “Food.”
“Agreed,” Maggie laughs. “We’d better get moving then, so we don’t miss out!” She turns and heads down the tunnel, Tobias following. Riolu hurries to catch up, feeling her curiosity begin to override her unease.
Well...while she’s here, she may as well try to enjoy it, right?
Notes:
Thanks for reading! ^^ Comments and kudos are much appreciated. Feel free to come over to my tumblr (teshadraws) to chat about the story and view extra art of the characters.
Chapter 3
Summary:
Tobias is tasked with helping Riolu settle in at the guild when all he wants is for her to leave him alone. This should go well.
Chapter Text
Tobias is entirely done with today. First, he has to deal with some emotional wreck of a Pokémon showing up, dragging him into a dungeon, and claiming to be human of all things, and now...
“You can’t be serious, Maggie.”
“You know I am, Tobias.”
“I am not babysitting, Maggie!” Tobias sends a glare over his shoulder, at the riolu nervously trailing the two of them down the tunnels.
“It’s not babysitting, Tobias. Be kind to our guest,” Maggie says, a warning in her tone.
He growls under his breath, kneading at his herb satchel with his claws. He can’t believe this. He has much better things to do than lead around a crybaby Pokemon with supposed “amnesia.” He got the riolu out of the dungeon safely—no thanks to her. Hasn’t he done enough?
“All I’m asking is you get the poor thing checked by Fen and show her to the cafeteria. You said you were hungry.”
“I guess,” Tobias grumbles, rolling his eyes as he hears the riolu trip over a crystal. Arceus, she’s hopeless.
Their group rounds the last bend in the tunnels, the brighter light of the guild’s inner chambers almost harsh in comparison to the soft glow of the underground. They emerge into the open space, and Tobias glances at the riolu to see her looking around, wide-eyed and slack-jawed.
There are countless Seekers and other Pokémon trailing in and out of the many entrances circling the huge chambers, going about their daily business. A few do a double-take at the unfamiliar riolu. Maggie leads them through the crowd and past the directory boards, to one of the two staircases winding up the sides of the tree and to the upper floors.
“We’ll give you a proper tour later on,” Maggie says to the riolu, who looks overwhelmed by all of the activity, nose twitching like she can’t quite handle all of the new scents. “For now, we’re just going to make sure you’re healthy, get you fed, and let August know about your situation. As he’s the head of the guild, we report important news to him or Verene.”
The riolu nods, not looking any more reassured as they climb the root-twisted stairs. They pass by a number of floors—the preparations level and the food storage, by two of the training floors and the cafeteria, right past documentation, archives and one of the living quarters floors, and more. Finally, they reach the medical floor, and turn to follow the hallway further out from the Lexym Tree’s trunk.
They pass by a few openings to the outside, lattice-like roots and ivy covering the gaps just enough to let in plenty of sunlight. The riolu takes a sniff of the fresh air, peeking through to look at the blue sky and sea of treetops. She’s even more starry-eyed than earlier, head swiveling left then right to take everything in as they pass by one of the infirmaries. Tobias huffs out an irritated breath of smoke.
“We have many gifted grass type Pokémon here,” Maggie explains, watching the riolu’s awe. “They upkeep the architecture of the Tree created by Pokémon of the past, and restructure the guild as needed with fresh plant life.”
“That’s amazing,” Riolu breathes.
Maggie smiles. “I’m happy you like it. It’s a wonderful place to live.”
Wonderful is stretching it a bit, Tobias thinks.
They stop in front of he and Maggie’s quarters, and Maggie turns to the both of them. “Now, I have to organize the herbs and double-check the stocks. Tobias, I’m trusting you to do as I asked. I’ll meet up with you in August’s quarters.” Tobias opens his mouth to argue, but Maggie gives him a gentle bop to the snout with her vine. “That’s an order as your superior. Think of it as an exercise in patience.”
She turns to Riolu, who is doing a terrible job of hiding her unease. “Tobias will take care of you. I’ll see you again soon, okay? Keep your chin up. Everyone here is very kind and will help you if you need assistance.”
The riolu’s ears pin against her head, tail tucking under her legs, but to her credit she only nods, whispering, “Thank you.”
Maggie gives Tobias one more stern look before turning to go into their quarters, scooping Tobias’ satchel off his shoulder on the way.
Then it’s just the two of them.
Riolu shifts, eyes on her paws, on the walls, anywhere but him. Tobias sighs, fresh anger sparking in his gut. Something about the riolu just irritates him, her ridiculous claim of being human aside.
“Well. Come on. Maggie’ll make me clean until my scales fall off if I just dump you here.” He turns towards Fen’s quarters, navigating the complex path by memory and not bothering to see if his unwanted tagalong is following. When he reaches the familiar doorway, he knocks on the root frame.
“Come in!”
Tobias steps inside, nodding at Fen in greeting. The leafeon is tidying up some medical supplies on the shelves lining the back of the room, but they glance back at him with warm brown eyes and a sweet smile. “Tobias! Good to see you. What do you need?”
Normally the leafeon’s calm presence is enough to relax Tobias. Today, he just steps aside, presenting the riolu with a lackluster wave of his hand. “She needs a check-up. Maggie told me to bring her here.”
Fen stops moving jars and tools around, stepping over to the riolu and bowing their head in greeting. “You’re a new face! Nice to meet you. I’m Fen.”
Riolu hesitates before giving the stiffest and most awkward bow he’s ever seen. She almost knocks herself over. “Uh, nice to meet you! I-I’m, uh...” she trails off, shooting Tobias a helpless glance, and he rolls his eyes.
“Riolu.”
“Yeah. Uh, that.”
Fen looks more than a little concerned about Riolu forgetting the name of her own species, but smiles back all the same. “So why do we need a check-up today?”
Riolu looks to Tobias. He snorts, crossing his arms. “Your story, you tell ‘em.”
Riolu winces. “Uh, I’m…I’m kind of lost? I just woke up here like this, and Tobias and Maggie found me. I can’t remember anything. Or, uh, not much, at least. I know I was a human, b-but that’s about it.”
Fen’s leafy ears prick with curiosity, probably at the prospect of having a former “human” as a patient, but they quickly nod and step back into professionalism. “Basic check-up, then. Step over here and I’ll start with some questions, okay?”
Riolu does as asked, answering Fen as they run their paws over different parts of her body, assuring that nothing seems injured or out of place. They have the riolu flex and extend her arms and legs, and asks that she flick her ears and tail (that takes her more than a few tries). Tobias takes a seat against the wall and half pays attention, noting that Riolu keeps taking deep breaths of air through her nose. Probably due to the sweet, soothing scent that always follows Fen around.
Next, Fen tests Riolu’s sight and hearing, whistling near either side of the riolu’s head and watching her ears twitch in response. Finally, Fen sits back with a smile. “Healthy as a horsea! Former human or not, you’re a perfectly normal riolu now. Aside from your lost memory, is anything else bothering you?”
Riolu hesitates, but then shakes her head. “I don’t think so? I, uh, I keep getting distracted by…smells? But I guess that’s because I’m like a dog now?”
Fen doesn’t react to the foreign word (dog?), and just nods. “If your sense of smell was different as a human, it’ll take a few days to adapt to your new nose. Riolu are great trackers.” The leafeon turns and shuffles through some paperwork on their small desk, probably looking to set up a new reference document for Riolu. “I suppose I should’ve expected as much. I’ve looked into cases of transformed humans before, and other than the cases where they appear in dangerous areas, they’ve all been found in great condition. Just confused about what they are and how to control their bodies.”
“So we’re done?” Tobias cuts in. “She's good? We can go?”
Fen shoots him a warning look that’s too amused to be stern, and then dips a claw into their well of ink, bending over a sheet of paper to scratch down information. “Allllllmost. Any allergies you can recall, Riolu?”
“Um, no, I don’t think so?”
“And what do you go by? She and her?"
That one catches Riolu off-guard, but after an awkward beat of silence she answers, “Uh, yes?”
“And do you have a given name you’d like on your records?”
Riolu stiffens, ears pinning back. “…No. Not yet.”
Fen shoots the riolu a sympathetic smile before finishing up the form. They tuck it somewhere in their elaborate filing system, and then pad closer to Riolu with their tail flicking. Tobias recognizes the tic—Fen’s worried but trying to hide it.
“There is one…concern I feel I should warn you about,” The leafeon says. “I haven’t been able to find much research about it, but it’s pretty well-known in medical circles that Pokémon from the human world are especially vulnerable to illness. Even a common cold for a native Pokemon could wreak havoc on your body if you were to catch it. It can become…well, not to scare you, but fairly serious.”
Riolu’s entire posture screams fear, and even Tobias sits up to listen. He’s a medical Pokemon, too, even if his specialty is in herbs, and he’s never heard about this. Granted, he’s never paid much attention to accounts of “former humans,” but still.
“We think it’s related to not experiencing illnesses specific to the Pokemon world when you were young, and your new body being less prepared to fight them off.”
“Y-Yeah, that would make sense,” Riolu rasps.
Fen leans forward, some of their well-hidden curiosity bleeding through. “Oh?”
Riolu shrinks away at their renewed attention. “Well, that happened sometimes in the human world, too. I-I think. If someone didn’t, uh, get sick when they were little or get vaccinated, then it could be super dangerous if they got a common sickness when they were an adult. Right?”
“Right,” Fen murmurs. They still look like they’re a whisker away from grilling the riolu’s knowledge on the topic, but they visibly reign themself in. “Sorry. I just wanted to let you know so that if you ever feel sickness coming on, you let me or Maggie know immediately. Okay?”
Riolu murmurs a quiet agreement.
Fen pads back to their desk, mumbling to themself as they write something else down. Riolu shoots Tobias a scared, pleading look, and he raises a brow in return. What’s he supposed to do? He doesn’t know anything more than Fen does.
“I’ll talk it over with Maggie,” Fen announces after a tense few moments, giving the riolu a reassuring smile. “For now, don’t worry unless you begin showing signs of sickness—coughing, fever, chills, pain, anything of the sort.”
Riolu nods.
“Then you’re good to go!” Fen chirps, only a little forced after the seriousness of the previous topic. “I don’t have anything to help with amnesia, I’m afraid. If your memories return, they can only be retrieved with time.”
“Thanks, Fen,” Tobias says, pushing off the wall and walking to the door.
“Oh! One more thing,” Fen says, stopping them. “While I know a little bit about humans, I’m sure Alistair and Tawny could give you more answers on the archive floor. Knowing them, they’d be thrilled to help you out.”
Riolu gives Fen a grateful smile as she follows Tobias out of the room, and the charmander wastes no time in heading down the hall.
“I’m getting food,” he grumbles over his shoulder. “Come if you want.”
The riolu scrambles after him, and they walk in an uncomfortable silence, down the halls and out of the medical area. Tobias knows it’s irrational, but he feels more annoyed with every step he takes, sensing Riolu trailing way too closely behind him. Yeah, whatever, the riolu is lost or something, but by Heatran’s flames he did not sign up for this! She could at least give him some space.
They go down the stairs a few flights until they hit the cafeteria floor, stepping into the bright open area. The air is filled with delicious smells and the chatter of Pokémon crowded around long wooden tables. They pass by them, Riolu looking at their trays of food curiously, and at the Pokémon themselves with even more interest. Tobias can practically see her biting back her questions.
He gets into one of the lines and grabs a wooden tray, holding back a sharp remark when Riolu tentatively steps into line behind him like his own personal shadow. He puts a few berries and a bowl of stew on his tray, grabbing a spoon and sitting down at an empty table. He feels the irritated fire in his belly grow when Riolu sits down across from him.
Tobias focuses on his food and takes a few bites, eventually glancing up at Riolu to see that she’s just poking at her meal. She uses her spoon to lift up a spoonful of stew, sniffing it suspiciously and crinkling her nose.
“What, you never had soup before?”
Riolu jumps. “O-Oh, uh. No, I have. Just. What kind of soup is this, exactly?”
“Cheri berry.”
“Oh! I know cherries!” Riolu says, looking eager. She tries a big bite of the soup, then gags and spits the mouthful back into her bowl. Tobias is about to snap at her for wasting food when she mumbles, “I don’t think that’s how cherries used to taste to me.”
“Tastes fine to me,” He snips, slurping up a loud spoonful.
Riolu licks at her lips, shuddering. “What…What do your cherries look like?”
Tobias frowns and picks through his berries, scooping out a cheri berry to show her. Perfectly ripe, orangey-red with a curly, lime green stem.
Her expression clears into realization. “Oh. That’s…different than the cherries I’m used to. Ours are more red, and the stem is darker.”
“Fascinating.” Tobias rolls his eyes and goes back to his food.
Unfortunately, he only gets a few seconds of blessed silence, and then the riolu speaks up again. “I-I’m uh…sorry about getting us stuck in the dungeon earlier. Thank you, for helping me get out.”
“It’s not like you were getting out of there on your own,” Tobias mumbles, stabbing at his soup. He doesn’t want to see anyone die—even annoying, delusional strangers. He just wishes this particular annoying, delusional stranger would leave him alone.
Riolu doesn’t seem to know how to respond, and returns to picking at her soup. From there, the meal is quiet but awkward, with the Riolu periodically glancing up at Tobias as if hoping he’ll start a conversation, which he dutifully ignores.
When they’re done and Tobias feels marginally less peeved about the whole situation on a full stomach, they head up the trunk of the giant tree. August is situated on the top floor of the guild, among the highest branches of the structure. As they ascend through the floors, the sunlight grows stronger, the rooms and levels brighter, draftier with more openings of fresh air from the many loft points where flying types come and go. They come to a stop outside of August’s quarters, a chamber closed tight with reinforced walls of vine and stone. Tobias knocks on the heavy doors, and the nervous riolu copies his straightened posture.
The door cracks open, and Verene’s big pink eyes peer down at them. Riolu flinches back from the lurantis, but Verene ignores the reaction, opening the door further. “Tobias, Riolu. Come in.”
Tobias does, squashing down the nerves in his chest as he looks around the dim room. He’s not in trouble today. Riolu, however, looks like she might faint as she takes in the sight of August, who is listening to Maggie with a thoughtful hand on his chin. Even Tobias has to admit that the rillaboom is impressive, easily towering over all of them. He’s a bulky Pokemon, his pelt covered in old scars and his leafy mane as untamable as ever. His drum is off to the side, by his desk.
Maggie looks away from the conversation to smile warmly at Riolu. “Glad to see you made it here in one piece.”
Riolu offers her a shaky smile, eyes flicking back to August as he takes a seat in his chair. Verene, his ever-dutiful second-in-command, takes up station at his side, claws crossed politely in front of her.
“Maggie told me about your impromptu adventure today,” August says, not unkindly, eyes moving from Riolu to Tobias and back. Riolu‘s ears flatten at the rillaboom’s deep voice. “I know you both must be tired, but I’m afraid a quick introduction is necessary. As I’m sure Maggie already explained, I’m Augustus, leader of the Lexym Guild. This is my second, Verene. Riolu, if you could be so kind as to recall your situation to me,” he says, not quite a suggestion and not quite a command.
Riolu nods and stammers her way through her story, of waking up in this world with no memories but that of her former existence as a human. About accidentally getting caught up in a dungeon with Tobias, and then meeting Maggie before being led back to the guild.
At the end of it all, August hums a thoughtful noise, exchanging an unreadable look with Maggie. Tobias hates when they do that. “Well, Riolu, your case is a peculiar one, though certainly not unheard of. It’s unfortunate that the once warm welcome offered to humans has in many places been soured by fear.”
“You believe her too?” Tobias can’t help asking, another lick of anger prompting him to speak up. “Just because she said she’s human.”
To Tobias’ surprise, the rillaboom gives a booming laugh, throwing his head back. Riolu skitters back a step, towards Maggie.
“A friend of mine would be dearly upset if I didn’t at least give Riolu the benefit of the doubt,” August says, as if that explains everything. “Besides, Maggie has vouched for Riolu’s sincerity, and I trust her judgment.”
Tobias huffs a small cloud of smoke and shuts his mouth. So apparently his judgement doesn’t matter. Not that he had ever been under the impression that it did.
“Also,” August continues, expression softening at the open fear on Riolu’s face. “I place little value in the blame being cast on humans for our world’s problems. Natural disasters, silence from the gods, evolution itself breaking down…how could lost humans affect such powerful things?”
Riolu is wide-eyed, looking awestruck at the rillaboom’s defense of her situation. Tobias snorts. Everyone thinks August is terrifying until they realize he’s a complete softie.
August leans back in his chair. “I doubt you’ll have any issues here in the Haven, but if you do then let one of us know. I will not hesitate to dole out punishment accordingly for ostracizing a guest for their origins. However, I cannot control the rest of the world. Be cautious if you decide to travel in the future.”
Riolu nods, “Y-Yes sir! Thank you.”
August smiles. “Of course. As for what you will do next...after speaking with Maggie and Verene on the matter, I have decided to offer you a position within the guild. We would simply ask that you assist Maggie and Tobias until you find your proper place here. If you decide to accept, you will be under our protection and have access to any of our resources—including information from our archives and our fellow guild connections.”
Riolu blinks, looking overwhelmed by such a sudden and generous offer. Tobias bites back another sharp objection, gaze flicking between August and Maggie. Both of them are kind, too kind sometimes, but even then this feels like a step too far. She’s just a timid little riolu with a human complex—what’s so special about her?
August smiles wider, sharp fangs peeking out from behind his lips. “You may have time to think it over, of course.”
Riolu opens her mouth, then shoots Maggie a hesitant look. The meganium nods encouragingly. “W-Well…Uh. What would my other option be? If I decline to join the guild?”
August rumbles a thoughtful noise, giant hand coming up to stroke at his chin. “Same as any other traveler, I suppose. We would house you as a guest for a week, and then ask that you move on to find your own way outside of the guild.”
There’s a moment of silence as Riolu frowns, looking down at her hands. Tobias sees her flex her fingers, and clench them tight as she thinks. Her gaze flicks up to Maggie again.
“You don’t have to decide right now,” August repeats.
But Riolu shakes her head, straightening up. With a surprising amount of conviction, she says, “No, I…I would like to accept your offer. Uh. Please.”
Verene finally cuts in, voice quiet but strong. “You’re sure? We didn’t bring you here to pressure you into an answer.”
Riolu shakes her head. “N-No, I um…I’d like to stay, please.”
No one speaks for a moment. Then, August smiles broadly, rising to his feet with a loud clap of his hands. Riolu winces. “Wonderful! In that case, we offer you a warm welcome into the Lexym Guild.”
Riolu, paws anxiously curled up at her chest, tries to smile.
“If you have any concerns, feel free to let us know. Until you become more comfortable, Maggie and Tobias will show you the ropes of the guild.”
Tobias opens his mouth to protest, but Maggie shoots him a sharp look. He snaps his jaws shut and huffs smoke out of his nostrils. With a quick goodbye and a word of thanks, Maggie leads Tobias and the riolu out of the room. They begin the trek back down to the medical ward, passing through patches of dying sunlight.
“I did not sign up to be this idiot’s mother,” Tobias growls when they’re far enough from August’s quarters.
Riolu shrinks away from his open animosity.
“Tobias,” Maggie sighs, shooting the riolu an apologetic look that makes his blood boil. “I may ask you to help here and there, but you won’t have to be her caretaker. I’m sure Riolu will learn quickly.”
“She’d better,” he grumbles.
There’s a heavy pause, and then Maggie tries to lighten the mood. “Well! At any rate, at least we have the pleasantries out of the way for your guild induction. Did your check-up with Fen go well?”
Riolu hesitates, then nods, and begins detailing her discussion with the leafeon. Tobias tries his hardest to ignore her presence, running his fingers over the lip of his red scarf. Eventually, they reach the medical floor, taking a few hallways outward to the room Tobias and Maggie share.
“This is our quarters,” Maggie says at the doorway, using a vine to gesture to the space filled with lush foliage and herbal supplies sitting in jars, on shelves, peeking out of books and crates, pretty much everywhere. “I primarily care for the medicinal needs of the Pokémon here, and create treatments with the plants that Tobias and I gather.”
She steps inside and gestures to the small side room near her own mossy nest. “That alcove is where Tobias stays. For now, you can share with him.”
Riolu casts a panicked glance in his direction, and he in turn spins to look at Maggie with wide eyes. “What?! No!”
“Yes.” Maggie says, tone hard and with no room for argument. “It’ll only be for a few weeks, Tobias, until she finds her way. You can deal with sharing your sleeping space.”
Tobias glares at the riolu, embers dancing in his throat, and then stalks back to his room, flopping down noisily in his nest. He curls up tight, knowing he won’t get to sleep for a while with the way his heart is roaring loud and angry in his ears. Eventually, Maggie’s soft murmurings and the quiet rustling of hay and moss fill the space. They must be setting up the riolu’s nest next to his.
Tobias refuses to look. He doesn’t care. He just wants her out of here.
When he knows that Maggie has left and he can hear the quiet breaths of Riolu, probably also trying and failing to sleep, he grumbles, “I wish I would’ve just left you in that field.”
He gets no response.
Chapter 4
Summary:
Riolu goes to the guild’s archives to figure out what to do next, and maybe find a name for herself along the way.
Chapter Text
Riolu has been in the Pokémon world for two days when she decides she needs to pick a name for herself.
After her first stressful day at the guild, she spends the second day recuperating. She wakes up with tears in her eyes and a longing ache in her chest, still surprised by the strange reality of a giant orange lizard sleeping a few feet away from her, his tail flame casting a warm glow in the alcove they now share.
Tobias clearly isn’t happy about that arrangement. No matter what Riolu does or says, he seems determined to hate her. So on the second day, she avoids him as much as possible, staying quiet when he’s in the room and trying not to feel hurt as he dutifully ignores her in turn, going about his business like there’s a rain cloud over his head.
Instead, she spends most of the afternoon hanging around Maggie’s office, still feeling too out of her element to explore, as much as she wants to. She focuses instead on becoming accustomed to her new body, trying to keep her mind off of the painful gap in her memory. She practices moving her ears and tail voluntarily, and bats experimentally at the tear-drop shaped appendages on either side of her head. She tries to let her nose adjust naturally to the unusually strong scents of well, everything—from Maggie’s soft lavender smell to Tobias’ scent, sort of like sun-baked concrete—but she still has to poke her head out the room’s window a few times when the overwhelming tang of herbs makes her nauseous.
Maggie works in their quarters most of the day, talking to her in encouraging tones and leaving only to pick up food. By time night falls and the room is lit only by the moon, Tobias’ tail, and a few of the crystals from the underground caves sitting in a jar on Maggie’s desk, Riolu is ready to collapse into sleep again.
Today, she’s determined to stop hiding away and to actually accomplish something. She’s going to become a part of this guild while she figures out how to get back home, so why not start by picking out a name? She doesn’t really like being called “Riolu” when she knows it’s just her species’ name. What if another riolu shows up and then everything gets confusing? She’s determined to leave the safety of the medicinal quarters and find the archive floor to look up information, and maybe some name inspiration.
If she can find the place, that is.
The guild doesn’t have that confusing of a layout seeing as it’s built within a giant tree, but she quickly realizes that she has a terrible sense of direction. That would’ve been great to remember before she wandered off on her own. She walks down one of the staircases circling the tree, checking rooms as she goes. She’s already poked her head into a training room, a cafeteria, and some sort of administrative-looking floor?
Every time she does, she’s fascinated by the Pokémon she sees.
A drooling, sleepy-eyed Pokemon with a red flower on its head gives off such a sharp scent that Riolu gags and stumbles back into the staircase. A fierce, bipedal cat-like Pokemon with claws rivaling Wolverine’s and a streak of red jagging through its white fur gives her a casual nod. A small, slimy purple ball of a Pokemon trails by one of the doorways, antennae twitching and green cheeks lifting into a friendly smile. A brown fox creature with a build similar to Fen trots past with a satchel like Maggie’s thrown over its back. They’re all solid and real as can be and, frankly, it’s a little overwhelming. Riolu’s still half-convinced she’s dreaming. When she squeezes past a mass of blue vines wearing adorable red boots on the stairs, she tries not to gawk.
...And in doing so, trips over a trailing vine, rolling forward and down a few of the steps. Okay, this is how she dies, tumbling down a giant tree staircase.
“Oof!” She jolts to a stop as she rolls into something soft but solid. Dizzy and feeling bruises blooming under her skin, Riolu lifts her head to see a large...cat? Lion? Looking down at her worriedly. He has blue face fur framed by a mane of black, and when he gently rolls her away from him and into a sitting position, she sees he has stripes of gold on his forelegs.
“You okay? That was quite a fall,” the Pokemon says, a friendly smile playing at his muzzle. Riolu’s surprised to realize that human or Pokémon, an attractive voice from a guy probably somewhere around her age remains equally flustering. Is that weird? It’s probably weird.
“Y-Yeah,” Riolu says, sheepishly rubbing at her elbow. “I’m really sorry for, uh, rolling into you.”
“It’s no problem. Happy to help,” the lion says, sitting down on the step below her and still managing to reach her height. A tail tipped with a star-shaped tuft wraps around his paws. “The stairs can be brutal if you aren’t used to them. You new here?”
“In more ways than one,” Riolu replies, relaxing at the easy conversation. “I’m, uh...Riolu.“
The lion’s ears perk up. “Would you happen to be the human staying with Maggie?”
Oh man. How many Pokémon around here know about her?
“That’s me,” she says weakly, shrugging.
“No wonder you’re falling down the stairs. You probably aren’t used to your body yet, right?”
“You believe me?” Riolu asks, surprised. With the suspicious way Tobias eyes her every time she mentions something about being human and the warning she’d gotten from both Maggie and August, she’d figured she’d have more push-back than this.
“Of course. If you say you were human, I have no reason to believe otherwise.”
Riolu smiles gratefully, immediately deciding she likes this Pokemon. He seems nice.
“Oh! Sorry, I’m Xander,” the lion says, offering a small bow of his head. “A luxio.”
“I wish every Pokémon would introduce themselves like that,” Riolu says, voice light. It would certainly make learning the different species easier.
“Where are you off to anyways?”
“W-Well, I was trying to find the archives, but...”
Xander’s eyes flick behind her. “You don’t have anyone to help you around?”
Tobias is supposed to be guiding her through the guild’s many ins and outs today, but he made it more than clear that he wants nothing to do with her. This morning when she woke up, he was already gone. She didn’t bring it up to Maggie because she didn’t want to get the charmander in trouble. He clearly dislikes her enough already.
“Well, uh, sort of,” she says. “But I thought I could find it on my own?”
Xander purrs a quiet laugh. “Independent type, huh? Well, I have time to take you there. Come on.”
Riolu jumps to follow him as he turns and makes his way back down the stairs. “Are you sure? I don’t want to bother you.”
“It’s really no problem. We’re actually pretty close.”
They travel two more flights down, chatting amiably, before Xander turns to a new floor. This level is like a magnificent library, taken up by an organized labyrinth of tall shelves, filled to the brim with books and documents. It’s hard to tell where the room ends, and it looks like it might even wrap all the way around the tree’s trunk.
“Wow,” Riolu breathes, having only caught a glimpse of the space when she’d first entered the guild.
“Like it? We have a pretty nice collection,” Xander says, looking proud. He nods past her, and she turns to see what looks like a front desk area. Behind it sits a willlowy, almost humanoid green and white Pokémon, along with a tiny, fairy-like bug wearing a brown scarf. The two of them are in quiet discussion together.
“The tall one is Alistair, a gardevoir,” Xander whispers. “The little one is Tawny, a ribombee. They’ll help you out if you need to find anything in particular.”
“Thank you so much. Really.”
“Sure! I’ll see you around, okay? No more falling down staircases.”
Riolu laughs and waves goodbye as Xander turns to head back up the tree. She hopes she sees him again.
Then, she gets to work.
With the help of Alistair and Tawny (who argue only briefly about what “critical texts” she should read as a human before Riolu tentatively asks for some child-level legends or fairytales), she ends up at one of the tables made for Pokemon around her size, although she still has to kneel in her chair to not have to peer over the edge of the table. A huge stack of texts sit on the table at her side. She smiles when she realizes that some of the books are almost too big for her to handle, and others too small to comfortably read without squinting. Guess the range of Pokemon sizing makes a “standard” book size a bit hard to pin down. She takes a moment to admire the table, too, growing as a tangle of roots straight up from the floor and with bioluminescent leaves adding some extra lighting to the sunlight already pouring in from the nearby window.
Then, she focuses, picking through the books and finding the one Tawny had told her was a book of common Pokemon legends. Not the most academic angle to take, but she’d like to ease herself in with something like a story. She flips to the first page and furrows her brows as she realizes that...this is not English. In fact, it doesn’t look like any language she’s ever seen, all rune-like shapes. Wingdings comes to mind, funny enough.
So why can she read it?
Feeling some sort of self-doubting panic settle over her (Oh my God what if she’s wrong, what if she’s not actually human?), she realizes that she’s also been speaking with and understanding all of the Pokémon she’s met so far. There’s no logical way they’re speaking English. Maybe she’s a fraud. An accidental fraud? Is that a thing? Maybe she really is dreaming, or—or she’s in a coma, or—
“Okay, deep breaths, hold on,” Riolu mumbles, trying to calm down her spiraling thoughts.
So far no one has mentioned it being odd that she can speak the language here. So maybe it’s normal for people like her? Heck, maybe one of the books will tell her something. Otherwise she can talk to Maggie or Fen about it later instead of panicking uselessly on her own.
You came down here to be productive! She reminds herself.
She swallows down her emotions and goes back to the book of legends, immediately awed by the images accompanying the short stories. They’re beautiful, painted in bright, geometric hues and depicting all sorts of Pokémon. How many species of Pokémon are there? She feels like she’s gotten glimpses of at least twenty different kinds at this point.
Riolu reads through the first story, revolving around the Mother of All Pokémon, Mew. It’s oddly…cute? Like a pink cat!
Idly, she wonders how seriously the Pokémon take these legends. Are they real Pokemon, or more like religious stories or myths? August did say something about “the gods” being silent, which sounds pretty…real. Hm. She flips through a few more creatures, skimming the words for any mention of humans, and quickly decides to check out the book to read later on. It’s all super fascinating, even if it isn't really that helpful.
Riolu's pretty sure that she always liked reading.
She scans through different tales, about trios of elemental guardians and a little sprite who can time travel and even an evil Pokemon banished from the entire Pokemon dimension. Honestly, a few of them sound like bedtime stories made up to scare little kids. Surely not all of these “legends” are actual Pokemon, right? Could something actually be powerful enough to travel through time?
Then she thinks again about Tobias, breathing out embers, and can’t quite convince herself that these are just stories.
On the next page, the illustration depicts a bright yellow rabbit Pokémon with red cheeks and a long lightning bolt tail, surrounded by a bubble of bright blue...energy? It looks like it’s defending itself from a great plume of fire raging on all sides. Below it is a line of sad, skinny black creatures, with long arms and teary red eyes, holding masks of gold. The faces on the masks almost look—
Riolu gasps, yanking the book off the desk and into her lap. At the top of the next page sits exactly what she’s been hoping to see: The Myth of Humankind. This is it! The information she's been looking for! She begins to read, and realizes that this story in particular is more of an informational blurb than a fairy tale. Even better.
For as long as there have been Pokémon, there have also been legends of another kind of being: Humans.
While no one truly knows the origin of these tales and there are no documented sightings of such creatures, a variety of stories focus on them and their supposed co-existence with Pokemon.
The facts regarding their world, and how Pokemon fit into their lives, change from story to story. In some, Pokémon live side-by-side with humans as partners. In some stories, Pokemon are hunted and feared by Humans. In some, Pokemon are little more than myths and children’s tales, as Humans often are in our own world. A few tales fail to mention Pokémon at all.
Riolu’s brows rise. Well, she’s in that last category, she supposes. She certainly doesn’t remember any mention of Pokémon when she was human, not that that’s saying much with how little she does remember. She continues reading.
For approximately the past thirty years, there has been increased documentation of Pokémon appearing in our world, claiming to have once been Human. Most of these Humans-turned-Pokemon regain their memories, but often refuse to elaborate on their past.
Well, that sounds familiar. But thirty years? Riolu’s stomach clenches, something afraid and sad welling up in her throat. Maggie had mentioned before that humans have been coming to this world for decades and haven’t found a way back yet, but it’s only really starting to hit her that that means the humans continued to live here their entire lives. Some without ever recovering their memories! Tears sting hot at the back of Riolu’s eyes at the thought. She doesn’t remember her human life, but she does know she wants to go back. She has to have people she loves, to feel this heavy longing in her chest.
She shakes her head, takes a deep breath, and moves on to the next paragraph.
They appear to be regular, healthy Pokémon in every way aside from lost memories. The one consistent oddity with their kind is their ability to use the move “Protect” regardless of species. In native Pokémon, only a small handful of species, typically those with shells, can learn such a move. There is no apparent cause for such an anomaly.
Riolu frowns and turns back to the illustration, looking again at the yellow rabbit (or mouse, maybe?) Pokemon. Is that what that bright blue bubble is? A...”move” called protect? So it’s like a shield? Definitely sounds handy in a world where Pokémon can breathe literal fire. She turns back to the next page.
The only species of Pokemon consistently connected with Humans is the ghost type Yamask. Unable to breed and with incredibly long lifespans, the Yamask and Cofagrigus line are most well-known for being born exclusively from supposed “Human souls.” They always retain the memories of their Human lives, and their Human face is reflected in the molding of each individual’s mask. They are often withdrawn and emotional after the rebirth into their Pokémon forms. Most refuse to answer questions regarding their transformation into a Pokémon, and as such how it is done remains a mystery. They cannot appear to change back.
Riolu doesn’t know whether to feel excited or despair even more at the mention of these...yamask. They remember their life as a human, but refuse to talk about it? Why? It seems like of all the people turned into Pokemon, they would be the ones with the most information for how to return to the human world!
Riolu shakes her head and turns the page, disappointed to see the section about humans end. There are a few more fairytales following it, but she hums and skips them to read later.
Riolu sits back into the chair that’s almost too big for her, gaze floating around the giant room and its many, many books. The longer she’s here, the more Riolu realizes she has only seen the tip of the iceberg regarding exactly how vast and nuanced the Pokémon world is. She hopes she won’t be stuck here long, but she can’t be running around looking for answers without knowing a thing about the world around her. She’s gonna have to start reading some books about Pokémon themselves—basic biology, types, these “moves” she’s heard about, and definitely about the calamities that started happening when humans began showing up.
For now, she picks up a book filled with significant figures in Pokémon history, flipping through the pages and scanning the names listed next to different species and their accomplishments. Some of them are illustrated in beautiful watercolor. Man, she’s going to have to check out so many books. Hopefully Tobias won’t get too mad about her bringing them back. He probably will, but—
Wait. Riolu’s finger, running down a paragraph of historical Pokémon, stops on a single name, and she feels like someone just punched her in the gut.
Antonia.
Riolu swallows, breath shaking out as tears flood her vision. She suddenly feels homesick, and she’s certain she knows this name. She knows this name. Is it...is it hers? She definitely feels connected to it.
“Antonia,” she murmurs, voice thick with tears. “...Nia.”
She smiles a wobbly smile. The name makes her feel terribly vulnerable, but obviously it meant something to her, in her human life. Maybe...this should be her new name.
“Nia,” she whispers again, trying it out on her tongue. “My name is...Nia. Nia.”
The more she says it, the more certain she feels. It doesn’t come to her as naturally as she would hope, but...she likes it. She looks at the entry of the Pokémon itself, and sees that it belonged to a Pokémon called audino, who discovered new forms of mental healing. It’s a cute thing, pink with fluffy ears and bright blue eyes.
“Nia it is, then,” the riolu says decisively, wiping her eyes. She closes the book and looks down at it gratefully. Nia. She is someone now.
For the rest of her time in the archives, until the sun begins to set and casts long shadows across the floor, Nia peruses through her stack of books. There are so many types of Pokémon, and so many moves! Moves that Pokémon apparently use to battle each other? For fun? Looks like Tobias wasn’t kidding when he mentioned battling being a normal thing back in the mystery dungeon.
It’s all so strange and foreign to her, but she supposes that makes it all the more important for her to know. If she’s going to find answers about her past and how to return to her old life, she’ll need all the knowledge she can get to properly navigate this world. Better check out some maps too, while she’s here.
Borrowing a burlap backpack from the two guardians of the archives, Nia checks out three or four of the books to read through later. A geography and mapping book to help familiarize her with the area, a tome detailing Pokemon types and moves, the legends book, and one other book that seems to be an explanatory guide for children. When they’re sitting heavy and reassuring against her back, she turns to the two helpful archive Pokémon one last time.
“Would you mind answering one more question for me?”
Alistair, the beautiful...uh...white and green Pokémon smiles patiently. “Of course. What is it?”
Tawny flutters closer, looking eager.
“I, uh, found some of the career paths that Pokémon tend to have here at the guild, but...”
“Yes?”
“Wh-What kind of, uh...jobs would you two recommend I look into to find out more about humans? And maybe my past? Sorry, you two just seem to know a lot so—“
“Don’t apologize!” Tawny chirps, bouncing in the air to convey her excitement. “This is our job!”
Alistair nods. “As for your question, you could look into becoming a researcher.”
“But if you want to do that, you’ll need to travel to lots of different areas to talk to other Pokemon and investigate. That might be difficult if you haven’t had much training to protect yourself,” Tawny says.
“True. And escorts are quite expensive.”
“Also, you’d probably be asked by the guild to do research on subjects other than humans, too, if you’re using their resources.”
Nia looks back and forth between the two as they build on each other’s points. Research does sound right up her alley, curious as she is about the Pokémon world, but...
“So it might be a while before I would really be able to do research specifically on humans?”
Alistair and Tawny exchange a reluctant look.
“Unfortunately,” Alistair says. “It usually takes a while for guild-affiliated researchers to be able to travel so independently, due to the potential dangers and their lack of credibility.” He glances at Tawny again, sounding unsure about his next words. “There is one other option that comes to mind, but I’m not sure it would be to your liking.”
Nia perks up. “Yes?”
“You could become a Seeker!” Tawny cheers. Alistair and Nia wince at her sudden increase in volume.
A…Seeker? Nia remembers hearing about those in passing yesterday, and maybe in the dungeon with Tobias. Maggie had pointed out a few of them on their way to the cafeteria for supper. They were all strong-looking groups of Pokémon with heavy satchels and notable scars, either heading out into the forest or returning from it looking weary.
“What do they do, exactly?” Nia asks.
“Quite a lot of things,” Alistair says, leaning forward against the desk as he thinks. “They explore new areas and look for resources, rescue injured or lost Pokémon, track down and capture outlaws...”
“Really exciting stuff!” Tawny says. “Dangerous stuff, but still! They always have the best stories. Especially the ones about mystery dungeons!”
Nia slumps. There’s no way she could handle all of that. Willingly throwing herself back into a terrifying mystery dungeon? That just sounds like a death wish.
“So I’d have to fight,” Nia says, unable to stop the disappointment from creeping into her voice.
Alistair nods. “Yes. Even if you focus entirely on rescue work, you will have to be able to defend yourself from aggressive Pokemon if you get caught in a mystery dungeon.”
“Yeah, the guilds have laws and procedures so no one gets sent out unprepared. Too many deaths happen that way.”
Nia looks at Tawny, wide-eyed. Deaths? Sure, in hindsight it makes sense that Pokemon could…die. Fantasy creatures or not. But still, it’s not something she had thought much about yet.
“B-But it’s rare for Seekers to get killed on the job!” Tawny hurries to add at Nia’s stricken expression. “They’re required to work in teams of two or more, and they get these nifty little badges that can transport them out of the area if they get in serious trouble! There’s a group of psychics at each guild that control it.”
Still, even knowing that safety net is in place, a career as a Seeker sounds so dangerous. And not to mention terrifying. No way could that path be for her. She doesn’t want to fight anyone. Or die, for that matter.
“So those are the only two paths you think could help me?” Nia asks.
Alistair hums. “They’re certainly the first two to come to mind.”
“A Seeker would really be the best option, because you go to more places quicker and get to talk to a wider range of Pokémon,” Tawny says, tilting her head at the riolu with a sympathetic smile. “But it’s also much scarier.”
Nia nods, mostly to herself. So a Seeker would definitely be the most beneficial career for looking into her human life, but she could never actually do it. She’d have to find a team first, people willing to partner with someone who knows nothing about the Pokemon world, and she’d have to learn to defend herself, too. Learn to fight. That’s way too tall of an order.
“Well, I’ll think about everything you’ve told me,” Nia eventually says, thumbing the straps of her backpack and trying to smile up at the two Pokémon. “Thank you so much for all of your help.”
“You’re very welcome, Riolu!” Tawny chirps as Alistair simply smiles. “Feel free to come back any time. We love the company!”
“Oh! I almost forgot! Would you mind calling me Nia now?” The riolu asks, feeling oddly bashful about the correction.
“Of course,” Alistair says, his pretty red eyes sparkling. “Good choice.”
“Thanks!” Nia says, turning and heading back into the stairwell. “Have a good night!”
Tawny waves until she’s out of sight, and then Nia begins her trek upward, hoping she’ll be able to find the medical floor before nightfall. She learned so much today—about this world, her potential future, and even herself. Even if it wasn’t all great news, she can’t wait to talk to Maggie about it! Maybe even Xander if she bumps into him again. Just…not literally this time.
Nia isn’t exactly sure where to go from here, but she feels better now that she's gotten a start. Becoming a Seeker sounds like the most efficient option for discovering her past, but there’s no way she could handle what they do. A researcher is really much more her style.
Chapter 5
Summary:
Tobias considers his life at the guild, and makes a life-changing decision.
Notes:
Content warnings for this chapter!
There is a panic attack in this chapter from Tobias' POV! If you're concerned about reading it, read until "He turns to look, and suddenly he can’t breathe..." and pick up again at "With a still shaking hand, he snatches the wanted poster..." You can find a summary of the panic attack itself in the end notes. Stay safe!
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
Tobias can feel the heat rolling off his skin as he moves. He glares at the training dummy, bouncing on his toes, before launching into another stream of attacks.
Smokescreen hisses white and murky from his throat, clouding the area and wrecking any hope for visibility. His sharp eyes can still pick out the dummy’s silhouette, so he slashes at it with metal-coated claws, satisfied by the feeling of the fabric splitting open. He spins, slamming his tail into it with a solid thump before springing back and spraying a wave of embers at his foe.
As the smokescreen begins to clear, Tobias can see that the dummy is a wreck, riddled with gashes and glittering with embers that even the flame-resistant cloth can’t smother. It should still be good to go for a few more rounds.
“Can you not destroy property for one day?”
The words are sarcastic, and Tobias slumps, tipping his head back with a groan. “Arceus, Archer, I only used one dummy today!”
He turns to see the breloom walking up to him, eyeing the smoldering dummy with disapproval. “Vera had to make a whole new batch after your past few training sessions.”
“I said sorry,” Tobias grumbles, looking around for the first time since he’d arrived at dawn. There’s only a handful of other Pokémon around, probably Seeker teams practicing their moves. As usual, they pay him no mind. Archer has pulled out a small notebook, and is writing something down with careful claws. Probably keeping score of how much equipment Tobias broke. Ugh.
“You need to be less destructive,” Archer says.
Tobias bristles. “Fire is destructive. Maybe you should make your equipment more durable.”
The breloom looks unimpressed. “Everyone else does fine with this equipment—including Pokemon much stronger than you.”
Tobias’ hands curl into fists.
“You need to learn to hold back,” Archer repeats.
Tobias scowls up at him. “I already am holding back! Isn’t training kind of the point of this area? What do you want me to do, not use my fire at all?”
“That would be a nice change of pace,” Archer agrees, sickly sweet.
Tobias growls at the words, hating that they still get to him. It’s not his fault he’s the only fire type in the guild.
“Besides,” Archer adds. “Doesn’t Maggie need your help? You know, doing something that would contribute to your actual job? Like guiding around that little riolu.”
Tobias, who had moved forward to pat out the remaining fire, stiffens. He turns on his heel and marches out of the training grounds without another word. He tries to control his breathing as he makes his way up to the medical ward, like Maggie taught him years ago.
He hates how everyone dismisses him when he’s not doing something to help Maggie. He hates that they still look so nervous around him when he practices. He hates that no one respects his choices in general. So what if he wants to be able to fight and get stronger even as a medic? That’s not anyone else’s business. He’s good at his job and if he wants to work on another skill in his downtime, he can.
Besides, he’d rather be anywhere other than leading that riolu around. What was her name now? Mia? Nia, that’s it. He’d rather dig through a muk than have to guide her around all day like a helpless little kid. She’s an adult, for Moltres’ sake! He doesn’t care if she has supposed “amnesia”—he did not sign up to be her personal tour guide. She can figure it out herself.
Tobias is so caught up in his irritation that he almost walks straight past the medical floor. He huffs and walks to the quarters he shares with Maggie—not Nia—and is immediately annoyed to see the riolu awake, talking eagerly to Maggie. She cuts herself off when he enters the room.
“Stop staring,” he snaps, then turns to Maggie. “What do you need me to do?”
The meganium frowns down at him. Great. “Tobias, don’t be rude. Nia was talking.”
“N-No, it’s okay,” the riolu says, waving her hands in front of her defensively. “I can wait.”
Maggie looks unhappy but uses her vines to scoop up a thin stack of documents sitting on her desk. She hands them to Tobias, who glances over the top one. Mission requests asking for gatherers and Seekers to pick up herbs for them from more distant locations. The usual.
“I need you to pin these up on the mission board, please,” Maggie says. Then her voice turns steely. “And Tobias?”
The charmander peeks up at her, and somehow her disappointed expression is worse than if she’d looked furious with him.
“Come back here when you’re finished. You’re going to have to talk to poor Nia eventually. I’m sure you’re prickly enough when you show her around. In here you’re going to be civilized.”
The sinking feeling in Tobias’ stomach is overshadowed by confusion. He...he hasn’t been showing Nia around at all. He’s actually been waiting for Maggie to scold him about that. His gaze flicks over to Nia, and she looks frozen with panic. Her eyes meet his, and she frantically shakes her head. Oh. She’s been covering for him? But...why?
Before he can become suspicious, Maggie prompts, “Tobias?”
“Y-Yeah, sure,” he mumbles. “I’ll be back.” He turns and hurries out of the room.
As he makes his way down to the base of the guild where the mission boards are housed, he hugs the forms tight to his chest, thinking. Why would Nia cover for him? He’s pointedly ignored her ever since she arrived at the guild. The few times he did have to talk to her, he barbed his comments with the nastiest tone he could muster.
He shoves down the jab of guilt in his stomach.
Tobias doesn’t necessarily hate the riolu, he just...doesn’t want to be around her. Her timid nature and constant questions are annoying, and now she has taken his alone space away from him. To add on to that, she whimpers and twitches in her sleep, restless as an emolga, and keeps him up half the night. Not to mention her weird claim that she used to be human. So yeah, he’s not exactly dying to be forced to interact with her.
Besides, it’s not like he likes interacting with anyone else much better. Everyone at the guild made it clear years ago how they felt about him, and he’s content to reciprocate. He doesn’t get along with others, and he doesn’t want to. Simple. Maggie and the shinx siblings are pretty much the only exceptions to that rule.
As Tobias passes the nursery floor, he’s brought out of his musings by a shrill cry of, “Toby!”
Well, speak of the sableye. Fighting a smile, Tobias turns to see a small shinx sprinting towards him through the doorway. He sets the stack of papers down just in time to catch the fluffball as he leaps into Tobias’ arms.
Tobias lurches forward with a playful, “Oof,” dipping as if the shinx is too heavy for him to hold. “Arceus, Luca, how much have you been eating?!”
The shinx giggles, scrambling out of his hold to climb onto his shoulders. Tobias obediently collapses forward onto the ground with a dramatic, “Ugh!”
Luca plops down on his back and purrs. “It’s not the food—I’m just getting too strong!”
“Oh, is that so?” Tobias asks. He rolls over into a sit. “You do look like you’ve put on some muscle.”
Luca puffs up his fur and grins at Tobias, blue and black pelt crackling with static. “I know! I even beat Laine in a battle yesterday!”
“That’s awesome!” Tobias says, grinning back at the shinx just as proudly. He glances past the shinx in search of the cub’s siblings. “Where are Laine and Leor?”
“They’re playin’ a game. But you shoulda seen my battle! I bet I’m strong enough to take on a whole mystery dungeon by now! Xander was telling us about this super cool dungeon his team went to with all these flowers and bug Pokemon, and Laine and Leor and me are gonna go find it ourselves so we can explore it and--“
“Luca!”
They both look up to see the giant form of Arlo bustling over to them from deeper within the nursery. The drampa looks torn between relief and anger, feathers ruffled.
Luca crouches low. “Uh-oh.”
Tobias snorts a laugh. “Did you sneak out again?”
“Maybe?”
“Maybe is right!” Arlo says as he reaches the doorway, ducking to glare at the tiny Pokémon. “You know better than that, Luca. Do I have to tell Xander you were misbehaving again?”
Luca scrambles back inside, looking up at the drampa. “No! Don’t tell him, please! He’ll get all sad and stuff. It’s awful!”
“Then go back to your siblings,” Arlo huffs.
Luca rushes away, tossing a “Bye, Toby!” over his shoulder. Tobias watches him go with an amused smirk.
Arlo sighs, shaking his head. “Apologies, Tobias. You know how he gets.”
The charmander shakes his head and scoops up the documents, making sure none fluttered away in the scuffle. “No problem. You sound like you have your work cut out for you.”
“That I do,” Arlo grumbles, not without affection. He turns and shuffles back inside, towards the chatter of children.
Tobias continues down the tree, mood considerably lighter than it was before. The little brats—Luca and his siblings especially—don’t judge him and are always eager to see him, and he can forgive anything dumb they do since they’re so young. It’s nice.
Tobias has only passed a few Pokémon by time he reaches the bottom of the tree. Most of them are either outside already or crowded around the mission boards. Tobias shuffles through the teams and shoulders his way to the front of mission board E with a muttered, “Excuse me” that sounds more like a threat than a pleasantry.
He pins up the letters one by one, taking his time to delay his inevitable return to Maggie’s wrath. Eventually, he moves over to the higher board ranks as the locations in the documents become more dangerous. Soon enough he’s finished, and just so he won’t have to go through the crowd at his back, he ducks under the board and out the other side to the outlaw letters. He pauses for a moment to see where he’s at in the expansive, increasingly busy room. Until something on the outlaw board at his side catches his eye. He turns to look, and suddenly he can’t breathe.
A new “wanted” poster is pinned to the S-rank board, with the scratchy portraits of an arcanine, crobat, and pangoro staring back at him. Images and sounds and sensations he’s long since tried to erase explode inside his mind.
Plumes of fire rebounding off cave walls, throwing distorted shadows—
The flash of claws—
A streak of purple, too fast too track—
A weight on his back, the stinging downpour of rain, thunder booming and are they following him they have to be right behind him—
Tobias squeezes his eyes shut and lets his legs buckle. He’s going to die. He needs, he—air, he can’t breathe—
He blindly crawls under the notice board, leaning back heavily against the side post and curling his knees up to his chest. His heart is racing, hammering, he can hear it in his head, and it takes him a moment to realize that he’s gasping so hard he’s hardly breathing. Why can’t he get any air?
He’s hot, overheating, melting, but he can’t bring his body to move from its spot on the ground. Why is he so hot? He’s a fire type, there’s no way it’s too warm for him.
Eventually, he manages to squint his eyes open, only to be met with black spots and the blur of tears. He’s dying. He grips at the hard ground, wishing Maggie were here. She could help. Where is she?
Tobias focuses on thoughts of the meganium, of her soothing voice and the scent of her flower, letting old, comforting memories of her play through his head and try to wash away the—
Snarling, thunder, crying—
Maggie. He’s at the guild with Maggie. He’s okay.
Tobias doesn’t know how long he sits there, curled up into a ball of tension, but eventually his heart rate slows enough for him to breathe again. As he blinks away tears with a hiss of steam, he realizes he’s shaking. The charmander flicks his tail into view and stares into the tiny, wavering flame. Tries to blank out his thoughts, let the static soothe his panic instead of stoke it.
He doesn’t know how much longer he waits until trying to move. Every muscle in his body is stiff and sore, and he feels like he could sleep for a week. Great. Slowly, Tobias crawls out of the space, relieved to see the room mostly empty. Either no one saw his breakdown or they didn’t care enough to try and calm him down.
With a still shaking hand, he snatches the wanted poster off the board and folds it up, trying to walk back to the staircase without staggering. He hopes Maggie didn’t notice how long he was gone. She probably did.
By the time he makes it back up to the medical ward, Tobias feels calmer, even if he’s still exhausted. When he steps into their quarters trying to hide his nerves, he sees Riolu—Nia—reading in a corner and Maggie separating some herbs. The meganium turns to him, face set into something hard and scolding. Tobias’ heart squeezes at how quickly her expression turns to worry.
“Tobias? What happened?” She asks, hurrying over to him and using a vine to stroke at his cheek.
He opens his mouth to lie, trying to resist the urge to press into her touch, but finds that he can’t quite speak. Maggie’s vine tips his head up so she can look into his eyes.
“Are you okay?” She asks, softly.
“Yeah,” Tobias croaks, before he can stop himself. “Panic attack, I think.” He hasn’t had one for a year or two, but it’s hard to forget what it feels like.
Maggie’s antennae flatten, and she pulls him into her hold, murmuring, “Oh, Tobias.”
“I’m fine,” he mumbles into the flower at her neck, trying to sound more confident than he feels. He doesn’t try to fight her embrace or her soothing scent. He can still feel himself shaking.
Tobias isn’t sure how long he stays like that, feeling his heart rate and his thoughts slowly smooth out, before remembering that Nia is in the room with them. He reluctantly pushes back from Maggie, and she releases him.
The riolu is clearly trying to not look interested—or worried?—despite the fact that she’s peeking at the two of them over her book with furrowed brows. When he glares at her, she squeaks and buries her face back into the pages.
“Here,” he says, roughly, holding up the folded wanted poster. Maggie takes it in her vines and unfolds it, a quiet breath her only reaction to the picture. “I can’t read it right now. How long have they been on the wanted listing?”
Maggie hesitates. “Tobias—“
“Just tell me. Please.”
“...Five years.”
Tobias swallows hard, stubbornly shoving away the memories trying to crowd back into his brain. One breakdown is fine for today, thank you.
Five years. He can hardly believe it. It’s been...what? Eight years since Maggie took him in? And five years since these three were officially outlawed. That’s incredible. Most outlaws are only on the run for two or three years, tops, after authorities are notified and word is spread to Seeker teams. They must have been on the other side of the world for word to have taken this long to reach the guild.
How are they still free?
“Tobias,” Maggie says, voice cautious. She sounds like she’s talking down a dangerous criminal. “I can see you thinking about this. Don’t do anything rash. You know that the authorities and the Seeker teams are doing their best to catch them, and—“
“And they’re still free, Maggie!” He snaps. Softer, he says, “They’re still out there. Clearly the authorities and the Seekers aren’t doing their jobs well enough.”
Maggie’s still looking at him like he might go running out of the guild this very second to challenge the outlaws to a fight. She glances at Nia, and Tobias follows her gaze to see the riolu not even pretending to be reading anymore. Instead, she’s watching him, worriedly wringing her paws.
“Can I help?” She asks, clearly with no idea of what’s going on.
Tobias snorts. “Not unless you want to arrest three S-rank criminals.”
The riolu’s ears flatten, and she frantically shakes her head.
Wait.
If no one else can seem to track these three down and arrest them...if no one else cares enough to focus on hunting them down...
Then maybe it’s up to him to do it.
It’ll take a long time to become strong enough to beat them—especially with no one being able to evolve anymore. But he has to do it. He can feel it in his bones. Maybe it’s like some form of divine retribution, justice for all the evil they’ve done. Justice for what they’ve done to him.
He can’t believe he’s never thought of this before. He can’t just sit around and wait for some other Pokémon to do the job for him, apparently, so he has to take matters into his own hands. And there’s really only one way to do that.
“Maggie,” he says, voice strong and sure. “I‘m becoming a Seeker.”
Maggie reels back at the declaration. “What? Now Tobias, hold on a moment. You’re very emotional right now and—“
“Maggie.”
The meganium stops, looking upset.
“I’m going to become a Seeker, get stronger, and take these three out myself. I don’t care if it takes ten years to do it.”
Maggie opens her mouth to argue, but then thinks better of it. “Have you really decided on this? Right now? So suddenly?”
Tobias nods, feeling a fire light in his belly. He’s never been more sure of anything in his life.
“Will you at least think about it for the day? Wait until tomorrow to apply?”
Tobias frowns, looking up at the meganium. He isn’t sure if Maggie is just scared for his sake, or if she’s hoping he won’t leave his job with her. Probably both. They’ll still see each other if he joins an exploration team, but...it won’t be the same. He feels a heavy sadness in his chest at the thought of no more long days alongside the meganium, searching for herbs in the forest and playfully bantering with each other. He loves to spend time with her, and he really doesn’t mind his current job...
But Tobias knows himself. And he can feel that, like lit kindling, there’s no going back for him. The moment the idea popped into his head his new course was set. He’s going to be a Seeker, and he’s going to take those three outlaws down.
“I’ll wait until tomorrow to apply,” he agrees, just to ease that worried expression from Maggie’s face. Even her flower looks wilted.
The meganium lets out a sigh of relief. “Good. You need to be certain before making such a big decision. Especially one that’s driven by such...emotional ties.”
“Just for you, Maggie.”
The meganium smiles weakly in response.
As Tobias’ decision solidifies and he feels himself calm down, the exhaustion from his earlier panic attack weighs down on him once again. He yawns.
“You should rest for a while,” Maggie suggests, watching him with concern. “You’ve...been through a lot this morning.”
Tobias looks to his room, debating. With how his morning’s gone there’s a good chance he’ll have nightmares, but he is really tired.
Maggie nudges him with her snout. “Go on. I’ll wake you for lunch.”
Tobias can’t argue with that. He nods, rubbing at his eyes, and walks back into his room. He curls up in his soft nest and flicks his tail over his snout.
He’s out in seconds, his sleep dark and dreamless.
Notes:
Panic Attack Summary:
Tobias sees a wanted poster on the S-rank job board for a trio of outlaws--an arcanine, crobat, and pangoro. He has brief, vague flashbacks of these Pokemon attacking, and of being chased through a storm. He waits out his panic attack by crawling under the job board and thinking of Maggie, watching his tail flame until he has calmed himself down. Afterwards, he's stiff and exhausted, but relieved that either no one saw his breakdown or they left him alone to deal with it himself.
Chapter 6
Summary:
Nia talks to Maggie about Tobias’ past and makes a decision of her own.
Chapter Text
Nia watches the alcove where Tobias vanished, hearing the charmander settle into his nest with a rustle. After a few moments of quiet, she looks to Maggie for some explanation for the emotional display that just happened, but the meganium is clearly elsewhere, eyes a thousand miles away and expression pinched with worry. Nia sets her book to the side and rises to her feet, approaching the older Pokémon.
“Maggie?” She murmurs, resting a hand on the older woman’s leg.
The meganium jolts out of her thoughts, looking down at the riolu. For fear of Tobias hearing her concerns, Nia just frowns and tilts her head, hoping her question is clear. The meganium seems to get the message, and nods her head in the direction of the doorway into the hall. Nia nods and follows her, and the two of them walk away from their quarters.
“What—“
“Hold on, dear,” Maggie says. Nia obediently shuts her mouth again, wondering where the meganium is taking her.
They end up back at the staircase without a word, and climb it upwards, past two more floors, and then finally step out onto...a mail floor? Open patches of foliage let in fresh windy air and a flood of sunlight, and Nia sees a large white pelican Pokémon land on one of the wooden platforms, a few letters visibly clamped in his beak.
She follows Maggie past the bird, and they only stop once they reach another landing spot. Maggie walks up to the edge and sinks comfortably onto the wooden planks. Nia follows her lead, sitting next to her and enjoying the way the wind whips at her fur. The sun is nice and warm, too, and they have a breathtaking view of the forest from above. The blue sky looks endless, and she’s only a little nervous about how high up they are.
“Sorry, dear. Tobias would have a fit if he heard us talking about him like he wasn’t there,” Maggie says, just loud enough to be heard over the breeze. She sounds unbearably fond.
Nia looks over at her, noticing for the first time how...old Maggie looks. She’s seemed so full of life ever since Nia met her, but now she just looks worn. Sad. The creases under her eyes seem deeper.
“C-Can I...can I ask what happened down there?” Nia asks.
Maggie smiles, the slightest bit. “I’ll tell you what I can. Most of it isn’t my story to tell.”
Nia nods, remembering the way Tobias looked when he’d first returned to the room. Pale and shaken, eyes swollen from crying. He’d looked so vulnerable. So different from the scathing, aloof Pokemon she’s become accustomed to over the past few days.
“I met Tobias around, oh...eight years ago, when he was only nine.” Maggie starts. “I was far from the guild at the time, on a trip to buy herbs from a little town at the base of a mountain range. Isolated place, but lovely. That’s where I met Tobias.”
Maggie smiles, and it looks bittersweet. “He was such a tiny thing, refusing to speak to anyone. And he had been…hurt. Badly. The healer there told me they’d found him unconscious just outside the village. I asked what they planned to do with him, seeing as he was alone, and they didn’t have an answer. So I offered to bring him back to the guild with me.”
Nia looks up at the meganium with open admiration. “You took him in, just like that?”
Maggie smiles. “I did. From what the healer told me, he had nowhere to go and I figured he would do better someplace different, far away from whatever memories lied in those mountains. I thought I would have Arlo raise him in the nursery, but in the course of our trip home that feisty little charmander stole my heart. He’s been with me ever since.”
Nia suddenly understands the clear familial affection between the two, the intense fear on the meganium’s face when Tobias talked about hunting down those outlawed Pokémon. “So...is it a bad idea for Tobias to become a Seeker?” She asks.
Maggie hesitates, looking thoughtfully at the blue sky. “No. Not bad. He’s always been drawn to battling and training, and I think it would actually do him well, to get out into the world. To meet other Pokémon and grow. Here he is allowed to stagnate, to wallow in his anger. In some ways, becoming a Seeker would likely be the best option for him.”
“So you’re only discouraging him because…he’s going after those criminals?”
Maggie sighs. “Tobias is a stubborn one, and once he sets his mind to something, it’s nigh impossible to change it. If my guess as to what those three did is correct, then I understand why he feels the need to hunt them down. But they’re S-rank Pokemon. It would take years for him to become strong enough to defeat them. Even then, it would be incredibly dangerous, and he could...”
The meganium trails off, her voice beginning to shake even as her posture remains tall and strong. Nia shivers at the implications of what the outlaws could do. What they’ve already done.
Maggie clears her throat. “I just fear that he will become too wrapped up in his search for revenge. That it will consume him. Or that he’ll become too discouraged when they cannot be found. That he’ll give up on everything.”
Nia doesn’t know what to say to that, frowning as she watches a tan bird Pokémon with a crest of red feathers land lightly at the next port down. What a tricky situation. On one hand, it sounds like becoming a Seeker would be great for the temperamental charmander. Maybe give him an opportunity to vent and learn. On the other hand, his motivations for pursuing such a path in the first place are incredibly dangerous. Potentially even fatal.
“I know I can’t stop him either way,” Maggie says, almost as if speaking to herself. “So I suppose all I can do is support him and pray to Virizion that he stays safe.” Nia reaches out to lay a comforting hand on the meganium’s side. Maggie smiles down at her, looking grateful. “I’ll miss him terribly. Tantrums and all.”
Nia laughs.
There’s a moment of quiet, and then Maggie speaks again, voice only a bit forced in its cheeriness. “So! I believe we got distracted in our chat earlier. Have you made any decisions regarding what you would like to do here at the guild?”
Nia pulls her fluffy tail into her lap, stroking at it as she considers how to answer. She has been giving her options a lot of thought—and even considered a few other paths that sounded interesting, such as a nursery worker or an archivist. But it seems like Tawny and Alistair were right. Her two best options for finding answers are still the same as she’d been told at the very start.
“I’m leaning towards becoming a researcher,” Nia says, hesitantly. “I want to find out everything I can about humans and my past, and how to return to my old life. So that seems like the best option. Tawny and Alistair recommended it to me.”
Maggie hums. “Seems like a sensible choice. You’re quite a clever, curious sort.”
Nia feels herself flush under her fur. “So you think that would be my best option?”
Maggie turns to look at her. “Did you have something else in mind?”
“Well...” Nia doesn’t even know why she’s bringing this up. She knows she could never do it, but... “Tawny did say that a, uh, Seeker would actually be the best way to go about looking for my past.”
“But?”
“But I could never do that,” Nia says with an awkward laugh.
“And why not?”
Nia stops avoiding the dinosaur’s gaze. “What?”
“Why not?” Maggie asks again, sounding genuinely confused.
“B-Because!” Nia stammers, gesturing to herself. “I’m me! I don’t know anything about this world and I don’t know how to fight—not that I even want to—a-and exploring sounds way too intense for me. I was practically useless when Tobias and I got stuck in that dungeon! I’d probably be too scared to do anything, and...yeah.” She trails off lamely.
“It sounds like you’re talking yourself out of it,” Maggie observes. “You can always learn more about this world and how to fight. You’re a fast learner.”
“Yeah, I guess, but…”
“Perhaps you should give it more thought,” Maggie says, a hint of a smile at her lips. “You might surprise yourself if you try it out.”
Nia looks down at her paws, thoughts even more muddled than before. Despite Maggie’s encouragement, she doesn’t know why she keeps thinking that becoming a Seeker is an actual possibility. A researcher would really be more suited to her personality. And yet, the idea keeps popping into her head. Sure, it would be the fastest way for her to get more information, but still! The Pokémon world sounds terrifying for Seekers!
...Terrifying and, admittedly, more than a bit exciting. In the span of four or five days she’s already seen so many different kinds of Pokémon and heard of so many amazing phenomena just within the walls of the guild. She can only imagine what kind of incredible things are out in the rest of the Pokémon world! Nia doesn’t know exactly what kind of person she was as a human, but she wonders if maybe she always dreamed of something like this, of having the chance to take crazy adventures. Her heart races just thinking about it, even as nervous butterflies fill her stomach.
God, she has no idea what to do now.
“Don’t look so worried, dear,” Maggie says, amused. “You can always try out one path and switch if it doesn’t suit you.”
“I guess,” Nia says, looking out at the sky again. The forest seems to stretch on forever beneath them, wild and vast. The riolu finally admits to herself that some part of her itches to explore it.
Nia and Maggie spend a while longer at the port area before making their way back downstairs. Tobias is still sleeping, so Nia sits near Maggie as she works and pulls out her book, a text detailing different Pokémon types, where they tend to reside, and what their individual weaknesses and strengths are. It’s...fascinating. Weird, but fascinating.
The riolu doesn’t even register the time flying by until Maggie nudges her on the way to wake up Tobias. It’s lunch already? By time the charmander is up, yawning and blinking blearily at Nia with much less animosity than usual, she realizes just how hungry she is.
“Thanks, Maggie,” Toby slurs, stretching. Nia stands up and does the same, wincing at how stiff her tail feels. Was she sitting on it? Yikes.
Maggie responds with a light brush of her vine across Tobias’ head. “Of course. Would you two bring me something back?”
Uh-oh. She’s not coming with them? Nia looks over to Tobias, expecting to see him glaring back at her. Instead, he just glances at her with mild annoyance instead of boiling hatred. That’s a step up, she thinks. “Sure. C’mon.”
He turns to leave, and Nia shoots Maggie an uncertain look before hurrying after the charmander. The walk down to the cafeteria is almost as awkward as the first day she arrived here. Nia wants to fill the silence up with some sort of conversation, but she knows that she’ll get shut down unless she picks something the charmander actually wants to talk about.
Oh. Duh.
Nia works up the courage to ask, “S-So, uh, what do you have to do to become a Seeker?”
Tobias sends her a wary look. “Why do you wanna know?”
Nia shrugs in return, not daring to mention that she’s thinking of becoming a Seeker herself. “Just, uh, curious.”
For a moment Tobias is silent, and Nia thinks he’s not going to answer her. Then he surprises her by saying, “You have to apply to the Seekers organization with at least one other teammate. Then you start preliminary training and take on missions to raise your rank and get rewards.”
Nia blinks at his back, shocked that she actually got a civil answer out of the charmander. “Oh. Who’s going to be your partner?”
Tobias doesn’t answer her, and Nia wisely decides not to push her luck.
They make it to the cafeteria, and although Nia is tempted to follow Tobias into his chosen food line, she instead joins a different queue to try and give the charmander a few minutes of space. She steps into line behind a graceful-looking green deer Pokemon and grabs a tray.
To her surprise, the deer sends a cursory glance over her shoulder, and then does a double-take, large ears perking up. “Oh, wow! You’re Nia, right?”
Nia tries not to lean away from the sudden enthusiasm. “Uh. Yes?”
The deer turns around and grins at her with bright eyes. “I was hoping I’d run into you soon! I’m Andyn, a Seeker here at the guild.”
Nia tries not to be overwhelmed by how adorable this Pokemon is. She even has a flower tucked behind her ear! She’s probably around Nia’s age, though, so the riolu tries to sound casual when she smiles and replies, “Nice to meet you.”
“There’s so much I’ve been wanting to ask you about being a human and how weird it must be to wash up here all of a sudden—you’re the talk of the guild these days!” The deer laughs at Nia’s stricken expression. “Don’t look so freaked out! It’s a good thing.” The line moves forward, but Andyn simply steps back to keep up with it. “I’m just grabbing something to go, but you totally need to eat with me and my team sometime! ‘Kay?”
Nia doesn’t know what to say, clutching the tray close to her chest, so she just nods. Andyn giggles again and turns to collect her meal from the cafeteria Pokemon—some sort of orange, fiery-looking...chicken?
There’s a horrible KFC joke in there somewhere, Nia just knows it.
The chicken Pokémon hands Andyn a cloth bag of food, and the deer accepts it with a nod of thanks. She smiles again at Nia before bounding off. The riolu turns to order her own food, fighting off a giddy sort of feeling in her chest. Andyn seemed really nice! Maybe they could end up being friends in the future.
By the time Nia has her food and sits down across from Tobias, the charmander is already busy eating. He’s cooking a few small berries in his hands, blowing a plume of fire over them like a tiny blowtorch. Nia watches in fascination, nibbling on a juicy blue berry.
When the charmander finally crunches down on the browned berries, Nia takes a chance and asks, “H-How exactly do you do that?”
Tobias pauses to give her a look. “Do what?”
Nia points at her own mouth. “Breathe fire. Like, I know it’s a natural thing for your type, but how does it, uh...feel? Do you breathe it out from your stomach or your throat, or..?”
Tobias blinks at her, brow furrowing. For a moment, Nia’s sure he’s about to snap at her. But then he just rolls his eyes and says, “You’re so weird.” Before Nia can feel embarrassed, he continues, “I don’t know the exact science behind it, but the flames come from an organ near my stomach. You’d have to look in a textbook to find out the exact name. We just call it a flame pouch.”
Nia, awed just to have the charmander talking to her in something other than insults, nods.
“It feels...kind of like forcing out a breath of air,” he continues, clearly searching for the right words. “Voluntary. But also natural. It’s hard to describe.”
Nia nods. She has no doubt it’s a complex feeling, when having to really think about it. Like trying to explain to someone how blinking feels.
Idly, the riolu wonders if maybe the charmander seems so much less irritable because of his decision to become a Seeker. Maybe he’d been a lot more unhappy about his position and the unanswered questions of the outlaw trio than even Maggie had realized. He certainly seems less angry now than the entire four days she’s been here. Nicer.
“You gonna respond or just stare like an espurr?” Tobias snaps, breaking her out of her thoughts.
Okay, maybe not that much nicer.
“S-Sorry,” Nia says, looking back to her food and picking through the berries. “That’s really interesting. I can’t even imagine what that feels like.”
She glances up in time to see Tobias lifting a brow at her. “Why would you? You’re a fighting type. You can do things that I can’t, too.”
Nia perks up at that. “I...guess that’s true. And I could use moves, and uh...aura abilities if I just practiced, right? And had a teacher?”
“I mean, yeah,” Tobias says, looking confused about her sudden interest. “All Pokemon can. Some are naturally stronger than others, some are better strategists, but any Pokémon can fight.”
Nia takes a moment to soak that statement in, chewing thoughtfully on a berry. Any Pokémon can fight. So...even her.
“And fighting is...different for Pokémon, right? You guys do it like, for fun. And it’s not, like...um...”
Tobias must see where she’s going, because his snout scrunches up in clear distaste. “No, I already told you we don’t go around maiming each other, jeez. Most battles end with a knockout and non-lethal injuries, even between outlaws and Seekers.”
Nia feels herself relax ever so slightly. She’d already read as much from some of the books she’d checked out of the archives and saw evidence of it herself when she was in the dungeon with Tobias, but she’ll take all the reassurance she can get that battling is normal for Pokemon, at least to a degree. Maybe...maybe she could make this Seeker thing work. She just has to scare off the feral Pokémon in mystery dungeons and stuff, right? And she wouldn’t have to take on any outlaw work...
Tobias looks at her strangely but doesn’t comment on her silence. He simply goes back to his food with a huff. The rest of the meal is quiet, but not uncomfortably so, and when they go to leave, Tobias stops by one of the queues to ask for a specific blend of food items.
Nia blinks at how many of the little purple berries he requests. “That’s...a lot.”
Tobias rolls his eyes and takes the bag of food, not answering as he leaves the cafeteria. Nia follows him back up to their quarters. When Maggie greets them both with a warm smile, Tobias jabs the sack lunch at her with a blunt, “Here.”
The meganium takes the offered food, peeking inside. Clearly delighted, she chirps, “So many bluk berries today! Thank you, Tobias.”
The charmander grumbles something about the meal coming that way before moving over to Maggie’s desk and grabbing a stack of dried herbs and a mortar and pestle to grind them up. Huh. Tobias is definitely coarse and filled to the brim with anger, but the more Nia sees of him when he’s not ignoring her or sending sharp comments her way, the more she thinks that maybe he’s not that bad of a Pokémon.
Of course, just as she’s thinking this, Tobias glances up, catches her staring at him, and growls, “You could get off your tail and help, you know.”
Nia jumps, bustling over to Maggie’s desk to grab a second mortar and pestle, as well as some herbs. “S-Sorry!”
She sits down on the ground near him and listens carefully as Maggie points out which herbs to grind together into medicinal blends. The riolu has a pathetic first attempt at using the unfamiliar bowl and rod of stone, and Tobias looks like he doesn’t know if he wants to laugh at her or set her on fire for her failure.
Maggie reassures her, and she tries again.
Nia wakes up the next morning to Tobias’ voice, loudly and angrily ranting about something in Maggie’s main quarters. She lifts her head and blinks at the charmander’s empty nest, ears twitching.
“—can’t form a Seeker team by myself! That’s ridiculous! I’m strong enough for E-rank missions at least.”
“Tobias,” Maggie’s voice sighs, much quieter. “You know that you can’t be the sole member of an exploration team. It’s safety protocol.”
“It’s stupid, is what it is,” Tobias growls, slightly quieter.
“Have you tried speaking with anyone in the guild about creating a team with you? Or perhaps about joining an existing one?”
There’s a moment of silence, and even Nia can feel its weight in her half-awake state.
“Yeah. No one wants me,” he rasps, just loud enough for her to hear. “You know I don’t get along with anyone here anyways.”
“Maybe if you just tried talking to them—“
“Maggie, they already decided. They decided years ago. I’ll talk to August and find some other way to start a team.”
There’s a moment of silence, and then Maggie sighs. There’s so much heartache in that simple breath. After not hearing Tobias for another minute or so, Nia decides to get up, rubbing at her eyes as she steps into Maggie’s quarters. The floral Pokémon is reading through a slip of paper, but looks up as Nia yawns.
“Good morning, dear,” Maggie says, using a vine to stroke back the messy fur on the riolu’s head.
Nia takes a moment to relish the feeling, her eyes slipping closed. It’s...soothing. Something about it feels familiar and comforting, and an unexpected jab of homesickness hits her in the chest.
Taking a shaky breath, Nia glances around to distract herself. “Tobias is gone?”
“Mm.”
“He…can’t find a partner.”
Maggie stills. “You heard that, then. Sorry for waking you.”
Nia shakes her head. “I-It’s fine. Can he form a team if he can’t find a Pokémon to be his partner?”
Maggie doesn’t answer, and that tells the riolu everything she needs to know. The meganium sets aside the paper she’d been reading, rubbing at her face with a vine instead. “That boy’s pushed away just about every Pokémon in the guild. It doesn’t surprise me that no one wants to form a team with him, with how he treats them.”
Nia looks up at Maggie, head tilted. The older Pokémon sounds so uncharacteristically frustrated.
“He needs to learn to act like a decent Pokémon, show some patience and empathy,” she goes on, shaking her head. “He’s kind, really he is, but he’s just so caught up in his own emotions and his own grief, always thinking that other Pokémon are out to get him. I thought he’d heal more than he has over the years, maybe learn to let others in, but...” she trails off.
For a moment, Nia wonders if Maggie has forgotten that she’s here, standing quietly at her feet. But then the meganium looks at her with tired eyes.
“Apologies, Nia. I’m just worried about him. Ignore this old Pokemon’s ramblings.”
“I get it,” Nia murmurs. “Have you looked into some sort of grief counseling for him?” She doesn’t know exactly what went down in Tobias’ past to make him so bitter, but she can take a few guesses. If her namesake Pokemon discovered a new form of emotional therapy, surely Pokemon have something like grief counseling figured out, too.
Maggie looks surprised that she would know about something like that, or maybe just that she would suggest it. Then, she sinks to the ground, nodding. “He refuses to talk to anyone about it. I’ve tried reading books about coping methods and applying them myself, but he’s still so…hurt. So lost.”
Nia frowns, turning to look thoughtfully at the doorway and out into the hall. Lost. She thinks she can understand that feeling, at least in some way. She thinks back to her and Tobias’ most recent conversation in the cafeteria. They’d almost had a civil interaction with one another. She’d asked a question and he’d answered without biting her head off. Kind of. And the more she thinks about it, the more appealing the thought of becoming a Seeker is.
Maybe...she could help.
“I could be his partner,” Nia whispers, trying the thought out loud.
Maggie’s head snaps up, antennae raised in surprise. “Come again?”
Nia cringes under the meganium’s bewilderment, but offers up the idea once more. “I could be his partner?”
“Now hang on, dear, I know you’re just trying to help, but this is a big commitment you’re signing up for. You know how Tobias can get—he’s not an easy Pokémon to get along with, let alone to have as your partner.”
Nia frowns. She’s not just doing this as some sort of self-sacrificing need to be helpful! Okay, sure, maybe she does want to help a little bit, but she knows what she’s getting herself into here. Barbed words and remarks, someone who she needs to be able to trust with her life but hardly trusts not to shove her down the guild’s staircase when she asks too many questions. Someone who probably hates her guts.
And yet...Nia can’t help thinking that maybe this is the answer they’ve all been looking for. If Nia is going to become a Seeker and find the answers she needs, she’s going to need a partner who knows what they’re doing and who will push her to get better. Tobias needs a teammate willing to put up with his attitude, and Maggie wants her adopted grandson to try something new and conquer his past. This could be the solution to all of their problems.
Of course, it could also go horribly, terribly wrong.
When Nia comes back to the present, she has a hand at her chin and feels Maggie’s gaze boring into her head. “Do you think it’s a terrible idea?” Nia asks, looking up to the meganium. “Honestly.”
Maggie looks conflicted. “For Tobias, any willing partner is a great thing. As much as I would miss him and fear for his safety, becoming a Seeker could help him in so many ways.”
“But?”
“But...” Maggie reaches out a vine, placing it on Nia’s shoulder and giving her a squeeze. “I would worry about you. Tobias is a good Pokemon deep down, but he is sharp and sorely lacking in sympathy. I fear you would be miserable as his partner.”
Nia feels her ears pin back, eyes flicking away to stare at the floor.
“You two would spend almost every day together, sometimes all day and night,” Maggie goes on, tone serious. “And as much as I want to believe that someone like you could help him soften up, I wouldn’t want your own feelings to be a casualty in the process.”
Maybe...maybe this is a bad idea. Nia can hardly handle the charmander now without crying or cowering away, and she’s only been interacting with him in short bursts for less than a week. Could she really handle him as her partner? Someone to be around constantly? Does she want to? Obviously he wouldn’t want her as his partner, but he seems pretty restricted in his options. To the logical part of her brain, it kind of sounds like the worst plan in the world.
And yet, something in Nia recognized the vulnerability in Tobias’ eyes when he came back from the outlaw board with shaking hands. She can’t help recalling his frequent soft spot towards Maggie, as much as he tries to hide it. Their somewhat civil conversation in the cafeteria earlier. Her small sense of victory the one or two times she’s gotten him to look anything near amused instead of constantly angry at the world. The desperation in his voice when he was speaking to Maggie just minutes ago about needing a partner.
Maybe she trusts her gut too much, maybe she lets her heart rule too often over her head, maybe she’s even got some sort of savior complex. But before she can overthink it, Nia looks back up to Maggie with determined eyes. “I’m going to ask to be his partner.”
Maggie’s face goes slack with surprise, and then—to Nia’s shock—she starts to laugh, throwing her head back.
“Wh-What?” Nia asks.
“Nothing,” Maggie says as her laughter dies down. She looks down at the riolu with a fond expression, seeming much more at peace. “I simply agree with your decision all of a sudden.”
Nia tilts her head, and the meganium smiles. “Dear, I haven’t seen you look so fired up the entire week you’ve been here. Your mind is made up, and I bet that I have as much hope to change it as I do Tobias’ own stubbornness. Maybe you two will be better for each other than we think.”
Nia doesn’t know how to respond to that, but at least she feels reassured that Maggie is on her side. Next, she just needs to convince Tobias.
Chapter 7
Summary:
Tobias needs to form a Seeker team, and he won’t take no for an answer. Even if that means disobeying his guild leader.
Chapter Text
“Give me one good reason why I can’t form a solo team,” Tobias growls, trying to sound respectful even as embers flutter from his mouth with each breath.
August sighs, the rillaboom looking less like a majestic leader and more like an exasperated parent. “Tobias, you cannot be a solo team, as the word ‘team’ itself implies more than one member.”
Verene bites back a smile at the cheeky response, and Tobias sends the lurantis a glare.
“That’s not the point,” he grumbles.
“The point,” August says. “Is that Seekers work in teams of two or more as a matter of safety. If you were to enter a dangerous situation alone and be injured, there would be no Pokémon there to help you.”
“We have rescue badges!”
“That have the possibility of malfunctioning and can’t be activated at all if you’re unconscious,” August counters, red eyes sharp.
Tobias takes a deep breath and closes his eyes, blowing it out as a cloud of smoke through his nose. “I made it out of the forest dungeon just fine.”
“Nia was with you,” August points out.
“But she didn’t do anything! I did all the fighting and I didn’t even get hurt!”
“And what if next time you aren’t so lucky?” August asks. “I’m not trying to downplay your skills, Tobias, but escaping one low level dungeon does not make a Seeker.”
“Tobias,” Verene cuts in, tone carefully neutral. “What is this really about? You know we can’t grant you Seeker status on your own. Why not join an existing team? There are plenty of teams in the guild with only two or three members.”
Tobias doesn’t meet her eyes, feeling shame and anger bubble together in his stomach. There’s a moment of silence, and then August takes mercy on him, voice unbearably soft. “Why don’t you see if you can make amends with some of the Pokémon in the guild, Tobias? Maybe in time one of them will welcome you into their team.”
Tobias swallows back a sharp retort, feeling tears sting his eyes. He nods once, curtly. “Yes, sir.”
“Then you are dismissed,” Verene says, voice uncertain. Right, she’s only been here for about a year. She wouldn’t know quite how “troubled” he is yet. Well, he’s sure August will catch her up.
Feeling a thousand times worse than he had when he’d stepped into the guildmaster’s quarters, Tobias leaves and stalks down the hallway. He sniffs back tears, swiping angrily at his eyes.
Stupid rules. So what if he wants to risk his own safety on a solo team? He’s an adult. It’s his life, he can decide that for himself. It’s not like he’d be hurting anyone else. If he could just show them that he could take care of himself, that he doesn’t need a partner to accomplish a mission or navigate a dungeon—
Tobias stops in his tracks, eyes growing wide. Of course. He...he could prove that he could handle missions on his own. If he completes enough missions alone, unofficially, then there’s no way anyone could stop him from creating a Seeker team! Technically August could, but at least then Tobias would have an actual argument. The charmander’s heartrate picks up, and his walk speeds up too, then transitions into a run. He knows this is reckless, that he might just get into more trouble than before without even getting a pass. He probably will, in fact.
He doesn’t care. He’s desperate, and he knows it. Tobias needs to become a Seeker. He has no other option.
Tobias hops down the stairs, careful not to trip, and catalogues what he could take with him. He can’t risk going to the medical ward in case he bumps into Maggie, and since he’s not an official Seeker he can’t pick up items from the storage floor without someone getting suspicious…
Looks like he’s doing this without items. Or teammates. He’s going solo with just his own moves, and he has no rescue badge in case things go awry. Great. Fine. He’s got this. He’s not afraid—he’ll be fine—and he’s not imagining the fear on Maggie’s face if she discovers him gone first, if he doesn’t make it back—
“Stop it,” he growls to himself. “You were fine last time. You’ll be fine this time.”
He finally arrives at the bottom floor, and pauses at the stairwell entrance to peek inside the giant space of the departure floor. There are only a few Pokémon milling about, moving from board to board and talking amongst themselves about the missions posted there.
Tobias tries to look casual as he walks over to the E-rank board, scanning the available missions. Delivering items to Pokémon in the forest, helping elderly Pokémon clean up fallen branches, taking a bidoof on a tour of the guild...
None of these will make him look capable. Luca could handle these tasks! Tobias casts another wary glance around, then slips over to the D-rank board, fingers crossed that these listings will be a bit more respectable. Sparring practice, looking for a lost item—ah!
Tobias reaches out and snags the paper off the board, eagerly scanning through it. A roselia and their friend, a teddiursa, stumbled into the same mystery dungeon that Tobias and Nia got stuck in. The two Pokemon were separated, and while the roselia found their way out, the teddiursa has yet to return.
Perfect.
Tobias goes to fold up the paper and take it along, but hesitates. Usually, when Seekers take a job, they just input the code on the job listing into their badge to note that they’re taking the mission, and leave the posting up so other teams can also take the job in case of failure. He doesn’t doubt himself (he doesn’t), but he also doesn’t want to be the cause of an innocent Pokemon remaining trapped in a dangerous mystery dungeon.
The charmander crinkles the paper in thought, but then sighs and pins the page back up. He’ll just have to get the client’s name so they can vouch for his success when he’s done. He turns to go, feeling excitement begin to replace his nerves, but jumps back with a startled sound, slamming into the board.
Nia jumps too. “S-Sorry! Sorry! I didn’t mean to scare you!”
Tobias clutches his heart, glaring at the riolu. Then he registers that she’s here, and his gut turns to ice water. How long has she been here?
“What’re you doing down here?” He asks, wary.
“Oh! I, uh, wanted to talk to you, actually.”
Tobias’ eyes flick past the riolu, looking around to make sure no one’s paying them any attention. Did she see him looking at the message board? She does look nervous, but she always looks nervous, so that’s not saying much. Either way, he’s relieved that she didn’t catch him holding the job listing.
“Talk about what?” He asks.
“Well, uh...can we go somewhere more private?”
“Why?”
Nia shifts uncomfortably. “I-I, um…I wanted to ask you something, but I think we need to talk first, and I’d rather there not be so many other people around, so...”
Okay, Tobias has no clue what Nia is looking to talk to him about that’s so weirdly secretive, but he doesn’t have time for it. He has a mission to accomplish.
“Look, I’m kind of busy, so it’ll have to wait.” He shoulders past the timid riolu, expecting her to just leave him be as he walks away. Instead, she hurries to catch up to him, and he sees her glancing between him and the board they just left.
“W-Where are you going?” She asks. Tobias can’t tell if he’s imagining the suspicion in her tone or not.
“I’m just gathering some herbs, okay? Alone.”
The riolu takes the hint and slows to a stop. Tobias thinks he can feel her eyes on his back as he takes the nearest tunnel into the forest, and he really hopes that she won’t mention him leaving to Maggie.
If he remembers correctly, this route doesn’t have a guard this time of day, thanks to how well the entrance is hidden, and he doesn’t need a ground type to guide him through solid earth either. It’s one of the better exits for sneaking away undetected. He travels quickly through the dimly lit underground, remembering Nia’s comment and grudgingly admitting that the crystals are rather pretty. It takes him maybe ten minutes to make the trek, and when he emerges in the forest, climbing out from a crack in a hollow tree, he takes a moment to recall which direction to take to the mystery dungeon. Then he sets off, eyes peeled for any useful berries or herbs he may find on the way.
The forest is peaceful today, with sunny warmth dappling the undergrowth and the distant calls of Pokémon giving the environment a quaint feeling. Still, Tobias feels himself slowly grow more and more on edge as he travels, knowing what he’s willingly walking into. Sure, he fought his way through the exact same dungeon not even a week ago, but he’s not so stupid as to underestimate the chaotic nature of mystery dungeons completely. He’s heard enough stories to know that the same dungeon can be a quaint stroll one day and a death trap the next. The tides can turn in an instant.
Sooner than he would like, and with only a single apple to his name, Tobias recognizes his arrival to the mystery dungeon. There’s no flashing sign or obvious entrance; the forest ahead of him looks nearly identical to the trees he’d just passed through. But he knows this is it. The air feels...thick. Heavy. Almost tingly on his skin. And every time he blinks, the path ahead of him seems to shift and change, ever so slightly. He thinks he can hear a wild snarl come from deeper within the brush.
Tobias takes a deep breath to steel his nerves, holds his apple closer, and steps into the mystery dungeon. Immediately, the environment feels...off. Just like last time, the plant life seems almost sentient, shifting and changing in subtle ways to box him into a maze of foliage, weaving itself into shapes like walls and rooms. He already hears Pokémon moving about through the undergrowth, and can’t deny the tension in his shoulders as he moves forward.
Focus, Tobias. Stairs, you’re looking for the stairs. According to the job posting, Teddiursa should be somewhere on the 5th floor, near the end of the dungeon, so he needs to focus on moving forward. He rounds a corner of dense tree trunks and foliage, and stops, surprised to see a familiar set of crumbling stone stairs. Well, that was fast. Tobias shakes his head and climbs the stairs, still unused to the way the world shifts around him and as he reaches the top step. Predictably, the second floor looks nearly identical to the first. Tobias only takes a moment to look around before quickly moving on down a hallway.
In the next room, a lithe purple Pokémon dives out of the undergrowth in front of him. A purrloin. The Pokémon swings around to watch him with crazed, blank white eyes, baring its teeth in a snarl. Tobias takes an uneasy step back. Even though he’d fought some Pokemon the last time he was in the dungeon, seeing a feral up close is still more unsettling than he’d like to admit.
The purrloin hisses and launches at him with outstretched claws. Tobias makes a sloppy dodge to the side, then lunges and manages to scratch it with a metal claw attack. The purrloin brushes off the damage and darts forward to try and bite. Tobias stumbles back, feeling a jab of panic as he struggles to keep up with the speedy Pokemon and keep away from its attacks. He needs to distance it! Tobias takes a deep breath and spits a flurry of embers at its face. The purrloin shrieks and finally bounds away into the undergrowth.
Tobias stares at the spot it disappeared, fighting off a shiver of unease. He’s been practicing his fighting for years now, but it’s so different fighting actual Pokemon instead of cloth dummies. Last time he was in this dungeon he’d only had to fight three Pokemon, two of which were weak to fire type moves, but it’s only the second floor and already he has ran into a feral strong enough to need his flames. How many Pokemon can he fight off before he’s too tired to use his moves?
Tobias huffs a breath of smoke and shakes his head. He can’t turn back now, even if he wanted to.
Tobias forges on, managing to find the next set of stairs without another fight, but he doesn’t realize until it’s too late that he’d dropped his apple in the scuffle with the purrloin. As he carefully navigates the third floor, picking up an oran berry he finds on the way, he runs into two more feral Pokémon. The first is a wurmple who falls unconscious after an ember attack and a whack from Tobias’ tail. The second is a lotad who clips his arm with a bubble attack that leaves the skin stinging and singed. He manages to send the little grass and water type packing with a few swipes of his claws, but even he recognizes his exhaustion by time he reaches the stairs that lead to the fourth floor.
Tobias takes a moment to rest, sitting down and leaning against the side of the stone steps. He didn’t think this would be so...difficult. Last time had been tiring, but not this bad. So far he’s only been hit hard once, but some part of Tobias sneers that this was an incredibly stupid idea. Which he knew already, but still. He has...what? Two more floors until he even finds the teddiursa?
He looks down at the oran berry in his claws, rolling it around thoughtfully. The bubble wound on his arm stings, but...maybe he should save the berry in case he really needs it. He nods and stands back up. Onwards, then. He can’t stop here.
Tobias takes the steps and is warped to the next floor. Twisted, maze-like greenery and shifting sunlight sprawls in every direction. It would be beautiful if he didn’t feel the danger breathing down his neck like a houndoom.
He decides to head left, and immediately regrets it as a feral pidgey screeches and dives at his head, pecking gouges into his scales. Tobias snarls, trying to bat the feathery annoyance away, and finally resorts to shooting a cloud of embers straight up.
They drift down like a fiery rain, and the pidgey flutters back to avoid getting burned. Tobias takes his chance to lock on to the bird and leap up, managing to snag it out of the air with his claws and slam it to the ground. Before it can fight back, Tobias spews another breath of embers directly onto it, stepping back when he’s sure it’s unconscious.
He stands up, panting, and winces as he prods at the cuts on his head and arms. Where did he put that oran berry? The charmander groans as he spots it, sitting in the grass and charred from his little ember move earlier. Great. He eats it anyways, but has a feeling it doesn’t heal him as much as it should. Still, his cuts seal up and stop bleeding, and his bubble burn dies down to an ache. Tobias moves on, trying to tell himself that the roar of blood in his ears is just from adrenaline and not fear. He’s fine, he’s doing fine. He’ll just try to avoid any more Pokémon if he can.
He makes it to the room with the staircase, nearly sprinting to the stone steps, when something snags his feet. He faceplants into the grass hard enough to knock the air from his lungs. What in the..? He looks down at his feet to see a sticky cord of white wrapped around his ankles. String shot?
The charmander looks up in time to see a weedle charging at him, stinger raised. Any other time, he would laugh at the idea of a weedle of all things challenging him to a battle. But here and now, he feels a jolt of panic. If he gets poisoned, he’s done for. He tries to stand, but the string shot is surprisingly strong, hardly even stretching as he tries to tear it away. The weedle lunges for him, and he rolls out of the way, immediately looking back to his bindings. Maybe his fire would work.
He blows a plume of embers onto the string, relief ballooning in his chest as they melt. Tobias springs to his feet just in time to punt the weedle away from him, watching it tumble into the undergrowth. The gooey remains of the string shot are still stuck to his feet, but he takes his chance, bolting for the stairs and racing up them.
There! This should be the fifth floor, right? He sure hopes so. The teddiursa should be around here somewhere. He can grab them, find the last staircase, and then head home! Tobias takes a moment to breathe, then wanders down a hallway to the right.
When he steps into the next room, he’s surprised to see something bright orange sitting in the middle of it. Some sort of item? The charmander looks around warily, then steps closer to investigate. Just as he crouches to pick the item up—a scarf?—something beneath his foot shifts and clicks. Tobias freezes as pink smoke hisses out of the grass. It quickly cuts off any visibility, before dissipating just as fast. When it does, Tobias’ heart drops to his toes.
Four or five Pokémon surround him, all feral. They immediately lunge at him with a terrifying jumble of cries. Tobias curses and rolls out of the way, still getting grazed on the side by something sharp before trying to make a run for the hallway.
Something wraps around his arms, yanking him backwards. He falls hard onto his back, struggling as two vines reel him back into the room across grass and dirt. He shoots a cloud of embers over his shoulder, and the vines hurry to release him. He scrambles to his feet and turns, and he has just a heartbeat to recognize the Pokémon he’s facing: an aipom, an electrike, a starly, a snivy and a wurmple. Then, the electrike and the starly are darting forward, the flying type flickering out of view and slamming into his chest with a quick attack.
Tobias cries out as he’s sent tumbling back. He hardly has time to catch his breath and squint an eye open before the electrike crashes into him with an electricity-charged spark. Tobias slams into the room’s wall, wheezing and struggling to push himself up onto his arms. He...he has to move, has to get up. Run. He can’t get knocked out here. No one knows where he is, no one even knows he’s gone, they’ll never find him in time!
He can’t die. Maggie would be heartbroken. He still has to catch the outlaw trio, and he...he has so much to do. The charmander feels his arms give out, and tears blur his vision.
He’s such an idiot. August was right.
The snivy hisses, and Tobias squeezes his eyes shut, trying one more time to move to his feet, with no luck. He hopes he blacks out quickly.
“Tobias!
He knows that voice, but he’s never heard it like that, so loud and sharp. Tobias blinks open his eyes, just in time to see a familiar blue and black shape step in front of him. Over her shoulder, worried ruby eyes glance down at him before moving back to the ferals. Tobias blinks, again and again, but she’s still there. Her fur is ruffled and scraped up, and even from his position on the ground he can see that she’s shaking, with fear or exhaustion or both. But she’s there.
“Nia?” He rasps.
Chapter 8
Summary:
Nia shows up just in time, and when she makes an offer Tobias can’t refuse he must decide whether it’s worth putting his trust in the riolu.
Notes:
(See the end of the chapter for notes.)
Chapter Text
“Tobias!” Nia sounds relieved, but doesn’t look away from the feral Pokemon surrounding them. “Thank God. Are you okay?”
“Just fantastic,” he grumbles, wishing he had enough energy to give her a sarcastic thumbs-up.
Nia opens her mouth to respond, then tenses up and turns towards the aipom trying to edge closer to the two of them. For the first time he notices that she’s brandishing a large…branch? She’s holding it out in front of her, like a Farfetch’d with its leek. The feral Pokémon look as puzzled as Tobias feels, eyeing the riolu and her makeshift weapon cautiously.
“W-Will either of these help?” Nia asks, throwing her paw behind her. Two berries bounce across the grass near Tobias’ face, one of them a pecha and the other one—yes!
Tobias hurries to scoop the oran berry into his mouth, swallowing it nearly whole and feeling his body start to rejuvenate. His aches and bruises fade, his energy returns, and he pushes himself up from the ground, rising onto unsteady feet with his claws flexed and ready to fight.
Nia glances at him with round eyes. “The berries helped that much?”
“’Course,” Tobias growls, feeling a grin edge onto his face. He hates to admit it, but just having another Pokémon at his side makes him feel more confident. “You ready to fight?”
“Not at all, but…” Nia shifts her defensive stance, turning her body and holding the branch up at the ready. “I guess we don’t have much of a choice, right?”
The starly starts off the fight, lunging forward with another quick attack. Before Tobias can react, Nia yelps, swinging the branch forward to whack the flying type. The starly shoots over the ferals and into the dungeon wall with a pitiful chirp, falling limply to the ground. Tobias gapes and looks at Nia.
The riolu is staring at her paws with just as much shock. “Guess all that Little League paid off.”
The electrike and the aipom charge next, and Nia leaps away from the electric type with a scared yip. Tobias takes the aipom head-on, dodging its claws and spinning to slam his tail into its body. It staggers back with a pained sound, but Tobias doesn’t let up. He follows it with one metal claw, two, and finishes it off by blasting it with a plume of embers.
The aipom goes down, unconscious, only for the electrike to crash into his gut, knocking the breath out of him. He stays on his feet, but skids to a stop against the wall of bark and foliage. He pushes off it and out of the way of the electrike’s next strike, grinning as it crashes face-first into the wall.
“Tobias!” Nia cries.
The charmander turns to find the riolu kicking halfheartedly at the wurmple and simultaneously fighting the snivy in a game of tug-of-war for her branch. Tobias hurries over to blow a cloud of embers at the snivy, and it releases the branch with a cry of pain.
“Elec!”
Tobias whirls and stumbles out of the way of the electrike’s spark attack just in time, but it manages to catch Nia, knocking her into the wall.
“Hey!” Tobias snarls.
The electrike snarls back, and Tobias tackles it. The two of them roll, Tobias managing to pin the green Pokémon down. He takes a deep breath, reaching deep into his fire reserves, and then shoots an ember attack at the electrike’s face. It yelps and falls limp.
Tobias struggles to his feet, breathing hard. He turns just in time to see Nia swing her branch with her entire body, batting the wurmple into the air. It lands with a quiet thump, rolling across the dirt, and doesn’t get back up.
Then the snivy lunges at Nia, vines ripping the branch out of the riolu’s paws, and she stumbles forward. The snivy takes its opportunity to headbutt Nia directly in the face. The riolu cries out in pain, crumpling into a ball and clutching at her nose.
Tobias takes the opportunity, rushing forward to strike with two metal-coated claws and catch the snivy in the back. The grass type stumbles, then falls forward with a quiet, “Snive!” It’s out cold.
Tobias takes a moment to glance at the five Pokémon lying around them, unconscious. The only sounds are the blood roaring in his ears and the gasping, panting breaths of the two of them. They…they really did it. It’s over. They survived. He’s not sure whether he’s feeling triumphant or just relieved.
Nia’s quiet whimper catches his attention, and he kneels at her side, his medic training kicking in. “Hey, sit up. C’mon.”
The riolu slowly obeys, covering her muzzle with shaking hands. Tears are bubbling in her eyes, and a tiny hiccup jolts her frame.
“Lemme see,” Tobias murmurs, prying at her paws. When she doesn’t listen, he rolls his eyes. “I literally have medic training--I know what I’m doing. Come on.”
The riolu hesitantly drops her paws, and Tobias winces. Blood runs down from her nose, dripping off her chin and coating the front of her muzzle. He gently takes her face in his hands, turning her head to take a look at her snout from the side.
“Probably just bruised,” he reassures her, leaning back. “Getting smashed in the face like that’ll definitely cause some bleeding.”
Nia nods, looking around nervously at the unconscious ferals. “A-Are they..?”
“Knocked out,” Tobias confirms, a note of pride in his voice. They took down five other Pokémon! Sure, he needed Nia’s help to do it, but—
“Wait. Why’re you even here?” Tobias asks, narrowing his eyes at the riolu. “How did you know where I was going?”
Nia shrinks into herself. “W-Well, I saw you looking at the job board and I know you’re having trouble forming a Seeker team, so I thought you might try something like this.”
“And you followed me because you didn’t think I could handle it on my own,” he growls.
“I just wanted to make sure you’d be okay,” Nia protests, frowning. “You wouldn’t have been if hadn’t shown up!”
“Because of a fluke! I stepped on a trap—that’s all! I would’ve been fine on my own!”
Nia’s frown deepens, and for a moment Tobias thinks she’s going to argue. But all she does is push off the grass, picking up her branch on the way. She wipes at her eyes as she looks from hallway to hallway. “Right now we have to focus on getting out of here, right?”
Tobias huffs out a breath of smoke, grabbing the item that started this whole situation—a simple attack scarf. “I’m looking for a teddiursa that got stuck in here. They should be on this floor somewhere.”
“A…teddiursa?”
“Fuzzy orange Pokemon with a yellow moon on its forehead. ‘Bout our size, stands on two legs.”
“Got it.” Nia nods and looks at him expectantly.
Tobias steps past her and stalks down the hallway, hearing her trail behind him. He’s not happy about her following him into the dungeon because she thought he couldn’t handle it on his own, but it’d be stupid to separate now.
The two of them continue through the dungeon, and Tobias is secretly relieved to find the floor empty of ferals after the brutal fight they just went through. When they enter one of the last rooms on the floor and see a small teddiursa curled up in the corner, crying, Tobias lets out a breath he hadn’t realized he’d been holding. Nia hurries to the Pokémon’s side, concern etched into every line of her body. Unfortunately, the teddiursa lifts their head to see a Pokémon with a blood-covered muzzle, and immediately starts to wail with renewed panic.
Tobias rolls his eyes. “Stop crying. We’re here to rescue you.”
Nia shoots him a disapproving look for his callous tone, but the teddiursa quiets.
“W-Wait. Really?” They ask, giving Nia a cautious glance.
The riolu offers a meek smile, ears pinned back bashfully. “Yeah. Sorry for the, uh, rough appearance. Got into a bit of trouble on the way here.”
The teddiursa hops to their feet, looking elated even with tear-stained fur. “That’s okay! Thank you so much for coming to rescue me!”
“No problem!” Nia says, her cheery tone a ridiculous contrast to the blood smeared across her face.
Tobias snorts. “Well, come on then. You can walk, right? We still have to get out of here.”
Teddiursa brings their paws up to their mouth, looking confused. “But don’t you have badges that zap you out of dungeons?”
“Ours broke,” Tobias lies, already turning and heading down the next hallway. “So we’re doing this the old-fashioned way.”
Nia looks like she wants to protest the lie, but teddiursa buys it easily enough, nodding and following his lead. The little normal type is mostly quiet as they walk, too busy jumping at every little sound to chat. Luckily, their group finds the stairs in the next room, leading them to the final sixth floor. They’re searching for the last staircase out of the dungeon when a lone caterpie jumps out to attack them. Tobias has no fire left, but between his claws and a panicked swing of Nia’s branch, the battle is quickly won. They move on, and Teddiursa pipes up.
“Riolu? Do you mind me asking why you fight with a branch?”
It takes a moment too long for Nia to realize that the teddiursa is talking to her. “O-Oh! Well, uh…” Her eyes flick over to Tobias for help, but he just shrugs. He’s as curious as Teddiursa is.
Nia is spared from having to answer as the last staircase comes into sight. “Look! There it is!”
The three of them hurry to the stairs, Teddiursa taking them first and vanishing at the top. Tobias and Nia follow. As soon as the warping is finished, Tobias can immediately tell that they’re out of the mystery dungeon. He feels like he can breathe again, and the plant life around them only moves with the breeze, stationary and calm.
“Finally!” Nia groans, collapsing into the grass. “We’re out, right?”
“Yeah,” Tobias sighs, relieved and resisting the urge to curl up among the ferns to sleep for a year.
“C-Can we head back to the guild now?” Teddiursa asks. “I want to see my friend.”
Tobias nods, carefully skirting around the edge of the mystery dungeon and heading towards the towering tree that is the guild. He hears Nia and the teddiursa follow him. It seems like it takes forever to make their way through the woods (he notices Nia jumping at small sounds more than once), and by time they make it to one of the tunnels and walk all the way back to the message boards, Tobias feels asleep on his feet. To his surprise, they almost immediately bump into a roselia who is pacing near the D-rank board with tears in her eyes.
“Blimah!” Teddiursa cries, running forward.
The roselia turns and sobs, scooping the teddiursa into a hug. “Jordan! I was so scared they’d never find you!”
“Aw, don’t be silly! Of course they did!” The teddiursa says, burying their face in the flower Pokémon’s petals. Tobias is a bit impressed by the normal type’s strong front, considering how upset they’d been when he and Nia had found them in the dungeon. When the two Pokémon release each other, Nia looks like she’s about to cry too, smiling a wobbly smile.
“Well, I don’t know why the guild didn’t notify me, but I’m just happy you’re back.” The roselia turns to Tobias and Nia, smiling gratefully. “Thank you so much. Here’s your reward.”
Nia blinks, looking surprised at the mention of a reward, but Tobias steps forward, accepting the offered sack with a nod of thanks.
The teddiursa smiles at them one last time as the roselia turns to go. “Thank you again! I don’t think I ever asked. What’s your team name?”
Oh no. Tobias blanks, exchanging a panicked glance with Nia. When the riolu opens her mouth, he knows they’re in trouble.
“Team Wombat! Y-Yup, that’s us.”
Tobias feels like slamming his head into the job board.
Teddiursa looks puzzled, but offers a polite smile and says, “Interesting name! Well, I’ll see you around!”
The two Pokémon leave, and Tobias sends Nia a dry look. “You’re dead to me.”
Nia’s ears pin back, clearly flustered. “I panicked, okay! Do you even know what wombats are?”
Tobias snorts. “No, but they sound dumb.”
Nia looks down at her paws, mumbling. “The Wombats was my Little League team, okay? First thing I thought of.”
After saying that, the riolu’s head snaps up, eyes wide.
Tobias stares back at her. “What?”
“I remembered my Little League team name so I thought maybe my memory came back,” Nia whimpers, entire body drooping. “Of everything, that’s what I remembered?”
The charmander ignores Nia’s despair, suddenly realizing how out in the open they are, clearly roughed up from their excursion. He snatches the roselia’s request letter off the board and grabs Nia’s wrist, leading her back into one of the tunnels. This route’s hardly ever used since its exit has been closed up by storms over and over, so hopefully no one else shows up while they’re in here. Nia doesn’t fight against Tobias’ lead, and when they’re far enough into the tunnels, he plops down on the ground, leaning against a large, smooth crystal.
“There. Hopefully no one’ll see us here.”
Nia tilts her head at him, looking concerned. “So I’m guessing if someone found out we went into a mystery dungeon on purpose without being Seekers…”
“We’d be in huge trouble,” Tobias says, nodding and dumping out the sack they received from the roselia. Huh. Two oran berries and a heal seed. Nice. He rolls one of the berries towards Nia. “Eat this.”
The riolu grabs the berry, holding it up to her face to see it better in the dim lighting.
“It’s an oran berry, not poison,” he drawls. “Like the one you gave me earlier.”
Nia’s mouth drops into an “O” of realization, and then she eats the berry in two big bites, shivering as it takes effect. She holds up her arm, watching in amazement as the cuts and scrapes there stitch themselves back together. Not completely, of course, but mostly. They’re at least at the scabbing stage.
“That’s incredible,” she breathes.
“They’re definitely handy to have around,” he agrees, eating his own oran berry and feeling it take effect. He pockets the heal seed in his scarf and frowns down at the attack scarf. He already has his own scarf, and there’s no way he’s getting rid of it.
“Do you want this?” Tobias asks, lifting the item.
“A…scarf?”
“An attack scarf,” he clarifies. “If you wear it, it boosts your strength. It’d be helpful for you, since most of your moves are physical.”
“O-Oh. Um. Sure. Thank you.” Nia takes the light orange scarf and holds it up to rest awkwardly on the fluffy collar of fur around her neck.
Tobias raises a brow. “You don’t have to wear it around your neck. You can wear it anywhere you want, as long as it’s touching your body.”
Nia nods thoughtfully, folding the material up before setting it aside. Then, the two of them look at each other in the gentle blue light of the crystals. Tobias isn’t sure what she’s thinking, but he definitely has some questions for her.
“Why’d you follow me into a mystery dungeon instead of telling Maggie where I was going?” He asks.
The riolu’s brow furrows, but she holds his gaze. “I…I didn’t know for sure if you were going somewhere to take on a mission, but I didn’t want to get you in trouble. By time I realized you were, um…going into the mystery dungeon, I was afraid it would be too late for me to run back for help.”
Tobias feels something in his gut twist uncomfortably. If she had done that, he might be dead. Not that he’d ever admit that.
“You were afraid of getting me in trouble?” He asks, suspicious. “Why?”
Nia’s gaze slides away to look at the luminescent stones and leaves. She shrugs. “You seem like you’re already going through enough. I didn’t want to make it worse.”
“You didn’t tell Maggie about me ditching you, either.”
Nia’s mouth curls into a surprisingly mischievous smile. “What, you think I’m a snitch? You made it pretty clear you didn’t want to be around me. I found my way.”
Tobias can’t decide whether he believes her or not, but puts that aside for the moment. “Next question,” he says, leaning back against the crystal. “What’s with the branch?”
Nia blinks. She’d left the stick out in the forest on their way back, but now he almost wonders if she wants it back, with the way her paws twitch in her lap.
“I-It’s, um…easier for me to use that than my own body,” she says, slowly, as if she’s working it out for herself, too. “To fight, at least. I’m not used to fighting, and humans…well, I don’t think I ever really got into fights as a human, but a lot of humans use weapons to fight, instead of their own bodies. The branch just felt like a baseball bat. More comfortable for me.”
Tobias hums, not quite understanding but getting that it’s apparently a human instinct. Weird.
The charmander opens his mouth again, but Nia cuts him off with a raised finger. “U-Um. Could I ask a question?”
Tobias feels irritated about being cut off, but grumbles, “Fine.”
“Do you believe that I used to be human?”
Of everything Tobias expected her to ask, that was not it. He frowns at her. “Why does it matter?”
“Because it’s a really important part of who I am and if you don’t believe that, then…” she trails off, looking frustrated that she can’t quite find the right words.
“I…kind of believe that you believe you were human,” Tobias says, carefully. Nia meets his conflicted expression with her own. “After spending a few days around you, and seeing how you fight, you definitely don’t seem like a normal Pokémon. But I don’t know how a normal human acts, either.”
Nia doesn’t look satisfied with that answer, but she doesn’t say anything else. They’re both quiet for a few moments, lost in their own thoughts, when Nia asks in a quiet voice, “Do you hate me?”
Tobias’ head whips up. “What? No.” He frowns at her doubtful expression. “I… didn’t give you much of a chance, but that’s just sorta…how I am. Pokemon don’t get along with me, so I’ve just stopped trying to get along with them.”
“That seems like a lonely mindset to have,” Nia murmurs.
Tobias scowls and looks away. “I didn’t ask for your opinion.”
They both fall silent.
“Would you like to form a Seeker team?” Nia eventually asks, voice somehow strong and shaky all at once. “With me?”
Tobias stares at her, shocked into silence. She’s joking, right? But the riolu just stares back at him with serious red eyes.
“Why would you want to form a Seeker team?” He asks.
“To find out more about my past. About the other humans turned into Pokémon, like me.” She looks down at her paws. “I want to return to my old life, and everyone says that becoming a Seeker is the quickest way to do that.”
Tobias squints at her. That at least makes some sense. But... “You want to form a team with…me.”
“Y-Yes. If you want to.”
“Why?”
Nia must hear the disbelief in his tone, because she laughs. “I’m not convinced you’re as scary as you make yourself out to be.”
Tobias scoffs, not sure if he’s irritated or amused by her sudden boldness. “Yeah, you’ve seen me half-dead in the dirt. Hard to come back from that.”
Nia gives him a tiny smile and holds out a paw. “What do you think? Want to form a Seeker team?”
Tobias pauses, staring down at the offered paw, and then looking back up at the riolu. At the “human-turned-Pokemon” who has been causing him grief since the moment she arrived. Who didn’t rat him out when he ditched her. She’s clueless and timid and chatty—annoyingly so—but she also followed him into a mystery dungeon and saved his life armed with a branch of all things.
He didn’t want to have to team up with anyone, but this might be his one chance to actually become a Seeker and hunt down the trio of outlaws. Tobias makes it a rule not to trust other Pokémon, barring the very select few who have earned it, but…he figures if anyone has at least earned themselves a chance, it’s Nia.
He reaches out and takes her hand.
Notes:
There won't be a chapter next week (Sunday, December 6th) due to finals crushing my entire being! Regular updates will resume the week after.
Chapter 9
Summary:
Nia and Tobias officially form their Seekers team and run into a Pokemon familiar to the both of them. Nia is thrilled about this development. Tobias? Not so much.
Chapter Text
Nia can hardly believe this is happening. She’s part of a Seekers team now, and one with Tobias at that! The charmander leads her back out of the tunnels, stopping only briefly at a shallow pool of water emerging from the cave wall at a bend.
“You need to wash off your mouth,” he explains, pointing at her bloodied nose. “If we go back with you looking like you mauled someone, Maggie’s definitely going to have questions.”
Nia uses the cool, clear water to gently scrub the dried blood off her face, biting back a whimper at how sore her nose feels. When she’s done, she sniffs and turns to Tobias. He tilts his head and scrunches up his nose.
“I think you’re good, but clean up your fur a bit. You’re all ruffled.”
Nia almost laughs. What is he all of a sudden, her mom?
Mom.
A lance of pain shoots through her chest. She gasps, pausing in the middle of smoothing her fur as tears spring to her eyes. Mom. When she thinks the word, her heart definitely reacts to someone, almost drowning her in a wave of sorrow and longing. But she can’t place a face, can’t remember anything about her mother other than the fact that she must love her dearly.
“Uh.” Tobias is giving her a weirded-out look.
Nia opens her mouth to explain, but doesn’t want to risk the charmander just scoffing something cruel at her. Not when she’s suddenly feeling this off-balance.
“I-It’s nothing,” she mumbles, hurriedly wiping her eyes and going back to cleaning herself up. Tobias doesn’t push, rubbing at the scuffs on his own skin. Within a few minutes, they look at each other, deeming themselves satisfactory. At least they don’t look like they just…well, fought through a mystery dungeon.
The two exit the cave and climb the staircase, up and up to the medical floor. Nia’s exhausted. Why does it have to be so close to the top? From the openings in the guild walls and the few Pokémon they pass who look like they just returned from their own missions, Nia realizes that the sun has already set, dusk painting the forest in shades of gray and purple. With how tired she feels, aches in her muscles and feet tripping over themselves more than usual, she feels like it should be midnight.
“If Maggie asks, I was showing you around the forest and that’s how we got all scratched up,” Tobias says.
“Do we have to lie to her?” Nia asks, already feeling guilty about it.
Tobias doesn’t answer for a moment. “Well, we can’t tell her the truth. She’ll freak out and probably have to tell August. No use in making her upset or getting us suspended before our first day.”
Nia supposes he’s right, but she still doesn’t like it.
When they reach their quarters, the older Pokémon is nowhere to be seen. Tobias walks over to the tiny alcove where Nia’s spotted a few berries stashed before, and pulls out an apple, taking it with him as he walks back to his nest.
Nia’s stomach rumbles. She eyes the cabinet, debating. Could...could she grab one too? This isn’t really her quarters, but Maggie did tell her to make herself at home. Nia hesitantly opens the cabinet and grabs an apple of her own, glancing at Tobias and relaxing when he doesn’t even look her way. She feels like a friend at a sleepover too afraid to ask for a snack!
Nia shuffles past the charmander to grab a book from her stack and sets her new scarf beside her bed. Then, she returns to the main area where there’s more light to curl up and read.
That’s how Maggie finds them a bit later, a smile touching her face as she catches sight of them co-existing peacefully in one room. “There you are! I’ve been wondering where you two went today.”
Nia snaps out of her reading and feels her ears pin back. “S-Sorry, we, uh—“
“I was showing her around the forest,” Tobias cuts in.
“Well, next time tell an old woman if you’re heading out, all right? I was starting to get worried.”
Nia nods and Tobias grumbles, “Fine.”
Maggie opens her mouth to say something else, but pauses, leaning closer to squint at the two younger Pokémon. “How in Virizion’s name did you get all scratched up?”
Nia freezes and prays that Tobias will answer. After a moment he does, rolling his eyes and jabbing a thumb at Nia. “Genius here got stuck in a huge bramble patch. Only found one oran berry to patch us up.”
For a heartbeat, Maggie doesn’t look entirely convinced. But then she smiles, leaning back. “Well, I’m glad to see you're being civil with each other, at least.” She turns to arrange a few items on her desk, casually asking, “So did you two talk about anything interesting?”
Subtle, Maggie. Nia fights back a smile. “Yeah. He said yes.”
“Oh! Good, good!”
Tobias shoots Nia a confused look, so she answers, “I-I wasn’t sure I was cut out to be a Seeker, or if you’d accept. So I asked Maggie’s opinion before talking to you about it.”
Maggie turns back to the two of them with a wide, pleased smile. “I’m happy it all worked out. Have you chosen a team name yet?”
“I don’t really care as long as it isn’t stupid,” Tobias grumbles, shooting Nia a pointed look. She ducks into herself, embarrassed all over again.
“No, we haven’t.”
“That’s fine! You have some time. You look like you’re about to fall asleep on your feet, though, and I suppose you have a big day tomorrow. Why don’t you both get some rest?”
Right on cue, Nia yawns, taking her advice and turning to go to the nests. She pauses to look back when she hears Maggie murmur, “Just a moment, Tobias.”
The meganium reaches out her vines to gently grab the charmander’s shoulders, an unbearably loving look on her face. “I’m so proud of you,” she whispers, craning her head down to touch her snout to the top of the charmander’s head. Nia expects him to wrench away, yelling. Instead he leans forward to hug her leg, just for a moment.
Nia suddenly feels like she’s intruding on something special, and hurriedly makes her way back to her nest. She settles down into it as quietly as she can, already feeling sleep drawing heavy at her eyes. A nest of soft straw and leaves isn’t the comfiest bed in the world, but right now it feels like heaven. Shortly after, Tobias follows and curls up in his own nest for the night.
“So any name ideas that aren’t awful?” He asks, yawning. Nia takes a second to admire his sharp teeth and blue-gray tongue. Is that from breathing fire? Or because he’s sort of like a lizard?
“N-No, not really.”
“Well, get thinking. We need a cool one by tomorrow morning when we go to register.”
Nia doesn’t answer, looking up at the ceiling as silence descends on the two of them. Within a few minutes, Maggie covers up the window and the brightest crystals in the room with leaf shades, leaving the space almost entirely dark aside from Tobias’ flickering tail.
Names, huh? Didn’t Nia used to have something that would help her with that? Something that she could look up information on, a small device or something? Oh! A phone. Yeah. Man, what she wouldn’t give to have a phone and some service right now. Maybe then she could do some Googling on the Pokémon world, see if any human has a clue about these amazing creatures.
Heck, maybe she could even call her family.
Nia feels a lump in her throat, tears springing hot and wet to her eyes. God, she doesn’t remember them, not really, but her heart sure does. It aches. Feels heavy and painful in her chest, like it might physically be tearing in half. In all of the excitement today, she’d almost forgotten the end goal of her agreement to partner up with Tobias. She needs to get home. As amazing as this world is, she knows she has people waiting for her. A life to return to.
Nia forcibly calms her breathing and tries to think of something else before she starts crying. Team names. What could their team name be? It needs to be something good. Something that Tobias won’t argue with. She’s exhausted, but she rolls over onto her belly, grabbing her stack of books and dragging them closer. She eyes Tobias, making sure he’s asleep before scooching closer to his tail flame for light. Let’s see here...ah! There!
Nia pulls out the book of important historical figures that she adopted her own name from. There has to be a section for Seeker teams, right? Maybe she just needs some inspiration. Or at least to see what a “normal” team name would be. She flips through until she reaches a section detailing Seeker teams and members who apparently made a huge impact on the Pokémon world.
Team Bloom was a group of grass types who were the first mono-type team to reach S-rank. Hm. Okay. Team Poppy started with a...simisear and an electrode? Were they red Pokémon, maybe? Or maybe they just really liked flowers. Team Adventure was the first team to discover a place called the Crystal Cavern in the Arabalis Mountain Range...Team Ellis was created by two Pokémon named Elliana and Kris, so personal names aren’t out of the running either. Team Ignite, Team Blue Sky, Team PokePals, Team Hawthorne, Team Maximum, Team Flying Fury...
Okay, Nia thinks she sees the pattern here. So something that sounds good with Team and is fairly succinct. Something that describes the two of them in some way, or maybe their goals. Nia quietly closes the book and pushes the stack against the wall. She checks to make sure she didn’t wake Tobias (not that he’d be quiet about it if she did) before curling back up in her own nest.
Names, names, names...
She’s asleep before she can think of a single one.
“Hey, wake up!”
Someone shakes her, and she buries her head further into bed, huffing. She’s warm and sleepy and getting up sounds like the last thing she wants to do.
“C’mon, we have to go get registered!”
Now recognizing Tobias’ voice, hushed but impatient, she finally opens her eyes as he shakes her harder.
“‘M awake,” she mumbles, trying to sit up. Tobias is crouched at her side, looking entirely too alert for how early it feels.
“We’ve got a lot to do today, and I’m not gonna let you laze around and sleep all morning.” He rushes out of their little alcove, and as Nia yawns and stumbles to hurry after him, she realizes the crystals of their dim room are still covered. The few patches of the walls and ceiling open to the sky are black as night. No wonder she’s so tired! How early is it?
“What time is it?” Nia asks, rubbing at her eyes and following Tobias’ tail flame to the doorway of the room.
“Shh. Maggie’s still sleeping,” he whispers back.
Nia blinks and nods, following him as they walk into the hall. Even with the dim lighting of the luminescent leaves and crystals, she’s grateful for Tobias’ flame, easily giving them a halo of light to see where they’re going. Plus, it’s slightly warmer near him. The night air is a bit chilly even through her fur.
The charmander leads them out of the medical ward and down the staircase without any other preamble, and Nia doesn’t question it. She just appreciates that the walk gives her time to wake up and smooth the worst ruffles out of her pelt. They spiral down further and further until they must be near the bottom of the guild, and they still haven’t passed another Pokémon on the way.
“How early is it?” Nia asks again, whisper sounding loud in the stillness.
“A little before dawn. We need to get an early start today.”
Soon enough they reach what must be one of the last floors before going underground. They follow it inward just as the sky outside appears to be lightening to a pale blue-gray. The floor is mostly dark aside from a few crystals, but Tobias quickly leads them past a few smaller rooms where Pokémon are beginning to stir and move about.
“What floor is this?”
Tobias glances back at her with disgruntled expression, like he wishes she'd shut up. “Administration area.”
Nia doesn’t ask any more questions, looking around as Tobias leads them to a particular room. Once or twice he looks like he’s not sure where he’s going, but Nia certainly isn’t going to question him aloud. Finally, they reach a doorway lit up brighter than most they’d passed. Tobias knocks on the door frame before entering.
A cutesy plant Pokemon sits at the desk inside, using slender white hands to write information down onto a stack of papers. She looks oddly human, but with large pink eyes and “hair” made of two long leaves and a stem. She glances up with a bright smile as Nia and Tobias enter, but it falters as she sees the charmander.
“Oh! Hello, Tobias,” the Pokemon chirps, clearly surprised despite her impressive Customer Service Voice. “What’re you doing here?”
“We need to register as a Seeker team,” The charmander answers, stopping in front of the Pokémon’s desk and sounding maybe the smallest bit proud.
The plant girl blinks first at Tobias, and then at Nia. The riolu takes her focus off of the luminescent vines and leaves lighting up the room to smile at her.
“Hi,” she says, offering an awkward wave. “I’m Nia.”
“O-Oh! Yes, the human staying with Maggie. Pleasure to meet you. I’m Riley. So…you two are creating a Seeker team together?” Riley asks, dainty hands folding over her desk, not moving to grab a form or anything. Instead, she gives Nia a worried look. “You realize you will be partners in almost every sense of the word, right? It won’t be easy.”
Nia gets the feeling that Riley isn’t talking about the job itself and more the difficulties associated with her partner.
Before she can respond, the charmander growls, “I didn’t force her to make a team with me.”
He looks like he’s barely holding himself back from lunging over the desk to claw at the flowery Pokemon, and for once Nia can’t really blame him. The implications make Nia bristle a bit too. Sure, she’s a bit of a pushover sometimes, but it’s not like anyone could force her into this big of a decision!
“It was my idea, actually,” she says, trying to sound confident. She’s just glad she doesn’t stutter.
Riley looks away, face tinging a soft pink. Good, she should be embarrassed after that rude comment. “Yes. Apologies. Hold on a moment.”
As Riley searches through the forms, gathering the correct ones, Tobias turns to Nia, clearly still miffed but trying to move things along. “Did you think of a team name?”
Nia winces. Oops. She’d forgotten to think about it on the way down this morning. “W-Well, I looked up some famous teams last night, but…do you have any ideas?”
Tobias rolls his eyes. “I told you I don’t care as long as it’s not dumb like the name you gave that teddiursa. You don’t have anything?”
Nia glances around, skimming past the glowing vines lining the room and landing on Tobias’ tail flame. “Uh...something with fire, maybe? Like team Spark, or Team Ember?”
“Original,” Tobias scoffs. “Besides, you’re not a fire type.”
Nia wrings her hands, thinking. They’re both pretty new at this, and they do live in a giant tree. “Team Sprout? Team Sapling?”
“Even less original. We aren’t sudowoodo.”
Nia doesn’t know what that means, but she can sense an insult when she hears one.
“Team Sunset?”
Tobias tilts his head at her, frowning.
“Well, you’re orange and I’m blue, so kinda like the sky?”
Tobias shakes his head.
Nia huffs out a breath. “Uh...” what’s something that they have in common? She tries to come up with something (surely there’s something!), but other than fighting in a dungeon illegally? Not much comes to mind.
“Team Cherry?” Nia suggests with an edge of desperation, thinking of that first day in the cafeteria and the soup miscommunication.
Tobias snorts. “More like Team Disaster.”
Nia isn’t sure whether she should laugh or be mad. “You could help, you know.”
“I am!”
Nia sighs, rubbing at her temples. This is a good start for their team. Okay, what’s something that’s important to both of them? Maggie? Team Magnolia? God, no, that makes it sound like she’s dead.
Nia looks up again, and pauses as she catches sight of Tobias’ red scarf. It’s definitely worn, a little dingy, but the charmander never takes it off. Not to sleep, not to fight or eat. She’s seen him tug at the scarf or scratch under it when he seems nervous or irritated, too.
“Is your scarf important to you?” She asks.
Tobias reaches up to grab it, leaning back as if Nia’s about to snatch it from him. “Why?”
Protective. Definitely significant to him. “I thought maybe we could make a team name with the color red. If it’s that important to you.”
For the first time since she has started listing off name ideas, Tobias looks interested. He rubs the scarf between his fingers.
“I could get a scarf or something to match, too,” Nia offers. She’d seen a few teams pass by with matching or coordinated team items, like scarves and bands dyed the same color. It looked nice.
Tobias doesn’t respond for a moment. “So...what? Team Red?”
“I-I was thinking more like Team Crimson? Or Vermillion?”
Tobias hums, apparently not absolutely hating her proposition for once. “Team Ruby?”
“I kind of like that one!”
They pause in thought for a few more moments, before Nia remembers one more catchy shade of red. “Team Scarlet?”
“Scarlet,” Tobias echoes, rolling the name around in his mouth. “Team Scarlet.”
“You like it?”
To Nia’s surprise, he nods, a hint of a smile on his lips. He looks ready to go again, determined once more. It’s nice, having the critical Pokemon look so approving of her for once. “Team Scarlet. Yeah, that doesn’t sound too bad. You got that, Riley?”
They turn back to the plant Pokemon and she jumps, having clearly checked out somewhere in the middle of their discussion. “Yes!”
Riley fills in the form, scratching an inky twig against the paper’s surface. Occasionally she asks one or both of them a question, but in the end they don’t have to do much aside from sign their names. Nia’s signature is incredibly messy, seeing as she’s still not used to writing with paws instead of human hands, but she also realizes she’s not used to writing at all in the rune-like language. She’s only read it in books. She still wonders how that all works, how she can read and roughly write in a language not at all her own.
“Well, you two are good to go!” Riley says, stamping the bottom of the sheet. She motions for them to put their arms up on the desk, stamping their hands as well. “Just go down a floor to the item dispensary and look for Rainer. You know him, right? Politoed?”
“Yeah,” Tobias says, already turning to leave. Nia hurries after him, debating on thanking Riley before she goes. She was kind of a jerk, though, so Nia just gives her a halfhearted wave on their way out.
Nia follows Tobias down the corridors to the staircase, looking at the top of her hand in the morning light. It’s a simple, inky emblem stamped onto her fur, just a bit smudged. It looks like...a little egg, maybe? Or a capsule? With wings on the sides of it. A badge, maybe?
Before she can ask, they’re heading downstairs and immediately turning into a hallway, then to a gathering area. This space is more open, with different “booths” lining the walls and a stall in the middle of the room. There are a few Pokémon at each station, chatting or moving goods about; Nia’s pretty sure they’re Seeker teams, maybe packing up for missions. They approach particular booths in groups of two to four, a bag looped around one of their shoulders as they order and exchange goods. Or buy them, maybe? She hasn’t exactly asked how this works.
Tobias pauses, looking around before setting off for a booth. An adorable, bright green frog with rosy cheeks sits behind the counter, shuffling through some slips of cloth.
“Hey, Rainer,” Tobias greets as they reach the counter, peering over the edge. “We’re a new Seeker team. This is where we go, right?”
Rainer, presumably, looks down at the two of them, breaking into a wide smile. “Sure is! Need the basic package?”
“I guess,” Tobias says, shrugging.
“Stamps?”
Nia and Tobias push their hands forward, and Rainer nods. “Good! Give me just a second.”
The frog turns and shuffles through his chests and shelves of goods, humming cheerily all the while. “So what name did you two go with?”
“Team Scarlet,” Tobias replies, sounding more sure of the name as he repeats it. Nia feels a bit proud.
“Mm. I like it! Tobias, I’m guessing you’ll want to keep your scarf, right?”
Tobias’ hands drift up towards his neck again. “Yeah.”
“Will you be needing one, Riolu?”
Nia opens her mouth to say yes, before suddenly remembering the attack scarf they’d found yesterday in the mystery dungeon. She’d put it right by her bed so she wouldn’t forget to wear it, but she’d managed to do so anyways. She remembers Maggie mentioning someone in the guild who could dye accessories, so she thinks she could just have that changed to a matching scarlet red later.
“No thank you,” she says. “I have something back in Maggie’s room to use.”
Rainer just nods, entire body bouncing as he pushes a small satchel over the counter. “Good, good! In that case, I have you all packed up for your first mission tomorrow. Your badges are inside with a manual explaining how they work, so be sure to read up on that. You two go talk to Azami next, and be safe out there!”
Tobias grabs the bag and turns to go, Nia giving Rainer a word of thanks before rushing to follow. The charmander leads them towards the stairway, and Nia hurries to catch up to his brisk stride. At least his legs are shorter than hers.
“So what did he mean by ‘tomorrow?’ Are we not going on a mission today?”
Tobias sighs. “No, we have to wait. It’s mandatory for new Seeker teams to have a day of assessment first, to test their skills and knowledge, assign a trainer, and point out what the team members need to work on.”
Nia feels nerves flutter in her stomach. That sounds like quite the test. “C-Can you, uh...fail?”
The charmander snorts, voice lowering. “We won’t fail if we managed to beat a D-rank dungeon right off the bat. We’ll be fine.”
Nia feels less sure of herself, anxiety already bearing down on her. But she perks up when she sees a familiar face near the staircase. “Oh, hey! It’s Xander!” She waves at the blue and black lion Pokémon. When he notices her, he smiles, walking their way.
“Ugh. You know him?” Tobias growls, curling up his lip like the luxio’s presence alone is enough to make him sick. Nia doesn’t know why she’s so shocked by the reaction at this point.
“What? He seems really nice!”
Tobias rolls his eyes. “He’s an annoying goody-goody is what he is. Thinks he’s better than everyone.”
Nia frowns. That wasn’t the vibe she’d gotten from him at all.
“Nia! I’m surprised to see you down here.” Xander’s all warm smiles as he greets her, but when he turns to Tobias, his expression hardens. “Tobias.”
“Xander.”
The tension in the air is thick, but before any of them can speak, a graceful, bipedal Pokémon steps up next to Xander, looking curiously at Nia and Tobias with a gentle smile. They’re all delicacy and long legs, like a ballerina, green and white with startling red eyes. They remind Nia of a smaller Alistair, the gardevoir in the archives.
“Hello. I don’t believe we’ve met,” the new Pokémon says, voice incredibly soft. It’s almost hard to hear them in the open room. “I’m Avery, one of Xander’s partners.”
“I’m Nia,” the riolu says, torn between bowing and jutting out a hand to offer a handshake. She’s still not entirely sure which is expected in the Pokemon world. Avery has hands, so probably a handshake?
Avery laughs at Nia’s fumbling, a quiet but charming sound, and Nia feels herself blush under her fur. “It’s a pleasure meeting you. My father had some very kind things to say about you after your visit to the archives, and Xander mentioned running into you the other day.”
“Literally,” Xander adds with a small smile, looking visibly relaxed by Avery’s presence. “So what are you two doing here so early? Maggie roll you out of bed?”
“We’re forming a Seeker team,” Tobias says, crossing his arms and glaring at the luxio defiantly.
Xander’s ears perk up, star-tipped tail ceasing its casual flicking. “A Seeker team?” He sounds almost worried, gaze flicking over to Nia, and she hurries to speak up before Tobias can light the lion on fire.
“I-It was my idea! We both have reasons for wanting to join one, and, well, we already kind of know each other, so...”
That’s not 100% the true reasoning, and she suspects that Xander knows that, but the luxio doesn’t say anything else. Before anyone can respond, a blue-gray turtle appears on Xander’s other side, slinging an arm around his neck. “Yo! We’ve got the supplies, cap. Ready to go? Kry is itching to leave.”
The turtle notices Nia and Tobias, fluffy ears twitching as he offers a casual grin. “Hey. Sorry for interrupting. You Nia, I’m guessing?”
“Oh! Y-Yes, that’s me.” By this point she really shouldn’t be surprised every time a stranger knows her by name.
“I’m Felix. Been with this guy—“ here he takes a moment to jostle Xander. “Since the good old days.”
“The ‘good old days’?” Xander asks, amused. “We aren’t that old.”
“Eh, old enough. I know I sure could use a nap. Just wanted to let you know we’re ready when you are. See ya ‘round, Nia.”
Nia’s caught off-guard by the wink the turtle leaves with, once again feeling hot under her fur. What—did he just?
“Don’t worry about him. Felix is harmless,” Xander huffs. “A lazy flirt, but harmless.“
Nia nods, unsure of how to respond.
“I’d better go calm Kry down,” Avery says, fondly. They turn with a gentle touch to Xander’s shoulder and a wave to Tobias and Nia. “Good luck, you two.”
Xander watches the graceful Pokémon leave, and Nia fights back a smile at the warmth in the luxio’s expression. She doesn’t want to assume anything, but wow does he look the definition of lovestruck.
“I’d better go too,” Xander says, shaking himself out of his spell. He looks back to Nia. “You let me know if you need help with anything, okay?”
Nia nods, grateful. “Thank you.”
Xander’s piercing eyes turns to Tobias, and when he speaks, it sounds less like advice and more like a threat. “Be careful. Watch each other’s backs.”
Tobias scowls in return, not breaking eye contact as Xander turns and heads back to the staircase, where Avery and Felix wait beside a stocky gray dinosaur (dragon?) Pokémon with a green helmet and two tusks jutting from the sides of its mouth. They’re all wearing gold-colored cloths or bands on some part of their bodies, and Felix hefts a satchel larger than Nia herself up onto his shoulder before the group leaves.
“I hate that guy,” Tobias grumbles, white smoke puffing from his nostrils. Nia shifts uncomfortably. She doesn’t want to argue with her new, explosive partner before they even begin their first day, but she really likes Xander. He’s nice and he reminds her of someone that makes her feel calm and safe. Maybe from her human life?
“S-So where do we go next?” Nia asks, hoping to change the topic.
Tobias smirks, and Nia knows she’s going to hate whatever he says next. “The training floor for our combat assessment.”
Nia bites back a groan, already imagining how many ways she’s going to embarrass herself.
This won’t be good.
Chapter 10
Summary:
Nia and Tobias have their combat capabilities tested and meet their assigned trainers. Meanwhile, Nia’s new friends have some doubts about the riolu’s hot-tempered partner.
Chapter Text
Nia trails nervously behind Tobias as they climb the tree’s staircase, desperately trying to think of the moves she’d read about in her books. There were lots of punches, she thinks. Does she even know how to punch? What if she can’t bring herself to actually hit someone? Her thoughts cut off when they finally enter what is presumably the training floor, and she stops in her tracks.
The open space is busy despite the early hour, Pokémon sparring and practicing moves either against each other or on cloth dummies. Nia watches with wide eyes as a giant bee with drills for hands (What on God’s green Earth?) dances gracefully around their fighting partner before lunging and managing to slam the other Pokémon in the chest with the blunt of their drill.
Yikes.
“Tobias!” A feminine, oddly delighted voice calls.
Nia turns to see a humanoid, flower-like Pokemon walking—no, strutting—over to them. Long green petals flow behind her like hair, and what looks like thigh-high pink boots stretch up her long legs. The Pokemon is beautiful and carries an air of confidence, and Nia tries not to feel too intimidated.
“You really sent Archer into a tizzy the other day, destroying another dummy,” she says, and Nia can hear the grin in her voice despite not being able to see a mouth past the Pokemon’s petal collar.
Tobias snorts. “He should just be glad I didn’t use him as my training dummy. He fits the bill.”
The flower Pokemon laughs loudly, then seems to finally notice Nia. “Oh! Well, hey there! You must be Nia, right? Maggie’s little charge?”
Nia offers a shaky smile. “Y-Yeah, that’s me.”
“Nice to finally meet you, honey! I’m Azami. A tsareena, if that helps at all. I’m one of the trainers here at the guild. Speaking of—” She looks to Tobias again. “What’re you here for today? It’s not one of your usual days to train.”
“We’re here for assessment,” Tobias says, straightening up. “We’re a Seeker team now.”
Azami lights up. “Finally! Virizion knows you’ve been itching for battle for years now.” The tsareena turns an appraising look on Nia next. “So you’re Spitfire’s partner?”
Nia stiffens, glancing at Tobias, but the charmander doesn’t even react to the nickname. Nia hesitantly nods.
“Have to say, I’m curious to see what a human brings to the battlefield!”
Nia tries not to look too terrified at the mention of actually fighting. Even worse, of being graded on her fighting.
Azami giggles and turns, beckoning them along. “C’mon! I’ll get Val to help us out.”
They follow her to the back of the open gym, where a large, wooden mat area is marked off by a white rectangle of paint. A Pokemon is on their hands and knees knocking at one corner of the mat, checking for breaks if Nia had to guess.
“Val!” Azami presents Nia and Tobias with an overdramatic flourish. “New Seekers needing assessment.”
The Pokémon, Val, looks up, standing to her full height and towering over Nia and Tobias. She certainly looks like she belongs in the training area. She has gray skin, but what almost looks like rounded yoga pants and head adornments in a dark shade of pink that perfectly matches her lips. Yellow marks accent her “pants” and bead her forehead. Nia’s surprised by how humanoid she looks.
“New recruits?” The new Pokemon asks, voice dusky. Dark, serious eyes peer down at the two of them. “Names and team title.”
“You know my name,” Tobias grumbles with a roll of his eyes. “Team Scarlet.”
Val narrows her eyes at him, but doesn’t push, looking to Nia instead.
Nia jumps. “U-Uh, Nia! Team Scarlet.”
Val nods, motioning for them both to follow her to the middle of the training area. They do, Nia casting Azami a nervous glance over her shoulder. The tsareena gives her a wink and settles on the sidelines to watch.
“Charmander first,” Val says.
Huh. Is there a reason she’s calling him by his species and not his actual name? Tobias steps forward without comment, so Nia retreats, scurrying back to Azami’s side.
“Attack me as if I were an outlaw,” Val instructs. “Do not hold back.”
Tobias frowns, looking insulted. “I’m not weak.”
“I did not say you were. Attack.” She settles into a loose stance, arms up and at the ready, feet placed wide.
Tobias growls. “Fine.”
The charmander launches at her, claws gleaming with a metallic shine. Val ducks under his attack and rolls the charmander over her back to land on the ground with a heavy thud. She returns to her stance, looking unbothered.
Tobias snarls and goes straight at her again, swiping and snapping his jaws in a frenzy, occasionally trying to spin and slam Val with his tail. She moves around him like water in a stream, dodging and stepping aside with inhuman grace to avoid every move. She doesn’t even have to touch the charmander to trip him up. It doesn’t help that she’s so much taller than him, with longer limbs, but Nia has a feeling that Tobias would be losing regardless.
“She’s amazing,” Nia breathes.
“Isn’t she?” Azami says, a gleam in her eyes. “Val’s one of the best fighters in the guild!”
Tobias steps back for a moment to recover. Val simply waits, staring emotionlessly at the charmander’s heavy breathing.
Tobias snarls and darts forward again, feinting right before rolling left, popping back up and spewing a huge plume of embers at Val. Nia tenses up, but the pink Pokémon simply seems to shift through space, to glitch, easily moving through the fiery attack without getting hit by it. When she steps around behind Tobias again, Nia notices her eyes glowing orange.
Azami must notice her confusion. “Val’s a medicham—half fighting type, half psychic. That move was detect. It basically lets her dodge moves easier.”
Nia nods, leaning forward eagerly. She’d read about that move, actually! It’s so much cooler seeing it in person. Tobias takes a few more swipes at Val, attacks slowing as he tires out. Then, almost too fast for Nia to follow, Val slides behind the charmander. She grabs his arms, yanks them behind his back, and uses a foot to sweep his legs out from under him. In one smooth movement, Tobias is pinned on his belly, teeth bared as his face is smashed into the ground.
Wow.
Val nods to herself, as if making some sort of decision, then releases the charmander to stand up. “Riolu.”
Tobias snarls and pushes himself up, spinning to swipe at the medicham again. Val simply smacks his hand to the side.
“You are done. Sit down.”
Tobias stops, huffing, before stalking over to Nia and Azami.
“Uh, good job!” Nia says, giving the charmander a shaky smile.
Tobias glares at her, face red from the workout. Or embarrassment. “Shut up.”
He plops down beside her, pointedly looking ahead of him. Nia cringes but doesn’t push, nervously following Val’s beckoning and moving forward into the training area. The wood feels almost springy underfoot.
“I haven’t really fought before,” Nia says, voice high with nerves.
Val‘s lips purse, face unreadable. “You are the former human, yes?”
“Yes.”
“Did you fight as a human?”
“I-I don’t think so?”
Val makes a quiet, unreadable noise, and then falls into the same stance. “If you want to be a Seeker, you must fight. Try.”
Nia swallows, heart pounding. Frantically, she tries to remember the bit of reading she’d done yesterday on fighting types. Punches and kicks, right? Just start with a punch! Apparently it’s supposed to come naturally, but that’s if you grow up as a riolu, not become one suddenly as an adult. There was a move called bone rush too, she thinks? Or aura sphere? She—
“C’mon, Nia! Kick her butt!” Azami whoops.
Val is still waiting for Nia to make the first move. Holding her breath, Nia balls up a fist and throws it forward, stumbling. Val immediately catches her fist.
“If you punch like this, you will injure yourself,” Val says. She uncurls Nia’s fist, moving her thumb out from inside her other fingers. She helps Nia close her fist again, thumb lined up on the outside now.
“Hit with these two knuckles,” she continues, tapping the top knuckles of Nia’s pointer and middle finger. “Not the flat of your fingers.”
Nia tries to pay close attention to Val’s words, nodding.
“Keep your fist lined up with your arm. Tilting leads to broken wrists.” Val lines up Nia’s arm, stepping behind her to turn her shoulders, twisting her torso. “Stance wider.”
Nia follows her instructions, feeling incredibly awkward and unnatural. But she definitely trusts the medicham’s knowledge over her own.
“Try a punch. Use your legs and torso, not just your arm.”
Nia focuses and tries it, punching at the air. Oh. It’s kind of like how she used her momentum and the twist of her torso when she was swinging her branch. Like batting. She casts Val a nervous glance.
Val says nothing, expression unchanged, but nods. “It will become more natural with practice and repetition. Now kick.”
Nia nods and tries not to look too stupid as she kicks at the air, just managing to not fall over. She hears Tobias snort, and when she looks at him he’s not even bothering to hide his grin. Jerk.
Val moves to correct her form once again, and then has her repeat a few punches and kicks in the air. Then, she teaches her a basic block with her arms, showing her how to properly use the mounds of bone on her forearms as a defense without damaging them and having them crack.
After a minute or so of crash-course training, Val steps back and nods. “That will do for now. Do you know how to use your aura powers?”
Nia’s ears flatten. “No. Sorry.”
“Do not apologize. We must all learn.”
Nia offers her a thankful smile. Val doesn’t smile back, but oddly enough Nia doesn’t feel unnerved by the Pokemon’s stoic expression. Maybe it’s because she doesn’t sound angry, just…calm. Patient. The medicham turns to Azami and Tobias. The charmander stops looking bored, straightening up.
“Azami. I will train these two myself, if you would be willing to assist with Charmander.”
Azami laughs, throwing an arm around Tobias’ shoulders. Nia is still shocked that he doesn’t look upset by her casual, friendly attitude. “Sounds great! I’d love to show Spitfire the ropes. You’re sure you won’t be too overworked, Val?”
The medicham shakes her head, resolute. “I will handle their primary fighting technique, and Riolu’s aura training.”
Nia blinks up at the medicham, a bit awed by the Pokémon. “You can help me with my aura?”
“My psychic abilities are similar. I can teach you the basics.”
Azami drags Tobias over to the two of them, and the charmander steps into line beside Nia while the two older Pokémon face them.
“Have you taken the knowledge assessment?” Val asks.
“Not yet,” Tobias says.
“As long as you pass that test, you should be cleared to go on E-rank missions!” Azami says, hands on her hips.
Nia’s surprised. After she clearly showed she doesn’t know a single move?
Val must be able to see what she’s thinking, because she explains, “You are inexperienced, but expectedly so. You are strong, and you listen. You will learn fast. As long as you have your partner to cover your back—“ She gives Tobias a pointed look. “You will be fine. Learning in the field is the best method.”
“But you two will need to stop in for training at least two times a week, for Val to check your progress and correct any faulty form or techniques. And for Nia to practice her aura abilities, too! Sound good?” Azami asks.
Nia nods, grateful to hear that she’s not being completely thrown to the wolves to learn on her own. Tobias grunts.
“You should probably go take the knowledge assessment next,” Azami says thoughtfully. “As long as you pass, you’re free to spend the rest of the day however you like before your first mission tomorrow!”
“I recommend coming back here to train,” Val says. “Riolu, you are far behind a regular Pokémon in knowing your own body and abilities. Charmander, you are strong and have good instincts, but your temper and your reliance on straightforward tactics will only hold you back.”
Nia nods, glancing at Tobias when he huffs and crosses his arms. Oh boy. Why does she already get the feeling that Tobias isn’t fond of the medicham?
In the end, they leave the training area and return to the floor they met Riley on earlier that morning. An adorable ladybug Pokémon gives them each a separate test (Nia’s verbally, due to her sloppy handwriting) regarding their knowledge of crucial Pokémon info. Typings, abilities, identification of different kinds of Pokémon and items...Nia’s surprised by how much she remembers from her many hours of reading over the last week. She’s still a nervous wreck, though, and she winces every time she knows she gets one wrong.
And yet, at the end of the test the cheery ladybug Pokémon happily announces that they both passed. Nia just scraped by, she’s sure, but it was enough. She gives Tobias a relieved smile, and even he looks like he’s holding back excitement at the news.
They’ve officially made it. They’re a Seeker team. Team Scarlet.
Tobias immediately heads towards the training hall to return to practicing, but Nia suggests they get something to eat instead. Her stomach has been growling for an hour now.
Tobias looks tempted by the thought, but then shakes his head. “I’m gonna train. I’ve gotta get a hit on that stupid medicham or it’ll drive me crazy.”
Nia can’t help feeling a little hurt by the rejection, but tries to smile as he turns to go. “O-Okay. Catch you later, then?”
The charmander doesn’t answer, turning a bend in the hall, and Nia’s smile drops. She didn’t expect him to soften up to her overnight, but they are a team now, right? She thought that would mean something!
Sighing, the riolu turns and hopes she can find her way to the cafeteria. It’s nearing noon, so by time she does track it down, the place is packed. Nia squeezes through all of the Pokémon, glad for her species’ smaller size, and finally steps into a random line. The next problem is where to sit. She has her tray of food, but the tables are all more or less full of Pokémon she doesn’t know. She’s considering taking her food down to one of the tunnels on the base floor, but then she hears someone calling her name.
“Nia! Nia, over here! Hey!”
It’s the green deer Pokémon she’d met here the other day! Andyn, she thinks? Andyn is hopping up and down on one of the table’s benches to catch Nia’s attention, so she hurries over to the deer Pokemon’s side. There are two other Pokémon clustered around her with their own trays, chatting as the riolu approaches.
“Hey! Good to see you! You should sit with us if you don’t have a place to eat,” Andyn says. Nia’s eyes flick nervously to the other Pokémon, but they’re both looking at her with open curiosity.
“Oh! Is this the human you told us about?” A black weasel (or cat?) Pokémon asks. He has one black ear and one ear a striking, feathery red, a golden charm on his forehead, and when he points excitedly at Nia, she sees that his hands are basically just long, curved claws. “She looks just like a regular riolu!”
“I told you that, dummy,” Andyn says, rolling her eyes.
The weasel-cat sticks his tongue out at the deer before turning back to Nia. “I’m Ezra. A sneasel! Ice and dark type. Incredibly fast, and incredibly cool. Literally!”
Andyn groans as Nia laughs, charmed by the cheeky sneasel’s attitude.
“I’m Jaz,” the pink Pokémon across from Andyn offers. She’s smaller than her teammates, and Nia doesn’t know how else to describe her other than saying she looks like an adorable stuffed animal version of a red panda, with soft fur and blunt paws. Something about her demeanor feels calmer than Andyn and Ezra. “I’m a stufful. Fighting and normal type.”
“Oh, right! And I’m a deerling. Grass type.” Andyn adds.
“Take a seat,” Jaz says, patting the spot beside her. “We don’t bite. Well, most of us don’t.”
“That was one time!” Ezra protests.
Nia smiles and sits down by Jaz, picking up a berry and watching the friendly banter unfold between the group.
“I had no choice!” The sneasel adds, in a tone that says they’ve argued about this before. “You were confused, Jaz! I had to snap you out of it somehow!”
The stufful shoots Ezra a dry look, pointing a paw at her ear where a sizable piece of it is missing. “By taking a chunk of my fur?”
“Cannibal!” Andyn jeers, giggling madly when Ezra starts yelling at her about how he didn’t even eat Jaz so it didn’t count.
“You guys seem close,” Nia says quietly to Jaz.
Jaz huffs a laugh as Andyn nearly knocks her tray of food off the table mid-argument. “Team Evergreen, at our best. These two are always like this.”
Nia nibbles at her food—a pecha berry, she thinks?—and basks in the friendly ribbing. Even if she feels slightly out of place, it’s nice to be included in such a friendly group.
“So what have you been up to since coming to the guild?” Andyn eventually chirps, finished with teasing Ezra. “Still helping Maggie out?”
“O-Oh! Um. I’m actually part of a Seeker team, now. We just registered today.”
Andyn and Ezra perk up at that.
“That’s so cool!” Andyn says, beaming. “I never would’ve pegged you as the Seeker type! Who’s your partner?”
“Tobias.”
Immediately, the jubilant mood of the group takes a nosedive. Jaz and Ezra exchange a confused, concerned look, and Andyn looks outright upset.
“What? Why in Celebi’s name are you partnering up with him?”
Nia just blinks at her, unsure how to answer.
“He’s so rude and mean, a-and—he’s just a jerk! For no reason! He’s always been like that.”
“I actually agree with Andyn,” Jaz adds, tone careful. “Tobias is...aggressive, at best. And you seem sweet. A little shy, even. I have to say I’m wondering how you two even get along.”
Nia winces. They kind of just…don’t. “W-Well, we sort of ended up deciding to try this out together?” No one at the table looks reassured, and Nia adds, “Partnering up was actually, uh, my idea. He just accepted.”
Jaz’s expression smooths out at that, and she goes back to her meal. Ezra is still staring at Nia with a frown. It looks out of place on the mischievous Pokémon’s face.
“So you aren’t worried he’ll like...ditch you in the middle of a dungeon or something? Or that he won’t have your back? It’s super important that you trust your partners in the Seeker business. It can be a matter of life or death.”
At that, Nia hunches down a bit more over her tray, trying not to let her doubts surface. She certainly doesn’t trust Tobias with her life, but he’d never just…leave her behind, right? He didn’t the first time they met, but…
“I certainly wouldn’t trust him,” Andyn huffs, poking at a berry on her tray and nearly mashing it with her hoof. “There’s a reason he has no friends our age. He’s not a good Pokémon. Some of the older Pokemon are nice to him, but they have to be.”
Nia feels like she should defend her partner. He isn’t that bad! He seems to really care about Maggie, at least. Still, when Nia opens her mouth to protest, nothing comes out. She knows she should defend the charmander, but...she doesn’t want to make her potential new friends upset, either. And he is still pretty mean to her. Nia finally settles on shrugging, looking down at her food to push it around. She’s not so hungry, all of a sudden.
There’s a beat of awkward silence. Then, Ezra says, “Well, maybe he doesn’t suck as much as we all think he does?”
Jaz sighs. “Just be careful, Nia. What’s your team name?”
From there, the conversation slowly rises back to normal spirits, and Andyn and Ezra even get into another lighthearted squabble. Soon enough they’re all finished eating and returning their trays, Nia hesitating at one of the food lines.
“What is it?” Andyn asks, holding still while Jaz ties the bow around her neck for her. It’s a dark reddish-pink tone, kind of like Ezra’s ear.
“I was thinking maybe I should grab something for Tobias. I don’t think he ate yet.”
Andyn groans. “I can already tell that you’re gonna be way too nice to him. Don’t let him step all over you, okay?“
Nia smiles at Andyn’s concern. “I won’t. Thanks.”
The team heads out on a mission, waving goodbye and telling Nia that she needs to join them for lunch again. By time she gets a sack lunch of food to take back to Tobias, her chest feels happy and filled to burst. She’s making friends! She had Maggie before, of course, and maybe Xander, and everyone else has been really nice to her, but...something about talking and eating with a group of Pokémon her age makes her happy.
She practically skips back to the training hall. When she finds Tobias, training with Val and still stubbornly trying the same charge-and-slash tactic as before, she sits down on the sidelines to watch. He really just needs to mix up his approach and he’d probably do much better.
It’s another few minutes before Tobias finally slows down, falling to a knee and literally steaming with exertion.
“Enough. Take a break,” Val commands, stepping back. There’s not a scratch on her. In fact, she doesn’t even look winded. Her gaze flicks over to Nia. “Come here.”
The riolu jumps, scrabbling to her feet.
“I can still fight!” Tobias huffs between breaths. He’s shaking.
“Go rest,” Val repeats, voice hard.
Tobias growls under his breath, looking like he wants to argue, but then he staggers over to Nia’s side, collapsing onto his back. Nia debates on bothering him, but then gingerly picks up the sack lunch and sets it near the charmander’s head. “I-I brought you some lunch. If you want it.”
She hurries off before he can respond, squaring up with Val. The medicham tells her they’ll wait a couple of days before beginning Nia’s aura training, so she is more settled in and her emotions are in order. Instead, they return to practicing her physical movements. In addition to simple kicks, punches and blocks, Val teaches her how to roll, sidestep, and dodge.
After a particularly sloppy roll ends up with Nia sprawled on the ground, she looks over to see Tobias watching them train as he munches on a berry. Nia smiles as she moves to try the maneuver again. At least the charmander is eating!
Soon enough Tobias wants to join back in, so Val switches to discussing a few basic forms of tactics to use when fighting. In addition to full frontal assault, there are sneak attacks, defensive maneuvers, bottlenecking using tight areas, distraction techniques...Nia never dreamed there would be so much to learn about fighting!
In no time at all, the sun is setting, and Nia is more tired than she has been in her entire life. Probably. Definitely more tired than she has been since becoming a riolu. She falls back onto the training mat, breathing hard. Her muscles are screaming, she’s hot as heck, and her brain is tripping over itself trying to remember and repeat all of the new basic techniques she’d learned today. It’s no surprise to Nia that as soon as her and Tobias trudge their way upstairs to Maggie’s quarters without even a bite to eat for supper, they both immediately head to bed.
“Hard day?” Maggie asks, laughter in her voice.
Tobias grunts, flopping face-down into his nest. He grew to accept Val’s expertise and superior strength throughout the day, but Nia would bet anything he was still grumpy that he couldn’t land a single hit on the medicham.
Nia leans against the wall and tries to keep her eyes open to talk to the meganium. “I could fall asleep right here.”
Maggie chuckles, reaching out a vine to smooth back the fur on Nia’s head. Oh, that feels nice. “You do look wiped, my dear. One more question, and then I’ll leave you be so you can rest. What did you two name your team?”
Tobias snores from his nest, and Nia gives the meganium a tired smile. “Team Scarlet.”
“Lovely choice,” Maggie says, expression warm. Nia wonders if she has an idea of where the name came from. “Why don’t you get some sleep? You have your first mission tomorrow, from what I hear.”
Nia nods, yawning, and carefully steps around Tobias to lie down in her own soft nest. She’ll be sore tomorrow for sure. Still, she feels...good. Accomplished.
Excited.
Chapter 11
Summary:
Team Scarlet takes on their first mission as Seekers! Unfortunately, it isn’t quite as exciting as Tobias would hope.
Chapter Text
When Tobias blinks awake, chasing away the heavy fog of sleep, it’s brighter than it should be. He lifts his head from his nest, frowning. What time is it? Yawning, he glances over at Nia, seeing her still curled up fast asleep. He stumbles to his feet, stretching, and makes his way out to the room’s main quarters.
The sun is up.
Tobias freezes, blinking at the faint sunlight coming in through the gaps in the walls. He always wakes up at dawn, so it shouldn’t be this late! Was he that tired from yesterday’s training? The charmander hurries back into the alcove, shaking Nia awake. The riolu grumbles and tries to bat him away with a paw.
“We’re late, idiot! Get up! All the good missions are gonna be taken!”
Tobias gives her one more shove before scrambling to get their bag and items together. They need to go! Where’s Maggie? Why didn’t she wake them up?
Tobias hefts the bag onto his shoulder and turns to Nia, growling when he sees her still asleep. He uses all the strength in his sore muscles to completely roll the riolu out of her nest. She yelps, sitting up with wide eyes and lopsided ears.
“W-What?! What’s happening?”
“We’re late!” Tobias says, waving her to the doorway. “C’mon!”
He bolts into the hallway and hears Nia stumble and bump into the wall with a quiet “Ow!”
“Great Entei, you’re slower than a snorlax! Come on!”
Nia runs out after him, eyes wild, and he takes off down the hall of the medical ward.
“What time is it?” Nia asks, sounding like she’s still shaking off the last bits of sleep.
“A lot later than it should be!”
“Are we still gonna drop off my scarf so we can dye it?”
“No time! We’ll do it when we get back!”
They quickly patter down the steps of the tree, making good time. If only they hadn’t woken up so late!
“What about food?” Nia asks between breaths.
“Later!”
Nia makes an unhappy sound, but doesn’t stop. At least they still have the bag packed from yesterday and don’t have to stop to restock. By time they make it to the bottom floor and up to the E-rank mission board, they’re both panting hard. There are only one or two other teams wandering around and leaving for missions, and Tobias hurries to skim through the board’s listings.
Nia searches as well, pointing at a mission. “What about this one?”
Tobias follows her claw and scoffs. “Two other teams already have that one. Look at the serial numbers in the bottom corner. The psychics update them every hour when a team takes on the job.”
“S-So no?”
Tobias rolls his eyes. “There’s no way we’ll catch ‘em and finish the job first.”
Nia nods, and they continue looking at the listings. He can’t believe this—so many of them are already taken! Surely all of them can’t be, right? Tobias searches the papers, increasingly frantic.
“Oh! What about this one?” Nia asks.
Tobias looks at the mission, noting first that there aren’t any other teams listed for it. Great! What’s the job—
Oh. Oh no. Not that one. Anything but that one. Tobias quickly skims through the other missions one more time, hope slowly crashing and burning. Finally, Tobias, groans and hangs his head. Fine. That one it is.
“So why is this guy so awful? The job said we just need to harvest his berry trees for him, right? And pick up branches and stuff? That doesn’t sound too bad.”
Tobias, stalking through the undergrowth ahead of the riolu with a scowl on his face, only grumbles, “You’ll see. Old guy’s super weird.”
Nia doesn’t answer, probably focusing on traversing the path through the woods. It’s a bit overgrown, but Tobias wouldn’t usually mind since it prolongs the time until they reach Hadley’s place. However, he can’t help eyeing the foliage they pass, brushing his hands along yellowed, too-dry leaves. He hates rain, but it’s been far too long since it rained anywhere near the Haven. It makes him nervous about a forest fire breaking out, especially with the uptick in natural disasters. This much woodland in every direction is a deathtrap in a drought, especially since there are so many grass and bug types living in the area. Fighting off a shudder, Tobias tries to smother his fears. There are hardly any fire types near the guild—aside from him—so that’s good, at least. They’ll be fine. Rain has to come soon.
Soon enough, Tobias recognizes the little hut ahead of them through the trees, and he’s not sure whether to dread the upcoming tasks or feel relieved for a distraction from his concerns. A nice garden of flowers lines the dirt beneath the hut’s windows, and with the sun shining through the trees the whole place looks rather quaint.
“Oh, this is lovely!” Nia says, stepping out of the woodline.
“Thank ya, sprout.”
Nia yelps and jumps away, and even Tobias flinches at the sudden deep, raspy tone. Hadley has somehow appeared right behind them, as if he materialized out of thin air. It would be impressive for a golisopod to move so silently in the middle of the forest if it wasn't so unsettling.
The golisopod continues as if he didn’t just scare the daylights out of them. “I do try my best, even if those darn yungoos pups won’t stay out of my garden.”
“Mr. H-Hadley?” Nia asks, voice shaky.
Tobias supposes Hadley would look intimidating to someone who had never met him. He’s giant, even for a golisopod, easily seven or eight times their size, old but still heavily built. Scars line his shell and despite the patchy sun hat on his head, his blunt claws and armored appearance give him a warrior-like look.
“Aye, that’s the name, lass!” Hadley says. “What can I do for ya? You here for battle lessons? My cake recipe? You can have it over my empty shell! Gahaha!”
Nia tilts her head, looking rightfully confused. “U-Um. No, sir, we’re here about your, uh, berry trees? You put in a mission request? We’re from the guild, and—“
Hadley squints at the riolu and crouches down an inch from her face, not commenting on how she leans back with a squeak.
“Do I know you? My memory’s a bit spotty nowadays.”
“No. Uh, sir. My name’s Nia. I’m new here.”
“Ah.” The golisopod leans back. “Where ya from? The Bylur mountain range? Ghatha?”
Nia shoots Tobias an uncertain look. He shrugs. “U-Uh, no. I’m um. I was actually a human, before?”
The golisopod stares at Nia. And stares. Just as Tobias is about to say something, Hadley tips his head back and roars with laughter. Nia jumps.
“Oh, I like you!” He says, tapping the nervous riolu on the snout with a single long claw before standing and trudging away. “Come along then. There’s work to be done.”
Nia blinks, as if unsure of how to react.
“Told you he’s a weirdo,” Tobias mumbles, following Hadley. Nia scurries after them.
“I need you two to harvest the berries from the trees around my home, and pick up any fallen branches ya find along the way. In return, I might be able to offer you an interesting tidbit of knowledge about humans, miss Riolu.”
Nia straightens up, smiling. “Really?!”
“But you’ll still give us the other rewards, right?” Tobias asks. He didn’t come here just for Hadley to spin tall tales to Nia.
“Rewards?” The golisopod stops, squinting his eyes and looking up into the trees. “What did I say I had?” Tobias opens his mouth to snap out an answer, but Hadley waves him off. “We’ll figure it out later. Enough gibber-gabber! I need this done before those spinarak kids come back.”
“I thought they were yungoos?” Nia whispers. Tobias, busy massaging his temples to ward off the headache he feels coming on, just shrugs. Heck if he knows.
Hadley finally stops by two large baskets. “Here ya go. Use these to gather the berry crop.”
“Those are almost as big as us!” Tobias protests. How in the world are they even supposed to pick them up?
“Eh? You two want to be Seekers, right? Buck up! You’ll have tougher battles than with a couple o’ baskets!”
“But—you don’t—ugh! Whatever! C’mon, let’s hurry and get this done so we can leave.”
Tobias marches over to one of the fruit-heavy trees, sizing up the bark and digging in with his claws. When he thinks he has a strong enough hold, he begins hauling himself upwards. In just a few moments, he reaches the lowest branches and carefully plants his feet on the bark as he stands. He looks down to see Nia watching from the ground, brow furrowed.
“U-Uh. Do you want me to come up too, or..?”
“Stay there so I can throw the berries down to you.”
Nia nods, eyeing his footing with obvious concern.
“I’ll be fine,” He says, rolling his eyes. “Drag the basket over and we can get to work.”
The riolu hurries to follow his instructions, grabbing the giant wicker basket and dragging it across the grass to the shade under the tree. Tobias nods and turns to begin picking. The quicker they get this done, the quicker they can go home and look forward to a better mission tomorrow.
Tobias plucks the purple and yellow chesto berries from their stems, cradling the spiraled fruit before turning and dropping them into Nia’s waiting arms. He snaps at her to be careful when she drops one or two of them, casting a glance at Hadley’s hut, not even sure if that’s where the golisopod had wandered off to. Who knows what the old coot would do if he saw them messing up.
The work is boring and tedious, silent but for the quiet rustling of the trees and the sounds of forest Pokémon. Still, as long as Hadley stays out of their path, Tobias supposes he can handle it. It’s not the worst thing they could get stuck with. Within the hour, Tobias is finished with one tree, passing down the last of the berries before carefully moving on to the next tree. He doesn’t even realize how glad he is that Nia is doing her job silently until she speaks up.
“So, uh...what’s your favorite kind of berry?”
Tobias pauses, persim berry in hand, to scowl down at her. “Why?”
She shifts on her feet, shrugging. “I-I just thought we could get to know each other better. Y’know, since we’re partners now, and we aren’t too busy to talk.”
Great. The last thing the charmander wants to do is join in on Sharing Time. Just to shut her up, he goes back to work and calls out, “Rawst berries.”
There’s a beat of quiet that Tobias prays will last, but instead Nia says, “Oh! Those’re the minty blue ones, right? The way they taste reminds me of chewing gum. Um. A human thing, I think.”
Tobias doesn’t offer a response, focusing on his work. Nia only waits another minute or two, tops, before she asks, “What about music? Wait, do you guys have music or—“
“Of course we have music,” Tobias snaps. “Just not a lot of musicians at the guild. And I dunno. Stringed instruments, I guess.”
“That’s awesome! I, uh, grew up around a lot of country music, I think. I’m pretty sure I did, at least. I-I’m not sure what my favorite type of music is though, since I can’t really remember much. I’ve been trying to remember some of the songs I liked as a human. Will we ever run into any bands or musicians?”
“Probably.”
Another blessed moment of quiet, but Tobias doesn’t trust it. He can feel irritation bubbling in his gut, can feel himself growing tense and angry. He knows it’s coming. Any second now.
“What’s your favorite color?”
“Arceus, Nia! Why does it matter?” Tobias snarls, turning to look down at the riolu. Her ears pin back and she ducks into herself, not offering an answer.
Tobias feels a prick of guilt for yelling at her, but just huffs out a wisp of smoke and goes back to business. From then on the two work in silence, Tobias passing down the berries and Nia taking them while somehow managing to avoid his eyes. He will not feel bad about it. He refuses to. Why is she so nosy, anyways? They aren’t friends. Their relationship is more that of...business partners. Yeah.
The pair work in a tense silence that feels out of place among the soothing atmosphere of the shade-dappled woods. As the sun travels across the sky, they move from tree to tree, slowly gathering all of the berries from the trees surrounding Hadley’s land. They’re on the second-to-last tree, Tobias picking away at the cheri berries and resisting the urge to snitch one, when he turns to drop the berries and sees Nia completely distracted. She’s staring into the small puddle at her paws, head tilted. Tobias squints, trying to see what’s so interesting.
“Hey, heads-up.”
Nia startles, looking up at him. “Oh! Sorry!”
Tobias drops the berries down to her waiting arms. Curious despite himself, he asks, “What were you looking at?”
Nia gently dumps the berries into the top of their second wicker basket, then turns to give the puddle a perplexed look. “I’m...not really sure. I thought I saw something. P-Probably just the trees.”
Tobias carefully backs down the tree he was perched in. Once he reaches the ground, he takes a moment to look at the puddle, but doesn’t see anything out of the ordinary. Together, the pair push the giant basket, heavy with the fruit they’d gathered, underneath the last tree.
“Last one, right?” Nia asks, looking around.
“Yeah. Good thing, too. My fingers feel like they’re about to fall off, and I’d like to get out of here before Hadley decides he wants to cut us up for stew or something.”
“Oh! I didn’t even think about your fingers. D-Did you want me to go up instead?”
Tobias gives her a raised eyebrow, gaze flicking down to her paws and back up. “Yeah. I’d like to see you try.”
Nia looks offended. “Hey! I used to be a great tree climber when I was human! I taught my—“ She trails off, eyes going vacant and distant. “My...” She frowns, blinking out of her stupor and looking frustrated. “I taught someone! I-I think.”
Tobias snorts, gesturing to the tree in front of them. “Be my guest.”
Nia seems a little uncertain, or maybe just thrown by her moment of amnesia, but then shakes her head. She looks up at the tree’s branches with clear determination. Then, with a quiet “Hup!” she tries to jump up to cling to the bark with her claws, back paws immediately slipping. She yelps as she slides down to land harshly on her tail. Tobias, caught off-guard, barks a laugh.
Nia shoots him an embarrassed look. “That worked better when I had normal feet,” she mumbles.
“Clearly,” Tobias says, throwing himself onto the trunk and hooking his claws into the bark. He propels himself upward, climbing easily to the first branch to perch smugly on top.
Nia looks up at him with a frown, almost pouting. Tobias snorts, then turns to finish the job, plucking at the dull yellow aspear berries loaded throughout the tree’s branches. He makes pretty great time, rushing a bit to finish with the last tree as the sun begins to sink towards the horizon. He reaches out for a far fruit, balancing on a thin branch with some help from his tail. Just a bit further, come on—
His feet slip off the side, and his stomach drops. He flails and manages to slam his arms around the branch, his legs scrambling to get a hold and haul himself back to safety. After a few heart-pounding seconds, the charmander manages to right himself, laying along the branch while he catches his breath.
“Are you all right?” Nia calls.
Tobias peeks open an eye, sharp retort on his tongue. He’s surprised to see the riolu directly below him, wide red eyes staring up at him, body tensed and arms at the ready, as if she were preparing to catch him if he’d fallen. Something about that makes his gut turn uncomfortably. This stupid riolu has no sense of self-preservation. The two of them are about the same size and weight—the only thing Nia would have accomplished was hurting herself.
“I’m fine,” he rasps. He pushes himself back to his feet, gives the booby-trapped fruit a doleful glare, then shuffles back towards the trunk, where the branches are wider. He doesn’t take any more risks, slowing down his gathering time as he plucks the last few aspear berries from the tree. By time he slides back down to Nia he’s calm again, beyond relieved to feel solid ground and grass beneath his feet.
“That’s the last of the fruit,” Tobias says, shaking out his hands. They feel gritty with bark. “Let’s push this over to Hadley’s hut so we can collect branches and get out of here.”
Nia nods and helps him push the basket over to a spot near Hadley’s doorway, then follows him when he goes to collect sticks and branches along the forest floor. The riolu is quiet as they work, and by time they’re finished it’s nearing sunset.
“That’s the last of it. Let’s let Hadley know we’re done so we can head back.”
Nia nods, and they head to the golisopod’s hut. It’s nearly dark inside, so they pause at the doorway, knocking against the wooden frame.
“Hadley?” Tobias calls. “We got your harvesting done and picked up around the place.”
A muted thud sounds behind them, and Nia yelps while Tobias spins around with his claws at the ready. But it’s just Hadley, suddenly behind them with a calm, contented expression. Did he—did he just jump down from the roof? Or the trees, even? Where was he this whole time?!
Tobias decides he doesn’t care enough to ask (he does care, but he knows he won’t get a straight answer anyways). Instead he growls, “We harvested your berries and picked up branches. We’re done.”
Hadley smiles. “Oh! Good, good, youngins!” He shuffles a few steps away, looking around at the trees and undergrowth. “You two did a fine job.”
Nia finally recovers from the fright to smiles proudly at Tobias’ side, and he sighs, crossing his arms. “Good. What about our rewards?”
Hadley turns to them, claws clicking thoughtfully. Then, he perks up. “Oh, yes! I was going to tell you about humans!’”
Nia’s ears prick with interest. “Yes! Do you know anything about them? Or how to get to the human world?”
Hadley laughs. “You sound like you believe those silly old tall tales, too! I have an old friend who still insists she was once a human. Daft gal, that one.”
Nia steps forward, sounding excited. “Wait! Really? Could you introduce me to her?”
Hadley looks down at Nia like she’s turned zweilous and grown a second head. “You want to meet Hazel?”
“Yes! Please!”
“Strange one you are. Fine, fine. She does make a mighty fine cup of tea. Last I saw of her she was living in Afon’s Cap, with her daughter and grandkids.”
Nia bounces on her toes, beaming. “Hazel at Afon’s Cap. Got it! Thank you so much, Hadley!”
The golisopod rumbles another laugh and waves her gratitude off with a claw.
“Old man,” Tobias says, reaching the edge of his patience. “Rewards?”
“Ah, yes! Hold on a moment.” The golisopod trudges over to the nearest basket of berries and plucks a couple off the top, turning to hand them over to Tobias. “There ya go. Nice and fresh!”
Tobias looks down at the handful of incredibly common berries he’s holding, biting back a burst of frustrated embers. This is all they’re getting?
“Don’t forget to log your Seeker points now!” Hadley says cheerfully, either entirely missing Tobias’ fury or ignoring it. Probably the latter.
Knowing complaints won’t get him anything more than a scolding or straight-up laughed at, Tobias shoves the berries into their bag and turns to leave. He pinpoints his location relative to the guild, then sets off through the underbrush without a word.
Nia stammers something behind him, probably an apology, and calls out, “Bye, Hadley! Have a good night!” before rushing through the ferns and bushes to reach his side. “Have you heard of Afon’s Cap?” She asks immediately, eyes shining. “Is it close?” She doesn’t even look upset about being stiffed on rewards. She got her precious gossip about “humans” so she’s happy. It makes him angrier.
“It’s not far,” Tobias grits out between clenched teeth. “Half a day’s walk.”
“That’s perfect! Can we go there?”
“If we get a mission there.”
Nia seems to deflate. “Oh. S-So we can’t just go there on our own?”
“We could,” Tobias says, pushing a small branch out of his way. “But we have more important things to do. We need to complete missions and gain Seeker points so we can rise in rank.”
Nia doesn’t answer, and when Tobias shoots her a glance, she looks hurt, arms crossed and eyes downcast. Good, at least he’s not the only one upset now.
“This Hazel lady probably isn’t even there,” he scoffs. “You saw Hadley. Old guy’s not as sharp as he used to be. He didn’t even tell us what kind of Pokemon she is.”
“Y-Yeah, but...” Nia’s voice drops, almost inaudible. “I’d still like to check.”
“Fine. If you find a mission that takes us there, then we’ll look for this supposed ‘human,’” Tobias says, knowing it’s rare for any Afon missions to land on the E-rank mission board.
Nia doesn’t perk up at the offer, just nodding with her tail almost trailing in the dirt. When they’ve almost reached one of the main tunnels back into the guild, Nia speaks up.
“What were those Seeker points Hadley mentioned earlier?“
Tobias snorts. “They’re basically all we’re getting for completing this mission, that’s what. Usually Pokémon give you rewards for helping them out, like that teddiursa and roselia did, but you’re also awarded a certain number of Seeker points. The more points you have, the more respected your team is. It’s how you advance in ranks”
“Oh...So after we get so many points, we’ll go up from E-rank to D-rank?”
Tobias nods. “The first few ranks go by quick, but it gets more difficult the higher up you go.”
“Makes sense,” Nia murmurs.
They finally reach the old hollowed-out tree entrance, and they both climb inside to carefully slide down into the tunnel system. When they reach the bottom, they take a moment to dust themselves off in the crystals’ blue glow before setting off.
“When we get back to the room, we need to input our mission’s success into our badges,” Tobias says, glancing over at Nia to be sure she’s listening. “Got it?”
The riolu nods. “Are you going to eat soon?”
Tobias yawns. “Yeah. I’m starving after seeing berries all day. Let’s get your scarf first and drop it off to be dyed.”
Nia doesn’t object, and the two make their way through the tunnels, past the notice boards, and trudge up the stairs to their quarters.
“They should really install an elevator in this place,” Nia mumbles at one point, a humorous edge to her voice.
Tobias gives her a dry look. “No idea what that is.”
Nia opens her mouth to respond, then hesitates, looking thoughtful. “Wait. Are there any, uh...Pokémon that can’t climb the stairs? Who were injured or can’t walk properly? What do they do?”
“We have psychic types who can levitate and teleport them around the guild when they need it,” Tobias says, pausing in his explanation as they pass a jumpluff and a bellsprout. “They get set up with a device that notifies a psychic type on duty when they need a lift.”
Nia looks impressed, eyes wide with wonder. “Wow...”
“What, you thought we’d just kick out any disabled Pokémon?”
Nia winces at his scathing tone. “No! Of course not! I just hadn’t seen anyone like that yet, so...”
Tobias doesn’t respond, and they make the rest of the trip in silence. When they reach Maggie’s quarters, the meganium is reading up on some herbal remedies.
“Well hello, you two!” She says, warm voice immediately soothing Tobias’ weary mind. From the way Nia perks up and smiles, it does the same for her.
“Hi, Maggie! How was your day?” Nia chirps.
“Oh, fine, fine. These old bones are still getting me where I need to go! How was your first real mission?”
Nia’s enthusiasm dims. “It was, uh...great.”
Tobias snorts. “Liar. We picked fruit for weird old Hadley. It was boring.”
Maggie somehow manages to look both disappointed on their team’s behalf and scolding all at once. “Tobias, we’ve talked about this—his name is just Hadley. He’s a very sweet Pokemon. At least you got your Seeker points, right?”
Tobias sighs. “Yeah, I guess.” He goes back into their nook, throwing Nia’s scarf out for her to grab as he rummages through their bag for their badges. He takes a second to input their success and watches their Seeker points rise from 0 to 10. Something in his chest lifts proudly despite their awful day.
After putting everything away, Tobias walks back into the main area to find Nia eagerly questioning Maggie about Afon’s Cap, attack scarf in her paws.
“It’s a port town,” Maggie explains as she works. “Well, sort of. It’s a freshwater lake port off of a river channel. Huge lily pads grow there, so it’s named after its founder, Afon. He was a Ludicolo, a Pokemon that grows a lily pad on its head.”
Nia is listening with fascination, and Tobias rolls his eyes and makes his way towards the door. “I’m going to get food.”
Nia cuts herself off, smiling at him. “Oh! Do you mind waiting just a minute?”
“Yeah, I do. I’m starving,” Tobias huffs, heading towards the door. “I’ll see you down there.“
Nia must decide to continue her questioning later, because a moment later she hurries to catch up to him, reaching his side and looking troubled.
“What?” He asks.
“Nothing,” she mumbles.
The two make their way downstairs in an uneasy silence, only stopping to drop Nia’s scarf off with Vera to be dyed a similar red to his own scarf. The leavanny peers closely at the scarf around Tobias’ neck for a few moments, mouthing notes to herself, before waving them off.
They continue down the tree, eventually reaching the cafeteria. Luckily it isn’t too crowded since it’s later than most Pokemon prefer to eat in the evening. As they move to join a food line, Tobias sees a familiar huge shape at one of the tables, eating while surrounded by his tiny charges. Arlo must’ve brought the kids down for dinner tonight.
A heartbeat later, Luca looks up from his meal and notices Tobias. The little shinx bounces up on his seat and calls, “Toby! Hey, over here!”
The charmander hears Nia murmur, “Toby?” but pays it no mind, immediately heading over to the table. He wishes Nia wasn’t here to see him soften up for the little guys, but there’s no way he’s going to ignore them either.
“Hey, Luca. Anything good tonight?”
The shinx grins up at Tobias. “Yeah! They made oran berry pie! Arlo said that if we don’t make him go gray before the meal’s over we can have a piece!”
“That’s awesome,” Tobias says, biting back a laugh. Poor Arlo.
“Hi Toby!” Luca’s sister and brother, Laine and Leor, chime from across the table, waving at him with their tiny paws. He smiles and waves back.
A lot of the other little Pokémon chirp their own excited hellos—the skwovet kit, the zigzagoon pups, the older kids like the petilil bud and the oddish sprout. Tobias patiently and happily returns their greetings, giving them a few fist bumps or messing up the fur or leaves on top of their heads to hear them squeal with laughter.
He almost forgets that Nia is even there until Luca pokes his head around Tobias and asks, “Who are you?”
“I’m Nia,” the riolu says, smiling with a little wave.
“I’m Luca!” The little shinx nearly shouts, sticking out his tiny chest. His siblings and a few of the other children cry out their own greetings.
Nia laughs. “Nice to meet you all!”
“Are you Toby’s friend?” Laine asks.
“Um...” the riolu shoots Tobias an uncertain look, and he sighs.
“She’s my Seeker partner.”
Immediately the children are in an uproar, abandoning their meals to jump up and ask him a slew of questions.
“Whoa, guys, chill! One at a time!” Tobias laughs, hands up in defeat. Nia looks overwhelmed.
“Children!” Arlo bellows, stepping into their conversation for the first time. “No pie unless you settle and eat your food. Tobias and Nia cannot answer you all at once.”
The kids hurry back to their meals with intense focus, clearly willing to do just about anything for a slice of pie. A lot of them still peek up at him and Nia, though, or just push the food around on their trays.
Luca and his siblings don’t even pretend to eat, but they do sit back down, tiny tails lashing. “You two are a Seekers team?!”
Tobias feels proud looking into the shinx cubs’ starry eyes. “Sure are.”
“Awesome! What’s your team name?” Laine asks.
“Team Scarlet.”
Leor breathes a quiet, awed noise, and Luca beams. “That sounds as cool as Xander’s team!”
Nia’s brow furrows, probably trying to figure out how the three know Xander. Tobias barely manages to keep his expression neutral as the luxio is mentioned, biting back a scowl for the shinx cubs’ sake. “They’re Xander’s younger siblings,” he whispers.
“Oh!” Nia looks surprised, glancing between Tobias and the shinx cubs.
Tobias turns his attention back to the shinx kids. “We’re gonna go get some food. Mind if we join you guys?”
They’re better company than Nia, by far. The kids cheer and excitedly call for them to sit down at their table, and Tobias and Nia head off to grab some trays and load them up with food. Even though Nia’s presence is an unexpected and unwelcome addition to Tobias’ dinner with the nursery crew, the meal is nice. Being around the younger Pokemon—the shinx siblings especially—always cheers the charmander up, especially after such a long day.
And tomorrow has to be better.
Chapter 12
Summary:
Nia begins her aura training with Val and considers her rocky relationship with Tobias.
Chapter Text
“You are too tense.”
Nia sighs and relaxes from her position on the floor of the training area, carefully untangling her legs. Who knew having dog limbs would make sitting cross-legged so difficult?
Val looks down at her with her usual unreadably blank expression, arms crossed. Nia’s just glad for her seemingly endless patience. “You are worked up. Emotionally upset. You cannot channel into your aura abilities in such a state.”
Nia nods, avoiding the medicham’s gaze and glancing over to the cause of her emotional duress. Tobias is sparring with Azami, the flowery Pokémon helping him to work on battle tactics other than “run yelling into danger.” The charmander seems frustrated, but Azami just takes a defensive stance and goads him into trying again.
“Partner problems?” Val asks, not bothering to lower her voice.
Nia winces. “Y-Yeah.”
Val nods, watching Tobias attack. “He can be difficult to work with.”
That’s an understatement. Nia thought that she’d be able to handle the charmander’s forced distance and temper, his sharp personality and cruel remarks. But they’ve only been partners for a couple of days and have only taken on a handful of low-level missions, and Nia can already feel herself wearing thin.
Clearing out an old den for a bear Pokemon and her cubs to use for the approaching winter? Nia gets snapped at for “not digging right” and taking too long to clear out the old leaves and moss. She’s still getting used to having paws for hands!
Escorting an elderly, drooling flower Pokemon across the forest? Nia gets blamed for their small reward because she “kept wrinkling her nose” at the smell. Her new nose is sensitive! She tried her best to be polite!
Bringing medicine from Fen’s office to a sickly family of plant-like turtles living in the woods? Nia gets rushed along, falls into a hole, and then has to listen to Tobias complain the whole way that she’s “slowing them down.” Slowing them down from what? They’re meeting turtles, for God’s sake! They aren’t going to outrun them!
She’s doing her best, but Tobias is just so...ugh! Impatient and angry, all the time! He doesn’t listen, and he doesn’t seem to care about her or anyone else. They’re partners! They don’t have to be best friends, but they should at least be friendly with each other, right? Every time she tries to start up a civil conversation with the charmander, tries to learn more about him as a person, he immediately shuts her down.
Even worse, Nia desperately wants to follow the lead that Hadley gave her and go to Afon’s Cap to find Hazel, the former human. But every time she’s brought it up in the past few days, he’s dismissed it without even giving her a chance. She even tries to pick missions that (according to a map in one of her geography books, at least) would lead them close to the port town, only for him to override her opinion completely and pick something else.
Nia’s a patient Pokemon (a bit too patient, according to Andyn) but she’s already getting sick of it. Is it too much to ask for her partner to treat her with a little decency and respect? She’s seen Tobias with the little kids of the guild, with Luca and Leor and Laine and the others. He’s like a completely different person with them! Patient and kind and fun, joking and gentle.
But with everyone else, he’s so...sharp. So far they’ve only been completing basic missions in the area around the Haven, but she thinks he would have her back if it came to a physical fight with another Pokemon. But that doesn’t do much to ease her hurt feelings and increasing frustration with the charmander’s temper tantrums. Now it’s even interfering with her training!
“Focus on meditation,” Val suggests. “Relax.”
Nia slumps. “Okay.”
The medicham walks over to Tobias and Azami to watch and add her own expertise. Nia focuses on crossing her legs, resting her hands on her knees, and relaxing her body. She’d already run through a few basic fighting drills with Val today, and since the medicham taught her the basics of meditation during their last session, Nia’s mission for the rest of the afternoon is to start her aura training. She tries to go back and run through her meditation notes one by one. Relax. Part by part, muscle by muscle. Deep breaths. Clear her mind. No stress. No negative emotions. No thoughts at all. Calm.
It takes a while, Nia concentrating on her breathing to block out the commotion of the room around her, but eventually, she thinks she’s getting it. Distantly, she notes the relaxed, loose state of her muscles. Her mind feels comfortably blank.
A few minutes later, Val’s quiet voice pipes up from beside her. “Good.”
Nia peeks her eye open to see the medicham sitting in a similar meditative pose. When did she get there?
“You are relaxed?”
Nia hums an affirmative.
“Close your eyes. Continue breathing. Listen to my voice.”
Nia does as told, trying to let her mind stay blank as she listens.
“Your body is a vessel for your energy. Breathe in. Feel the air flow into you. Feel it energize you. Breathe out, and let your body relax. Good. This flow of energy is constant. It allows you to move and live. Imagine that energy gathered at the center of your body. The core of your being. It may appear as…a light. It is what fuels you, pushes you, makes you who you are.”
Nia’s mind starts trying to butt in, tripped up by Val’s words. A light? Does she mean literally, or—
“Do not think,” Val reminds. “Let yourself be. Relax.”
Nia sucks another deep breath in through her nose, and then releases it, imagining her racing thoughts going along with it. Blank her mind. Calm.
“Good. Look to your light. Feel it in your heartbeat. It is your fire, your soul. Picture it.”
This all seems so…strange. The riolu is supposed to be learning aura training, but so far she’s only been learning breathing exercises and weird visual techniques. Still, Nia trusts Val’s knowledge, even if that means doing weird yoga. So she tries to listen to the medicham and let the words paint the picture of a small flame in her chest. A light.
“What color is it?”
Nia’s brow furrows. She can’t really see the light, of course, so maybe she gets to decide? Her favorite color is yellow, but for some reason that doesn’t...feel right. When she pictures this light, pictures who she is as a flame in her chest, small but steady, it’s...blue. A bright, turquoise sort of blue.
“Blue?” Nia says, hesitant.
“Good,” Val says. Nia knows she must be imagining the note of surprise in the Pokémon’s voice. She’s tempted to open her eyes and peek for an expression, but doesn’t want to lose her focus. “Can you feel it?”
Nia frowns, unsure. She thinks she can imagine what Val is talking about in a theoretical sense, but it’s nothing tangible that she actually thinks is there. She can’t literally see the flame in her chest.
“Do not overthink. Feel. Focus on it like a physical part of your body. An organ. It is your soul. Your aura. What pushes you in life. What is important to you. Who you are, what you feel.”
Nia almost opens her mouth to protest—she thought the point of meditation was to empty and calm her mind, not work it up—but thinks better of it and simply tries to follow Val’s advice.
Her fire. Her motivation. Who she is.
She is...a human. Right? But she’s in the Pokémon world. No, no, she’s definitely human, and she desperately wants to return to her old life, to her family and friends and all those she loves so much that her chest aches at the thought of losing them for good.
But for right now, she is...a Seeker? An adventurer. Sort of, at least. She has to admit that some small part of her already loves seeing this world, helping others, experiencing so many amazing things. She’s a curious sort, and there’s new things to learn every second in the Pokemon world.
Her motivation, though? Well, she supposes it’s to become a Seeker, technically, but only so she can reach her ultimate goal. She just wants to find answers, and to go home. To become human again.
What else is there? Oh! How she feels. Well at the moment she’s…frustrated. Frustrated and upset with Tobias, for not giving her a real chance and for being such a bitter person. Disappointed, after she’d been so sure he would be nicer as a teammate. But she’s also…hopeful. Hopeful and curious about the human-turned-Pokémon in Afon’s Cap, excited to meet her and maybe find someone who truly understands her predicament. Who can remind her of home.
Home. The people Nia knows she left behind coming here…they give her so many emotions. She still can’t quite place any real details about them, but she knows the heartbreak she feels is real, the longing and the warm affection in her chest ballooning so large it feels as if it’ll break her ribs.
She needs to get home. So right now, she’s determined to figure out this aura thing. She’s Nia, and she will figure this out. She feels the determination swell in her chest, imagines the blue light in her growing stronger and brighter. Can almost feel it.
“Open your eyes.”
Nia frowns but follows the direction, eyes blinking open. A faint glow catches her eye immediately, and she looks down to see her chest glowing with the faintest blue light, lining the edges of her fur in an almost ethereal way. Nia yelps, flailing out of her pose. When she looks back at her chest, heart pounding, the light surrounding her is gone. That was—her light isn’t real, she just imagined it, so how—?
Val hums a quiet sound, and Nia looks to her with wide eyes.
“That was your aura.”
“I-It’s real!” Nia says, flabbergasted. “I mean, I read about it so I knew that aura had to be real somehow, but it looked like how I imagined my light to be, a-and…did I make it real? How did I do that?”
Val shrugs. “It is innate to Pokémon with psychic or aura abilities. I simply guided you to it.”
Nia blinks and looks down at herself, raising a tentative paw to touch her chest. “How...how do I do that again?”
Val falls back into teacher mode. “You have been convinced of your power’s existence. You should be able to access it more easily now. Focus on the aura within you, on the core of your being. Imagine it moving out to other parts of your body. Try to concentrate it into your paw.”
Nia nods, sitting again. She closes her eyes, holding out a paw and trying to imagine that light back in her chest. Burning. Not painfully, but just...warm. Powerful. Bright and blue. When the light she imagines at her core seems strong and steady, she squints open her eyes, disheartened to see her hand looking as it usually does. No light. A glance down at her heart confirms the same.
“Aura stems from emotion,” Val offers. “Focus on what makes you feel strongly.”
Nia closes her eyes and nods, brow furrowing. Right. She’d been thinking of her home in the human world before. She focuses on that light, her light, thinks of her family that she can’t remember and the aching in her chest. Finally, the fire grows, flaring as if she’d thrown lighter fluid onto it. She feels herself smile. The riolu thinks of Tobias next, of how frustrated he makes her feel, how he hurts her feelings when he snaps, and she feels the light grow larger. She thinks of Maggie and Xander and Andyn, of how she wants to get to know them more, of how much she appreciates their kindness, and—
“Look down.”
The riolu does, and bites back a gasp. Her chest is glowing with a faint blue light.
“Gather it in your paw, like drops of water into a pool. Manifest it.”
Nia tries, tensing the muscles of her arm and focusing her energy, the light, into the palm of her hand as if she were pouring it down her wrist and into her palm. Slowly, the light seems to grow brighter, stronger. Then, the tiniest flicker of light, beautiful and fragile like a candle flame, shivers into existence in her hand.
She just stares at it, mesmerized, until Val says, “Return it.”
Nia swallows and focuses, trying to absorb the light back into herself. It’s a little difficult, as if the energy had become more solid outside of her body, but eventually it does dissipate. As the light fades, Nia’s surprised to note her breathing is heavy.
“Training with energy is as exhausting as training your body,” Val explains.
Nia nods, looking up at her. “S-So that was okay?”
Val nods, although she isn’t smiling. Nia is starting to learn that doesn’t mean the medicham is unhappy. “You are doing fine. You are a stranger to this body. Do not fret.”
Nia straightens up at the encouragement, beaming. Val moves to sit down right in front of the riolu, legs crossed. Nia copies her relaxed posture and waits, ready to learn more.
“Emotion is connected to aura in another way. Not just as a power source, but through detection.”
Nia blinks, surprised. She remembers reading something about this, but didn’t think it meant it literally! “Like...an empath? Reading other people’s emotions?”
Val nods. She must see Nia’s discomfort, because she tilts her head. “You are troubled.”
“It just...sort of seems like an invasion of privacy? Being able to read people like that without their consent? I mean, that’s how it works, right?”
Val’s gaze darkens. “You must control your power and use it as you see fit. With practice, you will be able to turn your emotion sensing on and off. It will be up to you to avoid reading others without their permission.”
Nia swallows. “That’s a lot of responsibility.”
“A responsibility that I trust you not to misuse,” Val responds, not quite a threat. “Seeing through words to feel honest emotion is an invaluable skill that could save your life. Not all Pokémon have good intentions.”
Nia frowns, recognizing the truth of that statement. It could certainly help, and she knows she wouldn’t use it for any immoral purposes. So…
“O-Okay. Please teach me.”
Val nods, seeming satisfied. “Aura sensing is different than manifesting your aura into energy for attacking. As a psychic type, I do not have the same capabilities in that sense. I can only give you the basics of aura reading.”
Nia looks back down at her hands, closing them into fists and feeling amazement rise up in her. She knew all Pokémon were different, but... “So...only riolu can do aura stuff? Like reading emotions?”
Val nods. “The riolu line, yes. Lucario as well.”
Nia frowns. When she’d read up on riolu, it had mentioned the lucario species a few times. Apparently riolu...became lucario somehow? They called the process “evolution”, but it clearly wasn’t the sciencey evolution Nia knew from biology class, done over generations. Maybe it’s a maturation process? But she’s already an adult, so when would this happen? The riolu considers asking Val, but decides to hold back and question Maggie about it later. Val’s already teaching her so much today.
Val shuts her eyes, so Nia follows her lead.
“Find your aura once more. Breathe, relax, and focus.”
Nia takes a deep inhale before releasing it again, relaxing her body. She imagines that little blue flame in her chest, and concentrates on it.
“Channel into that energy. Expand it outward until you come across my own aura.”
“Expand it?” Nia echoes, uncertain. She tries to flare the energy, make it burn larger, but it doesn’t even get close to the edges of her body. The flame is too weak, barely even leaving her chest in short spurts.
Val hums. “Try to relax your aura. Do not flex it. Let it flow from you like a breath. Like a limb. A veil.”
Nia furrows her brow. How in the world is she supposed to do that? It took her a full afternoon of flexing her butt muscles just to figure out how her tail worked, and that’s an actual limb! She mentally prods at her light, her aura, tries to stretch it out. It simply flickers brighter before shrinking back to normal.
“Do not use it as a blast of energy. Try to thin it out.”
Nia bites back a frustrated whine. She wants to question Val more, but knows that the medicham is doing her best to teach something she herself has never exactly experienced. So she tries, over and over, to stretch that light and make it grow.
“Stop.”
Nia does, peeking up at the medicham. She realizes she’s panting hard, heart racing and muscles tense.
“Take a rest,” Val commands, before her dark eyes slip past Nia. The riolu follows her gaze to see a steaming, out-of-breath Tobias and a cheery Azami walking over. The two sit down near them.
“How’s it going over here, ladies?”
Val nods. “Well. Nia learns quickly.”
Nia straightens up at the unexpected praise.
“Wish I could say the same for this one,” Azami teases, giving Tobias a playful nudge with her elbow. The charmander growls, looking like he wants to set the flowery Pokemon ablaze. “You’re pretty set in your ways, Spitfire!”
Tobias doesn’t answer, pointedly looking away.
Azami smiles at Nia. “So you’re getting the hang of aura, huh?”
Nia laughs. “Uh, sort of. Trying to figure out how to stretch out my aura right now. For aura reading? I think?”
“You’ll get it figured out in no time, I’m sure.” Azami turns her grin on Val. “You’ve got yourself a great teacher, after all!”
Val gives Azami a nod of thanks. “Having a riolu or lucario available for teaching would be ideal. Unfortunately, we must try to translate these abilities without one.”
“There aren’t any other riolu near here?” Nia asks, curious.
“Nope! You’re actually a pretty rare Pokemon to see around the Haven,” Azami says. “Riolu and lucario tend to stay in isolated packs, so we don’t usually run into any around here!”
Nia isn’t sure how to feel about that.
Val and Azami call an official stop for a snack break, so the four of them munch on the berries that Nia and Toby had picked up in the morning before arriving. As usual, the charmander doesn’t answer Nia’s attempts at conversation, so she takes to chatting with Azami about the other guild members practicing nearby.
There’s a tiny brown fox pokemon dodging bursts of water from her partner, a wooper, and a lone purple monkey-like Pokemon…juggling? With its feet and tail, nimbly cartwheeling around while managing to keep the berries it’s using in the air. Maybe some sort of agility or dexterity training? Or maybe he just really likes juggling.
The loud crack of splintering wood garners their attention, and they all turn to watch as a lime green gecko with a leaf for a tail strikes at one of the training dummies that Tobias apparently has a reputation for destroying. The gecko pauses, stance wide, and holds his hands close together, almost like he’s holding an invisible ball. A moment later a bright green energy starts to build in the gap.
“Leif’s finally starting to get the hang of energy ball,” Azami explains, fondly. “Knew he had it in him! He’s going to kick tail once he gets it under control.”
Right on cue, the energy swirling in the lizard’s hands seems to come unraveled, dissipating in a flash of green. The Pokemon—Leif—slumps in clear frustration. Azami sighs. “Poor kid’s been working on that for weeks now. He can call up the energy, but can’t seem to get it to keep its form afterwards.”
Val calm, half-lidded eyes lift with interest. “He learned to form the energy in his hand first, yes?”
Azami sits up at Val’s attention. “Uh, yeah. He can use a grassy force palm, more or less. But that’s it for now.”
Val sets her meal aside and turns her whole body to Nia. The riolu would say she almost looks eager, at least in her own stoic way. Nia puts her own berry aside, curious.
“Perhaps we are starting too ambitious. With your aura,” Val says. “Pool your aura into your paw.”
Nia swallows, nervous as she closes her eyes and finds her aura. It’s still strange and takes a few moments, but she thinks it’s getting easier the more she does it. After finding that blue flame, she once again sends it towards her hand, feeling it move slow as honey into her fingertips. She peeks open her eyes, pleased to see the now-familiar blue glow. But what now?
Val reaches out her own hand, slow enough for Nia to track what she’s doing, and then touches the riolu’s palm. Nia bites back a gasp and squeezes her eyes shut, suddenly understanding what Val’s plan is. Nia’s aura is right there, under the skin of her hand, and when she touches Val—
She can see her.
Not in the normal way, not by sight, but she can see the medicham’s…energy? Val’s is bright orange, flickering faintly throughout the shape of her entire body, not nearly as concentrated as Nia’s aura is. It’s just a stable sort of life, a pulse thrumming under the other Pokemon’s skin. Nia turns her attention to the orange color, and somehow feels like she can read what this aura represents, like she can read the very DNA of what makes Val who she is, how her soul is shaped.
She’s orange, but not orange like a mournful, bleeding sunset or the soft, hopeful orange of a flower’s petals. Instead, she is the orange of a bright, ripe, tropical fruit. Nia thinks of the sharp, sweet tang of biting into an orange, the powerful warmth of a summer sun, its confidence and sharp, stern solidity, with a soft, sweet undertone. She understands, but she doesn’t know how she does.
Val’s hand yanks away, and Nia collapses forward, suddenly all too aware of how she’s wheezing for breath and her heart is pounding in her chest, her fingers shaking as they clutch at the ground. Her aura rebounds sharply back into her chest. She takes a few moments to gasp for breath before looking up at Val. The medicham stares back, and for a moment Nia’s terrified that she did something wrong, that she went too far somehow and betrayed the trust that Val had so kindly entrusted her with. She doesn’t know what she’s doing, how could she have stopped it—
But then the medicham just leans closer, reaching out a tentative hand as if she wants to place it on her back, and asks, “Are you all right?”
Oh. Nia hasn’t seen the medicham concerned before. At least, she thinks that’s what it is. She nods, trying to reign in her trembling and her roaring pulse. She glances past Val, seeing Azami watching with her own worried expression. Tobias stares at her with something uncertain and closed off, like he doesn’t know how to react to all of this. Nia almost laughs, because that’s been her reaction to her entire life the past week.
“I-I’m…I’m fine?” Nia rasps, more question than assurance. She looks back to Val. “I saw you. I saw your aura.”
Val leans back, intrigue starting to edge out the quiet concern. “Explain.”
Nia slowly manages to sit back up, feeling herself stabilize a bit. She feels sore, and exhausted, but it doesn’t feel like she’s on the verge of shaking apart anymore. “You’re, um. Orange?”
“What does that mean?” Tobias asks, almost aggressively.
Val doesn’t answer, giving Nia an encouraging nod, so the riolu does her best to recall the sensation of Val’s soul. How does she even describe something like that in words? She’s still not even sure how to logically understand it herself.
“I…don’t know. I don’t know how to describe it. It was just like…I could see what kind of person she is?”
“Not too terrible, I hope,” Val says.
It takes a beat for Nia to realize the stoic Pokemon is joking, and she laughs, maybe a bit hysterical. “N-No, not at all! You felt, um…like, stern and strong, but warm.” And a little sweet, she adds silently, already embarrassed. It sounds so dumb when she says it aloud. She should have suspected the medicham has a sweet side—she offered to take on their team, after all, and that’s a heck of a tall order.
“Sounds dumb,” Tobias snorts. “What’s the point of being able to read aura? You could just talk to someone and know the same things about ‘em.”
Val hums. “Sensing a Pokemon’s true character could be invaluable among strangers and potential enemies. It appears you will have to use physical contact for now. But it could be a very useful ability as your aura powers grow stronger.”
“Oh! Yeah!” Azami cuts in. “And aura can be used for battles too.”
Val nods. “And for sensing emotions.”
Nia perks up at that. “You seemed to think I would be able to sense emotions right away. But I don’t think I did?”
Val shakes her head. “I believe you must look at the aura differently, for that. I am not quite sure how, unfortunately.”
There’s a beat of quiet, save for Tobias going back to munching on his food and the ambient sounds of Pokemon practicing their moves around them.
“Could I try again?” Nia asks. A subtle frown pulls at Val’s face, so she hurries to add, “I’m okay! Really!” Was the medicham actually worried or just annoyed? It’s so hard to read her.
A beat more of hesitation, then Val gestures at Nia’s abandoned berry. “Eat first. We will try again. I have an exercise in mind.”
Nia nods and eagerly returns to her meal. She’s nothing if not curious, and this aura reading ability is unlike anything she’s ever experienced. She thinks so, at least. It certainly doesn’t compare to anything she remembers about her human life. Maybe some crazy technology stuff, but nothing she could do.
When they all finish their food, Azami drags a reluctant Tobias back to where they were training before. Val and Nia face each other again, and the medicham holds out her hand. “I have an idea. I will think of different memories, and you can watch my aura. See if it changes with my emotions.”
Nia nods, takes the other Pokemon’s hand, and closes her eyes to let her aura pool down into her paw. As soon as it gathers into her fingers and reaches Val’s skin, the medicham’s body lights up into a silhouette of bright orange behind her eyelids.
“Ready,” Nia says.
“Go. We must be quick so your power doesn’t drain.”
Nia frowns and focuses on the faint orange aura swirling through the medicham, and the longer she looks, the more her eye is drawn to the medicham’s chest, where the energy is brightest. Oh. Oh, of course. Just like Nia’s aura sits in her chest like a heartbeat, so does Val’s. It’s a tiny flame, like hers, but also strangely liquid. As she watches it, the aura shivers and slows, dimming, and a piece of emotion that Nia has no reason to feel sinks into her own chest.
Sadness. Melancholy, maybe. Something heavy and suffocating. Nia’s breath catches. That isn’t her. That’s not her sadness. She’s feeling it, but it doesn’t feel quite right, isn’t coming from her. It’s alien, foreign, like a mildly ill-fitting sweater borrowed from a friend, or an unfamiliar car she doesn’t know how to use by muscle memory. Something muted that she’s experiencing only through a window, not directly.
Before she can say anything, Val’s energy shifts again, spiking out fast and sharp. Nia almost winces at the feeling prickling at her own energy. Anger. Annoyance? Something along those lines, for sure.
Again, the energy morphs, calming itself into something steady, but flaring brighter, something almost playful in the way it flickers and shakes. A warm happiness washes over Nia, and a breathless giggle slips past her lips.
The next moment, the aura sours and pulls itself tight, shuddering and recoiling (fear?), and Val’s hand is ripped away again.
Nia falls forward, barely catching herself on her hands before faceplanting into the ground. Oh, ow, her aura rebounds back into her chest with a snap, and those borrowed emotions evaporate like mist, leaving her with harsh, heaving breaths and a bit of nausea. Why do her muscles hurt?
This time, Val’s hand does find her back, resting there as a comforting, anchoring warmth. Nia remembers the short blip of fear she’d felt (was that for her well-being?) and lifts a shaky hand to give the medicham a thumbs-up while she catches her breath. She worries that she’s going to throw up (she hates throwing up), but after breathing for a minute or so, she feels better. Still exhausted, but at least able to sit up.
“You are okay?” Val asks, meeting her eyes.
Nia laughs. “Yeah! Yeah, I am. I...I think it worked?”
Val finally sits back, relaxing. “Tell me.”
The riolu nods, eager to explain but opening her mouth only to lose her words. How…how does she explain what she just felt? What she experienced? She can’t explain how she understood the aura, felt those emotions herself even. Somehow, she just knew. It’s like knowing how to breathe, like babies knowing laughter without understanding the idea of joy. The waves of aura spoke to her in a way she intuitively knew how to understand.
It’s incredible.
Val must pick up on her issue, because she nods. “I understand. I cannot explain my powers well, either. What emotions did you feel?”
Nia feels her ears flick back as a shyness overcomes her. It still feels so personal to talk about someone else’s aura, all of their deeply held feelings. Even more so with Val, who is always so controlled on the outside. “Uh. I think first you were…sad? And then angry. Or annoyed, maybe? Then you were happy!” Nia hesitates, and then adds, “Right before you pulled away you felt kind of…afraid? I think.”
Val nods her confirmation, and Nia feels a burst of pride. “Correct, mostly. Frustration, not anger. But practicing will better your accuracy and precision.”
Nia can’t help a happy little wiggle at her success. This is so cool!
“Reading different auras will improve your ability. Remember to ask before practicing on someone else,” Val says. “Unless they are an enemy.”
Nia nods, happiness dying away into something more serious. “Of course!”
“Did I hear a success over there?” Azami calls. Tobias is flat on his back and surrounded by scorch marks. He’s glaring up at the ceiling. Yikes, that must not be going well.
“Yeah!” Nia calls back.
The tsareena walks over to them, Tobias rolling his head to watch with narrowed eyes but not rising to follow. “Would you like to try it on me?” Azami asks. “If you aren’t too worn out.”
Nia perks up, but catches Val shaking her head out of the corner of her eye. “No. No more for today. Riolu almost passed out earlier.”
Azami meets Nia’s crestfallen look with a smile. “Cheer up! We can always try it next time.” She turns to head back over to Tobias, calling a cheery “Good job, by the way!” over her shoulder.
“So you are aware,” Val says, catching Nia’s attention again. “It is obvious when you use your aura powers. Others will be able to tell, physical contact aside.”
Nia blinks. “Oh. Could you, uh, feel it?”
Val shakes her head and points to the tear-drop shaped things on either side of Nia’s head. “Your body glows with your aura, and those lift. I believe they aid in channeling and controlling aura.”
“They do?” Nia feels them, curious. Huh. She’d been wondering for days what they were for.
“With practice you should be able to hide such obvious visual tells,” Val adds, thoughtfully. “Eventually.”
Val climbs to her feet and Nia tries to do the same, only to fall back to her knees as her head suddenly spins.
“Rest for the remainder of the day,” Val says, voice distant to Nia’s ringing ears. “You are not used to the strain of aura.”
“But...” Nia glances over at Tobias, now back to slashing wildly at Azami, who neatly dodges each strike. It feels unfair for her to go back to their room and rest while he still has to train, even if she is upset with him.
“Go rest. If you must do something, practice meditating. Or read about moves. Magnolia has told me of your love of books.”
Nia sighs and nods. She has a few questions for the meganium, anyways. “Got it.”
As she carefully rises to her feet, making sure she’s steady enough to walk, the medicham nods approvingly. “Good job today.”
Nia beams as if the medicham had written her a glowing review. “Thank you! I’ll see you later!”
The medicham goes to help Azami with Tobias, and Nia slowly makes her way out of the training area. The stairs are going to be killer. Sure enough, it has to be nearly twenty minutes later that Nia finally makes it to the medical floor. She passes by Fen’s office, glancing in.
The leafy Pokemon is hard at work at her desk—wait, no. Their desk, Nia corrects. Tobias had snapped at her once already for messing that up. Fen has always been such a warm, inviting face when Nia says hi to them in passing, and for a heartbeat, Nia itches to interrupt and ask if she can use her newfound powers to see the leafeon’s aura, to see what color it is. But that would probably be rude on a number of levels, and Fen definitely wouldn’t like Nia potentially throwing up or passing out from the strain. Still, she’s curious. She bets their aura is a comforting pink, or maybe a chocolate brown, like their eyes. Can auras be brown?
Nia shakes off the urge and moves on quietly, making her way back to Maggie’s room. The meganium looks like she only recently returned from gathering herbs, intently sorting through fresh plants on her desk.
Nia hesitates at the doorway. “Hi, Maggie.”
“Hm?” The meganium seems distracted, but then lights up at the sight of Nia. “Hello, dear! Back from training?”
The riolu smiles. “Yeah. Sorry for bothering you.”
“Oh, hush, you’re doing nothing of the sort. Come over here, tell me how training went. You look exhausted. Is Tobias not with you?”
“No. Val sent me back early. We did a lot of aura training today and it wiped me out. I can see people’s auras now, though! And read their emotions. Kinda.”
Maggie smiles and pulls her vines away from her work to tug Nia against her side in a hug. “That’s fantastic, dear! Would you like to show me? Or are you too tired?”
Nia’s exhausted, and she knows that Val would shoot her a disapproving look for even thinking about trying out her aura powers again so soon, but there’s no way she can turn Maggie’s enthusiasm down! Or her own curiosity, for that matter. “S-Sure! Uh. Give me a sec.”
Nia closes her eyes and puts her hand on Maggie’s leg before reaching for her aura, for that ball of energy in her chest. Despite it getting easier to find, to call to her, she immediately feels the strain put onto her body. She hurries to send her energy down to her palm, letting it reach out to brush against Maggie.
The meganium’s silhouette bursts to life behind her eyelids. Her color is a lively purple, like fresh lavender. It’s beautiful, soft and vibrant and organic. It brings to mind the comfort, the peace and protection, of lying down in a field of flowers on a warm summer day, where nothing bad can happen.
When Nia brushes her aura closer to find Maggie’s emotions, ignoring the distant screaming of her muscles, her connection almost snaps back in surprise. There’s a bit of that same fear that she’d seen in Val, right before she pulled her hand away (worry?), but more than that...Maggie’s aura is almost overwhelming in its warmth, in the genuine affection that settles over Nia like a soft blanket straight out of the dryer. It’s like a wave of fondness, a protective and nurturing feeling.
And in this context, with Maggie focused entirely on her, there’s no one else the meganium could be directing it at. This love is for her. To say that Nia is unprepared for it is an understatement, considering Maggie has only known her for a week.
Nia’s aura finally rebounds, and she falls back to reality as her legs buckle underneath her. Blinking away bright blue and purple after-images, Nia notes that she’s breathing hard again, and that the nausea is back to churning in her stomach (Oh God, not listening to Val was a bad idea). Maggie is fretting over her, near-frantic, vines hovering at the edge of Nia’s vision like the meganium is afraid that somehow she did this, that she’ll hurt the riolu with her touch.
Shoving down her nausea, Nia looks up at the meganium, meeting wide, worried eyes with something like awe. Her throat chokes up. Tears blur her vision not due to the pain, but at the familiarity of the older Pokemon’s warm aura. It reminds her of her mother.
“Nia? Please dear, tell me what’s wrong. Did you hurt yourself? Should I get Fen? Val?”
The riolu laughs, still catching her breath, her voice watery with tears. “N-No, I’m fine. It’s just...”
Some of Maggie’s panic dies out when Nia speaks, and she hesitantly pets Nia’s head with a vine, patiently waiting for her to catch her breath.
“You’re so full of love,” Nia chokes out, recognizing how corny the words sound.” You just...you already care about me. Like, actually care. It caught me off guard.”
Maggie looks surprised, but then her honey-gold eyes soften. “Of course, dear. Don’t ever doubt that.”
Nia has no words, so she just laughs through her tears and hugs the meganium, burying her face in Maggie’s leg. Maggie soothingly strokes her fur with a vine.
“Your aura’s purple, by the way,” Nia says, words muffled. “It’s really pretty.”
Maggie laughs. “Well, that’s good to know! Too bad I can’t show it off. It sounds like a lovely color.”
Nia giggles too, feeling an overwhelming burst of happiness and fondness for the meganium. The two stay like that for a while, Nia’s harsh breathing calming down only to be replaced by sore muscles and a pounding headache. She’s never ignoring Val’s advice again.
Nia eventually manages to pull herself away, wiping at her eyes. “Sorry for crying all over you. Did you get a good haul today?”
“Don’t apologize for feeling, dear.” Maggie, seeing that Nia has recovered, goes back to sorting her plants. “I found most of what I need, yes, but I do miss Tobias’ help. My eyes are not what they used to be. I would hire a new hand to assist me, but I don’t want Tobias to get upset and feel like I’m replacing him.”
Nia, sitting on the ground and leaning back against the desk, sighs at the mention of the charmander. God, what is she going to do with him? They’ve only been partners for a few days, so maybe he just needs more time to open up, but…Nia’s not sure if she can manage to wait that long. She doesn’t have as thick of skin as she thought she did.
“How is everything going with him?” Maggie asks, voice carefully neutral.
For a heartbeat, Nia considers lying. Then, she rasps, “Honestly? Not great.”
“Mm. I was afraid so. Would you like to talk about it?”
“...Aren’t you busy?”
“I can talk and sort at the same time,” Maggie says.
Nia huffs a quiet laugh. There’s a few moments of silence, and then Nia groans, pressing her palms into her eyes. Her head is pounding. “He’s just...I think he hates me.”
“He doesn’t,” Maggie says, sounding sympathetic. “That’s just...how he is.”
“But that’s not fair! He shouldn’t treat people like that!” Nia says, a little sharper than she means to. Maggie is clearly taken aback by the outburst.
“Sorry,” Nia says, quieter, pulling her knees up to herself.
“It’s fine, dear,” Maggie says after a moment. “You just surprised me, is all.” There’s a moment of quiet, and then Maggie sighs. “Tobias has been...withdrawn since the day I met him. I can’t say how he was before he was found in the mountains. He wouldn’t talk much, initially, and I didn’t push him. He’s always been distant. Distrustful.”
“That’s understandable, if he went through something traumatic,” Nia murmurs. “But...”
Maggie looks sad, eyes distant and dark. “I know. I thought he would open up as time went on. Learn to trust again. Become less bitter. When I brought him back to the guild, he made...far from the best impression. Understandably, the other children did not much like the new Pokémon who was either curled up in bed crying or snapping at them for no reason. He picked fights constantly, and it didn’t help that many of them were weak to his fire. So the others ignored him and sniped at him in return. It turned into a vicious cycle, and now the poor boy’s made enemies of most of the guild. At least those his own age.”
Nia frowns, looking at her feet. Tobias’ horrible attitude is starting to make a lot more sense, but that still doesn’t make it right. But how is Nia supposed to say that to the Pokémon who has pretty much raised Tobias for years? She’d feel horrible. Plus it’s not like she would’ve known what to do instead.
“I’ve just tried to treat him with as much love as I can. I see him as my own son, and I just hope that one day he will soften up, grow from his past and make amends. I just want him to be happy.” Maggie turns to Nia with a soft smile, and Nia’s gut turns over. “That’s why I was so glad to hear that you were willing to give him a chance. He needs someone understanding like you to help him. Someone kind and patient.”
Nia nods, avoiding the meganium’s eyes and hugging herself uncomfortably. Maybe he does, but...she’s starting to wonder how kind and patient she actually is.
“However, that does not mean I wish for you to sacrifice your own feelings. If you need to disband your team with Tobias, I understand. Put your own well-being first.”
Nia sighs, feeling more mucked up than she had when this conversation started. She thought talking with the older Pokémon would make her feel more at ease, not less. The headache isn’t helping, she’s sure. “Right. Thanks, Maggie.”
“Of course, dear. Why don’t you get some sleep? You have a lot to think on and you must be exhausted.”
Nia mumbles an agreement and gets up to go into her and Tobias’ shared alcove. She plops her aching body down into her nest and looks over at her stack of books, thinking about reading to escape her thoughts. Instead, her newly-dyed attack scarf catches her eye. It’s bright red, like Tobias’ own. She still hasn’t worn it, not quite sure how to make it work with the thick collar of fluff around her neck. She scoops it up with a paw, feeling the soft material between her fingers and looking at it thoughtfully in the dying evening light.
She wants to make this work. She really does. She just doesn’t know if she can.
Chapter 13
Summary:
Tension grows between Tobias and Nia as they try to rescue a lost tropius calf from a mystery dungeon.
Chapter Text
“How about this one?”
Tobias looks over to where Nia is pointing at one of the notes on the mission board. He skims over the mission’s details, snorting. “No way.”
“But it’s close to Afon’s Cap, right?”
“Yeah, but there’s only one mission and it’s not even worth that many points. The rewards suck.”
Nia’s ears pin back, but she only keeps her disappointed expression for a heartbeat. Then her brow furrows and her lip twitches, as if she’s itching to snarl at him. “Fine, you pick then,” she mumbles, stalking a few feet away to rummage through the supplies bag slung over her shoulder.
Really? She's pouting just because he doesn't want to waste their time going all the way to Afon's Cap?
Tobias huffs, snatching a low-level mystery dungeon mission off the board and marching right past the riolu, not bothering to say what he’d chosen. It’s a fairly close location, with a few floors of dungeon-crawling necessary. Tobias needs to beat up some ferals to vent. Nia’s been acting weird for days now, and it’s really starting to tick him off.
Once he reaches the quieter seclusion of the tunnels, Tobias can hear Nia’s soft footsteps following him from a few lengths back. They silently make the journey through the underground and up into the forest itself, trekking through the foliage and deeper into the forest. At one point Nia stops to grab a fallen branch, as she usually does for missions that require combat. He doesn’t know why she insists on fighting with it—she’d be stronger if she just used her moves—but he’s going to bring it up eventually if she doesn’t fix the habit herself. They continue until they reach a wide, open field of tall, yellowed grass. The whole walk takes maybe a half hour or so, really not that far, but Tobias finds that without Nia’s questions and frequent comments it’s weirdly uncomfortable.
He glances back at her. Nia’s looking around, clearly enjoying the sunshine on her fur, holding the branch like a walking staff. However, whenever she notices him watching her, she quickly averts her eyes with an uneasy expression. Tobias feels a jab of anger and curls his hands into fists. Fine. She doesn’t want to talk? That’s just fine by him.
Tobias freezes, anger forgotten, as an increasingly familiar sensation suddenly weighs down on him, tingly and dangerous. This is a dungeon zone. He carefully scans the grass ahead, frowning when he just barely manages to spot an inconspicuous hole in the ground, around his size. An…underground dungeon? Great. That probably means ground types.
Tobias cautiously approaches the pit, pausing at the lip of the tunnel and feeling himself tense when he sees the stone stairs leading down into darkness. It looks pitch black down there. At least he has his tail to light the way, but...
Nia doesn’t comment on the dungeon’s appearance, so Tobias puts on a brave face and ducks into the entrance. Immediately, the terrain changes and flips, Tobias’ stomach along with it. When the ground finally settles, the charmander looks around, wary. Even with his sharp eyes it’s impossible to see their surroundings, save for the halo of light from his tail flame. Thank Entei for that. The walls seem to be solid and rocky, the air cool and damp.
“I-Is it normal for a dungeon to be this dark?” Nia whispers.
Tobias considers not answering, just to be petty, but then sighs and shakes his head. They have a mission to do. “Not usually, but it’s not unheard of for underground dungeons. We should be fine with my flame.”
Nia nods, clearly waiting for him to take the lead, and he does, swinging his tail around and holding it near the tip to light the way like a torch.
“What floor is our objective?” Nia whispers.
“Fifth. We have to rescue a lost tropius calf.” Before Nia can ask, he drawls, “Grass and flying type, brown and green. Kind of shaped like Maggie—long neck, four legs.”
There’s a moment of quiet save for their steps and a few distant sounds among the caves, echoes of growls and the clatter of pebbles. Then Nia murmurs, “It must be so scared, especially as a flying type. They hate being underground, right?”
Tobias doesn’t like to think about it, honestly. The Pokémon is just a kid, after all. “Yeah. The quicker we find the calf, the better.”
From there they return to silence as they search for the stairs. Aside from the frequent tripping they do over larger rocks or holes, the dungeon proves to be especially annoying because it’s hard to see the entirety of some of the bigger rooms with their one small light, so they end up having to walk more to be sure they don’t miss a staircase.
Plus there’s the unnerving echoes of the ferals around them, hiding just out of sight in the shadows. Right on cue, something screeches in the darkness, a leathery fluttering following, and the Pokemon swoops at Tobias’ face from the darkness of the ceiling. He dodges, seeing Nia duck under the Pokémon with a yelp. More flapping, and then it dives again. Tobias growls and shoots a cloud of embers at it, rolling away when the thing doesn’t go down even after a nasty burn. A zubat, maybe?
It swoops in again, and Tobias times his leap perfectly, swiping the Pokémon out of the air with a metal claw and flinging it to the ground. Nia hesitates before jumping in, knocking it out with an overhead swing of her branch. Even with the makeshift weapon she looks incredibly uncomfortable with combat, but the hit does its job.
Now that it’s still, Tobias can see that their attacker is actually a swoobat. Psychic type. Great. Nia better not get cornered by one of these things. He should probably warn her, but when he looks up at her she stares back at him without a word, ears flicking nervously and not even asking him what kind of Pokemon it is. He frowns and turns to continue their exploration.
They stumble across an apple and a pecha berry that they gratefully pocket before finally finding the staircase leading deeper underground. The two of them take it, and Tobias can’t help feeling irritated that the lower floors are equally as dark.
A yip and a snarl is their only warning before a fluffy four-legged Pokémon, low to the ground, charges at them. Tobias jumps over it, shooting an ember attack the direction it went and growling when it hits nothing. Even worse, his fire seems weaker than usual. Is it because it’s so damp? Or is it an effect of being underground?
Before he can get an answer, the Pokémon charges them again, managing to slam into Tobias’ side before Nia catches it with a powerful swing of her branch. The Pokémon yelps and rolls into the dirt. Tobias takes his chance and leaps on it, giving it an ember attack to finish it off.
When it’s unconscious, Tobias swings his tail around to get a better look. Furry tan body and floppy ears, and a collar of stones around its neck. A rockruff. Tobias takes a moment to make sure it’s out cold before they move on.
The next two floors are relatively uneventful. More darkness, more annoyingly wet cave air, more attacks from ferals who thankfully aren’t that difficult to defeat. And more frigid silence between the two of them.
Seriously, what is with Nia lately? Tobias almost prefers the previous week’s annoying chatter to this stony silence. She’s clearly upset with him today for rejecting her Afon’s Cap mission (There’s no point! The mission rewards are awful!), but there’s no way he’s apologizing to her for it. At least they’re on the fourth floor and should be out of here soon. Hopefully she’ll be over her mood by tomorrow.
Tobias is broken out of his mulling by a quiet noise ahead of him, and he tenses up, falling into a battle stance.
Silence.
The sound stopped. So what—
The ground under Tobias’ feet bulges and cracks. He throws himself forward to dodge, rolling around in time to see a sandshrew burst out of the ground, claws bared. Nia stumbles back and out of the halo of light with a surprised yelp.
The sandshrew whips around to look at Tobias, eyes narrowing to pained slits. His tail flame must hurt its sensitive vision. Good.
Tobias springs to his feet and sucks in a breath, spewing out an extra hot cloud of embers at the ground type. The sandshrew squeals and immediately digs into the earth, away from the light. For a moment it’s quiet, and Tobias thinks that it’s ran off.
But then the earth once again explodes from underneath his feet, and the sandshrew manages to score its claws up his leg. He sucks in another breath to spit out embers, only for the sandshrew to immediately dive back into the ground, away from the light.
Ambush attacks? That’s unusually clever for a feral. And annoying. A moment later, the sandshrew leaps out at him from the left in a shower of rubble, and Tobias spins to meet it, just a tad too slow. His metal claw deflects most of its slash attack, but it gets in a scratch on his side. Tobias snarls, feeling his anger start to rise as he spins, looking around for the sandshrew. It must’ve vanished into the ground again.
“Come out and fight me!” He yells.
The sandshrew erupts from the dirt behind him, tackling him down to the ground. Before it can do any real damage, Tobias hears the patter of footsteps. The sandshrew squeals as Nia slams into it with a full-body tackle, and the weight leaves his back as the two go rolling. Tobias staggers to his feet and tries to jump in, but as soon as he gets close the sandshrew burrows out of sight again.
“For Moltres’ sake!” He growls, frustrated, wiping away the blood dripping from his nose. Darn thing slammed his face into the ground when it tackled him.
“It seems to be going after you,” Nia says, stepping close to him so they stand almost back to back. “I think the light hurts its eyes.”
“Then it should just leave us alone!” Tobias snarls, loudly, hoping the sandshrew will hear him and understand somehow. They both wait, panting. Just as Tobias thinks that it’s gone, the familiar sound of digging reaches his ears.
Nia swallows, loud in the cavernous space. “M-Maybe we should just run?”
“And risk running into more ferals to deal with alongside this guy? No way.”
“But if we can’t see it then how can we—oh!“ Nia cuts herself off, eyes going wide. Before Tobias can question her, she closes her eyes and crouches to press her palms to the dirt, frowning in concentration.
“What’re you—“
“Shh!” Nia waves him off, frowning harder. A second later, she begins to glow blue, ever-so-slightly. The teardrops on her head lift and quiver as she concentrates. The riolu’s ears prick, and she turns her head to the right, and then to the left, eyes closed but clearly searching.
“Oh come on! You’ve had two days of aura training and you need contact for it to work! You aren’t gonna be able to track it like that!”
Nia pauses, distracted from her task, but then goes back to frantically “looking” around with closed eyes. There’s anger in her tone when she snaps, “Would you just let me try? Maybe I can at least get a sense of where it is—“
“You didn’t even know how to access your aura powers! Why should I trust you know how to use them all of a sudden?!”
Nia’s eyes snap open, and she turns on him, throwing her arms out. “Because I’m your partner! At least let me try!”
Before Tobias can reply, the ground between them bulges and crumbles. Tobias stumbles back on instinct, and a heartbeat later the sandshrew erupts from the ground. Tobias trips and falls, almost missing Nia’s pained yelp with how loudly the blood is roaring in his ears.
When he shakes his head and blinks his eyes open, he sees the sandshrew burrowing away again. Nia’s on the ground, curled around herself with her paws pressed against her side--
Oh.
Despite their argument, something in his gut flips as he reads her body language and realizes she must be hurt. Tobias is up and running to her side before he can think about it, skidding to his knees and coercing her to uncurl and lay on her back. He winces at the slick shine of blood on the black of her belly fur. Hopefully it’s not deep, but he’s sure the gash hurts. Nia whimpers between clenched teeth.
Now what? Nia’s down and the sandshrew won’t leave them alone. He can’t risk staying here to fight the sandshrew and Nia passing out completely, but he refuses to use the rescue badges unless things really start looking dire. Can he manage to carry her to the stairs for them to recuperate on the next floor?
Before he can fully decide, he hears the sandshrew digging again. Tobias snarls, stumbling to his feet and moving away from Nia. The last thing he needs right now is her getting attacked again. Sure enough, the sandshrew comes busting out the ground, aiming for Tobias. The charmander ducks under it, barely avoiding its claws.
Then in one quick movement he darts over to Nia, yanks her up to lean heavily on his side, and pulls her along with staggering steps as he takes off in a random direction. Why does she have to be the same size as him? If he could just carry her this would be a lot easier. Nia trips, and Tobias grunts, just barely managing to pull her back to her feet and continue on, praying for a staircase. In the next room a zubat dives at them, and he stumbles around the Pokémon to continue, breathing hard and desperately searching for the—
Stairs! Tobias would shout with joy if he didn’t feel like his lungs were about to explode. Tightening his hold on Nia’s arm, he sprints to the stairs, the two of them nearly diving into the hole and onto the next floor.
When they tumble out onto solid, rocky ground, Tobias takes a moment to catch his breath, staring up at the darkness of the ceiling above. Nia whimpers quietly somewhere off to his side. He struggles to his feet and goes to Nia, rolling her onto her back before digging into the supplies pouch still strapped around her torso. C’mon, c’mon, he knows they packed some...
There! He grabs an Oran berry and lifts it to Nia’s mouth, patting her cheek to get her to open her eyes. “Hey, c’mon. Wake up.”
The riolu’s eyes crack open, glassy with tears.
“Eat this. It’ll help,” he says, tapping into his medical training to try and sound calm and reassuring.
Nia whines again, but then opens her mouth and accepts the berry, slowly chewing it up and swallowing. Her head flops back onto the dirt, but she makes a grateful sound.
Tobias pulls his tail around to peer at the gash on the riolu’s torso. It wasn’t deep, thankfully, just looked worse than it was, but he still combs aside bloody, sticky fur to see the skin beginning to stitch back together all the same. Good, it’s working.
Tobias heaves a relieved sigh. Just because he doesn’t like Nia doesn’t mean he wants her to get seriously hurt or anything. The charmander plops down beside the riolu, trying to stay vigilant as her body heals itself.
Within a few minutes, Nia lifts her head, mumbling, “Ugh...That was fun.” She moves to get up, but winces.
“Take it slow. You lost some blood.”
Nia nods, carefully sitting up. Tobias hands her the second oran berry. At her questioning look, he rolls his eyes. “You need it a lot more than me right now. Just eat it.”
The riolu frowns, but does as told. Almost immediately, some of the tension in her body visibly melts away. As she comes back to herself, she blinks, then looks at him with something like surprise.
“What?” He growls.
“You…You didn’t leave me.”
Tobias bristles, baring his teeth. He’s a jerk, not evil. “What, you wanted me to let you bleed out?”
Nia shakes her head, but doesn’t look properly intimidated by his tone. If anything, she just looks…thoughtful. Ugh. That look means talking.
“Can you walk on your own?” He asks, hoping to deter her. “We’re on the fifth floor, so we should be close to the tropius.”
Nia opens her mouth to respond, only to be cut off by a distant sound, loud enough to echo throughout the tunnels. It sounds like a roar, or...a wail? Regardless, it sends chills up Tobias’ spine. He exchanges a nervous glance with Nia.
“W-What was that?” She whispers.
“After that sandshrew, I say we avoid it. Hopefully the tropius does too.”
Nia nods, and the two rise to their feet. Nia sways on her paws, holding out her arms to balance herself. She’s probably unsteady from using her aura powers and going through that rapid healing. When she’s steady, the two quietly creep away in the opposite direction of the roaring sound.
They take their search of the fifth floor slowly, more wary of dangerous Pokemon now that they’ve used up their oran berry stock. The ferals are oddly silent, hiding away in cracks in the cave walls, so while they don’t have to worry about as many fights, that’s only more reason to stay far away from whatever giant creature is making that horrible noise.
Tobias can tell the distant wails are putting Nia on edge too, and they give each room a quick, cursory sweep before moving on. Soon enough, they’ve been through every hall and every cavern they can find, aside from the tunnel leading to the loud howls that they’re avoiding. And yet, no tropius.
“Could the calf have moved on? Found the staircase and gone down a floor?” Nia asks. “Surely we didn’t miss it, right?”
“No, it should be a pretty big Pokémon, even as a kid,” Tobias mumbles. He takes a moment to dig through their bag and find one of their badges, clicking it on and checking their current assignment. Nope, still says floor five. “This should be the right place.”
“Oh no,” Nia suddenly says, looking stricken. “W-What if the baby is in that room? With whatever is making that sound?”
“That would be just our luck,” Tobias grumbles, replacing the badge. He glances in the direction of the wailing, shifting uncomfortably. He would really rather not go that way after they used up all their healing items, but...
“If the calf’s in there, then we have to help it,” Nia whispers, resolute. Still, when Tobias looks at her, he sees that her paws are shaking.
“Yeah, I know.” He cracks his knuckles and marches ahead. “C’mon, then. Duty calls.”
Nia follows him, and the pair carefully make their way closer and closer to the loud wailing. By time they reach the cavern it’s coming from, ducking just around the corner, it’s almost loud enough to hurt. Judging by Nia’s expression and pinned-back ears, it’s already painful for her sensitive hearing.
“How should we do this?” Nia asks, almost talking at normal volume to be heard. “It’ll see you right away with your tail flame, but...”
“At least we’ll get to see what it is too, and if the tropius is in there with it.”
Nia thinks that information over, then reluctantly nods. “A-Are we just going for it, then?”
“Sounds like it.”
The two of them creep closer, and when Tobias darts into the room, flaring his tail flame to give them more light, he and Nia slide to a stop. Half-hidden in the shadowy light and rearing up in fear at their sudden appearance is the tropius calf. It’s huge, at least five or six times Tobias and Nia’s size, and it releases another panicked wail, scrambling back from the light.
Nia falls into a battle stance, and Tobias says, “Whoa, whoa, wait! That’s the tropius!”
Nia blinks at him, disbelief on her face. “That’s the baby?!”
Before he can answer the tropius cries out again, its roars pitching high and scared. The sound of something slicing through air is their only warning before razor sharp leaves fly by, nicking their skin. Nia yelps and hides behind a rock, and Tobias does the same. The tropius backs itself into a corner and starts frantically flapping its leafy wings. Huge gusts of wind blast by and down the tunnels.
“What do we do now?!” Nia shouts over the noise.
Tobias frowns. They have to get to the tropius somehow, but with it attacking like this... “Knocking it out would be the easiest option, but—"
“What?!” Nia’s voice is shrill. “No! You said it’s a baby! I'm not hurting the poor thing!”
“I said it’s the easiest option, not what we should do! Even I don’t go around smacking babies! Arceus.”
“What are you suggesting, then?”
Tobias stops to think. Even if they can’t hurt it, they still need to get the tropius under control before they can do anything. “We need to pin its wings so we can get close enough to warp it back to the guild.”
Nia shoots him a pained look. “That’ll scare it. Can’t we do something else? Calm it down or something?”
The tropius wails again, and Tobias winces, the terrified noise grating on him, making him itch to act. “You figure out the magic solution, then. I’m gonna get closer.”
“Wait, Tobias—!“
But he’s already gone, darting from rock to rock to avoid the tropius’ gusts of wind. It’s too bad it can easily track him by his tail flame in the darkness; it would be so much easier to sneak closer otherwise.
Tobias dodges another razor leaf attack by throwing himself onto his belly, and then ducks behind a cleft in the wall to avoid a flurry of wind. He waits a few moments, thinking. He doesn’t want to attack the calf, but he’s not sure how he’s going to restrain its powerful neck and wings otherwise. Maybe he could jump on its back, then warp them out right away before it has a chance to get its bearings?
Well. He’ll figure it out at he goes. Tobias sprints out and along the cave wall, lessening the wind resistance. The tropius sees him coming and cries out, blasting a powerful razor leaf at him that he just barely rolls under. He’s so close, just a bit more—
The tropius spins, clumsy in its youth but still incredibly powerful. Its tail swings around, scooping Tobias up and flinging him halfway across the cavern. He hits the ground with a pained, “Oof!” and stays there, trying to catch his breath. This is a disaster.
Just as Tobias lifts his head, looking back to the tropius, Nia’s voice rings out in the cavern. “H-Hey!”
Tobias stares as the riolu steps out from behind the rocks, body glowing ever-so-faintly with aura so the tropius‘ attention is immediately drawn to her. Before it has a chance to blast her with wind, eyes wild in the low light, Nia makes a sound like a sob.
Tobias stares.
The riolu starts crying—well, pretending to cry—with all the theatrical subtlety of a boulder to the head. She wails a pitiful sound, curling into a ball on the ground and hiding her face in her knees. She throws in a few pathetic sniffles, too, definitely too overdone to be real. It takes a moment, but Tobias realizes what she’s doing. Nothing throws a kid off more than their tantrum being countered by someone else’s. But no, there’s no way something so dumb and so simple will work, right? This is a mission, not babysitting duty in the nursery!
But the tropius has yet to blast the riolu into a wall. Instead, it’s watching Nia with wide, teary eyes, wings still and the raging wind died down into an oppressive silence. The tropius keens, sad and confused, and hesitantly steps forward from its spot in the corner of the room.
Nia continues to cry, throwing in a few literal “boo-hoos” while she’s at it. It’s overdramatic and ridiculous, and the tropius eats it right up, walking closer to Nia. It hesitates a few steps away from her, gaze flicking over to where Tobias is still lying on the ground, before finally reaching Nia’s side. The baby tropius whines, nudging gently at the riolu with its snout.
Nia peeks at the tropius, a giggle escaping her. The tropius coos, suddenly playful, in return. Nia sits up and reaches out a hand to pet feather-light at the tropius’ nose. The grass type rumbles a happy noise, stepping closer before sinking to the ground. Nia continues to stroke soothingly at the calf’s cheeks, murmuring words in a calming, almost motherly tone.
Tobias doesn’t dare get up and freak out the tropius all over again. Instead, he lies on the ground and watches in disbelief as Nia calms the giant Pokémon down from a monstrous frenzy to a rumbling, contented puddle of leaves and brown scales. He can’t believe that worked. He’d be furious that worked if he wasn’t so shocked.
Another few moments to catch his breath, and then Tobias rises to his feet and carefully steps closer. The tropius slits open an eye at the approaching light, but then decides to ignore him, giving all its attention to Nia’s touch.
“I cannot believe that worked,” He says flatly.
Nia looks at him, quirking a smug smile. “I can have good ideas too, y’know.”
Tobias bristles at the condescending tone. He could’ve just as easily come up with that strategy! She doesn’t have to sound so superior about it. He growls and jams his hand into their bag to pull out their rescue badges. He nearly throws Nia’s when handing it over, and together the two of them call for a pick-up, waiting only a few moments before being teleported away, tropius in tow.
After the millisecond of nausea, Tobias finds himself, Nia, and the baby tropius in one of the psychic assistance offices. The tropius lets out a distressed noise at the sudden change of location, but before Nia can soothe it a voice thick with tears sobs, “Mirri!”
Tobias and Nia jump and step out of the way just in time for a fully-grown tropius, staggeringly huge and shaking the ground with its steps, to barrel towards the baby. The calf cries out in clear delight, and the two tropius reunite, nuzzling against one another.
Something about the loving gesture between what Tobias can only assume is the calf and their parent makes something in his chest clench and his eyes sting. He remembers being nuzzled like that, warm wings surrounding him, the scent of sunbaked stone and a comforting voice—
Tobias draws in a shuddering breath and tears his eyes away, stuffing the memories down. Nia looks like she might cry herself.
After a few more moments, the elder tropius turns to the two of them, tears still in her eyes. “Thank you so so much for finding my baby,” she says, bowing her long, graceful neck. “I’ve given the abra your rewards. May I know your names, before we leave?”
“O-Oh! I’m Nia.”
“Tobias. We’re Team Scarlet.”
The tropius smiles, still overwhelmed with emotion. “Thank you, you two. This is my son Mirri, and my name is Aari. If you ever need anything, please do let us know.”
Tobias and Nia nod and wave their goodbyes to the pair as they turn to leave, the older tropius barely squeezing her wide, leafy wings into the hall.
“They’re really beautiful, when they’re not trying to kill us,” Nia says, gaze lingering on the doorway.
Tobias snorts a quiet laugh. “Most things look better when they’re not trying to kill you.”
The charmander steps up to the desk of the abra in charge of their case, and she in turn hands him a small parcel, nodding her thanks. Nia and Tobias move into the hall, Nia already busy updating their Seeker badges and showing the screen to him when their points rise. Tobias nods, satisfied, and undoes the knot of their parcel. Inside, there’s a couple hundred poke that they’ll have to split with the guild, along with a few sleep seeds, and a medley of five or six berries. Nice haul. Tobias wraps the parcel up again and moves to head to the cafeteria for supper. Nia grabs his arm, stopping him.
“What?” He asks, a little sharply. He just wants some food and a nap, and he’s still tingling with leftover embarrassment for not coming up with Nia’s strategy himself. He wouldn’t have hurt the tropius calf, but the riolu’s plan clearly worked better than whatever he was trying to do. He should’ve thought of it first.
Nia meets his eyes, taking a deep breath and looking unusually determined. “I‘m going to Afon’s Cap tomorrow.”
Tobias blinks at her, surprised, then growls. “What? No you’re not, tomorrow’s not even our day off!”
Nia’s ears flick back, but her expression hardens. “I’m going, whether you come with me or not. If you come along we can get supplies or something, but I’m going either way.”
Tobias narrows his eyes, not liking the authoritative tone in her voice. Especially since things have been so tense between them lately. One good plan that wasn’t even really a plan, and she thinks she can boss him around? The only positive of going would be that Nia would finally stop badgering him about it.
…Huh.
This could get her off his back, at least. He would stay behind and let her go on her own, but he knows the sort of scolding he’d get from Maggie for that. It would not be a fun day at the guild. Maybe he just needs to grit his teeth and get it over with so they can move on with their lives.
“Why do you get to make that decision?” He finally asks, still hoping she’ll back down.
There’s a quick flash of anger in her eyes. “I’m part of this team too, a-and I figured out how to complete our mission today. Why shouldn’t I get to make a decision every once in a while?”
Tobias isn’t sure whether to be angry or impressed at the riolu’s sudden show of spine. All he knows is that he’s tired of hearing her whine about Afon’s Cap and stupid Hazel.
“Fine,” he says, still reluctant. “But I get to decide where we eat.”
Nia immediately perks up, beaming at him and clasping her paws together in a complete 180 of emotion. “Really?!”
“Yeah, whatever. Now c’mon, let’s get some food before I change my mind.”
Nia makes an excited little whoop, skipping ahead as they start their walk down the hall. Tobias groans and tells her to slow down, tucking the parcel under his arm and resigning himself to his fate.
At least he’ll get a good meal out of the trip.
Chapter 14
Summary:
Nia and Tobias travel to Afon’s Cap in search of the former human, Hazel.
Chapter Text
For the first time in two weeks, Nia wakes up before Tobias does.
She’s confused when she realizes it, blinking bleary eyes at Tobias’ tail flame, his curled form fast asleep. She assumes that it must be the middle of the night, but when she rolls over and tries to go back to sleep, she finds that she can’t. She’s meeting Hazel today, after all! Excited nerves thrum under her skin like first-day-of-school jitters. How can she go back to sleep when she’s meeting another human who was turned into a Pokemon? Someone who understands exactly what she’s going through, who can tell her about how she adapted to the strangeness of the Pokemon world.
Giving up on sleep, Nia sits up. She considers reading one of the books she has checked out, but is stopped by a quiet rustling coming from the main room where Maggie sleeps. Nia frowns and pokes her head out of their little alcove, surprised to see Maggie’s out of her nest, stretching. The meganium stops as soon as she sees Nia.
“Oh! Sorry dear, I assumed you two would be gone by now.”
Nia’s heart drops as she glances at one of the small openings in the wall, noting the pale gray light of early morning. It’s past dawn? But Tobias is still asleep! Since the day Nia arrived in the Pokémon world, the charmander had woken up at the crack of dawn almost without fail. Maybe it had something to do with him being a fire type, but his internal clock seemed stubbornly tuned in to go off when the sun rose. And yet today of all days, when she’s planning to go to Afon’s Cap, he’s miraculously asleep later than usual?
Funny how that works.
An unfamiliar wave of anger rises up in the riolu’s chest, hot and choking, and she turns to glare at the still-sleeping Pokemon. He could just be exhausted, sure, but after how many times he’s made it clear he doesn’t care about finding Hazel? She doesn’t trust it. But Nia needs him to lead her to Afon’s Cap, so she kneels at Tobias’ side and roughly shakes his arm. He grumbles and bats her hand away.
“If you don’t get up, I’m leaving for Afon’s Cap without you,” she says, only half-bluffing. She still doesn’t know exactly why he’d decided to come along in the first place, but hopes that whatever reasoning he has is strong enough to get him moving. She doesn’t think she’ll be able to follow a map well enough on her own—and honestly, she just doesn’t wants to make the journey alone. Tobias is poor company, but at least he is company.
Seeing no response from the charmander, Nia shakes her head, grabs their satchel, and moves into the main area to make sure everything is packed. Maggie is busy removing the leaf shades from the crystals to brighten the room, but shoots her a questioning look.
Nia doesn’t think she has the willpower to avoid snapping her explanation (which is the last thing she’d want to do to poor Maggie), so she just huffs and continues organizing their supplies. They aren’t going into a dungeon or anything, but Xander and Andyn had said to be well-stocked for long trips, just in case. So she counts their seeds and berries and apples, carefully tucks away their badges, and looks into the little sack of coins she earned from missions. It’s not a lot according to Tobias, but it’s something. She carefully folds up the map of the area loaned to her by Xander’s team (more specifically Felix, who’d offered it up with an easy smile and another wink).
Nia reaches a soft piece of cloth last: her scarlet attack scarf. For a moment, she considers finally putting it on. Then she thinks of Tobias, sleeping away the one time she really asks something of him, and she’s overcome by anger all over again. Growling under her breath, Nia stuffs it back into the bag.
“Guess I’m going on my own, Maggie,” Nia sighs, standing and slinging the pack over her shoulder. She turns around to see Maggie’s back to her, long neck ducking into the alcove.
Tobias’ voice speaks up, sleepy and muffled. “Maggie? What’re you—hey!”
Maggie backs up, Tobias held in one of her vines like a flailing kitten. She drops him to the ground.
“You said you would take Nia to Afon’s Cap,” Maggie reminds him, hard tone stopping Tobias’ ranting. The charmander, still blinking sleep from his eyes, frowns up at her, then looks over at Nia.
For a moment, Nia wonders if maybe he really did just oversleep, but there’s no dawning recognition on his face. He just snorts and looks away. “I know that. You didn’t have to wake me up so early for it.”
“You’re always up early! Why should today be any different?” Nia snaps.
Tobias actually jumps, head swinging around to stare at her as if she’s grown a second head. Nia immediately feels guilty for her outburst and softens her tone. “You said it was a long walk, right? We need to leave early then.”
Tobias still seems thrown off—whether from being literally picked up out of his bed or from being snapped at by Nia—because he just looks away and mumbles, “Yeah, I guess.”
“Well, I’m ready to go, so...”
Tobias shrugs. “So ‘m I.”
“Right.” Nia nods, trying to sound confident and failing miserably. Her gaze flicks to Maggie.
The meganium simply smiles, all encouragement and warmth, and nudges Tobias forward with a vine. “Go on, then. You two have a long trip ahead of you. You have snacks packed, right?”
Nia nods, smiling gratefully. She meets Tobias’ grumpy gaze before turning and marching out of the room. It feels...weird. Usually Tobias leads them on all of their missions, but he clearly wants no part of this trip, so instead Nia sets a brisk pace through the medical ward, ears picking up the dragging footsteps of the half-asleep charmander behind her. She only hesitates once on directions, and they make it down to the bottom floor without taking a wrong turn, thank God.
If only it wasn’t so uncomfortably silent between them.
Nia hesitates at the many tunnel openings, and Tobias grunts before setting off down one. Hopefully the one that leads them most quickly to Afon’s Cap. In the muted quiet of the tunnels, their footsteps seem unnaturally loud. Nia fidgets with the satchel strap, eyeing Tobias’ back.
She has long since given up on friendly conversation with him, reaching the end of her patience after days of being snubbed and snapped at every time she opened her mouth. Instead of making Tobias happier, though, her silence almost seemed to put the charmander more on edge than ever. If that was even possible. Their last few missions have been filled with suffocating silence, only interrupted by the occasional tense comment.
Maybe the two of them just aren’t meant to work out as a Seeker team. He’s just so...bitter. And she doesn’t know how to fix that.
“You brought my money, right?” Tobias asks.
Nia jumps. “Y-Yeah.”
And back to silence. They reach the end of the tunnel and find an unfamiliar Pokémon waiting there to take them to the surface. Nia was kind of hoping it would be the hippo they’d met on her first trip into the guild.
Instead, the Pokémon that nods at them seems to be some type of...mole? He’s twice as big as her and Tobias, dark brown with red stripes and what look like sharp, drill-like bits as his claws, as well as one “drill” sitting on his head like a helmet. Nia will never get used to Pokemon biology.
“Going up?” The Pokemon rasps, voice deep. Tobias nods, and the mole gestures for them to step closer to his side. When they do, he slams his claws down into the dirt, and the slab of ground beneath them shoots up. Nia tries to keep her eyes squinted open this time, curious even as her stomach flips. It’s dark, but she thinks the earth seems to cave and mold around their group as if they were surrounded by a bubble, moving up to the surface. It’s incredible.
They emerge into chilly dawn air, and Nia immediately relaxes, taking a deep breath. Looks like they’re under the same overhang they’d met the hippo in. Tobias hops out into the forest, and Nia gives the mole a smile and a quiet word of thanks before following. Tobias doesn’t wait for her, immediately setting a course through ferns and dewy undergrowth. Nia follows, pushing aside leaves and shivering as the drops soak into her fur. Tobias’ skin is steaming ever so slightly.
The forest is relatively calm this early in the morning, but the world slowly wakes up around them. As the sun starts to climb into the sky, Pokémon around them begin their days. The riolu catches sight of a particularly beautiful butterfly Pokémon that she notes to find the name of later.
The sounds of Pokémon talking and moving about the forest becomes a comforting background noise. The blatant silence between Nia and Tobias suddenly doesn’t seem as noticeable, and the riolu finds herself relaxing as they continue their walk. Maybe today won’t be so bad after all.
The two of them walk for hours through dense forest, occasionally crossing open fields and rocky gullies. At one point they have to cross a low stream, and Tobias cautiously jumps from rock to rock to avoid touching the water. Nia stifles a laugh and, after a moment of consideration, decides to wade through the cool water. Tobias carefully keeps his distance from her, making Nia roll her eyes. She’d read about how dangerous water could be to fire types, especially those with open flames on their bodies. Of course she wasn’t going to try and get him wet.
When she emerges on the other side, fur heavy with water, her body seems to react before her mind. She manages to check that Tobias is out of the splash zone, and then she shakes like a dog, water flying everywhere. It makes her a bit dizzy, and she blinks, surprised by her own action.
Tobias doesn’t seem to think anything of it, just visibly relaxing when his feet touch the grass again. Nia supposes she shouldn’t be too surprised—her body has its own instincts now. Her ears and tail broadcast her emotions, and she periodically finds herself smoothing the fur on her arms or legs absentmindedly. That should probably bother her more than it does.
They stop shortly after that to eat lunch. The sun is high overhead and it’s incredibly warm, so it’s probably around noon. They pick a small clearing in the woods with some boulders to settle down on, pulling out the snacks she’d packed the night before. A few berries, something baked that tastes a lot like a veggie pizza, and a mash of oats and nuts. Pretty tasty spread from the cafeteria.
“So how long until we reach Afon’s Cap?” Nia asks through a mouthful of oran berry. She’s busy spreading out the map of the area, tracing her claw from the center mark of the guild to the east, where Afon’s Cap is visible on the map. The title is written above what looks to be a large lake with a river running east, towards an ocean. She definitely wants to see that someday. She doesn’t thinks she’s ever been to the sea.
Tobias leans over and frowns at the map, finishing his mash. He points at an area just west of Afon’s Cap. “We should be here. Maybe an hour’s walk yet.”
Nia grins. “We’re so close!”
Tobias doesn’t answer, going back to his food, clearly not sharing her enthusiasm.
“So Maggie said there are shops and stuff there, right? That it’s primarily a merchant area and travelers’ crossroads?”
“Mhm.”
“What’s it like?” Nia asks. He seems too familiar with the area to have not been there before. “Pretty busy, I’m guessing?”
“You’ll see it yourself soon,” Tobias growls.
“Well...Yeah, I know, but...”
Tobias doesn’t answer, so Nia just sighs, going back to her meal and their usual silence with a heavy heart. It’d been such a nice day in the woods that she’d almost forgotten who she was traveling with.
Tobias finishes his meal first, and stretches out on the sunbaked stone to enjoy its warmth while Nia eats her berries. She’s excited to meet Hadley’s old friend, for sure, but anxiety blooms in her belly as they get closer. What should she even ask the other human-turned-Pokemon? How does she even bring up that she’s in the same boat? The riolu wishes she could talk with Tobias about it, but she knows better by now.
When Nia’s finished, they head off again without a word between them.
It’s maybe another hour of walking when Nia registers the landscape changing around them. It’s not too drastic, but the dry, yellowed forest becomes slightly more...lush. Even a bit swampy, in spots. They are closer to the sea, and they’ve passed more tiny creeks than Nia’s seen in the forest closer to the guild....so they must be getting close to the port. The nervous butterflies in her stomach act up again at the thought.
Sure enough, only a short bit later Nia can see open sky through the thinning trees, can hear something...roaring. A steady rumble of noise. And under that, the distant chatter of voices and movement. The two of them emerge from the treeline, and Nia’s breath catches at the sight of Afon’s Cap below them.
The ground at their feet drops off steeply into the valley before them, and there’s a lake so wide Nia can barely see the edges of it. It’s large enough for it to have waves, clear water rippling and flashing in the sun between a dappling coat of lush green lily pads. It trails off into the horizon, where it likely drains into the river and onward into the sea. To their left, the source of the roaring becomes clear. From the rocky cliffside of the valley walls, a giant, powerful waterfall flows from an underground channel.
But even the beauty of the waterways, framed by expansive woodland and open blue sky, is nothing compared to the life brought to the area by the little town itself. It’s clearly a port, with docking areas and small boats bobbing peacefully where they’re anchored. A scaffolding-like structure of wooden walkways, stairs and tall, stilt-like supports create a boardwalk of small, bright buildings flush against the rocky sides of the valley itself.
And there are Pokémon everywhere! Sure, the guild has a huge number of Pokémon moving throughout it every day, but something about this area is noticeably different, even from a distance. Unlike the organized groupings at the guild, centered around business and exploration, these Pokémon seem like, well...normal people. A crowd.
Merchants travel by one another, pausing to exchange goods from their giant packs, travelers and civilians alike buy and sell, and children chase each other through the walkways, laughing and playing games. Nia catches sight of two bright yellow mouse Pokémon shrieking happily as they weave through the crowd with practiced ease.
Linens hang on clotheslines to dry, small herb and flower baskets sit outside of the tiny wooden huts, shops are labeled by wooden signs detailing their wares, and the scent of heavenly baked goods reaches Nia’s nose. And is that the distant lilt of...music she hears somewhere?
“This is incredible!” Nia breathes, sure that she’s slack-jawed right now and that Tobias is judging her. She doesn’t even care.
Tobias grunts and moves to take the wooden stairs down the side of the valley wall so they can reach one of the bridges leading to the town. Nia hurries to follow him, almost slipping when she’s unable to take her eyes off the lively port. They make it to the bottom after a minute or two, stepping onto the wooden bridgework. It’s warm and sturdy under Nia’s feet.
“So are there like...Pokémon carpenters? Construction workers who build places like these?” She asks. A gorgeous white and red goldfish Pokémon is swimming under the surface of the water nearby, flickering into view between patches of huge lily pads, and it glides under their bridge to follow a blue Pokemon moving too fast for Nia to properly see. Makes sense that lots of water types would flock to this town.
“Duh,” Tobias mumbles, eyeing the water Pokémon as well with a cagey look. “How else would we build things?”
Well, true. The Lexym Guild’s tree is a bit of a different matter, but she’s seen Hadley’s hut and a few other locals homes, all built with a sturdy wooden construction. Still, Nia can’t even find it in herself to be irritated by Tobias’ condescending tone. This place is just so beautiful! It’s breezy and the air smells so nice. She watches as a water type Pokemon slips into the lake from one of the docks, swimming towards the cliffside where a shallow cave is carved into the surface before diving deeper and out of sight. For the first time, Nia notices a couple of small wooden signs jutting up from the water.
Nia gasps and darts to the edge of the bridge, tip-toeing at the railing to stare at the sign. She tries to peer between the lily pads, but can’t really see much from her perspective. “Oh my gosh, no! Are there underwater shops?! That’s so cool! Look at this!”
“I’m good back here,” Tobias grumbles. Nia glances at him over her shoulder but gets distracted by the fact that her own tail is, uh...wagging? Whoa. It slows to a stop with her confusion, but before she can think about it too deeply Tobias speaks up.
“C’mon already. The sooner we get this over with the sooner we can get some food and find a place to stay.”
Nia perks up despite the charmander’s lack of enthusiasm, bouncing back over to him. As they move along the bridge, Nia trails her paw along the wooden railing, happily peering down into the waves and watching the lily pads rock like flat green boats. Something flickers in the water—or in the reflection of it? It’s just a quick flash, huge and dark and almost snake-like, but when Nia blinks it’s gone again. She peers up into the open sky, squinting when she only sees bird Pokémon flying around. Huh.
They continue to the nearest stairway leading up to the open upper level, passing a few groups of Pokémon on the way. Nia’s quick, excited steps pass by Tobias, and she takes the lead as they climb.
“So how’re you gonna find this Pokemon anyways?”
Nia hums, looking around excitedly. “I was thinking we could probably just ask around, right? If she lives here, then surely some of the other residents know her! Being a former human seems to garner a lot of attention.”
“August told you to be careful about broadcasting that you’re a human,” Tobias objects.
Nia falters. “O-Oh. Right. Well...he did say that the area around the Haven is usually pretty safe, right? And I don’t have to tell anyone that I’m a human. Just that I’m looking for one named Hazel.”
Tobias grumbles, but doesn’t argue her plan anymore. “That could still take forever.”
Okay, that comment finally gets under her skin. Can’t he just let her enjoy this?
“Won’t take long if we stop talking and start looking,” She chirps, sickly sweet. The charmander huffs in response.
Then they’re on the main level of the wooden boardwalk. The crowd around them is almost daunting, with so many Pokémon laughing and talking and haggling with one another. Plus, so many of them are huge compared to her and Tobias! A giant fuschia centipede Pokemon walks by them and she swears she can feel their short footsteps shaking the wood under her feet.
Nia frowns, perking her ears and looking one way and then the other. Where to even start?
“We’ll cover more ground if we split up,” Tobias points out.
“Oh.” Nia blinks at him. He’s technically right, and she knows he didn’t really want to come along in the first place, but...it’d still be nice to have a familiar face around in such a new area.
Relenting, Nia nods. “Wanna take left or right?”
Tobias glances both ways before choosing to go left, towards the distant sound of music. “I’ll start on this side. Toss me my money.”
Nia does, but then stops him as he starts to walk off. “Wait! How’re we gonna find each other later?”
Tobias shrugs. “I’m sure we’ll run into each other if we just look.”
Nia doesn’t really have a better solution, so she hesitantly nods. Tobias turns and vanishes into the crowd. Well. Looks like she’s going this alone. Something in her chest sinks, but she tells herself she should really be used to this by now.
Nia takes a deep breath, looking around. It’s hard to see anything with the crowd of Pokémon towering over her, so her best bet would probably be to just skirt the inside of the walkway curving around the valley, near the shops and houses. That’s where she needs to be asking around, anyways. Even if a very large part of her wants to go over to the nearby crowd and watch what looks like a small roadside magic show.
Nia steels her resolve and lets the lively atmosphere of the town wash over her as she weaves between Pokémon and over to the shops and houses lining the cliff face. They’re impressively built, if a bit rustic. Colorful and wooden, with impressively stable architecture. Carved signs hang from hooks in doorways, and most of the front doors sit wide open to invite visitors and customers inside.
Nia spots a shop bursting at the seams with flowers, and peeks into the open front door to find what looks to be, unsurprisingly, a flower shop. Some are live and arranged in beautiful bouquets, some are dried and coated in a sort of plaster to preserve them, and some are pressed between books or decorating other trinkets. Nia resists the urge to run a gentle finger over the petals and wanders through the shop, wide-eyed.
“Can I help you, Riolu?”
Nia jumps, turning to find a round yellow duck Pokemon approaching her with a polite demeanor. She’s small, not too much taller than Nia herself, with a wide beak and a small tuft of hair atop her head.
“U-Um, yes. I actually had a question about this town. I’m trying to find a Pokémon named Hazel? Former human? She lives here.”
Nia is relieved when the duck Pokémon doesn’t react negatively, just humming a thoughtful noise as her gaze trails up to the ceiling. “I don’t know of any Hazels living in Afon’s Cap. And certainly none who claim to be a former human.”
The shopkeeper must see the way Nia slumps at the news, because she offers a sympathetic smile and adds, “Why don’t you ask around the other shops? Maybe it’s just slipping my mind.”
Nia nods, trying to look grateful and not massively disappointed, and thanks the duck before heading out the door. A flash of yellow slips under her feet, and Nia trips forward with a yelp.
“Oh! Sorry!” A high, childish voice says.
“You okay?” A second chimes.
Nia rolls over, surprised to see the two tiny yellow rodent Pokémon that had caught her eye earlier. They both look more curious than concerned, peering at her with wide blue eyes and twitching angular ears tipped in black. They have rosy pink circles on their cheeks, like blush marks. They’re so cute Nia thinks she might explode on the spot. They kind of remind her of the shinx kids, except younger.
The children exchange a look, and Nia hurries to sit up. “Yeah, I’m fine! Sorry for tripping over you. Are you two okay?”
The kids nod enthusiastically, suddenly all smiles again.
“We were playing chase, but we forgot to stay away from the doorways.”
“Nana always tells us to stay outta Pokemons’ way so we don’t get stepped on.”
Nia nods understandingly. “Having a little too much fun, huh?”
One of them giggles, cheeks sparking. “Yeah!”
“You’re nice,” the other one notes, staring up at her. “Sometimes the grown-ups don’t want to talk to us or, or they get mad when we play near them.”
Nia smiles, feeling her chest ache with longing and fill with warmth all at once. She really likes kids. Was she close to some in her human life? “Nah, I get it. You two seem pretty cool to me.”
At that, they both grin. One of them spins, taps the other, and then takes off into the crowd. “Tag! You’re it, Theo!”
“Hey!” Theo bolts after his friend (brother, maybe?), and Nia watches them go, wincing with concern as they scamper under more gigantic, heavy Pokémon. She wishes they’d be more careful.
Shaking her head and noting her uplifted mood, Nia straightens her satchel. Right! She can’t give up after checking just one shop. This place is huge! Surely someone knows who Hazel is, right? There can’t be that many former humans floating around!
There isn’t a single Pokémon named Hazel living in Afon’s Cap. The sun is wheeling much lower in the sky than when Nia had first started searching, and she’s just about ready to give up. Sitting under a tented area for customers, she picks at the chesto pie she’d ordered from a cute little local shop, sniffling back tears.
She’d searched for hours through the small port town, wandering through the crowds, investigating shops, and even politely knocking at a few homes’ open doorways to ask about Hazel. If Nia were here just to sightsee, she’s sure she would be having the time of her life. There are stores and merchants for everything—books, food, toys, accessories and cloaks, items that supposedly help with battling, dungeon items—literally anything she could ask for! She’d thought with so many Pokemon around, surely finding someone who knows Hazel couldn’t be that difficult.
And yet, nothing. She really wishes she’d thought to ask Hadley what species Hazel was, but she’d assumed it would be easy enough to ask about a former human. Maybe Tobias was right. Hadley’s nice enough, but he said himself that his memory is going nowadays. Maybe he was wrong about Hazel living here. Maybe she doesn’t even exist at all.
Speaking of Tobias—the charmander is also nowhere to be found. Nia had kept an eye out for his distinct orange coloring and bright red scarf, and hadn’t caught a single glimpse of him. She wants to think that means he’s just hard at work trying to help her, but Nia’s an optimist, not an idiot. She has a feeling that Tobias is likely avoiding her, probably just whiling away his time until they can leave again.
Nia wants to think better of him, but she can’t keep pushing away the truth. Tears finally fall from her eyes, rolling down her cheeks as she swallows back a whimper. There are still Pokémon around. She doesn’t want to have a complete meltdown here. But bottling up her sadness and her disappointment, with both Tobias and Hazel...it’s gotta come out somehow.
She wipes at her eyes and her nose, sniffing wetly and taking deep, shaky breaths. She’s a mess, but she’d had such high hopes about Hazel. She just...she just wants someone who understands what she’s going through. Who can relate to the aching, tearing pain in her chest and the gaping hole in her memory.
“Mama! That’s the nice lady we told you about!”
“Why’s she cryin’? Is she okay?”
Nia lifts her head, blinking away her tears. She knows those voices.
It’s the two yellow mouse children from earlier in the day, tugging at a larger yellow rodent’s paws. The riolu just stares at them, uncomprehending as the children drag the older Pokémon over with them. She’s very pretty, cheeks a darker shade of red and eyes a honey-brown, ears longer and slimmer, and tail in a distinct lightning bolt shape. She looks familiar, actually.
One of the kids hops up on the bench beside Nia, leaning in close and frowning up at her face. “Why’re you crying?”
“Yeah! You seemed happy earlier!” The other chirps, appearing on Nia’s other side.
“W-Well, I, uh—“ Nia stops, casting a nervous glance at the kids’ mother. She looks uncomfortable. Good first impression, Nia. “I was sort of looking for someone, but I couldn’t find them. It’s fine, I’ll be okay.”
The little Pokémon perk up.
“Well, we know everyone here! We can help! Who are you looking for?”
“And if we don’t know, Mama does!”
Nia looks back and forth between the two, knowing what answer she’ll get to her question but having a feeling that they won’t let her wallow alone until she satisfies their curiosity.
“I’m, uh...looking for someone named Hazel. But she must not live here anymore.”
The kids slump, ears flattening into a pitiful look.
“Oh.”
“We don’t know any Hazels.”
“Hey, it’s okay. I appreciate you asking. You did your best,” Nia soothes, offering a watery smile.
“Excuse me, but did you say Hazel?”
Nia jumps, suddenly remembering the other adult in the situation. Shoot. She turns back to the kids’ mother, but instead of discomfort, now her soft features are...intense. Focused.
The riolu blinks at the change in demeanor. “U-Um. Yes?”
The rodent stares her down, and Nia swallows, shrinking away ever-so-slightly.
“Theo, Tommy, go back to Nana Alice’s house.”
“What?” One of the kids chirps, sounding indignant. “Why? We wanna stay here!”
“Yeah!”
Their mom turns a familiar look on the two, face stern and eyebrows lifting ever so slightly, as if to ask, Do you really want to test me?
Immediately, the kids quiet down. “Yes, Mama,” they both mumble, hopping back to the ground. They exchange a look, give Nia a tiny wave, then scamper away.
The riolu turns back to the kids’ mom, eyes wide and stomach churning. Did she do something wrong?
“Why are you looking for a Hazel?” The Pokémon asks, voice hard.
Nia flinches, looking down at her paws. “I’m, um—“
“Look at me.”
Nia slowly obeys, making eye contact with the rodent and feeling incredibly small despite their similar sizes. “I...I wanted to talk to her.”
“About?”
“I...heard that there was a Pokémon who lived here named Hazel, who used to be a, um...” She lowers her voice to a whisper. “A human.”
The rodent continues to stare Nia down, and the riolu’s mind races as she tries to figure out why this Pokémon would have such a reaction to the name when no one else did, even before she mentioned Hazel being human.
Wait.
Nia straightens in her seat. “D-Do you know her? Please, you have to help me find her!”
The rodent’s expression edges towards something defensive. Angry? “Tell me why you want to speak to her.”
So she does know something! Nia stands, desperately clasping her hands in front of her. “Please! I need to talk with her. I’m a human too and—I mean, I was a human—and she’s the only one I know of around here who’s the same!”
Immediately, the Pokémon’s aggressive demeanor falls away, her expression smoothing out to something surprised. There’s a beat of silence, and then, almost suspiciously, she asks, “What’s your favorite movie?”
Nia blinks. “Uh...”
“Favorite movie,” the rodent prompts again.
Nia swallows hard. “I-I’m not sure? Um, I think I liked Disney movies? It’s hard to remember, so—wait, do you even know what a movie is?”
To Nia’s surprise, the rodent’s hard expression breaks as she laughs. When she’s done she meets Nia’s baffled gaze with a warm smile, the expression lighting up her already pretty features. “No, not really. But I do recognize that name. Follow me, I’ll take you to Hazel.”
The Pokémon turns and walks away, and Nia hurriedly gathers her things, stuffing them into her satchel and running to catch up to the rodent.
“What—how do you—who—?”
The rodent quirks a smile Nia’s way. “Sorry for the cold welcome. I’m Margot. You are?”
“Nia.”
“Mm. Was that your human name?”
Nia casts a quick glance around to make sure no one is listening in before answering. “N-No. Um. Actually, maybe? I’m not sure. I lost my memory when I came here. Woke up here?”
The rodent gives her a sympathetic look. “I’m sorry. That must be hard.”
Nia isn’t sure whether to laugh or be embarrassed, suddenly recalling that Margot’s first impression of her was while she was in the middle of an emotional meltdown. “Kind of, yeah. Don’t get me wrong, this world is beautiful, and most people are really nice! But it’s, um...”
“Different.”
Nia nods, eyeing Margot. She has such an easy understanding of Nia’s experience. Like she’s heard all of this before.
“So, um...how do you know Hazel? I tried asking around town but no one else seems to recognize the name.”
Margot hums a contemplative noise. “Hazel...lays low. She doesn’t like to be bothered about where she came from or have to deal with accusations that she’s lying, so the town doesn’t know she used to be human. Where did you hear about her?”
“From a, uh, Pokémon named Hadley. Lives near the guild. Giant bug?”
Margot sighs. “Somehow I knew that’s what you’d say. Hadley doesn’t know how to keep his mouth shut.”
The two of them come upon a homey-looking hut that Nia had passed earlier in the day. It’s a shop, but Nia had assumed it to be closed, since its door had been shut tight. But now it’s cracked open and warm golden light spills out to touch the dusk. Margot swings opens the door and motions for Nia to go inside. She does, stopping and looking around in awe.
It’s a...woodwork shop? There are wooden sculptures and figures littered about the room, lining shelves and tables, larger pieces sitting in corners and wherever space allows. There’s a particularly impressive sculpture in the corner that’s twice as tall as Nia herself, with a beautifully carved scene of flowing water and whiskered, crowned fish Pokémon jumping upstream. Many of the smaller pieces look to be elegant carvings and sculptures of Pokémon, too. They’re amazing. Did Margot make these?
The entire front of the shop is crowded, packed to the brim with artwork and warmth, the smell of wood and lacquer filling the air. Nia only takes a few steps inside, trailing behind Margot, before an older, feminine voice calls out from the back room.
“Mar? Why did you send the boys back on their own?”
A moment later, a new Pokémon enters the doorway leading to the back of the hut. She’s clearly related to Margot and her sons, with yellow cheeks and ocean-blue eyes. Her fur is a rich, dark gold hue, her ears a soft fluffy yellow, paws tipped in cream. She’s beautiful, but her fur is streaked with white, her short pelt beginning to hang off her frame with age. Most incredibly, she’s levitating. She’s sat comfortably on the flat of her own wide yellow tail, floating into the room. Is this Nana Alice?
Nia stops, and the older Pokémon does as well, clearly surprised. Margot moves forward to place a gentle hand on the new Pokemon’s arm.
“Mama, this is Nia,” she explains, voice soft. “Former human. Hadley told her to look for Hazel.”
Nia isn’t sure how to read the flash of emotions that pass over the older Pokémon’s face at that news. After a moment, they settle into something solemn and soft, almost sad.
“So you’re a human? My name is Alice. Why don’t you come on back and have a cup of tea with me?”
Nia nods shyly, following the two rodents into the back area and murmuring a quiet, “Thank you.”
Nia’s mind is racing, trying to figure out how these women know Hazel, if maybe she lives nearby. But she doesn’t want to be rude, so she bites her tongue and looks around instead. There’s a tiny cooking setup on one side of the room, with a table and an area to light a fire beneath a makeshift tea kettle. Other pots and bowls sit neatly stacked nearby. On the other side of the room, a simple but startlingly human-like bedframe sits, with woven blankets and a bed of hay laid on top.
“Mama!”
“You brought the crying lady home?”
Nia looks up, startled. Theo and Tommy are peering over the edge of a loft-like structure overhead. They wave at Nia, and she cracks a smile, waving back.
“It’s past your bedtime, boys!” Margot calls up, somewhere between amused and authoritative. She turns a wry smile towards Nia and her mother. “Let me know if you two need anything.” With that, Margot scampers up the ladder to the loft, and the boys shriek with laughter, ducking out of sight.
The older rodent Pokémon, Alice, smiles fondly, turning to the makeshift stove. “Please, have a seat, Nia. Do you like tea? I have Sitrus and Pecha leaf.”
“O-Oh. Um. I think I like tea, but I’ve never had those kinds before.”
Alice hums. “I bet you’d like Pecha. Give me a few minutes.”
Nia takes a seat on one of the cushions, peering curiously at the decorative wooden figures sitting in a group at the center of the table. One of them looks exactly like Margot, a small bundle with distinct angular ears cradled in her arms. One of the others has an impressive likeness to the older Pokemon currently making her tea. The other two Pokémon, however, are unfamiliar to Nia. One of them is a taller weasel-like Pokemon, with two tails at its back and fins on its arms. Elegant age lines are lightly carved into its face. The second is a round rabbit-like Pokemon with a ball-like tail and a bubble pattern on its belly. Another identical bundle with pointed ears is gathered in its arms. They’re all incredibly lifelike, and Nia leans in, turning this way and that to try and see them better without disturbing the arrangement.
“Do you like them?”
Nia jumps back, but Alice is smiling, gaze fond. “Y-Yes! Did Margot make them?”
The older Pokémon laughs, softly. “No, those are my carvings. The shop products are made by the both of us.”
“Wow,” Nia breathes. “They’re beautiful!”
Alice hums again, eyeing the figurines. “I created those when my grandsons were born. The floatzel is my husband. The azumarill is my daughter’s wife.”
Maybe she sees the lost look on Nia’s face, because she adds, “Oh, I apologize. Sometimes I forget what it was like to be here so suddenly. The floatzel is the weasel. The azumarill is the rabbit.”
Wait—weasel? Rabbit? No regular Pokemon would know those terms. Nia’s head snaps up, the puzzle pieces in her mind clicking together. Of course. This is why no one knew who ‘Hazel’ was. This explains Margot’s odd behavior and her knowledge of Nia’s situation, and ‘Alice’s’ reaction to her identity as a human.
Nia stares at the old woman, hardly able to breathe. “You’re Hazel.”
Chapter 15
Summary:
Hazel gives Nia a new lead to follow in her search for answers, as well as the courage to confront Tobias.
Chapter Text
“You’re Hazel.”
The older Pokemon smiles, looking wistful. “I haven’t gone by the name Hazel in over a decade. Most know me as Alice nowadays.”
Well, that would explain why no one knew who Hazel was. Nia opens her mouth to say something, ask something, a thousand questions she’d rehearsed bubbling at her lips. Instead, her throat chokes up as tears flood her eyes.
She finally found her. She found Hazel. And now she’s crying again. Nia scrubs at her face, apologizing, only for soft arms to scoop her into a hug, cutting off her words.
“I know it’s scary,” Hazel murmurs, paw stroking soothingly at Nia’s back. “Everything is so new and different, and you hardly know a soul.”
Nia whimpers, squeezing Hazel back and burying her face in the older woman’s soft fur. They stay like that until the kettle starts to shriek. Hazel gently escapes Nia’s hold, moving to smother the fire and pour out two small cups of tea.
Some kind of power (psychic, maybe?) outlines the cups in gold, and then they levitate into the air, catching Nia off-guard. Hazel floats over to the table, drinks following smoothly enough not to spill, and sets one of the cups in front of Nia. The riolu sniffs and wipes away the last of her tears, accepting the tea with a quiet word of thanks and cupping it in her hands. There’s something soothing about its near-painful warmth and faint herbal scent; even watching the drink’s steam rise and curl into the air feels calming.
After a few moments of silence, Hazel speaks up in a hushed voice. “I found myself in the Pokémon world when I was about...oh, 26 years old or so. It must have been around 1980.”
Nia looks up, taken aback. “1980?”
Hazel nods, taking a sip of tea. “Yes. I’ve had the chance to speak with a few others in our situation throughout the years, and it seems time here runs on a scale similar to Earth’s.”
“Yeah,” Nia agrees, doing the mental math and feeling shock numb her ever so slightly. “You’ve been here for...for 40 years?”
“Give or take, yes.”
Hazel says something else, but Nia doesn’t answer. She’s focused on trying to control the tremor in her breathing, the shaking in her fingers, the violent pounding of her heartbeat. 40 years? Last she’d heard humans had only been appearing in the Pokemon world for about 30 years.
How long has this really been happening?
“Did you—did you ever try to go back?” Nia rasps.
Hazel hesitates. “For a year or so, yes. I did try to find out...why I was here. What happened.”
“And?”
“I’m afraid I didn’t find many answers,” Hazel answers, blue eyes flashing gold as she uses the same psychic ability to stir her tea without using her paws. “There were far less cases of our situation back then, and even less Pokémon who actually believed that we were once human. We were left to do most of the searching for answers on our own, and without many resources it’s difficult to find any solid leads.”
Nia’s grip tightens around her tea. “B-But there has to have been some breakthroughs somewhere after so long, right? How did you do your research? Reading? Traveling around to ask other Pokémon? What about those Pokémon who remember their past? The ones who are always former humans? Yuh—Yamask! Surely there’s something that no one has tried yet!”
Nia doesn’t register how desperate she must sound, how close she is to breaking down again, until Hazel doesn’t answer. She looks worried.
“I mean—there have to be answers, right?” Nia asks, consciously quieting her voice. “Somebody has to know how this happened to us. How to fix it.”
Hazel’s face drops into something sympathetic. “You want to go back. To your old life.”
Nia blinks, bewildered. “You don’t?”
Hazel shakes her head. “This is my life now. I have a husband and a daughter. Beautiful grandkids. A successful career and a home. Every morning I sit on the docks and watch the sun rise with a cup of tea and a pastry from the neighbor’s bakery. At this point, I’m more comfortable as a raichu than I would be as a human.”
Nia can’t believe what she’s hearing. Sure, the Pokémon world is wonderful and the people are kind, but...
“Don’t you...don’t you miss your family? Your friends?”
“Of course I do,” Hazel answers, tone slipping into something sharp for the first time. “But that doesn’t change the fact that sometimes you don’t get a choice in the matter.”
Nia flinches, looking down into her tea again.
The raichu’s voice softens. “I created a new life here, instead. I found love, and friendship. Of course I’m not going to forget my old family and friends, but that didn’t mean I had to stop living my life until I found a way back to the human world. And I’m glad I thought that way. I’m happy here.”
Nia knows the words are supposed to be soothing, but instead she’s fighting off a rising wave of panic. Her stomach rolls and there’s a sinking, heavy feeling in her chest that feels like lead. She doesn’t want to start a new life here. She doesn’t remember her family and her friends, not exactly, but the longing in her heart makes her sure that she needs to get back to them. She has to find a way. There has to be a way.
After a few beats of silence, Hazel asks, “Did you lose your memory, coming here?”
Nia blinks back tears and meets Hazel’s eyes, nodding.
“But you have yet to regain it.”
Nia nods again. “I...I know I was human. I remember certain things, like technology and some songs, and that I used to play softball. I don’t remember my family or my friends or what happened to bring me here, b-but...” she reaches up to clutch at the fur of her chest, where it feels like she’s tearing in half.
“You know how you feel about them,” Hazel guesses.
The tears finally spill over, so Nia squeezes her eyes shut. “I need to get back to them.”
Hazel is silent as Nia takes a few deep breaths.
“I wish you luck in finding answers,” Hazel finally says, words slow and careful, like she’s trying to find the perfect way to phrase this. “Just...know that they may not be the answers you would like.”
Nia’s not sure what to make of that, so she just takes another deep breath and sips at her tea. It is tasty, if a bit bitter.
“Where are you staying now? Do you have anyone to help you?” Hazel asks.
Nia finally offers a small smile. “Yeah. I’m living at the Lexym Guild, with a meganium named Maggie and my, uh...my Seekers partner, Tobias.”
Hazel tilts her head, frowning. “He didn’t come with you today? It’s quite a walk from the guild.”
“N-No, he did,” Nia answers, shifting uncomfortably as she once again feels the emptiness of Tobias’ absence. “He’s, um...out somewhere in the port.”
“This was an important mission for you, to find me. He didn’t want to be a part of it?”
Nia isn’t sure how to answer that without admitting aloud that Tobias doesn’t care about Nia’s goals at all. Instead, she simply shrugs.
Hazel hums. Then, she slides a paw across the table to gently lay over Nia’s own. “Nia, I’m going to tell you something very important, okay? Look at me.”
Nia does, swallowing hard.
“The Pokémon world is...kinder than the human world, in many ways. But you still have to be careful that Pokémon don’t take advantage of you. Of your lack of knowledge regarding this world. Your fear. Your kindness.”
“What—“
“I could be wrong,” Hazel says, cutting Nia off softly but firmly. “But this Tobias sounds like he isn’t there for you the way partners—and friends—should be.”
Nia feels her ears pin back, betraying the truth of Hazel’s words. “He’s had a rough life—“
“Which is unfortunate,” Hazel says, squeezing Nia’s paw. “But that doesn’t excuse his actions. Everyone needs to learn to adapt and grow. With you, he has the chance to become a better Pokémon. And if he decides not to take that opportunity, then it isn’t your job to deal with him. Your feelings are important too.”
Nia’s vision blurs with tears, and she looks down at her cup of tea as it slowly loses its warmth. “You sound like Maggie.”
“If this Maggie agrees, then I’d say you should really consider your current arrangement. It’s easy to take advantage of someone like you. You’re sweet, and you’re lost. Don’t take that.”
Nia sniffs, squeezing the raichu’s soft paw. She already knew this, but hearing it from Hazel, from someone who has been in her exact position...maybe it is finally time to make a change with Tobias.
“It’s your decision, of course,” Hazel says, voice lighter again. She leans back. “Just...think about it. Why don’t you tell me about how your life has been since coming here? How long have you been in this world?”
Nia smiles, relaxing and slowly unraveling the story of the last two weeks of her life. Waking up in the Pokemon world, settling at the guild, choosing a name and meeting everyone, saving Tobias and forming a team with him, training and starting out as Seekers, meeting Hadley and hearing about his old “human” friend...
At the mention of Hadley, Hazel laughs, looking like she wants to be mad but can’t quite manage it. “I haven’t seen that silly old bug in years! Of course he’s the one to rat me out. Always had loose lips, that one. Which is remarkable for someone without actual lips.”
Nia giggles. “Sorry. I’m glad he told me, though, or else I never would have found you.”
“Did he tell you how we met?”
Nia shakes her head, leaning forward in her seat.
“Well, I’d fallen terribly ill while on the road in my early years. When I went to a doctor, they were shocked to find that I had a developed a form of the common cold.”
“One of the medics at the guild mentioned something about that,” Nia says. “They said if I got sick, it could be, uh. Serious.”
Hazel hums a thoughtful sound. “I don’t remember much about that week or so I was sick, but doctors did seem rather...cautious. About telling me whether I’d pull through or not. Looks like I brushed by death’s door a bit closer than I thought.”
Nia’s fur prickles at the casual way she mentions it. “Y-You aren’t scared that you’ll get sick like that again?”
“No, not really. I did have a few more bouts of illness throughout my life, but nothing that I couldn’t pull through. Nowadays, I’m fairly sure I’ve been through most common ailments, having had children and all. They’re germ magnets!”
Nia cracks a small smile.
“Still, that does remind me,” Hazel says, focusing back on the riolu. “The first time you start feeling ill, do go ahead and check in with one of the medical Pokémon at the guild, all right? Your symptoms might come on weak, but don’t take any chances.”
The riolu swallows hard and nods. Hazel said when she got sick, not if. The raichu seems sure that it’ll happen eventually, and Nia would be lying if she said that didn’t send a bolt of fear into her heart. She doesn’t want to die, and especially not here, sick and without her family.
“I met Hadley when I was recovering in hospice,” Hazel continues. “He’s always been a reckless thing, and he’d chipped his shell in a fight with a golem, of all things. He lost, of course, but he didn’t want to tell me that.”
Nia tries to relax again as Hazel dives deeper into her story. Soon enough, they’re both laughing, and moving on to talking about the oddities of the Pokémon world, of how strange it was to wake up with tails and ears and superpowers. Apparently, Hazel had arrived as a pikachu, like her daughter Margot is now, and had decided to evolve later on in life. She explains that the levitation abilities of alolan raichu help a lot with larger wood carvings, when she has to work on areas much higher than she can reach on foot.
“So evolution didn’t...hurt, or anything?” Nia asks at one point. “It still sounds so weird to me.”
Hazel nods understandingly. “It is odd, no doubt. But no, it didn’t hurt. It was...a bit strange, feeling my body shift and change in the span of a few seconds. But I certainly don’t regret it. It’s quite sad, really, that evolution doesn’t seem to be working anymore. An upsetting development, to be sure.”
“How long has that been going on, anyways?” Nia asks. She’d been meaning to bring this question up with Maggie for days now.
Hazel stirs at her cold tea. “Oh goodness...maybe the last ten years or so? It’s fairly recent.”
“And no one knows what’s causing it?”
Hazel sighs. “Well, we’re certainly getting the share of the blame. Has anyone warned you about that yet?”
Nia nods. “Yeah. Everyone at the Haven is really nice, but August and Maggie said I should be more cautious about revealing that I’m human when we travel farther away. Why are we getting blamed?”
Hazel shakes her head, looking bitter. “When a problem rises up that no one knows how to fix, it makes it easier on folks if they can blame someone else for it. The animosity has only gotten worse as time goes on and more things change. Being unable to evolve has changed the lives of a lot of Pokémon, and not for the better. I shudder to think about all of the poor cocoon Pokémon who got caught in their middle stage and are trapped there.”
Nia frowns. That’s such a strange thing to happen so suddenly, presumably after never happening before in the history of this world. “What did everyone say, right after it happened?”
“Oh, they were sure the world was ending. That Arceus herself was forsaking them. But then nothing else drastic happened immediately after, the days carried on, and eventually Pokémon grudgingly adapted.”
“Are any Pokémon still looking into it?” Nia asks, feeling her curiosity rise and her itch to research resurface.
“Oh yes, the last I heard it was still a hot topic, particularly in the bigger cities. Around here, Pokémon are content to make due.”
Nia thinks about the evolution that she would have available if she could evolve. A...lucario, she thinks it was? Similar to her current form, but bigger. Taller. She remembers reading that Tobias would eventually become a much larger creature, though, a dragon with wings and everything. It’s difficult to imagine the little charmander going through such a huge growth spurt.
After a moment of thoughtful quiet between them, Hazel lightens the mood by launching into another story from when she’d first arrived in the Pokémon world. Apparently when she’d first woken up, she’d screamed and accidentally electrocuted a kind but terrifying-looking Pokémon who was just trying to help her out. Nia listens and strokes the rim of her cup, smiling warmly at the old raichu. She has such an obvious grandmotherly air about her—even more so than Maggie.
At the end of her story, Hazel suddenly sits up. “You know, that reminds me of something I saw last week. There’s a Pokémon who’s trying to gather former humans for a meeting sometime soon. Some sort of club, I suppose?”
Nia’s ears perk up. “Really?”
Hazel nods. “I’m comfortable as a Pokémon now, so I dismissed it. It seemed like a load of hullabaloo to me! But maybe you would want to look into it? They would likely know more than I would about how the research on this phenomenon is going.”
“Y-Yeah, absolutely! Do you know where I could find out more about it?”
“I believe there was a flyer up in the bazaar near the waterfall, on one of the bulletin boards.”
Nia jots that down in her mind, beaming. “Thank you so much, Hazel! Oh man, I’ll check that out as soon as I leave.”
Hazel chuckles again. “Why don’t you go on ahead? If you don’t have anything else to ask me, that is. You look ready to jump out of your seat.”
Nia laughs, embarrassed. “Sorry. I’m excited.”
Hazel shifts, sitting heavily onto her tail before rising into a float. She collects the two cups from the table and sets them down in the kitchen area. “It’s fine. Come along then.”
Nia moves to follow the raichu out into the shop. She casts a quick glance up at the loft, but it’s quiet. Margot and her boys must already be asleep. When the two of them reach the front door, the raichu turns to her with a smile.
“You take care, all right? Smack some sense into that partner of yours or tell him to hit the road.”
Nia laughs, nodding. “I’ll do my best.”
Hazel leans in, taking Nia’s hands in her own and dropping her voice to a whisper. “And if things don’t turn out how you want, just remember that there’s always a silver lining. You’ll reach happiness, one way or another.”
Nia’s breath catches. Fear and denial roll in her gut (she will find a way home, she will), but she knows the raichu only means well. So she offers a shaky smile. “Right.”
“Thank you for the talk. Come back and visit this old girl if you’re ever in the area. It’s nice to have another human around.”
Nia nods. She is right about that. “Absolutely. Thank you so much for talking with me.”
“Of course.” And with that, Hazel pulls her into another hug. Nia hugs her back, squeezing hard and breathing in the scent of her short fur. She’s only known her for a couple of hours, but she already knows she’s going to miss her.
“C-Can I write you sometime?”
“Please do,” Hazel says, pulling back and patting the riolu’s cheek. “I would love that.”
“I’ll send you a letter as soon as I figure out how the mailing system works.”
Hazel laughs, playfully pushing Nia out the front door and into warm night air. “Go on, get out of here! And good luck. Remember what I said.”
Nia nods and gives the raichu one more wave before turning to join the Pokémon still milling about on the boardwalk. She’d passed the bazaar earlier in the day, when she was searching for Hazel. It’s...to the right? She thinks. She supposes she could just follow the sound of the waterfall, too.
As Nia makes her way through the port town, faintly lit by the fat moon overhead and the light spilling out from homes and shops, she keeps an eye out for Tobias’ tail flame. As much as Nia hates conflict, Hazel is right. She needs to have a talk with the charmander about their partnership. She can’t keep sacrificing her emotions and her own goals just because Tobias insists on keeping up such a bitter attitude and shoving her away at every opportunity.
Nia finally finds the giant bulletin boards in the bazaar, sitting in front of shops and between closed market booths. Wait. Dang it, she can’t read anything at this time of night! Great. If only a certain fire type were here. A small growl of frustration slips from her throat. She doesn’t have anything that can make light, right?
Oh! Wait, maybe..? Nia hesitates, glancing around. Would she even be able to do it here, already so worked up and exhausted from the day? She supposes she doesn’t have much of a choice but to try. She closes her eyes, feeling the tear-drop appendages framing her face rise as she searches for that fire at the core of her being. Her aura. After a moment she finds it, burning strong and bright. She stokes it with thoughts of her family, of Maggie, of Xander and Andyn, of Hazel...and she feels it grow. Satisfied, she directs it towards her hand with a little nudge, focuses it in her palm, imagines the light cradled there...
Nia cracks open her eyes, grinning with delight to see the cyan of her aura condensed into a tiny flame. It casts a faint blue glow over her and the flyers, and she hurriedly starts skimming the papers for anything about humans. She scans the board once, twice, feeding more energy into her palm and feeling it start to strain her as the seconds tick by.
“C’mon, c’mon,” she mumbles, picking up the pace as she frantically scans flyer after flyer. She eventually abandons the board and runs to the second one nearby. Hazel said it was only like a week ago, right? It has to still be here. What if it’s buried beneath other papers? What if—
Nia’s gaze snaps back to a particular flyer as she catches sight of the word ‘human.’ There are a few of the flyers nailed to the wood, so Nia snatches one, dimming her aura and skimming through it.
The Will of the Humans Movement
Are you a human who suddenly ended up in the Pokémon world? Looking for answers, a network of others that understand you, a place to talk about your past and the human world? Come join us in one of the largest cities in the land! We’ll be having a conference in the city of Ghatha on the first day of the fall season. Food will be provided, as well as resources for finding your way in the Pokémon world until you can be returned to your human life.
Nia takes a deep, shuddering breath, killing off her aura and laughing to herself. She’s incredibly relieved that this sort of idea even exists, that this group sounds so confident about being able to return her to the human world, but she can’t help laughing at the very human-like advertising method. It almost sounds like a college club flyer, or a support group. These guys are the real deal, all right. And it says the first week of fall? If she recalls correctly, it’s nearing the end of summer right now, so that can’t be very far away at all!
Nia folds up the flyer and carefully tucks it away into her satchel. Then she sets off again, wondering how she’ll find Tobias. It’s a warm night, but he probably would have gone inside by now, right? Nia knows she passed one or two larger buildings that advertised themselves as inns. Or maybe he’s still at one of the restaurants? He did seem really excited to eat here.
Just in case, Nia peeks into the restaurants she passes on her way towards the inns, scanning the small crowds inside and feeling her belly start to rumble at all of the delicious scents. Finally, she pokes her head into a restaurant with savory, smoky scents pouring from the kitchen area. In the dim lighting, a familiar tail light and red scarf catch her eye. Tobias!
The charmander looks relaxed, slouched into a seat, empty plate in front of him as he picks at his teeth. Nia hurries over to him, taking the seat across from him and making him jump.
“Sorry,” Nia says, smiling. “Good meal?”
Tobias sits up. “Yeah, definitely. Worth the trip for this alone.”
A silence falls between them, and Nia feels her happy expression slowly drop. She doesn’t know why she expected it from Tobias, but...he didn’t even ask if she’d succeeded in her search for Hazel. Didn’t even mention how his supposed “search” went.
“So I was thinking of just using the inn two doors down for the night, and then heading back a bit after dawn tomorrow.”
Nia nods. “Uh, sure. But, um. Can we talk first?”
Tobias stops cleaning his teeth, giving Nia a suspicious look. “What about?”
“It’s...kind of important. To me. Please?”
Tobias heaves an annoyed sigh, but this time Nia doesn’t wince away. In fact, she feels her anger and frustration only grow stronger.
“Fine,” he says. “Shoot.”
Nia glances at the owners of the restaurant, adorable blue and white otter Pokémon with seashells on their chests, chatting amicably at the entrance to the kitchen. A purple bulldog Pokemon with huge fangs sips quietly at a bowl of soup nearby. The atmosphere is peaceful. She doesn’t want to shatter that with a potential argument.
“Not here,” Nia says, meeting Tobias’ annoyed gaze. “How about down on the docks?”
“Seriously? Why?”
Nia bites back an exasperated sigh. “Just trust me on this. Please?”
There’s a beat of silence, and then Tobias grunts a quiet, “Fine. Let’s go, I already paid.”
Nia nods, and the two head out. Tobias falls back to let her take the lead, and she guides them to one of the staircases, down to an open dock over the water. As they walk, Nia feels herself grow more and more nervous. Her stomach feels tight and nauseous. Maybe this can wait? Maybe she should keep the peace this far from home. She could always just talk to him about this tomorrow.
Hazel’s serious expression flashes through her mind. No. The raichu was right. She needs to put this out there right now, before she loses her nerve. The two of them reach the end of the dock, and Tobias crosses his arms, shuffling away from the edge.
Nia swallows, mouth opening and closing as she tries to figure out how to begin. “W-Well, I wanted to talk about, uh, our team.”
That at least seems to pique the charmander’s interest.
“I-It’s just...I was wondering if you could maybe try being, uh...a little nicer?” That’s it, Nia. Nice and stern. God, she’s such a pushover.
Tobias blinks, snorting. “What? Is that seriously why you dragged me out here?”
Nia cringes. “I mean, yeah! I...I-It’s just that you don’t ever want to talk, and you don’t seem to really care about what I want, and we’re partners and all, so—“
“We’ve been through this before,” Tobias interrupts. “I’m not nice. And we’re partners, not friends.”
“I know that!” Nia says, voice sharp. Tobias straightens up, anger flashing across his features. “I know that, but there’s a difference between being partners and being whatever we are! We should care about each other, have each other’s’ backs! Actually talk to each other! But every time I try to start a civil conversation you just say something cruel or don’t even answer me!”
“Look, you aren’t special,” Tobias growls, stepping closer with a snarl curling at his lip. “I treat you like I treat everybody else—better even, and—“
“And that’s what I mean!” Nia says, voice edging on a shout. “You treat everyone like dirt! Even Maggie half the time, and she’s been nothing but kind to you your whole life!”
Tobias actually winces at that, but the shame on his face only seems to fuel his anger. Even his tail flame flickers brighter. “Look, I signed up to be Seeker partners with you, nothing more. It doesn’t say anything in the contract about me being nice. You knew how I was before you asked me to form a team with you.”
Nia feels angry tears prick at her eyes, and she throws her arms out in a bewildered sort of gesture. “Okay, fine, I did! Maybe I thought that somehow I could change you, be your friend and help you open up. I know you can be kind, Tobias, I’ve seen it with Maggie and the kids—you can be nice, you just choose not to!”
Tobias huffs, smoke pluming from between his teeth. “That sounds like a mistake on your part.”
“Maybe it was,” Nia admits. “But I don’t think it’s wrong to expect that my partner would have the basic decency to care about me and my goals a little instead of only focusing on himself.”
Tobias opens his mouth to respond, but Nia beats him to it.
“I know you didn’t go looking for Hazel like you said you would. You didn’t even ask about my search or if I found her when I finally tracked you down! You didn’t do a single thing to support me even though you knew how important this was to me!”
“I’ve been nothing but kind to you,” Nia goes on, ignoring the way her voice breaks as she steps forward, feeling a thrill of satisfaction when Tobias steps back. “I’ve kept your secrets, lied to protect you, tried to befriend you so you’d have someone to talk to...I’ve tried so hard to be a good person and bring out the best in you.”
“I didn’t ask for that,” Tobias protests weakly.
“You shouldn’t have to! We’re partners! We should be on each other’s team, not two separate ones. And I shouldn’t have to ask you for the simple courtesy of respecting me and not being a—a total jerk!”
“I protect you in dungeons!” Tobias snaps back. “I share the money we get! What more do you want?! Where is all of this even coming from?”
Nia makes a frustrated noise. “Tobias, we’ve only been partners for two weeks and already I’ve reached the end of my patience! This isn’t a sudden thing! How did you not see this coming?”
“How am I supposed to know if something’s wrong if you don’t tell me?”
“Maybe by paying a little attention! All I’m asking is that you try to care a little bit!”
“And if I refuse?”
Nia tries to take a cue from Margot, straightening up and changing her expression into something harsh and unmovable. “Then I’m leaving the team.”
Finally, Tobias’ mask of anger melts away, leaving only horrified shock behind. “W-What? You can’t—you need to gather information, and—”
Nia crosses her arms. “We both know you’re the only one who would be struggling to find a new team, Tobias. I’d be fine.”
The charmander’s expression closes off, cold and distant. “...And to get you to stay?”
Nia doesn’t answer for a few moments, thinking and enjoying the way her piercing gaze seems to make Tobias squirm with unease. “I would need you to try to be kind. To be an actual partner. Care about me and what I want, the way that I’ve been doing for you. Actually talk to me. Trust me.”
“Trust you? You’re blackmailing me.”
Nia fights back a new surge of anger, sighing. “Tobias, this isn’t blackmail. This is a second chance.”
The charmander doesn’t answer that, and the two of them stand locked in a tense silence.
“So that’s all? I just need to be nice to you?”
“I need you to try to be kind,” Nia corrects. “There’s a big difference. Sucking up to me or faking a personality isn’t going to cut it. You don’t need to be sweet and bring me breakfast in bed. I’m just asking that you stop treating me like the enemy. Like someone whose wants are lesser than yours.”
Tobias is silent, flexing his claws as he stares out at the water with fury in his gaze. Eventually, he says, “Did Hazel put you up to this?”
Nia barks a short, humorless laugh. “You’d know if she had if you’d actually gone with me, wouldn’t you? I’ve been feeling like this for a while, Tobias. Maybe if you paid attention to someone but yourself you would have noticed.”
Tobias growls at that, a few embers fluttering from his breath, bright in the darkness.
“You don’t need to decide now,” Nia says, feeling her anger start to drain in favor of exhaustion. “I want you to be serious about your answer, either way. This is a dealbreaker for me.”
Tobias glares at her for a moment more. Then he snarls something under his breath and storms past her, back towards the staircase to the shops and inn. Nia watches him go, and doesn’t relax until the charmander’s bobbing tail flame disappears completely in the darkness. Then she sinks to the ground, cradling her head in her hands. That was...more intense than she’d been expecting. But she also got her point across. She thinks.
She sits there for a while longer as the moon climbs high into the sky. Eventually, she rises to her feet, taking shaky steps back towards the buildings of Afon’s Cap. She’s definitely not going to go sleep in the same inn as Tobias after that. She considers returning to Hazel’s to ask to stay the night, but she really doesn’t want to bother the little family when they’re likely all asleep by now.
Instead, Nia picks a different inn than the one Tobias had suggested earlier. What tomorrow brings for her and her team she doesn’t know, but when she flops down into a pre-made nest, she feels...light. Relieved to finally have that off her chest, to finally have a resolution between her and Tobias one way or another.
Nia is done being the charmander’s doormat.
Chapter 16
Summary:
Tobias considers Nia’s ultimatum, and a deal is struck.
Notes:
Content warnings for this chapter!
Slight content warning for a panic attack in this chapter! It's during a nightmare and it's pretty short, but I thought I'd be cautious. If you're concerned about it, read until "He can't find her on his own!" and pick back up at "And all at once, it stops." You can find a summary of the panic attack moment itself in the end notes. Stay safe!
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
The mountain air is cool and thin, but the rock underfoot is hot, pleasant against his skin. Tobias tilts his face up to the sun, soaking in the heat of the day.
A familiar voice calls from nearby, tone a playful sing-song. “Toby!”
Tobias smiles, his eyes still closed. “You’re supposed to be quiet when you’re hiding, you dork!”
A giggle, the quiet clack of stone. Tobias huffs a laugh and opens his eyes again, taking a moment to admire the endless blue sky, not a cloud in sight. Then he follows the shout to his right, where some huge boulders have long since settled against the cliffside.
“Too easy,” Tobias teases, ducking into the cleft between the rocks, expecting to spot the glow of a little flame in the shadows.
Huh. He could have sworn she was over here.
“Toby! C’mon!”
Tobias backs out of the boulders, turning around in confusion. How did she get behind him so fast?
He scans the small, flat area they’re playing on, but there are only small patches of brush this high up the mountain, everything else a stone landscape of neutral browns and grays that she would stand out against like a sore thumb.
“Toby!”
Somehow, she sounds a little farther away. Did she leave the safety of the trail? Skin prickling, Tobias hurries over to where the path drops off steeply down the cliffside. He peeks over the edge, expecting to see teary green eyes peering up at him from far below. But no, she’s not there, either. He’s not sure whether to be relieved or even more worried.
“Toby?”
This time her voice sounds nervous, like when she’s scared but doesn’t want to admit it. Tobias spins to try and locate where it’s coming from, heart pounding.
“Where are you?” He calls.
“Toby!”
Down the trail! He rushes after her, worst case scenarios flashing through his mind. Did she climb up somewhere and get herself stuck? Did a cliff collapse and sweep her down the mountainside? Is she hurt?
Tobias trips over a dip in the path, and when he slams into the ground it’s no longer dirt and rock beneath him, but smooth wood. He blinks at it, recognizing the distinct pattern of bark.
He’s at the guild.
“Toby!” Her cry comes from somewhere even farther away, her voice high and shrill.
Tobias tries to scramble to his feet, only for something heavy to land on his shoulders and slam him back down. The air gets knocked from his chest.
When he looks up he’s surrounded, Pokemon from the guild staring down at him with blank expressions. He spots the pansage he accidentally burned when he was eleven, the venipede he admired until he overheard her calling him names, the spinarak who kept tripping Tobias with their webs until Tobias scared them off with an ember attack. The group parts, and Xander steps forward.
“You failed her,” the luxio says, voice calm. Like he’s not even surprised.
Another wail of Tobias’ name from beyond the mob. Tobias’ stomach rolls.
“Let me go! I can still help her!” He shrieks, struggling uselessly against the weight pinning him down, scoring claw marks in the wooden floor.
“You already tried. You weren’t good enough.”
“I know! I know! Please, just let me try again! I have to save her!”
Xander’s expression remains unmoved. The other Pokémon continue to stare him down, faces unnervingly still, and somehow that’s more terrifying than if they were attacking him.
A shrill wail from somewhere out of sight. He has never heard her sound so terrified.
Tobias snarls. He gasps in a breath, holds, and releases a powerful wave of fire. It’s stronger than any attack he’s done before, fueled by desperation. And then he’s alone, and the guild is in flames around him, smoldering and crackling as it slowly burns down. But none of that matters, because he can move again.
“Toby!”
Tobias stumbles to his feet, staggering towards the voice. “I’m coming! Hang on!”
He sprints down the hallway, panting hard as he runs and trips and runs again. The hallway seems endless, somehow dark and closing in tighter and tighter despite the flames chewing at the walls.
Then he sees her, curled up away from him at a dead-end. Her tail flame is small as a spark, her tiny body wracked with shivers. Her skin, just a shade darker than his, is bruised and scraped. Tobias’ heart jumps in his chest as he rushes to her side, grabbing her shoulders—
And then he’s holding Nia’s shoulders instead, blinking at the riolu suddenly standing in front of him, cloaked in the dark of night. They’re at the docks, and her eyes are shining with tears in the light of his tail, her fists balled up at her sides.
“This is a second chance,” she whispers.
Before he has a chance to respond, the riolu lunges forward and shoves him in the chest, hard. He stumbles back into empty air, his stomach dropping as he falls into the darkness of Afon’s waters, frigid cold and too thick to swim through, too thick to even move his arms.
Then he realizes he can breathe. And he can hear rain. Thunder booming overhead. The howl of the wind.
Tobias cracks open his eyes, squinting at the dark sky as rain pelts the earth in icy, stinging drops. It hurts. Mud sucks at his limbs as he sits up, shuddering. He’s so tired. So heavy and cold. He needs to get home.
He staggers to his feet, swinging his tail around to try and shelter the tiny flame at its tip with his body.
“Toby!”
Tobias freezes, breath catching.
She can’t be out here in this. Why is she out here?
Tobias stumbles forward through quickly rising puddles and thick mud, his exhausted, numb limbs forgotten as he searches for the glow of her tail flame. Where is she? Where are their parents? He can’t find her on his own!
Tobias stops to yell her name, and then the names of his parents, too. He turns around and around but can’t seem to recognize the mountainous environment through the sheets of rain and darkness.
He’s lost. He’s lost, he lost her, and now he’s stranded in the dark. His tail flame is petering dangerously low, and the panic in his chest overtakes him completely. He’s breathing hard, lungs heaving and only inhaling rainwater. Was he running? From what? Why is he crying?
He can’t breathe.
Tobias trips and falls into the mud, shaking arms barely able to hold him up. After a moment he gives in, balling up against the rain. He tucks his tail flame under his body as he shakes.
He’s going to die. He doesn’t want to die.
He can’t be the reason she dies.
“Vivi,” he whimpers, curling tighter against the rain. “I’m sorry.”
And all at once, it stops. The rain, the wind, the cold, the pain. Tobias distantly registers that he’s panting loud in the empty quiet of the room, voice on the edge of a sob. He’s warm, and lying in something soft. He takes a moment to catch his breath and blink away the blur of sleep. Wait, no. Tears. Both. He frowns and pushes himself up from his nest, wiping at his eyes and looking around as he wakes up.
Oh. Right. He’s at the inn in Afon’s Cap. Faint dawn light is filtering in through the window, cold and gray but without a hint of the rain from his dream.
Tobias glances over his shoulder to look for Nia, already crafting a snarled excuse to deter her from asking about him crying out in his sleep. He’d managed to avoid that happening since she’s been here. But the nest beside his is empty, and the events of last night come back to him—
Nia, eyes wet but lip curled into the start of a snarl, soft voice raised to a furious shout, the steel in her words—
Tobias’ heart sinks, hot anger curling his hands into fists around a handful of hay. That’s right. He hadn’t gotten to sleep for hours last night after that, worked up as he was.
Why is it so important to her that he treats her like a friend? He doesn’t want friends. He just wants to get stronger and make sure that the outlawed trio gets taken down, one way or another. That’s his only goal, and unfortunately he needs a partner to accomplish it.
He knows being part of a Seeker team is the best way to get the experience, training and knowledge he needs. He knows that, and he grudgingly admits that Nia is right about her being the only one with a choice in teammates. No one wants to be his partner. Nia’s the only one who has even given him a shot.
It’s not blackmail. It’s a second chance.
Ha. Right.
Tobias gets up and stretches. He smooths his red scarf, making sure it’s tied tight before grabbing his money bag and making his way downstairs, out of the tiny inn. He’d paid last night, so he just gives the poliwhirl at the counter a nod before making his way outside.
The morning is clear, the waters of the docks calm and foggy as the sun rises. He shivers in the cool air and looks around, only to stop when he recognizes a familiar silhouette perched at the edge of the boardwalk, legs swung over the edge. Nia. Tobias isn’t sure whether to be surprised that she woke up so early or angry because of last night, so he just walks up to stand beside her.
“Ready to go?” He asks, feeling awkward.
Nia looks up at him with unreadable ruby eyes. “...Yeah, sure.”
And that’s all that’s exchanged between them as Nia rises to her feet, adjusting their satchel before following Tobias to the stairway nearby. He leads them cautiously through the foggy morning, especially once they step onto the bridge leading back to the forest. He hates being so close to so much water.
It isn’t until they’ve scaled the rocky cliffside stairs and stepped into the lush forest that Nia speaks up again.
“Did you decide, or do you need more time?”
Tobias huffs a breath out his nose. He’s not an idiot—he knows this is the only option he really has, teaming up with the riolu. And if he has to grit his teeth and put on the baby gloves to avoid hurting her feelings? So be it. But he wants to beat the crap out of a training dummy to clear his head before answering, so he just says, “I’ll let you know sometime today.”
He’s grateful that she doesn’t push, going back to her routine from the day before of looking around at the plant life and the other Pokémon they pass. A pair of goomy slither by, likely on their way to the port, and Nia waves at them with a tiny smile. The goomy smile back and wave their antennae.
They continue on through the forest, Tobias wracking his brain for any loopholes he can think of to get Nia to drop her sudden team requirements. Before last night, Tobias might have thought he could just intimidate her into caving, but after seeing her not only stand against him but back him into a literal corner...
She’s gutsier than he thought.
Tobias should know that by now. He learned that firsthand when he snuck into a mystery dungeon and Nia followed him to make sure he didn’t die on the way, even stepping between him and a pack of feral Pokémon.
Tobias sneaks a glance back at the riolu, hardly able to reconcile the bloodied, bristling Pokemon from that dungeon with, well...Nia. Wide-eyed with wonder, the faintest hint of a smile on her muzzle as she lights up at the sight of a caterpie climbing a nearby tree.
Tobias thought her never-ending awe was annoying at first, but he’s gotten more or less used to it by now. Occasionally his gaze even follows hers, curious despite himself to see what mundane thing has caught her attention. It’s...tolerable now. Nia’s tolerable now. He hates being forced to talk and act “nice,” but maybe he could get used to that song and dance too if he absolutely has to.
It takes the two of them hours of traveling to get back to the guild, weaving through undergrowth and gigantic trees. They take a tunnel entrance into the underground, and when they walk through the blue-lit crystal passage, Tobias recalls the talk they’d had after facing down their first unofficial “mission” together. The earnest, hopeful look on the riolu’s face as she offered her paw and the chance to form a Seeker team. She’d claimed that they made a good team, and they…they really had. He’d forgotten about that already. About how well they’d worked together when they weren’t arguing and were just focused on staying alive.
When the two of them reach the mission boards, Nia turns to him with a questioning look. He hesitates, still unsure. “I…I think I’m gonna go train. I’ll let you know what I’ve decided by tonight.”
The riolu seems satisfied by that, and nods. She opens her mouth, as if to ask him something, but then seems to think better of it before parting with a quiet, “I’ll talk to you later, then.”
Tobias watches her go, noting that he should probably go see Maggie and let her know that they’re back, that he’s fine. But the training area is always quiet this time of day, and Nia will likely stop by their quarters anyway, so the charmander rolls his shoulders and heads for the training floor. When he arrives, it’s nearly empty. Most Pokémon are out on missions today, since the trainers have the day off.
A familiar form catches Tobias’ eye. August? It looks like the rillaboom is practicing a graceful string of battle movements, his leafy mane trailing behind him. Tobias has only seen the guildmaster on the training floor a handful of times in his whole life, so he stops to watch, surprised.
August is light on his feet, despite his large size. Tobias would have expected someone with so much power to be practicing his hard-hitting grass moves or his drumwork. Instead, August’s movements almost look like Val’s, fluid and dance-like. Tobias doesn’t even realize he’s been staring until August finishes a sequence and turns to him with a warm, toothy smile.
“Tobias! Good morning.”
The charmander jolts out of his thoughts, offering a respectful nod. “Hey, August.”
The rillaboom walks over to him, plopping down cross-legged on the ground. “See anything I need to correct in my form?”
Tobias blinks. Surely he’s joking. He has no idea how to judge any of those movements. He’s still trying to figure out the basics himself. “Uh. It looked...good? To me.”
August laughs, patting the ground in front of him. “Why don’t you sit? You have time for a chat?”
Tobias would really rather not, itching to claw at a training dummy as he is, but if there’s anyone he’s not going to snark off to too often, it’s the guildmaster. So he takes a seat, curling his tail around himself.
“I spoke with Maggie yesterday. She tells me you and Nia went to Afon’s Cap—a lovely place. How was it?”
“It was, uh, fine.”
“And did Nia find who she was looking for?”
Tobias opens his mouth to respond, only to realize that he doesn’t actually know the answer.
August must see his panic, because he brings a thoughtful hand up to his chin. “You went with her, right?”
Tobias’ gaze slides down to his hands, sitting folded in his lap. The rillaboom’s tone isn’t judgmental, simply curious, but somehow that makes Tobias feel even worse for not having an answer. “...Yeah.”
There’s a moment of quiet, and then August hums, “You are having teamwork issues, I presume.”
It’s not a question, and Tobias’ head snaps up to give August an indignant glare. Who told him? Maggie?
“Oh, don’t give me that look. It’s quite obvious from your answer alone. Why are you two not getting along?”
Tobias snorts. August has known him since he came to the guild as a kid. It’s obvious to anyone who knows him. “You really have to ask?”
The rillaboom gives him a look in return, somewhere between amused and exasperated. “As your doting guildmaster, yes. Yes I do.”
Tobias rolls his eyes. “Fine. You know the drill—I don’t get along with others, and they don’t get along with me. Same old, same old.”
“It seemed Nia had been willing to give you a chance, though. That’s far from the same old.”
Tobias bites back a sharp retort, frowning at the floor.
“She gave you a chance. Shouldn’t you do the same for her?”
Tobias lifts his chin to meet August's eyes. “And who says I haven’t?”
August stares back at him, unwavering. Eventually, Tobias breaks eye contact first. The rillaboom sighs. “Tobias, be honest. With me and with yourself. Why are you two not getting along? Have you talked about it?”
Tobias avoids the rillaboom’s searching gaze, picking at the claws on his foot. “She wants us to be friends.”
There’s a surprised moment of silence. “That’s not the usual reason I hear for team disagreements.”
“But I don’t want that!” Tobias snaps. “I just. We’re on the same team, yeah, whatever. But just so we can reach our goals. It doesn’t mean we have to be friends!”
August takes a moment to respond. “Tobias...you don’t have to be friends, but you do have to be partners. You are a team.”
“We are partners,” Tobias says. “We go on the same missions, we train together, we even live together!”
“And yet, do you know her weaknesses?”
Tobias frowns. “Well, yeah. Psychic types, flying—“
“No,” August interrupts. “Not a riolu’s type disadvantages. Nia’s weak points. Is she scared of certain Pokémon? Off in her aim? Doubtful of her fighting capabilities?”
Tobias hesitates. He doesn’t know that sort of stuff, but...
“Being a Seekers team requires much more than simple type knowledge and the ability to brute-force your way through a dungeon. Say you come across a sharpedo and need to rely on Nia’s fighting capabilities. What would you do if she was frozen in fear by that specific species? Is she holding back on certain powers or moves because she doubts herself and is too ashamed to ask you for help? There are more elements to battle—and to a Seeker’s duties—than the basic textbook knowledge, Tobias.”
The charmander’s brow furrows, recognizing the truth in that statement. “But how are you supposed to know those things?”
August snorts, a warm, almost teasing smile on his face. “You talk to her. Get to know her.”
Tobias slumps, giving the bigger Pokémon a disdainful look. “You’re all about the power of friendship, huh?”
August chuckles. “There is a reason the best Seeker teams consist of Pokemon who have known each other for years, Tobias. Experience, yes, but also becoming true partners. Talking, sharing, growing close, trusting one another. Most teams are made up of best friends. Families. Lovers. Pokémon who have the utmost faith in one another.”
Tobias frowns, shoving away the part of himself that immediately rolls its eyes at the mushy words. He hates that the words sound so reminiscent of what Nia said last night.
Trust, huh?
Surely...surely it isn’t really that important. What’s important is how strong they are, that they strategize and are well-prepared. That they can fight. Isn’t it?
But then he thinks of Nia, calming that tropius calf with a gentle touch and the most ridiculous of tactics. She came up with that plan. The better plan. Not him. She was right, he was wrong, and if he’d stuck around to listen to her instead of darting off on his own, he could’ve been a part of it.
“So tell me, Tobias,” August says, resting his elbows on his knees and leaning forward to meet the charmander’s eyes. “What is so wrong with giving Nia a real chance? With talking to her? Sharing yourself with her?”
Tobias shrinks away from August’s intense stare. He swallows hard and opens his mouth, and eventually words croak out. “I...I haven’t talked to anyone like...like a friend in years.”
“To grow, one must push past what they are comfortable with,” August rumbles, not unkindly. There’s a knowing look in his eyes.
“I don’t know how to do it anymore,” Tobias rasps. “How to...talk to other Pokemon. Talk about myself.” Be kind. Trust others.
“You do,” August insists, smiling without a hint of hesitation. “There’s a reason I approved your team papers, Tobias. If you need help, just ask for it. Nia is on your side, whether you want to accept that or not. And Maggie would move mountains for you.”
Tobias looks down again, gripping hard at his legs. A prick of shame sits in his chest, sharp and nagging. Maggie...Maggie would say the same thing. Maggie has been saying the same thing.
“It’s important to care about others, Tobias. Especially as a Seeker. Your wants and dreams are important, but so are everyone else’s. Remember that. Try to see things from others’ perspectives.”
The charmander nods but doesn’t respond, too lost in thought. He hardly registers August placing a giant hand on his head in an encouraging gesture before going back to his training. Idly, Tobias watches the rillaboom start up his graceful stream of movements.
Tobias doesn’t know if he has ever felt this conflicted. He doesn’t want to pour his heart out to Nia and share secrets with her like a couple of cubs, but between Nia’s ultimatum and his own guildmaster’s words...well, it’s not like he has much of a choice anyways, if he wants to stay a Seeker. He just has to act nice and appease the riolu, right? He can do that. Probably.
Tobias considers leaving right away to find Nia, but she’ll probably either be eating or visiting Andyn and Xander’s teams. So instead, he decides to work off his pent-up frustration from last night’s argument, moving to one of the unused dummies with fire building in his throat. He’s going to scorch the poor thing to bits. Archer is gonna be so mad.
It’s hours later, nearly sunset, when Tobias trudges his way up to the medical floor. He’s exhausted again, but feeling much less tense. He’d stopped by the cafeteria for a quick bite to eat, and was going to grab something for Nia as a peace offering (yeah yeah, he’s gonna be a suck-up) when he’d realized that he had no clue what her favorite foods were. They didn’t eat together all the time, sure, but it still lends credence to Nia and August's points, reinforcing that the charmander is so caught up in his own goals that he’s failing to observe the simplest things. That could get him killed in a dungeon.
So he’d grabbed a basic fruit medley and made his way up. He stops at the doorway to their quarters, not at all surprised to see Nia sitting in the middle of the room with a bunch of books spread out around her. She’s clearly focused, mouthing along to the words she’s reading, a small pad of notes at her side. After a few seconds, he clears his throat. Nia jumps, a hand flying to her heart.
“T-Tobias! You scared me.”
Tobias snorts, then catches himself before making a snide remark. Nice. He has to be nice. “I…made my decision.” Nia blinks at him, unmoving, and he tries to tack on something to make it sound less like a demand. “Did you, uh. Wanna talk about it? Or are you busy?”
Nia’s face is openly surprised at his mild tone, and he fights the urge to roll his eyes. He can have manners when he wants to! He usually just doesn’t want to.
“Y-Yeah! Yeah. Sure.” Nia scrambles to her feet, sending the spread of books a hesitant glance before making her way over to the door. Tobias turns and leads them away from the medical ward, going up a few flights until they reach the mail landing area. Soft, warm, evening light fills the open area, and there’s hardly a Pokémon in sight.
“Oh.” Nia stops, something like recognition in her tone.
Tobias glances at her, a defensive “What?” slipping past his lips. Immediately, he backpedals, looking away and out into the pink sky as he says, “I...come up here to think sometimes.”
Nia blinks, then smiles, small and almost secretive. “Seems like a good place for it.”
Before Tobias can question her, Nia moves to one of the ports to peer outside. Tobias follows, recognizing the rarely-used platform and settling down on the warm wood to stare out at the sky. After a moment, Nia joins him, the two of them sitting propped up on either side of the opening, looking out into an endless sea of treetops. Nia doesn’t speak, letting the wind fill the silence.
Tobias opens his mouth, then closes it again. Repeats the process a few times before managing to say, “Can you just…tell me what exactly you’d need me to do? For you to stay on the team with me.”
Nia meets his eyes, face unreadable, searching his gaze. “I’m not trying to make you something you’re not, Tobias. I just...I just want you to actually try treating me like your partner instead of someone you got stuck with dragging around.”
Tobias frowns, but doesn’t object.
“Just...” Nia sighs and rubs at her face with a paw. For the first time Tobias really registers how much of an emotional toll this whole ordeal is taking on her, too. “I know you can be kind. Patient, even. I’ve seen how you are around Xander’s siblings, and Maggie sometimes. I just want you to try to stop hiding that part of yourself. I’m not here to turn on you or judge you or stop you from hunting down those Pokémon. I’m here to help. To take that journey together with you.”
Tobias frowns, swallowing an impulsive response. His immediate thought is to dismiss Nia’s words as a lie, but the riolu has done nothing but try to help him since the moment she got here. Not ratting him out when he ditched her, helping him out of tough spots, even bringing him lunch. He...doesn’t really have a logical reason to think she’s lying now.
It’s a strange, foreign thought.
“In return,” Nia says. “I need you to try to do the same for me. Just...trust me. Talk to me. And actually care about my goals and feelings, too.”
Tobias nods. That’s...understandable, he supposes. Fair. He looks down at his hands. Oh. He’s still holding the bag of fruit. Feeling incredibly awkward, he leans forward and holds it out to her. “I, uh. Wasn’t sure if you ate yet.”
The riolu blinks out of her serious expression, clearly surprised, and reaches to take the bag, opening it and peering inside.
“I dunno what your favorite fruits are, so I just grabbed a bunch.”
He’s not expecting the small smile that curves her lips. “Thank you.” She pulls a small persim berry out of the bag and rolls it around between her palms. “I really like these.”
“Persim berries,” he says, making a mental note of it. “Huh. They’re usually not very popular with fighting types.”
Nia looks at him, ears pricked. “Really? Why?”
Tobias almost growls for her to go look it up in one of her billions of books. Almost rolls his eyes and tells her to ask Maggie or one of her friends. Instead, he bites his tongue. She still insists that she’s human. And she seems genuinely curious, as usual.
“They, uh, cure confusion statuses. From attacks. And since most of those come from psychic moves, and fighting types are weak to psychic types...” Tobias shrugs, not sure how to articulate the rest. It’s just a thing in the Pokémon world. “Most fighting types say they taste weird.”
Nia nods thoughtfully, looking at the little pink fruit as if it holds some sort of secret to the universe. She takes a moment to bite into the berry, peering into the bag. Then, she reaches in and pulls out a rawst berry, offering it to him. He blinks at her paw, then up at her face.
“These are your favorite, right?” There’s nothing proud or boastful about the words, nothing to suggest she’s rubbing the knowledge in his face.
Tobias doesn’t bother to hide his surprise. “How’d you know that?”
She smiles again as he takes the berry and nibbles at its seed-dimpled skin. “I asked you when we were at Hadley’s place.”
Oh, right. She had. He doesn’t think she offered up her own answer, and he knows he definitely didn’t ask. “Sorry,” he mumbles.
“You don’t have to apologize,” Nia says, finishing the other half of her berry. “How about...we just start over?”
Just as Tobias is about to ask what she means, she jabs her open paw in his direction, smiling in an almost shy way. His mind flashes back to the blue light of the tunnels, the both of them bruised but proud. “I’m Nia, your new partner.”
Tobias snorts. Still, he reaches out his own hand to clasp hers, giving it a solid shake. “Tobias. Your, uh...new partner. Really this time.”
Nia giggles and pulls back to continue searching through the fruit, and Tobias fiddles nervously with his scarf. She...really means this, doesn’t she?
“So Tobias, what’s your favorite color?”
The charmander snorts, raising a brow at her. “Seriously?“
“Come on, communicate!” Nia laughs. “Mine is yellow.”
“Big surprise there,” he mumbles. She’s like a ball of sunshine herself—annoyingly bright. “I guess mine is probably...green.”
Nia tilts her head. “Really? I would have guessed red.”
“Because I’m always angry?”
Nia’s expression drops into some form of panic. “N-No! It’s just, your scarf, and—“
“Calm down, I was joking.”
“Oh.” Nia stills, an awkward silence falling between them. “Sorry. Um. Favorite weather?”
“Hint: I’m a fire type.”
This time, Nia does laugh. “So...bright and sunny?”
“Anything but rain, really. You?”
Nia’s face softens. “Sunshine is nice, but I’ve always liked snow. I love how peaceful and pretty it is. The smell of it. Plus, there’s always hot chocolate and sledding with—“ she stops, eyes blanking out to something vacant and searching. After a moment, the look sours into frustration.
“Still don’t remember?”
Nia breathes out, shaky. “Y-Yeah. Um. Does it snow here?”
Tobias nods, looking out over the forest and picturing it as a landscape of white and ashen brown. “Yeah. We usually get a lot of snow. You’ll have to wait a few months, though.”
Nia perks up. “Oh! I forgot! I was going to ask about that. When’s the first day of autumn here?”
Tobias tilts his head, thinking. It’s nearing the end of summer now, so... “Probably in about two weeks? I’d have check the calendar to be sure. Why?”
“Well, um...” Nia fidgets. “Hazel mentioned something about a meeting for Pokemon who used to be human. I-I found a flyer for it at Afon’s Cap. They’re meeting in Ghatha on the first day of fall, so I was hoping we could maybe...go?”
Tobias straightens up, wanting to protest that they’d only just gotten back from a trip for her benefit, but...this is what her and August were talking about, right? Caring about other Pokémon’s wants and goals? She’s his partner. For real now. So...he guesses that kind of has to be his goal now, too?
“W-We can take a mission that takes us out that way! So we aren’t missing out on Seeker points,” Nia adds, wringing her paws.
Tobias sighs. “Nah. We, uh...we can go, don’t worry about it.”
Nia visibly relaxes. “Really?”
“We’re partners now, right? If some info pops up about the outlaws that I want to find, then you’ll help me too, right?”
“Of course!” Nia says, beaming. She wears her heart on her sleeve, and Tobias can’t find it in himself to doubt her sincerity. “Thank you so much! How far is it?”
Tobias hums, leaning back. He doesn’t think he’s actually been to Ghatha, but he knows roughly where it’s at. “It’ll be pricey, but I think walking to the nearest flight station to hitch a ride could get us there in half a day?”
“Flight station?”
“Yeah. It’s a post where Pokémon are employed to give lifts to those who need to travel. There are land and sky Pokémon available around here, but ocean areas get water types, too.”
“Wait—you mean we would fly there?!”
Tobias meets her enthusiasm with a snort. “You might lose your lunch, but yeah.”
Nia only looks more excited at the prospect, bouncing in place. “I’ve never been flying before! At least, I don’t think so.”
“If evolution was still possible, I could fly myself one day,” Tobias says quietly, looking out at the sky. Imagining the wind breezing by him, the trees far below...it brings to mind rides on his parents’ backs, and his heart squeezes in his chest. Suddenly he recalls a flash of his dream last night. Something about a storm? And…Vivi. Maybe Nia senses the way his mood drops, because she doesn’t say anything more, pointedly focusing on her food.
After a few moments of silence, Tobias reigns in his emotions and looks over at her again. “So you did find Hazel?”
Nia nods, excited all over again. “I did!”
She dives into her experience at Afon’s Cap, telling him about searching the town, meeting the pichu brothers he’d passed once or twice, and breaking down crying at a little outdoor cafe.
(And even though she doesn’t directly say it, there’s an awkward gap in her words that makes it clear that he was part of that breakdown. He actually feels a bit guilty about that.)
“So Margot takes me back to her house, and her mom—a raichu, I think she said?— starts making me tea. I’m thinking that she’s going to tell me about Hazel, but it turns out she is Hazel!”
Tobias lets out a low whistle. “Whoa.”
“Yeah! Blew my mind, that’s for sure. Apparently she goes by Alice now to avoid people bothering her about her human roots. She’s been in the Pokémon world for like 40 years.”
The charmander blinks. 40 years? “So she couldn’t find her way back?”
Nia shifts, some of her enthusiasm dying down. “W-Well, she said she tried for a year or so, but then she just focused on building a life here instead.”
Tobias nods. He supposes that makes some sense.
“But I’m not gonna give up,” Nia says, voice hard with determination. “Even if no one’s found a way back yet, there has to be one, right? There has to be some way to find out how we got here and reverse-engineer that process!”
“So that’s why you want to go to the human thing at Ghatha?”
Nia nods, grinning. “Yeah! I figure if anyone’s gonna have answers or any idea what to do next, it’ll be them. Plus, talking to Hazel was...nice. I want to meet more former humans. Not that Pokémon aren’t great! But it’s different when you weren’t born and raised here. It’s…hard, being dropped into a strange world and getting separated from the people you love. Not feeling comfortable in your own body, or knowing the basics facts that everybody else knows.”
Tobias...hadn’t really thought about it that way. Sure, he knew she missed whoever she left behind, knew she dreamed about them most nights when she whimpered in her sleep, knew she was constantly reading in her free time to try and catch up on the basic knowledge that all regular Pokémon have, but...he hadn’t really thought about how it would feel. To feel so out of place and alone in so many ways, just because of her origins. He can understand that all too well.
Ugh. Now he feels bad again.
“Well, we’ll go check it out then,” Tobias says, decisively. “See if anyone can help.”
For a moment Tobias thinks Nia is about to cry. But then she just smiles, giving him the warmest look he’s received in ages. “Thanks, Tobias.”
He shrugs and looks away, fighting off an embarrassed flush.
“We can look around for information about the trio you’re looking for too, while we’re there,” Nia suggests. He looks up at her, surprised. “There’d probably be more info or rumors about them in a big city like that than out here, right?”
“Uh. Yeah.” Good point. So this trip could actually be beneficial for both of them. “We could ask around at the local guild or outlaw services.”
“Or just talk to the townsfolk,” Nia says thoughtfully. “You never know who knows what.”
For the first time this evening, Tobias lets the smallest ghost of a smile onto his face. “All right, so we have a game plan. Work on local missions and training until closer to the first day of fall, then make our way to Ghatha.”
Nia nods. “Sounds good to me!”
“We’ll have to let August know about our plans, but I’m sure he won’t have a problem with it.”
“Awesome! D’you wanna go let Maggie know and see what she thinks?”
“Sure.”
Nia jumps to her feet, grabbing the half-empty bag of berries. Tobias follows her lead, stopping when he remembers something he’d thought of earlier while training. “Oh. Uh. Hold on.”
Nia turns back to him, head tilted. “Yeah?”
He opens his mouth to talk, but then closes it. Starts again. “If I, uh...start being too much of a jerk again, could you just, like...say something? So I know. I know it’s stupid, but—”
“It’s not stupid,” Nia objects softly, cutting him off. “I’ll say something, sure. But um. I’ll try to be patient with you if you try to be patient with me and all my questions?”
“Deal.”
Nia relaxes, turning back to lead them down to the medical floor. “Great! Uh, can I push my luck and ask something right away?”
Oh no. This is what he’s gotten himself into, isn’t it? Constant questions that a ‘mon fresh out of the egg would know. Fantastic.
Swallowing his impatience, he says, “Shoot.”
“Um. How do you not set everything on fire with your tail? We live in a giant tree.”
Before he can stop it, an incredulous bark of laughter slips out of his throat. Tobias had been expecting something about Ghatha, not this.
Nia turns to him with an embarrassed expression. “Come on, it’s a reasonable question!”
Another snort of laughter escapes him. “No, it’s really not.”
Nia looks close to laughter herself now, gesturing helplessly at his tail. “Fire ignites things, Tobias! Do you know how long I’ve been wondering about this? I didn’t even ask Maggie because everyone treats it so normally!”
“Fine, fine.” Tobias swings his tail around. “Here, touch the flame.”
Nia’s smile drops. “What? No!”
Tobias rolls his eyes. “Do you want to find out or not? We literally just became partners again. I’m not gonna burn you.”
Nia still hesitates, glancing at his face, but then she holds her breath and shoves her paw into the middle of the flame. After a heartbeat she breathes again, staring with wonder. “It’s just...warm.”
“It’s not an actual flame,” Tobias explains, watching as Nia pulls her paw out of the fire before putting it back in and wiggling her fingers around. “Think just...an extension of my body that imitates a flame. If I get really worked up or angry I can make it heat up to where it would hurt.”
“Wow,” Nia breathes. She pulls her paw back out, flipping it over to look at her palm. “So can you feel my hand when I do that?”
Tobias lets his tail relax again. “Nah. It’s not like that. Think of it more like...fur. You don’t feel pain when your fur is cut.”
“Right, no nerve endings,” she murmurs. “That’s incredible! I bet it makes sense in an evolutionary context too, if I look into the charmander line’s behaviors and natural environment...”
She seems like she’s talking more to herself than him now, so Tobias gives her a nudge. “Walking, remember?”
“Oh! Sorry!” She laughs and hurries to continue down the staircase. Tobias follows. After a moment, she speaks up again. “Sorry if this is like, um...uncomfortable to think about? But water is kind of painful to you, right?”
“Normal water stings a bit, yeah. Water type moves are more dangerous.”
“What would happen if your whole body went underwater? Like, your tail and everything.”
“I’d die.”
Nia trips, falling into the wall and turning to him with a shocked expression. “What?!”
Tobias snorts a quiet laugh. “Okay, that’s just a myth. It really depends on what kind of water we’re talking about. If I fell into a stream, I’d be in pain but I’d be able to flail my way to the bank and pull myself out.”
Nia’s brow furrows. She doesn’t look much more relieved. “But?”
“If I fell into like...the ocean or something? I probably would die if no one came to help me. Holds true for most fire types—we get incredibly weak incredibly fast if we’re submerged in water.”
Nia’s frown only intensifies. “That seems like a really unfair disadvantage for fire types.”
Tobias shrugs. “I guess, but we just try to avoid water types and big bodies of water. We make up for it by having really good resilience otherwise. Other types have disadvantages too.”
Nia turns back around and they continue walking. “Like what?”
“Well...you’re a fighting type. So you’re weak to psychic and flying types. Most fighting types are afraid of heights, and depend on solid footing for their attack patterns to really be effective.”
“So it’s hard for them to fight in aerial settings,” Nia concludes.
“Right. And since fighting types are also weak to psychic types, that means they’re just dumber in general.”
Nia stops, whipping around to yelp an offended, “What?!”
Tobias can’t help cackling a laugh. Arceus, she is so gullible.
“Oh my god, stop lying to me!” Nia says, looking like she can’t decide whether to laugh or smack him.
“All right, all right,” he says, motioning for her to keep walking. “It actually means that you’ll have more issues detecting psychic energies. Like...a reflect move or an illusion. It would naturally feel more “off” to me than it would to you. Not sure if that holds true for you since you can use aura abilities, though.”
“Maybe I can ask Val,” Nia says thoughtfully as they turn onto the medical floor and follow the familiar path to Maggie’s room.
“Ugh. She’d probably just tell you something super cryptic and weird.”
Nia laughs. “You just say that because you can’t beat her.”
“You can’t either,” Tobias accuses.
“Yeah, but I’m actually okay with it.”
Tobias huffs an irritated breath, but doesn’t take the bait. Soon enough, they arrive at their usual place. Maggie’s inside, carefully stepping over Nia’s scattering of books as she tries to reach her desk area.
“Oh! Sorry, Maggie!” Nia hurries over to collect the thick tomes and scraps of paper. Tobias rolls his eyes and scoops up a few of the books to dump onto the growing pile in the riolu’s arm.
“You’re fine, dear!” Maggie balances the riolu as she teeters dangerously to one side. Nia stumbles her way to their alcove and gently dumps the pile onto the ground. Maggie chuckles under her breath, turning back to Tobias. “Tobias! It’s good to have you back, love. How was the trip?”
“Uh. It was...fine. I—we—“
“I found Hazel!” Nia’s voice calls from their alcove. Tobias relaxes as the riolu hurries back out, taking over the conversation. Saving his butt once again.
Maggie goes back to cataloguing the herbs on her desk, happily listening to Nia’s retelling. Tobias silently joins the meganium, easily falling into the old routine and working in tandem with her vines. The riolu notably leaves out the bits where Tobias ditched her, and the charmander eases into his work as the two chat.
Tobias won’t ever admit it out loud, but...maybe he could get used to this. He’ll give this partners thing his best shot, and if it doesn’t work out…well, he can burn that bridge when he gets to it.
Notes:
Panic Attack Summary:
Still in the nightmare, Tobias calls out to his sister and their parents, lost and scared. He panics, the rain beating down on him and disorienting him further, making him weak. He trips and falls into the mud and curls up there, afraid of dying and afraid of his sister dying as well. We finally get her name, Vivi, as he apologizes to her before waking up. He takes a moment to remember where he is, lying warm and safe in an unfamiliar room and wiping tears from his eyes.
Chapter 17
Summary:
Nia spends time with Xander’s team, learning more about aura in the process.
Chapter Text
Nia yawns, finally giving up on her book for today and slipping a furret bookmark that Maggie had given her between the pages. No matter how hard Nia tries to focus on the words about different types of Pokémon evolution, the sentences are starting to blur and jumble before her eyes, so she figures it’s time to give it a rest.
She looks up at the two Pokemon lying a few feet away on a mossy rug, comfortably sprawled out in Xander’s team quarters. The luxio and his wartortle partner are playing some sort of game with dice-like stones. Felix is clearly losing, his fluffy ears twitching as he grumbles under his breath. Xander’s cat-like face is smug with victory, his tail flicking side to side with lazy patience.
Avery is sitting at Nia’s side, the two of them relaxing back against the wooden wall on a bed of straw and moss. Nia doesn’t want to disrupt the kirlia’s concentration as they focus on their own book, but the atmosphere is so peaceful and relaxed, bathed in the warm evening sunlight coming through the lattice window, and she can’t help but feel comfortable enough to speak up.
“Can I ask you guys something?”
All three Pokemon look up, faces open and curious.
“‘Course,” Felix says.
Nia smiles, a little embarrassed. “I know your team is just as busy as ours, if not more so. How are you not, like...exhausted? Literally all the time?”
Xander looks back to the game, laughter in his voice as he responds, “Oh trust me, we are. It used to be worse, before we got used to the job and the demanding work hours.”
“Naps help a lot, when you can manage ‘em,” Felix adds, frowning as he rolls the dice. He’s had horrible luck this whole game. At least, that’s what he’s been saying. Nia still hasn’t quite picked up the rules from watching. “You feeling worn down?”
Nia leans back against the wood of the tree. The bark making up the architecture of the tree is smooth, and thanks to her fur it isn’t even uncomfortable to lean against. She closes her eyes and hums.
“Yeah, I guess. I know I’ve been here a few weeks, but I think I’m just not used to everything yet.”
“I’ll never get used to waking up so early,” Felix grumbles. “Mornings are suffering.”
Nia laughs. “Actually, that part’s not too bad. It’s more the battling, I think. And just...I dunno, emotional stuff.”
“Mental exhaustion can take a big toll,” Avery says at her side, voice soft. They close their own book to turn their full attention to the conversation.
“I’d be exhausted too if I had Tobias for a partner,” Felix says. He’s clearly teasing, but Nia knows that on some level the wartortle actually means it. “I don’t know how you put up with him every day, Nia.”
Nia’s torn between a laugh and the urge to roll her eyes. She settles on a light tone to match the wartortle’s. “Come on, I told you we worked everything out the other day. He’s trying harder to be nice.”
Felix and Xander both make a doubtful noise.
“I’ll believe it when I see it,” Xander says.
“Well, I think it’s great that Tobias is trying to grow,” Avery says, giving Nia a soft smile.
Nia smiles back and leans forward to watch the boys’ game again, cupping her chin in her hands.
“He’s been really patient with all of my questions since we talked,” Nia says, feeling like she should defend her partner somehow. It’s clear that he’s been trying hard to reign in his temper and be more considerate the last few days, even if he still struggles with it. “When we cleaned out the guild’s food storage this morning, he didn’t even snap at me when I bumped into some shelves and buried us in rice.”
Xander snorts. “That’s called being a decent Pokémon, Nia. Don’t give him too much credit.”
“I’m not! I’m just saying he’s doing better, y’know?”
Felix gives Nia a grin, tilting his head in consideration. “You’re too sweet, ya know that?”
Nia doesn’t know what to say to that, so she blushes under her fur and makes a show of moving her book to her side with a quiet word of thanks.
“Yo! I’m back. Did Felix get whooped yet?”
Nia jumps and looks up to see that Kry has returned from her trip to the cafeteria to find a snack. The dinosaur-like pokemon is munching on an apple as she plops down next to Felix and Xander.
“Hey, I could still win,” Felix protests.
“Ha! Yeah, and bagon can fly.”
“You do know they can fly when they evolve, right?”
“Not anymore, genius! No evolution, no wings!”
Felix deflates and grumbles to himself as he goes back to the game. Nia tilts her head and leans closer to Avery.
“S-Sorry. Uh, what kind of Pokémon is Kry again?”
“A fraxure. Dragon type, middle evolution like the rest of us.”
Nia nods. Right. Fraxure. It certainly looks like the aggressive Pokémon could live up to her name and fracture some bones, from the brief interactions Nia’s seen. Kry’s a bit...rough around the edges. But it’s clear she fits right in with the rest of Xander’s team. Somehow.
“What have you been reading, if you don’t mind me asking?” Avery asks, polite as ever.
Nia shakes herself out of her thoughts. “No, of course I don’t mind!” She holds up the book. “It’s about different kinds of evolution? I still don’t exactly, uh. Get it. As a process. But it’s fascinating to learn about all the different ways it’s triggered.”
Avery tilts their head, looking at Nia with thoughtful consideration. “You don’t understand evolution?”
Nia’s ears flatten. “Well, uh, no, but—“
“Does evolution not happen to humans?”
It’s clear that Avery isn’t judging Nia’s confusion, just curious in return. Still, Nia is thankful that they keep their voice hushed.
“N-No, definitely not,” Nia says. “At least, not in the same way? I think? When Pokémon evolve, they change...suddenly, right? Like, Xander used to look like Luca and then he suddenly turned into a luxio?”
Avery hums. “More or less, yes.”
“Is...Is that...how Pokémon grow up, uh...physically? By evolving?”
The kirlia shakes their head, eyes softening into something almost sad. “No. If that were the case we’d all be in danger of dying out, with how Pokemon can no longer evolve. Don’t worry, you’re an adult by Pokémon standards, even as a riolu.”
Nia relaxes at the confirmation. With the way everyone has been treating her, she was pretty sure they’d been seeing her as the adult she felt she was in the human world, but it’s still nice to know for sure.
“Pokemon can stay unevolved forever,” Avery goes on. “They’ll grow larger than a child Pokémon of the same species, though, and physically mature. Their...statures would simply be smaller than if they evolved. Weaker.”
Nia nods. That...makes some sense, in a way. Even with humans, there were grown women who ended up much shorter than some teenage boys. Different statures among the same species.
“Humans don’t ever...change so radically. So suddenly. At least not naturally.”
Avery turns curious eyes onto Nia, so the riolu continues.
“We start out tiny, and then just grow gradually until we reach adulthood. We can change parts of ourselves, of course—darken our skin, cut our hair, change our clothes or our entire style. But...that’s not what evolution is for, right? Aesthetics, individuality? Comfort?”
The kirlia hums. “No. Evolution is typically for...strength, I suppose. Increased speed, strength, defense, sheer size.”
“So for battling?” Nia asks, confusion edging into her voice. She knew that Pokémon were more biologically geared towards fighting, with their toughened defense and incredible healing capabilities, but she also knows that most Pokémon don’t seem to prefer fighting aside from playful battles. At least, not anymore. Now they’re bakers, florists, carvers and artisans. A society.
Maybe Avery understands what Nia’s getting at, because the kirlia looks thoughtful. “There’s a reason so many Pokémon evolve through battling experience and so few from exposure to stones, or travel. Most Pokémon evolve by training themselves and growing stronger. Legends say that Pokémon used to be more...primitive. Less civilized. I believe it used to be less about strength and more about survival.”
Nia watches as Felix tries to creep his hand over the dice to cheat a turn of the stones. Xander, discussing strategies in-depth with Kry, doesn’t even look before batting the turtle’s hand away with a paw. Felix yelps, and Nia giggles.
“Maybe that’s why evolution stopped working?” Nia suggests. “Maybe Pokémon have just...evolved to the point that strength evolution isn’t necessary anymore. You’re a society now, after all. You didn’t need to be physically strong to have a lot of power or be successful in the human world. We have systems, laws, protectors. Technology and weapons. Maybe you’ve just reached a point in society where that changed enough for you guys, too.”
Avery suddenly laughs, tinkling and light. Nia isn’t sure whether to feel happy at the sound or embarrassed that she’d apparently said something stupid. She settles for staring at the kirlia with wide eyes and heated fur.
“Apologies,” Avery says, meeting Nia’s eyes, ruby to ruby. “It wasn’t a stupid thought at all. Fascinating, actually. I was just...struck. By finding such a kindred spirit in you. Xander’s the only one who even tries to humor my philosophical ramblings.”
Nia feels herself relax, and laughs as well. “Two curious souls, huh?”
Avery just smiles, warm and soft.
“What’re you two nerds laughing about?” Kry asks.
Nia looks up to see the other three Pokémon staring at them.
Avery waves their hand in a dismissive motion. “My usual ramblings, Kry. Don’t mind us.”
“Talking about evolution!” Nia adds.
At that, Xander and Felix go back to their game with amused smirks. Kry, however, rolls her eyes. “Why? We can’t evolve anyways.”
“But maybe it could be fixed?” Nia suggests. When Kry turns a doubtful look on her, the riolu shrinks back. “I-I mean, maybe not, but...”
“No harm in discussing it, right?” Avery says.
Kry snorts and goes back to the game. “Guess not.”
Nia relaxes. She knows there’s no reason for Kry to put her on edge, but she just has such a...strong personality. Nia’s become more used to Tobias’ sharp attitude, but Kry? Not so much.
“Would you evolve? If you could?”
Nia blinks and turns to Avery at the unexpected question. “What?”
"Would you like to evolve if it were possible?” Avery repeats. Maybe this is a normal question for most Pokémon. Or for their teammates and friends, at least.
“Um. I don’t know? Maybe?” Nia flicks her tail into her lap, trying to sound confident. “I mean, it doesn’t really matter much to me, since I’m going back to the human world as soon as I can find a way to return, s-so...”
Avery doesn’t respond aside from a soft sound that Nia can’t quite decipher. She’s too afraid to look at the kirlia’s expression, too scared of seeing the pity or doubt she might find there, so she deflects. “Besides, to evolve I’d have to form an affection, um...”
“Bond?”
“Yeah! An affection bond with someone. And from what I’ve read, that doesn’t seem to mean just a casual friendship.”
Avery nods, eyeing their teammates. “Correct. An affection bond that can lead to evolution only occurs between Pokemon who trust each other with anything. Who see each other as they truly are and would likely die for each other.”
Nia flicks her ear, nervously. “That’s a bit, uh. Extreme.”
Avery laughs lightly under their breath. “Indeed. It’s simply how we tend to describe it. It’s...the deepest form of love, whether platonic or romantic.”
Nia nods, shifting uncomfortably. “Yeah, so...I mean, don’t get me wrong! I’m really glad I met you guys and Andyn’s group and Maggie and, uh, even Tobias, in a weird way. But...”
“You don’t think you’ll ever have that sort of bond with us,” Avery guesses.
Nia flinches. The psychic type’s words aren’t cold or insulted, but it still sounds...harsh.
“Yeah, I guess,” Nia rasps, pulling her knees up to her chest. “It’s just...I’m planning on leaving, you know? I don’t wanna get too close to anyone just to leave us both heartbroken when I go.”
Avery doesn’t answer, but the silence doesn’t feel heavy. Still, Nia rests her chin on her hands, sighing. She wants to go home, nice as it is here, but she still feels bad just leaving these people behind after their kindness.
She’ll miss them.
Maybe Avery picks up on Nia’s mood change, because they turn to the riolu with an encouraging smile. “Xander mentioned that you can read the aura of other Pokemon now. Would you like to try it on me, if it’s not too much strain?”
Nia recognizes the distraction technique, but can’t help feeling grateful for it. She lifts her head, blinking. “R-Really?”
“I’m a psychic type. I know how exciting it is to try out a new mental technique with someone willing.”
Nia straightens up and turns to the kirlia, feeling a smile edge at her lips. It’s not every day she gets to test her aura abilities on someone new! So far she’s only felt Val and Maggie’s auras, and Azami’s blossoming pink during a different training session. “Okay. You know it’s pretty, uh…personal, though, right? Like, I’m kind looking at your soul, I think?”
Avery nods with a smile. “I’m aware.”
“Just let me know if you want me to stop, okay? I’ll need your hand, though.”
Avery offers a delicate hand.
Nia takes it and closes her eyes, summoning her aura (it gets easier every time she does it!), pouring it down her arm and into her hand, brushing it against the kirlia’s skin to find their aura. When Avery’s silhouette sparks to life behind Nia’s eyes, she laughs. Even without looking deeper towards the core of Avery’s aura, Nia can feel the prickle of their curiosity.
“Your aura’s blue like mine!” Nia explains.
The kirlia laughs too, quietly. “Kindred spirits indeed.”
Nia nods. “Your aura is more of a...purpley-blue, though. Deeper. Kind of indigo.” It feels...serene. Filled with a boundless curiosity and something deeply wise. It’s a dusk sky just as stars begin to shine, a calm evening full of possibilities. It’s actually a little difficult to put her finger on, to interpret the color into a personality, more difficult than it has been so far. Before Nia can go on, Felix’s hushed voice breaks through her concentration.
“That’s so cool!”
Nia jumps, yanking her hand back as the tear drops at her head drop lightly to the collar of fur around her neck. Nia turns to find Xander, Felix, and even Kry sitting close to her and Avery and watching the whole ordeal with fascination.
“Ooh! Can you do me next?” Felix asks excitedly, scooting closer as if she won’t see him there, practically bouncing in his seat.
Xander gives Felix a reprimanding look. “Dude, chill, she might need to rest or something. You know how Avery gets when they’re overworked.”
Before Felix can deflate under the scolding, Nia smiles. “N-No, I can do it, don’t worry. Just give me a second. I’m still learning so it kind of wipes me out, but that’s why I need to practice. You don’t mind me reading your aura? It’s kind of, um. Personal.”
Felix grins at her with shining eyes. “Nah, I don’t mind if it’s not too exhausting for you.”
Nia exchanges an amused look with Avery, then turns her body to Felix. She closes her eyes, holds out her hand for him to take, and then repeats the process of finding her aura, and sending it to where she’s touching the wartortle’s skin.
Felix’s aura flares to life behind Nia’s eyes, and she feels her face drop slack in surprise as the color registers. “Oh. Felix, you’re green.”
The turtle sounds as surprised as his aura feels, the green energy jumping in intensity. “Really?”
“Yeah. Like...a calm, leafy sort of green.” Not calm in the typical sense because the wartortle is certainly not that, but…flexible, she supposes. Purposefully not anxious. Like the changing seasons and the trees that follow them, very go-with-the-flow and easygoing. As unexpectedly sturdy as an oak tree, too. Comforting. It does make sense for the wartortle, in a way, but she has to admit she’s surprised by how deep into his very being his instincts to comfort amuse stabilize go. Oh, he is a very kind soul. A very open, alive soul.
Kry snorts. “Calm. Sure. Clearly you’ve never seen him after being rejected by someone.”
“Hey!” Felix says, indignant.
Nia’s concentration is broken again, and Felix’s hand is yanked away. She blinks back into reality only to sees Kry and Felix play wrestling. Xander rolls his eyes at them, but then looks back at Nia, ears swiveling forward and his brow furrowing with concern. “You okay?”
Oh, she’s breathing harder as her powers take a toll on her. But she doesn’t feel nauseous yet, which must mean she’s getting better! She gives Xander a smile. “I’m fine. This is already leagues better than I was a few days ago! Want me to check your aura, too?”
Xander blinks, exchanging a glance with Avery. Just as Nia’s about to reassure him he doesn’t have to agree, he nods. “You sure you’re okay? I don’t want you to push yourself too hard.”
For a moment, Nia’s thrown by the obvious concern in the luxio’s voice, and her heart squeezes with something fond—
(She said she wasn’t going to make strong friendships here, she can’t, she’s leaving, but—)
—but then she just laughs it off, shaking her head. “N-No, I’m fine. Really.”
Xander looks at her face a moment longer, as if he’s worried she’s lying to him and about to pass out. But then he nods and lifts a paw for her to take.
Nia smiles and closes her eyes, curious despite herself. She’s only known Xander for a couple of weeks, but the more auras that Nia reads the more interesting they become, the more exciting it is to reconcile them with a person’s outward personality. So she reaches out eagerly with her aura, ignoring the strain that she’d just reassured she wasn’t feeling, and nearly recoils in surprise when Xander’s silhouette lights up in a very distinct color. It’s not a deep, protective blue, as she would have guessed, or really any color that she would have predicted.
It’s bright red.
Red, like blood pulsing from a wound, but it doesn’t bring to mind pain or aggression. It’s the blood of a beating heart, it’s the red of passion and emotion, almost too bright in its intensity, almost volatile, and oh, she never would have guessed that this was such an integral part of cool and collected Xander, that he would feel emotions so strongly they hurt. His aura is the blood of a fierce battle, of a pulse pounding away to act, to protect. It’s the red of a heart willing to bleed out before losing those close to him.
A surge of what Nia now recognizes as concern flows through his aura and slams into her like a tidal wave. Nia feels herself physically knocked back from the strength of it, pulling her hands away to catch herself. She snaps back to reality, breathing hard and loud in the quiet of the room, her heart pounding.
Xander is watching her with wide eyes, one paw lifted as if he’d reached out to help but then feared making things worse. Avery is watching her too. The sounds of Kry and Felix’s tussling have stopped.
“Nia? Are you all right?” Avery finally asks, voice soft and level.
Nia swallows hard, her own heart just starting to slow from the overwhelming intensity of Xander’s aura. She looks at the luxio again, and that’s what finally prompts her to pant, “I-I’m fine.”
“Are you sure?” Xander asks. “I didn’t hurt you?”
“Yeah, no, sorry, that was just, uh. Unexpected? You’re red, by the way.” Just saying Xander’s aura is red is the understatement of the century, but how is she supposed to explain what she just felt?
“Red?” Xander echoes, his stiff posture finally starting to relax again. Kry and Felix move closer to listen.
Avery hums. “Interesting. And that means?”
Nia fiddles with the collar of fur around her neck, gaze flicking up to the sun-washed ceiling as she thinks. “W-Well...I’m not sure how good I am at explaining it...”
“Wait, but you said green meant calm, right?” Felix asks. “Isn’t there like...a color cheat sheet or something? Like a list of what each color means?”
“Your green is calm,” Nia corrects. “The colors sort of tell me about someone’s personality and who they are, but I don’t think there’s like...a strict color-code?”
Nia looks to Avery for help, but the kirlia only offers a sympathetic shrug. Oh. Apparently their psychic powers don’t work the same way.
“U-Um. Okay. So for example, my aura is sort of a turquoise blue, but Avery’s is more purple, like a royal blue or indigo. Their aura feels...calmer than mine does, I guess? And Felix, yours is green because you’re so adaptable, like the trees. Very go-with-the-flow, but still sturdy and reliable. Someone else’s aura might be green too but feel super different to me.”
There’s a moment of quiet as they all digest that information, and Nia cringes. “...At least, I think that’s how it works.”
“So what did my aura feel like?” Xander finally asks. “Mine seemed to…affect you differently than the others’ did.”
Nia hesitates, still fiddling with her fur. How does she describe this? “Yours is red, but it’s red like…passion, I guess would be the word. It’s just really emotional? Kind of intense, actually. I’ve never felt someone’s emotions as strongly as I did yours. They kind of swept me away and knocked me right out of my aura state.”
When Nia looks away from the ceiling to gauge the others’ reaction to that, her stomach drops. Xander is staring at her in something close to horror, his fur lifting like a startled cat. She catches Felix shooting Xander a worried look. Wait, what…what happened? She just described his aura to him. Why does he look so upset?
Before the silence can grow too tense, Kry snorts and crosses her arms, apparently tone-deaf to the sudden shift of the room’s mood. “That’s a load of crap. Xander’s the most level-headed one here. Do mine next.”
Nia opens her mouth to say no, watching Xander back away with a gaze like he isn’t totally here. Avery and Felix exchange a concerned look before the kirlia moves to follow the luxio, approaching him with soft words and a hand soothing the spiked fur along his spine.
“Well?” Kry grunts, shifting to cut into Nia’s line of sight.
“W-Wait, Xander—”
“You admittin’ you were wrong?” Kry says, almost like a challenge. “Too afraid to read mine?”
Nia focuses on the fraxure, huffing in irritation. She just upset Xander—and something in her recoils at that thought, already flooded with guilt—and Kry hasn’t even noticed? Fine, if reading Kry’s aura will get her to shut up and move so Nia can check on Xander, she’ll do it. Nia closes her eyes and touches Kry’s open palm. She shoots her aura down her arm and into her paw almost angrily, and Kry’s energy flares to life. Once again, the color that she finds there isn’t quite what she’s expecting.
“You’re…gold,” Nia says. It’s the gold shine of priceless treasure, something proud and hard-fought. But it’s also the gold of armor, of a shield, determined and immovable. Protective. She feels the fraxure’s emotions shift too rapidly for her to catch, but she doesn’t really care too much anyways, with what’s happening to Xander three feet away. Nia pulls back and opens her eyes, meeting Kry’s hard stare with her own.
“So what’s gold mean?”
Nia frowns. “It feels...determined. Proud, I guess. I dunno, I’m not very good at this yet.” Nia’s attention is elsewhere, and she leans past the dinosaur to see Xander, only to find that Xander and Avery have disappeared from the room entirely. Felix meets her panicked gaze with a sad, soothing smile.
“Sorry, Nia, Xander just…had to get some air. Don’t worry, he’ll be fine.”
“Wait, what…what happened?” Nia rasps. “Is Xander okay? He looked...”
Felix and Kry exchange a meaningful look. The wartortle nods, and Kry moves to start cleaning up the game abandoned on the rug a few feet away, completely silent. It’s such a shift from her aggressive prodding moments before that Nia wonders if the fraxure wasn’t as oblivious to Xander’s sudden emotional turn as she thought.
Was Kry distracting her?
“Nia,” Felix says, catching her attention again. He gives her a small smile. “You didn’t do anything wrong. Just…accidentally brought up some unhappy memories for Xander.”
Nia wilts, her heart sinking in her chest. She really likes Xander—she didn’t mean to upset him! Why would learning about his aura have upset him so much? Is this what Val was warning her about, about using her powers responsibly? But she didn’t do it without asking. He wanted to know! Should she have not told him what she saw? But then she would have had to lie to him!
“I didn’t mean to upset him,” Nia whimpers.
Felix’s expression softens. “I know you didn’t. And he does too, don’t worry. But maybe for tonight you should head back to Maggie’s. C’mon, I’ll walk with you.”
Nia opens her mouth to protest—she doesn’t want to just leave without talking to Xander or at least apologizing to him! But Felix is already at the doorway to the hall, beckoning her with a twitch of his fluffy tail. He doesn’t seem angry with her, but it’s clear that he’s nudging her to leave for today. Feeling upset and a lot less proud of her aura abilities, Nia grabs her book and follows him out the door, shuffling up the guild’s stairs and hoping Maggie doesn’t ask her what’s wrong.
Chapter 18
Summary:
Nia and Tobias track down their first outlaw!
Notes:
Content warnings for this chapter!
Slightly more intense blood/injuries than usual during the outlaw fight! Stay safe.
Chapter Text
“What’s up with you today?”
Nia jumps, looking over at Tobias in surprise. “W-What?”
The charmander huffs out an irritated puff of smoke, focusing his gaze on the scenery of the dungeon they’re in. “You’re all mopey. Have been since last night.”
“Oh.” Nia hops over a small rivulet of water, weighing whether she wants to tell the truth or not. It’ll probably just make him mad, considering who she’s worked up about, but she doesn’t wanna lie to him either. “I uh. I think I upset Xander yesterday.”
As expected, the charmander rolls his eyes. “That‘s reason to celebrate, not mope.”
“Tobias,” Nia warns. “You’re being a jerk again.”
Tobias grumbles something under his breath, but then says, “Fine. Whatcha do?”
Nia fiddles with the branch she’d picked out for her weapon today, spinning it in her fingers with clumsy movements. “That’s just it. I’m not really sure? M-My aura reading came up in conversation so I was just telling everyone how their aura looks, and when I told Xander he got all...quiet. Avery had to take him out of the room.”
“Did he even want his aura read?”
“Of course!” Nia says, giving Tobias a frown. “I wouldn’t have done it if he hadn’t asked.”
Tobias doesn’t answer, and as the two of them walk, eyeing the walls and clefts of the rocky terrain for hidden ferals, Nia assumes he won’t. Then, he mumbles, “Maybe he didn’t like what you found.”
Nia’s ears flick back. That’s more or less the conclusion she’d come to as well. But all she’d told him was that his aura was red. Emotional, passionate. Why would that bother him so much? Sure, he always seems so calm and collected and with such an emotional aura he must have to work hard for that image, but it can’t just be that. She knows Tobias won’t know any better than she will, so for now she just sighs and moves on.
If she were in a better mood, Nia bets she’d really be enjoying the dungeon they’re in today. Apparently the mystery dungeon popped up in a small rocky riverbed, a bit scarce in terms of foliage, because the mystery dungeon itself has grown into a canyon-like labyrinth. Rocky brown stone, sunbaked and pale, and small streams of water flowing through the dungeon’s halls and rooms. Nia’s paws feel a bit rough from the scratchy, hot rock underfoot, but occasionally she steps into a shallow stream to cool down.
More than once she thinks she sees something move above her in the streams’ reflection, just a brief flicker of movement, but every time Nia looks up, the canyon walls are empty. She’s probably just paranoid about the outlaw. Hopefully. There aren’t any other signs they’re being watched, so she must be imagining it.
As for Tobias, he seems torn, probably enjoying the heated rocks and warm day but clearly hating the water he has to jump over and climb around. Still, this is the first dungeon they’ve been to since their reconciliation a few days ago, and despite the tension in his body he’s doing a good job of keeping things civil.
“So you said we’re capturing an outlaw? Uh, how exactly does that work?” Nia asks, trying not to sound as nervous as she feels.
Tobias jumps and heaves himself up onto a large rock blocking the narrow path, claws scrabbling, before turning to answer. “Criminals like to hide in mystery dungeons to avoid getting caught. So we have to track this guy down, knock him out, and take him back to the guild.”
Nia, branch tucked into the strap of their exploration bag and busy trying to haul herself up the stone, asks, “Wait, so he’s not feral?”
“Nope. Just an idiot who robbed a seed patch nearby.”
Nia slips with a yelp and slides back to the ground. She shakes out her stinging claws and glares up at the rock. “Dang it!”
Tobias snorts a laugh, looking down at her. “Am I gonna be called a jerk again if I decide to just sit and watch you struggle? Because it’s pretty entertaining.”
Nia groans. “I can’t help that I’m not built for climbing! I’m a dog for God’s sake.”
“What in Entei’s name is a dog?”
“If you help me up, I’ll tell you!”
Tobias rolls his eyes but dutifully stretches out on his belly, reaching his arms down. Nia backs up and takes a running leap at the stone. She hits the hard surface, and before her dull claws let her slide back down, Tobias grabs her wrists, yanking her up. Nia pulls herself over the top, plopping down to catch her breath.
“Ugh, I hate climbing!”
“Good, ‘cause you suck at it.”
Nia shoots the charmander a playful glare. “Hey, I used to be great at climbing trees when I was human! At least I can still swim.”
Tobias looks downright offended. “I’m a fire type!”
“And I have a dog body. We’re even.” Nia sits up, rights their satchel and retrieves her branch, then follows Tobias’ grumbling as he slips down the other side of the boulder and back onto solid ground.
They continue down the path (What floor are they on now? Fourth?), and after a few moments Tobias speaks up again.
“So?”
“Uh. S-So what?”
“What’s a dog?”
Nia blinks. “Oh! You actually wanna know?”
“Not really,” Tobias growls, “But these stairs are impossible to find and the ferals are hiding from the outlaw, so you might as well tell me. I’m getting bored.”
Nia hides a smile and looks up to the sliver of blue sky she can see between rocky canyon walls. How does she even explain something like this?
“Well...in my world, there are humans, and plants, but there are also things called animals. I would say that Pokémon are...mostly like humans? You’re smart. You can talk and you have a society and stuff. But most Pokemon look more like animals. Fluffy, or scaly, or resembling certain body types. Like...you look like a lizard, kind of. And I kind of look like a dog.“
“A...lizard?”
Nia nods, encouraged by his thinly veiled curiosity. “Yeah! Um, there are different kinds, but they all have a similar shape and stuff. Four legs, low to the ground, long tail, scaly. Um...you’re kind of like a two-legged version? Lizards definitely can’t breathe fire, though.”
“So I’m like a lizard but a lot cooler,” Tobias surmises.
Nia laughs, loud and caught off-guard. “Pretty much, yeah. Animals aren’t, uh, seen the same as humans, though. They aren’t...lesser, really? But they’re...different. They think differently. More simply, I guess. Lots of humans keep certain kinds of animals as pets.”
“‘Pets?’” Tobias echoes.
“Yeah! Like partners, kind of. Y’know, in their homes. They take care of them, and in return they get to watch them grow and bond with ‘em. They become companions, even if they might not think of us the same way.”
Tobias doesn’t answer for a few moments, carefully skirting around a puddle. “So the, uh...the animals don’t get a say in the matter?”
“Oh.” Nia stops, brow furrowing. “I mean...I guess not? But it’s almost like potting a plant in your house. As long as the animal’s happy and its needs are being met, it doesn’t really matter? Most house pets don’t really have a concept of like...captivity? I don’t think so, at least. I guess some smarter ones do, like monkeys.”
Tobias shoots her a look that’s surprisingly uneasy. “That still sounds unfair.”
Nia sighs. “It’s hard to explain when you don’t really have a concept for animals. Like, maybe dogs would’ve been a better example. They’re pack animals to start with, so when we take care of them they become part of our family, and they see us as their pack. They’re really happy with humans. It’s harder to tell with things like lizards or snakes or something, but dogs and cats definitely bond with humans like their own species.”
Tobias frowns, but not in the way that says he wishes Nia would shut up. This one looks more thoughtful. Nia doesn’t mind this frown as much. Eventually, he seems to settle on, “Humans are weird.”
“I mean, you’re not wrong. But the Pokémon world is still ten times weirder.”
Tobias snorts. “Hardly.”
“You have sentient trash bags, Tobias! And creatures that can use psychic powers! That’s not normal!”
Tobias cracks a grin. “Wait until you see a cryogonal or Mr. Mime for the first time. Now those are weird.”
Nia stares at him, surprised by the teasing and almost friendly tone of his voice. “Did you just say a ‘Mr. Mime’? As in that’s what an entire species is called?”
“You’ll know one when you see one.”
From there, the conversation dies off into a strangely comfortable silence as the two of them continue through the dungeon. Nia had almost forgotten where they were with how casually they were talking. The ferals of the dungeon still seem to be hiding from the outlaw (and that doesn’t make Nia nervous at all), but occasionally they hear one scrabbling along the stone just out of sight or growling in the distance.
They climb to the next floor, and then the next, and even there the ferals are still and silent.
“A-Are you sure we can handle this outlaw?” Nia whispers
Tobias rolls his eyes. “The mission was on the E-rank board for a reason. We’ll be fine.”
Nia nods, not any more assured than before. “How will we even know what they look like?”
“The mission said it was a panpour, idiot—" Nia shoots him a frown, and he softens his harsh tone. “Uh. Blue water type. Can stand on two feet? Long tail and big ears. Fuzzy. Plus, they won’t be feral.”
“Right.”
From there, the tension in Nia’s body only grows. It’s one thing to fight ferals that are clearly out for her blood, Pokemon that feel more like rabid animals than people, but fighting an outlaw...
The two of them round another corner, and before either can react, a huge spray of water slams into Tobias. The charmander is thrown back with an uncharacteristic cry of pain, into Nia, and the two of them tumble to the ground in a heap.
Nia’s first to stagger back to her feet, shaking her wet fur and looking up to find what must be the outlaw darting into the narrow canyon hallway where they are. He looks like a blue...monkey? Slightly smaller than her and Tobias, but fast. Maybe the most startling thing is how coherent the monkey looks, eyes flashing not with a mindless aggression but with an expression of intentional malice.
“You two are Seekers? You’ve gotta be kidding me—I heard you from across the map!”
The monkey braces himself and rears back, cheeks puffing. Nia barely realizes what he’s doing in time to jump between the next spray of water and Tobias’ shaky form. The water slams into her like a fire hose, and she grits her teeth and tries to stay on her feet as she slides back. She never knew water could sting so badly!
The attack stops, and Nia looks back to the monkey with wide eyes, panting. Except he’s gone, leaping past and behind them again—
“Gotta move,” Tobias gasps out, finally getting his legs under him.
“What?”
Instead of answering, the charmander grabs Nia’s arm and runs for the room the monkey had come out of. They barely make it in before another jet of water is shot at them from behind. They fling themselves off to the sides, to the safety of the room’s walls, wild eyes meeting.
“We’re not trapped in such a tight space here,” Tobias explains, seeming like he’s finally caught his breath again. Nia’s still a little shaken by how a single water move hurt him so badly, but nods.
“N-Now what?”
“We beat him into the dirt!”
The monkey comes barreling into the room, skidding around with a grin. “Good luck with that, kiddos.”
Tobias lunges forward with a snarl, but Nia hesitates, watching as the monkey dodges the charmander’s slashing claws and tail whips with nimble ease. Tobias only spares a puff of small embers here and there to throw the outlaw off, focusing more on physical attacks.
The monkey shoves Tobias away from him, then claps his hands together. In an instant his body is glowing a bright blue (and in a moment of confused panic, Nia thinks he’s using aura). But then a cloud of shining blue water sprays out and around the room. The air feels damp and misty now. Tobias snarls, then goes back to madly swinging at the monkey, no longer using his flames.
The monkey dodges and weaves, takes a moment to time his shot, and then spits a strong jet of water straight into Tobias’ face. The charmander makes a pained sound and stumbles back.
Then the monkey turns to Nia, smirking. “So what’s with you, pup? Just letting your partner do all the work?”
Nia swallows hard and takes a step back, holding her branch in front of her like a sword. Her heart is roaring in her ears and her stomach feels knotted up. This feels different than fighting ferals, somehow. She still doesn’t know how to fight anyways, not really, not with just a few lessons, and it’s one thing to counter mindless ferals, another entirely to be able to hold her ground against someone like this! This is like...an actual person!
“Nia, snap out of it!” Tobias growls, lunging at the monkey again.
The charmander is clearly wearing down, but Nia can’t seem to unfreeze herself, staring at the fight in a panic. This is so different. This isn’t defending someone—or yourself—from a rabid animal, this is willingly going toe-to-toe with a criminal.
She can’t do this. Not on a physical level or an emotional one.
With a few more nimble dodges, the monkey is once again shoving the charmander away and blasting him with a water move. Tobias falls to the ground and doesn’t get back up.
The outlaw turns to Nia, looking thoroughly unimpressed. “I’m actually a little offended that the guild thought you two could bring me in. What is this, your first day?”
Nia doesn’t answer, gripping shaky fingers tighter around her pathetic weapon. Her eyes flick nervously from the outlaw to Tobias, and she knows he’s not dead or anything, his tail flame is still flickering, but seeing him so still in the dirt is making her chest tighten with fear. She doesn’t want to see anyone hurt, not even a criminal, but she’s already grown a bit fond of the sharp-tempered charmander and he can’t do this on his own so she has to fight—
The outlaw must be sick of waiting for her response, because the next thing she knows she’s being blasted into the wall by a painful jet of water. Her head bounces off the canyon wall, but she stays on her feet, shaking her head to get rid of the stars in her vision. As she does, she sees the monkey grin.
He’s enjoying this. Enjoying hurting them.
Fighting ferals is one thing—they don’t know what they’re doing, they aren’t actively, consciously trying to hurt people. And in a way, that’s easier. But this guy? This guy’s just a jerk who stole some items and is beating up two teenagers for fun, getting some kind of sick enjoyment out of it. Yes, he feels more like a person than the ferals, but doesn’t that just make it worse? That he’s doing bad things intentionally?
Suddenly, her fear feels a lot more like anger.
The monkey goes to attack again, almost lazily, and the riolu moves, pushing off the wall. She sprints for the monkey, taking him by surprise and swinging her branch around to slam into his stomach.
The monkey staggers back with a wheeze, and for a split-second Nia hesitates. He didn’t react how ferals do, didn’t just shake off the hit with an inhuman growl and a counterattack. He’d grabbed at his stomach, grumbled under his breath like a person, and something about hitting him so solidly, seeing the damage she did to him, it still throws her off even through her adrenaline rush.
And now the monkey’s angry, wiping at his mouth to glare at her. “Oh, so you were holding out on me, huh?”
He darts forward, and it’s all Nia can do to keep his claws and sharp teeth away from her body. She’s on defense now, smacking away attacking limbs with her branch and stepping steadily back, keeping her eyes focused on the monkey’s body and letting her peripheral vision react to the lightning-fast strikes like Val taught her. It’s terrifying and doesn’t even leave her time to think about what she’s doing, her body working fully on instinct.
It’s a little bit exhilarating, too.
But then the monkey’s hands change target, grabbing Nia’s branch and yanking it out of her hold before she can register what’s happening. In one swift movement, he snaps the branch in half and chucks the pieces over his shoulder. Then he lunges at her again, and she barely manages to catch the monkey’s hands in her own. Her head snaps up to meet his grin a heartbeat before he blasts her with another water attack. The move knocks her back and off her feet, and she rolls to the side to avoid a follow-up attack.
The monkey just keeps coming at her, and she’s scrambling back to avoid it, thoughts racing, about to block a hit to the face when something small blurs past her vision to hit the outlaw right on the forehead. He shouts, staggering back. Nia sees what looks like a little yellow seed tangled in his short fur, taking root on the skin of his forehead.
“Idiot.”
Nia jumps, turning to see Tobias padding over, worse for wear but still standing. Then she remembers what she’s doing and falls back into a defensive stance.
Except the monkey is staggering around in circles like a drunk man, falling this way and that in a desperate attempt to regain his balance, tail flailing. He’s frowning, blinking hard like he’s trying to concentrate.
“Totter seed,” Tobias explains, shooting Nia a wicked grin. “Dumb ‘mon left his stolen goods sitting over there in the corner.”
Nia’s mouth falls into a little “o” of surprise. “So he’s confused now, right?”
The outlaw grunts and shoots off a vicious jet of water that makes Nia and Tobias flinch even though he’s facing the wrong direction.
“Yup. Let’s finish this since you finally got yourself together. Why do you always wait until I’m beaten to a pulp before finally fighting back?”
Nia barks a laugh, beyond relieved to feel back in control of the situation. “Let’s call it a lesson in ego.”
Tobias snorts and moves to attack. Nia, not wanting to get in his way, positions herself on the other side of the outlaw, so the monkey is left staggering between the two of them. Without his wits about him, the outlaw’s speed is useless, and he flails weakly in the wrong direction as Tobias slams the smaller Pokémon with his tail and sends him towards Nia.
She takes the opportunity, uneasy about using her own fists instead of a weapon. But no, Val’s been teaching her how to punch and kick, so she needs to try to use that knowledge. She goes with a set of punches before shoving the monkey back Tobias’ way. The feeling of hitting solid warmth--fur and muscle and bone--with her own two hands is unnerving, but she tries her best to ignore it as they bat the outlaw back and forth. It’s like the world’s weirdest and most violent game of monkey in the middle, with a literal monkey as the ball. Nia almost laughs aloud at the thought.
Of course, the outlaw chooses that exact moment to blink out of his confusion, used seed falling to the dirt.
The monkey bares his teeth, beaten and bloody and livid, then turns and grabs Tobias, swinging the charmander around and flinging him into Nia. The two fall with a pained yelp into a tangle of limbs.
The outlaw is breathing hard, clearly hurting but not willing to give up the fight. As Nia and Tobias rise back to their feet, side-by-side, the riolu takes a moment to appreciate the feeling of the charmander at her side in the heat of battle. For maybe the first time, she thinks she understands what it means to really feel like a team, to have a real partner.
Then the outlaw dashes forward, and the two of them move at once, bumping into each other—her arm jabs his side, he steps on her foot—and in the confusion the monkey bowls into them both. Sharp, blinding pain shoots through Nia’s right bicep, and she cries out, kicking at the outlaw whose jaws are locked around her arm in a vice grip. She rolls, claws, even tries to manifest her aura, but he just sinks his fangs in deeper. She feels blood gush out, hot and slick.
God, it hurts.
Then, there’s something else tugging at the monkey, and she squeezes her eyes open to see Tobias with his arms around the outlaw’s middle, his own teeth latched around the monkey’s shoulder and tugging hard.
Finally, the monkey is ripped free, and Tobias throws him away. Nia presses a hand to her injury, but keeps her eyes squinted open to watch eye the outlaw. The monkey manages to land on his feet, then tries to leap forward again. Nia braces herself.
“Back off!” Tobias snarls.
And then all she sees are blinding purple flames, beautiful and hot even from a few feet away, engulfing the monkey with a flare of light. Nia watches, breathless, as the ball of flames lands hard, smolders, then slowly putters out. The outlaw’s body is left charred and black in the dirt, and Nia only breathes out when she sees the faint rise and fall of the monkey’s back. For a moment there, she’d thought Tobias had killed him.
“You okay?”
Nia jumps, then looks over to Tobias, crouched down at her side and frowning. His expression is odd, somehow. Pinched.
“W-What was that?” She asks, awed voice raspy. It takes her a moment to realize that she must’ve been screaming when the outlaw was biting her, because her throat feels a bit raw.
Tobias blinks. “The fire? I, uh. I think I might have learned dragon rage?”
Nia’s eyes widen. “Dragon rage? That’s sounds awesome!”
Tobias’ expression finally breaks into something lighter, amused. “It is awesome. Now stop stalling, show me your arm.”
Nia hadn’t been meaning to stall, but now she wonders if she even wants to see what the monkey’s sharp teeth did to her. With a hiss, she slowly removes her hand, now sticky with blood. She can feel her heartbeat pulsing at the wound.
Tobias sucks in air between his teeth.
“That bad?” She asks, voice wobbly.
“‘S not pretty,” he admits. “Here, hang on...”
Nia watches as Tobias leans close and rummages through the satchel still hanging around her shoulder. He pulls out an oran berry, frowning.
“I thought we had two?”
“We did.” Nia had packed them herself.
Tobias looks around, then groans, slumping. Nia follows his gaze, recognizing a smear of smashed blue pulp in the dirt. Great. Must’ve fallen out and gotten stepped on in the scuffle.
“Well, at least eat one,” Tobias says, lifting the berry up to her mouth.
Nia leans back. “But you’re all banged up too, and—“
The charmander rolls his eyes, but there’s less venom in the gesture than usual. Maybe it’s the exhaustion weighing on them both, but Nia would almost say he looks concerned. “My skin’s stinging and I’m exhausted, but I’m not bleeding out through my arm. Eat it.”
Nia hesitates, but takes the berry, chewing it up and letting the sweet tang burst over her tongue. As soon as she swallows, she already feels a bit better. Tobias scoots closer, reaching up to hold her arm with one hand and feeling around the bite with the other, intensely focused. He’s gentler than Nia thought he’d be, but she still winces at the pain.
“The worst of the wound is closing up, but we should probably still staunch the bleeding,” he murmurs, almost to himself.
“W-Would my scarf work?” Nia asks.
“Hm? Oh, yeah. Is it in the bag?”
Nia nods, and Tobias rummages through the satchel again with his now-bloodied hands, finally bringing out the red scarf that the riolu has had for weeks. She actually wants to wear it now to symbolize their newly remade team, but she’s still not sure where to wear it. The collar of fur around her neck is just so darn fluffy!
Tobias tugs at the material as if to test its strength, and then nods, satisfied. He scooches around Nia again to get a better look at her wound.
“Don’t move,” he says.
Nia hums an affirmative, closing her eyes and trying not to think about the blood she can feel all over her arm, tacky as it starts to dry. The charmander carefully arranges the scarf around her bite, circling the material twice, before pulling it tight.
Nia flinches and almost tugs her arm away. “Ow!”
“Sorry,” Tobias grumbles, still focused on his work. “Hold still.”
Nia tries to, sniffing back pained tears as the charmander ties the scarf into a knot. When he’s done, he leans back. “How’s that?”
Nia looks at the patch job, a little amused and a little nauseous seeing the bright red scarf against the darker crimson blood staining her arm. That’s gonna be a pain to get out of her fur. She gingerly moves her arm back to her side, slowly bending it to a lax position. It definitely still stings and the muscles are probably bruised, but...
“Much better,” she says, meeting Tobias’ eyes with a shaky smile. “Thanks, doc!”
The charmander rolls his eyes, but his face flushes red and embarrassed as he pushes himself back to his feet. “C’mon, let’s get this loser back to the guild.”
Nia struggles to stand, a bit woozy, but nods. “Right.”
Tobias gathers up the stolen bag of seeds, finds their badges in their satchel, and pulls the charred monkey onto his back, lip curled in disgust.
“You really did a number on him,” Nia says quietly, impressed. “You said that move was...dragon rage? Did you just learn it?”
Tobias shrugs as well as he can with the outlaw on his back, looking uncomfortable. “I guess. That happens as your battling experience goes up and you get stronger. Definitely handy that I learned a dragon type move after that water sport he pulled.” He pauses in the middle of sending out a pick-up request via their badges to give Nia a look. “Speaking of—what’s up with you not using actual moves? I thought you would have adapted to fighting hand-to-hand by now.”
Nia sighs and glances at what remains of her makeshift weapon, lying discarded in the corner of the room. “I guess I really should stop depending on a weapon so much. Didn’t do me much good today.”
“No, not that,” Tobias waves her off. “I mean, yeah, that too, but even when you were punching, you weren’t using moves. You were just using basic body attacks. Why?”
Nia blinks at him. “Uh. What do you mean I wasn’t using moves?”
The charmander blinks back at her. “You…you didn’t know you weren’t?”
“I thought I was! I was punching a-and kicking and stuff! That’s what fighting types do, right?”
Tobias opens his mouth to explain, but then seems to reconsider and just heaves an exasperated groan. “We need to talk to Val tomorrow. Arceus, I thought you just weren’t using ‘em for some dumb personal reason, not because you didn’t know how to use them at all.”
Nia’s ears pin back. “I...I thought I was using them.”
“And I haven’t seen you two spar much since I’ve mostly been with Azami, so Val might not even know that you don’t know…” Tobias trails off, more to himself than to Nia. “We’re talking to her about this tomorrow. It’d help if you actually knew how to use your moves. And how to not freeze in battle until I’m half dead.”
His tone is harsh, but lacking the old bite it used to have. Nia still whines and buries her face in a hand, embarrassed. “I’m sorry! I promise it’s not on purpose. It just really caught me off guard, fighting a Pokémon that wasn’t feral.” Nia tries to latch onto something other than everything she’s apparently doing wrong. “At least we can tell Azami about your new move tomorrow too, right?”
Tobias nods, looking the faintest bit proud. “True.”
Their conversation is cut off as one of the retrieval psychics at the guild calls them back in a beam of light. Nia’s stomach flips, and when they land back on solid wood, the riolu collapses to her knees.
“You aren’t gonna pass out, are you?” Tobias asks, frowning at her.
Nia squeezes her eyes shut, fighting off a wave of nausea and lightheadedness. “N-No, I don’t think so. Just the blood loss, I’m pretty sure.”
There’s the quiet murmuring of voices, and the shifting of Tobias handing off the outlaw to the psychic type. Some more talking, and then the charmander’s light footsteps return to her side.
“Maggie’ll have some spare oran berries lying around if you can get back to the room.” Tobias says. He sounds a little awkward, like being any form of encouraging with his words is physically making him uncomfortable. Nia almost smiles.
“I...I think I’m fine.” The riolu blinks open her eyes, glancing around. The psychic type taking care of their case (not an abra, but an adorable, green jelly-like Pokémon who is shooting her worried looks) has the unconscious monkey chained up in psychic bindings, presumably to wait for law enforcement to take the outlaw away. At least, that’s what she guesses. She’s never done this before. Are there Pokémon police? Are they the police? She needs a badge. Wait, she has one of those.
“Okay, c’mon, before you pass out on the floor,” Tobias grumbles, hesitating before wrapping a warm arm around her back to help her to her feet. Nia stumbles, then slowly allows herself to put some of her weight onto Tobias. The charmander slings her uninjured arm around his shoulders, face flushed with embarrassment as he pointedly avoids her gaze. Then, the two start their arduous trek up the stairs to Maggie’s quarters.
Once or twice Nia considers thanking the charmander for helping her like this, but he’s already burning with embarrassment—quite literally, he feels hotter than normal—so she lets it be.
“Maggie’s gonna be so mad,” Nia mumbles when they’re nearly there.
Tobias has relaxed enough (or is maybe just exhausted enough) to snort a laugh. Nia can feel it rumble through his ribs, pressed against her side.
“She’s gonna be ticked at both of us,” He agrees. “I don’t know why she always throws such a fit when we get hurt. It’s part of the job.”
“Occupational hazard,” Nia agrees with a tired smile.
The two are silent the rest of the way, and sure enough, as soon as they step through the door, Maggie descends on them with all the worried wrath of a mother scolding her terrible, danger-prone children.
Nia relaxes and lets herself be babied. Her chest hurts just as much as her arm, something in her finding Maggie’s motherly worry familiar and comforting, in an aching, longing sort of way, so she lets the meganium fuss over her injuries. She’s feeling far too fond of the situation, really, as she watches Tobias stubbornly shooing Maggie away from his own wounds. It’s nice, to be cared about. To have somewhere safe to come home to.
Chapter 19
Summary:
Training time! Nia and Tobias work on their team combat with Val and discuss Nia’s struggle to use moves.
Notes:
(See the end of the chapter for notes.)
Chapter Text
It’s two days later when Tobias and Nia finally get the chance to go to the training area. The bite on Nia’s arm from the outlaw was deeper than either of them had realized, so even after a few sitrus berry treatments and a lot of fuss from Maggie, it had been clear Nia wouldn’t be throwing any punches for a day or two.
Their combat-free day was taken up by a tour of the guild for a few kids who lived in the Haven. Other than a pair of bratty rattata sisters constantly trying to run off, it was an admittedly nice chance for the two of them to recoup. Besides, a storm had rolled in as well, rain finally falling for the first time in weeks, so Tobias had no desire to get out anyways. The Haven really needed the bout of rain to pour some life back into the dry forest, but it still would’ve been annoying to have to deal with on a mission.
When Tobias shakes the riolu awake the second morning after their outlaw battle, she gives her injured arm a tentative stretch and flex, and he’s glad to hear that it’s only a little sore. He tries to be a “considerate” partner and ask her if she can train with it instead of telling her to, but he’s relieved when she says she can. He’s been itching for some activity.
The two of them leave for the day with a promise to a worried Maggie that they’ll come back with minimal damage this time. Nia’s still waking up, so it’s a quiet trip down to the training floor as she fiddles with the red scarf tied awkwardly around her neck. It’s the first time Tobias has actually seen her wear it, and something about their matching attire makes him proud. They actually look like a team now, even if the scarf does look weird on her, the collar of fur underneath it so fluffy that it poofs out awkwardly around the fabric. He’s not sure how to tell her to tie it somewhere else without making it sound mean, so he stays silent for now, even if she looks ridiculous.
Nia breaks out of her sleepy stupor when the two of them run into Azami on the way to the training floor, and the tsareena meets their surprise with a laugh.
“Sorry, Spitfire, I won’t be able to train with you today. Just received an urgent mission from August himself!”
Tobias feels disappointment rise up in his chest, but tries not to look put out by the news. He...he didn’t actually want to show Azami his new dragon rage attack anyways. Nia pins back her ears with a quiet, “Oh.”
Azami gives them both a grin. “Aw, don’t give me those yamper eyes! I’ll be around and ready to kick your butts next time you come to train!”
Nia gives her a half-hearted smile. “O-Okay. Good luck!”
“Thanks! You be good for Val, all right, Spitfire?”
Tobias snorts and rolls his eyes. “Yeah, yeah.”
Azami just laughs, giving them a wink before heading off. Tobias moves into the training floor to look for Val, and Nia follows, sending a few not-at-all-subtle glances his way. He sighs, trying to keep the irritation out of his voice when he says, “What?”
Nia runs her paws through the ruff of fur around her neck, trying to tuck it back under her scarf. “I uh. Was wondering why you didn’t tell Azami about your new move?”
Tobias huffs. “Not like she has time to check it out right now anyways.” And it’s not like he cares that much. He purposefully squashes the leftover disappointment in his gut and straightens up. “She’ll see it eventually. Might as well surprise her in the middle of a spar.”
Nia smiles. “Oh! Right! Imagine how excited she’ll be for you!” She’s not wrong there. The tsareena is an almost annoyingly invested teacher.
They reach the back area that Val is usually at, where she’s finishing up a talk with a roselia. When the two finish their conversation, they bow to one another. The roselia turns to leave, and lights up at the sight of Nia.
“Hey, Nia! Good luck with practice today!”
The riolu jumps, surprised, before smiling nervously back and saying, “Thanks, Briar!”
The charmander watches the roselia go, confused. “How d’you know her?” He didn’t even know the Pokémon’s name, and he’s seen her here and there around the guild for at least a few years.
Nia wrings her paws. “W-Well, a lot of Pokémon are curious about the former human of the guild, so they like to introduce themselves. They’re nice, so I don’t mind.”
That doesn’t surprise him. Nia’s a bit nervous by nature, but she clearly likes talking and making friends. Of course the other Pokémon would flock to her with annoying questions about being human. Well, better her than him. He can’t hold a conversation to save his life, even if he wanted to.
“Good morning.”
Val’s quiet voice breaks Tobias out of his thoughts, and he looks over to see Val walking up to them, her eyes immediately zeroing in on Nia’s healing arm wound, scabbed over by now.
“‘Morning,” Nia echoes, smiling. She sounds nervous, and moves her paw up, almost as if to cover the bite marks, before hesitantly dropping it again.
Val doesn’t question it, more than a few old scars littering her own body, and instead says, “Today we will practice team fighting.”
“First,” Tobias interrupts, crossing his arms. “Did you know that Nia doesn’t know how to use moves?”
Val’s usual stoic expression doesn’t change. “I am aware.”
Oh, well that changes the whole tone of this conversation, doesn’t it? Tobias feels anger light in his belly, a growl rolling through his voice as he says, “Then why haven’t you been teaching her how to use any actual attacks?!”
Val doesn’t look offended by his accusatory tone, and that just makes him angrier. “I thought it best to tackle that problem later. I did not want to overwhelm her when she was still learning basic bodily functions and form.”
“And you didn’t think that would be a little dangerous, leaving her so defenseless?”
Nia shoots him a pleading look that clearly asks him to drop it, but he ignores her.
“E-Rank Pokemon are usually manageable without moves. I assumed you would be fine.”
Tobias throws up his arms, the fire in his belly stoking higher, into his throat. “Clearly not! If Nia knew how to use her attacks, maybe she could’ve avoided having a bite taken out of her arm!”
Val still doesn’t seem defensive in the slightest, and instead eyes him with interest. “You’re angry.”
“Of course I’m angry! You let us waltz around fighting outlaws when Nia doesn’t know basic moves!”
“Tobias, it’s fine, I should’ve brought it up—“
“No it’s not!” Tobias snaps, turning his glare onto Nia. She shrinks back. “It’s her job to teach us, and moves should’ve been one of the first lessons, especially for you!”
Tobias turns back to the medicham, intent on yelling up at her a bit more (ugh, why can’t she be shorter?!), but she cuts him off with a calm, “Allow me to speak, Charmander.”
Tobias considers going off on her anyways, but then snaps his jaws shut, a stream of white smoke wisping up from his nose.
The medicham looks to Nia and, still with that same infuriating calm to her voice, says, “I apologize. For not preparing you for such a dangerous fight. I underestimated the fierce nature of the Pokémon you faced, and your own capabilities.”
Nia blinks up at the older Pokemon with wide eyes, looking somewhere between surprised and uncomfortable.
“However,” Val adds, dark eyes focusing on Tobias. “You must both understand that with or without moves, you will be injured working as Seekers. It is simply part of the job.”
Tobias frowns. She’s not wrong of course—Seeker teams have one of the highest mortality rates of all careers for a reason. But...
“You still could’ve done your job,” he grumbles, gaze flicking once more to Nia’s arm. He can still hear the riolu screaming in pain, can still feel the unexpected panic lurch in his gut. Not a fun time.
Nia shifts her worried gaze up to Val, a soft smile on her muzzle. “I-It’s fine, Val. Really. Everyone makes mistakes.”
Tobias curses under his breath. The worst part is that he knows Nia is genuine, too. Looks like he’s gonna have to be angry enough for the both of them.
“I still apologize for my oversight,” Val says, voice solemn. She looks to Tobias next. “I understand that you will be angry with me for a while.”
“Let’s just get to training,” he grumbles.
Val nods and doesn’t try to push the issue. The medicham leads them both to the center of the training ring they typically use. “Today we will work on cooperative training. Team fighting.” Before Tobias can open his mouth to snarl a complaint, the medicham adds, “We will also work on your movesets.” The riolu nods, and Tobias settles down again.
“Practicing singular battle techniques is important. But as Seekers, teamwork is key,” Val goes on. “Teamwork in combat especially. We will work on how you can build off of each other’s strengths, and cover each other’s weaknesses. Have you noticed a clash in your fighting styles?”
Nia laughs, sounding embarrassed. “Um, yeah. When we were fighting the outlaw, we kind of just...tripped over each other?”
Tobias frowns. Right. They’d moved at the same time, and she’d elbowed him in the ribs. He might have stepped on her paw, too. They stumbled and gave the panpour a huge opening for attack.
Val nods, looking satisfied. “That is what we must avoid. When you are on a mission, you are not two separate Pokémon. You are not just taking turns and trying to avoid each other. You are one team. With practice, you will support each other effortlessly. A cohesive unit.”
Tobias doesn’t object, despite his reservations about having to adapt his fighting style. He’s hung around the training areas enough over the years to have seen teams battling in tandem. It’s frighteningly effective.
Nia shifts on her paws, but her ears are pricked and her ruby eyes bright with curiosity. “S-So how do we practice?”
Val takes a step back and sinks into a defensive stance. “You fight me. Together. Your goal is to land a hit.”
Nia blinks. “W-Wait, wha—“
Tobias doesn’t waste the opportunity, dashing forwards to throw himself claws-first at the medicham. He has some aggression to work out.
But before he can register what’s happening, Val’s sliding around his strike, snatching his arm and yanking him around. She brings her knee down into his back and slams him to the ground, hard enough to wind him. She pulls his arms back and holds them with a single hand, pinning him down, and he can sense her other hand hovering close to his neck. He freezes, struggling to catch his breath.
He can’t see Nia, but he can imagine the startled, wide-eyed expression on her face.
“Being out of sync with your partner could get you killed,” Val says, lightly. “If I had claws, you would be dead. And your partner cannot help, because you are now a hostage.”
Tobias wants to snark a reply, but feeling the medicham’s hand so close to his neck—
He has his scarf on it’s fine he’s safe here—
And then Val is letting him go and stepping back. Tobias pushes himself up on his hands and knees and tries to calm the beginnings of panic that were stirring in his chest. Nia crouches down next to him, hands raised hesitantly, like she wants to help but isn’t sure how. “A-Are you okay?”
“Fantastic,” Tobias croaks, staggering to his feet and glaring at Val. Her calm expression doesn’t change. Nia stands up, too, and the medicham once again falls into a defensive stance. Tobias growls, feeling his lip curl back. Before he can move, Nia’s light touch is on his arm, catching his attention.
“Wait. Maybe we should make a plan first? That’s what the whole lesson’s about, right? Teamwork?”
The charmander keeps his acidic stare trained on Val, but doesn’t move. She’s right. He huffs out a puff of white smoke. “Any ideas?”
Nia is silent for a moment. Val patiently waits.
“We could attack her at the same time?” Nia murmurs, voice just loud enough for Tobias to hear. “Try to overwhelm her?”
Tobias eyes the medicham’s wide stance. “She‘s too fast,” he whispers back. “We need something else to throw her off if we want a chance of breaking her defense.”
“Oh!” Nia grabs excitedly at his arm, struggling to keep her voice down. “What about your smoke breath? Like you did in that one dungeon!”
Tobias snorts. “Smokescreen?”
Nia nods. “Yeah! That would throw her off, right?”
“Worth a shot. Let’s go.”
Tobias darts forward, lunging as if to attack Val, but then skids to a stop and hops back at the last second. The medicham makes to grab him, but falters at his sudden change of direction. Tobias takes advantage of the moment to suck in a deep breath, then exhales a giant cloud of grayish-white smoke, thick like fog.
Val moves back, away from him, just in time for Nia to sprint past him. The riolu leaps up with a kick, but the medicham easily deflects it, sending the smaller Pokémon flying past her and into the smokescreen. Tobias growls and charges again, spinning around to slam his tail into the medicham’s legs—
Only to meet empty air, stumbling and almost falling flat on his face with the momentum. He looks up to see Nia come rushing back in through the smoke and missing her target entirely with a punch.
In hindsight, maybe smokescreen wasn’t their best idea.
Val twists to grab the riolu, and slings her away. Nia hits the dirt and rolls back to her feet. She looks up, freezing as Val darts forward and slams a force palm into the riolu’s gut. Nia goes tumbling backwards with a yelp.
Tobias growls and dashes in, determined to just make one solid hit. But Val hears him coming and easily dodges around his messy scratch attack, spinning to kick his side and send him rolling into the dirt as well.
The charmander is quick to stagger back to his feet despite the light bruise he can feel blooming on his side. But Val is no longer in her fighting stance, patiently waiting as the smokescreen clears. Nia coughs a few times before sitting up, wincing.
“Come here,” Val says.
Tobias grumbles under his breath but does as told, trudging back to the medicham with frustration bubbling in his gut. Nia joins him after a few seconds, paw gingerly rubbing at her stomach where she was hit.
“That was better,” Val says, the words not quite sounding like a lie.
“We got destroyed,” Tobias growls.
“I am older and much more experienced than you two. I should be fired if two E-rank Seekers can best me in combat so easily.”
Oh great, now she’s gloating? Didn’t really seem like the type, honestly. Tobias feels his lip curl into a snarl.
“I only say this to explain that I should not be who you compare yourselves to. You are new, and learning. Young. You will grow stronger in time. The most pressing issue for you two is your teamwork. That assault was uncoordinated. Too much so to be effective. Neither of you communicated or built off of each other’s attacks past that first smokescreen, and instead attacked entirely on your own.”
Nia winces, and Tobias crosses his arms, glaring at the ground.
“But that is why you are here. Your teamwork will improve. Before we try again, we will work on moves.”
Nia glances over at her partner. “Tobias too?”
“Yes.” Maybe Val can see the complaint on Tobias’ face, because she looks to him and adds, “As well as tactics and movements, you two must become familiar with each other’s attacks. The strength, the range, the stamina needed for each. Understood?”
Tobias is getting sick of the medicham making good points, because he really just wants an excuse to punch her in the face. “Yeah, yeah, fine,” he mumbles. “So what, I just show Nia my moves?”
“Yes, you will start,” Val confirms. “We’ll go from there.” The medicham steps back and crosses her arms, looking at Tobias expectantly.
The charmander never thought he’d admit to missing Azami as his primary teacher, but he’ll take anything over Val’s infuriating calm. Tobias sighs and turns to Nia, who looks back at him nervously. She seems as uncertain as he feels about this whole thing.
“She’s seen all of my moves before,” Tobias says, glancing at Val. “So...”
“Demonstrate,” Val says, nodding. “And then describe. How it feels, how it hits.”
Tobias takes a step away from the riolu, turning so she’s out of the line of fire. Putting all of the boredom he possibly can into his tone, he drawls, “Scratch.” He swipes weakly at the air in front of him, claws flexed. “Pretty self-explanatory. Ember—“
“More detail,” Val commands.
The charmander growls. “Fine. Scratch is a weak move, and it’s just normal type. But I can use it a lot without getting tired.” Tobias looks over to Val, expecting her to object, but she just nods. He moves his gaze to Nia, not surprised to see her nerves have shifted to open curiosity.
Tobias goes back to his demonstration. “Metal claw is similar, but its type is helpful for rock and ground types, especially since I’m weak to them.” He flexes his fingers, calling up the familiar thin layer of metallic sheen to coat his claws, and then swipes at the air again. Nia’s hand shoots up in the corner of his eye, and he raises a brow at how she has her arm raised into the air. “Uh. What?”
“How do you do that?” Nia asks, brow furrowed and ears pricked with interest, mind clearly working on overdrive. “I mean, biologically it seems strange that you’d just be able to change how your claws are structured? Or that you’d even be able to use steel type moves when you’re a fire type.”
Tobias rolls his eyes and steps closer to Nia. He holds his hand out for her to see, flexing his fingers and willing the metallic shine to coat his claws again. “My claws aren’t changing. The metal’s forming a layer on the outside.”
Nia crouches down to be at eye level with his hands, staring at his claws in open fascination. “Can you do it again?”
Tobias knows this’ll get her to stop her line of questioning faster, so he does.
Nia frowns. “Is it like...a liquid? Coming from your fingers? Is it even metal or something that just mimics it? Why—“
“Look, I dunno,” Tobias says, trying not to snap at the riolu. “All I know is that when I want to, I can do it. It hurts Pokémon like a steel type move, so that’s what we call it. Maybe the archive has a book that talks more about the details of it, but I don’t know and I don’t really care.”
Nia shrinks back, not quite looking satisfied, but nodding regardless. “O-Okay. Thank you.”
And with that, Tobias steps back, moving on. Next he demonstrates his ember attack and how he can adjust its power and range, before showing how he can use the fire move on his own metal claw attack to create a more physical fire move. Something like a fiery scratch. Val doesn’t make any more objections, and Nia looks properly interested by everything, so the rest of the demonstrations go smoothly—smokescreen, tail whip, and finally his new move, dragon rage.
Val straightens up at the appearance of the purplish flames. “You learned this recently?”
“Fighting the outlaw the other day, yeah,” Tobias says, catching his breath. Nia notices, and looks concerned.
“I can’t use this move as much as the others,” he explains, shrugging. “Certain attacks just wear you out more. Your stamina can only go so far.”
Nia nods, brow furrowed. He can practically see the klinklang turning in her head. He’s surprised she hasn’t started jotting down notes in the dirt.
“Congratulations on the new technique,” Val says, breaking Tobias out of his thoughts. The medicham’s expression doesn’t change, so he can’t tell how sincere she is. It kind of just makes him mad all over again.
Nia raises her hand again. Tobias raises a brow. “I don’t know why you keep doing that, but it’s weird. What?”
Nia blinks, then laughs, sheepishly lowering her hand. “Sorry. Uh, old habit. Um, I was wondering how you learn new moves so suddenly? It seems impossible for your body to one moment not know how to do something, and the next suddenly just...have an entirely new power? But that seems to be how your dragon rage worked?”
“Why does it matter?” Tobias asks, exasperated. “We just...get stronger, get enough experience with battling and fighting, and I guess our bodies realize we’re good enough to handle something more powerful. So we learn it. We still have to practice new moves to be able to control them.”
“You question basic facts. Most Pokemon don’t think twice about them,” Val says, looking at Nia with a thoughtful tilt of her head.
Nia’s ears pin back. “S-Sorry, I just—“
“I did not say it was bad,” Val interrupts. “Simply...different. I don’t believe Charmander and I have the in-depth answers you seek. Perhaps the archives or Alistair could assist you better?”
Nia offers a tentative smile. “Yeah, I’ll try that. Sorry, it’s just so strange to me.”
Val nods. “You have said humans are much different than us. But you are here as a Pokemon for the time being. And it is your turn to demonstrate.”
The riolu shoots Tobias a worried look as she rises to her paws. The charmander offers a shrug as he plops down onto the ground to watch, leaning back onto his arms. This should be good.
Nia does as Tobias did, taking a few cautious steps away and sinking into a light fighting stance that almost looks natural by now. They wait. One second. Five. She doesn’t move.
Then, Nia’s tail tucks under herself, and her head hangs. She looks over to Val. “I-I don’t know how to do this.”
“She doesn’t know any moves, genius,” Tobias reminds Val. Nia winces.
The medicham doesn’t look at all ruffled by Tobias’ taunt. Instead, she brings her hand up to her chin. “How do you fight in dungeons, Riolu? Demonstrate.”
“I uh. Usually use a branch as a weapon. But I guess the few times I’ve had to fight on my own…” Nia still seems uncertain, but returns to her stance. Then, she throws her fist forward in a punch, and then the other, spinning on her foot to kick at the air. They still don’t look like actual fighting moves, but her form has definitely improved from Val’s training. The riolu finishes her combo and looks over at Val again, nervously awaiting judgement.
The medicham moves to her side. “You are mimicking fighting type movements, but you are not using your fighting type power. That would explain your lack of moves.”
“My...fighting type power?” Nia echoes, tilting her head. “But...I thought fighting like this was my power? I-I mean, Tobias has fire since he’s a fire type, but I just use like...physical hits and stuff, right?”
Val shakes her head. “The attacks you are doing now are not moves. Charmander could learn to do them as well. Any Pokemon with a similar body type could. You are simply punching. Kicking. What you are doing now has no ‘type.’”
Tobias grudgingly listens to Val’s words, curious despite himself. Combat has always come naturally to him, so he’s never had to think about any of this, how it works. When he wants to use a move, he just...does it.
Nia looks crestfallen. “But...I thought that’s what fighting types did? What’s the difference?”
Val pauses, then says, “Defensive position.”
Nia looks confused, but when Val shifts into a fighting stance, the riolu yelps and hurries to plant her feet, moving her arms up to guard herself. Val strikes with a measured jab of her palm, and Nia absorbs the blow with relative ease, only pushed back a few inches. Before she can move, Val says, “Stay.”
Nia stays braced, expression openly confused, until Val replicates the last move. This time, Nia’s arms almost slam into her body with the force of the blow, and she’s sent skidding back a few feet. The riolu looks up, wide-eyed.
“My first attack was what you have been doing. A simple use of my body. A hit, yes, but not a move. It used none of my energy, fighting or psychic. The second strike was using my fighting energy. Even in a non-effective matchup, you can see how much power such an approach gives.”
Tobias raises his brows, looking again at Nia. She’s been somewhat helpful in dungeons so far even without moves, at least when she’s not frozen in fear. Sure, they’re only E-rank (and climbing higher every day), but still. Even without moves, she hasn’t really been too much of a liability. It’s kind of awesome to hear that if she can get her moves to work, she’ll be much more useful in fights.
Nia frowns down at her palms, deep in thought. “How do I use that energy, though? It’s not the same as aura, right?”
“Correct. Your aura is entirely different. It can be used for moves, but it is not the fighting energy needed for most of your attacks.”
“So how do I use that energy? How do I…find it?”
For a few moments, Val is silent. And then, to Tobias’ surprise, she frowns, crossing her arms. “I do not know.”
“What?” Nia yelps.
“I have never encountered this issue. Most Pokémon automatically know these things. It is instinctive as we grow. I am unsure of how to lead you to it.”
“But...” Nia trails off, a quiet whine slipping from her throat. “But I need to learn this to be a good fighter, right?”
Val doesn’t respond, and that in itself gives them both the answer. For a few moments, it’s noticeably tense. Val seems stumped, Nia looks like she’s near tears, and Tobias feels incredibly uncomfortable with the emotionally charged atmosphere.
Then, Val sighs. “Do not fret. Azami may have more helpful ideas for you. For now, we must continue our training regardless.” She looks over to Tobias. “Ready?”
The charmander rises to his feet and moves to stand beside Nia, glancing awkwardly at the riolu. She sniffs wetly, but he can’t tell if she’s actually crying or not.
“The next exercise will not require moves. You will spar with each other.”
Tobias’ attention snaps away from Nia so he can look up at Val. “What? What’s the point in making us fight each other if we’re on the same team?”
“I believe you will find it helpful for learning different styles of combat. Especially so for you two, who take very different approaches to battle.”
Tobias supposes he can kind of see the good in that. He shoots Nia another furtive glance. The riolu has her head down, eyes glued to the dirt as her paws fiddle with her scarf. She can’t hide her emotions to save her life, but he hasn’t seen her this openly upset since Afon’s Cap. Would it even be worth fighting her when she’s like this?
“Go,” Val prompts, stepping away to watch from the sidelines. “No moves. Make gestures as placeholders. Just no real damage.”
Tobias shoots Val a nasty glare. Like he was actually going to hurt his partner in a spar. He knows how this works. He moves to stand a few feet in front of Nia. The riolu doesn’t react.
“Nia,” he says, trying to keep his voice level. Casual.
The riolu visibly swallows, swipes at her eyes, and finally looks up at him. The fur of her cheeks is damp and the red of her eyes is brighter than usual, especially with her scarf making them pop. She exhales, and it shudders and catches. But she still sinks into a defensive battle stance with a sniff, and hesitantly nods. Tobias reluctantly follows her lead, preparing for a fight. It’s not like they’re friends or anything, but he still doesn’t wanna fight Nia when she’s crying. Just seems kinda low, even for him.
“Begin!” Val calls.
Notes:
No Seekers Chapter This Week (03/14)!
Hey everyone! Sorry for the late notice, but this week has really been kicking my butt and the Seekers chapter is giving me more trouble than I’d initially thought it would. Figured I’d be better off pushing it back a week rather than give you all a sub-par chapter and illustration.
I will be posting some Seekers-related artwork on my tumblr on Sunday evening, but no chapter until next Sunday (03/21). Hope you understand!
Chapter 20
Summary:
Tobias and Nia practice their sparring skills under Val’s guidance, and receive a warning about their upcoming trip.
Chapter Text
“Begin!” Val calls.
As Tobias expects, Nia takes a defensive stance, so he dashes forward to go on the attack and try to strong-arm her. He swipes at her once, twice, only for her to side-step out of the way each time. Good. Even if she’s upset, at least she’s trying. Wouldn’t be much of a spar if Nia just gave up immediately.
Tobias moves into the riolu’s space and ducks low, spinning and catching her legs with his tail. With a yelp, the riolu trips backwards and falls to the ground. He lunges to pin her, but she rolls out of the way and springs back to her feet. Tobias follows, not letting up on his assault. Nia is struggling to keep up, all her focus on deflecting his scratch attacks, so Tobias switches tactics. He steps closer and blows a puff of white smoke directly into her face, and she falls out of her concentration with a startled yip, stumbling backwards and falling onto her butt. Tobias smirks down at her, victorious.
“Elemental moves,” He reminds her. “An ember would’ve hurt from that close.”
“Ugh, I keep forgetting about that,” Nia huffs, a frustrated frown on her face. “I wish I was a fire type or something too. Maybe then I could figure out my moves easier.”
“You have more options than most fighting types,” Tobias points out.
Nia gets to her feet and gives him a curious look. “How so?”
“…Don’t tell me you forgot about your aura powers.”
“Oh!” Nia’s ears flick back, a sheepish expression crossing her face. “Uh. No, but I…might have forgotten they could be used for attacks?”
Tobias gives her an unimpressed look. “Aura’s not just a cool party trick. If you use it right it could be a huge advantage in battle.”
He’s half-expecting Nia to scold him for his harsh tone, but she’s busy looking at her palms with a thoughtful expression. “Huh. That’s…a good point.”
“I’m full of ‘em,” Tobias drawls. “Now come on, we aren’t done and I don’t wanna know what Val’s idea of punishment is for slacking off.”
Nia hurries back into position and they go again. The next round it’s clear Nia’s mind is elsewhere, probably thinking about her aura powers, and Tobias easily knocks her flat.
“Don’t check out mid-fight,” Tobias growls. “That’s why you freeze all the time in battle! Stay focused. Stop thinking so much.”
“How do I stop thinking?” Nia complains.
“Just…let your body do its thing. I dunno. Just stop worrying so much.”
“Helpful,” Nia grumbles. “Thanks for the tip. I’ll get right on that.”
Tobias throws his arms up. “I don’t know how to get your head to shut up!”
“Less arguing, more sparring,” Val calls from the sidelines. “Unless you would rather do laps around the training grounds?”
Tobias and Nia fall silent, exchanging a look of dread. The riolu moves back into her starting position and they begin again, quickly falling into their usual pattern of Nia going on the defensive and Tobias attacking non-stop.
“Neither of you can keep that up forever,” Val calls, not so much a hint as a command to switch it up.
Tobias huffs, irritation sparking in his belly. Fine. This isn’t working anyways, now that Nia’s getting into the groove and fending him off more successfully. Val thinks they need to branch out and try different styles of fighting? He’ll show her different.
Still trying to keep up the act of his usual fighting style, Tobias lets a weak smokescreen trail from the corners of his mouth. It’s subtle enough for Nia not to notice immediately, their little bubble of battlefield becoming hazier and harder to see through.
Well, for Nia at least. Tobias’ eyes are better for piercing through smoke, and he notices her movements becoming sloppier and more unsure as her visibility lowers. Tobias fakes a swipe, then darts out his other arm to bop the riolu’s sensitive ear. She yelps and steps back, shaking her head. Tobias takes his chance to step back, into the smoke and out of her field of vision, quietly moving behind her.
Once he’s in position, he lunges. Her ears swivel to his direction, and she spins towards him, eyes wide and arm reaching up to deflect him. For a moment he thinks he sees a flicker of familiar blue light, but then he’s slamming into her, the two of them rolling until he has her pinned to the ground again.
“Was that your aura?” He pants, frowning down at her.
She laughs, a little shaky as she tries to catch her breath. “I-It was supposed to be. Didn’t really do much, though.”
“Were you trying to attack?” Tobias asks, letting Nia up.
Her nose scrunches up into a puzzled expression. “Um, kinda? I guess I don’t really know what I was trying to do with it. I was just thinking about what you said about using aura for battles, so instead of keeping my aura, um…contained, I guess? I just kind of woke it up and, uh…let it do what it wanted?”
“You talk like it’s alive,” Tobias notes, frowning.
“I mean, it kind of is?” Nia asks more than states. “It’s like…my soul or something, right?”
Tobias shrugs, uncomfortable. “I guess.”
“Riolu,” Val calls out, interrupting. “This round, go on the offensive. Charmander, you are on the defensive. No leading the attack.”
Tobias and Nia both slump. Guess Val got tired of waiting for them to switch roles on their own agenda.
“This is dumb,” Tobias grumbles as he faces the riolu once again, falling into a defensive stance, wider and sturdier than usual. It feels unnatural.
Nia doesn’t look any happier. “I mean, Val knows best, right? It makes sense for us to mix up our fighting styles.”
Tobias snorts. “Sure.”
Nia ignores the sarcasm in his voice and hesitantly shifts into a stance that leaves her a bit more open than usual, a bit lighter on her feet. She looks just as uncomfortable with the unfamiliar fighting style as Tobias feels.
They wait, one beat. Two. Tobias arches a brow at her. “You going to attack sometime this week?”
“Y-Yeah! Just, uh. Give me a sec.”
After another beat of hesitation, Nia throws a sorry excuse for a punch, and Tobias easily bats it away. An equally weak kick follows, which he catches, yanking the riolu’s leg so her other foot slips and she falls hard on her back.
“What was that?” Tobias growls, glaring down at her. “Luca is a bigger threat and he’s eight.”
Nia sits up, looking uneasy. “It…I don’t wanna hit hard enough to actually hurt you.”
“Oh for—Nia, I can take a hit. You aren’t going all-out anyways! Just put some power behind your attacks!”
The riolu stands, looking torn.
“Did I go easy on you?” Tobias asks, impatient.
“Well, no. I don’t think so?”
“I didn’t, because you can handle it. You owe me the same respect. You actually have to try or neither of us are gonna get anywhere and this whole thing is useless.”
Nia looks back at him for a moment, brow furrowed, but Tobias can see the moment her expression hardens with resolve. “Right.”
She falls back into a fighting stance, a bit looser than her previous stiff posture, and Tobias mirrors her with a defensive stance. Quicker than he’s expecting, Nia lunges forward with a jab that Tobias barely manages to dodge. She follows with a kick that actually does catch him in the gut, and he staggers back, surprised. Nia hesitates, a flash of worry on her face, but he doesn’t let her overthink and goes on the counter-attack with a scratch combo. She yelps and wards him off with a messy block, using her forearms to bodily shove him away. She follows it up with a punch that Tobias dodges with a grin.
Finally, she’s actually fighting back! Tobias blows a cloud of smoke at Nia’s face. She ducks under the fake ember attack, sweeping out a leg to trip him up, then tackling him once he’s off-balance. The two go rolling, and Tobias barely manages to pin Nia this time. He relaxes, victorious taunt on his tongue, and Nia takes full advantage of his confidence.
In a flash she bunches her legs close to her chest and kicks him in the stomach hard enough to send him flying. Tobias lands hard on his back, caught off-guard and struggling to catch his breath. He blinks up at the high, root-twisted ceiling of the training floor.
Then Nia’s worried face pops into sight above him, blocking the bright sunlight pouring in from the openings in the walls. “Tobias! I’m so sorry, are you okay?! I didn’t mean to hit you that hard, I just got carried away a-and—”
“Shut up, I’m fine,” Tobias rasps, cutting her off to sit up with a slight wince.
Nia looks at him round, wet eyes, like she just punted a baby and not her sparring partner.
“For Entei’s sake, Nia, I’m not made of glass. This is literally the whole point of training.” Grudgingly, he admits, “That was a good hit.”
Nia’s concern is replaced by surprise. “Oh! R-Really?”
Tobias stands, forcing himself not to rub at his sore gut, and waves a hand to urge her to her own feet. “Yeah, but don’t count on it happening again.”
He puts just a smidge of cocky goading into his tone, and Nia rises to the bait, scrambling to her paws with a competitive grin playing at her lips. “We’ll see about that!”
Tobias and Nia face one another again, the riolu starting them off this time. Soon enough they’re back into the rhythm of the fight, trading blows and dodging around one another with increasing ease, and the charmander slowly realizes how annoyingly right Val and Azami have been for weeks now.
Sometimes, all-out attack doesn’t work best, especially when facing an opponent like Nia, who is particularly comfortable with taking the defensive and who is used to his full-frontal tactics. Each time they line up again to battle, Tobias finds himself leaning into his usual aggressive style, only to hit the wall that is Nia’s defenses and having to make up new ideas on the fly. Distracting her with his smoke, surprising her with a feinted move, trying to unbalance her wide-set stance, anything to chip away at her solid footing.
But each time he does, Nia shifts her own fighting style to match him. She’s definitely the more passive fighter of the two of them, but as their sparring continues he notices her adapting more and more to trying out a range of fighting tactics and styles. When Tobias goes aggressive, she goes defensive. When he decides to fall back and try distracting her, she adapts by closing the distance between them, upping her own assault until all he can focus on is fending her off. Despite her brutal kick earlier, Tobias can tell her hits are too light even in training—too weak, lacking that fighting type “power”—but he has to admit that she’s holding her own otherwise. She was apparently raised in a world where she never fought, so it’s a good sign that she’s catching on to the basics so quickly.
It’s not until the two of them break apart for a breath that Tobias realizes he’s grinning. He’s panting and steaming, blood roaring in his ears, his tail flaring bright and his muscles screaming for rest, but he feels…happy, with electricity in his veins and a bubble of something light in his chest.
He’s actually having fun with this.
He meets Nia’s eyes, and the riolu’s serious expression breaks into bright-eyed laughter. For a moment Tobias thinks she’s laughing at him—but no. She looks purely happy, like when she’s rambling to Maggie, paws gesturing wildly because she’s so excited she can’t contain her energy. She’s enjoying this as much as he is.
Before either of them can start again, Val’s voice cuts into their match. “Stop. Time for a break.”
Tobias relaxes, almost reluctant to stop but recognizing that his body needs some time to recuperate. He looks at the medicham’s face as she approaches. She seems...satisfied? Maybe? She’s annoyingly hard to read.
“Good,” Val says. “Riolu, you still hesitate to take advantage of openings in your opponents’ defenses, but you pick up techniques quickly once you pass that mental block. We will work on that.”
Nia nods, and Val turns to Tobias. “Charmander, you are strong and your combat skills are solid, but you still rely too heavily on one style of fighting. Learn to be more fluid and responsive to your opponents and you will be less predictable.”
Tobias swallows back a sharp retort and grunts an acknowledgement.
“Now, take a few minutes to rest. You have visitors.”
Tobias frowns, looking around and catching sight of a dainty green deerling and a sneasel waving at them from the sidelines of the arena. Oh. Great. He rolls his eyes and plops down where he is, but Nia stops, looking down at him hopefully.
“What?” He asks.
“Um. Do you wanna go say hi? They’re really nice.”
“Not even a little bit,” he replies, flopping onto his back and allowing his tender muscles to relax. Nia just sighs in response, and he hears her footsteps pad away to go meet up with the two Pokémon.
The charmander closes his eyes and decides to take the time to stretch out his limbs, one at a time. Before he gets very far, though, he hears Nia call, “Tobias!”
He groans and turns his head her way, cracking an eye open. What does she want? The riolu is waving him over, smiling, and he glares at her in response. “What?” He calls, not wanting to move.
“C’mere for a sec!”
He closes his eyes again. “I’d rather not.”
“Andyn and Ezra brought snacks!”
Right on cue, Tobias’ traitorous stomach growls at the thought of food. Still, he doesn’t move. Is it really worth it?
“They have rawst berries,” Nia says in an almost sing-song tone.
Ugh. This is why he doesn’t want friends: they learn all of your weaknesses. Groaning dramatically, Tobias sits up, drags himself to his feet, and shuffles over to them. Nia’s smile looks suspiciously smug, but the other two Pokémon just seem surprised that he actually came over. He decides to ignore them.
“You’d better not be lying to me,” he grumbles to Nia.
The riolu laughs, shifting the little basket at her hip and showing a rawst berry sitting neatly on top. “Nope! Just as promised.”
Tobias grabs the berry and takes a bite out of it, appreciating the slightly bitter taste as it floods his tongue The deerling and the sneasel are still staring at him, so he glares back and snaps, “Do you always gawk like magikarp or is that pleasure only reserved for me?”
The sneasel holds up his clawed hands in a calming gesture, but the deerling puffs up with self-righteous fury. “You little punk, I—“
“Andyn!” The sneasel is quick to grab her shoulders as if to physically hold the little twig back. Nia shoots Tobias a scolding look. Oh, what, does their partner clause include him being nice to these idiots too?
Tobias finishes his rawst berry in record time and peers into the basket to see if there are any more. Nia holds it out to him, and while he digs through the different types, she speaks up again.
“Uh, s-sorry, he didn’t mean that—“
“I did,” Tobias says.
Andyn makes an angry noise in her throat. “Do you wanna fight or something, flame-brain?!”
Tobias levels her with a narrow-eyed glare. “Bring it, kindling.”
“Oh, gladly—“
“Okay!” Nia says loudly, stepping in front of Tobias to block him from the deerling’s view. The sneasel tries to do the same for his partner. “U-Uh, so you guys said you had something important to tell me?”
Tobias nibbles at his second rawst berry, debating on walking back to his previous spot on the ground. But after a few seconds the deerling bites back her anger and sighs. “Yeah. It’s, um...about you being human, actually.”
That news, along with the deerling’s unnerved tone, catches Tobias’ attention. The sneasel seems uncomfortable too. Worried, even?
Nia tilts her head, looking concerned. “What is it?”
“Well...” The deerling shifts on her hooves, exchanging a reluctant look with her partner. “We were pretty far out of the Haven the past few days for a mission. Y’know, the escort one we told you about? And um...we heard something from a traveling ‘mon we ran into out there.”
“And?” Nia presses.
The deerling shoots the sneasel a helpless look, and he picks up where she left off. “I guess he’s been traveling through some bigger cities pretty far from here, and we know you guys are planning on going to Ghatha this week, so. Uh.”
“Would you two just spit it out?” Tobias snaps. Nia doesn’t even give him a look for his tone.
“Well, he said that, uh...a couple Pokémon were really upset with the former humans. Like, a fight broke out and everything.”
Nia blinks, looking startled.
Tobias frowns. “You sure you weren’t talking to some spacey old 'mon like Hadley? Pokemon claiming to be humans have been around for decades, and there haven’t been any actual serious issues before. Just a lot of blame getting thrown around.”
“That we’ve heard of,“ the deerling points out, hardened gaze meeting his own. Her attention shifts back to Nia. “You said you were going to the city because of some...human meet-up thing, right? Like an organized one?”
Nia nods.
“The guy said that that’s what really riled everyone up,” The sneasel cuts in. “I guess that new human organization is causing some tensions between the humans and the rest of the Pokémon.”
“That’s stupid,” Tobias growls, crossing his arms. “Why would they go to the trouble of attacking each other just because the humans are setting up some dumb club?”
“Look, we’re just telling you what we heard,” the deerling snaps, glaring at him. Her gaze softens as she glances at Nia. “We were worried.”
For a moment, no one speaks. The deerling and the sneasel both seem convinced that this is something more serious than it probably is, and Nia looks to Tobias with wide eyes and pinned-back ears.
“So you haven’t heard anything about this before?” She asks him.
Tobias sighs, shaking his head. “No, but I haven’t traveled far from the guild in years. It’s possible, I guess.”
“Maybe you could ask August?” The sneasel proposes. “Surely since he’s the guildmaster he would know something about this.“
“You didn’t report it back to him?” Tobias asks, voice bordering on a growl.
Before the deerling can start shrieking again, the sneasel hurries to add, “Well, he’s out of the Haven right now, so we told Verene, but...”
“She wouldn’t be as likely to know,” Tobias guesses.
“Yeah.”
“You aren’t leaving for another few days, right?” The deerling asks Nia.
“I think we were planning to leave in about four days,” Nia replies, shooting Tobias an uncertain look. “So no.“
The deerling finally seems to relax. “Good. He should be back before then.”
“Would Maggie know anything?” The sneasel asks.
Tobias snorts. “Nah. She probably wouldn’t let Nia step foot outside of the guild if she did.”
The sneasel actually laughs at that. The deerling gives him a betrayed look.
Before the conversation can continue, Val calls out, “Five minutes!” Nia and the sneasel both jump.
The deerling shifts on her hooves, still not looking reassured. “Well, I guess we’d better get going. Just be careful, Nia.”
The sneasel nods, offering a playful smile. “Seriously. You get hurt and Andyn will go all the way to Ghatha herself to chew you a new one.”
“I’m going to chew you out either way if that scarf isn’t fixed next time I see you!” The deerling teases, nodding at the ill-fitting scarf around Nia’s neck. “I’m telling you, a bow is all the rage.” She flicks her ear, where her own pink bow rests.
Nia laughs, some of her tension rolling away. “I know, I know! You told me already! Thanks again for stopping by to let us know, guys. We’ll go see August about it tomorrow.” The riolu looks to Tobias, eyebrows raising encouragingly.
He stares back at her with a flat expression, taking another bite of his rawst berry. He’s not thanking them. He didn’t sign up to be friends with these two.
Nia sighs, then smiles again at the duo. “Thanks for the fruit. You guys be safe too, okay?”
And with that, the sneasel and the deerling head out of the training floor. Tobias finally finishes his second rawst berry, and Nia hurries to scarf down a sitrus berry before their break ends. When Val catches their attention a few minutes later with a loud clap, Nia tries to brush the berry juice off her paws and only looks dismayed when it makes her fur stickier. Tobias barks a laugh and revels in the pout she shoots him.
After that, Val has them continue their earlier mode of sparring for a while longer, reminding them to lean into the styles of fighting they’re less comfortable with and watching as they go through round after round, Tobias winning most but Nia catching him off-guard occasionally. Once or twice Val breaks up the battle in order to correct Nia’s form or demonstrate a new technique to Tobias, patiently answering the riolu’s endless questions and not commenting when Tobias gets frustrated, simply pointing out where he’s leaning his weight wrong or turning too sharply before prompting him to start again. The medicham annoys him, but he has to admit she knows what she’s doing when it comes to fighting, so he silently takes her advice and tries to incorporate it into the practice rounds that follow.
Tobias doesn’t know how long he and Nia spar until Val calls for them to stop, but judging from the late afternoon light filtering into the training floor, it’s been a while. Tobias and Nia both slump with exhaustion, breathing hard as Val walks over to them.
The medicham is holding a few things in her hands, and without a word she hands them over—a wooden thermos for Nia, and a small pouch of berries for Tobias. “I picked these up earlier. Hydrate and catch your breath.”
With that, Val sits cross-legged nearby and closes her eyes, apparently finished with the conversation. Nia sits down and unscrews the cap of her thermos with a curious look, making an excited noise at the discovery of water before tipping it back and taking huge gulps. Tobias snorts and sits as well, digging through the berries to pick out a yache berry before biting into the bright blue skin of it. It’s chilled on his tongue, slightly sour, but juicy and refreshing.
Nia finally lowers the drink with a gasp, chin wet from where she dripped water all over herself. Tobias gives her an openly judgmental look that the riolu misinterprets entirely.
“Oh! Sorry, here! I didn’t mean to hog it all for myself.” She offers the thermos to him, and Tobias leans away from the offering, curling his lip.
“I’d rather not deal with being nauseous all night, thanks.”
Nia blinks at him. “But…aren’t you thirsty?”
“I’m a fire type.”
“Oh.” Nia tilts her head and frowns at him. “Fire types don’t drink water?”
“Have you ever seen me drink anything?”
Nia thinks for a moment, then hesitantly shakes her head. “I…I guess not. I never noticed that before. But how do you stay hydrated? Surely you need some form of water in your system, but I know you don’t absorb it through your skin like a frog since water hurts you so—”
Tobias throws one of his berries at her to get her to shut up. “Why do you think I’m eating these?”
Nia picks the berry up, rolling it between her fingers and squinting at it. “Wait…These look familiar, but I don’t think I’ve eaten one before.”
“You’ve probably seen them on my tray in the cafeteria. They’re usually saved for the few Pokemon around the guild weak to water.”
Nia’s mouth drops open to a fascinated little “o.” “So these keep you hydrated?”
“A lot of different foods do, but yeah. Fire types don’t need a lot of hydration—we’re built for a lack of it. But I still need some greens and berries in my diet to get water in a way that won’t make me sick.”
Nia frowns. “So you can’t drink water at all?”
“I could,” Tobias says around a mouthful of juicy berry. “But I’d feel awful all day. Getting liquids through food doesn’t mess with my stomach the same way. Something about the other nutrients and stuff in it, I think.”
Nia looks absolutely enthralled by this information, still rolling the berry around in her palms. “That’s so cool!”
Tobias shrugs. He doesn’t really see what the big deal is, but he’s mostly used to the riolu’s strange overreactions by now. “’S just normal for us. And don’t ask me fifty questions about it because I don’t really know how it works.”
Nia nods, finally putting the berry aside to sip at her water. “I’ll talk to Alistair before we leave and see if he has any books about it in the archive.”
Tobias rolls his eyes. “Not like we don’t have enough stacks of books where we’re supposed to be sleeping. Also, eat that berry. I’m not going to after your grubby paws were all over it.”
Nia ignores the jab, apparently too excited about getting to try a new food. She stuffs the berry in her mouth without hesitation and her face lights up. “It’s super juicy! Like a watermelon or something!”
“Kinda the point,” Tobias drawls, finishing off another berry. Nia hums and sips at her drink again, paws tapping to some invisible beat as they rest.
After a few minutes, Val opens her eyes, turning to Nia. “Riolu.”
Nia jumps, startled out of her thoughts, “Y-Yes?”
“You attempted to use your aura earlier, when sparring with Tobias. Correct?”
Huh. So Val did catch that. He thought she’d missed the quick flash of blue in the midst of everything.
“Oh!” Nia sets the thermos aside. “Um, yeah. Tobias brought up using my aura in battle so I thought I’d try it, but I, um…wasn’t really sure what to do with it. I didn’t want to exhaust myself if it wasn’t even going to work, so I only tried it once.”
Val narrows her eyes at Nia, looking thoughtful. “Are you too exhausted to summon your aura right now? Do not lie.”
Tobias snorts at the subtle scolding, watching as Nia’s posture shrinks with guilt. Overworking her aura and trying to wave off her exhaustion in order to learn more about it sounds exactly like something she’d do.
“I’m tired and sore,” Nia admits. “But I could still do some aura stuff! I don’t feel sick or anything yet!”
Val doesn’t look convinced, but after a moment she does continue. “We will not be doing a full lesson on aura. You have done enough physical training for today. I only want to introduce a basic idea, so you can eventually use your aura to cover the blind spots left by your lack of moves.”
Nia perks up. “Wait, really?! Yes, please teach me!”
Val sighs, and for once Tobias relates to her. “We are only practicing this once. Understood? You may practice it on your own time, of course, but only after you have rested.”
Nia opens her mouth, probably to mindlessly agree, but Val cuts her off by looking at Tobias and adding, “Charmander will tell me if you do not follow this guideline.”
Tobias isn’t sure whether to growl at the medicham for implying that he’ll follow her orders or laugh at how Nia looks genuinely offended for needing a chaperone. But if Nia makes herself sick by overworking her aura, that’ll throw a wrench in their team’s development, so he should probably agree this one time.
“Sure,” Tobias says with a shrug, smirking as Nia gives him a betrayed expression.
Val nods and turns back to Nia. “Are we clear, Riolu? You are not to overwork your aura.”
Nia groans, outnumbered. “Fine. I’ll be careful.”
“Good. Now, summon your aura as you usually do.”
Nia nods, eagerly sitting up and holding a paw out in front of her. Almost immediately, a small turquoise flame flickers into existence in her palm. She’s getting a lot quicker at that. It’s strange, to think that according to these two that energy is somehow connected to Nia’s very being, to her soul. That it’s somehow the energy that keeps her alive, and not just an energy granted to her through her typing.
“As we cannot currently practice your moves, we will advance your aura training,” Val says. “The next step is to make your aura a physical, tangible force that you can use in battle, both to attack and defend.”
Nia, bathed in the blue glow of her aura, looks awestruck at the idea. “How do I do that?”
“Like most issues concerning your aura, it is a matter of willing your energy to form a specific way. You know how to summon it. Now you must make it change shape and solidify. Imagine what form you want it to take, how you want it to feel, and learn to balance how much energy is needed for both.”
Well, that sounds like a load of nonsense. Tobias finishes off his last berry and watches idly as Nia glares at the aura in her palm. Either Val’s words made a lot more sense to her or she’s just used to the medicham’s cryptic advice, because she doesn’t ask for clarification. After a few moments, the aura in Nia’s paw wavers, the shape of it twisting and folding into something shorter, more ball-shaped. Then, all at once the flame sputters out of sight and Nia doubles over with a gasp, like she’d been holding her breath.
Tobias shoots Val a questioning frown. The medicham doesn’t look worried, though, simply waiting for the riolu’s breathing to even out again.
Once it has and Nia sits back up, looking even more fatigued but not necessarily in pain, Val says, “That was a good start.”
Nia gives her a weak, skeptical smile. “Really? Felt like I didn’t do much.”
“You have had a long day of training,” Val assures. “And you are trying something entirely new. You will not understand how to do it immediately, but you will figure it out. You are a very fast learner in terms of aura.”
Nia seems stunned into silence, and Tobias can’t really blame her. For Val, that’s some seriously high praise.
Val stands before Nia can stutter out a response, apparently deeming the lesson over for the day. “Once you are rested, feel free to practice on your own. Focus on changing the shape of the aura, and on solidifying the consistency. Eventually, you will be able to use it to form weapons and shields at will.”
Nia nods as she stands, stumbling on her paws and catching herself on Tobias’ arm. He barely resists shaking her off as she steadies herself.
“Right!”
Val gives Nia another stern look, pointing a finger at her in a way that feels almost comical for the stoic medicham. “I repeat: do not take that as permission to overwork yourself. You must learn boundaries for your own body. Charmander—” she turns her look onto Tobias. “—You will keep her from overworking her aura, or you both will face punishment.”
Tobias rolls his eyes. “Yeah, yeah, whatever, I’ll make sure she doesn’t knock herself out.”
“Hey! I wouldn’t go that far,” Nia protests weakly.
Val ignores her. “In that case, you are both free to go. Tell Magnolia you did well today.”
Nia beams at the compliment, annoyance forgotten, and bows to the medicham. “Thank you, Val! Have a good night!”
Tobias hesitates, meeting Val’s dark gaze as his earlier frustrations with the medicham fight to resurface. He feels like he should still be angry with her for her stupid training decisions regarding Nia’s moves, but other than that she hasn’t been awful to work with today. Eventually he just gives her a nod before turning away and following Nia as they make their way out of the training floor. The riolu takes a brief detour to scoop up the tiny basket her friends had brought earlier, offering it to Tobias again. He picks a cheri berry out from the meager pile left and nibbles on it as they walk.
Nia tucks the basket against her hip, rolling her free arm and stretching out the muscles there. Then, with a too-casual note to her voice, she says, “So…you aren’t actually going to tell on me if I practice with my aura more tonight, right?”
Tobias snorts. “I will tell Val without an ounce of hesitation.”
“What?” Nia yelps. “Why?!”
“I’m positive Val has some other weird way of finding out if you overwork yourself on my watch, and I am not dealing with whatever punishment she has in mind if I let you go wild.”
Nia pouts. “I wish she’d be less serious about this. It’s not like I’m hurting anyone.”
“You’re hurting yourself, idiot,” Tobias points out. “And when is Val not serious? Look, as long as you don’t overwork yourself to exhaustion and don’t practice your creepy aura powers on me, I don’t really care.”
“They’re not creepy,” Nia objects half-heartedly, turning a curious look onto him. “Does the thought of me reading your aura really bother you that much? I noticed you didn’t seem big on it before, but…”
“If you aren’t exaggerating, you’re literally looking at someone’s soul. How is that not creepy? Did Xander’s freak-out not clue you in to that?”
Nia flinches and murmurs, “Please don’t bring that up.”
Tobias sighs. “It’s just…okay, yeah, for you it’s this cool power, but for someone who really doesn’t want to share the most private thing about them? It sounds terrible.”
Nia goes quiet as they drag their tired bodies up the stairs towards the medical floor, looking down at her paws with an upset expression. Tobias might feel a bit guilty if he didn’t think the riolu was a bit too lackadaisical with her aura reading abilities. Sure, maybe some Pokemon don’t mind sharing literally the most honest portrayal of who they are with Nia, but Tobias is not one of them. Even if he probably shouldn’t have used Xander against her like that, Tobias is relieved that someone else had a negative reaction to having their aura read so he can use them as an excuse. Sometimes you just don’t want other people to know you to such an intimate, vulnerable degree. Don’t want them to know how you really are.
And sometimes you don’t want to know yourself, either.
“Okay. I won’t do it without asking first.”
Tobias looks at Nia. “What?”
The riolu meets his gaze, voice and expression equally serious. “I won’t ever look at your aura without asking you for your permission first. I promise.”
Tobias feels like it’s stupid to take that at face value, but can’t really find it in himself to doubt the riolu at this point. She’s a terrible liar and lays her emotions out for everyone to see without a second thought. Plus, what can he even do to stop her if she wants to break that promise?
“Fine,” he sighs. “Again, I don’t care if you practice your aura when I’m around. It’d be good for you to have those abilities for battles. Just don’t use them to look at my aura.”
“I won’t,” Nia says, with another serious nod.
The two of them continue their slog up the tree, the heavy silence lightened somewhat. Tobias glances over when he sees Nia stretching out her arm again, extending it and bending it as if to work out some soreness. On closer inspection, Tobias realizes it’s the arm her bite wound is on from the outlaw. He frowns. “Did you hurt your arm again today?”
Nia shakes her head. “It’s fine. Just feels a little weird with the scabbing and everything. I’m still trying to get over how fast it sealed up, honestly. It’s only been like two days! Pokemon heal so quickly.”
“How long would it take for a human to heal from that bite?”
Nia hums thoughtfully. “It depends, really. But something this deep? I’d guess at least a week for it to scab over, maybe another two or three for it to fully close up. You’d probably need stitches, actually.”
Tobias gives her an incredulous look. “That long?”
Nia laughs. “Well, we don’t really pick fights as often as Pokémon do, so it kind of makes sense.” The riolu pauses, then adds, “I wonder if it’ll scar? Or if you’ll even be able to see it with my fur.”
Tobias shrugs, hand drifting up to feel the worn fabric of his own scarf. “If it does, you could always tie your scarf around it, like we did to stop the wound when it was bleeding everywhere.”
Nia doesn’t answer for a few moments, looking thoughtful. “I don’t think the scarring would bother me, but I do still need to figure out how to wear my scarf, since I think my neck is out of the equation.”
Tobias snorts and glances at the riolu. She’s fiddling with the scarf buried ridiculously deep in the fluffy collar of fur around her neck. “Yeah, anything is better than the disaster you’re sporting right now.”
“Way too much fluff,” Nia agrees. “I’ll try it out! Would you mind helping me tie it?”
Tobias’ immediate reaction is to not-so-politely decline, but he catches himself. Teamwork. Partners. They’re partners. It’s not like taking thirty seconds to help the riolu with her scarf each morning is going to set them back in any serious way.
He sighs. “You’re hopeless.”
“So...”
“I’ll help you tie the dang thing.”
Nia does a fist-pump with her uninjured arm. “Yes! Thank you!”
Tobias shakes his head, but he can’t manage actual irritation towards the riolu. If Nia finally starts wearing her scarf, they’ll look like an actual team. Real Seekers.
And he has to admit he likes the thought of that.
Chapter 21
Summary:
Nia finally gets to talk with Xander, and Team Scarlet prepares for their trip to Ghatha.
Chapter Text
The morning after their training session with Val, Nia and Tobias head to the guildmaster’s quarters. Verene must be out on some kind of business, because August answers the door instead of the mantis. The giant, leafy gorilla greets them warmly, inviting them in and settling himself back into his chair. From the parchment scattered across his desk, it seems he was busy filling out forms.
“What can I do for you two?” He asks, deep voice a pleasant rumble.
“W-Well, uh.” Nia glances nervously at Tobias, and the charmander urges her on with a wave of his hand. “You know that we’re leaving for Ghatha tomorrow, right?”
August nods. “Yes. Tobias notified me of your trip a while ago. Have your plans changed?”
“Oh! No, we, uh, talked to Andyn and Ezra yesterday—from Team Evergreen? They said they heard something from a traveling Pokémon about some…tension. Between Pokémon and former humans. A fight or something? They said they told Verene, but we were wondering if you’d heard anything about it?”
“Basically, should we worry about getting jumped since Nia’s human?” Tobias summarizes, crossing his arms and giving August a serious stare.
August's warm, friendly expression slowly falls as Nia speaks. At Tobias’ question, he heaves a sigh. “I see. Yes, Verene informed me of Team Evergreen’s report. I wish I could say that it was only a rumor, but I’m afraid some of the mail carriers have confirmed it.”
Nia’s stomach sinks, and she shoots Tobias a worried look.
“So there are actual fights happening between Pokémon and humans?” Tobias asks, frowning.
August makes a troubled sound and runs a hand through his leafy mane. “Only one notable argument so far, at least that I know of. It happened far from here, on the other edge of the continent. Nothing serious, but enough to catch attention.”
“D-Did they say why the fight broke out?” Nia asks. She can’t imagine why Pokémon would get so upset by someone claiming to be human—it’s not like the humans tried to bring themselves to this world. And why would someone in her position be so mad at the Pokémon? So far everyone has been incredibly kind to her.
“The reports are vague and scattered,” August hedges. “Apparently each side claims that the other started it, and they were just acting in self-defense. I suspect there is more to it than that, but only those who were there could clear it up.”
Nia furrows her brow. “And this is completely new? In all of the years that humans have been appearing here, there hasn’t ever been a serious fight like this?”
“Not caused by the origins of the Pokemon involved, no. At least not that I’m aware of. There have been a few disagreements, I’m sure, but this is the first I’ve heard of them escalating into a serious physical altercation.”
There’s a beat of quiet, and then Tobias speaks up again. “So what does this mean for us? Is it something we need to watch out for or not?”
August brings a hand to his chin, looking thoughtfully between the two of them. “If I were to guess, I would say this is an isolated incident that will soon pass. Don’t worry too much about secrecy on your trip, but perhaps be cautious about openly discussing your human past unless you’re sure of your safety, Nia. Lie if you feel you have to.”
Nia’s head snaps up. What? Sure, she’s a Pokémon for now, and in this situation it makes sense, but...not admitting her past almost feels like denying it even happened. Like it wasn’t even real.
“That’s not exactly practical when the whole reason we’re going to Ghatha is for a human meet-up,” Tobias points out. Nia latches onto that more logical reasoning.
“I-I’m sure we’ll be fine!” She pipes up. “We’ll be careful, and I won’t go shouting it from the rooftops or anything!”
Nia knows she sounds a little shrill, but she tries to ignore the feeling of Tobias’ eyes burning into her. August stares at her for a few moments with something like concern, then finally sighs. “It’s unlikely you two will run into any trouble. Just be prepared in case you do.”
Nia nods, trying on a shaky smile.
August waves them out. “Unless you have other matters to discuss with me, go on. I’m sure you have a lot to prepare before you leave tomorrow. Have a safe trip.”
Nia and Tobias say their thanks, turning to leave. As soon as the heavy doors are closed behind them and they start making their way down the staircase, Tobias speaks up.
“So what was with your little freak-out in there?”
Nia swallows hard past the lump in her throat. “I...I don’t want to have to lie about being human.”
“Why?” Tobias asks, sounding genuinely baffled.
Nia isn’t sure how to articulate why she’s so upset with the idea. Finally, she settles on saying, “Because if I lie about it then it feels like I’m saying it didn’t happen. That I wasn’t ever actually human. But I was. I am.”
Tobias doesn’t answer this time, probably hearing the distress in her voice, and Nia is grateful for it. They make their way down the tree in silence, passing a few Pokémon on the way back to their room on the medical floor. Nia tries to calm down along the way.
It’s fine. So there were a few disagreements half a world away. It was bound to happen eventually. That’s not going to scare her into hiding that she used to be a human—that she is human still, on the inside. It’s an important part of who she is, after all. She won’t go out of her way to bring it up, but she won’t deny it either if someone calls her out on it.
Nia’s so wrapped up in her thoughts that she walks right past their floor. Tobias calls her back with a roll of his eyes and Nia follows him with an embarrassed smile. When the two of them reach the doorway to Maggie’s quarters, Nia is surprised to see a familiar crew of fluffy black and blue Pokémon in the room. Xander, and all three of his little siblings. The lion cubs—shinxes?— are happily chasing each other around the space, weaving between Maggie’s legs and leaping over Xander’s flicking tail as they play tag, squealing.
Laine is the first one to notice Nia and Tobias, and skids to a stop to shout, “They’re here!”
Luca stops to look too, and Leor slams into him with an “Oof!” The two go tumbling into a lump of fluffy shinx fur.
Xander and Maggie were talking, but both look over at the kids’ ruckus. Xander’s eyes skim past Tobias and land on Nia, staying there. His expression drops into something serious, ears flicking back in an uncharacteristic nervous gesture, and Nia swallows. They haven’t talked since the other day, when Nia told the luxio his aura color and he completely shut down. She can’t help feeling a bit apprehensive about him suddenly showing up now.
“H-Hi?” She manages.
The shinx triplets race up to them, all three excitedly talking at once. They hop and circle around her and Tobias, and Nia smiles despite herself.
“Slow down, furballs, we can’t understand a word you’re saying,” Tobias says, voice edging on a laugh.
Even now, Nia is still surprised to see an openly happy grin on the charmander’s face. He shuffles into the room and flops back onto the floor. Immediately, the kids swarm him, shrieking with joy and talking a mile a minute as they climb on top of him and bury him in blue-and-black fluff. Nia smothers her laughter as she watches.
Xander pads over to her side, eyes trained on Tobias and his siblings. His brow is furrowed in an unreadable expression, but Nia would almost say he looks...puzzled. After a moment of silence between them, he finally looks at her. “Hey. Would you, uh. Have time to talk?”
Neither of them have to say what about. Nia hesitantly nods, desperately wanting to clear the air between them but nervous about the conversation ahead.
“Great. We’ll be back in a few,” Xander says, louder, directing his voice to his siblings. “Be good, all right?”
“Yeah, yeah!” Luca says, pausing in his clambering to stick his tongue out at his older brother.
Xander sighs, and Nia barks out a laugh. Then, the luxio turns and heads out of the room, flicking his tail in a beckoning gesture. Nia follows.
There’s a moment of heavy silence, before Xander glances at Nia over his shoulder. “Your scarf looks nice.”
It’s an awkward start to the conversation at best, but Nia feels herself relax a bit, eyes trailing down to where her red attack scarf is tied around her bicep. She’d already forgotten that she had it on. True to his word, Tobias had helped her with it this morning, only grumbling to himself a little as he did so. Honestly, she suspects that he was more embarrassed by their close proximity than actually irritated about having to help her with tying it. He’s funny like that.
“Thanks,” Nia says, voice soft. Then, not wanting to drown in silence again before they reach wherever the luxio is leading them, she adds, “Your siblings are adorable, by the way. I don’t know if I ever told you that.”
Xander snorts. “Adorable little pawfuls are what they are. Especially Luca. Every time I visit them, Arlo has to fill me in on what trouble he’s gotten into in the last 24 hours. He usually drags his more well-behaved siblings down with him.”
Nia shrugs, biting back a laugh. “He’s a kid. Trouble is what they do.”
“I suppose,” Xander grumbles. Then, his gaze grows thoughtful. “You know, the kids have been telling me for years about how fun Tobias is to play with, and I never understood why they’d say that, with...well, how he is. But seeing how he was with them back there...”
Nia smiles, feeling an unfamiliar surge of pride for her partner. “Pretty different, right?”
“Completely,” Xander admits. He still looks shell-shocked as he glances at her. “Is he like that around you?”
Nia’s expression falls a bit. “He talks to me, but he’s not exactly like...that, no. I’ve only ever seen him that open around kids. I know he’s really fond of your siblings.”
Xander frowns, looking forward again as he leads them down another corridor. “I‘ve always worried about that. I was afraid he was being mean to them, or teaching them how to cause more trouble than they already do. But any time I visited the nursery, Arlo always insisted that Tobias was a good influence.”
Nia looks at Xander’s face, and sees the conflicting emotions there.
“He’s one of the only Pokémon in the guild with a good opinion of your partner, you know,” Xander adds. “Arlo, that is. It makes sense now, since he’s one of the only Pokémon to ever see Tobias like...well, like that.”
Nia takes a moment to gather her thoughts, tracing her fingers along the wooden walls of the hallway they’re walking down. Lattice-like windows are woven here and there out of the twisting bark, and Nia admires the bright flashes of green and blue that she catches as they walk. They pass through patches of warm sunlight, standing in sharp contrast to the otherwise cool, dim lighting of the hall.
“Tobias isn’t a bad Pokemon,” Nia eventually says, voice quieter than she’d like. She thinks of the charmander and how he’s been the past week, how he endures her constant questions about the Pokemon world and how he’s actually talking to her now. “I know a lot of people at the guild seem to think he is, but really, he’s...he’s trying. And he’s already a lot nicer to me than he was when I first met him!”
Nia knows her voice is a bit uncertain, knows that was a pathetically weak defense of her partner. But it’s hard to defend someone who started out treating her so badly, especially when she really admires and likes being friends with Xander. She doesn’t want to drive him away by disagreeing with him.
After a few moments, Xander makes a quiet, thoughtful noise. “I suppose I can’t really argue with you about that. Other than Pokemon like Maggie and Arlo and Fen, you’re the one who knows him best.”
Nia stops in her tracks, the casual truth of that statement slamming into her. She always feels like she hardly knows Tobias, but Xander’s right. Nia’s only been here for…what? Three weeks? And already she knows the charmander better than almost anyone else in the guild.
Could anyone else name his favorite berry? Or his favorite color? Could anyone else recognize when he’s biting back a laugh or notice that he rubs his scarf between his fingers when he’s nervous? She only knows the simple things about him, the surface-level tidbits, but at least it’s something. The two of them may not be that close, but it’s still a stark contrast to how distant Tobias is to everyone else.
Or how distant they are to him.
The riolu frowns, meeting Xander’s eyes where he’s stopped a few feet ahead, looking back. “Has...Has anyone ever actually tried to be Tobias’ friend?”
The luxio’s ears flick, and when he speaks again, he sounds frustrated. “When he first came here, sure. But all he did was pick fights and snarl at us to leave him alone. So eventually we did.”
Maggie’s words flash through Nia’s head, about the state she’d found the young charmander in when they met. Scared and hurt and completely alone. He was just a child, and it sounded like he’d just lost every shred of normalcy in his life. Of course he didn’t want to push aside all of that turmoil and make new friends at the guild. He was upset.
“Did you even think about why he was brought here?” Nia asks, surprising herself with the heat in her tone. “Why he was so angry all the time? He—“
Nia abruptly remembers that this is not her story to tell, and she snaps her mouth shut. She looks down at her hands, now curled into fists. She lets out a shaky breath. She shouldn’t be angry with Xander. This was years ago. And it’s understandable that he wouldn’t want to be friends with someone who clearly hated his company. Xander didn’t know about Tobias’ past. He still doesn’t.
Besides, if she’s being honest, then the only reason Tobias is as neutral towards her as he is is because he has to be. She threatened to end their partnership if he didn’t at least try to be nice. Nia feels a sudden and unexpected pang of guilt. She’d told Tobias she wasn’t blackmailing him, but...she kind of is, isn’t she? She’d felt so justified at the time when offering him her ultimatum, but Xander probably felt justified too in avoiding the temperamental charmander when they were younger. And yet here she is getting mad at the luxio, like she’s any better than him. If she grew up here, was a Pokémon all her life, she might have ignored and avoided Tobias the same way. She probably would have in this life if circumstances hadn’t brought her to live in the same space as him and Maggie.
She feels like an awful person, all of a sudden.
Nia takes a deep breath, trying to pack the remaining anger into her chest, and lets it out with a heavy exhale. It helps a little. Xander doesn’t say anything, and when Nia looks up, the luxio is watching her with an unreadable expression. His tail is flicking, claws out and kneading into the wooden floor, and for a heartbeat Nia thinks she sees that red aura of his trying to act out, sees the burst of emotion he smothers under a carefully calm expression.
Then, he sighs, and all of that explosive, contained energy seems to leave him. He casts a quick glance over his shoulder before sitting down. “This isn’t where I was going to tell you, but it’ll have to do.”
“What?”
“The reason I...shut down. A few days ago. I wanted to apologize and explain. You’re...what you said about Tobias. It reminded me of what I wanted to talk to you about in the first place.”
Xander waits, not gesturing her closer in any way but clearly hoping she’ll agree to talk. Nia doesn’t really feel like sitting down and hashing out their feelings anymore, still feeling oddly protective of her partner, but she steps closer and slides down the wall to sit with her knees tucked up to her chest.
When Xander realizes she isn’t going to speak first, he sighs. “First, I wanted to say I’m sorry. For just going quiet like that, and not explaining anything to you. And I’m sorry too for being less than...encouraging. About your choice in partner.”
Nia blinks at Xander, not expecting him to jump in so quickly.
“I’m really not fond of Tobias,” he continues, sitting down and curling his tail over his paws. “But my siblings love him, and he’s your partner. I should try to be more...open. To accepting that maybe he is actually improving. Or at least that he can. How he acted in the past wasn’t right and I stand by that, but…maybe there was at least a reason for how he behaved.”
Nia stares at Xander’s earnest expression, immediately wanting to forget her brief stint of anger towards him. After all, him and his teammates are some of her closest friends here in the Pokemon world, alongside Andyn’s team.
The riolu forces herself to relax her tense posture. “I-It’s fine. Sorry for getting so upset with you. Just...give him a chance? Please? I know it’s hard, but…”
Xander’s tail twitches where it’s curled around his paws, but he nods. “I’ll try to be more open to the idea.”
Nia smiles, relieved. “Thank you. And I wasn’t mad about you not explaining things the other day. Just worried that I did something wrong.”
“And that makes me feel even worse,” Xander mumbles, some self-deprecating humor in his tone. Then, his expression sobers into something serious. “Can I ask you a question?”
“Sure?”
“Have you ever wondered why my siblings are here at the guild with me? Why they aren’t being raised in an actual home instead of in the daycare?”
Nia’s blinks, caught off-guard by the question. “I...No, I haven’t really thought about it. Sorry.”
“It’s fine. I’m glad you haven’t.” The luxio is clearly lost in memories, gaze going distant. “I’d rather Pokémon not know where we came from. It’s better for the cubs to be guild kids than to grow up with...“
Xander trails off, then shakes his head, meeting Nia’s eyes. “To keep a very long story short, we didn’t come from the greatest home. Our mother was...not a good parent. I just kind of took it when I was her only target, but that changed when the cubs were born. As soon as they could walk, I got us out of there. Ended up finding the guild and never looked back.”
Nia stares at Xander with wide eyes. “How old were you?”
“About twelve or thirteen. Old enough to realize that she wasn’t going to treat the kids better than she had me. Probably worse. I could defend myself a bit at the end since I was a luxio, but I knew the kids didn’t have a chance. They...they were just so tiny. I had nightmares for weeks that she was going to hurt one of them.”
“I’m so sorry,” Nia says, quietly. She’s trying to keep the horror out of her voice, but she knows it’s still there on her face. She doesn’t remember her family in detail, but she remembers how she feels towards them, the emotional connection that’s still there, even worlds apart. Everything in her recoils at the thought of any real fear between them.
Xander shakes his head, the faintest of smiles on his face. “It’s fine, Nia. Really. We found refuge here at the guild with August, and it’s been years since then. I’m doing much better now. It’s just...” Xander hesitates. “I always think I’m over it. Over her. But then something happens and I...”
Nia isn’t sure what to say in the silence that follows. Eventually, Xander speaks up again, voice rough.
“When I think of her, I always think of how explosive she was. Her temper, her mood swings, how strong her emotions were. It didn’t even matter if she was happy or sad—every reaction was just...devastating. If it wasn’t a forest fire, it was a flood. So when you told me about my own aura—“
Nia’s stomach drops as she sees where this is going, recalling her own description of Xander’s aura. Passionate. Intense.
“I’ve never felt someone’s emotions as strongly as I did yours.”
Before her panic can spill out in a rush of apologies, Xander holds up a paw.
“Don’t apologize. It’s fine. I gave you permission to read my aura and didn’t stop to think about what it might say about me. That was my fault.”
“But—“
“I’m fine, Nia. Really. Avery already talked me down. Just because I’m like my mother in some ways doesn’t mean I am my mother.”
Nia lets out a breath of relief, thanking God for the kirlia’s cool head and seemingly infinite wisdom. “Right. F-From what I can tell, I don’t think a person’s aura really takes into account like...how they choose to act. Even if you’re a really emotional person, clearly you keep a handle on your feelings so you don’t lash out at others or anything. I mean, you’re one of the calmest people I’ve ever met!”
Xander huffs a laugh. “Handling my emotions is a skill I’ve been working on with Avery for a long time. Glad to hear it’s paying off.”
They’re quiet for a moment, and then Xander shakes his head. “Maybe that’s why I’ve had such a hard time giving Tobias a chance. He’s just so...angry and aggressive. Unrestrained. I’ve spent so long trying to learn how to control myself and he’s just...”
Nia frowns, absently smoothing her hands down the sleek fur of her legs. Xander isn’t...wrong. Tobias doesn’t really bother with filtering his thoughts to avoid hurting others’ feelings, aside from her. And that’s just because he has to, per their deal to stay a team.
“Tobias is a bit rough around the edges,” Nia admits. “But he’s had my back whenever I really needed him, even from the start.”
Her gaze flicks to her arm, to where her bite marks lie hidden under her scarf. He’d bandaged her up after that fight and helped her back to her bed. Made sure she was fit enough to fight before having them train again. And even when they first met, before she even had a name, he didn’t ditch her in the dungeon she’d dragged them into.
“I trust him,” she says. “We’re not friends, not really, but I know I can rely on him to do his best and to make sure I’m not left behind.”
Xander doesn’t necessarily look pleased by those words, but he nods. He seems thoughtful, if nothing else. “You’re hoping you’ll be friends, one day,” he guesses.
Nia winces, peeking up at him. “You think it’s a lost cause?”
“Do you?”
“No.” The answer comes immediately, before she can even think about it. Nia thinks she’s more surprised by her answer than Xander is.
The luxio smiles. “Well, there you go. You know him better than I do, so if you don’t think it’s hopeless then you’re probably right.”
Nia looks down, brow furrowed. Even if she still feels like she hardly knows Tobias at all, she does want to get to know him better. She wants to be more than just his Seekers partner--she wants to be his friend, too.
A soft weight drops onto Nia’s head, and then Xander’s got her trapped in something like a headlock, giving her the noogie of a lifetime. Nia shrieks a laugh, struggling to shove the luxio away.
When she finally succeeds, Xander smiles down at her. “You looked a little lost in your head. Thought I’d help you find your way back.”
Nia’s still reigning in her giggles, smoothing the mussed fur on top of her head and shooting him a playful glare. “Jeez, no wonder Luca likes causing you trouble!”
Xander usually seems more like a parent to his siblings than an actual big brother, but Nia can see that part of him shine through on occasion. In some weird way, even his interactions with her are starting to feel almost brotherly.
Brother.
Nia stills, feeling her chest suddenly ache at the word. Longing and grief for someone she doesn’t remember rips painfully through her lungs. She chokes on her breath.
“Nia?” Xander asks, sounding a thousand miles away.
But Nia’s drowning in the emotion of lost memories, feeling tears well up in her eyes, flooding her vision in a messy watercolor mosaic. Brother. Did she—does she have one of those? She must, to feel this aching loss. To feel it carving its way through her body from the inside out.
She has a brother. She doesn’t remember him, but she misses him so so much.
Nia doesn’t even realize she’s crying until Xander pulls her into a hug, foreleg around her back and pressing her close. She buries her face in his chest and tries to stifle her sobs. Xander’s warm and soft and solid, and he smells like hay and something like ozone. It’s weirdly comforting. Distantly, she notes that there’s a very slight tingle on her face, where her tears press into his fur—his electricity causing static?
The riolu tries to bury her sorrow, tries to calm down from this overwhelming, unexpected wave of anguish, but it takes longer than she would like. After a few minutes of sniffling, she manages to calm herself down and box up the emotions to deal with later. When she lifts her head from Xander’s chest, the luxio leans back to look at her, concern tightening his expression.
“Sorry,” she rasps, rubbing the last of the tears from her eyes. “You just...reminded me of someone, suddenly. From the human world. It caught me off guard.”
Xander offers a tentative smile, looking like he’s not quite sure how to respond. “It’s fine.”
The riolu smiles back. It’s watery and pathetic, she’s sure, but it’s there. She gently pushes away from Xander’s hold. It feels colder without him sheltering her from her own emotions.
“C’mon,” Nia says. “They’ll be wondering where we are.”
Xander hesitates. “You sure you’re okay to go back? If you need to talk about it we can—"
Nia cuts him off with a shake of her head. “I’ll be okay, Xander. Thanks.”
The luxio still looks unsure, but he nods and follows Nia as she sets off down the hallway. When the two of them make it back to Maggie’s quarters, Tobias and the shinx kids are crowded around an array of herbs on the ground. Luca is leaning over the charmander’s shoulder to look, and the other two are glued to his sides.
“Ooh! What’s this one do?” Laine asks, pointing with a tiny paw to a purple flower.
“Helps fight infection,” Tobias responds. “You mash it up and put it on a wound under the bandages.”
“It’s awful pretty,” Leor says quietly. “I dunno if I’d want to hurt it.”
Luca’s ears twitch, and he looks up at Nia and Xander, face breaking into a smile. “Nia, did Xander say he was sorry?”
Tobias and the other cubs look up, and Nia giggles. So the kids were in on this? “Yeah, he did.”
“Good!” Laine says, puffing out her chest in a proud sort of way. “He was all mopey, and Av’ry said it was ‘cause Xander hurt your feelings, so we made him come apologize!”
Tobias had been looking at Nia’s puffy eyes, but at that news he moves his focus to Xander, a devious grin putting all his sharp teeth on display. “Really? The kids had to get you to come apologize? That’s pathetic.”
Nia bites back another laugh and glances at Xander. The luxio is clearly mortified, ears pinned back as he shoots the shinx cubs an embarrassed glare. “Hey, kids? I love you, but shut up.”
The kids burst into peals of laughter. Tobias just looks smug about seeing Xander so off-kilter for once. The luxio sighs, accepting his fate, and bends his head to give his chest fur a few rushed licks. Does he do that when he’s embarrassed? That’s adorable!
“Sounds like I missed all the fun while I was out!”
Nia turns towards Maggie’s voice in the doorway. The meganium looks unbearably fond of the good mood spilling from the room, a small pile of documents held in her vines. She carefully steps into the room between the smaller Pokémon, making her way over to her desk. “Did Tobias teach you kids anything while I was out?”
“Yeah!” Luca jumps up from his seat. “He’s been telling us about medicine, and how to do all kinds of cool stuff!”
“We even learned how to wrap bandages!” Leor adds, starry-eyed.
“A little too well,” Tobias says. “You looked like a trio of tangela.”
Laine nods, looking proud. “Toby said we’re basically doctors now!”
Maggie gives the charmander an amused look, and he shrugs. “Sarcasm isn’t their strong point.”
The cubs don’t catch that comment, already back to chattering with each other about what duties each of them will handle in their medical office. Poor Leor seems to be taking the worst jobs without much complaint.
“It’s nice to see them dreaming about something other than becoming Seekers,” Xander says softly. “It’s a dangerous job, and even if they decide to follow that path, I want them to know that there are other options.”
Nia frowns at that. Her and Tobias are only E-rank, and already she thinks she’s going to have lasting scars from that outlaw fight. She can only imagine how difficult it’s going to be farther down the road.
She looks over to where Tobias is answering the cubs’ questions about the different jobs of medicinal Pokémon. The shinx cubs are still so little—she can hardly imagine any of them going out into a dungeon. She doesn’t want to.
“But they won’t have to choose for a while yet, right?”
Xander nods. “They have plenty of time to decide.”
They’re quiet for a few moments, and then Xander stands. “Well, kids, let’s get going. I’m sure Tobias has other things to do.”
The three cubs let out an overdramatic “Aww!” in unison. Xander looks unimpressed. Tobias snorts.
“I’ll come visit as soon as we‘re back from Ghatha,” the charmander promises.
Xander‘s ears swivel forward with interest as he looks to Nia. “You’re going to Ghatha?”
“O-Oh! Yeah, I guess I hadn’t gotten to telling you with, uh. Everything else. We’re leaving tomorrow. Should be back in a couple of days.”
The luxio hums. “Well, have fun and be careful. You won’t be in our little community anymore.”
Tobias rolls his eyes. “Duh. We’re not idiots.”
“Yeah! Toby’s really smart!” Luca cuts in. “He knows medicine stuff and Seeker stuff!”
Xander gives his little brother a dry look. “All right, smart guy, c’mon. We’ll visit the training floor before I take you three back to Arlo.”
The cubs seem disappointed, but obediently press against Tobias one at a time in an armless hug, mumbling, “Bye, Toby.”
The charmander gives each of them a short squeeze before releasing them. “If you mope, the coaches in the training area will make you run laps,” he warns.
Laine perks up. “Really?!”
Luca bounces on his paws. “Ooh! That sounds awesome! We’d be like real Seekers getting trained!”
Leor’s the only one to not look thrilled at the thought, shifting his stocky little body. “Uh. I don’t wanna run laps, though.”
“No one’s running laps,” Xander says, patiently corralling the cubs with his tail. He smiles gratefully at Maggie. “Sorry for dropping in so suddenly.”
“It’s fine, dear! I love the company. It’s quiet here nowadays without Tobias and Nia around as often.”
Tobias winces. Nia tries to catch his eye, concerned (is he still worried about leaving Maggie on her own for medicinal duties?), but Xander turns to her before she can.
“Thanks again,” the luxio says. “If you two need anything before you go, let me know.”
And Nia knows he means it, too. She smiles warmly at him. “Will do, Xander. Thanks.”
Then, to her surprise, the luxio turns to Tobias. “Thanks for, uh, for watching the cubs, Tobias.”
The charmander looks just as shocked as she feels for a second. Then he hurries to hide it, scoffing as he starts to collect the herbs strewn across the floor. “Whatever. I didn’t do it for you.”
The cubs look confused about the tension between their brother and their favorite charmander. Xander, however, doesn’t seem offended. He just narrows his eyes, looking thoughtful, before nodding and turning to leave. “Come on, kids.”
The shinx cubs hurry towards the hall, waving their tails as they call out their goodbyes over their shoulders. “Bye Toby! Bye Maggie! Bye Nia!”
Nia waves back as she watches them leave. Then, she kneels by Tobias to help him gather the scattered herbs.
“Such good kids,” Maggie comments when they’re gone. “A lively bunch, too.”
Tobias snorts. “That’s one way to put it.”
“You love it,” Nia teases, daring to give him a grin.
Tobias gives her a halfhearted glare in return and blows a puff of smoke in her face. She yelps and falls back onto her butt, laughing and waving the smoke away. “Not fair!”
Tobias doesn’t answer, but he’s smirking as he collects the rest of the herbs. While he places the herbs back in their rightful spots in Maggie’s storage, Nia goes to their bag. She plops down to rummage through it and double-check that they have everything packed for tomorrow.
“Ready for your trip?” Maggie asks.
“I think so! Tobias took the lead in shopping since I, uh, had no idea what we’d need.”
The meganium sets aside her forms and steps over to peer curiously into their satchel. “You have food? Healing items?”
Tobias joins them, rolling his eyes. “Yes and yes. We’re good.”
“Maybe you two should’ve had Vera make you some coats before you left. What if it’s cold in Ghatha?” Maggie frets.
Nia laughs. “We’ll be fine, Maggie! Really. Don’t worry.”
The meganium still looks concerned, and Nia is intensely glad that they had elected not to tell her the news about a human-Pokemon conflict popping up. She’d be a nervous wreck if she knew.
“And you know the way to the flying outpost?” Maggie asks.
“It’s like an hour’s walk from here, Mags, you can see it from the tree. Chill,” Tobias says.
Nia’s ears prick up. “Really? You can see it from here?”
“Up on the mail floor, yeah.”
“Oh! That reminds me,” Nia leans back to look at Maggie. “How do you send mail to other Pokémon?”
“I’ve never had to, so I told her to ask you,” Tobias adds, pulling the bag into his lap to dig through it himself.
The meganium blinks. “Mail?”
“Yeah! I wanted to, um, send a letter to Hazel? In Afon’s Cap. I told her I’d keep in contact, but I uh. Don’t know how.”
Maggie’s confusion clears. “Oh! Yes, of course. Don’t worry, it’s simple. You just need to write the details of who it’s from and who it’s to. Name, species, location, those kinds of things. Then send it off with one of the mail-mon.”
“That’s a lot like how we do it in the human world, actually,” Nia says. “Huh. They’ll be able to find Hazel with just that?”
Maggie nods. “Mail-mon tend to handle specifically assigned areas, from what I understand. So anyone who delivers to that area should be able to find her!”
Nia straightens up, beaming. “Thank you! That’s a relief. I think I’ll wait until after we get back from Ghatha to write her. W-Would you, uh, mind helping me write it?”
The meganium laughs, no doubt remembering the riolu’s last attempt at writing in the Pokémon language. It was a wobbly disaster. “Of course, dear.”
“Okay, so here’s your money,” Tobias interrupts. He tosses a small sack of coins to Nia, and it lands with a muffled clink at her feet. “I’ve got mine, too—“ he pats another small pouch at his side. “And then we still have a bit of team money left over after shopping today.” He pulls out another small sack and places it on the floor.
As Maggie returns to her desk, Nia tilts her head and opens her pouch, slowly counting through the coins there. It takes longer than she’d like with the strange currency, but she thinks it’s around 700 poke. Which sounds like a lot? But she isn’t really sure. She knows that even in the lower ranks, Seeker jobs pay pretty well, and they haven’t really bought much since they started out as a team, but...
“How much do we have left in the team pouch?” She asks. They usually put half of their money found from jobs and dungeons into that stash, and then split the other half between them for their own personal funds.
Tobias frowns, glancing over the coins again. “Maybe around 800 poke?”
Nia hums. “That doesn’t sound too bad. How much does flying cost?”
“Not sure. Probably around 500 poke for a trip all the way to Ghatha, but we get a huge discount since we’re Seekers. So maybe like 300? 400?”
“Oh.” Nia nibbles at her lip, thinking hard. “Will we have enough for the trip? Like to eat and stay somewhere for a couple of days?”
Tobias brings a hand to his chin in thought. “We should be fine as long as we don’t go overboard. We’ll have to eat cheap.”
Nia nods, way too excited about the trip and Tobias’ good mood to even consider being disappointed by a lack of fancy food. She doubts she would have anyways. “That’s fine by me!”
“It’s still warm enough that we could camp out too, if we have to,” Tobias adds in a mumble, talking more to himself than Nia.
She grins. “I don’t even care! I’m just so excited to be going. I’m gonna meet more humans, Tobias!”
The charmander gives her a look, but it’s more of a tired sort of exasperation than anything. “You don’t say?”
Nia laughs again. “It’s just...even if we don’t have a way to go back home yet, it’s so nice to have someone who understands what you’re going through. Hazel was amazing, but she’s kind of already made her life here, y’know?”
Tobias shrugs. “I guess. I don’t really get it, but I’m also not a human.”
Nia ties her money bag closed and drops it into their satchel, shooting her partner a warm smile. “I’m just...really happy. Thanks again for agreeing to go with me, Tobias. I appreciate it.”
Right on cue, the charmander rolls his eyes, focusing on organizing their items as his cheeks flush. So easily embarrassed. “Yeah, yeah. Remember, we’re gonna ask about the outlaw trio too while we’re there.”
“Of course!”
“Are you sure you two have enough poke?” Maggie asks worriedly, looking over at them from her desk. “I can give you a little extra just in case—“
“Nope,” Tobias objects, tone final. “We’re good, Mags. Keep your money.”
“Thank you, though!” Nia adds.
Maggie frowns, looking concerned. “Okay...if you do end up needing anything, remember I’m just a short letter away. Call on me right away if you need me.”
“Yup!” Nia springs to her feet and stretches, skipping over to Maggie’s side to look at what the older woman is working on. Documentation of her herb stores?
“You’re gonna be like this the whole way there, aren’t you?” Tobias drawls, walking over to Maggie’s other side to peek at her work as well.
It takes Nia a moment to realize he’s speaking to her. “Like what?”
The charmander raises a brow, gaze flicking down to her legs then back up to her face. Nia realizes she’s bouncing in place, tail wagging. She forces herself to a stop. “Oh.”
“Yeah.”
Maggie laughs, looking down at the riolu. “You certainly do seem excited.”
“I am! I have no idea how I’m going to sleep tonight. I wish it was tomorrow already!”
Tobias snorts and points out a tiny mistake on the meganium’s form, which she dutifully fixes. “Just don’t keep me awake.”
Nia agrees and resumes bouncing on her toes. Dawn can’t come soon enough.
Chapter 22
Summary:
Tobias and Nia make the journey to Ghatha!
Chapter Text
“Are we getting close?”
Tobias swallows back an annoyed growl, trying to keep his temper under control. He will not snap at his partner. Or light her on fire. “For the fourth time, Nia, we’re almost there. Stop asking before I turn us around.”
The riolu shrinks into herself with a sheepish smile. “S-Sorry. I’m just excited.”
Tobias doesn’t answer, hoping Nia will finally fall silent and let them walk through the forest in peace and quiet. He doesn’t mind going on this trip to Ghatha, and although he’d never admit it, he isn’t even that annoyed by Nia’s presence anymore. Most of the time.
But by Entei’s fire, Tobias has his limits. There’s only so much excited rambling he can handle in one short walk to the flight outpost.
“Okay, actually important question.”
“Hm.”
“Should I eat before we fly? Or, uh...”
Tobias finally cracks a grin. “Or are you gonna barf your brains out? Dunno. Guess we’ll see.”
Nia‘s nose scrunches up at the mental image. “You sound a little too happy about this.”
“I will definitely laugh if you puke.”
She shoots him a playful glare, so Tobias adds, “If you want an actual answer, I wouldn’t eat before we go up. If you’re fine flying then you can eat on the way there. If not, then we won’t immediately tick off our ride by puking all over ’em.”
Nia fidgets nervously with the strap of the satchel thrown over her shoulder. “That makes sense. I’d like to be on good terms with the Pokémon carrying us 10,000 feet in the air.”
There are a few minutes of quiet after that, and Tobias takes advantage of them to enjoy the cool morning air. Dawn sunlight is filtering through the trees of the forest, clearing away the chilly fog of the night. He notices that the green leaves overhead are starting to shift to gold, catching the morning rays. It really is going to be fall soon.
“Are you nervous?” Nia asks. “About flying?”
Tobias mourns the loss of silence with a sigh. “You do know my final evolution is half flying, right?”
“Well, yes, but that doesn’t mean you can fly now. So I just wondered. Have you ever flown before?”
For a heartbeat, memories slip by before Tobias can stop them. Vivid snapshots of sitting atop a broad orange back, wings spread endlessly wide on either side of him. His hands, much smaller, clutching tight to warm scales, the blue sky seeming to go on forever in all directions, the wind whistling by and stealing away his laughter.
Tobias shoves the memory from his mind, holds his breath until he knows it won’t shake. Keeps his eyes glued to the foliage around them. Eventually, he manages to say, “I’ve been flying before. A long time ago.”
Maybe Nia can hear the lump in his throat, because she falls silent with a tiny, “Oh.”
They continue on, Tobias focusing his senses on the world around them to distract himself from the memories suddenly trying to rise up and choke him. His heart twists inside his chest, and it takes everything in him to blink back rising tears.
The trio. The outlaws. Focus on them, on taking them down. Focus on what he needs to do.
“Is that it?”
Tobias snaps out of his musings to look up, and sure enough, the outpost is in sight. It’s still halfway hidden by the trees and undergrowth, a lanky structure of white-painted wood, but it’s definitely what Maggie pointed out to him from the mail floor, years ago.
A quiet rabble of voices meet them as they get closer. Calm conversation, occasional laughter. The two of them emerge into a small clearing, and there it is: a tower reaching almost too high up to see the top. Roosts of moss and hay and twigs are haphazardly wedged here and there throughout the structure, and flying Pokémon of all kinds flit about. Some are napping, others chatting, and a few are on the grass, talking with clients.
“Wow,” Nia breathes, eyes wide with wonder.
A talonflame is the first to notice them, and glides down to meet them with a respectful dip of his head. “Greetings. Looking for a lift?”
Tobias nods. “We’re guild members under August. We need a ride to Ghatha.”
The talonflame tilts his bright head, humming thoughtfully. “I don’t take on distances that far, especially with fighting types on-board. But I think I know who can give you a lift. Wait here.”
The fire type beats at the ground and lifts off again, flying high into the roost. Nia follows him with her eyes, brow furrowed.
“Fighting types can be squirmy in the air, and talonflame are already lightweights,” Tobias explains, snorting. “Don’t look so offended.”
Nia’s troubled expression clears, and she gives him a thankful nod for the explanation.
A large, winged silhouette takes off from one of the perches, circling down to land before the two of them in a gust of wind. A braviary. She’s huge, easily four times the size of Tobias and Nia, with navy and crimson feathers and a soft mane of white. She’s clearly a sturdy Pokémon, with a few scars visible on her body, cutting irregular patterns through her feathers. Most startling of all is the closed, puckered skin over where her right eye should be, a thick scar running across the area and cutting into her beak. A bright yellow designated flyer’s scarf is tied around her leg. To say she’s impressive-looking would be an understatement.
“Hey there, folks! Name’s Felicity,” the braviary chirps, her voice bright and sharp. “But y’all can just call me Fliss. I hear you two are hoping for a ride to Ghatha.”
Nia looks as awed as Tobias feels by the flying type’s presence. “Y-Yes, ma’am!”
Fliss laughs, loud and hearty. “You sure look spunky for a fighting type at the outpost. You ever flown before?”
Nia opens her mouth to respond, then pauses, a distant confusion glossing over her expression. Tobias has seen that look before. Are her memories acting up again?
He’s about to cut in when the riolu blinks back to the present, hesitantly answering, “Uh. No? I-I don’t think I have, at least.”
Fliss gives Nia a curious look but doesn’t push, instead giving the riolu a firm nod. “Well, I’ll do my best to keep it a smooth flight. Since you’re both small, it’ll only be 400 poke for a one-way trip. Discount since you’re in the guild.”
Tobias nods and gestures for Nia to let him rummage around in their satchel. When he pulls out their team poke pouch, Nia pulls out her own personal bag as well. She grabs 200 poke, handing it to him and answering his questioning frown with a small smile and a shrug. “I’m the one who wanted to go on this trip in the first place—it only seems fair that I pay a little extra from my own cash.”
Tobias doesn’t argue, accepting the poke and gathering it with the other 200 from their team earnings. Fliss holds out her leg, and he dumps the coins into a thick pouch strapped securely to her foot, which she ties shut with her beak.
“Great! You two ready to set off?”
Tobias and Nia nod, and the braviary crouches down low, belly to the grass and wings spread wide to help them get on her back.
Nia freezes, wide-eyed. “W-Wait, there aren’t like, safety harnesses or something? Seatbelts?”
Tobias rolls his eyes as Fliss guffaws. “Don’t be silly! We wouldn’t be flying grounders around if we weren’t confident in our ability to keep ‘em safe.”
“But what if we fall?”
“Then I’ll catch you,” Fliss replies simply. “Look, hun, what’s your name?”
“Nia.”
“Look, Nia. I’ve flown all over the world, and I’ve taken a lot of passengers along with me. Haven’t dropped a single one—promise.”
The riolu still doesn’t look convinced, and Tobias groans. “Arceus, would you just get on? Pokémon do this every day!”
“And the winds are in our favor today, too,” Fliss adds, motioning Nia forward.
The riolu steps up to the braviary’s side, and then uses the offered wing as a boost to climb onto Fliss’s back. Nia sits, paws hesitantly holding onto her feathers. “A-Am I hurting you?”
Fliss laughs, making the riolu jump. “You’re light as a feather. Feel free to hold on tighter if you need to, I’ve been through worse.” Then she turns her gaze to Tobias. “Up ya go. What’s your name?”
“Tobias,” the charmander replies, watching Nia as she fidgets. “Where should I sit?”
“Probably in front, so the little fighter’ll have something to hold onto.”
Right, that makes sense--even if he really doesn’t want her clinging to him the whole flight. Tobias climbs up the braviary’s back and plops down in front of Nia, carefully setting his legs on either side of Fliss’s feathery shoulders and letting his tail curl over his leg.
“Hold on tight to my feathers, now!” Fliss calls. “Riolu, if you get scared just hold on tight to your partner.”
“Or don’t,” Tobias mumbles under his breath.
“I-I think I’ll be okay just holding on,” Nia says, voice high and unconvincing.
“Suit yourself! We’re taking off, so if you need me, tap my back three times!”
And with that, Fliss beats her wings hard, powerful gusts of wind tearing at the grass and billowing out in all directions. Slowly, they rise up, and Nia squeaks from behind Tobias.
Tobias can’t help a sudden burst of excitement. He watches eagerly as the forest sinks around them and they rise higher and higher, above the treeline, into bright morning sky. It’s windier up here, a little more chilly.
It feels like freedom.
The wind smells fresh and whistles past them as they gain altitude, fluttering his scarf and Fliss’ feathers. The world stretches out around them, all at once remarkably small and endlessly large. There’s forest as far as the eye can see, making up Bethoc’s Haven. Tobias laughs, unable to contain the giddy feeling in his gut. He’d forgotten how exhilarating it was to be in the sky like this. To fly.
“All right! Hang on, kiddos—we’re off!”
Tobias grips the braviary’s feathers and grins, thrilled as Fliss snaps out her wings and catches an air current. They shoot forward, picking up speed in an instant.
Nia screams, and then there’s a pair of arms locked around the Tobias’ middle, squeezing the life out of him. Tobias chokes, immediately moving to pry the riolu’s wrists away. A quiet whimper stops him, buried in his shoulder and just loud enough to be heard.
The snarl dies in Tobias’ throat as he hesitates. He doesn’t want Nia pressed so uncomfortably close, arms determined to cut off his breathing, but…he also hasn’t heard her this scared in a while. Plus, shoving her off would probably break the unspoken rules of their Tobias Not Being a Jerk team agreement, so. He sighs, resigning himself to this embarrassing situation and forcing his body to relax.
At least the sights are a distraction. The view really is gorgeous, an expansive sea of forest, leaves just starting to turn from green to warmer shades for the fall. The day is bright and brisk: perfect flying weather. Tobias feels a bittersweet tug in his chest, but tips his head back to enjoy the wind and sun on his face with a content smile.
After a few minutes, Tobias peers over his shoulder, only able to see the top of Nia’s head, her ears still pinned flat to her skull.
“Hey,” he calls.
She doesn’t answer, but the hold around his torso tightens.
“It’ll help if you look around.”
The riolu shakes her head against his shoulder, a muffled, “No!” barely reaching his ears.
Tobias rolls his eyes at the childish response. He knows that fighting types tend to have problems with heights and flying, but this is just ridiculous. He is not going to have this flight ruined by Nia cowering in terror and slowly cracking his ribs.
Plus, this is too beautiful a view to miss.
“Just try looking around.”
Nia whines again. “Why?”
“Because we have three more hours of this and I’m pretty sure you’re trying to suffocate me.”
Nia manages to loosen her hold, just a bit. Tobias can breathe again, but the riolu is still quivering, face tucked away.
“Nia.”
“No! I’m n-not looking!”
“Just look up! Don’t look down, idiot, that’ll make anyone’s stomach jump.” Nia doesn’t respond. Tobias peeks back at her again. “Okay, what’s it gonna take for you to look.”
“Take me back to solid ground!”
Despite his frustration, Tobias snorts a laugh. “Too bad, pick something else.” No response. Stubborn. What would entice her enough to surpass her fear? “I’ll, uh…Tell you about the landmarks we pass if you look. You mentioned wanting to know more about geography or something, right?”
Nia shifts against his shoulder, hesitant but clearly interested.
“You’re such a nerd,” Tobias snorts.
“I like learning stuff,” she defends. At least, that’s what he thinks she said. It’s hard to properly hear anything up here.
“Well, you have to look for me to teach you, otherwise you won’t know what I’m talking about.”
Nia slowly lifts her head, still tucked close to his shoulder with her eyes squeezed shut. A few seconds pass.
“We’re gonna land in Ghatha before you open your eyes.”
“J-Just give me a sec.”
“Look up first, not down.”
Tobias can feel the riolu take a deep breath. Then, she cracks her eyes open, looking up into open blue sky. He watches as the riolu blinks, then lets her eyes open a bit more, squinting ever-so-slightly against the wind. Good.
“Still alive,” he teases.
“So far,” Nia shoots back.
Tobias moves his gaze away, to the forest underneath them. Even without looking straight down, there’s a huge chunk of the region visible. Mostly trees for now, a few fields and clearings, but a set of mountains can be seen faintly in the distance.
“Try looking forward,” he suggests.
“Y-You sure?”
He shrugs, the movement odd with the weight of the riolu still wrapped around him like a scarf. “Gotta do it eventually.”
The riolu seems uncertain, but takes another deep, bracing breath. Her ruby eyes flick a degree down from the sky overhead, looking forward as they fly. For a moment, her expression drops into something awestruck, and Tobias almost smiles.
Then she shrieks a terrified sound, and is back to burying her face into his shoulder.
Tobias groans. “C’mon!”
“J-Just give me a bit, okay? I...I’ll try again in a bit.”
Tobias huffs an irritated breath, disappointed. How can Nia not love this view, this feeling of freedom and speed? It’s so soothing being up in the air like this, effortlessly gliding over miles of woodland that would take them hours—days, even—to cross on foot. The brightening sky is slowly changing the hue of the treetops below them, cooler grays coming alive with color, and there’s just something hypnotic about the gentle dip and rise of Fliss’ flying, the slight shifts between air currents. He almost feels like he’s in a trance, with the heat of the rising sun and the balancing bite of the wind, Nia a warm weight against his back. Tobias could probably fall asleep up here, if he tried.
After a while, the fuzzy silhouettes of the mountain range become more visible, fading into existence as towering peaks of white, their tops cloaked in eternal snowstorms. Even the winds feel colder as they fly on a current slightly closer to the mountains, though they’re still a great many miles away.
“You can kinda see the Silenfroar mountain range from here,“ Tobias says, far too casually. “We’re passing by right now.”
Nia’s curiosity is too much for her, and she tentatively lifts her head to peek over Tobias’ shoulder.
“To the left.”
Nia follows his instruction, and all at once he sees amazement take over the fear. She unfolds, ears pricking up, head lifting, the hold around his gut loosening until she’s lightly gripping his sides.
Tobias can’t help it—no one can see him up here anyways. He grins, gazing at the mountains as well. “Pretty cool, huh?”
“They’re beautiful!”
“There’s a village on top of those mountains!” Fliss shouts over her shoulder, catching their attention. “I hear they aren’t fond of outsiders, so I’ve never been there myself!”
“August trained up there for a while!” Tobias yells back. Maggie had mentioned it once or twice, quoting it from the rillaboom’s younger days. Apparently the treacherous Silenfroar settlement is infamous for being an incredibly challenging training ground—or so August says. “He’s still on good terms with ‘em, from what I hear.”
“Whoa,” Nia murmurs, still mesmerized by the intimidating mountain peaks.
Tobias shifts his own gaze down to look at the landscape below them. The trees are starting to thin out a bit, meaning that they should be hitting the Bethoc Bluffs and the Obsidian Sea relatively soon. Tobias is nervous about crossing the stretch of open ocean between them and Ghatha, but Fliss seems strong—
A tiny eep! of fear is Tobias’ only warning before Nia grabs him in another death-hug, crushing the breath out of him.
“Arceus, Nia, give me some warning!” Tobias wheezes, pulling her arms a bit looser. She’s stronger than she looks. “Is this how you’re gonna be the whole way?”
“N-No, it’s getting better! Just, uh. Slowly.”
Tobias rolls his eyes and focuses back on the flight, determined to enjoy the peaceful feeling of it all. As they fly, the landscape transitions from forest to rocky pines as they near the edge of the region. They pass several different settlements and tiny villages along the way, the homes and Pokemon living there barely visible from their height. Some are set up in clearings, quaint little homes and businesses clustered close together, and some are nearly hidden by leafy treetops, a bit more spaced apart.
Tobias has traveled to villages like those in the past, he thinks, with Maggie. Usually to treat a severely ill Pokémon or purchase rare herbs. He can’t really recall much about those trips, and certainly not any of the tiny towns’ names. Fliss, however, seems to know them by heart. She calls out each village’s name as they soar over them.
Nia leans forward to hear the braviary better as she speaks, hanging onto every windswept word. After the second or third village, Nia leans back, tightens her grip on Tobias, and cranes her neck to catch a glimpse of the town below. She retreats almost immediately, and Tobias isn’t sure whether to encourage her or make fun of her, so he settles for both.
“Wow, don’t get too adventurous,” he drawls.
Nia gives him a powerful squeeze in retaliation that makes him cough.
From there, the flight is quiet and uneventful, Nia’s face once again hidden in Tobias’ shoulder as the charmander enjoys the wind whipping past them. He doesn’t speak again until he can finally see the glitter of the ocean on the horizon, meaning they’re almost to the bluffs, where the region drops off into the sea.
He taps Nia’s arm to get her attention. “Ever been to the ocean?”
There’s a moment of thoughtful silence, and then, “I-I...don’t think so? I don’t remember seeing the ocean, at least.”
“Now’s your chance.”
That catches Nia’s attention. Slowly, the riolu peers over Tobias’ shoulder. Then she gasps and straightens up, ruby eyes blown wide with wonder. The ocean and the scraggly cliffs of the seaside are coming at them fast.
“Beautiful, ain’t it?” Fliss calls. “That’s the Obsidian sea! We’ll be flying over it for another hour or so before hitting Ghatha.”
Tobias isn’t particularly fond of the sea himself, for obvious reasons, but he does have to admit that it’s pretty to look at. And the salty air smells nice.
To Tobias’ surprise, Nia stays where she is, watching with open awe. She doesn’t even flinch as they finally meet where the water touches the cliffs, Fliss’ wings carrying them out over open waves. The water is dark with slices of white waves, choppy ripples reflecting pieces of the sky. The braviary’s flight levels out into a gentle glide, and she slowly lowers them closer to the water until they can see their own reflected shadow speeding across the waves.
Tobias holds on tighter to Fliss’ feathers and brings his legs up higher, feeling a pang of fear in his gut. If something were to suddenly happen to Fliss and they dropped into the sea, he’d be a goner this far from the shore.
A wave crests underneath them, spraying up a salty mist. Tobias leans away from it, hissing, and Nia laughs. It’s so unexpected that he looks back at her, caught off-guard by how she suddenly looks totally unafraid. She’s leaning right over Fliss’ side, watching the ocean waves with delight, one paw outstretched to catch more of the ocean spray, one paw still gripping Tobias’ side. Tobias blinks. He knew the height was an issue for the fighting type, but seeing such a drastic shift just from them lowering their altitude is really…something. Too bad Tobias feels like he’s currently dangling over certain death if Fliss gets so much as a wing cramp.
“S-So you haven’t ever like...crashed or anything, right?” Tobias yells, turning to look forward again.
Fliss’s back rumbles underneath them with a laugh. “‘Course not, hun! You think I’d offer to fly a fire type across the ocean if I had? We’ll be fine, trust me.”
Tobias takes a deep breath and tries to relax. It doesn’t work. Nia leans forward to catch his eye. “Hey, you okay?”
Tobias snorts, eyes forward and resolutely not on the ocean below them. “Fantastic.”
Nia stares at him with a little frown, before her expression clears. “Oh! It’s the water, huh? I didn’t even think of how scary that’d be for you. Sorry.”
Tobias doesn’t answer, trying not to feel embarrassed by how tense he is, and for a moment Nia is silent too. Then she leans forward, past him, and yells, “Hey, Fliss? Can we go a bit higher? J-Just a little!”
Fliss turns her head to give Nia a confused look, and Tobias does the same. “Odd request from a fighting type,” the braviary says. “But all right.”
Fliss tilts her wings and flaps, catching an updraft that takes them a bit higher. They’re still over open water, but it feels less threatening when it isn’t clawing at Tobias’ feet and spraying his skin with salty, stinging mist. He relaxes, and both of Nia’s paws hold firmly to his sides again. When he glances back at her, she still has her eyes open, looking out over the horizon. She doesn’t look quite as at-ease as she was before, but she doesn’t seem terrified, either.
Nia notices his stare and furrowed brow, and shrugs with a little smile. “Seemed like a good compromise to me. Better for both of us to be a little uncomfortable rather than either of us being completely terrified, right?”
Tobias blinks, surprised by the explanation. He…guesses that makes sense. If it keeps him from getting sprayed with stinging water and Nia from breaking his ribs, then he’ll take it. He nods and looks forward again.
After that it’s silent, save for the roaring wind and the crash of sea waves below them. They’re making good time from what Tobias can tell, but they’ve still got a bit of traveling ahead of them. Tobias has taken to closing his eyes and losing himself in the relaxing sensations of the flight when Fliss makes a mildly surprised sound that puts him immediately on edge. He looks around, not seeing anything, then follows the braviary’s gaze down to the ocean, heart jumping in his chest when he sees the shadow of a Pokemon speeding along below them, serpentine and absolutely massive, easily multiple times longer than Fliss is large. Before he can get concerned, Fliss takes them higher, safely out of range of the mysterious Pokemon.
“By Yveltal’s wings, that’s a big ‘un!” the braviary cries out. “Must be a gyarados. Likely travelling to Ghatha too.”
Tobias watches the shape, frowning. It’s still matching their pace perfectly, nothing but a dark blur broken up by the choppy waves. A gyarados, huh? He can’t remember seeing one before so he can’t be sure, but something about the silhouette seems…different from what he remembers in the books.
“Th-That’s a Pokemon?” Nia asks, clinging closer to Tobias. “It’s huge!”
Tobias doesn’t respond, watching as the shape suddenly falls back and out of sight.
Nia cranes her head back to watch it go, then leans into him again with a more relaxed grip. After a moment, she asks, “‘By Yveltal’s wings?’ Yveltal is one of the, uh...the legendary Pokémon, right?”
Tobias nods. “God of destruction, but also a deity of flight and war.”
Nia blinks, looking startled. “War?”
Tobias glances back at her. “Yeah. Hasn’t been a war in centuries, but a lot of Pokémon still look to the war deities for help in battle.”
After a beat of silence to digest that information, Nia hesitantly says, “I’ve been meaning to ask, a-and I hope this isn’t like…offensive? But, uh. What exactly is the deal with legendary Pokémon? I’ve heard people reference them and I’ve read a couple of books but are they, like...real Pokémon?”
Tobias bites back a sharp retort. He’s not allowed to snap at her for asking questions about the Pokémon world, no matter how ridiculous they are. “Did you not have gods in your world?”
“Well,” Nia says thoughtfully. “From what I can remember, there were different...religions, in the human world. So, like…I think my family believed in one god and one god only. But some people believed in a different god. Or multiple gods. Or no gods at all. And there wasn’t ever really any hard...proof, I guess? Of any of them existing. So I guess I’m wondering if it’s the same way here.”
Tobias frowns. “The gods here are real Pokémon, as far as we know. According to records and some of the older Pokemon, we used to see them and interact with them regularly, but in the last century or so they’ve just...disappeared. We don’t know if something happened or they just abandoned us or what.”
“You don’t sound all that worried about it.”
Tobias shrugs. “What’s there to be worried about? The situation’s been the same ever since I’ve been alive. Nothing’s changed for me.”
“But most Pokémon still believe in them, right?”
“To an extent, yeah.”
“Do you?”
Tobias pauses and looks up at the endless blue sky, thinking about how to respond. He hadn’t ever given it much thought, honestly. “…Maybe. My parents prayed to a few of them, and Maggie is pretty devout even if she keeps it quiet. I don’t really know if I believe in them or not. All I know is that if they used to be real, they aren’t watching over us anymore.“
“Really? Why do you say that?”
Tobias feels something tighten in his chest as he remembers rain and fear and a terrible sense of being completely alone, no matter how much he cried for help.
“Because they sure weren’t watching over me when I needed them.”
Nia goes quiet. Then, softly, she says, “I think I believe in a higher something, but I don’t know for sure what that is. Especially now, coming here to this world. I’m just more confused than ever.”
Tobias makes a noncommittal noise in his throat.
“I’ve read about some of them,” Nia continues. “You’ve mentioned an, uh...Entay?”
“Entei,” Tobias corrects. His parents had taught him to pray to the legendary beast when he was young. “Protector of fire types and children. Part of a trio alongside Suicune and Raikou. Suicune protects water types and watches over lakes and rivers. Raikou protects electric types and watches over storms.”
“Oh! I think I remember seeing a picture of those three. They kind of looked like…dogs? Or tigers, maybe? Weren’t there two birds, too?”
Birds? Tobias thinks Nia has called some of the flying type Pokemon that before. “Probably Lugia and Ho-oh—deities of the moon and sun. Lugia controls the seas and protects ocean voyages, and Ho-oh controls the Summer and Autumn seasons. Protects from fires.”
“Wow,” Nia breathes, sounding fascinated. “That’s so specific! And there are a lot of other ones, too, right?”
“Yeah, but they’re not all that specific. Like…Mew is just called the Mother of All Pokémon, so she’s more of a common deity. It’s said that she’s willing to help any Pokémon because in a way we’re all her children or something.”
“I think I remember Mew. Little pink cat Pokémon?”
“She’s definitely pink.”
“Okay. So is there like...a god above all the other gods?”
“There’s Arceus,” Tobias says, slowly. “I guess they’d be the closest thing. Although that’s one Pokémon they say no one ever saw, even when all the others deities were pretty common. They say Arceus created the other legendaries, who in turn created us.”
Nia’s silent again, probably thinking, and Tobias takes advantage of the brief moment of quiet, closing his eyes again to fully enjoy the sun against his face. He really missed flying.
“But not all gods are like...good, right?” Nia asks eventually. “Like yuh...yuveltel? He’s a god of war, right?”
“Yveltal is the god of destruction,” Fliss corrects, startling them both. “But that doesn’t mean he’s bad. All things have to die for new life to take their place, after all. It’s just the natural order of things. Yveltal destroys and ends, and Xerneas creates and starts anew.“
“I...guess that’s true,” Nia says, still sounding doubtful. “But war isn’t a good thing, or necessary.”
“But it still happens,” Fliss says. “Battles happen and we all need someone to turn to for hope in bleak, bloody situations. So Yveltal got that job, as a destruction legendary. If it’s too late to hope for peace, it gives a lot of hope to think you have the god of destruction himself on your side.”
Nia hums. “Okay…I guess that makes sense. But what about that one kind of scary legendary Pokémon? The legends made him out to be really, really bad.”
“Darkrai?”
“It looked kind of like a dragon. Something about dimensions?”
“Ah,” Fliss says, nodding. “That would be Giratina. He was exiled long before the other legends disappeared, banished to the dimensional rift. I will admit he’s a real piece of work, according to the stories.”
“I couldn’t find much about him,” Nia admits, leaning past Tobias to talk more directly to the braviary.
“That’s because a lot of Pokémon ain’t comfortable talking about him!” Fliss crows, sounding amused. “But I ain’t scared of some dusty old tall tales. Wanna hear about his banishment? My granny told me the story when I was just a chick.”
Nia grins. “Yes please!”
Fliss laughs, and Tobias doesn’t complain when the braviary slows, leveling her flight into a smoother glide over ocean drafts. The charmander is admittedly curious, too. He can’t remember anyone telling him much about Giratina’s story before, though he’s heard the name whispered once or twice over the years.
“Well, the legends claim that Giratina was once the guardian of our world’s borders,” Fliss begins. “He kept our dimension safe and sturdy, keeping out anything that didn’t belong in the Pokémon world and making sure no Pokémon got too big-headed and tried to explore past its borders. Myths about humans existed even hundreds of years ago, y’know? Some suspected that if we could cross that dimensional border, we’d find them. It was part of Giratina’s job to keep Pokemon from trying to do so.”
Nia’s hold on Tobias tightens as she whispers, “The human world?”
“I guess it would have messed with something, if we were allowed to hop between worlds like that,” Fliss continues. “So it was Giratina’s job to upkeep that land surrounding our own, keep us in and others out so nothing would be disrupted. He was always a bit of a shiny wooloo among the gods, never deigned regular Pokémon worthy of his presence and kept to himself. But he did his job! They say Pokémon would see him sometimes in reflections, blood-red eyes cold and fierce. But he was never aggressive, never abandoned his duties.”
“Until one day,” Fliss’ voice drops to something low and dramatic. “He just lost his head. Attacked another legend out of the blue and nearly killed ‘em! I believe it was Cresselia? Or maybe it was Celebi. Anyways! As punishment, Arceus themself banished Giratina to his own dimensional rift, trapping him so that he couldn’t leave it or even contact our world. They say he’s still there to this day, plotting his revenge, and that on still nights you can see the shadow of him flickering in reflections, watching and trying to break free.”
A beat of quiet, and then Nia shudders behind him. “O-Okay, that’s creepy. So no one knows what set him off? Why he would just attack another legendary like that?”
“Beats me!” Fliss says, chipper once more. “Most Pokémon don’t even like to talk about him, so we don’t know a lot about the story anymore.”
Nia makes a dissatisfied noise, then asks, “Well, what about the dimensional rift between the Pokémon world and other dimensions? Has anyone tried to cross it since Giratina was trapped? There are humans popping up in this world, so wouldn’t that mean something’s gone wrong there?”
There’s a heavy, out-of-place pause. Then, Fliss says, “You aren’t a normal Pokémon, are you Nia?”
Nia jerks back in surprise, and Tobias freezes.
“Most every Pokemon knows about the gods, after all,” Fliss continues casually. “You wouldn’t happen to be heading to that human meet-up in Ghatha, now would ya?”
For a moment, Tobias thinks of August’s warning for them to keep quiet about Nia being human. From how Nia clutches him tighter, he bets she’s remembering the same thing.
“I, u-uh. I am, actually,” Nia finally says, quietly. “Is that okay?”
Fliss laughs as Tobias gives the riolu a nasty glare for blowing their cover so easily. “Sure! It’s just fine with me, lass. Just hope you weren’t trying to keep it a secret—if so, you’re doing a right poor job of it!”
Nia makes a quiet, unhappy sound in her throat. “Should…Should we be keeping it a secret?”
Fliss makes a thoughtful trilling sound. “Heard about that squabble between the humans and Pokémon, eh? I doubt you’ll run into any real trouble around here, but if you’re worried about it then don’t go asking such obvious questions in front of other Pokémon, all right? I knew something was odd since we left port.”
Nia groans and bumps her head dejectedly into Tobias’ back. “I’ll…try to keep that in mind.”
Fliss laughs again. “Aw, cheer up! I’m excited, at least! Never thought I’d be takin’ a human across the sea! What a world.”
Nia and Fliss continue to chatter on about humans and Nia’s experiences since coming to the Pokemon world, and Tobias closes his eyes to relax again. He gets dangerously close to dozing as they continue into the roaring wind, sun rising higher to warm them and dazzle the sea. Nia and Fliss eventually fall silent, and the riolu slowly relaxes against him as the minutes pass, probably falling into a nap herself. Tobias idly wonders if every charmander or bagon feels this connection to the sky, or if it’s just him.
They stay like that until they hear a distant cry, nearly snatched away by the wind. Fliss calls back, loud and jarring, and Nia jumps. A moment later, Tobias spots a small flock of Pokémon flying to the left, veering towards them. Fliss doesn’t seem alarmed, and as they get closer, Tobias can pick out a togekiss and flygon guiding a group of smaller flying type Pokémon, letting them ride their drafts in the harsh wind.
“Fledglings?” Fliss calls, eyes fond as she spots a little rufflet in the pack.
The togekiss corrects a wobbly swablu’s form and the flygon nods, eyes flicking from Fliss’ designated flight scarf to Tobias and Nia before he smiles. “First day out over open ocean.”
Fliss laughs. “Terrifying, ain’t it? Feels like Kyogre herself’s gonna leap outta the ocean and snatch you up! If y’all are out here, that must mean we’re getting mighty close to Ghatha, right?”
Tobias feels a stir of excitement—comfortable or not, he’s ready to stretch his legs—and squints at the direction they’ve been heading in for the past hour or so. Is that a faint silhouette on the horizon or is he just imagining it?
The flygon nods again, looking at Tobias and Nia. “You two been to Ghatha before?”
Nia must shake her head no, because the flygon smiles. “Well, you sure picked a perfect time to come visit. There’s a magic show planned for tomorrow evening! A big one, at the convention center at central square”
Nia gasps behind him. “A magic show?!”
Flygon nods. “Cheap admission too. I think there’s a big meeting happening at the conference center beforehand so it’s sure to be packed, but I’ve heard of these guys so they should be good. I think they do a lot of fire manipulation.”
At that, Tobias perks up. A magic show could be all right, but a fire-based one? He doesn’t get to see many fire types aside from himself in the Haven. It can feel a bit isolating, especially with so many grass and bug types around.
Fliss sighs. “Darn. Wish I could stick around to see it, but I’ll likely get called away for a flight before then. The kiddos could probably go, though!”
“Thank you for letting us know!” Nia yells over the wind.
The flygon nods, then glances at his flock. “I have to head back. Enjoy Ghatha!”
The dragon type tilts his wings and wheels back to his group. Tobias watches him go, wishing somehow he could join them, until Nia squeezes him.
“Look!”
Tobias does, eyes widening at the sheer size of the city they’re approaching. The silhouette of it becomes more detailed as they get closer, murky grays revealing tall stacks of stone buildings, almost all of them painted with bright accents of color that give the city an immediate sense of life. It’s huge, sprawling along the oceanside cliffs and stretching from one edge of Tobias’ sight to the other.
Fliss is clearly familiar with the area, and immediately flies to a tall flight tower right along the edge of the cityscape. She circles it, finding an empty loft before gliding in and flapping to a stop. It’s dim inside, and a few flyers glance over at the new arrivals. A swellow lifts a wing in greeting, calling, “Fliss! Long time no see.”
Fliss laughs and calls back, “Cobalt! Good to see that handsome mug. Gimme just a sec to set these two off.” She crouches low to the ground, wings spread, and glances back at Tobias. “All right, kiddos, Ghatha awaits!”
Tobias slides off the braviary’s back and barely manages to catch himself before his legs buckle from the long flight. With a yelp, Nia falls onto the ground beside him in a heap, clearly as stiff as he is.
“Thank you for flying us, Fliss,” Nia says once she gets back to her feet. She gives the flying type a grateful smile. “Really. It would’ve been a rough ride without you.”
Fliss laughs and retracts her wings. “Not a problem. You’re two of the most pleasant customers I’ve had in a while!”
“Maybe we’ll see you again on the way back,” Nia suggests hopefully.
“Maybe so!” Fliss gives the two of them a wink. “For now, you two just have a good time in the city and enjoy that magic show. Stay friendly, okay?” Her gaze flicks to Tobias, an unfamiliar note of something serious entering her voice. “Just not too friendly.”
Tobias stiffens. That...was that a warning? Fliss hadn’t acted particularly concerned about Nia keeping her human life a secret during the flight, but…
Fliss gives them both another nod before walking over to the swellow. Tobias looks at Nia, wondering if she caught the braviary’s subtle warning, but the riolu is just digging through their satchel with an oblivious smile on her face. Great.
Tobias sighs, wordlessly turning and leading the way to the staircase when Nia finally looks up with an eager expression and a thumbs-up. They descend to the ground level and wave at the check-in Pokémon, an emolga. Before they can step out into the street Tobias reaches out to grab Nia’s arm.
“Wait.”
Nia does, looking at him with a tilt of her head.
Tobias glances back to make sure the emolga isn’t listening. “Look, I know it’s important to you that you used to be human.”
Nia pulls her arm away from him, open expression becoming more wary. “Yes?”
“And I know we’re here for the human meetup. But I’ve been thinking about what August said, and I think he might be right. Just…try to be discreet, all right?”
Nia frowns, looking disheartened. “What? But I thought everyone said not to worry about it too much.”
Tobias has to take a deep breath not to retort with something sharp. Nia’s not dumb by any means, but she’s just so trusting. It’s gonna be a problem one day. Fliss might’ve wanted to spare Nia any unwarranted panic, but Tobias is more concerned about them being attacked than the riolu’s soft heart.
“Did you not hear Fliss up there on the flight floor? That was a warning. Whether anything actually happens or not, it’s a good idea to lay low when we can.”
Nia looks away and whispers, “I guess.”
Tobias sighs. “Good. Let’s get a move-on, then. We should find this place right away so we know where to go tomorrow without getting lost. We can decide where to stay afterwards.”
They step out onto the street, and Tobias barely catches Nia’s sullen expression smoothing away to something awed and starry-eyed as she looks around. He’s too busy doing the same.
If the city looked huge from far away, then that’s nothing compared to being in the heart of it. The streets are bustling with all kinds of Pokémon going about their business, types and species he’s never even seen before in real life. A huge copperajah passes by, making the cobblestone road beneath them shake with her steps, and a group of tiny mincinno dodge around her legs with ease, not even breaking their conversation. A Seeker team lead by a rapidash trots by, laughing, and a couple of starly swoop by overhead. The stream of Pokémon is endless, a thick crowd blocking out the buildings on the opposite side of the street entirely. Everything is in noisy motion, and the energy in the street is unreal. Beyond the passing Pokémon there are shops bracketing the path, and a few vendors yelling to try and market their wares. It would be stifling if not for the brisk sea breeze cooling everything down, a cut of bright sunlight slanting down between the maze of buildings.
“Oh wow,” Nia breathes, a beaming smile forming on her face. “And I thought Afon’s Cap was amazing!”
“This place makes Afon look like a dump,” Tobias agrees, still looking around. He’s never been here before either, and it more than lives up to the hype.
“How’re we ever gonna find the meeting place?” Nia asks, digging into the satchel to pull out the crumpled flyer for the human meetup.
Tobias leans over to look. “It says it’s just north of the main plaza. Whatever that means.”
“I guess we’ll have to just ask around?”
Tobias nods, looking around at the crowd. “Yeah. Let’s just ask for the plaza, so Pokémon don’t start wondering why we‘re looking for the convention center.”
Nia wilts, giving him a pathetic look. “Do you really think Pokémon would attack us? If they knew I was—well. You know.”
Tobias sighs. “No, not really. But I’d rather not take any chances. This place is different than the Haven, and we don’t know anyone, either. We get in trouble here and we’re screwed.”
Nia doesn’t look happy with that answer, but she nods. “I…guess you’re right. Pokémon have just been so nice to me that it’s hard to believe any of them could be cruel like that.”
Tobias looks at her, then gestures to the scarf tied around her arm over fang-shaped scars. “You already forget how you got those?“
Nia winces. “Of course not. But that was an outlaw.”
“Any Pokémon in this city could be an outlaw. Trust too easily and it’ll get you killed,” Tobias counters, looking around. He nods to the left. “C’mon, we should get moving before someone needs through to the flight tower.”
Nia still looks pensive, but tucks away the flyer and follows as Tobias steps into the flow of Pokémon and starts moving with the crowd. It’s hard to keep up the right speed and dodge stray tails and paws when neither of them are used to it, and they quickly find themselves being jostled and tripped by the overwhelming crowd. He and Nia almost lose sight of each other when a stantler charges right between them. After that, Nia hooks a paw around Tobias’ elbow, stepping closer. He gives her a look but otherwise doesn’t comment. It’d be nearly impossible to find each other if they got separated in a crowd this big.
“S-So where exactly are we going?” Nia asks.
Tobias shrugs. “The crowd will have to open up eventually and we can ask around when that happens.”
Nia nods but doesn’t answer, still too focused on looking around at the colorful variety of Pokémon and buildings they pass.
Eventually they reach a small plaza where the crowd thankfully thins out. There’s a large fountain in the middle of the space, and Tobias steers them over to it to catch their breath.
“Whew! I thought we’d never get out of that,” Nia says, hopping up to sit on the edge of the stone fountain and kick her paws. “I think it’d be too lucky for this to be the plaza we’re looking for. There are some vendors and shops around, though. Wanna start here?”
“As good a place as any,” Tobias huffs, still a bit on edge from the walk. He’s not sure he’s ever been surrounded by so many Pokémon at once, and he doesn’t like the feeling. “We could—“
“Get back here and let me peck your nose off, you coward!”
Tobias spins around at the shout, just in time for a flash of brown fur to zigzag past him. A moment later, a furious ball of blue, black and yellow feathers flies into view from the crowd of Pokémon. A rookidee?
Tobias doesn’t register the flying type’s sudden expression of panic or how they try to backpedal until they slam into him, knocking them both to the ground.
Tobias immediately shoves the rookidee off, snarling, “Watch it!”
The bird shoots him their own glare. “You watch it, you overgrown lizard! That scrap of fur stole my money!” And with that, they’re off again, fluttering back into the air and shooting off after the brown-furred Pokémon.
“Jeez,” Tobias grumbles, brushing himself off. “Warm welcome, huh?”
When there’s no answer, Tobias looks up to find Nia gone. Of course. He whips around, just in time to see the riolu’s fluffy tail vanish into the crowd—in the same direction as the rookidee and the thief.
Tobias groans, tipping back his head and shoving his palms into his eyes. They’ve been in the city for half an hour and Nia is already sticking her nose where it doesn’t belong and trying to stop a street robbery. He’s going to kill that riolu.
Chapter 23
Summary:
Tobias and Nia meet a few new faces and explore Ghatha.
Notes:
(See the end of the chapter for notes.)
Chapter Text
Nia only has to realize there’s a robbery happening right in front of her before she’s on her feet and ready to help, but it’s a different reason entirely that makes her take off after the thief and their pursuer in a desperate sprint.
She knows she heard that bird use the word “lizard” to describe Tobias—and that can only mean one thing.
Nia can barely keep up with the chase, eyes trained on the blue feathers of the bird as she races down crowded city streets, dodging carts and ducking under the legs of huge Pokemon. The bird is dangerously low to the ground as she chases after the thief, and for a moment Nia fears she’s going to lose sight of them both.
But then a vendor pulls into the street from around a corner, and the fluffy brown thief snags the corner of it, tripping. The bird is on him in an instant, screeching and pecking to keep him down. Nia pulls up short to the scene, panting, a little unsure of what to do. She thought she’d have to catch the thief herself, but...
“Give! Me! My! Money!” The bird shouts. “Or I’ll peck your eyes out!”
The thief kind of looks like a scruffy dog. His spiky, striped fur is bushed out in fear as he shoves a tiny sack away from himself, cowering and covering his eyes with his paws. Still, the bird doesn’t let up.
There’s a small crowd watching the spectacle, but a pained whimper from the thief finally gets Nia to move forward, palms out. “H-Hey, I think he learned his lesson—”
The bird stops her attack to land on the rescued pouch of money, whipping around to glare at Nia. “Did I ask for your opinion?”
Nia gulps, taking a step back. That beak looks sharp. “Well, no, but—“
There’s a scuffling sound, and when Nia and the bird look, the thief’s bushy tail is slipping back into the crowd.
“Oh, great!” The bird chirps with an agitated sweep of her wing. “Look, now he’s just gonna go rob some other poor shlub! I had it handled, y’know!”
Nia shrinks back. “Sorry, I just thought you might need help, a-and you said, uh—”
“Said what!? Spit it out!”
“Y-You called Tobias a lizard! Which means, um—“ Nia breaks off, glancing at the slowly dispersing crowd. Too many Pokémon are still listening in. Nia looks back to the bird desperately. “Well, that means you’re...like me. Right? Not a normal Pokémon?”
For a moment Nia fears she‘d heard wrong as the bird stares at her with narrowed eyes. But then she chirps, “What animal would you call me, then? If you’re really not a normal Pokémon.”
Nia slumps with relief. “A bird. I’m not sure what kind, though. Bluebird? You kinda look like a robin, just with different colors.”
The little bird’s eyes light up, all animosity gone in an instant. “You’re like me!” She flaps up to circle Nia, tweeting a chipper little melody. “I mean, I came to Ghatha expecting this, but still!”
The bird snatches up her stolen bag and nudges them both out of the way of the crowd and towards the doorway of a shop.
“So you really are?” The bird asks, leaning in close to whisper, “A human?”
Nia laughs, giddy with delight. The bird had been so aggressive just moments ago, but now she seems friendly as anything. And she’s human! Like Nia and Hazel!
“Yup!” Nia crouches to meet the bird’s height (and the riolu had thought she was tiny!) as she lowers her own voice. “So I’m guessing you’re here for the convention too, right?”
“Yeah! I got into town a few days ago.”
“We just got here today and—“ Nia cuts herself off, dread suddenly overtaking her excitement. “Oh no. I left Tobias in the plaza! Oh, he’s gonna kill me.” Nia straightens up to peer down the street, but there are too many Pokémon bustling around for her to tell if Tobias followed her. That is the way she came from, right?
“He was at the plaza? Wait, is he the orange lizard I ran into?”
“Yes!”
“Well, it shouldn’t be too hard to find him! We just gotta backtrack the way we came, right?”
Nia nods, hesitant to share the bird’s confidence. “I guess. But he’s going to be mad I ran off without him.”
The bird waves her off. “Eh, he can get over it. C’mon, we can look for him together!”
The bird loops the strings of her pouch around her little body, then lifts off the ground. With a chirp, she dives back into the crowd. Nia yelps and hurries to follow, eyeing the little bird worriedly as the two of them are immediately jostled. The bird is tiny even to Nia, and she’s worried about the little Pokémon being just as fragile as normal birds.
“You can fly higher if you’d like,” Nia offers. “You don’t have to stay with me.”
The bird’s determined expression falters. “That’s okay. I’m uh. Not super keen on heights.”
Nia blinks, surprised. A bird that doesn’t like flying? That’s a new one. Well, not that she’s really one to talk. She could’ve woken up as a bird, too.
“What’s your name, by the way?” The bird chirps.
“Oh! It’s Nia!”
“Nia? Nice to meetcha! I’m Juniper, but just call me Junie. Did you pick your own name?”
Nia smiles. “Yeah. It felt like it was connected to my past somehow.”
Junie laughs, a melodic sound. “I just picked mine because it sounds nice!”
Nia giggles. As she opens her mouth to respond, she catches sight of Tobias fighting his way through the crowd. “Oh! Tobias!” She waves her arm.
He looks up, frowning at her and then Junie in turn. Once he reaches them, they all step to the side of the street to get out of the way, in front of a flower shop.
“What did I just say about getting separated?” Tobias snaps.
Junie pipes up before Nia can respond. “Oh, calm down, Dad! At least she tried to come help me!”
Uh-oh. Tobias glares down at Junie, lip curling. “At least I didn’t get robbed like an idiot.”
Junie calmly starts to preen her wing, not even looking at the angry charmander. “Hm. Takes one to know one, I suppose.”
“I could punt you into the Obsidian Sea you little—“
“Okay!” Nia squeaks, stepping between the two. Tobias glares at her but takes a step back. Junie looks like she is living for the drama, eyes sparkling and a cheeky smile playing at the corners of her beak.
Oh no.
“L-Let’s just get somewhere we can talk, okay?” Nia begs.
“Why?” Tobias growls, still shooting daggers at Junie.
“Uh, let’s just say that Junie is looking for the same thing we are.”
At that, Tobias finally looks at Nia, surprise on his face. It doesn’t take long to make it back to the small plaza with the fountain. Nia sits on the stone again, Junie hopping up next to her and Tobias standing at their side.
“So you’re here for the convention too?” Tobias asks, skeptical.
Junie matches his hushed tone, but nods excitedly. “I’ve been waiting for something like this for months! I knew I wasn’t the only one, but I couldn’t seem to track any other humans down. It’s all so hush-hush, y’know?”
“How long have you been here?” Nia asks.
“About half a year, I think?” Junie says, gazing thoughtfully up at the sky. “What about you two?”
“I’m not human,” Tobias snorts, as if the idea is ridiculous.
“And I’ve only been here a few weeks,” Nia says, shrugging. “We’re from the Lexym Guild.”
“Cool! Haven’t heard of it myself, but I don’t travel much,” Junie says, tilting her head in a way that’s distinctly avian.
Tobias gives Junie an almost offended look. “You’re a flying type. What do you mean you don’t travel?”
Junie smiles at him, sickly-sweet. “Some of us don’t live up to our types, hothead. Happy to see you’re following the script.”
Tobias narrows his eyes, a thin wisp of smoke drifting up from his nostrils. Nia shoots Junie a pleading look that the bird ignores.
“A-Anyways!” Nia interrupts with a clap of her hands. “Junie, do you know where the convention center is that we’ll be meeting at tomorrow?“
“Sure do!” Junie points behind them with a wing. “I found it yesterday. I was just going to check out some of the shops on the other end of town when that mutt ran me over.”
“Zigzagoon,” Tobias huffs. Nia stares at him for a moment before she realizes it’s a correction. Pokémon have such strange names.
“Would you mind showing us the way, then?” Nia asks, smiling down at Junie. “We were just gonna ask around, but this makes everything much easier!”
Junie hops to her feet. “Sure! This place is a maze, so stay close, all right?”
“We could’ve found it on our own,” Tobias huffs. Looks like he’s settling into one of his moods. Nia ignores the comment and gives the little bird a thumbs-up.
And with that they’re off, with Junie leading the way back through the crowd. Once they’re caught up in the flow, trailing behind a short elephant Pokémon, Junie hitches a ride on its rough, tire-like back. She winks at Nia’s surprise with a wingtip held up to her beak. The elephant must not even feel her weight, light as she is.
As they walk, Nia looks again at the buildings they pass, forming near-impenetrable walls on either side of the street. Businesses and shops are labeled by signs and wares in the windows, stacked high. She wonders whether the upper floors are something like apartments.
“I wonder if Junie would show us those shops she mentioned,” Nia comments idly to Tobias. “After we find the convention center.”
“You don’t have money to waste,” Tobias grumbles. “We still need to eat.”
“Doesn’t mean we can’t look!” Nia points out, trying to disarm his attitude with a cheery tone. “I’m curious about what kind of stuff they sell.”
The elephant Pokémon turns onto a small side street, and Junie hops off to stay on the main path with Nia and Tobias, fluttering forward again with the utmost confidence. Nia doesn’t know how long they walk, but the cobblestone underfoot is starting to wear sore on her paws when Junie finally chirps, “Almost there!”
Sure enough, the buildings are thinning out ahead, bright blue sky and warm sunlight replacing stone buildings and colorful paint jobs. Then, suddenly, it all opens up.
A cool, salty sea breeze blows against Nia’s face, and her jaw drops at the sight before them. “Oh, wow.”
The city has opened up into a huge plaza, the cobblestone bright and colorful underfoot. It’s clearly being prepared for something, a celebration or festival, maybe. Tents and booths sprawl throughout the space like an open marketplace, and colorful flags and banners crisscross the blue sky between them. Pokémon wander around, chatting happily and helping to assemble the structures or set up their wares. It’s strange seeing something so human-like in the Pokémon world, and Nia walks further into the plaza as if in a trance, trying to take it all in.
“Yeah, I guess there’s a big magic show happening somewhere around here tomorrow,” Junie chirps. “All the merchants are probably trying to take advantage of the crowd.”
“Oh! We heard about that!” Nia says. She shoots Tobias a hopeful look, remembering how he had perked up at the flygon’s mention of fire manipulation.
He sighs, but when he talks it sounds like more of an act than actual irritation. “We could probably go, since it’s cheap.”
Nia bounces in place before turning to Junie. “You wanna come with us? It’s after the convention tomorrow! And apparently the magicians are famous!”
Junie laugh. “How could I say no? You have literal puppy-dog eyes!”
Nia giggles, and Tobias shoots them both an exasperated look. As they wander across the plaza, she tries to explain the term to him.
“So it’s like saying someone has baby-doll eyes?” Tobias asks, looking torn between frustration and genuine curiosity.
Nia blinks at him, incredulous. “‘Baby-doll eyes?’”
“It’s a move, you idiots!” Tobias blushes as they stare at him, and it takes some of the bite out of his voice. “You make your eyes look really big and pitiful and it makes your opponent more reluctant to attack.”
“Huh.” Nia exchanges a baffled look with Junie. “I…guess that makes sense?”
“More sense than whatever weird stuff you talk about all the time,” Tobias grumbles.
“Whatever helps you sleep at night,” Junie responds.
Before a real argument can spark, Nia stops, staring at a huge building to the right of the plaza. “Whoa.”
It’s strangely...modern looking? In a seaside city of rough stone buildings stacked in layers like bedrock, all crooked angles and fast-paced whimsy, this building stands out as something...neater. More official, maybe. It’s large and impressive, with complex carvings and intricate structures built into its architecture.
“This is the convention center!” Junie says with a dramatic flourish of her wings. “Pretty snazzy, huh?”
“Do you think we can go in yet?” Nia asks.
“Sorry kiddos, afraid it’s closed today for preparations.”
Junie hops onto Nia’s shoulder to look towards the new voice.
The speaker is a large fox, with creamy white fur and a bundle of long tails trailing behind him. He has glittering red eyes, and a satchel sitting heavy on his back. A maroon scarf is tied around his neck, with a pretty emblem pinned to it. Nia isn’t sure if it’s just the creature’s foxy face or if his smile is as mischievous as it looks.
He’s beautiful, but Nia’s gaze flicks past him, to the Pokémon following a beat behind. The second newcomer floats along like a ghost, skin an inky black and eyes a ruby red, and his long arms hold a clipboard. He has a tail curled around a golden mask, and weirdly enough the features on the mask almost look...human?
Nia gasps as it clicks, bringing everyone’s attention to her. “You’re a yamask!”
There’s a moment of stunned silence, and Nia cringes, ears growing hot. What a way to make a first impression.
The yamask thankfully doesn’t seem offended, and Nia would almost say he looks pleasantly surprised. His voice is warm as he says, “Yes, I am. I take it you’re here for the convention tomorrow?”
“How’d you know?” Junie chirps.
The yamask’s easy smile grows. “I used to be human too, once. I can usually recognize fellow lost souls. My name is Will, by the way.”
He holds out a hand and Nia hurries to shake it, trying to make up for her rude first impression. She suppresses a shiver at how his skin feels cool and not totally solid, almost like condensed mist.
“I’m Nia,” She says, giving him an apologetic smile.
“Call me Junie!”
Tobias stays silent and narrows his eyes at Will. The yamask accepts it with a polite dip of his head.
“I’m Keegan,” the fox adds, stepping forward. “Not a human, though—just here to help out with preparations!”
“He is also the second in command at Ghatha’s guild,” Will adds, giving them a sly look. “Don’t let his modesty fool you.”
That catches Tobias’ attention.
Keegan laughs, holding a paw to his chest in mock offense. “Me? Modest? I must be slipping. I’m keeping the plaza under control, but Will’s the one who orchestrated this whole meetup in the first place.”
“Wait—you put this together?” Junie chirps. “The human meetup?“
Nia blinks, suddenly remembering her flyer from Afon’s Cap. “Oh. The will of the Humans movement!”
Will laughs, his smile turning a shade self-conscious. “I’m afraid my friend came up with that. He insisted it was clever wordplay.” Before anyone can respond to that, Will barrels on as if trying to escape his own embarrassment. “Are all three of you human?”
“I am, and Nia is!” Junie chirps. “Toby’s just tagging along. Do you think there’ll be a lot of other humans at the meetup tomorrow?”
Will nods. “I’ve actually met quite a few of them already! It’s encouraging to see such a large turnout. After working so many years to gather enough resources, it’s great to finally see our efforts make some actual progress.”
“Hang on—years? You’ve been here for years?” Junie shouts from Nia’s shoulder. The riolu winces and slaps her hands over her sensitive ears.
Will gives the bird a concerned look. “Yes? I’ve been working on founding this organization for the last three or four.”
Nia feels a tremble building in Junie’s talons as she suddenly falls silent. Oh. Did Junie…did she not know how long humans have been showing up here? Did she just assume this was a relatively new occurrence, and somehow no one ever told her? Nia is suddenly incredibly grateful that Maggie informed her about the humans’ decades-long conundrum the day they first met. She’d be a mess if she was in Junie’s position and hearing this for the first time.
“S-Sorry, I don’t think she, um…knew how long humans have been showing up here,” Nia says, putting her thoughts aside to address Will’s worried expression. “She’s only been here for half a year. I mean, I’ve only been here a month, but Maggie told me right away, so…”
“Really?” Keegan asks, ears flicking forward with interest. “You’ve only been here a month and you’re already Seekers?”
Nia blinks and Tobias suspiciously asks, “How did you know that?”
Keegan laughs. “Whoops! Rai always says my eyes are too sharp for my own good. I recognized your bag. It’s pretty standard for Lexym beginners.”
Nia lifts her arm to look at the plain brown satchel they were given when starting out. It’s a bit worn and ripped, but otherwise nondescript. Keegan must be really observant to have made that connection. No wonder he holds such a high position here in Ghatha.
“It’s just me and Nia on the team,” Tobias grumbles. “Feathers isn’t with us.”
Junie doesn’t respond to the jab, so Nia hesitates before gently prying the bird from her shoulder and shifting to hold her in her arms. She’s a bit too round to fit comfortably, but definitely light enough. After a moment of hesitation, the trembling bird turns to burrow her face into Nia’s fur.
“Are you sure she’s all right?” Will asks. He looks like he’s itching to reach out and comfort Junie himself.
“Fine,” Junie says, shaky voice muffled. “Just...Just give me a second.”
Nia strokes a hand across Junie’s soft feathers, hoping that the bird won’t get mad about it later like Tobias would.
Will shifts his gaze up to Nia, who for once is the more emotionally stable one. “There will be more information available tomorrow at the convention, in the form of public speakers and information booths. We’ve gathered research and accounts to try and sort out how this keeps happening, as well as theories that hypothesize why it’s happening at all. I’m hoping to get everyone on the same page so no one is left feeling so lost or alone.“
Nia feels something tense and tight in her uncoil at the words, and she gives the yamask a wobbly smile. “That sounds wonderful.”
“Yeah, you lot sure got it rough, getting dropped here without any warning,” Keegan says, tone light but oddly genuine. “Figured the least we could do here in Ghatha was host the meetup itself.”
“It’s still very much appreciated,” Will says, giving Keegan a warm smile. “I know the guildmaster wasn’t fond of the idea.”
“Eh, Rai’s just heard too many conspiracy theories coming in from the underground, lately. Old guy has to learn to chill about humans.”
“He doesn’t like humans?” Nia asks, a little alarmed despite herself. She shoots Will a concerned look, but the yamask doesn’t seem worried.
Keegan waves her off with a flick of his tails. “Nah, he’s usually fine with ‘em. Just a little more...suspicious than he was in the past. I think he’s just stressed. He really needs a vacation.”
“Actually,” Keegan continues, turning to Nia and Tobias. “Since you’re Seekers, feel free to come work on some missions through our branch of the guild if you‘re planning on sticking around Ghatha for a bit! Normally you have to go through a big administrative thing, but I can waive you through.”
Nia can’t help feeling unnerved about going to the guild where this Rai Pokémon is, but Keegan seems fine with humans if he’s so adamant about helping Will out...
She offers him a shaky smile. “S-Sure, if we stick around long enough. We aren’t planning to be here more than a couple of days, but we might take you up on that.”
Tobias snorts, and Nia hopes that Will and Keegan don’t hear it as the clear dismissal that it is.
“Will!”
Everyone turns to the voice. An adorable white pony Pokémon with a mane and tail like cotton candy is trotting up to the group, his hooves clicking against the cobblestone.
“Fidel!” Will greets. “How goes preparations?”
“Just have a few questions about layout for you and Keegan,” Fidel responds, a weary smile on his snout. “Have a minute?”
“Of course.” Will turns back to them. “I’m afraid we have to be going. But I’ll see you all tomorrow?”
Nia nods, and even Junie manages an affirmative sort of noise.
Will smiles. “Good. Rest up—it’ll be a big day.” The yamask turns to follow Fidel into the convention center.
“Let me know if you all need anything,” Keegan adds, following after Will with a cheery wave of his tails.
There’s a moment of silence save for the distant churn of waves and the lively activities of the plaza. Tobias and Nia speak at the same time.
“I don’t trust them.”
“That was the cutest Pokémon I’ve ever seen.”
They exchange a bewildered look.
“Don’t trust who?” Nia asks.
Tobias spreads his arms like it’s obvious. “Either of them! Will’s setting up this big thing and being all vague about it, and Keegan apparently works for someone with a thing against humans—while helping out Will! The human! You can’t tell me that isn’t suspicious.”
“You’re suspicious of everyone!” Nia scolds, frowning. “I thought they were both really nice.”
“You’d think a boulder about to smash in your face was nice.”
Junie snorts a quiet laugh into Nia’s chest, and she holds the bird out in front of her, offended. She thought Junie was on her side!
The bird still looks exhausted after her meltdown, but shrugs. “Sorry, it was funny. Besides, Toby needs a few wins.”
“Stop calling me that!” Tobias snarls.
“You’ve got it, Toby.”
“No fighting!” Nia says, trying to sound authoritative and failing miserably. She lifts Junie up over her head like a toy so Tobias can’t reach.
He gives Nia a dry look. “We’re the same height.”
Nia just stares back at him with wide eyes and a furrowed brow.
“Nia, who were you saying was cute?” Junie chirps, apparently switching targets. “I mean, you do you but I kind of got dad vibes from Will and Keegan seems older too but—wait, how old are you guys?”
“Do you ever shut up?” Tobias mumbles, rubbing at his temples.
“I meant Fidel!” Nia protests, bringing Junie back down to meet her gaze. “And n-not in like an interested way! I-I meant like, like a ‘My Little Pony’ kind of cute! Did you see him? He’s objectively adorable! His mane is made of cotton candy!”
Junie twitters a laugh. “Whatever you say.”
“Okay, you’ve lost carrying privileges,” Nia says.
Junie doesn’t move. Nia doesn’t drop her.
“You gonna...follow through on that?” Junie asks.
“U-Um. Well. Can you walk okay now?” Nia asks, afraid of the bird still being shaky on her feet. Er, wings?
Junie laughs, then struggles out of Nia’s hold. “You’re way too nice! I almost feel bad teasing you. Toby’s a much better target.”
“Hey!”
“Um. Sorry?” Nia offers, unsure.
Junie just laughs again and shakes her head. “So, where’re we going next?”
“‘We?’” Tobias growls.
“Yup! You’re stuck with me now!”
Nia sighs, giving Tobias a helpless shrug before turning back to Junie. “Well...you mentioned shopping at a market earlier? It looks like these shops are still setting up, so could we go there and look around?”
“Sure!” Junie chirps, flapping back into the air. “I’ll get us there in no time!”
Nia moves to follow her, glancing back to see a disgruntled Tobias tagging along behind them. Junie flies confidently ahead, and Nia can’t help marveling at the little bird. Junie bounced back so quickly from the revelation that humans have been stuck in this world for years. Nia was a mess when Hazel really drilled that lesson home for her.
Maybe Junie’s just stronger than Nia is.
“So you never answered me earlier,” Junie says, conversational as she hops around the table full of jewelry and gemstones.
The shopkeeper, a terrifying, navy-scaled dragon, is watching the little bird with open suspicion, and it’s making Nia nervous. Junie seems oblivious to it. Nia glances behind her hoping for backup, but Tobias is lingering at the stall they’d just left, where an array of musical instruments lay scattered across the counter for purchase.
For a moment, Nia pauses to watch him now that he’s alone. He’s sorting through the instruments with careful hands, face unreadable but somehow softer than usual. Huh. What’s he thinking about?
He lifts something like a ukulele to stare at it, gaze a million miles away. Nia kind of wishes Junie wasn’t here with them so she could try and talk to her partner about the reverence in his movements and the warmth in his eyes. Does he like music? She didn’t know that.
”Hellooo! Earth to Nia!”
“A-Answered you about what?” Nia asks, snapping back to reality and hurrying to focus on Junie. Hopefully the little bird didn’t notice Tobias’ expression. Nia could see Junie teasing him about it and it genuinely upsetting him.
“How old you are!”
“Oh.” Nia stops. “Uh, I think I’m about 18? Maybe? How old are you?”
“16!” Junie chirps, fluffing her feathers with pride. She glances over at Tobias. “How old is Mr. Grumpy Scales?”
“About my age, I think,” Nia answers, trying to remember what Maggie had told her. “Maybe a bit younger?”
Junie immediately hops off the table and flies over to Tobias, shouting, “Hey! Old man!”
Nia mourns how quickly the soft, unguarded look on Tobias’ face shifts to a sneer. She’d better go defuse this.
“I’m barely older than you!” Tobias snaps.
“Well how was I supposed to know that when you act like a crotchety old geezer!”
“Lord help me,” Nia mumbles.
The two of them have been bickering nonstop for over an hour now, and Nia’s getting to the point where she isn’t even phased by Tobias’ snarled threats. Still, Nia wishes Junie would just…calm down. For two seconds. She really likes the little bird, but she doesn’t enjoy her provoking her temperamental partner.
“Junie, for my own sanity please lay off on teasing Tobias,” Nia whines.
“Better listen to her if you wanna keep your feathers,” Tobias threatens.
Junie looks like she has a sharp retort ready, a gleam in her eye, but she pulls back when she sees Nia’s exhaustion.
“You’re lucky your partner’s a sweetheart,” Junie says instead to Tobias.
“Why? Because she’d try to stop me from murdering you?”
“Because I’d gladly tease you all day otherwise! You’re too fun.”
Tobias’ eyes narrow so Nia lifts the bird into her arms, far too tired to worry about personal boundaries. “Hey, how about we find some food soon? It’s almost evening.”
For once, Tobias and Junie agree on something, so the three of them navigate through the rest of the marketplace and find a cheap little diner tucked away between a bank and a fabrics shop. After following the stone staircase down to a lantern-lit tavern, they take a seat at a wooden booth in the corner built for smaller Pokémon like them.
Looking at the paper menu, Nia has no clue what half of the meals even are, and Junie seems equally clueless. In the end, Nia just decides on ordering a quiche of some sort with some berries and nuts she knows she likes.
After they pay, Junie eyes the red bandana wrapped around Nia’s arm. “So I know you said you’re a Seeker, but how exactly did that happen? Gotta be honest, Nia, you don’t seem like much of a fighter.”
“She could kick your tail,” Tobias grumbles from where he’s sitting with his head tilted back and eyes shut. Nia’s not sure whether that was a compliment towards her or if he’s just trying to insult Junie. Probably the latter.
Junie tweets a laugh. “I weigh like two pounds—I’m sure she could!”
Nia smiles, rubbing at her scar through the bandana. “I mean, you were pretty terrifying taking down that thief. I can fight a little bit, but I’m not a big fan of it unless we’re sparring and nobody actually gets hurt.”
Junie tilts her head thoughtfully. “Huh. Well, how did you two become a team, then?” The words ‘when your partner wants to fight everything’ go unsaid.
Nia hesitates, unsure how to sum up the circumstances that led to Nia saving Tobias’ life and convincing him to team up with her.
Luckily, Tobias pipes up, cracking open an eye. “She needed a way to look into leads about humans and I needed a partner to become an official Seekers team. We already knew each other so it just worked out.”
Junie makes a thoughtful noise in her throat but doesn’t answer, and Nia wonders what Junie really thinks when she isn’t talking.
“So what do you do, Junie?” Nia asks. “Since you’ve been here a little while now.”
Junie shrugs and looks down to trace the cracks and whorls of the tabletop with her eyes, voice a notch quieter than usual. “Well…I woke up near a little town called Stonebrook, so I’ve just been hanging around there, mostly. It’s like a two day journey south of here? Real sleepy little place, real quiet. I make a living doing odds and ends around town and finding wild berries to sell.”
The description is strangely...quaint. Nia honestly can’t imagine Junie living somewhere so quiet and doing something so normal. Not that the little bird sounds super excited about it or anything, but Nia can’t help being surprised when even she thinks it sounds boring—although any quiet life would seem uneventful after being dragged into life-risking adventures in mystery dungeons.
Tobias must think the same, because he arches a brow at Junie. “Really?”
Junie puffs up, looking genuinely bothered for the first time. “And what’s that supposed to mean?”
Tobias grins, clearly thrilled to finally get a rise out of her. “Just can’t imagine a nosy little pest like you living the quiet life.”
“N-Not that it’s a bad thing!” Nia adds.
Junie glares at Tobias. “Look, I don’t have a lot options, okay? It’s not like I have anyone I know or anywhere else I could go, especially when I can’t fly and I’m like a foot tall and I could get crushed on accident!”
Tobias doesn’t respond to the outburst aside from a lazy, unimpressed blink. Nia is a bit more worried. She lays a comforting hand on Junie’s back, like she did earlier, but the little bird turns on her.
“Stop that! I don’t want your pity!”
Nia yanks her hand back, ears pinning flat to her skull.
“Hey!” Tobias snaps, slamming his hands down on the table. “If you don’t want pity then stop acting like a whiny little kid!”
“I am a kid!” Junie shoots back, bordering on a shout. Nia casts a nervous look over Junie’s back to where the other patrons and workers are looking at their table. Uh-oh. Nerves churn in Nia’s gut.
The little bird takes a shaky breath, voice and eyes lowering. “Look, I didn’t ask to be brought here. I...I hate heights and I hate being so little and I don’t know anyone or anything and I just...I don’t like feeling so helpless and trapped all the time. I don’t know if I want to go back to the human world, but now I don’t know if I’ll even get a choice!”
Okay, wow, there is a lot to unpack there. Nia isn’t sure where to start, but that last bit makes her think of the scent of pecha berry tea and Hazel’s soothing paws.
“H-Hey,” Nia starts, quiet. “Is this about what Will said today? About how long he’s been here?”
Junie doesn’t respond, but Nia can see the way her feathers start to tremble again.
“I...I was lucky,” Nia admits after a moment of hesitation. “I got a heads-up about the whole situation a while ago. Honestly, you’re handling it a lot better than I did! I was a mess. Crying all over the place.”
There’s the slightest quirk of a smile on Junie’s beak. Nia smiles too.
“I know it’s scary, to think about how long humans have already been here, and how that means it’s going to be...really hard, finding a way back. But that’s what Will’s working on, right? He seemed pretty optimistic about it! All we can do is trust him to look into it and hope for the best.”
Nia doesn’t know where the comforting words are coming from. Maybe from the reassurances she’s told herself hundreds of times since waking up in this world.
Nia thinks of Hazel’s warm smile and adds, “And we’ve got each other, right?”
At that, Junie finally looks up. It’s upsetting, seeing tears swimming in the feisty little bird’s eyes.
“I get scared too,” Nia says. “About...uh. A lot of things, really. And I can’t imagine being a flying type, but I get how terrifying it is to not know anyone, or what you’re doing, or what anything is. But I have people who help me with that! I’ve got Maggie and my friends at the guild and Tobias to help me figure out what to do and what to learn so I can stay safe.”
Nia stumbles over the charmander’s name, not sure how he’ll react to being brought into this, but a quick glance shows that he’s watching Nia talk with a weirdly unreadable expression. He’s frowning, but it looks more like he’s focused, rather than anything negative.
“Are the people in your town nice?” Nia asks.
Junie sniffs and nods, wiping at her tears with a wing. “Yeah. I don’t really talk to them about anything serious, but they’re fine.”
“Have you tried asking them to help you figure stuff out?”
Junie hesitates. “No, I haven’t. Are you not...y’know, scared to ask for help? If you feel as helpless as I do?”
“Oh, I’m terrified!” Nia laughs. “Like all the time. But...like humans, most Pokémon seem to want to do good. They want to help. You should really try talking to them, seeing what they know and what they’re willing to teach you. Maybe try training if you can find someone to instruct you, to help you feel stronger, too. I’ve been learning a lot from books, but other Pokemon definitely help a lot!”
Junie’s looking at Nia with a thoughtful expression. Then she shakes her head, and the ghost of a smile comes to her beak. ”Maybe you’re right. I just...it’s hard to be that open, y’know? I feel weak enough in this body, but to let myself be so open about my emotions, too...”
“It’s hard,” Nia agrees, voice soft. Her feelings still get hurt all the time and it sucks. “But you can’t do this alone. None of us can. You have to have someone you can trust.”
“I trust you,” Junie responds, immediate and sure.
Nia pulls back, surprised and touched all at once.
Junie laughs at her expression. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to get all mushy!” Then her laughter dies down. “And I’m sorry for snapping at you. You’re a really good person. You don’t deserve that.”
Nia waves her off and tilts her head towards Tobias. “Don’t worry about it. I’m used to it.”
It’s meant to be a lighthearted quip, but instead Junie’s expression darkens, and she shoots Tobias a glare. A real glare, so obviously different from the playfighting the bird’s been instigating all day. Tobias glares back.
“A joke!” Nia yelps. “That was a joke! Please don’t fight again!”
Junie’s eyes narrow, but she huffs and turns back to Nia. “Fine.”
Nia breathes a sigh of relief. She knows she didn’t touch on all of Junie’s problems—
(The little bird doesn’t know if she wants to go back to the human world? Why would she not want to go back?)
—but Junie seems to be stabilizing and the argument has been averted for now, so Nia will take it as a win.
“Food!” A red and white bear Pokémon announces, stumbling over to their table with trays lined along his arms.
Nia watches with wide eyes as the Pokémon dips and sways like an inflatable tube man outside of a car dealership, staggering forward like he’s absolutely trashed. The food, however, stays firmly balanced on the plates, and once the dishes are placed on the table, the Pokémon bows and stumbles back towards the kitchen like nothing strange just happened.
Junie looks as baffled by the cheery, drunken bear as her. Nia shoots Tobias a look, but he’s just dragging his plate closer to him like this is a regular occurrence. Nia shakes her head and chalks the incident up to her ever-growing chart of incredibly weird Pokemon behavior. Maybe she can ask Xander or Andyn about it when she gets home.
Nia stops in the middle of grabbing her utensils.
Home? Is she thinking of the Lexym guild as home now?
She thinks of Maggie and her friends, of her little alcove with Tobias that smells like herbs and moss. She thinks of blue crystals and the creaking of wood, and she realizes there’s a sort of familiar warmth to the thought. Nia’s not entirely comfortable with that (her home isn’t here, isn’t even in this world), but...maybe she can have two homes? A temporary home, here, with Tobias and the guild, and her actual home in the human world.
But what about when Will does figure out how to return, and she has to leave this home behind?
Something aches in Nia’s chest at the thought of no more vines smoothing back the fur on Nia’s head. No more Andyn and Ezra play wrestling, or Xander’s team destressing by playing games in their quarters. No more Val making her feel confident and strong, no more Tobias dragging her into magical, dangerous, beautiful dungeons, and no more of the rewarding snorts of amusement that she manages to get from him sometimes.
She knew she’d be upset if she got attached. She’d even confided in Avery about it, told them that she wasn’t planning on getting attached to the Pokémon here. But that’s just what she’s doing, isn’t she? And that’s what she just recommended Junie do, too.
Was that the right thing to say?
Nia’s mind is saying no, but in her heart she knows she would have completely lost it by now if she didn’t have the support and affection of her friends. She needs them right now, to get through this and to be brave enough to figure everything out. But that’s only going to make it worse when she has to return to the human world and leave them all behind, isn’t it?
“Nia? You okay?”
Nia snaps out of her thoughts at Junie’s voice, and blinks hard once she realizes her vision is blurry. Even Tobias is watching her. They’ve both already dug into their meals, and Nia hasn’t even touched hers.
She hurries to grab her fork, laughing a noise that’s a little too sharp to be normal, and says, “S-Sorry! Spaced out for a bit. I’m fine!”
Junie looks concerned, but what’s Nia supposed to do, pile her own concerns onto Junie ten minutes after the little bird had her own breakdown? And it’s not like Tobias wants to hear it. So Nia digs into her quiche, pleased to find that it might just be the best meal she’s had since arriving in this world. She shoves her worries away the best she can and lets the food improve her mood.
“So Will said there’s gonna be informational booths and stuff at the conference tomorrow,” Nia says once she swallows, trying to sound excited. “What do you think they’ll be about?”
Junie’s concern melts into her own excitement. “I hope they talk about Pokemon types! I’m still trying to figure all of that out. Like, apparently I’m a flying type or whatever. Why the heck does that give me an advantage over grass type Pokemon? Like, fire types having an advantage makes sense--fire burns grass. But flying types? What am I gonna do, flap the grass to death?”
Nia laughs, a bit more real this time, and starts explaining what little knowledge she’s gathered about type advantages, as well as some mnemonic devices she came up with to help remember the typing matchups. Like making study tips for a test!
Tobias jumps in to make jabs and insults throughout, but Nia can’t help feeling that something’s off about him. She swears she feels him looking at her, stare burning into the side of her head, but when she turns to meet it he’s always looking away, at his food or around the restaurant.
Finally, she catches his eye, and frowns with the slightest tilt of her head. Junie’s rambling on about how much molting stinks, so Nia mouths, You okay?
She’s not expecting a response other than an eye roll, so she’s surprised when Tobias looks back at her. Really looks, like he’s considering his answer. Eventually, he gives her a short nod before going back to his food, quieter than usual.
Nia frowns as she drags her attention back to the conversation with Junie, mind still trying to focus on two things at once.
That was...odd. For Tobias, at least.
Notes:
SCHEDULE UPDATE!
Hey everyone!!! To keep up with my real-life responsibilities, as of tonight I’m going to change the usual weekly update schedule to every other week instead. So that means no chapter next week (4/25), but there should be one the week after (5/02)! Hope you all understand, and thanks as always for reading! :D
Chapter 24
Summary:
It's finally time for the human convention!
Chapter Text
“I’m ditching you both if you don’t hurry up!” Tobias shouts at the open window of their room at the inn. The round, stony Pokémon at the front desk gives him a scolding glare through the building’s open door, which he ignores.
Nia pokes her head out the window to yell, “Hang on, we’re almost ready!” before ducking back inside. She must be too excited to worry about being her usual overly-polite self.
Tobias rolls his eyes. Maybe if the riolu and their annoying rookidee tagalong hadn’t stayed up half the night whispering and giggling like children they wouldn’t have overslept. Tobias had gone to sleep much earlier, when the two started discussing aura and Nia had shown Junie her progress on making solid forms with it.
Finally, Nia and Junie scramble past the disgruntled innkeeper and join Tobias outside, blinking in the harsh noon sun.
“S-Sorry!” Nia puffs. “Thanks for waiting.”
“Let’s just go,” Tobias grumbles.
“Right!” Nia turns to Junie. “Could you lead the way? I’m terrible with directions.”
Junie blinks, then looks to her right. Then her left. A little crease furrows her brow. “Yeah, just...gimme a sec to figure out which way we need to go.”
“Oh, for the love of...” Tobias spins on his heel to lead the way. “You’d get a lot better at situating yourself if you’d actually fly, y’know.”
“You’d be a lot less insufferable if you’d shut up!” Junie chirps back as her and Nia follow. Tobias snorts. That was weak, even for her—she must be too distracted by the day ahead to be her fully irritating self.
Tobias leads the way back towards the convention center, enjoying the deep blue sky and warm weather enough that the loud, jostling crowds seem less awful than yesterday. Nia and Junie chatter behind him, and Tobias adjusts the bag around his shoulders as he tries to drum up the patience to get through the day. Sure, the magic show later on might be kind of cool, but Tobias isn’t sure how to feel about whatever they’re about to walk into. What does a “convention” about humans even involve? He still doesn’t trust Will, and wants to listen to the ghost type ramble on about weird human stuff even less.
But this is important to Nia, so it has to be important to him, too. Part of the deal. Tobias had considered asking if he could go do something else while she attended, especially since they got stuck with Junie for company, but he doesn’t want a repeat of the meltdown at Afon’s Cap. Plus, between Junie’s freak-out at the restaurant last night and Nia’s own words, Tobias isn’t sure either of them are emotionally stable enough to weather another possible breakdown without wandering off and getting trampled or something.
Not that Tobias wants that job either, but…well.
He can’t help thinking about Nia’s shaky smile as she talked Junie down, or how quiet she’d been as she confessed her own fears out loud. He can’t help thinking about Junie trembling and blinking back tears, so different from her usual attitude.
And that makes him think of Maggie in the weeks after they’d first met, when she was still a stranger to him. When she curled around him and soothed his nightmares with her sweet scent. He thinks of the meganium’s sad, knowing eyes and how much safer he’d always felt when he trembled against her side. He thinks of Nia wearing that same expression as she reassured Junie. Thinks of how her smile fell and her gaze grew distant and glassy as soon as she thought no one was paying attention, how her paws clenched against the wooden tabletop.
He knows what it’s like to feel alone and vulnerable and lost. He didn’t think he would ever understand why Nia was so upset about becoming a Pokemon and coming to their world, but...maybe he understands it better than he’d thought.
So he’ll go to the human convention with them, and he’ll hate it, but he’ll deal. And after today, they can spend the rest of the trip focusing on finding info about the outlaw trio, too. A tolerable compromise.
Soon enough their group reaches the plaza from the day before, except today the decorations and stalls are finished and already attracting huge flocks of Pokémon. Banners and flags and flowers are everywhere, tents and wares carefully lined up in a bright storm of movement and voices.
Nia and Junie both stop talking to make awed sounds behind him, but Tobias doesn’t hesitate as he weaves through the many different Pokémon—fire types and heavy ground and rock and steel types, Pokémon that Tobias is unfamiliar with after living in Bethoc’s Haven for so long. He stays locked onto the convention center at the edge of the plaza, grateful that Nia and Junie only slow down a little to gawk at the attractions as they tail him.
“Hurry up. Most of this stuff is either garbage or overpriced anyways,” Tobias says to them, ignoring the offended look a shop owner sends him. He’s been to a few cities before with Maggie, so he’s been warned about how big groups of merchants like this mean there’s always a few bad ones in the mix. “There’s a reason they set up camp where it’s easy to catch tourists’ attention and coin without anything of actual value.”
“But some of it’s so pretty,” Nia protests quietly as they pass an ampharos selling homemade fleece blankets.
“Look, you wanna shop for stuff you can’t afford or go to your dumb convention?”
“The convention, of course! I just thought since we’re still pretty early...” Nia trails off, but doesn’t protest further.
Luckily, it doesn’t take long for them to reach the convention hall, where a huge, purple Pokémon is sitting at the doors like a guard, a grouchy expression on his face. A nidoking, if Tobias remembers correctly. He doesn’t think he’s ever seen one before outside of books. Why would the human convention need a guard of all things?
The nidoking grunts as they approach, but steps aside to let them through with no issue. Maybe he’s just here to keep the merchants out? As they pass, Tobias notes the heavy scars cutting though the Pokémon’s armored hide, the weight behind his movements. Not someone to get in a fight with if you want to win.
Tobias stops as they step inside, surprised by the sheer number of Pokemon milling about. The crowd is giant, filling the entrance hall entirely as they talk and move about in a loud, cheery mass. There are Pokemon here of all types, stages of evolution, and ages, too. An elderly-looking dubwool is guiding a young, bright-eyed lillipup along nearby. A yanma buzzes by overhead, nearly knocking a lost-looking drifloon out of the air. A round, coal-like Pokemon and what might be a curled-up togedemaru roll by in a blur, weaving between the forest of legs.
“Is everyone here a human?” Junie asks, fluttering up to perch on Nia’s shoulder. The riolu, busy looking around in slack-jawed awe, doesn’t respond.
“I think we’d hear about it happening more often if there were this many,” Tobias says, more unsure than he sounds.
“I mean, no one outside of Stonebrook knows I’m human,” Junie points out. “Maybe there’s more of us around than we thought!”
Tobias makes a noncommittal noise in his throat, not sure how to feel about that thought. Nia, however, looks like she’s moments away from bursting into tears.
“Now what?” Tobias groans.
Nia laughs, wiping at her eyes. “S-Sorry, I’m good. It’s just…I feel kind of bad for thinking it because everyone else is stuck here too, but it’s nice. Knowing there are so many other people in the same situation as us. Makes me feel less alone.”
Junie chirps a quiet sound of agreement, and Tobias frowns. After last night, Tobias can kind of understand where Nia is coming from, but she still doesn’t have to make it sound like she’s completely on her own. Half the guild would trips over their paws to help her, for Entei’s sake. Maggie takes care of her, Val is doing her best to train her, and he’s seen firsthand how protective Xander and that deerling’s teams are of her already. Even acquaintances throughout the guild always seem happy to talk to her.
She’s had a much warmer reception than he did.
“Are we gonna go in or stand her and get stepped on?” Tobias grumbles, moving aside as a distracted girafarig nearly trips over the three of them.
“Yeah, let’s go!” Junie cheers, ruffling her feathers but not moving from her spot on Nia’s shoulder.
Nia smiles, nervously, then gives Tobias an expectant look, as if waiting for him to lead the way.
He snorts. “This is your thing. I don’t know where you want to go.”
“Oh! Right.” Nia looks more nervous at that, but then takes a deep breath and moves forward through the crowd with a litany of apologies and “excuse me”s.
Further in the building, they find the space opening up to what must be the main room, where the crowd is even more lively than before. Makeshift stands line the walls, and Pokemon crowd around them, talking and laughing. The rich scent of food wafts over them, only adding to the overwhelming energy of the place.
“Where do we even start?” Nia asks, looking torn between excitement and nerves. Her tail wags cautiously behind her as she scans the room.
“Hmm…” Junie hops onto Nia’s head to look around at a slightly higher angle. Then she points with a wing. “How ‘bout we just start over here in one corner and then go around the room? Then we won’t miss anything important!”
Nia lights up and immediately takes the suggestion, leading their group over to the first booth, where a small table is set up with a pile of pamphlets. A scizor and an archen are handing them out to the visiting Pokemon, chatting with them as they do so. Junie flutters forward to grab two of the pamphlets before hopping back to Nia, who catches her in her arms. Junie and Nia both look to Tobias, so he sighs and takes the pamphlets, flipping one open and holding it so all three of them can read it.
“Tips for adapting to your new body,” Nia reads. “Huh. Wow, there’s all kinds of different sections and stuff too. How to write with no arms, controlling tails and other extremities…”
“Oh, look! There’s a section just for flying type Pokemon!” Junie chirps, leaning closer to try and read it. “Does it say anything about being afraid of heights?”
“You’re afraid of heights?” Tobias blurts, bewildered. Nia shoots him a warning look not to push, but he’s too baffled to even make a jab about it. That explains why Junie’s been so evasive about flying low to the ground, but how can a flying type be afraid of heights? Nia at least makes sense--she’s a fighting type. But a rookidee?
Junie’s feathers fluff up as she glares at him. “So what? I’m doing just fine!”
Nia cuts them both off before Tobias can retort, voice disappointed. “Oh. Doesn’t look like they say anything about not knowing how to use moves.”
Before anyone can respond to that, they're distracted by an elekid at the booth talking about accidentally shocking other Pokemon. Everyone around the elekid takes a nervous step away, leaving a ring of space around the electric type.
“Looks like you can ask Pokemon handling the booth some questions,” Tobias points out, nodding to where a krabby is speaking with the scizor. The scizor is demonstrating how he’s holding one of the pamphlets in his giant pincer with a gentle grip. The krabby tries to imitate it with his own claws, and clips the paper in half.
“I guess we just…get in line?” Nia asks more than says. Their group steps up behind an ekans, who slithers forward to take the krabby’s spot after the little water type is given a few more words of advice and encouragement.
“I hate not having arms,” The ekans snaps immediately, not even bothering to introduce herself. The scizor leans back, clearly caught off-guard.
“Oh, mood,” Junie mumbles.
“And legs!” The ekans hisses before the scizor can respond, voice growing louder and more upset like she’s just been waiting to unleash her fury onto someone. “I didn’t even like snakes when I was human—why did I have to turn into one?!”
The scizor shoots the archen a pleading look, but the other Pokemon is busy trying to help a haunter pick up a pamphlet without letting the object slip through intangible hands.
“I’m afraid we don’t know why we turn into the Pokemon we do,” the scizor finally says to the ekans, voice soothing. “But we do have a lot of tips for helping humans who have different physiology. And I know there’s a seviper here who has become really adept with using their tail and mouth instead! She—”
“Where is she?” The ekans hisses, slamming the end of her tail onto the tabletop and cutting him off.
“The typing booth,” the scizor says hesitantly, pointing to a spot several setups down. “She—”
The ekans makes an impatient noise and slips away before the scizor can finish. The bug Pokemon slumps as she leaves, gently rubbing the blunt of his claw over his face.
“Yikes. Looks like the hell of customer service carries over to here too,” Junie says, face screwed up in sympathy.
The quiet chuckle of the scizor catches them off guard. “Yes, in my experience it’s rare to come across someone so…pushy, here. But apparently any kind of human can show up. Do you three have a question I could help you with?”
“O-Oh.” Nia glances at Junie. The little flying type shakes her head no, so the riolu looks back up at the scizor. “Well…do you know if any other Pokemon have had problems, um…using moves?”
The scizor blinks. “You…can’t use moves? Any moves?”
Nia shrinks back. “Um. No. I can use aura! B-But…”
The scizor seems to notice Nia’s distress, because he softens his tone. “I haven’t heard of that issue before, no. I could use moves right away, and all of the other humans I’ve spoken to could as well. How long have you been here?”
“About a month?”
“Ah. Maybe it’s just taking you a bit longer to adapt to your body then,” the scizor suggests. “Tell you what, there’s a bronzor here named Seiji working somewhere around the typing stall, and I know he’s a psychic type, which sounds like it could be similar to what you’re working with. He’s smart, too. I think he used to be a scientist, and he loves a good puzzle. You should ask him about it, see if he has any ideas on what may be wrong.”
“Thank you,” Nia says, offering a smile that doesn’t quite reach her eyes. Tobias is guessing that she’s thinking of Val, and how if she couldn’t help then some other random psychic type probably won’t be much better. Then again, this is a psychic Pokemon who was human beforehand. Maybe that makes a difference somehow
“Excuse me, rookidee?”
They turn to look at the archen, who is using the lull in conversation to smile nervously at Junie.
“I heard you earlier,” the archen confesses. “Sorry for eavesdropping. But I just wanted to say that it took me a long while to be able to fly, too.”
Junie perks up. “Really?”
Archen nods, looking relieved at the rookidee’s interest. “Yes! It took me months before I could finally get myself into the air. I met a kind pidgeotto willing to help teach me, actually—”
Junie wiggles out of Nia’s hold to hop onto the table, closer to the archen, and listen to his advice.
The scizor is busy asking Nia if she’s struggling with anything aside from her moves, and she asks him about getting better control over her ears so they don’t broadcast her emotions quite so openly.
Tobias, a little bored, idly flips through one of the pamphlets in his claws. On the second page, he pauses as he sees…pictures. Of humans, he supposes. They’re sketched out in quick, messy strokes—they’d have to be, to be drawn onto so many pamphlets—but they’re skillfully done. Maybe drawn by a smeargle? Curious despite himself, Tobias peers closer at them.
He’d thought idly about what humans looked like before, of course. All Pokemon did. There’s probably imagery of them in some old books somewhere since humans have been showing up for so long, but he’d never really gone looking for them, even after Nia showed up. Nia has always just been Nia, a (mostly) regular riolu. It’s weird to think of her as one of these strange creatures instead.
There’s two of them in the drawing, smiling at each other. They have a build somewhat similar to him and Nia—two legs, two arms, a face with two eyes and a mouth. There’s a strange mane of hair on top of their heads, and something like a second skin—like a throh or a hitmonchan has—on their torsos. Huh. If this is how humans usually look, he can see why so many of the humans here are having issues adapting to such different body types. Nia’s lucky that she got a body kind of similar to her old one.
“Tobias?”
Tobias flips the pamphlet shut, looking up to see Nia and Junie watching him.
“You ready to move on?” Nia asks, laughter in her voice.
“Unless you want to stare at how hot we used to be as humans some more?” Junie teases.
Tobias growls at her and shoves the pamphlets into the satchel at his hip. “Trust me, if you used to look like that then this is an improvement.”
Nia looks like she isn’t sure whether to be offended or not, and Junie laughs.
“Takes the sting out of it when you’re literally a talking lizard,” the flying type chirps. “Now c’mon, they said the next stall is about evolution, right? I wanna check that out!”
Nia nods at her and they move on to the next booth. While they wait to get closer, Nia catches Tobias’ eye and grins. “I used to be much taller as a human, y’know.”
Tobias squints at her. The picture didn’t give any hints for the humans’ heights. “…How much taller?”
“Probably as tall as that red Pokemon back there,” Nia says, giggling when Tobias blinks at her, gobsmacked. She was as tall as a scizor!?
“Me too!” Junie chirps, delighting in Tobias’ shock.
“Are all humans giants?!” Tobias demands to know.
Both girls laugh again. Tobias glares at them as his face heats up.
“No,” Nia finally answers. “I mean, sort of, but adult humans are mostly all the same size? Like, we don’t have nearly as much diversity in body type and stuff as Pokemon do. I feel like I was probably somewhere around average height.”
The conversation gets derailed as a booming shout comes from the booth they just left.
“I HAVE TROUBLE LOWERING MY VOICE SOMETIMES—”
Everyone in the vicinity flinches, glaring over at the loudred who was cut off by the archen frantically waving his wings.
Nia, who’s holding her ears with a particularly pained expression, whimpers, “Ouch. Maybe I should take it as a blessing that my only real problem is not being able to use moves.”
Junie laughs.
It doesn’t take much longer to reach the front of the evolution booth, where a machamp greets them with a giant grin.
“Welcome to the Evolution Booth, kiddos! Or as I like to call it—” He pauses to flex all four of his arms. “The Gun Show! Any questions for your main man here?”
“W-Well,” Nia squeaks, looking like she wants to join in on the machamp’s enthusiasm but is a little too afraid to do so. “We can’t evolve, right? So, uh. Should we have questions? It doesn’t seem like something we should worry about?”
“Correct!” The machamp booms, flexing into a new position. “But it’s always good to be prepared if that changes in the future!”
Nia exchanges a doubtful look with Junie. “I…I guess so.”
“All right then—what’s it like to evolve?” Junie asks, hopping onto Nia’s head again so she doesn’t have to look up so far to meet the machamp’s eyes.
“Evolution is awesome!” The machamp answers, slamming his hands down onto the table. “I was beefy before, but now I can bench so many boulders.”
“I—um. Congrats?” Nia offers.
“You too could bench boulders one day!” The machamp says, pointing at each of them with one of his arms. Tobias pointedly swats the fighting type’s finger away from his face.
“B-But isn’t it hard to get used to one body and then have to get used to an entirely different one all over again?” Nia asks.
Finally, the machamp’s expression shifts to something almost thoughtful. “It can be tricky to get used to…but humans are tough, right? We’re nothing if not adaptable! Soon enough it feels like you’ve been in your new form your whole life. We’re humans—no matter what, we can always change and find a new way to live!”
Nia blinks, as if surprised that the machamp made such a good point. “Oh. I…guess that’s true?”
“Wait, so you evolved, right?” Junie asks. “But that had to happen a long time ago, right? Before evolution stopped working?”
“Right again!” The machamp crows. “I showed up in this world as a machoke, then evolved to a machamp a few years later!”
“Did it hurt?”
“No more than a good workout!” The machamp says with a grin and another flex. Tobias wonders if he’d get kicked out if he lit this idiot on fire.
“Huh.” Nia looks like she wants to ask the machamp a few more questions, probably just for curiosity’s sake since they can’t evolve anyways, but catches Tobias’ eye and gritted teeth. “W-Well, I don’t think I have any other questions! Junie?”
“Nope!”
“Thank you!” Nia says, grabbing two pamphlets before hurrying Tobias away from the booth.
“Tell me he’s the exception to the rule and not the norm when it comes to humans,” Tobias growls.
Junie laughs. “Yeah, he was pretty weird. Seemed nice enough, though. Total himbo.”
“…Himbo?” Tobias echoes cautiously.
“I am not explaining the concept of a himbo,” Nia says flatly. Junie laughs.
Before Tobias can press, a little shape darts into their path, nearly tripping him onto his face.
“Hey! Watch it!” He snarls, turning to the idiot who can’t watch where they’re going—
Oh. It’s a kid.
A growlithe pup.
Tobias freezes, snarl dying in his throat. At first glance, the striped orange coat and fluffy white tail calls up a memory of too-hot flames and a giant paw on his chest and sharp eyes—
No. No. This isn’t him, this isn’t then. It’s not even an arcanine.
“Sorry!” The growlithe says, scrambling to his paws and giving Tobias an apologetic grin. “I wasn’t looking where I was going.”
“Clearly,” Tobias mutters, backing off and crossing his arms to keep from shaking.
“I’m just so excited I can’t sit still!” The growlithe continues, looking around. “I’ve been waiting for this for forever!”
“How long have you been in the Pokemon world?” Nia asks, voice soft and sad.
To their surprise, the growlithe cackles. “Twelve years!”
Junie squints at the kid. “Wait, how old are you?”
The growlithe’s grin grows. “Twelve!”
There’s a moment of silence, then Junie laughs. “You aren’t human, are you?”
“Nope!” The growlithe barks, puffy tail wagging lazily.
“Why’re you here?” Nia asks, sounding less heartbroken now that she knows a little kid wasn’t dumped into the Pokemon world like her and Junie.
“I’m here with my dad!” the growlithe says. “Oh! Actually, I’m sorta hiding from him right now so he doesn’t make me stay in one spot, so I gotta go. Bye!”
The growlithe turns and bounds back into the crowd without another word, and Tobias stares after him. He’s not trembling, but it’s a near thing. His heart is pounding. He has to get himself together—just because he sees some random growlithe doesn’t mean he can freak out like this. One of the outlaws is an arcanine, sure, but he can’t lose it every time some random arcanine or their kid shows up.
He must be more obvious than he thought, because Nia touches his arm with a quiet, “Tobias? You okay?”
He jumps, yanking his arm away.
“Whoa! What’s your problem?” Junie asks, blinking down at him.
His tongue still feels like a rock in his throat, so he looks away with a wordless snarl.
Tobias can feel Nia’s gaze burning into him, and he hears her sharp inhale when realization dawns. It’s been a while since she saw the outlaw trio’s wanted poster, but she still must’ve made the connection.
“I’m fine,” Tobias finally manages, hating how his voice shakes. “It’s stupid. He wasn’t even an arcanine.”
“Still,” Nia says, voice quiet and sympathetic. “It makes sense to be afraid—”
“I don’t want to talk about it,” Tobias snaps, turning to look around. “Where are we going next?”
“Excuse me.”
They all turn at the voice, only to find a familiar ponyta trotting up to them, his colorful, puffy mane and tail floating along behind him. Oh, great. What was this guy’s name again?
“Hello, you three,” The ponyta greets, a harried smile on his face. “You were speaking with Will yesterday, right? Sorry for not introducing myself then. I’m Fidel—a close friend of his.”
“Nice to meet you,” Nia says, shooting Tobias one more worried glance before smiling at the ponyta. “I’m Nia.”
“Junie!”
Once again, Tobias doesn’t answer, just narrowing his eyes at the ponyta. Like Will, the ponyta accepts his silence with a small dip of his head.
“I’m sorry to keep our introductions so short, but you didn’t happen to see a zorua slip by here, did you? Little thing on four legs? Dark gray fur with red paws?”
“No, but an orange puppy tripped Tobias,” Junie offers, sounding delighted at the memory. Tobias shoots her a glare.
Fidel sighs. “That sounds like him.” Nia and Junie must give Fidel a confused look, because he quickly adds, “The zorua line can transform. Well, they can create illusions at least. He probably changed to a growlithe to try and shake me off his trail.”
“You helping his dad track him down?” Junie asks.
Fidel looks out at the crowd with exhaustion. “Something like that. Did you happen to see which way he went?”
All three of them point in the direction the “growlithe” escaped to, and Fidel thanks them again before rushing off.
“Well, that seems like a fun time,” Junie jokes.
“Can we just move on already?” Tobias grumbles.
“Wait,” Junie objects. “What was with you a minute ago? You got all weird and quiet and—”
Without looking, Tobias uses an arm to sweep the rookidee off of Nia’s head, smirking at her startled squawk as she flaps to catch herself. While the flying type is distracted, Nia glances at Tobias again with a furrow in her brow. Tobias’ smile drops as he shakes his head. No way is he talking about this. Not now, not here.
For a moment Tobias fears she’s going to push. But then the riolu claps her paws together with a cheery, “Right! To the typing booth next?”
After Junie reclaims her perch on Nia’s shoulder with a glare at Tobias, the three of them make their way over to the next booth, where a bronzor hovers beside a weary-looking seviper. Seems like that furious ekans already got to her, if her expression is anything to gauge by.
“That’s a bronzor,” Tobias says quietly, elbowing Nia and pointing at the psychic type.
The riolu perks up at that, following his gaze and weaving her way to the front of the crowd. By the time they make it to the booth, the seviper is pointing at a color-coded diagram to explain type advantages to a couple of gathered Pokemon. The bronzor turns to them as Nia finally frees herself from the crowd, almost collapsing against the booth’s wooden surface.
“H-Hi!” Nia pants. “Hi.”
“Hello,” the bronzor says, blinking at their group. Tobias is growling at a spheal to roll over a bit and give them some room while Junie leans over to peek at the seviper’s typing chart with interest.
“I, um, have a question, if you don’t mind?” Nia stammers. “The Pokemon from the—the first booth told me to ask you, I think. Are you Seiji?”
The bronzor’s eyes light up with interest. “I am. What did you want to discuss?”
“I can’t use moves,” Nia blurts, ears flicking back in embarrassment. “I can use aura, though, so he thought you might be able to help since you’re a psychic type? I mean, my mentor is half psychic too but she isn’t human, so…”
“Oh, interesting,” Seiji murmurs. His blue, plate-like body tilts back and forth as he thinks. “I haven’t heard of humans experiencing issues with their movepools before. Could you explain your aura powers to me in more detail?”
Nia does as asked, even holding out her paw to conjure up a small ball of aura. It looks much more solid than it did during their last training session with Val. Nia must’ve been practicing even when Tobias wasn’t around.
“Fascinating,” Seiji says, once Nia is finished demonstrating. “I haven’t done much research into aura—not that there’s much available, to my knowledge—but I wonder if your aptitude for aura could be making it more difficult for you to access your fighting type power.”
Nia perks up. “What do you mean?”
Seiji spins as he hums with thought. “Well, am I correct in guessing that aura doesn’t have a ‘type’ like other Pokemon abilities?”
Nia blinks, then glances at Tobias. He shrugs.
“I—I’m not sure,” she admits, looking back to Seiji. “Wouldn’t it be fighting type?”
“Ah, but aura abilities are specific to only a few species of Pokemon, yes?” Seiji says, sounding excited. “If it were a fighting type ability, more fighting type Pokemon should naturally learn how to wield it.”
Nia’s brow furrows. “I…I guess?”
“More importantly, you said all Pokemon have aura, right?”
Nia mouth drops open. “You’re right! I can read other Pokemon’s aura, even if they’re not a fighting type.”
“Then perhaps your aura and your fighting type powers are entirely separate!” Seiji suggests, sounding thrilled. “Perhaps attacks such as aura sphere are simply a combination of the two? If aura is inherent to every Pokemon, would that make it some sort of life energy? That would explain how it changes to an individual’s personal character—”
“And how does all of this help Nia use her moves?” Tobias drawls.
Seiji pauses.
“Oh. Yes. I suppose while it’s a fascinating subject, the possibility of aura lacking a type doesn’t solve your problem, does it?”
“I still appreciate your theory,” Nia says, offering the bronzor a small smile. “Even if it won’t help me in battle, it’s super interesting to think that my aura powers might be different than normal moves somehow. I’ll have to do some research and ask my mentor about it when we get home!”
Seiji floats up and down in something vaguely resembling a nod. “I may look into it myself as well—the idea is fascinating! As for your fighting type moves…I’m afraid I don’t have any solutions for you at the moment. Your best option would be to find a natural riolu or lucario and ask them for assistance.”
“Have you seen any around?” Nia asks hopefully.
Tobias isn’t surprised when the bronzor gives her a disappointed expression. “Unfortunately, no. Certainly none that used to be human. I don’t know if I’ve even seen a natural riolu or lucario, either. I believe they’re typically more of an isolated species.”
“Oh,” Nia says, voice small as her tail droops. Tobias knew this was coming—remembers Maggie mentioning the same thing—but he can’t really blame her for being disappointed, either. He hasn’t seen another charmander or charizard since moving to Bethoc’s Haven with Maggie, and even without Nia’s conundrum he often finds himself wishing for more fire types around the guild to train with.
“I apologize that I couldn’t be more helpful,” Seiji says. A blue glow envelopes two of the pamphlets on the table and lifts them closer to Nia.
“It’s fine,” Nia says, managing a smile as she takes the pamphlets. “Thank you for trying.”
The three of them step out of the way for other Pokemon to crowd closer, and Nia looks a bit happier when she and Junie glance over the pamphlets. A smaller version of the typing chart Junie had been checking out sits on the page, along with some descriptions and tips for remembering the different matchups.
“Oh! There—what’s it say about flying being good against grass?” Junie asks.
“Birds often eat plants and seeds, and use plant material to make their nests,” Nia recites, making a disgruntled face. “I mean…I guess that kind of makes sense? But don’t a lot of other animals—and other Pokemon, for that matter—also do that?”
Junie twitters a laugh. “So it still doesn’t make sense!”
Nia looks at Tobias, but he just snorts. “Don’t look at me. Flying’s good against grass—it’s just a thing.”
The riolu smiles and shakes her head, folding up the pamphlets and handing them to Tobias to stuff into the satchel alongside all the others.
“Where next?” Nia asks, looking around the crowd.
“Oh! Let’s get some grub!” Junie chirps, hopping back onto Nia’s head. She points with a wing. “I think I see food stalls over that way!”
“I am hungry,” Nia admits. She glances at Tobias, and he shrugs. He got up early and ate something this morning, but he could still snack. Whatever they’ve made definitely smells good.
“All right, then. Lead the way, Junie!” Nia says.
The rookidee does so with little incident, guiding them through the crowd and to where a couple of stalls are giving out food for free. It smells delicious, but Tobias frowns as he realizes he doesn’t recognize any of the meals listed on the booths’ menus. Nia and Junie make little noises of excitement, though, apparently more familiar with the names. Human dishes, then?
“What in Arceus’ name is a…hot dog?” Tobias grumbles, only half-asking.
Nia and Junie gasp as if he’d just confessed to some scandalous sin, and Tobias gives them both a glare.
“Oh, we’re getting you a hot dog for sure,” Junie says with a decisive nod.
“It can’t be made of the same things though, right?” Nia asks, suddenly sounding a little unsure. “I mean…hot dogs are already, uh—”
“Unhealthy monstrosities?” Junie offers.
“Yeah. But how would they even make them here?” Nia looks a little queasy as she glances over to where a tauros and a pignite are happily picking out some sandwiches.
“You two are not selling this well,” Tobias grunts.
“It’s probably a veggie dog or something!” Junie says, sounding much more confident than Nia looks. “Look, how about we ask when we go up to order? I wanna try one now!”
Tobias is more than a little wary after that discussion, but when they reach the front of the line, the breloom behind the counter pales at their question before assuring them that they are indeed “veggie dogs.” Tobias stays skeptical as the three of them move to a dining area in another room and sit at one of the tables there. The food in his hands is unfamiliar: a cylindrical, pink chunk of…something, wrapped up in a piece of bread with a smattering of condiments on top. It smells good, though.
Nia and Junie bite into their food, chewing thoughtfully. Then Junie tweets a wordless, happy sound and digs in wholeheartedly. Nia smiles as she chews, looking a little misty-eyed and distant like she does when she’s trying to remember something. Well, they aren’t spitting it out, so…
Tobias takes a hesitant bite of the food, pleasantly surprised by the flavor that washes over his tongue. Savory and warm, with a variety of complimentary tastes thanks to the toppings. The bread seemed like a strange addition, but it adds a nice texture to everything.
“You like it?” Nia asks, looking hopeful.
Tobias hums an affirmative and takes another bite, relaxing. Okay, it’s pretty good.
Nia looks thrilled at his response, and the three of them dig into their meals in near-silence, the only noise coming from the Pokemon around them talking and eating their own food in a low murmur of sound. Tobias takes the opportunity to listen in on a conversation to the left of them, where a sinistea is rambling in a serious tone to a staravia.
“Okay, so I think I’ve connected the dots.”
“You haven’t connected anything,” The flying type says with an amused expression.
“I’ve connected them,” the sinistea insists. “Hear me out. I think we’re in a video game.”
The staravia barks a laugh, and the sinistea makes an offended noise before continuing, louder, “Think about it! We’re magical creatures with magical powers—I’m a teacup, for God’s sake. Wouldn’t it be weirder to not be in a video game!?”
Tobias doesn’t know what a video game is and the sinistea sounds a little crazed, so he quickly tunes out that conversation and instead looks around the room they’re in. Like the previous rooms, this one has a high ceiling with surprisingly intricate architecture made of stone and wood, elegant support columns interspersed throughout the space. He wonders how big this building really is—they’ve only been in three of the rooms so far, but there’s definitely more, if the exterior is anything to judge by. Are there more areas to see for this convention, or has it all been cordoned off? They aren’t even done going through all of the booths in the main area yet. The next one for them to hit apparently talks about the similarities between Pokemon and “animals”, which Nia is excited about. She claims they’ll be able to explain the concept of animals to him much better than she did.
Tobias is almost done with his hot dog when he pauses, a memory coming back to him. “Hey, these are called…hot dogs, right?”
Nia, already done wolfing down her food, nods, looking curious.
“Didn’t you call yourself a ‘dog’ at one point?” Tobias asks, squinting at the remains of his meal with renewed suspicion.
Nia barks a startled laugh. Junie almost chokes on her food.
One slightly unnerving conversation later—
(“Humans eat animals!?”
“Most humans do, but it’s not the same! I told you animals are different from people or Pokemon, a-and--Oh my God, Tobias, please stop looking at me like I’m a cannibal.”)
--they return to the main hall. The animal informational booth only confuses Tobias further. Only Nia, Junie, and both Pokemon running the stall assuring him that they would never eat a Pokemon keeps him from feeling a lot more uneasy about it.
Other than that debacle, they visit other stands that discuss a range of topics made to help humans settle into the Pokemon world easier. They’re set up to discuss what abilities are, how to navigate the slowly increasing number of natural disasters, guesses at how humans physically became Pokemon, guesses at how to return to the human world, guesses at how the humans are or aren’t affecting the Pokemon world…
“For being this big important informational thing, it feels like no one here actually knows what’s going on,” Tobias comments eventually.
Nia gives him a pouty look, but doesn’t argue.
Junie shifts uncomfortably on Nia’s shoulder. “Yeah…I mean, don’t get me wrong, I definitely appreciate all the information and even just meeting other humans is awesome! But the way Will talked yesterday, I thought they had everything all figured out already.”
“Maybe they’re getting close but don’t want to get everyone’s hopes up yet?” Nia suggests, sounding just a little desperate. “O-Or maybe Will knows some things that these guys don’t. I mean, most of them seem like they’re just human volunteers, right? We haven’t heard from Will yet.”
“And that isn’t strange at all,” Tobias grumbles.
This time, Nia does give him a heated look. “Why do you hate him so much when you’ve only had one conversation?”
“Call it intuition,” Tobias huffs. “Why do you like him so much after one conversation?”
Nia hesitates. “I…I guess he just feels really genuine, y’know? Like, he’s been through the same thing I have and he’s working hard to find a way back home for everyone. So he just…makes me feel a lot more hopeful that someone will actually figure it out, I guess.”
Tobias makes a doubtful noise but doesn’t argue as they make it to the next booth. Their group is almost finished with their circuit around the room and back at the entrance when a loud voice calls from somewhere above them.
“Attention, everyone!”
It’s a noibat, flapping hard to stay floating in place as he addresses the quieting room.
“Will, the person behind today’s event, would like to give an address to everyone! If you could all follow this hall—” Here, the noibat flaps towards the back of the room and gestures down a large hall that was previously blocked off. “—to the auditorium area, he’ll speak to you there and answer any questions you might have for him! The booths won’t be shutting down immediately, so you’ll be free to return to them afterwards.”
The noibat flutters down the aforementioned hall, and the room explodes into a slowly-rising murmur of voices.
Nia, of course, is bouncing on her toes, scooping Junie into her arms and making an excited noise. “Told you! Will must have been waiting to tell us the important stuff himself.”
“Sure,” Tobias snorts. “Whatever. You’re going to make us listen to his dumb speech, aren’t you?”
“Sure am!” Nia chirps. Shifting Junie to one arm, she links the other with Tobias’ and drags him along with the crowd towards the hallway. Tobias growls at her, but otherwise doesn’t put up much of a fight. Maybe if he can hear Will talk some more he’ll be able to pinpoint what it is about the yamask that he doesn’t like.
The crowd is even louder than it has been the entire day, but once they enter the auditorium the noibat mentioned, it becomes more pronounced in the huge, open space. The room itself is semi-circular with rows of seating, built like a cone for sound to travel from the stage out to the audience. The walls seem to be insulated from outside noise, reinforced with stone and plantlife that covers the edges of the room in a bed of soft green. Despite his reluctance to be here, Tobias has to admit the room is impressive, and he stops his meager struggling to instead gaze around at the elegant rafters and the carvings in the exposed stone. Light pours down from a giant lattice of woodwork in the ceiling, like a much larger version of the windows at the Lexym guild, lighting the stage up bright but leaving everything else in shadow.
Nia guides them to a seat relatively close to the stage, squeezing them in between a psyduck and a granbull. Tobias sighs and settles in as Nia looks around excitedly, Junie seated in her lap and eyeing the riolu with amusement.
For a few minutes, there’s nothing but the crowd of Pokemon slowly shuffling into the room and sitting down, a babble of noise as everyone tries to talk over one another. Then, there’s a familiar ponyta clicking onto the stage and looking out at the crowd.
As the talking slowly dies down, Junie whispers, “I wonder if Fidel ever found that growlithe kid?”
Tobias shrugs, not really wanting to think too hard about it.
Once the room is almost silent, Fidel smiles and calls out in a voice that projects loud and clear, “Welcome, everyone! We’re so happy to have you all here today. I hope you’ve enjoyed speaking with each other so far and found our informational booths helpful. I know you still have a lot of big questions you want answered, so without further ado, I leave you to Will.”
Fidel takes a few steps back, out of the sun’s spotlight. A beat of silence. Then there’s Will, melting out of the shadows and into the sun. His form stands out like a blot of ink against parchment, golden mask gleaming in the light and ruby eyes warm and bright as he smiles.
Immediately, the crowd of Pokemon—of humans, Tobias suddenly remembers—starts cheering and clapping and whistling for the yamask, making the charmander startle. He looks around, noting only a small scattering of Pokemon who seem as confused as he is. Is this just a…human thing, then? Nia is clapping with a huge smile on her face, and Junie is tweeting a sharp, positive note. Will doesn’t look at all perturbed by the wave of noise, and lets it go on with a patient smile for a few moments longer before raising a hand for quiet. The noise slowly dies down again.
The yamask floats forward, a gleam in his eyes and arms spread wide. “Welcome, everyone! To the first meeting of The Humans Movement!”
Chapter 25
Summary:
Will lays out the current state of the The Humans Movement, and our trio finally attends the long-awaited magic show!
Chapter Text
“Welcome, everyone! To the first meeting of The Humans Movement!”
Nia perks up at Will’s words, and another wave of cheering and excited murmuring erupts from the crowd around them.
“What a warm reception!” Will says, smiling. The crowd bubbles with laughter. “Thank you everyone for coming to join us today. I never expected such a great turnout for our first meeting! For years I’ve wanted to unite the humans who have found themselves here in the Pokemon world, and as we can all see there are a great number of us now. Even more out in the world who couldn’t join us today! And as you likely know, my goal is to lead every single one of us back home.”
Nia has to stop herself from squeezing the rookidee in her lap, already feeling the tingle of tears building behind her eyes. This is it. This is how she’ll get back to everyone she left behind.
“Now,” Will says, with a clap of his hands. Even in the large space it seems loud, and it’s only then that Nia realizes how quiet everyone has grown, eagerly listening to the yamask speak. “While we’re still figuring out many of the details, I’m more than happy to share what we know so far about our situation. I’m sure most of you have wondered time and again how in the world this all happened. How did we go from regular, everyday people to living in a world entirely different from our own? And as unbelievable, magical creatures with fantastic powers, too!”
There’s a quiet muttering of agreement from the crowd, and Nia finds herself nodding along. Some days she wakes up and still can’t believe all of this is really happening. Pokemon, magic powers, stuck in a world entirely different from her own.
“While we are still in the process of figuring out exactly how we came to this world, we are positive that both our transfer to this world and our change in form is the work of a Pokemon.”
The crowd’s volume rises again, and Will raises his hands to calm the noise. “Everyone here has seen the amazing powers that Pokemon wield, and even the Pokemon themselves do not know the full extent of every individual’s abilities. Only a powerful Pokemon—or multiple Pokemon—could change the laws of nature itself and turn us into creatures so foreign to humankind.”
Nia frowns. Well, when it’s said like that it seems sort of obvious, but all of the Pokemon she’s spoken to so far have seem just as baffled by humans showing up in the Pokemon world as the humans themselves.
“While this may seem surprising,” Will continues. “We believe such an extraordinary power could only be held by the legendary Pokemon of this world. All accounts agree that these legendary beings had control over elements as great as time itself, that they held power over space and sky and sea. We are confident that the power of a legendary is the only one great enough to shift reality so completely.”
“But I thought the legendaries were dormant?” Someone shouts off to their right.
Will nods. “As far as most are concerned, they are. However, we have reason to believe that some legendary Pokemon are still active, and simply staying out of sight from the public.”
A nervous hush falls over the room, and Nia hugs Junie closer to herself. A legendary is the reason they all changed into Pokemon, and now they’re hiding away from everyone? But why? Didn’t they used to be, like…deities? Gods? Why would they be in hiding?
What would they be hiding from?
“Legendary Pokemon haven’t been seen for decades,” Tobias protests loudly to Nia’s left, standing to catch Will’s attention. Nia shrinks away from the hundreds of eyes that turn their way. “Even if they are hiding, what makes you think that they’re behind this? Why would they even want to bring humans to our world?”
Will nods, slowly, but doesn’t seem bothered by Tobias’ aggressive tone. “Yes, while it seems like an odd choice for such powerful beings to make, unfortunately we do have a…suspicion. As to why this might be the case. Keep in mind it’s just a theory for now, but we have very good reason to believe it a valid concern.”
Tobias grudgingly flops into his seat to listen, and the crowd falls into a tense silence.
“It is not a concern about all of the legendary Pokemon so much as it is about one in particular. There is a legendary,” Will pauses, almost hesitant. “Who is rarely spoken of, even among the Pokemon of this world: Giratina.”
Nia’s head snaps up, and she exchanges a look with Tobias. Giratina? The terrifying Pokemon they’d discussed with Fliss the day before?
“Giratina was once a revered legendary Pokemon,” Will explains, echoing the braviary’s words. “A guardian over the borders between different dimensions. Different worlds. But he was banished to the dimensional rift, his own realm, for violently attacking another legendary. He was the guardian of this world’s borders, and as such we believe that he guarded the Pokemon world from the human world as well. According to stories he still resides in the limbo between dimensions, fighting to escape and enact his revenge. As such, we suspect that he may be behind both the disappearance of the other legendaries as well as the appearance of humans in the Pokemon world.”
The crowd explodes into a babble of sound as Pokemon call out worried questions and turn to each other with fearful expressions. Nia frowns and watches Will patiently wait out the wave. She’d suggested something similar to Will’s theory on the flight to Ghatha, but she hadn’t actually thought it could be related to how they got here, or how they would return home. Could Giratina really be behind everything?
Eventually, Will once again raises his hands for silence. The noise slowly dies down.
“I don’t tell you this to alarm you,” Will says, tone soothing. “But just as a precaution. Giratina may be hoping to bring over enough humans to somehow weaken the barriers and his own curse so he can break free once again. We know very little for certain, but we do know that he cannot be trusted. Over the years, a few humans have reported glimpsing a large creature with red eyes following them through reflections—in water, in moonstone and metal and other reflective surfaces. Reflections are Giratina’s one window into our world. We suspect that he is attempting to contact humans, hoping to persuade them into helping him. Do not listen to him.”
Nia holds Junie closer, staring up at Will with wide eyes. Being stalked by an evil deity through reflections? That’s something straight out of a horror movie!
“Can he hurt us?” Someone calls, voice high with panic.
“We don’t believe he can physically touch someone through reflections, no,” Will responds. “The few reports we’ve gathered have only spoken of him watching the humans or, even more rarely, attempting to speak with them. We advise that if this happens to you, you leave the area of the reflective surface as soon as possible and contact me to let me know about the situation.”
Will’s assurance seems to soothe the worst of the crowd’s fear, and Nia slumps in her seat, relieved.
“However,” Will says, smiling once again. “While Giratina himself is certainly not on our side, he may still help us out regardless. I have been assembling a team, made up of both humans and Pokemon, in order to find a way back to the human world, and they suspect that if Giratina could find a way to bring us here, he may be the key to finding our way back.”
“That makes sense,” Nia whispers, exchanging a hopeful look with Junie.
The murmuring has picked up again, but noticeably lighter in tone this time. After a few moments, someone closer to the front of the crowd raises a hesitant arm—tentacle?—and Will nods at them with an encouraging smile. They say something too quiet to hear.
“Ah, yes,” Will says, loud enough to catch the room’s attention once again. “The issue of everyone’s missing memories.”
Nia straightens up.
“Unfortunately, there doesn’t appear to be a foolproof method for recovering them,” Will says. “And considering that it’s a consistent issue for every human who shows up in the Pokemon world, we believe it to be a purposeful choice. Perhaps Giratina thinks taking away everyone’s memories would make them more susceptible to trusting him or helping him in some way.”
Nia feels a spark of anger light in her belly. Taking something as precious as their memories just to try and manipulate them is a special kind of low.
“Regardless,” Will continues, “While some humans have regained their memories over time, there doesn’t appear to be a reliable method for recovering them. We’re hopeful that they will either return to everyone with time as we figure out how to return home, or that our eventual return to the human world will reverse the process.”
“How long will it take before we can go back to our world?” Someone yells from the back of the auditorium.
Will shoots a sympathetic look in that direction. “While we believe we are well on our way to finding the answer, it will still take some time. I ask for your patience as we figure everything out. I know it’s hard, and many of us are still feeling far too alone in this strange place, far from home—”
There’s a dip in the mood of the room as everyone shifts and nods quietly at his words.
“—But that is part of the reason I wanted to form an organization for us humans,” Will continues. “While this is all confusing and at times frightening, it helps to have fellow humans around who understand. This way, everyone can know that they are not alone. We are new to this world, but as our numbers grow, so does our strength.”
Will pauses, something in his expression growing darker. “Even when the Pokemon of this world turn on us, we will always have each other. I’m sure you have all been made aware that humans have become a source of blame for the problems of this world.”
Nia frowns, glancing again at Tobias as August and Maggie’s words come back to her. She hasn’t really dealt with any harassment or blame in Bethoc’s Haven, but from the way that the Pokemon around her shift and wince, some even making angry growls of agreement, she’s the outlier here.
“While this region has been less affected by natural disasters,” Will says, floating across the stage as if pacing slowly from one end to the other. “The entire world is clearly being affected by something, regardless. Along with floods and earthquakes and droughts, there is the increasing number of mystery dungeons, the silence from the Pokemon legends, and everyone’s inability to evolve. The Pokemon who were born here are scared because of these changes. We, too, are a change—a strange group that began to show up just as these problems surfaced.”
“However,” Will continues, voice hard as steel. “Remember that none of this is our fault. Could we truly cause such widespread issues, when we didn’t even ask to be brought here in the first place?”
The crowd reacts to Will’s tone, many of them shaking their heads while a couple of Pokemon shout loudly at the stage. Will takes a visible, deep breath, and the crowd quiets to listen to his next words.
“We are not to blame,” Will repeats, softer. “We simply want to go home. However, until that can become a reality, I want to make sure every human has a place they can feel safe, somewhere they can call home. To accomplish this, I will be opening my own home here in the Pokemon world to all humans. If you have nowhere else to go, you will be free to join me and the others living and working at my side in our little community. You are not required to come, of course, but I don’t want any human to feel unsafe or alone if I can help it.”
Nia smiles, even more warmed by Will’s compassion than she was before. For a moment she imagines going to this community herself, being surrounded by other humans like Junie and Will and maybe even helping them find a way back home. But…
Nia glances at Tobias. The charmander is watching the yamask with a furrowed brow, arms crossed and eyes narrowed. Despite how annoyingly cynical he can be, she still committed to being Tobias’ partner while she’s in this world. Besides, she enjoys her job and all of the Pokemon at the Lexym Guild; she doesn’t want to leave them quite yet. She can just go visit Will and his group later on!
“However, for those of you who already have obligations or somewhere to stay, we are also creating a mailing list to send out updates and important information,” Will adds.
Nia perks up. Oh, she’s definitely signing up for that!
“The booths will still be running in the main hall for a while yet,” Will continues, “But there will be a new table set up in the center of the room once we are finished here. Go there to get the location of the open community or to sign up for our mailing list, where we will keep you updated on the developments in our research as well as with resources and news regarding The Humans Movement.”
The chatter in the room picks up again, excited this time, and Junie leans back to ask Nia, “You signing up for that?”
“Yup!”
Junie nods, smiling. “Then I will too! I like to stay in the loop on things.”
Tobias snorts, still watching Will like the ghost Pokemon will start attacking them at any second.
“You’re still suspicious of him?” Nia asks, exasperated.
“If anything, I trust him less,” Tobias grumbles.
“Why?” Junie chirps, sounding genuinely curious.
Tobias is silent for a few moments. Then, he shrugs. “He just…feels a bit too put-together. And he’s still being vague, too. Something about him just feels off.”
“Oh, that’ll hold up in court,” Nia mumbles. Tobias shoots her a glare while Junie giggles.
“I do have one more announcement to make before letting you all go back to the main hall,” Will calls with another clap of his hands. Slowly, the room quiets to listen.
The yamask’s smile is excited now. “I’m sure many of you have heard of the performance being put on in the plaza later this evening by The Fire Breathers. They’re an amazing magic and performance troupe, and just what we could all use after such a long, stressful day. I spoke with them the other night, and they were kind enough to offer a free, private showing beforehand for the members of The Humans Movement right here in the Convention Center!”
There’s an excited burst of applause and cheering at that.
Nia joins them. “Now we won’t even have to pay to see them!”
“At least he did something helpful,” Tobias grumbles.
Junie laughs and joins in on the cheering while Nia just rolls her eyes with a smile. Between Will’s confident reassurance regarding their eventual return to the human world and this news about the magic show, she’s on cloud nine! Even Tobias’ usual grouchiness can’t put a damper on her mood.
Will raises his hands for quiet, and the noise dies down to a low, eager clamor.
“The show will be held in this very room,” The yamask says, looking pleased by the crowd’s excitement. “Just as the sun begins to set in an hour or so. Until then, feel free to visit any booths you missed before, enjoy the delicious food, or even step outside for some fresh air! Just be sure to grab a tag from Slate out front so he knows to let you back in. He’s the large, purple nidoking you may have seen on your way in.”
At that, Will bows and turns to leave the stage, and the room fills with chatter again as Pokemon stand, stretch, and turn to make their way out of the room and back into the hall.
“C’mon, we need to sign up for the newsletter before the line gets too long!” Nia says, hurrying their trio into the flow of the crowd. “I don’t want to miss out on the new developments down the road.”
“Like he’ll have any,” Tobias growls. “He still didn’t give you guys any solid answers.”
“Just because he doesn’t have the answers yet doesn’t mean he won’t later on,” Nia counters, giving Tobias a frown. “He’s doing more than anyone else is to get us all home! And he sounded like he was pretty confident about it, too.”
Tobias makes a doubtful noise in his throat that Nia pointedly ignores in favor of leading them to the table Will mentioned to sign up for the mailing list. She’s getting better at writing in the Pokemon language, and writes Nia the Riolu in wobbly but mostly-readable handwriting. After that, she sheepishly hands the stick of graphite over to Tobias so he can write down the Lexym guild’s location without it taking ten minutes. Junie’s own handwriting isn’t much better, considering she’s writing with her beak and tiny feet. From there, the three of them make their way back into the main hall, then pause.
“I think we got to all of the booths,” Nia says, looking around. “What did you guys want to do until the magic show?”
“I’m going outside,” Tobias growls immediately, shifting away from a brown mule-like Pokemon crowding into his bubble of personal space. “Can’t even breathe in here.”
“Fresh air sounds nice,” Nia agrees, while Junie chirps her agreement and hops onto the riolu’s shoulder.
The three of them weave their way back to the entrance, out the front door and back into the late-afternoon sun. The warmth on her face is nice combined with the cool, salty air, and Nia smiles as she tilts her face up with a deep breath. When she opens her eyes, blinking against the brightness, Tobias is already speaking with the giant purple Pokemon guarding the doorway—a nidoking, Will said—and accepting three little tags that must be their ticket back into the Convention Center. Tobias rejoins them, handing over the tickets, and Nia takes hers with a word of thanks.
“It’s pretty busy out here, too,” Nia notes, looking out over the marketplace that’s been set up. It’s just as busy as it was when they arrived earlier in the day, with Pokemon moving between stalls, talking and snacking as they shop amongst the merchants. “Might be a good time to check everything out, though.”
“You can go buy cheap junk if you want to,” Tobias snorts. “I’ve had enough interaction for the next year.”
With that, the charmander turns back to the Convention Center, plopping down against the side of the towering building. His tail flame is bright against the heavy shade cast there. Nia can’t really blame him for being done socializing for the day and needing a break. Even she’s kind of exhausted, and she loves talking to people!
Nia hums, watching the charmander settle in for what looks like a short nap. “What do you want to do, Junie? You wanna rest with Tobias, or—”
“Let’s go check out the wares!” Junie trills, jumping atop Nia’s head and pointing a wing out towards the tents and crowd. “I wanna do some browsing without grumpy-pants tailing us.”
Nia laughs, calls out to Tobias that they’ll be back soon, and moves into the crowd to explore.
“Ugh,” Nia groans, flopping back into the cool, concrete seating of the auditorium. “I’m exhausted.” Junie chirps an agreement and collapses into a pile of feathers at her side.
Tobias snorts, taking his own seat on Nia’s other side. “Should’ve taken a break instead of traipsing around in the sun for so long.”
“But everyone was selling such cool stuff!” Nia protests weakly, slowly acclimating to the cooler air of the auditorium. “I had to see it.”
“And now you’re a useless lump,” Tobias drawls.
“It’s not like we’re going to be doing anything,” Nia laughs, sitting up and looking around as more Pokemon—the humans—file into the auditorium where Will spoke to them earlier. “We’re here for a magic show! Our only job is to watch, enjoy, and try to figure out how they do their tricks!”
Junie laughs. “They’re Pokemon—they already have magic powers. I don’t know how many ‘tricks’ there’ll really be.”
“I’ve heard they’re pretty good,” Tobias says. He sounds nonchalant, but Nia can tell his eyes are brighter than usual, shoulders relaxed as he scans the stage. He’s excited for this too.
The riolu smiles and idly looks around the room again. It’s darker than it was earlier, the harsh sunlight that had flooded the stage from the ceiling now a dim, evening dusk that leaves everything a bit hard to see outside of Tobias’ tail light. Nia feels soothed by the dark space and the fresh, clean scent of the foliage lining the walls and ceiling of the room.
Before Nia can ask if they’ll have something to illuminate the stage, like the guild’s glowing crystals, little wisps of flame suddenly flicker into existence around the outer floor of the stage, catching everyone’s attention. They hover in place like little fairy lights, a variety of different colors, and Nia sits up with an awestruck gasp.
“Are they starting?!” Nia whispers.
Tobias, leaning forward in his seat and not even bothering to hide his enthusiasm anymore, grins. “Must be.”
As they watch, the colorful wisps of fire dart into the middle of the stage, converging into one colorful pillar of flame and growing, growing growing until it’s a tall plume of twisting light.
“Whoa!” Junie breathes.
As quickly as the flames gathered, they vanish, leaving behind a cloud of embers and, at their heart, a Pokemon. It’s a tall, bipedal fox, standing in place with his arms held high, twin branches held in his hands, their ends alight in orange flame. The fox looks completely at home among the fire, fur patterned in warm yellows and oranges and reds and hanging around his frame in long tufts that almost look like a cloak.
“Good evening, and welcome to the show!” The fox calls, a bright, toothy grin on his face. The stunned crowd explodes into applause and cheers, and he bows low, branches sweeping around with an arc of flame. “I, the great Hugo, will be guiding the show for you tonight. Everyone sit back, relax, and enjoy the magic!”
With that, Hugo sweeps his arm forward, a cloak of flame enclosing him before vanishing entirely and taking him with it, only a few embers lingering in the air where he stood. Some of the crowd cries out in astonishment as everything goes dark.
A moment later, two fireballs ignite on either side of the stage, hovering in place a few feet off the stone ground. From somewhere around the back of the stage, what sounds like a violin begins to play a jaunty tune. To Nia’s astonishment, the fireballs start to float and move with the song, circling through the air in graceful, synchronized movements. As the tempo of the song picks up, the fire balls seem to stretch, long tails of flame trailing behind them until they’re moving like great, fiery dragons. They weave through and around each other, and then more fireballs light up along the stage—blue ones, purple ones, even green ones—before joining the first flames in a graceful dance.
Nia holds her breath, feeling goosebumps rise on her arms as she watches the colorful streams of fire cross and weave amongst one another to the music, creating a shimmering, shifting tapestry of color and sound.
Nia has never been particularly afraid of fire, but she doesn’t think she’s ever thought of it as beautiful, either. She usually thinks of fire as destructive, as an attack to be wielded by her aggressive partner, but technically Tobias could make flames like this, too, right? He probably couldn’t manipulate them, but that doesn’t mean they couldn’t be pretty! The purple flames of his dragon rage attack come to mind, even richer in color than the purple fire on-stage, and Nia spares a quick glance at Tobias.
The charmander looks entranced by the show, the colorful light of the flames playing across his face and shining in his eyes. He somehow looks much younger than usual, eyes wide with wonder and a small, awed smile on his face. Nia smiles too, chest warming with contentment. Happy is a good look on her grumpy partner.
Nia turns back to the show, eagerly watching as actual Pokemon make their first appearance. Illuminated by the colorful flames, two groups of floating Pokemon drift onstage in a dance of their own—some of them look like literal candles and lanterns with lovely purple flames and glowing golden eyes, and the others are round, pink Pokemon with purple patterns and long, trailing streams of pink mist that add an ethereal quality to their movements. The Pokemon weave between the flames, completely unafraid as they glow with what Nia guesses is psychic energy, dipping and spinning alongside the music.
It has to be difficult to keep such precise control over the flames, or even just to keep pace in a routine with so many small, intricate movements, but all of the Pokemon on stage clearly have a masterful control over their art, moving with confident, fluid motions as the fire twists and flares in graceful patterns.
Then, almost too suddenly, the Pokemon dip towards the edges of the stage and the fire vanishes with a flash, leaving the crowd in darkness once more. Before anyone can begin to applaud or cheer, flames light up the stage again, a ball of fire falling from above and bursting apart on impact. In its place stands a group of Pokemon arranged in a pyramid formation. Most of the crew seems to be made up of fiery cat-like Pokemon—little brown lions with red tufts of hair and bulkier striped cats with burning-bright bells at their necks—but the Pokemon on top is a cute white rabbit with orange-tipped feet and ears.
The pyramid disassembles in a series of impressive flips and rolls, and then the Pokemon themselves are leaping seamlessly through hoops of fire as they begin to move around stage. While they’re probably fire types and wouldn’t be too hurt by the flames, their movements are choreographed to be perfectly in sync, and they’re incredibly acrobatic as they leap and roll and springboard off one another to pull off increasingly complicated trick jumps.
As the movements increase in fervor, the crowd starts cheering and applauding, and Nia can’t help joining in on the excitement, whooping loudly as her heart pounds. The Pokemon onstage seem to move non-stop in a blur of color and fire, until suddenly, one by one, the pairs of Pokemon leap off the sides of the stage and the rings of fire all go out at once.
In the next beat, three round shapes roll on-stage, already lit aflame, before leaping up and revealing themselves to actually be Pokemon. Through the flames, Nia thinks they’re red, with orange markings around their faces, big grins, and stubby little limbs on their round bodies. The three are joined by a much larger Pokemon who looks like a possible evolution: the same red fur and giant grin, but with eyebrows made of flame and giant, powerful-looking arms.
The larger Pokemon scoops the smaller three up into the air. The crowd gasps as the three Pokemon hang for a moment, suspended like tiny suns, before falling back down. The larger Pokemon catches the first and second, then tosses one of them into the air once again before catching the third. Nia realizes the larger Pokemon is juggling the smaller, fiery creatures, anc can’t help but laugh, cracking up along with Junie and some other Pokemon in the crowd. The juggler is really good, too, keeping the little fireballs in a constant loop of motion.
In a blink, two other Pokemon stand on either side of the larger one, and the crowd murmurs excitedly at their sudden appearance. Both of them are fiery-looking monkeys, and in their hands they hold smaller fireballs. They too start to juggle, and when the smaller fireballs unravel in the air to pose for the crowd, Nia falls back into her giggle fit. The little fireballs are curled-up centipedes?
It only gets crazier from there as the Pokemon begin to juggle between each other, and then even more so when some of the Pokemon being used as props seem to vanish in thin air before shooting back into the fray from somewhere else off-stage.
“Teleport, you think?” Nia leans over and whispers to Tobias, eyes still glued to the performance. “Wait, can they even learn teleport?”
Tobias gives her a look, probably for trying to “solve” the logic behind the magic, but answers, “Maybe the psychic Pokemon from before?”
“Ooh, good point! Or maybe they’re just extinguishing their flames so we can’t see them in the dark?”
Tobias makes a noncommittal hum in response, clearly too invested in the show itself, and Nia happily goes back to watching and theorizing on her own.
Once that group moves off the stage in an impressive disappearing act (“Definitely teleport,” Tobias whispers), two Pokemon that look to be made of pure fire roll onto the stage before popping back up in a cloud of flame. They have duck-like beaks and a funny, amorphous appearance that Nia vaguely recognizes from one of her readings. They’re called…magmar, she thinks? Something like that!
The two of them engage in a mock-fight with impressive bursts of flame, dodging around one another in something more like a dance than a spar, and once the flames begin moving around in liquid-like motions, exploding in flashy, colorful bursts, it’s clear the “magic” from the beginning of the show is at work again. It’s beautiful, but Nia still can’t quite help trying to figure out how they’re doing it. Clearly the psychic Pokemon are helping—do they have some way to change the flames’ colors too, or do different Pokemon naturally have different colors of fire? Is it a temperature thing? Why—
The Pokemon on-stage suddenly stagger in the middle of their practiced routine, casting the room into near-darkness once again and snagging Nia’s attention. The two magmar seem alarmed as they turn to look at something on the side of the room. Nia follows their gaze, confused, only to see that a small patch of the foliage lining the walls has caught fire, just a tiny candle’s worth of flame. The audience, most of them craning to see as well, breaks into a low murmur of sound.
Nia frowns, shifting nervously in her seat and glancing back at the two Pokemon on stage, who she can only see due to their glowing skin. Is…Is this part of the routine? Another trick? But no, the two magmar look just as uncertain as the rest of the auditorium, frozen in place like this has never happened before.
The fire grows bright enough in the corner of Nia’s eye that she whips around to stare at it again, her stomach sinking. The flame is slowly starting to spread to neighboring plants.
“Something’s wrong,” Tobias whispers.
Nia glances at him, unease churning in her stomach once she sees the stricken look on his face. “Y-You think so?”
“Something’s wrong,” He repeats, louder, standing.
The fire seems to flare, then, growing larger as it truly catches and ignites. The crowd shrieks, some of them scrambling from their seats. Nia watches the flames, stunned, as they spread at an incredible speed, changing from a candleflame to a wall of fire in a matter of seconds.
The crowd is starting to panic, shouting out alarmed questions and cries, and a quick glance at the stage shows that the performers aren’t much better, scrambling around and looking to each other for what to do.
This definitely isn’t part of the act.
“Everyone, don’t panic!” Hugo’s voice rings out.
Nia feels relieved for a heartbeat, until she sees the fox himself. He has a good stage face and is holding his paws up in a calming gesture, but this close to the stage Nia can see the tension in his frame, the way his eyes flick to the wall and then the exits.
“Move calmly towards the exits, please, and head back out to the plaza,” Hugo calls. “We will try to contain the flames here and—”
The fire crackles, jumping and putting on a burst of speed as it connects to the wooden bits of the ceiling and spreads like fire on an oil spill, engulfing half the room in heat and light.
The crowd surges with fear.
Hugo is yelling something to his performers, the audience is screaming and yelling and shoving as they scramble for the doors, and Tobias grabs Nia’s arm, dragging her with him towards the nearest aisle leading to the exit. They’re jostled by the frantic crowd, and Nia squeezes Junie tighter to her chest as Tobias snarls and forces his way forward, making a path for them. Something heavy slams into Nia from the side, and she’s shoved to the ground. Junie falls from her arms and tumbles away among the forest of legs.
“Junie!” Nia yells, moving forward to follow before a panicked Pokemon accidentally kicks her, sending her rolling back with a yelp. Another foot steps on her tail, and just as Nia thinks she’s going to get trampled, a familiar warm hand grabs her arm and yanks her to her feet.
“Tobias!” Nia gasps. “I lost Junie!”
“No time to find her!” Tobias growls, glancing up to where the fire has continued to spread, consuming a majority of the room and heating the air to an uncomfortable degree.
Nia doesn’t have time to argue as the crowd at her back moves the two of them forward and out into the hall, almost knocking them off their feet.
“Oh, you have to be kidding me!” Tobias snarls.
Nia feels her heart drop as she follows his gaze and sees that the fire has already managed to spread out here, too, and is moving to consume everything at a terrifying pace.
“Go!” Tobias snaps, shoving Nia in front of him to follow the flow of the loud, panicked crowd towards the front of the Convention Center. She glances over her shoulder, terrified that she’ll lose him, but he stays right on her heels.
Nia’s heart is pounding in her ears, adding a steady tempo to the shouting and the quiet roar of the flames spreading to the entirety of the main hall. It’s almost like it’s following them, herding them, and Nia feels weak with relief when she spots the doors to the plaza ahead of them, cool purple-gray evening light like a drink of water in the desert.
They barely manage to make it outside without getting trampled, staggering into blessedly cool, open air alongside the other escaping humans. The Pokemon who were shopping in the marketplace are all watching the frantic crowd of humans with stunned expressions and concerned calls.
Safely away from the building, Nia’s legs collapse under her. She takes deep breaths of the refreshing air, flexing her fingers against the stone underneath her to help ground herself.
“You okay?” Tobias asks, crouching in front of her.
Nia looks up at him, unable to speak. The charmander still seems tense himself, eyes a little too wild, but he’s clearly trying to keep a hold on his emotions. Oh, right, he’s waiting for an answer.
“I-I think so?” Nia rasps. Her gut and her tail hurt where she was kicked and stepped on, but she’s in one piece, even if she feels like she’s about to shake apart at the seams. “You?”
Tobias nods, then looks past her, brow furrowing with something grave.
Nia turns as well, staring in horror at the building in front of her, already brimming with flames and lit bright against the evening sky. Nia isn’t sure how quickly fire spreads normally, but it almost seems to be moving at an unnatural rate, growing uncontrollably and eating away at the structure’s wood and stone with an unstoppable hunger. It can’t have been more than a minute or two since the fire began, but already the majority of the building seems thoroughly engulfed in flames. The structure that had seemed so solid during the day starts to sag and crumble. Near the doorway, a bit of the frame falls to the ground with a loud noise that makes Nia jump.
“I-Is Junie still in there?” Nia squeaks, looking desperately at Tobias as if he knows any more than she does. “What if she’s stuck? We got separated, and I don’t—I don’t know where she went!”
Tobias doesn’t answer, staring at the flames with a furrowed brow and clenched fists, eyes flicking back and forth with racing thoughts.
Nia swallows hard and turns back to the flames as her stomach sinks, unable to do anything but tremble as she watches the fire grow. Absently, she notices the murmuring of the crowd at her back, then jumps as a loud voice suddenly commands, “Everyone stand back!”
Nia thoughtlessly follows the voice’s direction, stumbling back to join the rest of the crowd. A moment later, a familiar form bounds past them and into view.
“Keegan?” Nia whispers.
The ninetales looks completely different from his carefree self the day before, standing tall with a sharp, serious expression on his face. A fierce-looking red crustacean Pokemon with a golden star at her crown and a stripe of blue at her mouth is at his side, turning to look at the crowd with just as much authority in her posture.
A moment later, Nia notices the crowd of Pokemon stepping past her and the other civilians, lining up neatly in front of the two Pokemon. They all look strong, assessing the situation with calm expressions and confident stances. Some of them are clearly Seekers like her and Tobias, teams wearing similarly-colored scarves or bands, while the other half of the crowd all wear the same bright shade of yellow with a black drop of water imprinted on the fabric.
“Ghatha Guild, pair up with the fire rescue squad,” Keegan barks, fur gleaming gold in the light of the flames. “Buddy system, at least one water type required for each team. Report back to me or Audra any time you enter the structure or leave. First priority is finding any stragglers caught in the wreckage, second priority is to contain and douse the flames and minimize damage from the structure’s collapse. Clear?”
The crowd of Seekers—and fire rescue Pokemon, apparently—nod or call out their assent.
“Then get on it!” The crustacean, Audra, snaps, immediately turning to the burning building and beginning to fight the flames with powerful jets of water shooting from her claws.
The rest of the Pokemon jump into action with impressive speed, pairing up with minimal discussion. Some teams slip into the building itself through the gaps opening up in the walls. Some water types station themselves around the building where the flames are fighting to break free and move further into the plaza, dousing the fire with carefully-aimed streams of water.
Nia is relieved by the experienced groups of Pokemon tackling the problem, but she still feels like she can’t quite breathe right. Or maybe that this isn’t real, that she isn’t really here. She feels cold, despite the heat wafting off of the inferno in front of them. Numb, almost.
“How could this happen?” Nia whispers. “It...It was such a nice day.”
For a moment, Tobias doesn’t answer. Then, he takes their team bag off his shoulder, digging through it and pulling out his badge. He pins it to his scarf and pushes the satchel into Nia’s hands. “I’m going in too.”
“What?!” Nia whips around to stare at him. “You can’t—”
“I’m a Seeker and a fire type,” Tobias retorts, eyeing the Seekers and rescuers still arranging themselves around the wreckage. “This is exactly what I signed up for.”
Nia latches onto his arm before he can run off, yanking him to a stop. “W-Wait! You can’t go in there! Sure, you’re a fire type, but the walls are caving in and, and—”
“Pokemon need help, Nia,” Tobias growls, pulling his arm free.
Nia tries not to let the panic overtake her completely. What if he gets hurt while she’s just sitting out here watching? And if it’s his job then isn’t it hers, too? What if Junie is still in there?
“Then I’m going too,” Nia says, her terrified voice making it more of a question than a statement.
Tobias is the one to look caught off-guard this time. “What? No you’re not. You don’t have the protection from fire that I do.”
“Some of the other Pokemon don’t either!” Nia bluffs, watching a Pokemon that may or may not be a fire type race by and dive through the flames wreathing the front door.
“But they know what they’re doing!” Tobias counters. “Look, I’m a low-level Seeker, but I have protection against the fire. I’m going. You are staying here so you don’t pass out from the heat.”
Nia whimpers, but can’t come up with a good enough argument against that. Tobias turns and runs up to Keegan, flashing his badge and saying something. The ninetales looks surprised, then pensive, as if unsure of whether he should agree to send the self-admitted newbie into such a dangerous situation. Nia’s heart lifts hopefully.
Then Audra snaps something to Keegan, and the ninetales looks torn. Finally, he sighs and says something to Tobias before running off. Tobias nods and dashes past the other rescuers and Seekers to run straight into the fire. Nia’s stomach turns as he vanishes into the flaming building.
“Please be okay,” she murmurs, voice cracking. Her heart is pounding, and all she can think of is Tobias getting crushed by the building slowly crumbling in front of her. Junie, trapped in the flames and choking on smoke. She worries the strap of their satchel between her shaking paws, almost tearing the fabric.
Minutes pass, and areas of the roof begin to cave in along with the walls, sending the Seekers and rescuers into a renewed flurry of activity. Nia paces in her place amongst the crowd, watching as the fire squad and the Seekers go in and out of the building with expert efficiency. Keegan is orchestrating the rescue effort with impressive control, directing the Seekers working underneath him and pointing out which areas to focus on next as well as receiving reports from the Pokemon who return.
Nia is only half-listening to the conversations around her, too busy stewing in her own fear, when she catches a snatch of conversation from the coughing, rocky Pokemon reporting to another rescuer to her right.
“Yeah, pretty sure it was a rookidee. Don’t know what happened to ‘em—one second they were there and then I lost ‘em again. Needed to get some air or I woulda passed out.”
Nia freezes, feeling like she might throw up as she stares at the rocky Pokemon, who hasn’t even noticed her. Their partner is reassuring them that the rookidee probably flew through an open gap in the roof, or another rescuer found them, but the rest of their words are drowned out by the blood roaring in Nia’s ears.
A rookidee, still trapped inside. Nia hadn’t seen any other rookidee all day. Only Junie.
Junie can’t fly high enough to get out—especially if she’s injured. And she’s not a fire type, not resistant to flames like Tobias is. She’s small, painfully light and fragile.
She’s scared, probably. Terrified. What if she dies in there because Nia was too much of a coward to try to save her?
It’s that thought that solidifies Nia’s terror into something sharper. Something like determination.
Pokemon need help, Nia.
“S-Sorry, Tobias,” Nia murmurs, dropping their satchel to the ground and taking a deep, shaking breath. Then, she sprints towards the fiery wreckage before she can second-guess herself. She doesn’t even bother to grab her badge, instead slipping past the guards when they’re distracted by a large, hacking Pokemon stumbling from the building with a couple of unconscious Pokemon tucked under their arms.
The heat hits Nia in a wave as she ducks through a large gap in the crumbling wall, into what used to be the front hall of the building. Immediately her eyes are stinging dry, the ash sparking a coughing fit as she tries to breathe through the sheer heat. Fire roars and crackles around her in a painfully blinding forest of flames, making it hard to tell exactly where she is or where she’s going next. The building is slowly crumbling around her, heavy walls warping and falling apart. The stone underfoot is hot, almost stinging against her paws.
Nia looks around through squinted eyes, untying the bandana from her arm and holding it to her mouth to try and filter the smoke somehow. Somewhere further in the building there’s a sudden rumble, loud enough to be heard through the roar of flames and distant yells of Pokemon. Nia recognizes it from earlier--another part of the roof must have caved in.
Nia moves further into the wreckage of the building, more quickly than she’d like to, but she doesn’t have the time to be thorough and careful when the building is already coming down. She just tries to keep her distance from the worst of the flames and the rubble.
The building, once easy to navigate, is a flaming, twisted shell of itself, a labyrinth of wreckage and dazzling light and flickering shadow. Is she still in the front hall, or did a wall fall down? She might be in the main hall, actually.
“Junie!” She shouts, cupping her hands around her mouth. Her following inhale triggers a coughing fit as she breathes in heat and smoke. Eyes squeezed shut as she struggles to breathe, she isn’t paying enough attention and cuts her leg on a particularly sharp piece of something—stone, or metal maybe. She bites back a pained cry, glaring at the offending rubble before moving forward again.
“Junie!” She shouts, her voice a weak, rasping thing cut off by another coughing fit. “Junie, are you in here?!”
The roar of the flames are her only answer, so Nia keeps moving. She scans the wreckage and shouts out the little bird’s name, feeling her heart sink a little more each time she gets no response. When a particularly harsh burst of flames brushes by her face, stinging against her skin, she pauses for a moment to try and get her bearings. Between the shimmering heat, the blinding spots of light every time she blinks, and the building being almost unrecognizable, Nia definitely isn’t sure which room she’s in anymore. Could she even find her way back out if she found Junie? She’s starting to feel lightheaded from the heat and smoke.
Shaking her head, Nia forces her feet forward. She thinks she hears someone shout, or glimpses movement aside from the flickering flames and wild shadows thrown over everything, but she doesn’t actually run into any Seekers. They must not spot her, small as she is.
If the Seekers don’t see Nia, what hope does she have for finding Junie? The little bird is smaller and darker than Nia herself, and if she was buried under any rubble—
Stop that, Nia commands herself, looking around a little more frantically. Junie’s fine. She has to be fine!
“Junie!”
No answer.
Nia takes a moment to rest the best she can among the smoke and fire, looking away from the blinding flames and up to the ceiling where a dark patch of sky can barely be seen through a hole in the roof. God, she would love to take a breath of fresh, cool air right now.
Nia staggers on her feet as another part of the building collapses somewhere nearby. She has to keep moving. She has to find her friend!
Nia pushes on, moving through what she thinks used to be a doorway, into another area. Her body is starting to feel heavy, but she tries to shake the dizziness from her vision and keep from stumbling over her own feet. She can’t pass out here. Not now.
She glances up at a flicker of movement in the corner of her eye, expecting to find another shadow playing tricks on her, but it’s—
Junie.
For a moment Nia thinks she’s imagining the rookidee. Maybe she already passed out and now she’s dreaming. But she blinks—once, twice, three times, and she’s still there. The little bird is pinned to the ground by her leg, where a few giant chunks of stone from the roof must have fallen onto her. She’s fluttering weakly, trying to lift off and away from the rubble, but falls back to the ground with a pained cry that reaches Nia even through the roar of the fire.
“Junie,” Nia whispers. Then, shouting, she runs towards her friend. “Junie!”
Junie looks up, face filled with a raw, animalistic kind of terror that Nia’s never seen before. When the rookidee catches sight of Nia, she blinks rapidly like Nia did just a moment ago, as if she isn’t sure she can trust her eyes. Then, her expression pinches, like she wants to cry but isn’t sure if it’s out of relief or fear.
“Nia! What’re you doing here?!”
“I’m here to rescue you, of course!” Nia says with what she hopes is a reassuring smile. Its effect is ruined when she immediately starts coughing again.
“B-But you—” Junie stops, looking like she isn’t sure whether to be upset or not. Then she shakes her head. “Fine! Just, help me get my leg free, please! I’m stuck!”
“Right!” Nia moves to the stones holding the little bird down, managing to roll a few of the chunks of rubble away despite the way the hot stone bites at her hands. Almost immediately she’s panting, vision blurring the slightest bit more as the heat and exhaustion catches up to her. She stubbornly shakes her head, forcing her legs to hold her up as she moves the rubble.
She tries to move the largest chunk of stone, almost as big as her, pushing first with her hands, then with her whole body, grunting as it refuses to budge. She takes a moment to rest and breathe, but immediately chokes again on smoke and heat. Her knee buckles, and she barely catches herself before falling completely to the ground.
“Nia!” Junie shrieks, before falling into a coughing fit herself.
“Don’t talk,” Nia rasps.
“Nia, y-you...you can’t move it,” Junie says, voice breaking. “You have to go.”
Nia blinks slowly at Junie, not understanding. Go? She can’t go yet. Junie needs help. “I can’t leave you.”
Junie furiously shakes her head, and when she looks up again her eyes are shiny, like she’d be crying if the heat of the flames didn’t immediately dry her tears up. “You’re going to die here too if you don’t run, you idiot! Go!”
Nia growls in response, pushing herself back to her feet. She wobbles, but steadies herself on the stone. “I-I’m not—I’m not just leaving you here!”
Junie shrieks something else at Nia, but she tunes the little bird out. Her head aches, and it’s getting hard to focus. She pushes again at the stone, hoping that all of those stories about adrenaline were true and will give her the boost she needs. Her muscles strain and sting, but the stone doesn’t move. Feeling her throat choke up with—with everything, with fear and desperation and tears and anger—Nia pushes harder.
If she could just use her fighting type moves, maybe she’d be strong enough! Maybe she could push this stone, or break it, or—or—
Nothing. The stone won’t move.
Gasping for air that’s too hot to breathe, Nia slumps against the stone, eyes stinging again with tears.
She can’t do it. But she can’t just leave Junie here, either.
Is this how she dies? In a foreign world, without ever seeing her family and friends again? Without even saving her new friend? Without keeping up her end of the deal with Tobias? She had so much she wanted to do.
She doesn’t want to die.
Nia sobs, claws digging into the stone.
There’s another loud rumble from somewhere nearby—above—as more of the ceiling caves in, shaking the ground as the stone crashes to the floor only feet away and kicks up extra ash.
“Nia!” Junie cries. She’s sobbing now, too. “Please, leave! Just go! You can’t do anything! The roof is going to come down on us any second and I can’t—you c-can’t—”
Nia swallows hard and pushes herself back to her feet. She staggers to Junie’s side, sitting heavily in front of the little bird.
“I couldn’t find my way back out of here even if I tried,” Nia croaks, the words petering off into something between a laugh and a sob.
Junie looks devastated, before her expression melts into something so, so deeply sad. So guilty. “I’m so sorry, Nia.”
Nia doesn’t know how to respond, especially when her vision is spotty and it’s so hot she can’t even think, the burns and cuts on her body stinging with pain. She just shakes her head, hoping that Junie knows she doesn’t blame her for this.
Nia sends up an apology to everyone she’s leaving behind. And maybe a prayer that when she goes, it’ll be quick.
Around them, the fire roars.
Chapter Text
He’s found another one.
Tobias curses and weaves through the fiery wreckage of the building, hurrying over to the unconscious sandile he’s spotted half-buried in rubble. He makes quick work of digging the ground type out from under the debris, sending a silent prayer up to—well, to someone as he pulls them free and leans in close, pressing a hand to the Pokemon’s chest. He breathes a sigh of relief when the sandile’s ribs rise and fall under his palm. They’re still alive, even if their breathing is raspy from smoke and burns litter their scales. They’re lucky they’re half ground type, resistant to the flames growing ever-hotter around them.
Tobias hefts the sandile into his arms, stumbling under their weight before righting himself. They’re the third Pokemon he’s stumbled across since running into the fire, and after two previous trips in and out of the building he’s starting to wear down. The heat and smoke are less dangerous to him since he’s a fire type, but along with the scrapes and bruises he’s accumulated, his stamina is slowly running low.
Tobias tries to shove away his looming exhaustion, turning to squint at his fiery surroundings before deciding on the least dangerous-looking path and moving outward towards safety. He doesn’t know how long he’s been in here, finding Pokemon who didn’t make it out of the building before it started to come down, raining fire and rock and choking the air with smoke, but he still catches occasional glimpses of other Seekers darting in and out of the flames, also looking for more injured Pokemon.
He’s starting to worry they won’t be able to find everyone in time. Not all Pokemon can withstand flames and smoke like this, not to mention the ceiling slowly caving in above them.
Some part of Tobias can’t help worrying if they’ve found Junie yet.
He may not like the rookidee much, but that doesn’t mean he wants her to die. He’d gone back into the flames partially with her in mind, after all, knowing she got caught up in the crowd and separated from him and Nia.
Tobias rounds a bend in the fiery shambles, sharp eyes on the lookout for anyone else trapped in the rubble. A flicker of movement catches his eye, and he glances over as a typhlosion rushes past him with three or four small Pokémon laid out across her back, her movements confident in a way that only an experienced rescuer could be. Tobias scans the unconscious Pokemon, but no, she’s not carrying a rookidee. The typhlosion hesitates at the sight of him, but he jerks his head in a “Go on, I’ve got this” motion, trying to seem calm and strong even if his legs feel like they might give out at any second. She looks uncertain, but glances back at her charges before nodding and racing forwards again, presumably to an exit.
Tobias takes a bracing breath of smoky air and follows her.
Finally, he makes it back to one of the huge gaps in the wall of the building, stumbling through into fresh night air that feels almost cold against his heated skin. He blinks hard as he passes by Seekers and fire rescue Pokemon, eyes slowly adjusting after the dazzling light of the flames. He finds one of the medical teams that have set up post around the perimeter and drops the sandile off there, relieved to see the ground type still taking rattling gulps of air.
He’s supposed to report back each time he returns from a trip inside the building, but Keegan is nowhere to be seen and Tobias isn’t sure who else he could notify. Instead of worrying about it, he takes a moment to breathe and recuperate, wandering back towards where he’d left Nia to see if she has any news on Junie. Maybe one of the other Seekers found the rookidee and already brought her out to safety.
Tobias scans the Pokemon around him for Nia, tuning out the shouts of the Seekers and the murmuring of the civilians gathered around the blazing building. He slowly makes it back to what used to be the front of the structure, looking for a familiar blue and black pelt in the low light. He frowns when he doesn’t see her, turning slowly and cursing the confusing combination of darkness alongside the orange wash of flames—it makes it hard to find anyone in this mess.
He looks once again for his partner.
And looks.
And looks.
By the fourth time Tobias has searched the crowd around him and found no riolu, something in his chest is tight. Maybe she’s at one of the medical stations with Junie?
His heartbeat grows louder in his ears as he moves his search to the nearest medical tent, asking for a riolu and maybe a rookidee. Nothing, so he moves on to the next. And the next.
“Where are you, you idiot?” He mumbles, ignoring the way his voice shakes. Something like dread twists in his gut, and he ignores that too. He glances at the burning building, but then resolutely looks away again, back out at the endless storm of Pokemon rushing around and yelling and watching and crying.
Surely she didn’t—
“Have you seen a riolu around?” Tobias asks the first Seeker he finds, trying to sound calm and confident.
The flareon’s brow furrows, and he shakes his head. “No, sorry. Were they inside the building?”
“Not when I went in, but now I can’t find her,” Tobias responds, glancing again at the fire. Another chunk of the ceiling caves in, crashing loudly into the flaming wreckage, and the flareon’s ears twitch.
“I’ll keep an eye out for her,” The flareon says, sympathetic. His dark gaze flicks down to Tobias’ scarf, and then further down to the scrapes and soot littering his skin. “For now, go to one of the medical stations and get those wounds checked out.”
“Right,” Tobias mumbles, turning and slipping away to not do that. He can worry about his bumps and bruises later. Right now, it’s more important that he finds Nia, makes sure she didn’t do something stupid like—
He shakes his head and moves on, still scanning the crowd and feeling worse with each passing second that he doesn’t see his partner. Nobody has, until he talks to a lycanroc that comes stumbling out of the wreckage.
“A riolu?” The rock type asks, blue eyes teary and squinted as he coughs. Then his ears perk and he lifts his head. “Yeah, my partner and I saw ‘em a bit ago.”
Tobias barely stops himself from grabbing the lycanroc by the scruff and shaking him. “Where?”
“She ran into the fire,” The lycanroc says, head tilting. “She had a Seeker scarf on and looked like she knew what she was doing so we didn’t try to stop her.”
The rock type is saying something else, but Tobias’ doesn’t hear him. A cold wash of fear runs through his body, leaving his stinging cuts and aching bruises feeling numb. Slowly, he turns his head to look again at the fiery shell of the building, at the flames licking higher into the dark sky. Another part of the wall crumbles, and the foundation shakes.
No. Nia can be naïve but she’s not stupid, she would know better than to go running into that, she—
For just a moment Tobias thinks of lying on a mossy dungeon floor, on the brink of consciousness, and a trembling riolu stepping in front of him, branch held at the ready to defend him from a pack of feral Pokemon.
A stupid, stupid, stupid bleeding-heart riolu.
Without another thought, Tobias races away from the lycanroc and his yelled questions, past other Seekers and into the flames yet again. He stumbles over the rubble, cutting open another spot on his foot, but pays it no mind as he looks around, desperately hoping that Nia will magically appear right in front of him. But no, nothing. Just flames and wreckage and smoke—
(She has no protection from the fire, what if she’s already unconscious and buried under rubble where no one will find her?)
“Nia!” Tobias yells, cupping his hands around his mouth as if that’ll make his raspy voice loud enough to be heard over the roar of the flames. No response.
Tobias pushes deeper into the shell of the building, moving more carelessly than he had earlier and getting a few new injuries for it. He shouts Nia’s name again, panting hard as he listens for a response.
The roar of the flames around him is loud, the crackling and snapping accompanied by an occasional ground-shaking rumble as another part of the structure falls. The flames are starting to lick at even Tobias’ skin, starting to make him feel itchy and hot, the smoke weighing heavy and unnatural in his lungs.
But he can’t just leave Nia.
Something shifts on the edge of Tobias’ vision, and he whips around, expecting it to be the debris settling, hoping for it to be his partner.
Instead, an arcanine stands atop the rubble.
Tobias’ breath catches in his throat.
Memories try to surface, only adding to his panic.
Bright plumes of flame lighting up cave walls, throwing harsh shadows as snarls ring out. A bright orange pelt, jagged black stripes, bristling cream fur. Sharp fangs and hot breath, a heavy paw on his chest, holding him down, blunt claws digging into his throat, a scar across the arcanine’s eye leading to a shredded ear—
Tobias forces himself to take deep, shaking breaths even as he feels like he’s going to throw up. He stares at the arcanine, putting all his willpower into shoving the memories away and staying on his feet instead of collapsing. The arcanine is too far away to get a good look at his face in the flickering light of the flames, and Tobias knows how unlikely it would be for the outlaw to just be here by chance, but…
But the fire itself shouldn’t have ever started. Shouldn’t have spread so quickly. And the arcanine is just staring at Tobias. Watching him, no visible scarf or sash marking him as a Seeker or fire rescue member.
Then, suddenly, the arcanine turns and bounds away, vanishing into the flames.
“Wait!” Tobias yells, forcing his legs to move and stumbling after the larger fire type.
He pants hard as he follows, knowing how hopeless it is trying to catch the outlaw. Still, he chases after him blindly, a nauseous blend of fear and fury making something hot crawl in his gut. He trips and slams into more debris, another gash opening up his side and bruising his ribs. He ignores it and staggers forward again, looking around wildly.
There! The arcanine is watching him from afar, completely calm and still. An angry snarl rips from Tobias’ throat as he lunges after him. He doesn’t know what he’ll do when he reaches the outlaw, but he—he has to. He finally has one of the trio he’s been hunting down right here in front of him! He can’t just waste this chance!
Once again, the arcanine turns and leaps away, vanishing behind a large pile of debris. Tobias races after him, vaulting over a flaming wooden support beam, blinking at the dazzling brightness of embers it throws into the air. From there, the arcanine is nowhere to be seen. Tobias curses and spins, looking desperately for that dazzling orange pelt.
The low, creaking rumble of another structure falling sets him on edge. He reluctantly pauses his search for the arcanine to instead scan the ceiling above him. It’s caving in again, and close. Tobias steps back, squinting at the ceiling—half flaming structure and half open sky—and finally, he sees it. Smaller bits of fiery stone and wood are already beginning to rain down where the heavy ceiling is buckling under its own weight.
Tobias absently notes not to go in that direction, gaze flicking down, only to freeze. Directly below the crumbling ceiling are two familiar figures. Their usual black and blue colors are nearly red in the firelight.
Nia and Junie.
No.
Junie is saying something, weakly trying to flap into the air, but her leg is pinned to the ground by rubble. Nia is just shaking her head, slumped over like she’s barely able to hold herself up.
The ceiling groans, and Tobias’ head snaps up to watch, horrified, as it finally starts to cave. He’s moving before he realizes it, sprinting for them and feeling wreckage and rubble trip him up, tear at his skin. He won’t be fast enough.
“Nia!”
Nia’s head lifts and turns—slow, too slow. In the span of a heartbeat he sees her notice him, sees her expression flicker from something he’s never seen on the riolu’s face, something hopeless and dull, to a painful amount of relief. But then he sees her confusion, sees her follow his gaze up to the ceiling. Sees terror pin her ears flat.
It all happens so fast that Tobias isn’t even sure he sees it at all. The ceiling falls, raining boulder-sized debris onto the two of them with enough weight to crush and maim and kill, and Nia throws herself over Junie.
And in the landscape of heat and flame, a flash of bright blue energy lashes out from the riolu, pushes out like a bubble or a dome around Nia and Junie, like—
A shield.
The wreckage falls on top of them with enough force to shake the ground, burying the blue with soot and flame and rock.
Tobias chokes and runs faster, terror flooding his veins and making his heart thud hard against his ribs. No. No no no, this wasn’t supposed to happen, this can’t happen, he didn’t just watch Nia die right in front of him, he can’t do this again!
(“Vivi? Vivi, c’mon, w-wake up!”)
The rubble is still settling when Tobias reaches it. He knows exactly where Nia and Junie had been, and he starts digging, uncaring of how splinters and stone slice at his hands and tear his skin. Entei, he needs help, he isn’t fast enough on his own! Where are the other Seekers?!
Most of the rubble has broken down enough for him pick it up and chuck it away, or to put his body weight into it and shove it aside, but the strain is already taking its toll. His breaths are painful and ragged in his chest, his own body temperature rising dangerously high. But that doesn’t matter. He has to keep going. He has to find them. Even if he knows they had to have been crushed.
Tobias shoves aside another rock, and there’s a flash of soft, sooty blue. His heart jumps, then sinks as he realizes that it’s Junie’s feathers, not Nia’s fur. He should be gentler than he is, but panic makes him yank the painfully light flying type out with rough movements.
As he lifts her body free, Junie’s eyes crack open, glassy with pain. “Nia?”
Tobias just stares in response. Because a large portion of the ceiling just fell on top of Junie, and there’s no way the weightless flying type should even be alive right now, let alone able to talk. She should be a feathery pancake in the dirt.
But he did see Nia dive on top of the rookidee, taking the brunt of the blow. And he saw that strange flash of blue, too. Her aura? Could that have saved them somehow? She was nowhere near the level of making a full-body shield last he’d seen, she’d only just started figuring out how to solidify her aura at all, but…
Tobias sets Junie against a piece of stone and begins digging with renewed energy. Nia has to be here too.
Or her body, at least.
Tobias grits his teeth and ignores that thought the best he can. Just like he’s ignoring the heat under his skin and the blur in his vision, the pain screaming from his bloody hands and cracked, torn claws. Junie’s alive somehow. Nia has to be too.
Another stone upturned, and Tobias stops, seeing a patch of dirty blue fur. Hope threatens to choke him, and he frantically digs through the rest of the rubble to unearth his partner. As soon as he has her head and torso and most of her legs visible, he loops his arms under her and tugs, pulling the riolu free of the debris and staggering back.
Nia doesn’t stir like Junie did, eyes closed and face peaceful save for smudges of ash and patches of raw, burned skin. There’s a trickle of blood coming from her nose. At the very least, her body is miraculously uncrushed, with no obvious displaced bones or flattened limbs. But she’s not moving, not making a sound, bruised and battered and for a moment all Tobias can see is a little orange face so like his own, too still, and he feels his stomach heave with nausea. She can’t die, she can’t be dead, he can’t do this again he can’t handle losing Nia too when she was right there—
Tobias turns his head to lay flat against Nia’s chest, listening for breathing, for a heartbeat. C’mon, c’mon!
There. It’s faint, but her heart thumps once, twice under his ear. A shallow rise and fall of her chest follows. Tobias’ body melts, feeling the solid, living warmth beneath him, and he lets out a shaky breath into Nia’s fur. She’s alive.
“Toby?” Junie rasps from his side, voice wavering with fear.
Tobias lifts his head, suddenly remembering that they’re still in the middle of the fiery building, that they’re still in danger. Even if they can get out of here, Nia and Junie need to see a medic as soon as possible—the two of them have to be overheated and suffering from smoke inhalation at the very least.
The rookidee has settled beside him, feathers ruffled, ruby eyes wide and scared. Her leg is crooked and held out at an awkward angle. Tobias looks at her for a moment, and then down to Nia. He might be able to make it out with the riolu on his back, but even he’s starting to feel the heat and the pain of his wounds. He’s fatigued and can’t guarantee he’ll reach safety in time, and he doesn’t want to risk that. He swallows hard, tries to summon up his calm medic voice, and looks at Junie.
“Can you fly?” He asks.
Junie tentatively stretches out her wings, blinking at them as if she isn’t sure herself. She flaps them, and lifts into the air in a jerky hover, leg still dangling oddly. Must be broken. The rookidee looks back to him, almost as if for confirmation.
Tobias swallows hard, looking at the shaky bird as dread opens a pit in his stomach. Junie’s scared of heights, but it’s very possible they won’t make it out of here without her.
“I need you to fly, Junie, okay?” Tobias says, trying to sound like he’s in control of the situation, like he’s confident that she can do this. He has a feeling he’s still too sharp, too wild-eyed. “I need you to fly up through the roof and get help from the other Seekers. Tell them to come get us.”
Junie shakes her head, tears bubbling up in her eyes. “I-I can’t! I can’t, what—“
“Junie.”
The rookidee quiets, still flapping in jerky motions and visibly shaking.
Tobias swallows hard, grabbing at Nia’s fur under his claws. His eyes never leave the flying type. “I wouldn’t ask this if it wasn’t important. I know you’re scared, but Nia could die if we don’t get her out of here. We need help.”
For a moment, Tobias thinks he’s broken through to her, that she’ll face her fear and soar into the sky. But the rookidee is injured and frightened, and when she furiously shakes her head she almost knocks herself over.
“I can’t!” Junie wails, immediately falling into a hacking fit and dropping back to the ground.
Tobias can’t even find it in himself to be angry, too afraid and exhausted to channel anything else. Instead, he focuses on how they’ll get out of here if they can’t get Junie to send for help. He’s still running on adrenaline alone, and he can feel it start to flag, feel his fatigue start to creep in alongside the pain of his wounds. But they have to leave now—the whole place is coming down and going up in flames all at once, and Nia needs to get checked out as soon as possible.
There’s a sharp crack nearby and Tobias is back on alert, looking around and jumping as more chunks of the ceiling fall to the ground not ten feet away. Tobias snags Junie and pulls her close, covering both her and Nia from the resulting cloud of splintered wood and embers as best he can, hissing as if he could scare away the encroaching flames.
He can’t protect these two on his own. Not here. He wants to wait for help—he’s not even sure if he can pick Nia up in his state, and he shouldn’t even be moving her in case she has a serious injury—but the fire is moving closer and the rest of the building will cave in soon enough.
“We’ve gotta move,” Tobias decides.
Junie doesn’t answer, and Tobias looks down to find that the rookidee has passed out entirely. He must’ve jarred her leg when grabbing her and the spike of pain was too much.
“Anything else want to go wrong?” He grumbles, fighting back a fresh surge of panic. Okay, fine. Now Junie’s passed out too. Great. At least she’s light.
Something crashes to the ground nearby, and Tobias moves into action. He leans down and draws one of Nia’s arms over his shoulder, and then the other. He pulls himself to his feet, stumbling under Nia’s deadweight before managing to haul her forward and onto his back. He’s panting already, dizziness finally starting to spot his vision, but he hops to settle her higher before staggering forward. Nia’s head flops lifelessly onto his shoulder, and something in Tobias’ chest aches at the reminder of their flight to Ghatha not even a day ago. Nia had been so excited for this stupid trip.
Tobias grits his teeth and crouches to awkwardly tuck Junie under his arm. He barely manages to stand, looking around and desperately trying to figure out where they are and how to find the nearest exit. He pushes forward in a random direction, hoping against hope that it’ll lead them to safety.
He’s not sure how long he walks like that, with Nia against his back, his breaths tearing through his chest like an open wound, Junie a limp ball of feathers under his arm. His adrenaline finally drains away, and exhaustion takes its place as spots dapple his vision. His limbs are so heavy. Every step feels like a monumental movement. His hands hurt from the digging, and cuts and bruises litter his body.
The charmander trips over something and crashes to the ground, barely managing to shove Junie out from under him at the last second. He tries to push himself up, Nia a heavy weight on his back, before flopping back into the dirt. He’ll catch his breath. Just a second, a minute to catch his breath, and then he’ll get to his feet again and keep walking. He will. He blinks heavy eyes at the blurred landscape of bright flame and jagged, crumbling silhouettes.
It’s endless, this world of fire and smoke and heat. There’s no escaping it. But he has to. He has to.
For a moment, just as he’s on the edge of consciousness, he swears he sees paws stop in front of his face. Huge paws, with sleek orange fur and blunt claws that have haunted his nightmares for years.
And then everything is dark and still.
There’s music.
The melody itself is foreign to him, something soft and hopeful, but the voice singing it is as familiar as his own skin. It’s sung lullabies to him since the day he was born.
Tobias lifts his head, only to find himself in his nest with Vivi. The smaller charmander is curled up against his side, her breathing peaceful and her tail flame a steady flicker.
“It’s late, Toby,” A voice rumbles from his other side, deep and comforting.
The singing doesn’t stop, coming from somewhere out of sight, closer to the entrance of the cave.
Tobias blinks heavy eyes and looks around, relaxing at the familiar sight of their dark cave, lit only by the warm glow of three tail flames. Tobias knows the rocky walls are decorated with colorful children’s paintings, but he can only catch a glimpse of them in the low light.
Shifting to get a bit more comfortable in the nest, Tobias looks over at his Papa, curled up in his own bed with his wings tucked loosely against his back, head lifted and looking towards the entrance to the cave. The charizard is huge, but that only makes Tobias feel safer. His Papa’s a big softie anyways.
“Why’s Mama singing so late?” Tobias asks, voice hushed so he doesn’t wake Vivi. His sister can be a little monster if she’s woken up before sunrise.
“Is it keeping you up?” Papa asks, not looking at Tobias.
The charmander shakes his head. “No. I like Mama’s singing. She always sings in the morning, though.”
For a moment, Papa doesn’t answer. Then, quietly, he says, “It’s too cloudy to see the stars tonight.”
Tobias blinks up at the shadowed form of his Papa, not quite sure how that answers his question. Usually Mama and Papa say things so they make sense to him and then he can explain them to Vivi, if she’s still confused. But every once in a while they say something that he doesn’t understand.
Tobias tries to crane his head around his father to see his mother, silhouetted against the night sky, but he can’t quite manage it. After a moment he gives up and settles back down into his nest.
“So Mama’s singing…because the stars are gone?”
Papa hums a thoughtful noise, but Tobias thinks it means yes, sort of.
After a moment, Tobias asks, “Will her singing bring the stars back?”
“...No. No, it won’t.”
Tobias frowns. He doesn’t understand why Mama’s singing then, if it won’t do anything to fix the problem. He opens his mouth to ask, but Papa cuts him off.
“Go to sleep, Toby,” Papa murmurs. He unfolds a giant, warm wing to rest gently over Tobias and his sister, dimming the world even further.
Tobias huffs but lies down again, breathing in his Papa’s scent. He isn’t happy about Papa dodging his questions, but he is tired, and his Mama’s voice is the perfect sound to lull him back to sleep.
So he lets it take him under.
Tobias wakes up slowly, a cotton-like fuzz blurring his thoughts. He’s...lying in something, but it’s not his straw nest. It’s quiet, save for the soft murmur of a voice, humming the same song from his dream, but the light is bright, brighter than it ever is at dawn when he usually wakes up, in his family’s cave or in the alcove at the guild. Where is he? And why does his body hurt so much? His hands and claws especially—
The pain in his fingers makes it hard to dig, but he can’t stop, so he jams his hands deeper into the rubble and debris, ignoring sharp edges of cutting stone—
Tobias jerks, forcing his heavy eyes awake. A blanket tangles around him, and it’s too hot, too much, it’s suffocating him so he rips it off.
The humming cuts off. “Charmander, you’re fine, you’re safe, all right? Can you look at me?”
Tobias stills and stares up at the source of the voice, panting, his panicked thoughts stalling. It’s a slowbro, his expression concerned and his hands held out in a calming gesture.
Tobias finally takes stock of where he is, eyes darting around the room. It’s sunny and bright and clean, with tan wooden floors and walls, cheery green plants, and medical charts on the walls. Tobias catches sight of a familiar blue, metallic Pokemon asleep in a nearby nest, a bandage over his eye. Seiji? There are a few other Pokémon curled up in similar nests around the walls of the room, all bandaged up or smeared with poultices.
Are they at...a medical station? A hospital?
Tobias blinks down at his stinging, aching hands, bewildered to find them wrapped in a thick layer of gauze and medical tape. He can barely move his fingers, and when he tries, he hisses with pain.
“Don’t move your fingers,” The slowbro advises, voice low and soothing. “You damaged your hands quite a bit. Fractured bones and pulled claws, mostly. A few breaks. We couldn’t rely too much on healing moves with how delicate the bones are in your fingers, so I’m afraid you’re going to have to heal a bit on the slower side.”
Tobias blinks at his hands some more, and then up at the slowbro, trying to process what happened.
The pink Pokémon gives him a sympathetic look. “Having trouble remembering?”
Tobias wants to get angry at the patronizing tone, but he’s exhausted and can’t quite manage it. Instead, he flexes his claws despite the pain and tries to remember what exactly he’d done to wreck his hands. He remembers...fire. And heat. Digging? And—
Nia and Junie, buried in rubble.
Tobias bolts upright in his nest. “Nia!”
Cool, gentle hands land on Tobias’ shoulders, keeping him down. The slowbro meets his eyes with a steady expression that Tobias recognizes from his own medic training.
“Is Nia the riolu you were with?”
Tobias swallows hard and nods. “My partner. There was a rookidee with us too.”
The slowbro’s eyes soften. “Both of them are fine. The riolu was in bad shape when she came in, but she’ll recover. Would you like to see either of them?”
The worst of Tobias’ panic falls away at the reassurance. Nia’s fine. She’ll recover. Junie even made it out okay. Without the tension holding him up, he slumps, exhausted. He really wants to roll over and go back to sleep.
But instead he nods and rasps, “I wanna see Nia.” He still needs to check on her himself. Just to make sure.
The slowbro hums and releases Tobias. “You are still quite battered yourself, so move carefully. No running.” Then, the water type turns and pads out into the hallway, a beckoning hand over his shoulder.
Tobias hurries to follow, wincing at his aching cuts and bruises. Ugh, he has bandages and poultices everywhere. He didn’t even think he was that hurt.
The slowbro leads him down the hall, past one or two Pokémon who give Tobias a sympathetic smile that he dutifully ignores. When they stop in front of a door, the slowbro turns to him.
“Now, Riolu is going to be fine, but she’s still recovering. She was in bad shape when she got here. So don’t wake her, all right?”
“I was a medic,” Tobias snaps, impatient, “I know.”
The slowbro opens the door, and Tobias steps past him. This room is smaller and dimmer than the one he came from, windows covered by bamboo shades, and it’s almost silent save for soft, raspy breathing. There are only a few Pokemon in here, likely kept in the same space due to similar states of injury. Tobias catches sight of a familiar form in the low light.
Nia.
He moves forward cautiously and crouches at her side. She’s resting in a nest similar to his own, curled neatly onto her side. That’s not right. She always sleeps with her limbs thrown every which way, a ridiculous heap, like she just fell into her nest and conked out that way. This just looks...wrong.
She’s covered in bandages and shiny ointments that slick back her fur and cover burns, too. At least the blood and soot has been washed away. Her soft breaths are audible, painfully raspy and rattling in her chest. Nia and Tobias are roughly the same size, but somehow she looks too small curled up here with her fur plastered to her body.
Tobias sits back. Half of him feels soothed by seeing the riolu in one piece, alive and breathing. The other half is more uneasy than he thought he’d be. He’s never liked seeing Pokémon hurt, especially ones he knows. It’s part of the reason he was Maggie’s assistant medic for so long.
The slowbro pads up behind him, voice soft. “You two are a Seeker team, yes?”
Tobias nods. He feels the strange urge to touch Nia, just to make sure she’s actually here, but keeps his hands firmly in his lap.
“Would you like to know her condition?”
Ah, right. Seeker partners get as many patient rights as actual family members do. Tobias nods again, gaze never leaving Nia’s face as she sleeps.
The slowbro takes a step away to read the chart hanging near Nia’s nest. “Well, we healed some of her injuries, but we were limited since we couldn’t afford to exhaust her further. I don’t know if she overworked her body or if something else is at play, but she’s suffering from severe physical fatigue. Do you know if she overused her moves?”
Tobias frowns. Definitely not. Nia still can’t even use her moves, let alone to the point of harming her own body. Then again…
A flash of bright blue flickers through his memory, stark against the fiery red of the flames. It was the same color as Nia’s aura, but Tobias knows Nia wasn’t able to form anything even close to a full-body shield with her aura before yesterday.
The only other option Tobias can think of is a move he’d witnessed once before, from a travelling 'mon at the guild.
Protect.
But Nia shouldn’t have access to that kind of move, especially when she can’t even use her more basic ones. So what exactly happened? The more Tobias plays that split-second back in his mind, the more convinced he is that the riolu had indeed thrown up some sort of shield around her and Junie, regardless of the facts. There’s no other way the two of them could have survived debris of that size and weight falling onto them from that height. They should have been crushed. Killed.
Tobias swallows hard and shrugs at the slowbro still waiting for an answer. “Dunno. We were separated during the fire.”
Separated. Ha. He went running in on his own when he should’ve known his idiot partner would follow him into the flames, especially with Junie missing. Entei’s fire, he’s so stupid! He should’ve made a Seeker take her somewhere else. Or at least taken her with him. Anything else but shoving her away only to find her half-dead and buried in rubble.
He kind of hates himself right now. More than usual.
“Well,” the slowbro continues, reluctant. He must suspect Tobias knows more than he’s saying. “The exhaustion is the most worrying thing at the moment. She’s suffering from first and second-degree burns and smoke inhalation, but as long as she can rest, she should pull through without long-term complications.”
Tobias nods, still staring at Nia. Just. Making sure she’s breathing. There’s a few particularly nasty burns across her body that will probably scar, or at least leave a ruffle or two in her fur. Tobias takes a deep, calming breath.
There’s a moment of silence, and then the slowbro sighs. “Would you like to stay with her?”
Tobias finally turns to blink up at the slowbro, still a little too out of it to stay on top of the conversation.
“I’d rather you just stay here than try to sneak out of your own room later on,” the slowbro drawls, with enough exasperation that Tobias knows it’s happened before.
Tobias looks back at Nia and thinks about going back to his own nest in the other room. His comfy, spacious nest, where he can’t keep an eye on her and make sure she’s still breathing.
“I’ll stay,” he says.
The slowbro hums and waddles away. “I’ll get you some extra bedding.”
Soon enough the slowbro has helped him add another lump of soft straw and moss and blankets right beside Nia’s nest. The slowbro tells Tobias that nurses will likely be in to check on them later and to bring him food, but until then he should rest.
For once, Tobias doesn’t fight it. As soon as the slowbro is gone, Tobias pushes his nest a bit closer to Nia and curls up beside her, keeping her face in his sight. After a moment of hesitation, he flicks his tail around to curl over her wrist, so he can just barely feel her pulse under the flickering light of his tail flame.
He falls asleep like that, despite the brightness leaking into the room from the edges of the blinds and the rattling breaths of the injured Pokemon around him.
He wakes in the evening, if the dim blue light coming in through the blinds is any gauge. The creak of the door must’ve been what woke him, because quiet footsteps enter the room right after. Tobias assumes it’s the slowbro or one of the nurses and doesn’t bother looking up until he hears the newcomers speak.
“I still can’t believe this happened,” A voice whispers, sounding on the edge of tears. “So many were hurt.”
“I know. We’re looking into it—I know your troupe’s reputation. Before I let the blame fall to you, I want to make sure there wasn’t any outside interference with your show.”
Tobias recognizes those voices. Despite the pounding in his head, Tobias lifts it to squint at the visitors. It’s Keegan, the second-in-command of the Ghatha guild, and Hugo, the delphox ringleader of the magic show. Keegan’s expression is somber, and Hugo seems absolutely devastated as he looks around at the injured patients in the room.
Keegan notices Tobias first, ears pricking up as he smiles. “Tobias. Good to see you awake.”
“Wish I could say it’s good to be awake,” Tobias grumbles, shifting so he can talk to the ninetales without having to sit up entirely. He winces as the movement pulls at his injuries. “What’re you two doing here?”
“I always check in on the injured after a disaster like this,” Keegan says, his tails flicking in a nonchalant gesture. “Hugo—"
“I’m so so sorry that this happened,” Hugo cuts in, rushing over to Tobias’ side with his ears pinned back. He wrings his paws, sounding like an entirely different Pokemon from the confident, theatrical ringleader they’d seen onstage. “We’ve been doing shows for over a decade and nothing like this has ever happened before a-and I just don’t know how—”
“Breathe,” Keegan says, not unkindly.
While the delphox gasps in a breath, Tobias turns narrowed eyes onto Keegan. “You said something about interference.”
The ninetales’ carefully relaxed expression falls. “Ah. You heard that, then. While we don’t have any proof necessarily of tampering, it’s just…unheard of, for a troupe this experienced to have an accident like this. Something about it isn’t sitting right with me, so I thought I’d look into it.”
“We’re always very careful with our preparations,” Hugo says quietly, not looking at them. He sounds insistent—not as if he’s trying to lie his way out of consequences, but as if stating the facts with enough conviction will undo this entire mess. “We water any nearby foliage before the show. And we keep a psychic barrier up around the stage so our fire will never harm the audience or the surroundings. We’ve done shows at that very auditorium, w-we—”
The delphox cuts himself off, and finally looks at Tobias.
“I’m sorry that you were injured.” His eyes flick over to Nia and back. “You and your friend. Our troupe made it out relatively unscathed thanks to our psychic members but we never even thought of creating an emergency evacuation plan for something like this. If we had, maybe we could have—we could have helped more Pokemon get out sooner.”
Tobias doesn’t really know what to say in response to that, especially in his current state. Comforting platitudes have never been his thing and they certainly aren’t now, less than a day after they’d almost died.
“Why don’t you step outside for a minute?” Keegan suggests to Hugo, voice soft.
The delphox hesitates, but then nods. He gives Tobias one more apologetic bow before hurrying out of the room, on the brink of tears.
For a moment, there’s silence. Keegan sits and heaves a tired sigh, rubbing at his eyes with a paw. Eventually, he asks, “How’re you feeling?”
Tobias snorts, feeling as exhausted as the ninetales looks. “Great.”
Keegan huffs a laugh, shaking his head. “How’s Nia?”
Tobias follows his gaze and looks at the riolu still sleeping in the nest beside him, too small and too still. He watches her until he can see her chest rise and fall in a breath. “Doctor said she’ll be all right,” He finally answers.
“Good, good,” Keegan sighs. There’s another beat of silence, and then the ninetales adds, “By the way, I know this probably isn’t that important to you right now, but I thought I’d let you know so I don’t forget in all the chaos.”
Tobias frowns and returns his attention to the other fire type.
“First, I have your satchel back in my office. Nia must’ve left it in the plaza, because one of my Seekers brought it to me. I’ll bring that over in the next day or two.”
Oh. Tobias blinks. With everything that happened, he hadn’t even given their bag any thought. It just didn’t seem important at the time, but it’s good that they’ll be getting it back. They have their money in there.
“And second,” Keegan says, “I’m moving your team up from E rank to D rank.”
At that, Tobias straightens, ignoring the pull of his injuries. “What?”
“You two were thrown into a situation that, frankly, you shouldn’t have been allowed to help with yet. But after speaking with the Seekers under my care and seeing how willingly you and Nia dove into the situation, saving multiple Pokemon in the process, I’d say you’ve earned enough points from this mess to warrant a rank upgrade. So I’m bumping you up from E to D.”
Tobias just stares at Keegan, unsure of how to feel. He’d always expected that he’d be excited and triumphant when they final got enough Seeker points to advance in rank, but…this isn’t how he wanted to do it. Not by almost dying. Not by almost losing his partner.
“We aren’t in your guild,” Tobias rasps. “Can you even do that?”
Keegan laughs. “Sure can! Seeker points are universal, including guild authority over the matter. Unless you have a problem with it, I’m planning on upgrading you two when I return to the guild this evening. Arceus knows we need all of the competent Seekers we can get right now.”
Tobias doesn’t answer, instead looking down at his bandaged hands and feeling oddly detached from the whole situation. Maybe he’ll be more excited once Nia wakes up.
“How did we get out, anyways?” Tobias asks, quiet as one of the other injured Pokemon shifts in their nest. “I collapsed before we made it outside.”
Keegan nods. “Someone must have carried you out without checking in with me properly. Unfortunately, while we try to keep everything in an orderly system, sometimes in a crisis the tedium just isn’t as important as saving lives.”
Tobias nods, frowning. He…thinks he remembers seeing something right before he passed out. Was it important? He can’t remember.
“You’ll keep us in the loop about your investigation?” Tobias asks, looking back at Keegan with narrowed eyes. “I think we’ve earned the right after getting caught up in the middle of it.”
Keegan sighs. “We’ll try, but some things may have to stay classified, depending on what we find. Anything we can tell you, we will, but there’s a chance certain information could be sensitive to the investigation.”
Tobias scrunches up his nose, not quite happy with that answer but accepting that it’s probably the best he’s going to get. For now. “Fine. Thanks.”
Keegan nods, glancing at the door as Hugo starts a muted conversation out in the hallway with someone. Even through the wood, Tobias can tell the delphox is getting emotional again.
“I’d better go check on him,” Keegan says, giving Tobias another smile. “It’s good to see you and Nia will be all right. I’ll try to check back in a few days. Rest up—you did good.”
The ninetales leaves, quietly shutting the door behind him, and Tobias slowly relaxes back into his nest. There are so many things to think about—Nia’s recovery, possible suspicious activity with the fire, their rank upgrade…but he’s just too tired to deal with it right now.
Shifting closer to Nia, Tobias lets the fatigue lapping at his consciousness take him under.
When he wakes again it’s night. The room is dark, and he’s still drowsy. The air around him reeks of fresh medicinal ointments, but Tobias ignores the unpleasant scent and curls up to go back to sleep. He listens for Nia’s raspy breathing and searches for her pulse with his tail, the flame at its tip small and bright against her fur. Once he finds it, he feels relieved exhaustion pull at him almost immediately.
He’s almost back to sleep when there’s a quiet scratching at the door. He tries to bury his head in his bedding, hoping it’ll shut up and go away on its own. Unfortunately, the scratching only grows more harried, and then something pulls the door open an inch. Stops. Jolts it open an inch more. Tobias finally lifts his head, just in time to see a familiar little shape flutters in through the gap, panting hard. Junie. Tobias can’t help feeling relieved to see her alive, even if she is insufferable.
The rookidee struggles to close the door again behind her, pushing it closed with her entire body. She heaves a relieved sigh and turns, immediately catching sight of Tobias’s tail flame.
“Toby!” She chirps, all quiet excitement. There are a few shiny smears of healing ointment spread over her feathers and burns, and a bandage around her head, but she seems to be moving around okay. She flits over to where he and Nia are, landing in an awkward position with her little leg—encased in a cast—held stiffly to the side. Definitely broken.
“You’re both okay?” Junie whispers, voice hoarse from the smoke. Her ruby eyes skim Tobias’ bandaged hands before looking at Nia. “What about Nia?”
“They said she’ll be fine,” Tobias rasps, lying his head down again. “She’s got some burns and bruises, some smoke inhalation, but otherwise her body’s just exhausted.”
Junie chirps a quiet, relieved noise, and then falls into a coughing fit. Tobias feels his eyes slip closed. He’s still so tired.
When the coughing quiets, Junie speaks up again, hesitant. “Um. I know you’re trying to sleep, but I wanted to say thank you before I lose my nerve.”
Tobias opens his eyes again, looking irritably at Junie. “What?”
“Thank you,” the rookidee repeats, looking away with clear embarrassment. “For saving me.”
Tobias snorts. “I didn’t save you. Nia did.”
Junie meets his eyes with a furrowed brow. “You both did. You dug me out, right? A-And you tried to carry us to safety. Even though all I do is pick on you, you…didn’t leave me.”
Tobias can sense a whole mushy conversation behind that last point and sidesteps it by drawling, “Don’t mention it.”
Junie doesn’t push the point, thankfully, and instead hops closer to Nia’s head, fluffing out her feathers before settling down in the riolu’s nest herself. Tobias doesn’t have it in him to argue about that—Junie’s one more set of eyes that can make sure Nia doesn’t suddenly die on him.
But first…
Tobias lifts his head, ignoring how it feels heavier than a gigalith. He needs to know. “Did you see what happened right before the ceiling caved in?”
Junie stills from where she’s preening through her feathers. “...Oh. Did you see it too? That blue energy?”
Tobias sighs, relieved he’s not the only one who saw the impossible. “It looked like a move called protect, but there’s no way Nia should know how to use it. She doesn’t even know how to use regular moves.”
Junie’s staring at him now in the near darkness. “It looked like...wasn’t it the same color as—“
“Her aura.”
“Yeah.”
The two of them are silent for a moment, listening to Nia’s soft, raspy breaths between them.
“Whatever it was, it saved us, didn’t it?” Junie asks, a tremor in her voice.
Tobias doesn’t bother to sugarcoat it, finally resting his head down again. “Yeah. There’s no way you would have survived otherwise.”
Junie shudders and burrows closer to Nia, not quite touching but probably close enough to feel the riolu’s body heat. “Well, then whatever it was I’m glad it happened.”
Tobias’ tail curls tighter around Nia’s wrist, and if he shifts a bit closer to her, then Junie doesn’t call him out on it.
As much as he doesn’t want to, Tobias can’t help thinking about what would have happened had that last-second protection not popped up. Nia would probably be dead. Gone. He’d be in an empty nest with the guilt of another lost life on his shoulders. Two, actually. Maggie would be devastated. Andyn and Xander would never forgive him, not that he’d ask them to. He’d never forgive himself, either. Azami and Val and August would be so disappointed in him, failing to protect his partner.
And he’d be alone again.
Nia’s the closest thing he has to a friend, nowadays.
Tobias pushes that thought down. They’re not friends, even if he knows some part of him would miss Nia’s stupidly bright smiles and the increasingly easy way they move together on the battlefield. Her lighthearted chatter and naive optimism, how stupidly kind she is to everyone—even him.
Tobias doesn’t like to think about it, but losing his family all those years ago nearly broke him. He’s not sure he could handle another loss when he’s not even over the first one.
Nia snuffles a quiet, pained noise in her sleep, and Tobias takes solace in the sound. She’s hurt, but she’s alive. And for now, that’s more than enough.
Notes:
EDIT: No Update This Week! (June 13th)
Hey guys! I was hoping I’d be ahead of the game enough to post the usual update this Sunday, but I’m in a wedding this weekend and won’t have the time to get everything ready by then.
Update will be pushed back to Sunday, June 20th instead! Thanks for being understanding.
Chapter 27
Summary:
The trio recuperates, and Nia discovers that her aura has changed.
Notes:
Content warnings for this chapter!
Content warning for a panic attack in this chapter! It's from an outside perspective and the details are fairly important so I didn't give a summary of it, but let me know if it would still be helpful to do so. Stay safe!
Chapter Text
Nia wakes up slowly, a heavy fog of exhaustion making her thoughts feel thick and syrupy. She’s warm and comfy, so she shifts in her bed and considers going back to sleep as she stretches her legs—only to wince when the motion pulls painfully at her skin.
Nia squints her eyes open against bright sunlight, lifting her head to blink down at her body, where bandages are wrapped around her limbs. Shiny patches of ointment with a sharp medicinal tang peek out from under the bandages and slick down her fur. Oh jeez, she really got banged up. No wonder stretching hurt.
Nia slowly shifts in her nest to get a better look around the room. It’s…pleasant. Warm, neutral tones and wooden floors. Large windows with shades pulled halfway down, leaving rectangular patches of sunlight slanting across the small space. Plants are potted around the room, offering a splash of color, and little cabinets are installed into one side of the room. She’s alone, lying in a too-large nest.
Then the door creaks open, and Nia looks over to see a familiar little ball of feathers squeezing through the gap.
“Junie!”
Junie jumps, wide eyes snapping up to Nia. “Nia! You’re awake!”
The rookidee hops awkwardly to Nia’s side, and Nia tries to sit up from her nest. She immediately regrets it, groaning from the painful pull at her burns and the ache in her ribs, not to mention the way her head spins nauseously. Her throat feels strained, and she can’t hold back a sudden coughing fit that burns her throat and lungs.
Right, the fire. She must have inhaled a lot of smoke.
“Whoa! Slow your roll, chickadee!” Junie flutters closer and guides her to back into the nest until she’s lying down again.
Nia slowly manages to control her hacking fit, but her body aches even more terribly than when she’d woken up. Ow.
“Are you okay?” Nia finally manages to croak.
Junie blinks at her. “I should be asking you that! You’re the one who’s been out the longest!”
Nia stares back at the little bird, brow furrowed as memories of the fire slowly trickle back into her mind. The building was coming down, and Junie was still trapped inside so Nia went in after her. There was so much fire, surrounding her in choking heat and ash. Then there was that debris she couldn’t move to free Junie, the wave of dizzying, wrenching despair falling over her, making her feel hopeless…
She’d been so sure they were going to die.
Nia rubs at her eyes and takes a few deep breaths. Well, clearly they made it somehow. She feels lightheaded with relief. Or maybe just lightheaded in general. Tobias would—
Tobias, running towards them through the fire, panic on his face. His gaze flicks up, and Nia follows it, her heart dropping as she sees the ceiling above them crumble—
“Tobias! Is he okay?!” Nia gasps.
“Yup!” Junie chirps. “A bit banged up, a few broken fingers, but otherwise grumpy as usual!”
Nia has to stop herself from bolting upright in her nest. “A few broken fingers?!”
Junie waves her off with a wing. “Just fractured. He says he’ll be fine in a couple days.”
Nia doesn’t point out that the charmander is probably lying to put up a tough front, instead trying to calm her pounding heartbeat. He’s alive, at least. And relatively okay. Nia catches sight of Junie’s leg, wrapped up tight in a cast and sticking out awkwardly, and her stomach sinks. She wishes they were all doing better than just ‘okay.’
The rookidee follows her gaze and laughs. “Don’t look so upset! I’d be a lot worse off if not for you!”
Nia meets Junie’s eyes, frowning. The action pulls at a burn on her face. “What do you mean?”
Junie pauses, tilting her head. “You don’t remember? I got trapped in the rubble and you refused to leave me—which was stupid, by the way—and the ceiling came down on us.”
Nia shivers, once again thinking of the wave of crushing stone bearing down on them. The overwhelming instinct to protect as she threw herself over Junie, and then—
Nothing.
“Nia?”
Nia realizes she’s not breathing, sore fingers trembling and clutching at her legs. She swallows and tries to shove away the lingering fear.
“How did we make it out of there?” Nia rasps. She knows Pokémon are durable, but she thinks even they shouldn’t have survived that much force crushing them. Junie especially, delicate, hollow-boned thing that she is.
“You saved us!” Junie chirps, hopping stiltedly in front of Nia to make eye contact.
Nia leans back. “Me?”
“Yeah! When you covered me, I saw this bright flash of blue, like fwahhh!” She spreads her wings. “I passed out after that, but Toby saw it too! We think it looked like your aura.”
“My aura?” Nia echoes, a hand drifting to her chest.
She couldn’t have done that. All she’s been able to do is channel her aura through her body and make little semi-solid forms in her hand, and she even sucks at that. She’s never been able to spread it out or project it away from her body, and she’s certainly never made it strong enough to stop something as heavy as that stone ceiling.
Junie just shrugs. “You should ask Toby. He seems to know more about it.”
“Where is Tobias?” Nia asks, looking around.
“I made him go get us some actual grub, since I’m tired of hospital food and can’t carry anything on my own. Oh, he’s going to be so mad when he sees you woke up without him!” Junie laughs, not sounding at all concerned about the charmander’s fury. “He’s been really worried!”
At that, Nia suddenly wonders if she really did die in that fire. Tobias? Worried about her? Sure, he’s made sure she didn’t get left behind in dungeons and he’s been trying hard to be patient with her, but she finds it difficult to believe he’d be openly concerned over her once she was in the clear from dying.
“Don’t look so surprised!” Junie says, somehow managing to smirk even with a beak. “It’s adorable, actually. He’s been pretty much glued to your side. Even sleeps next to you.”
Nia blinks, flustered heat rising up under her fur. Junie has to be joking. But then she casts her gaze to the side, realizing that she’s not in a single too-large nest--instead, her own nest seems to bleed into another one about the same size. Her nose is still raw from the smoke, but she can smell the familiar sun-baked stone scent of Tobias lingering on the straw.
“I knew he cared about you!” Junie chirps, hopping again to settle next to Nia’s head, looking comfortable enough that Nia guesses the rookidee has also been sleeping here.
Nia thinks again about how genuinely terrified Tobias looked in that split-second they’d made eye contact in the fire.
“Did Tobias pull us out?” Nia asks, not wanting to strain her throat but too curious not to know.
“Mhm. Dug through the rubble to find us and tried to carry us out.”
“Tried?”
Junie shifts, a note of unease in her voice. “Well...he asked me to fly, but I…I couldn’t. So he tried to carry us. But I guess he passed out? Another rescuer must’ve found us in time.”
Nia’s gut twists uncomfortably. She wishes Tobias were here so she could look him over herself, make sure that he’s really okay and not just lying to the doctors or something.
He really did all of that for them? Dug through the rubble to find them, tried to carry them to safety? Has been worrying about her, been voluntarily sleeping by her? Nia can hardly believe it. She wonders if it’s strange that she finds him risking his life to save theirs more believable than him willingly watching over her and worrying for her well-being. Probably not. The charmander’s a grump, but he takes his responsibilities as a Seeker seriously.
Nia stares thoughtfully at the nest beside her, slowly settling back down into her own. Junie resumes her chatter, saying something about them being moved to this room by themselves once Nia was stable enough. Nia hums at the appropriate times, trying to listen even though she feels fatigue creep up on her again, making her eyes heavy. She’s just so tired.
Nia doesn’t know when she crosses the line between thought and dozing, but she wakes up to the smell of delicious, savory food. Well, that and a hushed, heated conversation.
“What do you mean she woke up?!” Tobias hisses.
“She woke up! Must’ve been waiting for you to leave.” Junie teases.
The following growl, quiet and threatening, means Nia needs to wake up and play peacekeeper. She grumbles, “You two are impossible.”
The arguing stops, and Nia slowly pushes herself up onto her arms, remembering how painful it was to sit up last time. She yawns and squints at the late-afternoon sunlight pouring into the room.
Junie is grinning, and Tobias is watching her with an unreadable expression. Nia offers the two of them a smile that she hopes isn’t as strained as she feels. She doesn’t realize how tense Tobias is until he relaxes, shoulders slumping and face softening. Oh.
Maybe he really was worried.
“So what’d you bring? Something good, I hope!” Junie chirps, pecking at the boxes of food at Tobias’ side. He bares his teeth and snatches them out of her reach.
“Who says I got you anything?”
“Me! Because I’m the one who suggested it! And I almost died!”
“You’re gonna wish you did if you don’t back off,” Tobias growls.
“Oh, please, like you’d kill me in front of Nia.” Junie huffs.
“You wanna try me?”
“Do it, coward! You won’t!”
Nia laughs. She can’t help it. She’s just so relieved they’re all relatively okay, so she laughs, even if it hurts, and she can’t seem to stop laughing, leaning forward to hold her stomach. When she finally starts to get a hold of herself, she wipes tears from her eyes and sits up to see Junie and Tobias both staring at her. Oh no. Another burst of giggles bubble from her chest, and this time when she laughs, Junie joins in. Tobias doesn’t, but he does look like he’s fighting off a smile, rolling his eyes.
Nia holds out her hands and makes a grabby motion. “Just give me the dang food. Clearly you two can’t be trusted to share nicely.”
Tobias huffs but hands over the tasty-smelling boxes. Nia lays them out in the nest and opens them, feeling her stomach growl at the sight. Some kind of rice in one box, and vegetables in another, swimming in a deep brown sauce with chunks of something that looks startlingly like meat but must be a vegetarian version, like the hot dogs they’d had.
“Oh! Hang on! I saw the nurse restock earlier.” Junie flutters into the air, wobbling as her cast throws her off-balance, and then goes to one of the room’s cabinets, opening it and pulling at something inside with her beak.
Tobias leaps up and hurries to her side, hissing, “You’re gonna drop ‘em! Stop!”
The two wrestle over what turn out to be plates and utensils, eventually making it back to the nest without dropping them so they can each scoop some food onto their own dish. Nia digs in, practically drooling over the flavor, and watches Tobias and Junie do the same, feeling some sort of peace and normalcy wash over them. Well, as normal as they can get when Nia’s aching all over, Junie can’t seem to get settled with her broken leg, and Tobias keeps dropping his fork due to his bandaged fingers.
Between bites Nia manages to ask, “How long was I out?”
“Two weeks!” Junie chirps, whipping her rice-covered face up to give Nia a despairing, wide-eyed look.
Nia’s heart drops.
Tobias snorts and rolls his eyes. “Stop messing with her. She’s gullible enough when she isn’t injured.”
Oh. As Junie sticks her tongue out at Tobias, Nia hurriedly shovels more food into her mouth, fighting down her embarrassment for falling for that.
“The actual answer is about two days,” Tobias says.
Nia cautiously lowers her food, brow furrowing. “Two days? B-But how are we affording that?”
Tobias’ expression twists. “What?”
“The hospital,” Nia presses, waving a hand at the room around them. “We barely had enough money to come to Ghatha and back, so…”
Tobias blinks at her, looking dumbfounded. “Hospitals cost like...nothing? Especially after an emergency.”
“Oh.” Nia blinks back at him.
“Are you telling me humans charge you to get healed when you’re hurt?” Tobias asks, looking genuinely offended. “Like, enough that you were worried about it?”
Nia looks down at Junie for help, but the little bird just chirps a smug sound before returning to her food. “Don’t look at me. I wasn’t American.”
Ah. Nia didn’t really register that she was until this moment, but it makes sense from what knowledge she does know. It doesn’t really feel like a surprise.
“Where were you from, then?” Nia asks curiously, ignoring the bewildered look Tobias gives the two of them for not elaborating on the whole Hello yes pay us to save your life thing.
“Germany!” Junie chirps proudly. “Gotta say, since you’re American I’m kind of surprised you’re fluent in German.”
Nia stares at the rookidee. “I’m not. I only know English.”
Junie freezes mid-bite, then slowly turns to stare back. “…What language are you speaking right now?”
“English,” Nia repeats, voice a notch higher.
“I’m hearing you in perfect German so please tell me how that’s possible.”
“German?” Tobias speaks up.
Nia and Junie both turn to him, equally wide-eyed.
“T-Tobias,” Nia starts, swallowing hard. “What language are you speaking right now?”
The charmander looks completely thrown. “Uh. Ordirune? Like you two?”
Nia suddenly remembers her near mental breakdown that first day in the library, when she realized she was fluently reading a language she didn’t know. It makes sense that the same thing has been happening with speech.
Doesn’t mean it’s not freaking her out.
“O-Okay. Okay. Uh. I totally forgot to bring this up at the human convention. Junie, do you—?”
The rookidee has gone back to her food, burying her face in her rice. Her voice is muffled and hard to understand when she says, “I’m willing to act like nothing’s weird about this if you are.”
Nia’s curiosity is dying, but on top of everything else she’s currently grappling with, she’s not sure she can handle this world-shifting discovery at the moment. Plus, right now she doesn’t have the guild library to look to for answers, or Avery to discuss this with, and she’ll just drive herself nuts thinking about this too hard without some hope for a solution.
(But she is absolutely looking into this when they get back to Bethoc’s Haven.)
“Are you telling me you two aren’t speaking Ordirune?” Tobias asks, increasingly loud as he looks between the two of them.
“Apparently we are,” Junie teases, lifting her face. She has rice stuck to her feathers, but she seems like she’s already recovered from her shock. “Whatever that is.”
Tobias looks to Nia as if she’ll be able to solve the craziness of this situation. She gives him an apologetic shrug. “I have no clue how it works, but no, we’re not speaking...Ordirune? I don’t know what language all of the guild’s books are in, either, but for some reason I can read them just fine.”
Tobias stares at her, a frown on his face. Then he sighs, picks up his plate, and starts to eat without another word. Well, tries to. With his hands bandaged up so stiffly, the fork is back to slipping from his fingers.
Tobias growls and tries to maneuver the utensil, only managing to fling it from his lap and into the nest. He glares at where it disappeared. Nia opens her mouth, and he cuts her off with a hand jabbed in her direction. “Don’t. I don’t need help.”
Well. Nia’s jaw clicks shut as she bites back a smile. Maybe she’s getting a bit predictable with her mothering. Junie laughs.
“How did you even mangle your hands so badly?” The rookidee asks, pecking at some of her vegetables.
Tobias gives her a dry look. “Digging out your bodies.”
Both Nia and Junie still, looking again at the charmander’s hands and then back at his face. He rolls his eyes at the surprised expression on Junie’s face and the open guilt on Nia’s. “I’ll be fine in a few days. Would you rather I left you two under there?”
“Of course not, but...” Nia murmurs, knowing she still looks as upset as she feels. She didn’t know Tobias got so hurt saving them. She pushes her plate away, suddenly not so hungry.
The charmander throws up his hands, looking frustrated. “Look, d’you want Junie to get all mopey about you almost dying to save her?”
Nia reels back. “Of course not!”
“Then don’t start up the waterworks over me. I’m fine.”
Nia meets his gaze, honest as usual and not looking for an ounce of pity. She sighs. He’s right. Except now Junie just looks doubly upset, and it’s a foreign, uncomfortable expression on the chipper little bird.
“Hey, remember that I don’t regret saving you either, okay?” Nia says softly, giving Junie a smile. “Even if I got hurt. It’s our job, and you’re our friend. We chose to help.”
Junie looks down at her plate again, quiet, but nods.
Tobias snorts. “Should’ve been my job, since I’m the fire type. Idiot.”
Nia gives him a sheepish smile and searches for a change in topic. “Junie mentioned something earlier about me using my aura when the ceiling fell. I don’t remember that, but you saw it too?”
Tobias’ brow furrows, and he looks down at his plate to scoot his food around. “Yeah. When the ceiling fell there was like...a flash of blue energy.” He looks up to meet her eyes. “It looked like your aura. Exact same color. It curved around you guys like a bubble, or a shield or something.”
Nia frowns, humming a thoughtful sound. That’s so strange. Her aura certainly can’t do that.
...Right?
Nia closes her eyes and reaches for her aura, focusing on where her soul sits in her chest. What she finds is a tiny blue flame, small as a match, as if her aura has run dangerously close to vanishing entirely. Yet, it feels...different. Deeper, somehow? Like this tiny flame is just a drop of water in the ocean instead of a drop of water in a bucket. Like some sort of blockage has burst open and now she can feel...more.
Curiously, Nia pokes at it, urging it to flare back to its usual size, only for her aura (her body?) to respond with a backlash of prickling pain. She yelps, immediately pulling away from her inner self to clutch at her chest.
“Hey—don’t push yourself!” Tobias snaps. For once, he sounds more worried than angry.
Nia cracks open her eyes to see Tobias leaning close, hands poised as if to grab her. Junie is watching her with worry.
“I-I’m good. I just...I tried to call my aura, and it’s...different? I’m not sure how. And it looks...smaller than usual? Like my energy is low or something.”
Tobias sits back, frowning. “Maybe you did use your aura, then. Is your aura finite? Can it be used up?”
“I’m not sure. Val never lets me push myself that far.” Nia wishes the medicham were here to help with this. “From what I understand it’s kind of like my life energy, but I’ve always felt sick and exhausted way before it got to this point.”
Tobias stares at her, clearly deep in thought. “Maybe your body usually protects you from using too much at one time because it’s dangerous to you.”
“But when I was backed into a corner and it was life-or-death,” Nia continues, catching on. “It lashed out full-power to keep me safe?”
“Desperate times call for desperate measures,” Tobias says with a shrug. “You have been sleeping for two days straight. The doctor thought you just overworked yourself, but maybe your fatigue is actually from aura backlash.”
Nia nods, slowly. “I-I guess that makes sense.”
Tobias doesn’t look satisfied. “The only other thing I can think of is a move called protect. It can form a wall or bubble like that, and stop almost any move for a brief period of time. That would explain how you kept tons of rock and debris from flattening you two, but I don’t think riolu are even able to learn it naturally.”
Nia pauses, the description niggling at her memory. A move called protect? A ball of blue energy, surrounding her, defending against fire and force...where has she heard of that before?
“What do you mean we can’t learn it ‘naturally?’” Nia asks instead.
“Some Pokemon don’t just learn moves spontaneously, like I did with dragon rage,” Tobias explains. “Not every Pokemon can learn every move, but sometimes they can be taught by another Pokemon instead. We call those moves TMs—trained moves.”
Nia tilts her head as she listens, intrigued. “So I could learn certain moves,” She starts, slowly. “But I’d need another Pokemon who already knows them to teach me? And protect is one of those moves?”
“I think so,” Tobias says, face twisting in thought. “Usually Pokemon can only learn protect naturally if they have like…a shell or something. I’ve never heard of a fighting type like a riolu just learning it on their own. That’s why this all feels so weird.”
Nia looks down at her paws, clenching them in her lap. It makes more sense for her to have used her aura if she shouldn’t be able to use protect. And yet, the word is sparking some kind of memory. She thinks again of Tobias’ description—a blue bubble of energy, shielding her from destruction. From the fire.
All at once she thinks of Will, smiling at her warmly, and then a line of yamask in a row, the smell of books and a picture of a Pokémon—a pikachu, she realizes now—flashes through her mind. Her breath catches as she straightens in her seat. Wait, that’s it!
“I read a book when I first came here,” Nia breathes, desperately trying to recall that collection of fairy tales and what it said about humans. “It mentioned that move! Protect! I think it said something about all humans being able to learn it, regardless of their species. It’s one of the few consistent things in our situation.”
Tobias doesn’t look as excited like she thought he might. If anything, he looks more conflicted, crossing his arms. “But that’s just…unheard of. And if it’s true then that means it wasn’t your aura, but I swear it looked exactly like it. And with your aura levels being so low it makes sense for there to be a connection.”
Nia makes a frustrated sound in her throat. “Maybe Val can help us figure it out when we get back home? It seems like we’re getting cues from both sides. If we could recreate it—“
“No,” Tobias meets her eyes with a sharp look. “Not until you’re back to full strength.”
Nia feels a warmth in her chest at his open concern, and she holds up her hands with a laugh. “I know, I know! Trust me, I don’t really feel like passing out again for two days.”
Tobias nods, satisfied, and opens his mouth to say something else when there’s a quiet knock at the door. They all turn, and Nia expects a nurse or doctor to step in for a check-up.
Instead, she’s shocked to see Will poke his head into the room with a concerned look. When he catches sight of their group he lights up, red eyes shining. “Oh, thank goodness.”
“Great,” Tobias grumbles, already glaring daggers as the yamask floats in and closes the door behind him.
Nia bumps her partner’s leg with her own. “Be nice.” Then, louder, “Will! It’s good to see you again.”
“I wish it could be under better circumstances,” Will says as he floats to their side, a regretful smile at his lips. His thumbs rub at the edge of the golden mask he carries. “I’ve been wanting to come check on everyone who was caught up in the fire.”
“Then why’d it take you two days to do it?” Tobias growls. Nia bumps his leg again, a bit harder. “Keegan was here the morning after.”
Will winces and looks away, gaze drifting to the window. “Ah, I’m afraid I’ve been a bit busy helping with the investigation.”
“You’re part of it?” Tobias asks, voice thick with suspicion.
“Investigation?” Nia asks, tilting her head first at Will, then Tobias. “What investigation?”
Will rubs his face, looking ten times older than he had at the conference when he was all charm and charisma. “Keegan suspects foul play in regards to how the fire began, so we want to thoroughly explore all possibilities before laying the blame on Hugo’s troupe. There weren’t any casualties in the fire, thank God, but there were a lot of serious injuries and, ah…property damage.”
Nia blinks at the explanation, still trying to play catch-up. Foul play?
“Whoa! Are you like secretly a detective?!” Junie asks, fluttering closer.
Will finally cracks a smile, shaking his head. “No, no, nothing like that.”
Tobias folds his arms. “Then why are you part of the investigation? Last I heard you aren’t a pyrotechnics expert.”
“Tobias,” Nia protests halfheartedly. She knows he doesn’t like the guy but he doesn’t have to be so openly hostile.
“No no, it’s quite all right, Nia,” Will soothes, giving first her and then Tobias another rueful smile. “We are investigating for any possible tampering, so it’s good to be suspicious at this stage.”
“Tampering,” Nia echoes. “What do you mean?”
Junie shifts a bit closer to Nia, something almost…uncomfortable in her expression. Wary? Tobias narrows his eyes at the yamask.
Will opens his mouth to speak, then hesitates, gaze moving over the three of them. Nia notices how he lingers on her burns, on Tobias’ bandaged fingers and Junie’s broken leg. His face tightens with something like resolution. “I know two of you already know about this, but I still want to ask that you don’t spread word of this needlessly. It’s only a working theory at the moment and could cause unnecessary panic if word spreads.”
Nia blinks, alarmed, and welcomes it when Junie clumsily flutters into her lap. She holds the bird close. “U-Uh…sure?”
Will sighs, looking down at his mask. “Keegan was suspicious from the start that the fire was not an accident, taking the troupe’s reputation and precautions into account. While we aren’t sure of anything yet, the Pokémon looking into it are leaning towards the idea of foul play. We suspect the fire was set intentionally.”
“Why would someone do that?” Nia asks, horrified. She vaguely remembers hearing about crimes of arson in the human world, but never dreamed of something so mindlessly destructive happening here in the Pokémon world.
“And again, why are you so closely involved with the investigation?” Tobias asks, gaze sharp.
Will’s expression tightens. “I was not only the one who put this event together, but I was also uninjured, unlike most folks who were around at the time. They wanted to make sure I didn’t see anyone suspicious.”
Nia’s surprised that Tobias doesn’t say anything to that, and glances over at him. He’s not quite looking at the yamask, anymore, instead staring through him into space. He looks like he’s thinking hard about something.
“Well, did ya?” Junie asks Will, feathers fluffed up in agitation. “See anyone suspicious, that is!”
Will glances at Tobias, looking uncomfortable. “Well, I don’t want to throw around accusations…”
“Just spit it out,” Tobias snaps, suddenly sounding much more on-edge.
Nia almost scolds him again, but cuts herself off when she looks at him. He’s tense, spine ramrod straight like he’s about to bolt to his feet and fight. His eyes are wide and a bit wild. His tail flame is bright.
Will sighs. “Well…I did notice a particularly powerful-looking arcanine lurking about on his own who I don’t remember seeing earlier in the day. Which could mean nothing, of course! There were plenty of powerful fire types there that day. But I thought I should mention it to the investigators, so I think he’s currently their prime suspect.”
Nia stops listening halfway through Will’s explanation. She’s too busy looking at Tobias in concern. The charmander’s breath had caught at the mention of the Pokémon—an arcanine. Surely that couldn’t be the same arcanine that they’ve been looking for, right? The outlaw?
But Tobias must be thinking the same thing, because he’s clearly somewhere else, wide eyes staring sightlessly at the floor, breaths growing harsher by the second, fingers curling into shaking fists—
Nia hurries to grab the charmander’s damaged hands and uncurl his mangled fingers before he can hurt himself. He jerks out of her hold, gaze flicking up to her but seeing nothing, looking right through her. His body is tense and trembling, like his fight response has abruptly switched over to flight and he might run off at any second in a panic.
Distantly Nia notes that Will has stopped speaking and Junie has fluttered out of Nia’s lap to chirp something over Nia’s shoulder, but she shushes the chatty little bird and focuses on her partner. Tobias is whispering something, and she leans forward to hear, straining her sharp ears.
“He was there. He was there, I saw him, he was in the fire, I didn’t remember but he was there he—”
Nia frowns, more than a little unsettled by the charmander’s weak voice and frantic words. She wants to dissect them more, think on them, ask him what exactly he means (he wouldn’t just believe Will that easily, surely? But he mentioned remembering—did he see the arcanine and block it out?)
Whatever happened, right now it looks like he’s...dissociating? She thinks that’s the word. Or maybe on the edge of a panic attack. She’s not sure. Didn’t he have a panic attack at the guild? When he saw the post about the outlaws and decided to create a Seeker team.
Someone says something and Tobias flinches, and Nia shoves all of her thoughts aside for now. The most important thing right now is to help Tobias, even if she doesn’t know how to do that and can feel anxiety tightening in her gut. Should she touch him? That didn’t go so well when she grabbed his hands, but—
“Tobias?” Nia tries. Nothing. No recognition, no sign that he even heard her. Hesitantly, she lifts her hands to his face, trying to get him to look at her. “Tobias?”
Tobias tenses up further at the slight brush of her palms, but doesn’t jerk away this time. Okay, okay, what does she do now? Try his name again? Distract him? Talk to him? Oh God, she has no idea how to help him and his breathing has gone shaky and harsh, almost wheezing, like he can’t catch his breath—
“Nia, if you can get his attention, you can lead him through a breathing exercise. He needs to calm down or he’ll pass out.”
Will has lowered himself next to her, brow pinched and gaze focused on her partner’s stricken face, and her first instinct is to tell him to leave, to hide Tobias away when he’s this vulnerable, but the ghost type sounds so calm and confident. Like he knows what he’s doing. Nia clings to that strength.
“H-How can I get his attention?” She squeaks, trying not to panic right alongside Tobias.
Will frowns, glancing over his shoulder at the sunlit room. “Get closer, narrow his vision. You don’t happen to know any ice types on staff, do you? If we had some ice we could put that in his hand to snap him out of it.”
“I can get ice!” Nia hears Junie chirp, and then the flutter of wings.
Tobias is still breathing harsh, eyes flicking back and forth and seeing something Nia cannot. He’s shaking almost violently beneath her touch, and she hates it. Hates that he’s so terrified and trapped in some horrible memory where she can’t reach him.
A little desperate, Nia leans forward, right in his face, and tries to get his attention, tries to shut out the world. He’s almost too close to see, but she catches his flickering gaze. “Tobias. Tobias, please, you have to calm down. C-Can you calm down and breathe? Tobias? Toby?”
Nia’s not sure what prompts her to use the nickname Junie forced upon him just a few days ago, but as soon as she says it, blue eyes snap to hers. Not quite seeing her, but paying some sort of attention. He heard her.
She can’t decide whether to laugh or cry, so she just gives him a shaky grin. “G-Good! Good, okay. Toby, can you hear me? Can you nod if you can?”
A heartbeat passes, and then a jerky half-nod that almost bumps their noses together. She laughs, and thinks that his eyes focus on her a bit more. “Great! Okay, u-um, uh—“
“Keep asking him questions. Keep him here.”
“Right, okay, Toby—Toby? Hey, look at me. Good! Okay, how about, uh...”
“Ask him to list something. Colors, sounds—“
“What colors do you see?” Nia asks, latching onto Will’s helpful directions.
Tobias’ eyes focus on hers again. “Red.”
“Good! What else?”
His gaze flicks to the left ever so slightly. “B...Black? And blue.”
“Anything else?”
His gaze moves down to where Nia knows there’s a burn on her cheek. “Pink.”
Nia doesn’t even know if that one’s right, but she grins anyways. “Awesome! O-Okay, uh—“
“Have him do a breathing exercise before he faints. 5-6-7. Five seconds in, hold for six, release for seven.”
“Tobias, can you breathe in for me?” Nia asks. “Deep breath!”
The charmander tries, she can tell he does, but he only manages a short, shaky inhale before releasing it and gasping in another.
Nia’s stomach drops. “O-Okay, that’s okay, just try again. Deep breath.”
She takes a breath, sees him try to match her before letting it out far too early. Is that bad? She doesn’t know. She doesn’t know what she’s doing!
Tobias must pick up on her own panic, because his breathing stutters into another gasp. No no no, she’s supposed to be helping, not making him worse!
She just wants to help!
A lance of of pain shoots through Nia’s chest, and she squeezes her eyes shut with a whine, automatically following the pain to her raw, exhausted aura. Except the little blue flame is no longer a weak, still thing in her chest. Instead, it’s thrashing and flaring with her emotions, seeming to grow larger by the second, like it’s being fed by her panic. But this hasn’t ever happened before!
Nia tries to figure out where the building energy is coming from, realizing all at once that she hadn’t been imagining the feeling earlier of having access to more. It’s like the well of her aura has suddenly gotten deeper, filled with more energy than before, and now it’s overflowing and feeding that fire in her chest, stoking it into something more sensitive to her emotions.
That only makes her panic more, and the tiny blue flame of her soul grows and grows and grows until it’s too much to be contained. It rushes outward, throughout her body, to her legs and tail and arms, and she rips herself away from Tobias with a yelp. What is her aura doing?!
Tobias flinches and makes a small, desperate noise in the back of his throat. Nia wants to reach out again, but she can’t touch him, not like this. Not with her aura flaring like a blue inferno and reaching towards Tobias with an almost fierce protectiveness.
Will shoots her a worried glance before taking her place in front of Tobias. She hears him say something in a low, soothing murmur.
Nia’s aura has never done anything like this before, never felt like it was fighting back against her. If anything, her aura has always been too unresponsive, slow to follow her orders and too weak to do anything but brush at others’ energy through her skin.
She’d prefer that weakness over this raging thing. It doesn’t feel much more powerful than it was before, just...unfiltered. Unrestrained.
And she has no idea how to control it.
For once, she feels dangerous. Like a bomb waiting to go off, too much power building in a body too small to contain it.
“Nia!”
Nia’s eyes snap open, and there’s Junie, in front of her face. The little bird rears back, staring at her eyes with a surprised expression.
“Are you okay?” The rookidee asks, gaze flicking to the side of Nia’s face and then back again. “You’re, uh, glowing.”
Nia looks down to see that she is in fact glowing, body outlined in the blue of her aura and brighter than it’s ever been before. She’s not even trying to do that.
Junie glances down at Nia’s hands, surprise souring to dismay. “You’re shaking!”
“My aura,” Nia grits out, shutting her eyes again to look at it. The energy is still larger than usual, but it almost looks like it’s...calming, slightly. Swirling anxiously, but without the sharp edges of panic.
“Can I help?”
Nia shakes her head, watching her aura like it’s a snarling dog about to snap at her fingers. But despite her fear and confusion, the energy only continues to calm as the seconds pass. Nia can finally hear Will again, counting and breathing with Tobias. She doesn’t realize she’s following along until her aura finally stills, settling in her chest. It’s calm again, larger than it’s ever been but manageable. A lion calmed from its frenzy to purr contentedly at her side.
Nia cracks opens her eyes. Junie is looking between Nia and Will.
“Back with us, Tobias?” The yamask asks.
Tobias! Nia takes another moment to check on her aura, confirm that it’s under control, and then she scoots over to Will’s side. The charmander blinks sluggishly, but his gaze flicks to her. “Nia?”
Wow, he sounds out of it. Nia’s chest aches, with emotion this time instead of her aura. “Y-Yeah, Toby—Tobias. How’re you feeling?”
Tobias doesn’t even respond to her slip-up, pressing his palms into his eyes and groaning. “Like I got trampled by a rhyperior.”
Will gives him a sympathetic smile before turning to Nia. “And you?”
Nia winces. Tobias was the one who had a panic attack; they should be focusing on him, not her. “Fine. I don’t know what happened. My aura just went crazy.”
Will’s gaze moves between her and Tobias, thoughtful. “Aura can sense emotions, correct? Perhaps some of Tobias’ fear bled into your own emotional state.”
Nia frowns, wracking her brain for what Val had told her she would eventually be able to do with her aura. She can kind of read people’s emotions when she’s purposefully looking at their aura, sure. And she does sort of...feel them for herself, too? But never like this, unintentionally and without touch.
“But I wasn’t looking at his aura. I wasn’t even touching—“ Nia stops, catching herself. She was touching him, wasn’t she? Cupping his face. She wasn’t touching his aura or using hers, but...
Tobias doesn’t react, eyes lidded with exhaustion.
“Maybe the emotion was strong enough for you to pick it up regardless?” Will suggests, hand at his chin. “You are partners, after all—it would make sense for you to be more in tune with one another.”
Nia looks at Tobias again, waiting for his usual vehement protests to any implication that they’re anything even close to friends.
The charmander just shrugs, drained of his usual fight. “Sorry, I guess.”
It’s somehow flippant and genuine all at once. Nia blinks. “I-It’s not like you did it on purpose.”
Tobias doesn’t answer. Instead, he just rubs at his eyes and grumbles, “Whatever. I wanna sleep. Either talk quieter or get out, Will.”
Nia can’t manage to scold him right now, not when the charmander looks so utterly exhausted. She remembers he was the same after the panic attack at the guild, too. So instead, Nia just gives Will an apologetic smile. “Sorry. Panic attacks wipe him out.”
“Still here,” Tobias growls, shooting her a weak glare. There’s her prickly partner!
“It’s quite all right. I should be heading to other rooms anyways.” Will smiles apologetically at them yet again. “I’m sorry for interrupting your rest, and for...well, potentially triggering your panic attack, Tobias. Was it the, ah…the specific Pokemon I mentioned?”
Tobias winces again, eyes squeezing shut
“Yeah,” Nia murmurs for him.
“Then apologies for that as well,” Will says, looking remorseful. “Before I go—will you all be in Ghatha for a bit while you recover?”
Oh. Nia doesn’t actually know. They’d planned on staying after the Human Convention anyways, to investigate the outlaw trio, and sitting on Fliss’ back for hours on end with the wind tearing at her wounds sounds awful right now. But just in case, she looks to Tobias.
The charmander glances at her, gaze flicking down over her burns. “Nia’ll need a few days to rest.”
“Your hands need to heal too,” She reminds him, gently.
Tobias looks back at Will. “And I want to stick around and look for that…” He stumbles, takes a deep breath, and his voice only shakes a bit when he continues. “That arcanine. If he really did set the fire, he needs to be brought in.”
Nia frowns. She knows the explanation is mostly a cover for his true animosity towards the arcanine, but this whole debacle couldn’t have helped lessen his desire for revenge. He’s gotta be even more angry than before, if that’s possible.
Well, they’re partially here in Ghatha to hunt down leads on the outlaw trio, anyways, and this might be a big one, so it makes sense for them to stay until that’s resolved. They’ll have to send a letter to Maggie and August to let them know.
Nia cringes. Maggie is going to give them an earful for this one.
“I’ll stick around for a bit, too,” Junie chirps, “Can’t do much flying with a cast on my leg. ‘Sides, Toby’s gonna need an extra hand.”
“You don’t even have hands!”
Before Tobias can really get going, Nia interrupts, “We weren’t planning on staying longer than a couple of days, but Tobias mentioned us being able to take on honorary guild work to make money and explore the area. So I guess we’ll plan on doing that once we’re well enough to leave the hospital?”
Will nods. “That sounds like a fine plan. Keegan has been a wonderful help, and I’ve heard nothing but good things about the guild here in town, so I’m sure you’ll have no issue signing up for missions.”
“Then I guess we’ll probably see you around,” Nia say, giving the yamask a tired smile.
Will smiles back. “Indeed. And I’ll be sure to let you all know once I hear anything new about the investigation.”
Tobias nods. “Good. Keep us in the loop.”
“Of course.” Will bows to them again and floats towards the door. “I’ll let you all rest. Have a good night.”
Nia and Junie wave as the ghost type leaves the room. Tobias just shuffles over to his nest and flops down, curling up and making himself comfortable.
“You know it’s only mid-afternoon, right?” Junie asks, fluttering over to Tobias’ side.
“You know you could shut up, right?” Tobias growls, turning away.
Junie chirps a laugh and turns back to Nia. “Ball of sunshine, this one.”
Nia bites back a laugh, watching as Tobias slowly melts into his nest, probably enjoying the warmth and sunshine pouring into the room. Nia definitely doesn’t want to disturb him, but she feels sort of restless, despite her wounds. It’s probably the worry about everything Will told them. And Tobias’ panic attack. And her aura suddenly freaking out.
Cautiously, she prods again at her aura, but it’s still calm, burning bright in her chest. Huh. Maybe after resting up and healing from her injuries it’ll act normal again? It seems fine now.
“I think I’m gonna take a little walk around the hospital,” Nia announces quietly, looking at Junie. “Wanna come?”
“Sure!”
The two of them head towards the door, Nia at a slow pace that pulls less at her burns and wounds. They probably shouldn’t be walking around without a doctor’s permission, but they won’t go far or anything, just take a look around the halls.
Before they close the door, Nia’s gaze catches on Tobias again, already sound asleep. He seems like he bounced back all right from his panic attack, but she still worries. What if they do find something solid about the arcanine in their own investigating? What if they find the arcanine himself? If he really was at the fire, then it’s suddenly a very real possibility. Just the unexpected mention of the Pokémon was enough to send Tobias spiraling again.
And that same Pokemon may be responsible for the fire. For all three of them almost dying.
It’s...a lot. And a lot to be scared of. Why would the rogue even set the fire in the first place? What should they even do if they find a real lead? Nia isn’t eager to face any fire type in combat any time soon, let alone such a powerful outlaw. They wouldn’t stand a chance if they fought him.
Nia shivers, taking a deep breath as she shuts the door and follows Junie’s short, careful hops out into the hallway. She needs to stop thinking for now, and try to relax while she can. She won’t be able to do much of anything for a day or two anyways, so until then her and Tobias will just have to wait and heal and keep an ear out for any news from Will or Keegan. Then they’ll decide what to do next.
“Let’s look around and find something cool to sneak back to our room!” Junie chirps conspiratorially, glancing down the hallway with a glint in her eyes. Nia has the distinct feeling that the little bird was the kind of human to hijack a wheelchair and go flying down hospital ramps in their old world.
Nia shakes her head, smiling. At least their recovery won’t be boring.
Chapter 28
Summary:
Tobias, Nia, and Junie search Ghatha for information about the arcanine outlaw.
Notes:
(See the end of the chapter for notes.)
Chapter Text
As Tobias finally leaves the hospital and steps into afternoon sunlight, a weight falls from his shoulders. The streets around the hospital are quieter than Ghatha’s noisy, bustling commercial district, but he immediately feels the difference compared to their quiet, isolated hospital room.
“It’s nice to smell fresh air again,” Nia says, taking a deep breath with a smile.
Junie hops forward at their feet and shakes out her wings. “Yeah—it feels like we were stuck in there for months!”
Tobias silently agrees, looking back at the hospital one more time. They’ve finally been discharged after a few days of recuperation, and Tobias is relieved. He’d been getting increasingly antsy stuck inside. Sure, he could’ve gone off on his own while Nia recovered, but...
Well.
If he wanted to watch her just a bit longer, just to make sure she didn’t pull anything dumb and nearly die again, then no one else has to know. Besides, his hands have only just healed, still sore and a tad fragile. The slowbro nurse, Joan, had “strongly recommended” they all rest and take it easy for a day or two. He also recommended that they avoid combat for a while, but Tobias hasn’t decided if he’ll listen to that advice yet.
“All right, where do we head first?” Junie chirps. “The guild?”
“You can’t even accept missions,” Tobias growls. “Why’re you coming along?”
“I can’t officially go on missions, but you’re just gonna be talking to people in town today, right?”
“Still none of your business,” Tobias huffs, starting towards the Ghatha guild and not waiting for Junie’s short legs to catch up.
She’s not wrong, but that doesn’t mean he wants the nosy rookidee around when he’s trying to find information about the outlaw trio. She already saw him have a panic attack and it’s only a matter of time before her curious looks turn into questions he doesn’t want to answer.
“S-So why are we going to the guild instead of just talking to the locals?” Nia asks, catching up and glancing at Tobias.
“Since we’ll be in Ghatha longer than expected, we need to take some easy jobs to cover our expenses while we’re here,” Tobias says. “We can do some deliveries or something and ask around town at the same time.”
“Oh! And we can drop off Maggie’s letter while we’re at the guild, too. Right?”
“Yeah,” Tobias sighs, rubbing at his temples. “Not that it’ll help much.”
He’d written up a letter last night to let Maggie know they’d be staying in Ghatha a while longer than planned, but he may have underplayed how dangerous the fire at the convention center had been. She’ll probably still be a nervous wreck until she sees they’re all right with her own eyes, but at least she won’t come charging across the ocean to find them once word of the incident reaches the Haven. Hopefully.
Nia and Junie chat as Tobias recalls the directions Keegan had given the last time he visited them at the hospital. Luckily, the guild was built close by, so it only takes a few minutes before the guild’s headquarters comes into view through the city’s towering stone buildings.
It’s a huge structure that almost looks like a castle, built with a variety of gray stones and branching into different sections. While it’s definitely large, instead of reaching high into the sky like the Lexym tree, this guild sprawls out instead.
Close to the front of the building, there’s a strange sort of path cut into the stone underfoot, large and framed by two rails of metal. A sign nearby states that this is the “stop” for the Ghatha guild.
Tobias crosses over the path with a frown, trying to figure out what exactly it is.
“Does this place have trains?” Nia asks, clearly surprised, looking both ways before crossing the path.
“Maybe!” Junie chirps, following. “These definitely look a lot like railway tracks.”
“That would be so awesome!” Nia squeals.
Tobias has no clue what a “train” is or how they’d know about something in the Pokemon world that he doesn’t, so he stays quiet and forges on to the front gates of the guild.
“This Place is kind of...intimidating,” Nia comments as they approach. “You think it’s even bigger than the Lexym guild?”
Tobias shrugs, flashing his badge and moving past the two Pokemon standing guard on either side of the front entrance. “Probably. They have a lot more Pokemon in a city this big.”
“And we don’t need to meet up with Keegan, right?” Nia asks, looking around at the new space and the foreign Pokemon wandering around. “We just need to find the job boards and we’re good to go?”
Tobias nods, following Keegan’s directions through the guild’s entrance hall and down a large hallway off to the right. As promised, the next room looks like a preparations area, with job boards built into the wall and a couple of Pokemon manning item stalls. Nia stops and stares as one of the vendors exchanges coins with a Seeker, handing over a green bandana in return.
“Should I get a new scarf while I’m here?” Nia asks. Her paw drifts up to her right arm, where her scarf used to be tied. “Since I lost mine in the fire, I need a new one, right?”
“It’d be cheaper getting one here than in the marketplace,” Tobias admits. “Just don’t make this a habit. We aren’t made of money.”
“It’s not like she tried to lose it,” Junie cuts in, rolling her eyes.
“I don’t plan on running headlong into any more disasters,” Nia teases over her shoulder, hurrying over to the fabrics stall.
There’s a moment of quiet as Tobias waits. Junie stays at his side instead of following Nia, which is...suspicious.
After a moment of silence, she says, “Sooo...we’re going to be asking people about that arcanine, right?”
Tobias’ eye twitches. “Yeah.”
“You seemed really upset about it before, at the hospital...” She hints, subtle as a tauros.
Tobias glares down at her but doesn’t answer.
“Ah, I gotcha. Have to level up our friendship before you share your tragic backstory, huh?”
“We’re not friends,” Tobias growls.
Junie chirps a laugh. “Says you! You won’t even admit that Nia’s your friend.”
“I don’t have friends,” Tobias grits through his teeth.
“Ooh, edgy. Just because you say something doesn’t make it true, y’know.”
Nia hurries back over, scarf in paw, thankfully saving him from having to answer.
“They had red! The merchant called it a power band, but he said it’d still boost my attack like my old one. That should be fine, right?”
Tobias grunts a yes, taking the new scarf to look it over. Bright, scarlet red, almost matching the shade of his own bandana. And he trusts the guild merchants to give them quality gear, so it shouldn’t be a problem.
“Could you tie it for me?” Nia asks, holding her arm up with a bright-eyed smile.
Tobias usually does so each morning anyways, so he ties the scarf around her bicep without a word, ignoring the smug energy radiating from Junie. As soon as he’s done, he turns towards the job boards imbedded in the rocky wall. They all pause, surprised, when one of the boards rumbles, then flips to its other side, where different sheets of paper are posted.
“Okay, that’s pretty extra,” Junie says, clearly delighted.
“I guess they’re...updating the missions?” Nia suggests.
Tobias shrugs, not sure either. Junie, unable to resist investigating, flaps over to the board that just flipped, jamming her beak into the cracks and trying to get a better look at what’s happening behind the scenes. Nosy brat.
Tobias moves to the E-rank missions and starts scanning them, looking for one that will allow them to focus on information gathering in the city.
“Uh, shouldn’t we be looking at D-rank missions now?” Nia asks, reluctantly leaving the mystery of the flipping board to join him.
“Unless you want to go fighting in dungeons again right away, we’ll have to stick with E-rank for now. Most delivery jobs are too easy even for D-rank.”
Nia‘s brow furrows, but she joins him in searching the E-rank job listings. “I…guess that makes sense. And I’d rather not be put into a stressful situation like a fight while my aura’s still acting up.”
Tobias spares Nia a glance before returning to scanning the pages. “Any changes since you last checked it?”
“No, it hasn’t gone out of control since your, um...”
“You can say panic attack,” Tobias drawls.
“Y-Yeah. But even if it’s calm now, I can tell it still feels really...off. Different.” Her voice grows softer. “I don’t want to feel like I did before, like I can’t keep it under control.”
“You probably just have more power than before and aren’t used to it,” Tobias snorts. “You won’t learn to control it if you’re too afraid to use it.”
Nia pauses. “I know, but...I dunno. I didn’t really use my aura for fighting before, but I’d still rather talk to Val first before jumping into battles again. J-Just in case it acts up.”
Tobias finally finds a simple mission from a flower shop whose delivery ‘mon is sick today. He scans the objective and rewards before deciding to take the mission.
“Couldn’t you practice using your aura outside of battle, then?” Junie chirps.
Tobias and Nia both jump, startled by the little bird suddenly standing behind them.
“W-What?” Nia asks.
“Your aura! If you’re worried about stressful situations making it act up, couldn’t you just mess with it like you were before, when we were just hanging out? Oh! You could finally read my aura! I’ve been dying to know what it looks like!”
Nia shrinks back from Junie’s enthusiasm, and Tobias rolls his eyes. Nia used to be too excited about getting to use her aura, and now she’s terrified of using it at all.
“Just do it—you won’t hurt her.”
“You don’t know that!” Nia shoots back, voice high as she takes a step back. “I couldn’t stop it from growing out of control just a few days ago!”
Tobias tips his head back and groans. In the back of his mind he thinks he hears Maggie telling him to be patient.
“If you’re so worried, just do it to Toby first,” Junie teases. “He’s a big tough guy. He can take it if anything goes wrong!”
Tobias turns on Junie with a sharp, “No. I already told her she isn’t allowed to use her freaky soul powers on me.”
Junie blinks at him, looking genuinely bewildered for once by his fierce tone. “W...You mean Nia hasn’t looked at your aura yet? Why?”
“Because I don’t want her to!”
He doesn’t want anyone looking that closely at who he is at his very core. Doesn’t want them to tell him what they find there.
“Don’t push about this, okay Junie?” Nia cuts in, voice nervous. “Val told me how personal it is and that I shouldn’t ever read someone’s aura unless they okayed it.”
Junie huffs, but relents. “Fine, fine. In that case, would you just try it on me? You didn’t hurt me even when your aura was freaking out the other day. I know you won’t now.”
Nia looks reluctant, but after glancing between Tobias and Junie for a few moments, she buckles. “Okay.”
Junie cheers, garnering the attention of a few of the Pokemon in the open space. Tobias growls at her to hush and herds them over to the side of the room.
Junie’s feathers are fluffed up with excitement. “So how do we do this?! Is it like palm-reading? What if I don’t have a palm?”
Nia at least looks a bit relaxed by Junie’s chatter. She laughs and holds out a paw. “I just need to touch you somehow. You sure about this?”
“Positive!” Junie says, slapping a wing down into the Riolu’s paw.
Nia’s eyes squeeze closed, and the teardrop appendages on either side of her head lift. A bright blue glow lines her body. Tobias isn’t sure if it all happens quicker than usual or if he’s imagining that.
There’s a beat of silence, and then the tension melts out of Nia’s frame as she laughs. “You remind me of...fall.”
Junie tilts her head, frowning. “Fall?”
“Yeah!” Nia nods. “You’re orange!”
“I thought Val was orange,” Tobias interrupts, skeptical.
“She was,” Nia says. “But she reminded me of an orange fruit. With a firm outer shell and an intensity, but also...sweet. Refreshing.”
“So what about my orange?” Junie asks.
“You’re more like...a Halloween jack-o-lantern,” Nia says, fighting off a smile. “Mischievous and excited, a little sharp and startling. But you’re also like…hm. Fall leaves? Always on the move, and a little lonely—” Nia yanks herself back and opens her eyes, ears pinned guiltily. “Sorry, sorry! I-I didn’t mean to say that last part.”
Junie blinks, looking like she isn’t sure what to think. Tobias relates.
“See why I don’t want her looking at mine?” Tobias drawls. He has a feeling Nia saw even more than she said, too.
“A-Anyways!” Nia squeaks. “You’re, um, orange. I didn’t hurt you or anything, right?”
Junie shakes herself. “Uh, no. No. Nope! I’m fine!” Her voice picks back up into a cheery tone, but it sounds a little forced. “Told ya you wouldn’t hurt me.”
Nia awkwardly laughs, but her tense shoulders drop. “Yeah.”
This is looking like it’s going to be all kinds of awkward if they let it simmer, so Tobias rolls his eyes and turns to leave the room.
“C’mon. Let’s get this mailed off to Maggie so we can finally get going.”
Nia and Junie scramble to follow. He isn’t sure where the mail floor is, but Nia asks a nearby Seeker for directions before he can stop her. They follow the raticate’s directions down another large hallway to where an administrative area sits, mailbox slots lining one side of the wall.
“Okay, this is so much more convenient than the Haven’s setup,” Nia says, tone light. Junie gives her a curious look.
Tobias snorts, slipping the letter into a slot before turning to leave. “That’s just because we live up on the medical supplies floor with Mags. The actual Seeker quarters are farther down, right by the preparation floors.”
“Oh, good point,” Nia says, a thoughtful paw on her chin. “Why do we sleep in Maggie’s room, then? Since we’re Seekers now, aren’t we supposed to sleep on the Seeker floor?”
Tobias doesn’t stop walking, but it’s a near thing. Nia’s…not wrong. He isn’t technically a medical assistant anymore, so there’s no reason for him to sleep in the same space as Maggie. Him and Nia are probably supposed to move into the regular Seeker quarters soon.
Tobias’ stomach twists. He reaches up to run the fabric of his scarf through his fingers.
“Maggie doesn’t have a...a new assistant,” Tobias says, the words feeling wrong on his tongue. “So it doesn’t matter anyways.”
“So if she gets a replacement you’ll get kicked out?” Junie chirps.
Tobias growls, forcing his way through the Pokemon wandering around the guild. “We aren’t getting ‘kicked out.’ Maggie doesn’t need a new assistant yet.”
“But—“
Nia says something quiet enough for him not to hear, and the rookidee whispers back to her. Tobias pointedly ignores them and marches on through the front doors, back into the sunlight. Tobias pulls out the map of Ghatha that Keegan had passed on to them a few days ago.
“The shop we’re helping out is on the eastern side of town,” Tobias says, pointing at the sector that was listed on the job sheet. “So we need to go...this way.”
“That’s going to be a long walk, right?” Junie asks, frowning. “Well. Flight.”
“Maybe not,” Nia says, leaning in close and pointing at the map with a claw. “I think those really might be train tracks out front. Look at this—you can see the circuit on the map.”
Tobias follows her paw’s movement on the map, where a clear path is marked around the outer edges of Ghatha in a circle, reaching every district. Two other, smaller circles overlay the inner parts of the city.
“I’m not sure if it’s for the public to use or not, but I don’t think it would be marked on the map like this with all the stops if it was only for like...transporting items or something.”
“Good point!” Junie says. “Let’s check it out. I wanna see how the Pokemon world’s version of public transit compares to ours.”
Tobias huffs a frustrated noise, snapping the map closed. “Okay, what are you two going on about?!”
Both Nia and Junie look at him, surprised.
“You…don’t know about this?” Nia asks.
Tobias flushes, crossing his arms. “It’s not like I’ve ever been here before!” Or to any city this large, for that matter. “How do you two even know what’s going on?!”
“Because I’ve actually been to a city before,” Junie says, grinning. “Oh my God, are you a country bumpkin?!”
Before Tobias can spit a response, Nia cuts in, clearly excited to share something she knows with him instead of vice versa.
“W-Well, I’m not sure yet, but this looks a lot like something we had in the human world!” She trots over to the weird path of metal rails they’d passed over before, standing next to the sign listing it as the Ghatha guild stop. A few other Pokemon are standing in a loose crowd around the sign as well, like they’re waiting for something. “Basically, a machine runs on these tracks and can carry you to different places!”
Tobias scrunches up his nose as he looks up and down the weird path. A…machine?
“Most of our public transit was a lot more, um, complex than the paths on the map, and I don’t know if you have to pay for this one? But we could try it out!”
“Chances are we’d get there a lot faster,” Junie agrees. “Let’s do it!”
“So you...ride it?” Tobias asks, uncertain. He doesn’t think he’s heard of anything like this before, but then again he and Maggie rarely go far from the Haven, and he doesn’t talk to any of the other Pokemon who do.
“Yup!” Nia says, slapping a paw over Junie’s beak when a snide look crosses her face.
“And it’ll get us there...faster?”
Junie pulls away from Nia’s paw, clearly unable to resist a jab. “Much faster than your nubby legs can walk.”
Tobias glares at her but relents. “Fine. Where is it?”
Nia lights up as she turns to look down the path, tail wagging. “Good question!”
“Next train should be here in a few minutes,” a little rock type standing nearby says, clearly having overheard their conversation.
Tobias nods his thanks while Nia starts up a conversation with the stranger about the machine. The train? The rock type called it a train, so he’ll stick with that for now.
Instead of trying to predict what this “train” will look like, Tobias braces himself for what’s to come. They’ll help the flower shop make their deliveries for the day, and while they’re making their stops they can ask if the townsfolk know anything about the outlaw trio. Especially the arcanine, who might have been at the convention center fire just a few days ago.
Tobias takes a breath, trying to slow his heartbeat. He’s tried to ignore his memories of the past long enough. He’s not going to break down again. He’s going to start finding answers.
A distant noise breaks him from his thoughts, and he lifts his head to watch as it gets louder. Something is approaching on the tracks, and as it gets closer, Tobias can see that it’s a…string of carts, just much larger and enclosed, with a dotting of open windows along their sides. Almost like tiny, rectangular buildings, connected one after another.
Pulling it forward are a team of Pokemon attached by a network of harnesses. After a moment, Tobias realizes they’re a herd of donphan, curled tightly into wheels and rolling forward at an impressive speed. As they get closer, the donphan pop out of their wheel-like posture one by one, galloping on short, stubby legs. They slow to a stop in front of the crowd of Pokemon, and the car behind them glides to a stop as well, although Tobias isn’t sure how they managed that with the momentum they had going. On the side of the nearest car, a krookodile and a diggersby stand perched on an outer ledge. They have their arms out as if they’re using ground type moves on the cars themselves. Do they help stop it somehow?
Nia and Junie follow the crowd of Pokemon into an open doorway, boarding the first car, and Tobias follows cautiously, nodding at the sandslash at the helm of the contraption wearing a deep green scarf.
The inside isn’t overly large, but even with a few previous passengers it’s still big enough for the crowd to comfortably walk down the aisle and find somewhere to sit. Nia and Junie plop down in a row of open seats against the side of the car as if they’ve done it their whole lives. Tobias hesitantly follows, taking the seat by Nia and looking around.
“Apparently this railway system is only a few years old,” Nia says, kicking her legs. “The Pokemon at the stop told me that they’ve been planning to build something like this for a while, but with more and more Pokemon being unable to evolve, it’s getting harder for smaller and less mobile Pokemon to get around the city in good time. So they pushed the project forward and now it’s helped the city’s revenue so much that the cost is covered for the riders!”
Tobias hums in response, still looking around at the strange inner “room” of the train car. Other passengers chatter comfortably as they take their seats, a few bipedal Pokemon staying standing and grabbing onto straps hanging from the ceiling. They all look at ease, so Tobias tries to be as well, even when the train shifts and rumbles beneath their feet a minute later, slowly lurching into movement.
Tobias hangs on to his seat, then turns to look out the open window as a light breeze brushes against his face. The scenery of the city begins to roll by as the train slowly picks up pace, sliding by in an unfamiliar way. The car they’re in bounces a bit as it moves, but otherwise it’s...not too bad.
Tobias turns completely to focus on watching the scenery, curious to see the city and how quickly they’re moving by everything. Faster than he’s used to, the landscape changes. The larger buildings like the guild and hospital transition to smaller, more local neighborhoods where colorful, personalized houses and apartments line the streets instead of shops and Seekers and carts of wares. Everyday civilians can be seen talking and walking and sweeping their front stoop. Children shriek and play games, marking up the stone underfoot with colorful chalk. The eastern sector where they’re heading must be where most of the actual neighborhoods are, less busy and crowded than the commercial district near the Convention Center and main plaza. They even pass a small park, where the sight of grass and foliage and a few small trees makes Tobias think of home at the Haven.
“So what do you think?” Junie chirps, hopping up onto the sill to join him. “Pretty cool, huh?”
It is, but Tobias doesn’t want to give her the satisfaction. “If it gets us there faster I don’t really care.”
Junie looks put out by his unenthusiastic answer, and Nia laughs. The riolu crosses her arms on the sill and peers out at the city too, eyes bright as she takes in the architecture changing from sector to sector.
“This feels weirdly human,” Nia says after a moment. Her voice is light, though, like it’s a happy familiarity for once. “It’s so much like a train or a bus.”
Junie chirps her agreement and Tobias hums another noncommittal response. Eventually, Nia turns back around in her seat, and Tobias closes his eyes to let the strange rumble-bounce-tilt of the train car calm him. He’s ridden in a smaller pulled cart once or twice—it’s just like that, except bigger and faster.
After a while, Nia and Junie’s chatter about the human world quiets. Tobias glances over to see Nia absolutely transfixed by something across the car. He follows her gaze, only to find a whimsicott and three young cottonee sitting across the way, thankfully oblivious to Nia’s gawking. It looks like a small family, with the little balls of cotton excitedly telling the older Pokemon about their morning.
Tobias elbows her, grumbling, “Stop staring.”
”S-Sorry!” Nia whispers, breaking out of her stupor and finally looking away from the family. “Sometimes Pokemon still catch me off-guard. What kind are those? They‘re so cute!”
“Whimsicott and cottonee,” Tobias says quietly, turning back towards the window and moving scenery. If Nia gets caught staring rudely at strangers he isn’t going to bail her out. Pokemon come in a lot of different forms, and she’s just going to have to get used to that eventually.
Thankfully, Nia tones down her obvious fascination, and they make it through the few stops before reaching their own in the eastern sector. When the train slows to a stop and the sandslash at the front of the car shouts out their destination, the three of them exit the car. Tobias’ feet feel a bit wobbly underneath him, but he pulls out the map and tries to ignore the sensation.
“Looks like it’s pretty close to here,” Junie comments, hopping up to Nia’s shoulder to peer at the map. “It’s called Fauna’s Flowers, right?”
“Right.” Tobias folds up the map and leads the way down a residential street, passing a few older Pokemon sitting outside their homes and enjoying the nice weather. The locals shout a friendly greeting, and Tobias nods to them in return while Nia and Junie wave and call out their own greetings.
On a street corner amidst the houses is a small shop, with a floral hand-painted sign declaring it as Fauna’s Flowers. Potted plants and flowers overflow from the building, lining the outside walls and hanging from its eaves. More sit in open windows, as if overflowing from the building. When the three of them step inside, a bell tinkling overhead, they see that the inside of the shop is similarly packed with beautiful, blossoming plant life.
Nia takes a deep breath behind him. “It smells so fresh in here! It’s like we’re back at the Haven!”
Tobias silently agrees, feeling himself relax as the familiar floral scents and clean air wash over them. It smells like Maggie and Fen and home.
“Hello! How can I help you three?”
A sunflora walks out from the back of the shop, an apron wrapped around his front and a pleasant smile on his face.
“We took your mission for the day to cover flower deliveries,” Tobias explains, cutting to the chase.
“It’s nice to meet you,” Nia adds, giving the Pokemon a little wave. “We’re Team Scarlet.”
“Oh!” The sunflora claps his leaves together, looking pleased. “You’re here earlier than I thought you’d be! Good, good. Thank you for coming.”
“Our pleasure!” Junie chirps, like she’s actually a part of their team and not a slightly illegal tagalong.
“If you’d just follow me,” The sunflora says, turning. “You can call me Aarush by the way. You are..?”
The three of them return their names in kind, and Aarush nods. “Well, I’m trusting you all with some very important deliveries today!”
“Really?” Nia asks.
“Of course—because every delivery is important!” Aarush says, laughing. “Luckily, most of the deliveries today are in the eastern sector, so you shouldn’t have to travel too far. Our second shift ‘mon can handle the farther districts.”
Tobias nods, looking around as the Pokemon finally stops in a back room where different plants are lined against the walls, each with a tag tied around its pot.
“These are the deliveries for today,” Aarush explains. “The address and customer is listed on the tag, so you just need to go to them and give them their order! Everyone here has already paid, so you don’t need to worry about that either.”
“Easy enough,” Tobias says, looking over the plants. There aren’t too many, so they should have time during the deliveries to ask about the outlaw trio. They aren’t familiar with the city or how its streets are laid out, but it can’t be that hard to navigate, surely?
“If you don’t have any questions, I’ll leave you to it!” Aarush says, looking at each of them in turn. When they don’t object, the sunflora turns to bustle away again, calling over his shoulder as he does so. “Let me know if you need anything!”
“Can we actually find all of these places?” Nia whispers, looking nervous as she flips over a potted plant’s tag. “I’m terrible with directions even when I’m not in a new place.”
Tobias snorts, carefully picking up a meticulously arranged bouquet in his arms. “I’m aware. C’mon, let’s get started—it can’t be that hard.”
Nia hums a doubtful noise, but dutifully picks up a potted plant and follows him back out of the room. Junie scoops up a fallen blossom in her beak and smiles cheekily at Tobias when he gives her a nasty look.
“You aren’t even going to help?” Tobias asks.
“Does it look like I can pick up a plant bigger than my body?” The rookidee shoots back, lifting a tiny leg and holding out her wings. “Besides,” she adds, an infuriating note of smugness in her voice. “I’m not actually a Seeker, right? It’s not my mission, so it’s none of my business!”
Tobias glares at her for turning his own words back on him. Annoying little brat.
“Whatever,” he huffs, turning to leave. “We should split up to save time and cover more ground.” If he gets some time away from the infuriating rookidee, all the better.
Nia and Junie exchange a look.
“What about us being awful at directions?”
“I guess we could just ask the locals for help?” Nia says, more of a question than a suggestion. Maybe she can tell that Junie is genuinely getting on Tobias’ nerves, because she doesn’t protest splitting up.
Tobias sighs. “I don’t care how you do it. Just remember to ask the Pokemon you talk to if they’ve seen or heard anything about an arcanine with a scar on his face. Or the rest of his group.”
Nia nods, looking determined. “Right!”
“Are you ever going to tell me why we want to find this guy so badly?” Junie asks.
Nia glances nervously at Tobias. “U-Uh…maybe later? C’mon, we should get going!”
Nia trots towards the front of the shop, and Junie squawks, hurrying to follow. Tobias wilts, relieved. He’s thankful that Nia has kept her mouth shut so far about Tobias’ grudge towards the outlaw trio, and that he took Junie with her too. He just needs a bit of time to himself.
Tobias rearranges the bouquet in his arms, making sure that the blossoms don’t droop or fall out, and heads into the city.
For the eighth time today, Tobias knocks on a stranger’s front door.
While he waits for an answer, he shifts his hold on the small potted plant in his arms. By now, he’s pretty confident he got the address right, but he’s struggling to fight the frustration building in his gut. He’s made seven deliveries already, and so far he hasn’t found a single word of useful information about the arcanine or his gang.
The door cracks open, a young buneary peering out at him curiously. When they see the plant in his arms, their face lights up.
“Ah, my delivery! Thank you!” The door opens wider for the buneary to accept the plant, turning it happily to view the condition of the different leaves before looking back to Tobias. “I already paid, right?”
Tobias nods, but speaks again before the Pokemon can end the conversation. “Quick question, though—have you seen or heard anything about an arcanine in Ghatha lately? Big, with a scar on his face? He might’ve been with a pangoro or a crobat?”
The buneary tilts their head, frowning, and Tobias feels his heart sink. He recognizes that expression.
“No, sorry. I don’t know any of those kind of Pokemon. Do they live here?”
Tobias sighs. “No. They’re outlaws. Just…trying to do some information-gathering while I’m out.”
The buneary’s eyes drift down to his scarf before recognition dawns on their face. “Ah, you must be standing in today. No, I’m afraid I don’t know anything about any outlaws.”
“’S fine. Thanks.”
The buneary gives him a sympathetic look before retreating inside and shutting the door. Tobias debates for a moment before just sitting down on their front step, head in his hands as he takes deep breaths to quell the embers in his throat.
He didn’t realize that trying to gather information like this would be so hard. No, not even that, just so…unhelpful. He’s talked to eight households now and no one has even recognized the outlaws, let alone offered any helpful information. They are in a civilian neighborhood, but still!
Tobias has crossed paths with Nia and Junie near Fauna’s shop a couple times already, but they haven’t had any luck either. Will and Keegan can’t—or won’t—share any information they’ve found so far, if they’ve found anything, and now this is a bust, too.
What if he never finds them? The arcanine was right there! Right under his nose, and now he’s gone.
Tobias pauses in his lament as an uncomfortable feeling tingles at the back of his neck. It’s a familiar sensation, particularly from his first year or two at the guild. He remembers well how other Pokemon stared at him from afar, eyes taunting or fearful or pitying.
Is he being watched?
Tobias tries not to tense up, instead keeping his head in his hands and peering through his fingers, trying to subtly look around. All he sees are quaint neighborhood homes, a few alleyways cutting between them. The sound of children playing and shrieking can be heard a few streets over.
Tobias sighs again, trying to be casual as he finally lifts his head and gets to his feet, casting a quick look around again. Nothing. Maybe he’s just feeling paranoid, thinking so much about the outlaws. He’ll keep an eye out as he continues his deliveries, just in case.
He turns and walks back towards Fauna’s Flowers.
“No luck?” Nia asks as soon as Tobias walks into the back room. When he shakes his head, her face falls. “We haven’t found anything, either.”
“We need your help with this last delivery, though,” Junie adds, hopping over to the two remaining plants sitting against the wall. They’re identical. “They’re going to the same place, so we figured we’d just wait for you to come back and deliver them at the same time.”
Grudgingly, Tobias admits that that makes sense. He moves to pick one of the two plants up, and Nia mirrors him, hefting the other into her arms.
“Hey, we can still ask around even after we’re done with deliveries!” Nia says to him, trying to sound encouraging. “It’s not even evening yet. Maybe we’ll have better luck in a different part of the city?”
“Maybe,” Tobias grunts, not nearly as hopeful. At least she’s offering to help.
Junie leads the way out the door, free of any cargo and making loops in the air.
“If you’re so energetic you could go ask around on your own, y’know,” Tobias snaps.
“Nope! Not until you tell me why you want to find these guys so badly!” Junie chirps, turning to face him with a smirk. Like this is just a game.
“We can all ask around some more once we make this delivery,” Nia cuts in, trying to smooth things over.
Tobias doesn’t speak, puffing out a frustrated breath of smoke and taking the lead.
This delivery is on the edge of the eastern sector, right up against the southern district, so it’s a bit of a walk. Tobias traverses it in silence, even as his arms begin to ache with the weight of the plant he’s holding. Nia and Junie chat quietly amongst themselves.
By time they make it to the last address, Tobias is tired, irritated, and feeling more than a little hopeless. The bright, sunny weather that he normally loves seems like it’s mocking him. His arms hurt, and when they make it to the front door of their destination he dumps the potted plant a little more roughly than he probably should on the ground.
Nia gives him something between a worried and scolding look, but sets down her own pot and knocks on the front door.
After a few moments, a nidorina opens the door, smiling at the three of them. “Hello there! What can I do for you?”
“Hi! We’re here with a delivery from Fauna’s Flowers,” Nia says, all sunshine and cheer. She gestures to the pots they’d set aside.
“Perfect! Thank you so much, you three. We appreciate it!”
“No problem!” Nia says, smiling. “Actually, do you mind us asking you a quick question while we’re here?”
“Sure, honey,” The nidorina says, smiling and stepping out to get a closer look at the plants. “Ask away.”
“W-Well,” Nia starts, glancing at Tobias. “Have you heard anything about an arcanine around here lately? He has a scar on his face, and might’ve been with a pangoro and a crobat?”
The nidorina shakes her head. “No, I don’t think so. But let me ask Liam.” She turns back to shout inside the open door. “Liam! Could you come here a second?”
Nia glances at Tobias, and he shrugs. He doubts this Liam will have any helpful information, but the nidorina is trying to help. Might as well make sure.
A few moments later, Liam comes into view, and Tobias internally groans. Really? Out of all Pokemon, it has to be a luxio? Tobias doesn’t need a reminder of Xander’s existence when he’s already in a bad mood.
Nia, expectedly, looks thrilled at the reminder of her friend.
“These kids delivered our plants,” The nidorina explains. “But they were wondering if we knew anything about an arcanine, pangoro, or crobat.”
Liam sits and wraps his tail around his paws. “No, I don’t think so. Why do you ask?”
“A suspicious arcanine was seen at the convention center the day of the fire,” Tobias cuts in, crossing his arms. “We’re Seekers, so we’re doing some investigating on the side.”
It’s not exactly a lie. Just not the full truth.
To Tobias’ surprise, the luxio’s expression sours when he mentions the fire. “Why are you wasting your time investigating that?”
Tobias frowns. “Why wouldn’t we? A lot of Pokemon were injured.”
“A lot of humans were injured,” Liam sneers.
Tobias blinks at the luxio, not entirely sure he heard that right. There’s an awkward beat of silence.
“Uh...sorry, what do you mean?” Nia asks, cheery voice cracking.
Liam rolls his eyes. “Humans were injured. Not Pokemon. The humans probably caused the fire that landed them all in the hospital in the first place.” Quieter, he adds, “Just a shame they couldn’t finish the job.”
The nidorina gives the luxio an exasperated look that says this isn’t a new outburst, but she doesn’t argue with him, either.
Tobias just continues to stare, too surprised to respond. He’d heard that humans weren’t well-liked outside of the area around the Haven. The other humans at the convention had even attested to that. Heck, he’d been the first one to tell Nia about the humans’ bad reputation.
But he hasn’t heard anyone outright wish them harm before.
“A-Are you saying you wish we—you wish the humans died?!” Junie finally manages to squawk, just barely covering her slip-up.
“You don’t?!” Liam hisses. “Look at you! You’re all stuck in your first stages because of them! They’ve brought nothing but trouble!”
“We don’t know that humans are the reason evolution stopped,” Tobias protests with a growl, taking a half-step in front of Nia and Junie. He’s seen firsthand how newly-found humans stumble around, lost, ever since the day Nia showed up. Believing that they’re actively harming the natural laws of the Pokemon world just sounds ridiculous anymore.
Liam stands, fur bristling and tail lashing, and Tobias lets the embers in his gut flare up in case he needs them. The nidorina hurries between them, nudging the luxio back inside and giving the three of them an apologetic smile.
“Why don’t you three get going? Thank you for the delivery.”
She slams the door shut, and Tobias is left staring at intricate stone carvings, fire in his throat and muscles tense. After a moment, he lets out a breath, smoke puffing out with it, then turns to Nia and Junie.
Junie is shaking with rage, glaring at the plants they just delivered like she’s considering ripping them to bits. Nia looks devastated, wide-eyed and limp like her entire worldview just shifted.
“Come on, let’s get out of here,” Tobias grumbles, nudging them both until they stumble off the front stoop and walk numbly beside him down the street.
When the house is out of sight, Tobias groans and slumps down onto a stone outcropping around a small, planted tree. Nia sinks down beside him. Junie paces back and forth in front of them. The silence feels heavy.
Nia, staring at her paws, whispers, “H-He…he wanted us to get hurt in that fire.”
The actuality of that statement is starting to hit Tobias, too, now that the shock is passing. He flicks his tail and takes a few deep breaths. Flexes his claws and lets the smoke in his gut billow from his mouth.
“He…” Nia’s voice breaks, and when Tobias glances up he sees that her eyes are wet with building tears. “He doesn’t even know us! We aren’t trying to screw everything up!”
“He’s just an idiot,” Junie snaps, “Stupid furball with fluff for brains. I should’ve ripped his stupid whiskers out!”
Tobias agrees with Junie for once, but he knows they’ll get in trouble if they go back to physically fight that idiot. So instead he fumes silently, listening to the quiet clack-clack-clack of Junie walking back and forth across the stone and Nia’s sniffles as she wipes at her eyes.
“I…I know you and Maggie and everyone said that people outside the Haven might be…more mistrustful of humans,” Nia says. “But I didn’t think they hated us.”
Tobias rubs at his temples. “They don’t hate you. They just…want someone to blame for their own problems.”
“That’s not fair!” Junie says, fluffing up her feathers.
Nia nods her agreement, tucking her head into her arms as Junie continues to pace. Silence slams down again.
Tobias is still wrestling with the thought of the luxio’s open hostility minutes later when he feels a familiar sensation.
More on-guard than before after that little altercation, Tobias whips his head up, openly looking around. Almost right away, he finally sees the Pokemon who has been watching him all afternoon. They’re only half-hidden in a nearby alleyway, silhouette low to the ground and hard to see in the heavy shadows. Their bright eyes meet his, flick over to Junie, and then settle back on Tobias.
Tobias stands up, taking a step closer to call out, “What do you want?”
Nia and Junie follow his gaze, standing up themselves and falling into defensive positions.
The Pokemon tilts its head. “I heard you’re looking for information about an arcanine with a scarred face. Runs around with a pangoro and a crobat?”
Tobias’ heart skips a beat. “You know something about them?”
The Pokemon nods. “I think I know someone who could help. Follow me—we don’t want any outside ears listening in.”
The silhouette turns and scrabbles back down the dim alleyway. Tobias stares after it, conflicted as the blood roars in his ears. Especially after the encounter they just had, following some random, sketchy Pokemon who has been stalking him all day isn’t the best plan.
But it’s also the only lead they’ve got.
Tobias moves to follow the Pokemon, and Nia grabs his arm, stopping him. “W-Wait! Doesn’t this look kind of, um...suspicious? I don’t know if we should follow random Pokemon into dark alleyways.”
Oh, great. Of course the riolu grows an ounce of skepticism and self-preservation now of all times. “Look, we’ve gotten nowhere on our own. A lead is a lead, no matter how dangerous.”
He yanks his arm free and races across the street and down the alleyway, Nia calling out behind him. After a moment, the patter of paws and the flap of wings follow.
At the end of the alleyway, a slant of sunlight reaches through the buildings to bathe a building’s back door and some old junk in light. In the light sits a zigzagoon, his spiky brown fur ruffled and unkempt.
Tobias slows to a stop a few feet away, narrowing his eyes.
“You!” Junie shrieks as she catches up, landing at Tobias’ side. She flings out an accusing wing. “You’re that mutt who stole my money!”
The zigzagoon grins, but takes a nervous step back. “H-Hey, a guy’s gotta eat, right?”
Junie makes an outraged noise, looking like she’s about to launch herself at the apparent thief. Tobias steps in front of her, catching the zigzazoon’s attention.
“Ignore her,” he says, voice sharp. “What did you mean when you said you have information about the arcanine?”
“You can’t trust him!” Junie yelps, sounding offended. “He’s a thief!”
“Which means he has connections we don’t!” Tobias hisses over his shoulder. This could be their chance, and he isn’t going to miss it just because this guy ticked her off with a petty crime.
Tobias turns back to the zigzagoon, crossing his arms. “Talk.”
Notes:
Hey, everyone!!! We're finally back from the hiatus! :D
Thank you so much for your patience and encouragement while I was away. Seriously, your kind words are so helpful when I'm struggling, and I super appreciate any and all comments and feedback. <3
Finally, I hope you enjoyed this chapter! I don't know if the next one will be out in two weeks or closer to three (currently figuring out a new schedule), but it will be posted on a Sunday as usual (this week is a random Weird Wednesday Posting). So stay tuned to see what our zigzagoon friend has to share! 👀
Chapter 29
Summary:
Nia, Tobias and Junie talk to the mysterious zigzagoon.
Notes:
Heyyy...so it's been a while. ^^' Sorry about that! Life got a lot crazier than I was expecting it to. Thank you all for being patient, and I hope you enjoy this chapter! It doesn't have an illustration at the moment because I REALLY don't like the first one I made for it, but I didn't want to make y'all wait any longer for the chapter itself. So I'll just edit in the illustration later for future readers and re-readers! I can't guarantee when the next chapter will be out, but I'm definitely not abandoning this story, so it will eventually happen.
Anyways, happy reading! I'd love to hear what you think, if you have the time to leave a comment. :)
Chapter Text
“Talk,” Tobias snaps, staring down the zigzagoon. “You know something about the arcanine outlaw I’m looking for?”
The zigzagoon shakes his head. “Not me—I just find the clients. The informant I work for is the one you wanna talk to. She has info on everything and everyone, and if she doesn’t, she can get it for you.”
“And you guys just give that info out for free?” Junie snarks, hopping forward. Looks like she’s still itching for a fight. “There’s gotta be a catch.”
“No catch,” The zigzagoon says. “You do a job for her, she finds information for you. Think of it more like…a business transaction.”
Tobias snorts. Business. Right. “You’re a thief, so I have a feeling this informant isn’t exactly on the up-and-up. Why should we trust you? You could be planning to stab us in the back.”
The zigzagoon laughs. “I could be! But you could do the same, right?”
“We are Seekers,” Tobias confirms, crossing his arms.
“Well, that’s even more suspicious!” Junie chirps, throwing out her wings. “Seekers catch criminals! Why would you even talk to us?!”
“We could turn you in right now,” Tobias agrees. “We’re supposed to. Why would you risk that?”
“You want that information, right?” The zigzagoon asks, tilting his head. His dark eyes flash in the slant of sunlight cutting through the alley. “For a small favor in return, we can get it for you. Simple as that.”
Tobias narrows his eyes. Junie and Nia exchange uneasy glances, then look to him, waiting for him to speak. A tense silence falls over the alleyway.
“Fine,” Tobias finally says. “Take us to the informant.”
“W-Wait!” Nia speaks, paws up. Tobias almost thinks she’s going to back out of the whole situation, but instead she turns to Junie with a concerned expression. “Are you sure you want to come with us, Junie? You could get in trouble too, even if you aren’t a Seeker.”
Junie scoffs. “Like I’m dipping out now.” Her expression softens. “I’m fine, Nia. You could probably use an extra set of eyes anyways, right?”
Nia looks uncertain, but knows as well as Tobias does that trying to change the stubborn rookidee’s decision is probably a lost cause.
“So everyone’s in?” Tobias checks. Nia hesitantly nods. Junie chirps her agreement.
Tobias takes a breath and turns back to the zigzagoon. “All right. Take us to the informant.” He lets a few embers drift up from his gut to float out as he speaks. “And don’t try any funny business.”
The zigzagoon grins. “Of course. Follow me, then. And you can call me Zag.”
“I’ll fly overhead and warn you guys if it looks like we’re gonna get jumped,” Junie cuts in, giving Zag a challenging look.
The zigzagoon shrugs, unconcerned. “Sure.”
Junie narrows her eyes and makes a weird gesture with her wing, pointing first at her own eyes and then Zag’s. She pushes off the ground, flapping up to the roof’s edge on the nearest low building. It’s not the best vantage point, but it’s probably as high as the rookidee is willing to fly. Either way, it’s a good idea and Tobias won’t have to listen to her jabbering, so he certainly isn’t gonna argue.
Zag, unconcerned, turns and trots past Tobias and Nia with a swish of his tail, back out of the alleyway. Nia and Tobias exchange an uncertain look and follow.
Their crew steps back onto the street. The quaint neighborhood and sunny day seem at odds with the tense quiet between them. Zag pulls ahead, probably sensing that they aren’t going to chat with him. Junie stays locked on to the normal type, drifting overhead and casting a small shadow to follow.
The neighborhood they’re in is peaceful, but when someone slams a door farther down the cobblestone path they’re walking, Nia jumps.
“You sure you’re up to this?” Tobias asks, raising a brow.
“Y-Yeah,” Nia says, stepping closer and lowering her voice. “Just…worried. What if we really are walking right into a trap?”
“Then we fight our way out of it,” Tobias answers simply.
“What if we can’t fight our way out?” Nia asks, holding their bag closer as they pass a group of huge construction Pokemon eating a late lunch on the front stoop of a building.
“We’ll be fine,” Tobias huffs, rolling his eyes.
Nia must not buy it, because she grabs Tobias’ arm and steps in front of him, ruby eyes bright and worried. “I know you’re desperate for leads, but—“
Something about that—something about how hopeless it makes him sound—makes Tobias’ stomach flare with fire. He yanks his arm free and hisses, “I’m not desperate. This could be a great lead! Besides, what happened to all that crap you usually spout about trusting others?”
Nia does’t even wince at his mocking tone. Instead she growls, “Well, sorry I don’t exactly feel like trusting a known thief right after some wackadoo wished me and Junie dead!”
Tobias, mouth already open for a retort, closes his jaw with a click. He figured that’s what this newfound sense of self-preservation was about.
Nia’s ears pin back as she looks away. “I just…”
She’s silent, gathering her thoughts as the distant sound of the train rumbles along. Tobias sighs, nudging the riolu to move forward again so they don’t get left behind.
“I’m not trusting this guy,” Tobias grumbles after a few moments. “And I know it could be bad if we get jumped. He’s just the best lead—the only lead—I’ve gotten so far. So I’m following it. I have to.”
Whatever he has to do to find answers and avenge his family, he’ll do it. Even if that means breaking a few Seeker laws along the way.
Nia crosses her arms, looking nervously around at their surroundings. Strangely enough, they seem to be traveling towards a slightly nicer area. The buildings here are better maintained, larger and cleaner.
“I know it’s important to you to get this information,” Nia says, voice soft. “But after how that luxio reacted earlier…”
Nia trails off, blinking hard. Tobias knows that being told off in such an awful way would hurt the sensitive riolu no matter what, but it had to be an extra slap in the face coming from a luxio of all Pokemon. Tobias doesn’t like Xander, but even he can’t imagine that expression of hate twisting the luxio’s face. Especially not in regard to Nia.
“I-I guess I’m still just a little shook up,” Nia finishes quietly. “And I would like it if we could be a little more…cautious about all this.”
Tobias sighs. “I get that, okay? I do. I know this is a stupid idea, but--”
“For you, it’s worth the risk,” Nia finishes.
Tobias glances over at her, surprised, only to meet sad, understanding ruby eyes. He looks away again, reaching up to run his fingertips along the edge of his scarf.
“Yeah,” Tobias confirms. Then, because he can see the anxiety building even more in her hunched posture and darting eyes, he adds, “That doesn’t mean you have to come along, y’know. I know you said you would, but this isn’t exactly legal or safe, so I can’t really blame you if you want to meet up later instead—“
“I’m not leaving,” Nia says, staring at Tobias with enough bewilderment that she almost trips over a wobbly cobblestone. “I-I’m not exactly…comfortable with this, but that’s why we need to stick together, right? I’d be a pretty crappy partner if I let you walk into what could be a trap alone.”
That’s…a fair point. He’d probably do the same for her. Still, it feels weird that Nia’s doing something she clearly hates just to make sure he doesn’t get into trouble. Tobias still isn’t sure what to do when Nia just…does things for him. It’s kind of uncomfortable.
So he falls back on his usual method, and jabs, “What, not going to report me to Keegan and the guild for fraternizing with criminals for personal gain?”
“I thought we settled that I’m not a snitch when I didn’t tattle after our first rule-breaking adventure,” Nia teases, elbowing him. He snorts a laugh before he can stop it. “I just like following the rules when I can.”
Tobias huffs. “Well, you definitely aren’t following the rules right now.”
Nia’s smile falters. “Uh. Exactly how much trouble will we be in if the guild finds out we’re meeting with a criminal informant?”
Tobias’ mouth twists as he tries to imagine August and Maggie’s reaction to what they’re doing. “A lot. Seekers go undercover sometimes for information gathering purposes, but working with criminal connections in earnest is probably a pretty big breach in protocol.”
“Great,” Nia says, voice weak.
Tobias doesn’t try to reassure her. This is illegal, especially for them, and there isn’t really a good way to frame it so it wouldn’t be. It’s just important enough that Tobias doesn’t care about the potential consequences. He gave Nia an out, and she didn’t take it.
So Tobias focuses instead on observing their surroundings. Zag is leading them through small side streets and alleyways, his bushy tail bobbing happily as he trots along. He doesn’t seem tense or nervous.
Junie is still flying overhead on lookout, too. As much of a brat as the rookidee can be, Tobias is glad she’s at least trying to be on guard for anything suspicious.
Not that their surroundings look like an area where crime would run rampant. On the contrary, the neighborhood they’re walking through is nicer than any they’ve seen since arriving in Ghatha. The paths are immaculately clean and orderly, not a crack present or stone out of place. The buildings are larger, their paint new and unchipped. Neatly clipped trees and beautifully arranged plants decorate the edges of homes and storefronts alike. The few Pokemon they pass stroll along with pristine, sleek pelts and elegant gaits.
“This…doesn’t seem like the kind of place we’d be meeting with a criminal informant,” Nia whispers.
Tobias grunts and picks up the pace until they’re right behind Zag.
“Zag, where in Entei’s name are you taking us?”
“To Lady Rosalind,” Zag answers simply, giving them a cheery grin over his shoulder.
“And she lives here?” Nia asks, looking around in disbelief.
“Of course! Only the best for Lady Rosalind. She actually lives right over here.”
A few houses down, the zigzagoon stops in front of a pristine white house with deep purple accents and a shock of lilac flowers out front. A sign out front says Primrose Therapy in loopy script.
Junie flutters down to land at Nia’s side. She tilts her head. “This is where we’re meeting the informant?”
“She’s a therapist?” Nia blurts, sounding dumbfounded.
Tobias rolls his eyes. “It’s probably just a front.”
“Nope,” Zag says, flicking his tail and hopping up the front stairs to push his way inside the building. “She’s just a lady of many talents!”
Tobias frowns, but follows the normal type inside, Nia and Junie trailing after him. The inside of the house seems…surprisingly normal. Really nice, even. A pleasant smell like incense wafts through the air. Natural light pours through large windows, and classy, unworn furniture sits on dark hardwood flooring.
“This way!” Zag says, wiping his paws on the front mat before trotting comfortably through the expensive-looking room.
“This is weird, right?” Junie whispers. “I can’t be the only one who thinks this is weird.” Her voice sounds loud in the quiet of the house.
“It’s…definitely not what I expected,” Nia murmurs.
The three of them follow Zag down a hall and to a new door. It’s a deep purple, with a shiny metal placard on the front that says Dr. Rosalind.
Tobias feels like this can’t get any stranger.
“Lady Rosalind?” Zag asks, tapping the door with a paw.
“Come in.”
Zag butts his way inside, and Tobias swallows and follows him in. The room is nice, a professional-looking little den with a few plants and plush purple seats. It almost feels cozy.
That is, until Tobias notices the Pokemon sitting tall behind a heavy oak desk. Her pink and blue colors are beautiful, the hat-like adornment on her head giving her a graceful air. She holds a steaming teacup to her lips, peering at them over the edge of it with glossy black eyes and a pleasant smile.
Cold fear thrills up his spine. Nia bumps into his back from his sudden stop, making a questioning noise in her throat.
“What’s wrong?” Nia whispers, peeking around him.
“Haterene,” Tobias hisses back under his breath. He knows a lot of what he’s heard about them in the past was embellished, but they’re a popular subject for scary stories for a reason. “Be on guard. She can sense emotions.”
Nia blinks, clearly not understanding the danger. “Like…me?”
“Like you but a thousand times scarier—now shut up.”
Zag ignores them and bows. “Lady Rosalind. I brought the Seekers I told you about. The ones asking about the arcanine.”
The haterene lowers the cup of floral-smelling tea to a matching saucer with a clink. “Hello. Why don’t you come closer and sit down? I don’t bite.”
Her voice is polite, but something in her eyes puts Tobias on edge. Like she’s seeing straight into his head. The three of them reluctantly step closer and take a seat. Junie hops up into Nia’s large chair with her. Tobias hates how he sinks into the soft cushion, and tries to stay upright and ready.
“I’m guessing you know about the haterene line, judging by the sudden nerves and whispering,” The haterene says, looking amused. “But I assure you there’s nothing for you to fear, as long as you come here having accepted Zag’s offer honestly.”
“We have,” Tobias answers cautiously, trying not to look as unnerved as he feels. “He told you we’re Seekers?”
“He did. And he told you that outside of my therapy work, I am far from rule-abiding,” Rosalind says in turn, eyes twinkling. “And yet here we are.”
“So you’re just…trusting that we won’t report you to the guild?” Tobias asks, still suspicious.
“Oh no, not at all. Zag here just has a nose for those…dedicated enough to put restrictive rules aside, if it means getting results,” Lady Rosalind answers, seemingly unconcerned as she stirs her tea. “As do I.”
“Uh-huh,” Tobias says slowly.
Rosalind must sense his doubt, because she giggles, looking back at them with inky black eyes. “If that’s not a satisfactory explanation, then let’s just say I have a large network of connections—and certainly not just in Ghatha! Anyone who breaks my trust tends to have a very quick turn in their luck.”
Tobias clenches his jaw shut at the implication. Nia and Junie tense up at his side.
Rosalind seems pleased by their quiet reaction, sitting back with a more natural smile on her face. “Of course, as long as we’re on the same page, I’m sure nothing unfortunate will happen! Funny how that works.”
“Yeah, funny,” Junie rasps. Her joking tone is ruined by the tremor in her voice.
“Please, try to relax,” Rosalind says, as if she didn’t just threaten them to their faces. “As long as the guild isn’t brought into our affairs, I’m sure your luck will hold out. You came here to make a deal, didn’t you?”
Tobias glances at Nia to confirm that she’s still in. She looks like she wishes she wasn’t, but gives him a reluctant nod all the same.
Tobias takes a breath to try and calm his nerves. “Zag says you have information that the guild doesn’t. That you can…find things out. That you’re good at it.”
Rosalind laughs, “Zag is quite the flatterer!” She gives the zigzagoon a wink, and the little dog’s tail wags happily, even as he ducks his head in embarrassment. “But he’s also correct. You need information, I can find it.”
“For a price,” Tobias says, not a question.
Rosalind nods. “Everything in life has a price, after all.”
“So what do we give you?” Tobias asks, voice guarded.
Rosalind laughs. “Oh, don’t look so grim about it! You just have to complete an assignment for me here and there in return for the information I provide. Think of it as an extension of your Seeker duties.”
Tobias exchanges a doubtful glance with Nia and Junie.
“What kind of assignments?” Tobias asks, trying not to think too hard about exactly how far he’d go to get this info. “We aren’t like…kidnapping someone.”
Nia blanches, looking wide-eyed between Rosalind and Tobias as if to ask, Is that actually a possibility?!
Rosalind giggles and waves them away. “No, no, nothing of the sort! I know how you Seeker types are. No kidnapping, maiming, killing, anything like that.”
Tobias isn’t sure whether to feel assured by her words, or even more nervous about the implication that Rosalind does give out those orders at all.
“I always give Seekers the…cleaner jobs. Deliveries and pickups, information gathering, reporting—along those lines. Keeps you all from tripping over your morals so much.“
Tobias straightens, eyes narrowing. “You…work with other Seekers?”
Rosalind stifles another laugh, looking delighted, and even Zag snickers off to the side. “Of course! You aren’t the only ones who’ve thought a connection to the criminal underworld might be helpful.”
Well…he guesses that makes sense. Tobias huffs and slumps back into his seat.
Before he can speak again, Rosalind takes a sip of her tea and turns to stare at Nia with knowing eyes. The riolu curls back into her chair, like she’s trying to escape the haterene’s attention.
“You’re upset,” the haterene notes, ignoring how Nia jumps. “Why?”
Tobias frowns and looks at the riolu, too. She’s probably just upset to be caught up in all this. Doesn’t mesh well with her goody-goody nature.
Nia swallows hard, looking away from the haterene and at the various books and knick-knacks around the office. “N-No, I—“
“I suggest you not lie to me,” Rosalind says idly, placing her tea in its saucer with a sharp click. Nia winces.
Despite how much he does not want that unnerving stare turned back on him, Tobias gives Rosalind a warning growl low in his throat.
The haterene ignores him. “I appreciate transparency in my business, and you became notably more upset when I mentioned other Seeker clients. Either explain or leave.”
Nia winces. “I-I just…it’s been a bit of a rough day, and I…I don’t know. I guess I just keep expecting people to be better than they are.” She shrugs, voice dropping to a murmur. “Seekers are supposed to be good. They’re supposed to help people.”
Tobias frowns, watching the riolu’s despondent expression . He knew Nia didn’t want to do this, but he didn’t think she’d see it as such an affront to her moral code. They’re doing something kind of illegal, but it’s not like they’re hurting anyone.
Rosalind hums, expression neutral and almost encouraging. Tobias wonders if Zag was actually telling the truth about Rosalind’s therapy business being legit.
“So you’re disappointed that other Seekers work with me, and you see them as less ‘good’ for doing so,” Rosalind sums up, seeming more curious than offended, thank Arceus. “Yet you’re here as well, asking for my services.”
Nia winces again. “Yeah, but—!” She glances at Tobias. “But it’s really important that we get this information, and we aren’t finding it anywhere else.”
Rosalind nods, considering the words as she uses a flash of pink psychic energy to stir her tea. “So you see your need for information as more important than theirs. Important enough that it makes your actions right?”
“N-No!” Nia says, clearly upset. “I don’t think it’s right, I just think it’s...worth it, I guess?”
“Did you consider that many of my clients think the same?”
Nia’s open mouth shuts. She slowly deflates, eyes lowering to the floor.
“Just because you understand your reasons does not make them morally greater than anyone else’s,” Rosalind says, somehow managing to sound casual instead of judgmental or harsh. “The world isn’t black and white, and your situation isn’t special for being a shade of gray.”
Nia doesn’t respond, peeking up at the haterene with an expression like a kicked growlithe pup.
Rosalind’s chair squeaks as she leans back, voice light. “Just something for you to think on, Riolu. I can’t have my clients cracking under their own emotions and running to the authorities. That wouldn’t be a fun mess to clean up for either of us.”
The following silence is loud and heavy. After a few moments, Tobias clears his throat. “So. Are you going to work with us?”
“Mm. Depends. Are you feeling any of the conflicting emotions that your partner is, Charmander?”
Tobias snorts. “We both know I’m not.”
Rosalind smirks. “Fine, fine, we can stop talking in circles.”
The haterene gestures to Zag, and the little dog scrambles to his feet and zig-zags out of the room. Once again, a thick silence falls in his place, interrupted only by the quiet ticking of a clock on Rosalind’s desk. After a moment, she sips at her tea cup. Tobias glances at Nia and Junie, and they look just as uncomfortable as he feels.
Finally, the patter of paws returns, and Zag reenters the room with a folder clamped in his jaws. Rosalind takes it with a quiet word of thanks that makes the zigzagoon’s tail wag.
“This,” Rosalind says, pulling a sheet free and laying it on the desk. “Is your first assignment.”
Tobias slips out of his chair and takes the paper, looking over it and holding it so Nia and Junie can read it too.
“Once you’ve completed it, I’ll give you your first piece of information in return. After that, I’ll simply contact you when we find more information pertinent to your inquiry, and send you assignments to complete as payment. Understood?”
Tobias slowly nods, thumb running down the words as he reads them. “This looks like a basic escort mission. Why not just post this to a regular Seekers board?”
“The one who needs escorted is my client’s daughter,” Rosalind says, writing something on the other forms with a quiet scratch of pen. “The client himself isn’t exactly welcome in Seeker spaces.”
“He’s a criminal?” Nia asks, looking up at Rosalind with a furrowed brow.
“Of sorts,” Rosalind admits. “And his daughter is very…recognizable. He has enemies who would love to use her as leverage, so she needs an escort who can transport her discreetly, but can also protect her if need be.”
“Are we going to be attacked?“ Junie asks, feathers ruffling with unease.
“It’s always a possibility,” Rosalind says casually, signing another form. “Will that be a problem?”
“Hopefully not,” Junie mumbles. “I think I’ll let you guys do most of the fighting, though.”
Nia gives the rookidee a comforting smile, then looks to Tobias, head tilting in question. So they’re leaving it up to him.
Tobias sighs. “No, we’ll do it. In exchange, you’ll give us info on the outlaw trio as soon as we get back, right?”
Rosalind nods, once again wearing that pleasant smile of hers that makes his skin crawl. “Of course. I just finished preparing the contract, so all I need is for you three to sign it.”
The haterene lays out another piece of paper—the contract—as well as an ink pen.
“So, uh,” Junie pipes up. “I’m not officially part of their Seekers team. I’m more here for moral support.”
Tobias rolls his eyes. More like she’s here to be nosy.
“So am I supposed to sign this thing too?”
Rosalind hums, looking over the little rookidee. If she’s surprised by this turn of events, she doesn’t show it. “Considering you’re presumably joining them on this assignment—“ She pauses, just long enough for Junie to object. She doesn’t. “—And that you’ll be receiving the same information, then yes. You walked in here willingly, knowing what you were getting into, so you fall under the same terms.”
Junie nods, unusually quiet, and Tobias wonders if she regrets coming along after all. Too late now.
Tobias rereads the contract once more, skimming over it to make sure everything is laid out as the haterene said it was. It seems like it, so he moves down to the empty signature line, pen hovering over the blank space.
“Wait,” Nia says. Everyone turns to her, but she’s reading the contract carefully, peering closely at the page. “I just want to make sure I’m reading it right. This is a one-for-one kind of deal, r-right? We do one assignment, you give us the owed information for that assignment, and then we wait for the next round. But we aren’t obligated to do any of the assignments, since you give us the info afterwards, right? As long as we don’t ever tell anyone about this, we can still like…back out at any time? We aren’t locked into a certain timeframe or amount of assignments we have to do?”
“Correct. Most clients don’t like being tied down indefinitely, and happy clients make for easier business relationships.”
Nia stares at the haterene for a moment, as if trying to gauge how truthful she’s being. Finally, she looks back to the paper, then Tobias, moving closer to nudge him.
“What do you think?”
Tobias clicks his claws against the desktop in a quick rhythm while he glances through the document again. He doesn’t like the uncertainties around all this, and he certainly doesn’t trust Rosalind. But this could be his best opportunity to get information.
He needs this information.
Tobias closes his eyes, takes a deep breath, then signs his name on the contract before he can second-guess himself out of it. Silently, he passes the pen over to Nia, watching her sign her name in messy, childlike strokes. Junie follows her lead.
“Perfect,” Rosalind purrs, taking the papers back to sign her own section with a confident flourish. “That’s it, then! I’ll leave the assignment sheet with you, and let my client know to have his daughter ready for pickup bright and early tomorrow. When you’re done with the mission, just come back here for your payment.”
Tobias nods, taking the sheet to fold up and hand to Nia. She carefully pockets it in their satchel. There’s a brief moment of awkward quiet where Tobias isn’t sure if they should leave or if they need to discuss anything else.
“Zag?” Rosalind prompts.
“Yes, Lady Rosalind!” Zag says, eagerly standing and scampering to the door. “Follow me, you three. I’ll show you out.”
“Thank God,” Junie mumbles. Nia gently elbows her.
They follow Zag out of Rosalind’s office, the door shutting heavily behind them, and follow the normal type back out of the house. He holds the front door open for them, wishing them good luck on tomorrow’s mission before retreating back inside.
The three of them are left on the front porch, and Tobias at least is a little unsure of how to feel. At least the fresh air and warm, late afternoon sun is nice, especially after being stuck in Rosalind’s house for so long.
“Well,” Junie finally starts. “That was terrifying. I guess we should find somewhere to crash for the night? Uh, preferably not in this area. I don’t want to have to sell a kidney to afford it.”
“Food, then we find an inn,” Tobias agrees, turning and leading them back onto the street.
Nia nods and starts to follow, only to suddenly freeze in place. “W-Wait. Did we ever check back in with Aarush after making the plant deliveries for today’s mission?”
Junie stops and squints at the sky. “Oh. We did kind of walk off without telling him, didn’t we? Huh.”
“We did!” Nia confirms, looking vaguely horrified. “He’s probably been wondering where we are this whole time!”
Tobias snorts. “Stop freaking out. We were done with deliveries anyways, so it’s not like we put him behind at all. We’ll go there first and get our reward.”
Nia relaxes the slightest bit. “Oh. O-Okay.”
“Maybe we can find a train nearby to take us back that way,” Junie suggests, flapping into the air a few feet to try and get a better look around. “My wings are killing me.”
Tobias wouldn’t say no to a train ride back, but stays quiet. While Nia and Junie chatter, he slips a hand into their satchel and pulls the assignment sheet from Rosalind back out, reading over the details of it so he doesn’t miss a single thing.
He finally has a chance to find out more about the Pokemon who took his family away from him, and he isn’t going to waste it.
Chapter Text
“So we just gotta escort this guy’s daughter to the next town over?” Junie asks, hopping along next to Nia. “Why can’t he just do it himself?”
Nia yawns and shrugs, stumbling over a bump in the cobblestone street in her half-asleep state. Junie chirps a laugh and moves forward to match Tobias’ pace instead, probably asking him the same question. It’s later than the charmander usually likes to get started (which is always far too early), but still earlier than Nia likes to be up. She’s been getting more used to the early hours of a Seeker, but she’s starting to think she just might not be a morning person.
The city is pretty in the early light, though, soft pinks and blues playing across the stones and colorful buildings. It’s quieter too, with a few Pokemon heading off for the day but the streets overall empty and calm. Nia finds it soothing, and enjoys the cool morning air on her face.
A step ahead of her, Tobias snaps something at Junie, already impatient with the little bird. Nia listens in and realizes he’s complaining about the mission they’re taking today.
“I’m actually kind of excited about it,” Nia admits, stepping up to walk between the other two and readjusting the satchel strap around her shoulder. “I always like meeting new people, so getting to escort someone sounds like it might be a fun mission.”
Tobias’ irritation dies down to a dull sort of resignation. “Yeah. We’ll see if you feel that enthusiastic by tonight.”
“Not everyone hates social interaction, Toby,” Junie teases.
“It’s not that,” Tobias says, rolling his eyes. “Escort missions have a reputation for being a pain in the tail. Too many clients who don’t know how to fight getting all jumpy and starting battles they can’t finish. Speaking of,” he narrows his eyes down at Junie. “Can you handle yourself? I’m not saving your feathery tail if we do get in a scuffle.”
Junie ruffles her feathers. “I’ll be fine! Besides, Rosalind said we shouldn’t have to fight, right?”
Tobias snorts, voice dripping with sarcasm. “Yeah, because I’d trust her word.”
“Okay,” Junie says after a moment. “Valid.”
Nia shakes her head with a smile, fighting off another yawn. “I’m sure it’ll be all right. We’re just taking this girl to the next town over. It’s like babysitting. Wait—do we know how old she is?”
“No clue,” Tobias mumbles.
“Well, we’ll be fine if she’s little,” Nia says thoughtfully, looking both ways before they cross a street. Better safe than sorry, even if it’s quiet and there aren’t cars in this world. Still plenty of giant Pokemon that could smush them on accident. “I like kids. And you’re great with them!”
Junie gasps, looking delighted at this new tidbit of info, and immediately starts prodding Tobias about it. The charmander sends Nia a withering glare, and she winces, shrugging helplessly. Whoops.
Luckily for Tobias’ patience and Junie’s very flammable feathers, they arrive at the designated meeting spot soon after. It’s a large inn on the outskirts of the city, with the front door propped open to let in the cool morning air. They step inside to find a warm tavern, with heavy wooden chairs and a recently doused fireplace. There’s a bar nearby, someone behind it cleaning plates and silverware. A few patrons are perched on the bar stools there, drinking out of mugs or eating meals.
Nia hadn’t been sure what Rosalind’s description of their client—a “zangoose”—would mean, but Tobias immediately locks onto one of the Pokemon sitting at the bar. He’s a scruffy, stocky cat-like Pokemon, with a fluffy white tail and tattered ears. Patches of red fur jag across his eye and over one ear. He taps rhythmically at the bar with long, wolverine-like claws.
Tobias leads them to the Pokemon’s side, asking, “Argos?”
The Pokemon’s tapping ceases as he turns to them, looking them up and down with sharp golden eyes. “Rosalind sent you three?”
Tobias nods, straightening up as if the extra inch of height will make him look more impressive. Nia’s too busy staring at the zangoose’s long claws. How does he even eat or write with those? What if his eye itches?
“Papers.”
Nia jolts back to awareness as Tobias follows the prompt, presenting the mission sheet Rosalind had given them. Argos glances over it and eventually nods, handing it back and sliding to the ground.
“Follow me.”
They do, trailing behind the zangoose as he moves away from the bar area and deeper into the building, down a hall lined with doors—the actual lodgings of the inn, presumably.
He stops at one halfway down, using a key (Nia watches with amazement as he expertly handles the tiny piece of metal with his claws) to open it.
When he enters the room, his voice softens like warm butter. “‘M back, Keiko.”
“Daddy!” A high, childlike voice cheers. Nia peeks around Tobias’ shoulder, just in time to see a tiny cloaked bundle fling itself into the zangoose’s arms.
Argos catches her easily, rumbling a laugh and propping his daughter up in his arms. The hood of the baggy cloak falls back, revealing an adorable little…squirrel? Her fur is a pristine white, with a bright stripe of pink running down the back of her head and to the tip of her bushy, curled tail. Gold blush-like markings adorn her cheeks, and when she smiles at them, Nia spots buck teeth.
“This here’s my special girl, Keiko,” Argos says, smoothing down the fur on the girl’s head with gentle claws. Her pelt almost seems to shimmer under the touch. Like she has sparkles in her fur.
“Hello!” She chirps, waving a tiny paw.
Nia melts and waves back. What a cutie! No wonder even Argos can’t resist softening up to her charms.
“You’ll be taking Keiko to Midcross and dropping her off with Brant, a sandslash. He’ll be waiting for you at the local inn around dusk.” He pauses, looking over the three of them again and tightening his hold on his daughter. “A lot of Pokemon know that Keiko is the best way to get to me. You sure you’re up to guarding her?”
“We can handle it,” Tobias says, narrowing his eyes. “Are you expecting an attack?”
Argos snorts. “Wouldn’t be sending Keiko off with a bunch of random kids if I was. We shouldn’t have been followed, but I want to make sure. Rosalind say you’re Seekers, but Keiko is…easy to spot.”
“No kidding,” Tobias grumbles. Nia tilts her head, looking at Keiko once again. Sure, she’s very bright, but the two of them sound like they’re referencing something else that would make her recognizable. Maybe the sparkly fur? Is that normal?
“Well. C’mon then.” Argos turns and leads them back out of the room and to the front of the tavern. He sets the girl down on her feet and holds out a paw. Keiko smiles sweetly and pulls a piece of parchment from her cloak, handing it over.
Argos turns back to them, smitten smile shifting seamlessly to a glare. “Here. Just head east until you hit the town, just past the forest. Got it?”
Tobias takes the parchment with a nod, unfolding it to glance over what looks like a minimal, sketchy drawing resembling a map.
Argos narrows his eyes, sizing them up again. Then he leans in close to growl, “Keep her safe, or you’ll regret it.”
Nia leans back. “W-We will!”
Argos stares for a beat longer, but eventually nods and turns to kneel in front of Keiko again.
“I’m gonna go now, sweetheart. These three will take good care of you, and if they don’t then you tell them what’s what, got it?”
Keiko giggles and plants her paws on her hips. “Will do, Daddy! See you soon!”
Argos gives her a soft smile, leaning forward to bump his forehead to hers before pulling away. He sends Nia, Tobias and Junie one last warning glare, pointing with a claw as if to emphasize his threat. Then he stands and leaves the tavern, casting one last glance at Keiko over his shoulder.
Keiko watches him go, standing on her tiptoes to wave him off. Nia’s almost afraid that the little squirrel will be upset, but she looks at ease watching her father walk away. Maybe they have to separate like this a lot. That’s…kind of sad.
Then Keiko looks to them expectantly, raising a brow. There’s an awkward moment of silence.
“Well, let’s get going then,” Tobias sighs. “It’s a long way to Midcross.”
He turns and leads them outside, and Nia gestures Keiko ahead of her so she’s in the middle of their little party. God help them if they lose her.
“We can’t take the train part of the way, can we?” Junie asks, trying to hop up to look at the shoddy map Argos had given to Tobias. “If it’s a long walk then we’ll want to conserve energy, right?”
Tobias snorts. “More like you’re a lazy lump and don’t wanna walk.”
“Hey, we have a kid with us! They get tired easily!”
“You guys are a Seeker team?” Keiko asks Nia doubtfully as Tobias and Junie bicker. “You don’t seem like Seekers. Seekers are supposed to be cool.”
Okay, kind of rude. Not wrong, but rude. Nia looks down at Keiko with a (hopefully) comforting smile. “Don’t worry, we are Seekers. We’ll keep you safe and get you to Midcross before you know it!”
Keiko’s sweet face twists into a smirk, and Nia blinks, thinking the expression odd on her adorable little face. “Uh, yeah, you’d better or Daddy is going to skin you alive.”
Nia stumbles, and Tobias and Junie stop their argument to give her a confused glance. Nia waves them off.
“U-Um, I’m sure we’ll be fine,” Nia says to Keiko, trying on a shaky smile.
The little squirrel makes a noncommittal hum, peering around the city from within her baggy cloak as they walk. She looks like a tiny potato sack shuffling along, drowning in the fabric. It would be adorable if Nia wasn’t so caught off-guard by the little squirrel’s sudden attitude. She’d seemed so sweet around Argos.
They make their way through the city at a casual pace, trying not to look suspicious or garner attention. Luckily, most of the townspeople they see only give them a passing glance. A city this big must see a lot of strange characters.
Junie and Tobias eventually finish their argument, deciding not to seek out a train and get off track since they need to leave the city instead of just going to a different section of it.
Nia glances down at Keiko again. She’s trailing behind Tobias and Junie without complaint, but she looks bored already.
“S-So, uh, Keiko…” Nia starts, then realizes she isn’t even sure how to start a conversation with a kid in this world. Especially the daughter of a criminal. She isn’t even sure how old Keiko is. Nine, maybe? Ten? Do most Pokemon children even go to school if they aren’t living in a guild? “What do you like to do for fun?”
Keiko gives her an unimpressed look, looking remarkably like her father for a moment. “Really? That’s your attempt at small talk?”
Nia winces. “W-Well—“
“Wait. You’re a bunch of newbies, aren’t you?” Keiko cuts her off, grinning. “Oh, my daddy is going to kill Rosalind for assigning a bunch of rookies to escort me.” She giggles, sounding thrilled at the idea. “You’re gonna be in sooo much trouble.”
Nia stares at her, feeling her stomach sink. Oh. Keiko is kind of a brat, isn’t she?
Well. That should make the day fun.
“We are newer,” Nia admits. “But we know what we’re doing!” Kinda. “And we definitely won’t let anything happen to you.”
Keiko gives her an amused look. “Uh-huh. You’d better hope not.”
For your sake, she implies but doesn’t say. Nia swallows and nods. “R-Right.”
The city slowly gets louder as they walk, waking up properly around them. The sun rises from the horizon line to the tops of the buildings, and even Junie seems to quiet down as she alternates between hopping along and taking flight for short bursts.
It’s probably only been a half hour—they haven’t even reached the edge of the city yet—when Nia notices Keiko slowing down. She’s trailing behind, until Nia has to slow her own steps to avoid losing the little squirrel. Her curled tail is starting to droop, too, her tiny steps dragging.
“Are you all right?” Nia asks her, quietly.
“I’m tired,” Keiko complains, not quiet at all.
“We have to keep up the pace,” Tobias calls back, not slowing. “We won’t reach Midcross until tomorrow at this rate.”
“But how long are we gonna have to walk?” Keiko whines, slowing down even more. “The stone is hurting my paws.”
Junie laughs and sing-songs, “We should’ve found a train!”
Tobias glares at her, then back at Keiko. “We haven’t even left Ghatha. We have the rest of the day to walk yet.”
Keiko stops, looking genuinely distraught. “What?! Why aren’t we taking a cart if it’s that far?”
Junie barks another smug laugh.
“It’s not that far,” Nia tries to comfort. “We can play some games on the way to pass the time, i-if you’d like.”
Keiko gives her a disdainful look. “Gonna ask me what I like to do for fun again?” But then she lights up. “Oh! I know! If you really wanna help, then you guys can just carry me.”
Everyone stops, Nia sending Tobias an uncertain look. The charmander huffs an irritated puff of smoke.
“C’mon then. Daylight’s wasting,” Keiko says, lifting her little arms expectantly.
Tobias rolls his eyes. “You’re like ten. You’re old enough to walk on your own.”
Keiko stomps her foot, electricity sparking at her cheeks. “I’m eleven. And Daddy said you had to do whatever I wanted. So carry me!”
Tobias narrows his eyes. “No.”
Keiko meets the charmander’s stare. Then, she hmphs, plopping down in the middle of the street. “Fine. But I’m not moving.”
The pachirisu’s tail flicks out from under her cloak, a bright flash of pink and white against the cobblestones, and Tobias hurriedly pulls at the pachirisu’s cloak to cover it.
Keiko, of course, catches on and grins. She yanks her hood down, tail pointedly flicking back out, proudly showing off her bright pelt.
“Stop! Someone could see you!” Tobias snaps.
Keiko bounces to her feet and dodges under Tobias’ frantic hands, taking advantage of the fact that they have to be gentle with her to bat him away.
“Do you want us to be attacked?!” Tobias hisses, glancing around. There are more Pokemon out and about at this time, but they just glance at the scene with something between amusement and pity.
“Carry me and I’ll put the cloak back on!” Keiko giggles.
Tobias groans and digs his palms into his eyes. Nia hesitantly steps forward. “Keiko, y-your dad was really worried about someone seeing you, in case any Pokemon are nearby who might want to hurt you. Can you please put your hood back on?”
Keiko pauses, long enough to almost seem like she’s considering it, before blowing a raspberry Nia’s way. “You’re Seekers, right? If anyone attacks us you can just scare ‘em away.”
Nia gives Tobias a helpless shrug. She likes kids, but she’s not sure how to deal with this.
Tobias groans and looks at Junie from between his fingers. “Can’t you talk some sense into her?”
Junie, who had clearly been enjoying the whole scene, blinks. “Me? Why would I be able to help?”
“Because you’re the second-biggest brat here. You speak her language.”
“Okay, rude,” Junie scoffs. But she does turn to Keiko. “Yo, chickadee. Mind putting the hood up? Toby’s gonna have a conniption if you don’t.”
“Fine with me!” Keiko chirps, scrambling up a light post with ease, her bushy tail wrapping around it to stabilize herself.
“We might just have to carry her,” Nia whispers anxiously.
“We are only stuck with her for the day,” Tobias admits, glaring up at Keiko’s smug smile. “Her dad’s the one who’s gonna have to live with her terrible behavior.”
“I say give the brat what she wants. The sooner we can drop her off the sooner we don’t have to deal with her,” Junie agrees.
“Fine,” Tobias says. Then, louder, “We’ll carry you. Just get your tail down here and put your hood back up.”
Keiko narrows her eyes at him, then looks to Nia, easily pegging her as the terrible liar of the group. “You promise?”
Nia sighs. “Yes, we promise.”
Keiko smiles, sliding down the lamp post and bounding over to Nia. Nia hands Tobias their satchel and scoops her up, glad at least that the squirrel is as light as she looks, all fluff and tail. Keiko hums a pleased note.
Tobias rolls his eyes, reaching over to pull her hood up and rearranging the cloak to cover her bright fur better. “There. Now stop complaining.”
Keiko sticks her tongue out at him, but snuggles into Nia’s hold and quiets down.
From there the walk is thankfully much less eventful. Junie chats with Nia about the little town they’re heading to, having passed it on her journey into Ghatha, and the riolu happily listens, asking her own occasional question.
She holds back a smile when she notices Keiko listening in, too, bright eyes following Junie from beneath her hood as the bird flits to and fro. She may have the attitude of a spoiled little pre-teen, but she’s not quite as disinterested as she’d like to appear.
By sunhigh, they’ve finally made it outside of Ghatha and to the promised forest. Nia immediately feels more at ease once the shade of the trees falls over them, and notices Tobias relaxing a bit too.
In the quieter atmosphere, Nia hears a new sound loud and clear, and it takes her a moment to realize the quiet growl is from Keiko—more specifically, her stomach.
“Hungry?” Nia asks.
“No!” Keiko snaps, sounding embarrassed. Huh. Nia figured she’d complain about being hungry, not try to hide it.
“Yo, firebutt, when’s lunch?” Junie calls to Tobias. “The kid’s dying back here.”
“I am not!”
Tobias spares them a dry look, then glances over his shoulder, back the way they came. “I’d like to get farther into the woods before stopping…”
Junie lands and rolls her eyes. “You’re too paranoid. I didn’t see anyone following us, and the kid’s just gonna get grumpy if we don’t feed her. Well, grumpier.”
Before Keiko can get angry at that, Nia speaks up. “I could use a rest, too.”
Tobias sighs. “Fine. Just a quick stop to eat.” He glances around, then waves them over to a little patch of sunlight to the side, where the trees and undergrowth are more sparse.
Nia plops to the ground, grateful when Keiko wriggles free from her hold to stretch on her own two feet. The squirrel is by no means heavy, but after hours of walking Nia’s arms are feeling a bit tired out. Plus, her feet are sore from walking across Ghatha’s hard stone streets all morning. The softer ground underfoot is much nicer, like a balm to her sore pads.
“It feels nice to be back in the forest,” Nia sighs, looking around happily.
“Yeah. And now we don’t have to worry as much about her keeping that blasted hood on,” Tobias grumbles as he pulls a few apples out of their satchel and hands them out. “Not as many Pokemon here to see us.”
“You mentioned that earlier, with Argos,” Nia says, jumping on the opportunity to learn. “Is there something strange about Keiko’s fur that makes her easier to recognize?”
“Duh! I’m a shiny!” Keiko says through a mouth full of food, proudly lifting her chin. The large hood falls back again, revealing her little pointed ears and the stripe of pink atop her head.
Nia frowns. “A shiny?”
“Shiny is a term for Pokemon with unusual color patterns,” Tobias explains, taking a loud crunch of his apple. “Pachirisu usually have blue markings, not pink.”
“And I have extra beautiful, sparkly fur!” Keiko boasts.
“Which makes you an obvious target, even out here,” Tobias growls, reaching over to yank Keiko’s hood back over her head. She squeaks and glares at him from within the fabric. “Stop.”
“Relax, Toby!” Junie chirps, pecking speedily at her apple. Little pieces fly everywhere, and Nia holds back a smile when both Tobias and Keiko wrinkle their noses up in disgust. “We made it to the forest so surely we’re fine, right?”
“Hopefully,” Tobias rumbles, still sending an occasional glance over his shoulder.
Nia hums and takes another bite of her apple, just content to take a rest under the soothing canopy of the forest. It isn’t exactly the same as Bethoc’s Haven, full of different trees and undergrowth, but it’s still comforting. Familiar and safe. Like home.
Then again, even before joining the guild, when she first woke up in this world, she’d automatically ran to the trees for cover. Maybe she’s always found safety under the treetops, even in the human world.
Soon enough they’re finished with their apples, tossing the cores into the foliage and away from the path. Keiko hops back into Nia’s arms before she can try to convince the little squirrel to walk on her own two paws, so she sighs and accepts her fate.
They rejoin the nearby path to begin their travel through the forest, and Nia takes a deep breath of the fresh air. The plant life here really is pretty. Nia enjoyed Ghatha, especially seeing all the new, different kinds of Pokemon, but she missed the quieter openness of the forest. They haven’t even seen anyone since leaving the boundary of the city.
Which…is kind of strange, actually. Especially along a main path like this. Nia glances over her shoulder, suddenly feeling a bit paranoid too. It’s quiet, but is it too quiet?
“Tobias,” Nia whispers, still looking behind them. “Do you think—“
Nia bumps into Tobias’ back. She’s confused until she looks forward, past him, and notices they’re no longer alone on the forest path.
The nerves settle like a rock in the pit of her stomach.
In front of them, a pair of Pokemon block their path with almost leisurely postures. They’re two giant snakes, each one easily three times as large as Nia or Tobias. Their scales are dark, with patches of bright gold and purple. The tips of their tails flick lazily, and in the sunlight they glint like blades, edged in red. Matching fangs dip far past their jawlines, more like daggers than teeth. Sharp eyes flick between them, one pair blood red and the other a cold yellow.
This can’t be good.
“Seviper,” Tobias hisses under his breath, just loud enough for Nia to catch. “Of course that stupid, stupid zangoose has the most cliché enemies in the world.”
Keiko doesn’t have anything to say to that, which is what makes Nia look down at their charge. All attitude has drained out of the little squirrel, and she stares stock-still at the seviper with round, terrified eyes.
“Keiko?” Nia whispers.
Keiko whimpers and turns to hide her face in Nia’s shoulder. “Those two aren’t on good terms with my daddy. H-He told me to run if I ever saw them.”
So Tobias was right. Looks like they were spotted after all. Nia holds Keiko closer and takes a step back.
Tobias, who either heard the little squirrel or just picked up on her obvious fear, steps in front of them all with a snarl.
“We have somewhere to be. Get out of our way.”
“Give us the brat and we will,” one of them says, tone light. “You know why we’re here.”
“I’m sure she’s given you enough trouble,” the second seviper chimes in. “Why not let us take it from here?”
Keiko’s tiny claws dig into Nia’s shoulder, as if she’s afraid they’ll actually take the seviper up on their offer. Nia shakes her head, glaring at the snakes. Keiko may be a bit bratty, but she’s also a child. And a child they’d promised to protect.
“Not a chance,” Tobias snaps. “Back off before we make you leave.”
The two seviper exchange an amused look. Then, in a blink they’re launching into an attack, coming at them from either side.
Nia yelps and stumbles back, barely avoiding a pair of jaws and a heavy tail slamming into the ground. Tobias grabs a frozen Junie and leaps out of the way.
“They’re poison types—watch out for venom!” Tobias barks, tossing Junie aside to go on the offensive.
The two seviper are clearly gunning for Nia since she’s holding Keiko, but one peels off to deal with Tobias. Nia clutches Keiko tight and desperately trips and ducks out of the way of a swinging tail blade and snapping jaws as wide as her torso.
It’s an endless onslaught, the huge snake matching her in speed. She can’t do a thing while she’s trying to protect Keiko, since she can’t use her arms, and very quickly she finds herself tiring, panting hard and running on fear, instinct, and battle training from Val.
A particularly close call makes something in Nia’s chest jump, and a small flash of blue in the bottom of her vision distracts her. Her aura—?
The next swipe of the seviper’s tail knocks Nia’s feet out from under her, and she falls with a yelp, Keiko tumbling from her hold.
Before the seviper can strike at the squirrel, Tobias darts by, scooping her up mid-run and swiping the seviper across the face with his claws for good measure.
“Got her! Just handle that one!”
Nia scrambles to her feet, heart pounding. She hurriedly looks around, scanning the ground for a branch to use as a weapon, but she only sees twigs. The seviper is recovering from Tobias’ attack, though, glaring after him as if he’s considering double-teaming the charmander, so Nia doesn’t have time to go searching.
She launches herself at the seviper’s back, wrapping her arms around its neck and gritting her teeth through the snake’s angry thrashing.
Okay, she has the snake in a headlock. She didn’t really plan out what she would do from here.
Before she can figure it out, the seviper hisses and rolls, squashing the air out of Nia in a wheeze of breath. He’s so much heavier than her!
The seviper rears back to plunge down with bared fangs, and Nia barely manages to roll out of the way, rising to shaky feet. She raises her fists, trying to enter a fighting stance even as her mind is desperately wondering how you punch a snake. In the face? It’s certainly big enough to, but then there’s the fangs to worry about—
The seviper lunges at her again and she lets her battle instincts take over to dodge and swing a punch into the side of the snake’s head, cringing away from the solidness of the hit. She really needs a branch or something.
The seviper hisses and shakes out its head, twisting and swinging its tail around to try and catch her in the side. The blade misses, but the seviper uses its momentum for a second swipe that slams into Nia hard enough to send her rolling over painfully bumpy roots and stones.
She sits up and winces at the pain in her side (her ribs, jeez), but looks up at Tobias’ shout.
“Nia! Catch!”
“Wha—?”
Tobias unhooks Keiko from where she was clinging to his back, tossing her in Nia’s direction. The little squirrel squeaks, flailing in the air, but Nia manages to catch her.
“Don’t throw her!” Nia yelps. Her reflexes are not reliable enough for catching airborne children.
“I need the space!“ Tobias retorts, taking a deep breath and letting it out in a huge plume of embers. Her seviper must’ve moved to double-team Tobias, because both snakes are in range of the attack. They hiss and flinch away from the flames.
Okay, thrown children are better than toasted children. Fair enough.
Nia takes a note from Tobias’ book and swings Keiko onto her back, urging the squirrel to grab on. She does, clinging tight to Nia with a quiet whimper.
Nia hurries to help Tobias, sliding between the charmander and the seviper that was trying to sneak up on him so they’re back-to-back. She tries to ignore the aching pain in her ribs.
“What should we do?” Nia pants, watching the two seviper circle them.
“It’s impossible to fight them with Keiko right in the middle of everything.”
Nia nods, agreeing. “So…we run?”
“At this point we have to,” Tobias growls, not sounding at all happy about the prospect. “I’ll smokescreen ‘em, and then we cut south through the woods. You take Keiko, grab Junie and—“
They both freeze, and Nia knows Tobias just thought of the same thing as her.
Where is Junie? Nia hasn’t seen her since the fight started. She tries to scan the undergrowth without making it obvious she’s doing so, and after a moment she manages to spot the little rookidee.
Junie’s trembling under a nearby fern, peering out at them with huge eyes. She looks frozen with fear.
“Great,” Tobias hisses, likely spotting her as well.
Unfortunately, the seviper follow their gazes, grinning as they spot the cowering bird. They exchange an excited glance, and then everyone moves at once.
One seviper lunges for Junie. The other springs at Nia and Keiko. Nia ducks under its attack, looking over in time to see Tobias tackle Junie and roll them both out of the way of the seviper’s attack. But then it follows up, swinging its tail blade out.
Nia’s heart jumps into her throat as Tobias staggers. Did the seviper get him? Nia doesn’t get a chance to check, diving out of the way of her seviper’s next attack and scrambling to stay out of range.
“Nia! Get ready!” Tobias yells.
A heartbeat later, a jet of smoke pours from Tobias’ mouth to flood the forest floor, stronger than Nia’s ever seen it. For a moment Nia almost freezes, unsure of where to go or which direction Tobias and Junie went. He said south, right? But which way is that? She doesn’t remember which direction the sun rose this morning in relation to the woods.
The seviper hiss a frustrated noise, and Nia jolts, turning and fleeing into the forest at a sharp angle, hoping the much larger seviper are less used to traversing the forest than her and Tobias are. Keiko isn’t heavy, but the pain in her side is making it hard to breathe. Nia struggles to keep her panting quiet as she sprints through tangling undergrowth and leaps over arching roots and stones, praying she doesn’t trip.
Nia glances up at the sky visible through the trees, trying to gauge which direction the sun is sinking when it’s still so close to noon.
Something snaps behind her, far back but still too close, and Nia stumbles. Her aura flashes briefly again from her chest. She makes a guess at which direction south would be before pouring on the speed. Her lungs and throat are burning, but she’s grateful for her long legs and physical training. She hopes Tobias is doing all right with his shorter legs and more noticeable tail flame.
Nia crosses a tiny stream and skirts around a patch of briars before she starts looking for somewhere to stop and hide. She needs a break, but she doesn’t trust that the seviper are far behind.
She nearly runs right by it—an old fallen tree half-covered in foliage and brambles. Nia almost doesn’t want to stop to check it in case it isn’t what she’s hoping for, but she really needs to catch her breath.
She stumbles to a stop and hurriedly pulls at the foliage, relieved to see the wood rotted through enough to leave a small hollow space in the trunk. She glances over her shoulder and ducks to crawl in, pulling the foliage over the gap behind her. She tugs Keiko around to sit in her lap, slumping against the wall of the hollow, breathing hard and pressing a hand against the pain in her side.
Her ears strain to hear anything over her roaring pulse. The wind sifts through the leaves overhead, but otherwise it’s quiet. Unnervingly so. Would she hear the seviper creeping up on her? Or Tobias and Junie if they were in trouble?
Keiko shudders in Nia’s lap, face buried in the ruff of fur around the riolu’s neck, and Nia remembers that she has someone who needs her right here.
“Keiko?” She whispers. “Are you all right? Are you hurt?”
The little squirrel hesitates, as if to check, but then takes a shaking breath and pulls away. Nia can see her teary eyes and trembling chin even in the dim, spotty sunlight filtering into the log. “N-No. I don’t think so.”
“Good,” Nia breathes, relieved at least that they somehow kept the girl safe. Barely. They’ve never had to outright run from a fight like that before.
Nia glances nervously out through the ferns, dreading a glimpse of dark scales and hoping for a flash of fire. Should she go back out? Try to find Tobias and help him and Junie if they’re in trouble? But she can’t just leave Keiko here alone.
“W-What’re we going to do now?” Keiko whispers, voice cracking. She pulls her cloak and tail tight around herself.
“I…” Nia hesitates. She wants to reassure Keiko, but she’s a terrible liar. The sharp little squirrel would see through her in an instant. “I’m not sure yet. Tobias and I have never been separated like this.”
The gravity of that statement hits Nia once the words are out of her mouth.
Tobias isn’t here. She’s the only one who can protect Keiko right now. She’s calling the shots. She’s in charge. She’s always been fine with Tobias taking the lead on all their missions, but she suddenly realizes why that might not have been the best idea.
Because now she has no clue what to do.
Keiko looks terrified at Nia’s statement. Little sparks shoot off at the squirrel’s golden cheeks, her breaths hiccupping as fresh tears well up in her eyes.
“No, wait, w-we’re fine! Please don’t cry!” Nia frets, waving her hands. “We’ll be all right!”
Keiko can’t help the little sob that breaks free, and Nia feels for her—really, she does—but she also feels a renewed surge of fear as she glances outside. If Keiko starts crying in earnest, the seviper will find them in no time.
Nia’s panicked thoughts falter as a blue glow catches her eye once again. Her aura, reacting to her fear and glowing bright in her chest. She hurries to try and cover it with her hands. She can’t lose control of her aura here, not now. She has to calm down, for the both of them.
What would Val tell Nia if she were here?
“Here,” Nia whispers after a beat, holding out her hands, palm-up. Keiko stops crying long enough to look between them and up at Nia’s face. Hesitantly, the squirrel lays her paws in Nia’s.
“We’re going to take a few deep breaths, a-and then we’re gonna figure out what to do, all right?” Nia says, trying to sound encouraging and not scared out of her mind.
Keiko opens her mouth, as if to argue, but then closes it and nods, tears trickling off her chin.
“It’ll be all right,” Nia whispers, hoping it’s the truth. “Just close your eyes, and breathe with me, okay?”
Nia closes her eyes and takes a deep, exaggerated breath, relieved when Keiko imitates her. Exhale. Another breath. Exhale.
Nia takes the moment of quiet to check on her aura, worried but not surprised to find it brighter than it was this morning when she woke up. It’s shifting, like a growing storm or some waking beast, and Nia knows her own emotions are what’s working it up, but that does nothing to soothe them.
Calm. She has to calm down. Keep breathing, like Val taught her to do. Nia tries to imagine the steady medicham sitting beside her, instructing her with her deep, soothing voice.
After a minute, Nia’s aura is still far from calm but no longer threatening to break away from her control. She decides that’ll have to do for now, and opens her eyes again.
Keiko looks a little better, too, still clearly frightened but no longer sparking and shaking apart.
Just as Nia opens her mouth to speak, the distant sound of something crashing through the undergrowth hits Nia’s ears. Keiko stiffens, her own ears pricking. She looks to Nia with wide, scared eyes.
Nia’s heart beats louder, and she shoves her frightened aura back down. Her chest feels tight from restraining her power, pressure building like lightning in a bottle.
“It’s okay,” Nia whispers. “It’ll be okay. Here, just…”
Nia nudges Keiko farther into the log, shuffling to sit at the entrance and blocking her from view. She peers out into the forest, tensed and ready to fight if need be.
She eyes a hefty branch lying nearby, a bit bigger than she usually likes to use as a weapon. She could probably still swing it around all right, but it’s definitely going to strain her bruised ribs.
The sound of someone moving through the forest grows louder as they move closer. Branches and stones crack and clatter underfoot, foliage shuffling and whipping.
Is it Tobias and Junie? The seviper? Someone else entirely?
Nia can only hope that she’s ready, whoever it is. She has to protect Keiko.
Somehow.
Notes:
And we're back! Next chapter should be up on January 23rd. :3
Chapter 31
Summary:
The mission continues (to fall apart).
Chapter Text
Nia waits, tense, at the mouth of the fallen tree as the crashing grows closer and closer through the trees. It isn’t slowing. Her heart hammers in her chest.
Then, finally, a familiar blur of orange rushes into view.
“Tobias!” Nia whisper-shouts, the tension draining from her chest like a rush of water. She hurries out of the ferns and waves her arms to catch his attention.
Tobias stumbles to a stop when he sees her, eyes wide and embers billowing from his mouth with gasping breaths. “Nia?”
It’s then that Nia sees he’s holding Junie, too. The bird is ruffled and wide-eyed, tucked under one arm. Tobias’ free arm is hanging limp, and a slash of red catches her eye.
“You’re hurt!” Nia gasps, stepping closer and grabbing his arm to get a better look. The skin around the gash is tinged with purple, and Nia’s stomach twists. One of the seviper must’ve gotten him.
Before Tobias can respond, something snaps in the direction Tobias had come from, too close for comfort.
Tobias yanks his arm away, looking uncharacteristically nervous. “No time. We’ve gotta hide.”
Nia nods and gestures him and Junie into the hollow log, hurrying to cover it again with foliage. When she finally sits down in the cramped space of bark and moss and leaves, bumping knees with Tobias and pressed close to Junie, Keiko crawls into her lap. Whether to save room or for comfort, Nia doesn’t know, but she holds the little squirrel without comment.
For a moment they’re all silent. Tobias tries to quiet his heavy breaths as they listen hard for any sign of the seviper. The trees outside rustle in the wind, but otherwise it’s quiet.
It’s only as Nia starts to calm down and actually take in the state of their little group that she looks again to where Tobias is pressing one hand hard to his arm. In the dim light, Nia can see blood leaking from between his fingers.
“Are you going to be all right?” Nia whispers.
Tobias peels his hand away to reveal the deep, purpling slice in his arm.
“Poison types are the worst,” Tobias grumbles. He nods at the satchel he’d slipped off. “Grab me a pecha berry.”
“Uh, that’s the pink one, right?” Nia whispers, leaning over Keiko to fish through the satchel.
Junie, finally thawing a bit from her frozen state, peers at Tobias’ wound. She looks like she might be sick. “Did it poison you with its tail?”
Tobias grunts an affirmative, clearly not in the mood to chat.
Nia finds the pecha berry and hands it over. Tobias stuffs it in his mouth. The gash on his arm doesn’t heal up, still bleeding sluggishly, but the purple tinge of venom starts to fade before Nia’s eyes.
“Do you need an oran berry too?” She asks, already reaching back into the bag and hoping he won’t be stubborn about this. They’d stocked up before taking this mission, so she knows they have a few on hand.
Tobias wrinkles his nose at his arm, as if hating the idea of actually using their resources, but then sighs. “Yeah. I’ll need it if we run into the seviper again.”
Keiko makes a tiny, scared noise in response to that, burrowing deeper into Nia’s shoulder and digging in her tiny claws.
Junie’s feathers fluff out. “I’d really rather not get into another fight.”
Tobias snorts, giving Junie a tired glare. “Why do you care? Not like you were doing anything anyways.”
Junie blinks, then scowls. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
Tobias takes the oran berry Nia holds out to him, eating half of it in one bite. “Please. You were deadweight that whole fight. I had to physically carry you out of there.”
Junie winces, emotions flicking across her face too fast to catch, before settling on anger. “I-I would’ve been fine! I was just…warming up. It’s not like I have a habit of fighting giant snakes ten times my size.”
“This morning you said you could handle yourself!” Tobias growls, voice rising ever so slightly.
“I didn’t think we’d actually get attacked!” Junie retorts, throwing out her wings.
“You could at least fly out of the way!”
Junie winces, struggling to retort. “I couldn’t just leave you guys! You needed help protecting the kid!”
“Oh yeah, because you’re so much help!” Tobias hisses. “We’re protecting you as much as the ten year old!”
“Eleven,” Keiko corrects in a strained whisper.
Junie puffs up, looking angry, but when she speaks she just sounds embarrassed, “We wouldn’t even be in this stupid situation if you didn’t make us take shady back-alley deals with a literal criminal!”
“You didn’t have to come with us!” Tobias snaps. Nia wonders if she’s imagining their hiding spot heating up as Tobias’ tail flame grows brighter. “That’s why I asked if you could handle this!”
“Guys,” Nia whispers, nervously glancing outside. “M-Maybe—“
“And you don’t have to go seeking out stupid information about some dumb outlaws!” Junie says. “You still haven’t even told me why you want to find them so badly!”
“Because it’s none of your business!”
“It is now!” Junie shrieks, flinging a wing out towards the woods. Tobias slaps a hand over her beak to shush her, which she bats away. “We were almost snake food because you have some petty grudge against some stupid outlaws! What’d they do, beat you in a fight or something? Look at you funny?!”
Tobias tenses up, and Nia looks nervously between them. “Junie—“
“No!” Junie snaps, glaring at Nia. “Has he even told you why you’re putting yourself in danger to help him find these guys?!”
“Shut up,” Tobias growls, voice quiet.
The charmander is staring at Junie with eyes like chips of ice. Something about his tone seems different than usual. Like it isn’t just irritation, but something much deeper. The air is heavy, hot and stifling. Alarm bells sound in Nia’s head.
Junie, oblivious, opens her beak to continue her tirade.
“Seriously Junie,” Nia pleads, casting a nervous glance at Tobias, then outside, then finally at the furious little bird. “This isn’t the time, and it’s his private business—“
“Well he’s made it our business, hasn’t he?” Junie says. Then she turns to Tobias, leaning in to get up in his face. “So? What’s so important that all of this is worth it to you?”
Tobias leans back, teeth bared. A wisp of smoke trails from his nose. “Shut your beak before I shut it for you. You don’t know what you’re talking about.”
Something in Nia’s chest—her heart? Her aura?—flutters anxiously. This isn’t good. This is too much for Tobias to handle right now. Too much for any of them to handle right now.
“Yeah right! You’re all bark and no bite!” Junie goads. “I’d like to see you try!”
“Shut up!” Tobias shouts, loud in the tiny space. A few embers slip loose, and Nia hurries to pat them out before they catch the log on fire.
“Why? Because I’m right?“
Tobias snarls and shoves past Nia and Junie, skin noticeably hot and giving off heat like a furnace.
“Tobias—“
The charmander slips outside, through the cover of ferns.
“What, you mouth off to the outlaws too and they took you up on your offer?” Junie yells after him. Her usually-teasing tone is bitter.
Tobias stops just a step away from the fallen tree, shoulders hunched and tense.
“You not strong enough to beat them?” Junie taunts. “Get your big manly pride hurt?”
“Fine,” Tobias says, and his voice is deceptively calm. Nia can hear the emotion running like magma under his words, seconds from erupting. “You want to know why I’m so set on finding the outlaws?”
“Yes!” Junie says, throwing out her wings as much as she can in the small space. “That’s what I’ve wanted the whole time! Just give me a good reason for nearly getting us eaten! Go ahead! Just one! I don’t—“
“They killed my family!” Tobias snarls, turning to Junie with wild blue eyes and fire spilling from his mouth. “And they tried to kill me too! That enough of a reason for you?!”
The following silence is heavy. Even the quiet noises of the forest seem still. Nia stares out at Tobias, wide-eyed and dismayed. Junie stares too, clearly shocked. Keiko whimpers and burrows deeper into Nia’s shoulder. Nia can hear Tobias’ heavy breathing even from feet away.
After a moment, he closes his eyes, looking almost ashamed as he deflates. His voice is dull and tired as he says, “There. Happy?“
He turns without another word and stalks away, leaning heavily against a tree just within the log’s line of sight. He looks…small.
Nia stares out at him, heart sinking. She’d already known roughly what happened between Tobias and the outlaws he was so desperate to track down. But somehow hearing it out loud, hearing it from him, seeing the open anguish on his face, makes it feel so much more real.
Nia gently pries Keiko away from her, hushing her before placing her down among the leaves. Then she turns and ducks out from the fallen tree.
“Nia—“ Junie rasps.
“Stay here,” Nia commands, turning to point a finger at Junie and using her best Mom Voice. “And look after Keiko.”
Junie cows under the scolding tone and nods, looking at the ground with guilty eyes.
Nia steps into open air and casts a nervous look around. There’s no sign of the seviper, luckily, but that doesn’t mean they’re in the clear. Especially after that yelling match. Still, she can’t exactly urge Tobias back into the log, not when he’s still so clearly worked up.
Instead, she cautiously approaches the charmander, wanting to help but not knowing how to. She should’ve stopped that argument before it spiraled out of control, but she’d been trying to calm Keiko and she just…
“Tobias,“ Nia rasps, reaching out. Her hand drops before it reaches him. What can she even say to him?
Tobias glances at her over his shoulder, and Nia feels her chest ache. His eyes are glassy, like he’s about to cry.
Nia wishes Maggie were here. She wishes her own mom was here, even if she can’t really remember her. She just has a feeling she’d know how to help.
The ache in her chest doubles, and she blinks back tears of her own. She hasn’t thought about it much, didn’t want to assume completely, but she can’t imagine what Tobias went through. He lost his entire family, and he was just a little kid. She’s only been separated from her family temporarily, and she doesn’t even fully remember them, and she’s still been a mess since she showed up in the Pokemon world, desperately seeking a way home. But losing them permanently?
How do you even recover from something like that?
“You don’t have to try to make me feel better,” Tobias says, grumpy voice cracking. “It won’t work anyways.”
Nia opens her mouth, then closes it. “I’m sorry,” she whispers, helpless.
Tobias snorts, turning away to wipe at his eyes.
Nia takes a step closer. “Tobias, I don’t—“
“Nia!” Junie shrieks, voice panicked.
Nia spins around, just in time to glimpse a dark blur of color launching at her. She barely manages to trip back and out of the way of one of the seviper slamming the blade of its tail into the forest floor.
“Nia!” Tobias calls. Nia hears him grunt, followed by the scuffle of combat. Probably fending off the other snake.
“Sorry to interrupt such a cozy little moment,” the seviper hisses, sounding amused. “Not that it sounded all that cozy a minute ago.”
So they did hear the argument. She supposes it would’ve been hard not to.
Nia scrambles to her feet, dodging another attack and trying to get her bearings. Her bruised ribs scream at her for the sudden movement. Okay, the seviper are back—should they try to run again? Can they even run again? She’s not sure they’ll fall for the smokescreen trick twice.
The seviper snaps at her head, and Nia deflects the attack with a solid swipe of her arm. At least with Keiko and Junie hidden away in the log, her arms are free to defend herself better.
Nia suddenly remembers the branch she’d spotted earlier—larger than she’s used to using, but better than nothing—and makes a dash for it. She manages to grab it, faltering under its size, almost as long as she is tall. But then the seviper is on her again, so she swings the branch to ward him back, stumbling with the weight of it and the painful stitch in her side.
The seviper isn’t at all deterred by her new weapon, and starts again with an onslaught of snapping jaws and swings of his blade-like tail. Nia can’t even find the space to wind up for a hit with her branch, and focuses entirely on bracing it in front of her like a thin shield, stepping backwards and barely managing to counter each strike.
She nearly trips over a rock sticking up through the leaves, and winces when the seviper gets too close for comfort. Her chest flashes blue again, displaying her fear like a beacon.
She can’t keep this up.
Nia risks a glance over at Tobias, hoping that he’s doing better than her. The charmander is dancing around the second seviper’s strikes as well, occasionally trying to dart in with a scratch or shooting a plume of embers at its slippery form, but the snake doesn’t look very hurt.
She’s distracted, and doesn’t properly brace herself for the seviper’s next attack. It lunges, fangs aimed for her face, and she grabs either end of the branch to block it. But her footing is weak, and the weight of the movement slams her painfully to the ground, the seviper bearing down on her from above. The branch wedges between the seviper’s gaping jaws, cracking under the snake’s powerful bite force.
Nia struggles to hold the branch in place, legs kicking at the seviper’s immovable body and trying to push him back. Her shaking arms threaten to give out. Nia can’t look away from the snake’s huge, dagger-like fangs inches from her face. A drop of venom drips onto her cheek.
Nia thinks she hears Junie and Keiko cry out, but no help comes. Tobias is busy trying not to get killed by his own opponent.
Nia’s on her own.
Earlier, she’d been so relieved to see Tobias safe and sound, mostly because she didn’t want him to be hurt, but also because it meant he could take over again and call the shots. He could be the strong one, the leader, the rock of their little group.
But that isn’t true, is it? It can’t be. They’re a team, and Tobias needs her to carry her own weight. More than that even, if he can’t carry his own. She has to protect herself, and more importantly she has to protect the others. Junie and Keiko are done for if Nia and Tobias can’t fend the seviper off here.
But...how?
The branch cracks, visibly bowing under the seviper’s jaws, and Nia tries hard to gasp in breaths and think through tense, shaking muscles and sore ribs.
If she could just do something! Could she make a shield like she’d done at the convention to protect Junie? She doesn’t know how she did it then, and she isn’t exactly comfortable with the power behind her new aura, but at least it would be something!
Nia feels tears gathering at the corners of her eyes as her aura acts up with her emotions, flickering blue in the corner of her eye. Should she try just…drawing it out? She isn’t sure how to shape it, but—
The branch snaps clean through.
Nia’s hands barely manages to grab the seviper’s fangs before he can plunge them into her throat. Shaking arms push him back, feet straining against his heavy body.
She can’t keep this up for long.
Nia reaches for the aura in her chest, hesitating for just a heartbeat at how it’s churning like a storm, thrashing and bright with her emotions. She doesn’t know how to harness something like that, but she can’t calm it down, either. She’s too scared. She’s so scared. Scared, and angry and useless and—
Her hands slip on the damp fangs.
Time almost seems to slow as they aim for her throat, bearing down with enough power to crush her windpipe.
And Nia is blinded by her own soul’s light, exploding out in a flash of energy.
The stifling weight of the seviper is flung off her. A burst of sound follows, the gun-shot crack of wood, churning earth, a heavy thud, alarmed cries.
And then, all at once it passes. Too quick, too sudden. The silence slams down on them again, broken only by Nia’s gasping breaths. She stares up at the sun filtering through the forest’s leaves, blinking as her mind tries to catch up to what just happened.
Slowly, Nia sits up, sore and dizzy and confused. However, her attention is immediately snagged by the forest around them. Or what’s left of it, at least.
The trees around them are gouged and cracked, like someone had taken a whack at the sturdy trunks with an axe or a mallet. The mossy stones, leaves, and branches underfoot are all blown back in a radius, leaving only sturdy roots and dirt behind. Undergrowth is ripped from the ground or bent away like a mighty gale had swept them aside. It’s like a tiny little bomb had gone off, with Nia at its heart.
Tobias is staring at her from the churned-up earth and leaves of the forest floor, breathing hard. He looks scuffed up.
“W-What was that?” Tobias rasps. He sits up, but winces and puts a hand to the back of his head.
Nia opens her mouth to answer, but no words come out. She feels oddly numb, looking at the quiet destruction around her after so much fear and stress and fighting. She…she couldn’t have done that. Could she?
“I-I didn’t...” She swallows hard and looks down at her hands. Oh, she’s shaking.
Huh.
Nia looks around again, at the scores in the dirt and the rocks thrown away from her body. Tries to take it all in. Fails. Looks again.
She doesn’t notice Tobias standing up with a wince. Doesn’t notice him approach until he’s there right in front of her.
“Nia.”
She jumps, a pulse of aura washing through her body and glowing bright in the corners of her vision. Tobias jolts back a step and frowns as he looks at her eyes.
“Nia?”
She has to fight her tongue to get words to form this time around. “I-I…What did I do?”
The furrow in Tobias’ brow deepens. He glances over his shoulder, and Nia follows his gaze to the two seviper, both lying yards away and out cold in limp heaps. Junie peers out at them from the fallen tree with wide eyes.
“At the hospital you said your aura was stronger than before,” Tobias says slowly. “Different. What did you try to do with it, a second ago?”
Nia swallows, latching onto the question. What was she trying to do? “I-I just. I wanted to protect everyone. I was scared and upset, a-and I thought maybe if I could make a shield like at the convention…”
“That was more ‘weapon’ than shield,” Tobias murmurs, almost to himself. His hand drifts up again to the back of his head.
Nia takes another look at him as she comes back to herself, taking in the scrapes and reddened areas of his skin where bruises will likely bloom.
He hadn’t had those before the second attack, and she hadn’t seen him get hit by the seviper.
Nia gapes at him in horror. “D-Did…Did I hurt you?”
Tobias gives her an exasperated look. “I was the farthest away, so your aura just threw me back and I hit a rock. Trust me, I prefer it over getting my throat torn out.”
So she did hurt him. She hadn’t meant to and he’s relatively okay—not even mad at her—but…She glances again at the two seviper, suddenly fearful instead of relieved. She didn’t kill them, did she? Wait, what about Junie and Keiko?
Junie must see her panic even from her hiding spot in the tree, because she calls out a shaky, “Me ‘n Keiko are fine!”
Oh, thank God.
“I hurt you,” Nia whispers, voice raw.
Tobias almost looks surprised. Then he rolls his eyes. “I’m not any more hurt than I would be after a really rough spar. I’ll be fine.” He hesitates then, glancing over at the seviper before admitting, “I’m not sure what we would’ve done if you hadn’t taken them out, so. I’ll take bruised over dead.”
Nia swallows hard and nods, looking at the fresh, newly revealed dirt to blink back tears. She doubts he’s lying just to make her feel better, but just knowing she hurt him at all—and could’ve hurt Junie and Keiko too—makes something in her feel sick with guilt.
Her chest glows brighter for a moment, and Nia tries to shove those emotions down for now. She takes a few deep, shaky breaths, like Val taught her. She can’t have her aura lashing out like it did just a minute ago. She has to keep it under control. Push it down.
When she feels controlled enough, she looks up to see Tobias has left her side to cautiously approach the seviper, prodding one with his foot.
“Do we need to bring them in?” Nia asks, trying not to sound as reluctant as she feels. They are dangerous criminals who, y’know, tried to kill them, but she just…really doesn’t want to have to deal with that right now.
She’s suddenly so tired.
Tobias frowns down at the poison types, clearly thinking. Eventually he sighs, rubbing at his face. “No. We can’t. They could connect us to Keiko and Argos, and the last thing we want is the guild breathing down our necks about our deal with Rosalind.”
He doesn’t sound happy about that, probably recognizing how dangerous it is to just let them go, but he’s right.
Nia wobbles to her feet, glancing at the snakes once more before making her way over to the fallen tree. Junie, unhurt and clearly relieved, hops aside so Nia can slip past her. Keiko is curled up tight in the dim light, hugging her fluffy tail and cloak close, tense and shaking and teary-eyed. When she sees Nia, she sobs and launches herself into the riolu’s arms.
“I-I want my daddy!” Keiko wails.
Nia doesn’t doubt it. Argos is going to be furious.
Nia murmurs soothing words and rubs the squirrel’s back, sitting down heavily against the side of the log while Keiko cries it out. She’s suddenly so tired now that the danger has passed. Her limbs feel like stone. Her eyes droop, getting harder and harder to open with each blink.
She must doze off, because when she comes to, Tobias is shaking her arm and Keiko’s cries have quieted to soft sniffles.
“C’mon, we’ve still gotta get Keiko to Midcross.”
He takes the little squirrel from Nia’s arms, and Keiko only puts up a short fight before melting into the charmander’s warmth. Nia doesn’t argue, blearily following him out of the fallen tree.
Junie is already waiting outside, and glances at Tobias with guilty eyes before awkwardly looking away, out into the forest. Nia is far too exhausted to play mediator. She’s struggling just to stay on her feet, swaying and squinting in the afternoon sunlight.
“You gonna make it?” Junie asks. She tries to frame it as a joke, but she looks like she genuinely isn’t sure.
Nia nods, hoping it’s true, and just kind of zones out as Tobias silently gauges where they are. He narrows his eyes up at the sky, then nods and decisively starts walking. Hopefully East, towards Midcross.
Nia stumbles after him, Junie sticking close to her side.
The next few hours are a blur to Nia, exhausted as she is. The warm sunlight and seemingly endless forest put her in a daze, and she just can’t dredge up the willpower to worry about how Tobias stays completely silent or how Junie keeps shooting him ashamed glances, beak opening and closing as if she’s struggling to start a conversation. It’d be painfully awkward if Nia wasn’t focusing all her energy on just staying awake and upright.
She did sleep for like two days after expending her aura the last time, at the convention. No wonders she’s so tired.
The sun is sinking towards the horizon when they finally find Midcross. It’s a little crossroads town in the middle of the forest, the handful of wooden, plant-covered buildings appearing to be businesses, rather than homes. Delicious smells waft out of a nearby building, and Nia sniffs at them halfheartedly. She thinks she’s starting to get hungry, but it’s hard to tell when her body is so heavy and just screaming for sleep. She could pass out right here in the dirt, honestly.
Tobias leads them through the town, passing by travelers and merchants, until they find the small inn Argos had told them about. As soon as they step inside, Keiko looks up and cries, “Brant!”
She launches herself from Tobias’ hold and scampers over to a brown rodent-like Pokemon (also with claws for hands?) whose back is nothing but a bushel of spikes. He scoops up the little squirrel with obvious familiarity, visibly relaxing.
“Hey, Keiko,” he says, raspy voice soft. “You okay?”
Keiko hesitates, and Nia resigns herself to the fury they’re about to face when Keiko rats them out for being horrible bodyguards.
But then the little squirrel nods her head. “I’m okay. We got attacked by some seviper.”
Brant is clearly alarmed by that, dark eyes widening. He holds Keiko away from himself to look her over, as if she might be hiding a fatal wound.
“I didn’t get hurt,” she insists. She glances over at Nia and Tobias, looking almost embarrassed. “They…did a good job protecting me.”
If Nia wasn’t so tired, she might cry at how much those words warm her. They really didn’t do that good of a job, all things considered, but apparently they did something right to have won the little girl’s favor. At least they don’t have to worry about Argos coming for their heads.
Brant sighs, tucking Keiko back into the crook of his arm. “Good.” He turns to them. “Give me your papers and I’ll sign you off.”
Tobias reaches into their satchel and pulls out the mission papers from Rosalind. Brant takes them and shuffles over to the little front desk area of the inn. Nia watches, curious despite her exhaustion, as he borrows an ink well from the innkeeper and dips a claw in, signing off on their paper with some sort of symbol.
Tobias takes the paper back with a nod of thanks. Brant turns to go without another word, Keiko held at his shoulder with her little face peeking back at them. She waves goodbye, a complicated expression on her face. Nia waves back with a tired smile, feeling oddly sad about parting with the girl, before the two of them leave the inn entirely and are gone.
There’s a beat of awkward silence. Junie looks to Nia. Nia blinks tiredly at Tobias.
“Let’s book a room before finding food,” Tobias grumbles, avoiding looking either of them in the eye. He must’ve noticed Junie’s constant glances by now, but Nia’s not surprised that he’s ignoring the little bird’s ashamed looks and aborted words. Nia can’t even blame him for it, not after Junie pushed him so far.
“I’ll pass on supper. I could sleep for a week,” Nia mumbles, not even wanting to try and smooth things over between her two companions. She’s had enough for one day.
Tobias grumbles a vague agreement and steers them to the innkeeper, booking a room for the night. While he does, Nia checks in on her aura once more, knowing she’s going to crash as soon as she lies down. She just…needs to make sure it’s calm now. Needs to make sure it isn’t too bright, that it isn’t going to go out of control. That it isn’t going to lash out and hurt someone.
When Tobias leads them to their room, Nia flops down in the first nest she sees, her exhausted body feeling light and tingly with the chance to finally rest. Tobias and Junie pick nests nearby without a word.
It takes longer than it should for Nia to finally drift off, exhaustion lapping at her consciousness. She finds it hard to let herself go, even knowing that her aura is calm and small right now. Contained. Safe. She wonders if tomorrow night, when she’s less exhausted, she’ll even be able to sleep. She was a little afraid of her aura’s increase in power before, but now? After seeing what it can do to someone like those seviper? Knowing that it can and will hurt her friends?
How can she sleep when she’s too busy playing guard dog for the dangerous energy sitting in her chest?
Chapter 32
Summary:
Nia, Tobias and Junie make their way back to Ghatha, and decide what to do next.
Chapter Text
Tobias wakes with the sun. Soft morning light filters into the room of the inn at Midcross, dimly lighting Nia and Junie’s sleeping forms in the nests next to him.
Tobias yawns and stretches, letting his exhaustion and the events of the previous day trickle back into his mind as he slowly wakes. Keiko and Argos, the seviper attack, Nia’s aura, Junie just pushing pushing pushing, his unintended confession of why exactly he needs to find the outlaws--ugh, just thinking about all of it makes him want to go back to sleep. He’s grateful that Nia was at least too tired (or just too considerate) to bring up his meltdown, and Junie too…something. Guilty, maybe. He hopes they won’t bring it up today, either, although that’s probably just wishful thinking.
He should probably try to wake them soon. It’s a long trip back to Ghatha, and he doesn’t want to dawdle in Midcross when Rosalind is waiting to hand crucial information over as “payment” for successfully escorting Keiko to the checkpoint.
Huh. Speaking of payment, they’re running low on funds, especially after yet another stay at an inn. They could just take some missions from Keegan and the Ghatha guild, but unless Rosalind has another mission ready for them right away they don’t really have any reason to linger in Ghatha at all, now that he thinks about it. Nia has her connection to the humans movement through Will, and Tobias has his own connection to learn more about the outlaw trio through Rosalind. They accomplished what they came here for.
Maybe they need to head back home to the guild soon, back to Maggie. Tobias thinks of the meganium’s warm smile and refreshing scent, her teasing laughter and the softness of her petals as she pulls him into a hug. His chest aches, and he longs for her to be there with them.
Yeah, definitely time to head back home. He hasn’t been away from the Haven longer than a day or two in the past, and that was always at Maggie’s side. He’s starting to feel her absence like a missing limb.
Plus, he misses the shinx kids, too. He’s more than ready to see all of them. He can’t wait to tell the little electric types all about Ghatha, and the strange train contraption they rode, and how different it all is from Bethoc’s Haven. He wouldn’t be surprised if they had actual stars in their eyes when he was done.
Tobias finally stands up from his nest to stretch, looking at his companions. Junie will probably wake easily, but Tobias doesn’t want to have to deal with her on his own, so he moves to his partner’s side and jostles her arm.
“Nia,” he whispers. When that doesn’t even phase her, he shakes her a little harder, but she just grumbles and tucks her face away from the light.
Tobias huffs. Nia is hard to get out of bed on a normal day, but after using her aura powers like she had on the seviper? He doesn’t doubt that she’s exhausted. She slept for two days straight after the fire incident in Ghatha.
Tobias decides to let Nia sleep a few more minutes and turns to gather their items and repack their satchel after yesterday’s panic in the forest. He checks on the gash in his arm, glad to see that it has scabbed over and just itches a bit around the edges. Finally, he’s ran out of things to distract himself with.
Tobias reluctantly wakes Junie, and the little flying type blinks up at him with bleary eyes.
“Help me wake Nia,” he says, not bothering to lower his voice this time.
The rookidee doesn’t argue or tease him as she has been for the better part of a week, but instead of being grateful for it Tobias is just annoyed. She’s been so much more complacent and quiet since pushing him yesterday, since he yelled at them both about the outlaws killing his family, and he kind of hates it. While Nia probably already had a good idea of what happened to him, Tobias didn’t mean to tell Junie of all Pokemon something so personal. It’s almost worse that she keeps sending him such guilty looks and opening her beak like she wants to apologize. He doesn’t need her pity.
So Tobias ignores her lingering look and is a little rougher when trying to shake Nia awake. Eventually, he just rolls her out of the nest entirely, and the riolu finally sits up with scrunched eyes and disheveled fur.
“T’bias? What—“ she yawns, showing off sharp teeth, and her question peters off into a sleepy mumble.
Tobias snorts. “Time to get up. We’ve gotta head back to Ghatha.”
Nia makes an unhappy groan, eyes closing again as she sways where she sits, like she might just fall over and back to dreamland.
“Nope. Up,” Tobias commands, grabbing her arm and hauling her to her paws, steadying her when she almost collapses again. She whines in protest, but he shoves an apple into her paws and turns her towards the door.
Junie chirps a little laugh and finally decides to be helpful, moving to nudge Nia forward by the backs of her legs. The riolu reluctantly shuffles out of the room, clutching the apple in her paws like a rare treasure. Looks like she’s going to be sleepy as a snorlax for a while yet. Tobias should be annoyed by it, but after the emotional intensity of yesterday, he can only find himself amused.
By time they wave to the innkeeper and move outside, Nia’s eyes are at least halfway open.
“So, what next?” Junie asks, already wide awake.
“We head back to Ghatha and report to Rosalind.“
Nia and Junie both look uncomfortable at the mention of the shady hatterene, but nod. Tobias doesn’t blame them, but hey, a connection is a connection. He’ll take what he can get.
As their group enters the woods—on a different path than the one they traveled in on, in hopes of avoiding the seviper if they’re still lurking around—Nia speaks up.
“I hope Keiko is all right.”
Tobias glances at the riolu, who is staring down at the apple in her paws with tired eyes and a furrow in her brow. He wonders if she even meant to say that out loud.
“I’m sure she’s fine,” Junie chirps, all cheer and confidence. “The Pokemon she went off with looked strong.”
Nia shakes her head. “I’m sure she’s safe. I just…worry she has to deal with dangerous situations like that more often than she should have to. She’s only eleven. That has to take a toll on her.”
“Not much we can do about that,” Tobias says with a dismissive flick of his tail. “Not like her dad is going to leave her with anyone else any time soon, even if it sucks that his, uh, profession puts her in a lot of danger.”
“I just wish I could’ve done more before we had to hand her off,” Nia admits.
Tobias almost points out that Nia is the entire reason any of them made it out of the fight with the seviper at all, so she’s done more than enough. But Nia’s just like that—she wants to solve everyone’s problems, wants to make sure everyone is happy. And it’s not like the riolu can just aura blast Keiko’s father into a less dangerous career or change his thoughts on the matter. She’s powerful, but even she can’t just change someone’s emotions or opinions.
Ha. Powerful. Tobias wasn’t sure he’d ever use that word to describe Nia. She still can’t control her aura properly and faces way too much backlash for it, but there’s no denying that Nia’s aura powers are strong. She took out both seviper (and almost Tobias himself) with that blast yesterday. If she could just learn to use her aura properly, she’d be a force to be reckoned with.
“How’s your aura today?” Tobias asks.
Nia straightens a bit out of her sleepy posture, face flashing with something like fear. Her paws drift to her chest, holding the apple close.
“I…haven’t really checked on it yet. I can’t feel it acting up, so I-I think it’s all right.”
Tobias frowns as he skirts around a fallen branch. The nervous stutter in Nia’s words were exactly what he didn’t want to hear. Nia was already anxious about her aura after losing control of it at the hospital, and he has no doubt seeing the damage she can inflict only increased that fear tenfold. He just isn’t sure how to move her past such a ridiculous problem. All Pokemon have the potential to be dangerous, even babies who don’t have any control of their abilities. Sometimes especially the babies. Learning how to wield or at least regulate that power is a normal part of being a Pokemon, and Nia has to learn that sooner or later. And when she does, her powers could be incredibly useful for battles.
“Talk to Val when we get back to the Haven,” he says, trying hard to keep his voice light enough for it to be a suggestion rather than a demand. “You can’t be scared of your own powers—especially powers fueled by emotion. That just makes any loss of control more dangerous.”
Nia shrinks in on herself, but reluctantly nods. Tobias sighs. A battle to be fought another day.
The three of them continue their journey back to Ghatha in a heavy, thoughtful quiet, with only the gentle sounds of the forest for company.
Nia is mostly awake by time they reach Ghatha, looking around the city once again with curious eyes and flicking ears. Junie has finally started talking again, making quick little comments and jokes about the businesses and Pokemon they pass. Tobias leads them back to Rosalind’s neighborhood (Entei knows his traveling companions would lead them around in circles all day otherwise).
Before Tobias can even knock on the heavy purple door of Rosalind’s home (Business? Both?), it swings open, with a familiar scruffy brown face greeting them.
“Were you just sitting there waiting for us?” Junie asks, clearly uncomfortable. Tobias shares the sentiment.
Zag cackles. “Of course not! Far too busy for that. Rosalind knew you’d be coming.”
With that vague statement, the zigzagoon turns and heads deeper into the home, his bushy tail flicking to signal them inside. After a beat of hesitation, they follow, trailing across polished hardwood floors and plush rugs, through incense-heavy air, and back into the same little office as before. Rosalind is once again behind her desk, a steaming cup of tea at her lips. Aside from the different time of day giving the room much more light, it’s almost a mirror image of how they’d met her two days before.
Tobias can’t tell if it’s meant to unsettle them, or if he’s just way too creeped out by the hatterene.
“Come in, come in! I just got word from Argos’ crew. Sounds like you all passed your first mission with flying colors!”
“It’s wasn’t exactly a walk in the park,” Junie grumbles.
“We got attacked by two seviper,” Tobias informs Rosalind, letting the edge stay in his voice like a warning.
Rosalind nods, slow and calm. “Mm. Yes, I expected that might happen.”
There’s a beat of surprised silence.
“You what?!” Junie shrieks. Nia hurriedly scoops the puffed-up ball of feathers into her arms, as if to stop her from physically attacking Rosalind.
“You thought this might happen?” Tobias snarls, just as peeved. He steps forward to glare up at Rosalind, wishing he were tall enough to slam his hands down on her desk. “You mentioned the possibility of being attacked, but you didn’t say they’d be that strong! We’re only D-rank Seekers! We only got out of that fight through pure luck.”
“Oh, your rank has nothing to do with the missions I assign,” Rosalind giggles, as if it’s obvious and not something that goes entirely against the Seeker system.
Tobias blinks. “What?”
“Rank is nothing more than a guess, and doesn’t account at all for luck,” Rosalind explains, still infuriatingly calm as she adds a cube of sugar to her tea. “A-rank missions can go so perfectly that they’re as difficult as a D-rank task. D-rank missions can face unexpected circumstances and reach the same level of danger as an A-rank mission.”
“Really?” Nia asks, eyes wide.
“Mhm.” Rosalind takes a deep inhale of the white curl of steam spiraling from her cup. “There’s a reason Seekers have such a high mortality rate—and it’s not always the fault of the Seeker. It’s all up to the luck of the draw. Argos and I both warned you an attack was possible, did we not?”
“Argos said it was unlikely,” Tobias stresses.
“Unlikely, but not impossible,” Rosalind counters. “You accepted the risks when you took on the mission.”
Tobias growls, unhappy that she’s technically right. And saying it all so calmly, as if they’re the ones out of line for being upset about nearly dying.
“Now that you’ve completed my task, I have some basic info for you. If you would still like to hear it,” Rosalind says, blatantly redirecting the conversation with a sweet smile. Ugh.
“Whatever,” Tobias grunts. It’s only been a day since they came to see Rosalind, so she must have already been sitting on this info and just waiting to dispense her “payment.”
“I have names for you, mostly. Admittedly not a huge breakthrough, but that will come with time.”
The hatterene slips a sheet of parchment out from a drawer in her desk, sliding it forward. Tobias swallows against a suddenly dry throat and grabs the paper to take a closer look.
It’s an outlaw poster, like the one Tobias had seen at the Haven, but there are words inked onto it in neat, graceful script.
Above the crobat, the name Asra.
Above the pangoro, the name Dismas.
Above the arcanine, the name Sulien.
And at the top of the sheet, Team Zenith.
A quick flash of memory hits Tobias hard.
The hazy image of an arcanine, smiling warmly as he lies on the floor of Tobias’ family’s cave, framed by the colorful artwork Tobias and Vivi would paint on the walls with berries. Vivi is trying to show off to the visitor and struggling to lift one of his huge orange paws as a show of strength. The giant Pokemon is gentle with the tiny charmander, and when he speaks, his deep voice is friendly.
“We’re team Zenith. We do rescue work, mostly.”
“Team Zenith,” Nia reads softly, peering over his shoulder. “Outlaws call themselves teams too?”
“They posed as a rescue team,” Tobias recalls, numb.
“Whether they started out as actual rescuers or not, they still go by the name nowadays,” Rosalind says, sitting back. If Tobias weren’t so distracted by the piece of paper in his hands, he might say she looks genuinely intrigued as she stares at them with narrowed eyes. “I must say, they are quite the menace, even in less savory circles.”
Junie leans forward from Nia’s hold to frown at the paper with something like unease, as if the criminals could jump out at her now that she knows what they’re capable of.
“You are still interested in pursuing more information about them, yes?” Rosalind asks, taking a sip of her tea.
Tobias nods. “I want whatever you can dig up on ‘em. Especially possible locations.”
Nia gives him an alarmed look. “We aren’t ready to fight them!”
“Doesn’t matter,” Tobias mutters, fighting the urge to crumple the paper in his claws. Rip it to shreds. “If the chance comes up, I’ll take it.”
Nia and Junie exchange a look, but Tobias focuses back on Rosalind with a resolute nod.
“I would still look into them even if you weren’t planning to continue our arrangement,” Rosalind admits, leaning forward with a sparkle in her eyes. “I like a challenge, and pinning these three down is certainly that. Additionally, you likely aren’t the only ones looking for information about them. They’re a valuable target.”
“A target that I called dibs on,” Tobias reminds her with a glare.
Rosalind hides a smile behind the rim of her teacup. “As long as you complete the missions I assign you, then yes. You get first call on the information I find.”
Tobias nods. “We live at the Bethoc’s Haven guild, in the Lexym Tree. Send future assignments there.”
Rosalind marks that down on one of the many sheets of paper stacked around her desk. “Done. I’ll send word and a job over after I gather more information.”
“Sounds good,” Tobias says, glancing at Nia. She shrugs with a halfhearted smile, clearly still not comfortable with the whole arrangement but willing to go along with it for his sake.
“I presume you’re all leaving Ghatha soon?” Rosalind asks.
“Soon,” Tobias hedges. He doesn’t like how Rosalind seems to be able to read him and his plans so well. He tries to block out all the ridiculous scary stories he’s heard over the years about hatterene being mind readers in addition to empaths. He knows it isn’t true.
Rosalind is just a master of mind games.
“We should actually get going,” Tobias says, too abrupt to be natural.
Rosalind’s smile grows, dark eyes never leaving Tobias’ face. “Of course, of course. It was a pleasure doing business with you all. I look forward to working with you further.”
Zag leads them all back out of the room and down the hall, and Tobias resists the urge to look over his shoulder. Nia and Junie seem just as ready to leave as he is, and they readily exit the house when Zag opens the front door with a word of luck for their travels.
“I do not like that lady,” Junie grumbles as soon as the door is shut. “I feel like she’s looking right into my soul. Uh—“ she pauses to give Nia an awkward look. “No offense.”
Nia gives her a small but amused smile in response, then turns to Tobias. “Did you mean what you said in there? About heading back to Bethoc’s Haven?”
“Yeah,” Tobias says, looking up at the sky. A few fluffy, gray-white clouds are drifting through the blue, and a small flock of Pokemon fly by, throwing quick shadows over the ground. It’s already noon, but if they play their cards right….
“I’m thinking we should head back today.”
Nia blinks, looking surprised by the quick turnaround.
Junie wilts, tail feathers brushing the cobblestone. “That soon?”
Tobias crosses his arms and shrugs. “What else is there for us to do here? Nia has her connection with Will to stay updated on the humans thing, and I have Rosalind looking into the outlaws. We can ask Keegan to keep us updated about the fire, and Maggie’s going to be a worried mess if we stick around too long. We’re running low on Poke, too.”
“It would be nice to see everyone again,” Nia admits after a moment of silence, sounding wistful. Then, she lights up. “Oh! Junie, you’ve got to meet everyone at the guild. Especially Maggie, and my friends Xander and Andyn! They’re all super nice!”
Tobias expects Junie to jump on the opportunity and immediately start making plans with the riolu. To his surprise, she doesn’t. She tries to paste a smile on for Nia, but it’s obvious her heart isn’t in it.
“You think everyone is nice,” Junie teases her.
“She’s not wrong,” Tobias snorts. Nia gives them both a betrayed pout. Before they can get going, Tobias adds, “We should probably let Keegan know we’re leaving, though, so he doesn’t go looking for us or report us as missing. We’re under his jurisdiction right now.”
“Will might even be with him!” Nia says, tail wagging happily. At Tobias’ unenthused look, she rolls her eyes. “He might have news about the fire.”
“Then he can mail it to us,” Tobias scoffs. He doesn’t like the yamask, and Nia’s blind affinity for the guy isn’t going to change that.
“We’d better get a move on, then,” Junie chirps, still sounding forced in her cheer. She flaps into a low flight. “The guild is a full train ride away!”
“Junie—“ Nia’s words cut off as the rookidee flaps off—in the complete wrong direction from the guild. Arceus, these two would be doomed without him. Nia gives Tobias a concerned look, as if he would know why Junie’s suddenly being even weirder than usual. He just shrugs and calls the flying type back so he can lead them in the right direction to the guild.
They’re lucky and catch Keegan at the Ghatha guild before he heads out into the city for the day. The ninetales seems a bit disappointed to see them go so soon, teasing that he’ll have to steal them away from August for himself, but wishes them well on their journey back. His sharp red eyes linger on the fresh gash on Tobias’ arm, narrowing in thought, but Tobias is relieved when the ninetales doesn’t question him about it.
Tobias is equally relieved that Will is nowhere in sight. Keegan assures Nia that the yamask will contact her if he has any new information about their human origins or the fire itself, and the riolu seems satisfied with that.
As they leave the guild, Tobias pulls out their remaining cash, making sure they have enough for the flight back to the Haven. They’ll just be scraping by, but they should be good.
Nia is telling Junie about her friends at the guild. Tobias doesn’t want to wait two hours for her to finish gushing about them, especially when she’s waxing poetic about Xander of all Pokemon, so he interrupts, directing his question to Junie.
“You have enough money for the flight to the Haven?” Nia can cover for the little flying type with her own money if she wants, but he’s not using his hard-won cash to fly a flying type.
Junie stops in the middle of the sidewalk, then hops out of the way into the shade of the building they’re walking beside. Nia frowns and joins her, and Tobias sighs and trails after them.
“About that,” the rookidee says, slow and reluctant. “I’m not going with you guys. Back to the Haven, that is.”
Nia reels back with wide eyes. “What?”
The rookidee is looking down at her feet with an uncharacteristically serious expression. She takes a deep breath and looks up. “I’m…not going with you two.”
“But—why? Is this about the battle in the woods? Or the money for the ride back? We can cover you—“
“It’s not that,” Junie says. “Well, not just that. You—both of you—“ Junie’s eyes flick to Tobias for a moment. “Over the past few days, you’ve made me realize that I was kind of just…floating by and waiting for something to happen to me, before coming to Ghatha. And since I ran into you, I’ve just been tagging along for the ride, depending on you to take care of me and decide where to go next.”
Nia nods along sympathetically, but a little furrow in her brow betrays her concern. “We don’t mind, though! It’s great having you with us!”
Well, ‘great’ is pushing it a bit far, Tobias thinks to himself. But the rookidee has at least been helpful here and there.
Junie gives Nia a fond smile. “And I love tagging along! Even with Mr. Grumpypants here.”
Tobias narrows his eyes at her. He doesn’t know what “pants” are but he knows an insult—or at least a jab—when he hears one.
“But…” Junie pauses, looking down again. “I think I’m relying on you too much. I don’t know if I want to learn how to fight like a Seeker, but I was useless in that battle against the snakes. And in the fire too.”
“But that’s not your fault,” Nia protests. “I wasn’t very useful in those situations either and I am a Seeker!”
Junie laughs. “You might not think so, but you were. Trust me. I just…I just think I need to work on myself a bit more, y’know? Without having you there to hide behind.”
Nia sniffs, eyes glossy, but at the sincere emotion in the rookidee’s words, she stops trying to talk Junie out of the decision. “Y-You’re sure?”
“I am. But don’t look so darn sad about it! We’re just parting ways for a little bit while I try to figure out what I want to do and who I want to be. We’ll see each other again soon!” Junie winks. “Remember? I know where you live. There’s no escaping me now!”
Nia laughs, wet and already congested with tears. She kneels and pulls the rookidee into a barely-restrained hug, just shy of crushing her.
“You’d better come visit,” Nia threatens, shaky voice muffled where her face is buried in Junie’s feathers.
“I definitely will,” Junie soothes, sounding a bit choked up herself as she attempts to return the hug with a single free wing. She glances up at Tobias and her sad smile turns a bit more genuine. “You aren’t getting rid of me yet.”
Tobias snorts. “I know. I’ve been trying to get rid of you for days.”
Junie laughs, pulling away from Nia to poke a wing into his chest. “Oh, don’t try that with me. I see right through you, you big softie.”
Nia hides a giggle behind her paw, and Tobias rolls his eyes, batting her wing aside. “Delusional.”
“So where are you heading after this?” Nia asks, taking mercy on him. “Back to Stonebrook?”
“I’ll probably start there,” Junie says, looking thoughtfully across the street, where two Pokemon are meeting up in front of a cafe with loud, bubbly voices, their paws clasped. “I don’t think I really gave the people—the Pokemon—there much of a chance to…know me. Maybe they can help me figure out what I want to do while I’m in this world.”
“I think that’s a great plan,” Nia says, smiling warmly.
Junie brightens at the riolu’s praise, like a flower to sunlight, and hops into Nia’s arms. The riolu picks her up without complaint, the two of them clearly reluctant to part.
It’s a surprisingly short walk to the nearest flight station, and the trip is spent with Junie double-checking the directions to the Lexym Guild, and Nia suggesting how Junie can start getting to know her neighbors in Stonebrook better. The two only part once they reach the flight station and climb to the top floor, where fliers chat, nap, and wait for their next passengers. Tobias scans them for a large braviary, but there’s no sign of Fliss. Nia must have been looking for her too, because she makes a quiet, disappointed sound in her throat.
“Three of you?” A nearby Swanna asks. “Where are you heading?”
“Only me and the riolu,” Tobias corrects. “We need a one-way flight to the Lexym Guild, in Bethoc’s Haven.”
“Ah, I think Ryker has been meaning to go out that way. Hold on a moment.” The swanna waddles away, stopping at one of the temporary nests to speak with a large, lanky brown Pokemon. A fearow. He looks uncertain as he glances over at them, but as the swanna explains, he beckons them closer with a jerk of his beak.
“I’m Ryker,” The fearow says as introduction, voice raspy but polite. “Two of you are wanting to head over to the Haven?”
Tobias nods, him and Nia stepping forward. Ryker hums and glances out at the sky.
“You got any protection in case of rain, Charmander?”
Tobias hesitates. He doesn’t.
The fearow sighs and glances at the other fliers perched around the tower, as if hoping someone else will take them. A few of the flying types shake their head, while others sleep or just ignore the unspoken question.
Tobias feels an embarrassed flush rise in his cheeks.
“If we leave right away, we should beat the rain,” Ryker finally says, the salty sea wind ruffling his feathers. “But I don’t want you blaming me for getting wet if we catch the edge of that storm that’s blowing in from the west. Got it?”
Tobias nods, not quite meeting the flyer’s eye as he scolds himself for such a dumb mistake. The Haven has been in a bit of a drought, but he still needs to be better prepared, especially when traveling in areas this close to the sea and more prone to changing weather. He has an old raincoat at home—he just needs to remember to bring it with him when they travel.
“I’ll be fine,” Tobias says, trying not to sound nervous about the thought of getting caught in a rainstorm hundreds of feet above open ocean. Talk about a fire type’s worst nightmare.
Nia looks concerned, but doesn’t object. They pay the fearow, dropping their coins into a pouch strapped around his long neck, and step back as he stretches his wings.
Nia kneels to pull Junie into another quick, bruising hug. “See you soon, right?”
“Right!”
When they part, Junie gives Tobias a smile. “Stay out of trouble, Toby. Nia’s got enough on her plate.”
Tobias snorts. “Look who’s talking.”
Junie laughs and gives him a salute, stepping back as the fearow lowers himself for them to climb on.
Tobias does so first, carefully grabbing a handful of the longer cream feathers on the fearow’s back. Nia climbs on behind him, looping her arms around his waist like she did on the way over.
“Ooh, cozy!” Junie teases, laughing in delight when Tobias’ face heats and Nia stammers at the little flying type to stop.
“Hang on,” Ryker instructs. Without any further preamble, he takes a few short, quick steps and launches out of the port into open air, flapping hard. Around them, the tall buildings of Ghatha slowly sink as they rise higher and higher. Tobias feels Nia twist around to wave goodbye to Junie once more, arm briefly leaving his side before hurrying to hold onto him again.
As they clear the rooftops, the deep blue sky opens up around them, dotted with puffy clouds and Pokemon flying to and fro. The busy city underneath them is crawling with streams of Pokemon and noise, all color and cheer. In the distance, Tobias can just see the black remains of the building where the human convention was held, now nothing more than rubble. He averts his eyes.
Ghatha itself was interesting, but Tobias is relieved to be viewing it once again from a distance. As they rise higher in the sky, the fearow’s flight a bit bumpier than Fliss’ smooth, powerful strokes, the sound from below grows faint, replaced only by the quiet whistle of wind rushing past them in a cool sea breeze. It feels so much more open up here. Free. As Nia’s hold tightens with nerves, Tobias feels himself relax, tipping his head back to take a deep breath and enjoy the sun on his face.
They’re finally on their way home.
Chapter 33
Summary:
Nia and Tobias return to Bethoc’s Haven.
Chapter Text
They have a long flight ahead of them back to the Haven.
After a few moments of gaining altitude, Ryker clears Ghatha proper, catching a draft of air leading out of the city and out over open ocean. The waves churn far below, a bit choppier than they were on the flight over. Must be the storm they’re apparently heading towards. Tobias tries to ignore how nervous that makes him, instead tilting his head back and enjoying the feeling of sunlight warming his skin. Hopefully they’re safely back home before the rain hits.
Their fearow carrier is notably less talkative than Fliss was, and so far Nia has been relatively quiet, so Tobias lets himself drift in the soothing roar of wind and waves. The sound isn’t quite the same, the air not as thin, but he can almost imagine he’s back with his parents, flying through cool mountain air with Vivi’s little arms holding onto him instead of Nia’s.
The feeling is bittersweet. He can’t fall into the illusion completely, so it’s more of a painful reminder than anything truly happy. Tobias swallows hard and tries to smother the memory. Tries to just experience the sensations and imagine what it would be like to fly himself someday if they could actually evolve anymore.
He really wishes they could evolve. He would be so much more powerful, much closer to his goal of hunting down and defeating Team Zenith. Instead, he’s stuck in his first form like so many others, weak and small. Usually it doesn’t bother him too much, but every once in a while he remembers the strength in his papa’s wings and the heat of his mama’s fiery breath, and he longs for that same strength.
Tobias opens his eyes, looking out over the sea to distract himself. A few mantine and mantyke are swimming a mile or two away, jumping out of the water in a graceful arc before splashing back beneath the Obsidian Sea. Far in the distance, some Pokemon fly towards Ghatha, mere specks in the endless blue. It’s still quiet, aside from the constant backdrop of waves and wind.
Huh. Tobias didn’t think he would miss anything about Junie, but the fact that she never shut up did make it kind of hard to dwell on painful thoughts. Now that she’s not with them, he kind of wishes she was back to prattle on about something. Not that he’d ever admit that.
Tobias breaks out of his musings as Nia’s arms, previously wrapped tight around his waist, loosen enough to start to slip free. On instinct, he grabs them, and it’s then that he realizes Nia isn’t just leaning against his back. She’s deadweight, slumped heavily against him with her face tucked into his scarf.
Tiny snores confirm the impossible.
“You are not asleep right now,” Tobias hisses, twisting around to peer over his shoulder. Out of the corner of his eye, he sees Ryker send them a curious look. Nia hardly reacts, just muttering something in her sleep.
Tobias stares at the top of her head, utterly baffled. He knew Nia was still exhausted from yesterday, but she was terrified on their flight to Ghatha. How did she fall asleep hundreds of feet in the air?
“Hey. Nia!” Tobias grabs Nia’s arm and jostles her, rolling his shoulder to shake her off his back a bit. “Wake up! This is not the time for a nap!”
“But y’r warm,” Nia mumbles, clearly still half-asleep as she shoves her face back into his shoulder.
Tobias fights off the embarrassed heat in his face and sputters an attempt at a response. He can’t exactly argue that point, and he can’t shove her away unless he doesn’t want a partner at all anymore.
“We’re literally hundreds of feet above the ocean, and I’m not keeping your tail on this ride, so you’d better wake up.”
Nia doesn’t budge, tiny snores sounding off again. Terrible. Junie ruined his intimidating reputation and threats in less than a week. Nia’s never going to take him seriously after this trip.
“I cannot believe you,” Tobias grumbles. He dutifully grabs Nia’s limp arms and crosses them securely around his waist, using an arm to anchor her in place against his back.
Nia can’t say he’s a bad partner ever again. He’s such a good partner. The best partner. She owes him all her rawst berries for a week.
Tobias settles in, resigning himself to his fate and trying to get used to the feeling of the riolu pressed so close. He doesn’t usually let other Pokemon touch him so much, aside from maybe Maggie. It’s…not quite uncomfortable. Just strange. He can’t remember the last time he was pressed so close to someone in a non-combat context. Probably when he was younger, when Maggie comforted him after a nightmare by curling around him. Or maybe when he would go to sleep side-by-side with his sister, the smaller charmander always managing to wriggle closer in her sleep until they were tangled together in a heap of limbs.
Regardless. He’s only allowing it because of their situation. There’s not much he can do about it right now, so he resigns himself to the closeness and tries to relax again.
Time passes in a soothing, rhythmic sort of trance. As the hours trail by, the sun sinks from its highest point in the sky towards the horizon. Tobias shifts in his seat when it’s nearing evening, trying to get comfortable again, amazed that Nia is still passed out against his back. How long has she even been asleep?
Tobias leans over, trying to gauge the time by the angle of the shadow they throw on the surface of the ocean. However, he’s distracted by an out-of-place silhouette on the water. It’s faint, hardly even visible in the rough, frothy waves, but it’s impossible to miss thanks to its size. Long and serpentine, many times larger than Tobias, Nia, and Ryker combined, with something like tendrils ribboning out the sides. It’s following them at an even pace, and Tobias recognizes it as the same shape they’d seen on the way to Ghatha. Fliss had thought it was a gyarados at the time, but looking at it now, Tobias can’t help but think it looks strange. Its image is faint and flat, almost like it isn’t even in the water so much as…reflected on top of it.
Fear suddenly grabs his lungs with an icy grip.
It could be a gyarados, or something similar. A milotic, maybe. But after the human convention, Tobias’ mind can’t help jumping to a different idea. A ridiculous, impossible idea, but one that’s hard to shake now that it’s in his head.
Giratina.
Tobias wants to dismiss the thought, knowing he’s particularly paranoid after the fire and the fight with the seviper, but he can’t deny how…off the shadow looks. It’s unlike any Pokemon he can place, distinctly different from the gyarados and milotic he’s seen in books. And it hasn’t once broken the surface of the water, no bright flashes of blue or pink to be seen, keeping pace with them perfectly. Even Ryker seems a little uncomfortable after noticing their tagalong, beating his wings a few times to pull them higher.
Tobias has no idea what Giratina supposedly looks like—he’s not sure anyone does, aside from red eyes—but…Giratina can supposedly track Pokemon through reflections, right? Will and Fliss said the same thing, and as much as he doesn’t like the yamask, Tobias can’t just ignore the ghost type’s suspicions that the banished legendary is responsible for bringing the humans over to the Pokemon world.
If Giratina is trying to contact the former humans...then are they being followed? Watched?
Tobias’ stomach flips, and he pulls Nia a little tighter against him, glaring down at the water. Almost as if it can sense his gaze, the shape drops back and disappears.
Tobias swallows hard and tries to calm his racing heart, looking in all directions and trying to decipher whether the flickering shadows he spots are just waves, normal reflections, or something else entirely.
After a few minutes of finding nothing out of the ordinary, he forces himself to loosen his tight grip on Nia’s arm and Ryker’s feathers. Whatever that was, it couldn’t have been Giratina. Even thinking it sounds ridiculous. What could a banished legendary want with them—or more likely, Nia? Sure, she’s a human and not totally terrible in a fight, but she’s also just an unevolved D-rank Seeker who can’t even use moves. What could she do to help an actual god in any way?
Besides, while Will said Giratina can see and track Pokemon through reflections, what are the odds that he would have found them just as they happened to be flying over the ocean? He would’ve had to have taken an interest in Nia beforehand. And one of them surely would’ve noticed an actual live legendary peering out at them, right?
Tobias pauses as that point snags his entire thought process.
Wait.
Goosebumps raise on his skin as tiny, unimportant little memories from the past few weeks slowly rise to the surface in his mind. Nia, at Hadley’s hut in the woods and squinting into a puddle, saying that she “thought she saw something.” Nia, at Afon’s Cap, her gaze lingering just a bit too long on the clear surface of the lake where there weren’t even any Pokemon around. And when they were in that canyon-like dungeon chasing after the panpour outlaw, Nia kept nervously jerking her head in the direction of the dungeon’s many tiny streams, like she was seeing something in them out of the corner of her eye.
Nia and reflections.
Tobias swallows hard and takes a deep breath like Maggie taught him, fighting against the genuine fear starting to poison his thoughts.
Okay. Okay. Calm down. He’s probably just overreacting to a ridiculous degree and nothing is actually happening. Giratina can’t possibly be the only Pokemon with the ability to manipulate reflections, right? It’s laughable to think an exiled legendary Pokemon, an actual god, would be stalking them for…some reason.
Right.
It’s absurd.
Still.
Still, he’s going to keep an eye on this now that it’s been brought to his attention. Just…Just to make sure. For his own peace of mind. He’s sure it’s nothing, but just in case. For a moment he considers mentioning it to Nia, but if he knows the riolu at all, she’ll panic. No use working her up like that if he’s just…imagining things.
Maybe it’s time to Tobias to take a trip to the archives. If there are answers to be had about Giratina, they’ll be there.
The fear settles into an uneasy quiet. Tobias can’t bring himself to close his eyes and relax anymore. Every time he does, panic builds in his chest and screams at him to look, to stay aware and make sure they aren’t about to be blasted out of the sky by a raging god. So he stays alert, scanning the waves.
As they travel closer and closer to the Haven, the sky on the horizon darkens with heavy clouds. Tobias isn’t sure whether he can already feel the more violent winds of the storm or if he’s imagining them, but he shifts nervously regardless. The Haven could use some rain, but he just hopes it doesn’t arrive until they’re safely inside the Lexym Tree.
As they pass the border where the Obsidian Sea meets the coast and the bluffs transition into the edge of the forest, Tobias’ heart lifts. This area is starting to look familiar. They’re almost home, back to the guild. Back to Maggie.
Tobias pats Nia’s arm, jostling her. “Nia, wake up. We’re almost there.”
A cold gust of wind buffets them, and Nia shivers, finally lifting her head with a bleary, “Wha..?”
“We’re almost to the guild,” Tobias repeats.
There’s a beat while Nia registers this, then she stiffens, arms squeezing him. “D-Did I fall asleep?”
Tobias snorts. “Arceus knows how. You’ve been out for hours.”
Nia opens her mouth to respond, then pauses. She tilts to peer over Tobias’ shoulder, looking out over the forest with an unreadable emotion in her eyes.
“The leaves are changing.”
She’s right. The Haven looks different than when they’d left, only a week ago. The leaves, which had been dry and yellow-green, have started transitioning properly to fall. While green remains here and there, the sea of leaves below them is a vibrant mix, with blooming patches of red, yellow, and orange. It’s pretty, but otherwise unremarkable.
“And?”
Nia doesn’t respond for a moment. When she does, her voice is soft and distant. “It doesn’t feel like I’ve been here as long as I have.”
Tobias frowns. “It’s only been…what? A month?”
“Something like that. Still, that’s a long time to be away from…”
From her family. Her world. Tobias nods, and Nia takes a shaky breath, tentatively hiding her face back into his shoulder. He can’t bring himself to snap at her when she sounds so choked up. He must be going soft.
“They probably don’t even know where I went,” she whispers, words almost lost to the wind. “I…I wonder if they miss me.”
Tobias doesn’t know how to respond to that. If her family is anything like his was, then they probably do. Terribly so. Instead of voicing that, he tightens his hold ever so slightly on the arms looped around him. Stays quiet as they approach the guild, the giant tree towering many times higher than the forest around it. Blue crystals are already glowing in open windows, like a pillar of stars against the storm-heavy sky.
Ryker circles the giant tree, quickly finding the loft and gliding in for a semi-soft landing. Tobias and Nia slide to the wooden floor with a nod and a quick word of thanks. Around the loft, a few other flying types are readying themselves for the storm, bedding down or preparing to leave for the flight station. It’s a familiar sight, and it hits Tobias all at once that he’s back, he’s home, and that Maggie is just a few short levels below them. A bubble of excitement fills his chest, but he forces himself to walk and not run past the flyers, towards the stairs. Nia says goodbye to Ryker and rushes after him.
“Excited to see Maggie?” Nia asks, the cheer in her voice still a little forced. Before he can get embarrassed or snap a defensive response, she adds, “I am—I can’t wait to tell her all about Ghatha!”
Oh. He relaxes a bit, swallowing the sharp words he was preparing for her. He needs to stop assuming she’s going to turn on him for every little thing that he’s embarrassed by. If she didn’t make fun of him for his panic attack in Ghatha or for getting scared by a growlithe pup of all things, she probably isn’t planning to do so for other, much less embarrassing things.
“It was weird, not seeing her for so long,” Tobias finally says, awkwardly tripping over his words. “We’re usually together every day.”
Nia nods, to his relief. “That makes sense. I already feel like it’s too quiet without Junie around, and we were only with her for a week!”
Tobias snorts. “We’re long past due for some peace and quiet.“
Nia laughs as they turn onto the medical floor. She looks out the lattice windows as they pass, out at swaying treetops and watercolor smears of dark storm clouds. Her paw trails absently along the bark of the walls, as if she’s just appreciating the tree’s presence. Tobias silently agrees that it feels good to be back, with the familiar wooden walls and distant groaning and creaking of the tree. It feels like home.
“Think she’ll be surprised to see us?“
Tobias huffs a laugh. “She’ll probably cry.”
“Honestly, I might too,” Nia admits. That wouldn’t surprise him either.
They wave to Fen as they pass by where they’re reading in their quarters. The leafeon perks up at the sight of them, but dutifully closes their mouth with a smile when Tobias puts a finger to his lips, settling for a welcoming wave of their tail instead.
And then they arrive, stepping into the doorway of the medicinal quarters that Tobias has called home for 10 years. Maggie is at her desk, vines working together a poultice, but he doesn’t call out to her. The last dying rays of sunlight are filtering in through the window, not yet choked out by the storm, giving the room a nostalgic sort of hue, and he suddenly feels an odd sense of displacement. Like he’s looking in on his own life with fresh eyes.
For just a moment, Tobias watches the Pokemon who has been like a second mother to him for over half his life. She looks…tired. He didn’t notice it as much seeing her day in and day out, but now, having been away for a week, he sees it crystal clear. Maggie isn’t old old, but she’s certainly not young, either. He feels like he’s seeing her anew, alone in their quarters, the only sound the quiet clink of a mortar and pestle mixing herbs. The lines under her eyes seem more pronounced, the aged tinge to her flower more noticeable.
In the meganium’s presence, Tobias feels both incredibly safe and unbearably sad all at once. For the first time, he regrets deciding to become a Seeker. Regrets leaving her alone like this.
But then the meganium looks up, a polite smile on her face to greet whoever is at the door. Only to freeze, eyes going wide with surprise as the pestle falls into the bed of herbs.
“We’re back,” Tobias rasps, not quite sure why he sounds moments away from crying.
There’s a frozen moment of quiet. Then, Maggie smiles, so unbearably warm as her eyes gloss over with tears. “So you are.”
She hurries to stand and move to the door, and Tobias can’t resist running forward to reach her faster. He collides with her leg, burying his face in soft, cool petals to breathe in her gentle scent. He feels a vine pull him impossibly closer, her neck craning down so she can nuzzle the top of his head.
She has always been his safest place.
After a moment, Maggie pulls away just enough to laugh through her tears and say, “And what do you think you’re doing, waiting over there all by your lonesome?”
Tobias peeks back to see Nia hesitating by the doorframe, as if she’s afraid she’s intruding on something. Before Ghatha, maybe Tobias would’ve felt the same. But now, after a few brushes with death and a few unplanned vulnerable moments, he finds himself softening to the painful longing in her eyes.
He thinks of her comment on the flight back. Even if Tobias lost his birth family, he still has Maggie. Nia has no one like that here.
“Just get in here,” Tobias mutters.
And the spell is broken. Nia laughs, wiping at her eyes before running forward to hug Maggie, right by his side, hiding her tears in the meganium’s pink petals as well.
“There we go,” Maggie croons, voice vibrating in her chest. “Oh, it’s so good to hold you two again.”
Nia makes a sound somewhere between a laugh and a sob, and Tobias refuses to look up and acknowledge the lump in his throat.
He missed her. He missed her a lot.
Tobias doesn’t pull away until Nia does minutes later, moving back just enough to be able to see Maggie’s teary face.
“Sit down, sit down,” The meganium urges them, lying down herself. “You have to tell me all about your trip! I was so worried when I got your letter. You were caught in a fire?”
Nia’s happy smile dims, and she trades an uncomfortable look with Tobias, clearly wondering how much to tell the older Pokemon.
Tobias sighs. “We probably need to report that to August tomorrow anyways. If you want to come with us, it might be easier to just..say everything at once, to the both of you.”
Maggie looks even more worried at that, but nods. “As long as you two are all right.” For a moment her gaze lingers on their injuries—on the healing gash in Tobias’ arm, the patches on Nia where burns have left her fur thin and ruffled. But then Maggie shakes her head, putting on a brave face. “I’ll make time to join you when you go to August’s quarters. How about the rest of your trip? How was Ghatha? I haven’t been there in years.”
Nia perks up, tail thumping against the wooden flooring. “It was incredible! Ghatha was huge, and it felt weirdly human? It was so…urban. There were a ton of different kinds of Pokemon, and there was even a train!”
Tobias sits back as Nia rambles on about the city, only stopping for breath or to answer Maggie’s questions. Tobias chimes in when the riolu forgets an important detail or when he needs to clarify something she describes in foreign, human terms. Maggie’s work lies abandoned on her desk as she listens with bright eyes, nodding along as Nia makes lively gestures with her paws. The meganium laughs as the riolu describes some of Junie’s antics in the hospital while they were recovering.
“I wish you’d been along to meet her! She said she’ll come visit, but I’m not sure when that’ll be.”
“Entei help us when she does,” Tobias says with a roll of his eyes. “The guild will be in an uproar.”
Nia laughs. “More like Entei help you. You’re her favorite target.”
Tobias throws up his arms. “It’s not like I volunteered!”
“I don’t think you hate it as much as you act like you do,” Nia teases. “Gives you the chance to bicker.”
Wow, Junie and a few near-death experiences really did ruin his reputation, huh? Nia doesn’t even look nervous about the gentle ribbing.
He gives her a deadpan look and blows a little puff of smoke in her direction. She laughs in protest, tipping onto her back to avoid it.
Tobias smirks, but stops when he notices Maggie watching them both with a strange expression. She almost seems like she’s going to cry again, but there’s no denying she looks unbearably happy.
Proud, maybe.
Before Tobias can ask what’s got her so emotional all of a sudden, a new voice floats in from the hallway, getting closer.
“Miss Maggie, I got some sitrus berries from the cafeteria, but they were out of—“
The speaker stops as they step into the doorway, blinking surprised pink eyes at the now-silent trio. It’s an ivysaur, maybe a few years older than Tobias and Nia, with a pouch held in one of his vines. Tobias doesn’t recognize him, which is odd. Anyone who knows Maggie by name is someone he should likely know too.
“Oh—I apologize, I didn’t mean to interrupt,” The ivysaur says, taking a hesitant step back as his eyes flick between the three of them, settling the longest on Tobias.
“Sage! No, no, you’re fine.” Maggie rises to head to the door, wiping at her eyes with a vine. She’s smiling, but something about her voice almost sounds…nervous. Her words are just a bit too rushed, and Tobias doesn’t miss the worried glance she shoots his way.
Tobias narrows his eyes and focuses on Sage, who is speaking in hushed tones with Maggie, nodding with an understanding expression. How do they know each other?
The ivysaur leaves a moment later with a polite smile and a wave of his vine. Maggie sighs in something like relief, shoulders slumping.
“Who was that?” Tobias asks.
Maggie turns back to them with a smile that Tobias might’ve fallen for when he was younger. “Ah, his name is Sage. You’ll likely be seeing him more often around the guild. But where were we? You were telling me about Juniper?”
Tobias frowns. Maggie rarely dodges around his questions like that. He glances at Nia, but she doesn’t seem to have picked up on Maggie’s strange behavior regarding the ivysaur. The riolu immediately dives back into her story, all smiles. Maggie lies back down to listen, not meeting Tobias’ gaze.
Hm. Another thing for Tobias to keep an eye on, then.
As Nia talks, a low rumble of thunder sounds in the distance, shaking the Lexym Tree itself. Tobias glances out the window of their room, remembering his embarrassment at the flight center in Ghatha. He gets to his feet and moves to the nearest cabinet, opening its doors.
“Maggie, d’you know where my raincoat is?”
Maggie gives him a scolding glance for interrupting Nia, but tilts her chin in the direction of the cupboard in the corner of the room.
Tobias follows the suggestion, shuffling through the cupboard’s spare bags and supplies, mind thinking ahead as he searches.
Tomorrow they should probably take a rest day, to recover from the long trip and the taxing past few days. As much as Tobias wants to get back to training right away, his arm still needs to heal a bit more before it’s ready for combat. They can go report to August, Nia can catch up with the friends she won’t shut up about, and Tobias can go visit the shinx kids.
Rain starts to patter against the leaves and bark of the Lexym tree, the storm finally arriving. Another reason to stay in and recover tomorrow—even with his raincoat, he’d really rather not go out in that mess. It sounds like it’s going to be a nasty one too, if the boom of thunder outside and the sheet of rain suddenly blowing in through the window is anything to gauge by.
Before the rain can make a mess of water on the floor, Tobias hears a faint, rhythmic drumbeat start up in the distance. As it does, the bark, roots, and leaves making up the room’s walls start to glow a gentle green. A moment later, they begin to move and shift. The windows of the room—of all the openings in the guild, Tobias knows—start to weave themselves nearly closed. Small, lattice-like gaps leave room for fresh air, and leaves move to shelter the remaining openings from the weather. The rain that was blowing into the room beats hard against a curtain of foliage, but aside from the occasional chilly draft, the room is warm, dry and secure.
Sometimes, Tobias forgets how powerful August really is.
Nia appears awestruck at the tree’s transformation, and Maggie happily starts explaining how August’s powers can—to an extent—manipulate plant life. Most grass types can do the same, but the rillaboom takes it to a whole other level.
Tobias, having seen the power in action many times before, listens with half an ear while he digs through the cupboard’s shelves and cubbies for the distinctive leafy green of his old raincoat. The thrum of the rain and Maggie and Nia’s voices form a soothing drone of background noise, and the soft light of the crystals makes everything feel safe and cozy.
Tobias will probably have nightmares tonight, between the new knowledge about the outlaws, his emotional reunion with Maggie, and the storm bringing up bad memories. But for now, he feels safe and content, finally back home in the herbalist quarters where he belongs.
Chapter 34
Summary:
Nia catches up with her friends at the guild, and makes a surprising discovery.
Chapter Text
The guildmaster’s quarters are quiet after Nia and Tobias finish retelling the events of their trip to Ghatha. The rain beats heavy and particularly loud up here, on the top floor of the Lexym Tree, and Nia winces every time a rumble of thunder rolls by overhead, drowning them out.
August’s face is unusually grave after learning more about the fire that almost killed them, the ever-dutiful lurantis at his side looking similarly solemn. Maggie had audibly gasped during that part of the story, visibly stopping herself from moving to be closer. Even now her eyes are anxious as they stay glued to Nia and Tobias, petals around her neck raised like the fur of a frightened cat.
Nia exchanges a nervous look with Tobias. They hadn’t even mentioned their not-exactly-legal dealings with Rosalind, though they had to fess up about running into a pair of violent seviper to explain Tobias’ healing arm injury and Nia’s latest aura upgrade.
“Well. It certainly seems you had an…eventful trip,” August finally sighs, rubbing at his eyes. “I’m very glad to see you two back relatively unharmed.”
“Thank Virizion,” Maggie murmurs, just loud enough to be heard over the rain. She looks like she’s still trying to calm herself. “I wish I could ground you two from ever leaving this tree again.”
The meganium’s joke is overshadowed by the tremor in her voice, so Nia gives her what she hopes is a soothing smile.
“What troubles me most at the moment is the suspicion that the fire itself was set as an intentional attack on those at the human convention,” August says, cutting to the heart of the matter.
Maggie clears her throat. “I as well. We…We were close to a former human, many years ago. He was very open about being human and we traveled fairly often in those days, yet he never faced such vitriol.”
Nia blinks, surprised. She had forgotten that Maggie mentioned that, shortly after they met. From Tobias’ expression, he had too. Nia can only assume there’s not a happy answer behind why Maggie has never brought it up again until now.
“But when we met, you said right away that humans had a bad reputation,” Nia points out. “That people didn’t really like them.”
“Because we thought they were weird liars looking for attention,” Tobias says, not quite meeting Nia’s eyes. She almost wants to say there’s something like an apology in his voice. “But even then, the worst it usually caused were some nasty looks or comments.”
“I didn’t realize it was getting this bad,” Maggie agrees with a slow shake of her head. “I’d heard that there were arguments cropping up more often, but nothing like this. Not serious attempts at harm.”
August makes a contemplative noise, then turns to his second-in-command. “Verene, you come from the Southern Edge, yes? How were the conditions for humans there?”
The mantis Pokemon looks thoughtfully at Nia as she gathers her thoughts, as if she’s the representative for the entirety of humankind. “At least a year ago, the general reaction wasn’t…violent. Not as welcoming as the Haven is, of course, but typically nothing more than a few sour looks or unhappy grumbling here and there if the humans got too rowdy or disruptive about something.”
Nia can’t help the way her ears flick back. Verene clearly doesn’t mean it with any malice, but Nia still doesn’t like the way she said that. The humans. It feels like the bug Pokemon is drawing some kind of line in the sand between them.
“In that case, I believe it’s past time that I look more officially into the matter,” August says. “Verene, I’ll need your help recruiting Seekers and researchers to go out and gather information.”
“Wait—really?” Nia asks, blinking in surprise. She’s known from the start that August is kind, but she admittedly wasn’t expecting him to jump into action so quickly.
“Of course,” The rillaboom says with a toothy grin. “Pokemon—human-born or not—are being put at risk. Including one of my own.” Nia flushes, pleased despite herself, and smiles down at her feet. “Plus, Maggie isn’t the only one with fond memories of a plucky little human once dropped into our world.”
Oh. Did August know Maggie’s human friend, too? Nia looks to the meganium. The older Pokemon seems like she’s holding back tears, giving August a shaky, strained smile.
“Would you like me to begin that operation today?” Verene asks, attentive posture somehow straightening even taller at the prospect.
“Effective immediately,” August agrees. “We’ll discuss the specifics after this meeting.”
“Are we free to go then?” Tobias asks, side-eyeing Maggie.
“Ah, one more thing,” August says. "Has Maggie discussed mov—“
“No,” Maggie cuts in, voice unusually loud and sharp. There’s a smile on her face, but something in the way she has it directed at August makes it feel like more of a warning. “Not yet. I’ll take care of it, August.”
The rillaboom gives her an exasperated, disapproving look, but sighs and nods. “Very well.”
There’s an awkward beat of silence.
Nia glances at Tobias. The charmander is watching Maggie with a suspicious expression. Admittedly, that outburst was a little out of character for the older woman, but Nia had attributed her slightly-off behavior to their brush by death.
“In that case, I believe we’re done here. Please do take care of yourselves and take the day off to rest, Team Scarlet. Stay close to home for a couple of weeks, if possible.”
Maggie mutters a word of thanks and ushers Nia and Tobias out of the room. Nia just barely remembers to give August a small bow before leaving, the stone door shutting tightly behind them. Nia turns back to her companions, expecting to discuss the meeting with them as usual, only to find that Maggie is already walking away from the both of them—and at a quicker pace than usual, too. Okay, she is acting strange. Nia trades a look with Tobias before hurrying after her.
“Maggie, are you all right?” Nia asks.
“Aside from the heart attack you two gave me in there, I’m fine.” Before Nia can respond, Maggie glances at one of the lattice windows they pass, where slivers of rain and endless gray sky are visible through a curtain of bark and leaves. “Although I am concerned about us getting so much rain right after a drought.”
Nia’s mouth—already open to prod a bit more—slowly closes. Then, hesitantly, she asks, “But isn’t it good to get rain when everything is so dry?”
“It is, but extreme weather in any capacity can cause trouble, and it looks like this storm will continue for a couple of days at the least.”
“The Haven’s escaped most of the natural disasters and dangerous weather so far,” Tobias dismisses “Why—“
“So far,” Maggie points out, cutting him off. “I fear we’re starting to see the effects here, too.”
“Okay, fine, whatever,” Tobias says, hurrying his pace to meet Maggie’s longer steps and trying to look up to meet her eyes. “I don’t want to talk about the stupid rain. Are you gonna talk about why you’ve been so cagey since we got back yesterday? And why you cut August off back there?”
“Tobias, I don’t—“
“Does it have something to do with Sage?”
Sage? The plant dinosaur that stopped in briefly at their quarters before leaving again? How much did Nia miss?
“No,” Maggie says, unconvincingly, her voice definitely an octave higher than it was a moment ago. “Although you two should really speak with Sage—he’s a nice boy, just a few years older than you. Great with herbs! And—“
“Stop stalling, Mags,” Tobias growls, moving to stand in front of her and crossing his arms. “That worked on me when I was ten. What’s going on with you? What did August want to bring up in his quarters?”
“Oh, that big oaf is just butting in where he doesn’t belong,” Maggie scoffs, though there’s no real malice in her voice. She moves to step around the small charmander, but stops when Tobias blocks her again.
“You’ve been acting strange ever since we got back,” Tobias protests. He stares up at her with defiant eyes, thinly-veiled concern in the pinch of his brow. “Seriously. What’s going on?”
For a moment Nia thinks the meganium is going to dismiss him again. But then Maggie sighs, antennae and flower mane drooping with something like defeat. “Please don’t fret, Tobias. I…I assure you it’s nothing bad, and I’ll share with you soon. As soon as I’m sure everything is in place.”
If anything, Tobias looks more worried at that. But after a moment he seems to decide that Maggie isn’t budging, because he steps aside to let her pass. A vine slips out to gently brush his cheek as she walks by.
“I’m going down to the cafeteria for an early lunch,” Maggie says over her shoulder. “Try to relax today.”
Tobias stares after her, his worry poorly concealed by irritation. “She didn’t even ask us if we wanted to eat with her.”
“Maybe she just…wants a little alone time? We did scare her in there, telling her about how many times we almost died.” Which in hindsight is concerning for their mental health and definitely something Nia should probably worry about more. But one problem at a time.
Tobias doesn’t look convinced. But instead of arguing, he just grumbles something under his breath and continues to walk towards their quarters. Nia follows, relieved when they finally reach the familiar little room.
“She did say it wasn’t anything bad,” Nia reminds him, trying to sound encouraging. “She wouldn’t lie about that, right?”
“No,” Tobias grudgingly admits, flopping onto his back beside Nia to stare up at the ceiling. “But if she won’t tell me what’s happening, it’s because I won’t like it.”
Okay, there’s probably some kind of truth to that. Nia wants to reach out and give him an encouraging pat or something, but refrains.
Instead, she moves to the nearest cabinet, where she’d carefully placed the letter she’d written last night (with lots of help from Maggie). On the outside of the envelope, Alice the Raichu, Afon’s Cap is written in Maggie’s much neater handwriting. The older human did say to keep in touch, and Nia already has so much to tell her, so Maggie offered to help her get the letter ready despite their late arrival home.
“The box on the mail room floor is the closest drop-off point,” Tobias says, seemingly determined to act uninterested even while he clearly wants to say something else. It’s weirdly endearing. Finally, he adds, “You staying up there a while?”
“No, I was thinking of going to see if Val is busy, actually,” Nia says, looking longingly towards their sleeping alcove, where she knows a small tower of books awaits her. It’s perfect reading weather, but… “I won’t do much with it today since we’re supposed to be resting, but I at least want an idea of what’s happening with my aura before we go on another mission.”
“Good idea,” Tobias says with an approving nod. “Make sure you tell her what Junie and I saw during the fire.“
“Right!” Nia bounces on her paws, trying to pump herself up instead of cowering away from the thought of using her aura again. Then she looks back down at Tobias, still sprawled across the floor. It’s a funny look on him, and she bites back a smile. “What are you going to do?”
“I’m gonna find the shinx kids,” Tobias says after a moment of thought. “I’m sure they’re dying to know about our trip, and if I don’t find them, they’ll find me.”
“And you sound very distraught about that,” Nia teases.
Tobias rolls his eyes. “Look, is it my fault some of the best company in this overgrown tree is a bunch of hyperactive eight year olds? No.”
Nia laughs and turns to go with a parting word or two. Tobias grunts a half-hearted goodbye, still staring up at the ceiling as he loses himself in his thoughts.
Nia climbs the short flights of steps to the mail floor to deposit Hazel’s letter, then makes her way down the Lexym Tree, still happy to be back among the comforting scents and sounds of the guild, overlaid with a backdrop of rain. When she gets to the training floor, she sees that the area is packed, more Pokemon sparring and practicing moves and filling up the large space than she’s ever seen. Guess her team isn’t the only one hiding away from the rainy weather.
There’s hardly any open space left, and the chatter, laughter and sounds of battle are almost overwhelming, even from the entrance. Nia takes a step back, considering just turning around and coming back later, when a familiar jeering shout catches her attention. It’s Andyn, stationed halfway through the fray. The deerling is sparring with her stufful partner, Jaz, while Ezra watches on the sidelines, yelling out encouragements. The sneasel spots Nia at much the same time and waves her over with a toothy grin.
Nia smiles back and timidly makes her way through the floor, ducking under flailing limbs and away from stray razor leaf attacks. When she finally reaches Ezra, the sneasel gives her a friendly bump of his hip.
“Hey, stranger! Didn’t know you would be back already. Good to see you.”
“Good to see you too,” Nia says, smiling as she watches Andyn pin Jaz with her hooves. The little stufful just looks resigned, sighing at her defeat.
Andyn looks over at Ezra, a cocky smirk on her face and a taunt on her lips, when she catches sight of the riolu. She lights up, large ears perking. “Nia! You’re back!”
The fawn Pokemon prances over to give Nia’s arm an affectionate headbutt. Nia laughs and pulls her friend into a quick hug.
Jaz wanders over as well, lazy smile dropping as she gets closer and spots the subtle scars where Nia’s injuries from the fire are still healing. “Hey, Nia. Get into some trouble on your trip?”
Jaz’s less observant teammates both frown as they finally notice them as well.
“I explicitly told you not to get hurt!” Andyn frets, sniffing at the ruffles in Nia’s fur and tickling Nia into giggles.
“Are those burns?” Ezra asks, worried.
Andyn jolts back, her concern immediately blazing into fury. She straightens up tall and stomps a hoof. “I swear to Virizion, if that dumb bonfire on legs that you call a partner did this—“
“No! No, he didn’t,” Nia hurries to say, paws out and frantically waving away the accusation. “There was a big fire in Ghatha that we got caught up in.“
Ezra and Jaz relax, recognition flashing across their faces. Andyn doesn’t look convinced, narrowing her eyes. Then she leans in closer to whisper, “You aren’t just covering for him, right?”
“No!” Nia says, her amusement souring a bit. She nudges Andyn back. “If anything, he saved my life. He wouldn’t hurt me.”
Before the deerling can protest, Jaz cuts in. “We heard about the fire. Just didn’t realize it was in the same city you went to.”
“You’re sure you’re all right?” Ezra asks. He shudders and rubs at an arm with his claws. “Fire can be scary stuff.”
“I was out of commission a couple of days, but I’m good as new!” Nia assures them. “The fire actually might have, uh…triggered something in my aura powers? That’s why I’m down here. I wanted to see if I could talk to Val.”
“She’s probably about done talking with Avery,” Ezra says. “You could ask her if she’s free afterwards!”
“Avery?” Nia echoes, blinking and following the sneasel’s gaze.
Sure enough, Val is talking with Xander’s teammate. The kirlia is handing a book over with a smile as the two chat with obvious familiarity.
“Oh. I didn’t realize they knew each other,” Nia says, blinking dumbly. She supposes a lot of the guild would know each other after living in the same space for long enough.
“Val is actually Avery’s aunt,” Ezra stage-whispers, as if this is juicy gossip.
For Nia, it might as well be. She looks again at the two Pokemon. Now that she’s taking a closer look, Val does almost seem to be smiling for once, and Avery is speaking animatedly to the stoic Pokemon. Huh.
“I didn’t know that,” Nia admits, intrigued despite herself. She wonders if Alistair and Val came to this guild together, or if maybe they were born here, raised in the nursery like Xander’s siblings? She turns to ask Andyn when Ezra speaks up again.
“Oh, looks like they noticed you.”
Nia squeaks and looks back, and sure enough her mentor and friend are both gazing curiously in her direction. Avery gives her an inviting smile and a tilt of their head.
“M-Maybe I shouldn’t interrupt,” Nia says.
“Go on! They already know you’re here and you obviously wanna talk to them!” Andyn says, using a hoof to prod Nia forward.
Nia sends her a playful glare but follows through, padding closer to the two half-psychic types. “H-Hi! Sorry, I didn’t mean to interrupt.”
“Val hears my rambles often enough,” Avery says cheerfully. “It’s good to see you back!” Their smile droops as their eyes settle onto one of Nia’s scars. “You and Tobias traveled to Ghatha, correct? I heard there was a fire.“
Nia cringes. “Yeah, we uh…we did get caught up in that. We’re all right! But something did sort of happen with my aura, and I know today is a rest day but it’s kind of scaring me now so I was hoping Val might have a second to give me some advice or something and—“
“Breathe,” Val interrupts.
“Why don’t you tell us from the beginning?” Avery invites, folding gracefully into a seated position. “Unless you would rather speak to Val alone.”
“O-Oh, no, but uh.” Nia clumsily follows the kirlia’s lead and sits after Val does too. “Do you—um, both of you—have time?”
“My father will understand if I take a break from book deliveries,” Avery says, voice light. Val’s mouth twitches as if fighting a smile.
And so for the second time that day, Nia tells the story of what happened in Ghatha. About the convention and the fire, about a blue shield protecting her and Junie from certain death, about her aura growing more powerful than ever--but also out of her control.
When she’s finally finished, Avery is visibly concerned, looking at Nia with an understanding gaze. Even Val seems worried in her own way, dark eyes silently scanning Nia’s body as if looking for hidden injuries.
Nia glances over to Team Evergreen. They’re all not-so-discretely watching from a distance, giving her big grins of encouragement (and in Ezra’s case, an attempt at a thumbs-up even with giant claws for hands). Nia’s mouth twitches into a smile.
“So I’m just hoping for some answers,” Nia finally says. “I guess experimenting with my aura will have to wait for a training day, but I didn’t know if you would have any ideas on how to control it in the meantime? J-Just so I don’t lose control and hurt anyone with it until then.”
Val nods slowly. “While I commend your caution, I do not believe it will be as much of a problem as you fear.”
Nia slumps, looking in dismay to Avery, hoping for some backup. “But—“
“Forgive me if I’m wrong,” Avery cuts in. “But your aura only lashed out when you were in danger, correct?”
“Well…” Nia thinks back to the fire, and then to the battle with the seviper. “Yeah.”
“In that case, I think Val is correct,” Avery soothes with a smile. “Your energy was just you trying to protect yourself. And if it hasn’t lashed out at all since then, you and anyone around you should be perfectly safe.”
“But it just…” Nia pauses, unsure how to phrase it. She looks around, eyes settling on Azami nearby. The tsareena is hyping up a green monkey Pokemon, directing them in how to send a flurry of leaves into a training dummy. The resulting attack almost blows them off their own feet. “It feels like it’s…too much. Too powerful. Like I can’t control it.”
“That’s normal for things like psychic energy or—in this case—aura,” Avery says. They glance at Val, as if to be sure they aren’t overstepping or saying the wrong thing, but the medicham just nods. “Sometimes an event will trigger our energy into…flaring up, as it were. And like a muscle being pushed to the limit to grow stronger, our power grows. It might just take a while to adapt to it.”
“We will work on your aura during our next training session,” Val adds. “So you feel you have a firmer grasp on it.”
Nia finally relaxes a bit, giving the medicham a grateful smile. “O-Okay. That sounds great. Thank you.”
“What I’m more curious about,” Avery says. “Is how you protected yourself from that debris in the fire. It sounds like your aura has certainly developed, but typically that power must be purposefully trained to form something that defined. It makes more sense for it to lash out in a formless attack than to form a shield.”
Nia nods. “Tobias was pretty positive that it looked like my aura, but…well, does it make any more sense for it to be the move protect? Humans are supposed to be able to learn that, regardless of species.”
Both Pokemon look surprised at this news.
“Where did you hear that?” Avery asks.
“In a book about legends in the archives.”
“How did I miss something like that?” Avery mumbles to themself. Then they shake their head. “Please do show me that book later. Regardless, it said that all humans can learn the move protect?”
“It was pretty clear on that, yeah.” Nia agrees. “Said it didn’t matter what species we were, either.”
“But if you cannot use any moves,” Val says, thoughtfully planting her chin on a fist. “That still should not be possible, whether you are human or not. Protect is a normal type move, and for whatever reason you cannot access any type energy.”
“You can’t use moves?” Avery asks, visibly taken off-guard. Nia winces, and they’re quick to hold out their hands in an apologetic gesture. “I was just surprised that didn’t come up in our previous conversations. I’ve never heard of such a thing. Is that common among humans?”
Nia shakes her head, trying not to feel ashamed but still not quite able to meet the kirlia’s eyes. “No. I met a lot of other humans in Ghatha and they could all use moves just fine. Oh!” Nia picks her head up again. “But I did ask another human about it who used to be a scientist! And he had some thoughts about maybe why I can use my aura when I can’t use any moves.”
Val’s quiet, attentive demeanor doesn’t change, and yet Nia somehow feels like she’s just piqued her mentor’s interest. Avery leans forward with interest.
“So I know aura is usually considered to be a fighting type power,” Nia says. “but Seiji mentioned that if that were the case, more fighting types should have access to it. Right?”
Avery tilts their head. “I…suppose that’s true.”
“So he thought that maybe aura is separate from my moves and doesn’t actually have a type at all!” Nia says.
Val hums. “That would make sense.”
Nia blinks at her, surprised by her calm acceptance. “Really?”
Val nods. “I suspected something similar. You cannot access any type energy. Your attempts at fighting attacks have none of the fighting type energy behind them. But you have been accessing your aura at an impressive rate—it only makes sense for them to be separate.”
“Oh.” Nia is a little too stunned about her aura control being called ‘impressive’ to respond properly at first. “Um, thank you! Yeah, he said that it makes sense, since I can use aura even if I can’t use type energy. Because aura is like…our life energy, right? Everyone has it.”
“Correct,” Avery answers. When Val and Nia look to them with surprise, the kirlia gives an embarrassed laugh. “I was curious about aura after speaking with you about it, Nia. My father helped me find a couple of the books that discuss it, few as they are. He already had them pulled for you.”
Nia smiles, warmed by Avery’s interest and their father’s quiet support.
“So a move like aura sphere…” Val starts.
“Would just be aura combined with fighting type energy, not aura’s inherent typing,” Avery finishes. “That’s what I would presume.”
“So aura doesn’t actually…have a typing,” Nia summarizes, glancing between the two of them to confirm it. “It’s just neutral life energy. But didn’t you say that the energy used for normal type moves is neutral, too?”
“Correct.” Val says, crossing her arms and looking up at the room’s high ceiling of roots. “From what I recall, other types simply add an elemental energy to that base normal type energy to create their attacks.”
Nia slowly nods as she tries to grasp all of this information. So if she’s thinking about this whole thing right, typing is like…adding a drop of ink into a clean cup of water.
The base “normal” type energy would be plain old water. The typing element would then be the colored inks dripped into it, flaring and diffusing out to change the whole thing to a completely different hue. Turning a tackle to a flare blitz, or a hyper beam to a thunder. That…kind of makes sense.
“Normal type moves aren’t super effective against any other type, and every Pokemon line can learn a normal type move of some sort, even if it’s through TM,” Avery adds. “It’s the one universal move type.”
“So,” Nia starts slowly. “Normal type energy is just…the neutral energy that every Pokemon has, since it’s the base for other typed attacks.”
Val and Avery nod.
“But…” Nia hesitates, “isn’t that exactly like aura sphere, then? Are aura and normal type energy the same thing?”
Avery stills, face going blank. They blink at Nia, like she suddenly just started speaking another language. Even Val’s brow wrinkles in the smallest of furrows, like for once Nia’s nonsense has caught even her off-guard.
Nia shrinks back at the awkward silence. “I-Uh…sorry. Was that…really dumb?”
“The…same thing,” Avery echoes numbly. Then, more excitedly. “They’re…the same thing.”
“So they are?”
“It was always assumed normal type moves had a base neutral energy, but as far as I am aware, it was never even considered that it may be the same basic life energy as aura,” Avery says, their voice picking up speed as they speak.
“So you guys have just been…calling them by different names? Even though they’re maybe the same thing?”
Avery stands, pacing in short, twirling circles to burn off some frenetic energy as they talk to themself. “It would make sense. Why does it make sense? How could this have been overlooked?”
“So this is…important?” Nia asks, still not completely grasping the apparently mind-blowing implications of this conversation.
Avery laughs, almost sounding hysterical. “If this is true it could turn everything we know about typing and moves on its head!”
Nia looks back to Val. The medicham gives her something between a nod and a shrug.
“And it would even explain your shield in Ghatha!” Avery bursts out, stopping for a moment to throw out their hands. “No wonder Tobias was so adamant about it looking like the move protect as well as your aura—because it was both.”
“I…guess that makes sense,” Nia admits, not sure how to feel. Having only learned about types and aura a month ago, a discovery like this kind of just feels par for the course. But she could see how, if it had been an unshakeable core truth her whole life, this sudden new viewpoint could be earth-shattering.
Although, if aura and normal type energy are the same thing…
“Wait,” Nia cuts in. “So if we’re right, I should be able to use normal type moves, right?”
“Yes!” Avery says, ruby eyes sparkling.
“It would make sense,” Val agrees. “We have been attempting fighting type moves thus far, but perhaps we need to focus on normal type attacks.”
“But…” Nia starts, not wanting to poke holes in everyone’s excitement, but curious despite herself. “If that’s true and all Pokemon have access to that energy, doesn’t that mean that all Pokemon should be able to use aura powers, too?”
Val hums. “I believe it may be more accurate to say that all Pokemon can tap into their aura.”
“If we’re right,” Avery says. “it’s still where the power for moves and abilities comes from, so they are using it. Just not in the same way. Each Pokemon species has a unique typing and biology, specific abilities and movepools. It makes sense that the inherent energy of aura would arise differently in different species.”
“Like reading others’ souls and emotions,” Nia says slowly. “Something about riolu and lucario makes it so they can tap into that energy to use what we know as aura powers, while another kind of Pokemon can tap into that energy, then add a specific typing and…breathe fire, or control plant life.”
“Exactly!” Avery says, looking at Nia with a delighted expression. “Although that still wouldn’t explain why all humans can use protect, even without the proper training. Unless it only meant with training, but that wouldn’t be all that spectacular, then, since most Pokemon can learn it through TM anyways. Hm.” Avery turns back to Val. “Nia mentioned her aura training to me before, and discussed how you directed her to find it through emotion. But normal type moves don’t require an emotional tie to use, either.”
Val makes a so-so movement with her hand. “Aura is made more powerful and easier to bring out through emotion. I simply believed it would be easier for Riolu to wield it with that as a starting point. I am likely missing details. The Pokemon who know best are those who have made an art of using aura—the lucario packs. They would know much better than I.”
“But if the lucario already know about all of this, shouldn’t it be more…well-known? Like publicly?” Nia asks.
Avery stops pacing, looking troubled by the thought.
“Normal types using neutral energy has been standard knowledge for as long as I have been alive,” Val states. “Perhaps because what we know as aura powers are only used by a small group of Pokemon, no one stumbled across this idea before. The lucario packs would know. But they must be keeping that knowledge to themselves.”
Nia blinks. “But…Would they do that? This all feels…kind of important?”
“The lucario are a…reclusive group,” Val says after a moment.
“They’re a nomadic Pokemon,” Avery adds. “But very isolated. Very few ever leave their pack.”
“It would not surprise me to know that there are many facets to aura that the general public is unaware of,” Val says. “Even if normal type energy and aura are the same thing, it doesn’t particularly make a difference to most what it is called.”
“I guess that’s true,” Nia admits. “I mean, we’re only coming across this idea because I can wield aura but can’t figure out how to use moves. W-Well, and I’m not like…sworn to secrecy by other riolu and lucario. From what I can tell, that’s a pretty rare combo of circumstances, right?”
“It is,” Val agrees.
“But thanks to you, this information could change the entire way we think about move typing!” Avery exclaims, spinning in an excited, elegant twirl. “Oh, Father is going to be so excited to discuss this! We need to pass on word so tests can be ran—“
Avery turns to leave, but stops themself in a very uncharacteristic jolt of movement, looking back to Val and Nia. “Ah, apologies, I suppose we were still in the middle of talking—“
“Go on,” Val says, something warm and almost amused in her tone as she waves the younger Pokemon off. “Tell Alistair I said hello.”
Avery gives the two of them a shallow bow and a polite goodbye before bounding off. Nia giggles as she watches them go. She’s never seen the calm, collected kirlia so visibly excited before.
“As usual, you have certainly given us much to think about, little riolu,” Val says, voice warm. Nia thinks the corners of her lips might even be turned up in the tiniest hint of a smile. “I will discuss this further with Alistair and Avery before our next meeting. Perhaps what we have learned here can help further your training, both in aura and in moves.”
“Sounds good!” Nia says, hopeful. Maybe she can actually use some moves now! Normal type moves are much better than nothing. Plus, her aura is stronger too, so she could even start learning how to use it for attacks, too.
After a quick goodbye and word of thanks, Nia heads back over to Team Evergreen. Before she can say anything, Ezra grabs her by the arms.
“Nia. Nia. What the heck did you do to make Val emote?” The sneasel asks, eyes and grin wide and impressed. “Rewrite the laws of the universe or something?”
“Something like that,” Nia laughs. “Let me talk to Avery about it some more first and then I’ll catch you up.”
Jaz in particular looks curious, but the three nod.
“So what’re you planning on doing for the rest of the day?” Andyn asks. “We were thinking of getting lunch soon. Wanna join us?”
Nia hums. “Thanks for the offer, but I’m not really hungry yet. I was thinking of seeing if the rest of Xander’s team was around so I could catch up with them first.”
“Ugh, Team Shellshock is so cool,” Ezra groans, leaning dramatically against Andyn. “I know I literally just watched you geek out with Avery for half an hour, but I forgot that you’re like…actually friends with all of them! They’re a B-rank team!”
Nia laughs. “I mean, if you can wait for lunch you could always come with me? I don’t think they’d mind.”
“Oh, heck yeah. I’ve been wanting to challenge Kry to a battle for months,” Andyn says, stomping her hooves.
Ezra barks a laugh. “Have you seen that fraxure? She’s gonna pound you into the dirt.”
“I can beat you, and you have a type advantage over me!”
“That’s not saying much when Kry is a brick of muscle and scales.”
“And aggression,” Jaz adds helpfully, idly watching Azami kick around some other Seekers in training. The tsareena really doesn’t hold back, does she?
“M-Maybe don’t immediately challenge her to a fight?“ Nia suggests, cringing at the idea. She’s not sure if the dinosaur would take it as an offense and immediately tackle Andyn into a wall or not.
“Or, y’know, I could,” Andyn counters. “Only one way to find out!” She trots towards the staircase, weaving through the other Pokemon in the training hall.
Ezra and Jaz follow, already betting on Kry’s reaction and who would win in a fight between the fraxure and deerling. Nia shakes her head with a smile and tags along at the end of their little group.
Andyn claims that Xander’s team often holes up in their quarters on off days, so she leads them to the housing floor. Along the way, Nia thinks she sees Sage, the Pokemon who stopped in at a Maggie’s quarters the day before. The plant dinosaur (or is he a frog?) is gone before she can make sure, though.
Huh. Plant dinosaur. After learning about Val and Avery, Nia can’t help wondering if he could be related to Maggie somehow. Seems strange that she wouldn’t introduce them when she had the chance, though.
When they finally reach Xander’s team’s quarters, Nia isn’t surprised to hear familiar, childlike laughter spilling from the room. She is surprised to turn the corner and find not only Xander’s little siblings in the room with their brother and his teammates, but Tobias as well. He’s sitting close to the doorway, buried under a wriggling mass of shinx children.
“Tobias?” Nia asks, shocked enough to stop in her tracks. He hates Xander—and social interaction in general. How in the world did he end up in Team Shellshock’s quarters?
The charmander looks at her from his place on the ground, face an apathetic deadpan as he says, “These kids are a menace.”
“They wanted to play with Tobias and their big brother,” Felix adds from his place at Xander’s side, lounging on a cushion. The wartortle is grinning, clearly amused by the situation. “And who could say no to those little faces?”
Nia giggles and pads into the room after Ezra and Andyn not-so-subtly prod her further. The three shinx kids stop dogpiling Tobias to rush to the newcomers, saying hi to Nia and hurrying to ask Andyn’s team what their names are.
Nia is distracted from the chaos by Xander. The luxio rises from his spot on the cushion, catching her attention. For a split-second, Nia thinks of the luxio in Ghatha, electricity sparking in his fur and pure hate in his eyes. Wishes of harm frothing from his mouth.
But then she blinks and Xander is not-quite-running forward to meet her, his usual calm expression heavy with concern. She expects him to stop in front of her, but instead a single heavy paw lands on her back and yanks her into an unexpected hug, firm but softened by the luxio’s staticky fur.
“Tobias told me about the fire,” Xander says, voice muffled into her fur. Then he pulls back, golden eyes glancing over her healed burns. “You’re all right?”
Nia’s heart melts at his open concern. She tries to ignore the nagging feeling of familiarity pinging in the back of her mind—saying brother brother brother—and stay in the present instead of the fog of her lost memories.
“I’m fine, really. You guys don’t have to worry so much!”
“He almost fried a pillow when I told him,” Tobias drawls, sitting up and smirking when the shinx cubs returning to his side erupt into peals of laughter.
“He did!” Luca says.
“Xander’s so funny when he gets freaked out,” Laine adds.
Leor doesn’t say anything, but he does bite back a smile as he climbs into Tobias’ lap and happily flops down there.
Xander rolls his eyes, clearly familiar with his little siblings’ teasing even as his ears angle back with embarrassment. “Can you blame me? It’s not exactly a relaxing story.”
Nia gives him a smile and an affectionate nudge before glancing around the room. The fraxure that Andyn was so set on finding is also here, lounging in her own nest.
“Avery’s not here if you’re looking for someone to nerd out with,” Kry says, idly throwing an apple up in the air over and over to catch it with one hand.
“I actually ran into them earlier and we had a really awesome conversation about my aura!” Nia says. “They went back to the archives, I think.”
“Yeah, they’re helping their dad out today,” Felix says, watching with amusement as Andyn takes a deep breath and marches up to Kry to demand a battle. The dragon type pauses her game of catch to light up with a wicked grin. She immediately agrees, making plans for a brawl in the forest when the storm has passed.
“You find something out about your aura?” Tobias asks, lifting a brow up at Nia.
Nia plops down beside him, just close enough to feel the ever-present warmth that radiates from him. “Yes! We aren’t sure of anything yet, but if we’re right then we have news that’s going to blow your mind.”
Tobias snorts, flicking his fiery tail for Laine and Luca to practice pouncing on. “Sure.”
“No, seriously. Avery was ten times more excited than I was and I think even Val was surprised. Something about ‘changing the entire way we view move typing’?”
The charmander pauses, clearly reevaluating his snarky response. Even just knowing them in passing, Avery apparently has quite the reputation for their intelligence in the guild. And Val isn’t a scholar, but she’s definitely hard to catch off-guard. “Tell me later.”
The shinx cubs jump at Tobias’ stilled tail, and he quickly whisks it away again. Luca crashes into Laine, and after a moment of arguing the two shinx cubs tumble away with playful growls. Leor’s little ears flick, but he seems content to stay curled up in Tobias’ warmth and watch his more energetic siblings.
Ezra and Andyn wander back over to Nia’s side once the duel with Kry is set, the deerling settling down as far away from Tobias as possible. Jaz shyly starts up a conversation with Xander, clearly encouraged by the luxio’s welcoming smile.
Nia is surrounded by friends and happy, relaxed chatter, and it makes her smile.
Tobias seems to realize their current situation at much the same time, because he looks around at the good cheer with an almost offended expression.
“It was bad enough having to deal with Xander. When did I get surrounded by your friends?” Tobias demands. Ezra laughs at the outrage in the charmander’s voice.
“Oh, Arceus forbid Pokemon dare to be friendly in your general vicinity,” Andyn scoffs, rolling her eyes.
“I didn’t ask for this!”
“Trust me, I didn’t ask to be in the same room as you, either. Neither of us are happy about this.”
“You’re just in a bad mood because Kry called you a twig,” Ezra teases his partner.
“She is!” Kry shouts from across the room.
“She accepted our battle!” Andyn protests with a proud lift of her chin. “Clearly she recognizes a worthy opponent when she sees one.”
Felix snorts. “Kry thinks a particularly large rock is a worthy opponent.”
Kry barks a laugh that sounds something like agreement, and Nia can’t help giggling too, even if she tries tries to stifle it for Andyn’s sake. The deerling is clearly embarrassed, but she just gives the wartortle a pout and a slug of her hoof. He laughs and rubs good-naturedly at his arm.
Nia almost misses the quiet huff of laughter at her side. Tobias is looking down at Leor, combing his claws through the child’s fur, but there’s a small smile sneaking onto the charmander’s face.
Nia’s heart lifts, and she hurriedly looks away from him so he won’t notice that she noticed.
Still, Nia keeps an eye on the charmander as the jovial conversations around them continue. He doesn’t chime in often himself, and when he does it’s either to answer one of the kids or to jab at the others with a sarcastic quip, but even those get a few laughs out of Ezra and Felix and the shinx cubs. She isn’t sure if she’s imagining it or not, but she almost thinks he’s relaxing a bit as time goes on, his shoulders loosening, although the defensive glint in his eyes never leaves entirely.
Something about the whole thing makes Nia feel happy and…warm. Seeing so many of her close friends from the Pokemon world all together in one place, laughing and enjoying each other’s company. It reminds her of the day before, running into Maggie’s embrace. Or staying up too late at the inns in Ghatha with Junie, smothering their giggles to avoid waking Tobias.
Oh man, Junie would love to be here right now. She would have so much fun antagonizing Tobias and Andyn.
Nia smiles to herself at the thought. She doesn’t have her old life here, her human family and friends, and when she thinks of them her chest aches with something sweet and sore, like a cavity in her heart. But still…
She’s so grateful for the family she’s building here, too.
Chapter 35
Summary:
Nia makes progress on using moves, and Maggie shares some ill-received news.
Chapter Text
“Found the stairs!”
Tobias follows Nia’s line of sight into the next “room,” where a set of stone steps await among autumn foliage and rainy gray puddles.
“Good catch,” Tobias says, cloak flaring rainwater as he turns to lead the way through the dungeon’s short hallway. Nia follows, keeping an eye out for any ferals.
The two of them are in a newer dungeon for today’s mission, but it looks very similar to the one that Nia and Tobias got stuck in when she first woke up in the Pokemon world. Only now the maze of greenery has browned with the start of autumn, leafy walls and canopy flaring yellow and orange and red.
That’s the double-edged sword of the whole dungeon situation. They don’t last forever—most only stick around for a few days or weeks—but they’re also unpredictable and can pop up seemingly anywhere. While the first dungeon they’d tackled has long since vanished, this one opened up just a few short miles away, farther south of the guild.
It’s all eerily familiar, save for the rainy weather. The nasty storm that has been plaguing the Haven for the past few days has finally lessened to a light drizzle, allowing them to leave the guild to take on missions again. Not that Nia was too upset about the “missions” they took on from within the guild the past few days—working cafeteria duty, teaching the guild kids some basic self-defense, making repairs to broken branches and clearing tunnel cave-ins after the nasty weather. It’s a different kind of helping the community, and one that involves a lot less danger, too. They’d even worked alongside Team Evergreen for a bit when clearing one of the tunnels! Tobias and Andyn almost got into a fight as usual, but Nia wonders if they aren’t starting to enjoy their little tiffs on some level.
Still, it admittedly feels nice to get out again, and Nia knows Tobias feels the same despite the weather. They’re currently on the eighth floor of the dungeon, and rain continues to mist down on them in light sheets, putting a chill in the air. Nia’s fur was soaked through within minutes of leaving the guild, so she bounces from foot to foot to stay warm as they make their way through the dungeon.
Tobias wears the leafy green rain cloak he found the other night, hood pulled over his head and the rest of it covering his body, keeping his fire type skin relatively safe from the constant moisture. He’d grumbled and daintily side-stepped giant puddles on the forest floor all the way to the dungeon, and Nia had tried to bite back her laughter, reminding herself that water actually hurts to him and he wasn’t just being difficult.
The mission they’re on is a simple search for a lost item, supposedly somewhere on the tenth floor of the dungeon. Nia had been nervous going into the mission considering her last jaunt through a Haven forest dungeon didn’t go so well, but it’s been fairly smooth sailing so far. They’re definitely defeating Pokemon much quicker and easier than the first time around.
Tobias had snorted when she’d brought that up, giving her a look. “We’re no S-rank, but we’re definitely not the same level as the first time we were in here.”
Which she supposes makes sense. Even if Nia doesn’t feel much stronger, the results speak for themselves. And she actually (sorta) knows how to fight now! Or at least how to throw a punch or a kick without hurting herself.
Tobias had urged her to try battling without a branch today, since it’s a safer environment and they know now that she should be able to use normal type moves. So she’s sticking to using her actual combat training, cringing with every hit and hesitating before following up on her attacks. She catches Tobias rolling his eyes more than once, but tries to ignore him.
She’s trying to use her moves, really! If for nothing else than the hope that it’ll somehow make the solid feeling of hitting another creature (no matter how feral) less jarring and uncomfortable.
Tobias and Maggie had suggested that she start off with quick-attack, since that’s a beginner-level move and supposedly easy to learn. Last night she’d tried to figure it out in the hallway outside of their room, sprinting back and forth down the corridor and flaring her aura to try and trigger it somehow. By the third lap, Fen had moved to their doorway to watch with a look somewhere between amused and encouraging. Tobias had joined the leafeon by the sixth lap, much less subtle about his amusement.
Seeing Tobias across the room now, raising a challenging eyebrow as he easily sidesteps the two bug-type ferals gunning for him, Nia huffs an annoyed breath and shakes out her limbs. Fine. She can do this!
Nia tries to think back to what Tobias told her when she asked him how to use moves, how to access the energy needed to put them into motion. He‘d said she just needs to use her aura like she has been, but pour it into the part of her that she wants to use for the attack. Just…imagine it and direct it.
Simple.
Not like she wasn’t already trying that last night. Not like that’s super vague and nonsensical and really not as easy of an instruction as everyone keeps making it out to be—
Okay, Tobias had also flicked her on the forehead and told her to “stop thinking about it so hard” as she pouted in her nest before bed, but she’s not fully convinced she has the battle instincts he keeps insisting any Pokemon does, human-born or not.
Still, she’s determined to figure this out.
Nia lets out a breath and tries to take her partner’s advice to heart. Don’t think about it. Just go. Let her body do its thing. She takes a runner’s stance, tensing her muscles. Focuses on the little green caterpillar Pokemon a few yards away, nipping at Tobias’ heels. She summons her aura, much easier than it used to be, and shoves that surging energy down into her legs as she pushes off.
One moment she’s in the middle of the room, and the next moment passes in a half-blink of blurred motion and tripping paws and her stomach dropping and then—
Nia slams face-first into the wooden wall. Her brain takes a moment or two to register the pain before she falls back on her tail and grabs at her nose with a whine.
Tobias calls out from somewhere behind her, clearly shocked. “Did you just—dang it, leave me alone!” There’s the familiar fwoosh of fire in the air, hissing as it meets rain, and then Tobias’ footsteps running to her side.
“Did you just use quick attack?!” He asks, pulling her up and out of her ball of misery.
Nia blinks at him through teary eyes, slowly moving past the pain in her nose. The rain patters lightly against the leaves overhead. Tobias gives her a little shake, and then it registers.
“D-Did I?” Nia gasps, letting her hands fall away.
“I mean, you crashed straight into a wall instead of actually hitting anything, but…” His excitement is palpable as he gives her a sharp, toothy grin from under his hood. “Pretty sure that was still a quick attack.”
“I used a move?” Nia whispers, awestruck. Then she pumps her fists, cheering, “I did it! I can use moves!”
Tobias laughs, and Nia laughs with him, ignoring how the expression pulls at her newly bruised nose.
“Maggie and Fen are gonna be thrilled,” Tobias says as they stand. Nia glances around at the downed ferals that Tobias took care of, making sure they’re actually knocked out.
“Now I don’t have to worry about wearing a hole in the floor of the medical wing,” Nia jokes.
“No, now we just have to worry about you knocking down a few walls.”
Nia laughs, unable to keep the grin off her face. “Okay, but did I go fast?”
Tobias snorts. “You aren’t gonna be doing any fancy footwork for a while, but you definitely went fast.”
Nia nods, thinking back to the quick attack she’d seen Ezra use at one point during the tunnel cleanup. The sneasel was so quick on his feet, almost seeming to blink out of existence as he zipped from spot to spot. She can just imagine him using that same attack to zigzag around an opponent. That must’ve taken months to master!
As they make their way through the remaining floors, Nia attempts to use quick attack a few more times, with varying amounts of success and more than one wipeout on the slick, muddy ground. By time they make it to the tenth floor, she’s soaked and covered in sore spots. But she can’t help the hop in her step, too excited to show off her progress to Maggie and Val. And Ezra! Maybe the sneasel can give her some tips.
They finally reach an uninhabited room on the tenth floor, with a single item sitting in the middle of it. Tobias perks up.
“There it is,” the charmander says, trodding over to the clear blue orb. “Still don’t know how Pokemon manage to lose an item only for it to show up ten floors deep in a dungeon.”
He wipes the mud off of it, then hands it to her to pocket in their satchel. She hands him their badges in return and takes a moment to look at the orb, holding it up to the light to watch how it gleams and shimmers
“It’s so pretty…”
“Just don’t drop it. If it breaks it’ll activate and we definitely aren’t getting paid enough to deal with whatever chaos it might bring.”
Nia puts the orb away extra carefully. Tobias hands back her badge, and after a few seconds the super bizarre sensation of them warping back to the guild hits Nia. A blinding light that she squeezes her eyes shut against, and then a blink of time when she feels weightless and weird and her gut tumbles with nausea.
Then her feet touch back to familiar wood flooring, and she only stumbles a little. Still, she grimaces and puts a hand to her stomach, willing it to settle. She doesn’t remember getting motion sick or anything as a human, but when she’d asked about the nausea that always hit her when using the dungeon warps, Tobias had reminded her that fighting types don’t always do well with psychic moves, including teleport.
By time they turn the item in and get their points, money, and a few berries as reward, Nia’s stomach is settled enough to start growling.
It’s getting close to evening, so they order food to-go on the way up the tree, Tobias grabbing something that won’t spoil for Maggie in case she’s already eaten. The trek up the stairs is long as usual, but Nia tries to focus on how strong her legs must be getting with how much climbing they do. They never skip leg day.
The two of them finally make it back to their quarters. Maggie looks up from where she’s separating an herbal medicine into smaller doses, smiling upon seeing them.
“How was the mission?” Maggie asks.
Nia stays out in the hallway for a moment, still dripping leftover rainwater onto the wooden floor as Tobias hands over Maggie’s food. She’s feeling an increasingly-familiar sensation tickling at her skin. Sure enough, a moment later she can’t help shaking like a dog, whipping droplets of water everywhere.
From safely inside the room, Tobias watches with a curled lip as he takes his cloak off, throwing it to the side. “The mission was…wet.”
Maggie laughs as Nia finally trots inside, still damp but no longer sopping. When she plops down on the floor to set out her own food, Tobias scoots away, watching her warily. She sticks her tongue out at him, and he rolls his eyes.
“The mission was good!” Nia says, tail wagging as she looks at their meal. The usual berries are there as a side dish, but the main course today is some kind of vegetable soup with a hearty-looking sandwich. Perfect for a rainy day.
“Nia finally figured something out about moves,” Tobias says, crunching into his own sandwich.
“Really?” Maggie asks.
Nia nods frantically through a mouthful of food, putting her sandwich down.
“Watch!” Nia says, running to the hallway. Fen must’ve heard the commotion, because they peer out of their own room with twitching green ears and a curling smile. Maggie looks on with a similarly amused expression.
Nia takes a deep breath, lowers herself into a sprinter’s crouch, then summons her aura, pushing it into her legs as she takes off. Once again, the world blurs into earthy brown and golden flashes of sunlight, her guts pressing back against her spine—like she’s on a rollercoaster!
She blinks back into normal speed, tripping over the wooden floor and tumbling into the nearest wall with a thump and a yelp. When she shakes the dizziness from her eyes, she sees she’s upside-down on the other end of the hallway, three bewildered heads blinking out at her from the doorways farther down.
“Are you all right?” Maggie calls.
Nia giggles and rights herself, calling back, “Yeah! Did you see?!”
Fen leaves their room and trots over to Nia’s side. Their leafy tail is waving merrily as they speak, laughter in their voice. “We saw. Congratulations!”
They help nose Nia to her feet, then walk back down the hall at her side, brown eyes sparkling with curiosity. “You’ll have to tell me about how it feels to use moves for the first time. Pokemon usually use their first attacks as infants, so they find it difficult to describe something they’ve always had.”
Nia should probably be embarrassed that most Pokemon figure out moves as literal babies, but she’s too excited about this new superpower to really care. Instead, she eagerly agrees, sympathizing all too well with Fen’s curious nature.
The leafeon returns to their quarters with a happy hum, and Nia accepts a proud side-hug from Maggie.
“Now you just gotta learn to control it,” Tobias says. “Or at least aim yourself at our enemies.”
“A human bowling ball,” Nia muses, waving off Maggie and Tobias’ confused looks and digging into her food again. The soup is hot and rich, with a little bit of spice, and the sandwich is filling and fresh.
By time they finish eating, Maggie is just about done with her measurements and capping off the herbal mixtures.
Nia watches from afar. “It’s so cool getting to see you make potions and stuff.”
Maggie laughs. “I don’t know if I’ve ever heard someone use the word ‘cool’ to describe it, but thank you dear.”
“‘S pretty boring once you get used to it,” Tobias says, spearing a berry with his claw.
Maggie doesn’t respond to his quip, which seems odd. Instead, she visibly pauses. Then, she finishes capping off the last potion before turning to them with a smile that makes something in Nia feel nervous.
“Speaking of my work, I did want to…talk to you two about something.”
Nia frowns at the meganium’s tone, then glances at Tobias. The charmander sits up, abandoning his food and asking, “Is this what you’ve been acting so weird about for the past few days?”
“Yes.“ Maggie hesitates, but then gestures to the ground in front of her as she lies down. Nia and Tobias exchange a look but abandon the remnants of their meals to sit down in front of the older woman.
“So what is it?” Tobias asks, clearly impatient. For once, Nia can’t blame him. Not when Maggie has been acting so secretive since they got back from Ghatha a few days ago.
The meganium takes a minute to speak, trying to sort out her words. Nia shifts, growing more nervous by the second. Tobias taps his claws impatiently against the wooden floor.
“Well…to get right into it, you know I’m not as young as I used to be,” Maggie starts. “It’s getting more difficult to handle all of the herbalist responsibilities on my own.”
Tobias’ face flashes with guilt. “Maggie—“
“Now don’t give me that look,” Maggie protests, using a vine to give Tobias a soft cuff on the cheek. “It’s up to you how you want to live your life, and if you want to be a Seeker then I won’t stop you. It’s a good fit for you.”
Tobias reluctantly settles back down.
“But,” Maggie says, the hesitance back in her voice. “I do need…help, still. I’m not as spry as I used to be, and as winter approaches I’ll need someone to give me a hand. And one day, I’ll need someone to take over my work here at the guild. I thought perhaps that would be you, Tobias, but as you’ve changed paths, that does mean your role needs to be filled.”
Oh. Nia straightens up, finally seeing where Maggie is going with this. She glances at Tobias. He’s looking at Maggie with a furrow in his brow, as if trying to understand what she’s saying. Something in Nia’s gut twists uncomfortably.
Maggie stares at Tobias, searching his face for any hint of how he’s feeling. Then, taking a deep breath, she says, “Sage—the ivysaur you saw the other day—is, ah…interviewing, let’s say, to fill your old position.”
There’s a beat of quiet. Tobias is staring at Maggie with an unfamiliar expression, shocked and uncomprehending and a little betrayed.
“So…is Sage moving in here?” Nia finally says, uncertain.
“Traditionally he would, yes—“
“What about us?” Tobias asks, voice weak.
“August and I have been discussing that. We arranged one of the empty rooms in the Seekers housing wing for you two if you’d like, but—“
Tobias stands, wrenching himself away from the two of them. “What?”
Uh-oh.
“Sage doesn’t have to move into the herbalist quarters right away!” Maggie hurries to assure him. “He’s in no rush and—“
“I don’t care about stupid Sage!” Tobias hisses, tail lashing. “You’re kicking me out?”
Oh, this is spiraling quickly. Maggie looks like she’s desperately trying to get a handle on the situation. “No! No, never—if you want to stay here you can, of course, but—“
“But you went ahead and made arrangements behind my back anyways?” Tobias asks. His hands ball into fists. “Clearly you have a preference for how this little talk goes.”
“No, no! Tobias, you know I love having you here—“
“Not enough to keep from replacing me!” Tobias snaps, voice breaking.
Nia looks between the two of them, wide-eyed and distraught. “Tobias, I don’t think that’s what Maggie—“
“Stay out of this!” He snarls, shooting Nia a glare that burns. He whips back to Maggie, embers drifting in his wake. “I got the message.”
“Tobias—“ Maggie’s vines reach for Tobias as she stands, but he ducks under her touch and bolts out the door, nearly slamming into the wall before running out of sight.
“Tobias!” Maggie calls, taking a step after the charmander before stopping herself. She looks both heartbroken and frustrated, eyes brimming with tears.
For a moment, it’s quiet as they both digest what just happened. Nia looks helplessly between Maggie and the doorway, torn between hiding away to comfort Maggie and following Tobias. “I…should I go after him?”
“I don’t know if that…” Maggie protests, but then shakes her head and looks at the floor. “Then again, I suppose my judgement has already failed me once.”
Nia isn’t sure what to say to that, so she just gives the meganium a sympathetic look and leaves without a word.
Nia makes it to the staircase before realizing she doesn’t even know where Tobias went, let alone what she’ll do when she finds him. Still, not even checking on him feels too much like she’s abandoning her partner. He’s angry, yeah, but she suspects that’s covering a more complex mix of emotions. She’ll at least find out where he’s gone to and make sure he’s okay.
Easier said than done, though. The Lexym Tree has never felt larger than it does now, and Nia isn’t even sure where to start. She thinks Tobias tends to go to the training floor to work off steam when he gets frustrated, but she’s not sure if that holds true for how he’s feeling right now.
Nia bites nervously at a claw, looking up and then down the stairs, before finally deciding to go up and check the mail floor, since they’re near the top of the tree anyways. Might as well start at the top and work her way down.
Nia checks the chilly, gusty loft, but the only Pokemon up there are a few of the flight birds who braved the winds and rain. She hurries back the way she came and starts her trek down the tree. The training floor only has a few Pokemon inside, sparring under Azami’s enthusiastic guidance. Tobias wouldn’t be hiding in here—the tsareena wouldn’t let his mood slide so easily, probably prodding him until he told her what was wrong or left in a huff.
Next, Nia peeks into the nursery floor a few flights down, seeing all of the kids gathered around Arlo for a story. The drampa’s deep, rumbling voice has them enraptured, and Nia spots three happy shinx cubs in the middle of the group, Luca whispering something to Laine that makes her snicker. Not here, either.
Nia checks the cafeteria and even the archives, but no luck. By time Nia has reached the bottom floor where the mission billboards stand, she’s panting and wondering if Tobias is even in the guild anymore. Her anxiety spikes further as she thinks of him dashing out into the forest in the still falling rain. He doesn’t have his raincoat.
Nia stops as she looks into the yawning mouths of the tunnels circling the bottom floor. The tunnels. That’s where they hid after their first illegal venture into a dungeon, when they talked it out and became a team for the first time. Nia remembers how soothing the blue glow of the crystals were after the adrenaline rush. Nia turns in a circle, trying to think of which one they hid in—it was one of the ones that lead to a dead end. She thinks it was the one to the right..?
Nia pads into the cave, the tunnel dark and hard to see in until her eyes adjust to the gentle blue glow of the crystals. It’s quiet down here, the tunnels large but closed-off, uninhabited unlike the rest of the guild. She can hear her own quiet footsteps. She’s always caught off-guard by how pretty it is, and it helps to soothe her anxiety. Still, she keeps her ears perked and eyes peeled for Tobias.
She walks and walks, until she makes it close to the end of the tunnel, where the crystals are less plentiful and the darkness thicker. A tiny, watery sniff catches her attention at the same time her eye notices a warmer light source. Her shoulders droop with relief when she spots a familiar form curled up against the cave wall.
“Tobias?” Nia whispers, taking a step closer. She was so determined to find him, but now that she has, she isn’t sure what to say.
He flinches at her voice, head tucked away in his crossed arms so she can’t see his face. He’s shaking, claws visibly digging into the skin of his arms.
She takes another hesitant step closer. “Are…are you okay?”
“Do I look okay?” He snaps, voice muffled.
Nia shrinks back at the hostility, but watches as the charmander’s tail flame flares before shrinking back down to a tiny, pitiful ember of its usual self. Tobias sniffs, wetly, trying to quiet his shaking breaths.
Nia steps closer, putting a hand to the cool cave wall as if its solidity could give her strength. She swallows, heart thumping hard as she tries to think of what to say. “Do…Do you want to talk about it?”
“No, I don’t want to talk about it,” he mocks.
Nia frowns, looking down at her feet. She knows he’s upset, but he doesn’t need to be so mean about it.
“I’m just trying to help,” She whispers, some of the frustration she feels leaking into her voice.
Tobias slumps, some of the anger leaving his frame as he mutters, “Ever think maybe you can’t fix everything?”
Nia doesn’t know how to respond to that, so she just leans back against the cave wall and awkwardly shuffles her feet. Tobias wipes at his eyes with rough movements, like if he does it fast enough she won’t notice.
“It’s okay to cry, y’know,” Nia murmurs.
Tobias doesn’t answer.
It’s quiet again, minutes ticking by painfully slow as Nia stares at the twisting rocks of the cave wall, bathed blue by the tunnel’s crystals. She came down here to comfort Tobias, but she feels like she’s just making it worse. Maybe Maggie was right—maybe she should’ve just left him alone.
Finally, when the heavy quiet starts to feel suffocating, Nia takes a breath and pushes off the wall to go. “I’ll leave you alone.”
“No—“ Tobias’ choked protest seems to surprise him more than it surprises her. He blinks, then flushes, looking away.
“I can leave,” Nia offers again, softer.
“If you want to,” Tobias mumbles.
“What do you want?”
Tobias is silent, refusing to answer, which is an answer in itself. At least, Nia thinks so. He sniffs, and a tear slips free before he hides away again in his arms.
The frustration drains out of Nia, leaving only a tired sadness behind. She goes back to Tobias, sliding down the rough cave wall to sit down a few feet away from him. She curls her legs up to her chest, shooting him an uncertain glance. He doesn’t necessarily look happy about her staying, but he did ask her to. Kind of.
“I know I can’t fix how you’re feeling, but can I…can I help somehow?”
“Just…don’t go,” Tobias says, voice soft. The words should be a command, but they sound more like a question, like something vulnerable.
“I won’t,” Nia murmurs.
The silence descends again, a distant shout from the mission boards area echoing down to them. After a few minutes of nervous energy building in her hands, Nia traces one of the light scars on her foot, from the fire. The dark fur is growing back, but thinner and not quite as sleek as it used to be.
Nia doesn’t really feel like she’s helping at all. She glances at Tobias. His arms are curled close against his chest, fingers rubbing at the edge of the scarlet bandana around his neck in a rhythmic, soothing motion.
As soon as Nia had realized what Maggie was discussing, she knew Tobias wouldn’t be happy about this. Still, his reaction was even more intense than she would have expected. Nia can’t help circling back to Tobias’ words, how betrayed he’d looked.
“I don’t think Maggie would look for a new assistant if she didn’t have to,” Nia quietly points out.
Tobias growls a wordless suggestion to shut up. Nia frowns at the dismissal. Sure, she gets being upset that Maggie suddenly dropped this bombshell on him and suggested that he—they—move out, but he’s acting like Maggie said she wanted him gone. Which is obviously not at all what she meant.
Tobias…knows that, right?
“Are you upset about Sage taking your job?” Nia asks.
Tobias barks a bitter laugh. “I didn’t even like being an herbalist. I only did it because of…”
Because of Maggie. Nia could see that. But that only lends more credence to the ridiculous idea forming in Nia’s head.
“So you’re upset that she’s suggesting you —we—move out?”
“Stop trying to play therapist. You’re not Rosalind.”
“She said we don’t have to,” Nia presses. “Move out, that is. It’s not like she’s disowning you or something.”
Tobias curls in further on himself, claws digging into his skin. He doesn’t respond.
“You…you know she still loves you, right?” Nia asks, bewildered by the thought that Tobias might somehow think otherwise.
“Shut up,” he says, voice breaking.
Nia blinks at him, blown away by the realization that no, actually, he might not know that. Or he’s at least questioning it.
“Tobias, Maggie adores you. It was obvious from day one that she loves you more than anything.”
“Then why is she replacing me?!“ Tobias cries, finally lifting his head to look at her head-on. His face is desperate and wet with tears, and the reflected light of the crystals almost seems to make his eyes glow. “I-I know I’m difficult, I know it’s been hard on her sometimes but I thought she—“
Nia swallows hard as his face crumples with another wave of tears. He hides away again, tail curling close around him.
Nia tries to talk around the lump in her throat. “Tobias, Maggie is replacing her assistant. She’s not replacing you.”
“They’re th’ same thing,” he sniffs.
“No, they’re not!” Nia insists. “Just because Sage is going to help her collect herbs and make medicine doesn’t mean he’s taking your spot in her life!”
Tobias flinches hard, and Nia feels a little sick that she’s apparently hit the nail on the head.
Does he really not think Maggie loves him as much as he clearly loves her?
“Tobias—“
“Just be quiet,” he pleads. Nia can’t see his face, but the congestion in his voice make it obvious that he’s crying again.
The words die in Nia’s throat. She won’t be able to convince him, will she? Maybe it isn’t even her place to try to.
So Nia stays silent as Tobias shakes with renewed emotion. It’s almost physically painful to just…watch Tobias fall apart from a few feet away. She hesitates, wanting to help but already feeling like maybe she pushed too far. Then, making sure to scuff against the ground, she shuffles closer. Tobias tenses and glares at her with one visible blue eye, reminding her painfully of a scared, hissing kitten.
Nia stop at his side, not quite touching but on the edge of it, fur brushing against his heated skin. Then, she closes her eyes and tilts her head back to rest against the uncomfortable cave wall.
Tobias turns his head away with a sniff, wiping at his face. The quiet is heavy, and Nia can hear her own nervous pulse beating in her ears. Then, tentatively, Tobias leans into her touch. Just enough to press his trembling arm and leg against the side of her own. Even for Nia, the contact feels grounding. She keeps her eyes closed, pushing back just enough for him to feel the pressure. She hopes it’s reassuring for him, too.
And they sit.
Tobias’ crying slowly peters off into sniffles and shuddering breaths. Nia keeps her breaths even and deep, trying to be a source of calm and guidance like Val is when Nia does her aura meditation.
She doesn’t know how much time passes. She tries to count the seconds just to give herself something to do aside from worrying, but loses track quickly. It feels like forever. It feels like a moment.
Finally, he’s silent. Nia peeks over at him.
His chin is buried in his scarf, eyes barely open. He looks exhausted, like he has in the past after a panic attack. Like he might just fall asleep right here against the cave wall.
“Why don’t we get out of here,” Nia suggests, giving him a gentle nudge. “You’ll feel better after some sleep.”
He grumbles something unintelligible, but lets her pull him to his feet. Nia leads the slow trek back towards the mission boards.
“Where we gonna sleep?” Tobias mumbles, looking resigned. Like Maggie had shoved him out the door and told him to never come back. Nia’s heart aches even as she fights the urge to shake some sense into this boy.
“Well…I’m guessing you don’t feel ready to talk to Maggie yet?”
A tangle of emotions flicker across his face. Shame, fear, pain. He looks away.
Nia almost insists that the two talk, but the charmander looks exhausted, emotionally rubbed raw, and she’s not sure that talk would go well right now, even if she’s sure Tobias is completely misunderstanding Maggie’s intentions.
So instead she nods and offers, “I can go back to—“ The herbalist quarters? Maggie’s room? “Our nests and grab our stuff? And figure out which room in the housing wing we can sleep in for tonight.”
Tobias looks pained at the reminder that they’ll be bedding down somewhere different, but nods, still not meeting her eyes.
Nia tries to give him an encouraging smile as they reach the start of the tunnel. The brighter light of the mission room spills into the dim glow of the cave. “I’ll be right back. Wanna wait here?”
Another nod.
Nia turns and heads back up the stairs of the guild, glancing over her shoulder to make sure he’ll stay put. For the second time today she scales the Lexym Tree, legs burning with the workout. When she makes it to the medical floor, she realizes she isn’t sure what she’s going to tell Maggie. By time she’s reached their room, she still hasn’t figured it out.
Nia stops at the doorway, taking a moment to peer inside. Maggie is still there, turned away from the hall and lying in her nest. But Nia’s sharp ears hear her shaky exhale, see her vine reach up wipe at her cheek.
Nia gives the frame a quick rap of her knuckles.
Maggie jumps, turning her head to the doorway. “Nia! Did you find Tobias?”
“I did. He’s…” she hesitates. “He’ll be okay. We’re gonna sleep in the Seekers wing for tonight. But you should talk to him once he’s had time to cool down.”
“I will,” Maggie sighs. “I should’ve handled all of this better, but I was afraid to bring it up any sooner. Tobias doesn’t always…do well with change.”
Nia eyes the meganium as she enters the room, not sure how much she can say without overstepping. “I…think it might be more than that.”
Maggie gives her a concerned look, but doesn’t push, maybe sensing that it’s something she needs to discuss with Tobias herself.
“Still, thank you,” Maggie says. “For finding him. I know he’s lashing out, but he’s just upset. I think it will help to have someone there while he’s adjusting to the idea.”
Nia nods, glancing at one of the fresh stores of herbs and thinking about how to best phrase her next question. “I understand that you need Sage to help with the herbalist duties, but…does he have to move in here?”
“I didn’t explain that very well, did I?” Maggie murmurs, glancing worriedly at the doorway to the hall, as if hoping Tobias would pop up so she can try again. “Sage is welcome to move in here with me if he’d like to—it tends to be how we set up the herbalist living arrangements.” Maggie looks to Nia. “But that’s only if you and Tobias want to move into the Seekers quarters. I would never push you two out, tradition or not.”
Nia relaxes, both relieved and exasperated about how this all went down. She knows Maggie was nervous about discussing this with Tobias, but she really didn’t do the best job of emphasizing the whole “if you want to move out” part of things. Still…
“Is there some kind of benefit to us moving into the Seekers wing?” Nia asks.
“Not in terms of accommodations,” Maggie admits. “Although I suppose it’s closer to the item dispensary and training floor. August and I just thought that now that you two have formed a team, it might do you well to have your own space to grow and branch out. Become more independent. Be closer to your peers.”
Okay, when she puts it like that it makes total sense. Tobias—understandably—is pretty much attached to Maggie at the hip thanks to his traumatic past. But Nia thinks it’s a good idea, encouraging him to grow comfortable outside of the meganium’s presence and connect more with others. It’s not healthy to only have one solid relationship to rely on for everything.
Too bad all Tobias got from the suggestion was Maggie wanting to kick him out. Nia shakes her head, rubbing at her eyes. Her partner can be really impulsive at the worst of times. Stubborn, too.
“Do you…do you think it’s too soon for him?” Maggie asks, concern spilling from her expression like sun over the horizon. “I don’t want to push him.”
“No, I agree it’s a good idea. It’s just…” Nia hesitates. As much as she wants to tell Maggie her own suspicions, she doesn’t think Tobias is in a good enough state to talk this out tonight. And if she tells Maggie that her son basically thinks she hates him, she won’t rest until she’s talked some sense into him.
“I’ll try to get him to come talk to you tomorrow,” Nia eventually says. “After our mission. Just…make sure you tell him why you think it’d be a good idea for us to move to the Seekers wing.”
Maggie’s brow furrows as she picks apart that statement, probably trying to decipher what exactly it means for Tobias’ train of thought. “…I will. Thank you, dear.”
Nia gives Maggie a tired smile, then finally starts gathering their items. She grabs Tobias’ rain coat and their satchel, throwing both over her shoulder. She also peeks into their alcove to make sure she’s not missing anything else. Her pile of books from the archives awaits, but she can come back for those later. Right now she just wants to grab the essentials to cover them for the next day and get back to Tobias.
“You said there’s already an empty room set up for us in the housing wing?”
“It’s one of the sapling rooms,” Maggie says. “To the left and near the end of the hall—there should be a blank nameplate by the door.”
“Thanks. I’ll try to convince him to come talk to you,” Nia adds, giving Maggie’s leg a short hug. When she pulls away, the meganium looks upset, but nods her understanding.
“Thank you, dear. I don’t know what we would do without you.”
Nia smiles. “You’d manage, I’m sure. You’ll get this worked out, Maggie.”
“Yes,” Maggie says, voice trembling. She takes a deep breath, visibly gathering herself before she can let any more tears escape. “We will.”
Nia can’t resist giving her one more hug, her own chest aching. Both for Maggie and Tobias, but also for the first inklings of her own sadness. She’s going to miss having Maggie’s comforting presence so close.
Once Nia finally pulls herself away, she hurries back down the tree to Tobias. He’s staring blankly at the cave wall, right where she left him, and dutifully follows her as she tells him she’s got the room figured out.
Quiet complacency doesn’t suit him. Nia is going to make these two talk this out tomorrow if it kills her.
But for tonight, Nia swallows her emotions and leads the way to their maybe-temporary room on the same floor where Xander and Andyn’s teams stay. It’s arranged almost like a college dorm or hotel, with long halls of rooms lined with name plates, some doors decorated or open while others are closed or bare. One or two have welcome mats or rugs laid out. Laughter and idle chatter spills from the rooms with open doors.
As Nia tries to recall Maggie’s instructions, they pass by Team Shellshock’s quarters. The door is open and Felix is visible from inside. The wartortle catches sight of them as they pass, lifting a hand and grinning in greeting. Before he can say anything, Nia gives him a wide-eyed, tight-lipped shake of her head. He looks concerned, glancing past her at Tobias, but doesn’t call out.
Luckily, other than that they only pass two Pokemon Nia doesn’t know the name of—that cute tangle of vines with the red boots and a small green spider—and they give Tobias a wide berth, so Nia doesn’t have to defuse any nasty situations as they traverse the hall to their room.
Finally, she thinks they’ve found it.
It’s situated near the end of the wing, with a blank door and nameplate. Still, Nia opens it with some hesitation, peeking inside to make sure they aren’t breaking into someone else’s quarters on accident. It’s empty and quiet, so Nia pushes the door wider and steps inside, gently dropping their stuff in a corner to take in the room.
It looks similar to Xander and Andyn’s rooms, of course. Just a bit more bare. The window, latticed halfway shut due to the weather, lets gray evening light spill into the room. There are a few wooden furnishings, namely a desk to work at and a heavy chest to store their belongings. There’s also a small bookcase that Nia’s eyes linger on. A plush, scarlet red rug is spread out in the middle of the room. They have much more space in here than they did in their little alcove off the medicinal quarters.
Two fresh nests are already set up side-by-side away from the window. The soft lumps of straw and moss and other bedding are ringed with a border of gentle-scented herbs, something soothing and familiar, and Nia’s heart aches as she realizes it must be Maggie’s doing. Trying to welcome them.
This could’ve been so nice.
Tobias has noticed the herbs too, and for a moment he looks like he might cry again. But then he blinks hard, huffing and turning away to inspect the desk’s drawers. Nia sighs and settles in for an awkward, quiet night. She should’ve grabbed one of her books.
Luckily, they’re both tired from their day out in the wet weather, Tobias even more so after his emotional outburst. The charmander flops down to go to sleep as soon as night falls in earnest. Nia stays up a little longer, watching the warm flicker of his tail flame play with the cool light of the crystals placed around the room in little jars. She sits at the window and looks out at the light of the moon.
She’s lucky that she isn’t falling apart, too. While the thought of not seeing Maggie as often tugs at her heartstrings, it doesn’t feel world-ending like it clearly does to Tobias.
No, at least Maggie will still be nearby. Her own human family still feels impossibly far.
Nia swallows the familiar pain in her chest. Most days Nia can distract herself from it in a world as magical as this one. But sometimes it’s too quiet and she’s left to her thoughts, beating her head against the foggy mental wall around her memories.
Her mind grasps for pieces of a past she can’t remember, and her body longs for forgotten touch—warm hugs and a comforting scent that dances just out of reach. Names sit heavy on the tip of her tongue, attachments to people she can’t recall giving Nia such a strong wave of longing and nostalgia that it’s physically painful, like her ribs are caving in.
If Giratina really is the cause of her missing memories, like Will suspects, she’ll never forgive him. This is the worst feeling in the world.
Nia blinks back tears and takes a breath, moving to join Tobias. There’s nothing she can do about her memories right now anyways. She’ll keep an eye out for leads and wait for Will to come through.
She prays that he can come through.
Nia slowly settles into her own nest, trying to ignore how it smells too fresh, unfamiliar with disuse. Once she finally drifts off, her sleep is deep and dreamless, but she wakes up more than once throughout the night, mostly due to Tobias’ unusually restless sleep. If he’s not kicking a foot into her side, he’s mumbling distraught, half-formed sentences.
At one point, she hears him cry out a name—Vivi.
Nia wants to be patient with him, but if there’s one thing that makes her grumpy, it’s disturbing her sleep. So after being woken up for the fifth time, Nia decides to throw caution to the wind and crawls closer to the charmander. She flops down beside him and shimmies backwards until she can press her back to his. He’s warm, as usual. She hopes that maybe the contact will soothe him like it seemed to in the caves.
She’s asleep before she can second-guess herself.
She doesn’t wake again until morning, nose and ears twitching with the confusion of unfamiliar sounds and scents. She lifts her head, blinking at her surroundings and the empty nest beside her. Are they at an inn? Where is..?
Ah. Nia catches sight of Tobias, sitting at the window and looking out at the gray dawn, and it all comes rushing back. By now he’s usually rolling her out of bed and barking at her to hurry up to their next mission.
Nia doesn’t miss that, per se, but the charmander’s unusual quiet is too concerning for her to roll over and go back to sleep. So she reluctantly drags herself upright, yawning and rubbing at her face.
After a moment, she gets up and pads to his side, tentative about his mood. “‘Morning.”
“Hey,” he mumbles, not looking away from the view of the leaves. Weak, cloudy sunlight is just starting to shine through them.
“How’re you feeling?”
He shrugs, then pushes himself to his feet. “Let’s just get going.”
So still doing a mission today. All right.
In a heavy silence, Nia and Tobias gather their things. Tobias ties Nia’s scarf around her arm, then loops the satchel over his own shoulder before she can suggest she take it for the day.
They make their way down to the mission floor, Tobias avoiding the eyes of anyone they pass while Nia gives them a weak, silent smile.
Finally, they reach the mission board for E and D-rank missions. Nia glances at Tobias, but he just gestures for her to pick one out and turns away to watch the other Seekers and members of the guild head out for the day.
Looks like it’s up to Nia. She nods to herself and scans the jobs with a serious eye, a bit nervous about the full responsibility of picking a mission on her own. As long as she sticks with D-rank missions, they should be fine—she thinks. Still, she filters carefully through the different objectives and locations.
It takes her a while, and it’s a testament to how emotionally out of it Tobias is that he doesn’t get impatient and urge her to hurry up, just watching the Pokemon of the guild come and go while he flexes his claws into the fabric of the satchel.
Finally, Nia decides on a mission a few hours to the west, where the forest of the Haven transitions to open fields and hills. When Tobias had told Nia about them moving up a rank, he’d explained the benefits that came with that. Now that they’re D-rank and branching out to farther areas for more difficult missions, the psychics of the guild can sometimes give them a lift closer to their destination, so they don’t have to be gone multiple days in a row for a single mission’s travel time. The little mark on the corner of the mission page notes this as one of those cases.
“How about this one?” Nia asks, pointing out the page.
Tobias gives it a cursory glance before his attention wanders again. “‘S fine.”
Nia frowns. He didn’t even read it. Still, she logs the new mission claim into their badges, leading Tobias back up the stairs to find the psychics’ floor.
Nia has only been on this floor once or twice before, and one of those occasions was when she and Tobias used their badges to warp back after fighting that blue monkey outlaw. And considering she was dizzy from blood loss that day, she doesn’t remember a whole lot about the place.
She looks around curiously as they enter. There are more crystals in here than most places in the guild, the Pokemon here apparently preferring their gentle blue glow over the sharp glare of natural sunlight. A few psychic types—she recognizes one of them as an abra—are filling out forms or talking to Seekers, and one group has an outlaw in tow. They must be a nocturnal crew, to be back so early in the morning.
After looking around for a Pokemon who doesn’t seem too busy, Nia tentatively approaches a little green orb of a creature. It kind of looks like a ball of jelly, with a more solid core in the middle. It’s cute, and makes Nia think of…a cell, maybe?
After checking to be sure that yes, they are in the right spot, and yes this Pokemon—Gus—can give them a teleportation lift, Nia steps back to Tobias’ side.
The charmander still looks only halfway-present, which is…concerning. But Nia has a feeling she won’t be able to convince him to take the day off to make up with Maggie. So instead she takes a breath, trying to brace herself for the vertigo and nausea of teleportation. She has to get in the right headspace, especially if Tobias is going to be a bit out of it today.
It’s time to start their next mission.
Chapter 36
Summary:
Tobias struggles to balance his emotions with his duties as a Seeker.
Chapter Text
Tobias usually doesn’t have issues with teleportation like Nia does, but today he’s off-kilter enough for the landing in the forest to make him stagger. For once, Nia is the one steadying him with a concerned look.
He shakes her off and pulls up his hood against the sudden chill of the weather outside the guild. While the storm has finally passed (thankfully with few injuries), there was still a lot of devastation left behind, downed trees and limbs doing damage to both the guild and the homes within the forest. The cool, powerful gales and wet ground linger as well, leaving everything soggy and gray.
Nia looks at him with a level of worry that he can’t deal with right now, not when the expression reminds him so much of Maggie, so he just grunts, “Y’know where we’re going?”
Nia hesitates, but pulls out their map and nods after a minute. Then, she sets off. Tobias would be more concerned about the riolu’s terrible sense of direction if they hadn’t already teleported. They can’t be too far from the mission start point.
So instead of questioning Nia, he trudges along behind her, lost in a fog of exhaustion.
His eyes are heavy and a faint headache sits at the back of his skull. He’s not sure if it’s from all the crying he did yesterday, or from his nightmares last night. He vaguely remembers seeing Vivi again, the little charmander trying desperately to tell him something, but the more vivid moments are all Maggie.
Maggie, looking at him with a warm smile only for it to fade into something cold and apathetic as she leaves him at the foot of the mountains.
Maggie, vanishing overnight. Tobias goes to August for help, desperate, but the rest of the guild doesn’t even care. Doesn’t even try to find her to make sure she’s all right.
Maggie, nuzzling him, only for the warmth at his jaw to burn hot. Her gentle touch turns heavy, becoming an orange paw at his throat, and he can’t breathe.
Maggie. Looking at him with such disappointment.
Each picture only drives the pain in his chest deeper, making him curl into himself as he walks, as if he could make the wound stop bleeding if he pressed hard enough. He swallows back a fresh round of tears, sick of the stinging tiredness in his eyes, the skin still raw and puffy from yesterday. The hot lump in his throat is preferable, though not by much.
Tobias and Maggie have been together for so long, even before his first days at the guild. He’d thought it was a mutual comfort, a mutual affection between them. He’d thought she saw him as he saw her.
But why else would she suggest they leave, if she wasn’t finally sick of him? While it is tradition, Tobias knows it isn’t a requirement for Sage to move into her quarters. The ivysaur must’ve just given her the out she’s been looking for for years.
And oh, that thought hits him like a kick to the gut. That this might not be a recent development, that she might have only been tolerating him for so long. All of the gentle scolding looks, all the admonishments and carefully worded suggestions—they all suddenly feel less like a guardian’s gentle attempts at guiding and more like genuine annoyance, like stifled anger. Still softened, because Maggie is kind even to those she dislikes, but—
Tobias thinks he genuinely might throw up for a second. He stumbles over the leafy forest floor, pulling his cloak tight around himself as he crosses his arms over his gut and takes deep breaths to stave off the nausea.
A few tears slip free, and he swipes at them, glad at least that Nia is clearly trying to give him space. She’s still ahead of him, leading the way in silence even as her ears flick back towards him with each sniff and shaky breath.
Tobias should be embarrassed, but that’s difficult after his partner saw him last night in full breakdown mode. He actually kind of wishes they’d stayed in the tunnels, her pressed against his side as a comforting warmth as the crystals cast their soothing blue light. Away from Maggie and all of his troubles.
(How long until Nia gets sick of him too?)
Tobias holds his breath and firmly tries to focus on the forest around him instead of his tumultuous emotions, on the sound of storm-heavy winds rustling through the trees and carrying the chill of autumn. His feet step ever forward through wet clumps of leaves that stick uncomfortably under his claws. His rain cloak (from Maggie) is pulled tight and warm around him, leaves waxy and thick to the touch. He tries to avoid the largest puddles resting on the forest floor.
Nia carves an uncertain trail through the forest, west of the guild and towards where the trees thin out to open grasslands. Branches and leaves and mud snap and crunch and squish under her paws, but Tobias can tell they’re approaching the end of the woods. The sky becomes more and more visible, gray-white clouds torn through with a backdrop of blue. The wind picks up, howling and cold. And another sound slowly gets louder, a clamor of voices and a strange, layered…buzzing?
Tobias frowns, wondering what exactly Nia signed them up for when choosing today’s mission. As they break the tree line, lush green grass and dark spots of mud stretch out ahead of them, sloping into gentle hills and valleys and smaller copses of trees. Pools of rainwater reflect the sky.
And right in front of them is a group of Pokemon, more specifically a swarm of bug types.
Well, that explains the buzzing.
Larvae stage Pokemon cluster among the grass. Weedle are sharpening their horns on rocks, some grubbin are munching away at a last-minute snack of berries, and a few tiny sewaddle are being bundled up in thick leaves by a worried-looking leavanny.
Cocoons gathered into clusters are strapped securely to larger bug types by braided cords of string shot. Tobias recognizes a few of the the shells, particularly the poisonous patterns of a whirlipede and the distinct blue ridges of a pineco. Maybe a metapod, too.
Then there are the bugs large and strong enough to move more independently, who are strapping the smaller, unevolved Pokemon to their bodies with practiced ease. The fliers test their weight with a certain number of passengers before removing or adding more to their load. A beedrill is trying to lift off with a few too many cocoons and first-evolution ‘mons, and a kricketune warbles at him angrily until he returns to the ground. A butterfree and a heracross are similarly packing what looks like a week’s worth of supplies for the crowd onto the backs of a few yanma and one large yanmega.
They’re all chittering excitedly to each other and fluttering their wings as they prepare for the trek ahead of them. There are a few grass or flying type Pokemon scattered throughout, but Tobias sees just about every bug type he can name among the small crowd. Which, when combined with this time of year, can only mean one thing.
“You signed us up for migration duty?” Tobias asks, unable to sound anything but tired.
“Yeah!” Nia confirms, clearly not registering his tone. She’s too busy looking out at the crowd of bug types with sparkly eyes, particularly when she sees the colorful array of wings on some nearby vivillon and beautifly.
Tobias really should’ve picked the mission. He doesn’t have the energy for this right now.
“Oh! Excuse me, are you the Seekers sent to escort us today?”
They turn at the polite, high voice. A volbeat is approaching them, a relieved look on his blue face, framed by buzzing wings and a collar of red.
“Yes!” Nia says, giving him a smile. “I’m Nia, and this is Tobias.”
The volbeat introduces himself as Glow, his short yellow tail briefly flickering with light.
Nia turns to look out at the crowd again. “I know it said group migration, but I didn’t expect this many Pokemon! You’re all going south for the winter?”
“Oh, this isn’t nearly everyone,” the volbeat says with a smile, following her gaze. “Lots of Pokemon decide to stay behind and stick out the cold during the winter, but this is only the first bunch of migraters from the Haven.”
“So what exactly do we need to do?” Tobias asks. “We’re only here for the day, right?”
Glow nods, taking a second to shout an instruction about tying a cocoon bundle tighter to a nearby scyther. “Yup. You’re only booked to escort us until sundown. Another team should be waiting to meet us at the next checkpoint.”
“So we’re just…protection?” Nia asks, sounding unsure. Didn’t she read the mission prompt?
Granted, Tobias didn’t either, but he also didn’t pick it.
“Partially here for protection, if we need it, but mostly just as extra helping hands. With no one able to evolve, each year we have more first stage evolution Pokemon who need carried and less fully evolved ‘mons to do the carrying.”
Huh. Tobias hadn’t really thought about that. From Nia’s expression, she hadn’t either. He follows her gaze back to where a few of the capable flyers are clearly trying to push the limits of how many smaller bug types they can comfortably carry.
“We’ve hired help from the guild before in previous years, but...“ Glow looks worriedly at the sky. “We definitely need it this year, after that awful storm. The winds are stronger and less predictable than we’d like. Rivers are high too.”
“Got it,” Nia says with a nervous but determined nod. “Just, uh, tell us what you need us to do!”
Glow gives her a smile. “Will do. For now, just hang around for a few minutes. We’re almost ready to head out.”
Glow pushes off with his short legs and buzzes into the air, moving over to the beedrill (who is still trying to carry too many passengers) to coax him back to the ground.
Tobias frowns at Nia as soon as Glow is gone. “How do you even know what migration is?” Do humans do it, too?
“Oh! Some animals do that in our world! I think there’s really only one kind of butterfly that actually migrates, but there’s gotta be other bugs that do it too so—“
Tobias slaps a hand over her mouth. “Got it. Weird animal stuff.”
Nia gives him an irritated scrunch of her brow and peels his hand away. “Says the weird animal.”
Tobias doesn’t respond, too tired to get into a silly squabble right now.
Of course, Nia just can’t help her curiosity, quickly recovering and practically bouncing in place as she looks out over the colorful swarm. Her eyes linger on the few grass and flying types mixed in with the bunch.
“Are bug types the only ones who migrate?” Nia asks. “I would’ve thought grass types might too, since they’re also weak to cold.”
Tobias sighs. At least she’s keeping her voice quiet so the Pokemon around them probably won’t question why she doesn’t know this already.
“Some grass types and flying types do it too, but it’s rarer and they usually go in smaller groups. The ones here are likely mates or friends or kids of the bug types and just decided to tag along. Bug types always go in larger community swarms. I think it’s kind of like…tradition or something?”
“It is!” A small paras says on Tobias’ other side, making him jump. Nosy little thing.
“For most of us, migration is less of a strict necessity for survival,” the paras continues, idly stretching its little claw-like legs, “And more of a preference. We go in larger groups for protection, but also because it’s what we’ve been doing for decades! It’s tradition at this point. And especially in the last few years, since we have so many first and second stage ‘mon who can’t evolve to fly or walk themselves. Safety in numbers, y’know.”
“Uh-huh,” Tobias says slowly, giving the paras the stink eye.
Luckily, before Nia can start up an earnest conversation, Glow returns with the previously spotted leavanny and her children at his side, as well as the beedrill who was trying to carry too much, cocoons still strapped to his body.
“All right, I think I’ve got your first job for the day,” Glow says, unstrapping a cascoon from the beedrill. “You all right to carry?”
At Tobias and Nia’s nods of assent, the volbeat helps them shoulder on a cascoon and a silcoon, straps of woven string shot—strong and smoothed of their usual stickiness—resting heavy over their shoulders.
Nia hops to bounce the bug type higher on her back, glancing over her shoulder. “You all right back there?”
The silcoon murmurs something indistinct, and the cascoon speaks up from Tobias’ back before Nia can ask her to repeat herself.
“She said she’s fine. We’re pretty tough, y’know.”
The tone edges into something lighthearted at the end, like a joke, and Tobias snorts. Good, at least his responsibility has a sense of humor.
Glow then hands them each one of the small sewaddle as well.
Tobias’ charge is sleeping, and curls up in his arms as easily as one of the shinx kids. Most little ones like his warmth. Nia’s sewaddle is squirmier, not even trying to settle against the riolu’s soft fur. The last two sewaddle are strapped to the leavanny’s back and cradled in her arms. She gives Nia and Tobias a grateful smile as Glow and the beedrill fly off.
“Thank you so much for your help. Mine are still too little for flight, so I’m grateful for any help I can get that has them safely on the ground.”
Nia assures the leavanny—Inai, apparently—that it’s no trouble, easily starting up a conversation. On their backs, the cascoon and silcoon have a quiet conversation of their own, voices slightly muffled by their shells. Good. Tobias doesn’t have to try to entertain anyone or even appear civil. He’s not in the mood.
After a few minutes, Glow flies high in the cloudy sky and formally announces that they’re ready to head out. A few Pokemon cheer, and everyone perks up. The Pokemon that can fly slowly lift into the sky with a great wave of buzzing and wind, forming a colorful, shifting cloud of Pokemon overhead. Nia cranes her head back to watch the spectacle, eyes starry with awe.
The Pokemon on the ground follow, moving forward through the long, damp grass. Tobias bites back a sigh and follows at Nia and Inai’s side. He supposes this isn’t the worst job they could’ve taken today. He doesn’t have to interact much, at least. He focuses instead on avoiding the wettest patches of soggy ground and listening to Nia’s conversation as she tries to get the sewaddle in her arms to settle down.
“Am I holding you wrong?” Nia frets. The sewaddle squeaks in response, still too young to speak.
Inai laughs. “No, you just have the most restless of my bunch. Would you like to switch?”
Nia gratefully accepts, swapping sewaddle. The new one makes a happier squeak, curiously reaching up with little legs for Nia’s face.
“Oh, gosh. How are all of you so adorable?!” Nia squeals, leaning down obligingly.
In response, the sewaddle blinks, then sneezes right in Nia’s face. The riolu’s expression scrunches even as she laughs, holding the kid away from herself for a moment.
“Emil!” The leavanny scolds, sighing in defeat as the sewaddle simply cuddles back into Nia’s hold. “I apologize, he’s had a cold all week and just can’t seem to kick it. We’re trying to work on manners.”
Nia waves the apology off with a smile, laughing in understanding. Tobias is just glad that the Pokemon strapped to him aren’t snotting all over him. He does fine with blood, but sickness makes him squirm a bit more. He’s dealt with that in the past with the shinx kids—
(And Vivi)
—and it just always kind of grossed him out.
Maggie on the other hand is a perfect medical ‘mon, always taking care of him and any other sick or injured Pokemon without an ounce of disgust or reluctance. Once, he had a particularly nasty fever in the middle of summer, shortly after arriving at the guild. Despite the fact that it was already stiflingly hot and he was even grumpier and whinier than usual, Maggie had curled up around his overheated coal of a body without complaint. She’d taken care of him tirelessly, with cool petals pressed to his skin and gentle vines stroking his back as she helped him nibble at juicy berries to stay hydrated.
The memory just brings the low ache in his chest back to the forefront, a lance of pain shooting like a seviper’s fang through his heart.
He wonders if Sage will be better than him at handling sick Pokemon. Probably.
Tobias takes a deep breath and shakes his head. If Maggie doesn’t want him around anymore—
(Did she ever?)
—he needs to get used to there being some kind of distance between them. He doesn’t want to bother her with his stupid attachment, clinging like a child. Even if his throat feels tight and sore with tears, he won’t bother her with that. She’s already done so much for him.
When Tobias tunes back in to the conversation, the leavanny is still talking. Chatterbox.
“You know how it is with little ones—each of us was sick with it at one point! Luckily it’s just a cold, nothing serious.”
For a moment, something uncomfortable flickers across Nia’s face, but then it’s gone again, relaxed demeanor firmly in place.
“This weather hasn’t been helping,” Inai adds, casting an uncomfortable look up at the sky. “I can’t remember the last time we had a storm so dangerous.”
The cascoon on Tobias’ back makes a sound of agreement. “Or one that lasted so long. Plus, it felt…strange.”
“Strange?” Nia echoes with a tilt of her head.
“Didn’t feel natural,” the cascoon elaborates. “Too sudden, too strong. I like to watch storms, and there was something tingling in the air during this one—like when a mystery dungeon is about to form.”
Inai looks more worried at that, clutching her babies close and peering into the far distance of the open plains, as if hunting for something dangerous on the horizon.
“The world is changing,” she says, quiet.
The cascoon laughs, not unkindly. “The world has been changing for years. Heck, I would be flying up in the sky right now if evolution didn’t go sideways when I was right in the middle of it!”
The cascoon’s voice is light, but Inai’s worried gaze flicks down to her children. Her frown grows at the reminder that they’ll always be stuck in their current small forms. It’s quiet for a moment, the only sound the heavy whistle of the wind, the grass underfoot rustling softly. Around them, the swarm chats to each other, and overhead two or three Pokemon have started up a cheery song.
“Do you really think it’s the humans causing all of this?” Inai asks, voice soft.
Nia’s head whips up so hard she stumbles. Tobias yanks her back into place and glares at her, trying to impart the instruction to act normal through will alone.
Nia, of course, ignores him, instead staring wide-eyed and almost hurt at the leavanny. Not that Tobias can blame her too much—the last time they faced opinions on humans from a near-stranger, they almost got into a fight with that luxio in Ghatha.
Here and now, it’s clear Nia is trying to figure out how to prod, despite being afraid of a round two. “D-Do you really think humans could be causing it? I mean, I just don’t really see how we—how they could affect something as big as evolution.”
Subtle. Tobias sighs.
“She’s just been listening to too much gossip,” the cascoon teases.
“It was in the paper!” Inai defends, voice pitching an octave higher in embarrassment.
“The paper? There’s a newspaper?” Nia whispers, breaking out of her anxiety long enough to give Tobias an excited glance. He rolls his eyes and nods. Great, something new to add to the riolu’s endless stack of reading.
“The ‘mon at the newspaper don’t have any better of an idea of why evolution stopped than we do,” the cascoon says. “Don’t see how a bunch of humans could cause evolution to stop. Or scare the legendaries away. Or make the natural disasters more fierce.”
“I suppose so,” Inai admits, still sounding uncertain. “I just don’t know what else would explain it.” She looks down at the sleeping sewaddle in her arms. “I just worry about them. About their future.”
“They’ll be all right, even if they can’t evolve,” the cascoon soothes, tone sympathetic. “At least they still have legs!“
Tobias snorts before he can catch himself. The cascoon makes a triumphant laugh, clearly pleased to have caught someone off-guard. Nia looks like she isn’t sure whether it’s okay for her to find that funny.
“I know evolution is kind of, uh…a big deal,” Nia says. “But I was, um, still a little young when it stopped, so I guess I kind of don’t get it. Will your kids not be okay in their current form?”
Inai hums, taking a moment as she considers her words. “No, they’ll be perfectly healthy--it won’t hurt them to stay as sewaddle. And as long as they put their minds to it, they can be and do whatever they want. But…”
She hesitates, clearly trying to gather her thoughts.
“But it would be easier, if they had the option to evolve,” she finally says. “That’s just how Pokemon are—you can stay in your first stage forever and mature into an adult, but there are undeniable advantages to evolution. You’re larger, stronger, faster. More stamina, more abilities.”
Inai strokes a hand over her child’s head. “I know they’ll be okay. I just wish they had the option.” She laughs, wry humor entering her voice. “If any of them are like their father, they’ll be wanting to travel the world before they’re ten, and leavanny legs are much better for long distance hikes.”
“They can still travel,” the cascoon cuts in, that joking edge still in his voice. “After all, look at us! Practically marathon runners.”
He wiggles on Tobias’ back, prompting a giggle from Nia and the quiet silcoon.
“I suppose you’re right,” Inai admits, the good humor finally breaking through her concern. “I’m sure at least one of them will want to leave the nest one day, so it’s good to think about that day in a brighter light.”
“Won’t you miss them?” Tobias blurts, surprising himself just as much as his companions. His face immediately heats, and he trains his gaze on the ground again. “I mean. Kind of sounds like you want them to leave.”
“Of course not!” Inai says, clearly offended. “I already think they’re growing up too fast. I love having my babies home with me. It’s just…”
The following quiet prompts Tobias to peek up at the leavanny. He didn’t mean to ask such an embarrassing question, but now that he has, he needs to hear her answer. Her golden face is wistful as she looks down at the sewaddle in her arms, rocking them gently as she walks. The expression reminds him of Maggie.
“I just want them to be happy,” Inai finally says. “I want them to experience the world, and learn to stand on their own feet so they can become the best, strongest, happiest versions of themselves. And at some point, for that to happen, I’ll have to let them go. It’s like a plant growing too large for its pot—sometimes, to really bloom, you have to take them out of their comfort zone and put them somewhere new with more room to grow.”
Inai’s words makes Tobias’ chest ache with a tangle of emotions. He swallows hard, hands tightening around the cords of string shot looped over his shoulders.
“Evolution would make that easier on them,” Inai adds, glancing at Nia. “So of course I wish it was an option. But I know they’ll be happy even if they never evolve. I’ll make sure of it.”
“That’s the spirit,” the cascoon chimes in, cheery as ever. “I’m not unhappy in my current form—I’ve learned a lot about patience thanks to it. I love getting to watch the world.” He sighs, longing in his voice as he adds, “But I would also love to fly.”
Tobias sympathizes. The journey to Ghatha had only reminded him of how much he loved flight himself. Reminded him of long, leisurely glides around the mountains with his family. He feels a longing ache add to the pain in his chest, and he pointedly keeps his gaze from drifting up to the bug types flying overhead.
He knows Inai’s words are important—can feel it in his heart and his head, trying to connect and spark a revelation. Still, he tries to delay that hopeful spark as much as possible.
Those were Inai’s words, after all. Not Maggie’s.
The swarm stops to eat lunch in the early afternoon. As their group moves south, more and more boulders and rocky outcroppings jut like teeth through the lush carpet of grass. The fliers alight with everyone else on a relatively flat plateau of rock in the middle of the fields. The wind is chilly, still damp with lingering rain, and Tobias pulls his cloak tighter around his shoulders, burying his chin in his scarf.
He sticks to eating with Nia, Inai, her children, and the two cocoons, who Tobias finally learns are named Ruby and Ike. However, when they set out again, Glow assigns them a slightly different duty, taking the cocoons and sewaddle and adding them to the load of a few new faces who had arrived from a different starting point.
“The scouts tell me the winds will be particularly rough ahead,” The volbeat explains, squinting into the distance. “So I’d like you both to focus on keeping an eye on the whole swarm.”
Tobias frowns and Nia tilts her head with confusion, so the bug type elaborates.
“The winds in this area are always more turbulent. Unpredictable. But with the storm, they’re worse than ever. I’m afraid I don’t have a specific threat for you to look out for. Just keep an eye on the fliers for anyone who might get knocked off course. Eye on the grounders for anyone light or weak enough to get swept away.”
The volbeat’s gaze flicks over to a couple of cutiefly resting on the ground nearby, laughing and huddling together for warmth as well as to avoid getting picked up by the wind.
Tobias straightens and nods. He’s not sure how much they can help the fliers since neither of them can get up in the air themselves, but they can manage the job of keeping track and making sure nobody gets separated or left behind.
After a brief discussion, Nia and Tobias decide to split up to better cover the crowd. As the fliers take off, buffeted by the winds and struggling to get their bearings, Tobias takes his spot near the middle of the group. Nia stations herself at the very back. This way, hopefully they can keep an eye on the whole swarm.
And then they’re off. The wind has picked up, but the sky is also starting to clear a bit more, wispy clouds parting to reveal deep blue. The rainwater has gathered in large puddles here as well, reflecting the sky. As the swarm takes off, their colorful carapaces and shimmering wings move like a living rainbow overhead, fractured and copied into the pools they fly over.
It’s admittedly a beautiful sight, despite everything on Tobias’ mind at the moment and weighing heavy on his shoulders. He allows himself a few brief seconds to appreciate it unabashedly before focusing on the job.
Keep the swarm safe.
Which is easier said than done. Within a half hour, Pokemon are already getting knocked around by the wind, especially those in the sky. A ledyba is blown away from the fliers, clearly fighting the gales, and Tobias shouts up at the swarm until a large vivillon notices and retrieves the battered bug, tucking the ledyba into the middle of the group.
Tobias is also trying not to worry about the many reflections surrounding them thanks to the rainwater. He doesn’t think Giratina would show himself around so many Pokemon, but more than once he thinks he sees something flicker through a pool in the corner of his eye, a flash of...pink? But he doesn’t think Giratina is pink of all colors and he can’t be sure that he isn’t imagining things with so many lively reflections from the bug types flying overhead.
Before he can ruminate on that too long, a hoppip blows past, snatched off the back of the scolipede just ahead of him. He curses and turns to chase them as they tumble away along the grassy plains. Luckily, Nia is paying attention and is much faster with her longer legs, sprinting after the hoppip and pouncing on them to keep them in place. Tobias sighs, relieved. He should’ve caught the hoppip before they could get blown so far. Nia hands the hoppip off to him with a frazzled smile, and he makes sure to wedge the little pink grass type more firmly among the satchels and Pokemon riding on the back of the apologetic scolipede.
He needs to get out of his head. Needs to stop worrying about Giratina. Needs to stop worrying about Maggie. There isn’t anything he can do about either of them right now. He can’t afford being so distracted when these Pokemon are depending on him to keep them safe.
To try and keep himself present, he listens idly to the conversation happening to his right as he scans the sky and the crowd ahead of him.
“Yeah, we’re actually really close to the lake where they say Lady Mesprit sleeps!”
Lady Mesprit? Tobias glances at the excited kricketot who’s speaking. She’s perched on top of a pinsir’s head, holding on to his horn with little hands.
“Where she used to sleep,” the pinsir amends, sounding reluctant to burst his companion’s bubble.
The kricketot’s enthusiasm falters. “I mean…I know there haven’t been any confirmed sightings in...Well, a century. But! There’s always a chance she’s still around, right? It makes me feel better, to think that she’s still watching over this land and guiding us on our journey.”
Tobias frowns but doesn’t comment, too busy trying to remember what Mesprit looked like in the few books he’s read about legendaries. She was part of a group, he thinks? A trio? A lake trio. Although he can’t remember what she looked like or what her dominion was.
Not that it matters. The only god he’s seen (arguable) proof of actually being awake is Giratina.
Lucky him. He’s back to the overgrown ekans haunting his thoughts.
The next few hours are spent in a vicious cycle of keeping an eye on the swarm as they march ever onward, occasionally retrieving a Pokemon swept away by the harsh winds, and trying not to drown in his anxious thoughts. The gales cut right through his cloak, made more for rain than warmth, and Tobias’ muscles are sore and tense. He’ll sleep well tonight.
In the Seekers quarters. In an unfamiliar nest.
Tobias huffs an irritated breath, careful to keep his fire contained to his body around so many Pokemon weak to it. His chest tightens anew, painful and choking, as he thinks of this just being his life from now on. Missing Maggie, wondering if she’s doing all right, clinging to every memory of her even as he desperately tries to shove them out of mind—
There’s a shriek, far overhead, just loud enough to be heard over the wind. Tobias, deep in thought, registers it a second late. He blinks up at the source.
Ahead of him, a powerful gust of wind has knocked a few Pokemon off-course, wings and limbs tangling. In the fuss, a small green form drops like a stone through the sky. It takes Tobias a moment of staring, dumbfounded, to realize that it’s a Pokemon—and not a flier. Even still, his body is frozen until he hears Nia, shouting something behind him.
Then, all at once it hits him. One of the passengers was knocked loose. The fliers are still recovering, panicking. A Pokemon is falling.
They’ll die from a drop that high.
Finally, Tobias’ legs move. He pushes forward and breaks from the crowd, unhooking his cloak for it to fall from his shoulders. He stretches forward and lunges into a run on all-fours, his eyes locked onto the little Pokemon plummeting to the Earth and—
He won’t be fast enough.
He’s suddenly reminded of Ghatha, of that horrible, helpless feeling of watching Nia and Junie get buried in rubble.
He’s reminded of Vivi, her tail flame slowly petering out as her grip grows slack, Tobias begging her not to leave him—
A blur of black and blue shoots past him, grass parting in her wake. Tobias stops in his tracks, holding his breath as Nia blinks forward in a quick attack. The Pokemon is close enough to the ground to see now—a caterpie. Nia pushes off one of the low boulders and leaps, high into the air. Her momentum slows just enough for Tobias to see her arms stretch out and catch the caterpie, framed by a patch of blue sky. Then the two hit the grass hard and roll.
Tobias runs forward again, mind buzzing with a numb sort of fear.
By time he makes it to her, Nia is slowly sitting up in a shallow puddle of water, shaking her head and looking dazed. The caterpie in her arms is quiet, but visibly trembling as Tobias approaches, their face buried in Nia’s fur.
“Injuries,” Tobias demands more than asks.
Nia blinks at him, then jolts and looks down at the caterpie. “A-Are you okay? I didn’t squish you, did I?”
The caterpie laughs, a hysterical noise. “N-No. No, you didn’t. I think I’m okay? Somehow?”
Before they can talk any more, the swarm snaps out of their own shock. Glow is the first to reach them, face twisted with worry that alleviates only when he spots the caterpie slowly sitting up and away from Nia. The venomoth who had been carrying the smaller Pokemon alights with teary eyes and a frantic string of apologies spilling from their mouth. They have multiple Pokemon and cocoons strapped to their sides, and one empty pocket. Others crowd in, a vespiquen with the calm demeanor of a medic pushing her way to the front to take the caterpie for examination.
“Thank you,” Glow says to Nia, voice dripping relief, before he turns to follow. A few others of the swarm offer their thanks to the riolu for her quick action, leaving her looking embarrassed.
Tobias feels guilt start to creep up on him.
He was closest, by far, and if he hadn’t been so wrapped up in his own worries, had been paying attention like he was supposed to, had acted right away, he might’ve been able to save the caterpie himself. He doesn’t want to think about what might have happened if Nia hadn’t been here.
Instead, Tobias pushes down the churning in his gut, focusing on his partner as she rises to wobbly paws.
“You okay?” He asks, circling her body to look for obvious wounds. She didn’t fall far from her jump, but she had a lot of momentum going in order to catch and counteract the caterpie.
Nia nods, but winces at the movement. She touches lightly at her upper arm, held stiff and still. “I think I might’ve bruised my shoulder on the landing, but otherwise I’m okay.”
Tobias makes an unhappy sound in his throat, gently taking her arm and having her move it to test her range of motion. “Doesn’t seem sprained or anything,” he agrees, relieved. “Just keep using it lightly, try to stretch out the muscles. You’ll probably be sore for a day or two.”
Nia gives him a smile of thanks. A galvantula approaches Tobias to hand him the cloak he’d discarded. He gratefully puts it back on, feeling soothed by the waxy texture against his skin, protecting him at least a bit from the chilly wind.
It only takes a few minutes to get the frightened caterpie stationed on the back of one of the ground Pokemon and double-check the restraints on the rest of the fliers. Then they’re off again.
Tobias keeps a close eye on the swarm, refusing to let himself think of anything else. Shame sits heavy in his chest for being so spaced out while on a mission.
It’s going to be a long rest of the day.
By late evening, the sun is sinking low on the horizon and painting the fields in shades of red and gold. The wind has finally died down, and another Seeker team, led by a mightyena, takes over escort duty at the checkpoint. Glow once again give his thanks for their help, handing over a vanish seed and a hefty chunk of cash before sending them on their way.
Tobias and Nia put the command into their badges for retrieval, and a minute later they’re teleported back to the guild in a beam of light.
As soon as they’re done logging their trip with the psychics and confirming their mission’s success, they step into the hall. Tobias rubs at his eyes, absolutely exhausted, and debates skipping supper to go straight to bed. Nia, looking just as tired, nudges him towards the cafeteria anyways.
When they get there, it’s late enough to be mostly empty. They both grab a meal—some kind of salad with berries and nuts—and eat in relative silence. Well, until Nia breaks it, of course.
“Are you going to talk to Maggie tonight?”
Tobias spares her a tired glare. Nia just stares back at him with a furrowed brow, fingers clenching around her fork with worry.
“Maybe later,” he mumbles, stabbing at a berry and growling when it bounces away from his utensil.
Nia hesitates, but shakes her head. “I…I really think you two need to talk. Tonight. She’s really upset, and—“
“I’m upset,” Tobias snaps. “And this has nothing to do with you, so stay out of it.”
Nia frowns, looking angrier than he expected. “Maybe the argument doesn’t, but when two of my friends are this upset over a stupid misunderstanding, then it does have to do with me!”
Tobias isn’t sure what to focus on in that statement (He’s her friend? Wait—misunderstanding?), but before he can decide, Nia just sighs and looks at him with tired eyes.
“If nothing else, can you do it as my partner? Please? I need you to be there, mentally, during our missions. I can’t do this on my own.”
Tobias winces, then looks down at his salad with shame settling hot on his cheeks and heavy on his shoulders.
He pictures that caterpie again, dropping through the sky. Tries not to think about what might have happened if Nia hadn’t been paying attention or hadn’t gotten her quick attack to work.
He thinks about it anyways, gut churning.
Tobias scowls. Nia is right. As painful as the thought is, he needs to do this sooner rather than later, so he can start trying to pull himself together. He can’t be distracted during their missions like he was today. Nia or one of their clients could get hurt due to his carelessness.
“Fine,” he grunts, pushing his tray away. “I’ll go talk to her.”
Nia blinks at him in surprise, as if she didn’t expect him to agree so easily. “O-Oh. Uh, great! Do you want me to come with you?”
Tobias shakes his head. “I’ll meet you back at—at the room.”
Nia offers a quiet wish for good luck, and Tobias takes his tray back up before making his way to the staircase.
Might as well get this over with.
The entire walk up the Lexym Tree, Tobias feels dread rise higher and higher in his chest with each step. He hesitates at the training floor, wondering if he could get away with shirking this horrible talk and hide in there to train instead. Then he sees Archer, the uptight breloom inspecting some of the dummies off to the side of the room, and Tobias moves on with a roll of his eyes.
He needs to get this done, anyways. Like ripping off a bandage. He’s desperately trying to map how this conversation will go in his head, trying to figure out if Maggie will be angry or pitying or—worst of all—just cold and apathetic. He can’t imagine such an expression on her face, and it makes his gut twist to try.
By time he’s made it to the medical floor and shuffled past Fen’s closed quarters, stopping in the open doorway of their—of Maggie’s room, he still hasn’t figured it out.
And there she is.
The meganium is reading a book by the dying light of the sun spilling in through the window. It actually looks like one of the ones Nia left behind. A similar dinner of salad sits uneaten at her side, picked through and pushed around.
Then Maggie looks up, breath catching as she spots him. She stares at him with so much emotion behind her eyes, but no clear expression on her face. Like she’s feeling so many different things at once and she doesn’t know what to focus on.
“Hey,” He says, awkward and stupid.
“Tobias,” Maggie whispers.
“Nia said I should come talk to you,” Tobias mumbles, looking down at his feet and wishing that he hadn’t taken off his cloak earlier so he could hide in it now. He scuffs at the wooden floor.
“Of course. Come in, please.”
The words sound so…distant, so formal, and Tobias winces, reluctantly dragging himself over to stand a few feet from the meganium.
It’s quiet.
Tobias can’t remember it ever feeling so awkward and heavy between them. Even in the first days after he lost his family, when they were still strangers to each other, she was always his safety and comfort.
Tears prick hot at his eyes, and he tries to blink them away before she notices. She’s tired of him hanging around with his bad attitude and snappy remarks (and he can’t exactly blame her), and he will not make this parting into another situation of her feeling forced to comfort him.
“I’m sorry,” he blurts, cringing as his voice cuts through the air.
Maggie breathes a quiet sound, relaxing just a bit. She reaches out to him with a vine, and he hurriedly steps back, away from her touch. He looks up in time to see her hurt expression.
“You don’t…” he trails off, voice choked and tight. “You don’t have to keep doing that. I got the message. I’ll go. Sorry.”
Before Tobias can turn and bolt, Maggie’s vine curves around him, not quite a restraint but enough to stop him. He curses under his breath and peeks back at her.
To his confusion, Maggie is staring at him with open bewilderment. “Keep doing..? Tobias, what...what are you talking about?”
Tobias blinks in turn, brow furrowing. She’s really going to make him spell it out? She already knows, and even if she hates him she isn’t cruel, so why—
“You…want me to leave,” he summarizes, voice shaky as he says the words aloud. “I—I understand why. I’m not exactly fun to be around. I’m sorry for—for making you take care of me for so long. I’ll stay in the Seekers quarters from now on, with Nia.” He swallows past the lump in his throat. “I’ll try to stay out of your way.”
Tobias doesn’t know what he’s expecting in response—relief? Maybe even gratitude, something positive to assure him that he’s doing the right thing.
What he is not expecting is for Maggie to visibly pale, a strange expression dawning on her face. Tobias…doesn’t know what to do with that. He looks down at his feet again, hands reaching up to fiddle anxiously with his scarf. The silence is deafening.
Then, Maggie exhales, a shuddering thing. “Tobias, you…can you look at me, please?”
Her voice is choked, and he can’t deny her when she sounds so upset. Tobias swallows, blinking hard before following her request.
Her teary eyes search his, something almost desperate in her voice. “Tobias, I don’t—I don’t want you to leave.”
Tobias stares at her, uncomprehending. Somehow, this was not an option he imagined for this talk. She—but if she doesn’t want him to leave, then why—
“But Sage—“
“Sage is taking your job, and nothing more. Even if, over time, I grow close to him too, that doesn’t mean I’m trying to replace you.”
Tears build in Tobias’ eyes as Maggie repeats Nia’s words from the night before. Maggie looks and sounds genuine, staring at him desperately in the dying light as if this is the most important thing she’ll ever say to him. Hope sparks small and bright in his chest, but the tension is still heavy, like a band stretching tighter and tighter until it snaps.
“But you’re replacing me,” he rasps.
“Tobias, Sage will be my colleague, but you—“ Maggie’s voice breaks, before returning stronger than ever. “You are my son.”
Tobias stops breathing, the world itself seeming to tilt and narrow to just the two of them.
“I could never replace you, even if I wanted to,” She whispers, voice rough. “And I would never, ever want to.”
For a heartbeat, Tobias can only stare as the tears finally roll down his cheeks. His brain and his heart try to process this, after the past twenty-four hours of pain and grief, of trying to come to terms with the idea that Maggie hated him and wanted him gone, and now she’s—
Tobias sobs and reaches out for her before he can think about it. Maggie is quick to pull him into her hold, where he finally lets out the pain that’s been building in his chest like an infection. He wails into the cool petals around her neck.
Maggie cranes her neck to nuzzle him, rubbing his back with a vine and murmuring platitudes. She sound like she’s crying, too. For a moment, something in Tobias’ head whispers that she’s still doing it, that she’s just pretending because she can’t stand seeing others in pain, but—
But she didn’t have to call him that. Even if he’s seen her as his second mother for years and years, neither of them have ever said as much aloud.
Tobias gasps in a breath and inhales her floral scent, trying not to dig his claws into her petals or soft skin. She squeezes him tighter.
Tobias doesn’t know how long it takes before he calms. The light is less strong, bleeding away to dusk. The wind howls quietly through the window. Tobias is exhausted and still sniffling with tears, but no longer feels something painful rip through his chest with every passing second. He feels as safe as he ever has in Maggie’s embrace. Warm and loved.
But something is still bothering him.
“W-Why do you want us to move out?” Tobias asks, voice quiet and wrecked.
Maggie doesn’t answer for a moment, continuing to rub his back in a soothing, rhythmic motion.
Then she says, “I’m sorry. I should’ve talked to you about it before making arrangements, but I wanted you to have somewhere to cool off if you were upset.” Her hold tightens. “Of course, I didn’t know you would be this upset, I didn’t even consider that you might think—“
She cuts herself off, taking a deep breath to gather herself. Tobias leans against her with half-closed eyes, waiting.
“With Sage taking over your work, it just seemed like the perfect time to let you…spread your wings, so to speak.”
Tobias makes a questioning noise in his throat.
Maggie sighs. “Tobias, I love having you here with me in the herbalist quarters. I think you’re quite fun to be around, contrary to what you apparently think.” Oh, her voice is sharper there. He’s going to be hearing about that comment later.
“But…” Maggie hesitates. “But I’ve seen how much you’ve grown in the past month, after becoming a Seeker and teaming up with Nia. And I don’t mean in battle. You’re…happier than you’ve been. Driven. You look more alive than I’ve ever seen you. You smile. You’re making friends. It made me realize that clinging to me as a medic all these years has allowed you to stagnate.”
Tobias isn’t sure where to start with…all of that. So he starts at the easiest point, a protest. “I learned a lot from you.”
“But you were allowed to remain sad and angry and isolated, holed up with me,” Maggie says, a sad smile in her voice. “Going out into the world, meeting other Pokemon, it’s been so good for you. I just thought that having a space for you and Nia, away from here, would only further that growth.”
Growth.
That word makes Tobias think of Inai and her babies, the mother clearly attached to them and yet heart-achingly ready for their futures to unfold. He thinks of her example, of a plant growing too large for its pot. Moving it somewhere new, somewhere different, for it to flourish properly.
Somewhere with more room to grow.
A separation borne from love.
Clarity unfolds in his mind like a blossom, and a fresh wave of tears blurs his vision. Maggie isn’t urging him out into a new space because she hates him. Quite the opposite in fact.
“But I’m not going to force you out,” Maggie hurries to add. “Never. Tradition or no. If you want to stay here with me, we can set Sage up somewhere else.”
Tobias sniffs, recognizing the out for what it is. He appreciates it, even if he’s starting to feel a little silly about how badly he reacted to all of this when she’s clearly trying so hard to make him comfortable.
But…
“If I stay in the Seekers wing,” Tobias starts, hesitant. “Can…can we come visit you?”
“Of course!” Maggie says, sounding affronted at the thought that he might not. “You’d better! You’re always welcome, Tobias, any time. Day or night.”
Tobias sags against Maggie, growing more and more exhausted with each wave of relief that crashes over him. If that’s the case, then…
“I’ll give it a shot,” he says, quietly. He doesn’t know why. Even just being a few short flights of stairs away from Maggie, he’s going to miss her terribly. But maybe she has a point. Maybe it’s time for him to spread his metaphorical wings, just a little.
It helps that he has a standing invitation to return at any time. A safe nest to fall back on.
“Sounds like a plan,” Maggie says, voice fond and proud. Tobias snuggles deeper into her hold, the stress and emotions of the past day hitting him hard.
“C’n I stay here tonight?” He asks, voice fragile. “I’ll stay in the Seekers’ quarters tomorrow, but—“
“Of course you can,” Maggie murmurs, voice fond as she pulls him to her side to curl around him. She brushes her snout to his temple, her breath warm and soothing against him. “I love you, you silly little storm cloud.”
Tobias feels another surge of tears, and swallows them down. It almost feels like he’s back in his early days at the guild, curled up with Maggie. “Love you too.”
He drifts off to sleep, swept under a thick black blanket of unconsciousness. He only wakes up briefly, barely, when he hears Maggie whispering with someone. After a few moments, Tobias recognizes the voice. Nia.
Oh, she’s still waiting for him to come back. Tobias is warm and exhausted and content, but she’s waiting so he has to at least explain—
“What’s wrong?” Maggie asks, honey-soft. A vine strokes his head, stopping his struggle.
“Nia,” he manages. “She’s ‘lone.”
“She’s spending the night with Xander,” Maggie soothes. “She won’t be alone.”
Oh. Good. At least that overgrown ball of static is good for something. Tobias settles again, and he’s out in seconds.
That night he dreams of a familiar little charmander. Vivi.
For once, his sister is smiling.
Chapter 37
Summary:
Between moving into their new quarters, practicing her aura moves, and going on missions, Nia is too busy to get sick!
Notes:
(See the end of the chapter for notes.)
Chapter Text
Nia wakes up feeling…off.
Since Tobias fell asleep at Maggie’s after their talk the night before, she’d decided to bunk with Avery in Team Shellshock’s quarters. Waking up in an unfamiliar room is probably just throwing her. She’s always a bit groggy in the morning anyways, but her limbs and eyes feel particularly heavy today. She yawns as she sits up, then hums to get rid of the tickle in the back of her throat.
Xander’s team is already gone for the day, leaving their room quiet and dark. Nia is tired enough to easily go back to sleep, but it feels a little strange being in here without any of the actual team members present. Besides, it does look like it’s about dawn (curse her early morning riser of a partner for changing her internal clock), and Tobias is sure to be rarin’ to go, even after last night’s emotional conversation.
So Nia stumbles out the door, making sure it’s shut tight behind her, and shuffles down the hall to their own new room on the Seekers floor. Tobias, predictably, is already back and preparing their satchel for the day’s mission. Nia manages to give him a tired smile and a mumble of greeting, and then the charmander is turning her around to hurry them out the door and to the mission boards.
For today’s job, they go into the forest to help a team of construction Pokemon who are building a family’s new house, its wooden framework hidden away amongst the trees. Nia and Tobias are directed to move lumber and other building materials from transportation carts over to the workers, and to lend a general helping hand when someone needs it. As they work, Nia is bothered by every too-difficult lift of wood and every extra-sleepy blink that reminds her that she just doesn’t feel quite right.
Halfway through the day, a nearby timburr sneezes, sniffing and grumbling about the cold going around. Nia, walking by with her arms full of wooden planks and buckets of paint, stops so suddenly she almost drops the entire pile onto her toes. A bit of maroon paint sloshes out onto the grass.
Oh. Right.
Her heart sinks to her stomach as she thinks of the little sewaddle baby from the day before.
Sneezing right in her face.
(“Even a common cold for a native Pokemon could wreak havoc on your body if you were to catch it,” Fen says, looking seriously into Nia’s eyes. “If you ever feel sickness coming on, you let me or Maggie know immediately. Okay?”)
As quick as the memory enters her mind, she shoves it frantically away, just like she did yesterday. She isn’t getting sick. She isn’t. She can’t get sick. Because if she gets sick, it could be serious and she can’t die here, not in a world away from her family, not before finding her way home and—
“Hey,” Tobias says quietly, taking some of the buckets and wooden planks from Nia’s arms and giving her a weirded-out look. “What’s up?”
Nia looks at him and consciously wraps her panic—her racing heart and nauseous stomach and the tears stinging at her eyes—up in a neat little box, doing the mental equivalent of chucking it full-force into the woods.
“Nothing! I’m good,” Nia says, ignoring the way her throat tickles with the beginning of a cough. “Thanks.”
Tobias doesn’t look convinced, but he doesn’t push.
The rest of the day, Nia alternates between quietly freaking out and purposefully ignoring her anxious thoughts as much as possible. She tries to soothe herself with a stream of platitudes. Maybe she’s just tired after the long journey with the migrating bug types yesterday! Or maybe she didn’t sleep well in the unfamiliar room. What’re the odds of that little baby getting her sick, anyways?
(The odds are higher than she’d like.)
Should she tell Maggie and Fen? Everyone told her she should if she thinks she’s getting sick, but—
But if she doesn’t say it, doesn’t make it real, it feels manageable. Distant. An overreactive, anxious thought instead of reality.
She’s not sick. She’s not.
By time they return home in the evening, Nia is exhausted both physically and mentally from the day’s work and the constant internal struggle. Earlier that morning, Nia and Tobias had decided to officially move their belongings down to their new room in the Seekers wing after the day’s work, but she regrets that now as soon as they start making the long climb up to Maggie’s quarters.
Seeing the meganium is always a treat, of course! Even if Nia feels unreasonably guilty stifling a cough in her presence, knowing that she’s—well, not downplaying a possible sickness, but…
Well, no use scaring Maggie with a possible false alarm, right?
Luckily, the conversation is short since Sage is planning to move into Maggie’s room that evening as well, and Tobias clearly doesn’t want to be around to watch the ivysaur take his place.
Finally, they’re back in the their new room on the Seekers floor, and Nia can just relax and look forward to flopping down on the plush red rug in the middle of their new room.
“We should get some decorations,” Nia says, looking around the empty space. All of the natural wooden furniture and little patches of greenery are soothing in the evening sunlight, but a bit dull on their own. The rug is a nice pop of color, but the room is just begging for more.
Andyn and Xander’s team’s quarters are more personalized, full of posters and cushions and little knick-knacks. Nia always likes the homey, lived-in feeling when she visits them.
Tobias, coming in behind her, drops Nia’s last stack of books on the ground none-too-gently, shaking his arms out after the long walk from Maggie’s quarters. “Decorations? Why?”
“It would look nice!” Nia says, giving him her most convincing smile. “Make it feel more like a home than some stranger’s room.”
For a moment Nia wonders if she shouldn’t have said that. Tobias and Maggie only just made up last night, and while the charmander finally seems to understand that the meganium still loves him and just wants what’s best for him, it’s probably still a bit of a sore subject.
Thankfully, Tobias just gives her a tired look. “I already helped you carry your mountain of books down here. Count me out.”
“But you don’t mind if I do it?” Nia asks, tail starting to wag hopefully.
“Just don’t go overboard.”
“Deal!” Not that she’ll know what he counts as overboard until she’s already done it. Eh, she’ll deal with that problem when they get to it.
They don’t honestly have that many belongings to move in, other than their mission supplies and Nia’s books. Tobias’ rain cloak is hung on the wall near their nests, but that’s about it. Nia is going to have to save up her Seekers earnings and keep an eye out for fun decor to buy.
Nia knew she should’ve bought a souvenir at Ghatha.
Ooh! Or maybe she could buy something from Hazel and Margot’s shop at Afon’s Cap! Their woodworking was incredible. She’ll ask the raichu about it in her next letter.
“Maybe Hazel could make me an actual bed, too,” Nia muses.
The older human did have one of her own, in their little house at Afon’s Cap. Nia’s body isn’t ever sore like she would’ve expected from sleeping in literal heaps of straw and moss on the floor, but she can’t help longing for old human comforts anyways. She still can’t figure out why Pokemon here at the guild don’t tend to use blankets. Maybe some kind of instinctive preference for more natural nesting materials?
She glances at their nests, quietly longing to go back to bed even though it’s only early evening. Just because she didn’t sleep well in Team Shellshock’s quarters the night before, of course! She was unfamiliar with Kry’s quiet snores and having Avery to share a nest with instead of Tobias.
Right.
Tobias, meanwhile, beats her to it and flops down on the plush red rug in the middle of the room. “Who needs that? I’m about to make this my new nest.”
Nia’s answer is interrupted by a quiet knock on the doorframe behind her.
For a moment, Nia is surprised by the thought of someone stopping in to say hi. Every Pokemon they’d passed by while moving in had looked friendly enough to Nia, until they saw Tobias trailing behind her. Even without a scowl on his face they avoided him, looking agitated or at best indifferent as they pointedly stepped around them.
Nia had known from Xander (and Andyn, and Maggie, and Tobias himself) that Tobias had shot down any fledgling friendships as soon as he arrived at the guild, and it’s not like Nia had seen Tobias hang out with many Pokemon, but…
Well, it’s one thing to know that Tobias is on poor terms with the majority of the guild and another to actually see it. It was less obvious up in the medical wing, with just Maggie and Fen for company. Tobias gets along just fine with those two, and with Arlo and the shinx kids and Azami, but anyone their own age…
Well. Not that Nia can really blame the other Pokemon for avoiding him, with what Xander said about Tobias lashing out and pushing everyone away as soon as he showed up at the guild. But Nia also can’t help noticing how Tobias glares back at the Pokemon they pass. Not angrily, but…defensive. Almost like he’s staring down an outlaw or feral ready to hurt him. Nia doesn’t really have anything else to back it up, but that alone makes her suspect that the guild Pokemon weren’t the most understanding of the traumatized charmander when he first showed up.
Just a poor situation all around.
No wonder Tobias looks at her like she’s grown a second head sometimes, when she chooses to hang out with him in her free time, or just does something small for him like handing him his cloak without him asking. He’s really not used to having friends his own age, is he?
How has he not been terribly lonely all these years?
Regardless, when Nia turns to see who’s at their door, she’s less surprised and much more excited.
“Thought we’d come check out our new neighbors,” Andyn says, grinning. The deerling, a vibrant orange with the changing fall, prances through the doorway to bump her side to Nia’s, looking around appraisingly. “Nice digs. Could use some more color, though.”
“That’s exactly what I thought!” Nia laughs.
“Hey, Nia,” Ezra says, trailing in after his partner with a lazy salute. The sneasel nods to Tobias as well, a much friendlier expression on his face than the charmander has received all day. “Tobias.”
Tobias gives Ezra a dry look, but after a moment rolls his eyes and flops an arm up into something like a wave. “Ezra. Kindling.”
Andyn stops in place, glaring daggers at Tobias. “You are insufferable.”
“The feeling’s mutual.”
“How in Virizion’s great green forest are you two partners?” Andyn huffs, giving Nia a disbelieving look.
Nia shrugs and plops down by Tobias, close enough give him a playful nudge with her foot. “He’s warm. Like a heater. Gotta prepare for the winter, y’know?”
“I knew there was an ulterior motive,” Tobias drawls, kicking back hard enough to make Nia sway with a laugh.
Andyn still looks baffled by the easy interaction, but shakes her head and folds her legs to settle on the rug by Nia. Ezra joins her, looking totally at ease between the deerling and charmander.
“No Jaz?” Nia asks, looking around for the little stufful.
Ezra waves her off. “She’s busy today. Said to tell you hi, though.”
“Well, she was actually super worried that she was being rude by not visiting right away,” Andyn says, fond exasperation in her voice. “I told her you wouldn’t care.”
Nia laughs and shakes her head. “Not at all. I’m happy you two decided to stop by, though! I was just telling Tobias that we need to get some decorations in here.”
Andyn looks to Tobias, a malicious glint in her eye. “We are going to make this room as bright and loud as possible.”
Tobias shoots up, glaring back at her. “Do not. I will burn it all down.”
Nia laughs and relaxes as the two bicker, closing her eyes and fighting off another yawn. These two remind Nia more and more of Tobias and Junie. Andyn and the little bird would get along like a house on fire. Or they would drive each other crazy. Hard to tell.
The two only stop squabbling when a second knock sounds at the door, and Nia is delighted to look over and see Xander and Felix peeking in. The luxio waits politely at the door, giving them a wave of his tail, but Felix walks right in, a small sack slung over his shoulder.
“Aw, looks like we were too slow!” The wartortle teases, giving Nia a warm smile and a wink as he plops down at her side. “We wanted to welcome you two to the floor first. Here, brought you a little housewarming present and everything.”
“You didn’t have to do that!”
Felix hands over the bag, and Nia looks inside, leaning over so Tobias can peek too without making it obvious that he’s interested.
Oh, of course.
“Berries,” Nia laughs. Guess they can never have too many! She passes the bag to Tobias so he can dig through it for rawst berries.
“Figured you’d be hungry after moving everything in,” Felix says, but falters as he looks around the empty room. “Not that there’s…much to move. Yikes, we gotta get you guys some junk to decorate.”
Nia and Andyn yell that that’s what they’ve been saying, and the group dissolves into laughter as Tobias groans and flops back onto the rug, rawst berry in hand.
Nia’s laughter peters off into a cough, and she clears her throat before anyone can comment on it. She digs into the berry bag to have something to do, holding it open for the others to take some too. Felix pulls out a persim berry before Nia can spot it, and she can’t help glancing at the pink fruit longingly, mouth watering.
Felix notices and chuckles, splitting the persim berry in half and holding one piece out to her. Nia takes it with a happy hum of thanks, popping it in her mouth. The juices feel nice on her dry throat.
As they snack, Xander asks Andyn how Team Evergreen has been doing, and the deerling immediately dives into a rant about co-op missions. Apparently they have to partner up with another team for a mission before they can advance to C-rank, and Andyn is really not looking forward to it.
“Wait, that’s a requirement?” Nia asks through a mouthful of pecha berry. “You have to partner up with another team?”
Xander nods. “Once you reach D-rank, you’re required to partner up with another team at least twice before you can advance again.”
“Supposed to foster cooperation skills or something,” Felix says, waving his hand vaguely. “Honestly it’s just kind of a pain. I don’t mind talking to other teams, but it’s hard to adjust when each team does things so differently. Especially if there’s combat involved.”
“I forgot about that,” Tobias says, putting his chin in his hands with something dangerously close to a pout. “Ugh.”
“Yeah, I’m not looking forward to it either,” Andyn grumbles. “We tried it once before and the other team just couldn’t keep up.”
Nia perks up as an idea strikes her. “Oh! We could go together!”
To Nia’s surprise, Andyn looks hesitant.
Tobias picks up on it immediately, narrowing his eyes with a growl. “What? Think we can’t keep up?”
Andyn frowns, looking like she wants to fight. But she glances at Nia to keep her temper in check. “No! No. Just…you two are a newer team! Plus there’s only two of you. So you might…struggle a bit.”
“Try us,” Tobias challenges.
“I think it’d be fun,” Ezra says with a shrug. “At least we’d know we actually like the other team.”
“I don’t think we’re too bad in a fight, either,” Nia adds. “W-Well, Tobias isn’t. I’m getting there. I just learned quick attack! And we’re going to work on my aura tomorrow during training.”
Andyn finally slumps, defeated in the face of Nia’s enthusiasm. “…Okay, yeah. Fine, we can try to do a team mission sometime.”
Nia and Ezra cheer, and Tobias sits back, satisfied. As Xander and Felix start giving them tips for teaming up, Nia smiles and listens intently, ignoring the tickle of a cough once again building in the back of her throat.
Nia wakes up the next morning feeling…tired. And the tickle of a cough has evolved to something phlegmier, making her sniff and clear her throat as she tries to ignore the faint headache pounding at the back of her skull.
But Nia and Tobias have training planned for today and she won’t be missing that! She’s way too busy to get sick.
Nia drags herself out of bed and tries to keep her yawning to a minimum as Tobias ties her scarf around her arm and leads the two of them out the door. They head to the training floor, where Val and Azami are already waiting for them in a free area, leaning in close to one another’s space and talking quietly. Val says something, eyes uncharacteristically warm, and Azami bursts into laughter, nodding. Nia almost feels like she’s intruding on something, oddly enough, but the two mentors turn to greet them as soon as they draw close.
“Spitfire!” Azami cries. The tsareena looks delighted at the sight of Tobias. “Finally! Been wanting to train with you all week, but you ran off to Ghatha without me!”
Tobias snorts, trying not to look pleased at the greeting and failing miserably. “Hey.”
Val just gives Nia a stoic nod, and Nia returns it with a beaming smile and a wave.
They aren’t doing team training today, so Azami takes Tobias to the other side of the little training area to spar. She hears the grass type say something about practicing Tobias’ dragon rage attack.
Nia turns to Val, only a little nervous about what they have planned for today. She feels much better about using her aura again after talking to Val and Avery the other day and not having her energy act up ever since they returned to the guild. Turns out that not being in one life-threatening situation after another has done wonders for her stress levels.
“Aura training time?” Nia asks the medicham.
Val doesn’t smile, but there’s a subtle levity to her tone as she says, “Aura training time.”
Nia follows the medicham in sitting on the floor to do some meditation exercises, taking measured breaths to calm herself. One after another. In. Out. In—
Something in her chest catches on the inhale, making her lungs jump with a cough. She pushes it back down, clearing her throat and swallowing down any more tickling sensations. She sniffs, then resumes her breaths.
Once Nia feels properly centered, Val instructs her to call her aura to her hand. While Nia does so, she gushes about her success in finally getting quick attack to work.
“Once I’m more comfortable with it I might see if I can get the move ‘work up’ figured out next,” Nia rambles, watching her aura pool into her palm, blue and bright. She wills it into a sphere, less liquid light and more solid mass. “Tobias thinks I should be able to learn it, and since it just gives a strength boost it should be helpful even though I still fight with a branch most of the time, right?”
“Correct.” Val nods. She’s peering closely at Nia’s aura, an idea clearly building behind her eyes. “Would you like to try something?”
“Always!”
Val’s lips twitch before settling back into a neutral state. “You are learning to mold and solidify your aura. Try to stretch it into a longer shape. Like a staff.”
Nia tries to visualize it, and perks up when she realizes what Val is getting at. “Like a branch!”
Val nods. “If you can form your own energy into a weapon, you will not have to rely on finding an external item to defend yourself.”
“Oh, that’s such a good idea,” Nia murmurs, brow furrowing as she focuses, trying to get her aura to stretch. The sphere in her hand wavers and lengthens, slowly. Nia holds her breath, shaking with effort. But after a few moments the energy shivers, unstable, then dissipates entirely.
Nia gasps a heavy lungful of air, panting and trying to catch her breath. Instead, her throat catches on another cough, and she can’t help hacking into her fist for a few moments. Ugh. She hasn’t felt this drained after using her aura in a while. Granted, she’s trying to do something new with it, but still.
Val pauses, looking at Nia’s face with a slightly furrowed brow. “Are you all right?”
Nia nods her head hard enough to make herself dizzy, trying not to think about the extra bit of exhaustion in her limbs and the congestion that’s been present in her chest since this morning when she woke up.
She is not getting sick. She can’t get sick.
(Hazel’s face flashes through her mind, the raichu’s expression soft and concerned. “Your symptoms might come on weak, but don’t take any chances.”)
Cold fear melts in her belly like ice. Nia takes a shuddering breath and physically makes herself relax. “No, I’m. I’m fine. Let me try that again.”
Val gives her a warning look. “Do not push yourself if you are unwell.”
“I’m fine, really!” Nia insists, forcing a bright smile and already summoning her aura again. “C’mon, I’ll get it this time.”
Val looks strangely uncertain for a moment, but relents.
By time Nia and Tobias leave the training floor hours later, late in the afternoon, Nia has managed to get her aura into a semi-solid baton-like form for a few seconds. She just needs to work on lengthening it to the size of a staff and actually keeping it solid for longer periods of time.
She’s also exhausted, despite the many breaks Val made her take to watch Tobias spar with Azami, spitting plumes of beautiful purple flames. She’s feeling sore (more than usual) and a little chilly (probably just…drying sweat. Does she sweat in this body? She doesn’t think she does—she’s a dog, right?). The tickle in her windpipe makes her clear her throat with a quiet grunt every once in a while, and she sniffles here and there. But she’s still okay.
(Fen’s voice again. “It can become…well, not to scare you, but fairly serious.”)
Nia takes a cue from Val’s training and consciously slows her breaths throughout supper, warding off her fear. She picks at her food and tries to focus on Tobias’ half-hearted complaints about Azami’s training methods, smiling and nodding at all the right parts.
Tobias keeps giving her probing looks, but doesn’t say anything.
They go to visit Maggie after supper, Tobias telling the meganium about his progress with dragon rage and clearly excited in his own way. Nia tries to match his enthusiasm when Maggie asks how her own training is going, and only a few coughs sneak out between forced grins and attempts at acting normal. Luckily, Maggie seems too preoccupied with making sure Tobias is doing all right after their argument to dote on Nia quite as much as usual.
It’s silly anyways. If Nia doesn’t make a big deal out of a little cough and some sleepiness, it’ll probably just go away on its own. The discomfort in her gut is just her overreacting. She doesn’t want Maggie and Fen to freak out over nothing.
Or worse, to freak out over something.
Nia goes to bed early that night, before the moon has risen high enough to see through the trees. Before Tobias does, even. Just as an extra precaution. She’ll sleep it off, and in the morning she’ll feel better.
Tobias wakes Nia at dawn, and she knows immediately that she feels ten times worse.
She groans and takes a moment to wake up fully, blinking heavy eyes and fighting against the tug of sleep. She sniffs, her sensitive nose so stuffy she can’t even smell anything. She can hear her own breath catch in her chest, congestion clear in each inhale. And the fall air feels particularly cold today, seeming to cut right through her fur to her sore muscles.
(Fen’s voice, trying not to sound concerned: “For now, don’t worry unless you begin showing signs of sickness—coughing, fever, chills, pain, anything of the sort.”)
But she’s not sick. At least not badly sick. If she can get through the day, she can just…go to bed extra, extra early. Yeah!
It’ll be fine.
She’s not scared, because there’s nothing to be scared of.
She takes a deep, rattling breath and immediately chokes on it. She coughs into her elbow, turning away from Tobias as he ties her scarf around her arm and hoping he doesn’t say anything. He gives her a questioning look, as if to ask if she’s all right. She gives him a thumbs-up and a weak smile in return.
Tobias, luckily, doesn’t push. Either because he’s not worried about it, or because he’s so distracted getting ready for today’s mission. Either way, Nia is grateful. The normalcy soothes some of her own insistent anxiety.
She’s also grateful Tobias is back in full form and able to lead their team today. She follows him down the tree and to the mission boards without a word, too busy focusing on walking without falling over through the pounding haze in her head.
Ugh, she really does feel gross. When they finally stop at the mission boards, Nia sways where she stands. Her head feels like it’s stuffed full of cotton, and everything filters through her senses a bit muffled and dreamlike. Nia doesn’t even realize that Tobias has said something until she looks up to find him staring at her expectantly, brow furrowed.
“Sorry, what?” Nia asks, hoarse.
Tobias’ frown grows. “You’re really out of it today. Are you sick?”
Nia vehemently shakes her head, immediately regretting it for how dizzy it makes her. She grabs the edge of the mission board to steady herself. “No, I-I’m fine. Really. Just tired. Did you pick a mission?”
Nia tries hard to look alert and interested in the paper in Tobias’ hands, even when the letters swim in her vision.
Tobias doesn’t look convinced. “If you’re sick we can—”
“I’m not sick,” Nia says, a little sharper than she means to. She knows the denial is useless anyways, for all that her voice is nasally with congestion.
Tobias rolls his eyes and throws his arms up. “Fine! Fine, you’re not sick. Whatever. Just don’t blame me if you puke or something in the middle of the mission.”
Nia nods and stubbornly grabs for the paper in Tobias’ hands, but he quickly yanks it out of reach and reattaches it to the mission board. Nia gives him a frustrated look.
“I’m picking a different one,” Tobias says, leaving no room for argument. “Just…hang on.”
Nia relents, sniffling and pouting like an angry child. She knows she’s being unreasonable, but she doesn’t feel well and she’s scared and she knows she should she should tell Maggie or Fen but she just—
Acknowledging it makes it real. And she doesn’t want to face the scary truth behind what getting sick might mean for her. So instead she closes her eyes, leaning her head against the cool surface of the mission board.
“All right,” Tobias says eventually, taking her badge to input their mission. “C’mon.”
Nia doesn’t argue, trailing behind her partner with shuffling steps. One foot after another, keep moving, through the tunnels and into the cool, dewy morning of the forest. Her body shudders, and she crosses her arms. The cold air rips a painful cough from her chest. She keeps Tobias’ tail flame in the edge of her vision like a beacon.
When he does finally stop, she almost bumps into his back, blinking blearily at where they are.
Oh. Wait, what?
“Hadley’s house?” Nia asks, perplexed. “You hate Hadley.”
Tobias flushes and grumbles something about Nia not being able to survive anything harsher than Hadley right now before moving forward to call for the elderly golisopod.
Oh. He…took this mission for her? Because she doesn’t feel well?
For a moment Nia genuinely thinks she’s going to cry. A few tears spring to her eyes, but she just laughs to herself and rubs them away, sniffling to pull herself together.
She thinks she always did get more emotional when she wasn’t feeling well.
Hadley has shuffled out of his little house, the giant golisopod looking pleased to see them even with Tobias’ obvious air of displeasure.
“Hello again, young’ins! Still E-rank?”
Tobias huffs, a few embers escaping. “D-rank, actually.”
“Can’t we just come to see you?” Nia adds, managing to smile up at the large bug Pokemon.
Hadley seems caught off-guard by that, clicking his giant claws almost bashfully and reaching up to pull his old sun hat a little lower over his eyes. “Well, o’ course, little miss! Just thought you’d be too busy for an old bug like me.”
Nia smiles, then turns to where Tobias is—at first glance—ripping violently into Hadley’s garden. Nia stares blankly at the sight, brain taking a bit longer than usual to catch up.
“Uh. So what are we doing for you today?” She asks, trying to sound upbeat.
“Helping me tend to my plants!” Hadley says, waving a claw at Tobias as he—on closer inspection—tugs at a bundle of weeds, putting his whole body into the motion, face red with effort. Oh. Well, at least he isn’t destroying the poor old man’s garden.
And it is an impressive garden. Compact and contained within the small clearing holding Hadley’s house, but lush and packed full of different plants and herbs. Berries and vegetables dot vibrantly among the leaves.
“I’ll get them watered, if you two can handle the weeding and pruning,” Hadley says, using a clawed hand as big as Nia’s head to give her a gentle pat as he passes. To Nia’s surprise, the old Pokemon crouches among the plants and starts spraying a fine mist of water from his mouth, conscious of not accidentally catching Tobias in the spray. Are golisopods part water type?
Still watching Hadley with hazy curiosity, Nia moves to Tobias’ side, trying to see which plants to pull and which to leave alone. Clearly she wasn’t a farmer in the human world. When she spots what she is pretty sure is a weed, she starts tugging at it, surprised by how deeply it’s dug into the soil.
“Don’t know why he can’t just do this himself,” Tobias grumbles, sounding more like he’s making conversation than actually complaining.
“I think he’s just lonely,” Nia whispers back.
She tugs harder at the root, then takes a moment to catch her too-short breath. So of course that triggers a coughing fit. Nia folds over, hacking into her hand. The coughs tear wet and sharp from her chest, and she staggers, panting hard as she tries to stay standing.
“Would you just sit down?” Tobias says, giving her an exasperated look.
“What? No, I have to help,” Nia protests. Then she immediately sneezes, sniffling miserably. Gross.
Tobias rolls his eyes and moves behind her, putting his hands on her shoulders and steering her over to the side of Hadley’s house, pushing down until she sits. “I only took this stupid mission so you would sit down and rest, you stubborn fighting type. Trust me, I can handle some gardening. I was an herbalist for like. Eight years.”
Oh, he can be so sweet when he wants to be. Nia feels her chest go to mush, and Tobias looks mildly panicked at the sight of tears gathering in her eyes.
Nia laughs, congested and gross and wiping at her eyes. “I-I’m fine. Just…you’re the best. Thanks.”
Tobias flushes beet red (he is in desperate need of more positive reinforcement), stammers something, then turns and marches away to start ripping away at weeds again. Nia chuckles and slumps back, finally admitting defeat now that she’s already on the ground. Even getting back to her feet sounds exhausting.
So she decides to sit back and watch with slow, sleepy blinks, already falling into a daze. Hadley doesn’t say anything about Nia sitting this task out, which means that he can probably tell she doesn’t feel well. Great. Well, there’s no way she can join Tobias on his usual visit to Maggie tonight, then. She’ll call her out in a heartbeat.
Nia must doze off, because next thing she knows, Tobias is shaking her awake. It’s warmer than it was when she fell asleep, and the morning sunlight has shifted to sometime in the mid-afternoon.
Nia sniffles, trying to sit up and struggling to accomplish even that with her pounding head and the nausea rolling through her stomach. Oh, she feels worse? Wonderful.
Tobias’ face creases with concern as he watches her. “All right, let’s get you back to the guild. You need to go see Maggie.”
“Are we done?” Nia mumbles, taking Tobias’ offered hand and letting him pull her to her feet. She stumbles as black spots dance in her vision, and leans heavily against him. “Wait—no, no Maggie.”
“Yes Maggie,” Tobias says, sharp. His hands go to her elbows, holding her steady. “You’re obviously sick. You need some medicine.”
“No! No, please,” Nia whines, giving Tobias a pleading look through teary eyes. “Just…let me go back to our room and sleep. If I’m still sick tomorrow, you can tell Maggie then.”
Tobias looks baffled. “Why don’t you want me to tell Maggie?”
“B-Because—“ because if Nia goes to Maggie or Fen, it makes it real. And she’s so, so scared of that.
She can’t die here, not when she still has to go home to her family.
She digs her fingers into Tobias’ arms. “Please, Tobias.”
Tobias stares at her, looking torn, before finally sighing and shaking his head. “Fine. But if you’re still sick tomorrow I’m dragging you up to the medical floor.”
Nia nods, so relieved she almost melts out of Tobias’ hold. The charmander moves to put her arm over his shoulders, holding her up. She shivers and gratefully leans into his heat, even in the warm afternoon air.
Tobias digs a hand into their satchel for a moment, and Nia doesn’t know what he’s doing until he mutters a quiet command to hang on and the light of teleportation consumes them.
Nia almost collapses entirely when they touch down in the guild. She shudders and gags, stomach flipping, and keeps her eyes squeezed shut as she tries to get her legs to stabilize under her. They feel as useless as jelly right now. Tobias grips her tight and pulls her back up, eventually managing to direct Nia’s staggering steps towards the stairs.
The journey to their room is a bit of a blur. By time Tobias releases his grip and Nia falls into her nest, she’s absolutely drained. She blinks slowly at the far wall of their room. She shivers, a cold chill wracking her frame, and tries to curl up in the straw and moss, wishing for a warm, fluffy comforter.
She really needs to ask Hazel to help her get a human-style bed and blankets.
Nia’s eyes drift shut for just a moment, and when she opens them again the light in the room has grown dimmer, gray with dusk. Tobias is crouching in front of her, looking at her with a furrowed brow and a water pouch.
“Here,” he says, holding it out. “You have to stay hydrated.”
Nia feels weak, but her throat is dry and closing up with another cough, so she grabs the water skin, taking a few messy gulps before pushing it back.
Tobias caps it and sets it aside. His voice is quiet and calm, in medic mode. “How’re you feeling?”
His words take a few moments to filter through the haze in her thoughts. Apparently she takes too long, because Tobias reaches out to feel her head with his hand. He’s warm.
Another cold chill shudders through Nia’s body. She reaches out for Tobias with grabby hands as he pulls away. “Come back. ‘M cold.”
It takes Tobias a moment to register her words. Then he flushes red and jerks away. At Nia’s miserable whine, he hesitates. Then sighs and rubs at his face.
“Fine. Scoot over.”
Nia tries to, but only manages to wriggle an inch or two to the left of where she was before. Tobias hesitantly settles into the nest at her side, and Nia shimmies closer until she can feel the ever-present heat radiating off his body. Like a little campfire warming her during a chilly night. Her nose brushes against the charmander’s scarf, and she kind of wishes she could smell through her congestion. His scent is weirdly soothing, warm like sun-baked stone. Like lying on concrete in the summer and letting the sunshine warm you to your bones.
She finally relaxes, sleep taking her under in seconds.
Notes:
>:3c
Chapter 38
Summary:
Nia takes a turn for the worse, and Tobias copes.
Chapter Text
Tobias blinks awake and knows immediately that something is wrong.
It’s earlier than dawn, for one. The room is dark, lit only by Tobias’ flickering tail flame and a slant of moonlight. He lifts his head, trying to figure out what woke him up so early, and it’s the raspy breathing behind him that tips him off. What—
Nia.
Tobias rolls over to find Nia closer than usual, probably drawn to his warmth. He can see shivers wrack her frame even in the low light, and her breath bubbles audibly in her chest with each inhale.
Tobias stares at her, unease settling in his gut. Nia was clearly sick the previous day, and he’d only relented on telling Maggie after his partner had practically begged him not to. Now, looking at her, he kind of wishes he hadn't agreed. It’s hard to tell if Nia is any worse, but she certainly doesn’t look any better.
Didn’t Fen say something about sicknesses being particularly rough on former humans? He’d only been half-listening at the time, since he…well, he didn’t really want anything to do with Nia at that point.
But now he's worried.
Tobias reaches out to Nia to gauge her temperature, but yanks his hand away before even touching her. Heat is rolling off her in waves, enough so to feel warm to him. Not just warm, but hot.
A riolu should never feel hot to a fire type.
Something is very wrong.
Tobias sits up, heart pounding in his chest. He panics and reaches out before he can stop himself, shaking Nia a little rougher than necessary.
“T’bias? What's wrong?” Nia rasps. She blinks up at him with glassy eyes, then falls into a coughing fit. Each one rips from her chest with a barking sound, making Tobias wince.
“It’s fine,” Tobias says, more to himself than to her. “It’s just—you’re sick. We need to take you to Maggie and Fen.”
“But—“
“No, Nia. I think you’re sick sick. You need to see a medic.”
For a moment Nia stares up at him from the nest, uncomprehending. Then she bursts into tears.
Tobias jerks back. “What? What’s wrong?!”
“I don’ wanna die!” Nia wails.
Tobias winces at the volume and tries to calm her down, with little success.
“You aren’t going to die!” Tobias says, even as Fen’s vague, half-remembered warning tugs at the back of his mind. “You’re just sick. I-It’s probably just a cold or something.”
“B-But that’s what they—they said!”
Nia’s choking on her own sobbing breaths, half-buried in the nest, so Tobias pulls her into a sitting position. Nia sways dangerously in place, a few more coughs tumbling from her chest. When she finally settles, she breathes through her mouth, the congestion in her nose and throat obvious. Glassy eyes still leaking tears stare at nothing. “Don’ wanna die.”
“You aren’t going to die!” Tobias hisses, holding the riolu steady.
“But Fen 'n Hazel said that if I get s-sick—“ she cuts off with another hacking cough, whimpering. “My body doesn’t know how t’ fight it. I could die.”
Tobias stares at Nia, a wave of slow horror rolling over him and leaving goosebumps in its wake. Fen did say that, didn’t they? He remembers the leafeon saying it could be serious, but he didn’t remember the dying part until now. And he definitely doesn’t remember Hazel mentioning it as well.
(Did he forget? Or did he just not care enough at the time to remember? He wasn’t even there when Nia spoke to Hazel at Afon's Cap. He was off ignoring his partner and her very real problems, and now it's back to bite him.)
No, that doesn’t matter. Not right now. All that matters is that Nia is sick and that is very, very bad. It didn't feel nearly as urgent yesterday, but looking at the half-conscious mess of a riolu now, it’s suddenly very obvious to him how bad this could be.
He should’ve forced her to see Fen yesterday.
A sharp mix of fear and shame swoops so hard in Tobias’ stomach that for a moment he thinks he might puke. But then he swallows it down and tells himself to focus.
Tobias needs to get her to Fen and Maggie. Now.
Tobias staggers to his feet, and Nia doesn’t even question him. Without him holding her up, she simply slides back down, curling up tight in the nest with a shiver.
“I-I’ll be right back,” Tobias says.
He bolts for the door, but stumbles to a stop before opening it. Should he try to take Nia with him to the medical floor? Carry her? No, that’ll take too long up so many stairs. But they’re going to want her on that floor and he doesn’t want to have to bring them back down for her and waste all that time!
Wait. They’re in the Seekers wing. Nia has friends here. Everything in Tobias shies away from the idea of asking them for help, of letting them see him in a panic and Nia when she’s so weak, but—
He winces as Nia coughs again, gasping in a wheezing breath.
She needs help.
Tobias shoves away his reluctance and slips into the hallway, glad at least that Nia had pointed out Xander’s room when they were moving in.
When he finds the right door he pounds on it, shifting nervously from foot to foot while waiting for a response. “C’mon, c’mon.”
Kry swings open the door. The fraxure narrows tired red eyes down at Tobias. “What? This better be good or I swear—“
“Nia’s sick,” Tobias interrupts. “I need help.”
Kry squints. “…What?”
Tobias’ fists tighten at his sides. “She’s sick. I need help getting her to Maggie and Fen.”
Kry looks like she’s about to snark something that’ll earn her a punch to the face when Xander pads to the door. The luxio nudges Kry aside to blink tiredly at Tobias. “What about Nia?”
“She’s sick!” Tobias snaps, throwing his arms up in frustration. “She’s sick and it could be serious because her body is new to the Pokemon world and I need someone to help carry her up to Maggie and Fen. Can. You. Help?"
Felix and Avery show up behind the luxio, looking tired but worried.
“Could be serious—?” The wartortle starts.
“This sounds urgent,” Avery cuts in, voice calm even as something in their posture belies their tension. “Tobias can explain the details later.”
Arceus bless this kirlia.
Xander gives Tobias a nod. “Lead the way.”
Tobias hurries back down the hall to their room. Nia is where he left her, not even stirring at the commotion, and the pit in Tobias’ stomach grows.
He should’ve remembered how serious Fen’s warning was. The leafeon doesn’t exaggerate to scare their patients, ever. He was there when Fen warned Nia about coming straight to them as soon as she showed signs of being sick. He should’ve marched her up to Maggie at the first cough.
And why didn’t Nia say anything?
Avery, Xander and Felix hurry into the room after him and move to Nia’s side. Xander touches his nose to the riolu’s, pulling back with a hiss and pinned ears. “She’s hot.”
Felix looks worried at that, and Avery nods in agreement, putting a delicate hand against the riolu’s ear. “She is. We need to get her upstairs.”
“I thought it would take too long to carry her there on my own,” Tobias explains weakly.
Xander nods. “Avery?”
“It would be fastest if I just teleported all of us to the medical floor,” Avery agrees.
At Tobias’ hesitant nod, Avery pulls Nia into their lap, then holds out their free hand for Tobias to take. Felix and Xander reach out to touch the kirlia as well.
And then the familiar light and strange vertigo of teleportation fills Tobias’ awareness. He squeezes his eyes shut.
When he stumbles onto solid ground and cracks open an eye, they’re right outside Maggie’s quarters. Relieved, Tobias moves forward to pound on her door.
“Maggie!”
Distantly, he registers Felix moving to Fen’s door to do the same.
Maggie’s door finally opens, and for a moment Tobias stares in shock at the ivysaur blinking back at him from the other side.
Oh. Right, Sage finally moved in. Whatever—he doesn’t have time to be bitter or awkward about the new herbalist right now.
Luckily, Maggie shows up behind Sage a moment later, looking worriedly at the little crew outside her door. “Tobias? What happened?”
“Nia’s sick,” Tobias blurts, stepping aside to show the riolu, slumped unconscious against Avery’s side.
Maggie pales, a quiet sort of fear flashing over her face for just a moment. Then it hardens into a mask of determined professionalism. “Get Fen. I’ll gather the herbs. Sage, with me.”
“I’m here.” The quiet voice speaks up from behind Tobias, and when he turns he sees that Fen is already at Nia’s side, the leafeon’s ear pressed to her chest and a serious expression on their face. “Get her into my room.”
Xander and Felix carry Nia between them, gently depositing her into one of the empty nests lining the wall of Fen's quarters. They’re made extra soft for comfort, lined with feathers and soft petals, but Nia doesn’t move to snuggle into them despite her shivering. Her limbs flop, unnervingly lifeless.
Maggie and Sage follow them in, loaded down with herbs and pouches of pre-mixed medicine. Together, the medics urge Tobias and Team Shellshock back a few steps.
“What can I do?” Tobias asks, itching to help.
Maggie directs Sage to start mixing herbs together, then moves to Tobias’ side, leaning down to meet his eyes.
“You already did what you can,” Maggie murmurs. “Let us handle this.”
“But I can help! I-I know herbs too and—“
“Tobias,” Maggie says, sympathetic but firm. “It isn’t a good idea for you to work on a patient you’re so close to.”
“But you’re close to her too!”
Something pained shadows Maggie’s face for a moment. She takes a deep breath. “I’ve worked on personal patients before.”
Xander pads to Tobias’ side, giving him an understanding look that grates against Tobias like sand. “I know you’re worried, but we should let them work.”
“But—“
“Tobias, we don’t need distractions right now,” Fen says, firm but not unkind. The words still sting. The leafeon doesn’t look up from their studious examination of Nia, pulling her lips back to peer at sharp teeth and too-pink gums. “Go into the hall, please. We’ll let you know what we can when we can.”
Tobias stares at the scene in front of him, feeling both detached and overwhelmed. Like this is all a bad dream.
Maggie and Fen murmur worried, quick thoughts to each other as they discuss treatment. Sage is mixing something up with a mortar and pestle off to the side, looking anxious but determined. Tobias feels useless. And standing here with nothing to do, guilt and fear crowd his body, too big to hold.
“Come on,” Xander says quietly, flicking Tobias’ side with his tail. “They’ll take care of her.”
The luxio has on a mask of calm, but it’s obvious in his spiked fur and how his golden eyes flick back to Nia that he’s worried, too. Tobias still has to bite back a few sharp words, knowing Nia would get mad at him for taking his worry out on Xander.
So he grunts and turns on his heel, moving into the hall to sit against the opposite wall, burying his head in his knees. A moment later, he hears the soft sound of Team Shellshock settling in around him, minus Kry. They don’t try to speak to Tobias, which he’s grateful for, Xander and Felix instead murmuring to each other.
Tobias closes his eyes and digs his claws into his arms hard enough to hurt.
And they wait.
Dawn is just starting to lighten the sky to gray when Fen finally pokes their head into the hall, looking haggard, to say that they can come in.
Tobias staggers to his feet, gravitating to where Nia is sleeping. She’s curled up in a tight ball, shaking. A damp cloth is lying over her head and ears.
“She looks cold,” Felix murmurs at Tobias’ shoulder, moving to remove the cloth. Tobias reaches out a hand to stop him.
“She has a fever,” Tobias says dully, reciting facts from lessons past. He doesn’t take his eyes off Nia. “Her body is overheating itself. She thinks she’s freezing, but her temperature actually needs to be cooled down.”
“Right,” Fen says tiredly, padding over to sit by Tobias. “She’s definitely sick, though I’m not entirely sure what with since the symptoms are so unnaturally severe on her body. Congestion, fever, exhaustion. Any idea where she may have picked it up?”
Tobias knows that the question is directed at him since the two of them spend pretty much every day together. He wracks his brain as he stares at Nia’s side rising and falling in rapid breaths. Tries to think if anyone they’d ran into recently was sick, or if they—
Oh.
“Two days ago,” Tobias sighs, pressing his palms into his eyes and taking a shaking breath. “A sewaddle grub sneezed right in her face. His mom said it was just a cold.”
“But if it’s just a cold…” Xander says, words trailing off into something like a question.
“Her body is new to the Pokemon world,” Maggie says quietly, lying down beside Tobias to press against his side. He leans into her touch willingly. “She has never had any of the illnesses we grow up facing with healthy young immune systems.”
“So her body isn’t prepared for this,” Fen finishes, reaching over to readjust the cloth on Nia’s head.
Felix looks struck. “But she’ll be fine, right?”
The following silence makes Tobias’ chest tighten. He turns to hide his face in Maggie’s petals, tears pricking hot at his eyes. Why didn't he do something? He should’ve dragged her here as soon as he realized she was sick.
“Hopefully she’ll be able to fight it off,” Maggie finally says, clearly trying to sound optimistic even as her voice shakes. “All we can do now is give her medicine to keep her airways clear, keep her temperature down, and make sure she stays hydrated. She just…needs to rest.”
There’s a brief moment of silence. The first rays of sunlight spill into the room, feeling far too hopeful and cheery for the heavy atmosphere.
“You knew that this might happen?” Avery asks Fen, quietly.
Tobias doesn’t bother to listen to Fen’s response, fear and guilt swirling in his gut like acid and draping over his shoulders heavier than an onix. He just stares at Nia, looking too small in her nest. Too small, with too fast, too shallow breaths.
This is his fault.
The rest of the morning is a blur to Tobias, lost to a haze of exhaustion and emotion.
He knows at some point, Team Shellshock leaves. Their gazes are heavy on his back, like they want to say something but aren’t sure what.
Soon after, Maggie coaxes him into lying down in the nest right beside Nia’s. The meganium strokes his back with a vine and says something before leaving, voice dripping over him like warm honey. He doesn’t remember what she says, but it’s no doubt some kind of well-meaning platitude that would just make him feel worse.
He thinks he sleeps, at some point.
When the sun is high in the sky, Maggie stops by with lunch, and she and Fen give Nia another dose of medicine. Sage is hanging around at Maggie’s side, and he watches carefully as the two medics rouse the riolu just enough to get her to swallow the potion.
Maggie also dips the cloth on Nia’s head into a bowl of cool, fresh water, wringing it out before replacing it. Nia whines, lifting an arm to try and bat the damp cloth away before giving up. Tobias can practically feel the exhaustion in each heavy movement.
Maggie then turns to him, trying to convince him to eat. His stomach turns at the thought of food, but he does nibble at a few of the juicy berries she brought, just to stay hydrated. Making himself sick too won’t help Nia.
Tobias falls asleep again after that, tired after the early morning and the strained emotions of the day. He only wakes up when he hears quiet footsteps approaching.
He lifts his head, blinking blearily at Team Evergreen, whose expressions are grave enough that Fen must’ve already caught them up on the situation. Ezra and Jaz are clearly concerned, but Andyn just looks angry. The deerling stares down at Nia for a few moments, her eyes dark, before her gaze flicks to Tobias.
“You knew this could happen.”
Tobias pulls himself into a sitting position, but doesn’t answer. For once he’s too tired to argue with Andyn. It’s not like she’s saying anything harsher than he’s been saying to himself all day.
“Why didn’t you do anything sooner?!” Andyn demands, looking even angrier at his lack of response as tears glisten in her eyes. She takes a threatening step closer, as if to attack him. Tobias might actually let her.
“She didn’t want me to tell Maggie,” Tobias rasps.
“That doesn’t mean you should have listened to her!”
Tobias flinches, then shrugs. She’s right.
“Andyn,” Jaz murmurs, stepping forward to put a blunt paw on the deerling’s leg. “You just saw Nia two days ago. It wasn’t nearly this bad.”
“She was already coughing then, and this idiot knew she was supposed to go to a medic if she showed any sign of being sick!”
Tobias isn’t planning to answer, looking at Nia and glad that she at least is sleeping through this. She’d be upset seeing Andyn so worked up, and she doesn’t need that right now.
“Answer me!” Andyn snaps.
Ezra says something quietly, trying to reign his partner in.
Tobias swallows, a fresh wave of shame settling in his stomach, hotter than his flames. “I…I didn’t think it was this serious.”
“No, you didn't think at all,” Andyn hisses. “You ignored something that could possibly kill your partner. Do you even care about her at all?!”
Tobias grits his teeth, and to his mortification he feels heat prickling at his eyes. “Of course I do. I didn’t care when she first showed up but I do now. I just—“
Tobias’ voice cracks as tears blur his vision. He ducks his head, trying to gather himself.
There are a few moments of heavy silence.
“Trust me,” he finally murmurs. “I know I’m a terrible partner. You don’t have to convince me.”
Andyn takes a sharp breath, and Tobias assumes she’s finally going to attack him. When nothing happens, he looks up tiredly, only to find the deerling glaring at him with tears rolling down her cheeks. Ezra and Jaz are watching her carefully.
“Well,” she finally says, voice tight. “At least you admit it.”
Then the deerling steps to Nia’s far side, away from Tobias, and lies down. She settles her chin on the riolu’s back.
Ezra sighs and moves to sit against the deerling’s other side. Jaz settles down right by Tobias, surprisingly enough.
“She doesn’t mean that,” the stufful murmurs, barely loud enough for him to hear it. “She’s just scared.”
Tobias doesn’t answer, tucking himself back into the nest and closing his eyes again. He drifts into a fitful sleep.
When he wakes next, the moonlight spilling into the room tells him it’s the middle of the night. Tobias yawns and lifts his head, looking over to see Team Evergreen has long since left. Fen is sleeping in their own nest across the room, a lump of cream fur and leaves.
Nia is curled up much like she was earlier. She isn’t shaking at the moment, but he can still hear her raspy breaths. When Tobias creeps closer, she still feels hot to the touch.
The cloth slipping off her head is dry and warm, too. Tobias takes it and moves to the nearby bowl of water, dipping it in with a quiet sound. The water stings uncomfortably against his skin, but he ignores it, making sure to soak the cloth thoroughly before wringing it out. The pain feels justified, somehow. Like a punishment.
Tobias carefully folds the cloth and places it back on Nia’s head. She whines at the cold touch, and Tobias resists the guilty urge to take it away again.
He wishes this were the kind of problem he could help fix. Something he could fight, or an item he could go out and find. He can’t even make the medicine for Nia's congestion--Maggie doesn’t need him to, now that Sage is here. He can't curl up next to her and warm her up, because he knows this isn’t a fever she should try to sweat out. She needs to stay cool.
The most helpful thing he could’ve done was make her come here sooner.
Some part of Tobias wants to be angry with Nia for—in hindsight—so obviously avoiding coming to Maggie and Fen for help. She clearly knew she was supposed to, if the desperate way she begged him to keep his mouth shut is any indication.
He should’ve known something was wrong right then.
He doesn’t know why Nia avoided seeing the medics when it would do nothing but help her, but that doesn’t really matter in the end. Because Tobias is her partner, and he’s supposed to watch her back. He should’ve told Maggie and Fen himself. He was there when Fen told Nia about how any illness could become fatal for her. He knew that she was coughing and more tired than usual.
And still his stupid brain didn’t connect the dots that this could actually be something serious.
Tobias clenches his fists, standing. He’s wide awake now after sleeping most of the day away, and he feels like he needs to work off these emotions somehow. He hasn’t done it in a while, but…
Tobias glances at Nia, reluctant to leave her alone but knowing he can’t do much to help anyways. And Fen is just a few yards away.
Tobias makes up his mind and slips out the door, heading for the stairs. The guild is eerily quiet at this time of night, dark corridors lit only by splashes of moonlight and Tobias’ tail flame. The only sounds are those of the forest and the Lexym Tree shifting and moving with the wind.
Tobias takes the familiar path down the staircase, stopping once he reaches the training floor. It’s almost entirely empty, save for a lone sentret doing agility exercises in a patch of moonlight.
Tobias ignores them and heads towards one of the training dummies lining the wall. He pulls it free, moving it to an open training area, and then falls into an offensive stance. Fire dances in his throat, hot and choking in a comforting way.
He can only imagine what Archer’s going to have to say to him tomorrow. The uptight breloom hasn’t been on his case much lately, but he’s going to hate Tobias again after tonight.
Tobias lunges at the dummy. He doesn't try to hold back as he pours his emotions into each strike. Rip it open with his claws until the stuffing spills from the fabric. Burn it with his flames until the fire-resistant material blazes and melts. Slam it with his tail until the wooden base creaks and snaps under the force of his onslaught.
The guilt and fear and anger he’s been feeling pumps through his veins, and with each attack he feels like some of it is lifted from his heavy chest. Sweat hisses against his skin, heat rolling off his body. Bruises are blossoming on his limbs from the heavy hits, but he relishes in the feeling.
He doesn’t stop until the dummy is in literal smoldering pieces on the floor, nothing more than charred bits. Yeah, he’s definitely getting a lecture from Archer.
Tobias stares at the destruction with panting breaths, the dregs of his emotions leaving alongside his adrenaline. Slowly, a tired relief, something not quite content but at least not tense, settles in his bones.
Nia is still sick, but at least he feels like he can face her again.
Tobias glances over his shoulder, not surprised to find that the sentret is gone. They were probably a little freaked out by Tobias’ aggression, stuck in a room alone with him in the middle of the night. Tobias laughs under his breath, then shakes out his arms and dips into a cooldown stretch, reaching to touch his toes.
He feels much better than before, but he knows the creeping guilt will resurface as soon as he returns to Fen’s quarters. At the same time, just leaving Nia alone doesn’t feel right, either. He knows Fen and Maggie would take good care of her and the riolu doesn’t strictly need him nearby, but he’ll feel better if he is.
So he’ll need something to do while he watches over her. He slept most of the previous day away, and he’s going to come down to train to stay on top of his physical routine, but he’ll still be stuck in that room for hours at a time. What can he actually do while he waits? He’s not really the sedentary type.
He has been thinking of learning to play an instrument, after seeing them at Ghatha and thinking of the songs his parents used to sing. But he doesn’t have one to actually practice on.
What does Nia do when they’re stuck inside?
Oh. Duh. She reads.
Tobias huffs as he stretches. He’s never really been much of a reader. He's always felt like he had better things to do with his time. But if he’s stuck in one place anyways without anything else to do...
Well, he wants to feel like he’s doing something useful.
He doesn’t think he’ll find any books on Team Zenith, but he has been meaning to look into Giratina as well, ever since realizing the banished legendary might be stalking Nia through reflections. He’s not sure where he could start with that, but it would at least be something he could do. Plus, if he finds more information to confirm or deny his theory, he can either tell Nia about his suspicions or put it out of his mind entirely.
Tobias doesn’t know if any of Nia’s current books cover Giratina, but maybe the archive Pokemon could help him find what he’s looking for. He doesn’t go there often, but that’s part of their job, right?
A glance at the nearest window shows that it’s almost dawn, so Tobias hurriedly cleans up the remains of the training dummy (maybe Archer will miscount and not see the char marks on the floor?). Then he makes his way out of the training floor and to the archives.
To his surprise, one of the archivists is already up, reading something at the front desk by the light of some jarred crystals. A gardevoir. What was his name again? Alioth? No…Alistair. That’s it. The peppy ribombee that usually accompanies him is nowhere to be seen, probably still sleeping.
Alistair looks up when Tobias steps inside, clearly surprised to have such an early visitor. Then the gardevoir’s face settles into something understanding. “Ah, hello Tobias. Can I help you with something?”
For a moment Tobias is surprised Alistair isn’t prying into why he’s here at all, let alone before dawn. Then he remembers that this is Avery’s father. He probably already knows about Nia’s situation.
“Could you help me find some books about something?” Tobias asks, hushed voice loud in the stillness of the room.
Alistair tilts his head. “I can certainly try.”
Tobias hesitates for a moment, feeling like somehow he’s tipping his hand, like this is something illegal or dangerous that shouldn't be spoken of. Then again, if this guy is related to Avery then he probably won’t judge, right? His child seems as curious as Nia is.
Still, Tobias glances around, searching for reflections. He doesn’t think Giratina would follow him, if the legendary even is stalking them, but it can’t hurt to be cautious.
Finally, he says, “What information can you get me on Giratina?”
Whatever Alistair was expecting, it wasn’t that. To his credit, the gardevoir’s only reaction is to widen his garnet eyes, leaning forward with obvious intrigue. “Giratina. The banished legendary?”
Tobias can hear the thinly-veiled curiosity in his voice, but doesn’t quite trust him enough to tell him the full truth. So he just says, “We heard some…stories about him. In Ghatha. Nia wanted to check it out more, so…”
Tobias doesn’t have to fake the way his voice wobbles on his partner’s name, and Alistair luckily doesn’t seem inclined to push for details, instead nodding thoughtfully.
“I know we have at least a few texts that touch on Giratina's banishment and his dominion over the Distortion World. However, I will need Tawny's assistance tracking them all down. Would it be all right if I sent them to you later in the day?"
“That’s fine,” Tobias sighs, crossing his arms and slumping onto the desk. “Can you send ‘em up to Fen’s quarters? We’re uh. Stationed there for the moment.”
Alistair nods, but he seems distracted, staring off into the darkness of the shelves with a thoughtful expression. “I do believe I know of where at least one book is.”
Alistair steps out from behind the desk and lifts his arm, a small ball of green psychic energy flaring to life in his hand and casting a verdant light over their surroundings. Tobias squints against the sudden brightness, but follows the gardevoir as he glides off into the labyrinth of shelves.
The archives are almost unsettling like this, dark and empty and quiet. The shelves of books tower around them like giant skeletons, the gaps between tomes bringing to mind ribs and teeth.
Finally, Alistair stops, scanning a particular shelf. After a moment he finds what he’s looking for, silently slipping the book out with a glow of green energy and flipping through its pages.
Then he nods and turns back to Tobias, handing him the book.
Tobias frowns and wipes the dust from the book’s cover. Emotion, Memory, Willpower: A History of the Lake Trio. The Lake Trio. As in…Mesprit and her siblings? What does this have to do with Giratina?
Alistair chuckles at his doubtful expression. “Trust me. I’ve read every book in this library at least once, and while I will need Tawny’s help in locating the others, I am sure I recall this text discussing Giratina’s banishment in-depth. It was…a memorable read.”
Tobias isn’t sure what unnerves him more—the way Alistair said ‘memorable,’ as if he couldn't forget whatever he read, or the fact that the gardevoir has actually read the thousands of books making up the archive floor.
Still, Tobias slowly nods, tucking the book under his arm. “Thanks.”
Alistair leads them back to the front desk, writing down Tobias’ name and the book he’s taking with him. The gardevoir promises to send the other books he thinks might be helpful up to the medical floor, and Tobias leaves feeling satisfied.
He stops by their team quarters in the Seekers wing on the way back, taking a few minutes to shuffle through the riolu’s stacks of books and see if any of them mention Giratina. One or two look promising, so he stacks them on top of the book he’d gotten in the archives, and makes his way back up to the medical wing.
He’s huffing under the extra weight by time he makes it to Fen’s quarters, stumbling through the doorway. Fen is tending to Nia, checking her temperature and readjusting the cloth on her head. They look over their shoulder at Tobias when they’re finished, giving him a relieved smile.
“There you are. You doing all right?”
Tobias grunts and drops the books by his temporary nest, a little gentler than usual to avoid waking Nia. “Fine. How’s Nia?”
He sits down and peers at the riolu, frowning when he sees that she looks more or less the same as she did when he left. Her breathing is still audible, and she’s unmoving aside from the rise and fall of her ribs. At least she isn't trembling right now. The guilt and fear creeps back into his chest anyways.
“No worse but no better,” Fen confirms with a sigh, sitting back and frowning down at their patient. “All we can do now is keep doing what we’re doing, and keep an eye on her.”
Tobias nods, vowing to himself to do so. He reaches out to touch Nia’s ear, trying to note how warm she feels so he can compare later on.
Then he settles into his nest, keeping Nia in the edge of his vision, and picks up the first book, the one he got from Alistair. If he can’t do anything else for Nia, he can at least try to keep her safe from Giratina.
He has some reading to do.
Chapter 39
Summary:
Nia dreams, and Nia remembers.
Chapter Text
Somewhere between unconsciousness and the waking world, Nia drifts. It’s a strange way of existing, submerged in the black waters of sleep one moment and trying to comprehend what’s happening around her in brief, fuzzy glimpses of reality the next.
She knows she’s sick—really sick—in some kind of distant, detached way. It’s hard not to face that when every time she wakes, groggy and only half-there, she feels terrible. Every little movement saps her nonexistent energy. Her muscles ache and each breath hurts, rattling through her rib cage like a harsh wind through winter trees. Her nose is stuffed and her hearing is muffled by her pounding headache, leaving her feeling oddly isolated. Like she’s been tucked away from the world into a little corner where the light can’t reach.
Still, in her brief, dazed snatches of wakefulness, she’s comforted by the presence of those taking care of her. Fen’s quiet, calm voice, murmuring encouragements when they make her choke down bitter medicine. Maggie’s floral scent, the occasional brush of a vine over her fur. The light of Tobias’ tail flame right by her side, when she manages to crack open her eyes, her partner nothing more than a blur of orange and red but comforting all the same. She even thinks she hears Xander and Andyn, at one point.
She’s too tired to really be scared, or at least properly so. But she still feels weak and vulnerable, and she can’t explain how much it means to her to know they’re watching out for her.
She wishes she could reassure them, but each time she tries she’s tugged back by waves of sleep, lapping at her consciousness and pulling her under like a wave. So she tries not to worry about it, the concern already slipping away to be replaced by a numb blankness. It’s comforting, in a way. Or maybe she’s just too far gone to properly feel anything.
She doesn’t come back to herself until something starts to break up the endless black. She starts to see…lights.
Well, not quite lights. More like the soft flicker of fireflies or stars, floating warm and bright in the endless black. It’s not until she draws closer to them that she notices the colors shifting within them, iridescent like the rainbow of an oil slick. Somehow, despite the abstract nature of them, they fill her with a strange sense of…familiarity. Longing. Love.
She wills herself closer to one, reaching, and then—
The scene blossoms into clarity around her, bright and sharp and almost too much after the numbness. It’s warm, and she’s seated somewhere soft.
She’s taken aback then by the simple sight of an open book in her lap. The pages are held apart by a pair of hands—her hands. Pale and freckled, nails trimmed short.
Human hands.
Well, that’s a silly thought. Of course they’re human hands. She’s human. Why was she expecting anything but? For a moment, Ӥ̷̰i̸̞̍ɒ̴͈̅ almost thinks she sees a different set, small and blue and soft with fur, but when she blinks they’re gone again.
A song is playing somewhere outside of the edge of her vision. It filters into her hearing as if from underwater, vague and muffled. Still, she can tell it’s a melodic and bright chiptune, interspersed with pre-recorded sound effects and—
Oh, a video game.
She tries to lift her head to look around, but her body moves as if in slow-motion. Everything is a bit too much, a bit fuzzy, like waking up still groggy in a patch of sunlight.
But on the other end of the couch, there sits a boy in perfect clarity. Well, he has to be over 20, more “man” than “boy,” but something in her looks at him and can only see another kid. Like he’ll always be that to her.
Short sandy hair and hazel eyes, a smattering of freckles on tanned skin. His fingers are clicking and clacking away at the controller in his hands, and his expression is serious with concentration.
She knows that if she interrupts him, he’ll throw a pillow at her, giving her a playful glare and saying she has to try the next level as punishment, even though they both know she’s far worse than him. For some reason, the thought of the interaction is enough to bring the heat of tears to her eyes. She opens her mouth to say something, to say—
“Clay?”
Oh.
The boy—Clay, of course it’s Clay—doesn’t look away from the TV, a crooked smile sliding onto his face. “That’s my name, don’t wear it out. What’s up?”
Ӥ̷̰i̸̞̍ɒ̴͈̅ opens her mouth to answer and is surprised to find her throat tight. She blinks, and her vision blurs even further with tears. She feels like she’s choking.
(She missed him. She missed him so much. But where was she to miss him?)
She swallows hard. Clay’s brow lowers, thinly veiled concern taking over the playful expression. He pauses the game, and when he turns to look at her he abandons the controller entirely.
“Hey, what’s with the face?”
She can only stare in response, tears rolling down her cheeks, on the edge of breaking down.
Clay. She forgot him, didn’t she? But how could she when he’s—
He’s. He’s someone close to her, right? One of her best friends. Has been since she was small, since the moment she was born. She remembers that.
She remembers—
She’s young, eight at the oldest.
The one classmate she doesn’t get along with walks beside her on the way home, since they live in the same neighborhood. He and Clay are friends, both of them into Nerf guns and gaming, but Clay isn’t here today since he’s still at school for soccer practice.
So it’s just the two of them. The neighbor boy has been badgering her ever since the history test they had that afternoon. Unfortunately for her, he’s her neighbor in the classroom, too.
“You could’ve just let me take a quick look,” the boy scoffs, walking too close to her side.
“Cheating’s wrong,” she whispers for the third time, voice shaky. She keeps her eyes on her hands, where she fiddles with her water bottle. Her heart is thumping in her chest. She hates arguing, but her mom always told them how important it was not to lie. Cheating counts.
The boy rolls his eyes, and the following silence is uncomfortable.
Ӥ̷̰i̸̞̍ɒ̴͈̅ bites her lip as they walk, wavering under the pressure of the boy’s silent, crushing anger. Maybe she should’ve just let him cheat off of her? But no, she would’ve felt guilty for the rest of the night.
“I could help you study if you want?” She offers, tentatively. She doesn’t really like the neighbor boy, but it’s the only way she can think to help.
“I don’t study.”
“Oh.” She blinks up at him, caught off-guard. “But you’d do better if you did.”
She knows immediately that was the wrong thing to say. The boy turns on her, hands curling into fists.
“I don’t need to study! I’m not stupid!”
“I-I know! Just...maybe if you studied—“
His face darkens as he steps forward, looming over her. “Maybe if you weren’t such a teacher’s pet—“
“Hey!”
The voice cuts them off, and she’s filled with relief. She turns to where Clay is jogging up to the two of them from the direction of the school.
“Practice got canceled,” Clay pants as he reaches them, flushed and sweaty. “Didn’t think I’d catch you.”
“Perfect timing,” the neighbor boy grumbles. “Tell Ӥ̷̰i̸̞̍ɒ̴͈̅ to stop being such a teacher’s pet.”
She winces.
Clay keeps the smile on his face, but she notices how his shoulders tense, how he shoves himself forward to walk between the two of them. “Why? What happened?”
“She wouldn’t let me cheat off her test today!” The boy snaps. “It was just a stupid pop quiz.”
Ӥ̷̰i̸̞̍ɒ̴͈̅ bites her lip, fingers tightening around her water bottle. It was just a little pop quiz, and she knows Clay doesn’t really care about cheating. He’s done it before and didn’t feel bad.
So she’s a bit surprised when Clay says, “So? If she doesn’t want to help she doesn’t have to.”
“Oh, great, you’re both teacher’s pets now? When did you get so lame?”
Clay’s mouth presses into a thin line. “Not our fault you didn’t study.”
The neighbor boy stops, scowling, hands tightening around the straps of his backpack. “I was busy!”
“Still not her fault.”
She sees it in the flash of anger on the neighbor boy’s face before he actually does anything. He steps forward and pushes Clay—not hard, just enough to send him stumbling back a foot. They play fight all the time, she knows, roughhousing and wrestling, but this feels different. Clay looks upset.
It’s different enough to turn her anxiety to white-hot fury. She moves forward to push the neighbor boy back, but doesn’t even make him budge. “Leave him alone!”
She’s not big enough to do anything—
(What Nia wouldn’t do to have her aura powers, or at least sharp teeth that can bite—)
In a moment of inspiration she uncaps her water bottle and flings her water at the neighbor boy, soaking the front of his T-shirt. The neighbor boy yells something and shoves her too. She trips over her own feet and lands hard on the concrete, scraping her palms.
“Hey! Don’t touch her!” And then there’s Clay, moving between the two of them.
Clay is three years older than her, but small for his age. Her classmate, on the other hand, was held back a year and is built like a brick, putting the two boys on equal footing.
Still, Clay doesn’t back down.
For a moment, the protective gesture makes her see a flash of orange, brings to mind the warmth of flames.
But then the neighbor boy lunges forward with a shout and a raised fist (Val would have so much to criticize about his form). Clay ducks under the blow and uses all the strength in his gangly body to shove the neighbor boy away and straight to the concrete.
Clay grabs her by the wrist and hauls her to her feet, the two of them running and stumbling over cracks in the sidewalk and between the landscaping in yards. They finally crouch to a stop on the side of one of the houses in the neighborhood, hidden in the shade of tall shrubbery.
“You okay?” Clay asks, looking at her with an uncharacteristic seriousness. When she nods, trembling, he glares over his shoulder, in the direction they came from. “He’s such a jerk.”
“I-I thought you were friends.”
Clay snorts. “Only ‘cause he lives close. He should know better than to mess with you.” Then he calls the neighbor boy a word he is definitely not old enough to say yet.
She laughs despite the tears in her eyes and the stinging in her palms. She rubs at them, willing the pain away as she warns. “Don’t say that around Mom or you’ll get in big trouble.”
“It’s true,” Clay defends, even as he grins, clearly relieved that she’s okay enough to laugh.
They’re both quiet for a moment. Then, she whispers, “Do you think he’ll tell his dad what we did?”
Clay shakes his head. “Doubt it. Probably too embarrassed. He’ll go home and pout about it like he does every time I win at something.”
She nods, still worried, and looks down at her knees, covered in band-aids from clumsy falls. Somehow the scrapes on her hands don’t hurt as much as the little injuries usually do.
“Thanks,” she says, peeking up at Clay through her hair.
Clay shrugs, and simply says, “You’re my sister.”
And she remembers—
Stopping at a familiar gas station, as they have every Friday after school since Clay got his driver’s license. He turns off the old car, radio falling silent, and hops out. She’s riding shotgun, but from the backseat there’s comforting chatter from…from someone.
As Clay fills up the tank, he comes over to her side and folds his arms where the window is rolled down.
“I’m running in to grab a drink. You two want anything?”
Ӥ̷̰i̸̞̍ɒ̴͈̅ laughs at a comment from—from the person in the back seat, then gives Clay a ten dollar bill and a sickeningly sweet smile. A challenge and a deal. “You know my order. Apple cotton candy slushie or bust.”
Clay’s face scrunches. “I wish I could call the cops on you for having such shit taste.”
The voice in the backseat barks a laugh.
Ӥ̷̰i̸̞̍ɒ̴͈̅ sticks her tongue out at Clay.
He rolls his eyes and turns to go inside, the voice from the backseat yelling after him that she wants a blueberry slushie.
For all that Clay complains, when he comes back he hands over her change and the requested slushies, hers a delightful mix of green and pink. She takes a moment to enjoy the pleasing color palette before swirling it into gray slush.
She takes a sip, then groans. “How can you hate this and still get the perfect flavor ratio!”
“Don’t mention my involvement in your war crimes,” Clay retorts, but he’s smiling as he takes a sip of his own slushie. Cherry red. He turns the key, and the radio blasts loud again with a summer tune, the perfect accompaniment to the hot sun beating down on the car.
And she remembers—
“What if I don’t make it into any of them?” She whispers.
It’s loud in the stillness of the kitchen, the room lit only by the little light over the sink. The clock on the wall ticks past midnight. In front of her, on the table, sits her laptop, open to her e-mail.
Clay sighs, coming up behind her to put his hands on her shoulders, giving them a squeeze. He plops his chin—scratchy with stubble, even through her hair—on top of her head. For a moment, she thinks she’ll feel a spark of static and see a flash of blue-and-black fur.
“You are the nerdiest person I know. You’ll be fine. Every college in the country is going to be fighting to get you to their campus. Have you seen how many books you have?”
She whines, reaching up to bat at his face until he pulls away. “Reading a bunch of books doesn’t mean I’m smart.”
“Being smart makes you smart, dumbass,” Clay snorts. He takes his revenge by ruffling her hair into a mess.
She just sighs and accepts her fate, letting the motion sway her from side to side. Not like she’s going anywhere tonight. Just to bed to stare up at the ceiling for an hour or two.
“All right. C’mon, mopey pants. Up. I’m making hot chocolate.”
That does sound good. Even the thought of it soothes some of the anxiety in her chest. Still, she’s reluctant to tear her eyes away from the bright laptop screen. She knows it’s incredibly unlikely she’ll hear anything at this time of night, but—
“If you don’t get your butt up out of that chair I’m putting wasabi in your mug.”
She shoots up, whipping around to point at him. “No. Never again.”
Clay laughs, trying to be quiet and failing miserably. “Then get over here and help!”
There’s a quiet creak from farther in the house, and both of them freeze, holding their breaths and locking wide-eyed looks. When the seconds pass with no further indication of someone else being awake, Ӥ̷̰i̸̞̍ɒ̴͈̅ bursts into tired giggles. She rubs her hands over her eyes and moves to where Clay is pulling down her favorite mug, the one with little dragons all over it. They look different than she remembers, orange with little flames at their tail tips. Huh.
Still, she takes it with a soft smile, feeling warmer and more settled already. He always knows how to cheer her up. He’s her best friend, her protector and confidante and she remembers—
Her brother.
Nia’s breath catches, yanking her out of sleep. She hacks a wet cough that rips painfully from her chest. Ugh. The riolu tries to squirm around to get comfortable in her bed.
Unlike her dream—memory?—she feels horrible. She’s so cold. She tries to open her bleary eyes and actually focus her vision on something. When she can’t, she makes a pathetic attempt at speech. It’s only then that she notices the blurry orange figure at her side.
The orange moves closer, sharpening into a familiar reptilian face and concerned blue eyes. “Nia?”
Oh. Right. Tobias.
He called her Nia, like he always has. Why does that name not feel…right, anymore?
Doesn’t matter, not when the comfort of sleep is falling over her again like a warm blanket. This time, she doesn’t hesitate to touch one of the colorful little lights that drift in her consciousness, and once again she’s pulled into…a dream? A memory?
A moment.
She remembers—
She’s lying down on the couch, too warm and buried in blankets. A hand cards through her hair, gentle enough to avoid pulling at any tangles. It’s particularly long right now, although she’s been considering cutting it shorter as she enters middle school. Might make her look more grown up.
Her head is cushioned in someone’s lap, their blanketed thighs soft and solid underneath her. When she manages to turn her head and look up, she sees a woman who puts her whole being at ease.
A face much like her own, but with laughter lines aging her soft expression. Her hair is up in a messy bun, wisps hanging loose and messy around her features. For a moment, her eyes seem to flash gold, bright pink petals blooming around the edges of Ӥ̷̰i̸̞̍ɒ̴͈̅’s vision. She smells lavender.
“Mom, I don’t feel good,” she mumbles. “‘M tired.”
The hand in her hair pauses, moving to feel her forehead with blessedly cool skin. Her mother’s eyes are sad, genuinely upset just because her baby doesn’t feel well.
“You can’t take any more medicine yet,” Mom says, apologetic. “Do you need more water?”
Ӥ̷̰i̸̞̍ɒ̴͈̅ shakes her head into her mom’s lap.
“I’ll cut up some fruit to put in it,” her mother sing-songs, enticing. “I think we have some peaches left.”
Ӥ̷̰i̸̞̍ɒ̴͈̅ hesitates then, but shakes her head again and curls her fingers into her mom’s shirt. Lets the familiar smell of her mother’s perfume waft over her and soothe the restlessness in her soul.
She missed her too. So much.
(Missed her? Where did she go?)
“What’re we watching?” She asks Mom instead, throat raspy. She’s already half-asleep again.
Her mom pulls the blanket a little higher over her daughter’s shoulders. “Only the movie you’ve been dying to rent. Do you want a recap?”
Ӥ̷̰i̸̞̍ɒ̴͈̅ huffs a laugh and shakes her head.
“We can always watch it again when you feel better,” her mother assures, stroking her hair again.
She doesn’t remember the movie, but she remembers—
“You sure you’re good?” Ӥ̷̰i̸̞̍ɒ̴͈̅ laughs, turning to look back down the forested path she and Clay had just climbed. It’s a rougher part of the trail, pocketed by roots and stones, but it’s worth it for the view at the top. She’s only breathing a little hard, sweat a thin sheen over her arms and legs and chest. Sunlight falls in dappled patterns over the greenery.
She loves the woods. Has ever since her middle school days.
Her brother has already moved ahead, and he’s calling something over his shoulder. Her mom is still at the bottom of the short but steep incline, leaning on a branch she’d picked up somewhere along the way that is way too thin to use as a walking stick.
“I’m fine!” Mom insists, trying to put on a brave face even as she moves forward as if if wading through molasses. Her “walking stick” wobbles dangerously under her weight. “Right behind you.”
“You’d probably be doing better if you actually wore tennis shoes,” Ӥ̷̰i̸̞̍ɒ̴͈̅ calls, unable to resist taking one more jab at the older woman for wearing sandals on a hike.
“I don’t like tennis shoes!”
“You also don’t like aching feet!” She retorts with a laugh.
She stays with her mom, yelling encouragements and teasing in equal measure. Mom finally nears the top and reaches out her hand, and Ӥ̷̰i̸̞̍ɒ̴͈̅ takes it, clasping tight.
And she remembers.
“I think it’s cute!” Mom says, leaning back to appraise her daughter’s outfit in full.
Ӥ̷̰i̸̞̍ɒ̴͈̅ groans and turns, looking over her outfit in the store changing room mirror. “You’ve said that about literally everything I’ve tried on.”
“It’s been true for everything you’ve tried on,” Mom insists, earnest.
Ӥ̷̰i̸̞̍ɒ̴͈̅ sighs, then tugs the clothes off to try on the next outfit. “Okay, but that doesn’t help me much. This is my first real adult job. Well, internship. But still. I need to make sure I look professional, not just cute.”
“I think a lot of that is how you hold yourself,” her mother hums, handing her a nice black skirt. “How you act. It’s important to look like you put the effort in, of course, but I just know they’re going to love you.”
Ӥ̷̰i̸̞̍ɒ̴͈̅ looks into the mirror again as she shrugs on a nice blazer over her dress shirt. She tugs nervously at the bottom of the skirt. “You can’t know that.”
“Oh, but I do!” Her mother says, laughter in her voice and love in her eyes. “How could they not? You’re you.”
This time, it’s a cold touch to the forehead that drags Nia into consciousness. She whines, trying in vain to pull her heavy body away as something damp is laid across her head.
“I know it’s unpleasant, but I promise it will help,” a voice says, soft and worried like her mom’s.
Maggie?
Nia tries to ask the older Pokemon something, but every attempt at speech dies as a huff of air on her lips. Thankfully, the soothing touch of a vine moves to smooth the fur on Nia’s back in rhythmic strokes. It relaxes her enough for her to slip back under.
In the darkness of sleep, there are so many lights to choose from. So many memories full of warmth and emotion, but she feels drawn to one in particular.
She touches it, and a chaotic scene unfolds, loud despite taking place inside a library. There are other kids her age crowding the room, all clamoring to partner up with excited chatter, and she looks around anxiously. None of her classmates are here since this is a weekend activity at the local library, and she’s always a little shy around new people.
One of the volunteers notices Ӥ̷̰i̸̞̍ɒ̴͈̅’s predicament and steers another little girl in her direction. The girl introduces herself as Toni before even being asked, grinning and practically vibrating in place. Ӥ̷̰i̸̞̍ɒ̴͈̅ is always shy around new people, but the girl’s hair is pulled into two cute, puffy pigtails and her dark eyes are warm, so she tries not to be scared.
The two of them are paired up, and they take turns doing the first activity of the afternoon, painting each other’s faces (under close supervision from the adults).
Toni wastes no time in asking Ӥ̷̰i̸̞̍ɒ̴͈̅ the most important questions about herself, her words moving a mile a minute and almost too fast to answer. Favorite color? Favorite food? Favorite toy? Favorite book?
Ӥ̷̰i̸̞̍ɒ̴͈̅ is a bit shy at first, but once the two girls realize they share a love for the same book series, it’s all over.
“So I’m new in town,” Toni says, finally stopping her slew of questions to talk about herself. She sticks her tongue through a gap in her baby teeth as she tries to paint a wobbly butterfly on Ӥ̷̰i̸̞̍ɒ̴͈̅’s face. The paint is cold and ticklish, making Ӥ̷̰i̸̞̍ɒ̴͈̅ scrunch up her nose and smile at the sensation. “Do you know if Miss Gidgen is a good teacher?”
“Oh, she’s super nice! My brother had her a few years ago. I have her this year too!”
Toni gasps, leaning back with a delighted expression. “Okay, that’s a sign. Now we have to be best friends.”
For a moment, Toni is replaced by a colorful deer with dark, sparkling eyes, a flower tucked behind her ear to match the sloppy one painted on Toni’s cheek. She is vibrant.
Toni’s forwardness makes Ӥ̷̰i̸̞̍ɒ̴͈̅ blush and laugh nervously, not sure how to handle someone so set on becoming her friend. She’s always been friendly enough with everyone else in her class, but she’s never had a best friend outside of her brother.
And she remembers—
Toni sits behind her, gently tugging on Ӥ̷̰i̸̞̍ɒ̴͈̅‘s hair as she finishes up her French braid. A movie plays on the little TV in front of them—some cheesy horror flick that they’ve been laughing at for the past hour.
Toni sits back, voice triumphant. “Done! My turn.”
Toni moves to the floor as soon as she’s done speaking, hurrying to shimmy back until her spine hits the edge of the bed.
“Eager much?” Ӥ̷̰i̸̞̍ɒ̴͈̅ laughs, getting up to take the vacated spot on the edge of the bed, legs on either side of Toni’s shoulders. “Cornrows, right?”
“Mhm. Hey, five bucks says the blonde chick dies next.”
“I am not making that bet,” Ӥ̷̰i̸̞̍ɒ̴͈̅ laughs, switching out the brush Toni had used for her. She grabs the wide-toothed comb, playfully fluffing Toni’s tight curls before getting to work dividing up the sections of hair.
Onscreen, the blonde girl does indeed die next in a gruesome spray of red.
“I could be five dollars richer right now,” Toni sighs.
“I know better at this point than to bet against you.”
“Damn straight.”
From there, the conversation flits from topic to topic, mostly about school and the rumor mill. Toni gushes about the girl she’s had a crush on for the past year, before her voice turns teasing and she prods her best friend for her own interests.
“I don’t really like anyone right now,” Ӥ̷̰i̸̞̍ɒ̴͈̅ says idly, tilting her head to try and figure out if Toni’s rows are crooked. After a moment she decides they’re fine and continues to weaves with clumsy fingers.
She can hear the devious grin in Toni’s voice. “Really? No one? Not even that hot guy in your writing class with the fine ass?”
“Toni!” Ӥ̷̰i̸̞̍ɒ̴͈̅ shrieks, torn between laughter and scolding. She bops her friend on the head. “We’re only fifteen!”
“Oh come on, you’re literally the only one not talking about how hot people are.”
“You know I don’t see people like that!”
“You’re ace, not blind!”
“Still!” Ӥ̷̰i̸̞̍ɒ̴͈̅ says, giggling. She buries her burning face in her hands. “…I guess he is kind of cute.”
“Ha!”
“His eyes are pretty!” She defends weakly. They’re bright blue, like little pieces of sky.
“His eyes are pretty,” Toni mocks playfully. “Just say he’s hot like every other teenager on the planet.”
“No!”
“Yes!”
“I will fight you!”
Toni turns, grinning. “You know I’ll win.”
Ӥ̷̰i̸̞̍ɒ̴͈̅ does know, but she still tackles Toni into the soft palette of blankets and pillows, the two of them cackling as they knock over the bowl of popcorn and spill it everywhere.
And she remembers.
“Hey, we’ll be okay,” Ӥ̷̰i̸̞̍ɒ̴͈̅ says quietly, taking Toni’s hand as the two of them sit in her car, radio so quiet it’s almost silent. She tries to read the other girl’s expression in the dark. “Even if we’re going to different schools, we’re only a couple of hours apart.”
Toni doesn’t seem soothed at all by those words. More tears drip down her face, and she sniffs, wiping at them almost angrily.
“We can text all the time, and FaceTime whenever we get the chance,” Ӥ̷̰i̸̞̍ɒ̴͈̅ presses, giving Toni’s hands a squeeze.
“…And we can visit?”
“Of course!” Ӥ̷̰i̸̞̍ɒ̴͈̅ says, scandalized. How could Toni think they wouldn’t visit? “You can come to my place and I’ll show you all the best boring places to read at, and I’ll visit your place and you’ll talk me into going to some terrible party or something. It’ll be great.”
Toni snorts, but it’s close to a laugh.
“Fine,” Toni says, giving her a wobbly smile even as her face is shiny with tears. “But first we’re making this the best summer ever.”
Ӥ̷̰i̸̞̍ɒ̴͈̅ laughs and nods, pulling Toni close to wrap her in a hug, solid and warm. “Deal.”
And she remembers.
When Nia gasps awake, coughing and curling painfully into herself, the conversation happening in low tones near her head stops.
“Nia?” Someone asks.
Nia wants to answer, wants to ask for some water for her scratchy throat or for someone to just put her aching body out of its misery.
Instead, the riolu feels sleep pull at her again, a welcoming reprieve from the pain of her illness. She’s soothed by the thought of returning to—well, she isn’t quite sure how much of this is memory and how much of this is dream, but she knows somehow, deep in her bones, that this is the truth.
This is her family. Her old life. She knows these people. She loves them. And even in the haze of sickness and exhaustion, even knowing that these memories start to blur each time she wakes, she has a thought. A conviction.
She will find a way back home. Back to them. No matter the cost.
Chapter 40
Summary:
Tobias researches Giratina, and has an unexpected chat with Xander.
Chapter Text
“Any changes?” Maggie asks as soon as she walks into Fen’s quarters.
Tobias looks up from where he’s been staring aimlessly at the open book in his lap. Reading about Giratina usually works well enough as a distraction, but Nia’s fever spiked higher this morning and he can’t seem to focus on anything but making sure she’s still breathing from moment to moment.
Even seeing Sage trail in after Maggie, the ivysaur giving Tobias a weak smile and a nod, isn’t enough to rile up his emotions.
“Her fever’s worse,” Tobias says tiredly, rubbing at his eyes and glancing over at the riolu.
She’s as still as she has been for the past four days, her breathing raspy. She almost looks smaller somehow, her short fur flattened by how long she’s been lying down. She’s probably losing a bit of weight too, since Fen and Maggie can’t keep her awake long enough to actually eat anything. They’re lucky when they can get her to take a few sips of water with her medicine.
At least she’s not whimpering like she does sometimes. That always makes him feel particularly helpless.
Maggie looks heartbroken as always at the update, moving to Nia’s side to feel her forehead for herself. She sighs. “We’d better give her another dose. Sage?”
The ivysaur steps forward, pulling open a small pouch with vials of medicine and carefully popping one open with his vines.
While Sage works under Maggie’s close supervision, she murmurs quietly to Tobias. “Why don’t you go take a walk? We can stay with her for a while and it looks like you could use a break.”
Tobias’ immediate thought is to decline, but he hesitates. Seeing the same space over and over again hour after hour, day after day, with only his brief trips to the training floor to work off steam and to the archives in search of more books...well, it is kind of driving him a little crazy.
“I’ll be back in a bit,” Tobias grudgingly agrees, standing and trying not to feel guilty for leaving. Sage has finished shaking Nia awake enough to swallow her medicine and is now rubbing a vine over her back as she coughs and falls back into an uneasy sleep.
“Take your time,” Maggie says, giving him a tired smile and craning her neck down to nuzzle the side of his face. He grumbles a wordless complaint they both know is for show, and heads out of the room.
His feet take him down the stairs and towards the training floor on instinct. He wonders if Val and Azami are there today, not that he really feels like talking to either of them. The two Pokemon had stopped in yesterday to see Nia, and even Val’s blank expression had seemed strained as she kneeled at the riolu’s side and murmured some kind of prayer for her recovery. Azami had tried to strike up a conversation with Tobias, but it was clear her heart wasn’t in it.
August had also stopped by the other day, expression uncomfortably grave as he sat silently by the riolu’s side. It was like he’d already resigned himself to the worst, which was both unwelcome and unexpected from the usually optimistic Pokemon.
The guild master had gone next door on his way out to speak with Maggie, their voices too hushed for Tobias to make out from a room away. Eventually, though, Maggie’s voice had raised with something like fury, shooing the rillaboom out like a misbehaving child. Maggie had come over to check on Nia immediately after, her eyes just a little too wet. Tobias knows that Maggie and August have a long history together, but he’s not sure he’s ever heard her snap at him like that.
Then again, she’d also seemed an inch away from physically throwing Archer out of the medical quarters the other day, when the breloom had inevitably found Tobias to yell at him for destroying that training dummy. Maggie is clearly at the end of her patience at the moment, so Tobias tries to listen when she tells him to take a walk or eat.
Tobias shakes his head and takes a deep breath, focusing on the cool air blowing through one of the open lattice windows he passes. A flying type glides by, throwing a shadow over the floor.
And in trying to think of something else to brood over, Tobias finds himself thinking about Giratina.
It’s hard not to, when that’s pretty much all he’s been thinking about the past few days. Alistair had sent a disappointingly small stack of books up to Fen’s quarters for Tobias to flip through for more information about the banished legendary, and what he has found hasn’t been particularly useful. Most everything he’s found so far they already knew or suspected from their trip to Ghatha. And while that information actually lends credence to the idea that Giratina might be following Nia through reflections, Tobias is almost too tired and emotionally wrung out to muster up the energy for fear at the moment.
Before they can worry about Giratina, Nia has to actually survive this illness.
Tobias swallows hard and stops at the threshold of the training floor, looking inside at the teams sparring and practicing their moves. He feels a bit nauseous, and not at all like fighting. He thinks idly about when he last ate. Probably yesterday, when Maggie made him swallow down a tasteless lunch.
Tobias keeps walking, all the way down to the mission boards, then past those and into the blue glow of the tunnels. He doesn’t know what he’s doing. He has no end goal in sight, and eventually he just sits against the cave wall, staring blankly at the crystals embedded in the rocks and dirt across from him. The last time he’d been down here was after his argument with Maggie, when Nia calmed him down. He’d been a mess, and she’d stepped up and taken care of what needed to be done.
Tears sting his eyes, and he buries his face in his arms.
What is he going to do if she dies? If she doesn’t get better and just keeps getting worse and worse until her raspy breaths stop and she goes silent and cold?
He thinks for an instant of Vivi, of the little charmander’s vibrant orange skin dulled to a sickly hue, of her tail tip without a flame and her hand in his being so, so cold.
Tobias’ breath hitches.
Despite Maggie and Fen insisting otherwise, he still can’t help feeling like this is his fault. Like if he had just been more insistent, had remembered Fen’s warning, had gotten Nia to Fen and Maggie sooner, that she never would’ve gotten this bad. And now he can’t do anything to help aside from watch her and make sure she gets her medicine on time. Try to will each breath to be followed by another.
He’s a terrible partner, just like Andyn said. And a terrible…
Nia had called him her friend, hadn’t she?
He didn’t want to admit it before, uncomfortable with the very idea after nearly a decade of loneliness, but…she’s his friend.
He has a friend.
Honestly, she’s probably the closest friend he has other than Maggie. Kind of pathetic, considering he’s only known the riolu a little over a month, but…but he finally found someone his own age who doesn’t hate him and who he actually likes and trusts enough to call his partner, and now she’s going to die and leave him all alone again.
Tobias knows, distantly, that that’s such a selfish way to think about the riolu’s potential death. She has so much life left to live, a family to reunite with, so many stupid books to read. But he can’t bring himself to care when he’s so tired after days of emotional turmoil and terrible sleeping patterns.
So he lets himself cry for a while. He thinks Nia would say that he needs it.
When his tears have run their course and his eyes are tired and dry, Tobias stands on stiff legs and walks back to the medical wing in a daze. Not too much time has passed as far as he can tell, from the angle of the light pouring in through the windows.
He returns to Fen’s room. The leafeon is back from their morning rounds and Sage has gone off somewhere, likely on errands of his own. Maggie is curled up next to Nia, stroking her back with a vine. The meganium gives him a worried frown when she sees him, but he waves her off.
“I’m fine, Mags,” Tobias sighs, flopping down and trying to make himself comfortable in the flattened nest he’s been using the past few days. He grabs the book he’s currently reading, to make himself look busy if nothing else.
He opens it back up to the page where Nia’s silly little furret bookmark rests, holding his place. A scratchy ink illustration stares back at him from the book’s pages. Piercing eyes and a long, segmented body. Angular wings and nightmares visualized, darkness dripping from the creature.
Giratina.
A banished god.
Tobias still doesn’t know exactly where he stands on the matter of the gods, of legendaries that supposedly used to roam among everyday Pokemon and protected them from harm hundreds of years ago. He’s not sure if he believes they still exist, or ever existed, or if they were just regular Pokemon.
And it’s not like they have many Pokemon to actually ask nowadays. The legendaries have been dormant so long that most of the Pokemon who were supposedly alive to see them are dead by now, aside from maybe some particularly long-lived species like torkoal or ninetales.
Some part of him still feels ridiculous for even entertaining the thought of Giratina’s existence at all when the legendary seems more like a scary story to frighten little kids than an actual living creature. But he knows he’s seen something…odd, in the reflections around Nia. And as much as Tobias doesn’t trust Will, he doesn’t think the ghost type would bring up Giratina as a tangible threat without reason.
So he’s erring on the side of caution, and trying to prepare himself with as much information as he can scrounge up. If this supposed legend wants to get to Nia, he’ll have to get through Tobias first.
So he takes a cue from Nia. He reads, and he takes notes, until he feels he at least has some pieces of the puzzle, even if it isn’t the full puzzle itself.
The book that Alistair gave him goes into the most detail on Giratina’s banishment itself, but even that information is frustratingly vague. He attacked another legendary and was exiled to the dimensional rift by Arceus and the Lake Trio, but there’s not much detail aside from that. How about an explanation as to why he attacked? Or even which other legendary was his target? It’s all just so vague! It’s like even the author didn’t have the full story of what happened.
It’s frustrating. How can Tobias get answers if there are no actual answers out there? If the books don’t know, then who would? Is it possible they really are just stories? But if Giratina is real and genuinely trapped in another world, there has to be a reason.
One thing the books all agree on is that Giratina was banished to the Distortion World by the Lake Trio—Mesprit, Azelf, and Uxie. The legendaries who supposedly make up Pokemon consciousness itself, emotion and willpower and memory. If Tobias could speak with them he’s sure he’d have a clear answer, but that doesn’t mean much when they’re supposedly dormant as well.
Tobias flops his head down into the book, groaning in frustration. Why is this so hard? Maybe the details behind Giratina’s banishment aren’t even important, but the fact that it’s all so vague feels important to Tobias.
Like somewhere along the line, information was withheld. Like someone is hiding something.
Tobias lifts his head again and swaps out books, rubbing at his temples and giving Maggie’s concerned look a dismissive wave before diving back in.
There’s also the strange fact that Giratina was apparently still tasked with guarding the dimensional borders even in his exile. Why would Arceus entrust such an important-sounding job to a violent Pokemon that was literally banished? Surely the god of gods could just…create a new being to take his place?
Something is definitely missing in this story.
Tobias shakes his head and reviews his notes for the tenth time, wishing Nia were awake to help him with a fresh pair of eyes. He doesn’t want to worry Maggie, though, and no way is he going to anyone else for help if he can avoid it.
He finally decides to put that aside for the time being and focus instead on what Giratina can supposedly still do to physically affect them.
The books back up what Fliss and Will said about reflections being direct portals to the distortion world. Giratina was able to access the Pokemon world through them before his exile, and even now he can still peer through them to see what’s happening on this side of things. Is that what he’s been doing? Watching Nia? Is that the silhouette Tobias saw on the surface of the ocean?
The few illustrations of Giratina, most of them serpentine with long tendrils and sharp red eyes, only reinforce that thought. But if Giratina is real, and not only awake but actively following Nia and other humans, then…why?
He recalls Nia’s words on their flight, asking Fliss if humans showing up in the Pokemon world meant something had gone wrong in Giratina’s domain.
Could he be after Nia and the rest of the humans because they’re messing with the borders between dimensions somehow? What could he possibly do to fix that, though? Most humans seem to want a way back home, so surely if Giratina knows that and wants to just…put them back somehow, he could figure out a way to do that?
It’s confusing, and stressful to ponder. He doesn’t think Giratina could actually harm Nia, but he isn’t sure on that, either. One book warned to never touch a reflection that Giratina appeared in, implying that if you did he could make contact, even post-banishment.
Not a pleasant thought.
Otherwise, there’s still little actual information out there. Granted, there’s not a ton of information about legendaries in general, but most of them still have ten times more information available than Giratina’s sparse little blurbs that sound more like spooky campfire stories than actual research.
In his desperation for some kind of information, Tobias writes down a few notes about the legendaries that come up the most in relation to him. The Lake Trio, of course, as well as Arceus, the creator of Giratina and the one who had the trio banish him to the Distortion World.
Surprisingly enough, two other Pokemon are often mentioned alongside the exiled legendary—Dialga and Palkia, guardians of time and space and Giratina’s apparent siblings. Tobias has heard of the other two before, of course. They’re considered to be powerful gods intertwined with the flow of reality itself, but it feels strange to consider Giratina as a third element to that dynamic.
Tobias supposes that the dimensional border of the Pokemon world is just hard to grasp as a concept, abstract and intangible. If Giratina, a Pokemon on par with the literal gods of time and space, was tasked to keep that barrier safe and whole, apparently it’s pretty important for keeping their world (and the Pokemon in it) safely in equilibrium. He doesn’t know what would even happen if something like that were to go awry.
Tobias rubs again at his eyes and takes a five minute break since his head is starting to feel jumbled. Maggie gets up to leave shortly after, giving him an affectionate goodbye and an order to eat supper when the time arrives. He answers with a distracted hum before continuing his research.
It’s not until at least an hour later, when he hears a high and unexpected chorus of voices yelling his name from the doorway, that he jumps from his thoughts. The shinx kids are charging into the room and tackling him into the nest in a giggling, wiggly, soft pile.
Tobias chuckles despite himself, gently shoving them off so he can sit back up. “Hey, gremlins. Where did you three come from?”
The answer comes through the door a moment later on brisk paws, his black fur spiked with stress.
“Kids, I told you you had to be quiet!” Xander scolds, shooting Nia’s sleeping form a worried glance.
The shinx cubs crouch low with pinned ears, looking suitably guilty. Tobias sighs and waves away the luxio’s concern so they stop making that face. “She’s out like a light. Trust me, we’d love for her to wake up for a while and actually eat something.”
“She’s not hungry?” Luca asks, frowning and peering at the riolu.
“Remember when we got sick last year?” Leor answers his brother, padding closer to sniff at Nia’s fur with a frown. “We didn’t want to eat, either.”
“You remember that?” Laine asks, bewildered.
Leor blinks. “Uh…yeah?”
“He remembers all kinds of boring details like that,” Luca scoffs, but he almost sounds proud of his brother. “Especially if it’s about sickness stuff! I bet he could be as good a medic as Fen.”
While Leor squeaks at Luca to be quiet, Xander pads over and sits down near Nia, giving her a worried once-over before reluctantly tearing his eyes away to look at Tobias. “Sorry, I guess I should’ve asked before bringing them up. I wanted to check in on her, and Felix and Avery have been asking for updates. The kids insisted they come along once they heard where I was going.”
Luca rolls his eyes and leans in to stage-whisper to Tobias. “He actually asked us to come. He said you needed cheering up and that we’d be the best at it!”
Laine hisses and elbows her brother. “You aren’t supposed to tell him that part!”
Xander moves a heavy paw over his eyes. “Thank you, kids. Always a pleasure working with you.”
Tobias pointedly ignores that conversation (why would Xander want to cheer him up?), and instead turns to the kids, asking them what they’ve been up to.
Predictably, it’s a lot of the same. They’ve been working on writing recently, using their claws as tiny quill pens, as well as working on the basics of controlling their abilities and moves. Of course, they also tell stories of their playtime and driving Arlo up the wall. That drampa has the patience of a saint.
The triple stream of chatter is only interrupted when Luca wanders behind Tobias, to where his small stack of books sits.
“You’ve been reading?” Luca asks with a scrunch of his nose. “I thought Nia was the one who liked reading.”
“Been doing research,” Tobias explains, amused by how Leor and Laine are inching forward to try to catch a glimpse of the book he was reading before they arrived, still lying open at his side. He flips it closed. “Trust me, they’re not fun stories.”
The kids give protesting whines, but Tobias just puts the book back on top of the pile. They don’t need to be having nightmares about Giratina tonight.
Unfortunately, being denied the chance to scar themselves for life, the cubs slowly ratchet up the chaos in their play until they’re practically shouting and tackling each other across the room. Tobias glances at Nia, but she seems oblivious to the racket.
Xander clearly isn’t convinced, and finally calls, “All right! Settle down. Come here.”
The shinx kids reluctantly listen, although Luca sends one more playful swipe at his brother.
“Would you three like to go visit Avery for a while in the archives?”
The kids light up, clearly growing bored of the quiet room and Tobias and Xander not leaving Nia’s side. “Yeah!”
Xander sighs. “All right. They said you can go play with them for a little while until I come to pick you up. Can you get to them without causing any trouble?”
Three energetic and not at all convincing nods.
“They’ll tell me if you don’t show up.”
Three slightly more hesitant nods.
Xander gives the trio a doubtful look, fighting off a smile, but finally flicks his tail towards the doorway. “All right. Go on, then—they should be just a few flights down. You remember the way to the archive floor, right?”
The kids chorus their assent, already scrambling to their paws to run for the doorway. They toss excited partings of, “Bye, Toby! Bye, Nia!” over their shoulders, a tiny stampede.
And then they’re gone, and it’s quiet again.
Tobias gives Xander a suspicious look, wondering why he decided to stay behind. Especially when he’s staring after the kids with an almost anxious expression.
“Surprised you let them go on their own,” Tobias prods.
Xander shrugs, but his ears flick back with…embarrassment?
Tobias narrows his eyes. “What.”
“Avery is going to tell me when they get there,” Xander admits, clearly trying not to sound like an overprotective parent. “I didn’t want them to disturb Nia, so I asked them a few minutes ago if they could watch the kids for a bit.“
Tobias must look as puzzled as he feels by that statement, because Xander straightens up and points to his head with a paw. “Ah, sorry, I forget that—telepathy. We have a pretty strong mental link so we can do short sentences even a few floors apart.”
Tobias scrunches up his nose, thinking of Nia’s aura powers. What’s worse—having someone look at your soul or your mind? “That sounds awful.”
Xander looks genuinely confused, frowning. “What? Why?”
Tobias frowns back. “You want someone who can tell what you’re thinking at any time?”
“They don’t just jump in and look at my thoughts without permission,” Xander says, blinking with something like bewilderment.
“But they could?”
“They could, but I know that they won’t.”
Tobias snorts but turns back to watching Nia breathe. He can’t imagine being so comfortable trusting his innermost thoughts to someone like that. Although judging by the fact that neither Xander nor Avery have made a move on their obviously mutual affection over the years, Tobias grudgingly believes that the kirlia has restrained themself from peeking.
Would Tobias ever have that level of trust with Nia?
As soon as the thought enters his mind, Tobias pushes it away. It’s silly, because the answer is obviously no. She can keep messing with aura stuff, but Tobias will not be a part of it, thank you very much. She can practice on her own and with Val.
As long as she survives this.
Xander must sense his shift in mood, because he tentatively pads closer to lie down at Tobias’ side, paws politely crossed in front of him. Looks like he’s staying for a while. Great.
They’re both silent for a minute or two. Tobias is debating on pulling one of the books back out when Xander speaks up.
“What’re you reading?”
It’s such an obvious, flimsy attempt at small talk. Tobias gives him a look. “The kids aren’t here. We don’t have to play nice.”
Xander sighs. “Tobias, I know we haven’t exactly been friendly with one another, in the past. But it would be good for the kids—and Nia—if we could at least try to get along.”
Tobias’ lip curls. “Or I could just fling myself into the sun.”
Xander seems dangerously close to rolling his eyes. Instead, he takes a deep breath through his nose, tail lashing. “Look. I don’t know why you hate me so much, but if you would just tell me then maybe we could work past it.“
“Doubt it.”
Xander seems caught off-guard by the immediate response. His expression is quickly colored with irritation, though, teeth flashing as he talks. “Trust me, if it weren’t for the kids I wouldn’t even try. But they’re getting old enough to notice the tension between us, and I don’t want them feeling like they have to pick sides.”
At that, Tobias’ sharp retort shrivels up on his tongue. He frowns, glancing at Nia. The riolu may be able to juggle the two at-odds relationships just fine, but the shinx triplets are only eight years old. They’re still little, easily swept away in arguments and feuds and picking sides. Yeah, he could see that getting messy. Like a pair of mates splitting up and fighting over their kids.
Ugh. He hates when this stupid furball has a point.
“Fine,” Tobias grumbles. “Whatever.”
Xander gives him an unimpressed look. “Look, I talked to Nia a while back about her partnership with you, and it made me realize that maybe I…hadn’t given you much of a fair chance. I would like to actually try to be civil.”
“That makes one of us.”
Xander glares at him. “Can you take this seriously for five minutes?”
“I am,” Tobias snorts. “It’s not exactly a secret that I don’t like you.”
“Then tell me why you hate me so much!”
Tobias can tell that not being liked is getting under Golden Boy’s skin, and that satisfies some kind of sadistic streak in him.
But he’s not being stubborn just for the sake of it. Because in order to explain to Xander why he makes him so mad—not the petty annoyances, like him being a stick in the mud or a perfectionist, but the real reason, Tobias would have to tell him about his past, at least to some extent.
About Vivi. And that is not happening.
“It’s none of your business,” Tobias says.
“It is my business, actually,” Xander growls, clearly losing his patience. “Considering it’s me you can’t stand. Do you want to tell me or do you want to explain to the kids why two of their favorite Pokémon look like they’re about to duke it out every time they’re in the same room?”
That is finally enough to give Tobias pause. If there’s one thing worse than explaining his resentment to Xander himself, then it’s explaining it to the shinx cubs. He doesn’t want them to know how he failed one little kid already in his life. What if they don’t even want to be around him anymore?
The thought makes Tobias’ empty stomach sour.
Even if it isn’t quite that bad, the best case scenario would still have the kids prying to try and figure out why he and Xander don’t get along, and he doesn’t want to get mad at them, either.
Okay, fine. Hypothetically, would it be so bad to tell Xander about his biggest regret? It’s not like he cares what the guy thinks of him, and it’s not like he can tell anyone who he does care about the opinion of. Maggie knows, Nia kind of knows after he blew up about it on their trip to Ghatha. Heck, Junie knows, and even she didn’t throw it back at him. And it’s almost kind of nice, having that secret out in the open with Nia, knowing that she knows the reason behind his burning drive to hunt down Team Zenith.
Tobias sighs. His softhearted partner must be rubbing off on him.
“I don’t hate you,” Tobias grumbles. Xander’s ears perk, and to the luxio’s credit he doesn’t interrupt with the doubt that’s clear on his face.
Tobias takes a breath. “I just…hate that every time I’m around you, you make me feel…” Guilty? Ashamed? Weak? “Angry.”
“But why?” Xander presses, staring at Tobias with a furrowed brow, clearly trying to figure him out. “Did I do something?”
At that, Tobias hesitates. Because that’s it, isn’t it? Xander did do something. Something that Tobias couldn’t.
“I’m not angry at you,” Tobias admits, quiet. Then, before Xander can interrupt, he asks, “You and the kids came to the guild from a bad situation, right?”
From the corner of his eye, he can see Xander’s head snap up with a spark of startled static. “…Did Nia—“
“Nia hasn’t told me anything,” Tobias snorts, almost offended that Xander would even think as much. “I was there that first night, when August brought you guys to Maggie and Fen to get looked over.”
“Oh.” Xander takes a shaky breath. “That was…over seven years ago. I didn’t think you would remember that. Although I don’t recall saying much about our…situation, at the time.”
The suspicion is clear, and Tobias rolls his eyes. “You showed up at the guild in the middle of the night, a half-starved teenager with three cubs in tow who were barely old enough to walk. Not hard to guess you were running from something.”
“So why are you bringing it up?” Xander asks, clearly cautious. He puts on a good show, but Tobias catches the nervous way his tail tip flicks, a bit too quick to be as at ease as he would like to appear.
“You asked why you make me angry,” Tobias says, still refusing to look at Xander. His throat tightens. “I guess the simplest answer is that you’re…a reminder.”
Xander’s frown deepens—a silent prompt, a question.
Tobias takes a shaky breath. Looks steadfastly at Nia. “You got your siblings out. I didn’t.”
A heavy silence falls as the implications of that seem to sink in. Tobias can feel the luxio’s stunned gaze burning into the side of his head, and he refuses to meet it, instead fiddling with a piece of straw.
Why is he even telling him this again?
Finally, Xander speaks, slow and quiet. “I’m…I’m so sorry.”
Tobias scoffs, ignoring how the genuine grief in Xander’s voice tugs at his chest. “Shut up. It’s not your fault I was too weak to save my sister.”
Or his parents. But Vivi has always felt different. He was her big brother—he was supposed to protect her. And instead he let her die.
There’s a heavy beat of silence. Tobias can practically hear the klinklang turning in Xander’s head.
“You got here only a little before I did, right?” Xander asks. “To the guild.”
Tobias shrugs. “‘Bout a year.”
“You were…what? Eleven?”
“Ten.”
“Arceus,” Xander murmurs. His claws slide out, digging subtly into the wooden floor. His golden eyes are burning. “You were so young. That…never should’ve been your responsibility in the first place. No one could expect you to single-handedly save your sibling—“
“You did,” Tobias growls, clenching his fists into the bedding. “You did exactly that, three times over.”
“When I was fifteen. And I can’t tell you how many times I’ve been told that I was far too young to have to deal with that, even then.”
Tobias snorts. Doesn’t matter how old either of them were. Vivi trusted Tobias to take care of her and keep her safe, and he failed to do so.
Xander falls silent, visibly getting a rein on his emotions. When he speaks again, his voice is hesitant. “I…Leor almost didn’t make the journey to the guild. He was the runt of the litter, believe it or not. He kept getting sick, and he couldn’t keep food down. I could’ve lost him—lost all three of them—so easily.”
“But you didn’t,” Tobias argues. “In the end, that’s all that matters.”
Tobias thinks of small orange hands and bright green eyes and a warmth to match his own. His chest aches like his ribs are caving in. He would have gone through anything for her to just survive.
Tobias slams down on the thought before it can get away from him, blinking fiercely to get rid of the first sign of tears.
“I’m done. You got your answer.”
“Tobias,” Xander starts, voice soft and reaching. It feels like pity, even if he knows it’s not. “It wasn’t your—“
“No. I’m not talking about this anymore,” Tobias says.
“But—“
“If one of the kids had died,” Tobias hisses, glaring at Xander with all the venom he can muster. “Do you really think it would’ve helped you to hear someone say it wasn’t your fault? That doesn’t bring them back.”
Xander doesn’t wince, but it’s a near thing. Still, he holds eye contact, mouth shut but clearly wanting to say more.
“Just drop it,” Tobias reiterates, tired. “I don’t even know why I told you.”
After a few seconds, Xander finally looks away, back to Nia. His ears are low. “I’m glad you did. I won’t bring it up anymore.”
“You’d better not,” Tobias mumbles, only a halfhearted attempt at threatening.
Just to give him something to do, Tobias grabs the nearby book, flipping open to the page he left off at, and flings it into his lap. He stares at the pages, not actually seeing anything.
The quiet is heavy, broken only by Nia’s rasping breaths.
He hears Xander open his mouth, and has a half-second to think, Arceus, just shut up before the luxio speaks. “I’m sorry, for never reaching out in all the years we’ve been here together.”
“Oh, don’t start this now,” Tobias growls, slamming the book shut again. “I don’t want some kind of pity offer—“
“It’s not pity,” Xander says, cutting him off. Something about the emotion on the luxio’s face—reflective and dark—keeps Tobias from getting too angry about the interruption. “I’ve been meaning to talk to you ever since Nia made me realize that there was more to your behavior than just…belligerence, for the sake of acting out.”
Tobias narrows his eyes at the luxio. “I was a jerk.”
“Oh, you were,” Xander agrees. “But I was old enough to recognize someone in pain, if I’d bothered to look.” His eyes slide over to Nia, regretful. “And we both know you weren’t always the one antagonizing the other kids. I tried to break it up when I saw it happening, but I didn’t go out of my way to see if you were okay afterwards.”
“I probably would’ve just been even more aggressive with you,” Tobias dismisses.
“Probably. But you needed a friend, and I should’ve seen that.”
“You had enough on your plate,” Tobias grumbles, mortified by the hot tears gathering in his eyes. He takes a deep breath, trying to keep them in. “It wasn’t your job to babysit a traumatized, angry kid.”
Xander gives him a tired, self-deprecating smile. “It wasn’t. But I could have at least tried to understand you. I was letting my own hangups with my m—with my past color how I saw you.”
Tobias snorts. “Past trauma influencing your behavior? Can’t relate.“
Xander chuckles, and for once it puts Tobias at ease.
“I still don’t like being around you,” Tobias says, but his tone doesn’t have any of the usual teeth. “You’re annoying even on a good day. But if nothing else, I’m glad you’re here to help watch out for this danger-prone mess of a Pokemon.” He flicks his tail in Nia’s direction.
Xander looks fondly at the riolu. “She certainly has shaken up our lives here at the guild, hasn’t she?”
“We definitely wouldn’t be having this calm of a conversation if she hadn’t decided to go catch a cold.”
Xander, annoyingly enough, must be able to hear the tightness in his voice, because he gives Tobias a soft look. “She’s a fighter, you know. Fen said she’s not doing any worse than this morning, right?”
Tobias swallows against tears, refusing to cry in front of Xander. They’ve had enough Sharing Time today. “Not any better, either.”
Xander hums, but doesn’t argue.
The silence that falls is a bit easier then. Nia shifts a bit in her fitful rest, causing the cloth on her head to slip off. Tobias picks it up and, feeling how hot and dry it is, wordlessly moves to the nearby bowl of water to soak it through and wring it out, ignoring the uncomfortable sting against his skin. He replaces it, then sits back down. He can feel Xander watching him again with piercing eyes, but doesn’t acknowledge the luxio.
Tobias doesn’t know how much time passes before Xander finally sighs and rises to his paws. “I’d better get going. I think Avery is about to lose it if the kids nearly topple one more book shelf.”
Tobias huffs a quiet laugh. “Yeah, yeah. Go see your creepy mind mate.”
Xander looks ruffled by that. “They’re not—it’s not creepy!”
“Sure, and you weren’t more embarrassed by the ‘mate’ part of that sentence.”
Xander’s fur actually fluffs with embarrassment. “We aren’t—“
Tobias barks a laugh. “Please. Pretty sure everyone in the guild knows that you’ve been padding after Avery for years.”
“I have not!” Oh, Xander’s voice breaks in the most delightfully embarrassing way.
Tobias grins, merciless. “Sure. And I’m a water type.”
Xander opens his mouth to retort, then seems to think better of it and snaps it closed again.
“Great storm clouds, you’re as bad as Felix,” The luxio mutters. Then, louder and clearly trying to bulldoze past his own embarrassment, he says, “I’m gonna…go. Watch over Nia.”
Tobias rolls his eyes and waves him off. “What do you think I’ve been doing the past four days? Get out of here.”
Xander gives him a strange look, somewhere between irritated and biting back a smile. Then he turns on his paw, very purposefully whipping Tobias in the face with his star-tipped tail on his way to the door. “I’ll stop in again soon. Talk to you then, Tobias.”
It’s almost a friendly parting.
Xander is already long gone by time Tobias realizes he’s staring after the luxio with a furrowed brow and conflicted feelings. “…Talk to you then, I guess.”
After that entirely too emotional talk, Tobias decides to try and catch up on some sleep. Fen isn’t back yet, but Tobias should be able to hear if something goes south with Nia. He curls up next to her, draping the tip of his tail over her wrist, and wills himself to sleep.
He doesn’t wake again until the evening, to a pair of soft paws shaking him. Groggy, he lifts his head and squints, face-to-face with Fen. What—
Nia.
“What happened?” Tobias asks, immediately filled with panic and pushing himself up in the nest. He glances at Nia, but can’t see any immediate change. She’s still breathing. So he looks back to Fen.
The leafeon’s voice is filled with disbelief, brown eyes wide. “Feel Nia’s temperature. I…need a second opinion.”
Tobias stares at them, bewildered and nervous. Then, he moves forward to touch Nia’s fur for himself, then her nose. He does it twice, almost not daring to believe what he feels.
She’s no longer hot to the touch. Instead, she almost feels cool.
“Her fever broke,” Fen whispers, seeing the look on his face.
Tobias blinks. “…What?”
“Her! Fever! Broke!” Fen whoops, skipping to their paws and doing a little happy dance.
The relief hits Tobias like a boulder, and his whole body slumps with relief, limbs tingly and light. He knows this doesn’t mean she’s out of the woods entirely, but he can’t help taking this win and running with it.
Her fever broke. She might actually be okay.
Oh no, now he’s tearing up. This stupid riolu is slowly making him an emotional mess. Tobias sniffs and wipes at his eyes, glad at least that it’s only Fen here to see him and not Sage or Andyn or Xander.
“We still have to keep an eye on her of course,” Fen says, words picking up into an excited babble. “And it could potentially get worse again, but this is definitely a good sign and if she continues to improve—“
Tobias tunes Fen out, just trying to get his emotions under control as he stares at Nia. She’s still quiet and motionless, but he thinks her breathing might even be a bit less raspy. Fen hurries over to their desk to write something about this development down.
Tobias leans down to whisper to the riolu, voice an encouragement and a threat. “You’d better wake up soon. I’m tired of worrying about you. It’s not a good look for me.”
Nia murmurs something, probably responding to a dream more than him, but it still makes him huff a relieved laugh regardless. He knows he shouldn’t get ahead of himself, but he’s riding high right now, feeling more hopeful and awake than he has for days. He might even eat a full meal tonight. He can’t wait to tell Maggie.
Nia might actually wake up. He might get his partner back. And this time, he won’t waste it. He’ll be a good partner and watch out for her, for Giratina and illnesses and whatever else comes their way.
He’ll even try to be a good friend.
Chapter 41
Summary:
Nia finally wakes, and a decision is made.
Chapter Text
Nia wakes slowly.
It’s not an overly-pleasant waking, either. She feels groggy, head aching like she took a too-long nap. Her tongue feels thick and dry in her mouth. It’s quiet in the room, and warm with the sunlight pressing against her eyelids. Almost enough for her to slip back into sleep.
Almost. Now that she’s drifting closer to consciousness, she’s suddenly aware of how thirsty she is. And of how her stomach feels like an empty pit in her gut, aching with hunger. She could really use some food. Hopefully Tobias will let her grab some berries or bread or something before dragging her out of bed to their mission.
Groaning, Nia lifts her heavy head, blinking her eyes open against the too-bright morning light. Confusion settles over her.
This…isn’t Maggie’s quarters. Or her and Tobias’ new room. It takes a few seconds, but the line of nests against the wall and the shelves full of herbs and medications tip her off.
She’s in Fen’s quarters? The leafeon is nowhere to be seen, but she’s pretty positive that’s where she is. Why is she here?
Nia slowly pushes herself up into a sit, grunting with the effort. Her arms feel strangely weak, and her whole body is shaky, like she’s been sick or something.
Oh. Wait. That’s ringing a bell.
Nia frowns and rubs at her eyes as her still-booting brain catches up. Sick. Right, she was sick, wasn’t she? She vaguely recalls the horrible feeling of illness and congestion, of being tired and so very cold.
She’d been scared, too. She remembers that now, that she’d been convinced she was going to die. In hindsight, that feels a bit silly and melodramatic, but…well, she is in Fen’s quarters, so apparently something happened while she was out, right?
She takes an experimental deep breath. There’s a tiny bit of lingering congestion in her nose and lungs, but nothing more than would usually follow the tail end of a cold.
She can hear someone talking from the next room over. It sounds like Maggie. Maggie took care of her, right? And Fen, and Tobias—
Speak of the devil, the charmander steps into view from the direction of Maggie’s room, calling something over his shoulder as Maggie’s voice cuts off. There’s a furrow in his brow and an open book in one of his hands. In the other he’s holding a half-eaten rawst berry.
He glances up at Nia as he enters the room, then does a comical double-take, fumbling his book in the process. It slaps loudly on the floor, and Tobias doesn’t even wince. He’s staring at Nia with wide eyes and his mouth agape.
“Um. Hi,” Nia rasps. She gives him a sheepish smile and a wave.
For a moment there’s absolute silence, Tobias staring at her like she’s grown a second head (although she supposes that wouldn’t be too weird for a Pokemon).
Before Nia can speak again, her stomach growls, loudly, and she suddenly remembers the empty pit where her stomach should be. It’s so intense it’s almost painful. Her eyes flick down to the berry in his hand.
“Um. Could I maybe have one of those?” She asks, ears flicking back. “I’m starving.”
Tobias blinks. Then blinks again, harder, before spinning and shouting, “Maggie! She’s awake!”
Nia jumps, then does so again when there’s the sudden thunder of heavy footsteps next door. Maggie comes into view, hurriedly ducking into the room and stopping herself short in much the same way Tobias had.
“Hi?” Nia tries again, feeling more self-conscious by the second.
To her alarm, tears immediately flood Maggie’s big honey-gold eyes, even as the meganium laughs. “Hello, dear.”
Nia wants to try and comfort the older woman, but she’s kind of afraid she won’t be able to stand. She still feels pretty weak. So she looks to Tobias for backup, only to see the charmander staring at her with an unreadable expression.
Okay, what is going on?
“Are you guys all right?” Nia asks, alarmed. Did someone die or something while she was asleep?
Maggie laughs again, crying in earnest now. Tobias huffs a breath and marches forward, crouching down to poke a stern finger into Nia’s chest.
“You,” he growls. “Are never allowed to get sick ever again.”
Nia blinks back at him, bewildered more by the waver in his voice than the command. “I mean, I would love that, but…”
Nia trails off as his words register. That’s what they’re so emotional about? Her getting sick? How sick was she?
Maggie must see the question on her face, because she finally moves forward and nudges Tobias back, breaking his one-sided glaring contest. “You…you weren’t doing so well for a while, love. We thought we were going to lose you.”
Oh. A cold chill runs down Nia’s spine as her breath catches. She remembers the terror of her oncoming illness, and realizes that maybe she hadn’t been overreacting.
Nia looks between the two of them worriedly. “How long was I asleep?”
“‘Bout a week,” Tobias answers, finally moving to pick up the book he dropped earlier. He steps past her and adds it to a stack of tomes near her nest. Has he been reading?
Apparently she’s missed a lot.
“A week?” Nia echoes, surprised into silence when Tobias steps into her space like it’s second nature and feels her forehead and ears, expression focused. He nods, then moves to Fen’s desk and writes something down with an ink-dipped claw.
Maggie circles around Nia as if to investigate her from all angles, her fragrant flower petals brushing against the riolu’s back. “We did our best to take care of you, but…it was rather touch and go.”
Maggie’s voice is soft and pained. Nia gives her an apologetic look.
The meganium stops then, eyes going wide. “Oh! I need to get Fen! They’ll want to look you over right away. Watch her, Tobias.”
The charmander grunts his assent as he finishes up at Fen’s desk. Maggie bustles out the door before Nia can protest about needing watched.
Nia’s having trouble keeping up with everything so soon after waking up, and for a moment she just sits in place, trying to register the whirlwind happening around her.
Tobias finishes up whatever he was writing and comes back to her side.
“You knew your illness would be bad,” he accuses, cutting straight to the point as he plops down in front of Nia. “Why didn’t you say anything?”
Nia winces. That she does remember. It’s kind of pathetic in hindsight, but…
“I was…scared?” She offers, feebly. She knows how pathetic the excuse sounds. “It felt like if I didn’t acknowledge it, it would…go away, or something.”
Nia braces herself for Tobias to snap at her for being an idiot. And for a moment, he looks like he will. But then he stops, taking an audible breath, and instead brings a hand up to rub at the space between his eyes.
“Just…tell us next time, okay?”
Nia stares at him, wondering if she’s imagining the worry in his voice. But as she studies his face, she sees the visible bruising under his eyes, the exhaustion in the heavy slope of his shoulders.
She…really must’ve almost died.
She swallows hard and isn’t sure whether to feel guilty or touched that Tobias seems genuinely distraught about that. She supposes he could just be worried about finding another Seeker partner, but this feels more…personal, somehow. Maybe he considers her more of a friend than she thought.
Maggie’s face had shown similar signs of exhaustion, of late nights and stress. That definitely sends a pang of guilt through her chest.
“I’ll…I’ll bring it up right away, if it happens again,” Nia finally promises. Although she hopes it won’t. Maybe she can find a way back home before catching another bug, anyways.
Home.
Nia’s breath stutters as she thinks of home—her human home. She’d…dreamt when she was sick, hadn’t she? She’d seen…faces. Human faces. Just quick glimpses, accompanied by short snatches of conversation, blurs of memory and recollection, but still.
She’d recovered her memories. Or…well, a few of them, at least. Enough to know who the most important people she left behind are, the ones who have been making her chest ache with longing since the day she woke up as a riolu.
Clay. Toni. Mom.
Tears burn hot and tight in her throat, and Nia’s vision blurs as the love and longing for her human life hits her like a kick to the chest.
“What’s wrong?” Tobias asks, clearly alarmed.
Nia shakes her head, unable to talk. She sniffles and tries to wipe the tears away, to no avail. They’re replaced by more immediately, and a pitiful sound escapes her chest. She curls in on herself a bit, grabbing at her heart.
“Is it your chest? Your breathing?” Tobias asks, somewhere between calm medic and frantic teenage boy. His hands hover closer in the peripheral of her vision, and when she shudders, his hands land on her arms, as if to brace her.
The warm touch only makes her think again of her memories, and she sobs, tipping forward to rest her forehead on Tobias’ shoulder. She knows he doesn’t like touch but he—he’s the only one here at the moment and she’s afraid if she doesn’t have someone to ground her she’s going to fall apart completely.
He doesn’t push her off like she’s expecting, and in return she tries to quiet her keening cries to whimpers and sniffles.
One warm hand awkwardly pats at her arm, as if trying to console her with no idea how to actually do so. It’s sweet and funny all at once, and Nia breathes a wet laugh. Tobias probably thinks she’s insane, bursting into tears one second and laughing the next.
Still, Tobias doesn’t move away, warmth radiating from his body in a comforting way. Nia tries to reign herself in, trembling as her cries slow.
Finally, it’s quiet again. Her headache is back. She sniffs. She can hear Tobias’ quiet breaths when she’s this close to him.
Then her stomach growls again, loud and insistent.
Nia laughs, watery as she finally pulls away. “‘M still really hungry.”
Tobias meets her eyes, face flushed with embarrassment but expression determined. He makes sure she can sit up on her own without falling over. Then he nods, clearly relieved to have something he can actually fix. “I’ll go grab something from Maggie’s room.”
The charmander pushes to his feet and heads out the door a little faster than is strictly necessary, and Nia smiles weakly. She can hear him opening cabinets and rustling through things in the next room over.
While he does that, Nia wipes again at her damp face, taking breaths to try and calm herself down. She can have a good cry later, by herself. For now, she needs to pull it together.
Tobias crosses between rooms again, his arms loaded down with way too much fruit (and more than a few persim berries—he remembered her favorite!). He almost slams into the doorframe on the way in, and he curses and gives it a glare before finally making his way over. Nia stifles a laugh, mind immediately making a comparison to Clay.
Slowly, her smile drops.
She has to get back to her human family. She has to, for her own sake and for theirs. But…to do that, Nia will have to leave these people behind, too. The kind Pokemon who took care of her for a week straight when she was nothing more than gross deadweight and cared enough about her to look so relieved at her recovery.
That thought makes a fresh wave of tears spring to her eyes, so she shoves it out of mind as she takes an apple from Tobias, tearing at the bright red skin with ravenous bites and a sniffly nose. Tobias scolds her to slow down, but between trying to distract herself and trying to fill the bottomless hunger in her gut, he isn’t very successful.
Maggie returns with Fen in tow shortly after, and the leafeon looks absolutely thrilled to see Nia up and eating. Another pang of something like guilt, something like heartache, tears through Nia. She ignores it with another swipe at her eyes, and answers all of the leafeon’s concerned medical questions with a strained smile.
From there, it doesn’t take long for word to spread that Nia is awake.
August finds his way down first, the rillaboom stopping in the doorway and staring at Nia for a beat too long, as if seeing a ghost. Maggie clears her throat pointedly. The gorilla Pokemon hurries inside, a more subdued smile coming onto his face as he moves to Nia’s side, expressing how happy he is to see her well again.
“I told you she would be,” Maggie cuts in, giving the rillaboom an unusually sharp look. Almost as if challenging him.
“Ah. Yes,” August agrees, clearly awkward.
Nia blinks, then looks to Tobias. The charmander shrugs, looking bored about the drama between the two old friends. Darn. Nia was hoping to get the scoop on that.
After that, Val finds her way to the medical floor, the medicham giving Nia a silent once-over. Then she simply nods, and leaves Nia with a short bow and a murmur that she’s eager to spar with her again before leaving.
Tobias stares after their mentor with a disgruntled expression. “Really? That’s all she’s got to say?”
Nia, meanwhile, is fighting back more tears. “What?! Didn’t you see her eyes? That’s the most emotional I’ve ever seen Val!”
Tobias squints at her skeptically, as if trying to figure out if she’s messing with him.
Others stop by, too—Arlo and his charges, the tiny shinx cubs hopping delightedly around Nia and Tobias and asking her to show them the books Tobias has been reading since he apparently won’t share with them.
(What has he been doing while she was asleep?)
Team Evergreen stops by a few hours after the shinx kids leave, Andyn skidding into view with tears in her eyes and bursting with a cry of “Nia!”
Nia smiles and catches the deerling as Andyn flings herself at her in a hug, getting a stray hoof to the gut in the process.
Ezra and Jaz seem similarly relieved to see Nia up and awake. The sneasel helps extract a weepy Andyn from Nia’s nest and Jaz pats the deerling’s side comfortingly.
Tobias rolls his eyes as soon as the trio enter Fen’s quarters, but doesn’t leave like Nia expected. Instead, he turns and curls up in the nest right behind her, his warmth a comforting presence near her back.
Xander, Avery and Felix pass Team Evergreen on their way out an hour later, the luxio and wartortle beaming to see her all right. Nia laughs and welcomes them in, heart both light and heavy all at once as the three of them give her a hug and settle down to chat.
Nia loves seeing everyone of course, even if their palpable relief makes her feel a bit guilty. But…with each visitor comes a new reminder of the love she left behind, too.
Maggie’s adoring smile and gentle nuzzle to the top of her head—
(Mom, tucking her into bed after a bad day and planting a kiss on top of her hair—)
Andyn, teasing her about her messy fur after sleeping for a week straight—
(Toni, smirking and ribbing her about her bedhead after after a sleepover—)
Xander, pulling her into a hug with a heavy paw and an even heavier purr vibrating through his frame—
(Clay, yanking her into a hug with a deep laugh rumbling through his chest—)
And while some part of her finds the connections to her old life comforting, mostly they just hurt.
Nia fakes a few yawns in her conversation with Team Shellshock, to get them to leave a little earlier than they otherwise might. While she isn’t really sleepy per se, since she did just sleep for a week, she is worn out. So it’s not completely a lie.
When everyone is finally gone again, she can’t help feeling relieved in the remaining quiet. She considers lying down in her own flattened nest again, and glances back at Tobias where he’s long since fallen asleep, framed by towers of books.
Nia watches him for a moment, a little fascinated by the sight. He hasn’t been a nap person the whole time Nia has been here and he’s always awake first, so she hasn’t really seen him just…sleep. He looks different like this. Softer. Less defensive, his expression smoothed out and peaceful. It’s nice.
Eventually, Nia realizes she’s staring at her partner a bit too closely and forcibly moves her attention elsewhere, embarrassed. Maggie has ran off somewhere with Sage, so it’s just Fen with them in the room, scratching away at some documents at their desk.
Nia, after a moment of deliberation, stands on shaky, stiff legs and wobbles over to their side to quietly request to watch.
It’s late afternoon by time Tobias wakes up again. Maggie dropped off an early supper just a few minutes ago, so as the charmander sits up, clearly still groggy, Nia slides one of the trays in front of him even as she continues to scarf down her own portion. She’s still starving, and ready to eat the guild out of house and home.
She’s finishing up her meal and chatting at Tobias about how to catch up on her training regimen when Maggie and Sage re-enter the room, an unfamiliar plant held gingerly in the meganium’s vine.
“Tobias, could you help us with this?” Maggie asks, giving him a hopeful smile. “I’m having some issues showing Sage where to tear the stalk. My vines are a bit too large.”
Tobias grumbles something under his breath, but goes to Maggie’s side and takes the offered plant. He wordlessly holds the plant out so Sage can watch, then uses his smaller fingers to peel at the right areas. He clearly isn’t thrilled to be interacting with Sage, but he’s making an admirable effort regardless.
While Maggie explains what Tobias is doing and Sage nods along with rapt attention, Nia idly pets her own tail. Then she frowns at its sleeker-than-usual feel.
“I need a bath,” she mumbles to herself, wrinkling her nose as she tries to fluff up her flattened, almost oily fur.
She hasn’t really had to bathe much since becoming a Pokemon. As far as she can tell, she doesn’t sweat like a human. The second week she’d been in the Pokemon world, she’d asked Maggie about the regular bathing habits for a riolu and even checked with Andyn to make sure she didn’t stink, but apparently riolu just don’t need to bathe that regularly.
Still, something about her weak state after her illness just feels…gross. She remembers vaguely that it was always refreshing to take a wash after being sick, rinsing sour sweat and sickness down the drain. While the Pokemon world doesn’t exactly have a hot shower to jump into, it’s still warm enough that a dip in one of the nearby streams shouldn’t be terrible.
She waits until Maggie and Sage have left again with a word of thanks, then says, “Hey, Tobias?”
He turns to her immediately.
“Could you help me find a stream or something so I could wash up?”
Tobias’ expression deadpans. “Absolutely not.”
“What? Why?”
“You literally just got better. You don’t need to go traipsing around in cold water.”
Nia pouts, giving Fen a pleading look instead. “Isn’t that just an old wives’ tale? That getting wet when it’s cold out will make you sick?”
Tobias glares at the leafeon, as if daring them to disagree with his judgement.
Fen laughs and raises their paws in surrender. “It is, but I’m not going to fight your partner here.”
“Pleeease, Tobias? I’ll feel so much better if I can get cleaned up.”
“It might actually be good for her to get some fresh air,” Fen adds, giving Nia a wink. She bites back a smile.
Tobias eyes Nia, still trying to stay strong, but crumbles quickly enough under her literal puppy-dog eyes. “Ugh. Fine. But only if Maggie comes with us. She can carry you there so you don’t push yourself.”
“I can walk,” Nia protests, even if she’s not entirely sure that’s true. But Tobias is already getting up and slipping out the door, to the right towards Maggie’s quarters.
Well, at least Nia is getting to wash up. She’s satisfied with that win.
Maggie doesn’t seem bothered by the request to take Nia to one of the nearby streams in the forest. If anything, she looks pleased as punch to get the chance to do something for Nia to help her feel better. When the riolu rises to her feet, stumbling only a little, the meganium asks for permission before lifting Nia with a vine and setting her onto her broad back.
Nia still feels a bit guilty about how eager everyone is to help her after her illness, but it is nice getting to recline on Maggie’s back against her neck, tucking herself in amongst the softness of Maggie’s petals. She relaxes, the larger Pokemon’s gait a soothing motion that quickly lulls her back to a sleepy state as the three of them leave Fen’s quarters and head down the stairs to leave the guild.
Vaguely, Nia is aware of them passing through the blue of the tunnels, and then the trees, dappled fall sunlight falling over her in flashes of warmth. It’s cool when they step into patches of shade, and the leaves overhead are bright and colorful the few times Nia cracks an eye open to look.
Nia is only roused from her stupor when Maggie stops with a chipper, “This should work just fine!”
Nia yawns and turns to peer around Maggie’s petals. The meganium reaches back and wraps gentle vines around Nia, lifting her from her back and to the grass. She makes sure the riolu is steady on her feet before letting go.
“Thanks, Maggie,” Nia says, giving the older Pokemon a grateful smile.
The meganium smiles warmly back. “Of course, dear. No trouble at all.”
The three of them trail closer to the water, and Nia looks around, happily taking a deep lungful of brisk autumn air with only a bit of congestion left in her chest. The little spot they’re at is beautiful, shaded by trees with a slant of sunlight cutting down over the water. The leaves have turned entirely to shades of fall, all browns and reds and yellows, and a few of them drift lazily to the forest floor.
Maggie stops, looking distantly off to the right with a thoughtful expression on her face.
“What’s wrong?” Nia asks.
“Hm? Oh, nothing!” Maggie says, glancing Nia’s way with a smile. “I just remembered that there’s a crop of kasib berries in bloom near here that I’ve been meaning to stock up on before winter. Sage and I didn’t come out this way earlier. Do you two mind if I grab some? It won’t take but a few minutes.”
Nia shakes her head with a cheery, “Nope!” at the same time that Tobias says, “You stay. I’ll get the berries.”
Nia blinks, looking at her partner. She’s sure the question is clear on her face.
“You’re going in water,” Tobias says, grudgingly embarrassed as he glances at the stream. “I can’t exactly stand in it with you the whole time. It’s best if Maggie can be here to help.”
Maggie’s mouth flattens to something reluctant. “Normally that would be fine, but I recall this particular crop being rather high up in the trees. I’d rather you not have to climb.”
“I can do it,” Tobias insists.
Nia laughs. “Tobias, let her go. I’m fine. Really. I’m a little weak right now, but I’m strong enough to hang out in a stream without dying. It’s like…knee-deep. I’m not going to drown in the ten minutes she’s gone.”
Tobias still looks reluctant, but doesn’t argue as Maggie gives Nia a grateful look.
“I’ll be back in just a bit,” she promises, smoothing an affectionate vine over both of their heads before turning to head back into the forest.
Tobias sighs and turns to Nia. He gestures to the water. “Well. Get to it, I guess.”
Nia moves to the stream, dipping a foot into the water. She immediately yanks it back with a squeak. “Chilly!”
“You’re the one who insisted on doing this,” Tobias snorts.
“I know, I know. I just have to get used to it,” Nia says, stepping back in. It feels cold at first, but it’s really not too bad. Slowly, she takes a few steps in to its deepest point, where the water flows halfway up her legs.
It’s cool and clear, easy to see right to the bottom where copper-brown stones are dappled with sunlight, and Nia takes a moment to trail her hand through the water, delighted by the crisp sensation. The sky and trees overhead are reflected on its surface, ever-so-slightly wavering in place.
Nia crouches, shivering as her tail dips in the water, and moves to cup some of it in her hands to pour over her arms. Then she glances up, and stops.
Tobias is watching her with a focused expression. As Nia stares at him, he stares back, raising an eyebrow.
“What?” He asks.
Nia flushes under her fur. “W-Well don’t just sit there and watch!”
Tobias gives her a truly baffled look, not red in the face at all, which confirms her suspicion that bathing isn’t exactly a private thing here like it usually is in the human world.
She’d already kind of guessed that might be the case, considering pretty much all Pokemon walk around naked aside from accessories or gearing up for cold weather—
(And hadn’t that been an adjustment the first few days. She thinks it helps that she has fur, since it feels a bit like wearing clothes. Otherwise, she just tries not to think about it or she embarrasses herself.)
But still! He doesn’t have to just sit there and stare at her. Even if it wasn’t such an embarrassing context, she’d still feel awkward about him watching her like a hawk for such a mundane task. She’s not going to collapse if he takes his eyes off her for five minutes.
Nia takes a breath, willing herself to be patient. She covers her face with her hands for a moment and then looks back to Tobias. “Could you just…turn around? O-Or something?”
“Why?”
“It’s a weird human thing,” she says, not keen on explaining the concept of nakedness to him. She will not be playing Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden today. “Please? I promise I’ll say something if I start feeling weak.”
Tobias still looks reluctant. Finally he turns around, although he stays right by the shore. “Fine. You’d better say something, though.”
“I’ll talk the whole time I’m in here,” Nia promises, amused. “I have to make up for a week of silence, after all.”
Tobias snorts but doesn’t even quip about it being a nice break or anything, so she knows he really must have been worried. Her expression softens as she finally just sits down in the stream with a quiet splash and a shiver. It still only reaches the middle of her torso.
She dips her arms and scrubs at her fur, cupping cool water to dump over her head. After she shakes it off, feeling more awake than she has since, well, waking up, she talks as promised.
Mostly, she probes to see what Tobias has been up to while she’s been asleep for a week. She’s kind of surprised his antsy butt didn’t immediately drag her out on a mission today.
It’s clear from how Tobias awkwardly dances around the question with vague answers that he doesn’t really want to talk about it. At first she thinks he might be hiding something, but then she realizes he’s probably just embarrassed, if he stuck around to take care of her.
So she takes mercy on him and babbles about what Andyn and Xander’s teams talked about that morning while he napped. It feels good, to just chat about lighthearted, mundane topics after the emotional morning. Her tired, weak body slowly relaxes in the cool, refreshing water.
Movement in the corner of her eye catches her attention. When she looks, she sees a bird-like Pokemon flying overhead in the reflection of the stream before it vanishes behind the treetops.
Oh, that reminds her! She still needs to contact Hazel about buying some of her woodworking projects. They need decorations, and she really does want a human-style bed again. Could they ship those to her at the guild with flying Pokemon?
Nia asks Tobias about it as she stands again and shakes out her fur, weirdly pleased by the action and the sensation of water flinging off her pelt. It really must be a riolu instinct or something. She’s just so happy to get clean!
That does make her wonder, though.
“Hey, what do fire types do if they get dirty? Since water hurts you guys?”
Tobias hums, tilting his head to rest on his fist. “Well…not all fire types are hurt as quickly by water. Those with fur or thicker hides can stand it long enough for a quick rinse. Since a charmander’s skin is thin and more unprotected, we try to avoid it and just do flame baths.”
Nia perks up at the unfamiliar term, able to guess what it is but only more intrigued by the idea. “Flame baths?”
“Yeah,” Tobias says. His tail flicks, and the flame at its tip trails in a lazy arc. “Flames don’t hurt us unless the temperature is particularly high or they have move energy behind them, so we just…make a little fire pit and take a flame bath. Blow some fire over our skin to burn away any mud or dirt or whatever.”
Nia stares at Tobias’ back, dripping water with her mouth agape. “So you just roast yourselves clean?! You have to show me the next time you do that.”
Tobias barks a laugh. “Wait, so I can’t watch you take a bath but you can watch me?”
His voice is light, not actually angry, and Nia laughs too. “It’s different! Bathing is more, uh…private, for humans. I would be embarrassed.”
Tobias snorts, waving a hand. “Fine, whatever. You can watch me take a flame bath, you weirdo.”
Nia grins and resumes scrubbing at the short fur on her legs. Once again, she can’t help thinking that Tobias and her brother would get along, if they could meet. Nia’s movements slow as her smile falls, something more melancholy replacing her cheery mood.
“Y’know,” Nia says, hesitant and quiet. “I actually dreamt about my family. When I was sick.”
Nia can see Tobias straighten up from his place on the shore. “…You remember them?”
“Mm.” Nia frowns, staring absentmindedly at the flickering reflection of sunlight on the water’s surface. She thinks of cozy mornings and warmth and her mother’s face. “Kind of. I think I remembered them more during my dreams? I feel like a lot of it is kind of…fuzzy, again.”
Tobias is quiet.
“I remember their names, though,” she adds, voice a bit brighter. “I have an older brother, Clay. And a best friend named Toni. And my mom!”
Tobias seems like he isn’t sure what to say to that. “So…you still want to go back to them?”
Nia smiles even as her heart aches. She closes her eyes, trying to recall their faces in the perfect clarity she’d had while unconscious. “More than ever.”
Tobias makes a vague noise in his throat. Nia idly runs her fingers through her damp collar of fur, the only sound the dripping of water into the stream.
“What’re they like?” Tobias asks.
Nia looks up, surprised. Tobias is still facing away from her, but his voice sounds…genuine, if a bit unsure.
“My family? You want to hear about them?”
Tobias shrugs, a bit stiff. “I’m not doing anything else right now.”
Nia gives him a soft, grateful look, even if he can’t see it. “I’ll…tell you later. I’m still kind of processing everything right now.”
Tobias doesn’t answer, but she sees him nod. She sighs and takes a moment to close her eyes, soaking in the warmth of the sun slanting down on her through the trees. The wind rustles softly through the trees, and all else is silent. Even the other Pokemon in the forest have quieted for a moment.
A quiet splash a few feet away catches Nia’s attention.
Nia opens her eyes to follow the sound, only for the stream below to catch her attention. The water had looked peaceful and inviting and normal moments before, but now it suddenly looks…different. Instead of the usual reflection of the trees and sky overhead, it’s now…darker. Like the sunlight was blocked out before hitting its surface. She frowns and glances up, only to find nothing strange overhead.
Nia looks back down as the fur on her neck lifts, uneasy. The stream isn’t just…darker than it should be. The longer she looks, the more she realizes that that darkness is moving.
Fear bolts through Nia’s chest.
Nia takes a reflexive step back on the loose stones, blinking hard at the surface of the water as if whatever she’s seeing will go away if she just clears her vision. Instead, the darkness (the reflection) almost seems to drift closer to the surface. The silhouette of it sharpens, murky black and gray slowly fading into stark bands of gold and red against crisp black.
It’s…a Pokemon?
The motion of it is hypnotizing. It moves slowly but smoothly, a serpentine curl and slither. Tendrils trail behind as its long body curls around and around with her at the center. It’s huge, so large that only bits and pieces of it are visible before being cut off by the shorelines—a tail here, part of a wing there. A glowing red eye—as big as her head—rolls open to stare up at her with a reptilian coldness.
And Nia realizes all at once what she’s looking at. A chill of terror runs down her spine, stealing her breath away.
Giratina.
She recalls Will’s words, about Giratina being able to stalk people through reflections, trying to reach out to humans in particular, trying to communicate for some reason. He said he didn’t think Giratina could actually reach them to do anything, though. Right?
But Will didn’t seem positive about much of anything yet.
Nia needs to get out of here. Get back on land where she’s safe, just a few short strides away. But she’s frozen with fear, heart roaring in her ears. She’s surrounded and—
Even if this—this thing can somehow reach her, maybe she can be fast enough to outrun it? She’s still weak from her illness, but if she can manage a quick attack—
She reaches desperately for her aura, only for the energy to respond sluggishly. Tired and slow, like her whole body right now. Panicked, she abandons that plan. She might need that energy.
Looks like she’s doing this the old-fashioned way. Her foot shifts on the smooth stones again, preparing to run.
In response, something wraps around her ankle, grip tight, and she yelps. She tries to step back, to yank it free, but it’s like trying to pull herself from solid concrete.
“Nia?” Tobias calls, breaking her from her terrified stupor. Her head snaps up. He’s still facing away from her, but his voice is cautious. “You good?”
Nia is absolutely not good. It takes her a moment to get her raspy throat to work, but finally she manages a weak cry of his name.
Tobias whips around. When he sees her struggling in place—sees the shadow of a titan on the reflective surface of the stream—he stills. His eyes grow wide, face paling.
For a moment, Nia feels like the world is on pause. The grip on her leg tightens, as if something on the other end is pulling taut.
“Tobias!”
Then Tobias moves, launching himself from the shore and straight into the water. As the ripples reach her, she feels the grip on her leg loosen, wavering like the image of the monster itself. She yanks her foot free and stumbles back, almost falling in completely.
Tobias reaches her, grabbing her arm and hauling both of them out the other side onto solid ground. They make it a few yards away from the water before finally coming to a stop.
They both stare back at the stream, panting, and Nia grips hard onto Tobias’ arm. He’s positioned half in front of her, looking at the water with wary eyes and tense shoulders.
Nia expects that nightmare of a Pokemon to still be lurking in the reflection of the stream, to come looming out of the impossibly shallow water, but it’s quiet. The reflection—Giratina?—is nowhere to be seen, only gentle sunlight and the burble of the stream left in its place. If Tobias wasn’t clearly as shaken up as she feels, she would’ve thought she’d somehow imagined that whole thing.
They wait for a minute. Two. Finally, when the stream still shows no sign of monsters, Nia relaxes with a loud exhale. Her legs turn to jelly, and she sinks to the ground, pulling Tobias down with her.
Tobias gives her the most exasperated look she’s ever seen in her life. “Can you not go two hours without stumbling into life-threatening danger?”
Nia barks a hysterical laugh, relief pouring from her still-trembling body. “I didn’t know a bath would summon a literal eldritch horror!”
Tobias barks a laugh too, sharp and clearly still on-edge as he runs a hand over his head. When he talks, his voice is low, mostly to himself. “Great. Okay. Well, at least I’m not crazy.”
Nia blinks at him. “What?”
Tobias glances at the stream again. “I’ll…tell you back at the guild. Away from any reflections.”
Nia frowns, but slowly nods.
A rustle sounds from the brush across the stream, and they both scramble back to their feet, tense and ready to bolt.
Only for Maggie to emerge from the trees. Her satchels are full-to-bursting with berries, and her oblivious, happy smile drops as she sees their faces. “Oh dear. Did I miss something?”
Tobias collapses with a groan. Nia falls into another fit of hysterical laughter.
Tobias is clearly reluctant to tell Maggie about the whole Giratina situation. Nia doesn’t want to lie to her, especially when it comes to something so dangerous, but Tobias gives her a pleading look and he still has to explain himself to her, so for now she relents.
Maggie does as Tobias requests and lifts the two of them back across the stream with her vines. She also gives them a look that means she knows something is up, so Nia promises her that they’ll tell her later. Tobias doesn’t look happy about that, but he doesn’t argue either, so Maggie simply says that she’ll hold them to that before leading the way back. She very kindly doesn’t say anything even when both Nia and Tobias jump at every unexpected noise from the forest, although Nia can feel the suspicion radiating off her.
Nia and Tobias escape to Fen’s quarters as soon as they return, waving to the leafeon as they examine a Pokemon from the guild—a bellossom, Nia thinks.
Tobias leads them to their corner, back to the pile of books. He pointedly dumps out the small bowl of water that was sitting by Nia’s bedside, apparently not trusting even the faint reflections sitting on its surface.
“We don’t know if he can hear us through them,” Tobias explains quietly.
Then he sits with his back to Fen and beckons Nia to join him. When she does, looking at him expectantly, he opens his mouth, then closes it. Furrows his brow as he seems to think of where to start.
Finally, he settles on, “So I’m guessing you already know what happened back there.”
Nia nods, nervously shifting in her nest. “Giratina?”
Tobias sighs. “Giratina. I…suspected he was following us, but I didn’t think he would actually be able to do anything. He grabbed you, right? Made contact through the reflection?”
Nia shivers, remembering the feeling of something cold and strong wrapping around her foot. “Yeah. What do you mean you thought he was following us? Since when?”
Tobias glances away. “I noticed him the first time on the way back from Ghatha. I thought I was just losing it, but…”
Tobias explains all the little instances he’s noticed of odd things in the reflections around them. Nia feels the blood drain from her face as something cold grips her lungs.
“He’s been following me—us? For that long?” Nia whispers. “But why? I know Will said Giratina was hoping to get humans on his side so he could break free from the distortion world, but why would he think I would help him?”
Tobias shrugs. “I don’t know. I…wasn’t convinced until today that Giratina was even real, but after you got sick I thought I could at least do something useful, so I tried to find any info I could around the archives with Allister.”
Tobias keeps talking, but Nia has to take a moment to replay that last part. He went to Allister, read through a whole stack of books, took all these notes scattered around…just to help her? Sure, maybe Tobias just doesn’t want to get yanked into Giratina’s realm himself, but remembering how he launched himself into the stream without a second thought to help her earlier, she feels like all that effort is at least as much for her sake as it is his. Nia blinks against the tears stinging at her eyes, trying to look normal as she swallows the lump in her throat and nods along to Tobias’ words.
“I was hoping the books would give me more answers than what we found in Ghatha, but all they did was run me in circles. I don’t know if someone is hiding something or what, but I feel like we only have half the story.”
Nia finally gets a hold of herself, and takes a moment to think over the tail end of Tobias’ recollection. “So the books are all kind of saying the same thing?”
Tobias rubs at his eyes. “Yeah. That’s the problem. I want to know how to actually fight this jerk, but it’s like they’re all on the same annoying wavelength. It’s always the same vague spiel that doesn’t give me any actual answers.”
“It’s possible they all reference each other, or just come from the same source,” Nia muses, hand on her chin.
She leans over and grabs the stack of books, flipping them all open to lie side-by-side. Tobias gives her a skeptical look, but turns each one to the pages that talk specifically about Giratina.
Nia peers closer at the nearest book and skims over the info on the open page, finding a notation there for the story’s source. She gestures for Tobias to grab his note scraps and an inkwell, and he wordlessly gets ready to write. Nia smiles, feeling like they’re working on some sort of group project for school.
She has Tobias write down the citation info. Then, she goes to the next book, but finds no notations for this one. So she tries flipping first to the back and then the front of the book to see if there’s any mention of where they got their information. Tobias points out a name, and once she nods, he adds that to the notes. The third book has an author’s note that references the previous book as a source, so Nia moves on to the fourth, finding another nearly-hidden notation.
It’s strangely fun, even if the books clearly aren’t following a specific citation system like most human research would. That almost makes it more exciting to figure out, though. Like a puzzle!
Tobias quietly helps find passages and points out anything he’d noticed on his previous readthroughs, but otherwise follows her lead without complaint. Which feels strange, but nice. Like he’s trusting her to know what she’s doing.
Finally, by time the moon is rising into the sky and the branches of the room’s windows have woven tighter to close up for the night, they’re done. They had to read through the last book by the light of Tobias’ tail, and Fen has already conked out in their own nest across the room.
Nia sits back with a satisfied stretch. Then she takes the notes from Tobias, reading over what they’d written down. She’s been making connections in her head since they started, but it’s easier to see them clearly when everything is laid out side-by-side.
“So taking away the books that had no references or that just referenced other books,” Nia says thoughtfully, tracing a claw down the list. “We’re really only left with three that seem to be direct sources.”
Tobias nods, so she continues.
“One of them says that the information came from the southern part of the Metreja continent, the second one mentions swamplands contributing to the locals’ religion, and the other one mentions a Hollowberry Inn in the author’s note. But all three of them mention someone by the name of Edme, so we can probably guess that all three of these sources came from the same place, right?”
Nia glances at Tobias, only to find him staring at her with a furrowed brow. Hesitantly, he nods.
“So,” she continues. “We just need to use those clues to figure out where this Edme person lives, and go talk to them directly. Either they only know part of the equation and can hopefully point us in the right direction, or they can tell us why all of the authors only passed on the same bits and pieces.”
Nia looks again to Tobias for feedback. He’s still staring at her with an expression like he’s trying to figure something out.
“Uh…” she falters. “Right?”
“I’ve been reading these stupid books for a week,” Tobias says, his voice somewhere between frustrated and awed. “And you just pulled that out of nowhere in a matter of hours?”
Nia gives a sheepish laugh, warmed by both pride and embarrassment. “I mean…I did lots of book reports and stuff in school. Citation research like this is pretty basic.”
“Nerd,” Tobias snorts, but he’s biting back a smile. He shakes his head and takes the pages from her to read over the notes again. “So we’re looking for a swampy area in the southern part of Metreja, and with a connection to a Hollowberry Inn. That’s not impossible to find, especially if we talk to some mail ‘mon from around the area. They should have an idea of what we’re looking for.”
“Perfect! Is Metreja far from here?”
Tobias laughs. “Considering it’s where we are? Nope.”
Nia blinks. “Oh. Oh! So Metreja is..?”
Tobias nods. “This continent, yeah. We’re in the northeastern part of it right now. It’ll take a while to get down to that sector, especially if we don’t shell out the poke for a flight ‘mon.”
“So we’re going to check it out?” Nia asks hesitantly. They weren’t back from their Ghatha trip for long before she fell ill. She doesn’t want to keep deciding everything their team does. Tobias has his own goals, after all.
But Tobias just gives her a dry look. “I don’t exactly want to be constantly looking over my shoulder for any sign that Giratina is about to yank us into the Distortion World. We don’t have much of a choice. I don’t think he’s planning to leave you alone.”
Nia cringes. He has a point. “Sorry.”
“Not your fault this weirdo pinned a target on your back,” Tobias says dismissively, gathering the books again into a neat pile.
That catches Nia off-guard. She pauses to watch him, tilting her head with a smile. “No, but I do cause us a lot of trouble.”
Tobias huffs. “I’ll give you that.”
The two of them bed down soon after, staying in Fen’s quarters for one more night under the leafeon’s orders. Nia feels exhausted despite sleeping for the past week. She turns to face Tobias’ nest to see the charmander still awake, even if he’s clearly flagging.
“What’s the plan for tomorrow?” Nia asks. “Do we leave right away, or take a mission, or..?”
“A mission might be a good idea. Your body’s going to be recovering for a few days, and we could use some more funds for the trip.”
“So maybe we stick around this week and head out the next?”
Tobias thinks about it for a moment longer, yawning to show off sharp teeth and a blue-gray tongue. Then he nods. “Yeah. As long as we avoid any big bodies of water, we should be safe for now.”
“Probably,” Nia adds.
“Probably,” Tobias confirms, grimacing.
Nia smiles despite the serious topic, feeling sleep weigh heavy on her consciousness. Tobias looks seconds away from dropping off himself.
“Hey, Tobias?” She murmurs.
“Mrmph.”
“Thanks for taking care of me while I was sick.”
Tobias gives her a sleepy glare through lidded eyes, like an angry kitten who wishes she wouldn’t bring it up. It’s adorable.
Nia breathes another laugh, but takes mercy on him and curls up to sleep.
Chapter 42
Summary:
Nia and Tobias head west on a new journey!
(AKA the Road Trip Chapter.)
Chapter Text
“What kind of Pokemon is that?” Nia asks, peeking around the branch-woven wall into the next room of the dungeon. “It looks like a giant Venus flytrap.”
“It’s a carnivine. Grass type. Let me lead.”
Nia nods, not even asking any follow-up questions about the new Pokemon as she shuffles out of the way
“One more fight and we can go home,” Tobias encourages, eyeing the pair of lock-on glasses sitting neatly among the carnivine’s curling vines.
Tobias knows the riolu has to be tired. This dungeon has been a particularly long one for her first day back after her illness.
Nia nods and takes a moment to concentrate. The two teardrop-like appendages on either side of her head lift and glow blue with her aura. She lifts her paws and curls them into fists, side by side, before she yanks them apart, a column of blue aura forming in their wake. Looks like the past few days of training with Val have paid off.
Nia falters when the aura is only the length of a short baton, though, probably struggling to solidify more energy. After a moment, she seems to decide that it’ll have to do.
“Don’t push yourself,” Tobias reminds her. “You’re still recovering.”
Nia nods, patiently weathering his thousandth warning in the week since she’d awoken from her illness. “I’m good. This feels fine.” She grips the baton of aura in her paws, testing the weight of it.
Tobias leads the charge. He slips into the room where the feral carnivine is, curled up around the lock-on glasses they’re trying to retrieve for their client. The plant Pokemon is small for its species, but still notably bigger than Nia or Tobias. He needs to get the jump on it.
Before it can notice him, Tobias takes a deep breath and darts forward to shoot a plume of flames at it. They burst and smoke against its green skin.
The carnivine startles, shrinking away from him—and dropping the item. Tobias hopes the glasses are durable and hurries forward to toss them aside, out of the literal line of fire.
The carnivine shrieks, angry and charred, and lunges to snap at him with its giant mouth. He ducks under it. Nia runs around the carnivine’s other side and takes the moment of distraction to wind up, whacking the grass type hard with her aura staff. The carnivine goes reeling, vines flailing.
Tobias doesn’t see the leafy arm whipping around until it catches him in the gut. He staggers with a gust of lost air, leaving him wide open for the carnivine to headbutt him and send him rolling.
By time he shakes out his head and rises to his feet, Nia has picked up the pace to keep the carnivine’s attention on her, dancing in and out of its range and panting hard.
When the feral is tripped up by Nia’s attacks, the riolu pulls back her weapon for a heavy hit—
Only for the aura to suddenly dissipate, leaving her empty-pawed. She blinks at her foe.
“Uh-oh.”
The carnivine takes its chance and lashes out, sending Nia flying. She slams into the root wall. The branches crack and creak, but hold strong as she drops to the ground.
Tobias’ heart jumps to his throat. “Nia!”
The riolu groans and rolls to her hands and knees. She gives him a weak thumbs-up.
Tobias has only a moment to feel relieved before the carnivine is on him again with a shriek. He ducks under its first swipe, then spins to slam it with his tail. He follows up with a dragon rage attack that makes it fall back with a pained hiss.
“Incoming!” Nia shouts.
Tobias barely manages to scramble out of the way before the riolu comes flying at them in a blur of color. She slams into the carnivine with a quick attack and a startled yelp. The two go rolling end over end, until they stop in the dirt with Nia on top.
The carnivine snarls and writhes to throw her off. Nia yelps and forms a blob of blue aura in her panic, smashing it down into the feral Pokemon’s face.
The carnivine falls to the ground, finally out cold.
Tobias barks a startled laugh. Nia jumps, then pins her ears with embarrassment.
“Well, it got the job done,” Tobias admits, moving closer to poke at the feral and make sure it’s really unconscious.
“I panicked,” Nia admits with a chuckle. “I was hoping to use copycat.”
Tobias sighs. “You just figured out quick attack and how to make a weapon out of your aura. We don’t even know if you’re at a high enough level to learn copycat yet.”
“I know,” Nia groans, sliding off the carnivine and shaking out her hand. “It just sounds like such a useful move that I feel like I should focus on learning it. If I learn copycat then I could use your attacks! I could breathe fire, Tobias!”
Tobias snorts. “I think one fire user is enough.”
“Don’t crush my dreams of cool fire magic, Tobias.”
“Wouldn’t dream of it,” he drawls, eyeing his partner, checking her for injuries now that she’s up on her feet again.
“I’m fine,” Nia says, catching on. She holds out her arms and does a little spin as if to prove it. “Really! It hit you just as hard.”
Well Tobias didn’t almost die a week ago, so excuse him for being a bit cautious. Still, the riolu doesn’t seem to be lying. Her hits were still a bit weak during their scuffles throughout the dungeon, but otherwise she seems more or less back to her old self.
“Fine,” Tobias mumbles, finally leaning over to pick up the lock-on glasses they’d battled through fifteen floors to find. They’re dusty, but not cracked or scuffed. Their client better appreciate this. “Let’s just get back. We need to finish packing so we can head out early tomorrow.”
“Right!”
They use their badges to teleport back to the guild. Nia looks a little queasy when they land, but waves him off so he can turn in the item and claim their reward.
They make the short trip up to the Seekers floor, passing by other teams as Tobias doles out the Poké they’d received between him, Nia, and their team funds. The client had given them a few blast seeds too, which were kind of useless for him but a nice thought. Maybe Nia would want to try them out since she was so excited about “fire magic.”
When they finally reach their room, Nia hurries forward to open the door and check the mail slot set into the wall. Her tail droops.
“No mail,” Nia reports, closing the little compartment.
Tobias snorts as he sits on their scarlet red rug and dumps out their satchel. They need to double-check their supplies to make sure they have everything they’ll need for the trip down south to find Edme. They’ll probably still have to make a stop at the items floor tomorrow morning to get a few odds and ends before headinig out.
“You only sent those letters a few days ago,” Tobias reminds her. “They’re probably still in transit.”
Nia gives him a playful nudge with her foot before sitting down beside him. “I’m excited, all right?”
“I kind of get it for your weird human bed,” Tobias concedes. “But I can guarantee that Will doesn’t know a thing.”
Nia sticks her tongue out at him, and he rolls his eyes in return.
With Maggie’s help, the riolu had sent a letter to Hazel the other day, inquiring about getting a human-style bed delivered to the guild. The Alolan raichu is only in Afon’s Cap, so they should hear back from her sooner rather than later.
Nia had also sent a letter to Will, informing the yamask about her half-returned memories and Giratina trying to pull her into the distortion world. She’d also asked if he had any tips to avoid the banished legendary or new information about returning to the human world. Tobias hadn’t been able to talk her out of that waste of ink and paper.
Tobias adds the blast seeds to their inventory and organizes their things into neat little piles. Apples, oran berries, a few pecha and cheri berries, their badges, a water flask, some juicy hydrating berries for him, and his raincoat. Their poké pouches sit off to the side.
“You think we’ll need all our money?” Tobias asks with a frown. He isn’t planning on losing their satchel or anything, but you never know. He’d hate for them to lose all their hard-earned cash.
Nia doesn’t answer. Tobias looks up at her, only to find her staring into space, her mind clearly a thousand miles away.
He’s noticed that she does that sometimes, ever since she woke up from her sickness. The first time he asked her what was up, she just gave him a sad smile and a vague comment about missing her family.
He hadn’t asked after that.
In the here and now, he snaps his fingers near her face, breaking her out of her trance. “Nia. Poké?”
“O-Oh! Sorry. Uh.” She bends over their supplies, frowning. “I think we definitely need to take the team funds, in case we need to pay for anything. We could leave our own money here for safekeeping?”
Tobias nods his agreement, setting he and Nia’s personal pouches of Poké aside to store safely inside their chest.
After a few moments of sifting through their supplies and making sure they’re ready, there’s the sound of footsteps passing by their room, pausing briefly by the door. A quiet little clunk sounds from their mailbox before the footsteps continue on and fade away.
Nia looks at him, wide-eyed. Then she scrambles to her feet and runs to the mailbox to yank it open. Sure enough, there’s a letter inside.
“Mail!” Nia cheers, eagerly flipping it over, only for her excitement to falter.
“What?”
Nia walks back to him, words slow and confused. “It’s…for you.”
Tobias frowns. For him? Who would send him mail? He takes it from her, but sure enough the loopy, fancy scrawl on the front of the cream envelope is addressed to Tobias the charmander, at the Lexym Guild in Bethoc’s Haven, in the Metreja region.
He slices it open with a claw and pulls out a letter written in the same looping scrawl. His eyes jump to the bottom of the page, and he stops cold.
Yours Truly,
Rosalind
Rosalind. The terrifying hatterene informant who promised to send him information about Team Zenith the instant she found anything.
Nia leans over his shoulder to read the letter too. Tobias doesn’t bother trying to hide it from her, instead going back to the beginning to read through it properly, his pulse suddenly roaring in his ears.
Rosalind has a mission for them, to the west. A town in the Faren Desert is dealing with earthquakes, but Rosalind’s contact there suspects there’s something else going on other than the natural disasters that have been cropping up. The nearest guild has been dismissive of the informant’s suspicions, their Seekers spread too thin and barely managing recovery efforts as is.
“Tobias?”
Tobias jumps, looking at Nia.
Right. Nia.
They were going to investigate the lead on Giratina, find this Edme in the southern part of Metreja. They need to do that, to make sure she stays safe. They’d already had one close call, and they need answers.
Slowly, the excited adrenaline in his gut sours. He can’t just abandon that plan, can’t just ditch Nia and risk her safety. But…
His eyes drift back down to the letter, held in white-knuckled fingers.
“It’s about those outlaws, right?” Nia asks, voice soft.
“Yeah,” he rasps. “Rosalind has information. Wants us to look into a mission to the west to pay for it.”
Nia stares at him for a moment with an unreadable expression. Tobias doesn’t know how to convey the complicated tangle of emotions building in his chest. The conflicted thoughts. He stays quiet and stares at the letter.
Nia finally speaks, quiet but sincere. “We could always go there first?”
Tobias shakes his head. “No. No…we should head south to find Edme first. Giratina’s the immediate threat, and—“
“And he hasn’t done a thing since the stream,” Nia counters. “We haven’t seen him for an entire week.”
“Doesn’t mean he’s not around.”
Nia’s mouth twists. “True. But as long as we stay away from reflections and out bodies of water we should be okay, right? He can’t get to us otherwise.”
“That we know of.”
There’s a tense moment of silence. From the next room over, the neighboring team laughs about something. It filters quietly through the wooden wall.
Nia sighs. “Tobias, I know you’re worried about Giratina—and I don’t want to meet him again anytime soon, but…this info is important too, right?”
It is important. At least to him. Still, it shouldn’t take precedence over Nia’s safety. He told himself he would be a good partner. That means gritting his teeth and putting her first.
And yet he still can’t seem to let go of the letter, crinkling it in his hands. Nia reaches out and delicately extracts it from his hold, smoothing it out to look it over.
“Rosalind might rescind her information if we don’t take care of this right away,” Nia points out as she reads through it again.
Tobias opens his mouth to protest, but no words come out. She’s right. And the last thing he wants—for multiple reasons—is to get on the hatterene’s bad side.
“How about we check this out first, and then go straight south to look into the Giratina thing?” Nia suggests.
“But…”
“If Giratina shows his ugly mug, I’ll just bop him in the face with my aura,” Nia teases, sounding far too casual about the prospect.
Tobias snorts. His voice wavers when he says, “He’s a ghost type. Your aura won’t even hurt him.”
“Looks like I’ll have to bring my trusty old branch along, then!” Nia retorts, only a little forced in her cheer. “C’mon, Tobias, we’ll be fine. We just have to be careful and avoid rivers and stuff.”
Tobias bites his lip, staring at the piece of paper in Nia’s paws. He can’t just turn this piece of info down. His stomach lurches at the very thought of possibly losing a lead. Or worse, Rosalind’s “goodwill” entirely. But the guilt and paranoia from Nia’s sickness has yet to fully leave his system, like a toxin in his veins that screams at him to watch her and keep her safe.
Tobias opens his mouth to refute her idea, but what comes out instead is a pathetically weak, “I can’t decide.”
Immediately, a shamed flush comes to his face. He sounds like a little kid. And he knows what the right decision is.
Nia looks at him for a long moment. Then she gives a determined nod. “Right. I’ll do it, then!”
“What?”
“I know you usually take the reigns on which missions we choose, but…well, I’ll decide this time!” She crosses her arms and straightens up, giving a self-important nod. “We’ll do Rosalind’s mission first, then go find info about Giratina. Case closed.”
Tobias feels guilty for the immediate wave of relief that crashes over him. He doesn’t feel like such a terrible partner if she’s the one making the decision. Even if she’s clearly doing it for him.
“You sure?” He croaks, one final time.
“Positive!” Nia says, getting to her feet and pulling him up after her before he can argue. “C’mon, we’ve gotta adjust our travel plans. Do you think Xander or Maggie could help us pin down where this Fort Asra town is? Or maybe Alistair?”
Tobias reaches out and takes the letter back from Nia, hugging it to his chest.
“Maggie might know.” And he really wants to see her. “If she doesn’t, Alistair definitely will.”
Most of their supplies would be the same for a long trip regardless of their destination, so it’s quick work to pack up their scattered berries and items.
The two of them make the climb up to the medical floor, waving hi to Fen as they pass the leafeon’s quarters. Maggie is inside her room, Sage nowhere in sight.
“Hello, you two,” she greets with a warm smile. “Nia, how did battling go today?”
“All right! I felt a little weak, and I’m still kinda struggling to make a full staff out of my aura. But I almost feel back to normal, at least!”
“Wonderful!” Maggie says, beckoning them both closer to hug them with her neck and vines. “Are you heading out soon for your trip south?”
The meganium does an admirable job of sounding nonchalant, but Tobias can still detect the note of concern in her voice. She’d been far from thrilled when Nia and Tobias had shared the news about Giratina, and while she recognizes how important their trip to find Edme is, she’s clearly uneasy about them chasing anything to do with the banished legendary.
“We actually had a question—and a, uh, change of plans,” Nia says, exchanging a glance with Tobias before explaining that they’re taking a detour west first to the Faren Desert, and asking about the easiest way to reach Fort Asra.
“I thought you might have gone out that way before I joined you,” Tobias adds.
“Asra…goodness, that’s fairly far west,” Maggie says, looking bewildered. “I don’t think even I have traveled that far before. You’ll definitely want to ask the psychics to give you a lift as far as they’re able.”
Tobias nods. “Guess we’re walking the rest of the way?”
Maggie looks uncertain, so Nia pulls their map out of their satchel and offers it up. Maggie takes it and outlines a straight path west of the guild with her vine, landing about two thirds of the way across the continent before hitting the Faren Desert.
“Hm. You could always take a travel ‘mon the latter half of the journey,” she suggests. “This is a well-traveled road.”
“Won’t that get pricey pretty fast? We already spent a lot on our trip to Ghatha.” Tobias holds up a hand. “And no, we aren’t letting you pay for the trip, Mags.”
The meganium closes her mouth and gives him a wry look before focusing on the map again.
“Well…if you don’t grab a ride Pokemon, I suppose you’ll be walking from the edge of the teleportation zone to the town. Or you might get lucky and be able to hitch a ride with someone moving out that direction. Lots of trade Pokemon use this road to transport goods.”
“Wanna take our chances?” Tobias asks Nia.
The riolu looks a little uncertain. “Uh…what happens if we have to walk the whole way? Won’t that take a while? What if we run out of food or something?”
Tobias shrugs. “Then we camp out and find some food or do odd jobs around the area for a meal.” He hasn’t done it himself in the past, but he’s heard enough idle chatter over the years that he knows it’s a fairly common practice for Seekers.
Nia still looks hesitant. “A-All right. If you think it’ll be fine.”
“You’ll need some supplies for traveling in the heat,” Maggie says quietly, almost to herself. She’s looking at Nia. “Tobias, you should be fine in the desert, but Nia, you’ll need to make sure you stay hydrated. I’ll pack you some herbs that should help.”
“You don’t have to—“
Nia cuts herself off as Maggie immediately goes into search mode, opening one of the cabinets lining the wall and digging through the pouches and stacks of herbs within. Tobias huffs a quiet laugh.
Nia sighs, admitting defeat, and leans over their map to follow the route Maggie had laid out, mumbling landmarks and names along the way. Tobias works on shifting their stuff around in their already stuffed satchel to make room for Maggie’s herbs. His raincoat is a bit bulkier than he’d like, but he decides to keep it in. It’s unlikely to rain out in the desert, but he’s not getting caught without it again.
“How did you find out about a mission so far west, anyways?” Maggie asks, voice muffled with her head literally inside the cabinet.
“Rosalind sent us a letter,” Nia says distractedly, still tracing her finger across the map. Tobias’ heart skips a beat.
“Rosalind?”
“Someone we met in Ghatha,” Tobias hurries to say. Telling the meganium about Giratina is one thing, but he knows she wouldn’t approve of them fraternizing with someone as dangerous as the hatterene.
Nia finally seems to register what she’d said, because Tobias sees her wince out of the corner of his eye.
Maggie frowns and gives Nia a worried glance before continuing to rifle through her herbs, picking out the ones that catch her eye. “…All right. You two have to decide what’s best for you. Just be careful and watch out for…well, you know who.”
“It was my idea to do this mission first,” Nia cuts in. “When we’re done in Fort Asra, we’ll go straight south to find Edme and ask about Giratina!”
“Just be careful,” Maggie repeats, finally closing the cabinet and bundling up the herbs with some twine. “You can both be far too reckless for your own good.”
Tobias snorts. If Maggie only knew the half of it.
“We’ll be careful!” Nia says sweetly. Like a liar. Tobias gives her an unimpressed look. She shrugs, wide-eyed, as if to ask, What do you want me to say?!
They’ll try to be careful, but there’s no telling what Rosalind has in store for them.
The next morning dawns brisk but clear. Tobias and Nia stop by the items floor to grab a few more supplies before heading to the psychics’ station. Typically, the psychics only use their power to return Seekers who have signaled for pick-up with their badges, but they’ll give a boost to any teams heading out on a particularly long trip when they can.
Luckily, the abra Tobias talks to doesn’t ask too many questions about their mission or request an official form from the boards, simply nodding her acquiescence before pointing out the area they’ll appear at after teleportation on their map.
Nia grabs Tobias’ arm. He squeezes his eyes shut against the bright light of teleportation and the stomach-flipping sensation of vertigo, and then his feet are touching down onto grass, the wind much stronger and colder. Nia stumbles, but regains her footing quick enough.
“Ugh. Okay, where are we?” She asks.
They’re on the side of a large dirt road in an open field, rolling green as far as the eye can see on all sides. The sky overhead is a dim, early-morning autumn gray, and the cool wind blows hard at them from the west.
Tobias unfolds their map again, fighting to keep it still in the wind. Nia squints at his side.
“Somewhere around this area,” Tobias says after a moment, circling the spot within the fieldlands that the abra had pointed out.
“’Somewhere?’” She quotes.
“It’s not an exact science,” Tobias shrugs, giving Nia a raised brow. “You humans have a way of knowing exactly where you are at all times?”
“Actually, yeah, we kind of do.”
Tobias falters. He wants to call her out on that, but she looks earnest enough.
“Is that an ability humans have?” He finally asks.
Nia laughs, then shakes her head. “Nope! Just a neat little thing called a phone. I’ll tell you more about it once we get moving.”
She hesitates, looking back and forth down the long dirt road. “Uh. So which way are we going?”
“West,” Tobias says, gesturing to the rising sun at their backs. “So not that direction.”
Nia nods, jogging in place a little as if to warm up. “Right. Then I guess we just…start walking?”
Tobias nods, and they head off.
It’s past noon and Tobias has doubted Nia’s truthfulness about “phones” at least twenty times when they finally stop for a break.
Nia flops into the soft grass on the side of the endless road. Tobias drops a cloth-wrapped lunch they’d gotten from the cafeteria by her face to get her to stop complaining about her aching feet. He sits to eat his own food.
“So there’s no way of telling how far we have left to go, right?” Nia asks after scarfing down a few hunks of her sandwich.
“I mean, I could take a guess,” Tobias says, taking a bite of his own food and looking off towards the west.
“Guess.”
Tobias’ face scrunches up as he thinks. Nia sips at her flask.
“Maybe a week?”
Nia chokes on her water, hacking into her fist. “What?!”
Tobias frowns at her. “What do you mean ‘what?’ You saw the map. The teleportation cut out a week of traveling, but if we’re on foot for the second half it’s still going to take a while.”
Nia stares at him, then blankly says, “I was so spoiled by human transportation.”
Tobias shrugs. “I guess if it was all as fast as that train in Ghatha, walking would seem slow.”
“That train wasn’t even going that fast,” Nia groans, rubbing at her eyes. “This is going to take forever.”
Tobias raises an unimpressed eyebrow. “You wanna turn back?”
“Nooo,” Nia whines, flopping back again. “Just let me get all the complaining out of my system.”
Tobias goes back to his sandwich. “Fine by me.”
In the quiet of their meal, they spot a small merchant cart making its way closer in the distance, dust thrown up in its wake. Unfortunately, it’s heading in the direction they came from. Idly, they watch it crawl closer across the fields, finally passing them by.
It’s a mudsdale, pulling a heavy cart of goods behind her. Perched on top of the cart, a kecleon brightens and waves at them as they pass by. Nia happily waves back before leaning close to whisper her usual question.
“The rider was a kecleon. Probably a merchant—the trade tends to run in those families.” He finishes off his sandwich. “The puller was a mudsdale. A bit faster than us, but not by much. They’re built for power, not speed.”
Nia nods along, tail happily swishing through the grass.
When they finish up their lunch, Nia takes the satchel from Tobias for her turn to carry it, and they set off again.
“So cars aren’t…alive.”
“Right.”
“But they move.”
“Yup! Humans control them by driving.”
“But you can’t explain how they actually move.”
Nia throws up her hands. “I told you I don’t know how cars work! Something with an engine and electricity and, uh…combustion, probably? There’s gas involved. I’m not a mechanic.”
Tobias snorts. “And you expect me to believe you.”
“Hey! You don’t know how to explain every Pokemon thing ever made! How do you make a, uh…a Seekers badge work then, wise guy?”
Tobias hesitates, frowning out at the yellow-green plains, waving and shimmering in the late afternoon sunlight. “…The psychic Pokemon use their energy.”
“Nope. That’s a copout. Why do the psychic Pokemon’s powers work with the badge? How do they make them?”
There’s a moment of silence, save for the howling wind and rustling grass. Tobias senses Nia’s grin before he sees it.
“See! Just because I don’t know how it works doesn’t mean it isn’t true!”
“Yeah, yeah. Point taken.”
Nia pumps a fist, victorious. Tobias feels like he should be annoyed by it. Instead, he simply shakes his head and scans the horizon. It’s getting late in the afternoon, and they need to start looking for somewhere to bed down for the night. They have one more meal packed, so they don’t need to hunt for any food, but they do need somewhere at least a little sheltered to sleep.
For now, he just glances over his shoulder as hoof beats approach them from the direction they came from. He can see a vague, pale shape slowly getting closer.
Nia follows his gaze, perking up. “Someone’s coming! Do you think they’d let us hitch a ride?”
“Dunno.”
They’re answered shortly when the Pokemon reaches them. It’s a giant wyrdeer pulling a cart—more of a carriage than a transportation for goods—and he doesn’t show any sign of slowing. The two of them hurry off the path and let the carriage zoom by in a cloud of dust, causing a bout of coughing.
“Guess that answers that,” Tobias grumbles. Nia sighs, forlorn.
And they travel on.
The sun is setting and Nia’s noticeably slowing down by time he sees it: a small copse of trees up ahead, overlooking the road from atop a steep hillside. Perfect.
Tobias nudges Nia, who had fallen quiet around the same time she’d started to slow down. “We’ll rest there for tonight.”
Nia follows his gaze. “Oh, thank God. It feels like my feet are gonna fall off.”
“Keep ‘em on until we hit the tree line.”
“No promises.”
Tobias snorts.
Dusk is quickly settling in by time they finally make it to the trees and trudge up the hill to shelter. The chill of night air is settling around them, but the trees block out some of the cold wind.
Exhausted, they throw together a messy nest of leaves and moss and grass before flopping down into it, side-by-side.
It takes two minutes of trembling leaves and Nia’s chattering teeth for Tobias to remember his partner isn’t a fire type.
With a vague, sleepy grumble, he drags himself out of the nest and clears away some of the debris on the forest floor on Nia’s other side. He grabs a few rocks for good measure, creating a ring around the space. He can feel Nia’s curious eyes on his back.
He gathers up some of the nearby brush and dead leaves, piling it high atop a crisscross of small branches, and then spits a small plume of flames into the makeshift fire pit. It catches immediately, sparking and crackling as it spreads.
“There,” He grunts. “Don’t die.”
He flops back into the nest. Just before he sinks into unconsciousness, he feels Nia shift closer, murmuring a quiet word of thanks.
Tobias wakes up to Nia shaking him with a paw, urgently whispering his name.
“What?” He groans, lifting his head to glare at his partner through squinted eyes. It’s not dawn yet, only the barest hint of gray signaling the coming morn.
“I think I heard something down by the road.”
“Probably just another traveling ‘mon,” he grumbles, curling up again.
Nia doesn’t answer. Tobias cracks open an eye, only to see her staring into the brush in the direction of the road with a furrowed brow. Her ears are twitching. Tobias is about to grumble at her to go back to sleep when she stiffens, eyes widening with alarm.
That makes him sit up. “What?”
“Someone needs help,” she says, scrambling out of their nest and leaping into the brush.
“Nia!” Tobias hisses, hurrying after her and her stupid long legs. He can hear her crashing through the trees ahead of him, and follows her to the edge of the woods, where she’s stopped.
Below them, a rapidash and two ponyta stand close together in the middle of the road, their fiery manes like a beacon in the pre-dawn darkness. The two smaller Pokemon are hooked up to a cart by harnesses.
The rapidash is facing away from them, head lowered and legs locked defensively. It shouts something, stomping hard into the dirt and tossing its head, the sharp horn there swiping through the darkness.
That’s when Tobias notices the forms around the fire types, circling them. Maybe four in all. One darts in to snatch something off the back of the cart before retreating. One grabs for an item on the other side, and the rapidash shoots a jet of fire its way.
While the rapidash is distracted, a different shape grabs at one of the ponyta, snaring its long leg and yanking it off its hooves. The ponyta whinnies in fright, struggling, but is quickly dragged away. The rapidash takes a step forward as if to follow, but then glances at the remaining ponyta and steps back into place, shooting a flamethrower after the retreating Pokemon.
“A robbery?” Tobias murmurs, still half-asleep.
“We have to help,” Nia says, bolting down the grassy hillside and towards the scene.
“Nia! For Entei’s sake, hold on for one second!” Tobias rushes after her.
The riolu sprints ahead of him to the scene. He sees her aura form into a short staff, bright blue and glowing in the darkness, before she leaps at the Pokemon tugging the ponyta off the path with an angry snarl.
If Tobias wasn’t still half-asleep, he’d say that was actually pretty cool.
As it is, he doesn’t have time to admire his partner’s rare burst of assertiveness. The assailants took notice of the riolu flying into their midst, and have startled out of their practiced formation.
Tobias attacks the nearest bandit, a cacturne. The grass type doesn’t see him coming, so Tobias puffs up and launches a cloud of flames at the Pokemon. The cacturne yells out and staggers back, but Tobias just chases after him with a heated metal claw.
The cacturne quickly decides to abandon the fight, charred and grabbing at his side. With a glare, he staggers away into the grass.
“Charmander!”
Tobias turns at the unfamiliar voice, only for something sharp to lash out at him, barely missing his chest and instead hooking his thigh on the back step. Tobias hisses, staggering.
The morgrem that had attacked him grins a wicked smile, its sharp hair pulling back like a seviper about to strike. Tobias braces himself, flexing his claws.
Before it can attack, a powerful stream of flames engulfs the fairy type from the side. The morgrem screams, staggering away from the attack and into the brush.
Tobias nods his thanks to the rapidash, who nods back. He glances around, finding both ponyta clustered close to the cart with wide eyes. He catches sight of Nia on the other side of the cart, panting hard but standing, as the last Pokemon—a black and white linoone—takes off into the grass. The rapidash must’ve taken care of the fourth robber.
For a moment, everyone holds their breath, tense and waiting.
When all is quiet save for the wind, Tobias finally lets himself sit heavily on the ground. The wound on his leg burns with pain.
“Tobias!” Nia runs to his side, kneeling and holding out a paw as if to touch. “Are you all right?”
“Fantastic,” he growls. “You?”
“I’m fine,” she dismisses, helping him stretch out his leg to get a closer look at the gash. Blood trickles down into the dirt.
“Stop looking like I’m gonna die. It’s not even that deep.”
“Still,” Nia whimpers, moving to dig through their satchel, only to meet empty air. She makes a frustrated sound, clearly on the edge of tears. “I left the bag at our campsite!”
“I’ll survive,” Tobias reiterates. “Just—“
“Here.”
The unfamiliar voice interrupts Tobias’ exasperation and Nia’s panic. They both look up to see the rapidash has approached, holding two sacks from the ponyta cart in his mouth. He drops them gently at Nia’s side.
Nia hesitantly opens the bags, making a pleased sound and pulling out an oran berry and some bandages. She hands the berry over, and Tobias eats it in a few bites. The gash quickly starts to scab over. He takes the bandages from her next, quickly and neatly tying them around his wound. There. That should hopefully stop it from reopening while it starts to heal.
“Thank you,” Nia says, relieved, as she looks up at the rapidash.
The rapidash shakes his head. “Thank you. Without you two, my apprentices might have been hurt.”
The two ponyta trot forward, pulling the small cart behind them. The one on the left looks shy as she says, “Yes! Thank you both. That was very brave.”
The other ponyta simply nods his thanks.
“‘S fine,” Tobias huffs, trying to stand. Nia takes his arm to steady him. He debates on pulling himself free, but decides he’d rather have to lean on her than fall on his face and eat dirt.
“Where did you two even come from?” The ponyta asks, her voice soft.
“Oh! We’re camped out over that ridge,” Nia says, pointing up the hill. “We’ve been moving west towards the desert for a mission we need to look into at Fort Asra.”
“Seekers?” The rapidash asks.
Tobias nods.
The rapidash makes a contemplative noise, eyeing Tobias’ injured leg before turning his head to look to the west. Then he turns back to them. “Would you like a lift?”
Tobias and Nia blink up at the tall Pokemon.
“R-Really?” Nia asks.
“Of course,” the rapidash says. “You saved our hides and one of you got injured in the process. I’d say we owe you a favor or two. We didn’t have a set destination, so any town will do.”
Nia glances at Tobias. He shrugs. It’d definitely beat walking, especially with his new injury.
Nia beams. “Then yes! If it isn’t any trouble, we’d really appreciate that.”
“It’s no trouble. We were making this trip for endurance training, anyways. Adding a couple extra pounds will only help these two in the long run.”
“Besides, you don’t look very heavy,” the ponyta from before adds, giggling. “I bet we can carry you just fine!”
Nia looks so grateful that Tobias thinks she might cry. “Well…if it really isn’t any trouble, then that’d be great. Thank you.”
Once the cart’s scattered goods have been gathered back up, Nia runs off for a few minutes to grab their belongings. Soon enough they’re both settled into the cart behind the ponyta, hesitantly relaxing side-by-side against a few large sacks of grain. Boxed in by crates and items to block the wind, it’s actually fairly cozy.
The swift rumble of the cart underneath them is strangely soothing. Within a few short minutes, Nia is out like a light. Tobias resists the urge to push her off when a bump nudges her head onto his shoulder.
Whatever. The riolu probably didn’t sleep well last night anyways, between the cold and the unfamiliar surroundings. He’ll take this over a grumpy, sleep-deprived partner.
For a while, Tobias watches the slowly-lightening gray sky and the darker gray grass blur by through a gap between two crates. Eventually, he too leans his head back, closing his eyes to rest.
He wakes up to a sharp jolt what feels like seconds later, raising his head with a few hard blinks. The sun is beating down on them from above, so it’s easily past noon now.
Tobias looks over at Nia, registering the lack of weight on his shoulder.
The riolu is still seated next to him, but she’s concentrating on her paws. They’re side by side once again, and as he watches, she pulls them apart for a line of aura to appear in their wake. As usual, it stops at a certain point, not nearly as long as the branch she used to fight with. Nia grumbles something and tries to extend it further, only for the whole thing to dissipate in a flash.
Nia exhales, frowning.
“You’re getting closer,” Tobias points out.
Nia jumps, eyes brightening when she sees him awake. “Hey! I didn’t wake you, did I?”
“No. Practicing?”
Nia nods, clenching her paws. “Yeah. I want to get my aura to the point where I can use it like a staff, but I’m struggling to solidify that much at once.”
Tobias yawns. “You’ve got time to figure it out.”
Nia’s face twists further. “I guess. But I’d like to figure out at least one new move. I haven’t gotten any down since quick attack, and I’m still bad at controlling that. Copycat isn’t working, either.”
“Eh. Copycat is situational anyways. Chances are it won’t be a make-or-break move for us any time soon.”
“But it would be so cool! I could copy your moves! Two times the firepower, Tobias.”
“If you’re that desperate you can just eat a blast seed.”
Nia stops her rant mid-word, mouth hanging open. She tilts her head, thoughtful. “Blast seed?”
Tobias reaches over and digs through their satchel, pulling out the three yellow seeds. Each one is a bit smaller than his palm, and small red stripes crawl from top to bottom.
“Blast seeds. Our last client gave us some as a reward. If you eat one, it’ll give you a short burst of flames to attack with, regardless of type or species.”
“Whoa.” Nia’s eyes round with wonder. She hesitantly reaches out to take one of the seeds, cradling it in her paw. “So if I ate this..?”
Tobias smirks. “You’d burn down the whole cart and probably lose us our ride.”
Nia grimaces and gently deposits the seed back into his palm. Tobias puts them away again.
“That’s so cool,” Nia says, sighing. “I just wish I was better at learning moves so I’d be more helpful in fights.”
Tobias sneaks a look at her. “You didn’t used to be so worried about it.”
“Well, no.” Her eyes flick away. “I just…I guess I realized that if I can fight well, I can protect people better.”
Tobias rolls his eyes. “If this is about my leg—“
“It’s not.” Nia hurries to say. “Well, not just that. I want to protect you too, of course! But I’ve been thinking about this since Ghatha.”
Tobias clears his throat and wills down the heat in his face. She wants to protect everyone. It shouldn’t be a surprise that he’s included in that. “I mean, I guess that makes sense. But you still can’t rush it.”
“I guess,” Nia mumbles.
A few minutes pass in silence. Nia moves to prop herself up with her arms on a low crate and watch the world roll by. After a moment of deliberation, Tobias joins her, settling at her side. Their view isn’t quite a blur, but it’s still a quick pace thanks to the ponytas’ speedy trot.
The landscape in front of them slowly transitions. Tall, lush grasses fall apart to make way for cacti dotting pale desert brush and long stretches of dirt. Rocks crop up in bigger formations in the distance.
The air is notably warming from the autumn chill of the Haven, but Tobias quite enjoys the hot sun and warm gusts of wind. Nia doesn’t make it long before she scoots ever-so-slightly away from him and his body heat, pulling the edge of a cloth tarp over her head to shelter her from the sun.
Tobias gives her an amused look, and she laughs, “You hush, fire type. We aren’t all made to be baked alive.”
As if to emphasize her point, Nia takes out her water pouch, draining the last of it. She offers him one of his berries to hydrate. He takes it, grateful for the burst of juice inside as the dry desert air rasps down his throat.
“Y’know, this probably isn’t much slower than an actual car, at least on backroads,” Nia says.
Tobias nods. “Ponyta and rapidash are fast, even over long stretches of time. We’re lucky we caught a ride with some. At this rate we might even be there by tonight.”
Nia whistles, impressed. “I guess you guys don’t really need cars when you’ve got Pokemon who travel just as quickly.”
Tobias shrugs as he finishes his berry. “Eh, sounds like they’d be useful for Pokemon like you or me. If I could evolve I could just fly us places, but…”
Nia gives him a curious look. “Could you carry me?”
Tobias snorts. “As a riolu? Definitely. Charizard are huge. I could probably even carry you as a lucario with no problem.”
Nia makes an impressed noise in her throat, peering out at the bright landscape from the shade of her makeshift tent.
The group stops shortly after for a late lunch break, and the rapidash shares the group’s food stores with a grateful Nia and Tobias. Nia chatters with the other fire types while Tobias listens. He only speaks up when the details of their mission come up, and he describes the earthquakes that have been plaguing the Faren Desert.
“We’re familiar with them,” The rapidash says. “My sister was caught in a nasty one a few weeks back—broke her leg.”
Tobias hisses and Nia makes a sympathetic face.
“She’s doing much better by now, but we’ve been trying to keep a closer eye out for any signs of approaching calamities since then. It wouldn’t surprise me if Asra was being hit particularly hard by the earthquakes.”
Nia and Tobias exchange a look at that. Nia turns back to the rapidash with an encouraging smile. “Well, we’re hoping we might be able to help somehow.”
The rapidash nods, and the ponyta look intrigued by the idea, but don’t speak up about it.
When Tobias and Nia settle back into the cart, it feels almost familiar after hours on the road. Over the afternoon, Tobias and Nia shift around now and then to stretch out their muscles, but otherwise make idle conversation, just watching the world roll by. Tobias checks the wound on his leg, and is pleased that it seems to have scabbed over completely, allowing him to take off the bandages.
It’s almost evening by time someone speaks up again.
“You two awake back there?”
Nia and Tobias both straighten, peering over the goods and the two ponyta to the rapidash leading their little crew.
“Yeah!” Nia calls.
“Good. We’re approaching Asra.”
Nia scrambles out of her spot to climb atop the crates up front, eagerly scanning the dry desert horizon. Tobias follows at a slower pace, looking out over endless dirt and tall, rocky outcroppings that cut into the dusky purple sky.
“You’d think we’d be able to see it if we were that close,” Nia murmurs, puzzled.
Tobias agrees, but doesn’t speak up.
Within a few minutes, it becomes clear that the rapidash was right. The cart is cresting over the lip of a canyon, and down below, set in the semi-sheltered cradle of rocky walls, is a sprawling town of short tan and white buildings. Lights are just starting to come on as night settles in, a warm yellow glow that feels inviting after the long trip.
“Oh, it’s beautiful,” Nia breathes. “This is the place being ravaged by earthquakes? It looks so peaceful.”
“Appearances can be deceiving,” Tobias mutters.
After all, they were called here for a reason. They’ve got a client to meet and a suspicious claim to investigate.
Chapter 43
Summary:
The investigation into the earthquakes begins.
Chapter Text
It’s fully dark by time their cart pulls into Fort Asra. Their path is lit by the full moon overhead, helped by the soft golden glow of lantern light spilling from the town’s windows.
The town is…rustic. Long dirt roads crisscross through squat buildings made of wood, clay and stone. Wagons and carts much like their own are parked on the sides of the road. The sky overhead is vast and glittering with stars. From up ahead, the muted babble of voices and music filter outside from a larger building with the shutters on its windows cracked open.
It’s like a town out of one of the old western shows Nia used to watch with her mom and brother. Her chest pangs as she thinks of how much they would have loved to be here with her. It’s like stepping into the television, but even better because of how real it all is. The breeze nips cool and playful at her fur, and with it comes a surprisingly fresh, earthy scent.
When the two ponyta slow to a stop, it’s in front of a larger building. A sign over the front door labels it as both an inn and a saloon, and voices float out from the rowdy crowd inside. As Nia climbs out of the cart and stretches her legs, she’s surprised to feel the dirt underfoot isn’t as dry as she expects.
“This’ll be where we part ways,” The rapidash says, not unkindly. “You have enough poké to book a room at the inn?“
Tobias nods. “We’ll be fine. Thanks for the ride.”
“Thank you for saving our hides,” the rapidash returns with a dip of his head. “And good luck with your mission. Be careful. Come on, kids.”
The two ponyta give a parting flick of their fiery tails and trot after the rapidash, off to their next stop.
Nia crosses her arms with a shiver. “Yeah, we’d better book a room. Deserts can get below freezing at night and I do not want to sleep outside again.”
Tobias, mouth open to respond, stops to blink at her. “Wait. What?”
Nia stares back. “What?”
“The—the thing about deserts. Deserts are hot. I figured it was so cold thanks to the natural disaster uh…” he waves his hand vaguely around. “Stuff.”
“Oh!” Nia shakes her head, excited to share a tidbit of knowledge from her human life. “No, we learned this in biology class! Deserts naturally get really cold at night. Something about them not being able to absorb heat from the sun and hold it after dark.”
Tobias looks mildly impressed. “Huh. Random thing to know.”
Nia barks a laugh. “American school system at work. God forbid I have to figure out taxes or make a resume, but I’ve got a whole treasure trove of random science facts ready to go.”
Tobias snorts, turning to enter the inn. “I understood maybe half of that sentence.”
Nia laughs, eagerly following him into the ruckus and light of the inn. “Doesn’t matter. Just know that deserts are wild.”
Speaking of wild, the large open room that awaits them inside is full of Pokemon. There’s a small, makeshift band playing something like old country music in a far-off corner, but everyone else is socializing. Chatting and eating and drinking. One or two tables are playing some kind of betting game, if the stacks of poké on the table are anything to gauge by. It’s like walking into a warm wall of sound and hearty scents.
Nia’s stomach growls, and she lifts her nose to take a deep breath. She doesn’t know what that is, but it smells delicious.
“Food, then sleep?” Nia asks Tobias.
After surviving off packed lunches for the past couple of days, Tobias agrees a little too quickly. They nudge their way into the room and up to the bartender, a tall, fluffy rabbit Pokemon who’s busy cleaning a glass. She’s brown and cream, with striking pink eyes, but she seems almost distracted as she gazes out at the small crowd of patrons.
Nia clears her throat, and the rabbit startles. Then she smiles. “Pardon me, strangers. Passin’ through?”
Tobias is looking a bit irritable and overwhelmed by the crowd right behind them, so Nia picks up the conversation.
“Actually, we’ll probably be here for a few days for a mission. Granite called us in. Do you know who we could talk to about ordering some food and booking a room for the night?”
“You’re talkin’ to her,” the rabbit says with a wink. “I’ll get you taken care of, kiddos.”
The rabbit—a lopunny named Deidra, apparently—quickly takes their orders and sends word off with a passing Pokemon. Then, she pulls a key out from under the bar and presses it into Nia’s palm with instructions to head upstairs to the left, to the first door on the right. They’ll send their food up for them.
If Nia weren’t exhausted from the trip over, she might be tempted to stay downstairs and socialize with the townsfolk. Maybe learn how to play that game, even. As it is, though, she follows Tobias upstairs and to their room, flopping facedown into the first nest she sees.
“We’re waiting until tomorrow to go find Granite, right?” She asks into the bedding.
Tobias slumps into the nest beside her, groaning. “Definitely.”
Their food is delicious when a little round shrew Pokemon, gold and almost armored, brings it up to them. Smaller portions than she expects, but Nia barely makes it through the whole thing anyways before letting sleep take her.
She grumbles when Tobias shakes her awake the next morning, even if she feels leagues more rested than she did the night before.
“C’mon, I even let you sleep in,” Tobias says, nudging her in the ribs with his foot.
She whines and bats him away, trying to bury her face and return to sleep. “Your version of sleeping in doesn’t count.”
Tobias snorts. “Too bad, it’s the only one you’re getting. We’ve got a Pokemon to find and suspicious earthquakes to investigate.”
By time Tobias drags her outside, it’s still early morning but admittedly not as early as it could’ve been. The sun is just starting to rise above the horizon line. Long, cool shadows stretch across the dirt roads, and the air is still chilly, snapping Nia awake like a slap to the face.
She shivers, feeling the ruff of fur around her neck fluff with the cold. “O-Okay. Do we have any idea where to find this Granite guy?”
To her surprise, Tobias confidently points to their left. “I asked Deidra this morning. Apparently Granite’s a donphan who runs the general store closer to the edge of town.”
“Oh. Well, that makes it easier than I was expecting.”
The two of them stay to the side of the main dirt road and walk through town to their destination. Nia curiously eyes the townsfolk they pass. Most of them seem to be heading out for the day, a whole group—some of them holding what look like pickaxes—hopping into the back of a cart that’s setting off. A couple of kids run past a few moments later, giggling and chasing a ball—one of them looks like a tiny version of Deidra, and another is a little green plant Pokemon with a trio of leaves atop its head.
“Pretty lively place,” Nia comments, impressed.
“Pokemon gotta live, threat of earthquakes or not.”
Nia nods, frowning as they skirt around a bulky group of Pokemon arranging a palette of lumber and building materials. Behind them, a half-destroyed building is sunk into the earth, its foundations pulled out from under it.
Nia and Tobias carefully hop over a large crack still dissecting the dirt.
Nia sees less of the joviality of the townsfolk as they continue on, too distracted by evidence of injury and caution left by the earthquakes. Two Pokemon cross in front of them to enter a bank, chatting. Bandages wrap around one Pokemon’s head. Her companion walks with a slight limp.
Nia and Tobias finally reach their destination. The door opens with a jingle, and they steps into a quaint, quiet little shop. The wood creaks under her feet, and the air smells like stale air and old books.
Despite that, the store itself looks well-stocked with cooking supplies and odds and ends one might need around the house. There are familiar goods like maps and water flasks, as well as more foreign objects she’s unsure of the purpose of. Most everything is a warm shade of desert sand, tan or brown or a dusty gold.
Nia drifts towards the small section of books set up in the corner, thumbing through the frayed tomes. One of them looks particularly promising, and Nia spends a few moments flipping through it, considering the price tag.
It’s when the silence of the shop registers in Nia’s ears that she reluctantly puts it back, padding through the few shelves until she spots Tobias’ bright orange coloring.
He’s in front of a shelf of random knick-knacks, hand lying on the sleek wooden surface of…a small guitar? A ukelele, maybe? Something stringed.
Tobias’ face is soft and distant, lost in thought.
Faintly, Nia remembers Tobias doing something similar in Ghatha, among the instruments at a merchant’s stall. She’d almost forgotten.
She moves closer, murmuring, “Going to get one?”
Tobias shakes his head. “On our pay? Nah.”
Nia hums. Could she swing getting him something like this for Christmas? Do they even celebrate Christmas? Probably not. Birthday, maybe? When is Tobias’ birthday?
Heavy, slow footsteps come from the back room before Nia can ask, and the curtain is pulled aside by an elephant-like trunk. A sturdy, squat creature—a familiar-looking Pokemon, with a dark gray hide on his back like tire treads—steps out. What did Tobias say those were called in Ghatha? Donphan?
The Pokemon nods to Nia in greeting. Then he looks to her partner.
“Caught your eye, eh?”
Tobias jolts, pulling his hand away like the wood had burned him.
The donphan rumbles a quiet laugh, stepping closer. “S’all right to touch, boy. C’n tell you’ve got an appreciation for music.”
Tobias looks away, shrugging. His eyes flick back to the instrument, as if drawn to it.
Nia turns to the older Pokemon with a polite smile. “Hello! Are you Granite?”
“That I am,” the donphan gruffs, straightening a compass sitting on a shelf. “You two passing through? Can’t imagine what business you’d have here, let alone with me.”
Tobias tears himself away from the instrument to pull out and unfurl the letter from Rosalind. Granite immediately straightens to attention when he sees the looping scrawl, brow lowering.
“Rosa sent you two?”
“We’re stronger than we look,” Tobias grumbles.
Granite snorts. “Wasn’t worried ‘bout strength. Don’t know if strength is what we need. You’re just…younger than I expected. Sure hope you lot don’t owe Rosa much.”
“No debts. Just working for some information.”
Granite nods. “Good, good. Means you still have your head on your shoulders. Well, if Rosa sent you then that means she thinks you can help, one way or another.”
Nia blinks, surprised by the supposed show of…faith? “Really?”
Granite laughs like cracking stone, gravelly and sharp. “Don’t show that lack of confidence to her. She’ll eat you alive.”
“Pretty sure we can’t hide anything from her anyways,” Tobias mumbles.
Granite gestures at Tobias with his tusks. “See? Smart. Well, I reckon smart might be what we need anyways. If you’re here to help, let me fill you in.”
The donphan gestures for them to follow him to the back room. After a moment of hesitation and a shared look, they do.
The room is a small kitchen area, with a low, square table just big enough to fit all three of them around it. Granite clears off a few dishes that look like they were leftover from breakfast, two sets of glasses and plates.
“So you’re here to figure out our little earthquake problem.”
Tobias nods. “What can you tell us? Rosalind’s letter just said that there was unusual earthquake activity and you wanted help looking into it.”
“‘S about the gist of it,” Granite sighs. “Earthquakes have been more common the past few years, just like natural disasters everywhere else. But the past few months have been…something’ else entirely. Earthquakes at least twice a week.”
“Whoa,” Nia breathes. “That sounds awful.”
“Just had one yesterday morning. We should be good for a day or two, but it’s still happening more often than we can keep up with.”
“We saw some construction ‘mon working on a building on the way over,” Tobias says.
“One of many,” Granite grumbles. “Ed’s crew has been busy day in and day out trying to keep up with all o’ the damages.”
“Pokemon are getting hurt too, aren’t they?” Nia asks softly.
“We’ve had a few deaths.”
Nia and Tobias exchange a grave look.
“One nearly killed my partner,” Granite gruffs, something dark in his gaze despite his casual words. “That was the last straw ‘fore I contacted Rosa.”
“Is there anything strange about them aside from the frequency?” Nia asks.
“The quakes…” Granite pauses, gesturing in a circle with his trunk. “They’re too localized to the town. I’ve talked to other travelers and merchants. Got a cousin a bit to the west o’ here. There’s the occasional quake outside of this radius, but nothing like the quakes we get every other night in Asra.”
“Could be the location,” Tobias murmurs.
“Since we’re down in a canyon?” Nia asks. “Would that make a difference?”
Granite makes a doubtful noise. “Possible, but something in my gut’s saying things just ain’t right. And my gut’s rarely wrong.”
“Do you think someone’s behind this?” Nia asks, surprised. “Like…intentionally causing the earthquakes?”
“I’m sure of it.”
“Wouldn’t some of the ground or rock types around here be able to tell if the earthquakes were unnatural?” Tobias asks. “I thought you were usually pretty in tune with stuff like that.”
Granite shakes his head. “If it’s being caused by a Pokemon, we can’t sense any move energy from it. And we’ve all been blamed for this enough—the remaining grounders and rock types are too scared to go digging for fear of being ran out of town or triggering something worse.”
Tobias slowly nods, taking that information in. “All right. Do you have any leads? Suspects?”
“If you ask the townsfolk, me ‘n all the other grounders,” the donphan scoffs, flicking his ears irritably. “I get it—the Pokemon causing this likely has to know some heavy ground moves. They need someone to blame, so it’s either us or the humans.”
Nia’s head snaps up to blink at Granite. Tobias clears his throat, but keeps his poker face much better as he speaks.
“The humans?”
Granite nods. “Had a few livin’ here before the quakes got real bad. They were gettin’ accused even before the grounders were. All that nonsense about the humans causing natural disasters or something. Couple o’ fights broke out and most of ‘em have left at this point.”
With each word, Nia’s stomach sinks further. There were humans here getting blamed for the earthquakes? With so much aggression thrown towards them that they felt forced to leave?
“That doesn’t sound very fair,” Nia whispers, voice breaking. Tobias sends her a warning look out of the corner of his eye.
Granite just snorts. “‘S not. None of this is.”
“What do you think?” Tobias asks him, cautiously.
If Granite notices their change in demeanor, he doesn’t comment on it. “I don’t want to go pointing tusks at anyone on a hunch.”
“But?” Tobias presses.
Granite sighs. “I…have a few suspects myself, but I can’t be sure those aren’t my own grudges talkin’. If you want somewhere to start, talk to Calder first. Only inteleon in all of Faren—tall, blue, wears a brown cloak. Can’t miss him. He’s the sheriff here and will want to know why you’re pokin’ around anyways. He might have somewhere for you to start.“
“So you want us to see what we can find first as an unbiased party.”
Granite nods. “Go poke around a bit and see what you come up with. You can stay here with me ‘n Keo while you’re investigatin’.”
“Thank you,” Nia says, grateful for the hospitality despite her sudden caution towards the town. She’d rather not have to pay for a hotel room the whole time they’re here.
“Thanks,” Tobias echoes, frowning down at the map. “Have no other Seekers looked into this? I thought there was a guild kind of close to here.”
“The closest one is the Pyrite Guild to the southwest,” Granite says, gesturing vaguely to his left. He sounds bitter as he adds, “‘Parently they’re spread too thin trying to cover such a wide area, so they’ve only sent one or two Seekers out to help with repairs and injuries.”
“So there’s already a Seeker team here?” Nia asks. “We could trade notes with them.”
Granite hesitates, then gestures vaguely at the wall in the direction of town. “We’ve only got one right now, been here a while. Kid named Samir. A skiddo. They’re tryin’ to help where they can, but they’re only one ‘mon. Plus, they’re having some difficulties communicating with the locals.”
At that, Nia frowns, tilting her head. “What do you mean?”
“Doesn’t speak,” Granite clarifies, lifting his head and using his trunk to touch at his throat. “Don’t know if it’s a physical thing or what, but haven’t heard a word from ‘em since they got here a few weeks ago. Seems frustrated when the locals don’t get what they’re trying to say, though, so I’d say it’s more than just them being quiet.”
Nia blinks. That…would be hard to navigate. “You said they’re a Seeker though, right? What about their partner?”
“Doesn’t seem to have one,” Granite says with a shrug of his broad shoulders. “Showed up one day with a note from the guild master and their badge and has been staying in town bunking with Leila and her kid ever since.”
Nia’s frown deepens, and she glances at Tobias, seeing the same thought on his face. He’d tried to become a Seeker on his own, and was promptly shut down. Why would this someone be sent out here all on their own for weeks on end? Yeah, the guild is spread thin, but even then it seems a bit dangerous to not have at least one more Pokemon with them.
“Anyway,” Granite sighs. “‘m hoping you two can give this whole situation a look with fresh eyes. Maybe figure out the cause of all this rather than just patching up the damage.”
Nia nods, straightening up. “We’ll do our best.”
“Grant?”
Nia startles as a new voice speaks from the next room over. A thin, bug-like arm pushes back the tapestry acting as a doorway, and something like a green and brown spider limps in from the back room. His limbs are strangely rounded, and reminds Nia of a creature from a video game.
“A spidops?” Tobias murmurs under his breath.
“Keo, I’m gonna tie you to that bed with your own silk if you don’t stop getting up with those injuries,” Granite scolds, moving to the bug type’s side.
“Like you could,” Takeo snorts, urging Granite to help him to the table. Reluctantly, the donphan does.
The spidops gives Nia and Tobias a cursory glance, his moustache-like mandibles twitching. “You the Seekers Rosa sent? Better bundle up, Charmander. Another bout of rain is rolling in.”
Nia glances at the window, surprised. “I didn’t think you’d get much rain out here.”
“We don’t, usually. Been a wet season for us,” Granite grunts. He’s still looking at Keo, something in his rough countenance wrinkled with worry. “If you two head out now you can get some talkin’ in before it hits.”
Nia recognizes a dismissal when she hears one, and her and Tobias rise to head out.
“Guess I’ll be using my cloak after all,” Tobias grumbles.
Granite gets Keo settled at the table before following Nia and Tobias to the front door of the shop. On the way, Nia’s eyes skim over the goods lining the shop shelves once more. Everything is intriguing, but expected.
Until a bright flash of blue and black catches her eye, and then red joins the mix—
A mirror.
Nia stops in her tracks, blinking back at her reflection with surprised ruby eyes. A small part of her mind whispers, Hope Giratina can’t fit through that.
Mostly, though, she’s just…caught off-guard. Aside from seeing her faint reflection in pools of water, she hasn’t really looked at herself much. And never this clearly. She’s somewhat used to being in the body of a riolu by now, but when she pictures herself she still thinks of herself as a human. Seeing her head tilt along with the crystal-clear creature in the reflection is…strange.
Granite chuckles, making her jump. “Ah, probably haven’t seen your reflection so clearly before, eh?”
Tobias has trailed back to her side, and scowls before turning the mirror away from them just slightly.
Nia looks to Granite, curious. “I’ve…never actually seen a mirror before.” Not since coming to the Pokemon world, at least.
“Doesn’t surprise me,” Granite says. “Mirrorstone is a bit harder to find nowadays. Asra used to be one of the largest sources for it, a few decades ago.”
“Mirrorstone?” Nia echoes. She doesn’t know exactly how mirrors are made in the human world, but she knows it’s not with something like that.
Granite taps the mirror’s surface with his trunk. “It’s a reflective mineral that used to be found in the mines around this town. Cleaned ‘em out decades ago, though. Miners have to head farther out to get anything good now.”
Nia files that info away as her and Tobias step outside, stopping on the edge of the dirt street. Granite waves them off and shuts the door behind them.
“So…where do we even start with something like this?” Nia asks, squinting up at the sky. It’s still bright and blue for now, but the horizon is darkening with clouds. The air is warming up as the sun rises, but it’s heavy with moisture, too.
“I guess where Granite suggested,” Tobias says, following her gaze to the sky. “We find the sheriff.”
“What does an inteleon look like?” Nia asks as they set off in a random direction.
“Beats me,” Tobias says, glancing into the open doors of the shops they pass.
Nia looks to him, surprised. It’s happened once or twice before, but she’s still caught off guard every time he doesn’t know what a specific Pokemon species is.
“I’m only 18 and I’ve spent my whole life in two places,” Tobias growls, giving her a sour look. “I can’t have seen every Pokemon that’s out there.”
“N-No, I know. Not blaming you. Just…How do we find him, then? Ask around?”
“Guess we have to,” Tobias grumbles. Nia, on the other hand, perks up at the chance to meet some new faces.
Luckily for Tobias, the first Pokemon they bump into—a sweet, quiet flower lady with a bandage around one leafy arm—says that Calder is likely checking in with the town doctor right now. Advantages of a small town where everyone knows each other and their routines, Nia supposes.
Sure enough, when they follow the lady’s directions to the local town doctor, they find someone who is just leaving, gently shutting the door behind them.
“That must be him,” Tobias whispers.
The sheriff is a tall, lanky blue lizard Pokemon with weirdly human proportions. A brown cloak sits on his shoulders, with a golden emblem similar to their Seeker badges clasping it closed. He does have an air of authority to him, in the way he walks. All solid, confident steps and straightened shoulders.
He notices the two of them immediately, long tail swishing. “Morning. Seekers passing through?”
“We’re here to look into the earthquakes, actually,” Tobias says, craning his head to look up at the much taller lizard. “Granite called us in.”
“Hm.” The sheriff’s eyes narrow, and Nia wonders if they maybe weren’t supposed to say that. But then the lizard nods, gesturing them off to the side of the building’s wooden porch. “Name’s Calder.”
“Nice to meet you! I’m Nia.”
Calder settles against the wooden railing, eyeing them silently for a few moments. Nia shifts uncomfortably, suddenly feeling small. Tobias stares back at the sheriff, as if daring him to do something.
“I respect Granite,” Calder starts. “He’s normally a very sensible ‘mon.”
“But?” Tobias prompts.
Calder looks off to the side, into town. “I think the close call with Takeo might have made him…a bit more paranoid than usual.”
“So you don’t believe him,” Tobias says flatly.
Calder looks down at his cloak. Or his badge, maybe. Brow furrowed.
“The earthquakes are…unusual. At their current rate,” Calder finally says. “But I have no evidence pointing to Pokemon interference.”
“Have you even looked into it?” Tobias asks.
Calder shakes his head. “It’s a poor excuse, but I haven’t had time to spare on something that…might just be a misled hunch. It’s been hard enough keeping up with the town and damages as is. Our doctor and construction crew are already working overtime.”
“That’s why we’re here,” Nia says with a smile. ”Granite wanted us to investigate.”
“Not a problem as long as you don’t cause trouble,” Calder retorts. “In fact, we could use some helping hands. Samir’s the only Seeker that Pyrite’s sent us, and I lost my deputy in a quake about a month back.”
“Oh,” Nia says softly, ears pinning back. “I…I’m so sorry.”
Calder takes a bracing breath, eyes closed, but when he responds his voice is steady. “Thank you. I’m trying to keep up with everything on my own, but there’s only so much I can do. Granite’s suspicions are unfortunately low on the list.”
“So you don’t have anywhere for us to start,” Tobias guesses.
“I don’t. You can ask around town if anyone’s noticed anything odd about the quakes. But—“ Calder’s gaze hardens. “Be careful what you say. Don’t accuse anyone. We’ve had enough issues with that as is.”
“The humans, you mean,” Tobias guesses, voice hard and almost accusing towards the inteleon.
“Tobias,” Nia mumbles, elbowing him. She looks back to Calder. “Got it. We’ll be careful. We don’t want anyone to get blamed.”
Calder nods. “See that you are. And let me know if you find anything you think is important.”
And with that, Calder pushes off the railing and walks past them, cloak billowing out behind him.
Tobias and Nia watch him go.
“Well he was no help,” Tobias says.
“Looks like we’re playing detective on our own,” Nia agrees. “I guess we just…look around town? Ask the locals if they’ve noticed anything strange about the quakes?”
Tobias shrugs, clearly reluctant to spend the day talking to a bunch of strangers. “I don’t have any better ideas.”
Nia takes the lead, and they try casually chatting up whoever they see milling about the town. Unfortunately, most Pokemon don’t seem to have any new information regarding the quakes, or anything odd they’ve noticed about them.
“Well, they’ve been destroying my crops more than I would’ve hoped,” The plant lady they’d spoken with before—a lilligant, according to Tobias—says when they ask, lifting her uninjured arm to her mouth in thought.
Nia blinks at her, surprised more by the fact that the delicate Pokemon is apparently a farmer. Huh. “Really?”
The lilligant nods. “Earthquakes don’t play well with all this rain. Makes everything a muddy mess. Not to mention most of our seeds are meant for the usual desert weather. Really putting a dent in the town’s food stores this month.”
The second Pokemon they talk to, a few buildings down, is a long fire centipede with a flame moustache. He clicks his mandibles in thought before speaking.
“There’s no rhyme or reason to ‘em, I’m afraid. And the grounders can’t seem to sense ‘em coming, either. One minute things are fine, the next the whole canyon’s a shakin.’ Scary stuff.”
By their sixth chat, Nia is starting to lose hope for an easy break in the case.
“They’re ussssually fairly short, thankfully,” The sand cobra in front of them says. Her friend, a round little cactus with arms, nods his whole body in agreement. “But they’re sssstrong, too. Enough to make the buildingssss and rockssss unstable.”
Tobias gives Nia an exasperated look that she pointedly ignores when she approaches their next potential informant.
“Oh! One of them happened right after I sneezed,” the little bunny child tells them, giggling. “So I thought maybe I did it, but It only happened that one time so prob’ly not.”
“Plus you’re not a ground type,” their friend, a little grass Pokemon, points out. Looking at them up close, they bear a resemblance to the lilligant they talked to earlier.
“Oh. Right.”
The twelfth Pokemon they interview is an elderly golem-like creature that looks to be made of blocks of…salt? His low, gravelly voice claims that the town’s misfortune is thanks to the anger of the gods.
“They have slept, and the world has forgotten them,” the Pokemon says, throwing out an angry hand. “And they do not take kindly to such irreverence.”
Thunder booms in the distance.
“Okay!” Nia says, voice just a notch too high as she claps her hands together. “On that note, we’ve uh—gotta go. Thankyoubye!”
“Ready for a different approach yet?” Tobias drawls as soon as they’re away from the salt block Pokemon.
“No, I’ve seen so many crime shows. I think. Interrogating people is a big step! Do you even have any other ideas?”
“Aside from not interrogating literal children? No.”
“Well, you never know—“
Nia stops as she spots her next victim. He’s a large orange creature that looks like a mix between a camel and a cow, with two rocky humps like small volcanoes atop his back. He’s unpacking large sacks of rice and beans from the back of a wooden cart much like the one Nia and Tobias rode in on. A harness is still attached to him from the journey.
“Pyre! That my grain?” A Pokemon calls from the upper floor of a building, leaning out the window. “We really need that this month.”
The camel-cow, Pyre apparently, calls an an affirmative, asking about the other Pokemon’s wife. The exchange is short but amiable.
“He looks pretty well-connected with the town,” Nia murmurs. “Let’s try him next.”
Tobias gives her a bored go ahead gesture, so Nia takes the lead in approaching the large Pokemon.
“‘Scuse me, sir, could we ask you about the—“
“No.”
Nia stops short, blinking. The camel-cow continues to unload sacks from the cart in silence. She…wasn’t expecting that brush-off after the considerably more friendly conversation she’d just witnessed.
“We were hoping to—“
“Don’t care.” Pyre shoots them both a glare. “Now leave me be and get out of here.” His short tail flicks, as if they’re flies to be shooed away.
Tobias steps up beside her, hands balled into fists. Uh-oh. “We’re trying to help, if you would—“
“Look,” the Pokemon says. He finally turns to them, nostrils flaring. “I don’t know why you’re poking your noses around, but you need to shut your mouths and move on.”
Okay, well that’s a bit aggressive. Nia puts a hand on Tobias’ arm to hopefully keep him from jumping this guy. Eyeing the muscles in Pyre’s thick legs and neck, she’s not convinced they could win.
“S-Sorry, I know we’re interrupting your work,” Nia says, trying to keep her voice light. Her heart is hammering in her throat, but she has a feeling starting a brawl wouldn’t be in their best interest, for a number of reasons. “But we’re trying to help—“
“We don’t want your help,” Pyre grunts, taking a threatening step forward that almost feels like it shakes the ground beneath them. The volcanoes on his back smoke and simmer loudly with heat. “We have enough to deal with without two know-nothing kids stirring up trouble!”
Okay, this is not a good situation. The townspeople who were chatting happily nearby just a minute before are deathly silent.
Pyre snorts, turning back to the sacks of grain. “If you’ve got any brains in those skulls you’ll leave before the next quake hits.”
“Is that a threat?” Tobias asks, burning hot enough beside Nia for her to feel it radiating off his skin.
Pyre’s ear flicks. “It’s an inevitability, boy. Keep talkin’ and you’ll wish all you two had to worry about was a quake.”
A low growl builds in Tobias’ chest, and Nia hurries to grab his arm, dragging him back with her a few steps.
“G-Got it. Sorry, sir!”
Nia takes off, dragging Tobias protesting and stumbling behind her until they’re hidden in the shade of a nearby building, next to some barrels.
Tobias yanks his arm free, his tail flame bright. “Why’d you do that?! I was going to give that stupid lump of coal a piece of my mind!”
“And that’s why I got us out of there,” Nia says dryly, stepping back to escape the heat pouring off Tobias in waves. “It’d be bad for us to get caught up in a fight, Tobias! We’re supposed to be on good terms with these people so we can gather info! Plus, he looked like he could literally crush us.”
Tobias scowls and jerks his head to the side, a trail of smoke following the movement. But he doesn’t argue.
“Let’s just…take a moment to cool off before moving on,” Nia suggests. She slides to the damp, cool dirt, sighing.
Tobias follows her lead, glaring ahead into nothingness. “I hope he’s our culprit so I get to kick his butt.”
Nia gives Tobias an amused look before sobering again. “He…was acting pretty aggressive. But do you think if he was causing the quakes he’d be so open about his animosity towards us trying to investigate?”
“Why else would he get so ticked off?”
Nia hums a wordless reply. She isn’t really sure. “I guess we might as well call him our first real suspect. See what Granite thinks.”
“Whatever,” Tobias says, clearly still stewing.
Tobias’ mood hasn’t improved much by time Nia drags them to the next Pokemon, a pair of large, olive green lizards—or dragons?—with weirdly tire-like dewlaps at their throats.
Or to the next, a chatty cream panther with a red jewel on her head who takes full advantage of a willing audience.
“—and I told Martha, because she is always withdrawing funds for her grandkids out near Pyrite, and I told her, next time you go into the bank take a good look at Aurum’s face and tell me she isn’t enjoying all the cash flowing through her business from these quakes, and she said—“
Nia is nodding along and trying to figure out how to politely extract herself from the conversation when that last part registers in her head.
“W-Wait, go back.”
“Hm? To what, dear?”
“That part about the, uh, the bank. Aurum?”
At Nia’s interest, Tobias visibly checks back into the conversation.
The panther’s eyes gleam as she leans forward, the rubies looped around her neck clicking together. “Oh, yes, that part is very interesting, isn’t it? I always thought that Aurum was an odd character, but she is clearly just delighted by all of the poké being withdrawn and invested into her bank to fund the damages the quakes cause. Doesn’t even try to hide it!”
Tobias, thank God, cuts in before the panther can get onto another tangent. “Thanks for the help.”
He pulls Nia away, the riolu giving the pouty panther an apologetic wave over her shoulder.
“I thought she’d never stop talking,” Nia breathes. Then she brightens. “But she gave us a lead!”
“The bank, right?”
Nia nods, letting Tobias take the lead. Chances are his sense of direction will actually get them where they want to go.
“You actually think that persian said anything useful among all the blabbering?” Tobias asks as they wait for a mudsdale-drawn cart to pass them.
“A banker who’s just a little too happy about all of the funds moving through her establishment due to the quakes? Definitely a red flag. Might as well check it out, right?”
Tobias doesn’t answer, but he leads them to the bank all the same. It’s a notably more secure building than the rest of the town, metal bars over the windows and more stone than wood making up its walls and floor. When they step inside, the small lobby area is quiet and surprisingly cozy, with a few potted cacti in the corners and a cushion or two offering seating for waiting customers.
A dragon is sitting behind the counter, accepting a pouch of what sounds like coins from a tall, white crane-like Pokemon. Sure enough, the dragon’s face lights up as she gets the coins in hand, quickly writing something down on the sheet of paper in front of her.
“I’ll get this to Eddy’s crew right away, Ranzi!” The dragon says, all cheer.
The crane Pokemon gives her a strained smile and a quiet word of thanks before walking to the door, passing Nia and Tobias along the way.
The dragon chirps, “One moment please!” before darting to the back of the building with the bag of coins. When she returns, she gives Nia and Tobias a toothy smile. She’s gray, with sharp fangs and a large golden crest atop her head. More golden plates guard her shoulders and wrists like armor.
“H’llo there! Can I help you two? Need to set up an account?”
Nia and Tobias exchange a look.
“Um, we were actually hoping to ask you about the recent earthquakes?” Nia says. “I’m Nia.”
“Aurum,” the dragon says in return, tilting her head. “What about the earthquakes?”
“Just if you’ve noticed anything weird about them?”
“Any patterns, anything you wouldn’t expect to see when they happen,” Tobias adds.
Aurum hums, tapping her long claws on the counter. “No, I don’t believe so! It’s strange how often they’re occurring, but otherwise they seem like regular old earthquakes to me.”
Tobias glances over his shoulder, towards the door. “Lots of customers due to them?”
“Oh, yes, lots!” Aurum says, brightening and puffing out her chest. “I’m making sure the transactions all go off without a hitch.”
“Uh…huh,” Nia says slowly, a little thrown off by the dragon Pokemon. She seems incredibly chipper about Pokemon losing money to terrible circumstances, but at the same time she seems almost…proud to be helping, rather than exalting in all of her riches.
Tobias squints at Aurum. “You seem…pretty happy about that.”
Well all right then, just come out and say it, Tobias.
Aurum nods happily. “Mhm! I’ve always loved my job because I get to see everyone’s beautiful, shiny money. But now I feel like I’m actually helping, too! Keeping everything running smoothly while the quakes are causing so much trouble, you know?”
It’s nothing more than a gut feeling, but Nia suddenly believes this dragon is nothing but genuine. She almost feels bad for coming in here determined to make her a suspect.
“That’s…a nice way to look at it,” Nia says, deflating and giving Aurum a weak smile. “Thanks for talking to us, Aurum.”
“Of course! Let me know if you do want to open an account. I’d be glad to help!”
Tobias gives Nia a perplexed look, but follows her back outside without a word. The wind blows hard, and Nia finally thinks she feels a cool raindrop hit her fur. Tobias must feel the same, because he reaches into their satchel to pull out the green rain poncho he’d stuffed in there earlier, tugging it on over his head.
“So. Thoughts,” Tobias says.
“Aurum is…interesting.”
Tobias snorts. “One way to phrase it. Do you think she has a hand in the quakes? You wanted to leave pretty quickly.”
Nia sighs. “The opposite. I don’t think she has anything to do with it. She seems too…genuine.”
Tobias gives her a look. “You? Trust someone based off of nothing at all? No.”
Nia’s mouth twists. “I mean…we can keep her on the suspects list, just in case. But…”
“It’s gotta be that stupid camerupt,” Tobias grumbles.
Nia laughs. “Pyre? Maybe. Are you still mad about him?”
Tobias gives her an incredulous look. “Are you not?”
Nia shrugs. “I mean, I definitely don’t want to talk to him again, but there’s not really any point in me staying mad about it.”
Tobias rolls his eyes. “You’re too nice.”
Nia gives him a playful nudge. “I think you’re just getting hangry. It’s way past lunch time.”
Tobias opens his mouth to retort, then shuts it again. “…Hangry?”
“Yeah, angry because you’re hungry.”
“Okay, that’s—“
There’s a distinct tap tap on the porch behind them, catching their attention.
It’s a goat. A little taller than Nia and Tobias, with a mane of leaves wreathing their neck. Small, curving horns sit atop their head, framing a serious brown and white face.
“…Yeah?” Tobias says, clearly wary.
The goat tilts their head, flicking their gaze from Nia to Tobias and back. Questioning.
Nia catches sight of the darker green scarf tied around their neck, half-buried in leaves. A familiar badge gleams out at them, nearly identical to her and Tobias’ own.
“Oh! You must be Samir. Granite mentioned you,” Nia says, smiling warmly. “I’m Nia. This is Tobias. We’re Seekers too, brought in to help with the earthquakes.”
The skiddo nods back. Curt and professional.
There’s an awkward beat of silence. One of the Pokemon down the road—part of the construction crew working on the damaged building they’d passed this morning—yells something about finishing up what they’re working on before the rain comes in.
“Do you have any info?” Tobias finally asks, jumping straight to the point. He hesitates. “I mean—not sure how you would share it, but…I know finger-sign. I don’t know how well that translates when you don’t, y’know…have fingers, but. Yeah. Info?”
Samir tilts their head again, brow furrowing in clear confusion.
“Info about what might be causing the earthquakes,” Nia clarifies. “We were brought here to investigate.”
The skiddo blinks, clearly bewildered. They shake their head.
Tobias squints. “You…don’t have any info?”
Samir huffs at him, then shakes their head again with an insistent click of their hoof. Nia stares at them, hopelessly lost.
“I’m sorry, I don’t know—“
Nia cuts off as the skiddo nimbly hops off the porch and makes quick, sharp strokes in the dirt with the tip of their orange hoof. Nia exchanges a look with Tobias and follows them down to read the words they’ve spelled out.
NO CAUSE
DISASTERS EVERYWHERE
WHY THINK CAUSE?
Nia falters. Right. Most of the town seems to believe that the quakes are natural. “W-Well…Granite thinks there’s something strange going on. He’s the one who called us in.”
“He pointed out how localized they are. Nowhere else in the Faren Desert are there this many earthquakes happening in such a short period of time,” Tobias adds.
Nia nods, pointing at her partner as if to say, Yeah, that too.
Samir makes a doubtful noise in their throat, looking at the two of them as if trying to figure them out. Finally, they shake their head and write again.
HERE TO HELP
NEED HELP
“We’ll do that too, of course!” Nia says.
“But if something IS causing the quakes, the most helpful thing to do would be to stop it at the source,” Tobias finishes.
Samir is clearly frustrated with that answer. They scuff a hoof through their previous words, then write again.
NO CAUSE
EVIDENCE?
“We’re working on it,” Tobias grumbles. “We just got here last night.”
“We were hoping you might have some idea of where to start?” Nia asks. “We’ve been asking around about anything weird, but—“
Samir shakes their head immediately.
BUSY
REPAIRS
INJURIES
“Right,” Nia murmurs, reading the goat’s words. “You’ve been the only one here trying to help out for weeks, huh?”
For just a moment, the skiddo’s shoulders seem to slump. They scrape away the words with a swipe of their hoof, gazing down at the little ruts left in the dirt with tired, unhappy eyes.
“If you help us look into this, we might be able to fix all of that,” Nia says.
Samir takes a moment to look at Nia, dark eyes intense. She gives them a smile, hoping they can tell how sincere she is.
Finally, they sigh and write something new with quick, messy jabs of their hoof.
FIND EVIDENCE
Nia brightens. “Sure! That’s what we’re working on right now anyways. We’ll let you know when we find it.”
The skiddo looks much less optimistic than Nia, but simply shakes their head and wipes away the words.
Then, they stand and give both Nia and Tobias a firm nod, before trotting past them further into town. Nia blinks after them, a bit surprised by the sudden departure. It didn’t feel angry, necessarily, but just…exasperated. As if they were children wasting valuable time.
“Again. So helpful,” Tobias drawls.
“They…seemed stressed,” Nia defends weakly. “It makes sense they don’t want to waste time on what might be a dead end when the town is barely holding itself together.”
“I guess,” Tobias grumbles. “Back to it?”
“I wanted to talk to that construction crew working down the road,” Nia says, pointing. “Let’s try them next.”
Tobias nods, leading the way. “Think they might have noticed something about the quakes that everyone else missed? Since they work on repairs every day.”
“That’s what I’m hoping for!”
They approach the building that was shaken right off its foundations, half of it sunk into the dirt. The construction crew looks to be packing it in for the day, collecting their tools and casting glances at the heavy gray clouds covering the sky like a thick blanket.
Nia hesitates as she tries to decide who to get the attention of. There’s a blue otter Pokemon nearby, but he’s barking orders to the other Pokemon, so he’s probably the one in charge.
“The dewott looks too busy. Let’s try the aggron,” Tobias murmurs, pointing out a large Pokemon who looks to be loading all of the crew’s tools back into a cart.
He’s all thick black plating and silver armor, with a sturdy tail and two sharp horns jutting from his helmet-like head. His icy blue eyes are focused on his work.
Nia gulps, intimidated by the sheer strength in the Pokemon’s movements. Tobias gives her an unimpressed look and pads forward first.
“Hey. Got time for a quick question?”
“Hm?” The aggron glances down at the two of them. His voice is deep, but casual. “Sure, little Seekers. What’s up?”
“Has your crew noticed anything weird about the earthquakes that have been happening?” Tobias asks.
The aggron pauses to frown at them. “Weird?”
“Like, um…strange patterns for when they happen?” Nia asks. “Anything that just feels…not natural?”
The aggron’s heavy tail sweeps across the dirt, scattering pebbles and dirt with it. His eyes narrow at Nia. “If you’re tryin’ to imply something just because I can use ground type moves—“
“N-No!” Nia hurries to say, waving her hands in front of her. “We just thought since you guys do construction, you might’ve noticed something?”
“You were the only ‘mon not moving around or giving directions,” Tobias adds. “So we thought we’d ask you.”
The aggron sighs, his breath nearly a gust of wind. “Sorry. Been a rough couple o’ months. I mean, good pay. Bad…everything else.”
“I’m sure,” Nia murmurs.
“Anyways,” the aggron says, tossing a toolbox into the cart before reaching for a palette of wood. He lifts the giant stack of lumber with a single arm. “No, haven’t noticed anything too weird. Nothing that no one else hasn’t, at least.”
He grunts as he throws the palette into the cart as well. “Lots of quakes. Lots of rain. The whole world is dealing with this kind of stuff more and more, so I guess this is just our lot. S’ a pain to deal with, though.”
“Least we aren’t stuck in the mines when all these quakes are happening,” a primeape adds as he drops a bundle of rope into the cart in passing. “I’d be terrified of a cave-in.”
The aggron huffs. “True.”
“Granite mentioned that this used to be a mining town,” Nia says, watching the primeape move back to the building to help secure the temporary supports.
“Sure was,” the aggron says, taking a moment to lean against the cart and look down at them. “My dad was a miner before we wiped the minerals out of this canyon. A lot of the town still mines, but they have to head out into the desert to do so.”
Ah. That would explain the group of Pokemon with pickaxes that she’d seen head out earlier in the day.
“What—“
“Cody. Need you on the west side of the building.”
The aggron—his name is Cody?—jolts, looking behind Nia and Tobias. “Right. Sorry, Eddy. On it.”
Cody hurries off to help the other construction ‘mon, heavy steps shaking the earth beneath him.
Nia turns to the newcomer—Eddy. It’s the dewott she’d seen shouting orders before. He has two seashells hooked into the fur on each hip, his black-tipped paws planted right over them.
“Can I help you?” He asks. “We’re trying to wrap up here.”
As if to accentuate his point, a raindrop falls between them, making a dark circle in the dirt. Then another. Tobias crinkles his nose and flips his hood up over his head.
“Sorry to interrupt,” Nia says apologetically. “We’re Seekers looking into the earthquakes. Have you noticed anything strange about them? Anything off?”
“Not this again,” Eddy grumbles, pinching at the area between his eyes. “Is this about Cody? Look, you can’t just go around blaming every Pokemon who can use earthquake. I’ve got a lot of good ‘mon on my crew who are just trying to live their lives and help the town.”
“We’re not trying to blame anyone!” Nia insists. “J-Just wondering if you’ve noticed anything weird that might help us figure more out about the quakes.”
The otter shakes his head, whiskers whipping. “They’re quakes. Nature. Nothing predictable about it. Look, we’ve gotta wrap this up. Talk to Calder if you want the scoop on the town.”
With that, Eddy turns and heads back to his crew. Nia sags. She’d really been hoping they’d get a lead here. As if to match her mood, the rain starts sprinkling in earnest, dotting the dirt with quiet little plips.
Tobias shuffles closer to the half-destroyed building, glaring up at the sky. Nia sighs. It’d probably be best if they went inside, at least for now. Maybe they need to take a break anyways.
“Want to head to the saloon?” Nia asks.
“I can handle a little rain,” Tobias scoffs, despite the fact that he is quite literally hiding from it.
“You’re hungry too, right?” Nia asks, waiting for Tobias’ agreement. “We could try waiting out the rain while we get some food. Maybe talk to Deidra and see if she has anything to share since we haven’t been there yet.”
Thunder rolls in the distance, and Tobias reluctantly steps away from the shelter of the building. “Fine. Let’s go.”
Nia follows his brisk pace across town, trying to keep the optimism she’d started with. There has to be a lead somewhere, right? Even if everyone in town seems convinced that it’s just nature breaking down, Granite’s conviction sticks in her mind.
Something has to be going on. And Nia’s going to find out what.
Chapter 44
Summary:
Trouble crops up in Asra. Tobias and Nia find a new lead.
Chapter Text
They arrive back at the saloon right as it starts to rain in earnest.
Tobias ducks inside and flips down his hood. Nia is right on his heels, and she shakes the rain out of her fur in a full-body wiggle. He wrinkles his nose and steps away to avoid the splatter.
There are still a decent amount of townsfolk scattered around the large open room, thought not as many as last night. Still, the mood is light and the air is warm with the scent of food. Tobias and Nia make their way up to the bar, climbing onto the smaller stools on one end.
Deidra glances their way with a smile. “Hello, little Seekers. How’s your mission going?”
“Great,” Tobias drawls, putting every ounce of exasperation he’s feeling into his voice.
The lopunny fills up a glass with some water from an icy pitcher. She slides that over to Nia, who takes it with a quiet word of thanks and chugs it.
Deidra also rolls a hydration berry to Tobias, and he gratefully accepts it with a nod of thanks, biting into its plump skin. While Tobias savors the cool juice filling his mouth, he looks at the rows of glasses lining the shelves behind Deidra. They reflect the warm colors and lights of the place.
After a minute or two of silence, Deidra finally asks, “Rough start to the investigation, then?”
“You could say that,” Nia mumbles, head pillowed on an arm as she plays with her empty water glass.
“You’re looking for someone who could be causing the quakes, right?” Deidra says.
“N-No, we’re not trying to blame anyone!” Nia scrambles. “We just wanted to know if anyone saw anything weird—“
Deidra gives her a knowing, amused smile.
Nia gives up, dropping her head back to her arm.
“How did you know? That we suspect they’re intentional,” Tobias asks, cautious.
Deidra laughs. “You said Granite called you in, right? He’s a sweet old fella, but he has loose lips when he’s upset. And I’ve never seen him angrier than when Takeo was injured, goin’ on about finding out who hurt him.”
“So everyone knew we were looking for suspects anyways,” Nia mumbles dejectedly.
Tobias sighs, planting his chin inn his hand. “We aren’t so great at this investigation business.“
“I don’t know if I would trust Granite’s hunch so much,” Deidra says, putting a glass away with a clink. Her voice is good-natured, but confident. “What would someone even get out of causing these earthquakes?”
“That’s what we were trying to figure out,” Nia whines, dropping her head to the counter with a thump. “We need some kind of lead! A motive at the very least, but…”
“The injuries and deaths don’t seem targeted,” Tobias sighs. “So I don’t think it’s an attack on anyone specific. But I can’t think of what else it could be.”
Deidra hums. “And what if it is just nature doing its thing? What will you do then?”
Tobias shifts uncomfortably in his seat, unnerved by the thought. They certainly aren’t getting Rosalind’s “payment” if that’s the case. And he’s desperate for that info.
They’re cut off from answering by a shout from outside. Angry. Another voice quickly follows the second, excited.
Deidra stills, looking to the shuttered windows with a small frown. Nia and Tobias exchange a glance, and this time he’s ready to follow her as she slides off her stool and hurries back out to the street.
Through the light rain, there are two small groups of Pokemon. A scuffed up smoliv is struggling to sit up in the mud. A stunky crouches defensively in front of them, glaring up at the other Pokemon with bristling fur
A heliolisk leads the other group, looking down at the two Pokemon with his collar extended and static crackling across his scales. A swaying maractus and a sneering mudbray flank him. A girafarig hovers near the back of the group, simply watching.
“Hey!” Tobias shouts, flipping up his hood and following Nia to plant himself in front of the cowering Pokemon. The rain stings the exposed skin on his tail and hands like little pinpricks. “What’s going on here?”
“This has nothing to do with you, brats,” the heliolisk hisses.
The mudbray and maractus shout in agreement. The girafarig, strangely enough, looks caught off-guard by their appearance, blinking and taking a step back.
“Four against two is a bit of an unfair fight, isn’t it?” Tobias growls.
“What’s unfair is that little green freak walking around like he has nothing to do with all this!” The heliolisk snarls, gesturing first at the smoliv behind Tobias and then swinging his arm in the direction of the nearest building under construction.
Nia falters, blinking rain out of her eyes. “What?”
Tobias glances back at the little grass type, shivering and crying in the mud. The stunky has curled around him protectively.
“He’s a human!” The mudbray jeers, stomping a hoof in the mud and seeming unphased by the rain. “Didn’t get out with the others when he had the chance.”
Oh, so that’s what this is about. Nia stiffens beside him, and when he glances at her he catches a flash of bright blue in her eyes, a rare sort of anger furrowing her muzzle. Her stance widens.
Good. Tobias thinks these idiots need a lesson, too.
“How about you stop blaming people who never asked to be brought here in the first place?!” Nia snarls. “W-They have nothing to do with the earthquakes!”
The heliolisk doesn’t even try to retort. He simply hisses again and leaps forward to attack, crackling with electricity. Tobias and Nia tense to counter him, and—
A jet of water shoots between Nia and Tobias. It hits the heliolisk, knocking him out of the air. A second and third burst of water hit the mudbray and maractus and sends them sprawling back into the mud.
Someone steps up beside Tobias. Surprised, he looks up, only to see Calder’s tall figure, lidded eyes cold.
“Kern, I told you you were not to go picking fights. Especially with the humans.”
“The humans?” The heliolisk spits mud out of his mouth, tail lashing. “When’re you gonna stop protecting them, Calder? It’s only been a month since Pan was killed. Pyre’s little girl was hurt in the last quake. How many have to die before you realize they’re a problem?”
Calder’s hand, right at Tobias’ eye level, curls into a fist. Something angry in Tobias’ chest delights in it.
“Kern,” Calder says, voice hard. “Go home. Now. This isn’t a fight you’re going to win.”
The heliolisk glares, and for a moment Tobias thinks he’s going to lunge again. Nia is still just as tense and battle-ready as Tobias. The rain continues to fall, dripping from Tobias’ hood.
Finally, Kern scoffs and turns to leave, slapping muddy water their way with his tail. Tobias steps back, baring his teeth. The mudbray glares at Calder before following, and the maractus nervously hops after them. The girafarig is nowhere to be seen, somehow having slipped away during the argument.
Calder turns to crouch in front of the stunky and smoliv, helping the grass type to his feet. “Are you two all right?”
The smoliv, still sniffling, offers a weak smile and a nod. Stunky gives the tall water type a word of thanks.
“You both should head home,” Calder says. “I’ll talk to Kern.”
Smoliv and Stunky lean on one another, and give Nia and Tobias a grateful look before hurrying off into the rain.
For a moment, all is quiet. Then, in the distance, the splashes of someone running towards them. Tobias tenses, but relaxes again once Samir comes into sight, breathing hard. The skiddo glances at Nia and Tobias before settling on Calder.
“Already scared off the troublemakers,” Calder says. “Guessing you heard word of another squabble breaking out?”
Samir nods.
“‘Nother fight directed at one of the humans.”
“It’s not the humans’ fault,” Nia says quietly, voice wobbly. “They didn’t even ask to be brought here.”
Calder nods, turning in the direction Kern and his cronies left. “‘M well aware, Riolu. Kern is just scared out of his wits. Lookin’ for someone to blame.”
“Still stupid,” Tobias says bitterly. He can’t believe he used to believe that nonsense himself. Or at least didn’t care enough to find out the truth.
Samir flattens their mouth, thoughtful as they follow the inteleon’s gaze. Then, they gouge something into the mud with their hoof and splash twice to catch everyone’s attention.
Nia turns her head to read it before it can be washed away. “Stranger?”
Calder hums. “You’re right. I don’t know the girafarig. Seen ‘em come into town yesterday with their son. Seems like they might be stirring’ up trouble we don’t need. I’ll find ‘em and give him a talking to.”
The inteleon glances over Nia and Tobias once more, as if to check for injuries, then sets off in the direction Kern fled.
Tobias is kind of surprised that Samir doesn’t follow him. Instead, the skiddo looks to Nia, brow furrowed with quiet concern. They tilt their head.
Nia gives the grass type a weak smile. “I’m fine. Thanks. Just…I know some humans. They’re wonderful.”
Tobias is too distracted to fully appreciate Nia’s decent cover story. The stinging rain is really starting to hurt.
He nudges Nia and heads for the nearest unoccupied building with a front porch. He sighs in relief once he sits on the wood underneath, the rain beating on the canopy overhead. Still damp and uncomfortable, but nothing like the feeling of sharp claws poking at his scales.
After a moment, Nia follows, Samir on her tail. Tobias isn’t even surprised—he’s noticed that she tends to collect lonely Pokemon, like they get trapped in her orbit.
She picks a far corner of the porch to shake off, then returns to his side and plops down, a little too close. He can see she’s upset about what just happened, though, so he doesn’t say anything.
Samir settles hesitantly on Nia’s other side, glancing at them as if to gauge if this is all right.
“I don’t know why they keep blaming humans for everything,” Nia sniffs after a long silence. She wraps her arms around her knees. “They didn’t ask to be brought here.”
Something about that sentiment jabs at Tobias—is it really so bad here, aside from jerks like that?—but he swallows it down. “Pokemon like that are just a few ‘mon short of a falinks.”
Nia snorts, giving him a weak flash of a smile. “Guessing that means they’re not too bright?”
“Yup.”
Samir shifts, looking like they want to say something. After a few moments, they sit up and use the wet mud on their hoof to write a short, messy message.
Tobias and Nia both turn their heads, trying to read it.
TOWN GOOD
“Town…good?” Nia echoes, clearly just as lost as Tobias is.
The skiddo nods, then jerks their chin in the direction the stunky and smoliv ran off. Then down the road, to the saloon, where warmly lit windows and a rabble of voices can be seen and heard even from a few buildings down.
“Oh,” Nia murmurs. “You’re trying to tell us that they’re good people, despite…well, everything.”
Samir nods, just once. Resolute.
“Sure. Except those four from earlier,” Tobias mumbles.
Samir raises their brows and tilts their head at Tobias, as if to say, Okay, except them.
Tobias snorts.
Nia sighs. “I know. There are jerks everywhere. And I know there are good people here, too.”
“Like Pyre?” Tobias drawls.
Nia’s expression fades into a thoughtful frown. “Did you hear what that lizard said? He said Pyre’s daughter got hurt in the last quake.”
Oh, right. Tobias had already forgotten about that.
Samir nods, catching their attention.
“Bad?” Nia asks, looking worried.
Samir makes a so-so gesture.
“Well no wonder he didn’t like us asking about the quakes,” Nia murmurs, looking remorseful as her ears pin back. “He probably doesn’t even want to think about them.”
“Still didn’t have to get so aggressive,” Tobias mutters, even as most of his ill will towards the camerupt bleeds away.
The three of them sit in silence for a few minutes, listening to the patter of the rain as it falls, slowly making puddles and tiny trenches out of the wheel tracks and footprints in the road. It’s only late afternoon, but it feels later, the sky dim and clouded over. The rain seemed to come on so quickly, for such a nice morning. Almost feels like the town has as much a rain problem as an earthquake problem, considering this is supposed to be a desert.
“Should we try talking to more townsfolk at Deidra’s place?” Nia finally asks.
Samir lifts their head from where they’d laid it on their hooves, giving the riolu an incredibly exasperated look.
“We haven’t found any hard proof yet, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t there!” Nia protests the silent jab, throwing her arms up. Huffing, she pushes herself to her paws and hops down the steps to the muddy ground.
Tobias groans and pushes himself up too, reluctantly pulling his hood over his head and following her, cringing at the water and mud against his feet. It doesn’t necessarily hurt on his tougher soles, but it doesn’t feel great either.
“How long do we stick to the foul play theory without any evidence?” Tobias asks as he catches up to her. “I feel like we’re getting nowhere fast. What if they really are just regular earthquakes and Asra has terrible luck?”
They’re approaching the garganacl who had been yelling about angry gods earlier. He’s just standing out in the rain like a weirdo. Tobias steers Nia around him in a wide arc, not wanting to deal with that again.
Nia glances back at the towering Pokemon. “It couldn’t actually be the legendaries causing these quakes, could it..?”
“Unless they’re suddenly back from wherever they went for their decades-long nap and decided to spite Asra specifically? Doubt it.”
They finally make it back to the saloon, stepping inside to light and chatter. Nia wipes her paws at the door, and Tobias follows her lead before moving closer to the bar. He can hear the quiet tap of Samir’s hoofsteps following them.
They pass the construction crew on the way, all of them crowded around two tables shoved together. Looks like they’re playing cards and betting stacks of poké.
The dewott boss they met earlier, Eddy, reaches into a pouch and slaps more coins on the table. The other ‘mon all jeer and shout excitedly, one obnoxious ursaring guffawing about him being an awful big spender for such a little Pokemon.
Tobias rolls his eyes. Must be nice to have bags of cash to throw away. He would actually be able to afford that little guitar in Granite’s shop if he were so lucky.
They finally make it to the bar, pulling themselves up onto the stools. Samir hops onto their own with impressive grace.
“Hey, Deidra,” Nia greets tiredly. “We’re back.”
The lopunny, strangely enough, doesn’t respond. Tobias glances up from where he’d been looking at the scabbed-over wound on his leg.
Deidra is standing stock still, her long ears twitching. A long-forgotten pitcher is held in one of her paws. She’s staring at the nearest dirty glass on the counter. A little leftover juice is still present.
It’s…rippling, ever so slightly.
Tobias straightens up, a bad feeling growing in his gut.
“Deidra?” Nia asks, hesitant.
The lopunny’s pink eyes widen with alarm. Then she shouts, loud enough to be heard over the din of the crowd, “Quake incoming!”
The noise dies away as Pokemon stop eating and drinking and gambling, all of them looking to her with startled expressions. For a moment, there’s a terrible silence.
Tobias hears it before he feels it. First a low hum, like a distant hive of beedrill. Then the rattling starts. The glasses behind Deidra start to clink against one another like chimes.
Tobias hears some Pokemon behind him shout—a few thumps, the frantic scrape of chairs scooting away from tables.
And then the earthquake hits. Tobias can feel it shifting under him like the one time he’d ridden on a boat at sea. Rough, choppy waves, tugging the earth beneath him one way and then another, making everything in his vision blur.
He grips the edge of the counter, terror blooming in his gut as he grits his teeth. Deidra has disappeared from view. A few glasses shake free from the shelf and shatter to the floor. The paintings and pictures on the walls bounce and clatter.
And Tobias realizes he doesn’t know what to do in an earthquake. In hindsight, maybe that was the first thing they should’ve asked upon arriving to Asra.
But then Nia is grabbing his arm and dragging him off the stool to scoot under the counter, pressing close to his side. Samir quickly joins them, even the steady skiddo wobbling as the shaking intensifies.
The wooden foundations of the building itself seem to creak and crack. Tobias hears a loud snap like a tree broken in half, followed by a deafening crash. More frantic shouts and noise.
The shaking continues.
It feels like forever. It feels like an instant.
And then, slowly, too slow to realize until it’s nearly finished, it all stops. Silence rings in Tobias’ ears. It’s broken only by the occasional clatter of an item dropping to the ground, and the roaring of his heart.
He blinks and realizes he’s clutching Nia’s arm in a death grip. He slowly, numbly convinces his fingers to let go. Nia, eyes huge with fright, glances at him.
“I-Is it over?” She whispers.
“Dunno,” he mumbles, blinking hard and trying to determine if the shaking he thinks he feels is just an echo of the experience bouncing around his skull. He thinks so. He’s starting to hear the faint traces of voices piping up from the rest of the room.
Slowly, he crawls out from under the counter, eyes immediately drawn past the nearest toppled chairs and tables and crouching Pokemon to where rain is pattering inside one half of the building.
A support beam fell. Crashed through the far wall. Luckily didn’t take the whole building down with it, but a good chunk of it. The floorboards around that area are a good half-meter deeper than the rest of the building, as if a slab of earth right below was ripped out from under it.
The only bright side is that Tobias doesn’t see any Pokemon trapped under the worst of the wreckage. There are a few getting to their feet who are clutching at their heads or leaning into each other, but Tobias doesn’t see any immediate, fatal injuries.
“I-Is everyone all right?” Deidra’s voice calls, shaky but clear.
Tobias glances back to find the lopunny leaning on the bar, looking out over the patrons. Blood is trickling from a gash on her head down into her cream fur. Her gaze flicks to Tobias, Nia, and Samir as they emerge, and something in her expression lightens with relief.
There’s a smattering of halfhearted calls and some thumbs-up, the Pokemon around them helping their neighbors back to their feet.
“Thank goodness. Hope the rest of the town is all right, too,” Deidra mutters, hobbling out from behind the bar with a fluffy paw to her head. She eyes the decimated half of her saloon with something between grief and exhaustion.
Samir stiffens at the lopunny’s words, ears dropping and eyes widening.
“What—“
They take off through the gap in the wall and to the left, bounding through mud and puddles towards the other end of town.
“Samir!” Nia calls, reaching after them. She looks to Tobias with worried eyes. “What was that about?”
Tobias shrugs.
“Do you think they’re all right? They looked really freaked out.”
“Probably just checkin’ on miss Leila and her little one,” A deep voice says behind them, making Nia jump.
It’s Cody. The aggron was with Eddy’s crew, but he’s now helping Deidra sit, peering at her head wound. He nods a distracted greeting to them.
“Leila?”
“The lilligant down the road. She’s the one they’ve been boarding with the past few weeks.”
“Oh,” Nia murmurs, relaxing a bit. “I hope she’s all right.”
“Me too,” Cody rumbles, gaze flicking to the severe damage to the building. “That was a nasty one. All this rain’s making the soil too soft; the building’s foundations must be slipping.”
“What can we do to help?” Nia asks, paws wringing and eyes round with worry.
“Worry about yourselves first, hun. I’m sure Calder’s checking on everyone already,” Deidra says.
“We are Seekers, it’s kind of our job to help,” Tobias points out, watching Deidra carefully, checking her balance. “I used to be an herbalist, so I know a little bit about medical stuff.”
Cody looks surprised by that. Deidra waves Tobias off at the unspoken inquiry he must be radiating.
“A glass fell and cut me—I didn’t hit my head. Go check on the rest of the town then if you don’t mind, sweetheart. Just be careful.”
Tobias hesitates, but Cody nods to him. “I’ll watch her. Go see if Calder needs any help. And watch out for aftershocks.”
Nia weaves her way to the front door instead of the giant hole in the building, stopping along the way to quietly ask if everyone is all right. Tobias follows in her wake, flipping up his hood as they cross into the rain.
“Should we just go around and make sure no one needs help?” Nia asks. “Or look for Calder?”
“Don’t see why we can’t do both,” Tobias answers, looking one way and then the other. He can see townsfolk crowding the streets either way, their nervous voices a rabble of sound.
Nia’s ears twitch. “Should we…split up?”
Tobias’ mouth flattens unhappily. They rarely split up in a potentially dangerous situation, but… “Probably. We can cover more ground that way.” The town is small, but still too big for something like this.
Nia says she’ll take the east side of town, probably hoping to follow Samir and check on that lilligant. Tobias doesn’t protest, simply telling her to watch out for aftershocks before turning to start on his half.
Right away, one thing becomes clear: the town is a mess.
Either this quake was notably worse than the ones before, or the town has gotten proficient at making repairs, because Tobias doesn’t know how they could have missed this level of damage before.
Most buildings weren’t hit quite as hard as Deidra’s saloon, but there are still broken shutters hanging from their corners and lopsided steps sinking into the mud. A few signs have fallen from shop fronts to spear wooden porches. One of the nearest carts is tipped over, a few crates and goods spilled out into the mud. Shallow fissures divide the dirt into a giant jigsaw puzzle.
At least the rain has finally stopped.
And of course, the townsfolk are in a tizzy. Neighbors are bustling around the muddy streets, chatting anxiously with one another. A graveler and trapinch nearby say something about going to check on some old ‘mon named Roger.
Tobias takes a breath and tries to channel Nia’s obnoxious sense of helpfulness. He approaches the first of the Pokemon who seem like they might need help righting their property or dealing with injuries. One turns to two, then three, and he moves from Pokemon to Pokemon, checking in on each little cluster of townsfolk to see who needs him next.
“Thank you so much, little flame,” a red oricorio with an injured wing says as Tobias splints it up with a small rod of broken wood. Her friend, a watery-eyed wooper, nods gratefully.
“‘S not a permanent fix,” Tobias says, tightening the scrap of handkerchief they had on hand for him to use. “Go to the town doctor as soon as you can so it doesn’t set wrong.”
“Still,” the oricorio says, waiting until Tobias reluctantly meets her eyes to smile. “We’ve been on our own for a while, other than Samir. And Calder can only do so much on his own. It’s been scary, dealing with all of this—even this bit of help means a lot for our peace of mind.”
Once again, the teary wooper nods his head so hard Tobias is afraid he’ll give himself a concussion.
Tobias frowns down at the wing held delicately in his claws, something about that sentiment settling cold and hard in his gut. He came to Fort Asra to get info about Team Zenith, but…these Pokemon really do need their help.
A new fire lights in Tobias’ chest. He huffs, straightening up and nodding to the pair. “Well…we’ll do our best to help however we can.”
Tobias moves into helping the other Pokemon with a bit more vigor, checking bumps and bruises and crying Pokemon for serious injuries. Others request that he help them straighten out damaged carts and wooden stalls, worried about their livelihood breaking apart if left overnight.
“Push!” The lycanroc in charge of their current operation barks. He leans into the side of the downed cart with his full body.
Tobias and the other Pokemon recruited to help grunt and follow the order, using their full weight to push back against the cart. Slowly, it starts to tip upright again, the mud sucking at its creaking wood. Tobias growls, muscles straining, and turns with the other Pokemon once it’s halfway upright to use his arms.
Finally, the cart settles loudly back on its wheels. Covered in mud—much like Tobias himself—but in one piece. The Pokemon around Tobias cheer, a few high-fiving or letting off harmless attacks in celebration. A grapploct uses two of its tentacles to give Tobias a hearty slap on the back that makes him wince.
But their cheer is infectious, and Tobias quietly returns their smiles with a small grin of his own.
Then it’s back to moving from building to building and ‘mon to ‘mon, checking for injuries and anything else Tobias can help with. Find a crying child’s mother. Try (unsuccessfully) to calm down an anxious old primeape until her friend finally arrives to take her to the town doctor. Help clear a downed beam from a porch so the Pokemon living there can actually open their front door.
At one point, Tobias sees Samir pass him by, loaded down with medical supplies. The skiddo looks determined but calm, so Tobias assumes their boarder and her kid are fine.
He stops the skiddo and takes some of their stock of berries and gauze with him so he can better help patch up injuries.
By time Tobias has made it through his half of the town, night is falling. He’s covered in mud and absolutely exhausted. Still, he hadn’t ran across any Pokemon with life-threatening injuries and counts himself lucky for that. He hopes Nia had similar good fortune.
Tobias just…needs to take a breather. He groans and sits on the corner of someone’s porch, rubbing at his eyes. No wonder Samir has looked absolutely exhausted since Nia and Tobias met them. If they and Calder were the only ‘mons running around to help everyone after incidents like this, Tobias can’t imagine how they managed it.
Tobias looks up as he hears quiet footsteps approach, surprised but relieved to see a familiar blue and black Pokemon.
“Hey,” he says. “How’d things go on your end?”
Nia gives him a weak smile, clearly just as exhausted as he feels. She hops up on the porch to sit beside him.
“Lots of small injuries. One or two Pokemon probably have broken bones, but Calder sent the doctor to help them so I think they’ll be okay. Plenty of damage, though. You?”
Tobias nods. “Pretty much the same.”
There’s a moment of quiet. Tobias watches as lamps start lighting in the windows of some of the nearby buildings, glowing against the dark of dusk. The silhouettes of Pokemon are still out and about, moving from one building to another, busy but no longer panicked.
“We need to figure out the cause of these quakes,” Nia murmurs, following his gaze.
Tobias grunts his agreement.
“I hope Granite and Takeo are okay. I got called away before I could check on them so Calder said he’d stop in.”
“They seem tough,” Tobias replies, pointedly ignoring the fact that Takeo almost died from one of the previous quakes. “I’m sure they’re fine.”
Nia looks unconvinced, nervously drumming her fingers against the wood of the porch.
“C’mon,” Tobias sighs, slipping off the porch and to the mud. “Let’s head back for the night.”
Nia gives him a surprised look, so he shrugs. “We can’t do much for repairs at night anyways. Or investigating.”
Nia hesitantly nods, following him down to the ground as he picks his way back across town. “Right. We…we can pick the search back up tomorrow, when everyone is less rattled. We need a new approach, anyways.”
Tobias wholeheartedly agrees.
They make it back to the shop as the chill of night starts setting in. Tobias creaks open the front door, the jingle of its bell absent. He spots the dented metal bell on the floor, surrounded by all the other items that were shaken right off the shelves during the quake.
For a brief moment Tobias fears that the quake did hit this building hard, that something happened despite the soothing glow of a lamp dimly lighting the room.
Then he sees two somewhat familiar forms half-hidden behind a shelf, casting heavy shadows. Granite and Takeo look up from where they’re gathering the broken shards of what used to be some kind of jar, simply giving them a welcoming nod.
“Glad to see you two’re in one piece,” Granite says. “How’s the rest of town?”
“Some injuries,” Nia reports, carefully stepping around the mess to reach them. “But nothing too serious.”
“Lots of damage, though,” Tobias mumbles, eyeing the items scattered across the floor. “Cody thinks the mud is making the buildings more unstable.”
“Any deaths?” Takeo rasps.
Nia shakes her head. “No, I don’t think so. None that we heard of, at least.”
“Good, good.”
“If you’ve already checked on the town, help us clear this mess before someone steps on something and hurts themselves.”
Tobias reluctantly joins the two older Pokemon, taking the brush and dustpan that Takeo hands him. Granite gives Nia a burlap sack to collect any broken bits of their stock.
By time it’s all cleaned up—or at least out of the way so Granite doesn’t accidentally smash any of it underfoot—Tobias feels ready to sleep for a week. He’s been drenched in rain and shaken around by an earthquake, and as a fire type he thinks he deserves a little rest.
Nia managed to cut her hand on the little mirror they’d seen before, now in shards in Granite and Takeo’s trash can, and that was apparently the final straw because she looks just as done with the day.
But Granite insists they eat, and makes them sit down at the kitchen table.
“We’ve still got some beans ‘n bread left over from lunch. At least eat some of that before bed.”
Tobias is too tired to argue, and rests his head on his arms. Nia slumps against the table to his right.
“So,” Granite says, using a piece of flint to light some fire and warm up the food. “I know you’re both tuckered out, but that was the nastiest quake yet. Did you find anything out before it hit?”
For once, Nia doesn’t look eager to talk. She does after a beat of hesitation, sharing what little they know with much less energy than usual. That’s how you know she’s really tired.
When they’re done reporting on their disastrous attempt at gathering intel, Granite snorts a laugh.
“Sounds like a lot of useless drabble to me.”
Nia’s ears pin back. Before Tobias can snap at the donphan, he brings the heated food back over along with two unbroken plates.
“But you never know,” Granite says, looking pleased when Nia and Tobias immediately reach for the leftovers. “Could help you pull it all together down the road.”
Nia hums happily, some life visibly pouring back into her as she munches on the bread, dipping it into beans and gravy. Tobias relates—he’s so hungry that this tastes like the best food he’s ever eaten.
They clean the plate of leftovers in no time. Granite happily takes back their plates, chatting something about them needing full bellies to find the scoundrel responsible for this whole mess.
Nia and Tobias exchange a doubtful look. Granite, unfortunately, catches it, frowning as he dries a plate with a towel held in his trunk.
“What?”
Nia fiddles with the tablecloth. “W-Well, it’s just…we don’t mean to doubt you, but we still haven’t found any proof that the earthquakes are actually being caused by someone. Intentionally.”
Granite huffs, long ears twitching. “I told you how localized they are—how else would you explain them only hitting Asra this often?”
“An angry god?” Tobias suggests sarcastically, chin propped up on a fist.
“I see you met Roger.”
“Nice guy.”
Granite huffs a laugh. “He is. Just a bit superstitious. No, can’t imagine the legendaries would have somethin’ out for quaint little Asra. ‘Sides, this town has been here since before they up ‘n vanished—we woulda known if any of them made their home underneath our feet.”
“Could it be some other kind of Pokemon underground?” Tobias asks with a frown. “I know you said you didn’t sense any move energy, but if they’re big enough…”
Although he’s not sure which Pokemon would even be strong enough to burrow through desert rock and soil like that without using moves.
“Asra’s been here over a hundred years. At this point. Any burrowin’ mon would have to know they’d be putting the town in danger if they tried diggin’ underneath it.”
“But if that was the case, what would even be the motive?” Nia huffs, putting her face on her fists and squishing her cheeks. Tobias can tell it’s killing her to not be able to figure this out. “They aren’t targeting anyone in particular, nothing good is coming of it. The only thing the quakes are accomplishing is destroying every other building in town!”
“And we don’t think being set in a canyon would make the town more susceptible to natural quakes, right?” Tobias asks.
“‘S far as I’m aware?” Granite asks. “No.”
Great.
Tobias stares blankly in Nia’s direction, about to call it for tonight and find somewhere on the floor to pass out. His partner is picking at the small bandage wrapped around her paw, frowning hard in thought. He can’t believe she cut herself on that mirror. There’s gotta be some stupid metaphor in there about—
Wait.
Tobias sits up, the slow gears of his mind picking up pace. Nia must see it, because she echoes his posture, looking at him intently.
Mirror. Mirrorstone.
Of course.
“The mines,” Tobias says, looking sharply to Granite. “You said this used to be a big mining town, right?“
Nia’s mouth drops open to a little “o” as she catches on.
“I see where you’re going with this,” Takeo’s voice pipes up, pulling everyone’s attention to the doorframe to the back, where the bug type is leaning against the wall. “But the mines never ran under the town.”
Granite snorts. “We wouldn’t be dense enough to do something like that. That’s just asking for the town to eventually level itself a mile deep. Nah, all the mining was done on the outskirts of town, in the walls of the canyon.”
Tobias groans, flopping back down. He really thought he’d had something there.
“No, wait, this could still be important,” Nia says, a tad too desperate.
Takeo shakes his head. “Calder and Pan already checked out the mines a month ago.” His face darkens. “That’s how Pan was killed. Cave-in while they were investigating. Calder almost got caught in it too.”
Nia looks between the two older Pokemon. “But…did they actually finish the investigation? Or did that cut it short?”
For the first time, Takeo falters. “I...don’t know that. Although I’m pretty sure if Calder suspected anything to do with the mines, he’d have went back himself.”
“Plus, even if the mines are collapsin’, that shouldn’t be enough to cause big quakes like we’ve been gettin’,” Granite points out, glancing at Takeo for confirmation. “We’d hear it first, for one. Darn near everything echoes in this canyon if it’s loud enough. And that would make the canyon walls crumble, not the ground under our feet.”
Tobias thinks all of that seems like pretty sound logic. Still, whether it’s because it’s the only new lead they’ve thought of or because something about mines and tunnels seems too relevant to earthquakes, Tobias wants to look into it further.
“Say we want to check out the mines anyways,” he starts.
“No.”
Nia and Tobias both blink at Granite’s serious cut-off.
“Um…no?” Nia echoes weakly.
“Mines are off-limits ever since the cave in,” Takeo says.
“And I don’t need you squirts’ deaths on my conscience,” Granite huffs.
“But—“
Granite’s face hardens. “Don’t go lookin’ in those mines, you hear? I’m serious. It’s dangerous.”
Nia frowns. “What if we ask Calder first?”
Takeo chuckles. “Calder will kick you out of the canyon altogether before willingly letting you kids into those mines. He’s been extra cautious about them ever since Pan.”
“Fine,” Nia sighs, slumping forward.
Tobias looks at Nia, surprised by his headstrong partner giving up so quickly. But then he sees the thoughts still going a mile a minute behind her ruby eyes.
She’s going to drag them straight into those mines tomorrow, isn’t she?
Tobias bites back a laugh. And everyone back at the guild thinks he’s the troublemaker in this partnership. Nia is just as bad. She’s just sneakier about it. And nicer.
“Well. We’ll figure out our next plan tomorrow,” Tobias says, stretching.
Nia looks at him now, surprised. He just raises his brows in response. Does she want him to play along or not?
“O-Oh! Right. Um, we’re really tired. Is it all right if we go to bed?”
Takeo looks at them for just a beat too long, and Tobias wonders if the spidops suspects what Tobias knows they’ll end up doing tomorrow. Still, the bug type eventually sighs and waves over his shoulder for them to follow.
They do, and Tobias is happy to see the spidops lead them to a tiny side room that looks to be the two’s office, with a desk and some old cabinets bursting with files. A few spare cushions are thrown into one corner.
“This work for lodgings?” Takeo asks.
Nia gratefully flops face-first into the heap of cushions.
Tobias snorts. “Yeah, this is fine.”
“Thank you!” Nia says, voice muffled.
Takeo almost smiles, shaking his head before heading out of the room, cracking it closed behind him.
Night is falling in earnest now, but within the small room it’s cozy and free from the desert chill. Tobias’ tail flame gives them a warm light to see by. He walks over to Nia and nudges her with his foot until she whines, rolling over to make room for him.
He yawns and plops down beside her, shifting to make himself comfortable. He can feel Nia’s eyes on him.
“So…tomorrow,” she starts, subtle as a copperajah.
“We’re going to the mines?”
Nia startles, lifting her head to stare at him like he’d read her mind. He gives her an unimpressed look in return.
She laughs, sheepish. “Okay, okay. Are you all right with that?”
“Whatever we need to do to solve this stupid mystery, save the town, and get Rosalind’s info,” Tobias yawns. He thinks of all those Pokemon he saw after the quake today, injured and scared. “…either way, these Pokemon need our help.”
Nia smiles at him before stretching out and getting comfortable. “Awesome. We’ll do that then.“
Tobias hums in response, eyes slipping closed. They’ve got a big day of investigation ahead of them, and he’ll need to be ready for it.
Tobias wakes Nia at dawn and quietly leads the way outside, hoping to bypass any interrogation that Takeo or Granite might try to spring at breakfast. Nia isn’t thrilled by the early hour or by skipping food, but her tired glare shifts to a pout of acceptance when he promises they’ll get food after checking out the mines.
The town is already waking up despite the early hour, Pokemon getting back to their jobs and town repairs right away.
“Early risers,” Nia notes.
“Who we should try to avoid the attention of,” Tobias whispers, dragging the riolu off the main road and down a side street.
Nia blinks at him. “What? Why?”
“Remember how Granite and Takeo freaked out when we mentioned the mines? We don’t want anyone else to know we’re heading to check them out.”
“Oh! Good point.”
Nia follows Tobias’ steps through the shade of the buildings and weaves around toppled barrels and cracks in the mud.
In a matter of minutes, they reach the edge of town, stopping to stare out at the expanse of sand and scraggly plants. The walls of the canyon tower ahead of them, maybe a mile out. They’re tall enough to block out the sky, save for the ragged circle of pale blue directly overhead. The rock is lined with layers of sediment, dusky red and pockmarked with rocky outcroppings and indents. Not exactly a smooth surface that makes spotting a mine very easy.
“Any idea where the nearest entrance would be?” Nia asks, squinting into the distance.
Tobias shakes his head, trying to scan the canyon walls with his sharper eyes. “We might just have to walk the perimeter until we find one.”
“That could take a while,” Nia says, frowning. “Especially if we’re trying to avoid anyone seeing us or—“
A quiet tap tap on the wooden wall behind them makes Nia shriek and Tobias jump, whirling around.
His heart sinks as he sees Samir. The skiddo is staring at the two of them, one eyebrow raised and mouth askew in an unimpressed look.
“S-Samir!” Nia laughs nervously. “Hey! Good to see you. We were just, uh…admiring the view!”
Samir gives her a glare, as if angry at how bad of a lie that was.
Tobias sighs, crossing his arms. “Fine. We want to check out the mines. Granite and Takeo said we shouldn’t, but we need to look into any possible leads.”
Samir gives them both a disappointed look.
“I know you don’t think it’s foul play,” Nia whines. “But we just…we need to make sure, okay, Samir?” She clasps her paws together pleadingly. “Pleeeaaase don’t tell anyone!”
Tobias doesn’t think Nia’s baby-doll eyes are going to work on Samir when they seem to take their job so seriously, especially under Calder’s command.
“We just want to stop the quakes and help the town,” Tobias adds. “And right now, this is the best lead we’ve got.”
Samir’s strong stance softens, their shoulders dropping. They sigh, glancing over their shoulder. Then they nod, slowly.
Nia steps forward, looking hopeful. “Does that mean you won’t tell Calder?”
Samir rolls their eyes, then scrapes some words into the still-damp dirt.
COMING ALONG
“You’re coming with us?” Tobias asks, surprised.
“Oh, that’s great!” Nia says, beaming at the grass type. “The more hands—uh, hooves? The better! Thank you.”
“Don’t suppose you know which direction to take?” Tobias prompts.
Samir nods and strides past them, confident and brisk as they leave the shade of the town. Nia and Tobias exchange a bewildered look, but quickly follow.
At first, Tobias doesn’t see any markers that dictate where they’re going, and he wonders if Samir just picked a random direction to walk. But the skiddo frequently glances down at the dirt, eyes skimming over the brown-gray rocks scattered among the dirt and scraggly patches of grass. It takes a few instances of this, but eventually Tobias realizes they’re following the very faint traces of a once well-trod path. Maybe the very one the townsfolk used to follow to go to the mines each day.
“Huh,” Tobias breathes, impressed.
It probably takes half an hour to reach the border of the canyon, where downed boulders and slabs of rock create an incline up to the canyon wall. Samir nimbly hops up rocks that are bigger than all three of them combined.
Tobias follows with admittedly less grace, digging his claws into the rough surface of the stone to scrabble his way up.
“W-Wait for me!” Nia yelps.
She’s trying to climb up the rubble, but failing to gain purchase with her dull claws. As he watches, she starts to slide back down, face panicked.
Tobias is hit with a powerful wave of deja vu. He snorts and leans over to grab her wrists, grunting as he pulls her up.
“Th-Thanks,” she pants.
“Still working on those climbing skills, I see.”
She gives him a playful glare. “Sorry, I haven’t had a lot of time to practice between all of our near-death experiences!”
“Excuses, excuses,” Tobias jokes, turning and spotting Samir’s leafy green back and a flash of their orange hooves a bit farther up the rubble. He follows, hearing Nia scrabbling behind him.
At first, Tobias thinks Samir possibly lost the trail somewhere along the way. It certainly doesn’t look like the mine is here. But then Tobias rounds one last boulder and stops, surprised by an opening in the cliff face. It’s a jagged square of black against the lighter stone, hemmed in by a rickety frame of wood. Half of it has been caved in, stones cutting into the perfect silhouette. Tobias can only see a few feet into the tunnel.
“Oh, that…doesn’t look safe,” Nia says, taking a step back.
Samir gives her a look, as if to say, No, really?
“This is our best lead, right?” Tobias asks, taking a bracing breath. “We don’t need to go in too deep. Just…take a look around and see if anything seems suspicious.”
“R-Right.”
Tobias swings his tail around to use as a torch. Then he steps forward into the darkness.
Chapter 45
Summary:
Tobias, Nia, and Samir explore the mine and put a plan into motion. But they might find more than they bargained for beneath the town...
Chapter Text
Tobias is tense as he leads the way into the darkness of the tunnel, trying to keep his steps light just in case anyone is lurking inside. His tail flame throws bouncing shadows around the rocky walls, showing the remnants of rotting wooden support beams and broken lamp lights.
It’s cool in here, and eerily silent.
Nia and Samir follow him, sticking close to the halo of light he provides. They’re quiet as they carefully step over rocks and debris, the occasional broken tool or remnants of a crate scattered about.
They’ve only been walking for a minute or two, so Tobias is surprised when they reach the back of the tunnel, where a cave-in has blocked off the rest of the mine with a slope of dirt and rock. A lopsided old mine cart missing a wheel sits off to the side of it.
“That’s it?” He asks, tense shoulders dropping.
Nia pads past him, her brow furrowed. “That…can’t be it. I could’ve sworn the mines would have something to do with all this.”
Tobias had thought the same—it seemed like too big of a coincidence to have a network of underground mines surrounding a town suffering from earthquakes.
Samir sighs and shakes their head, sitting heavily on the ground and giving them another tired look. Tobias can just imagine the quiet I told you so.
Tobias crosses his arms, irritated. “Well now what? We just go back to town and hope we stumble on a lead? Lotta good that did us yesterday.”
“I mean…the town probably needs our help with repairs anyways,” Nia points out. She’s been padding around the perimeter of the cave, paw trailing along the wall as if she’ll find a secret switch or something. She drifts over to the rickety remains of the mine cart with her usual brand of curiosity.
Samir gives a nod of approval, and Tobias rolls his eyes. He doesn’t disagree, necessarily, but—
“Oh,” Nia says, only her tail visible from behind the mine cart. There’s a quiet clink, and then she shuffles out backwards, into the light of Tobias’ flame. “Look at this!”
In her paw dangles an oil lamp, unlit but half-filled with a clear liquid.
Samir stands, a bit too abrupt to be casual. Their brow is furrowed.
“Something weird about this?” Tobias asks, suspicious. He glances at it again, making sure it doesn’t look like some kind of trap.
Samir doesn’t look alarmed necessarily, but they do nose the lamp, staring hard at the way the oil within the container moves with the motion. Slowly, they nod, before writing in the dirt.
FRESH
“Right,” Nia says, frowning as she tilts the lamp and watches the oil move around inside. “If this was left behind from the old mining days, it surely would’ve dried up by now. Right?”
“Could Calder or one of the townsfolk have brought it here?” Tobias asks. “Recently, I mean. Maybe when he and Pan were investigating before the cave-in?”
Samir’s eyes flick to the mine cart. They jerk their chin at Tobias, urging him closer to it. Tobias doesn’t like being bossed around by the skiddo, but he moves to the cart regardless, following the grass type’s direction and shuffling behind it to bring his tail flame to the lamp’s previous hiding spot.
In the thin layer of dirt, there are faint circular impressions left behind. Many of them, actually—upwards of ten, easily. Some of them overlap, some of them are a few inches apart from each other. Tobias can tell just looking at them that they would match the bottom of the lantern they’d just found.
The only reason Tobias can think of for such a thing is if someone had been placing the lantern here, over and over again. A quick examination by Calder wouldn’t cause that.
“Did you find something?” Nia asks, trying to peer behind the cart to see.
“What do you think of these?” Tobias shuffles back to the cave wall so his tail will still illuminate the little wedge of space, careful not to step on the rings in the dirt.
“Are those…imprints?” Nia asks, glancing over her shoulder. “From the lantern?”
“Think so.”
“There’s so many…”
Tobias glances up at Samir, whose brow is furrowed. “Finally think there might be something weird going on?”
Samir’s mouth flattens, but they continue to stare at the rings. Slowly, they nod.
“So what do we do now?” Nia asks, crouching to get a closer look. “Do we tell Calder?”
“Then we’ll get in trouble for being here at all,” Tobias scoffs. “No, this isn’t solid evidence. We need to make sure we can convince him that something strange is actually happening before admitting to coming to the mines.”
Samir looks unhappy about that, but also doesn't protest. Since they know Calder better, Tobias guesses he’s spot-on.
“Okay, but how do we find solid evidence? Catch someone in the act of doing something, um…suspicious?” Nia asks, paw on her chin. “Since we don’t have cameras, I guess we would just have to stake out the cave until someone shows up?”
Her tone is half-joking, but Tobias considers it. “...Not a terrible idea, actually.”
Samir gives him a doubtful look, shuffling back into the tunnel proper. Nia and Tobias follow after putting the lantern back in place.
Samir is scratching something into the dirt. Tobias moves his tail closer to read it.
HOW KNOW THEY’LL COME BACK?
Tobias’ mouth twists. “I guess we can’t know for sure. But if those marks are anything to gauge by, they’ve been here pretty often.”
CAN’T STAY ALL DAY
TOWN NEEDS HELP
“We could take shifts,” Tobias suggests, though he’s reluctant. He doesn’t want one of them to get caught alone with someone who could be dangerous.
“Well,” Nia says. “If they don’t want to be seen they’re probably coming here at night, right? We could help out the town today, try to catch a nap in the evening, and then come out here after night falls?”
Samir and Tobias exchange a glance. Tobias can’t think of anything wrong with that plan, aside from them being exhausted come morning. Samir still seems uneasy, but doesn’t protest.
“You think Takeo will let us leave?” Nia asks. “He already looked kinda suspicious after we talked about the mines last night.”
“He’s not our parent,” Tobias scoffs. Still, the spidops could definitely ruin their plan if he finds out they disobeyed him and Granite and went to the mines anyways. “We’ll just have to sneak out. There’s a window in our room.”
Nia clearly isn’t thrilled about that, but she doesn’t argue. Instead, she plays nervously with the collar of fluff around her neck and looks to their companion.
“S-Samir, are you going to join us?”
The skiddo slumps with defeat, but nods.
Tobias nods. “Meet us on the edge of town where we left today, after dark settles in.”
Once they’ve got their plan settled, Tobias leads the two of them back outside (after thoroughly erasing Samir’s words in the dirt), blinking in the almost painfully bright light of late morning. Slowly, the shapes and colors of the canyon and distant town come into focus.
“Nightfall, then?” Tobias confirms with the skiddo.
Samir nods before springing down the rocks and back towards town. Nia and Tobias hurry to follow.
Calder is visibly relieved when the three of them approach him about how to best help the town. The inteleon immediately directs them to where the most dire assistance is needed, splitting them up to cover more ground.
The day after the quake is no less busy, but slightly less frantic. Less damage control for injuries, but lots of deliveries needed for patients’ medication and other supplies. Less huge structural concerns, but plenty of signs needing rehung and planks of wood needing straightened and nailed down.
Tobias, sweat hissing from his skin within the hour, passes frequently by Nia, Samir, and Calder, as well as the town doctor. They’re all busy at work, trying to help the town back to its feet. A few of the townsfolk come forward to offer to help too throughout the day, but most ‘mon are busy enough trying to tend to their own problems.
Aurum, the weirdly cheery hakamo-o, requests Tobias’ help with sealing up some cracks in her bank’s stone steps. She chatters happily to him the whole time, which is annoying, but at least she doesn’t expect more from him than the occasional grunt of acknowledgement.
He’s helping Nia drag some heavy bags of grain to a house down the street when they pass by Pyre, the angry camerupt not even sparing them a glance as he stomps by with some lumber strapped to the small volcanoes on his back. Nia cows away from him, clearly still guilty for suspecting him after learning his daughter was injured in the quakes. Tobias ignores the grumpy old fire type completely.
Tobias helps Samir fix a cracked window next, which apparently belongs to the skiddo's boarder. The lilligant dotes on Samir as the two of them work, making sure the grass type and their “little friend” (Tobias glares at Samir at that) have refreshments. Still, he appreciates the hydration berry she bustles off to find him, and her sweetness is too much like Maggie for him to feel genuinely annoyed.
The three of them take a late lunch when Nia tracks him down whining about their skipped breakfast. They move to grab some food at Deidra’s saloon—not wanting to risk interrogation from Takeo or Granite if possible—until they’re reminded of the terrible damage done to the place when they can see the inner workings of the building from down the street. The building is closed for the day as the construction crew puts aside their most recent project to clear out the worst of the damages.
“Hurry it up with those!” Eddy shouts to one of his workers. The dewott is busy chopping through lumber with deft, precise slices of his razor shell.
“Just making sure they’re in good,” the primeape they saw yesterday says. Cody the aggron is helping him, using a heavy arm to hammer a huge wooden stake into the dirt.
“‘We don't want 'em coming loose if we get any more rain,” Cody adds.
Eddy barks a laugh. “We won’t get any more rain for now. Keep it moving.”
“Awful confident,” the primeape grumbles.
“He is a water type,” Cody points out, finished with his hammering. He leans back to survey his work with a satisfied swish of his heavy tail. “He would know best.”
“Less talkin’, more working,” Eddy grunts, but doesn’t berate them further.
Samir moves away from the construction crew, gesturing for Tobias and Nia to follow. The skiddo doesn't lead the group back to Granite and Takeo’s shop, but instead across town to the little house where Tobias helped replace that window earlier.
Sure enough, Samir’s lilligant boarder is on the porch, sending a petilil off with a wrapped lunch carefully balanced atop her tiny head.
Tobias and Nia step out of the way for her, and Samir gives the little grass type a smile and a nod as she passes by with a chipper, “Hi, Sammy!”
The lilligant, who Tobias doesn’t remember the name of, notices them with a pleased scrunch to her eyes. “Samir! Oh, and your charmander friend, too. Are you here for lunch?”
Samir almost seems bashful, glancing back at Tobias and Nia as if unsure of their presence.
“Oh, we’ve got enough for everyone, don’t worry! Come on in, kids. My name is Lara.”
The lilligant turns and shuffles inside, and the group follows.
“I-I’m Nia!” Nia says, once they’ve entered the homey little living space. She gives Lara a warm smile and a bow. “Thank you for having us!”
Lara laughs. “Well, ain’t you polite! Nice to meet you. My little one could learn some manners from you. Go on and get comfortable and I’ll find a little something for y'all to eat.”
Samir gives her a grateful nod that Tobias copies. Then, the skiddo sits comfortably one one of the large, flat cushions bordering the nearby low table. They're clearly familiar with the space.
“So this is where you’re staying?” Nia whispers, taking a seat beside them. Tobias follows her lead as she looks around with wide eyes. “It’s so cozy!”
It is. The space is packed close but not tight between the table and walls, the cushions beneath them worn but still soft and comfy. Two bookshelves sit against the walls, holding trinkets, a few books, a stack of board games, cards, and other things like sketchbooks and paint supplies in tiny jars. A stack of well-worn quilts and blankets sit next to the nearest bookshelf, ready to grab on chilly nights. Paintings and sketches line the walls in little frames, and a small table with a vase of half-dead flowers sits beneath the window.
“Here you go, kids. Still hot.”
Lara shuffles into the room with three plates along her arm, cushioned by a towel. She places a steaming plate in front of each of them, which Nia eagerly brings closer. Looks like some kind of thick vegetable stew. It smells pretty good, even if the veggies themselves seem a bit scrawny beneath the savory sauce.
“Apologies for the scrappy servings,” Lara says, wiping her leaves on the towel. “The town is a bit tight on food right now thanks to the quakes messing up our crops and keeping merchants away. I can barely keep our harvest running at half its usual output.”
“You’re a farmer?” Nia asks, clearly surprised. She pauses in blowing off her hot food.
Lara laughs. “Sure am! Fourth generation. I may not look it, but I’m actually quite good with the soil ‘round here. This rain is something else. Never seen anything like it.”
Tobias pauses as he picks up his fork. He’s heard offhanded comments saying much the same thing, and even thought himself that it seemed like a lot of rain for a desert town. Could it be connected to the quakes? If they suspect someone of causing those, could someone also intentionally be causing the rain? He can’t imagine why they would want to, but…
“Could a water type be causing the rain?” Tobias asks, taking a bite. Oh, it’s good. Much better tasting than it looks. He hurries to take a second mouthful, grateful for his heat-resistant mouth so he doesn’t have to wait for it to cool.
Lara smiles at his enthusiasm. “I s'pose a water type could bring in rain like this, but the only water types in town are Calder and Eddy, and they know we don’t need any more.”
Tobias refrains from saying anything in response. There’s not an ounce of suspicion in Lara’s voice, and Samir is glaring at Tobias as if to say that if he starts interrogating the lilligant, he has a headbutt in his future.
But he quietly takes that information in as they eat, thanking the lilligant for the meal.
Calder and Eddy are the only water types in town, huh? Tobias didn’t feel anything particularly off about either of them. Calder seems to genuinely care about the town and is clearly still grieving the loss of his partner. Likewise, Eddy just seems like a hard-working ‘mon doing his best to help the townsfolk after their homes and businesses have been ravaged by the quakes.
Maybe the rain is just a freak coincidence after all?
Tobias mulls it over as they eat, idly listening to Nia and Lara chat. The meal is on the smaller side, but it’s hearty and filling and delicious. By time they finish and say their goodbyes, heading back into town to continue their work, Tobias is full and feels rejuvenated. Nia hums happily as they seek out Calder, clearly feeling the same, and even Samir seems to have an extra skip to their step.
With their newfound energy, they get back to work.
It’s early evening when Calder dismisses them all to go back to their lodgings and rest for the day. Tobias, sore and exhausted and with more than a few knicks on his fingers from a variety of tools, doesn’t argue. He and Nia part from Samir with a whispered confirmation of their meeting later that night, then drag themselves back to Granite and Takeo’s place.
The donphan and spidops are amiable but gruff as usual, and the four of them have a short, tired meal before Tobias mutters something about heading to bed early to get some rest for tomorrow. Nia yawns as she agrees.
Luckily, Granite and Takeo don’t seem suspicious, and let them trudge off to their lodgings with little fuss. When they get to their room and shut the door, Nia immediately flops into their pile of cushions.
“I’m never getting up again,” she whines. “I’m so sore.”
Tobias follows her, plopping down a little heavier than he usually would at her side. He can feel her brushing by him, but he’s too tired to move.
“Too bad,” he grumbles. “Because we’ve gotta get back up in a couple hours to do your stupid stakeout.”
Nia turns her head to pout at him in the slowly setting light. “Hey! You agreed to it.”
Tobias makes a noncommittal noise and lets his eyes slip shut.
“How do we make sure we wake up in time?” Nia mumbles, voice already slurred with sleep.
“I’ll just doze,” Tobias answers, hoping that his usual light sleeping habits will be enough to keep them on schedule.
Nia doesn’t argue, either because she trusts he’ll wake back up or because she doesn’t want to think about it anymore. A quiet little snore escapes her.
Oh. Or she’s already asleep.
Tobias huffs, amused, and lets himself drift into a light sleep, face pointed to be able to see the window if he opens his eyes.
It feels like a brief moment later that a quiet noise wakes Tobias. He startles from his nap, but stays still in the dimly lit darkness of their room. The window outside is a deep gray-black. What time is it?
Another sound makes Tobias realize what woke him: the quiet creak of the door closing. The doorknob settles back into place as it shuts. The gentle, rhythmic thump of footfalls—light and staggered, so it must be Takeo—fades away.
Was he checking on them? Suspicious that they’d slipped out?
Whatever the intent, Tobias is grateful for it waking him up. He waits another few seconds before pushing himself out of the comfy pile of cushions, groaning. He’s so sore. His entire body feels tired and heavy. But they said they’d investigate, and Samir is probably waiting for them.
Tobias peeks out the window, glad to see from how the shadows fall outside that the moon isn’t very high yet. They might be a little late, but not drastically so.
Tobias wakes Nia, basically having to roll her out of the nest completely to get her out of her deep sleep.
“Whuz happening?” She mumbles, bleary-eyed as she sits up.
“Stakeout time,” Tobias answers, grabbing her arms and yanking her to her feet.
She stumbles, but stays up, rubbing at her eyes. “This was a terrible idea.”
“Reminder that it was your idea.”
“My judgement stands.”
Tobias bites back a laugh and moves to the window, unlocking its latch to swing it open. Cool night air drifts against his face and into the room like a blot of ink in water. It wakes him up, at least, and from how Nia whines and shakes out her fur behind him, it does the same for her.
Tobias glances at the door one more time before crawling up and over the windowsill. He makes sure the dirt below is clear before gently dropping to the ground.
Nia slowly clambers out the window after him, clearly trying to be careful and not make extra noise.
“Oh! Wait!” Tobias hisses.
Nia freezes, looking at him with wide eyes.
“Go back in and grab our bag,” Tobias whispers.
Nia nods, slipping back into the darkness of the room and rummaging around for a few moments. Then, she reappears, looping its thick strap over her shoulder and across her body.
“Got it!”
“C’mon then.”
Nia carefully climbs over the sill again, turning to lower herself to the ground and stretching out a searching paw to the dirt.
“We’re gonna have another quake before you actually get out of there.”
“Nope, no more earthquakes,” Nia responds, finally reaching solid ground. “I had enough hiding under bars yesterday, thank you very much.”
Tobias reaches up to close the window, hoping that Takeo won’t think to check on them again yet tonight. Then he turns to lead them to the edge of town, glancing around for anyone who might spot them. Unfortunately, his tail flame makes it a little hard to sneak around in the dark, but they can at least try to avoid the townsfolk.
They dart from alleyway to alleyway, moving between buildings in quick bursts. Two ‘mon are talking loudly the next street over, so Tobias leans back against the wall to wait for a chance to slip across. “I’ve been meaning to ask—how’d you know what to do during that earthquake yesterday anyways?”
Nia is busy readjusting the satchel across her shoulder, but spares him an amused look. “We did a lot of earthquake drills in school. Way too many for living in the Midwest, honestly.”
Tobias frowns at her. “Earthquake drills?” Like a drilbur’s drill?
Nia smiles at his confusion. “Yeah! Like…doing a practice run of what we’d do in an emergency, y’know? We would sit under our desks and put a book over our head and neck.”
Tobias frowns. “Are natural disasters getting more common in the human realm too?”
Nia starts to shake her head, but then hesitates. “Actually, they are, but I think ours are due to climate change. Anyways! No, we just kind of had to cover stuff like that for school regulations. Still don’t know why I was so convinced quicksand would be such a concern in my adult life, though.”
Tobias snorts. The voices of the two ‘mon finally move along, fading into the distance, so he waves for Nia to follow before darting into the next alley.
It doesn’t take them long to reach the edge of town, and Samir steps out of the darkness between some barrels right away. Tied to their back is a bulky brown sack, although the weight of it seems light.
“Samir! Were you waiting long?”
The skiddo shakes their head, but jerks their chin in the direction of the mine, clearly wanting to get going. Tobias can’t argue with that, so he gestures for the grass type to take the lead.
The trip across the canyon is quiet, even Nia too busy watching her feet on the uneven terrain (and sending the occasional nervous glance over her shoulder) to strike up a conversation. The sand and rock underfoot is cooling now that the sun has set, and the path ahead is dark, Tobias’ tail offering the only light aside from the dim glow of the stars and moon. He’s grateful that Samir seems to remember the path to the cave, only having to stop occasionally to get their bearings.
Once they reach the edge of the canyon, Samir hops up the tumble of rocks first, stopping every few feet to look back and make sure Tobias and Nia are following. Tobias lights the way for Nia, grabbing her arm to haul her up one of the larger rocks when she slips.
“Where should we hide while we wait?” She asks, looking around.
“Somewhere I can hide my tail flame,” Tobias says, peeking behind some nearby rocks.
Two distinct taps get their attention, and Tobias looks up to see Samir’s head peering over some nearby boulders, at a slightly higher vantage point than they're currently at. The skiddo gestures for them to come up.
Tobias and Nia do so, scrabbling up the sediment and rock a little too loudly. When they reach Samir they find a little spot tucked away behind some large stones, but with a good view of the path leading up to the mines.
“This is perfect!” Nia whispers, sitting down. There’s a gleam of excitement in her eyes. “Good find, Samir.”
Tobias grudgingly agrees. He sits next to Nia as they all settle down onto the cold, hard ground. Small rocks jab into his skin, and he shifts constantly for a minute or so, trying to get comfortable. He tucks his tail flame away at the base of the larger stones, stacking a few small rocks around it to form a little tent and hide away some of the light.
“Think that’s good enough?” He asks.
“I'll check!”
Nia slips out of their hiding place to make sure she can’t see his tail from the path. After a moment, she climbs back up to them.
“You can tell something is off about the lighting if you’re really looking for it, but I don’t think anyone will notice.”
Tobias isn’t satisfied by that, and carefully restacks the stones around his tail to try to contain the light a bit better. He's used to having his tail free to move around and he really doesn't like the feeling of forcing it still.
By time Tobias finally stops fiddling with the rocks, Nia is already not-so-subtly scoots closer to him, visibly trembling now that they aren’t moving about.
Tobias raises a brow, amused. “Cold?”
“F-Fire types don’t get teasing rights in sub-zero t-temperatures,” Nia chatters.
Samir makes a quiet rasping sound that Tobias realizes after a moment is a laugh. Then they reach back over their shoulder and tug open the tie on the brown sack they’d brought along, shoving their short muzzle right in.
“S-Samir?” Nia asks, giving Tobias a questioning look. He shrugs.
Samir pulls their head out of the sack, a well-worn blanket gently clamped between their teeth. It looks familiar, and Tobias realizes after a moment that it must be one of the blankets from Lara’s house. Samir drops it in Nia’s lap, then gives her a stern look and a point of their hoof.
Nia gasps, gathering the blanket in her paws and unfolding it. “Thank you! I’ll be careful with it, promise!”
Samir nods, apparently satisfied, and pulls out a second blanket for themself. They unfold it with their snout and then tug it over their body until they too are covered.
“Thank God we have someone to remember the important stuff,” Nia says, happily wrapping herself up in the blanket. “You’re the best, Samir.”
Tobias feels a stab of irritation at that, but it dies away just as quickly when Nia opens one arm of her quilt and gives him a pleading look.
“You have to come over here," Tobias points out. "I can’t move my tail."
He stays put as Nia hurries to his side and envelops him in the other half of the blanket cocoon. Some part of him is embarrassed about the close quarters, but the rest of him is just pleased that he still has something over Samir.
“You should pay me for how often you use me as a personal heater,” Tobias grumbles. “Cozy?”
Nia makes a happy hum and presses cool fur against his side. “Yup!”
Samir gives the two of them an amused look, clearly content under their own blanket.
And then they wait.
The night is cold but calm, the canyon walls a towering presence of black around them. After a little while, the town’s distant lights start to go dark, one by one. The only sound is the wind and the occasional shift from one of Tobias’ companions.
Tobias’ tail, tucked away and hidden among the rocks, only offers a small circle of light. Otherwise, their surroundings are doused in a level of blackness he’s unfamiliar with. But thanks to that, their adjusted eyes can see more than usual, too.
Overhead, the ragged circle of sky is absolutely filled with stars. Tobias can see how the night sky is layered with them, like thin sheets of crystal. Nia and Samir have followed his gaze, and the riolu in particular looks awestruck by the sight, eyes wide and mouth ajar.
Tobias loves the sight of the stars, but feels a painful knot of nostalgia tug at his chest. The night sky was like this in the mountains, too, open and endless.
When the skies were particularly clear and calm, Tobias’ parents would take him and Vivi flying. Tobias can recall with painful clarity the breathless feeling of being one with that night sky, surrounded on all sides by galaxies and stars that felt close enough to touch. Close enough to fall into. But he’d always felt safe with his parents, grinning from atop one of their backs and occasionally calling out to Vivi. His family's tails looked like shooting stars as they drifted through the dark sky.
Tobias moves his gaze back down to the black stretch of the land. He takes a breath that is audibly shakier than he would like, and Nia, pressed close to his side, notices. She gives him a concerned look that he ignores.
Nia sighs, but loops her arm through his to give what he thinks is supposed to be a reassuring squeeze. He swallows down the embarrassed heat in his throat, the kind that makes him want to snap and push her away. He’s reluctantly enjoying the sensation of her so close and so solid at his side. It's grounding.
Nia tries to start up a hushed conversation with Tobias and Samir once or twice, but each time she does Tobias gives her a frown and glances towards town, nervous about their voices carrying across the canyon. Eventually, she falls silent again. Probably wishing she had a book or something to pass the time.
Hours crawl by. They must, for the stars to slowly migrate overhead and the moon to rise higher and higher into the sky.
Their hiding spot isn’t exactly comfortable, out in the frigid cold and atop rocky terrain, but they try to keep quiet as they readjust, stretching and shuffling when their muscles grow tight and stiff.
Even Tobias is feeling antsy by midnight, torn between exhaustion from the long day and keyed-up tension from their stakeout. Samir looks as calm and unflappable as ever, gazing out towards the town. Tobias thinks Nia has nodded off a few times, until he sees her ear flick or feels her squeeze his arm in the warmth of their blanket cocoon.
“Hey, Samir?”
The riolu’s soft voice feels loud and out of place after the silence. Tobias gives her a warning look, but this time she ignores him.
Samir glances at her.
“You don’t have to answer, but…” Nia takes a breath, the exhale clouding the night air. “Why are you out here on your own? In Asra, I mean. You’re a Seeker, right? At the Lexym Guild, all Seekers have to have a partner.”
Tobias watches Samir’s face, curious despite himself. The skiddo looks caught off-guard at first, but then they look away, their expression closed-off. There's something there, though, poorly hidden just under the surface. Something Tobias recognizes.
Anger.
“I-I’m sorry,” Nia hurries to say. “You really don’t have to talk about it, I just—“
Nia cuts herself off as Samir starts writing in the dirt with the tip of their hoof. They write one word. Pause. Write another. Much slower than they’ve written anything else.
When they’re done, Tobias leans in with Nia to read.
HAD PARTNER
NOT ANYMORE
“Oh,” Nia whispers, her free paw coming up over her mouth. “I…I’m so sorry.”
Tobias feels a lump grow in his own throat, remembering all too clearly how just a week ago he thought Nia might die from her illness. Leaving him alone again.
But Samir shakes their head, as if to correct them. They write again with sharp drags of their hoof.
ALIVE
DIDN’T WANT
Nia frowns. “Didn’t..? You didn’t want them to be your partner?”
Samir winces. Moves to add a single word to the end of their sentence.
“Oh,” Tobias says, quiet. “They…didn’t want you.”
Samir goes still, staring down at their hoof still poised to write. Their face is hard and almost blank. A practiced kind of expression.
“What?” Nia whispers. “But…why wouldn’t they want you as a partner? You’re like the perfect Seeker! You take your job seriously and you’re observant and nice and—“
Samir looks her dead in the eye, an uncharacteristic spark of hurt in their expression. Then, they tilt their chin up and pat the flat of their hoof against their neck, twice.
At this angle, Tobias can see the edge of a large scar peeking out from the mane of leaves around their throat, even in the darkness. Still pink—relatively fresh. A few months old, if that.
Tobias’ hand drifts up to his scarf.
“They didn’t want to be your partner because you can’t speak?” Nia asks, clearly bewildered.
“I think they were partners, when Samir lost their voice,” Tobias rasps.
The skiddo nods once at Tobias, looking even more tired than usual.
If that was supposed to soothe Nia, it only does the opposite. Tobias can feel her fur bristle against his side.
“What?!”
Tobias shushes Nia, glancing below them at the dark path.
Nia lowers her voice, but is no less incensed. “You were already partners and they just…gave up on you because you got hurt?”
Samir nods. The skiddo’s discomfort is clear enough that even Tobias is about to elbow Nia and urge her to drop it.
But Nia lunges forward, free paw slapping to the dirt. “That’s terrible!”
Samir looks surprised by the heat of Nia’s comment, leaning back and blinking at her.
“What kind of partner—heck, what kind of decent person does that?!” Nia fumes. “What, they couldn’t learn freakin’ Morse code or something? What a stupid excuse!”
Samir frowns at Nia, but looks more frustrated than anything. They shake their head and hurriedly scribble something in the dirt.
MISSIONS TOO FAST
HAVE TO TALK
Well, it would be a bit difficult to communicate in the middle of a fight without speech. Especially when Samir can’t even use sign language thanks to their hooves.
But Nia fervently shakes her head. “No! No, that’s—don’t make excuses for them. We’ve been communicating with you just fine for days and we literally just met you!”
Tobias’ brows lift. She does have a point. He looks back to Samir.
The skiddo’s eyes narrow. They huff, writing again and underlining the last word with an angry jab of their hoof.
WRITING SLOW
MISSIONS FAST
Nia huffs, crossing her arms. “There are other ways to communicate besides talking, even in the middle of a mission.”
Samir gives Tobias a wide-eyed look, clearly hoping for backup. Tobias just lifts his hands in surrender.
“She insisted on partnering with me. And I used to be even more of a jerk than I am now. Good luck.”
Samir’s mouth twitches like they’re fighting a smile. Before they can write a rebuttal, their ears prick to attention. They snap their head up, looking towards the path to town. Nia’s gaze follows the skiddo's, her own ears tilting forward.
They must hear something. Tobias double-checks that his tail flame is hidden.
“This isn’t over,” Nia promises—threatens?—with a point of her finger at Samir. The skiddo gives her an unimpressed look and bats her paw away with a hoof. Tobias shushes them both.
Sure enough, a half minute later, movement catches Tobias eye. It's hard to make out in the darkness, but as the shape gets closer Tobias recognizes a smaller figure, likely just a bit bigger than himself. Bipedal. They’re in a cloak, hood up, which is suspicious in itself.
The figure picks their way across the rocky terrain and starts the climb up to the mine, just a few feet away from their hiding spot. Tobias holds his breath, Nia and Samir still as stone at his sides.
The figure disappears over the lip of the rocks, into the cave, and silence falls again.
“Should we follow them?” Nia murmurs.
“Let’s give ‘em a minute or two. Make sure they don’t just come back out.”
They wait, tense and gazes locked onto the yawning darkness of the cave. Tobias’ breath leaves him in a quiet cloud of steam. His heart beats steady and swift against his chest.
“Okay, they’ve gotta be doing something in there,” Tobias whispers. “Let’s check it out. Just be ready for a fight.”
Nia slips out from the hiding place first, and Tobias moves to follow. Samir stops him, stepping in his path with a shake of their head.
“What?” Tobias asks.
Samir frowns, then writes something in the dirt. Tobias glances again at the cave before pulling his tail closer to read it.
STAY
TAIL BRIGHT
Tobias’ face flushes, and he flicks his tail self-consciously behind him. “I can’t just let you two go in there alone!”
Nia gives him a sympathetic look. “Sorry Tobias, but, uh…Samir’s got a point. If we’re trying to be subtle, then your tail is pretty noticeable.”
Tobias huffs, crossing his arms. They’re right. Doesn’t mean he has to like it.
“Fine. I’ll wait outside. But call for me if anything goes wrong.”
Nia gives him a smile and a nod. Samir leads the way down to the cave, peering cautiously around the edge of it. After a beat, they slip inside. Nia treads after him on quiet paws, blending into the shadows with her blue and black fur.
Tobias stands just outside the cave, off to the side to avoid being a literal beacon, and strains to listen for any sign of a fight. He doesn’t doubt Samir's (or Nia's) capabilities, but he doesn’t like his partner going in there without him if there’s a potentially dangerous criminal lurking about.
Thankfully, it’s only a minute or so before Nia jogs back to the opening. She looks perplexed, but not panicked.
“We can’t find anyone.”
Tobias frowns. “But the tunnel’s blocked off.”
He follows the riolu in, glancing up at the roof and from side to side as they walk deeper. It only takes a minute for them to reach the same spot they’d hit this morning, with the caved-in tumble of rocks and dirt and the broken-down mine cart. Sure enough, there’s no one here but an equally unsure Samir.
Tobias turns around, suspicious. “They couldn’t have just vanished!”
“Could a ghost type do that?” Nia asks, feeling around the rocky walls again. “Turn invisible or go through the cave-in or something?”
“I don’t think so,” Tobias murmurs, glancing at Samir for confirmation. The skiddo seems like they’re barely listening, also nudging around rocks and debris. Still, they take a moment to meet Tobias’ eye and shrug. Helpful.
Nia has made her way back over to the mine cart, peering behind it. “Tobias, can you come here for a sec? Maybe the lantern moved.”
He moves to her side, pulling his tail around and look into the dark wedge of space where they’d found the lantern this morning. But all Tobias sees are the imprints in the dirt.
“It’s gone,” Tobias confirms.
Samir steps past him, leaning down to sniff at the imprints. Then, their head tilts ever so slightly, looking instead at the nearest wheel of the mine cart like something caught their eye. Nia crouches to inspect it too.
Tobias follows them, brows shooting up as he notices what they have. There’s a faint line in the dirt behind each wheel: drag marks where the cart was scooted over a foot or so before being dragged back into place.
“Oh, good find!” Nia says.
“The cart was moved?” Tobias asks.
“Should we look underneath?” Nia asks in return. She doesn’t wait for an answer, lying on her belly to peer beneath the cart. She slips a paw under and a faint blue light spills out at she uses her aura to take a look.
She gasps. “There’s a hole under here! Big enough for someone around our size to fit through.”
“Sneaky,” Tobias murmurs. “Help me move it.”
“W-We’re following them down there?”
Samir shakes their head, expression hard. The skiddo writes a quick note in the dirt.
DANGEROUS
GET CALDER
“Samir’s right,” Nia says, shifting uneasily. “We don’t know if this’ll turn into a fight or what’s waiting for us down there.”
But if they go get Calder, will he just insist on taking a look himself, without their help? What if Rosalind and Granite don’t count that as Team Scarlet solving the problem, and don’t give Tobias the information they’ve worked so hard for? What if this is nothing malicious and they’re kicked out of town for trespassing in the mines before they really can solve the earthquake issue?
Tobias’ stomach sinks at the thought.
“We'll just take a quick look,” Tobias says.
Samir gives a quiet stomp, shaking their head and glaring at Tobias. They underline the word DANGEROUS in the dirt.
“Samir’s right—we don’t know what’s down there,” Nia hedges, clearly wanting to keep the peace. “Maybe Calder will let us help investigate?”
“And if it’s not connected to the quakes and we’re kicked out of town instead?” Tobias presses, trying to sound rational instead of desperate. “It was only one ‘mon! We can take ‘em if they put up a fight.”
Samir huffs and shakes their head again, but Tobias can tell he’s winning Nia over. He feels a bit bad taking advantage of the riolu’s peacekeeping nature, but he can't risk the possibility of them failing this mission and missing out on Rosalind’s info.
“I’m going,” He decides. He presses his back to the cart and leans his weight into it. “You two can wait up here if you want.”
Samir snags Tobias’ scarf with their horn, yanking him away from the cart. Tobias hisses and swipes at the skiddo until they back off.
“Don’t touch that! You aren’t stopping me!” Tobias growls, a few embers climbing up his throat. He clutches at his scarf protectively.
“Don’t fight!” Nia says, stepping between them. She looks back and forth, nibbling on her lip. “O-Okay, how about we just take a peek, see if we can see anything. Then we can go tell Calder if it looks suspicious.”
Samir is clearly as unhappy about that compromise as Tobias is, but neither one offers a protest.
Nia joins Tobias in pushing back against the cart, just until it rolls a foot or so across the dirt. They try to take it slow to avoid the old rusted metal squeaking too loudly.
When it’s pushed aside, Tobias holds out his tail to see a fairly large hole dug into the ground, just as Nia said. A fraying rope ladder is staked into the dirt at the top, leading down into impenetrable darkness.
“Looks inviting,” Nia says weakly.
Samir huffs, tapping their hoof to one of their previous words in the dirt.
CALDER
Panic gnaws at Tobias chest, and he tries to keep it out of his words as he says, “This could still be something completely unrelated. Let’s just go down to check it out.”
Nia wrings her paws. Samir stares at Tobias with a hard gaze, clearly understanding exactly what it is that Tobias is doing.
“Look, you two don’t have to come with me, okay?” Tobias grumbles, rolling his eyes. “I’ll go check it out myself.”
Tobias doesn’t give Nia or Samir the chance to stop him. He swings himself over the lip and puts his weight down on the first rope rung, feeling it dip under his foot.
“Tobias!” Nia whisper-shouts, clearly freaking out. “Stop! W-We should really go get Calder.”
“You two go get him,” Tobias says, easing his way down one step at a time. “I’m checking it out.” And hopefully whoever he finds will be weak enough for him to handle on his own.
Nia whimpers something under her breath. Then, the rope ladder sways and jerks with a movement not Tobias’ own. He looks up, not entirely surprised but very relieved to see Nia stepping down after him. He wasn’t going to force her to follow him, but he had a feeling she wouldn’t let him go alone.
Tobias continues his descent, taking the next few rungs step by step. The rope creaks under their weight.
The ladder suddenly jerks, a bit rougher than before, and Tobias’ head snaps up again. But Nia is looking up too, lighting a ball of aura in her paw and holding it up as she whispers, “Samir?”
Tobias can barely see the vague silhouette of Samir clumsily making their way down the rope ladder after them, making the ladder sway and shake as they try to hook their legs around the rungs.
Tobias feels more of the nervous weight on his shoulders melt away. A small part of him feels guilty for basically forcing the other two to follow him down, but he shoves it away and continues on. This is important. They’ll be fine with all three of them.
They go lower and lower, drowning in tense silence. The walls of the tunnel close in on them, dark and stifling all sound. Tobias is grateful for his tail flame, letting them see where their footing is.
Finally, Tobias sees a faint glow of light below. He hurries his steps, gripping hard to the rope as Samir’s clumsy movements rock the ladder.
Tobias touches down on cold dirt in a small, enclosed space. As Nia follows, hopping to the ground and helping Samir down the last few steps, he turns.
The smaller space opens up to a much larger, much brighter cavern that is bathed in a low, rosy light. He steps into the cave, craning his head back to take it all in.
Much like the tunnels under the Lexym Guild, the dirt and rock of the cavern is lit by chunks of crystal sticking out of the walls and floor, embedded in both large and small chunks. Some are a deep pink, and some are a golden yellow. Tobias takes a step closer to one to touch it, startled by the warmth at his fingertips.
They almost seem...familiar, in a way. After a moment, he realizes where he’s seen them before. These must be the crystals used in weather-lengthening battle items, like heat rocks and smooth rocks. Huh.
“Tobias!” Nia whispers.
He turns, something in his partner's voice putting him on edge. Nia is hurrying closer to him, staring nervously at the opposite wall of the cave. It’s only after Tobias catches movement flashing along its surface in patches that he realizes what he’s looking at.
“Mirrorstone?” He asks, cautiously moving closer to investigate.
“I thought Granite said the town ran the mirrorstone supply dry,” Nia murmurs, following.
“He did,” Tobias confirms, frowning as he reaches out to touch one of the stones. It’s cool, its reflection clear enough that he can see the minuscule scales of his skin this close up.
Nia whimpers and tugs at Tobias’ arm. He gives her a look.
“It’s a reflection, right?” She whispers. “W-What if Giratina can see us through there?”
Tobias’ heart skips a beat. He hurriedly steps back and away from the wall, Nia stumbling along with him. Samir, who had followed them over, looks between them and the wall, clearly alarmed by their reaction.
“Maybe he can’t find us down here,” Tobias says, more out of a desperate attempt at reassurance than any actual faith in the thought.
Nia doesn’t answer, which tells him he didn’t quite sell it.
Before anyone can say anything else, there’s a distant shout, echoing into the cave. Tobias’ head snaps up to follow the noise, only now noticing the large tunnel dug into one of the walls, leading off to the side and around a bend.
Almost immediately after, the ground beneath them, around them, above them, begins to shake. Tobias curses and grabs onto one of the larger chunks of crystal. Nia huddles against him, and Samir braces against them both.
Tobias fears this will be another big quake, but it only lasts a few seconds, and it doesn’t rip apart the ground like the earthquake that hit Deidra’s saloon. This one feels more gentle, quickly petering off into stillness once again.
It’s not until a second voice, deeper and louder but still indistinguishable, sounds off from the same direction that Tobias registers the vibration for what it likely was.
That wasn’t a quake, was it? It was a Pokemon moving. Digging around beneath the earth.
Tobias shuffles closer to the opening of the tunnel, ignoring Nia’s quiet protest. His eyes trace the walls of it as it leads away from the cavern.
While the cave they’re in feels naturally-made, what Tobias can see of this tunnel looks more…artificial. There are huge, rhythmic grooves set into the walls, and many of the gems embedded into the surface are cracked or sliced in half. As if something very, very big dug this tunnel. Burrowed right through the earth and stone with ease.
Nia and Samir follow his gaze, and Tobias can see them piecing it together as well. Nia’s ears pin to her head, and Samir takes a cautious step backwards.
“C-Could the Pokemon we saw do all this?” Nia asks.
Tobias swallows. The distant voices are audible again. Voices, plural. There’s definitely more than one Pokemon down here with them.
Tobias takes a step towards the voices. Samir grunts and hurries to stand in front of him, head lowered and horns pointing straight at his face. The message is clear.
“W-We should really go get Calder,” Nia whispers in agreement, glancing up at the tunnel walls again. “We don’t know what kind of Pokemon is up ahead.”
They’re right. Tobias knows they’re right.
But the thought that somehow, someway, if they don’t take these guys down all on their own then they won’t get the info that Rosalind promised as a reward…
That thought fuels the determined fire in his chest.
“I’m checking it out,” Tobias says, stepping around Samir.
“Tobias!” Nia grabs his arm, yanking him to a stop. She looks scared. “Please, we can go get help and come back. We—“
“Have to figure this out on our own,” Tobias hisses, pulling his arm free. “If Rosalind doesn’t think we carried our weight, she might not…this trip can't have been for nothing, Nia!”
“It wasn’t for nothing!” Nia snaps, blinking back tears. She glances down the tunnel, then back at him with a frown. “We’ve helped so many people in this town, Tobias! That’s not nothing!”
“But it’s not what I came here for,” Tobias growls.
Before she or Samir can argue further, he spins and hurries as quietly as he can down the tunnel, to the next bend in the path. His reflection follows him in the corner of his eye, showing bits and pieces of his visage in the patches of mirrorstone embedded into the walls.
Nia, of course, follows, though her distress is palpable as she alternates between shooting the walls nervous glances and giving him a pleading expression. Samir hesitates farther back, glancing over their shoulder as if considering going to town to grab Calder. But then they shake their head, visibly angry, and follow.
Tobias checks that the coast is clear, the voices a bit louder but still a bit of a ways away. Then he hurries forward again, stepping carefully around sharp, broken stone and crystal.
He slows considerably as the voices grow in volume. The yellow glow of a lantern—probably the one they’d found this morning—paints the cave walls ahead in a slightly brighter light that winks and gleams in the pieces of mirrorstone. Tobias can hear the voices grow louder and sharper as they approach. One of them, the higher one, sounds vaguely familiar. The second voice with the much deeper tone is completely unknown.
Tobias peers around the edge of the tunnel. After a moment, Samir huffs and ducks under Tobias’ arm. Nia leans lightly against Tobias' back to peer over his head.
Ahead, in another open cavern, are two Pokemon. The figure they'd followed into the tunnels has pulled down their hood, and Tobias recognizes the dark pointed ears and turquoise fur even from behind. Eddy, the dewott construction crew manager.
Facing Eddy, dwarfing his form, is a massive silver face. It’s peering out from the darkness of the tunnels with a heavy jaw of blocky teeth and black-rimmed eyes. The cavern's colorful stones and the lantern’s light reflects off the Pokemon’s thick metallic hide.
“A steelix,” Tobias murmurs, a nervous chill rolling down his spine. Now that's a Pokemon who can cause some damage. Guess they know for sure who dug these tunnels now.
Tobias' eyes trace the heavy split of a scar cracking through the steelix's shell, starting over the Pokemon's left eye and trailing all the way down to his jutting lower jaw. The blood red color of that iris is dulled slightly, clearly damaged from whatever left such a mark.
“You almost took me out with that quake yesterday!” Eddy is snarling, paw waving. “Half of Deidra’s saloon came down!”
The steelix snorts, kicking up dust and grit with his breath. “You asked for destruction. I gave you destruction. Not my fault you can’t watch your own tail. Sounds to me like I’m just doing my half of the job.”
Well, there’s the confirmation they were looking for. So these two are working together to cause destruction aboveground? Who even is the steelix? Tobias knows he would remember seeing him around. Not easy to miss a ‘mon that big.
“Can it. Unless you suddenly figured out how to use rain dance, the quakes won't cause half as much damage without me. Heck, remember that I’m the whole reason this operation even works! You wouldn’t get paid without me.”
The steelix rumbles something in response, looking irritated, but Tobias is occupied decoding that information.
Getting paid? The construction crew is making big bucks repairing all of the damages from the quakes, but could money really be the motive behind this?
Pokemon died due to these quakes. And Eddy just…doesn’t care?
Tobias almost doesn’t want to believe it, but the dewott basically admitted it himself. And Eddy is a water type—it would make sense he would know rain dance, would be able to loosen up the soil so the “quakes” do as much damage to the buildings’ foundations as possible. Add on the steelix tunneling around down here right under the town, and they don’t even need moves to cause massive, devastating damage.
Suddenly, Tobias recalls a few moments from the past couple of days in a new light. Eddy turning them away from interrogating Cody, redirecting their investigation when they were getting too close to the real culprit. The dewott slapping down an obscene amount of poké at Deidra’s saloon. Eddy telling his crew so confidently that there won't be any more rain for a while.
Nia’s paw, balanced on his shoulder, tightens. He has a feeling she’s thinking of the same thing. All the clues they missed.
Meanwhile, Eddy and the steelix are still arguing. The dewott is saying something about bringing in more ‘mon to help mine the mirrorstone in these caves and outsource it to another location. He really does only care about the money, doesn’t he?
Tobias stuffs down his anger and pulls back, glad when Nia and Samir quietly follow his lead. His partner stares at him with a pleading, desperate look. Samir glares at him, clearly telling him this won’t end well if they attack.
Tobias hates it, but he knows the skiddo is right. As much as Tobias wants to rip into these jerks, he knows logically that they need to get out of here and get backup from Calder, threat to Rosalind’s info or not. Tobias is confident they could take Eddy in a fight, especially with Samir’s advantage over the water type. But a seasoned steelix, big as a building and powerful enough to burrow so easily through the desert earth? Even Tobias can admit they aren’t ready for that.
But as if the universe itself were out to spite Tobias for such a thought, a pebble slips from the wall they’d just been leaning against. It bounces to the ground, impossibly loud. Tobias freezes, Nia and Samir going wide-eyed and still as well.
Eddy and the steelix fall silent.
Tobias holds his breath, glad that they’d at least ducked back around the lip of the tunnel.
Until he glances up, to one of the clusters of mirrorstone embedded into the tunnel wall across from them. In its reflection, he can see Eddy and the steelix around the corner, clear as day.
Which means the crooks can see them, too.
It’s quiet enough for Tobias to hear the dewott hiss, “Thought I heard something. Take those brats out or we both go down.”
“Run!” Tobias barks, shoving Nia back the way they came. Samir bolts ahead of her.
Behind them the steelix growls and gives chase, making the walls of the tunnel shake. Tobias doesn’t dare look over his shoulder, sprinting as hard as he can and willing Nia not to trip over one of the rocks embedded in the uneven ground.
Somehow, they make it back to the cavern with the rope ladder. Samir is hopping impatiently from hoof to hoof at its bottom. Stupid self-sacrificing grass type, waiting to start climbing after Nia and Tobias so they don’t slow everyone down.
Nia’s ahead of Tobias, longer legs at work, and for a moment Tobias thinks they’re going to make it. It’s Samir—suddenly stopping their nervous movement, confused eyes trained over Tobias’ shoulder—that clues him in that something is wrong.
And Tobias realizes too, once he notices the lack of noise through his lung-ripping gasps.
Why is it so quiet?
Tobias glances over his shoulder, only to see…nothing. No one chasing them. There are only the faint vibrations of the tunnels. Growing stronger, shaking, and then—
The ground beneath their feet crumbles and cracks.
Nia yelps and Samir hurries to her side to steady her. Tobias curses and stumbles, gritting his teeth against the painful tilting of the attack. And this time it is an attack. Tobias can feel it, feel the ground type energy assaulting his very being.
Then, the ground isn’t just shaking and cracking, it’s opening up beneath him. A yawning maw of black that swallows him whole and steals the breath from his lungs.
Chapter 46
Summary:
Nia, Tobias and Samir are trapped in the tunnels beneath Asra with two dangerous outlaws. Can they defeat them and escape?
Chapter Text
The earth is crumbling beneath Nia’s feet, and she struggles to stay upright despite the solid press of Samir against her side. She sees the floor open up beneath Tobias, and he falls into the blackness without a sound.
Her stomach drops with him. “Tobias!”
She pushes away from Samir—to what? To dive after her partner? But the ground finally cracks apart beneath Nia’s feet as well.
She falls with a breathless shriek. For a beat, weightlessness. Then the ground slams into her all at once, rocky and uneven, knocking the breath out of her. She keeps her eyes squeezed shut as she rolls deeper and deeper, the satchel alternating between cushioning her movements and slapping her in the face.
It’s not until she finally slows to a stop, skin blossoming with painful new bruises, that everything starts to register. That Pokemon—a steelix?—attacked them. Tobias fell. She fell too.
She pushes herself up with a groan, looking around. She’s in a long tunnel similar to the caverns above. The glowing crystals down here seem less gentle, more a blaring red than a cozy rose tone. Mirrorstone still lines the walls in patches, and Nia can tell by her reflection that she looks as roughed up as she feels from that fall.
She’s also entirely alone.
Nia inhales, sharp, and staggers to her feet, looking one way and then the other. “Tobias? Samir?”
No luck, and no sign of either of them. Is it possible the steelix manipulated where they would fall to separate them? Nia glances up, but the earth above her has closed up once again, a few faint cracks and uneven slabs of rock the only sign of its shifting.
A distant, faint vibration makes Nia jump. Fear rolls through her gut, and she stumbles in a random direction. She doesn’t know where she’s going but she feels like a sitting duck here, dropped in the middle of a maze of tunnels that their enemy dug himself. Running feels like a hopeless effort, but what else is there to do? Her best bet right now is to move, to try and find Tobias and Samir and get out of here to find some help.
She knew they shouldn’t have come down here on their own. But she didn’t want to disappoint Tobias because she’s a stupid, stupid people-pleaser and now they’re all in danger. She hasn’t been this angry at her partner in a long while. Probably not since Afon’s Cap.
She swipes tears from her eyes as she jogs down tunnel after tunnel. Her reflection follows her in bits and pieces out of the corner of her eye.
She hits a fork in the road, and glances frantically between the two paths. Which one will lead her back up to the surface? Will either one lead her to her companions? They look exactly the same, identical tunnels of packed dirt walls and cracked patches of crystal.
“C’mon, c’mon!” She whines, bouncing in place. “Make a decision!”
The rumbling in the earth had drifted away a minute ago, but that doesn’t mean the steelix won’t be back soon. Or that he isn’t currently chasing down Tobias or Samir.
Nia goes right on impulse. For a moment she thinks she sees movement out of the corner of her eye that doesn’t match her own, and hopes that it’s Tobias or Samir. But when she looks, it’s nothing. Just her own reflection and the low light playing tricks on her frazzled mind.
Nia slows to a stop at another fork in the road, her fear sharpening to frustration. She feels like a rat in a maze, running around until her eventual demise. Is there even an exit? What if there isn’t?
Nia thinks of the way they usually escape mystery dungeons—which this underground labyrinth probably isn’t, even if she’s bad at telling—and suddenly recalls their rescue badges. She digs through their satchel, pulling out her own badge as well as Tobias’ and clutching them in her hands like lifelines.
But slowly, her mind catches up to her relief.
Even if she did send out a signal to the psychics at the guild to teleport her to safety, Tobias’ badge is with her (stupid, stupid, stupid—why don’t they wear them?!), and she doesn’t have a guarantee that Samir would think to use theirs. She can’t risk just leaving the two of them down here alone.
Besides, the psychics could only teleport her and Tobias so far away from the Lexym guild for their journey. They probably have a limited radius that they can pick them up from, too, and Nia is sure they’re outside of that range. Even the nearest guild, where Samir came from, is likely too far away to pick up their signal out here in the desert. Asra is a small, secluded town, with little authority to help protect it.
A perfect target, really.
With a frustrated little growl, Nia throws her badge down. It bounces with a metallic ping before stopping, wobbling in the dirt as it settles. Very unsatisfying, really.
Nia wipes at her eyes, then bends to pick the badge up. She brushes it off almost apologetically before tucking it away into her satchel again.
She looks up, intent on continuing forward, only to come face-to-face with Giratina.
Nia yelps, falling onto her tail and scrambling back. Giratina stares down at her from bits and pieces of reflected stone, the titan a fractured mosaic of red and black and gold.
Nia holds her breath, heart slamming in her chest as she stares back. She expects Giratina to react in some way. Maybe try to reach through the stone, or beckon her closer. Heck, she half-expects him try bashing through the barrier between their worlds, probably bringing the caves down on all of them in the process.
But no. Giratina just…waits, body and wings swaying behind him against the backdrop of whatever strange void he lives in. His glowing red eyes are as cold as distant satellites, giving no hint as to what he’s thinking.
She imagines this is what it feels like to be a cornered mouse, staring into the eyes of a hungry cat. Except he still hasn't done anything. Is he just playing with her? Or can he physically not do anything? She supposes that might confirm what they’d thought—that Giratina can’t actually touch her unless she makes contact with the reflection too.
Slowly, Nia gathers her shaking legs beneath herself, body still poised to run. Or fight. She doesn’t look away from Giratina.
Giratina nods, once. Approving. Then jerks his head to the right tunnel and slithers through the reflections like a snake through water, down the wall of the tunnel and away from her.
Stunned, Nia blinks after him.
After a moment, the titan slides back into view in front of her, head crest lowered in distinct irritation. Nia's a bit distracted by the fact that his head is larger than her whole body. Giratina jerks his chin to the right again. Insistent.
It suddenly dawns on Nia what Giratina is doing. She barks a hysterical laugh. Maybe there’s a gas leak down here.
“Are you telling me to follow you?”
Giratina gives her a nod, like this is a completely normal thing to be happening.
“And why in the world would I do that?!” Nia asks, throwing her arms up. “Will warned me about you! Plus, all you’ve done is stalk me and try to yank me into your world when I was taking a bath!”
Giratina gives her a flat, unamused look. Well, good—she’s not exactly in a good mood herself.
Nia shakes her head. “Nope, nuh-uh. If anything you’re probably leading me right into a death trap. Not happening.”
Before she can say anything else, the earth around her shakes, a bit harder than before. Nia has to crouch to keep her footing, glancing over her shoulder. She's dreading the thought of seeing that steelix’s terrible face rushing up behind her.
When she looks forward again, Giratina is still glaring down at her, clearly frustrated despite how inflexible his face plates are. His centipede-like legs are moving in an impatient wave down his body. It’s as mesmerizing as it is unsettling. Nia grimaces and takes a step back.
She has to make a decision, here and now. Does she take the advice of an eldritch horror monster who literally every scary story in this world has warned her about, or—
Okay, yeah, this one’s obvious.
Nia marches down the left tunnel. Giratina flickers into being in the reflections at her side, body taking up the whole length of the tunnel. He glares at her silently.
Nia sticks her tongue out at him. He feels a lot less scary when she knows he can’t touch her.
The tunnels rumble distantly with more movement, and Nia picks up her pace a bit. Unfortunately, she still doesn’t know where she’s going. She doesn’t come across another fork in the road over the next few minutes, but the rumbling grows slightly closer and more powerful before dying away again.
Nia wonders how many tunnels there are down here beneath the town, heavy with stale air and danger. If they've made the foundations of the land unstable. If the steelix uses too many ground moves he could probably level the whole town, not to mention bury all of them alive.
She really hopes her friends are all right.
The path has been curving for a little while, but Nia's having trouble figuring out if it’s going up or down. Logic says she wants to go up to get closer to the surface, but…
The distant rumbling of the steelix grows more prominent.
Nia speeds up, glancing over her shoulder. She can't do much else, other than hope that the steelix will change direction and the shaking will die down again.
Instead, the rumbling grows stronger second by second, shaking the ground under her feet and making her stagger. She hears a low, distant roar.
He’s coming this way.
Nia takes off, sprinting and hoping for a fork in the path or—she doesn’t know. A miracle.
She didn’t really see the steelix in motion before, but knowing how large he is, seeing the tunnels he’s dug, knowing how effortlessly he’s been destroying the town above…
She knows she’s done for if she’s caught by him down here. He’s in his element.
Nia feels numb with panic, panting as she runs and runs down the neverending cave. Giratina speeds through the reflections at her side, but for the first time since appearing he isn’t staring her down. He’s looking intently ahead as he spirals through reflections with ease.
The shaking grows stronger, and Nia's steps start to stumble as she tries to run and finds that she can’t keep her footing. She falls into the wall with a gasp. She squints against the almost painful shaking as the steelix grows ever closer.
Giratina catches her eye. He’s flaring his spidery wings out in the mirrorstone a few yards ahead of her. Once he sees her looking, he gestures his head down with urgency, towards a large chunk of glowing red stone.
Nia doesn’t know what he’s suggesting, but right now the banished legendary seems a lot less threatening than the steelix literally about to flatten her into the dirt. She scrambles for the spot Giratina pointed out, crawling through the increasingly powerful jerking of the earth.
When she reaches the crystal, gripping its warm, smooth surface, she’s surprised to see a sizable dip in the cave wall behind it. It's small, just a natural crevice in the dirt. But still…
It looks just big enough for Nia to squeeze into. She hurries to do so, yanking her satchel in with her after it gets caught on the gemstones. Her knees are jammed into her chest and her head is ducked at an uncomfortable angle, breaths puffing hot and humid into her chest.
The shaking gets louder and stronger, and she feels her brain rattle around in her head. She wonders with a pang of terror if Giratina lured her back here to get smashed like a bug under a rock.
Then, with all the force and sound of a subway train, the steelix rushes past her hiding spot. He’s a blur of silver segments, just visible through a gap in the gemstones. One second, two, and then his long body is burrowing down the tunnel and away. The shaking slowly recedes.
Nia gives it a minute. At least until the shaking is nearly gone. Then the space feels too tight, too cramped, like she’ll be crushed if she doesn’t get out. She thrashes and finally manages to squeeze an arm out of the cubby. The rest of her body follows, and she collapses onto the tunnel floor on her back. The dirt under her is smooth and packed, almost hot with the speed in which the steelix moved through.
She would’ve been dead if she’d been caught up in that.
The thought sends a fresh bolt of panic through her. She looks up, still trying to catch her breath, only to see Giratina staring back down at her from the mirrorstone in the ceiling.
“You saved me,” she rasps, somewhere between a statement and a question.
Giratina nods. Then he gestures towards the direction they came from.
For the first time, Nia considers the possibility that Giratina might genuinely be trying to help. But why? Will was very clear that the banished legendary was not to be trusted. And it’s not like he has a stellar reputation even outside of Will’s words. He tried to yank her into the distortion world, for God’s sake!
…But he did just save her life. So he at least wants her alive, for whatever reason. Maybe a nefarious plan where he later steals her soul to destroy the world or something. Chances are he isn’t working with these goons who are only in it for the money, so that means he might actually be leading her to safety.
“This is such a bad idea,” she murmurs, still shaky as she sits up. Giratina flickers out of view only to reappear in the wall, closer to eye level.
Nia raises her voice just loud enough to be heard. “O-Okay. Okay. You’ve got my attention. Um…thank you.”
Giratina makes an insistent gesture with his tail for her to turn around and go back the way they came.
Nia gets to her feet, brushing dirt off her fur, and takes a deep breath. “All right. Lead the way.”
Giratina wastes no time, silently slipping away in a blur of muted color. Nia breaks into a run to follow him back the way they came, the satchel bouncing along with each stride.
Giratina leads her through tunnel after tunnel, clearly reluctant to pause and let her catch her breath or stretch out the painful stitch in her side. When he does finally slow to a stop, Nia takes the break gratefully, gasping for air as she rests her hands on her knees.
“W-What is it?”
Giratina doesn’t answer her, looking off into the distance and narrowing his eyes, as if hearing something. Then he flickers out of sight entirely.
Nia yelps. “Giratina?”
Nothing. She’s alone again.
She looks around uneasily, suddenly back on-guard. Was he leading her into a trap? She knows she shouldn’t trust him but she doesn’t exactly have a lot of options right now. Should she go back the way she came? Keep moving forward?
Nia bites her lip. Then, almost hearing Tobias scolding her for trusting too easily, she tentatively continues forward in the direction Giratina had been leading her. She jogs lightly, trying to keep her ears open and her body ready.
To her relief, while she occasionally feels and hears the steelix roaming around, he doesn't comes barreling her way again.
Still, she slows to a stop when she hears something new and out of place. A faint tap-tap, tap-tap. Like a gallop. The steps sound too sharp to be Eddy or Tobias’ softer feet, more like…hooves?
Samir!
Nia runs forward again. She bounds around the next corner and sure enough, nearly slams right into the skiddo.
“Samir!” She cries, thrilled to see at least one of her friends unharmed.
The grass type is clearly relieved to see her too, posture relaxing even as they pant hard to catch their breath. Giratina flickers back into sight beside both of them. Samir jumps, but otherwise looks a little too familiar with the presence for this to be the first time they’ve ran into one another.
Nia blinks, looking between the two. “Was he…guiding you too?” That would explain why he disappeared on her.
Samir nods, looking warily at the legendary. Giratina stares down at the both of them, impassive.
Huh. Another point for Giratina not being a total jerk, then. Good to know.
Another rumble sounds off in the distance, and everyone tenses, looking down the tunnels. When the vibrations settle, Giratina catches their attention with a jerk of his head, gesturing back the way Samir had come from.
“Can you lead us to Tobias?” Nia asks.
Giratina nods, then zips away. Nia and Samir exchange a look and follow as fast as their legs can carry them, since they don’t really have the time to mistrust Giratina right now.
Nia can’t tell the tunnels apart at all, so all she can do is follow and hope Giratina is leading them in the right direction. They all look the same to her: rosy red light like a warning sign and flashes of reflections set into rocky walls and soil. She thinks there might be a slight incline to the path now, making the burn in her legs more pronounced, but she can’t be sure. All she knows is the constant rhythm of her panting breaths, the pain in her lungs, the tingling exhaustion in her legs, and the sound of her and Samir’s footfalls.
Finally, she hears a distant sound. She can’t pinpoint what it is right away, but it isn’t the rumble of the steelix. It almost sounds like…battling. The faint noise of attacks being used.
Nia’s heart jumps hopefully. She follows the sound to the tunnel’s end, where it opens up to the same large cavern where they first saw Eddy with the steelix. Inside, a familiar flash of fire catches her eye immediately.
Tobias is fighting Eddy, barely dodging the otter's weapon: a shell acting like a hilt for a short blade of bright blue water. Tobias is breathing hard, clearly scuffed up. Blood runs down his leg where the wound he’d gotten on the way to Asra has been reopened, but he’s still keeping Eddy on his toes. Considering the charmander is fighting an older, more experienced water type all on his own, he’s doing considerably well.
Still, Tobias' fierce expression and tense shoulders drop when he glances their way, clearly relieved to see them too.
Eddy looks much less pleased. He spits blood into the dirt, lip curling to bare sharp teeth. “You’re kidding me. He didn’t get either of you? That useless lump of steel—“
Tobias cuts him off by smacking him in the face with his tail. He follows up with a one-two swipe of metallic claws.
Samir bounds into action, beelining for Eddy. They swing their head forward as they run, launching razor-sharp leaves at the water type. Eddy flinches and hisses as they hit their mark.
Nia follows right behind. As physically tired as she is, she’s glad she hasn’t used much aura today. She draws on that energy, forming an aura staff between her paws. She slips behind Eddy and sweeps her weapon low to catch his feet. He stumbles but doesn’t go down, sending a spare water attack behind him that nips Nia’s side and sends her skittering back.
Tobias takes the distraction, lunging forward to slash at Eddy again with his claws. The otter grunts with pain, but kicks Tobias away.
Samir shoots forward to take the charmander’s place, lowering their head to tackle the water type directly in the gut. Nia hears the wind whoosh from Eddy’s lungs. The otter doubles over, the bright blue water around his shell falling to the dirt with a splash.
Nia takes the opening. She hauls her staff back like a baseball bat before slamming the otter in the back. Eddy staggers forward from the blow.
Tobias jumps in next, knocking the otter’s shell from his grasp and slamming him with his tail on the backstep.
Samir finishes it, locking their legs and launching a volley of razor leaves at Eddy. The water type covers his face, trying to stand his ground as they rip at his skin. But as soon as the bright green glow of the attack fades, Eddy falls onto his front and lies still.
For a moment, the three of them stare down at their opponent, attack stances still in place.
When Eddy still doesn’t move, Tobias finally inches forward. He uses a foot to roll the otter over. Eddy groans, still alive but clearly down for the count.
Nia relaxes, and shares a triumphant grin with Tobias and Samir.
It’s Giratina, flickering into view on the far wall and flaring his wings to catch her attention, that makes Nia take notice of the slight vibrations under her feet.
Right. They’re not done here yet.
The now-familiar shaking of the earth picks up as the steelix approaches, making all of them crouch to stay on their feet. Tobias in particular looks pained by the motion. They don't have the time to make a run for it, Nia knows. Not if the steelix is this close.
Nia takes a deep breath and tries to reign in her fear. They’re together again, and they already defeated Eddy. The steelix is a terrifying foe, but together they should be able to figure something out.
She looks to the tunnel her and Samir arrived from, hoping that the steelix won’t appear from underground or something. Luckily, she catches a distant glimpse of silver as the steelix rounds the far bend, metal flashing in the warm glow of the crystals.
Unluckily, the steelix barreling towards them looks furious, segments churning as he charges forward with the speed of a semi. He ducks his head as he enters the cavern, and Nia suddenly realizes that he’s not slowing down. They won’t be fast enough to dodge that. Tobias especially. They're going to be smashed like bugs on a windshield.
She feels like she’s back in Ghatha, watching that wreckage come hurtling down to bury her and Junie. She has the distant feeling she's looking death in the face, and something in her desperately wants to cower in terror.
But her aura saved them last time, right?
Nia shoves herself in front of Tobias and Samir. She braces her feet and grits her teeth and hopes that her self-preservation instincts will be enough to trigger—
Blue filters across her vision. Just quick enough for the steelix to crash headfirst into her shield like a train against a mountain.
Nia’s shield breaks. She cries out as a horrible pain lances through her head, vision spotting and quickly going black. Her legs buckle beneath her, and she barely registers a pair of warm arms catching her.
It feels like an instant later that Nia starts to regain consciousness. She catches flashes of sensation as she comes back to herself, trying to work through the cotton-like pain stuffed inside her skull. Tobias’ muffled voice is saying something near her, tone sharp and worried. The leafy scent of Samir has drifted away. The earth jolts in short, harsh movements, like a giant is wrestling nearby.
Nia tries to pry her eyes open, squinting against the rosy light. The ringing pain in her skull has died down, and clearer sound starts to filter back in. Tobias, yelling something. The angry snarls of the steelix. The crumbling and cracking of stone and earth. Samir’s quick hoofsteps.
Nia finally looks up. She’s been shuffled back to sit against the cave wall. Tobias is running defense from a few paces in front of her while he and Samir battle against the steelix.
Samir is using nimble leaps to weave over and under the steelix’s flailing weapon of a tail. Occasionally they even leap off the side of the cave or the steelix itself, sure-footed and nimble as they shoot off razor leaf attacks between strides.
Tobias has stayed closer by, probably in case the steelix tried to take her out while she was incapacitated. He yells distracting insults at the steelix, occasionally shooting bursts of flame that make the giant flinch.
Both types of attacks seem to be dealing heavy damage to the steelix. Tobias’ fire even makes the serpent’s metallic hide glow like molten metal when he lands a direct hit. The outlaw is definitely a steel type Pokemon, but what else could he be? Rock? Ground, maybe?
Either way, fighting type moves would be super-effective if Nia could just use them.
Nia grits her teeth and rises to wobbly feet. She has to help. Even if she can’t use many moves, she still can’t let them handle this guy alone. He’s twenty times their size and willing to kill. If he gets in one good hit they’re done for.
While she steadies her spotty vision, Nia scans the walls for a sign of Giratina. Surely he wouldn’t abandon them now, right? Even if he can’t do anything, surely he’d stick around to see their fates?
She realizes then that most of the mirrorstone in this cavern—the largest chunks at least—have been cracked by the steelix’s rampage. Nia thinks she sees fragmented glimpses of black and gold and gray flitting between stones, but it’s hard to tell what Giratina is doing or thinking.
Nia’s attention jumps back to the fight as the steelix lunges for Tobias, snapping blocky jaws down with enough force to crush a car. Tobias barely steps back in time. He lashes out with his claws in retaliation and scratches the steelix right below the eye.
Nia doesn’t expect the weak move to do much, but the steelix roars, clearly pained, as he rears back. Tobias falters, clearly as confused as she feels. It’s not until the steelix’s face tilts down again, his left eye squeezed shut and furrowed with pain, that Nia thinks she understands.
The steelix’s scar. The long, deep furrow cutting through his face like a canyon must be more vulnerable than the rest of his steely hide.
“His scar!” Nia calls, still trying to gather herself enough to push away from the wall and help. “I think it’s a weak point!”
Tobias and Samir look back at her, clearly surprised that she’s up. But then Samir nods, shooting off another razor leaf attack to get the steelix’s attention. Tobias follows them now that Nia is conscious, attacking the opposite side with his fire to keep the beast busy.
Nia takes a deep breath and stumbles away from the wall. She needs to get in there and help somehow. She can feel her aura settling again, even if it’s nearly depleted after using protect. The ache in her skull has died down, at least.
Nia staggers forward, pulling her hands apart to form her aura into a staff. She manages to get it nearly full-sized, solid and thrumming with quiet energy. Good.
While the steelix is distracted, Nia runs forward and hauls her staff back in a batter’s swing, then slams her aura into the steelix’s side with all her strength.
Her aura splinters out of existence beneath her palms. The steelix doesn’t even seem to notice her, too busy chasing down Samir and Tobias.
Nia steps back, heart dropping. That did nothing. She should’ve guessed as much—a normal type move like that, without any fighting type energy behind it? No way that would even leave a scratch on a metallic tank like this.
She’s useless in this fight.
Nia steps back and looks around, desperate to help.
She’s watching at just the right time to see Samir slip. The skiddo is bouncing off the wall to give themself some height, when a chunk of stone gives way under their hoof. Nia sees their eyes widen. Sees the sudden loss of grace as they scramble to catch themselves.
She also sees the steelix notice, a nasty grin spreading across his face. He turns, heavy tail swinging around like a wrecking ball, and slams it into Samir. The hit sends the little goat flying across the cavern.
Samir hits the far wall hard enough to send cracks webbing outward, then drops lifelessly to the dirt. They don’t get back up again, and Nia can’t tell if they’re still breathing from this far away. She stares at them, willing them to get back up. To be okay. She feels numb, suddenly, caught between terror and nausea and—
"Nia!" Tobias yells.
She snaps to attention, just in time to drop and flatten herself to the ground. The steelix’s tail swings by right overhead, a wind buffeting her from the momentum.
Shaking, Nia sits up. She looks to Tobias, only to see the charmander trying to inch his way around the cavern to Samir. He’s still dodging and attacking, but he keeps glancing towards the downed skiddo.
The steelix roars and slams his tail into the earth, but Nia can tell that this motion is different than before. She senses something—move energy, maybe. The dirt fissures in a line, shooting under Tobias’ feet like lightning. It continues past him and up the wall of the cavern.
A sickening crack is the only warning before the wall behind Tobias shifts and buckles. A wave of rock and dirt slides down quick as an avalanche. Nia sees Tobias go pale. Then the wave swallows him whole, burying him alive in a mountain of earth.
“Tobias!” Nia shrieks.
Before she can even think—can even doubt or hope or grieve or try to help either of her friends—the steelix turns to her. He’s not smiling, but there’s something satisfied in his expression that feels even worse. Like he’s an exterminator wiping out pesky vermin.
And Nia, with nothing but normal type energy to her name, is left alone to fight him.
Terror and grief makes her stumble back. Her attack earlier did nothing, and she’s sure that a quick attack would be equally unhelpful. She can feel her chest squeeze with panic.
Her teary gaze flicks to the nearest wall, to Giratina scattered and broken in abstract bits, but the legendary seems equally frazzled, moving in erratic movements. He almost looks like he’s trying to ram his way through the reflections, to no avail.
Somehow, that only makes her feel worse.
The steelix lunges for her, and Nia dives under his head to dodge. Panicked, she finds her aura and pumps it into her paw, lashing up with a desperate, sloppy punch mimicking Val’s power-packed moves.
(Wait—mimic?)
But her move bounces harmlessly off the steelix’s hard coat, and her fist blooms with a painful bruise from the hit. Nia bites back a cry and scrabbles out from under the steelix before she’s smushed.
Mimic. Right! She’s been trying to learn mimic. If she could just use one of Tobias’ fire type moves, or Samir’s razor leaf, she might have a chance.
The steelix swings his tail at her, gouging a furrow into the dirt. She nearly trips running out of the way. Then, panting, Nia scrambles over to Samir. The goat is still unnervingly still, but when Nia gets closer she can see the faint rise and fall of their side.
Oh, thank God.
Nia couldn’t figure out how to use mimic on a good day, let alone in the heat of a life-threatening battle. She hasn't even really asked Val how to do it yet, but it’s the only thing she can think of. She’s desperate.
Nia puts her hand on Samir’s leafy mane, where his razor leaf attack seemed to come from. Then, with no better idea of how she could even go about “borrowing” a move, she shoots her aura down her arm until it brushes against Samir’s.
Samir’s aura is…silver. She doesn’t try to look, really, but it flashes into her mind before she thinks to look away. Their soul is silver like steel, ironically. Solid and unyielding. Silver like a mirror, reflective and quiet. Silver like a sword and shield, sharp but protective, hard and seemingly cold. But steel makes tools, steel means safety and strength and durability and—
Focus, Nia! You’re not here to read Samir’s soul. You’re here to grab the last move they used, their razor leaf attack.
…Except Nia has no idea how to do that. Does it even have anything to do with the skiddo’s aura? Surely it does since aura is the basis for move energy, but how can she mold her own aura to match it? How can she even single out an attack from who Samir is, from the lifeblood running through them?
Nia realizes with a pang that she can’t. She simply doesn’t know how. And her instincts as a riolu are apparently not enough to learn on the spot.
Nia’s eyes snap open, breath catching as she sees the steelix’s tail bearing down on them again. Nia loops her arms around Samir’s body and lunges as far as possible.
The steelix’s tail slams down not a foot away from both of them, making their bodies jump off the ground. The attack leaves an indent like a trench in the dirt, and Nia’s heart jumps into her throat.
She needs to move this fight away from here. Samir and Tobias are unconscious, and the steelix is after her now. Her partners are in the line of fire as long as the fight continues in this cavern.
Nia shoves away from Samir and bolts for the nearest opening, the one leading down into the tunnel system. She hears the steelix let out a booming laugh far behind her. She’s confused until she realizes he must think she’s trying to run.
For the first time since this fight started, she feels angry rather than afraid. He thinks this is funny? Thinks it’s hilarious to bury her partner alive and slam Samir into the wall like a doll? Thinks it's funny to hurt them, terrorize them, endanger the whole town?
It feels easier to think, suddenly, with her terror sharpening to fury. She understands why Tobias chooses anger now, instead of losing himself to despair. It feels more like she's in control. Like she can use this fire under her skin.
The rumble of the steelix following her into the tunnels makes her stumble. She picks herself up and runs harder, gasping for breath. Giratina flickers into view at her side, whole again.
When Nia reaches the first fork in the path, she hesitates. She just—she needs a second to breathe. To think. She needs a plan. Her lungs are on fire and she tastes metal in her mouth. Her emotions are a frayed knot of fear and grief and anger. But that doesn’t mean anything to the creature trying to kill her.
The shaking of the earth grows stronger, almost shaking her off her feet. On a whim, Nia staggers down the right path and around the bend until she can hunker down against the wall.
All she’s working with at this point is luck. Hoping that by pure chance, the steelix won’t pick this path. That’s what their lives are depending on.
Luckily, some kind of deity must decide that her fortune has been bad enough today, because she feels and hears the steelix rumble down the left path, his movements slowly fading away.
Nia breathes out a shuddery breath, sliding down the wall to the ground. That stroke of luck bought her a minute, maybe, before he turns around. She has to think.
She has to get them all out of here, but even if she turns around now, grabs Samir, and manages to haul the two of them up the ladder and to safety before the steelix can stop her (which is unlikely), she’s not just going to leave Tobias down here, buried under a mountain of rubble.
Giratina flickers into view across the tunnel. Nia looks up at him as she slows her breathing, knowing her emotions are clear as day on her face.
Giratina looks irritated.
And Nia feels angry in return.
“What?!” She hisses, careful to keep her voice down. “You have some great idea?! It’s a little hard to feel optimistic when I have no way to fight that thing!”
Giratina’s eyes narrow, moving around as if trying to think of something. Finally, they settle on the satchel still looped over her shoulder.
Nia, teetering violently between despair and fury, rips it off and throws it down. She yanks it open and turns it over so their meager collection of items spill out.
“There’s nothing here!" She says, voice breaking. She swallows hard and gestures at the mess. “What? What’s going to miraculously beat him for us? Berries? Half a flask of water? Badges that won’t even work? Blast seeds?“
Nia pauses, panting, and stares at the unassuming little yellow seeds sitting on the ground. The ones they’d gotten as a reward from their last client.
“Blast seeds,” she breathes.
With something like hope blossoming in her chest, Nia stuffs the rest of their items back into the satchel and pulls it back over her shoulder. Then, delicately, as if handling precious jewels, she scoops the little seeds into her hands. There are only three of them, small and unassuming. But she recalls Tobias’ words about them.
If she ate one, it would give her a short burst of flames to attack with, even without any move energy. And that would hurt even the steelix, right?
But there are only three. And even if they’re strong, what if they’re still not strong enough? Tobias’ flames clearly hurt the steelix earlier, left his hard hide soft as molten metal. But she needs a surefire way to take him down for good. A weak point, maybe—
A weak point exactly like that scar of his.
Nia laughs a wet, weak laugh, and wipes at her eyes. A plan is unfolding in her mind, and she can only desperately hope she can pull it off.
The steelix’s rumbling had faded away, but it’s starting to strengthen again as he returns. Nia gives Giratina a nod of thanks before hurrying back to the main cavern where Tobias, Samir, and Eddy are lying unconscious.
When she arrives, none of them have moved. That’s worrying on its own, but Nia doesn’t have time to fret over them, not until the steelix is dealt with.
Nia puts two of the blast seeds back in the satchel. The third she clutches in her paw, before moving to stand off to the side of the cave entrance.
Then, she waits.
The steelix rumbles back to the fork in the path, his cursing audible even from where she is. She hears him check out the other cave, but he doesn’t go far before turning around. He moves closer and closer to where she is, the ground shaking under her feet while she clings to the wall for stability.
Nia holds the blast seed up to her mouth. As soon as that giant silver face emerges from the cavern, she takes a note from Tobias' book and shouts, “Hey, ugly!”
The steelix’s head swings around to look at her.
Nia cracks the blast seed between her teeth, swallowing.
And immediately she feels an unfamiliar flare of energy erupt in her stomach, hot and powerful. It pushes up into her throat and out through her mouth and—
The explosive blast of fire nearly blinds her. But the pained roar of the steelix tells her she hit her target head-on.
A great thrashing follows. She feels more than sees the steelix’s tail swing dangerously close to her head as he roars with pain. Coughing up smoke and an unfamiliar sense of heat in her airways, Nia stumbles away from the blast zone. She blinks hard, squinting, until she can see the steelix writhing on the ground, churning up the dirt. The left side of his face is glowing white-hot with lingering heat.
Nia feels a thrill of victory, but hurriedly pulls out the second blast seed. Without giving the steelix time to recover, she runs straight at his face and cracks the second blast seed between her teeth.
He must hear her coming, because he pulls away just in time, dodging the majority of the seed’s explosion as he twists upright. Wavering, but once again stories above her head.
Nia curses, biting back a stab of panic. Only one seed left. She can’t afford to mess up with this one, and since he’s upright again, she’s going to need some leverage to use it.
Nia picks up a nearby rock loosened by the hubbub and launches it at his side. It pings uselessly against his armored body, but catches his attention. He squints down at her, clearly still blinking the explosions out of his vision and battling the pain.
Nia sticks her tongue out at him, then turns tail and sprints for the first cave, where the rope ladder leading outside hangs.
The steelix follows, slamming into walls in his dazed state and making it even harder for her to stay on her feet. She stumbles, but manages to stay ahead of him until she hits the cave. The bottom of the rope ladder is just visible in the little alcove off to the side. Nia ducks inside and jumps onto the rope ladder just in time.
The steelix slams into the wall separating the little space from the main cavern. The vertical tunnel around her shakes, and dirt powders her fur like snow.
Nia climbs higher, up and up as the steelix batters the wall with mindless fury. He must think she’s trying to escape. The rope ladder swings slightly under the onslaught. The wall behind her cracks ominously under the steelix’s weight.
Finally, Nia thinks she’s high enough. She turns around, facing the wall and the steelix behind it. She rummages in her satchel until she finds the last blast seed, then places it between her teeth.
The steelix is still roaring, slamming into the wall of the alcove over and over again. Nia clings to the rope ladder, locking her arms and praying this will work.
Finally, the layer of rock between the two of them begins to crack and crumble. It falls away in noisy chunks that plummet to the ground far below. The steelix’s face becomes visible, right at her level. He tears away the last chunk of rock between them, looking like a frenzied animal after its prey. Once she’s in sight, mere feet away from his giant maw, he goes for her.
And Nia swallows the blast seed.
Like the two times before, the seed immediately erupts. Flames explode in a cloud of biting heat. The steelix’s agonized roar only barely registers over the ringing in her ears. She remembers to close her eyes this time.
When she opens them, her heart skips a beat. The steelix is still upright. Rearing back with his face a molten hue, clearly hurting, but not unconscious.
One more final push. That’s all she needs. The heat should’ve softened the metal a bit, so—
Nia snaps her arm out and summons a staff of aura, feeling her reserves run low. Then, she pushes off the back wall of the alcove and leaps. For an instant, she feels like she’s flying. It’d be enjoyable if she weren’t flinging herself directly at the mouth of a monster.
Then she swings her aura staff up, and brings it down with all the strength left in her body.
The makeshift weapon hits true. It meets the softened split of the steelix’s scar with a crack like a gunshot. Nia isn’t sure if the sound is from the force of the blow, from the steelix’s shell splitting open further, or from her aura snapping to pieces in her hands.
Whatever it is, it seems to be enough.
The steelix doesn’t roar, or cry out, or rear back. Instead, he drops. Nia, who had landed on his head, struggles to hang on to the metal surface as the huge Pokemon topples. When he hits the ground, the earth itself shakes, throwing up a plume of dirt and dust that has Nia hacking.
An unnerving quiet falls over the cavern. The only sounds are her panting breaths, the quiet settling of dirt and earth, and the heavy puffs of the steelix passed out like a derailed train below her.
Giratina flickers into view off to the side, looking solemn as ever. He meets her eyes, then flicks his head back the way they came, to the other cavern.
She feels a cocktail of emotions building in her chest, but tries to stuff them away. At least for now. Relief and exhaustion make her limbs feel like jelly, but she’s not done yet. She has to get to her friends.
Nia slides down the hulking mass of the steelix. She staggers through the cavern, still coughing up smoke. She feels like her throat has first degree burns.
Finally, she finally makes it back to the cavern where Tobias, Samir, and Eddy lie knocked out.
She’s relieved to see Samir is waking up, dragging themself into a sitting position. They’re grimacing, one eye squeezed shut with pain, but they look coordinated enough.
“Samir!” She gasps, hurrying to their side.
The skiddo jumps, looking first at her, then around the cavern. Their anxious expression melts into confusion.
“The steelix is down,” Nia says, kneeling at the skiddo’s side and peering into their eyes to see if they have a concussion or anything. She doesn’t even know what she’s supposed to be looking for. “How do you feel?”
Samir blinks at her, clearly bewildered by the easy dismissal. Their gaze flicks over Nia’s shoulder, as if not quite believing her.
“I’ll tell you later,” she says, too tired to deal with this right now. “Seriously, are you okay? You got thrown into a wall and I thought…”
Samir must hear the way her throat closes up, because they finally soften and focus on Nia’s questions. Hesitantly, they nod. Their eyes flick down Nia’s form as they tilt their head with a furrowed brow.
“I-I think I’m okay?” Nia answers. She stumbles back to her feet, helping Samir up after. “But we need to find Tobias.”
Samir’s eyes widen. The skiddo went down first so they’re probably wanting to know what exactly happened, but Nia doesn’t have time to explain. Now that her adrenaline is fading, the fear is returning tenfold.
She really, really hopes Tobias is okay.
“This way,” she says, hurrying as fast as she can to the mountain of earth and rock that buried the charmander. The closer she gets, the more her distant panic surfaces.
This is…a huge mountain of dirt and rock. And while she saw Tobias get buried, she’d been too focused on his face to notice where exactly he would end up by the end of it. But she needs to get him out of there. What if he’s seriously hurt? What if he’s—
Fear spiking, Nia kneels in the dirt at a random spot and starts digging with her hands. She was hoping it would be easy to move, but the rocks and chunks of earth make it painful and clunky to handle, and the clay-like soil sticks everything together.
Nia feels her eyes sting with tears. She digs harder. Faster. Samir tugs on her satchel, but she doesn’t stop to look at them.
She doesn’t know where Tobias is. What if he dies because she can’t find him? What if he’s suffocating?
Her eyes blur with tears as she chokes. Desperately, Nia looks up at the nearest cave wall to find Giratina. The titan is still there, fragmented and a bit hard to see in the broken chunks of mirrorstone. He shakes his head. Nia isn’t sure if that means that he didn’t see where Tobias ended up either, or—
Samir is tugging at Nia’s satchel with their teeth again, hard enough to disrupt her work.
She finally turns to them, snapping, “What?!”
Samir looks concerned, but their gaze darts nervously to where Eddy is lying on the ground across the cave. They jerk their head towards the tunnel leading out of here.
Nia shoves the goat away, panic making her movements and words sharper than usual. “I’m not leaving him down here! W-What if he’s suffocating?!”
The thought only makes everything worse, and Nia’s breath hitches with a sob as she gets up, skittering around the cave-in, pawing small handfuls of rubble free before moving again to a new spot. Where is he? Where is he?!
Samir doesn’t argue again. Just staggers over to her side and starts trying to dig with their own hooves. After only a few seconds they stop, looking over at her with clear conflicted feelings.
She knows. She knows. It’s going to be impossible to find the charmander in this mess since neither of them know exactly where Tobias is. But she can’t just leave him down here! What if he dies because they take too long to get help digging him out? What if Eddy or the steelix wake up and find him first? What if the whole tunnel system caves in?
Nia is crying openly now. She ignores the pain of rocks and dirt straining and scraping at her desperate hands. She can hardly see in front of her through her tears, and swipes a frustrated, dirty arm across her face.
She can’t let Tobias die here. He’s her partner! Her friend! She can’t just let him go!
A small flash from her chest startles her and Samir alike. Nia sniffles, looking down at herself. She’s not surprised to find her body outlined with blue, the tired remnants of her aura manifesting with her rising emotions. Another spark flashes off her body.
Frustrated, she takes a moment to ball her fists against her temples and shriek into her inner arms. She supposedly has this great power, this ability to use her energy like no other species of Pokemon, and still she’s useless when people really need her.
Would one of her moves help if she could actually use them? She feels as powerless as she did in that fire in Ghatha. Or in the fight against the seviper. Or when she was grabbed by Giratina. When she was first transported to this world, scared out of her wits. When her and Tobias were trying to find that tropius calf, trying to see an enemy ambushing them from beneath the earth and Nia had tried and failed to—
Nia’s breath catches, tears and snot and grief making her cough. But wait, wait. That time in the cave dungeon, she’d tried something with her aura. Tried to find that burrowing enemy by sending out a pulse of her aura, like radar.
She didn’t even get close to succeeding then. And she hasn’t tried anything like it since. Her attempt at using mimic earlier was a total failure. But…
What other option does she have?
Nia’s aura flares, making her flinch as it pulses through her like a rush of energy. Nearby pebbles rattle and roll away. Distantly, she registers Samir stepping back out of the corner of her eye.
This is dangerous. She can’t control this yet. She could make the rock slide worse, could unsettle the precarious stability of the earth. They could all be buried alive.
But if she does nothing, Tobias could die. And it’s worth the risk if it might save him.
“Samir, step back,” Nia whispers, widening the arms she has braced against the dirt and rock. She hears the skiddo follow her order without complaint, scrabbling away.
Then, Nia takes a deep, shuddering breath. Tries to imagine her aura coursing through her body. Tries to remember what Val told her, long ago, about casting her aura out not as a solid stream, but as a veil. A wave.
Her first attempt erupts from her hands with an earth-rumbling burst. Nia flinches, gritting her teeth. Too strong. Too much, all at once.
She tries to slow the flow of her aura, less like a faucet full-blast, and more like barely nudging it on. Lets her aura trickle out at a much smaller, much steadier pace.
Like this, it’s easier to control how the aura disperses. She can hold the contents of that gentle flow, then scatter it like water drops from cupped hands. Like a fine mist, rather than a stream.
She tries it. The energy disperses, and for a moment Nia fears nothing has happened. Did she still not get it right? Val said she should be able to sense any aura hers bumps into.
Could Tobias already be..?
Nia whimpers and tries the technique again, struggling to keep her emotions from getting out of control. She can’t let them get out of control. She has to do this. She has to help Tobias!
She just…she just wants him to be safe.
The second try is better than the first one. Less a net with gaping holes in it and more a…pulse. A wave, gently passing through the earth beneath her.
For an instant, there’s nothing.
Then, a new color flashes in her mind, there and gone in an instant. Red. Not the bright blood red of Xander or their scarves, but a deep, maroon red.
Nia’s breath catches.
“Tobias..?” She murmurs. Desperately, she sends out another pulse. The second time her aura brushes against another’s makes her choke out a sob.
There’s life there. And despite the fact that Nia has never seen Tobias’ aura before, despite the fact that she’s trying not to look too deeply into it, she knows it’s him. She can feel it’s him, almost as clearly as she knows her own soul.
And he’s still alive.
Nia sends another pulse of aura into the earth, hands shaking. Then another. Tries to pinpoint with her aura exactly where he is in this mess of rubble. It’s hard, when she isn’t familiar navigating this disconnected part of herself. But after a few more times, it starts to make sense. It’s like…sonar. Like a radar. Like a beacon.
“I found him,” she says, breathless. Her heart pounds in her ears. Her eyes snap open, blue still outlining the edges of her vision, and she slides clumsily down from the top of the rubble.
Samir trots to her side, wide-eyed but looking to her for direction. Nia hurries to the edge of the debris, biting her lip and sending another pulse of aura into the pile. She swallows down a cry when she “sees” that same flash of red, only a few feet forward.
“Here,” she says, getting to work. “Just ahead!”
Samir nods, then immediately joins her in digging. After a minute or two, Nia’s bloodied hands have made a sizeable dent in the earth. Samir has adjusted their strategy to start moving the discarded dirt further away, and they stabilize the gap Nia is creating. Nia wants to use her aura and blast the rubble away, or ask Samir to use one of their own attacks, but she knows they risk hurting Tobias if they do.
Still, it seems like it takes forever to dig deeper and deeper into the loose rock and earth. Nia sends the occasional pulse of aura out to make sure they’re still on the right track.
Finally, Nia pulls away a small slab of rock to reveal a dusty orange arm.
“Tobias!” She gasps, fresh tears flooding her eyes. She frantically digs more, using her aura to help fling away the larger chunks.
Once they uncover half of Tobias’ body, Samir helps to drag him free completely, trying to be mindful of any injuries.
The charmander's face is bruised and slack, eyes closed, but his tail flame is like a breath of fresh air. Small, but bright.
Nia gathers him into her lap, hugging his warm body close. She knew he was her friend, she knew she cared about him, but she didn’t realize how much the thought of losing him hurt until she nearly did.
“Gh…Nia?”
The throaty whisper makes Nia pull back, looking down at Tobias through a blurry watercolor of tears.
He squints up at her, wincing and lifting a hand to his head. “What happened? Feels like I got hit by a mountain.”
“More or less,” Nia says, voice aiming for joking but coming out strangled.
Tobias blinks up at her, frowning, probably about to ask more questions, but Nia can’t resist. She leans down and wraps him up in another tight hug, crying into his dusty scarf.
“N-Nia! Hey!”
“Are you okay?” She asks.
“I think so? What—“
That’s all Nia needed to hear. She ignores Tobias weak protests and flailing limbs, hugging him tighter. After a few moments, he seems to give in, grumbling something and letting his arms fall heavily around her back.
Samir is the one to interrupt the emotional reunion. They tug at Nia’s scarf, tied around her bicep. When she looks up, wiping at her eyes, the goat gives her an apologetic but nervous look, glancing once again at Eddy. The otter Pokemon is still knocked out for now, but Nia heard him groan earlier. He could wake up at any moment, and none of them are in any condition to fight.
“R-Right. We need to get out of here and grab Calder.”
Samir nods, helping Nia to her feet. Then they lean into Tobias’ other side to force the charmander to use them as a crutch.
“‘M up, I’m up,” Tobias grumbles half-heartedly. Nia can tell he’s exhausted by how little he protests their help.
“Let’s go,” she says, looping his free arm over her shoulder.
Slowly, the three of them hobble past Eddy, back through the tunnel and into the first cave with the rope ladder. Both Tobias and Samir stop sharply when they see the downed steelix surrounded by rubble.
“How..?” Tobias chokes. She feels him turn his head to look at her. “Did you—“
“Later,” Nia insists, too on-edge to feel flustered.
When they finally make it to the ladder, Nia has to spend a full minute convincing Samir to go first. She knows they’re the slowest climber, that’s why she wants them to go first! She doesn’t want to have to worry about accidentally leaving them behind.
The skiddo looks bitter at that, but finally acquiesces when Nia gives them a pleading look and reminds them that it’s really not a good time to be arguing.
Nia sends Tobias up between them, to give the charmander someone to follow but to allow her to try to catch him if he slips. She can tell that almost starts another argument, but Samir, thank God, starts climbing and Nia puts on her I’m Serious About This face so Tobias finally starts climbing himself. Slower than Nia would like, but it’ll have to do. Nia shoots nervous glances over her shoulder at the steelix and towards the tunnel where Eddy lies unconscious.
When Tobias’ tail flame is high up in the tunnel, he calls down, “Nia!”
“Coming!” She whisper-yells back, finally scrambling after the two of them. Her tense muscles are sore and heavy with exhaustion, but she doesn’t think she’s ever climbed so fast in her life, leftover terror giving her energy.
She catches up to Tobias just as Samir is hauling him over the edge and into the surface cave of the old mine. When she’s out too, Nia takes a moment to catch her breath. Tobias looks seconds away from passing out, and Nia is tempted to let him, but…
Samir tap-taps in the dirt. They jerk their head towards the mouth of the tunnel, in the direction of Asra. Their brown eyes are tired and sympathetic, but unyielding.
“I know, I know,” Nia groans, pushing herself to her feet. Tobias hisses a weak protest when she drags him up too, slinging his arm over her shoulders again.
Slowly, the three of them trudge back to the opening of the cave. Nia sees the dim gray light of early morning, dawn just starting to touch the horizon, and tears flood her eyes again. The cold desert breeze brushing against her face is the sweetest air she’s ever tasted.
When they step outside, Nia can see the vague mass of Fort Asra in the distance, and she wants to cry for another reason entirely. It’s so, so far. She’s not sure they can actually make it.
A quiet sound behind Nia makes her instincts jolt. She sees Samir tense at the same time, ears swiveling back.
Nia spins, Tobias stumbling without her support. But she’s just in time to put up a weak screen of aura, a poor imitation of her earlier protect.
Bright blue slices of water hammer against her shield, cracking it. Nia grunts and stumbles back from the blow. Tobias catches her, nearly falling himself. Samir steps in front of both of them.
Eddy is at the mouth of the cave, leaning heavily against the wall. He sneers at them with bared, bloody teeth and wild eyes. If they were at full strength, Nia is sure they would be able to handle him as easily as they did earlier. But after that Steelix..?
Nia can barely get her legs under her again. She and Tobias are holding each other up like a wobbly tower of cards. Samir’s legs are visibly trembling with fatigue.
Eddy snarls, lunging forward with his shells drawn. Nia tenses, and she sees Samir do the same.
A familiar jet of water shoots past her shoulder, slamming into Eddy and sniping him out of the air.
Nia blinks, then whips her head around to see none other than Calder rushing up to them. Behind the inteleon, Nia is even more surprised to see Takeo and Granite hauling themselves up the rocks.
“Calder?” She asks, bewildered. She must be hallucinating.
But the inteleon runs past them without a word, tackling Eddy to the dirt and pinning him easily. The dewott snarls but can barely put up a fight.
A light touch to Nia’s back makes her jump, but when she looks it’s just Granite, reaching out with his trunk to get her attention. The donphan scans her and then Tobias with serious eyes.
“You three all right?”
Tobias snorts weakly into her neck, clearly thinking a sarcastic retort but too fatigued to verbalize it.
“Tired,” Nia manages.
Granite nods. “I’m guessing ol’ Ed here was up to no good to have you three looking like that?”
“Caused the quakes,” Tobias says, words half-slurred as he struggles to stay conscious.
Takeo, who had crouched in front of Samir to check them over, matches Granite’s surprised expression. The two of them openly stare at the charmander.
“Eddy can’t use ground moves,” Granite finally says, dumbfounded.
“He's working with an, um…a steelix,” Nia says, struggling to recall the species. “He’s knocked out, but he’s still down there.”
Calder, with Eddy’s unconscious body tucked under his arm like an unruly toddler, steps back over to them. He frowns. “There’s someone else involved?”
Nia waits a beat, before realizing that Tobias is legitimately passing out as they speak and Samir is almost there as well, swaying on their hooves. Not to mention mute.
She rubs at her eyes. “There’s a tunnel leading under the mines. Beneath the mine cart. Leads to a tunnel system. A steelix was causing the quakes. Eddy was making it rain so much to increase the damage.”
Nia can see all the adults taking that in with furrowed brows. Calder’s grip on Eddy grows tighter. Takeo narrows his eyes and glances at the otter with a dark expression. Granite curses under his breath, steadying Tobias when he starts to to tilt.
Finally, Calder nods, handing Eddy off to Takeo. The spidops wordlessly gets to work bundling the smaller Pokemon up with…silk? He skillfully twines it around and around the otter with his long arms weaving like a loom. Nia watches the motion as if in a trance, blinking sluggishly.
“Should we call for backup as soon as we get back?” Granite gruffs.
Calder nods again. “Yes. Send Lara and Cody for sure. We need a sleep powder and a heavy hitter to make sure we can keep the steelix controlled until authorities arrive. Send Jay to the guild. He’ll need to grab some psychics to take these two in.”
Nia barely registers the words of the three Asra ‘mon as she fights to stay standing. Tobias is leaning more and more heavily into her as he slowly slides to the ground. She eventually gives up and goes with him, sitting down in the dirt.
She must start to doze, because she’s woken up by Tobias’ weight being shifted off her shoulder. She looks up, bleary-eyed, to find Takeo securing the unconscious charmander to Granite’s broad back with some of that same silk. A string shot attack, maybe? Samir is already tied down as well, their head up as they fight to stay awake. Their eyes are lidded with exhaustion.
“Wh’re we going?” Nia mumbles.
Takeo effortlessly scoops Nia up to hold her in his arms. She doesn’t have it in her to feel embarrassed about being carried like a child. At least she’s not swaddled up in a cocoon and strapped to the bug type’s back like Eddy is.
“Taking you kids back to town,” Takeo grunts, starting to carefully pick his way down the rocks. Granite follows with a clumsy slide that sends pebbles raining down after him.
Nia blinks up at the slowly-brightening sky framing Takeo’s chin. The air is still cool with night air, but the dawn is turning from gray to blue, clear and lovely.
Her eyes slide to the side, until she catches a glimpse of orange and green atop Granite’s gray back.
“Are they gonna be okay?” She asks.
Takeo hums. “They should be fine. You kids are tough, and smarter than we gave you credit for. Dumber, too.”
Nia huffs something like a laugh as she closes her eyes. She can’t really argue with that.
Chapter 47
Summary:
Tobias and Nia say their goodbyes to Fort Asra. Following Rosalind's info, they discover some unexpected answers in the desert.
Chapter Text
Tobias wakes somewhere soft. Once he blinks his eyes open against late afternoon light, he realizes he’s back at Granite and Takeo’s place, in the room he and Nia have been boarding in. Dust motes float through sunlight against a wooden ceiling.
The quiet creak of the door and soft footsteps—familiar footsteps—make Tobias raise his head.
Nia startles at the movement, then hurries over with a smile. “Hey! How’re you feeling?”
Tobias tries sitting up, then groans when that makes his body ache and his head twinge with pain. His thigh is wrapped up tight in gauze, and it itches against his scales.
Nia motions for him to lie down. “Take it easy. You got pretty roughed up.”
No kidding. Tobias rubs at his eyes. “What happened?”
“Well…what do you remember?”
Tobias grudgingly allows himself to sink back into the pile of cushions. “I remember…Calder, jumping in to fight Eddy. And Grant and Takeo. They found us?”
Nia nods, smile twisting with wry humor, “Apparently Takeo didn’t trust us to stay out of trouble. He tagged us with his silk and tracked us across the desert once he realized we snuck out. Granite grabbed Calder along the way.”
Tobias isn’t sure if he should feel angry about that or not. The townsmon did save them from a second fight with the dewott that Tobias isn’t sure they would’ve won.
“What about Eddy and the Steelix?”
“Safely in custody!” Nia chirps, looking proud. “Calder and Lara kept them subdued until some psychics from the guild could come out to grab them.”
Tobias nods as he stares up at the ceiling, something in his memory nudging at him. Something important. He vaguely remembers Nia and Samir leading him out of the cave and up the ladder. The three of them hobbling past the downed steelix (and Tobias has questions about how that happened). Then Eddy attacking them back on the surface.
But before all that, he remembers a terrifying wave of earth bearing down on him, slamming into him and burying him alive. Blackness. Then, a slow return to awareness, soft fur holding him close. Nia’s voice, shaky but relieved. A tight, borderline-painful hug.
Tobias pauses. “Did you…dig me out from that rock slide? How did you find me in all that?”
Nia winces. She looks guilty. “I, um…we couldn’t find you at first, and I was scared you were suffocating. So I found your aura.”
Tobias’ head snaps up as something in his chest stutters. “You looked at my aura?”
He must sound sharper than he means to, because Nia frowns with her ears pinned back in the way she does when she feels defensive. “I thought you might be dying!”
The sudden fear that had bubbled up in Tobias’ chest melts abruptly into shame.
“Right,” he mutters. It still sounds loud in the quiet. “I…I know you did what you had to do.” He grimaces as he peers up at her, almost not wanting to ask. “So…what’d you see?”
Nia blinks. “Oh. Um. Not much, really. I was trying not to dig too deep and I was a bit, uh…distracted. Your soul is red?”
“Red? What does that mean?”
Nia quirks a smile and shrugs. “I’d have to actually focus and look again to tell you. All I know is that you’re a deep red. Almost maroon! I could tell it was you right away. It just…felt like you.”
For some reason, Tobias feels his face heat up at that. He looks away, claws kneading into the cushion in his lap. He supposes he’s glad Nia didn’t find any terrible truths from a fleeting glimpse of his soul, even if he still feels strangely exposed that she looked at all.
There’s a moment of silence where Nia busies herself with fluffing the cushions around Tobias. He can tell she has something to say. She keeps taking a deep breath and opening her mouth, hesitating before closing it again.
“Look,” Nia finally says. “I know you just woke up, but I’m afraid I’ll lose my nerve and we need to talk about this. About…how you get, when info about Team Zenith is involved.”
Oh. Tobias’ stomach sinks as he sits up again, ignoring the exhaustion in his body. “What about it?”
Nia gives him a tired look. “You know what I mean, Tobias.”
“I’m not going to stop looking for them.”
“I’m not asking you to!” Nia groans. She takes a deep breath, rubbing at her face.
"Then what are you asking?”
“I’m not saying we need to stop looking for them,” Nia starts. “I know that you won’t stop, no matter what. But we need to start being more careful about how we tackle these missions.”
Tobias knows that by “we,” she means he has to start being more careful. He’s the one who basically forced her and Samir down into the mines because he was desperate to finish the mission as soon as possible.
He vaguely remembers her hugging him and crying into his scarf, and feels a stab of guilt. Still, he can’t seem to apologize. The words lodge in his throat like a rock. Because he knows he would do it again.
Tobias stares down at his hands and mutters, “You didn’t have to come with me.”
Nia makes an offended noise. “I wasn’t going to let you march off alone to get killed!”
“It would be my fault if I died, not yours.”
Nia throws her hands up. “It doesn’t matter whose fault it would be, it would matter that you died!”
“Would it?” Tobias scoffs.
Nia stops mid-rant, looking stunned. Then, her expression slowly melts into something almost…hurt.
“Yes,” Nia whispers. “It would.”
To Tobias’ surprise, he believes her. Nia gets attached to Pokemon stupidly quick. It makes sense that she’s managed to get attached to him, despite his prickly attitude. They do spend pretty much every day together. Still, Nia could just join Andyn’s team or something if got himself killed. She’d be fine, after a bit.
There’s a heavy moment of silence. Tobias can feel Nia’s eyes on him, so he stubbornly looks out the window, where he sees the side of another building and a glimpse of bright afternoon sunlight.
Finally, Nia sighs. “We just…we can’t keep going like this, Tobias. The seviper in Ghatha, the steelix down in the mines. Rosalind is giving us dangerous missions.”
“I know that,” Tobias says. “What are you recommending we do about it?”
Nia’s mouth flattens into a frown. “I…don’t know. But Samir and I both thought it was too dangerous, and we turned out to be right. We almost died down there because of that.”
Tobias winces, feeling guilt drop heavy onto his shoulders. He wasn’t the only one he put in danger by charging into the mines. Nia and Samir easily could’ve been killed by that steelix. That possibility does scare him. It’s just…so hard for him to think of that, when he feels that desperate itch to follow a lead.
“Can you just…listen, when we try to get you to slow down?” Nia asks. “Be a little more careful?”
Tobias mulls that over. Her request is reasonable enough. She's not asking him to avoid dangerous situations entirely, after all, just to approach them with a bit more caution.
“Fine,” he says, eventually. “I’ll try to listen if you tell me to slow down.”
Nia doesn’t seem relieved by that. Instead, she tilts her head with a little furrow to her brow. Like she’s trying to get through to him, even though he’s already agreed.
“What?” He asks. “I said I'd be more careful.”
“No, I know. I’m glad. It’s just…it feels like you’re agreeing to get me off your back, not because you think it’s the best course of action.”
“What's the difference? Look, I’ll slow down a bit when you get freaked out, okay? And I’ll make sure I don’t drag you or anyone else down with me.”
Nia’s frown grows deeper. “What about you?”
“What about me?"
Nia opens her mouth to reply, then closes it again. “You…want to get revenge, right? On Team Zenith. For taking your family away.”
“Yeah. And?”
Nia bites her lip, but holds his gaze. She looks nervous, but determined. He hates that expression on her because it usually means she’s about to do something stupid.
Finally, she says, “You can’t take revenge for your family if you’re dead. If…If you rush us into a situation and get killed for it, that revenge will never happen, right?”
Tobias blinks back at her, surprised by the riolu’s unusual bluntness. He…hadn’t really thought of it like that before, as obvious as the line of thought is. He’d always sort of figured he’d throw himself at any information and hope for the best. If he died, he died. But…it would all be for nothing then. And if that's the case, it would be worth approaching leads more cautiously not just because Nia asked him to, but because his end goal has a better chance of coming to fruition, right?
Nia continues before he can respond. “Plus, think about what it’d do to Maggie if you were killed. Or the shinx kids. And if I didn’t somehow go down with you I’d be—“
Nia cuts herself off, blinking bright ruby eyes. Her lip quivers. “W-Well. I already thought that yesterday and you saw me then. I’d be devastated if something happened to you.”
Devastated. Somehow, that seems like such an…intense word to apply to him. Tobias doesn’t know if he’s quite worth feeling “devastated” over.
“You’d get over it,” Tobias scoffs.
That makes Nia upset. He sees the blue of her aura flash through her eyes. “You’re not over your family.”
Tobias flinches back as if she’d slapped him. “Of course I’m not! But that’s different!“
“How?”
“Because they were my family!” Tobias hisses.
“Maggie’s your family too! What would she do if she lost you?”
That trips Tobias up. Maggie is his family, and he is hers. But—
“It’s not the same!”
“Why?!”
“Because I should’ve been strong enough to protect my family! And I need to be strong enough now to make Team Zenith pay for what they did. If I go and get myself killed by being an idiot, there’s no one to blame but me. Certainly not Maggie or the kids.“
“None of us would see it that way,” Nia says, voice soft. "You don’t seem to value your own life much, but other people do.”
Something sharp tangles and knots in Tobias’ chest. “Well they shouldn't! I didn't ask them to!"
“I don’t think you get to decide how much other people care about you.”
And Tobias has nothing to say to that. She’s right.
“I don’t want to talk about this anymore,” Tobias huffs, looking away. “I’m sorry, all right? For putting you and Samir in danger. I won’t do it again.”
At least that’s one truth that’s easy to tell. He’ll just face it himself next time, if it comes to that. He has to stop dragging Nia down with him.
A heavy silence falls over the room. Tobias wonders if Takeo or Granite heard them arguing. He doesn’t hear either ‘mon moving around the small building, and Granite is very easy to notice with his heavy steps.
Finally, Nia sighs. It’s a defeated sound, but Tobias has a feeling she isn’t done, even if they don’t revisit this today.
Tobias accepts the uneasy truce, closing his eyes and resting his head back against the cushions. Both because he’s growing tired again and because he needs something to do in the awkward silence. Nia reaches over and picks up the book she’d come through the door holding.
For a while, the riolu reads while he rests his eyes and avoids conversation. He tries to track how far she gets by the flutter of pages turning, but loses track after twenty. He idly wonders what she’s reading about. He doesn’t think she brought a book along when they left the guild. Did she borrow one from Granite and Takeo’s shop?
Tobias’ mind wanders then to the itchy bandage circling the cut on his thigh. And then to the fight down in the mines. Eddy wasn’t too difficult to take down, once it was three-on-one. But the steelix…the giant’s face flashes through his mind, jaws strong enough to kill with a single bite.
Tobias cracks open an eye, cataloguing his partner’s lack of injury. The last thing he remembers before waking up from that rock slide, Samir had been knocked out and Nia had been left alone with the steelix. While he's grateful for it, Tobias can't figure out how she escaped so unscathed.
“So you took down the steelix, right?” Tobias asks, unable to completely stop the disbelief in his voice. “How..?”
Nia looks up from her book, taking a moment to enter the present and register his words. “Oh! You remember those blast seeds we got from that last client?”
Tobias frowns. “Oh. Yeah. I'd almost forgotten about them.”
Nia huffs a little laugh. “I did forget about them. The only reason I remembered at all was because of Giratina.”
There’s a pregnant pause. Tobias stares at Nia, trying to process what she just said.
“Giratina?”
Nia blinks back at him. Then, she bops a paw to her forehead. “Oh! Right! I knew I was forgetting something important! He kind of, uh…showed up down in the mines? In the reflections?”
Tobias sits up, alarm swooping through his gut. “What?!”
“But he helped us!” Nia hurries to say.
“Wh—Nia, he’s—“
“I know, I know! I didn’t trust him at first either.” Nia holds out her paws in a calming gesture. Tobias glares back at her but holds his tongue. This better be good.
“But..?”
“But he helped me hide myself when the steelix passed by. I probably would’ve been crushed otherwise. And he lead me to Samir, and then both of us to you.”
Okay, there’s…a lot to unpack there. Giratina supposedly helped them? For some reason? And Nia likely would have died down in the mines if not for the legendary, which is. Great. Tobias’ subconscious will love that nightmare fuel.
Nia must see the skepticism on his face, because she breathes a laugh. “I know. It sounds crazy. But Samir can vouch for me. I guess Giratina could be pulling some kind of long con, but I don’t think any of us would’ve made it out of there without him.”
Tobias wrestles quietly with that information. He’s heard whispers here and there about Giratina all his life, and literally not a single one was flattering. Add that to the fact that Giratina has been stalking his partner and tried to forcibly yank her into the distortion world, and he’s having a hard time believing that the banished legendary might actually have decent motivations.
On the other hand, Will told them not to trust Giratina, and Tobias hates that guy. So.
“So…what? We just trust him now?” Tobias asks.
To his relief, Nia shakes her head. “I’d still like to talk to Edme first before deciding on anything. Giratina helped us, but that doesn’t necessarily mean his end goals are good.”
Tobias sits back against the cushions. “Agreed. But knowing you, I figured you'd already decided to befriend him.”
Nia sticks her tongue out at him but doesn't respond. Tobias takes that as a win.
"So you wanna catch me up on everything that happened in the mines?"
The riolu almost seems surprised by the request, before she shifts position to get more comfortable and begins to talk. Her words start out hesitant, and she peeks at him like she isn’t sure he wants to hear all the gritty details, but she picks up speed and strength as she goes on. She tells him about Giratina appearing and helping her hide, the legendary leading her and Samir to Tobias, and how she defeated the steelix with the help of the blast seeds. Tobias locks his jaw every time she trails off, clearly trying to figure out how to soften the fact that she—or he or Samir—brushed close to death yet again. He feels terrible for leaving that all on her.
But he also can’t help feeling impressed, too.
“Quick thinking,” he comments, when she reaches the end of her retelling. “And...I am sorry for leaving you to fight him alone. You shouldn’t have had to do that.”
Nia gives him a tired smile. “I’m upset that you dragged us down there in the first place, not that you got knocked out. You couldn’t help that.”
Their discussion is interrupted by a sharp knock at the door. Tobias looks up in time to see a familiar skiddo face peer through the cracked opening.
“Samir!” Nia says, sounding happy but unsurprised. “C’mon in. Tobias is up!”
The skiddo shoulders their way into the room, giving Tobias a once-over as if to gauge how injured he is. Tobias raises a brow in return. When Samir is satisfied that the charmander isn’t going to keel over, they sit down and fix him with a heavy glare.
Tobias frowns back, not appreciating the immediate ire. “What?”
Samir adopts an incredulous expression. They look to Nia, then back to Tobias, then back again.
Nia barks a laugh. “Are you asking if I scolded him yet for dragging us down there?”
Samir nods.
Tobias rolls his eyes. “Yeah, yeah, she already chewed me out about it.”
Samir closes their eyes and lifts their nose into the air as if to say, Good. Tobias gives in to the childish urge to blow a puff of smoke in the grass type’s face. Samir rears back with a wrinkled nose, kicking a small cushion at Tobias in retaliation.
“Okay, settle down!” Nia laughs, yanking the pillow from Tobias’ grip. “Now that Tobias is feeling better, I wanted to talk to you too, Samir.”
Tobias and Samir pause their feud to eye the riolu, wary. Nia’s innocent tone would normally mean something bad for Tobias, but her gaze is currently focused on Samir.
“Don’t look at me like that! I just wanted to say you fought really well down in the mines.”
Ah. Tobias sees immediately where she’s going with this. He smirks.
Samir clearly follows as well. They give Nia an unamused look.
Nia throws her hands up. “No, seriously! You were the perfect teammate!”
Samir's gaze moves to the door as if they’re legitimately thinking about getting up and leaving. Nia shoots Tobias a pleading look.
Tobias huffs. “She’s right, you know. She’s not just being nice.”
At that, Samir pauses. They fix Tobias with a solemn, searching look. Oh. They’re…actually taking Tobias seriously. He wasn’t expecting that.
Tobias clears his throat and straightens up. “You held your own down there.”
“And when we were fighting Eddy you worked perfectly with us!” Nia adds. “Totally in sync.”
Samir blinks at the two of them, wide-eyed. There’s some kind of emotion building behind their stoic expression. Tobias thinks he sees the skiddo’s mouth tremble.
Tobias snorts, trying to defuse the tension. “Your old partner’s an idiot if they thought you being mute meant you couldn’t work as a team. And your guildmaster’s an even bigger idiot if they wrote you off too.”
Nia nods emphatically.
At that, Samir ducks their head. Their shoulders shake.
“Yeah, you’d be an awesome addition to any team!” Nia adds. But this time, she looks to Tobias while Samir is distracted by wiping at their face. Her eyes are wide and hopeful as she looks between Samir and Tobias.
Oh. Tobias leans back, something like panic shooting through him. Is she really asking if she can invite the skiddo to join their team? That’s a huge decision! Not something she can just spring on him! Nia winces at his expression and makes a soothing gesture.
Tobias doesn’t say anything, warily letting her take the lead.
When Samir finally pulls themself together a bit, Nia gently says, “You know, if you ever feel like moving to the Lexym Guild, I’m sure August would love to have you. He’d get you paired up with a team in no time!”
Nia glances at Tobias, and he relaxes, giving her a tired nod. That’s…fine. No promises of a place on their team, but an offer of help and a better place for the skiddo to live. They can talk later about Nia apparently wanting to expand their team. The thought puts a pit in Tobias’ stomach, some part of him whispering that she just wants to replace her grumpy mess of a partner who keeps dragging her into death traps.
But then Nia lights up at his approving nod, tail wagging behind her, and somehow that helps ward away the bad thoughts.
“You don’t have to decide right now of course,” Nia says. “But…just keep it in mind, okay?”
Samir sniffs one last time and nods, avoiding both of their eyes. Tobias relates to the skiddo’s embarrassment when it comes to emotions, and hurriedly fishes for another topic of conversation to get the ball rolling.
Nia answers his questions about the aftermath of the mines. She tells him that he’s only been out for a day, and that Granite and Takeo didn't seem too mad about them disobeying orders and sneaking out. Apparently they just seemed relieved to see the three of them safe.
Tobias sees what she means when Granite and Takeo bring the three of them a small supper in the evening, commenting that it’s good to see Tobias up and awake. Takeo grumbles about reckless kids and their hero complexes, but there’s no real heat to the words. Nia and Samir both give Tobias pointed looks that he returns with a glare. He doesn’t have a “hero complex”—if anyone does, it’s Nia. He just has a mission to accomplish.
The rest of the night passes peacefully, with Samir leaving shortly after the meal.
By the next morning, Tobias is feeling more or less back to normal. Nia watches fretfully as he removes the bandages from his leg and checks the long, scabbed-over gash on his thigh. It’s probably going to scar, but it seems like it's healed enough to travel.
“We could rest for another day,” Nia suggests.
“We’ve got places to be,” Tobias objects, stretching his leg. “Did you get that information from Granite yet for solving the town’s earthquake problem?”
Nia shakes her head. “No. I figured since it’s from Rosalind you’d want to read it first. I can go ask Granite for it?"
At Tobias’ assent, the riolu leaves the room. Tobias takes a deep breath and rises to his feet to stretch out his sore, stiff limbs.
Rosalind promised them info on Team Zenith, on the outlaws, if they finished this mission for her. Tobias hopes it’s something substantial and doesn’t just lead them on a wild yungoos chase. They fought too hard for this not to be worth it.
After a minute or so, Tobias feels Granite’s heavy footsteps moving closer, down the hall. Nia comes pattering into the room just ahead of the donphan, moving to Tobias’ side and glancing not-so-subtly at his leg.
“Heard you were itchin’ to get movin’,” Granite greets them. The donphan has a satchel across his broad back—maybe preparing to go out for the day?
“I-I think so,” Nia says, bowing to Granite. “Thank you for everything! We really appreciate you letting us board here for the past few days.”
Granite waves her off with his trunk. “Straighten up, pup. If anything, we should be doin’ more to thank y’all. You stopped the quakes and even gave us some fresh mining work! Asra's in your debt. If you ever need help or somewhere to stay, you two know where to find us.”
Nia looks sentimental at that declaration. Tobias would bet money that she’s debating whether or not to give the older ‘mon a hug.
Before she can figure it out, Tobias clears his throat. “I’m glad we could help. Rosalind promised us some information in exchange for this mission?”
Granite’s easygoing expression fades. “Right. Listen, I know I said it before and you kids can handle yourselves, but be careful with Rosa, all right? That hatterene’s sketchier than a smeargle.”
Tobias gives an impatient nod.
“Here,” Granite sighs, digging a rolled-up piece of parchment paper out of his satchel with his trunk. “Came in from Rosa the other day, so I guess she was confident you’d get the job done. Sure hope it was worth nearly gettin’ yourselves killed.”
Tobias snatches the paper, quickly ripping it open. Nia quietly thanks Granite before crowding closer to Tobias to read over his shoulder.
Team Scarlet,
I trust that your determination will lead you to the answers our client seeks. In return, I’ve found a delightful piece of information about Team Zenith.
I have word that one of the outlaws, Asra the crobat, settled down just a few short miles from your current location.
Tobias’ breath catches. The crobat is near…here? But what does she mean by “settled down?” Is he hiding out or something? What about his other teammates? Why would he separate from them?
Tobias’ hold crinkles the paper under his hands. He reads on.
Word is that he may have taken on a new alias, going by the name Vesper.
I will warn you that this information is from two years ago, so there is a chance that the crobat has moved on to a different location. However, I thought you would still appreciate the opportunity to explore while you’re in the area.
Tobias reads on, taking in the directions to the supposed location, a few miles outside of town and just off the main road. Apparently the crobat uses a stack of stones as a marker for the turn. He and Nia must’ve passed the spot on their way into Asra without even noticing it.
Nia finishes reading before Tobias does, wordlessly pulling back. When Tobias catches up, he looks up to meet her eyes. She has an unreadable, serious expression on her face.
“Are we ready for this?” Nia murmurs.
“We have to be,” Tobias rasps in return. He glances down at the directions one more time before rolling the parchment back up. “If he is there, you can stay back. I don’t want to drag you into a fight if you don’t feel ready for it, and it’s my business anyways.”
Nia makes a quiet sound of protest, reaching out to touch his hand until he looks at her again. “I’m not leaving. We’re a team, remember? But just…try not to go running in before we can scope it out, all right? Remember what I said before. Let’s go in with a plan.”
Tobias isn’t sure how he can possibly manage that when he knows he’s about to come face-to-face with one of the outlaws who ruined his life. He’s already shaking, adrenaline buzzing beneath his skin. But Nia has a point. He can’t go running in and get himself killed before taking down the other two. Or worse, drag Nia down with him.
Stiffly, Tobias nods. Nia looks relieved, and gives his hand a squeeze before saying that she’ll get their satchel ready so they can head out. Tobias is grateful that she’s so willing to leave right away. He doesn’t think he could’ve handled having to hang around here knowing that the crobat is so close.
“Oi, little Char.”
Tobias looks back to Granite. The donphan gestures for Tobias to follow him, then shoulders aside the door and walks out into the hall, towards the front of the building where the shop is. Tobias glances at Nia before hesitantly trailing the ground-type’s thudding footsteps.
When Tobias enters the shop, he finds Granite shuffling out from between the shelves. The donphan is gently holding the little stringed guitar that Tobias had seen the first day they got to Asra.
Tobias can’t help the way his eyes linger on it, heart aching for a distant memory of music. To his surprise, Granite takes a step forward and holds the guitar out to him.
“It’s yours,” Granite says, more of a demand than a request. “A little something extra to say thanks, for all the trouble you went to to help us out. We appreciate it.”
Tobias stares at the guitar, stunned. Slowly, his hands drift out to take it. The wood is smooth and cool in his hands.
“Take good care of it now, y’hear?”
Tobias blinks, swallowing hard against a lump in his throat. Eventually, he manages to say, “Nia and Samir did most of the work.”
“I already gave the riolu a book she’s been eyeing. Just take it and don’t get yourself killed before you actually learn to play.”
Tobias, too choked up to speak, just nods his thanks, cradling the instrument close. Granite huffs in response and trundles back to the counter before Tobias can embarrass himself further.
For a moment, it’s all Tobias thinks about. He runs a thumb over one of the strings—it needs tightened and probably tuned, but the instrument is in fairly good shape. The wood is solid but flexible, a beautiful copper color and smooth to the touch, expertly carved.
He can try playing—can try making music like his family used to do, humming and singing in their cave. He can show those half-remembered melodies off to Nia, and Maggie! Maggie has a nice singing voice like his mom did and—
Like she did. Before everything. Before Team Zenith.
The rising euphoria in his chest plummets back to Earth.
Tobias doesn’t have time for this right now. He finally has a solid lead on one of the outlaws. He needs to focus on that, on what he’ll do when he meets with the crobat face-to-face.
Nia appears from the hall, worried expression lightening when she sees him holding the guitar.
Tobias ignores her probing look, taking the satchel from her to carry it himself. He carefully tucks the guitar away inside, making sure it’s cushioned by softer items. He feels hesitant to put it away, but he can always try it out later, once this is dealt with. This is more important.
“So we’re heading out right away?” Nia asks.
“Yeah.”
Nia nods, glancing at Granite. “Let me say goodbye to a few people. I’ll keep it quick.”
Tobias sighs, but gestures impatiently for her to get on with it.
He trails behind her as she says her thanks and goodbyes to Granite and Takeo. Granite gives them both hearty slaps on the back and tells them not to die. Takeo sends them off with a quiet blessing from his ancestors. Nia, of course, almost cries, giving them both a watery smile and a wave as they step off the porch.
“We only knew them for a few days,” Tobias points out, both exasperated and amused.
“So?” Nia sniffs. “It doesn’t matter how long you know someone. I’ll still miss them.”
Nia makes a point to stop by Deidra’s ruined saloon next, where the construction has been halted in Eddy’s absence. Luckily, Deidra (and Cody, staying close to her side like a comforting mountain) don’t seem angry with Nia and Tobias for arresting one of their own. They both thank the two of them for stopping the dewott before anyone else could get hurt. Deidra even refills Nia’s canteen and hands Tobias a few hydration berries for the journey ahead, giving them a wink.
Nia leads them to the edge of town next, where Calder and Samir are standing outside of Lara’s house.
“Word is you two are heading out,” Calder says, tipping his head in a capless greeting. “You sure you’re feeling well enough to get back on the road?”
Samir looks at them with an unreadable expression.
“We’ve rested enough,” Tobias says, hiking the satchel higher on his shoulder. “We have somewhere we need to be.”
At his side, Nia offers a helpless shrug and an apologetic smile of agreement.
“Hm.” Calder looks at them for a moment with lidded eyes. Then, he nods. “Well, you two take care of yourself. I’ll be sure to pass along word to the guild about your help.”
“Oh,” Nia says, exchanging a surprised look with Tobias. They’d thought they weren’t going to get any recognition for this one, since it wasn’t an official mission. “Thank you!”
“Least I can do,” Calder scoffs, for a moment looking a bit self-deprecating. Then he shakes his head. “You two take care of yourselves, all right? No more jumping into dangerous situations without backup.”
Nia gives Tobias a pointed jab with her elbow. Tobias hisses under his breath and elbows her back.
Calder almost looks amused. Then, he tips his head to them again. “Let me know if y’all ever need any help. Asra’s authority has your back.”
And with that, the inteleon strides off, leaving them alone with Samir. This silence feels a bit heavier, a bit more loaded with indecision and emotion.
Eventually, Nia says, “I meant what I said yesterday, you know. The Lexym Guild would be happy to have you as a Seeker.”
Samir’s stiff posture and hard expression soften, just a bit, under Nia’s reminder. They sigh, then write in the dirt.
THANKS
WILL THINK ABOUT IT
NEED TO HELP TOWN RECOVER
Nia looks disappointed, but smiles all the same. “That’s sweet of you to hang around and get everyone back on their feet.”
“Just don’t let your old partner or your guild push you around,” Tobias gruffs.
Samir gives them a small, subdued smile and a nod. Nia sniffles. Tobias isn’t at all surprised to look over and see her blinking back tears, mouth wobbly.
“Arceus,” he huffs, rolling his eyes.
“What? It was great having Samir with us!” Nia defends, voice wavering. She turns back to the skiddo. “Really. We’ll miss you. Take care, okay? Hopefully we see you sooner rather than later.”
Samir seems caught off-guard by the riolu’s emotions. They fluster, shuffling their hooves for a moment before nodding and writing, YOU TOO.
Nia does start crying at that, just a little bit. Samir, panicked, steps closer as if to try and help, and Nia takes the opportunity to give them a parting hug.
Tobias stuffs down a sharp jab of annoyance and rolls his eyes. “Nia.”
Nia frees Samir, who looks embarrassed by the affection as they take a step back, straightening their posture. Tobias spots a zebstrika-pulled cart ahead, being loaded up with goods and likely about to head out.
He nudges Nia. “We need to get going if we want to try hitching a ride.”
“Oh! Right. Thanks again, Samir. Stay safe.”
Tobias hurries over to the pair of zebstrika hooked up to the cart, asking if he and Nia could hitch a ride a few miles outside of town. The electric types request a few poké in return, which Tobias grudgingly hands over.
Soon enough, the two of them are bouncing along atop a small cart of goods. They slowly trundle up the narrow path circling the canyon wall, watching Fort Asra shrink below them, a deep blue sky overhead and a canyon of warm, bright tans below.
It’s past noon by time they catch sight of the landmark listed on the map: a large stack of stones at the side of the road, taller than Tobias and Nia combined. Tobias calls for the cart to stop so they can disembark, waving off the zebstrika with a word of thanks.
As the cart wheels away, leaving a faint cloud of dust in its wake, Nia leans in to peer at the directions over Tobias’ shoulder. “You’re sure this is the right place?”
“Rosalind’s info says this is the landmark.” He squints at the dirt ahead, trying to summon up some of Samir’s tracking abilities. “Am I losing it, or is there a trail here?”
Nia tilts her head, as if that’ll help her see better. “…Maybe?” She takes a deep breath, nose twitching.
Tobias suddenly recalls Fen’s words from long ago, when Nia first showed up. “Hey, why don’t you ever use your nose to try tracking?”
Nia looks over her shoulder, as if he’s talking to someone else. She looks back to him, bewildered. “Me?”
He rolls his eyes. “Yes, you! You see any other riolu out here?”
Nia frowns and looks down at her nose, cross-eyed. “I…I guess I’ve never tried? I usually try to ignore my nose when we go places, since smells are so strong in this body. It all just jumbles together and gets really overwhelming.”
Tobias supposes that makes sense. He keeps Rosalind’s instructions out but starts a tentative path forward across the rocky desert landscape, trying to follow the faint remains of a path he thinks he sees. “So humans don’t use their noses to track?”
Nia laughs, which gives him his answer. “Nope! We can use scent dogs to track things, but our sense of smell isn’t good enough for that. Do you really think I could learn to do that?”
“Yeah? You’re a riolu. You just gotta…learn to separate the smells or something.”
“Ah, of course. Why didn’t I think of that?”
Tobias gives her a dry look, before turning back to the map. He only looks at it in short glimpses, sparing the rest of his attention for their surroundings. He doesn’t want to be caught off-guard by anyone, even if everything is so bright and open out here that it’d be hard to sneak up on them.
“Maybe we can find a tracker when we get back to the guild,” Tobias says after a few minutes, hearing Nia taking deep breaths as if trying to absorb the desert scents.
“That would be cool,” Nia murmurs, distracted as she takes another lungful of air. “It’s actually easier out here, since there aren’t a lot of different things to smell.”
Tobias hums and they continue on, scrabbling over rocky terrain and scraggly plants, occasionally ducking under low rock formations. Tobias enjoys the sun against his skin, more than comfortable encased in heat, but Nia has to dig out her water flask within minutes and needs to take periodic breathers in patches of cooler shade. Tobias tries to be patient and not rush her, knowing riolu aren’t built for this climate like he is.
Eventually, Tobias spots another stack of stones shimmering in the desert heat, and he steers them in that direction even as he increases his wary glances around the environment. He does feel better about seeking out the crobat in the height of the day, when he would naturally be asleep, but he doesn’t want them to be caught off-guard. The crobat’s hideout is only supposed to be a mile or so off the main road, after all.
It's late afternoon when Tobias finally spots something out of place in the distance: a small Pokemon-made structure, high off the ground and built into the side of a rocky spire. He points it out to Nia, putting Rosalind’s directions away, and the two of them tread closer on quiet feet.
When they’ve gotten close enough, they crouch behind some nearby rocks and peer up at the strange structure. Tobias isn’t sure exactly what he was expecting, but it wasn’t…this.
The building almost looks quaint. Like a little house. It’s a small wooden structure built into the side of a spire of rock, 15 yards or so off the ground. A rickety, narrow staircase zigzags up the rock face to lead to the front door. Most baffling, there are flowers growing in a basket on the windowsill, and colorful, almost scribble-like markings on the side of the rocky spire that Tobias can’t decipher from here.
“It kind of looks like a house,” Nia murmurs, sounding as confused as he feels.
“Don’t let your guard down."
This has to be a trap or something. He pulls out the letter from Rosalind again, scanning it to be sure they got the directions right. Not like they’ve seen any other buildings since leaving Asra—they’re truly in the desolate emptiness of the desert now. Only someone hiding away from the world or wanting to go completely off the grid would choose to live out here.
Could Asra—or Vesper, or whatever he’s going by—really be here? Tobias has to admit this place doesn’t look like somewhere a murderous outlaw would be hiding, but maybe that’s the point.
“Maybe we should stake it out for a bit,” Nia suggests, eyeing Tobias worriedly as if expecting him to run up to the door with his claws out and flames burning.
Tobias grunts his agreement, sitting down and peering around the edge of the rock to keep his eyes locked on the building’s front door.
This just…doesn’t feel right. Tobias always imagined when he came face-to-face with any of the outlaws from Team Zenith, it’d be an immediate fight to the finish, out in the wilds. Not…this. Not waiting for the crobat to show up and…what? Water his flowers?
Some part of Tobias wants to laugh. Another part of him feels sick to his stomach. He can’t pinpoint exactly why, but his heart is slowly speeding up. Rosalind did say that the information was from a few years back. Could the crobat have moved on?
He continues to stare down the door. Waiting. Distantly, he hears Nia ask him something once or twice, but he can’t seem to pull his focus back to her. It feels like he has to keep all of his attention on that door, no matter what. Like it’s a matter of life and death.
Slowly, the minutes tick by in tense silence. The sun sinks lower, edging towards sunset.
Tobias is only broken out of the spell when he hears a noise of some kind from inside the structure. A high shriek. He stands, tensed and ready to run for the door. What was that? Does someone need help? Is the crobat hurting someone in there right now?
Before he can move from their hiding spot, Nia grabs his arm. He jumps, startled by the sudden touch.
“Wait,” She whispers. “I hear—”
The door slams open, and high-pitched laughter spills out. Two small shapes burst outside and unfurl their wings, giggling and circling each other in the air with quick, frenetic wingbeats. Too small to be the crobat, and neither one is the right color. Plus their voices are too young.
“Kids?” Nia murmurs, sounding just as confused as Tobias feels.
“Be back at midnight for supper!” A voice calls from inside the house. A moment later, the distinct angular ears and pink heart nose of a swoobat leans out the door.
The two kids flap their wings to hover in place, finally still enough to see. They’re little more than tiny blue puffballs with matching heart noses and toothy grins. Something about them feels slightly strange, though, and it puts Tobias on edge.
“Okay, Mom!”
“And don’t play too close to any unstable rocks. You know the rules.”
The kids—woobats—groan but agree before zipping away.
The swoobat sighs and mutters something to herself before propping open the door and heading back inside.
Tobias stares at where the psychic-type disappeared, his stomach sinking. There’s…a family living here, which means the crobat has to have moved on. Surely he’s not sticking around the area, not with witnesses living so close by. They seem comfortable here, too. Familiar. Like they've lived here for a while.
“He’s not here,” Tobias says, toneless. They missed another lead. He rubs at his face, trying to decode and push away whatever wave of emotion is lapping at his heels. Whatever it is, it doesn’t feel good. “Great.”
Nia glances back at the house. “Maybe this family has an idea of where he could’ve gone?”
“You think the wanted murderer made nice with the neighbors before going on the run?”
Nia twists her mouth in a way that means she isn’t exactly hopeful about the possibility herself. Still, she stands and says, “I’m going to go ask. No harm in checking, right?”
She says it as if she’s going to go alone, but Tobias immediately straightens up to follow her. He’s not going to sit down here and have her do the investigating for him.
Nia relents, leading the way to the base of the old wooden stairs built into the side of the rockface. The wood creaks and dips under their weight, but doesn’t give. As they climb, the bright markings on the side of the spire become much clearer with proximity. Tobias can see now that they’re wobbly, messy children’s drawings. Like the ones he and Vivi used to make on the inside of their cave growing up. He swallows hard and moves his eyes back to the steps.
As they reach the top landing, the faint sound of humming that Tobias had barely registered cuts off. A moment later, the swoobat pokes her head out of the doorway, ears perking and eyes growing wide at the sight of Nia and Tobias.
“Oh! Hello there. Are you two lost?”
Tobias opens his mouth to answer, then thinks better of it when he already feels off-kilter.
Nia steps in. “Hello! No, we were actually looking for someone, but it doesn’t look like he’s here. We were wondering if you maybe knew him before you moved in?”
The swoobat relaxes at the question, stepping out onto the makeshift porch. She’s holding a small dish towel between her wings. “I’ve lived here since this house was built, actually.”
Tobias looks up at the swoobat’s face, startled. “What?”
“Oh!” Nia seems equally unprepared for that statement. “W-Well, um. Do you happen to know of anybody living nearby named Asra? O-Or Vesper.”
“A crobat,” Tobias adds, voice tight.
The swoobat drops the dish towel, fluffy collar puffing with surprise. Then, her ears lower as her expression weighs down with something deeply sad. “Vesper? Yes, he…he was my mate.”
Tobias’ breath catches. He stares at the swoobat as his mind fumbles and blanks. Thoughts drain away from him like water.
Mate?
“Was?” Nia echoes gently, after a moment of stunned silence.
The swoobat takes a shuddering, bracing breath, picking up the dish towel with her flexible pink tail. “Yes. Vess passed a little over a year ago, after an accident. I’m…I’m sorry you had to find out this way. I didn’t know many of his friends to notify them.”
Through a numbing static, Tobias hears Nia stutter, “O-Oh! No, we weren’t—I mean…”
“He’s dead?” Tobias rasps.
The swoobat squeezes her eyes shut tight, as if pained by the very reminder. “Yes. Would you like to see his resting place? I’m sure he’d appreciate you stopping by.”
Nia glances at Tobias like he's a live bomb, clearly worried that he’s about to fall apart. Strangely, Tobias feels blank instead. Hollow. His mouth responds for him. “Yes.”
The swoobat gives him a sympathetic look. She asks him and Nia to meet her back at the bottom of the stairs before gliding off the edge of the wooden platform and spiraling down.
Nia turns to him immediately. “Tobias—"
“Let’s go,” He says. “I want to see it.”
Nia looks like she wants to argue. But then she nods, moving towards the stairs and waiting for him to match her steps. As if he might fall off if she moves even a step ahead of him.
Tobias doesn’t register much in the next few minutes. He vaguely feels himself moving down the steps. Realizes at some point that he and Nia are following the swoobat a short distance away across dirt and desert sand to a small cave. The psychic-type’s soft, compassionate voice grates on his ears. Nia is a warm weight glued to his side. He matches her steps, unable to do much else.
And then he’s there, standing in a tiny cave surrounded by cool air. Bright sunset light spills in from behind, painting everything warm against heavy shadows. The swoobat has left, probably for their privacy. Nia has taken a step away to give him space, but he can feel the weight of her gaze.
In front of Tobias sits a small monument, carefully carved and lovingly cared for. Desert flowers and dried berries sit at its foot, carefully arranged.
Vesper
Beloved Mate and Father
Now One with Lunala’s Stars
Among the offerings, Tobias sees a simple painting, likely made by the two children they’d glimpsed earlier. There’s a large purple blob surely meant to represent the crobat, smiling with wide white fangs. Two smaller, bluer blobs sit happily under his wings.
And somehow that is what brings Tobias’ emotions roaring back.
He thinks of the two woobat he saw earlier, about how they felt slightly off to him. He realizes now what it was. They were just a bit speedier than Tobias would expect of such young Pokemon. As fast as the blur of violet wings from his memory. Their fluffy fur just a shade closer to violet than blue.
The crobat who helped destroy his family, who ruined his life, had kids. Had a mate, and a home. He had happiness, after ripping all of that away from Tobias. And he didn’t even have the decency to live long enough to look Tobias in the eye when he came to ask why.
Rage pours through Tobias, hotter than any flame he’s ever wielded.
One instant he’s at Nia’s side. The next, he’s lunging forward with a feral cry. The children’s painting is torn to shreds beneath his claws. The flowers and berries are set ablaze in a flash of fire, bright and hot. He lunges for the stone next, aiming to crack it against the wall until it snaps and crumbles.
Strong arms hook around his middle, yanking him back.
Tobias’ responding snarl almost drowns out Nia’s call of his name, but she only tightens her grip. He writhes and tries to get traction on the dirt, but she drags him back, towards the opening of the cave. Once they’re a few feet away, she swings him around and lets go, standing as a barrier between him and his target. She’s panting, wide-eyed.
“Move!” Tobias snaps.
“T-Tobias, I know you’re upset but—”
“Move!” Tobias snarls, embers spitting from his mouth.
“Tobias, you need to take a second and—”
“Don’t tell me what I need!” He hisses. He tries to push through Nia’s stance, only for her to catch him and lock her hands with his, leaving them eye to eye and straining for ground.
“Tobias, she’s going to come back and see—"
“So what?! She needs to know! She should know that her mate killed a family in cold blood!”
“That won’t help anything!” Nia says through gritted teeth. “What will that accomplish?! Make her feel guilty for loving someone so horrible? Make her kids feel like there’s something tainted in their blood? It won’t help anyone! He’s dead!”
“Maybe they deserve to live with it!” Tobias shouts. He feels panicked as his rage falters into something heavier. Traitorous tears prick hot at the back of his eyes. “Someone should have to!”
Nia falters, eyes going wide. Tobias could break through easily now, if he tried. Instead, he tightens his grip on her hands, trying to stoke his rage back to its full power.
“What right do you have to stop me?! You don’t get it!”
“Tobias,” Nia murmurs, looking uncertain. “I…”
Tobias stares at her, panting, as tears bubble up in his eyes. He’s shaking as the rage mixes with grief in his chest, boiling under his skin both ice cold and magma hot.
“You don’t get it,” he repeats, voice breaking.
Nia stares at him, brow furrowed. Slowly, her hold loosens. She slips free of him, stepping back and out of Tobias’ way. She looks at the memorial, then him, then away.
“You’re right. I-I…I don’t understand. But if this will help, then…I won’t stop you.”
Tobias…doesn’t know what to do with that. His fury has already started to die down after the riolu’s interruption. The magma has hardened to something heavy and horrible, weighing him down. He doesn’t want to sit with that. He wants the fire back.
Tobias staggers forward, back to the memorial. His feet brush through fine ash, still smoldering. He stares at the gravesite through his tears, the delicate carvings of a crobat and lunala blurring. He raises a hand, claws at the ready, but can’t seem to bring it down. That just makes him feel worse.
Tobias swallows thickly, a sob shuddering from his chest. He came here with the intent of taking the crobat down, taking him into custody or even killing him if it came to it. He'd thought for eight years about the questions he would get answers to, the vindication he would feel tearing down one of the monsters who destroyed his life.
Instead, he’s at the grave of a Pokemon who had a mate and kids, who had a family that loved him. It feels…twisted. Wrong. Like he’s in a bad dream.
Tobias’ legs give out beneath him, and he leans forward to rest his head on the stone, cries ripping from his throat. The ugly thing in his chest doesn’t seem to die down, only raging on and on and on.
He can feel it, when Nia hesitantly joins him. She kneels at his side.
He looks up at her, gut churning with nausea. “Why did he get to be happy? He didn’t—he didn’t deserve to…”
Nia’s expression crumbles, and for a moment Tobias thinks she might start crying too. “I don't know,” she says, soft. She hesitantly slides a paw up to rub circles into his back. “I’m sorry, Tobias.”
Tobias doesn’t realize he’s leaning into her until she's already wrapping him up in a hug. He hugs her back tight enough to hurt, but the pressure and the warmth and the soft texture of her fur helps, somehow. It feels grounding. Gives him something to latch onto aside from the turbulent waves of his emotions.
He doesn’t know how long he cries, soaking Nia’s fur and shuddering through waves of nausea. She murmurs quiet, meaningless comforts to him. Rocks with him and uses her thumbs to trace soothing circles against his back.
By time Tobias is somewhat calm again, he feels like the wrung-out dish rag the swoobat had been holding earlier. Flimsy and worn, with a few holes and gritty stains left behind.
The light coming in from the cave’s opening is now gray and weak, dusk on the cusp of night.
Tobias sniffs, staring sightlessly at the ruined bits of the memorial beneath them, now nothing more than scattered ash blending in with the dirt floor.
“I want them to hurt, too,” Tobias says, voice tight. “I know I shouldn’t.”
Nia squeezes him tighter.
“I know they didn’t do anything wrong. They didn’t know, but…”
Before Tobias can fully form that thought, he sniffs and leans away from Nia, wiping at his eyes. It feels cold without her so close.
They both look at the gravestone in front of them, so carefully carved and lovingly cared for. But it’s alone, out here in the wilderness. He can’t touch anyone else, buried six feet under and miles from civilization.
It still feels too good for him. Some part of Tobias still wants to kick the headstone over and scorch it black. He wants to dig up the crobat’s bones and scatter them in the desert sand. But that part of him feels ugly and too much like the monster buried in front of him, so he tries to let it make itself known before passing through his mind.
A quiet sound at the mouth of the cave catches Nia’s attention, and Tobias follows her gaze.
The swoobat has returned, framed by dusk light. Her round eyes are focused on the absence of gifts at the foot of the grave, at the ashes left in their wake. Tobias expects her to be upset, to yell and chase them out. Instead, her gaze moves to Tobias, brow furrowing into something like realization.
There’s a heavy moment of silence.
Finally, the swoobat breaks it, stepping forward. “Vess always held a lot of…regret. For something that happened in his past. He wouldn’t tell me about it, but he mentioned that it’s why he parted ways from his team all those years ago and settled down near Asra. It’s where he was born.”
Before Tobias can respond to that, the swoobat’s gaze flicks away, nervous.
“He was very upset once. When we bumped into a charmander at the market to the south. Wouldn’t talk for a week. D-Did…did something..?”
Tobias feels the weight of expectation settle onto him, but he’s so tired that it barely registers what he’s hearing. How is he supposed to react to this revelation? How is he supposed to feel knowing that the crobat apparently felt some measure of guilt for what he was a part of? That he was upset about it?
Ha. Lot of good guilt does. Doesn’t bring back his family.
The embers of rage spark back to life. Not blazing, but hot enough to put Tobias’ limbs into motion. Tobias staggers to his feet, then towards the swoobat. The psychic-type stands strong and stares back at him, expression resolute even as her body trembles.
She’s scared. Terrified that Tobias is going to tell her something she never wanted to hear. That he’s going to ruin the memory of her beloved mate and the father to her kids. Tobias wants to. He wants to watch her face fall with shock and horror. Wants to spread the terrible grief caused by the crobat’s actions like a toxin.
But Tobias thinks of Nia’s words. Thinks of those kids. Thinks of how much guilt he carries for not being strong enough to protect his sister. Thinks how terrible he would feel for someone he loved and admired to be responsible for such loss.
“Your mate,” Tobias finally spits. “Wasn’t a good Pokemon. At least he wasn’t a terrible father.”
The words feel like acid in his throat. He doesn’t know if leaving her in the dark is a mercy or a punishment. He shoves past the swoobat, stomping away into the desert. Away from their happy little home and the gravestone of a murderer.
He walks, and walk, and walks. Lets the rhythm of the motion replace his thoughts. Eyes ahead, unseeing of the desert around him.
Tobias doesn’t come back to himself until he stumbles over a stone in the ground. He catches himself on his hands and knees, scuffing them. The pain seems to jog something in his brain, because he suddenly settles back into the shell of his body.
The dirt is cooling quickly beneath him with the falling night. Nia is at his side, watching silently. Overhead, stars glitter like layers of crystal. Tobias thinks he can hear the distant laughter of the woobat children.
“Tobias?” Nia asks, soft voice loud in the night air.
“Should I have told her?”
Nia falters. Then, almost too quiet to hear, she murmurs, “I don’t know.”
Tobias takes a deep breath, letting it out in a puff of steam that wisps and curls. He stands. “Let’s go.”
“A-Are you sure?”
Tobias nods, rubbing at his sore, tired eyes. “Let’s just…go find Edme. We still need to learn more about Giratina."
Nia stares at him with worried eyes. She must be able to tell that he’s just looking for something else to focus on. That he just wants to leave, and not think about any of this for a while. That he wants to get some distance between himself and the sweet little family his personal monster left behind.
Tobias expects her to bring it up, to say that they need to talk about it. Instead, Nia slowly nods, reaching out to slip their satchel off Tobias’ shoulder and over her own. She hesitates, then reaches out a paw to take his hand, gently tugging him into motion. Tobias doesn’t fight her, grateful as she leads his unmoored body back towards the road.
Chapter 48
Summary:
After discovering Asra the crobat's fate, Tobias and Nia head east to seek out Edme. Along the way, memories are shared.
Chapter Text
Tobias is vaguely aware of Nia leading them back to the road. She coaxes him into sitting against a rock on the side of the dirt path, and while she keeps an eye out for a ride he stares blankly out at the desert as night falls. His emotions and thoughts ebb away along with the desert’s heat.
Eventually, she manages to stop a cart pulled by a pair of tauros, and tugs Tobias up into the back of the cart with her. Her paws on his arm are freezing, and that’s the thing that reels Tobias back, just a bit. He sits against the side of the cart and doesn’t say anything when Nia presses her cold fur against his side.
The ride is silent, for a while. Nothing but the steady clomping of the tauros’ hooves and the gentle creaking of the cart. The occasional howl of wind. Nia’s chattering teeth slowly fall quiet as she warms up.
Tobias stares at the goods in front of him. They’re stacked in bags and crates in dark, ambiguous lumps, lit faintly by the moon and his own small tail flame. He’s holding their satchel in his lap, absently kneading it with his claws.
Distantly, he notes Nia sending him worried, probing glances. He doesn’t meet her eyes. He doesn’t want to talk right now. He doesn’t want to think, either. He doesn’t feel the raging fury or the devastating grief from earlier, but all that’s left in their wake is a sort of numbness. He feels tired. Empty.
The night rolls by, calm and quiet. Tobias should probably be grateful that they don’t have to fight off any bandits. That would give him something to do, but right now he can’t guarantee that he wouldn’t space out mid-battle and make a stupid mistake.
Nia clears her throat. “Is there anything I can do to help?”
Tobias stares at her without really seeing. He feels irritation spike in him before snuffing out just as fast. He shrugs and plants his chin down in his arms.
Nia takes her time responding. Hours worth of time, if the slow lift of the moon into the sky is anything to gauge by. Tobias thinks he dozes off a few times, since the stars seem to tick by in leaps rather than at a crawl. Or maybe he’s just spacing out.
Throughout the night, Nia shifts restlessly. She opens her mouth countless times before closing it again. Tobias ignores her, lost in a tired haze. Maybe he should just go back to sleep for now. He still feels exhausted from his earlier blow-up.
It’s near midnight when Nia finally speaks, voice soft. “Would it help if I talked about something?”
Tobias shrugs again. He doesn’t particularly care either way.
Nia eyes him, deep in thought. “I…if you don’t want to hear about this, then tell me and I’ll stop. But I know you were wondering before and, well—“
Tobias grunts an impatient sound.
A pause. “I know it’s not—not anywhere near the same, but when I miss my family, it helps for me to think about them. I-I mean, it hurts too, but…I didn’t ever tell you about them, did I?”
Tobias finally looks at Nia, curious despite himself. He’s kind of surprised she brought this up now, instead of avoiding the topic like a pitfall, but it’s the first thing drudging up a sense of anything from the numbness that has settled over him. Even if that something feels sharp and painful.
“Would…you like me to? Tell you about what I remembered about my family? I-I don’t have to. I know after, uh, everything, you probably don’t want to have to think about—“
Tobias tunes Nia’s nervous rambling out. The thought of hearing about Nia’s family makes the terrible ache in his chest threaten to return, and he isn’t sure it won’t spiral from there. But…he does want to know. And maybe she can distract him from the bad thoughts he logically knows he’s keeping at bay across a moat of static and empty thoughts. No telling when those will break through.
“Whatever,” he mumbles, moving his gaze back across the cart and past it, to the moonlit expanse of the desert.
Nia still hesitates. Then, she takes a deep breath and says, “I had…dreams about them. When I was sick. More like memories, but…it was like I was there with them. My mom and my brother. Toni.”
Tobias blinks. “Toni?”
Nia smiles wistfully, relaxing a bit. “Yeah. I guess she’s not my family by blood, but she’s my best friend.” After a beat she hastily adds, “In the human world.”
Tobias doesn’t respond.
“She’s always been the brave one between us. But she made me feel braver too. Pushed me out of my comfort zone, helped me try new things. Although she does get us into trouble sometimes. Her mouth moves quicker than her head when she’s upset.”
Tobias snorts, though it’s weak. “Sounds like an annoying rookidee I know.”
“Oh. Oh wow, yeah, her and Junie would get along like a house on fire.”
“They’re never allowed to meet.”
That startles a laugh out of Nia. Tobias’ mouth twitches. “My mom loves her. Toni’s basically her second daughter.”
Tobias’ throat closes up as he thinks of his own mom. Of soft humming and a toothy grin and bright blue eyes, a mirror image to his own.
“Your mom?” Tobias rasps, a desperate sort of prompt.
Nia casts him a worried look, hesitating, but something about his expression must urge her on. “My mom is…really sweet. She’s a lot like Maggie, actually! Funny too, but she had to be stricter with us than she would’ve liked since she had to raise us on her own.”
Tobias’ brow furrows. What about her father? He doesn’t want to ask in case he’s gone but—
Nia must see the question on his face. She shrugs with a wry little smile. “He died when I was an infant, so I never really got to meet him. I could tell Mom and Clay missed him, but I never really knew him to miss him.”
Tobias isn’t sure if he should apologize or…what the proper response would be for that.
Luckily, Nia keeps talking, tipping her head back to look up at the stars. “I guess I always missed the chance to have a dad? And the person I was told he was. But that’s about it. Although Clay was definitely more protective of me because our dad was gone.”
“Clay?”
“Oh.” Nia glances at him, almost nervously, before focusing again on the sky. “Yeah, he’s…he’s my brother.”
Tobias’ breath catches, surprise warring with a sudden pang in his chest. “You had—you have a brother?”
“…Yeah. I think you two would get along really well, actually. Once I remembered Clay, it made a lot more sense why I latched onto Xander so quickly—“
Tobias makes a weak attempt at a scoff. “If he’s like Xander then we would not get along.”
Nia laughs, shaking her head. “No, they’re really different. I think it was just the protective big brother instincts that felt familiar to me. Clay is more chill. A bit of a jokester, actually. Like Ezra or Junie.”
Tobias gives her a dry look, hoping to convey that he’s even less convinced they would get along.
Nia laughs again. “Okay, he’s not exactly like either of them. You remind me a lot of him too! I just…see bits and pieces of him in different people, y’know?”
Tobias thinks of the shinx kids and orange scales and big eyes full of childish joy, gold then green, and his heart twinges. “…Yeah.”
“Other than Toni, Clay is my best friend,” Nia whispers. “I miss him. He always makes stupid jokes and distracts me if I’m sad.”
Tobias doesn’t answer, swallowing against a lump in his throat. He’d distract Vivi when she was upset, too. They’d paint the cave walls with homemade berry paint, or go out on mountain trails to explore. He couldn’t resist her teary eyes and she knew it.
Nia chuckles. Tobias sends her a questioning look.
“Sorry, I just remembered when Clay hid wasabi in my toast. He liked to mess with me, too. One second he’d be a protective brother bear and the next he’d make me spit out my breakfast.”
Tobias doesn’t know what wasabi is, but he gets the gist. He snorts. “It’s part of the big brother code. Occasionally you just have to lie about stupid stuff to mess with your younger sibling.”
“You would take his side! I bet your sister was—oh. Um."
Nia snaps her mouth shut with a click. Her ears pin back as she looks to Tobias with wide eyes. As if knowing that she’s crossing a line by mentioning his sister out loud.
For a moment, Tobias isn’t sure how he feels. He feels like he should be angry, territorial of Nia even mentioning Vivi. That’s forbidden ground, not meant to be thought of and certainly not meant to be mentioned.
But…Tobias is thinking of Vivi now as he did when she was alive, instead of the usual haunting image of her lifeless body. He’s thinking of her not with the usual crushing guilt, but instead with the fond annoyance he held for her when they were kids and he was just her older brother. Protective, sure, but not the literal barrier between life and death.
Strangely, it feels…nice.
Tobias swallows. “Vivi was…I would get so annoyed by her sometimes. When she wouldn’t leave me alone.”
Saying it feels like a confession of some horrible sin. Like he doesn’t deserve to say anything bad about her, when he let her die. But some part of him feels lighter, too, and Nia doesn’t look disgusted with him. If anything, she looks a little awed, eagerly drinking in his words.
Tobias looks down at his fists, consciously relaxing them. He takes a shuddering breath. “But she was my best friend, too. Not much to do on an isolated mountain aside from get into trouble together.”
“You lived on a mountain?” Nia whispers, spellbound.
Tobias nods. “Way up, where the air was thin and the clouds were below us sometimes. One day Vivi wouldn’t shut up so I convinced her that they were actually really big Pokemon who would attack us if she didn’t quiet down.”
Nia barks a laugh. “Clay did the same thing with me! Well, he told me clouds were made of cotton candy. I was so upset when I found out he lied that I cried for an hour. Mom went out and bought actual cotton candy from the nearest gas station just to calm me down. To be fair, I was two.”
Tobias smiles. He doesn’t really know what Nia looked like as a human—let alone a little human—so he pictures a tiny riolu pup instead, pouting with big ruby eyes.
“Told you, it’s the rule. Older siblings have to mess with their younger siblings at least a little.”
“I bet Xander never does,” Nia counters.
“Xander is literally the least fun Pokemon I’ve ever met.”
Nia pushes him with a scolding, “Tobias! Be nice!” The rebuke is ruined by her laughter, though.
Tobias grins at her, not the slightest bit remorseful. “He’s a good brother, but as company? A rock could do better. Not a geodude, but an actual, lifeless rock.”
Nia laughs harder. “Be nice! He has three little hellions to watch over!”
Tobias scoffs. “Please. Vivi got into three times the trouble with a third of the body weight.”
“Oh?” Nia asks, trying to catch her breath.
Tobias nods, trying to remember the worst offenses. He’s purposefully avoided thinking about this kind of stuff, about Vivi and his parents, for years. But it’s surprisingly easy to filter through his memories, and his chest only hurts a little as he thinks.
“Okay, so listen to this one. Every week or so our parents flew us down to one of the towns at the foot of the mountain range, right?” Tobias says. “To pick up food and supplies and let us play with other kids.”
Nia nods, leaning in closer to listen.
“Mom was a mail ‘mon,” Tobias says, clearing his throat when his voice catches. “So she knew everyone. But we had to stop by someone’s house to drop off an instrument my dad had made for them. Some kind of flute or something.”
Tobias shifts in place, feeling as if he’s dusting off his own brain. A strange mixture of mirth and heartache mixes in his chest. He doesn’t know if he should laugh or cry, so he makes a sound somewhere in the middle.
“Our dad was kind of a quiet guy, and he never complained. But this customer? He complained about him. About how much of a jerk he was and how he always had something to critique just because he didn’t like Dad. But he was rich and always paid up, so Dad must’ve figured he’d deal with the bad attitude.”
Nia nods.
“So Dad makes the guy his flute. What I didn’t know—what no one but Vivi knew—was that earlier that day Vivi had tried playing the shiny new instrument herself when Dad and I took a nap after lunch.”
“Oh no,” Nia whispers.
“Yup. And she also tried playing it when she had hiccups,” Tobias continues, giving Nia a dry look. “You can imagine what happens when a fire type gets the hiccups.”
Nia’s mouth drops. “No!”
Tobias bites back a laugh. “Yeah, she hiccupped and caught the thing on fire. Put it out, panicked, and stashed the piece of kindling back in its box like it was still good as new.”
Nia’s giggling now, and Tobias can’t help grinning with her. “No! Wait, so your dad—?”
“As far as he knew, it was in perfect condition when he put it in its box that morning! I thought Vivi seemed quiet on the trip down, but it wasn’t until the client pulled out the flute that we realized something was wrong.”
“What happened?!”
Tobias leans forward, grinning. “Okay, so this snooty gumshoos pulls out the flute, right? And the thing is charred. It is crumbling to pieces in his paws.”
Nia snorts, paws moving up over her snout.
“And this gumshoos, he looks at my dad and says—” Here Tobias straightens up and adopts a snooty expression. “‘How do you expect me to play this?! I knew you were far from an expert but this is nothing more than garbage, blah blah blah.’ And Vivi, Vivi takes one look at me and Dad and realizes that she’s definitely getting in trouble for this, and after he’s badmouthing Dad we all kind of hate him, so she might as well make this disaster funny.”
“No!” Nia shrieks, delighted.
“So Vivi steps forward, half this guy’s height, grabs the flute, and chipper as can be says, ‘You play it like this, mister!’ And she tweets the loudest, most ear-screeching note I’ve ever heard, and the flute just. Disintegrates. Just falls apart right there on this guy’s fancy rug.”
Nia cackles, loud in the night air.
Tobias laughs along with her. “A-And at this point it is dead silent in the house. And Vivi, this little brat, she turns around with the most serious expression I’ve ever seen and says, ‘I think it might need a tune-up.’”
Nia’s almost crying she’s laughing so hard, wiping at her eyes. “She didn’t.”
“She did!” Tobias stresses, laughing too. Laughing harder than he can remember doing so in…a while. “She got us kicked out of there so fast. If you think I’m bold, Vivi was a whole other story! I could tell even Dad thought it was hilarious despite losing a customer—and Mom even more so, she lost it, she always said how it wasn’t worth working for that guy—but they still had to punish Vivi somehow, so she was grounded. No flying for a whole week.”
Nia howls with laughter. “Literally grounded!”
Tobias snorts, wiping at his eyes. “Well, duh. What else would ‘grounded’ mean?”
Nia only laughs harder, trying to catch her breath in little bursts of giggles.
“C-Clay would’ve loved that,” Nia says. “He was always getting into trouble. Usually he’d drag me along and then we’d both have to face the music. I started forming a natural defense of, ‘I don’t know what’s happening here and I don’t want to know,’ but he’d just drag me along anyways and promised that I’d love it.”
Tobias raises an eyebrow. “Did you?”
“Literally not a single time. And half the time he’d try to pin it on me! One weekend him and his friends made this terrible ramp out of metal and plywood and cardboard so he could launch himself and his bike into the lake. Insisted I be there for it, like, ‘C’mon, you’ve gotta see it!’ No, that just means I’m complicit when Mom interrogates you about your missing bike!”
Tobias snorts. “Did he get in trouble for it?”
“Oh, big time. He had to use my pink tricycle with rainbow streamers when he wanted to go riding with his friends, since Mom refused to buy him a new bike. His knees hit the handlebars.”
Tobias looks up, thoughtful. “I guess I pinned a few things on Vivi, especially when she was little and I didn’t really like her yet. One time I swore she was the one who climbed on top of the storage cabinets and ate all the coal cookies.”
“Oh?”
“Would’ve been a better defense if she was old enough to crawl.”
Nia grins. “That sounds like one of my plans. Okay, so this one time, we wanted to look like a couple of cartoon characters for a game we were playing, right? So we decided we’d use markers to make these giant rainbow stripes on our faces and arms and legs. I suggested we use permanent markers so they’d stay on longer, and I mean, I wasn’t wrong. But Mom didn’t appreciate that when she was trying to scrub ink off our arms and we looked like we had a disease.”
“We did the same thing with berry paint!” Tobias laughs. “We wanted to make ourselves into ‘shinies’ and stained our scales purple for days. Do you know how hard it is to stain your skin so much even a fire bath won’t burn the color away?”
The last of their laughter dies down. Nia’s smile slowly fades into something a bit more downcast. Bittersweet. She lifts her chin to look up at the moon.
“I miss him,” Nia murmurs.
Tobias hums, the familiar pain in his chest resurfacing. He tips his head back to follow her gaze, looking up at the stars. He thinks of Vivi’s berry-stained face, framing bright green eyes and a toothy little grin. “Yeah.”
It’s quiet again.
This is the first time Tobias can remember really talking about his family since the incident, and a part of his heart feels like it’s being lanced through with sharp claws. But somehow, despite the pain, he also feels leagues better than when they’d boarded the cart. After talking, it feels like he can breathe again. At least a little.
He hasn’t thought of Vivi or his parents like that in years. Happy and smiling. Alive.
“Thanks,” Tobias murmurs.
“‘Course. Thanks for telling me. And letting me talk.”
The two of them fall silent again, and Tobias closes his eyes. He listens to the sounds around them, the creak of the wheels and the heavy steps of the tauros.
“Sooo…”
Tobias knows that tone. He rolls his head to raise a brow at Nia. “What.”
“I was just thinking. It sounds like you’ve got music in your blood, if your dad made instruments. And you can’t let Vivi show you up, so…am I going to get to hear you play that guitar you got from Granite, or..?”
The words are lighthearted, but gentle. As if Nia can sense that music is a touchy subject for him so she’s giving him an out. Tobias appreciates it.
“It wouldn’t be good. I haven’t played anything in…years. And it isn’t even the same instrument I was learning.”
Nia hums. “It’s not like I’d be any better. Pretty sure I was tone-deaf in the human world. I just…I’d like to hear it, if you ever want to try.”
Tobias doesn’t answer, stopping himself for all of ten seconds before hesitantly opening the satchel in his lap. He stares down at the sleek neck of the little guitar, its strings shining in the moonlight. His fingers twitch, itching to hold it.
Nia studiously keeps her head tipped back and her eyes closed, but Tobias can tell she’s listening. Waiting to see what he’ll do. In the end, it’s her easy acceptance of whatever decision he makes that pushes him to act.
Tobias pulls out the little guitar, setting it across his lap. Something about the sensation of sleek wood against his skin, of the shape settling against him, immediately brings to mind a flash of the past. Being held by his father, feeling the low rumble of his voice as he guided Tobias’ claws and showed him which strings to pluck. The memory hurts, but it’s warm too. Like a too-hot sip of delicious soup.
Tobias gently strums his claws across the strings, and Nia winces. The instrument, predictably, is horribly out of tune. He hesitantly gets to work putting the guitar back in order, hoping he’s remembering the basics of the process right. He needs to see if the guild has a guide he can reference when they eventually head back.
Still, even with his halfhearted attempts, Tobias gets the instrument into semi-working order. He takes another experimental strum and is satisfied when Nia doesn’t flinch away from the sound this time. Tobias tries plucking a few cords, long-buried memories rising to mind of learning scales and nursery rhymes. After a few clunky starts and stops, he starts to recall the right order and rhythm of the basic movements.
His fingers almost seem to move of their own accord, slowly building up a different tune, something gentle and sweet. It takes him a few minutes to realize what melody it is: a lullaby, once so familiar but now dancing at the edge of his mind like whispers in the wind. He blinks back a sudden rush of hot tears, trying to follow the notes of his patchy memory. There are too many moments where he has to pause, entire chunks of the song forgotten, and jump ahead to a different line. But it’s there, in bits and pieces.
When his fingers still, stinging from pulling at the wire without any callouses built up, Nia finally looks at him. She’s beaming. “I loved that!”
Tobias snorts. “It was terrible.”
“Doesn’t mean I didn’t love it.”
He flicks her leg with his tail and gets back to work adjusting the strings and testing out the cords again. “I was trying to play an old lullaby my mom would sing. Can’t remember all the notes, though.”
“Oh. Well…you can fill in the gaps, right?”
Tobias hesitates. He…supposes he can. Some part of him feels like that’s wrong, like it’s desecrating his mom’s memory. But…what else can he do? Leave gaping blank spaces throughout the melody? He doesn’t know where he would find the original song, so wouldn’t it be better to fill it up with something new until it’s whole again?
Tobias stretches out his hand before going back to his music.
It’s not until later, when Nia has started humming along to the melody he’s trying to solidify, that he remembers something he wanted to bring up.
“Hey. Before, back in Asra. After the mission.”
Nia sits up and tilts her head at him, expression curious and open.
“You…wanted to invite Samir to join our team. Right?”
Nia cringes. “Yeah. I’m sorry for springing that on you so suddenly. I realized right after I suggested it that it was probably a pretty big decision we’d need to decide together. Was what I said okay? About Samir coming to the Lexym Guild?”
Tobias nods. “Yeah. Arceus knows Samir deserves a better situation than whatever they’ve got going on out here. And August would make sure they got that.”
There’s a moment of hesitation as Nia looks at him. “So…how would you feel? About Samir possibly joining our team in the future?”
Tobias’ immediate impulse is a no. But the guitar under his fingers gives him something do while he thinks. He strums idly at it, trying to slow down his thought process and question why his immediate reaction is so vehement.
“Samir worked well with us,” Tobias agrees, slowly. Grudgingly. “I think they round out our team well.”
“Me too!” Nia agrees, eyes sparkling. “But..?”
Tobias takes a moment longer to stall. Because he knows why he’s hesitating and it’s, quite frankly, embarrassing. Sure, he’d be hesitating anyways just because it’s a big deal basically signing on to be life partners with someone. But he knows the main reason.
His gaze drifts up to meet Nia’s. She’s watching him patiently with ruby red eyes. He flushes and looks away. How can he say that he doesn’t want it to be anyone else but the two of them without it sounding horribly desperate?
“I’d just be worried,” Tobias eventually says, awkward and stilted. “About the team dynamic changing.”
Nia’s expression softens. “That’s understandable. I thought maybe you just didn’t like them or something.”
Tobias snorts. “Oh, they’re annoying all right. But most Pokemon are.”
Nia laughs, sitting back to look out at the passing scenery. Everything is bathed in silver moonlight. “You know, I don’t think you’d have to worry too much about what we’ve got here changing.”
Tobias gives Nia a prompting look.
“I mean…we’re around a lot of different people every day, right?” Nia says. She looks back to him with a warm smile. “But that’s never stopped us from getting along. It’s still always me and you at the end of the day, right? We’re partners. That wouldn’t change.”
Tobias’ fingers stumble over the cords as he stares back, feeling his face heat even as something anxious in his chest settles.
What does he say to something like that?
Luckily, Nia seems equally embarrassed after her words register. She hurriedly looks away. “I’m just saying, you know? It’d still be us. Just…with more friends along for the ride. More people watching our backs.”
Tobias swallows and rips his gaze away, back to the guitar as he tries to find his place. He still feels jittery and embarrassed, but in a pleased sort of way.
“Right. I…guess I wouldn’t be against it. If Samir wants to.”
Nia is clearly thrilled at that, tail thudding happily against the wood of the cart. She smiles and looks back out at the desert.
Tobias could see it, actually. Vaguely. Him and Nia and Samir, maybe a fourth ‘mon. Catching the pangoro and arcanine and continuing on to become top-tier Seekers. The world will need them more than ever, with the slow increase in mystery dungeons and other phenomena cropping up. And Nia—
Nia…isn’t planning on staying, once she finds a way home.
Tobias’ hand falters. Nia’s ears twitch at the jarring sound, and she glances at him. Something on his face makes her sit up.
“You’re going back to the human world, once you find a way home,” Tobias whispers. He doesn’t like how his voice shakes.
There’s a loaded silence left in the wake of his words. Nia’s mouth opens and closes as she blinks at him with wide, off-guard eyes. Tobias regrets bringing it up. Wishes he’d just kept his mouth shut and not ruined the peace that had fallen over them.
“Hey,” Nia finally says, voice tentative. She puts a paw on his arm until he looks up at her, then continues with a strained smile. “You never know. Maybe we’ll find a way to go back and forth or something! So that way I can come back here and visit, but still live with my family in the human world.”
Something in Tobias’ chest clenches. Because even Nia, ever the optimist, doesn’t sound very hopeful about such an easy answer. And because the selfish part of Tobias doesn’t want Nia to leave, at all. Even temporarily. He wants his partner here, with him.
Is that why she’s pushing to bring Samir on? So he isn’t left a pathetic, lonely mess all on his own when she leaves? Hah. Like he’d stay on a team with just him and Samir. Tobias doesn’t want to be a Seeker at all if Nia isn’t his teammate.
Tobias shoves the ugly thoughts and the grief already boiling under his skin further down. Bottle it up, Tobias. You’ve had enough meltdowns for today.
In the end, all he says is a quiet, much less convincing, “Maybe.”
He dives back into his music, but can’t help thinking that the notes sound colder now, somehow. Sharper. Nia must be able to tell he doesn’t want to talk anymore—or maybe she doesn’t want to talk about it, either—because she sighs but falls silent.
One moment. Two.
Nia scoots closer. Then, she leans heavily against him and plops her head onto his shoulder.
Tobias tenses. “What—“
“Could you just…play some more?” Nia asks, quiet. “Music calms me down.”
Tobias pauses. He has a feeling she actually wants him to play to make himself feel better, but it would probably work. So Tobias grumbles quietly, comforted despite himself by the warm, soft weight leaning against him. He goes back to playing, and readjusts the instrument to accommodate Nia on his shoulder and in his elbow space. She taps her fingers along to the melody, likely as lost in thought as he is.
The moon sinks overhead as the hours pass.
Tobias must fall asleep eventually, because he finds himself back in his family’s cave, beneath the warm tent of his Papa’s wing with Vivi asleep at his side. A melody is still being hummed somewhere nearby, near the front entrance of their home, the voice a bit off-key but familiar enough to be soothing.
This time around, Toby recognizes the old lullaby for what it is, even when the song skips over the parts he doesn’t recall.
Toby shifts, trying to get comfortable. Vivi snuffles in her sleep, pushing her head into the crook of his neck. Normally, Toby would push her away. This time, for some reason, he lets her be. Her soft breaths puff warm and soothing against his skin.
Papa shifts, getting more comfortable in his own nest, and Toby can tell by the quiet way he moves that he’s still awake.
“Papa?” Toby whispers.
Papa stills, then rumbles a quiet, questioning noise that Tobias can feel in his chest.
“Did the clouds go away? Are the stars out yet?” Maybe if they are, Toby can go and sit with Mama until he gets sleepy again.
Papa doesn’t answer, but he does turn to duck his head under his own wing. In the warm, dim light cast by Toby and Vivi’s tails, Papa’s face comes into view. Somehow, it feels like Toby hasn’t seen him in forever, and he’s transfixed by the crystal-clear clarity of his features. Bright green eyes that he passed on to Vivi. Sleek but powerful edges to his jaw and horns. His mouth is curled into a warm, sleepy smile, his lower fangs peeking out.
For some reason, the sight makes Toby’s chest ache. His breath hitches.
“You’re all right,” Papa says, nuzzling him.
“I don’t know why I’m sad,” Toby murmurs, feeling tears well up in his eyes.
“That’s all right. Sometimes we don’t know. It will pass.”
Tobias wakes with a start, throat tight and eyes wet. He blinks rapidly against a cloudy pre-dawn sky and sits up, trying to figure out where he is. The warm weight that was on his shoulder whines as it’s displaced, and Tobias looks down to see a sleepy Nia curl up against the side of the cart with a disgruntled expression.
“Oi! You awake back there? We’re taking you north with us if you don’t get up. Storm’s rolling in.”
Tobias jumps, realizing now that the loud voice must have been what woke him. It takes a moment for him to place where he is and who the voice must belong to, coming from the front of the cart. They’ve stopped moving.
“We’re up,” Tobias calls back, clearing his throat. “Where are we?”
“Near the Lilycap River. The riolu said you needed to get to the swamps around Eastern Metreja. The river is the best way to do that.”
Tobias had completely forgotten that they didn’t even have their specific destination figured out. Great. Well, hopefully someone can help them find Edme, or at least the Hollowberry Inn Nia had connected to the mysterious Pokemon.
Tobias takes a moment to scrub at his face and shake off the dregs of sleep. Then he looks at his partner and sighs. Nia is hard to wake on the best of mornings, let alone after an emotionally draining day and a long night spent awake. But they need to get going now if the tauros’ impatient tone is anything to gauge by.
Tobias shakes the riolu, ignoring her sleepy whines of protest. “C’mon, Nia. We gotta go.”
Nia growls and buries her face against a sack of rice. Tobias rolls his eyes and shakes her harder, until she cracks open her eyes, clearly irritated.
“What?”
“We gotta go. We’re here and the tauros wanna keep moving.”
Nia groans but must know that Tobias will only wake her again if she tries to go back to sleep. Slowly, she drags herself into a sitting position, rubbing at her eyes and yawning big enough to show off sharp teeth. Tobias nudges her until she groans and stumbles to her feet.
Tobias gathers their satchel and the guitar. Then, he drags himself over the side of the cart and to the ground. Nia stumbles down after him, following him to the front of the cart where the two tauros are waiting impatiently, tails lashing.
“Thank you for the ride,” Nia yawns. The normal types look a bit soothed by the thanks.
“D’you know which way to go from here to get to the river?” Tobias asks, squinting into the pre-dawn darkness. He thinks he can see a smaller footpath and hear a low, constant noise in the distance.
The nearest tauros tosses his head over his shoulder. “Quickest way is a mile or so down that path. If you’re lucky, the ferry will be there. They’ve had issues with flooding the past few months—weather going out of whack and all. But if the boat’s running it should be able to take you where you need to go.”
Tobias slumps. He knew traveling on the river likely meant they’d have to board a boat, but as a fire type that doesn’t mean he’s happy about it. Plus, big bodies of water means reflections, which means Giratina. Even with what Nia said about Giratina helping down in the mines, Tobias would rather not test that tentative trust until they get some answers from Edme.
After Nia thanks them again, the tauros pull away, taking their cart down the dirt road. The ground here is tacky and cool, as if it rained recently, and tire tracks are left in their wake. Tobias and Nia watch them go. A quiet roll of thunder sounds in the distance.
Nia takes a deep breath, sniffing at the rain on the breeze and eyeing the sky. Her ears twitch, angled down the path. “I guess we just follow the path and…hope for the best?”
“I can’t believe we have to take a boat of all things,” Tobias grumbles, leading the riolu off the well-worn road and onto a much smaller footpath through the weeds. They’re heading for a forest, though the foliage looks different from the Haven’s even at a distance. Slightly more tropical. It’s still lush and green despite it being fall, and the air is a bit warmer, too, which is nice at least.
Nia gives Tobias an amused look as she starts to wake up. “I guess it makes sense you wouldn’t be a fan of boats. I mean, we can walk if you really want, but…”
“How sure are you that Giratina isn’t going to immediately yank us into the Distortion World when we board the ferry?”
“I’m like…80% sure he won’t. Probably.”
Tobias glares at her. “Only 80%?”
“85%?” Nia offers, grimacing.
Tobias groans. “We’re dead.“
“Hey, look on the bright side! I’ve thought that many, many times since coming to the Pokemon world, and I’m still alive!”
“I am not awake enough for this,” Tobias mutters. Nia snickers, apparently awake enough to tease him.
The path gets even less defined as they travel into the forest, tangled with lush foliage and weeds growing in from either side. A wooden sign sits crookedly in the soft ground, pointing ahead and saying nothing more than “FERRY.” Tobias crinkles his nose as water drips from the leaves above to sting his skin.
“They really have been getting a lot of rain here,” Nia says, stepping around a muddy puddle taking up most of the road.
Tobias pulls his poncho out from their satchel and yanks it over his head. “It must be pretty bad if the river is flooding. Usually there are systems put into place to avoid that in major waterways.”
Nia makes a troubled noise in her throat. Tobias, not eager to misstep, keeps his eyes on his feet. In the puddles they pass, he can see the gray light of dawn against the stark black outline of the treetops overhead, and he nervously eyes the flickering shapes cast by his tail flame for a hint of Giratina. He doesn’t know if it makes him more or less nervous to not see any sign of the titan.
They follow the distant, muffled sound of what Tobias now recognizes as the river. Dawn struggles to lighten the land under a heavy cover of clouds. The ground gets even sloppier and rife with water the closer they get. By time they see the trees clearing out and hear the loud rush of water right ahead, Tobias’ legs are muddied and cold.
Nia stops in her tracks. Her voice is almost drowned out by the dull roar of the river when she says a quiet, simple, “Oh.”
Tobias looks up from his careful steps to see what caused that reaction.
When the tauros mentioned the river flooding, Tobias didn’t realize how much the normal types were underselling it. The river is not just flooded but swollen to a dangerously high level, the muddied brown water stretching wide in a swift, frothy current. It swallows up the bottom halves of trees and Tobias can’t even see the dock and other structures he would expect to find, everything apparently long since swallowed by the current.
Still, a ferry is indeed present, nudged up close to the steep, muddy area serving as the river’s bank and tied to two sturdier-looking trees since there is no longer a dock in sight. The boat is fairly large, with at least two levels to it and a railed-in upper deck open to the air. A large wheel-like structure sits at the back of the boat, dipping deeper into the water every time it sways in the current. The ferry’s chipped white and orange paint is dull and muddied near its hull, but a deep blue AQUA JET is painted on its side in bold letters.
There’s a laid-back flurry of activity surrounding the ship. A croconaw wearing a coral-colored scarf is standing at the edge of the riverbank, pointing downstream and calling out directions. She’s speaking to a Pokemon who is bobbing in the river, somehow managing to stay in one place despite the powerful current. After a moment, Tobias recognizes the Pokemon’s bright orange coloring and sharp facial markings—a floatzel. A moment later, another Pokemon surfaces at his side, her sleek blue feathers bright against the muddy water. A golduck, her eyes sharp as she quietly takes in the croconaw’s words.
A call comes from the upper deck of the boat itself, and Tobias is surprised to look up and find a torkoal peering out from the railing. Tobias follows his gaze towards the trees, where a small quaxly is struggling to untie the ropes keeping the ferry ashore, pulling at the knots with his beak and flapping his little wings wildly.
The crew seems busy but at ease, calmly dealing with the conditions even as thunder rumbles in the distance. The floatzel calls out a cheery affirmative before diving under the river’s rough surface, the golduck following. The croconaw turns and heads to the quaxly’s side to help. It’s the torkoal who spots Tobias and Nia, yelling something to his crewmates.
The croconaw glances over at Tobias and Nia, clearly surprised. She finishes untying the first knot and heads over to them. “Hey! You folks wanting a ride?”
Nia tears her eyes away from where the golduck and floatzel are doing…something near the base of the boat. Clearing away debris? “Oh! Yes, please. You’re the ferry, right?”
The croconaw laughs. “One of ‘em! We’re the only one still running in this mess. Name’s Cordelia. Welcome to the Aqua Jet.”
Tobias eyes the ferry nervously. “You’re the only boat still operating?”
Cordelia grins, showing off her maw of sharp teeth, but the gesture feels more aggressive than friendly. “Someone has to. Even if it’s rare to see anyone wanting a ride nowadays, Pokemon don’t stop needing supplies just because the weather’s throwing a hissy fit.”
“Oh.” Nia looks back at the boat, clearly nervous herself now. “I-Is it, um…safe?”
Cordelia laughs again. “Any captain worth her salt would tell you that boating in a flood is never safe. But with my crew, it’s as safe as you’re going to get on the water right now. So it’s either take the long way and walk, or get on board.”
Tobias glares at Cordelia, already not a fan of the water type. He knows that walking isn’t an option—not only would it take ten times as long, but they’d likely get lost and run out of energy and provisions long before then. Not to mention having to navigate the swampy terrain and find a way to cross the treacherous river.
Nia answers for them. “We’d like a ride, if possible. S-Sorry, we’re just nervous. Not, uh, used to boating. Even in normal conditions.”
Cordelia nods. “Gotcha. Well, we’ve stayed on the water the past few months despite all this mess. We’ve got a pretty good system going. While I can’t guarantee anything 100%, we’ll try our best to get you where you need to go. Where y’all wanting to head anyways?”
Nia glances at Tobias, looking unsure.
Tobias sighs. “We’re looking for a Pokemon named Edme. All we’ve got is that they probably live in close proximity to someplace called the Hollowberry Inn and they’re somewhere in the swamps.”
“Hollowberry?” A new voice pipes up. It’s surprisingly young, and Tobias and Nia look over to see the quaxly waddling up to Cordelia’s side. He can’t be older than 10 or 11. “We go right by Hollowberry!”
Cordelia gives the little water type a proud grin, ruffling the feathers atop his head. “Hey now, little navigator, don’t go taking my job just yet!”
The quaxly preens and puffs up his little chest, flicking back the feathers atop his head.
“Cas is right,” Cordelia says, looking back to Nia and Tobias and planting her hands on her hips. “Don’t know this Edme character, but Hollowberry Inn is in a town just off the riverfront, in Shivergleam. We were heading south towards the sea anyways for our next shipment. Can’t guarantee this Edme ‘mon hasn’t left the area with all the floods, but we can get you there by tomorrow, if Suicune blesses our currents.”
“Fine,” Tobias sighs. “What’s your price?”
Surprisingly, Cordelia doesn’t charge them an arm and a leg, though it’s still a decent chunk of their remaining cash. As Tobias digs out the coins to pay, the floatzel and golduck pull themselves out of the muddy river, the former shaking his pelt free of water. The golduck rolls her eyes, but wordlessly heads over to the trees to continue untying the ropes.
The floatzel comes to their side, smiling amiably. His voice is deeper than Tobias expects as he says, “Do we actually have some customers today, Delia?”
Cordelia snorts and hands their payment to Cas. The quaxly barely manages to hold all the coins in his little wings before scurrying off and boarding the ferry. The torkoal picks himself up from the upper deck and moves out of view, presumably inside the boat to meet the little water type.
“It’s nice to see some fresh faces,” the floatzel continues, voice light. He’s older than Tobias thought at first glance, too—he’d expected the water type to be on the younger side with how easily he moved through the powerful current, but the floatzel’s fur is graying and sagging a bit with age. “I’ve missed talking to folks other than our little crew. I’m Beck.”
The water type holds out a paw, and before Tobias can try to figure out what to do with it, Nia perks up and gives it a shake. She’s clearly thrilled to meet another conversationalist. “Nia! Nice to meet you.”
From there, the little crew finishes unmooring the boat and prepping it for travel downstream. Cordelia goes to help the golduck, so Beck leads Tobias and Nia up the ramp and onto the ferry. It rocks and sways underfoot, making Tobias feel like he got hit by a confuse ray. He immediately hates it. He grabs onto the railing with a white-knuckled grip.
Beck shifts naturally with the motions of the boat, clearly used to it. He gives Tobias a sympathetic smile and says that as long as they’re careful, they’re welcome to stay outside on the upper deck as long as it doesn’t start raining or the ferry doesn’t run into any unexpected trouble.
Tobias doesn’t respond. He’s too busy trying to keep his nauseous stomach from throwing up his last meal.
“And if anything does happen,” Beck says, catching Tobias’ eye. “Nori and I will be keeping an eye out while we clear debris. We’re pretty experienced rescue ‘mon in the water.”
Tobias isn’t sure whether to feel reassured or offended that he was singled out for that statement. He should probably go inside, but he hasn’t worked up the strength in his jelly-like legs to make the five steps to the door.
Beck dives off the side of the boat and disappears into the frothy, muddy current, streaming through the water effortlessly. The golduck, Nori, glides past to the other side of the boat. Cordelia passes by Tobias and Nia to head to the front of the boat, while Cas runs around making sure everything is tied down before departure. The torkoal is nowhere to be seen. Maybe the ‘mon in charge of the steam system?
Finally, the boat starts to move. Tobias clings to the railing and stares down at the river, heart pounding. He isn’t sure if he would even notice Giratina appearing in the broken reflections right now, tense as he is.
Nia comes to his side, lightly holding the railing and looking out excitedly at the forest and water as they start to move. She glances at him, happiness faltering into something sympathetic.
“You wanna head inside?” She asks.
Tobias glares at her. She doesn’t have to use that tone of voice. He isn’t a lost child in a dungeon. He wants to snap at her but he doesn’t think he can without stuttering.
Nia, pathetically, must see right through him. Her mouth twitches with a smile. She wordlessly pries his fingers off the railing, thankfully ignoring the way he grabs her paws in a vice grip, and tugs his stumbling feet after her to the door. He isn’t too proud once inside the cabin to collapse against the first seat he sees, claws digging into the tough material. The rocking is still making Tobias’ stomach turn uncomfortably, but at least in here he can pretend they aren’t floating downstream on a death-trap of a river.
Nia bites back another smile but doesn’t say a word, turning to the open window to watch the trees go by.
Chapter 49
Summary:
Nia and Tobias reach Shivergleam. However, they may not be ready for the information Edme has to offer.
Chapter Text
Nia kicks her legs over the side of the boat, tucked securely against the railing. Evening sunlight is filtered weakly through cloud cover, but still warm on her back. The river below her is as swift and swollen as it has been the whole trip, rocking the ferry in uneven motions, but she finds it oddly soothing.
Her curious eyes are trained on the crew working to navigate the dangerous waters. Beck and Nori are swimming ahead of the ferry, sleek flashes of orange and blue weaving back and forth to check for underwater obstructions that could hinder their travel. Occasionally, Nia sees the two Pokemon work together to push a downed tree aside and clear the way.
The captain, Cordelia, is steering them slowly through the treacherous waters, staying to the outside of the river to keep to deeper channels. Well, at least that’s what Cas said she was doing when Nia talked to him earlier. The little duck clearly admires the brash crocodile, and proudly answers all of Nia’s questions about the ferry and how it’s run. Since they’ve been riding for a little over a day now, they’re finally nearing their destination of Shivergleam, at least according to Beck when he was on break earlier.
Nia has honestly enjoyed their trip downstream. Traveling by boat is new and exciting, and she loves watching the crew work around one another like a well-oiled machine. And last night when they’d had to stop as darkness set in, Nia had enjoyed getting to talk to the crew over supper.
Cordelia is a bit brash, but it’s clear she loves her job and her crew—plus, she tells one heck of a story. Nori the golduck, on the other hand, rarely speaks, instead communicating in dry looks. Cas seems more like a little cousin tagalong than an actual crewmate, too young to do much heavy lifting, but the rest of the boatsmon clearly love having him around. Even Ignatius, the quiet, sarcastic old torkoal is grounding in his own way.
While none of the crew have been unwelcoming, Beck the floatzel has been Nia’s favorite to get to know. The older Pokemon is clearly the most sociable of the bunch, asking Nia and Tobias about where they’re from and where they’re heading with genuine interest. When Nia had mentioned the Lexym Guild, the weasel’s brows had lifted. He’d explained with a smile that the guild is just a bit west of his own home, where his wife and daughter live taking care of his grandkids.
“I’m a bit of a wanderer,” Beck had explained as he helped himself to a second bowl of stew. “My heart always leads me back home, but I wouldn’t be happy staying in one place. This job gives me the chance to travel without leaving my family for too long.”
Nia likes the older man’s demeanor. It’s warm, friendly but calming. His surprisingly deep voice is nice to listen to, and Nia is endeared by how fondly he mentions his family.
Nia liked him even more after the weather was mentioned and Ignatius made a sarcastic comment about humans that made Nia freeze and Tobias glare. Beck was the first to scoff, whipping the turtle playfully with his twin tails. There was no real fire behind the torkoal’s words or the floatzel’s gesture, but Beck had cast Nia and Tobias a concerned look regardless.
“Sorry. Natius doesn’t have the best sense of humor. We know the humans have nothing to do with the weather being out of sorts.”
Cordelia had snorted, slamming her drink down on the table. “I wish humans were the problem. They’d be a lot easier to corral than the gods apparently seeing fit to dump rain across the whole region.”
Nia and Tobias had relaxed, and Nia couldn’t help the way she immediately grew fond of the ragtag little group.
Now, nearing their destination, Nia feels a familiar sting in her heart. She’s only known the crew for a day, but she hates that they have to part so soon. Tobias likes to tease her about how quickly she gets attached to people, but she can’t help it! She thinks she vaguely remembers her mom telling her she had a heart too big for her body. Tobias would likely say she’s got a heart too big for her brain.
Tobias.
Nia frowns, absentmindedly looking into the reflections in the river’s surface for a sign of Giratina. She hasn’t seen the banished legendary since the tunnels, though that doesn’t mean he isn’t there.
It’s not enough to distract her from thinking about her partner. About how they’d found one of his family’s killers, only to find him too late. About the family the crobat had left behind. About Tobias’ grief, a relentless sort of sorrow she’d never had to face so head-on before. It’d been so powerful she’d sworn she could feel it herself, at times.
And she tries not to think of Tobias’ voice on their ride over. The way his words choked as he mentioned her leaving for the human world.
Nia swallows against a lump in her throat and closes her eyes. She leans her head forward to bump against the railing, listening to the loud, constant rush of the river.
She’s leaving, once Will or somebody else finds them a way home. She has to. Every time she thinks of Clay’s bright grin or her Mom’s tight hugs or Toni’s laughter her chest feels like it’s going to cave in on itself. She knows it’s not an option to not go back.
But she let herself get attached. Of course she did. And now she has Tobias. Tobias and Maggie and Xander and Andyn and Val and Avery and—
Tears burn at Nia’s eyes, so she takes a deep breath, letting it out slow. She opens her eyes again to watch as Cordelia slows the ferry. Debris is floating on top of the water, and Nori and Beck get to work clearing it with experienced hands. It only takes a glimpse for Nia to recognize what it is, after seeing multiple sites like this.
It was a home, once. Likely a lovely one set up right off the riverside. But the flooding has washed it away, right off its foundations. Hopefully not with a family inside.
Nia feels her chest tighten even further. She can’t stay here, but she also can’t imagine just…going back to her old human life, like nothing ever happened. How can she just leave behind all of the people she’s met in this world? Especially knowing that mystery dungeons and natural disasters like this are slowly ramping up in severity. She would feel like she was abandoning them.
She’d mentioned a way to go back and forth between worlds out of nothing more than desperation, but now she’s thinking it might be the only way she could actually handle it. You can’t just give up an entire 18 years’ worth of life and the family you love. But you also can’t live in an incredible, magical world for months—has it really been months already?—and form a whole new support system only to leave. Not without tearing out a part of your soul in the process, at least.
She doesn’t have an answer for her situation. And that worries her.
Beck chooses that moment to call out to Nia. She lifts her head, thankful for the interruption.
The orange weasel—a floatzel, Tobias had said, and the species had rang a bell in her head for some reason—is bobbing in the water below her. “We’ll be pulling into the branch leading to Shivergleam soon. You might want to grab your partner.”
Nia thanks the water type before getting up and heading inside the cabin. She takes the path downstairs into the belly of the proverbial beast, knocking on the heavy door to the furnace room before nudging her way inside.
As it has been every time Nia has checked on Tobias, the room is sweltering. Dim orange light bounces off the metallic walls. Ignatius the torkoal gives her a passing glance before continuing his work keeping the steam engine running. He takes a bite of coal, crunching it loudly in his mouth. The flames inside his shell flare, almost bright enough to hurt Nia’s eyes, and the torkoal spews a cloud of steam and embers into the pipes of the steam engine.
Tobias is sitting nearby, crunching idly on his own piece of coal and flipping through a manual for the ship. Nia doesn’t know why being down here puts him so much more at ease, but he’s relaxed as he waves casually to Nia in greeting.
It’s a bit loud with the whoosh of the flames and the rumbling of the ship and engine so close, so Nia nearly has to yell to be heard. “Beck says we’re getting close and should prepare to dock!”
Tobias perks up. With all the rain they’ve been dealing with, he hadn’t gotten to go onto dry land yesterday evening when they’d docked for the night. Nia knows he’s been eager to get back to solid ground from the moment they stepped onboard The Aqua Jet.
Tobias gives Ignatius a nod of parting and grabs a piece of charcoal to go. Then he follows Nia back to the stairs. As she leads them back to the upper floor and out on deck, Nia sneaks a few glances at Tobias crunching into the little black mineral.
“I still can’t believe you can just…eat coal.”
Tobias shrugs, catching some crumbs before they fall. “I couldn’t live off of it, but it’s nice. Stokes my fire a bit. Got a good crunch to it.”
Nia stares at the charcoal with a furrowed brow as they reach the railing on deck. “Does it…taste good?”
Tobias makes a so-so motion with his hand, then holds it out to her with a smirk. “Wanna try?”
He probably expects her to recoil, but she can’t deny that she’s curious. She takes the charcoal and gives it a sniff, wrinkling her nose. Then, she licks the little stone.
“Ugh,” Nia shoves the charcoal back at her partner. “It’s like licking a dirty grill.”
Tobias barks a laugh. He tries to reign it in, but his shoulders still shake as he stares at her. “I-I didn’t think you’d actually try it.”
“I was curious! You really underplayed how awful it is, though.”
Tobias shrugs and takes another bite, the sound cracking through the air even with the loud background track of the river. “‘S not that bad. Just…earthy.”
“‘Earthy,’ he says,” Nia teases. “I think you’ve just fried off all your taste buds. You—“
“There’s the turn!” Cas cuts in, hurrying to their side. The little duck looks out at the river with glittering eyes. “I love Shivergleam. It’s so spooky!”
Nia trades an uncomfortable look with Tobias as the ferry takes a turn down an offshoot of the main river. The trees on either side of the waterway close in overhead, blocking out much of the evening light. The air feels cooler, suddenly.
“Spooky?” Nia echoes cautiously.
Cas nods. “Yeah! There are lots of ghost types living in Shivergleam. Delia says that all kinds of weird stuff happens there!”
Nia takes a step closer to Tobias. He’s trying to look unbothered, but Nia sees him cast his sharp gaze out into the trees.
The shaded marsh around them does suddenly seem more…unsettling. Large stretches of floodwater sit between twisted trees, pools of reflected light between dark shade. Away from the roar of the Lilycap River, it feels unnaturally still. Even Beck and Nori, still swimming from side to side in front of the ferry to clear roots and foliage, seem to cut through the water silently.
It must take another half hour for them to finish the journey to Shivergleam, considering the sun is quickly setting through the trees. To Nia, it feels like it somehow takes half the time and twice as long, and her nerves only grow as they approach.
As long shadows fade to total darkness, Nia starts to see…lights. They’re a bluish-purple color, scattered like flickering candle flames throughout the trees. For a moment she thinks of the lights she saw when she was sick. Her memories. But when she looks to Tobias, he’s also watching them, brow furrowed.
When they start to flicker into being on either side of the waterway, Nia gets a closer look. They’re tiny flames, somehow resisting the damp environment. Additionally, they don’t seem to be…burning from anything, or even sheltered from the elements. Instead, they flicker in space at fixed points along the river, among the grassy banks and up in the trees. Like lamp lights along a street.
“Will-o-wisp?” Tobias murmurs.
Nia frowns, wracking her brain for the familiar term. “The move that causes burns?”
“Lots of ghost types learn it. They must have a system set up to light the path, like how the grass types at the guild repair the Lexym tree and open and close the windows to accommodate the weather.”
“Okay, that’s pretty cool,” Nia whispers, looking at the little flames with a mix of awe and unease.
Soon after, Beck and Nori pull themselves out of the water, dripping onto the deck. The floatzel shakes out his fur, and Tobias hisses and hides behind Nia. To Nia’s surprise, Cordelia keeps the boat moving.
Nia casts the dark river a nervous look. What if there are downed branches here still? Won’t they get caught up?
Beck moves to their side. He leans against the railing and smiles down at the will-o-wisps reflecting off the water. “Don’t worry. Shivergleam keeps the river clear from here on. Nori and I can relax.”
True to Beck’s word, they make the rest of the trip without any issue. As they round a bend in the river, the trees thin out enough to see the glow of the town ahead.
Shivergleam is built in bits and pieces into the thin, ropy trees of the swamp, like a city of treehouses. Long, draping boughs of leaves curtain the warm glow of the buildings. Nia can see the occasional silhouette move across bridges made of twisting roots and vines. The whole city almost looks like it’s floating in the blackness of the swamp, its lights reflected in the floodwater below. Nia almost doesn’t notice the short, jagged silhouettes poking above the surface. It takes her a moment to realize that they’re more buildings, homes and businesses swallowed by the floods. Her ears flatten.
“Ol’ Shivergleam,” Beck says, sounding pleased. “Some folks get spooked by so many ghost and dark types living in one place, but don’t let that scare you. They’re nice enough. Make sure you try the food while you’re here.”
Nia gives Beck a thin smile. “Will do. Thanks.”
“You think they’ll be open to us trying to find this Edme ‘mon?” Tobias asks.
Beck’s twin tails give a thoughtful spin. “Good question. They can be a bit private about Shivergleam matters. They didn’t want to ask for outside help with the floods until half their ground population lost their homes. But no harm in asking.”
Cordelia pulls the ferry to a stop beside a makeshift docking system made of arching, twisted branches. A staircase sits nearby, circling the tree’s trunk. Its lower steps lead under the floodwater and its upper steps lead up to the light and activity of the town.
Nori hops out to tie the boat to the dock, Cas scrambling to follow. Beck helps guide Nia and Tobias onto the firmer ground of the stairs—made with slick, damp wood that creaks underfoot. Nia grabs onto the thin rail with one hand and Tobias’ hand with the other, both for her reassurance and his own.
Cordelia leaps out of the boat and onto the stairs with all the confidence of a water type hanging over floodwater. Or maybe that’s just Cordelia. “Passengers delivered safely! Whatcha think, Charmander? Not too bad, eh?”
Tobias gives the croconaw a glare. Cordelia laughs.
Beck stands beside his captain, looking up at the islands of activity. Light shines down between thin gaps in the wood. “You two going to be okay on your own from here? You’ll probably have to catch a flight ‘mon when you want to leave.”
“Better be, because we ain’t sticking around. Heading out first thing in the morning,” Cordelia says, moving to help Cas carry a bag three times bigger than his entire body off the boat.
Beck hums. “I suppose she’s right. But if you need us before we leave, then just come find us at Hollowberry. Always happy to help out a new friend.”
“That offer does not extend to me!” Cordelia calls.
Nia laughs, giving Beck a warm smile. “Will do. Thank you so much, Beck.”
Beck gives her a friendly wink and Tobias a nod before turning to help his crew.
In the quiet left behind, Nia looks to Tobias, who has one hand gripping the rail with white knuckles and the other holding her hand tight enough to hurt.
“Ready?”
“I guess. Anything is better than being on that rickety old thing.”
Nia takes that as a yes and leads the two of them up the winding staircase, towards the gentle clamor of the population above. As they emerge into the soft light of the town, Nia looks around.
The platform they’re on holds two small, twisted buildings built into the side of the tree. One home’s window is bright, and Nia hears laughter from within. Long, drooping leaves drape over the roofs. Ropy bridges made with vines and roots link the platform on either end to another two islands, one slightly higher and the other slightly lower. Despite the heavy darkness of the night, the warm light spilling from most of the buildings lights up the town like a sea of stars.
It’s nothing like the busy roar of Afon’s merchant-heavy environment. It’s quieter here, almost residential. Pokemon talk in pairs or move peacefully about their business, but it all feels very…quaint.
Two Pokémon pass by Nia and Tobias, their conversation pausing as they give the pair cautious looks. They move on quickly enough, voices rising again as they gain distance. Nia’s almost too preoccupied by the townsfolk’s appearance to be hurt by their obvious suspicion. Her grip on Tobias’ hand tightens.
“Those are ghost types, right?” Nia murmurs, tearing her eyes away. She doesn’t want to be rude, but…well. She can see through them! They’re semi-transparent, the lights of the town visible as a blur of light through their bodies. It’s a little unnerving.
“Yeah?” Tobias asks, sounding puzzled. “Why are you so freaked out? I know we don’t get many ghost types in the Haven, but…”
“I know they aren’t like…dead,” Nia whispers, looking around to make sure no one is close enough to overhear. She doesn’t want to offend anyone. “But it’s still hard not to be freaked out by actual, literal ghosts!”
Tobias snorts. “They’re only called ghosts because of their typing, remember? They resemble what spirits are thought to look like, but they aren’t actually ghosts. Well, most of them.”
Nia gives him an incredulous look. “Most of them?!”
“Uh. Yeah? Did your books not tell you that? Some species are supposedly born from reincarnations. Maybe it’s just like a cultural thing, but they say all souls of certain species lived previous lives. Phantump. Pumpkaboo.” Tobias cuts her a dry look. “Yamask.”
Nia blinks, caught off-guard. “Yamask?” So…Will?
She does vaguely remember reading about the yamask line, when she first came to the Pokemon world and was looking for a name. About how they’re supposedly born from lost human souls. At the time she’d assumed that meant they were in the same situation as her and all the other humans, but Tobias almost seems to be implying that there’s something different about them. That some ghost types are…born as reincarnated souls. But Will is an adult and he’s only been here a few years, so—
Tobias tugs at Nia’s hand, apparently deeming her moment of existential crisis unimportant. “We’d better get moving. We’re getting looks.”
Nia shakes off her thoughts. “R-Right. Can you lead the way?”
Tobias snorts. “As long as you do the socializing.”
“Deal. Are we looking for Hollowberry to rest for the night?”
Tobias mouth flattens as he looks around. Nia follows his gaze, slowly less and less unnerved and more amazed by the chilling beauty of their surroundings.
“With this many ghost and dark types, most of the town probably runs on a nocturnal schedule,” Tobias finally says.
“Oh. So…should we start looking tonight?”
“Are you too tired?”
Tobias glances at her, then away. As if to make it seem like he doesn’t actually care about her answer. Nia bites back a smile and pointedly doesn’t remind the prickly charmander that they’re still holding hands.
“No, I’m all right! Where should we start?”
Tobias looks around, then heads down one of the bridges leading to another platform, releasing her hand to grab onto both sides of the railing. The woven branches underneath them creak and dip under their weight.
The first Pokemon they find who actually makes eye contact and seems willing to talk is a floating purple ghost with no legs and disembodied hands. He’s handing out samples outside of a cute little bakery, which means his friendliness is probably just a business tactic, but Nia will take it.
Nia gratefully accepts a small sample of donut and exchanges pleasantries before saying, “We were actually wondering if you happen to know anyone in town called Edme?”
The ghost type’s friendly smile falls, a gleam of suspicion entering his eyes. “…Where did you say you two are from?”
“Lexym Guild, in Bethoc’s Haven,” Tobias answers, crossing his arms. “We aren’t here to cause any trouble. Just want to ask them some questions.”
Another Pokemon, some kind of little orange and black fox with a large tail, walks by. The ghostly baker catches her eye, pasting on a huge grin. “Hey! Quinta! Want to try a new recipe?”
The fox glances at Nia and Tobias before deciding to speak to the baker. The two quickly start a conversation, turning their bodies to shut Nia and Tobias out.
Okay, message received. Nia devours her (delicious) donut sample and leads Tobias away before his flaring tail flame gets them in trouble.
“Maybe the next person will be more open to talk,” Nia says hopefully.
The look Tobias sends her makes it clear how much he doesn’t believe her. “Sure.”
Unfortunately, the next Pokemon they stop is no more forthcoming. Nor the next. Most of the townsfolk don’t look thrilled to talk to outsiders at all, but even the friendliest of Pokemon immediately clam up and hurry off when they mention Edme.
“This is going well,” Nia sighs when they take a break, sitting against one of the platforms’ central tree trunks. The wood is damp and the air is getting cold as the night wears on, so her fur feels both thin and uncomfortable. She’s starting to drag, but the town only seems to grow more active as the moon rises higher.
“They’re suspicious of outsiders, and apparently protective of this Edme ‘mon,” Tobias says, also looking tired. “They must think we’re here to cause trouble.”
“Even though we’re Seekers?”
Tobias sighs, rubbing at his eyes. “Probably because we’re Seekers. Ghost types and dark types get a bad reputation sometimes. They’re pinned much quicker for crimes than other types.”
Nia winces, remembering her earlier reaction to seeing the ghost types. She’s grown more accustomed to them over the past hour or so, since they’re not really any stranger or scarier than other types of Pokemon. They’re just not ones she’s used to seeing.
“So you think they’re worried we’re here to take Edme in?”
“Probably. Whether it’s warranted or not.”
Nia makes a thoughtful sound in her throat. “So far we have been pretty vague about why we want to talk to Edme. Should we just be honest about why we’re here?”
Tobias gives her an Are you crazy? sort of look. “And say we’re here to ask Edme about—“ Tobias’ voice lowers. “Giratina?”
“Why not?”
Tobias rolls his eyes. “He’s a scary story for a reason! Most ‘mon don’t even like hearing his name.”
“But Edme was the source for all of those books we read! They’re almost like the authority on Giratina. And everyone here is defending Edme, so—“
“So Giratina probably isn’t a bad omen here,” Tobias finishes, blinking at her. “Huh. You know, that…might make sense. He is a ghost type. I don’t know enough ghost types to know if they see him as a deity, but…”
“We could try it?” Nia suggests.
Tobias sighs. “I guess it can’t get any worse than how it’s been going so far.”
Their next target is a pair of Pokemon chatting amiably outside of a shop and drinking tea. A misdreavus and a banette, according to Tobias. The two ghost types quiet as Nia and Tobias approach and politely introduce themselves.
“—and we were hoping that you might know about a Pokemon called Edme? We need some information about Giratina, and we heard they’re the best person—uh, Pokemon to ask.”
The two Pokemon straighten up with surprised expressions when Nia mentions Giratina’s name. They exchange a look, but Nia can see the cold suspicion thaw, ever so slightly.
“You want to know more about Lord Giratina?” The banette asks, clearly doubtful.
Lord Giratina? Guess they were spot-on about the deity thing.
Nia nods. “Yes! Please. We came all this way looking for information.”
“Why? Most solids are too scared to even say his name.”
Nia hesitates. Looks to Tobias. He shrugs. She bites her lip and looks back at the two Pokemon. “H-He’s been following me. Through reflections. And we want to know why.”
The pair’s eyes widen. Their idle hovering stills. It’s the most open emotion anyone from the town has shown so far.
“Lord Giratina showed himself to you?” The misdreavus asks, voice hushed with awe.
The banette looks torn between suspicion and confusion. “Why would Lord Giratina show himself to some random fighting type?“
Nia opens her mouth without thinking, to say something about it possibly being because she’s human. Luckily, Tobias whacks her leg with his tail, stopping her from blabbing.
“That’s what we’d like to know,” Tobias growls. “So if someone could just tell us where to find Edme, that’d be great.”
The two Shivergleam natives look torn, exchanging a worried look.
“What do you think?” The misdreavus whispers, her “hair” floating in a nonexistent breeze.
“The riolu should be fine. She’s a fighting type. But sending a fire type to the Guardian? You know how dangerous that is!”
“But if Lord Giratina really did show himself, then there has to be a good reason! And you know the Guardian can handle herself.”
Nia and Tobias share an uncertain look as the two go back and forth about the “Guardian.” Looks like Tobias was right—the citizens of Shivergleam are protecting their own. Admirable, if not annoying at the current moment.
“Fine,” the banette finally says. She turns to Nia and Tobias. “We’ll tell you where to find the Guardian.“
“Oh, thank you so much! We—“
“But,” the ghost type interrupts, baring her terrifying zipper-like teeth. “We don’t take kindly to anyone messing with our own. Especially a Guardian. So just know that if you do anything to harm her, the entirety of Shivergleam won’t hesitate to drag you both to the afterlife.”
Nia’s bubbly gratitude dies in her chest. Eyes wide and tail tucked, she frantically agrees. Tobias glares at the two Pokemon, but nods.
The banette seems somewhat satisfied by that. She waves her friend on.
The misdreavus hesitates once more before gesturing with her chin to the right, off through the sea of platforms and flickering lights. “She lives on the edge of town, at one of the highest sectors. It’s the tall house with the shiny baubles hanging outside of it.”
Nia grins, forgetting her momentary fear in favor of relief that their search is almost over. “Got it! Thank you!”
The two Pokemon still seem unsure. They go back to their tea with an uneasy air. Tobias hauls Nia away as she’s still trying to thank them.
“You want to lead the way?” Nia asks. “I’m so glad we finally know where to find her!”
Tobias snorts. “After a little light threatening of our lives. But yes, of course I’m leading. You’ll run us in circles with your sense of direction.”
Nia concedes that and follows Tobias across town. The residents of Shivergleam still give them wary looks as they pass by, but otherwise don’t seem aggressive. Defensive, if anything. It hurts Nia’s feelings a bit, to be honest, but she figures that she can’t really be upset with them if they’ve been blamed in the past so much by outsiders. She shouldn’t make this about her own hurt feelings when they’re the ones who have actually been harmed.
At least the town itself is a beautiful sight to see. Still damp and a bit unnerving to traverse with the pitch blackness of the water far below them, but otherwise lovely. The warm lights of the buildings make the place feel magical, almost dreamlike. Or maybe that’s just Nia’s sleepiness talking. It is getting late.
“Why do you think they were calling Edme ‘the Guardian?’” Nia asks.
Tobias shrugs, eyes glued to his feet as he carefully crosses the bridge. “Dunno. Not a title I’m familiar with.”
“They sounded kind of…reverent. Of both Edme and Giratina. I haven’t heard Pokemon call any of the legendaries ‘Lord’ before.”
“Eh, ghost types can be weird. If they’re looking to Giratina of all Pokemon for protection, then you know they’ve got a few screws loose.”
“Don’t be rude. Everyone has their own beliefs.”
“I guess.”
By time Nia hears the gentle tinkling of something almost like windchimes, the warm lights of the town have started to die off. Black forest sits ahead, with a single home framed against it. It’s a tall, narrow, misshapen structure of woven roots and branches. Shiny items like bottles, mirrors and glass are tied together from branches, swaying gently in the breeze. The upper windows are aglow with a soft light.
“Guess this is it,” Nia murmurs.
“Guess so,” Tobias responds. “Ready to get some answers?”
“I hope so.”
Nia steps forward to knock firmly on the front door. She listens for footsteps from inside, but doesn’t hear anything. So she’s surprised when the door unlatches and swings open. The faint purple of telekinetic energy—usually belonging to a psychic or ghost type—glows off the door handle in the dark room within.
In the doorway floats a…bug? It almost looks like a cicada shell, something about its stiff body and angular wings bringing to mind childhood summers and bugsong. A halo-like piece floats above the Pokemon’s head, and it stares out at the two of them with two immobile eyes. It floats faintly in place, but otherwise doesn’t move—not the flicker of an eye or the twitch of a claw. Not even a breath.
Nia feels a shiver roll down her spine.
Then the Pokemon speaks, a chipper voice echoing out of the shell. “Yes? How can I help you two?”
Nia blinks. Opens her mouth to respond. Closes it again. Something about the expressive voice paired with the unsettlingly dead image is…really throwing her for a loop. Not to mention that they’ve been running into unfriendly residents all night.
“Are you Edme?” Tobias asks. “The, uh, Guardian?”
The bug Pokemon laughs. It’s unsettling not seeing the body move with the sound. “I was the last time I checked! To who do I owe the pleasure?”
“N-Nia,” Nia finally blurts, getting her tongue under control. “Nia and Tobias, of Team Scarlet.“
“A Seeker team?” Edme asks, sounding intrigued. “We don’t see many Seekers in Shivergleam.”
“Well, we aren’t really here on team business. We were actually hoping to ask you some, uh, questions? About Giratina.”
Edme floats slightly lower, as if to meet their eyes and get a better look at them. “It’s…rare, for someone outside of our community to seek out information about Lord Giratina.”
It’s a thinly veiled question, just the slightest bit wary. Nia glances at Tobias. He gestures for her to go ahead.
“Giratina’s been following me, through reflections. Trying to contact me. I—we did some research, and pretty much every book we could find referenced you in some way, so we figured you know the most about him. We were hoping you could give us some answers.”
Edme stills entirely at this new information, as if frozen in time. Nia opens her mouth to ask if she’s all right when the bug lurches forward, a little too close to Nia’s space.
“You say you’ve seen Giratina? You believe him to be attempting contact?”
“Yeah, we’re pretty confident about that,” Tobias says drily, clearly thinking about the banished legendary trying to yank Nia into the distortion world.
Edme turns to Nia for confirmation, so she gives a helpless shrug.
Edme bobs in the air, as if excited. “That is incredible news! Please, do come in.”
The bug turns and heads inside. Nia shudders when she catches a glimpse of a hole in Edme’s back, showing the blackness of a hollow shell inside.
Nia looks to Tobias, unsure. Tobias nudges past Nia to lead the way, swinging his tail forward to use it as a torch in the dark house. By the light of his flame, Nia can see the walls are covered in bookshelves, and what little space is left is taken up by tables holding notes and inks, bowls and ingredients and jars. A large woven rug sits in the middle of the floor, strangely empty of furniture. A spiral staircase winds around the sides of the room and upstairs, to where Nia saw the lights in the window from outside. A study, maybe. It all looks rather spooky in the low light.
“Oh! My apologies,” Edme says, floating back down from the darkness and making them jump. “Let me give you some light.”
Edme uses the same telekinetic power—Nia still isn’t sure if it’s psychic or ghost type in nature, but she’s leaning towards psychic considering she can feel her fur prickle—to pick up a lit candle from upstairs in bright purple energy. It floats down and expertly makes a circuit around the room, lighting half-melted candlesticks until the space is warmly lit.
Nia relaxes, following Edme to where she’s nudging two cushions forward on the floor. They’re dusty with disuse, but Nia doesn’t want to be rude and point it out so she sits gingerly. Tobias has no such qualms and takes a moment to beat the dust off the cushion before flopping down.
Edme lowers herself to hover in front of them. “Would you two like some tea?”
Nia, anxious as she is to get some answers and worried that tea might lull her to sleep at this late hour, smiles and politely declines. Tobias just shakes his head.
Edme laughs her hollow laugh, blank expression never shifting. “Honestly, I was hoping you would say no. Now, would you mind laying out your situation? When did you notice Lord Giratina following you?”
Nia blinks, surprised that Edme believed them so easily. She looks to Tobias to start explaining, since he was the first one to notice Giratina.
Tobias, however, clearly isn’t as eager to talk. He crosses his arms and narrows his eyes. “I have a few questions first. We came to find you because you were the most referenced source in the books about Giratina, but it was obvious that the authors were holding stuff back. Being intentionally vague. Why?”
“Tobias!” Nia hisses. They’re the ones who came barging into Edme’s house—starting off with open suspicion is just rude!
But Edme simply laughs. “No, it’s quite all right. You are exactly right. There is a reason you could sense holes in their words. I no longer speak with authors, as they so willingly pick and choose what to share of the truth.”
“The truth..?” Nia echoes.
“The truth that the Guardians preserve, as servants to Lord Giratina.”
Nia and Tobias’ confusion is palpable.
Edme bobs, as if nodding. “Ah, yes. Allow me to introduce myself properly.” She twirls higher off the ground. “I am Guardian Edme, the 13th Guardian under Lord Giratina.”
Edme circles the room, gesturing with her body to the many, many papers and books stuffed into the walls. “For nearly a millennium, Lord Giratina has had a loyal guard in our realm to act as the official liaison between our dimension and the distortion world.”
“A millennium?” Tobias asks, suspicious. “So you didn’t stop serving him once he was banished.”
“Because he was banished unfairly,” Edme says, as simply as the sky being blue or grass being green. “Wrongfully ousted for trying to protect our world.”
Nia straightens up, frowning.
Tobias beats her to the punch, clearly incredulous. “That’s…definitely not the story we’ve heard. We heard that Giratina nearly killed another legendary and was banished for his violence.”
Edme lowers slightly, as if slumping. “Yes. Despite our best efforts, the truth has been grossly distorted.”
“But…that’s the story literally everyone knows,” Tobias protests. “It’s what’s written in all the books—including the ones you’re referenced in!”
For a moment, Nia swears the flames on the candles flare brighter before dying down again. Edme is once more still as stone.
Then, she speaks, voice bitter. “They record the truth they want to be known. Not the truth that actually happened. No matter how loudly we shout it.”
“And how do we know that what you say actually happened is the real truth?” Tobias challenges.
Nia bites her tongue. He has a point.
Edme turns to them, rising higher until she looms over them. In the flickering light, she looks as imposing as a statue in the dead of night, playing tricks on Nia’s eyes.
“I know this,” Edme says quietly. “Because I am a Guardian. It has been my duty since the moment I was born from my sister’s shell. This is my only duty. And the only duty of all my predecessors. I know the truth because they have taught it to me. Because I have spoken to Lord Giratina myself.”
Nia’s breath catches. “Wait. Y-You’ve talked to him? How? When he tried speaking to me in the tunnels I couldn’t hear him at all.”
Edme turns to Nia, quiet for a moment. Then she says, “I can allow you to speak to him, if you’d like.”
“No. I still don’t trust him,” Tobias growls. “Or, quite frankly, this ‘truth’ that you and your predecessors believe in. Sorry, but when the whole world thinks that Arceus themself banished Giratina for nearly murdering another legendary, it’s kind of a hard impression to forget. Plus, he tried to yank Nia into his creepy dimension against her will!”
“He did help us in the tunnels,” Nia points out, softly. Tobias throws up his hands, at a loss of how to respond.
Nia turns to Edme and says, hesitantly, “I guess…I don’t know what to believe right now. We thought he was bad, but he helped us recently. I know he did. And he has to be trying to talk to me for a reason. We were hoping you could give us some answers as to what that reason might be.”
Edme hums. “You would have to speak to Lord Giratina yourself for that. I can tell you the truth of his banishment, but I know not why he follows you.”
Nia swallows. She doesn’t know how ready she is to try “speaking” to Giratina. But…
“Could you tell us, then?” She asks. “What the true story is, according to the Guardians?”
Edme looks Nia in the eyes with hollow pupils. “Are you sure you want to hear it? There is a reason the cowardly pens of those writers never recorded my words.”
Nia looks to Tobias. He still doesn’t look like he trusts Edme, but she can tell he won’t stop her, either. Nia takes a deep breath and nods. “Y-Yes. Please. We want all the information before moving forward.”
Edme is silent for a moment longer. Then she chuckles. “Wise girl. I will gladly share the truth, if you promise to hear it.”
Nia murmurs agreement, and Tobias grudgingly copies her once Edme turns her stare onto him. Then Edme settles, floating low to the ground in front of them. Nia crosses her legs and leans closer, heart pounding.
“The story told for decades is that of Lord Giratina attacking another legendary Pokemon. Of Arceus commanding the Lake Trio to banish him to the Distortion World for his crime, destined to protect the dimensional borders without ever leaving them. Correct?”
Nia thinks that’s right, but lets Tobias nod their confirmation.
“The truth,” Edme says. “Is that Arceus had nothing to do with that decision. They weren’t even aware of it.”
Tobias frowns. Nia wracks her brain to keep up with the unfamiliar lore. Arceus is like…the god above all the other deities, right? The one in charge of everything?
“But,” Tobias says. “That doesn’t make any sense. Even if Arceus weren’t there at the time, they would still know about it, right? If Arceus is real, then surely you can’t hide anything from them.”
“Arceus is a very knowledgeable being,” Edme agrees. “Their eyes and ears and arms reach farther than any other. But they did not know about Lord Giratina’s banishment, for they were already asleep.”
“Asleep?” Nia murmurs.
“Asleep…” Tobias’ eyes widen. “You mean how the rest of the legendaries have gone dormant and disappeared? Arceus also..?”
“Arceus was the first,” Edme says. “They fell to sleep and none could wake them. Still to this day they rest. Presently, most of the others have followed. However, when it was just Arceus, when the panic of their parent’s falling was fresh, the legends didn’t know what to do.”
Nia can sense the gravity of Edme’s words, even if she’s having a hard time feeling like they’re actually…real, and not just a fairy tale. She glances at Tobias, and is surprised that for someone once so unconcerned about legendaries, the charmander seems pale and tense.
“The legends argued,” Edme continues. “About what to do after Arceus fell dormant. For months on end. This had never happened before. They didn’t know what would happen without Arceus there to guide them. Would their own energy falter? Who would protect the mortal Pokemon of their world?”
“Without their leader,” Edme continues. “Infighting began. And in the gods’ absence, our world began to slip. Without Lugia and Kyogre guiding the seas, waves became impossible to navigate. Marine Pokemon and sailors alike died without any hope of rescue. Without Groudon and Regirock, the earth shook and splintered without guidance, destroying towns and homes. Without the guiding winds of Tornadus and Rayquaza, gales developed into terrible storms free from Raikou and Zapdos’ protection, striking the earth with lightning and fire and flooding it with rain.”
“So they just…abandoned the Pokemon world?” Nia whispers, horrified. “To argue?”
“Most of them. Understand that to an immortal legendary, a few months is a heartbeat in time. To the Pokemon in our realm, it is an eternity. Many of them did not realize they were abandoning the world that they were born to protect.”
“Are you making this up to make all the other legendaries look bad?” Tobias accuses, baring his teeth. “It’s not very subtle.”
Edme laughs. “I don’t need to make it up. The legendaries are generally benevolent. But they were aware of their power in a way that led to self-importance.”
After a heavy beat of silence, Nia hopefully adds, “But you said most of them didn’t notice the issues they were causing, right..?”
Edme bobs in a nod. “Yes. A few legendaries were aware of what their absence meant for the Pokemon of the world. Those more tied into the affairs of mortals. Entei, protector of children. The Swords of Justice. Latias and Latios. Mew, Mother of all Pokemon. Lord Giratina.”
“You’re trying to tell us he was worried about mortals?” Tobias scoffs.
“He was not,” Edme says, startling Nia and Tobias into silence. “At least, not directly. He was worried about his domain—the dimensional rift. The borders containing our world, and keeping it safely separate from others.”
“Like the human world?” Nia ventures.
Edme nods. “Yes. Lord Giratina has been the guardian of our world’s borders since the beginning. He doesn’t care much for mortals, but he takes his duty seriously. He was aware that Arceus’ sleep was concerning, but the absence of legendaries—particularly his siblings Dialga and Palkia—only exacerbated the issue. Their panic was putting the fragile balance of the world in danger, and endangering the entire dimension in the process.”
“So what did he do?” Nia asks.
Edme laughs, this one more genuinely happy than bitter. “He gave the other legends a piece of his mind. Told them all to get back to their stations and stop destroying Arceus’ beloved world if they were so worried.”
Despite herself, Nia quirks a smile.
“However,” Edme says, voice sobering again. “In Lord Giratina’s absence, more of the legends had fallen dormant against their will. Victini. Hoopa. Jirachi. Tensions had grown high. Cresselia, in a fit of anger, accused Lord Giratina of being uncaring for their parent, Arceus. Even accused him of being the cause for their dormancy.”
Tobias makes a doubtful noise, but otherwise doesn’t interrupt. Nia frowns, focused entirely on Edme’s hushed voice in the dim candlelight.
“She attacked him, and so Lord Giratina defended himself. Squabbles between legendaries were not rare, but never was there intent to genuinely harm one another. However, Cresselia, already in a weakened state, was seriously injured and fell dormant after the fight.”
“On edge,” Edme continues. “The Lake Trio—Azelf, Mesprit, and Uxie—used their power to banish Lord Giratina to his domain in the Distortion World. The battle did spur the legendaries to finally return to their stations, however, rebalancing the world for the past hundred years.”
“But?” Nia murmurs.
“But,” Edme sighs. “They too eventually fell to sleep. Recently, even the most powerful of legendaries have begun to fall dormant.”
“The increase in natural disasters,” Tobias murmurs.
“Correct.”
“Is that what’s causing the mystery dungeons, too?” Nia asks.
“I…am not sure,” Edme admits. “Giratina is not speaking to me as openly as he used to. However, considering the two phenomena have been following the same progression, I believe they must be linked in some way.”
“Giratina hasn’t been talking to you?” Tobias asks, doubtful. “He’s sure been trying to ‘talk’ to Nia lately.”
Edme turns hollow eyes on Nia. It feels a bit unnerving. “Lord Giratina himself is weakening, but he believes that whatever is causing legendaries to fall dormant and steering the world towards ruin can still be reversed. Perhaps…he believes you could be of use in such a mission.”
Nia leans back. “M-Me? What could I do to help?”
“And I don’t like how you phrased that,” Tobias growls. “‘Of use?’”
Edme floats a bit higher. “Apologies. I simply meant you might be helpful in finding the answers Lord Giratina seeks.”
There’s a heavy moment of silence, tense and unsure as they digest that.
“That’s…” Tobias starts, sounding off-kilter.
“A lot,” Nia finishes. “And you heard this story from…Giratina?”
Edme floats over to a window, as if looking outside into the night. “I understand you may think me foolish, to believe the better light straight from the accused’s mouth. But my predecessors assure me that Lord Giratina has always been harsh, but just. That he would never intentionally harm another legend. I believe it to be the truth.”
Nia glances at Tobias, wanting his take on all this. The charmander is staring down with a furrowed brow, lost in thought.
“I still recommend speaking to Lord Giratina yourself,” Edme says, moving to float over to one of her tables. She uses her power to start sifting through the mess. “I can set up the ritual now, if you would like.”
Nia’s head snaps up. “What?”
“Like bring him here?” Tobias asks, barely hiding his alarm. “To our world?”
“No, no. Not to this realm, of course. The Lake Trio saw to it that even in their dormancy Lord Giratina would not be able to cross over any time soon. Especially not here. If anywhere, that would need to occur at the dimensional gate.”
“Dimensional gate?” Nia echoes.
“The traditional summoning spot for Lord Giratina,” Edme explains absently, shuffling through jars and papers. “Where the border between our realm and the dimensional rift is thinnest.”
Nia opens her mouth to continue that line of questioning, but Edme makes a sound of triumph, pulling back with a few supplies held in her purple energy.
“Would you be willing to speak with Lord Giratina and ask him yourself why he is trying to contact you? I believe conversing with him will convince you of his authenticity as well.”
Tobias growls a sharp, “No.”
Nia stays silent. Conflicted.
Tobias looks at her, bewildered. “You can’t be serious.”
“I’m not saying we trust him immediately, or even Edme’s story, but…”
“He’s the villain of the story! Of course he’s going to try and spin himself in a better light. And you can’t trust someone who is clearly obsessed with him to be any more truthful! I know how you are, Nia. If you talk to him, he’ll win you over with some sob story in a heartbeat.”
Nia huffs. “But what if they’re telling the truth? What if Giratina isn’t the bad guy he’s made out to be and he’s trying to save the Pokemon world? What if he needs my help somehow?”
Tobias groans and rubs at his face, muttering something about her being a bleeding heart.
“It can’t hurt just to talk to him, right?” Nia adds. “And you’ll be right here to keep us on track.”
Tobias looks at her for a long moment. Then he sighs. “Fine. But only because I know you won’t let up otherwise.”
Edme, who had been waiting nearby with barely restrained enthusiasm, jumps into action. She shoos them away from the cushions they’d been sitting on, then moves the pillows aside with her powers. Then she removes the rug covering the space in the middle of the floor, only to reveal a circular wooden panel below. Purple energy envelops it and easily lifts it aside, leaving a shallow dip in the wooden flooring maybe an inch or two deep.
Edme bustles about, gathering supplies and snuffing out a few of the candles. She fills the basin with a bowl of water, until the surface of it is nothing more than a smooth, glassy pool. Then she sprinkles some herbs on top of its surface, pouring a salt-like mixture into an intricate pattern on the wood around the outside of the pool.
“Should we tell her that Giratina just…shows up around you?” Tobias whispers to Nia, dry with humor.
Nia bites back a smile despite her nerves. “This does look very…intense. But she has to have a reason for it, right?” Even if she does look like she’s trying to summon the dead.
Finally, Edme floats back, apparently satisfied. Only a few candles near the basin remain lit, leaving the edges of the room dark. The thin pool of water almost seems to…glow, in the low light, a few bits of herbs floating on its surface.
“Now what?” Tobias asks, shifting nervously.
Nia moves to step closer to the pool, and he quickly latches onto her arm to stop her.
“We have lit the beacon for Lord Giratina. But if he has been following you, young riolu…” Edme turns to her. “Would you mind stepping into the pool, to show him you’re here?”
Nia stiffens, and Tobias immediately turns on the bug with a glare.
“We said we’d talk,” he growls. “Nothing more. I don’t care how much you believe Giratina’s story—we still don’t know that he isn’t trying to kill Nia or something. She’s not stepping in there to serve herself up on a silver platter.”
Edme angles slightly towards Nia. “Riolu?”
“I-I have to admit I’m not…completely comfortable with the idea. Can I not just…I don’t know. Sit by it and call out to him or something?”
“It is the only way to speak to him,” Edme says, something in her voice making Nia nervous. Something almost…desperate.
“It’s also the only way we know of for him to grab you,” Tobias counters, baring his teeth.
“You must be in his realm to speak with him!” Edme says, voice rising. “The banishment—”
“You didn’t tell us that!” Tobias snaps, stepping in front of Nia. “We sure aren’t going onto his creepy turf!”
For a moment, Edme is silent, staring at the two of them. Nia has a terrible feeling in her gut. Then, the bug sighs. “Shame. I was hoping I wouldn’t have to force you.”
Tobias’ lashing tail stills. “…What?”
In a flash of purple light, Nia feels her whole body lock up. From the corner of her eye, she can see herself outlined in the same bright purple energy that Edme’s been using all night. She can’t move anything but her eyes and her mouth. She’s stuck. Through her panic, she absently notes that it must be a psychic-type move if it’s able to affect her.
In front of her, Nia can hear Tobias make a strangled sound as he too is caught in the attack. Then, he’s pulled through the air to float at Edme’s side, wild eyes flicking to Nia.
“What’re you doing?!” Tobias snarls. Nia can see fire glow briefly behind his teeth before he chokes again and it peters out.
Nia has a sinking feeling about where this is going, even before Edme’s powers start to pilot her legs, moving her forward one jerky step at a time like a puppet.
“E-Edme, wait!” Nia yelps. “Let’s talk about this!”
Edme hums. “Unfortunately, Riolu, I must put Lord Giratina’s wishes above your comfort. If he wants to speak with you, I shall make it so. You cannot hear him if you are not in his realm. I was hoping to get you there voluntarily, but I can see the lies you’ve heard won’t allow that.”
Nia’s foot splashes into the thin basin of water. And then the other, until she’s frozen in place right in the middle of it, shaking against Edme’s grip.
Nia didn’t realize she was so powerful.
“Don’t worry,” Edme says, voice bright. “He won’t harm you. You should be excited! Not everyone gets the chance to speak with a legend.”
Nia feels tears start to gather in her eyes as her heart pounds. She alternates between looking down at the reflections in the pool below and up at Edme and Tobias. “I-I don’t want to. Please, Edme—“
Tobias tries to lunge forward, only to be snapped back into place. His eyes are glued to the pool.
Nia follows his gaze down and feels like she’s going to throw up. Giratina circles in the reflections below her, gold and gray and black and red. A faint serpentine shape growing closer and closer.
Nia closes her eyes, counting her rapid heartbeats and praying that something happens to miraculously save them. To break them from Edme’s grip and let them escape. Something cold wraps around her ankle. She whimpers, refusing to look.
Tobias is panting and growling, still struggling against the bright purple energy surrounding him. “Nia!”
The grip around Nia’s ankle tightens. She opens her eyes and looks to Tobias. She has a single moment to meet her partner’s eyes before the grip around her yanks.
Despite the shallow water of the pool, she’s pulled straight down. Deep, deeper than should be possible, through the coolness of the water and then back into open air. Her stomach flips. She feels like she’s weightless in the worst way possible.
The world seems to spin, and then she’s falling hard on solid, dry ground. She gasps, pushing herself up on shaky arms. She’s free of Edme’s telekinetic grip. She looks around wildly at the dark environment she’s found herself in.
It’s like some kind of strange nightmare. A dark, crumbling stone landscape, pieces floating midair as if trapped in resin. A swirling blue-black void of empty sky sits as its backdrop, and weirdly enough Nia is reminded of that one Vincent van Gogh painting she was taught about in elementary school: The Starry Night. Just without the comfort of the stars. The air is stiflingly still, making her shaky breaths seem particularly loud.
It feels…heavy here. Unnatural.
Nia staggers to her feet. She opens her mouth to call out for Tobias, but movement catches her eye. She follows it, her partner’s name dying on her tongue as she tips her head back.
Looming above her, all long tendril wings and piercing red eyes, is a creature of nightmares.
Giratina.
Chapter 50
Summary:
Nia speaks with Giratina.
Notes:
Hey all! Sorry for the late chapter update tonight. I'm visiting my partner and ended up being away from my computer much later than I thought I would thanks to the day's plans. ^^' Hopefully it's worth the wait!!!
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
Nia stares up at Giratina, her breath trapped in her lungs and her heart beating hard inside her chest.
Giratina moves forward, bending closer, looming over her like an eclipse. Close enough for her to realize the extent of the danger she's in if she was wrong, if he really does want her dead—
Nia stumbles back, flinging a messy burst of aura from her hand. It sails at Giratina and—with a flicker of transparency—straight through him. If Nia didn’t know better, she would almost say he looks annoyed.
Right. Ghost type. Normal type energy won’t do a thing.
She’s doomed.
Nia turns and sprints for cover, only to nearly run right off the floating chunk of land she’s on. She barely scrambles back in time, sending rock crumbling down into space. Although there is another platform just a ways away. Could she jump?
“Would you be still?” A deep voice rumbles, rolling like thunder through Nia’s body.
Nia glances over her shoulder, only to see Giratina’s creepy tendril things move to grab her. Decision made, she takes a few short steps and leaps off the platform, arms wheeling. She stumbles on the landing but keeps moving.
She hears the faint sound of movement behind her, and then she’s being scooped up by cold, powerful tendrils. They wrap around her and pin her arms at her sides no matter how she struggles, turning her to look directly into Giratina’s angry expression.
“Cease this foolish chase!” He growls. “You summoned me!”
For a moment, Nia is strangely thrown off by Giratina deciding to...talk to her. Instead of just killing her on the spot. But she did come here to learn more about him, and she didn’t think he was totally evil after saving them in the tunnels, so—
So maybe she needs to try to calm down.
Nia swallows, heart still pounding. “E-Edme forced me to.”
Giratina’s blood-red eyes narrow.
“I-I mean, we wanted answers, and I agreed to try talking to you but she didn’t say I’d have to go into the distortion world and she used psychic or something to make me a-and…” Nia trails off.
Giratina continues to stare at her. She has no idea what he’s thinking, until he rumbles, “Edme?”
Nia blinks. “…The Guardian?”
Giratina hisses a distasteful sound, pulling back. “I should have known she was behind this. Bothersome insect.”
Nia stares, bewildered. “I-Is she not, like…your servant or something?”
“Self-appointed. I should have ceased communication with her years ago.”
“Oh.”
There’s an awkward beat of silence. Giratina seems to be stewing in his dislike. Nia, meanwhile, is starting to feel the chill of the cold appendages cocooning her. Like dense mist.
“U-Um. Could you put me down? Please.”
Giratina gives her an exasperated look, long tail flicking. “Are you going to run again?”
“…Are you going to hurt me?”
Giratina scoffs, lowering Nia closer to the ground before releasing her. She still lands on her butt a little roughly, and winces as she stands.
“So the shell tricked you into coming here,” Giratina says, lowering himself just enough so that Nia can see his face when she cranes her head way back. Sharp golden mandibles and all. “But you were willing to talk, before. I assume you are still willing?”
Nia glances around at the distortion world. In every direction, she sees nothing but the same dark blue-black space, with chunks of land floating through it like a great stew. Here and there amidst the darkness, tiny pieces of colorful light hang like stars, but she isn’t sure what those are yet. Regardless, it doesn’t look like she has a way out even if she tried to escape. So…
“W-Well…” Nia rubs her arm, surprised by just how awkward this encounter feels, after the initial terror. “I did have some questions?”
Giratina rumbles, and Nia has to assume it’s a sound of agreement even as the fur on her neck stands on end.
“J-Just…first, was Edme telling the truth?”
“Regarding my banishment?”
Nia nods.
Giratina’s wings tuck closer to himself, long body coiling around in a loose loop. Like he’s settling in. “Yes. Her ilk are bothersome, but I suppose I should be grateful to them for attempting to preserve the truth. Cresselia was infuriating on the best of days, but I meant her no harm.”
Nia probably shouldn’t believe him just like that, but…well. He sounds honest. And something about his cold, steely gaze feels factual, rather than emotional. Like he isn’t trying to appeal to her and butter her up.
“S-So…” Nia scuffs at the rock beneath her, trying to think of how to phrase this. She’s trying to keep Tobias’ caution in the back of her mind; she has to get some answers first before assuming Giratina has honest intentions. She looks up, up, up to meet Giratina’s eyes. “Why have you been following me?”
Giratina looks down at her with something like annoyance. “To attempt contact.”
Nia squints. “By…trying to drag me through reflections against my will?”
Nia almost thinks—too late—that she should probably be a bit more respectful to the giant who could crush her with a flick of his tail. She’s surprised to see Giratina look away, mandibles clicking irritably.
“I…have already been advised that that may have not been the best course of action.”
Was that a poor excuse for an apology, or just an excuse? Is he…embarrassed? Wait—
“Advised?” Nia echoes. “By..?”
“I have not been working entirely alone.”
“Oh. Do you mean Edme?”
Giratina falls silent, and for a moment Nia thinks he isn’t going to answer her. Then, he sighs. “No. Mew. The Mother.”
Nia tilts her head. Mew is a protector of all Pokemon, right? Most Pokemon seem to think really highly of her. If Giratina’s telling the truth, and the two are working together in some way, that alone would make Giratina much more trustworthy.
“Okay, so…assuming you’re telling the truth—"
Giratina glares at her, and she flinches back, hands raised as if she can actually do anything to fight him if he decides to attack.
When he does nothing, she warily continues. “I-If you’re telling the truth, then you just wanted to…talk to me. Right? Why?”
Giratina’s glare dies off, fading to something more…tired. It’s in the way his whole body seems to sink, wings falling lower.
“You will hear me out without fleeing?”
After a beat of hesitation, Nia nods.
Giratina glances off into the distance, though Nia can’t see anything when she follows his gaze. Just more blue-black swirling void.
“I have been attempting to make contact with you humans,” Giratina starts, “Because Mew believed you could be of assistance.”
“Assistance?” Nia asks, frowning. “Assistance with what?”
Right on cue, a rumble sounds off in the distance, and Nia feels the ground beneath her shake. Giratina looks in the direction of the sound with sharp eyes. Once the rumbling fades, he relaxes.
“Assistance with that.”
“What was that?” Nia asks. Surely floating chunks of earth in an abyss can’t have earthquakes?
“That is a symptom of the greater problem.” Giratina says. He rises higher again, moving to slowly circle the chunk of land she’s standing on. As if pacing. “The dimensional border between worlds is weakening.”
Well that certainly doesn’t sound good.
“What…exactly does that mean?” Nia asks.
Giratina grumbles something under his breath, as if put upon to explain such a basic concept. Nia bites back the insane urge to stick her tongue out at him. Instead, she cautiously pads closer to the edge of the rock to follow Giratina’s movements.
“The world you were just in is the Pokemon world. Its entire dimension is…encased, in a way, by this realm. The distortion world. Think of it as…the hard shell surrounding the soft innards of a fruit.”
“Okay…” Nia says, mostly following. “So if this place is the shell and the Pokemon world is the fruit, then…the purpose of the dimensional rift is to protect the Pokemon world?”
“Correct.” Giratina gestures vaguely with a toss of his head. “The distortion world, my domain, acts as a protective barrier around the Pokemon world. It contains it. Keeps other dimensions and worlds safely separate.”
“Other worlds?” Nia asks, eyes wide. “Like…the human world?”
Giratina slows to a stop to look at Nia, expression unreadable. Then, he rumbles, “Yes. Other fruits along the vine, hanging close to our own.”
For a moment, Nia is excited by that news. The human world being so close to this one is fantastic! And if the border is weakening in some way, wouldn’t that just make it easier for her to get through it and go back? But—
“W-Wait. You said that the dimensional border is weakening. So in the fruit metaphor, the shell is…thinning?”
“More accurately, it is beginning to preemptively crack,” Giratina says.
Nia bites her lip, not entirely sure what that means, but knowing it can’t be good. “Okay, so the dimensional border is getting messed up…but what does that mean for us? For the Pokemon world? I’m guessing it’s…bad?”
Giratina laughs, sudden and deep like a crack of thunder. Nia startles, then wilts. She doesn’t know if a laugh has ever made her feel quite so small before.
“So it’s…really bad,” Nia guesses.
Giratina twists away from his circling path, up above the rock. He looks out again at the distortion realm. “Consider it the worst possible event that could happen.”
Nia feels her ears pin flat. “Really?”
Giratina hums. “Tell me, Riolu. You’ve heard of the dormancy of the gods, correct? How they’ve all mysteriously fallen to sleep, abandoning the Pokemon who need them?”
“Y-Yes?”
“What of evolution breaking down? Making it impossible for Pokemon to grow strong and reach their full potential? Stunting their growth?”
Nia…doesn’t like where this is going.
“Or perhaps the mystery dungeons appearing out of nowhere, wreaking havoc and reverting Pokemon into mindless, aggressive beasts? Causing death and loss?”
Nia stares up at him, heart sinking.
“The weather phenomena. The natural disasters. Due in part to the absence of the legends, but exacerbated by the border’s weakness. Slowly destroying the planet and those who inhabit it.”
Nia doesn’t know what to say, horror falling slowly over her like a suffocating weight.
“All of that,” Giratina says, anger spilling into his words. “Is due to the dimensional border weakening. The shell of this world is going to split, and the fruit inside has already begun to rot.”
Nia steps back, only to trip and fall on her tail. The silence trapping them is heavy. She stares at Giratina, scrambling to think. She knew, distantly, that things weren’t normal in the Pokemon world. Everyone said as much. But she had no idea that it was as dire as this is starting to sound.
She isn’t sure the Pokemon world is aware of how serious it is, either.
“B-But…” She stammers. “It can’t be that bad. The Pokemon are still doing all right despite all of that! They’re surviving just fine! There are Seekers to help, a-and—“
Giratina laughs, though this one is bitter. He lowers his head until he is nearly eye-to-eye with Nia, the sharp angles of his head taking up the entirety of her vision. “The greatest Seekers in the world will not be able to help this dimension once the split actually occurs. What you have faced so far is but a fraction of what is to come.”
Nia feels her throat tighten as an unfamiliar feeling of despair washes over her. Tears spring to her eyes. She desperately scrubs them away. “N-No, that can’t…”
“It is.”
Nia falls silent, fighting against the feelings threatening to overtake her. She blinks hard, mind scrambling. She takes a deep, shaky breath, trying to stay logical.
“O-Okay. Okay. So what can we do to fix it?”
Giratina stares at her, and Nia can’t decipher the look on his face.
“This is your domain, right?” She presses. “So surely we can do something to fix it, right?”
Giratina rises again, once more looming over her. “You think I have not tried? You fail to understand that this has never happened. Not since the dawn of this world.”
“Then…how do you know for sure that the border thinning or cracking o-or whatever is what’s actually happening?”
“Because,” Giratina says, wings flaring as if to gesture to the entirety of their environment. “I am one with this dimension. It has been my prison for a hundred years and a refuge for a thousand more. I know it as well as my own blood. I can sense the border weakening, disrupting the balance of everything within like the pressure of a growing tumor. While the fatal moment has yet to come, I can sense its approach.”
“Yet to come..?”
“My domain is that of antimatter. The distortion world. The space that balances out all that is. I am the counterpart to my siblings, Dialga and Palkia.”
“Gods of…time and space,” Nia murmurs.
“Correct. As such, my realm is not bound to the same flow of time and space as the Pokemon world is. While I can sense the damage caused to the rift, it has not yet occurred. Instead, we are merely feeling the ripples of its influence through time and space. As we approach the epicenter of this damaging impact, its effects on the Pokemon world will only worsen.”
Nia’s breath catches, for two separate reasons. Hope and fear war in her chest. “S-So all of the things going wrong in the Pokemon world right now…will only escalate and get worse the closer we get to the point in time when this damage will actually be done.”
“Yes.”
As terrifying as that is, Nia can’t help latching onto the other portion of Giratina’s words. “But…that means this damage hasn’t technically happened yet, right? S-So we just need to stop whatever causes this before it happens. Problem solved!”
Giratina shakes his head. “In theory, yes. But considering we are feeling the effects of the break even now, that suggests its path is final. Your optimism is ill-placed.”
Nia’s barely hanging onto her composure right now as is. Her hands are shaking, so she balls them into fists and takes a note from Tobias.
She growls up at Giratina, “Y-You’re the one who asked for help, right? You can’t be feeling completely hopeless if you’re still trying to fix this!”
“What else is there to do?” Giratina rumbles. “I am not the type to roll over and die.”
“Good. Because neither am I.”
Nia would love to feel some solidarity with Giratina right now, if only to help her feel less terrified, but Giratina looks unimpressed at her assertion.
“I see why Mew insisted on bringing you humans over,” he says quietly. “Foolish creatures, just like her.”
Nia opens her mouth to respond, but her determined facade drops as Giratina’s words register. “Wait—what—what do you mean Mew brought the humans here? You brought us to the Pokemon world?”
“It was not my decision, I assure you. Once the first of you lot wandered in, Mew had the brilliant idea to transform any lost soul she could get her paws on.”
Nia doesn’t think Giratina understands the gravity of what he’s saying. Nia has been trying to figure out why and how she was brought to the Pokemon world since the moment she woke up here, months ago. And now Giratina is casually saying that he and Mew apparently just grabbed any human soul that ‘wandered in?’
“What—wandered in? How does a soul just…wander?! What do you mean?”
Giratina looks at her for a long moment, cold red eyes lidded and almost bored. “The preemptive damage to the rift has weakened the border. Opened it to realms outside of our own. Thus, human souls have begun to slip from human worlds into ours.”
“You mean Mew just—yanked us into the Pokemon world and changed our bodies without even thinking to ask us if that’s what we wanted?”
“What was your proposed alternative?” Giratina asks, tone dry.
Okay, that makes Nia mad. Just the…lackadaisical way he’s talking about their situation!
Angry tears fill her eyes, and she hates the way her voice shakes when she yells, “We have families, you know! Lives we need to get back to!” A new thought occurs to Nia, and an unfamiliar outrage pours into her veins like magma. She points up at Giratina accusingly. “Are you the reason we lost our memories?!”
Giratina has the audacity to sneer at her outburst. “Contain yourself. We didn’t take you from your world. You would have turned into a yamask in the Pokemon world without Mew’s intervention. All she did was take advantage of the situation to give you a form better suited to your soul. Your memories were temporarily sealed away to help you acclimate properly to your new body.”
“If you’re telling the truth,” Nia points out.
Giratina’s gaze hardens. “Be grateful that I am telling you this at all, small one. We did nothing to bring you here—only changed your form to improve both your situation and our own.”
Nia grits her teeth. The anger in her body simmers lower. Not gone, but quickly petering out. “That still doesn’t answer why. Why do that at all? It sure doesn’t seem like you care about us humans enough to do it for our benefit.”
Giratina huffs. “I do not. Mew, however, is an annoyingly compassionate creature. Though she was weakening, she insisted on using her own power to transform any lost souls she could find. I tried to dissuade her.”
“Why would it be so bad for us to turn into yamask anyways?” Nia asks. Will is a yamask, and he seems perfectly fine. He’s even leading the Humans Movement to find a way home!
Giratina looks away. “The yamask are not a natural fit for their bodies. They struggle to find a place in the Pokemon world. Mew is doing you a service in giving you an inconspicuous form and a better chance to make connections.”
“It would’ve been nice to have a choice in the matter,” Nia growls, even as her fury dies down against her will. She’s never been able to hold onto her anger for long.
“You were not conscious enough to make a choice."
“Fine,” Nia says, crossing her arms. “Either way, we’re here now. Does that mean you can help us humans get back?”
“Attempting anything of the sort when the border is so unstable would be suicide. The lost souls float in of their own accord so we can neither stop them nor send them back.”
Nia's heart sinks.
“B-But what if…what if we save the rift? The Pokemon world? Surely then we can find a way back, right?”
“I am here to stop Pokemon from attempting such idiotic ideas as dimension hopping, Riolu.”
“Well I’m not a Pokemon, Giratina!” Nia bites back. “I’m a human. I don’t belong here.”
“You may not have a choice in the matter."
For some reason, that simple sentence strikes Nia hard, knocking the breath from her lungs. Tears flood her eyes. Giratina doesn’t even have the decency to look sympathetic.
Getting back to the human world and her old life has been Nia’s main goal since waking up in the Pokemon world. The thought that even if the Pokemon world is saved, she won’t be able to go back? Would never see Mom and Toni and Clay again? That she wouldn’t get to go to school and have a family?
It’s unthinkable.
Fine. Fine, then. Giratina doesn’t want to help? It doesn’t matter. Will is finding them a way home. Giratina may be right about the damage to the rift, but that doesn’t mean he’s right about this. It’s not like he cares enough about humans to have attempted it before anyways.
No matter what, it sounds like they need to fix the rift before anything else. Otherwise, the Pokemon world will be destroyed, and Nia couldn’t live with that. Not after meeting all the wonderful people who call it home.
“Either way, we still need to save the distortion world, right?” Nia sniffs, wiping her eyes free of tears. “And you’re going to humans for help. So what’s so special about us humans that makes you think we can do something that Pokemon can’t? In case you didn’t notice while you were stalking me, I can’t even use moves properly.”
Giratina rumbles a displeased sound. “I am well aware. Rest assured it isn’t your battle prowess we were looking for.”
“So?”
“We were hoping to recruit humans for two reasons. One being that since you have no predisposition to distrusting me—“
Nia raises a brow.
“—that you would hopefully be more open to communication.”
Nia almost laughs, almost snaps that Will warned the entirety of the human crowd in Ghatha not to trust Giratina or talk to him, but bites her tongue in time. She doesn’t want to put a target on her friend’s back, even if she’s kind of vindictively glad that Will disrupted Giratina’s plans and made his life a bit more difficult.
“So you couldn’t have, I dunno, tried to get my attention sooner? Sent Mew to talk to me?”
Giratina glares down at her. “You were picked up almost immediately by the charmander and meganium. I waited and scouted to see if you would even be someone worth pursuing, but by time we decided you were, Mew had already—“
Giratina cuts himself off, and Nia almost thinks she sees an emotion aside from anger cross his face.
“Mew…had already grown weak,” Giratina finishes. “She has not fallen to sleep yet, but she is starting to show signs. I try to make her rest when possible.”
Is that…actual concern for another living being he’s showing? Nia wasn’t sure he had it in him.
Nia sighs, feeling most of the residual anger leave her body. “But is that really the only reason you started seeking out humans? Just so we might be more willing to talk to you?”
Giratina sounds no happier about the situation than she is. “We don’t know what will cause the damage to the distortion world, so we don’t know how to stop it. Mew thought that a human perspective could discover an answer we may have missed.”
“So you’re desperate,” Nia summarizes.
Giratina growls, and Nia feels the sound in her bones. For once, she’s still too angry to feel all that afraid.
“Am I the only one you’ve managed to talk to?” Nia asks.
“After observation, we have not deemed many of your kind worth contacting. You are one of the few, and the only one inquisitive enough to actually reach me.”
“So that’s a yes.”
Giratina makes an unhappy sound, but doesn’t refute her assumption.
Silence descends over the rift. Nia takes breaths through her nose to calm down. Even if she’s still upset, she needs to have a civil conversation with Giratina. The fate of the Pokemon world depends on it.
“What can even rip through a ‘dimensional border?’” Nia asks, finger quotes and all. “It sounds very…metaphysical.”
“It is not something a normal Pokemon should be able to accomplish,” Giratina admits. “Most beings cannot even touch it. The dimensional border is, in its own way, a living thing. It is a tapestry of life energy from Arceus, as well as something greater. The only element able to protect and contain entire dimensions.”
“Life energy,” Nia murmurs, frowning. “Like…aura?”
Giratina hums a thoughtful sound. “More or less, yes.”
Nia looks out again at the void. “If it’s aura, couldn’t you just get some lucario and riolu to like…patch it up or something where it’s weaker? Reinforce it?”
“There is no physical landmark where the border is weaker,” Giratina says. “While I can sense its eventual destruction, I do not know the damage’s origin point. The border is not so…logical as that.”
“Great,” Nia mutters.
“And even if it were, I have severe doubts we could convince the lucario tribes to assist with such a thing. They are…not particularly open to outsiders. Additionally, even if they were to offer their help, they alone would not have enough aura to mend a tear this immense.”
“Okay. Great,” Nia sighs. “So you don’t even have an idea of what could cause that much damage?”
Giratina looks away. Nia is grateful he has such an obvious tell. A century of solitude must’ve made him more of an open book, less used to hiding his emotions.
“What?”
“The damage would almost certainly have to be the doing of a legendary, but that would be impossible considering most are dormant.”
Nia groans. “So you’re telling me I’m supposed to find a way to fix a god-sized problem!? That sounds like something a god needs to fix! Not—“ Nia gestures vaguely at herself. “Not me!”
“I agree,” Giratina snaps, turning on Nia and looming over her large as a building. “But considering that there are very few gods still awake to even be aware of the issue, our options are limited.”
Nia quiets. “…How many of them are dormant?”
“Nearly all, at this point,” Giratina growls, circling the stone platform restlessly. “Which means we are likely nearing the tipping point. A year, at most.”
Nia’s mouth drops open. A year?! They have to figure out how to stop this within a year?
Giratina must see the disbelief on her face, the despair creeping over her skin, because he turns his focus back onto her. “Do you know why Arceus’ children are falling asleep as the border weakens?”
Nia weakly shakes her head.
“They are being forced to conserve energy. Saving their power for when it will be needed to birth a new world.”
“A new world?” Nia echoes. “After…”
“After this one is destroyed,” Giratina confirms. “Arceus is so deeply tied to this universe that the weakening of the border harmed them, forcing them into sleep. One by one, their children have followed.”
Nia stares at him. “Then…why haven’t you?”
“Because I am the opposite of life energy, of the positive essence of the world. I am antimatter. I am least affected by its destruction, so I shall be the last to fall. And until that moment, I will do my duty and try to save this dying world. I am only asking that you do the same. For your own sake, if nothing else.”
Giratina says all of this not bravely or compassionately, but with a tired, steady loyalty. And just like that, Nia understands why he was chosen for such an important role, chosen as the guardian of the dimensional border. As insufferable as he is.
“Okay,” Nia mumbles, rubbing at her face and trying to keep her cool. At least for now. “Okay. So we just…need to save the world before it breaks. You said most of the legendaries were already asleep—which ones aren’t? Could we ask them for help?”
“Very few have escaped the slumber. However, Xerneas and Yveltal may be of use to us. They are technically asleep, but the two of them naturally rest in cycles. They lapsed into their usual 1,000-year stasis before Arceus fell dormant, so it is possible they would be able to wake prematurely.”
“Xerneas and Yveltal. Yveltal is the god of…war, right?”
“Destruction,” Giratina corrects. “Death. Xerneas is the god of new life. Creation. In theory, Xerneas may be able to help reinforce the life energy of the border if we can wake her early, but she is asleep in the physical world where I cannot reach her.”
“Wait—the physical world? Like the regular Pokemon world?”
Giratina gives her a rude look that suggests she is, in fact, quite stupid. “Yes. Unfortunately, I do not know her actual location. Wherever it is, it is hidden from my reflections.”
“Helpful,” Nia mumbles, apparently picking up Tobias’ snark since he isn’t here to snap at Giratina himself.
Oh man, Tobias is surely flipping his lid back at Edme’s. She has to get back soon and let him know she’s all right. And also prevent him from murdering the bug. Nia is like 90% sure Edme won’t harm Tobias while she’s gone since she achieved her goal, but she can’t say the same for her partner if he gets free.
“Okay,” Nia says. “So what’s our plan right now? Try to find Xerneas and wake her up to help us?”
“Considering it is currently our only semblance of a plan, I suppose so.”
“Or,” Nia adds. “We could try to find the source of the damage to the border and stop it before it occurs. Right?”
“A fool’s errand,” Giratina dismisses. “I told you the damaging event is likely already set in stone." Something in Nia's expression must speak to how little faith she puts in that certainty, because he sighs and continues, "But I cannot stop you from pursuing such a path. Just do not let it distract you from seeking out Xerneas.”
Jeez, thanks for the permission, Nia thinks drily.
She takes a deep breath, shaking out her arms. “All right. No big. That gives us two avenues to explore. Don’t suppose you have any more leads than you’ve given me so far?”
Giratina scoffs. “I would have already explored them myself if I had. No. That is what I need you for. Investigate the physical world to find Xerneas’ resting place.”
“And keep an eye out for anyone who might have plans to harm the distortion world’s borders.”
Giratina nods.
Nia nods back, nervous but determined. “And will you be hanging around in reflections still, or..?”
“I shall keep close by to assist when possible, and inform you of any leads I find. I will be listening to different entry points to the world and trying to find information myself.” Here he gestures to one of the pools of light a bit a ways away. If Nia squints, she thinks she can see out of it, like a window. Oh. It must be the other side of a reflection.
That’s…helpful. If incredibly creepy.
“Got it. I’ll keep an eye out for you and clue Tobias in, too. I…actually might have an idea of who to ask for help in finding Xerneas.”
Giratina gives her a doubtful look, but doesn’t press. Instead, he circles down to wrap around the stone platform she’s on. Nia gives him a questioning look.
“You want to return to your partner before he murders the bug, yes? I’ve given you all the info I have.”
“Oh! Y-Yes. Should I just..?”
Nia tentatively climbs atop Giratina’s back, relieved to find his body solid enough to stand on. Can he make himself incorporeal at will? Can all ghost types? Nia pads carefully up Giratina’s neck, tentatively holding onto the golden bands wrapping around his frame. They feel cool and solid, almost like metal.
Without a word, Giratina slips into motion, serpentine body slithering through the air and curling up in spirals. Nia takes a moment to look around the environment again now that she's not running for her life. It’s just the same dark nothingness, no matter where she looks. Even the air feels too still as they cut through it.
As they approach a small, circular viewpoint—which Nia realizes after a moment must be the view of Edme’s roof from the basin on the floor—she thinks idly that she might go crazy if she were trapped here like Giratina. With only the smallest, taunting snatches of the outside world to view as a spectator.
As they near the portal, Nia can distantly hear the muffled yelling of Tobias. She bites her lip, wanting to get back as soon as possible to calm him down, but hesitates atop Giratina’s back once the titan stops at the gate.
“Giratina?”
“What?”
“Just…one more question.”
“Make it quick, before your foolish partner kills my foolish liaison.”
Nia grips hard at the golden structures set into Giratina’s back, watching her hands—her paws, really—flex with the motion.
“If…If we find a way to fix this and save this dimension, would you at least try to return me to the human world? Return all the humans? O-Or maybe even create a bridge or something between the two worlds, so we don’t have to leave the Pokemon world behind?”
Nia is expecting Giratina to laugh or snarl or at least outright reject the bridge idea. Instead, he is silent. Nia can’t even hear him breathe.
Then, he says, “Worry first about the current issue. If we don’t fix this, there will be neither a Pokemon world nor a human world to return to.”
Nia jolts, a fresh wave of alarm coursing through her. It’s one thing for the Pokemon world to be destroyed, which is terrible enough, but the human world, too?
Giratina answers her unspoken question. “Your world is too close in proximity to our own. If this dimension becomes unstable, it will rip itself apart, and your human world will likely be dragged into the implosion as well.”
Nia feels faint. For a minute, she has to press her forehead to Giratina’s cool, misty back. Horror churns her stomach.
If…If they don’t find a way to fix this, so many people will die. Pokemon and human alike. They will all die, with only the gods left to rebuild a new universe. The gravity of the situation is starting to really sink in.
She isn’t a hero. How is she supposed to fix all of this?
Nia takes a few deep, shaking breaths. Tries to use the same techniques Will taught her in Ghatha when Tobias was having a panic attack. What can she see through her tears? What can she hear through her pounding pulse? What can she feel through numb fingertips?
It takes longer than Nia expects for her to calm down. Longer than she expects Giratina to wait. Eventually, though, she slows her spiral to a crawl. She can break down entirely later, when she’s with Tobias.
“O-Okay. I’m ready now. Thank you for…for waiting.”
Giratina doesn’t answer. He simply lifts himself higher, until Nia can start to hear Tobias’ yelling more clearly and can touch the image of Edme’s dimly lit wooden ceiling.
Nia hesitates one more time. She still doesn’t know if she trusts Giratina entirely, but she can’t ignore all that she heard here. And she can’t not help, just in case he’s right.
“We’ll save them, somehow,” Nia says, voice shaky. She doesn’t know if she’s trying to convince Giratina or herself. “Everyone. Everything. Both worlds.”
And then she lifts her hand and touches the portal, feeling it suck her into its gravity.
Nia is sent up through the portal, landing on her feet in the shallow basin with a quiet splash.
Tobias, mouth stretched into a snarl, snaps his head from Edme to Nia, eyes wide and surprised. Edme doesn’t even look like she was paying the fuming charmander any mind, turned entirely towards the pool.
When Nia reappears, the bug Pokemon lifts, voice excited. “Riolu! You’ve returned. How was Giratina? Did you speak with him?”
Nia frowns at her, glancing at Tobias. “Put him down.”
“Of course.”
Edme’s purple energy vanishes, and Tobias falls clumsily to the ground. Immediately, he runs to Nia.
“Nia!” He puts his hands on her arms and looks her up and down, as if to make sure she’s really back in one piece. “Are you all right?”
Nia smiles weakly at him, endeared despite the heavy weight on her heart. “I’m fine. A little shaken up. But not hurt.”
Tobias relaxes, head drooping to lightly touch her shoulder. Then he looks up with a furrowed brow, worried blue eyes meeting her own. “What happened?”
“Oh, please do share!” Edme pipes up, nearly shaking with excitement. She floats closer, a pen and notebook levitating in front of her.
Tobias snaps his teeth at the bug Pokemon, embers escaping his mouth, and Nia is thrown for a moment by how…animalistic the gesture is. He must really be angry. His tail is lashing, flame burning bright. It’s only when he flexes his claws that Giratina’s words come back to Nia.
Okay, yeah, he might actually hurt her.
“Tobias!” She quickly steps in front of him, warding him back with open palms. “W-Wait. You can’t just attack her—“
“Who says I can’t?!”
“U-Um. The whole town, mostly. But please, don’t. I…I need to talk to you about what Giratina said anyways. Please.”
Tobias settles, just slightly, though he doesn’t look happy about it.
“You must share here, Riolu!” Edme cuts in, apparently lacking a survival instinct. “I need to transcribe Giratina’s words for the records.”
“Then ask him yourself!” Nia says sharply, keeping Tobias behind her. She grabs his wrist and tugs him towards the door, praying Edme won’t grab them again. “Ever think desperately forcing people into things might be why he isn’t talking to you anymore?”
Nia doesn’t know if that’s true. If anything, Giratina just seemed annoyed by the bug. Still, Edme jerks back, as if struck.
Nia will feel bad about her harsh words later, but right now she’s upset. She hurriedly pulls Tobias out of the house behind her. The darkness outside is a welcome reprieve, like hiding under a blanket from all the scary things on Nia’s mind. Still, her heart races, like she’s being hunted. She keeps moving with hurried steps, power-walking across the nearest bridge and ignoring the dangerous way it sways.
Tobias staggers behind her. “Wait—Nia, hold up!”
She doesn’t, because if she has to stop moving she’ll have to think about the crushing weight of the mission Giratina just dropped onto her shoulders and she isn’t entirely sure she can handle it right now.
“Nia!” Tobias rounds in front of her on the next island, hands out. “Stop. Are…Are you sure you’re all right?”
Oh no. He looks so concerned. When did he get so open with his care? She can’t pinpoint an exact moment. Right now, though, with her on the edge of an emotional breakdown, the quiet words feel like the final stone knocked loose from an overflowing dam.
Nia's lip wobbles as tears gather in her eyes.
Tobias' face darkens. “What happened? What did he do?”
Nia sobs. She wipes at her eyes, only for more tears to follow. “H-He didn’t hurt me. Really. He’s kind of a jerk? But I-I’m just upset about what he told me.”
“What did he tell you?”
Nia sniffs. “He had a lot of answers. About…everything. Why the legendaries have gone dormant. Why the natural disasters and mystery dungeons are increasing. Why evolution stopped. Why the humans are even here.”
Tobias’ breath catches. “…I’m guessing it’s not good news?”
Nia shakes her head, more tears falling. She crosses her arms and hunches her head, trying to hold herself together. Not quite leaning on Tobias, but close. After a moment, Tobias hesitantly shuffles forward the final inch to wrap a warm arm around her back, pulling her into an awkward hug. That gets her. She buries her face in his scarf and cries.
She just…needs a moment. To pull herself together.
Should she even tell Tobias everything she learned? She doesn’t want to upset him or drag him into this mess. What if he doesn’t believe her? But she can’t do this alone. And she has a feeling he wouldn’t let her, anyways.
After a few minutes, Nia picks up her head, wiping at her eyes. Tobias is watching her, waiting for her to make the next move.
“Let’s find somewhere to talk,” she whispers, looking around. Luckily, none of the Shivergleam residents wanted to get anywhere near her little crying fit, so they’re more or less alone.
Tobias glances over his shoulder. “The inn?”
Nia nods. They’ll need somewhere to stay for the night and catch up on sleep afterwards. It’s late. “And then tomorrow I think…I think we need to head north. Back home.”
Home. That shouldn’t be what the Lexym Guild is to her.
Tobias doesn’t question her. He nods and takes her hand, tugging her towards the nearest bridge. Nia follows without complaint, allowing him to lead them through the village from island to island, ignoring the wary looks from citizens.
Eventually he slows to a stop, and Nia looks up. The building in front of her is larger than the others, taking up one of the platforms all on its own, with warmly lit windows and a large sign designating it as the Hollowberry Inn.
Tobias leads them inside. The bottom floor is a cozy lobby, with a small cafe-like area off to the side. To Nia’s surprise, Beck is at one of the tables, laughing with what must be the employee from the front desk: a tall tree-like creature, with sinister, sharp branches and a single red eye.
When the floatzel catches their eye, he grins and waves, only for the gesture to fade as he takes in their expressions. He quietly excuses himself from his companion and walks over to them.
“Hey. You two all right?”
Tobias glances at Nia. “Not…exactly. Change of plans. We need to head back north, towards the Lexym Guild. Any idea when you’ll be heading that way?”
“Normally we’d travel south first, but we’re actually going north for a passenger we picked up earlier tonight,” Beck says. Nia can feel his eyes on her, the quiet worry in his voice. “You two are more than welcome to join us again. I’ll even give you the family discount.”
Tobias rasps a quiet thanks in Nia’s stead.
“Do you two need a room to stay in?” Beck asks.
“We can pay for one.”
“S’ppose you probably don’t want to bunk with the whole crew anyways,” Beck says. “Nori sleeptalks.”
Nia blinks. “Really?”
“There she is!” Beck says, smiling as she finally checks into the conversation. “Yup. I always say it’s because she’s so quiet during the day. All those words gotta go somewhere.”
Nia smiles back, even if it feels shaky.
“Oy, Gladys,” Beck says, looking over his shoulder. “Got a couple of customers here for you.”
The tree Pokemon looks up from her drink and a…crossword? Do Pokemon have crossword puzzles that she was unaware of?
“Come on over to the front desk, sprouts,” The Pokemon says, getting up with a creak that seems to come more from her than the chair. She moves slowly across the room on a circle of roots.
Gladys quickly checks them into a small room, handing them a little metal key and directing them to go upstairs and to the right. Beck tells them to come get him if they need anything tonight. Otherwise, they’re to meet up with the boat at dawn to get a ride back north.
Nia feels herself calming down throughout the conversation, and waves thankfully to Beck when they head upstairs. Tobias finds their room right down the hall where Gladys said it would be, and opens it up to reveal a small, cozy room.
It’s fairly basic, but it has two small moss beds for them and a chest for their belongings. A ghostly purple flame—a will-o-wisp—sits on the window ledge, burning out of nothing.
Tobias slings their bag down by the chest, then flops into the nearest nest. He doesn’t even make a sarcastic comment, apparently too exhausted to snark. It is late. The moon is starting to sink down towards the horizon, meaning it’s past midnight.
Nia shamelessly nudges her own nest flush against Tobias’ before sitting down. Tobias turns his head to peer up at her, expectant.
“I can tell you everything tomorrow if you want to sleep..?”
Tobias sits back up. “Nope. No way I’m sleeping until you give me the full story.”
Nia thinks that he might not be able to sleep after the full story. The only reason she thinks she’ll be able to is because she’s so drained. Still, she knows how stubborn her partner can be. So she rubs at her face and nods.
And she talks.
Tobias, to his credit, clearly tries not to interrupt. He looks at her seriously as she recounts everything Giratina told her in his realm. His face dips into skepticism as she repeats Giratina’s claim that Edme’s story is the truth, but he also snorts when she says that Giratina doesn’t seem to like the bug all that much.
Tobias looks suspicious when she mentions Giratina working with Mew, especially after she mentions not actually seeing the little pink Pokemon, but when she says Mew is apparently the one responsible for turning the humans into Pokemon, his eyes narrow thoughtfully.
“That…would make more sense than Giratina being able to do it,” Tobias admits. “She’s the Mother of All Pokemon. All species came from her. If anyone would be able to use her power to give someone a new form, it would be Mew. But I still don’t trust that they’re actually on the same side.”
From there, Nia braces herself to tell Tobias about the biggest bombshell of the conversation: the weakening dimensional border. How it’s the cause of the slowly increasing natural disasters and mystery dungeons. The reason for the gods going dormant, and evolution stopping. How if the future damage sending ripples back through time isn’t prevented or fixed, both the Pokemon world and the human world are doomed.
Her voice becomes softer and softer as she speaks, fearful and trembling. Tobias’ expression grows more and more anxious, until he looks genuinely afraid. He tries to hide it, but Nia can see it in his pale face and tense body. In his wide eyes and flickering tail flame.
“And Giratina wants…you to fix this?” Tobias rasps.
Nia shrugs, listless. “Not really. He’s just desperate and hoping a human doing the investigating might help somehow.”
There’s nothing special about her. That’s never really upset her until now, when she wished she was anything but the weak, helpless girl she is. How is she supposed to do anything?
“All right,” Tobias says. He takes an audible breath. “So what do we do next?”
Nia blinks at him. “…What?”
“You said we’re supposed to be looking for Xerneas or what might cause this damage, right? Any idea of where to start?”
Nia stares. She doesn’t know why she expected Tobias to wallow with her, or not believe her, or…
“W-Well…I did have one idea. But you aren’t going to like it.”
Tobias gestures for her to go ahead.
“I think we should talk to Will.”
Sure enough, Tobias scoffs. “Why? Last time we saw him he had no answers.”
“But he was looking,” Nia stresses. “And he already has a community of Pokemon with him. Researchers. If we can get him on board with helping us, we’ll have twenty times as many eyes and ears on the lookout for helpful info.”
Tobias still doesn’t look convinced. Nia doesn’t know why he dislikes the yamask so much, but there are more important things at stake here.
“This isn’t the time for petty grudges, Tobias.”
Tobias rolls his eyes. “It’s not a ‘petty grudge.’ I just don’t like the guy. He feels…fake. But you’re right that he has connections with a lot of Pokemon.”
Nia nods. “And if we head back to the guild, surely the letter he sent out after Ghatha has made it there by now. We can find out where he’s staying and go talk to him.”
Tobias looks mildly appeased at the thought of returning to the guild first. “I guess.”
“Do you think we should tell anyone else there?” Nia asks. “Like Maggie or August? Or Val? Avery and Alistair might know something about Xerneas.”
Tobias’ mouth flattens as he leans back against the wooden root wall. “Maggie would believe us, but I don’t know what telling her would accomplish other than making her worry.”
“We could still ask her about Xerneas?”
Tobias nods.
“I think Val and August would believe us, for what it’s worth,” Nia adds. “And Avery and Alistair definitely would. Would there be any harm in telling them and asking for help?”
“Not that I can think of.“
“Okay.” Nia takes a breath, consciously trying to relax her shoulders. “Okay. At least we have a plan.”
“Sometimes that’s the best you can hope for."
After that, they both fall quiet, lost in thought. Nia alternates between staring at the ghostly little flame on the windowsill and Tobias’ familiar tail flame, letting her tired mind go blank as much as she can.
Eventually, Tobias yawns. “You gonna be all right if I go to sleep? I don’t wanna miss the boat in the morning.”
Nia quirks a small smile. “Excited to get back on the water?”
Tobias flops down with a groan, pulling a chunk of moss from his bedding and tossing it at her face. "Shut up."
She laughs. “I’ll be all right. I’m tired too.”
Tobias grunts, clearly halfway to sleep already. It’s impressive. Nia curls up beside him, shimmying close enough to feel the usual warmth pouring off his skin. Even if she can't fall asleep for a while yet, she feels better knowing she at least has her partner at her back.
As she tries to rest, terrible scenarios run circles in her mind. She imagines them failing. Imagines the Pokemon world being destroyed, and the human world following. Only one determined thought grants her hope rather than fear:
They're going to save the world. They have to.
Notes:
On that heavy note...have some Nia and Tobias (slight) redesigns!
Thanks for reading!!! Comments and kudos are much appreciated. :D
Chapter 51
Summary:
Tobias and Nia take the ferry north to the guild, but the river might not be as peaceful as they would hope.
Chapter Text
When Tobias wakes at sunrise, he has to take a few minutes to settle his thoughts. For once, they’re racing almost as soon as he’s conscious, still tangled up in all of the information Nia dumped on him after her impromptu talk with Giratina yesterday.
As if that situation wasn’t terrifying enough on its own.
No, she also had to come back from her little chat with news of the world ending. And somehow, Nia and Tobias are the ones put in charge of stopping it.
No pressure or anything.
Tobias knows they can’t just ignore it, though. If Giratina is telling the truth—and Tobias is still a bit iffy on that, but can’t find much reason for why he would lie about such a thing, either—then it needs to be fixed. It’s not something he’s willing to take a chance on.
At least they have a plan. Tobias isn’t looking forward to groveling to Will for the assistance Nia is convinced he can give, but he’ll feel better once he loops August and Alistair and some of the other guild ‘mon in on this. See what they know. Someone has to have an idea of where Xerneas’ resting place could be.
But before worrying about all of that, they need to actually make it back to the Lexym Guild. Even taking the ferry, it’ll probably be a couple of days until they reach home. They can think over how to bring all of this to light once they’re back.
Tobias sits up with a groan and goes about his usual process of rolling Nia out of bed. She whines in protest, but he manages to hurry them both out of the inn and into the heart of Shivergleam just as the first rays of dawn start to peek orange-bright through the foggy gray morning.
Shivergleam is strange to see in the light of day. Most Pokemon are either already asleep or heading to bed, and as they pass a grocery store Tobias sees a yawning gourgeist flip their OPEN sign to CLOSED. The ominous, twisted wooden structures around them suddenly look harmless. Almost like a town of whimsical treehouses, some distant cousin to his own home in the Lexym Tree.
Tobias leads Nia across creaky bridges (which are scarier in the day, when he can see just how far down the drop is to fog-capped swamp water) towards where he’s pretty sure the Aqua Jet had docked the night before. It’s not like it’s too big of a town, and Cordelia’s white and orange ferry stands out against the much more modest wooden canoes that the locals own.
The two of them hurry down the steps to the ferry, catching Beck just as he pulls himself out of the swamp. Water runs in rivulets through his thick orange fur and splatters onto the wood as he looks up.
“There you are! Perfect timing. Our other passenger just boarded so we’re ready to go.”
“Who’s the other passenger?” Nia asks.
Beck scratches at his chin. “A sableye. Some kind of researcher? He’s heading to the caves north of the Lexym Guild, near the foot of the mountains.”
Nia perks up at the word researcher. “I wonder if he’d tell us what he researches!”
“Not sure. He was a bit mumbly—real quiet guy.”
Tobias can handle quiet. They don’t need any shenanigans on their trip back north, especially considering they have to be on the water again. Not exactly any fire type’s favorite place to be.
“And they’re back!” A voice crows from up near the captain’s cabin. A blue and yellow maw leans out to peer down at them, teeth bared in an obnoxious grin. “Couldn’t stay away from the beautiful riverfront, could you, Charmander?”
Tobias curls his lip at her in return. While Nia waves and says hi, Tobias boards the ferry and moves to the back deck out of the croconaw’s line of sight.
It’s there he spots their new co-passenger: a spindly, dark purple ghost type with large, unnerving gemstone eyes. As in they literally look like cut gemstones. Creepy. The Pokemon is curled around a backpack and tucked up against the cabin of the ferry, half-hidden in shadows.
Tobias’ gut instinct after last night with Edme (and the general distance of the Shivergleam residents as a whole) is to be wary of their fellow passenger. Not that it would be likely for Edme to send someone after them for information about Giratina or revenge or something, but…
“Tobias, did you—“
Nia stops as she catches up, blinking as she notices the other passenger. It takes her a beat longer than usual, but she does step closer to give the ghost type a nervous smile.
“Hello! You must be the researcher Beck mentioned, right? I’m Nia and this is Tobias. I thought we should introduce ourselves since we’ll be traveling together for a few days!”
The sableye curls in a bit more at the greeting, but does quietly say, “H-Hello. Carnelian. Nice to meet you.”
“Nice to meet you too!”
Carnelian gives a jerky nod. Not rude, but clearly anxious and maybe not used to socializing.
They take a few steps away to give him some space. As the crew finishes preparations, Nia looks to Tobias, probably waiting for him to head back down to the boiler room with Ignatius.
Tough luck. After last night he’s not letting his danger-prone partner out of sight quite yet. He waves her off, gesturing for her to sit wherever she’s planning to sit so he can figure out where he’s settling for the morning.
Nia frowns, catching on. “You can really go inside if you’d like.”
Tobias rolls his eyes and takes the initiative, plopping down against the ferry’s middle, as far as he can from Carnelian. “I’ll go in if I want to.”
Nia doesn’t look convinced, but she doesn’t argue as the ferry starts up. Tobias hears Beck and Nori leap overboard with a quiet splash. Ignatius must’ve already descended into the boiler room to get the steam engine running. Which only leaves—
Caspian comes plap plap plap-ing around the corner. The little quaxly is clearly full of energy despite the early hour. He waves happily to Nia and Tobias before scampering from one side of the deck to the other to make sure that everything is in place and properly tied down. Tobias still isn’t sure if the kid is actually responsible for that part of the routine, or if the crew just gave him a “job” to help him feel useful.
Regardless, as Nia and Tobias watch, Cas runs to and fro before deeming the ship worthy. He leans through the railing to wave down at the river, and Tobias hears a quiet splash as Beck swims around to the front of the ferry to give Cordelia the all-clear. Within a minute, they’re moving slowly across the swamp, through the narrow channel leading back to the Lilycap River.
In the light of day, the swampy environment just looks…peaceful. Inviting, even, if you don’t mind water.
Carnelian doesn’t seem too keen to chat, so Nia sighs and lays back across the deck. “…I should probably practice my aura.”
Tobias raises a brow. It’s not unusual for Nia to practice her aura abilities, but it is unusual for her to jump to that option immediately, especially this early in the morning. She must be thinking about what Giratina said. Tobias has the itch to train too, knowing what they’re up against.
“Aura?”
Cas has moved to their side. The quaxly tilts his head at Nia.
Nia sits up. “Oh. Um, it’s sort of like….a specific set of moves I can use as a riolu. Everyone has aura, but I can use it for attacks and sensing things and reading someone's energy.”
Cas’ brow furrows. “‘Reading?’ Like a book? How do you do that for energy?”
“Well…aura is sort of like each pers—each Pokemon’s, um. Life energy, I guess? And everyone’s is unique! Like a fingerprint. I can look at them and know more about someone’s character and personality.”
“Could you read mine?!” Cas asks, confusion dropping in exchange for sheer excitement.
Nia looks torn between amusement and discomfort. “I-I mean. I could? But it’s sort of…personal. I see a lot about who you are. Some Pokemon find it kind of…invasive.”
“I don’t mind!” Cas insists, plopping down and scooting closer with all the reckless excitement of the child he is. “Please? It sounds neat! And I’m not big enough to help out with anything else right now so I have time.”
After another moment of hesitation, Nia huffs a laugh. She relaxes and holds out a paw. “All right. Could I have your wing for a minute?”
Cas complies, and Nia closes her eyes. Bright blue energy outlines her body, and the appendages at either side of her head lift as she concentrates her aura.
Tobias watches this process with vague curiosity. While he’s been adamant from the start that Nia not read his aura, the process doesn’t seem quite as awful to him as it once did. Not if Nia’s the one looking at his soul, at least. He would still rather she not, a little uncomfortable with what she might find, but the thought doesn’t send anxiety rushing through him, either.
Plus, she already glimpsed it down in the mines. Red. He’s red, apparently. Whatever that means.
“You’re sort of a bright pinkish-purple,” Nia says. “Almost fuchsia.”
Cas, who had been nervously staring at Nia, perks up. “That sounds pretty!”
Nia smiles, eyes still closed. “It is pretty. It’s like…the reflected colors in a bubble. Fun and light. Or…coral? Supportive. Tougher than it looks.”
Caspian looks like he’s feeling self-conscious but isn’t sure if he should be. “So is fuchsia…good?”
Nia releases the quaxly’s wing and smiles. “Well, I sure like it!”
Caspian looks down, feathers fluffing with pleased embarrassment.
“A lot of water metaphors this time,” Tobias notes, amused.
Nia shrugs with a smile. "Just felt right."
“Is that because I'm a water type?" Cas asks. "Do all types have the same color aura?”
“No, as far as I can tell your type doesn’t actually matter,” Nia says. “I’m sort of a turquoise blue, but I’m a fighting type. And I know another water type who’s green.”
“Oh.” Cas looks up thoughtfully. “I wonder what color Delia is.”
Tobias snorts. He can’t imagine Cordelia feeling comfortable letting Nia look at her soul. She seems like the fiercely private type—not that he has any room to talk.
Nia shrugs. “Could be anything, really.”
Cas mulls that over, leaning to the side and trying to peer around the tall cabin of the ferry as if he could actually see Cordelia at the wheel, let alone into her soul.
“Your aura control is really solid now,” Tobias comments.
Nia's tail wags a bit. “Thank you! I still feel like I have a long way to go, but I’m getting better. I’ve been practicing a lot!”
Tobias knows, considering he’s been around for most of her practicing.
“You going to show Val the new aura radar trick you figured out in the mines?"
“Yeah! I just hope I can recreate it when I talk to her.”
Cas tunes back into the conversation, chirping, “So what all can you do with aura?”
Nia gives Tobias a wink before forming a short staff of aura and giving it a twirl.
Cas gasps. “That’s so cool!”
“You have any cool tricks?” Tobias asks the little water type.
“I can’t do anything like that, but Auntie has been working with me on a lot of other moves and stuff. Here, watch this!”
The quaxly hops to his feet and spurts a weak water gun attack out over the railing to splatter harmlessly into the river channel.
Nia claps, and Tobias makes a suitably impressed face.
“I don’t have much else, though. I’ve mostly been working on, uh, status moves,” Cas says, sitting down. “Auntie’s a primarina, so she’s really good with that sort of thing. And she says that I shouldn’t be in the middle of serious fights at my age anyways.”
“Status moves, huh,” Nia echoes, idly twisting her aura baton through her fingers.
Tobias knows that look. She must be thinking about which ones she could use herself. He nudges her. “You ever gonna try learning work up? It’s a normal type move.”
Nia’s eyes widen. “I forgot about that one! What does that do again? Raises attack, right?”
“And special attack.”
Nia’s brow furrows. “Great. So now all I have to do is just…learn it.”
“Is it a TM?” Cas asks.
Nia blinks, first at the water type and then at Tobias.
Tobias barely bites back a rude remark. “No, it’s not a trained move for you. Should be learned naturally.”
Cas turns a confused look onto Nia.
“I…have trouble learning new moves,” Nia explains, sheepish. “Learning moves naturally. It doesn’t come to me as easy as it should.”
“That’s all right!” Cas says, surprisingly genuine. “I struggle sometimes with the moves Auntie and Delia teach me, but eventually I figure ‘em out! Usually I just gotta figure out how to form ‘em.”
Nia tilts her head. “How to form them?”
“Yeah!” Cas nods. “Like how a water gun is all about focusing my power in my belly, where my water sac is, but for disarming voice I try to push my energy into my lungs and throat.”
“Oh! Right.” Nia watches Cas with a quiet intensity as the klinklang turn inside her head. “How…how would you try using a move like work up? Where your whole body gets stronger? I was thinking that I would just need to spread my aura—my energy throughout my body, but that doesn’t seem to work.”
Cas glances at Tobias, as if unsure of why Nia is looking to a twelve year old of all ‘mon for guidance. But then he speaks up, “Well…does it feel like you’re giving your muscles any kind of boost when you do that?”
Nia closes her eyes for a moment, as if testing it out, and frowns. “…No. it feels like it’s just leaving my body without doing anything.”
“Oh, I used to do something like that!” Cas says, clearly thrilled to be able to help. “It's probably ‘cause you’re just pushing your energy out, away from your body. Auntie said you just waste it when you do that.”
Nia groans, head landing in her paws. “Great.”
“She told me that instead of pushing your energy away from you, you have to, um…how’d she put it? You have to use your energy like a river.”
“A river?” Tobias asks, doubtful.
Cas nods. “Yeah! Like, channel your energy through your body in one big loop instead of outward, starting at your shoulders then down to your feet and back up. She said that keeping it moving is what makes the power.”
Nia’s eyes widen as she straightens up. “Like a water wheel. If the energy is the water, then keeping it in a constant river loop keeps it contained in your body—“
“Instead of just pushing it away from yourself and wasting it,” Tobias realizes.
Nia grins. “Of course! Oh, that makes so much sense. Thank you, Cas! I’ll try that.”
Cas fluffs again, happy but shy. Once Tobias asks him about his aunt who taught him that, he starts chattering again, clearly super proud of the primarina.
As he does, Tobias glances at their sableye travel-buddy, who is still hunched over in the shade of the boat’s middle. Then Tobias lets himself fall back to the warming deck and closes his eyes, pillowing his head with his arms to listen.
While he might not be fond of boat travel, there isn’t much else to do over the next couple days aside from plan and do what little training they can. Might as well chat with Cas and relax while they can.
Over the next day and a half, Tobias’ fear of leaving Nia alone dies down, allowing him to retreat to the warm isolation of the boiler room when the river starts to become too much. He still doesn’t stay with Ignatius as much as he did on their first trip, though.
He feels the need to keep an eye on Nia, worried about where her head is at. It’s just like the period after her illness, when she would space out and drown in her own thoughts. Sometimes Tobias catches a sheen of tears in her eyes too, like she’s just barely holding it together. Tobias doesn’t know if it’s the fear and pressure of the mission dropped onto their shoulders, or if she’s worried about being able to return to the human world.
Either way, he can tell that she’s…off.
Tobias doesn’t know how to ask her if she wants to talk about it. He feels hot embarrassment burn at his face and close his throat any time he considers it. Instead, he opts to just stay close.
Not that Tobias is much better, between his own fear regarding their world-saving mission and…well.
He’s thinking about Team Zenith again.
It starts with the crobat—Asra or Vesper or whatever his name was at the end. Tobias still hates him, still feels loathing sit cold and heavy like a ball of steel in his chest. He hates the crobat more now that he knows the coward got to live a happy life with his family after what he did to Tobias’ own.
Even if his mate was right and the crobat regretted what he was a part of. Even if Tobias recalls in scattered memories that the crobat didn’t do much more than corral them, he still didn’t stop Dismas or Sulien either. Instead, he let them kill Tobias’ family then ran away.
At least he’s dead now. Tobias should probably feel bad for the quiet satisfaction that thought brings, but he doesn’t.
Instead, Tobias thinks about Dismas and Sulien. The pangoro and arcanine presumably still out there, living their own lives. Do they regret it? Have they had their own families too? Tobias doesn’t remember much about the pangoro aside from flashes of black and white fur, snarling and grappling with his mother, before the arcanine pinned Tobias down and took up the entirety of his vision.
Tobias can only think of what happened to him in pieces before forcing himself to focus again on the world around him, digging his claws into the wood of the boat and looking out over the river. His heart pounds and a chill rises over his skin. He feels his head go light.
Funny enough, the end of the world is somehow a less terrifying thing to focus on. Tobias and Nia haven’t talked about it much since learning of it, seeing as they already have their vague plan and nothing to do until they get back to the Lexym Guild anyways. Tobias doesn’t think talking about it in circles would help.
So they both stay quiet.
Beck catches on quickly to their distracted thoughts and somber mood. The floatzel doesn’t ask, but Tobias notices how he checks in with them when he can, recruiting Cas to buoy the atmosphere. Beck talks to them about the river and the crew’s travels, clearly working hard at making Nia smile. Normally, Tobias would find something like that annoying, but Beck isn’t overbearing about it.
Tobias does find their sableye co-passenger—well. Not annoying, per se, but off-putting. He keeps entirely to himself, occasionally digging through his backpack to write in a little notebook, and Tobias can’t help how suspicious he is of what the little ‘mon writes so fervently.
The last time they trusted a ghost Nia got yanked into the distortion world against her will. Tobias doesn’t think anyone could blame him for a little caution. Well, anyone but Nia apparently. The third time she catches Tobias glancing warily at Carnelian, she pulls him aside to ask him what’s up.
“Weren’t you the one who said ghost types get unfairly discriminated against all the time?” She whispers.
“I’m not doing that!” Tobias hisses.
Nia gives him an unconvinced look.
“He’s just…weird.”
Nia huffs a laugh. “Just because he’s quiet doesn’t mean he’s weird. Maybe he’s anxious because he’s not used to being away from Shivergleam.”
Tobias sighs, rubbing at his face. Is he being suspicious for no good reason? Would he be less suspicious if the passenger was just as weird but not a ghost type?
…Probably, some small, ashamed part of him admits.
“Sorry,” he mumbles. “Just…on edge.”
“I get it.”
From that point on, Tobias does his best to just ignore the sableye lurking around the ship. Even when they stop to eat in the evening and the sableye mysteriously vanishes.
“Probably finding his own food,” Ignatius explains once he notices Tobias looking around.
“Ah, right. Sableye eat rocks or something, right?” Cordelia says through a mouthful of the stew they’d cooked up.
“Rocks?” Cas echoes, eyes wide.
“Gems,” Nori corrects quietly. “Crystals and minerals.”
“Eh, same difference,” Cordelia dismisses.
The second day of travel dawns as calm as the first. The river is still flooded, rushing by at unsettling speeds, frothy and impossible to see through, but Nori and Beck manage to navigate the rough waters with ease, and Cordelia’s hands are steady at the wheel.
Even the weather is decent. Slightly cloudy and overcast, but no longer pounding rain like it was on the way into Shivergleam. It’s even warm enough for the deck to heat under Tobias’ scales and lull him into a nap while Nia practices her aura.
It’s not until early afternoon that something goes amiss.
Their first sign of danger is Carnelian, scuttling to his feet and looking around. The little Pokemon is fidgety, but something about the abrupt gesture speaks of panic.
Tobias and Nia snap into ready positions themselves a moment after, looking around. Cas, who had been perched on a crate nearby and watching the river, looks nervously between the three of them.
“Carnelian?” Nia asks, quiet. “Did you notice something?”
Carnelian opens his mouth, only for an unfamiliar shout from the front of the boat to snag their attention. It’s more feminine than Beck’s deep voice, and it takes Tobias a moment to realize that it’s Nori. The golduck who has been nearly silent the entire time they’ve known her.
That can’t be good.
Nori is calling something up to Cordelia, who Tobias can vaguely hear cursing in the captain’s quarters. The boat swings suddenly to the side, as if trying to slow to a sudden stop. Nia and Tobias stumble and grab onto the railing, and Caspian falls into Tobias’ side. Carnelian yelps and goes sliding across the deck.
A second later, Tobias feels what Carnelian and Nori must’ve noticed first. A tingling against his skin, in his limbs. Something uncomfortable and off, hard to pin down but familiar enough by now.
A mystery dungeon.
Nia, probably still unable to sense it due to her fighting type nature, frowns at his paling face. “What?”
“Mystery dungeon,” he grits, trying to determine how close it is. If he can feel it in the air, it must be dangerously close.
Cordelia finally manages to ease the boat against the muddy bank of the riverside. It shudders to a stop, and everyone breathes a collective sigh of relief.
Cordelia leaves the cabin and rushes around the corner, eyes honing in on Caspian and relaxing once she catches sight of him. Then she glances around. “Everyone all right back here?”
They all nod. A moment later, Beck and Nori leap out of the river with a splash and thud on deck.
“Everyone okay?” Beck echoes. “Where’s Natius?”
Right on cue, the door to the inner cabin swings open and Ignatius stomps out on-deck. “By Moltres’ flames, what is going on out here?”
The crew relaxes seeing their last missing member in good shape.
“Got a bit too close to a mystery dungeon,” Cordelia sighs, rubbing a clawed hand down her snout. “Nori caught it in time.”
Tobias is glad she did. Even now the tingling is strong, still blaring alarms in the back of his mind that danger is nearby. Tobias looks at Nori. The golduck is staring out into the forest, ruby eyes narrowed.
“U-Um,” Carnelian pipes up, voice high and nervous. Everyone turns to him, surprised to hear the sableye speak.
He shrinks, but glances at Nori, claws twiddling anxiously. “M-Miss Nori, I could be incorrect, but do you still..?”
Nori’s beak flattens out into a grim expression. She nods. “Something’s wrong.”
Tobias exchanges an uneasy glance with Nia.
There’s a tense moment of silence, save for the loud rush of the river. Tobias’ heart pounds as he swears the tingling feeling gets stronger, somehow. His head feels fuzzy, which is strange. He didn’t hit it or anything.
Tobias sees the moment Nori figures it out. “The dungeon is still forming. Right on top of us.”
Oh. Oh no.
Cordelia, who had crouched to pick up Cas, stares at her crewmate.
“W-Wait—it’s still forming?” Nia asks, glancing out at the forest. “Here? Right now? But if that happens—“
“We’ll turn feral,” Ignatius sighs, sounding almost resigned. He puffs out a cloud of smoke. “No telling what’ll happen after that.”
Tobias feels his blood chill, goosebumps rising on his skin. Now that he knows what’s happening, he can consciously recognize how slow and clumsy his thoughts suddenly feel. Like his mind is trying to wade through thick, sticky sap. If the mystery dungeon forms on top of them, they’ll turn feral until it clears again, which could be weeks. And in the meantime they’ll be mindless beasts. If one of them gets hurt, then—
Cas whimpers, burying his head in Cordelia’s stomach. Everyone else looks quietly terrified, eyes down and hands balled into fists.
“C-Can’t we do something?” Nia presses. “Can we outrun it?”
Beck shakes his head. “‘Fraid not. I’ve heard musings, but…”
“Musings?” Tobias asks.
“Unsubstantiated musings,” Nori says.
“I don’t care if they’re substantiated or not!” Tobias snarls. “If you’ve got an idea then say it!”
“Safeguard,” Beck says. “Heard a rumor ‘bout it. But unless one of you has safeguard in your arsenal, we ain’t got no way to protect ourselves even if it would work.”
There's a heavy moment of silence. Then—
Nia’s head whips up. “Protect. Would protect work?”
The crew blinks slowly at Nia, as if trying to process her words. Tobias hears Carnelian let out a animalistic whine of fear.
Nori is the first one to shake out of it enough to speak. “I don’t—“
“Do it!” Tobias growls.
Nia throws out her paws, and her aura snaps into being around them, surrounding the group in a thin dome of blue energy. Immediately, Tobias feels his sluggish thoughts clear, like the first breath of fresh air after a stuffy nose. He realizes he’d been hunched over in a crouch, and straightens up.
Everyone else snaps out of the creeping effect of the dungeon too, standing taller as their eyes clear. Cordelia almost seems to be ashamed about succumbing to the effect, and focuses on murmuring reassurances to Cas. Beck lifts his chin to look up at the protect bubble in awe. Nori is rubbing her forehead, wincing, while Carnelian whimpers and cowers closer to Nia.
Ignatius simply says, “Huh. I’ll be.”
Tobias relates. He kind of can’t believe that worked. It’s…unheard of, to get firsthand experience from Seekers or researchers who were caught in a forming mystery dungeon and able to ward it off. He didn’t know it was possible for a move to save them from such a thing.
“It worked,” Tobias breathes, relieved.
“Why did it work?” Cordelia asks, frowning and looking to Nori. “And why haven’t I heard about these rumors?”
Nori, still rubbing tenderly at the red gem on her forehead, shrugs. “Beck and I heard a rumor earlier this year. About someone using safeguard and escaping from a forming mystery dungeon unscathed. We didn’t think it was true.”
Safeguard…so that means—
“You saying Pokemon going feral is nothin’ more than a status condition?” Cordelia asks, squinting.
Nori shakes her head. “It has to be more than that. But it might work in a…similar way. A form of confusion. If so, it makes some amount of sense that it could be stopped by a strong safeguard.”
“Or a strong protect, apparently,” Beck says. “We’re real lucky you were here, Nia.”
Nia smiles, but Tobias can see the beginning of strain in her expression, in the way she doesn’t respond. She used her protect in the mines at Fort Asra, but Tobias doesn’t think she’s ever made a shield this large. It’s going to drain her quickly, even if she has been practicing with her aura.
“However it worked, we've bought ourselves a few more minutes of sanity,” Tobias says. “But now what? We’re still stuck in the middle of it and Nia can’t keep this up forever.”
Nia’s mouth twists unhappily, but she doesn’t argue.
“Could we move the boat?” Cas suggests quietly.
Cordelia shakes her head. “‘Fraid not. We would need the whole crew at their stations for that, and we’d be too far apart to protect everyone.”
“C-Could we send a distress signal?” Carnelian pipes up, voice shaking. He glances at Tobias and Nia. “To the guild.”
Oh. Right. Tobias feels a little angry that he didn’t think of that himself. He hurriedly reaches into their satchel to grab one of their badges. Then he frowns.
“No go. Too far out.”
Carnelian shrinks back into himself.
“Okay,” Tobias says, running a hand back and over his head. Think, Tobias. They aren’t technically on a mission right now, but they are Seekers. It’s their duty to protect the crew and make sure they’re safe. And Nia is busy as is, so he has to take the lead.
“Moves,” he says. “Or items. Does anyone have anything that might help? Something to stop confusion or get us out of here. Safeguard, protect, uh…fly, teleport. An escape orb?”
“Aren’t you the Seeker?” Ignatius huffs. “You should have the items.”
Tobias shoots the torkoal a nasty look. “Any helpful suggestions?”
Each Pokemon grows quiet, then shakes their head. All except Cordelia, who is looking down at the top of Cas' feathery blue head with a furrow to her brow.
Tobias stares at her, expectant.
She glares back at him, but relents. “We…might have something.”
Then she detaches the teary quaxly from her front, kneeling down to meet his eyes.
“Hey, bro?”
Cas sniffs. “Yeah?”
“Do you remember that move Auntie’s been working on with you? The one with the pink misty stuff?”
Caspian’s brow furrows. He tilts his head. “Misty train?”
Cordelia chuckles, but it’s strained. “Misty terrain, yeah. Can you do me a favor? D’you think you could try to use that?”
Tobias frowns. Misty terrain? The move sounds vaguely familiar, but…
The aura shield around them flickers. Weakens and thins and grows more transparent for just a moment as Nia growls. Tobias, concerned, steps closer and presses his arm against hers.
“A big burst of it, yeah,” Cordelia says, encouraging. “Enough to fill this whole bubble!”
Caspian glances around at everyone’s eyes on him. “W-Would it help?”
“Honestly, bite? Not sure. But it might. And we gotta try something.”
Cas falls silent, looking down at his feet.
Tobias glances at Nori. “Misty terrain?”
The golduck hums, gaze flicking between Cordelia and Cas. “Similar to safeguard. If he can use it, then we might be safe while the dungeon finishes forming.”
Tobias tries not to cling to that hope. He doesn’t want to put that kind of pressure onto a kid. But as he watches, Cordelia braces her hands on Cas’ small shoulders and gives him a squeeze before stepping back.
“All right, Cas. Give it a go. Just like Auntie showed ya.”
Everyone stills as Cas close his eyes. After a moment, he bobs his head—one, two, three, four. His little webbed foot taps along to an unseen beat. Nia, at Tobias’ side, is breathing hard as she continues to hold the protect.
Then Cas starts a little dance, surprisingly rhythmic. His feet tap and arc across the wood, his wings twisting and turning. Before Tobias can question what the heck he’s doing, he spins.
A cloud of pink energy bursts out from him in a wave. Tobias throws up his arms, and when he lowers them the air in their little bubble is…sparkly, the wood beneath their feet tinted with a shifting pink fog.
“Did it work?” Nia asks, voice tight.
Caspian, panting, looks between Nori and Cordelia.
Nori says, “No way to tell.”
Tobias grows colder. “So we have to just…”
“Try it,” Beck sighs. “Well? Do we want to rip the bandage off quick?”
“Awful casual about it,” Tobias growls.
Beck shrugs, though Tobias catches the concerned look he gives Nia.
Tobias sighs.
“Nia,” He says. “Drop the protect.”
She cracks open an eye, unsure.
“You can’t keep this up forever. Either it worked or it didn’t.”
Nia is clearly uncomfortable with that sentiment, but Tobias can see the way her arms tremble. How her ears fight to pin back with the strain.
“Nia,” he says, sharper.
She lets go with a gasp. The blue around them vanishes, leaving the open air of the river and the forest on either side. As Nia pants, Tobias holds his own breath.
The pink mist plays across the ground around them in a circle. It doesn’t dissipate, hovering around their feet like a protective presence.
Tobias glances at the others and can see the same nervous caution on their faces. But as the seconds pass, Tobias counting each beat until one minute passes, then two…he doesn’t feel that same fuzzy confusion return to slow his thoughts like tar.
“Did it work?” Ignatius asks, hushed. “Or did the dungeon already finish forming?”
Nori shakes her head, pointing out into the trees.
Tobias follows her gesture, feeling his skin crawl. The forest looks…restless. Trees roll in waves as the landscape shifts. Like the earth below them is a great waking beast. Even the boat tilts and groans, as if it too is being pulled into the distortion of the mystery dungeon.
Loud, sharp cries echo from the forest: Pokemon who weren’t as lucky as them. Pokemon caught up in the dungeon's haze. Within their circle of pink mist, however, their minds seem untouched.
Everyone releases a collective breath.
Cordelia whoops, scooping Cas up and spinning him in a tight hug. She’s yelling about how she knew he could do it and that he kicks tail. The quaxly giggles, a little teary-eyed.
Tobias finally relaxes, sinking down to the deck next to Nia. She laughs, tired and relieved as she bumps her head into Tobias’ shoulder.
“G’job, little ember,” Ignatius says to Cas. Then he turns to Nori. “How long will this hold?”
“Long enough, hopefully,” Nori says. “Eventually the dungeon will settle. All we can do is sit and wait for it to finish.”
Since Nori is keeping a watchful eye on their environment, Tobias allows himself to take a moment to breathe. He can’t make himself relax entirely, but he can’t do much at the moment either. He looks around at their companions.
Ignatius and Cordelia are murmuring to each other quietly. Cas looks exhausted by his big burst of energy, and leans heavily against Cordelia so she can scritch at his feathers. Carnelian is curled into a nervous ball around his bag, plucking at the backpack's cloth with his claws. He has scooted closer to Nia, as if soothed by her presence. Beck seems to be lost in thought, until Tobias notices how the floatzel glances at the edge of their protective circle. Ah. Keeping an eye on the misty terrain, then. Good.
Nia, finally having caught her breath, turns to sit against Tobias. He leans back as well so they’re spine to spine and tries to reign in his nerves. They need to stay calm and hope that the dungeon finishes forming before Cas’ attack wears off. Then…he supposes they’ll need to fight their way out of the dungeon.
He and Nia need to be ready to lead them when that time comes. They’re young, but they likely still have the most experience with navigating through situations like this.
“Huh,” Nia says, almost too quiet to hear.
“What?”
“Oh. I was just thinking that it makes sense. What Nori said, about the dungeon causing something similar to confusion.”
“Why’s that?” Tobias asks, tilting his chin back to look at the side of her head.
“Well…” her voice lowers. “If what Giratina said is true, then the borders of the rift are made up of aura. Of…life energy. And moves also come from our own life energy, our own aura. So I guess it just makes sense to me that damage in the border could…confuse the world in the same way Pokemon get confused by like, a confuse ray or something.”
Tobias snorts, remembering what Nia told him after her last breakthrough with aura. “Avery is going to lose their mind when you tell them that.”
Nia laughs. “I know.”
The group starts up a quiet conversation while they wait for the dungeon to finish forming, everyone likely trying to avoid thinking too hard about whether or not Cas’ misty terrain will hold. Tobias eyes the changing surroundings as they talk.
The forest almost seems alive, closing in tighter and tighter to form the mystery dungeons' trademark “rooms” and “hallways.” The trees shift and twist, weaving together with loud cracks that make Carnelian, Cas and Nia flinch. Weedy grasses and muddy banks rise higher into sharp inclines, boxing them slowly into a long corridor. It’s unnerving to watch happen, as if some invisible giant is ignoring the laws of reality and molding the world around them, stretching trees out like putty and raising the earth like sandcastles.
Slowly, the movements settle. The open air of the wide river has been contained to something much smaller, partially blocking out the overcast sky. An uneasy quiet descends on the forest, and Tobias isn’t sure why it feels this unnatural until he hears Cas murmur something about the river.
That’s it. The loud roar of the river is just…gone.
“I believe it’s finished,” Nori finally says.
Everyone stands tall to try peering over the lip of the boat and into the corridor they’re now trapped in. The “walls” of the hallway are unnaturally steep banks of mud, smooth river stones, and long grasses, with tree roots twisted throughout here and there. Tobias thinks he can see rivulets of water trickling down them, and hears the gentle burble of running water that can’t compare to the roar of the river.
The rivulets bleed into the “floor” of the hallway, which is covered in a sheen of water, as if it has become its own modest stream. Tobias feels his heart drop at the sight and squints, trying to look past the bright reflection of the sky to see if the water is deep or just surface-level. He has no idea how they’re going to fight their way out if the dungeon is covered in deep water. Just walking through a floor of the stuff would burn Tobias’ feet raw.
Nori is the first one to move. She exchanges a look with Beck, then calmly walks out of the protective circle. Tobias' heart jumps. Cordelia makes a sound of alarm and darts after the golduck, but Beck steps in her path.
“Beck, if you don’t move that waterlogged orange pelt—“
“Someone has to test it, and Nori is the most sensitive of us to psychic fields. She knows what she’s doing.”
Cordelia’s eyes flick past him to Nori. She grits her teeth and watches the golduck take a few more steps to the railing of the boat before turning to look at them, crossing her arms to wait.
“Give her a few minutes,” Ignatius says. “If she feels fine after that, we should be safe to move.”
After a moment, Cordelia returns to Cas' side. But she keeps her eyes trained on the golduck to watch for any signs of her being affected.
Luckily, Nori calmly stays in place, looking out over the corridor. After a few minutes, she pushes off and walks back into the protective circle of the misty terrain.
“I believe it’s safe.”
“Clearly,” Cordelia snorts. Then her voice hardens. “Don’t do that again. Captain’s orders.”
Nori nods, as if she didn’t just deliberately make a decision knowing Cordelia would object.
Cordelia grunts. Then she turns to look around at the rest of her crew and their passengers. “Well, Cas and the riolu saved our tails, but we still gotta get out of here. We ready to fight?”
“We’re not going to fight unless we have to,” Tobias counters, crossing his arms. The crew members look at him, surprised.
“And what makes you think you’re calling the shots here, kid?”
“Because Nia and I are Seekers, remember? Unless you’re secretly dungeon divers yourselves, we’re the most familiar with navigating places like this.”
“You suggesting you two lead us through this mess?” Ignatius asks, incredulous.
Tobias nods.
“Can you fight?” Cordelia challenges.
Tobias rolls his eyes. “Of course we can fight. But we should avoid ferals when possible because we have a giant group and an unknowably deep dungeon—we have to conserve our energy where we can.”
“He has a point,” Nori says.
Beck's tails twist worriedly, like a propellor. “This is unfamiliar territory you two aren’t used to. You sure you're up to this?”
Tobias snorts. “Every dungeon is unfamiliar territory. You wouldn’t be any more used to it than we are.”
Beck frowns, conceding the point but not looking happy about it.
“I would like to keep an eye on Cas,” Cordelia admits. Then, more of an order than a question, “What’s your team rank?”
“U-Um. D, right?” Nia says, glancing at Tobias.
Tobias winces, then hurries to add, “We’ve only been Seekers for a couple of months.”
“Awful proud for such shiny new recruits,” Ignatius mutters.
Tobias opens his mouth to snap something at the torkoal, only for Nia to stop him with a gentle paw on his arm.
“I know we’re young,” Nia says. “And we haven't been doing this long. But we’ve already been through…a lot. We’re stronger than we look.”
“And we’re the Seekers,” Tobias stresses. “Even if you can battle, this is different than a spar between two sane Pokemon. Let us lead.”
“We can clear a path for you,” Nia adds. “If it turns out that we can’t handle it, you guys can step in.”
The air is still heavy with uncertainty.
Tobias is irked that this is suddenly an issue at all when they face dangerous missions every day, but he knows Nia’s calmer approach is more likely to prove their point about them being mature enough to handle this, so he keeps his mouth shut.
The crew exchange looks with one another. Nori seems to surprisingly be on their side. She stares her crew mates down, apparently firm in her decision. After a moment, Ignatius grumbles something about young startups, but backs down. Cordelia, after a long and wordless exchange of expressions with Nori, nods once.
Beck is the only adult crew member who hasn’t agreed.
“What? What’s the problem?”
The floatzel sighs. “…Nothing. Just getting old and letting my instincts as a dad win out over my instincts as a crewmate.”
Oh. He’s…worried about them? He shouldn’t be. They just got the fate of the world dumped on their shoulders. They can handle a little mystery dungeon.
“We can handle it, Beck,” Nia says, echoing his thoughts. Her voice is firm but not unkind. She gives him a smile. “I know you’re worried, but this is kind of our job.”
Glancing around and realizing that no one else shares his concerns, Beck caves. “All right. Just…let me know if you two need help, all right? These old bones can still fight if need be.”
“Deal!”
The group cautiously moves out of the protective effect of Cas’ circle and to the edge of the boat. Beck insists on going down first, “Just to check how deep it is,” before slipping overboard. Tobias frowns when Beck goes entirely underwater, confirming that the path is too deep to walk through. The floatzel surfaces, glancing around to make sure nothing is about to attack before waving up at them.
Cordelia smirks at Tobias. “You sure you still want to lead, flame?”
Tobias, on completely stupid impulse, glares at her before hopping over the edge of the boat. Beck barks a startled sound but manages to catch him on his chest.
Tobias pushes roughly at the paws on his arms. “Let me go! I’m fine.”
“You can’t be implying you’re going to swim through this.”
“I said we’ll lead and I meant it!”
Beck tightens his hold. Tobias could break free, but he doesn’t want to hurt the stupid old ‘mon.
“Just…let me give you a lift through the water,” Beck says, meeting Tobias’ eyes. “In return, I won’t fret about you two leading us.”
“Or you could just let me go and not fret anyways.”
Beck’s gives him a look that feels too fatherly to be comfortable. As if to say he has the patience to wait out Tobias’ stupidity.
Tobias growls. “…Fine.”
Beck releases him, and Tobias sits up on the floatzel’s stomach. The water type is long and flat, admittedly perfect for ferrying passengers.
Nori slips over the boat next, into the gentle current with a quiet splash. Then Cordelia and Cas. After that, Cordelia yells up at the boat until Ignatius stops hollering about dying on solid ground where sane fire types belong. Then the torkoal tumbles over the edge in his shell for Nori to catch and hike carefully onto her back.
Finally, Carnelian peers over the edge, shaking visibly even from here. Nia is clearly trying to soothe the sableye, but whatever she says must work, because he eventually hauls himself over the side of the boat with jerky movements. Nia climbs out after him, watching the sableye’s feet and murmuring reassurances.
Tobias rolls his eyes. “Nia, watch your own paws!”
It’s a clumsy effort, but the two of them manage to slide down the boat in fits and starts. Beck drifts closer and Tobias holds onto the boat so the floatzel can roll over onto his belly. Then all three of them climb atop his wet back—Tobias in front, with Nia and Carnelian behind.
“Everyone good?” Cordelia calls. She’s treading water easily, Cas perched on her back.
Irritation gnaws at Tobias as the croconaw takes charge, but he nods.
“Keep an eye out for ferals,” Cordelia adds. She swims forward to take the lead, but hesitates and glances at the quaxly over her shoulder, clearly not wanting him to be in the first line of defense.
Tobias takes their chance. He gives the thick orange fur below him two pats, before anyone else can try to take point. Beck hesitates, but eventually obeys, moving forward to lead the group down the corridor with a near-silent lap of water.
Aside from the gentle rush of the stream, the air is silent. It feels even more tense now that they’re in the dungeon proper.
Tobias leans back to murmur to Nia, “I’ll keep an eye on the water since I have sharper eyes. You take above.”
Nia nods.
Their group drifts down the corridor and around the corner. Halfway down the next hallway, the terrain slopes up to grassy, muddy land before dipping back into the water again. Looks like they’ll be traversing a dungeon of streams and islands.
Lovely.
When they reach land, Nia and Tobias slip off Beck's back to stand on their own feet. The ground underfoot is damp and sticky with mud between smooth river stones and long patches of lush grass. Tobias tries not to let his distaste with the damp environment show as he takes lead, Nia right behind him.
So far no ferals, but Tobias can see Nia’s ears twisting and turning to catch distant sounds out of the corner of his eye.
“What kind of Pokemon do you think we’ll run into here?” Nia whispers.
Beck answers from right behind them. “It’ll be the Pokemon who live near the river, right? So water types for sure. Otherwise, likely grass and bug. Normal. Some dark types.”
Tobias flicks his tail. Most of those types shouldn’t be an issue, but the water types could be a pain for him. He’ll have to watch out for them.
Once they reach the stream on the other side, the group wordlessly moves back into their previous formation. Tobias grudgingly climbs atop Beck’s back in front of Nia as they wait for Carnelian to scramble on behind them. The floatzel slips into the water, and Tobias hears Cordelia and Nori follow behind.
They don’t run into their first feral until they reach the next patch of land, luckily in the same room as the stairs. The staircase sits eerily in the corner of the room, cutting off into nothingness six or seven steps up. They’re made of wood like Cordelia’s boat, with chipping paint to match.
The feral standing in their way is a thwackey nearly twice their size. It screeches with blank white eyes when it sees them, then launches at their group with sharp fangs bared.
Tobias and Nia rush forward to intercept. Nia is faster, and ducks low to kick out a leg and topple the grass type into the dirt. Tobias takes the opportunity to engulf it in a cloud of embers. The thwackey screeches and skitters back on four legs.
Nia hesitates on her follow-up attack, probably caught up in her own head again. Not that Tobias can blame her this time—it’s hard to think that this thwackey was probably a regular Pokemon living their life just an hour ago, and now—
Not thinking about it.
The thwackey wipes embers out of its eyes and goes at Nia with fists swinging. Nia creates a staff of aura and blocks the attack with a grunt. Tobias takes the opening while it’s turned away to breathe a plume of fire onto his hands. Then he darts forward to slash at the thwackey’s back with heated claws. 1-2-3-4—
The thwackey cries out, stumbling. Before Nia and Tobias can attack again, the feral spins and crashes off through the foliage, down one of the dungeon's hallways.
Tobias huffs out a breath, snuffing his fire down to smoke. He glances at Nia to make sure she isn’t injured, then back at the rest of their crew.
Beck is blinking at them, halfway into a battle stance and clearly surprised. Cas' eyes are starry, and even Cordelia looks a bit impressed with them.
“Not bad,” the Croconaw says. “Guess you two are a bit tougher than you look.”
Tobias rolls his eyes despite the warmth spreading in his chest. “Yeah, yeah. Everyone just hold hands already so we can go to the next floor.”
Cordelia looks sour once he repeats the command and she realizes he’s serious. Only the explanation that they might lose each other warping to the next floor makes her acquiesce.
Tobias climbs the stairs first, Nia right behind him. When Tobias reaches the top creaky step, his stomach turns with vertigo and their surroundings shift. In a blink, they’ve warped to a location that is eerily similar but distinctly different in its layout.
Unfortunately, they also warp to a room that is almost entirely covered in water. Tobias lets out an embarrassing yelp as he falls under with a splash. The gentle current feels freezing against his hot skin, and the immediate wave of prickling pain knocks the breath from his lungs.
A strong arm scoops him up and out of the water before he can thrash for more than a second. In a whirl of movement, Tobias finds himself still drenched but out of the water. He cracks his eyes open, panting hard and shuddering through shocks of pain. His clenched hands hold onto thick, creamy fur.
“Tobias!” Nia coughs, seated atop Beck’s stomach as well and dripping audibly. “Are you all right?”
Tobias wipes his mouth with a shaky hand. Ugh. “Fantastic.”
Nia’s paw lands lightly on his shoulder, but even that touch feels overly sensitive and raw. He jerks away with a hiss and she whispers a string of apologies.
Tobias takes a moment to catch his breath and calm his pounding heart. As the water falls off his body, the painful burn on his skin starts to die down to a more manageable ache. Finally, he looks around.
Beck, lying on his back, is watching Tobias with concern. Nia, sitting next to him on the floatzel’s belly, wears a similar expression. Carnelian is shivering as far away as he can get on their makeshift raft, tipping his backpack to clear it of water.
Nori seems to have caught Ignatius before the torkoal could get similarly dunked. Cas is floating anxiously next to Cordelia in the water. Most everyone’s eyes are on Tobias, so he flushes and forces himself to sit up straight so he can look around.
They’re in a room filled with stream water, the surface finally calming down after their sudden entrance. Two hallways branch off on either side.
“Everyone all right?” Tobias rasps.
Cordelia arches a brow. “You’re asking us?”
Tobias takes that as affirmation and scowls down one hallway, then the other. There really isn’t any rhyme or reason to how he and Nia usually pick directions in dungeons, so he points Beck in the direction of the one he sees grasses poking out of farther down.
“We can wait here a moment for you to catch your breath,” Beck starts.
Tobias shakes his head. “We shouldn’t. It’s best to keep moving in a dungeon or we might get ambushed. I’m fine. Go.”
Beck’s gaze flicks to Nia. The riolu looks like she wants to agree with Beck, but Tobias gives her a hard look so she doesn’t argue.
Finally, Beck swims down the pointed direction. Cordelia and Nori follow quietly behind. When they reach land, Tobias gratefully stumbles onto the marshy ground. His limbs are still a bit shaky and his skin feels tight and uncomfortable, but he’s fine all in all.
A rustle ahead is their only warning before a new, bipedal green Pokemon shambles out of the grass, something oddly rhythmic to its steps. The lilypad atop its head and its bright pink beak tip Tobias off.
“Lombre,” he hisses, he and Nia moving into defensive stances. “Water and grass type.”
The lombre chitters aggressively when it sees them with its milky eyes. It lunges. Nia meets it head-on with a burst of aura, then dances out of range.
The lombre turns on Tobias and sucks in a breath, clearly about to spit out a water type move. Tobias braces to dodge.
They're interrupted by the sound of crashing water, and then a bright blue streak slams into the lombre and sends it rolling into the tall grass. Tobias blinks, stunned, as blue water splatters to the ground and Beck cuts off his aqua jet attack to land on four paws.
Beck glances at Tobias and opens his mouth to say something, but he's cut off by a bright green ball of energy as it shoots from the safety of the grass and hits him hard. The floatzel stumbles back into the wall of the dungeon, then slides down to the ground.
“Beck!” Nia calls, distraught.
Nori is already moving to Beck’s side, so Tobias decides she can handle that. He focuses back on the fight with the lombre, only to hear a startled squeak from behind him, near the back of their group.
He looks just in time to see a blue Pokemon—a tirtouga?—spitting attacks at Cordelia and Cas. Cas hides behind Cordelia as she turns on the tirtouga with a snarl.
“I got ‘em!” Nia shouts, using quick attack to flash past Tobias. She leaps out over the water, staff arcing high over her head, and Tobias has a good feeling she’s going to hit her mark.
Tobias turns back to his own fight as a water gun shoots from the grass, narrowly missing him. He growls. If his opponent is hiding, he should just burn the feral's cover to the ground. But lombre are half water type and the grass is probably too wet to catch, so—
Dragon rage it is.
Tobias sucks in a lungful of air and releases it in a stream of purple fire. The flames catch on the damp grass much easier than regular fire would, quickly scaring the lombre out.
Tobias takes his shot amidst the feral’s panic and shoots off another dragon rage. The lombre shrieks under the fresh onslaught. Tobias rushes forward and spins, slamming the feral into the dungeon wall with his tail.
Tobias pants in the ensuing quiet, watching the lombre for a moment to be sure it’s down. Then he looks behind him.
Nia is paddling through the stream back towards land, waterlogged but no worse for wear. Cordelia pulls her out. The little quaxly in her arms is clearly spooked but seems unharmed.
Nia hurries immediately to Beck’s side, kneeling across from Nori. “Is he all right?”
The floatzel groans at the sound of her voice, eyes fluttering open. His gaze is bleary and unfocused.
“Beck?” Nia prompts.
The floatzel closes his eyes, scrunching up his snout. “‘M fine, Hazel. Stop worrying. Where’re the kids?”
Nia stills. She stares at Beck with a stunned expression. “H-Hazel?”
“His mate,” Nori says, watching the way Beck is blinking back to reality. “I suppose you do sound a bit like her.”
“His mate,” Nia murmurs, frowning. Tobias can tell that this info means something to her. The name Hazel is actually tickling something in the back of his mind, too, though he can't quite pin it down.
Cas escapes Cordelia’s protective hold and scampers to Beck’s side. “Are you okay, Beck?”
Something about the quaxly’s voice seems to clear Beck's mind. The floatzel shakes his head and slowly props himself up on his arms. He gives Cas a shaky smile. "I’m fine, dewdrop.”
“I’ll decide if you’re fine,” Nori says, pushing Beck back down with a webbed hand against his chest. “Follow my finger.”
Beck sighs but patiently follows her instructions as she checks for a concussion. Once she deems him safe to move, Beck climbs to his feet with a groan, using the shifting wall of mud and grasses to stand.
Good. He’s up. That means Tobias can chew him out.
“Beck.”
“Yeah?”
“What was that?!” Tobias snaps. “I told you to stay back and let us handle the fighting!”
Beck winces. “I…was worried about you facing a water type. Especially right after falling in.”
Tobias jerks an angry thumb over his shoulder.
Beck follows the gesture. Smoke is rising from the ashes of the large patch of grass Tobias just burned, purple embers still sparkling. The lombre is knocked out cold to the side.
“Riolu one-hit KO’d a tirtouga, too,” Cordelia laughs, glancing over her own shoulder to the water.
Beck blinks, then barks a laugh. “Well. Suppose I look a bit foolish right now.”
“…What.”
“You two said you could handle yourselves, and it looks like you were right. Sorry for doubting you.”
Nia beams. “That's all right! I know we’re not, uh...all that intimidating.”
"Speak for yourself," Tobias grumbles, rubbing at his face. Unsatisfied anger burns in his belly as all the wind leaves his sails. It doesn’t feel right to go on a tirade if the floatzel just…immediately apologizes. “Whatever. Just…don’t do it again.”
“Not planning to. That knock to the noggin hurt.”
“We should rethink how we travel,” Nori says, her quiet voice heavy enough to cut through their conversation. “If we continue this way, we have to worry about the back half of the group getting ambushed.”
“Yeah,” Nia agrees, frowning.
Tobias and Nia haven’t really taken many escort missions through dungeons—and especially not with a group this large—so they didn’t think about it beforehand, but…
“You’re right. We need a better formation,” Tobias says, crossing his arms. “Who here has experience fighting? Actual fighting, not just friendly spars.”
Nia, ridiculously, raises her paw. Tobias gives her a dry look until she lowers it again.
Cordelia snorts. “I can fight if I have to, but my first priority is keeping an eye on Cas and my crew.”
Tobias nods. “That works. Cas will stay in the middle of the group, so stick with him.”
Cas pouts but doesn’t argue.
“Nori and I are in decent shape, but we aren’t used to fighting often,” Beck says. “As you just saw.”
Ignatius puffs a wisp of smoke. “Hate to say it, but I’m probably as weak as Cas at my age.”
Tobias nods, looking between everyone and calculating. With Nia’s abysmal sense of direction, Tobias needs to be in the front of the group to direct them. But they do need someone to watch their backs, too, and Tobias trusts no one else but Nia for that. The most vulnerable members should be sandwiched in the middle when possible.
“In that case, I’ll take point. Nia, you take back. Cas, Cordelia, Ignatius and, uh…Carnelian. You all need to be in the middle. Beck and Nori, you flank me and Nia.”
“And when we’re in the water?” Beck asks.
Tobias hesitates.
“Well, we can’t do the same formation in the water,” Nia says, half to herself. She jumps when she realizes all eyes have turned to her. “C-Could we swap? Have Ignatius rides with Tobias and Beck up front and Carnelian and I go to the back with Nori? That way we don’t have to rearrange much when we get to land.”
To Tobias’ surprise, no one questions the idea, seeming to agree with both of their judgment calls.
After checking that Beck is good to go, they form up. Nia takes the rear, giving Tobias a thumbs-up. Nori moves in front of her with a quiet comment that makes her smile. Carnelian shuffles nervously in front of them, clutching his backpack close. Then it’s Cordelia, the croconaw keeping little Cas right in front of her, then Ignatius. Finally, Beck stands right behind Tobias, the floatzel acting as a taller lookout. He gives him a nod, all his previous uncertainty with Tobias’ abilities seemingly gone.
Huh. Tobias feels kind of proud about how well that went. He’s still uneasy about how large of a group they’re leading through, but they’ll just have to try their best and hope they make it out with minimal injuries.
“All right,” Tobias says, trying to sound more confident than he feels. “Let’s go.”
Chapter 52
Summary:
Tobias and Nia lead the crew of the Aqua Jet through the dungeon, fighting their way back home.
Chapter Text
With the group's formation for the dungeon officially decided, they quickly fall into a rhythm.
Each time they reach a patch of land the riders separate from the swimmers and line up as instructed. When they reach the next patch of water, they regroup. Tobias keeps a sharp eye out for ferals and directs them the best he can, and Nia follows suit from the back of the party, making sure they don’t get attacked from behind again. Tobias trusts Beck, Nori, and Cordelia to keep an eye out underwater for anything that might be lurking there.
Tobias is just glad that he knows dragon rage, because he’s certainly getting a lot of use out of it. The move wears him out quicker than everything else in his arsenal, but it’s powerful and—most importantly—effective against the many water types they come across.
Considering how quickly everything could’ve gone sideways from the start, Tobias thinks it’s actually going pretty smoothly.
It would be going a lot smoother if Cordelia didn’t insist on attacking every feral they see and dragging the entire group into a fight. Tobias glares at the croconaw the first time she does it. The second time, he hisses for her to leave the ferals alone. After the third fight Cordelia starts for no reason, Tobias shoves past half their group to poke a finger into the croconaw’s chest.
“Would you stop attacking?!”
Cordelia crosses her arms. “This is dangerous territory—you said yourself that we need to keep moving to avoid getting ambushed. We should try to get the jump on them when we can.”
“They don’t need jumped! We need to avoid fights when we can!”
Cordelia doesn’t respond, but the set of her thick jaw and her narrowed eyes speak to how stupid she finds his argument.
Tobias throws up his arms. “Look—with a group this big, and an unknown dungeon? It’s idiotic to attack every ‘mon we see. We need to conserve energy.”
Cordelia growls. “If we don’t attack then they will. I could see that quagsire scheming!“
“He was asleep.”
“That’s what he wanted you to think!”
“Okay, okay, break it up,” Beck cuts in, physically stepping between them. He manages to look calm despite the tension in the air. “Delia? One stubborn ‘mon to another—listen to Tobias. He’s more experienced with navigating mystery dungeons. There’s no reason to go rarin’ for a fight if we don’t need to.”
Tobias shoots Cordelia a smug look under Beck’s arm. She wrinkles her snout.
“Y’know,” Nia cuts in. “I’m sure it’s not helping that we haven’t eaten. Why don’t we make a stop by the next set of stairs for a break?”
“All our food’s on the ship,” Ignatius grumbles.
“We have a few apples packed in our bag,” Tobias sighs. “We’ll have to make do with those.”
When they finally reach the next set of stairs, they make sure the room is clear of ferals before settling down by the exit for a quick getaway to the next floor.
They only have three apples packed to split between the eight of them, but Cordelia slices them into halves with her claws. Tobias gives her a look.
“I don’t need one, and the sableye doesn’t eat fruit. Right?”
The sableye jumps as everyone looks to him, then nods. “I-I’m not hungry anyways.”
Nia gives Cordelia a worried frown. “But won’t you get hungry? You need to keep your strength up.”
“She’s right, y’know,” Ignatius huffs, a cloud of smoke following the breath. “Stubborn girl.”
Cordelia pointedly ignores the torkoal and gets up with a grunt to patrol the hallways leading out of the room. Tobias is about to follow her and stuff his apple half down the stupid captain’s throat when Beck yanks him back down.
“What—“
“Save your breath. Not the first time Delia’s decided to be a martyr for the crew. If we haven’t been able to change her mind, you definitely won’t.”
Tobias wants to argue, but he glances at Cas and Nori, and even they have bitten into their apples with resigned expressions.
“That’s stupid,” Tobias growls, sitting down. He scorches his apple slice with a quick burst of fire before biting into the warmed fruit.
Beck shrugs. “Maybe. But she’s our captain for a reason. I’ll keep an eye on her.”
The apple makes the fatigue lapping at Tobias’ heels a bit less noticeable. They wrap up the snack quickly and move on to the next floor as soon as everyone is finished.
The next three floors are uneventful. Their formation works well for defending the group, and Tobias is grateful that only about half the ferals they run into are water types. His dragon rage is getting a lot more use and he feels himself draining quicker than usual, but he tries to keep moving forward at a steady pace.
They’re crossing another patch of grassy land when Tobias suddenly feels the ground underfoot shift with a distinct click. He looks down, panicked, at the faint square outline of a trap hidden beneath the grass.
Then the world spins and Tobias stumbles as he finds himself at the edge of a waterway notably different from his previous location. Beck, Ignatius, and little Cas stagger into being around him.
The back half of their group is nowhere to be seen.
“Great,” Tobias hisses.
“D-Delia?” Cas squeaks, looking around. He trips closer to Beck, looking up at the floatzel with wide eyes. “Where’d everyone else go?”
Beck looks to Tobias, brow furrowed.
Tobias sighs. “Probably a warp panel. There must be a psychic type on this floor who set it as a trap.”
“So the others..?”
“Should still be on this floor. We’ll just have to find them before moving on.”
Ignatius grumbles about his aching feet. Beck wordlessly scoops the torkoal up to carry him. Cas glues himself to the floatzel’s side.
Tobias nods, then turns to head down the grassy corridor, glad at least that they weren’t dropped into water this time. This is an annoying setback, but as long as they can reunite and keep moving, it’s nothing more.
Beck does a decent job warding off any ferals that approach from behind in Nia's absence, holding his own until Tobias can rush back to fling an ember or slash and take them out.
When they reach the next stretch of water, Beck ferries all three of them across with only a little strain. As soon as they touch shore Tobias hears something familiar.
Voices. The rustle of footsteps through grass, quiet but not as silent as most ferals tend to tread.
Tobias runs, following the noise down the hall, turning a corner and—
“Tobias!” Nia yelps, barely sidestepping him before they collide.
“Nia!” Tobias breathes, eyes flicking over her form before moving over her shoulder. He’s relieved to see her unhurt, but... “What happened to Cordelia and the sableye?”
Only Nori stands behind Nia, the golduck giving him a silent nod. Cas makes an excited chirp and runs to hug her leg.
“Cordelia ran off as soon as she noticed Cas warped somewhere else,” Nia says, giving Beck and Ignatius a strained smile over Tobias’ shoulder. “Carnelian panicked when we got attacked and bolted.”
Tobias curses under his breath. “This is why we don’t take escort missions.”
“Noted,” Nia says, voice edged with nervous laughter.
Another sound in the distance catches everyone’s attention. It sounds like…the rush of a water type move. Battle. It can’t be far.
Tobias and Nia exchange glances before heading for it. When they track down the room it’s coming from, they see Cordelia slamming into a bibarel with a powerful waterfall that knocks him hard into the wall of the dungeon. The bibarel slumps, unconscious.
Cordelia is breathing hard but turns with her formidable teeth bared when she hears footsteps. Then she falters, eyes skimming over the group before locking onto Cas. All at once, the tension outlining her body slackens.
“Oh, thank Kyogre.”
“Delia!” Cas sprints to her as fast as his little legs can carry him. Cordelia scoops him up and tucks him against her neck.
She looks back to the group, gaze skimming once more over each of them. “Just missing the sableye, then.”
Nia nods. “He got spooked. He can’t have gotten too far on his own, though.”
“Let’s hope not,” Cordelia mutters.
“Could just leave him,” Ignatius says, surprisingly casual.
Tobias and Nia both recoil from the suggestion. But where Nia looks horrified, Tobias’ face creases with anger.
“We aren’t leaving anyone!”
“We aren’t leaving the sableye,” Cordelia agrees, voice firm. She gives the torkoal a hard look. Ignatius shrugs, seemingly unbothered.
“Nori and I found the stairs back that way earlier,” Nia says, glancing over her shoulder. “So if we can find Carnelian quickly, we at least know where to go next.”
Tobias follows her gaze, trying to catalogue the general direction for later.
“I made a loop around that way,” Cordelia adds, pointing off in the opposite direction. “Didn’t see the little guy there.”
“He could be on the move,” Tobias mutters. But that still leaves a fourth hallway that no one seems to have traveled down yet. Might as well start there.
“This way. Back into formation,” Tobias says.
The group, clearly more tired than they were just a few floors ago, trudges back into order. Tobias takes a breath, then moves to lead them.
They run into two more ferals in the next few rooms—a parasect and a stunky that, luckily, don’t land any of their poison moves.
Then they hear a shrill, terrified shriek, just down the hall.
Tobias’ head snaps up. He bolts, hearing the rest of the group follow, moving loudly through the brush and puddles.
Tobias rounds the corner into a new room, and quickly takes in the picture in front of him.
They’ve found Carnelian. Unfortunately, the sableye has also found a massive crawdaunt. The large red water type is scarred, clearly an experienced fighter. It has the sableye pinned to the ground with one claw dwarfing his entire body. The other pincer is raised high, ready to finish him.
Type advantage or not, a blow like that could easily kill the frail ghost type. And they aren’t close enough to stop it.
If Nia weren’t at the back of the group, maybe she could use quick attack—
Or if Beck hadn’t frozen behind him with a choked breath—
Or if Tobias could—
If Tobias could—
Tobias wills the tired fire in his belly to burn hotter, desperation stoking it with a single quick breath. He braces himself. Molds his mouth into a whistle rather than the usual open mouthed breath of his ember.
Then he shoots a ball of flames lightning-quick across the room. It hits the crawdaunt in the back of the head and makes it flinch.
Tobias stares, panting, as the crawdaunt whips around with an angry chitter.
Did…did he just learn flame burst?
The crawdaunt abandons the cowering sableye and charges across the room. Tobias runs to meet it, opening up the entrance to the hall so Nia can step in to help.
The crawdaunt lunges, and Tobias rolls out of the way of its pincer. The crater it leaves in the dirt makes his heart skip a beat. They can't let themselves get hit by that.
Tobias darts in to try slashing at the feral. His claws barely scratch the crawdaunt’s tough carapace, almost bouncing off of it.
Tobias curses and steps back. Out of the corner of his eye, he sees Beck hurrying over to scoop up Carnelian and carry the sableye out of harm’s way. Good.
The crawdaunt takes a breath and shoots out a jet of scalding water. It clips Tobias on the arm, and he hisses as he darts forward to roll under the crawdaunt’s tan underbelly and out the other side.
He has to use his dragon rage—it’s the only move in his arsenal that will even hurt this thing. But he can feel his dragon type energy running dangerously low, and knows he only has a few shots left. He was hoping to conserve them.
Guess he doesn’t have much of a choice.
Tobias inhales deep and releases a plume of purple flames that—finally—make the crawdaunt falter.
Right after, a blur of blue and black slams into the crawdaunt, right near the golden star topping its head. The force of the quick attack nearly manages to topple the water type, Nia rolling past it and clumsily back to her paws.
“About time,” he huffs.
“Sorry,” she pants. “Was dealing with something else.”
Tobias nods, eyeing the crawdaunt as it steadies itself. The quick attack seemed to do as little as his slash. Its hide must be tough—probably a higher defense than special defense.
“Water type?” Nia calls, dodging a heavy claw.
“Something else, too. Fighting, maybe? Or dark. Can’t remember.”
The crawdaunt is taking turns lunging at one of them and then the other. Tobias dodges and lashes out with a lick of purple flames that makes it stumble.
“It might be weaker to special attacks,” Tobias calls, cashing in on his guess.
Nia grunts as she deflects a claw with her aura staff. “Got it!”
Tobias knocks one of the crawdaunt’s legs out from under it with a swing of his tail, then skips back as it shoots another jet of water his way.
While it’s distracted, Nia forms a ball of aura in her paws and flings it into the crawdaunt’s side. It garbles something angrily and takes another swing at Nia that she barely dodges.
“Tough,” Nia huffs.
“No kidding.”
The two of them dart in and out to fight the water type. Tobias hears battling behind him too, where the rest of the group is, and hopes that Beck, Nori, and Cordelia can handle whatever attacked them. He and Nia have their hands full as is.
Nia finally gets knocked aside by one of the pincers. She wasn’t hit head-on, thankfully, but still hard enough to send her rolling across the grass.
“You all right?” Tobias shouts. He shoots another dragon rage at the crawdaunt, but his flames sputter. He’s almost out. Exhaustion drags heavy at his limbs.
Nia shakes her head, but it’s more of a grounding gesture than a no. She stumbles back to her paws, then braces herself. Tobias can see a glint of something in her eyes, and that makes him nervous.
Before he can worry about it too much, Nia darts forward with another quick attack, slamming hard into the crawdaunt. This time, the crawdaunt is sent skidding back. It’s a notable difference from the first time she hit it.
Tobias pauses, panting, and looks at Nia. The riolu is grinning with a victorious expression. Looks like she figured something out.
When the crawdaunt lumbers back to its feet, it’s visibly unsteady. Finally slowing down.
Nia and Tobias move forward to attack again. They both focus on quick, weaker moves to chip away at it while staying out of range.
Nia is the one to finish it, forming a much larger than usual sphere of bright blue aura in her paws. She shoots it at the crawdaunt, and it explodes against the water type with a flash of light.
The crawdaunt goes down, landing with a heavy rustle in the lush grass.
Tobias takes a moment to be sure it’s knocked out. Then, he slumps to the ground to catch his breath. Nia stumbles over and flops down beside him.
“What,” he gasps. “Was that about?”
Nia laughs. “I figured out work up!”
Tobias blinks. “Really? From Cas?”
Nia nods, grinning.
Tobias snorts. “Cool. I think I learned flame burst.”
“New move buddies!” Nia cheers, falling over completely, clearly exhausted and half-loopy with adrenaline.
Tobias barks a laugh, weakly raising a fist. “New move buddies. Sure.”
Tobias finally remembers that they aren’t alone, and looks over to find the rest of their group. Luckily, they all seem to be in one piece, even if Cordelia is limping a bit and Beck is scuffed and muddy.
“Everyone all right?” Tobias asks.
“This one would be better if she would’ve eaten something,” Beck snorts, giving Cordelia an unimpressed look.
The croconaw curls her lip and gives him a glare in return.
“Carnelian?” Nia asks.
Tobias finally notices the sableye huddled up against the floatzel’s belly and shivering with fear. The ghost type jumps at the question, visibly shaking, but nods.
Cordelia whistles. She’s looking past them, at the crawdaunt they’d downed. “Nice work.”
“Thanks,” Nia huffs, struggling to her feet. She holds out a paw to help Tobias up after her.
He feels exhausted. Utterly drained. What he wouldn’t give to make a nest in the corner of the room and go to sleep right now.
“We’d better keep moving,” he says instead.
Everyone nods, clearly equally fatigued. They get back into order, and Tobias turns their group around to head back the way they came, to where Nia and Nori said they’d seen the stairs.
Tobias tries to avoid battles entirely on the following floors. They’re all tired and they can’t afford any real injuries. All conversation has petered out by this point, everyone just trying to conserve their breath.
They’re on the 19th floor—or maybe the 20th—when Tobias hears a barely-there rustle ahead, and freezes. The line stops behind him.
A little Pokemon stumbles out of the grass, squeaking a hiss when it notices their group. It’s a blue nidoran. A tiny one, no more than a baby. Its eyes are white and mindless, tiny barbs raised with poison.
Tobias can’t look away from the scratch across its side, bleeding sluggishly against pale blue skin. He doesn’t know if it was attacked or just injured by the environment. It wouldn’t take much to hurt something so fragile.
Tobias swallows against a lump in his throat. He has a soft spot for kids, so of course his first instinct is to help. But he can guess how it’ll react in its feral state. How it’ll spit and bite and poison anyone that comes near until it can wriggle free and flee in blind fear.
Could they take the nidoran kit along? Everything in him recoils at the thought of having to knock out a child, and he doesn’t even know when they’ll be able to get to the guild. What if he just makes it worse trying to relocate her?
A louder rustle of brush and a single heavy stomp is their only warning before a much larger, darker blue Pokemon emerges from the brush, towering over even Beck and Nori.
A nidoqueen.
Tobias tenses up now for an entirely different reason. He throws out an arm, hearing everyone behind him hold their breath. The silence is heavy.
The nidoqueen rumbles a low growl that Tobias can feel in his chest. She steps forward to plant herself between them and her child.
They’re at a standstill. Tobias is torn between anxiety that she’ll attack their already weakened group, and relief that the nidoran has anyone to defend her at all. Even relatively mindless, at least feral Pokemon seem to protect their young.
Slowly, the nidoqueen lowers her body. For a heart-stopping moment, Tobias thinks she’s preparing to charge. But then he hears the scratch of tiny claws on hard armor and sees the nidoran climb atop the nidoqueen’s back to settle between her plates. Now that she’s hunched over, Tobias spots a second purple lump already clinging to her: another nidoran.
Tobias wonders if any other kids got lost in this chaos. His chest squeezes.
The nidoqueen rises and turns as if to leave. Tobias steps forward, panicked.
That scratch on the nidoran, it…it’s nothing that would kill the kit on its own, but it’s only been an hour or two since the dungeon started. It could be weeks until their minds clear. What if it gets infected? What if she gets hurt more?
The nidoqueen’s head snaps back to him, thick teeth bared and accompanied by a warning growl.
“Tobias!” He hears Nia whisper-yell.
Tobias lowers his eyes and reaches slowly into their satchel. He feels around until he finds what he’s looking for. Then he crouches, slow. Slow. And gently rolls the oran berry forward so it stops just in front of the nidoqueen.
The nidoqueen hisses, hunching lower and flexing her claws. But then she pauses, sniffing the air. Her blank white gaze flicks down to the blue fruit and back up.
Tobias doesn’t dare move.
The nidoqueen reaches out to snatch the oran berry. She gives it one more sniff before gently biting into it to hold it in her mouth.
She glances at Tobias one more time. Her eyes are still blank, and there isn’t a shred of anything like gratitude or confusion present. Just primal wariness.
But she has the oran berry. Even at a baser level, she probably knows to feed it to her injured kit. It’s the best they can do.
The nidoqueen huffs and continues on through the grass. Her heavy steps quickly fade, and Tobias can feel the tension of the group follow.
Nia, who had apparently snuck closer to stand as Tobias’ backup, sighs. “I was really hoping we wouldn’t have to fight them.”
Tobias nods, trying to put the nidoran kit out of mind. “…Let’s keep moving.”
Nia must be able to tell where his mind is, because she reaches out to squeeze his hand before moving back to the tail of the group.
Tobias is just grateful his partner is enough of a bleeding heart to not get upset about his poor decision to waste their second-last oran berry. She probably would’ve done the same.
Or maybe she’s thinking about the same thing Tobias is. Thinking about how all of these Pokemon are only endangered because of the weakening dimensional border. How it’s only going to get worse from here. If that nidoran survives her time in the dungeon, she’ll die all the same if the border breaks entirely.
Tobias blows out a breath. Then, he forces his feet forward. He doesn’t have time to think about this right now.
Tobias enters an exhausted haze after that encounter. He still tries to pay attention as he leads the group through the dungeon, but he knows he isn’t as alert as usual, and they’re only 20 or so floors in. He tries not to think about what they’ll do if this dungeon is a freak incident and is a hundred floors deep. How they’ll survive. He tries not to think much at all, to conserve mental energy.
Once or twice, Beck and Nori step in when they run into another feral. Tobias knows he must look dead on his feet for them to do so, but he can’t find it in himself to be upset about the help. He’s stubborn, but not a total idiot.
He is enough of an idiot to not even realize they’re out of the dungeon at first.
He just starts walking after they warp, picking a direction. It takes a solid ten steps before he realizes he isn’t in a room, or a corridor. Half-convinced he’s hallucinating, Tobias blinks and looks behind him.
Everyone else seems similarly baffled, looking around with wide eyes. But no, the forest around them is open and unstructured. Natural. Tobias can hear the dull roar of the river nearby.
“Are…are we out?” Cas asks.
There’s a heavy silence before Nori nods.
Nearly all of them slump to the leaf-littered ground, a collective breath of tension leaving them. Tobias tilts his head back against the closest tree and just. Takes a moment.
They made it. He and Nia got the group through the dungeon safely. He didn’t realize how much pressure he’d felt to do so until it was lifted.
After what seems like barely a minute but is likely longer, Cordelia suggests they head back to the river.
“It’ll be the best way to navigate our way north,” she adds once she sees Tobias’ doubtful look. “We follow the river upstream, and we find civilization.”
Tobias, unfortunately, can’t argue with that. With a groan, he drags himself to his feet and trudges through the greenery of the forest beside Nia. Cordelia, even hungry and sporting a limp, can take charge out here. He’s too tired to fight her for the leadership position.
When they get to the river itself, all of the water types relax at the sight of the familiar waterway. As they take another moment to recharge, Cordelia crosses her arms with a thoughtful sound.
“What?” Nia asks.
“Just thinking.” The croconaw turns her head to scan Nori and Beck. “How’re you two feeling?”
Beck straightens. “All right. Little tired.”
Nori just gives her a nod.
Cordelia looks back out over the water. “The river is still high here, but it’s a bit calmer. How do we feel about swimming it?”
Tobias feels his face pale. “Swimming it?”
Cordelia snorts. “Not you, of course. We’d carry you, like we did in the dungeon.”
Tobias doesn’t feel very comfortable with the idea. Or comfortable at all. Whereas the water in the dungeon was relatively calm, this river is still surging quick and frothy and strong. He falls into that and he’s almost definitely dead unless one of the water types rescue him.
“We trusted you to cover us in the dungeon,” Cordelia says, voice confident but not antagonistic for once. “Trust us to get you back north.”
Tobias swallows. “Why can’t we just walk?”
“We could,” Cordelia snorts. “But we’d be moving twice as slow. And using more energy to boot, walking up and down the slopes and around brambles.”
“What about the boat?” Cas asks, voice small.
Cordelia sighs, ruffling the quaxly’s blue head feathers. “We’ll have to wait for the dungeon to pass and hope it makes it out in one piece. Nothing we can do about it as is.”
“Delia has a point,” Beck cuts in. “Water travel would be easier and quicker.”
“Really?” Nia asks. “Even if you have to swim with us on your back?”
“Yup,” Beck says with a wink. “We’re made for the water. We’ll just have to take breaks every few hours.”
“Nori?” Cordelia checks.
“I’m fine with that,” Nori says, quiet as usual.
Nia glances at Tobias, as if to question if he’s all right with this plan. He isn’t, and he knows that if he insisted on walking Nia would stick with him. The whole crew probably would, honestly, but it’s objectively the worse decision.
“Fine,” he mutters. “You’d better not drop me, though.”
“Or me,” Ignatius huffs.
Oh, right. Tobias is perversely glad that there’s at least one other fire type dealing with this less-than-ideal situation.
They move back into a similar formation as the one they used in the dungeon. Cas, of course, hops on Cordelia’s shoulder. Nia, Tobias, and Carnelian go with Beck. Ignatius, heavier than the three of them combined, crawls onto Nori’s back.
Then, with one last look around and an instruction to call for a break as soon as needed, they’re ready to go.
Cordelia leads the way, slipping silently into the dull roar of the river. Nori follows, Ignatius crouched low against her blue feathers.
Beck slinks into the water after them, cutting easily through the current. His tails spin and his body weaves gently side-to-side, and if Tobias didn’t feel so on-edge he’d admire how smoothly Beck is navigating such rough waters.
As is, Tobias scoots closer to the middle of Beck’s back, tail curled tightly around his middle. The water is so close, barely below the level he’s sitting on. Every few seconds, the river sprays high enough to mist painfully against Tobias’ skin.
“Here,” Nia says, offering Tobias his poncho from their satchel. He didn’t even hear her rustling through it.
“Thanks,” Tobias murmurs, pulling the leafy green garment over his head. While his heart slams against his chest still at the closeness of the water, he’s relieved to have the burning cool spray of the river gone.
Nia settles in, pressed against his side. Carnelian sits closer to Beck’s tails, curled around his backpack and dead silent.
“All right?” Nia whispers.
Tobias jerks a nod. He’s as all right as he’s going to get. At least it’s getting close to evening, so they probably won’t be able to travel too long before stopping for the night.
Nia reluctantly leaves Tobias alone to check on Carnelian. The sableye jumps when Nia addresses him, but nods as she asks if he’s all right.
“You didn’t get hurt earlier?”
Carnelian hesitates.
Nia frowns. “What hurts?”
Carnelian shakes his head. “I-I’m okay, I just—just a bit bruised. When I breathe.”
Nia glances at Tobias, concern clear on her face.
Tobias sighs but reaches into their satchel and pulls out the last oran berry to hand over.
“Will this help?” Nia asks, voice soft. “Or can you not eat it?”
Carnelian is surprised enough to actually meet Nia’s eyes with his own creepy gemstone ones. “I-I can eat it, but…I couldn’t take your berry—“
“We want you to have it,” Nia presses. “If it hurts to breathe, that means something’s wrong. Please?”
Carnelian crumbles under the riolu’s sad expression. Not that Tobias can blame him.
The sableye reaches out to take the oran berry with shaky claws, glancing at Nia and then Tobias once more before eating it in two large bites. Immediately after, Tobias can see a bit of the wire-sharp tension loosen from the ghost type’s posture.
“Thank you,” Carnelian says.
“No problem,” Nia returns, smiling warmly. “So it did help, right?”
“Y-Yes. Berries don’t have all the daily nutrients sableye need, since minerals are the main part of our diet. But the healing properties still work.”
“Cool!” Nia says, smiling earnestly. Tobias could guess that she has a hundred follow-up questions that she’s only holding back for the sake of Carnelian’s nervous nature.
The sableye gives her a shaky smile in return before looking away.
Tobias snorts and looks back out over the river. If he wasn’t so terrified of falling into the swift current, he could see how traveling upstream like this could actually be…relaxing. In the late afternoon sun, between the white currents, the river shimmers with reflected bits of light. The trees on either side of the river cast long shadows, a warped mirror of the forest landscape. The dull roar of the water is constant enough to fade to something almost soothing.
Tobias can’t fully relax, but his tense muscles do loosen to something less stiff. As he starts to check back into the Pokemon around him, he notices Nia casting Beck hesitant looks. Every minute or so, her gaze moves back to his head, where his snout is half-submerged in the water. Her mouth opens then closes, as if to say something.
Finally, she speaks aloud. “Hey, Beck?”
The floatzel lifts his head to look back at them over his shoulder. “Yeah?”
“Can I ask you a question?”
“Don’t see why not! We certainly have the time.”
Nia smiles at the comment, but she’s clearly distracted. She takes a few moments to gather her thoughts, dipping her paw into the water. “Earlier, when you got hit in the dungeon, you called me Hazel.”
Beck looks surprised at that, his smooth swimming stalling before picking up again. “Oh. Well, apologies for that! Hazel’s my mate, y’see. And you…remind me of her quite a bit.”
“I’m not upset or anything,” Nia says, waving her paws in front of her. “If anything I’m flattered. But I just…” Nia trails off, frowning. She’s clearly weighing a question in her mind.
“You said you live up north, closer to the guild,” Nia finally blurts. “Would you happen to live in Afon’s Cap?”
For the second time, Beck’s swimming falters as he blinks back at Nia, clearly surprised. “…That I do.”
That seems to be all the confirmation Nia needs. She beams, leaning forward into Beck’s space. “Then that means—are you Hazel’s husband? The raichu? Your daughter’s a pikachu named Margot, right? A-And your grandkids are Tommy and Theo?”
Beck grins back, equally delighted. “You know my family? How wonderful! How did you meet them?!”
Tobias would like to know, too, giving Nia a perplexed look. She said Afon’s Cap, right? When they went there, it was before they really restarted their team, when he was still being a major jerk.
Funny, how that feels like so long ago now.
Nia wanted to go there so bad to look for someone, a former human, and—
Hazel. Her name was Hazel. The psychic type raichu that Nia mailed a letter to asking for a human bed! Of course!
“Yeah! I went looking for her because—“
Tobias elbows Nia, and gives a pointed nod behind them at Carnelian’s quiet presence.
Nia falters, but then says, “W-Well, I wanted to ask her some questions. Advice, really. I’m from the same place she is!”
Beck’s eyes widen as he catches her meaning. “I had a feeling that was the case after you shook my paw so quickly! Picked up that fun little habit from Hazel.”
Nia giggles. Tobias vaguely recalls staring stupidly at Beck’s outstretched paw when they first met.
“She mentioned meeting a—“ Beck glances past them, at Carnelian. “A sweet young Pokemon looking for advice, but I never thought it would be you. What a coincidence! I can’t wait to tell her—she’ll be thrilled to know you’re out saving wayward crews like ours.”
“Tell her I said hi! Oh, and that Tobias and I worked out our issues!”
Tobias flushes at that comment, especially when Beck raises a wry brow in his direction.
“Ah, the troublemaking partner. You put Hazel in quite the mood for days, according to Mar.”
“Sorry,” Tobias huffs, sounding more petulant than repentant. He looks away, embarrassed.
Thankfully, Beck just chuckles and looks back to Nia. “You all come down and visit when you find the time, all right? The girls and my grandkids could always use more friends from outside the Cap.”
Nia, of course, seems thrilled at the thought, already chattering away about it. Tobias doesn’t say anything, instead turning his head to watch the river and the forested shoreline drift by in the approaching dusk.
It’s getting too dark for the water Pokemon to see properly in the water when they decide to pull off to shore. Beck drags himself onto the sandy riverside and collapses there.
Nia scrambles off his back to crouch by his head. “Are you okay?”
“Just tired,” he soothes, yawning.
Nia sits back, relieved, and watches Cordelia and Nori pull themselves onto land with equally fatigued movements.
“We’ll go look for food and wood to start a fire while you three catch your breath,” Tobias says.
Beck raises a paw to give her a thumbs-up. Nia laughs at the gesture and moves towards the treeline, beckoning Tobias after her.
“Can I come too?“ Cas asks, fluttering on their heels.
“Sure!”
“Well I’m stayin’ here,” Ignatius says, settling into the sand.
Tobias rolls his eyes, but grabs their satchel from where it had slipped off his shoulder. A few of their items spill out, and Tobias groans, probably more dramatically than he needs to.
Nia snickers. “Calm down. I’ve got it.”
She crouches to scoop up their wayward items, but pauses once she grabs one of their badges.
“What?” Tobias asks.
Nia doesn’t answer, but she does click their badge on. Tobias bends to see what’s caught her attention.
Oh. They’re in range of the guild now.
“Does that mean..?” Nia starts.
Tobias grins, feeling a relieved sort of exhaustion fall over him. He snatches the badge to look closer. Just to make sure.
They must’ve traveled farther north through that dungeon than they’d thought. They’re finally close enough to the guild for the psychics’ range to reach them.
“Hey!” Tobias calls, looking over at Cordelia’s crew.
The croconaw lifts her head, annoyed. “I thought you were going to find food.”
Tobias wiggles the badge in his hand. “We’ll do you one better. Anyone want a lift to the guild?”
That catches everyone’s attention.
“We’re close enough?” Nori asks.
Nia nods.
“Then what are you waiting for?!” Cordelia says. “Get over here!”
Even Tobias can’t find it in himself to get irritated with the croconaw. Not after the day they’ve had. Everyone gathers close together on the beach as Tobias and Nia prepare their badges to send out a pick-up request.
“All right. Ready?” Tobias asks.
"Make sure you’re touching one of us,” Nia adds. “Or each other. As long as there’s some connection, you should be fine.”
Tobias feels Nori’s cool, webbed hand land on his shoulder and Cas’ feathers against his leg. On three, Tobias and Nia send out their pickup request. The badge in Tobias’ hand glows, and he tightens his grip.
Then, in a flash of golden light, Tobias feels the familiar vertigo of psychic warping.
In an instant they’re back in a familiar room lit by the blue crystals from below the guild. The uneven wooden flooring underfoot is familiar, and the treelike architecture around them even more so.
A pair of abra look surprised to see them, staring at the extra six Pokemon they’ve brought along.
The left abra slumps, voice dry. “That explains the extra weight.”
The right one sighs. “Next time, please alert us if you’re bringing tagalongs.”
“Sorry,” Nia says, sheepish. “Actually, can you, um…show me how to do that?”
While the right abra does so, pointing at Nia’s badge with a claw, Tobias scans their party to make sure everyone made the journey. They did, and the other abra is already going through the usual guest spiel of marking down everyone’s names and species for the records, as well as telling Cordelia where to find the cafeteria and guest quarters.
For the first time since this morning, Tobias feels himself truly relax. Almost immediately, a wave of exhaustion follows. He cannot wait to go to sleep. And in their own soft nest! They haven’t been home in over a week, and there’s nothing like sleeping in your own nest.
When their group finally departs from the psychics’ quarters, they’re in high spirits. Cordelia is running her maw about food and Beck is laughing in response. Cas is looking around with wide eyes, and even Nori and Ignatius, the quietest of the crew, seem at ease.
“So,” Cordelia says, hands on her hips. “Riolu. Charmander. We don’t exactly have much to give you in thanks, considering the Aqua Jet is stranded at the moment. What say we waive your travel fee and let your guildmaster know you two deserve a heap of Seeker points or whatever your reward system is?”
Tobias snorts. Not a great deal, but better than nothing, he supposes. “Fine.”
“Are you heading out right away?” Nia asks, ears lowering.
Beck smiles and reaches out to put a paw on her head. “We’ll stay the night, but then we’ll probably head south. If we’ve gotta stick around somewhere for a few weeks to wait for the dungeon to pass, I want to see my family.”
“And we can at least take odd jobs around Afon’s Cap to earn some cash,” Cordelia adds.
“You’re welcome to join us if you’d like,” Beck offers.
Tobias can see that Nia wants to accept, but she shakes her head. “I…we have somewhere we need to be, unfortunately. Say hi to Hazel and everyone for me?”
Beck’s smile droops, but he doesn’t argue. “Will do. Just make sure you come visit in the future, all right? Hazel would love to talk to you again.”
Nia nods, brightening. “Of course! As soon as we can.”
“Good kid,” Beck says, pulling Nia into a hug. She goes willingly, burying her face in the floatzel’s fluffy chest.
When they part, Nia wipes at her eyes. “Are you sure you’ll be able to make it to Afon’s Cap all right on your own?”
Cordelia snorts. “We ain’t helpless, believe it or not. We’ll get directions and be just fine. It’s not far from here.”
“Thank you again,” Nori says, quiet voice commanding everyone’s attention. She offers them the barest hint of a smile. “For guiding us through the dungeon, and for the company.”
Cas gives them each a hug as well before the crew of the Aqua Jet heads off down the hall, waving their goodbyes and thanks.
“Come find us if you’re ever dying to get back on the water, Charmander!” Cordelia shouts.
Tobias rolls his eyes and turns back to Nia—
Only to realize that there’s still someone here, waiting for them to notice him.
“Oh!” Nia sniffs, wiping the last of tears out of her eyes. “Hey, Carnelian. Do you need something?”
Carnelian shuffles his feet and tugs at his backpack straps. Finally, he says, “Th-Thank you. For protecting me back in the dungeon.”
Nia exchanges a surprised look with Tobias. “Of course! It was no problem.”
“All part of the job,” Tobias adds.
Tobias is surprised when Carnelian shakes his head, voice adamant enough to lose its constant tremor. “No. To many, it’s not. Not for a ghost. I didn’t even hire you.”
Oh. Tobias gets what he means now, and suddenly he feels a hot bloom of shame in his chest for how suspicious and annoyed he’d felt about sableye for the first half of their trip. Ignatius’ lackadaisical suggestion to ditch the sableye in the dungeon comes back to him.
Nia’s ears pin, her eyes wide. “…I’m sorry. That you’ve, um…dealt with that before.”
Carnelian shakes his head, but his voice is back to its usual shaky warble. “I-I just wanted to thank you. And say that I don’t have much to offer, b-but if you ever need anything you think I can assist with, please don’t hesitate to ask.”
Nia smiles. “Well, thank you. We appreciate it. Beck mentioned you’re working up north?”
Carnelian nods, something almost like excitement lifting his head. “Yes! I-I’m something of a researcher of rocks and minerals. I was called in to analyze unusual crystal formations found under the Silenfroar Mountains. I should be there for at least a few months.”
“If we ever need to, uh…learn about rocks? Then we’ll keep you in mind,” Tobias says.
Nia elbows him for his awkward statement, and he gives her a pointed shrug. He wasn’t even trying to be snarky!
Nia gives Carnelian a smile. “We appreciate it, really. Safe travels north!”
Carnelian nods, a weak smile flickering across his face. Then he scurries off towards the guest quarters after the crew.
“He’s sweet,” Nia coos.
Tobias rolls his eyes. “He’s fine. A little nerdy.”
“I’m a little nerdy,” Nia counters, giving him a playful glare.
“Yeah, you are. Now. What first? Food? Sleep?”
Nia looks thoughtful. “…Maggie?”
Tobias stops. Thinks of his adoptive mother’s warm smile and relaxing scent. “Maggie. Definitely Maggie.”
The two of them move to take the stairs up to the medicinal floor, slowly for the sake of their exhausted bodies.
“You think she’d let us crash in her room tonight? Oh, but I guess Sage has our alcove now…”
Tobias scoffs. “Forget the alcove. Maggie would be thrilled if we camped out right next to her.”
Nia beams, picking up her pace for the next few steps and bouncing ahead. “Sleepover!”
“Only if she has food. No way am I going all the way down to the cafeteria and back up again.”
“When doesn’t Maggie have food?”
Tobias’ mouth twitches with a smile. “Fair point.”
Chapter 53
Summary:
Nia and Tobias have their mission. It's time to plan their next move, and get some training in while they're at the Lexym Guild.
Notes:
WE! ARE! BACK!!! :D Thank you so much for all the kind words and patience during the hiatus. I thought about giving y'all a heads-up that I would start posting Seekers chapters again (somewhere other than my tumblr, at least), but figured a surprise notification might be fun.
I'm really excited about what I have in store for the rest of Nia and Tobias' story, so I hope you enjoy where I take it from here. Time to get back to the Lexym Guild!
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
Telling Maggie about their trip to Asra and Shivergleam is a tense affair. The meganium stays quiet for most of it, but Nia can see her honey-gold eyes darken after each brush with danger that they skim over, clumsily trying to fill in the gaps left in their story.
Finally, what feels like hours later, they're finished. Quiet falls over the three of them.
With a forced sort of calm, Maggie asks, “Is that everything?”
“It’s all we know so far,” Tobias hedges. “Our plan right now is just to find Xerneas. Hopefully she can prevent any of this from happening. Or at least fix the dimensional border if it does break.”
If she doesn't, the world falls apart, Nia silently adds, knowing she doesn’t need to say it for it to be in the forefront of all their minds. Both the Pokemon world and the human world would be destroyed.
Nia fiddles with the soft fur of her tail, too nervous to look up at Maggie. The silence while the grass type digests everything is heavy.
Finally, Maggie sighs. Nia jumps.
“I’m going to need a hug after all of that,” Maggie says.
Nia finally looks up, relieved, and willingly scoots closer for the meganium to pull her into a hug with her vine. Nia leans against her petals, soft but firm, and breathes in her fresh floral scent. She sees Tobias getting the same treatment on Maggie’s other side.
Immediately, Nia feels a little better. Everything feels less dire when she's tucked against Maggie like this. It's still quiet, but a comforting sort of quiet. It’s only the three of them in the herbalist quarters at the moment, Sage having been politely shooed out of the room to grab some berries for breakfast once Maggie realized that neither Nia nor Tobias felt comfortable explaining their trip with the ivysaur present. Sage had taken the obvious excuse with grace, thankfully, and is taking his time in returning.
“Thank you for telling me.” Maggie says. She takes a deep breath, Nia lifting with the exhale. “I just wish you two weren’t thrown right in the middle of all this mess. You’re so young.”
“We’re not little kids,” Tobias mutters.
“Oh, don’t pout.”
“I'm not pouting!” Tobias says, absolutely pouting.
Nia turns her face into Maggie’s petals to stifle a laugh.
“When were you planning on talking to August about all of this?” Maggie asks.
Nia pulls away to look at Tobias. He seems as unsure as she feels.
“Should we tell him?” Tobias asks, crossing his arms. “We’re getting intel from a banished legendary, if he even believes we're telling the truth. And we don’t know that he’ll actually do anything even if he does believe us. He said he’d look into the fire that happened in Ghatha but nothing ever came from that.”
Nia has to admit that he has a point.
Maggie sighs. “Even if it’s not obvious, I’m sure August is doing all he can to help. And if this is something jeopardizing not only our guild but the entire Pokemon world, I promise you he would want to know about it.”
Nia and Tobias exchange a doubtful look.
Maybe sensing that they’re reluctant to talk to August and worried that they’ll try to put it off completely, Maggie only allows a quick breakfast of the berries Sage brings back before marching the two of them straight to August’s office herself. The rillaboom looks pleased to see them, a soft sort of relief on his face when he catches sight of Nia and Tobias safely back from their travels. His warm smile fades as he locks eyes with Maggie, though, his more casual posture straightening up. He waves them in without a word.
Verene seems to be out, so they’re the only ones present in the spacious office. The leaves weaving in and out of the wooden walls are a lovely gradient of warm autumnal tones.
August takes a seat behind his desk, chair creaking. “Welcome back, Team Scarlet. It’s good to see you both safe. I heard from the crew of the Aqua Jet and that little sableye that you both showed impressive prowess as Seekers yesterday.”
Nia murmurs a thank you. Tobias nods.
“However, gauging by your expressions, I must assume that’s not why you came to see me today,” August says. “A shame. I could do with some good news, for once. What can I help you with?”
Nia looks to Tobias, so he starts them off. Retells the story once more with Nia stepping in on occasion, trading the explanation back and forth.
They mention Asra, first, to explain everything that comes after. Giratina. The protective shell of this world weakening from a preemptive crack in the very fabric of the dimension. Nia and Tobias being assigned to find Xerneas in a desperate bid for hope.
August’s brow knits and falls lower and lower as he listens, chin resting on bridged fingers. By time they’re finally finished, Nia’s throat is dry. The same oppressive silence from before falls over the room, and it feels thick enough to choke on.
August’s amber eyes settle on Nia. “How sure are you that Giratina was telling the truth?”
Nia tries not to let her own doubt show on her face. “W-Well…I guess I don’t have any proof that he was? But he felt…honest. And it makes sense. Or at least more sense than anything else people have guessed for why the world is breaking down, right? Could anything else cause natural disasters and make evolution stop? Or force legendaries to go dormant?”
“You think Giratina would have something to gain from us seeking out Xerneas?” Tobias asks, eyes narrowing.
August sighs, raking his fingers back through his leafy mane. “That’s difficult to say. I’m no expert on either legendary.”
“But surely there’s enough here to merit a deeper look,” Maggie pipes up. “If Giratina is being honest, then…”
August lets a rush of air out through his nose. “It would be disastrous for us to ignore him, yes.”
The quiet returns like an itchy, ill-fitting sweater.
“I’ll ask Alistair and Tawny to look into it immediately,” August finally says. “If they feel that searching for Xerneas is likely to be of help and not just playing into Giratina’s schemes, then I’ll reach out to the other Guildmasters so we can plan from there.”
Nia lets out a breath. Knowing that they aren’t solely responsible for saving the whole world feels like the weight of the Lexym Tree itself being lifted off her shoulders. She kind of wants to cry. “Thank you.”
August nods. “Of course. I’m here for anyone in the guild, but a matter pertaining to the safety of the entire world? That is not to be treated lightly.”
“Speaking of safety,” Tobias says, in a tone that would be casual if it didn’t sound like it was barbed with thorns. “You said you were going to send someone to look into the fire at Ghatha, right? And other human discrimination. Anything ever come of that?”
August gives Tobias a dry look. “Put away your fangs, Tobias. I did indeed look into the matter.”
“And?”
“The investigation into the Ghatha fire has unfortunately gone cold. While they can assume it was a fire type at the convention who started it, Rai’s guild hasn’t been able to determine who was the culprit. They’ve marked it closed for now unless new information arises.”
"Yeah, and I'm sure that decision has nothing to do with the guy not liking humans," Tobias mutters.
August's eyes narrow. "Where did you hear that?"
Nia blinks, surprised, and exchanges a look with Tobias. August doesn't know? "Keegan mentioned it, back when we were in Ghatha."
"The guild's second-in-command," Tobias clarifies. "A ninetales."
"Hm." August looks past them for a moment, locking eyes with Maggie. Before Nia can figure out what the two older Pokemon are thinking, he speaks again. "That's not something I was aware of. What are your thoughts on Keegan? I haven't had the chance to speak with him myself."
"He was nice!" Nia says.
"A little too nice," Tobias scoffs.
August hums. "...Noted. Regardless, for now the investigation remains at a stand-still."
Tobias’ muzzle crinkles, mirroring Nia’s own displeasure. While this news isn’t entirely unexpected, it is unnerving, not knowing the Pokemon who made a very intentional effort on all of the human lives at the convention in Ghatha. What if they try something else in the future? The thought makes Nia feel…uneasy. Unsafe.
“My scouts did also confirm your claims regarding the general perception of humans in Ghatha. It seems the aggression towards them is increasing. Considering you saw the same in Asra, I can only assume the trend continues elsewhere as well.”
“But why?" Nia protests, voice cracking. "We aren't doing anything wrong!"
“I know,” August says, rubbing at his face. “We know you have nothing to do with what’s happening to our world, Nia. None of the humans do. But unfortunately, the natural disasters and mystery dungeons are only becoming more and more common. Pokemon are injured and frightened, and humans are a handy group to shoulder the blame.”
“It’s escalating, isn’t it?” Maggie cuts in, voice soft. “Not just the aggression. The natural disasters. The spread of mystery dungeons. The Haven hasn’t been hit too hard yet, but…”
August hesitates with a glance at Nia and Tobias. “Yes. Which would line up with what Giratina is claiming. The closer we get to the moment when the barrier of our dimension breaks, the more and more dangerous our world gets. And the more that tensions run high, the more rumors spread about whose fault it could be.”
Another silence. Nia can hear the walls of the Lexym Tree creak around them in the wind.
“What about Will?” Tobias asks. Nia looks at him, surprised that he’s even willing to bring up the yamask he dislikes so much.
“Ah, yes. You mentioned wanting to visit him to see if he has any leads in finding Xerneas. My scouts didn’t hear much about his group while in Ghatha, but they also couldn’t find many humans at all, seeing as they’re keeping a low profile.”
“I sent him a letter before we left for Asra,” Nia speaks up. “Telling him about Giratina trying to pull me into the distortion realm through the stream. A-And about me recovering some of my memories. If he’s written back by now, he probably left a way to find him, right?”
“Should we even bother seeing if he has information, though?” Tobias asks, face twisting. “If we know that we’re looking for Xerneas, what are the chances he knows something Alistair and Tawny and the other guilds don’t?”
“Can we risk not checking?” Nia murmurs.
Tobias doesn’t have an argument for that. “I guess just flying straight to see him ourselves would be faster than waiting for mail.”
August's hand strokes at his chin. “I believe Nia is right. We can’t risk missing a potential lead from a network of information outside of our own. If you are willing to track him down, then I approve your travel to seek him out in a few days’ time. I will have the guild cover your flight costs across the sea.”
“Why’re we waiting?” Tobias asks, frowning. “Shouldn’t we leave right away?”
August shakes his head. “I want to first discuss with Alistair and Tawny. If they believe seeking out Xerneas could be as beneficial as Giratina suspects, I’ll have them spread word to the other guilds to start an official search. If they believe we could be playing into a plot, then we’ll put a hold on seeking out any information.”
Nia and Tobias trade an uncertain look, but eventually agree.
The three of them depart the office shortly after, August giving them a distracted goodbye as he turns to some papers on his desk.
“So we have a few days until we can leave,” Tobias says, jumping right into it. “What’s our plan until then?”
“We should probably go to our quarters first, right?” Nia says. “To see if Will even wrote back?”
Tobias frowns, but nods.
They reach the medical floor, and Maggie stops, reminding Nia and Tobias that the meganium has a job to do elsewhere.
“Oh, don’t give me those yamper eyes,” Maggie laughs. She nuzzles the top of Nia’s head, then Tobias’. “I have a job to do as well! And I’ll still be right here if you want to stop in again later tonight.”
Tobias visibly relaxes at the reminder, and Nia thanks the meganium for her help. For listening.
“Of course! Someone has to look after you two, always running off into trouble,” Maggie says with a wink.
Nia turns to head down the stairs, but pauses when Tobias doesn’t follow. The charmander is hesitating, staring at Maggie with a conflicted expression. Then he darts forward to squeeze Maggie’s leg in a hug. The meganium seems as surprised as Nia is by the unusually open affection, but after a beat her expression softens. She lowers her head to return the hug with her long neck and a vine, squeezing him tight.
Ah, right. Tobias had told Maggie about finding the home of the crobat outlaw, too. About finding the crobat's grave, and the loving family he’d left behind. Maggie had smothered him in a hug then, too, but it makes sense that he’s still feeling a bit emotional about it all.
Tobias only tolerates the affection for a few seconds before ducking free and slipping past Nia, calling for her to hurry up over his shoulder. Nia smiles as she waves to Maggie and hurries after her partner.
The two of them head to the Seekers’ quarters a few floors down. Most of the doors are closed since Pokemon are out and about doing missions in the middle of the day, but there are a few lattice windows in the halls that let in glimpses of bright sunshine and whistling gusts of air.
Their own room is just as they left it, save a thin layer of dust over everything. The wall is lined by a few wooden cabinets, along with a bookcase and chest to keep their belongings in. A large window sits on the far wall, its lattice-like roots currently opened wide. A leaf-woven curtain is pulled down over it to keep out the wind, and the sun shines through it beautifully, casting a dim golden-green hue over everything. In the center of the room lies their plush scarlet red rug, and away from the window sits their nests, resting side-by-side.
Tobias dumps their satchel next to the chest. Nia goes to the mailbox set into the wall by the door. She’s excited to find three pieces of mail inside—two letters and one thin slip of paper. She pulls them out and looks at the smallest one first. It reads 20% Off at the Kecleon Brothers Shop! with a cute little drawing of a pair of…chameleons?
“They have coupons in this world?” Nia asks, strangely amused by the thought.
Tobias’ warmth appears at her side as he peers over her shoulder. He snorts. “The kecleon merchants are really well-known. Good quality wares, but make sure you stay on their good side.”
“Um, okay. Why?”
Tobias flops down in his nest. “The last ‘mon that tried to steal from ‘em left with less limbs than they started with.”
“But they’re so cute!” Nia says, aghast, as she looks again at the little drawing.
“So are fairy types, and they’re terrifying."
Nia sinks into her own nest, gently setting the coupon aside. She’s not sure she wants to deal with the shop at all if that’s the reputation they keep. She lights up when she sees the second letter, though—it’s a cute little thing, blue, with Nia’s name written in delicate, loopy cursive.
Tobias rolls over to squint at the envelope. “Who wrote us a letter in gibberish?”
Nia blinks. “You can’t read this?”
“You can?”
Nia takes another look at the letter. At first she thinks the problem is that the writing is cursive, but then she realizes that it’s probably because it's English. Not the native Pokemon language.
“Oh,” Nia laughs, feeling a strange pang of homesickness. “It’s in English. A, uh. Human language.”
She opens the envelope with care, pulling out the stationery and smiling at the letter, which is also written in looping cursive. Tobias doesn’t say anything else, but she can feel his eyes on her so she translates as she skims.
“It’s from Hazel. She says that she can make me a human bed! Oh man, you are going to love it. You’ll never be able to go back to a normal nest. And she’ll even give me the family discount! Aww!”
“She should give you more than that after we saved her mate’s tail,” Tobias says.
“We hadn’t even met Beck yet when I sent the request! Let’s see here…she also says—”
Nia bursts into laughter.
“What?”
“She also says that she’s glad you’re nicer to me now, but that she’s willing to knock some sense into you any time if that changes.”
Tobias straightens up, flushing. “She did not say that.” Nia cackles, turning the page over to his grabby hands. “She did! C’mon, she’s the reason I confronted you in Afon’s Cap at all!”
Tobias makes a face, but he’s still bright red. Nia isn’t sure if it’s because he’s embarrassed to be called out, or because of his behavior during their early partnership in the first place. Either way, he folds the letter back up and frisbees it at her, huffing.
Nia laughs again and tucks the letter off to the side with the coupon. She’ll have to write the old raichu back later. Nia’s amusement dies down as she picks up the third letter.
Tobias sits up as he sees her expression. “…Will?”
Nia nods. Hesitantly, she opens the yamask’s letter.
Nia,
While I’m pleased to hear from you, I wish it was under better circumstances! I’m relieved that you escaped from Giratina unharmed, but concerned that you had such a close call at all. If you do feel unsafe where you are, please don’t hesitate to come join the community of humans we have amassed thus far—we’re growing by the day! We're just south of Ghatha, past Stonebrook and closer to Kaleido Bay. If you can find Stonebrook, they can direct you from there.
“Stonebrook,” Nia murmurs, tilting her head. “Why does that sound familiar?”
Tobias, who had scooched closer to read, frowns as he tries to recall as well. Then he groans and plants his face in his hands.
“What?”
“It’s where your stupid rookidee friend lives,” Tobias says, words muffled.
Nia gasps. “Junie! Oh my gosh, you’re right! We could stop by and see her! She could—”
“We are not inviting her to join us.”
“Aw, why not? I miss her!”
“You miss her because she doesn’t pick fights with you constantly!”
Nia looks at him for a moment. “I thought you kind of enjoyed it. It's like how you squabble with Andyn."
Tobias stumbles over a retort—outright stammers—his face growing red again, and Nia bursts into laughter.
“Oh my God, I knew it! You do like bickering with them! Why do you act like you hate them so much?”
“I do hate them!”
“Mhm.”
“They’re annoying and loud and—”
“They’re your frieeends,” Nia coos, poking him in the cheek.
“They are not,” Tobias hisses, swatting her hand away. “Shut up!”
Nia can feel him heating up with embarrassment so she knows he’s lying, but she takes mercy and backs off, still grinning.
“This is exactly why you don’t need to be spending more time with either of them,” Tobias grumbles, rubbing at his cheek. “They’re rubbing off on you.”
Nia finally tames her delight down to a manageable level and goes back to Will’s letter.
I am thrilled, however, to hear about your returned memories, even if you had to endure a terrifying illness to find them. After speaking with more of the humans under my care who have recovered their own memories, I have to wonder if there is a correlation between severe injury or illness and the recovery of one's memories. Perhaps brushing by Death’s doorstep unlocks a part of the brain once buried?
Huh. Nia has to take a moment to think after reading that. The handful of memories she recovered did only return to her when she was gravely ill, but she didn’t think it was a direct correlation. But Will seems to be implying that nearly dying could be a trigger for that process. If Giratina is correct, maybe it has to do with them getting close to…leaving their new vessels? So the memories that Mew sealed away kind of…loosen?
Nia shakes her head, unnerved by the reminder that she nearly died, and reads on.
I would love to discuss with you further if you do feel like visiting. Know that you’re always welcome. We have exciting developments in the works! Until then, I hope you and your partner are well.
Will
Nia sits back. “Well, he’s open to a visit, and we have directions…”
“Guess it’s settled then,” Tobias sighs. “I’ll let August know tomorrow.”
“August said to give him a few days to run everything by Tawny and Alistair, right? So…what should we do in the meantime?”
Tobias makes a thoughtful sound in his throat, eyes trailing over the faint pattern of leaves forming the window curtain. “We don’t want to wear ourselves out completely before traveling, but we should definitely do some training or missions or something. We need to keep getting stronger, and we need to keep rising higher in the ranks so Pokemon take us seriously.”
“That would give us more funds, too,” Nia agrees. “So I guess for now we just work on recuperating and take a few missions?"
“Then when we’re cleared for travel we go to the flying outpost.” Tobias finishes, a smirk growing on his face. “You excited to get back in the air?”
Nia groans, falling back into her nest. The soft scent of straw and moss wafts up around her. “Not even a little.”
Tobias snorts a laugh. “You’ll survive.”
There’s a moment of quiet where Nia lies starfished in her nest, listening to the wind blow against their curtain. The midday sun has warmed their little room enough for it to feel nice and cozy.
“It’s too late in the day to start a mission,” Tobias says, snagging her attention again. “But I’m going to go see if Azami or Val are around to spar with.”
While he isn’t outright asking Nia to join, the way he pauses to look at her makes the implied question clear. Nia perks up. “Oh! I’ll come with! I’ve been wanting to chat with Val about how my aura’s shaping up anyways.”
Tobias grins, pushing himself to his feet and offering a hand to help her up. The two of them leave the cozy atmosphere of their room to wind their way down the Lexym Tree.
At the doorway leading into the training floor, Nia nearly bumps into a taller Pokemon. She hops back with an apology, craning her head up to meet their eyes. They look interesting—an olive green and tan Pokemon with a mushroom cap and a long, almost kangaroo-like tail. In their bright red claws, tucked close to their body, they hold something like a clipboard.
The mushroom Pokemon starts a polite apology, but cuts himself off as he catches sight of Tobias standing behind Nia. Nia’s own apology trails off as she looks between Tobias and the new ‘mon. Tobias is clearly uncomfortable, an echo of his old, closed-off demeanor resurfacing as he crosses his arms and scowls up at the taller grass type.
“Try to keep everything in one piece,” The new Pokemon finally says, tone clipped, as he slips around them and walks off.
Nia turns to Tobias with a concerned frown. “Who was that?”
“Archer,” He grumbles, good mood clearly soured. “He keeps track of inventory.”
“Oh. Um. Why was he..?”
“I used to be more…destructive, with some of the dummies. They’re flammable.”
“Oh.” Nia stares at him, trying to parse that information. With how often they travel nowadays and how much Tobias has softened up around her, Nia always forgets that there are Pokemon in the guild who aren’t fond of Tobias for one reason or another. This reason doesn’t seem like a very fair one, though. “Aren’t training dummies meant to be attacked?”
“Not when you’re using fire, apparently,” Tobias snaps, moving past her and into the training area with his shoulders tense.
Nia hurries after her partner, relieved when she sees that not only are their mentors present, but that Val is working with Xander’s team. The medicham is listening to something the luxio is explaining, the rest of his teammates gathered around to listen as well.
Azami is nearby, manning a different fighting area. The tsareena is watching a treecko as they attack a dummy, but she beams behind her tall collar when she catches sight of Nia and Tobias. “Spitfire! And little Riolu. Good to see you!”
Tobias ducks his chin into his scarf, but Nia thinks he’s secretly pleased to have such a warm reception after bumping into Archer. Val, Xander and the rest of Team Shellshock turn at the loud greeting as well.
Avery smiles with a delicate wave.
Felix grins, fluffy ears perking. “Nia!”
“Good to see you," Xander says. "When did you two get back?”
“Last night! Sorry, are we interrupting?” Nia says, approaching the group.
“We were actually just saying we need to branch out a bit with our sparring partners,” Xander says, giving Nia a friendly flick of his star-tipped tail. His gold eyes move to Tobias. “Either of you interested in joining us for combat training?"
“Yeah! I’ve been dying to see how you squirts do in a fight,” Kry says. The fraxure cracks her knuckles to punctuate her words, as if her looming presence isn't intimidating enough.
Tobias, however, flexes his claws and steps forward to meet her. “You’re on.”
"Ohoho! Bring it, little 'mon!"
“Oh, this oughta be good,” Felix says, turning to lead everyone to the sidelines. “C’mon, we’d better clear the field for these two.”
“They’re going to battle right now?” Nia asks, giving Val a wide-eyed look even as she follows. They just got here! Shouldn’t they warm up or something?
The medicham shrugs. “Charmander stepped forward.”
Well, she can’t argue with that. Still, as Nia sits to watch, she can't help feeling nervous as Tobias crouches into a battle stance across from Kry. The fraxure lashes her tail and lowers her head with a sharp grin. Nia doesn’t think the brash Pokemon would actually hurt Tobias, but…
“Battle!” Val calls.
Both lizard Pokemon lunge, Tobias ducking under a slash and spinning to trip up Kry’s footing with his tail. The fraxure recovers with surprising grace and goes on the offensive again. Tobias is forced to backstep, shooting off small bursts of fire to try and gain some distance. Kry leaps right through one of Tobias’ flames as if it were nothing more than smoke.
“Whoa,” Nia murmurs.
“How was your trip?” Xander asks, leaning over to whisper.
“We had an, uh…eventful week,” Nia chuckles. “Solved a mysterious earthquake problem, fought some outlaws, got caught in a mystery dungeon on the river, so fun times all around.”
They also found the grave of a long-hunted outlaw and met with Giratina of all Pokemon, who told them the world was ending, but Nia feels reluctant to drop all of that onto Xander so suddenly.
Felix whistles. The wartortle’s gaze is on the fight, but his fluffy ears are angled her way. “Busy, busy! No wonder Tobias is holding his own pretty well. You two just don’t stop, huh?”
Nia smiles and straightens up, proudly watching her partner continue to dance around Kry. His fighting style is still more offensive than defensive, but he’s playing it smart, relying on his smaller size and speed to keep the fraxure from landing a spar-stopping blow.
“You willing to try a round next?” Xander asks, giving Nia a friendly nudge with his elbow that nearly knocks her over.
Nia laughs, a little nervous. “Sure? But, uh, I’m not as good at fighting as Tobias.”
“Somehow I doubt that’s true,” Avery speaks up from Xander's other side. The kirlia gives her a warm half-smile. “You tend to underestimate yourself.”
Nia flushes under her fur and looks back to the fight, wincing as Kry nearly lands a devastating punch on Tobias. Instead, her fist slams into the wooden floor with enough force to crack it. The fraxure seems to be getting frustrated, but Tobias is starting to slow too, panting hard. He hasn’t used his smokescreen yet, though Nia isn’t sure if that’s a matter of pride or if Kry’s vision would be sharp enough to see through it.
The fight continues for another minute, Tobias landing a few brushes of flames and claws on Kry’s tough hide, but the fraxure is the one who ends it. She clips the charmander with a left hook, and as he stumbles, she slams him hard in the gut with her heavy tail. Tobias staggers, and Kry takes the opportunity to pin him to the ground with her greater weight.
After a few moments of Tobias struggling to free himself—that tail whip must've knocked the breath out of him if he isn't using his fire—Val calls the match. Kry releases him, stepping back, and Tobias sits up slowly, wincing and rubbing at his stomach. Felix calls out a jovial “Good match!” while Val moves to Tobias’ side. At first, the charmander seems reluctant to listen to her, but after a few quiet words he looks at her fully, scowl lessening as he nods. She must be giving him advice.
Kry makes her way over and grins down at Nia, breathing somehow unlabored. “You next, scrap?”
Felix pouts. “You already got your turn, Kry.”
“And I asked first,” Xander says smoothly, standing and moving to where Kry stood before. He doesn’t sound bossy, but somehow even Nia can hear the quiet authority in his voice. While Nia and Tobias don’t really have a “leader” of their team, it’s clear that Xander holds the title for Team Shellshock.
“You up for it, Nia?” The luxio asks, confident expression softening.
Nia feels her heart flutter with anxiety, but Avery gives her an encouraging nod. She pads over to where Tobias is finally getting to his feet.
“Good fight,” Nia whispers to him as she passes.
“Kick his tail,” Tobias says in return, though it sounds less heated than the scathing comments he used to make towards Xander.
Nia nods and gets in position, lifting her hands and crouching just a bit, feet spread wide and stable. She still doesn’t particularly like fighting, even for fun, but she just tries to think of it more like…a friendly sporting match.
Xander spreads his paws wide as his tail flicks. Sparks come to life and crackle across his black fur, like stars in a night sky. Nia shifts, suddenly registering the fact that Xander is nearly twice her size. Usually the thought is comforting more than anything, but facing him as an opponent…
“Show ‘em what you did to that steelix!” Tobias shouts.
There’s a lull in the group's conversation that makes Nia’s ears flatten, embarrassed by the attention. However, the comment does lessen her nerves a bit. Hard to be intimidated by a luxio when she’s faced down a metal serpent the size of a semi-truck. And she did just learn work up in the last mystery dungeon, which should make her more powerful, but that might up her attack too much—she doesn't want to actually hurt Xander, after all.
Nia can hear Felix asking Tobias about the steelix comment, but Val starts off their spar with a loud, “Battle!”
In complete contrast to Tobias and Kry’s fight, Nia and Xander stay frozen in place, sizing each other up. The sparks crackling across the luxio’s fur make her wary to get in close like she usually does—he can probably cause paralysis, right? He is an electric type. But if she doesn’t get in close, then her only option is to—
Xander makes the first move, lighting up with a flash of electricity and sending a test bolt her way. Nia rolls out of the way on instinct, but she can feel the charge in the air prickling at her fur.
Xander’s eyes narrow. He darts forward to attack.
Nia yelps and creates a staff of aura, taking a swing to make him leap back. He does so, but shoots off another electric attack. Nia barely manages to scramble out of the way, rolling and leaping from bolt after bolt. She doesn’t realize Xander is herding her closer and closer to himself until he’s suddenly slamming into her side.
The electricity in his fur stings, and the blow sends her tumbling across the floor as her staff vanishes. Xander hesitates. Nia takes the opportunity as soon as she lands on her knees to charge up a messy ball of aura in her paws and launch it at the luxio. Xander’s eyes widen, clearly not expecting that, before he gets hit head-on in a flash of blue.
Nia winces. Yeah, she really doesn’t like fighting her friends.
“Oh, you learned aura sphere while you were gone?” Nia hears Avery say, excited.
Nia blinks, looking over at the kirlia. “I did?”
Tobias is also staring at Avery. “She did?”
Nia sees Avery’s eyes widen a split-second before Xander bowls into her again. As she rolls to a stop, she notices the tingly current racing through her body, making her limbs feel numb and locked into place. She struggles to sit up but can’t move. Xander takes his opportunity to pin her down, paws heavy on her arms.
He smiles. “My win.”
Nia accepts defeat with a sigh, letting her head drop back. “I got distracted.”
Xander laughs. For a moment his claws flex, and then Nia feels the electricity in her body…recede, as Xander’s own sparks increase. He steps back, and Nia can move again. She blinks as she sits up, rubbing the remaining tingles out of her arms. Did he…take back the paralysis? Like a lightning rod?
“Good fight, Nia!” Felix, ever the optimist, cheers.
“It really wasn’t,” Nia says. “At least not on my end.”
“That aura sphere caught me off-guard,” Xander encourages. “And I have a feeling you were holding back on me.”
“Not on purpose,” Nia assures, even as she keeps her mouth shut about how Xander hesitated too. He reminds her of her brother in the human world, Clay, so of course she doesn’t want to hurt him. She imagines he sees some of his younger siblings in her as well.
As they rejoin the rest of the group, Kry and Felix pass them to spar next. Val gestures Nia to sit at her side, between her and Avery.
“Sorry, I promise I’ve been keeping up with my training. I can fight better than that,” Nia says, shying away from her mentor’s inscrutable gaze.
“So we heard!” Avery says, ruby eyes shining. “You fought a steelix on your own?”
Nia shrugs, ears pinning to her head. “Tobias and Samir weakened him first.”
“It is still impressive, Riolu,” Val finally says. “Do not downplay your achievements. You fight hardest when there is a true threat. That is admirable in its own way.”
Nia relaxes, giving Val a thankful smile. “I just worry about hurting my friends when we spar.”
“Xander can take it,” Avery giggles. “But forget about that—what other aura techniques did you learn while you were gone?”
Nia perks up as she describes her improved control over her aura. She can form a pretty reliable staff of aura now, officially replacing her trusty branch as her main weapon, and apparently even throw something like an aura sphere at a short distance, at least according to Avery. Plus, there’s the way she used her aura to find Tobias in the mines under Asra—like a pulse. A radar.
At that revelation, Avery interrupts. “That could be a really useful skill to master.”
“Really?”
“Absolutely! Other than being able to find Pokemon buried beneath rocks or snow, you could even use it in battle or in the dark if your vision is impaired.”
Nia looks down at her hands, flexing them. She supposes she did kind of “see” Tobias’ aura to find him in the rubble. And she remembers when she was first learning to use her aura that Val’s energy formed a sort of…silhouette of color. Nia hadn’t thought of practicing her aura as a form of vision, but Avery does have a point about it being useful in certain situations.
“Want to try it?” Xander asks, dropping into the conversation from Avery's other side.
“Now?” Nia asks.
“Why not?”
Nia looks between everyone, but they all seem open to the idea. Tobias, sitting on Xander’s other side, looks a bit uneasy as usual at the mention of aura, but he doesn’t protest. Maybe since Nia has already seen his aura once, albeit on a very surface level, some of his reluctance has melted away.
“You…don’t mind if I look at your aura to practice?”
Everyone shakes their head, save for Tobias. He just shrugs, looking down to fiddle with his scarf. That's as close to a yes as she's probably getting.
Well, they’re all waiting for her. With a hesitant nod, Nia closes her eyes, trying to remember what she did down in the mines. At the time she was fueled by desperation, so it feels strange to try and replicate the move in a more relaxed environment. She thinks she just kind of…pushed out a thin pulse of aura? Like a wave.
She tries it once, gently. Her aura barely even leaves her body, brushing against Val’s orange energy and flashing in her mind’s eye before petering out. Frowning, Nia turns up the power a few notches. Not so strong as to hurt, but not so weak that it dissipates immediately.
On her second try, the aura washes over all of them in a single pulse. Colors light up in her mind’s eye, resembling their vague silhouettes. Val’s bright, strong orange. Avery’s calming indigo. Xander’s eye-catching red. Tobias’ deeper scarlet. For an instant, for a moment, she sees them all, before it goes dark again.
“That felt…interesting,” Xander says, making Nia open her eyes. He’s rubbing a paw over his chest.
Nia blinks. “You felt that?”
Avery nods. “Yes! It’s so hard to describe. It almost feels like you…brushed your paw over my arm to get my attention. But…against my mind instead? My emotions, maybe?”
Nia cringes, immediately glancing at Tobias. He was the touchiest about her aura being invasive.
He does look a bit wary. “How does it feel for you? When you do that.”
Nia looks down at her hand, curling it. “I…don’t think I focused on anyone long enough to get a read on anything? But I’m familiar enough with all of you that it was easy to tell who was who. I could still…feel your personalities? But not any specific emotions.”
“If you were to focus your aura more steadily, in a direct connection rather than a radius, I wonder how well you could track an opponent, even with your eyes closed,” Val says, hand at her chin.
“Could you attach your aura in some way?” Avery adds. “Tag someone, so you would have a constant link?”
Nia sits back. Huh. She certainly hadn’t thought of that. She’s glad these two are here to help. “I…don’t know? I’ve never tried.”
“Would you want to?” Avery asks, practically vibrating with excitement at the prospect of experimenting. They clearly wouldn’t mind being a guinea pig.
“Sure? If you don’t, uh. Mind. Any suggestions for how to do this? Since you’re a psychic type?”
“Well, you should probably start out by touching them, right?” Xander says, tilting his head. He glances Kry and Felix’s way when a small explosion goes off from their sparring. Felix is cackling as Kry shouts something at him.
“That would likely be a good place to start, yes,” Val says.
Avery holds out a hand, smiling. Nia hesitates, then takes it, closing her eyes and reaching out with her aura.
Avery’s purple-blue aura, as curious and deep as the night sky, flares to life behind Nia’s eyelids, making up the kirlia’s silhouette. Nia’s own bright blue aura is a strong contrast to it, the two colors a beautiful mix where they overlap at their hands. But when Nia pulls back her paw, Avery’s aura vanishes. She frowns, and touches the kirlia again so the indigo flares back to life. So she does need to…attach her aura to them, somehow. Anchor herself?
Nia can’t think of how to do such a thing, so she tries to let her instincts take over instead. Aura is all about emotion, after all. About her life energy, what she wills into being. So what if she just…wills her aura to connect? Wills her bond with the kirlia to become something…tangible. Something physical. Something more than the surface-level observations of aura that she's done so far, something deeper.
She thinks about Avery’s soft voice and bright eyes and the delicate way they move. How they’re always happy to help Nia think through a problem and how their very presence soothes something anxious in Nia. Warm affection wells up in her heart.
Nia’s aura moves to follow that pull, that connection, latching onto Avery’s instead of just brushing against it. She feels a rush of emotion, of thought, that isn’t hers.
fascinating eager friend proud curious
It’s less a voice, and more a…feeling of each word. Not too different from what Nia has felt in the past, but somehow more intense. Clearer. Nia yanks her hand away, startled, but between them a string of bright blue aura remains, tying her to Avery’s indigo aura and keeping their form visible behind her eyelids. If Nia focuses on it, she can still feels Avery’s emotions, distant. Like a voice from the next room over or a palm radiating warmth through a heavy sweater.
Worry friend okay?
Nia’s eyes snap open, and she feels the connection cut out, leaving her feeling almost…lonely. She’s panting like she hasn’t since the early days of her aura training. Avery, Xander, and Tobias are watching her with mirrored expressions of concerned curiosity.
“I-I think it worked?” Nia says.
Avery lights up, leaning forward. “Tell me everything.”
Nia tries her best to describe the experience as Felix and Kry return to the group, Kry pouting at her loss and Felix ribbing the dragon type with an elbow to her side. As soon as they’re caught up on what’s happening, Felix eagerly volunteers to be Nia’s next test subject.
Nia has a slightly harder time connecting to Felix’s leafy green aura, and frowns as she tries and fails to find a foothold.
“Maybe your aura is too depleted?” Avery suggests.
Nia considers that, but shakes her head. No, her aura isn’t anywhere near gone. It’s just like…trying to stick one piece of cotton to another, with no adhesive to hold it in place. With Avery, it was like there’d been a piece of Velcro to snag onto.
Val, arms crossed and head tilted, flicks her gaze to Tobias. “Charmander.”
Tobias, who had been watching the whole process with an unreadable expression, frowns. “Yeah?”
“You next.”
Nia and Tobias shake their heads at the same time.
“No.”
“H-He doesn’t have to, really!”
“He is your partner,” Val cuts in. “He of all Pokemon should be the one you are most familiar with. If you two are separated, I want to know you have a chance to use this skill to your advantage.”
That is…unfortunately a good point. Except Tobias has been so private with his aura, from the very beginning. Not that Nia can blame him! It’s a really personal thing. But…she also doesn’t want to disappoint Val, and—
“Fine,” Tobias grumbles, scooting over to sit in front of Nia and jabbing his hand forward. “Get it over with.”
Nia blinks at him, surprised. Just like that?
Tobias flushes. “She has a good point. C’mon.”
Nia still hesitates, but after glancing at his face one more time she closes her eyes and reaches out a hand.
Before even brushing against him, her aura leaps from her body to his, latching on like a magnet. Tobias’ emotions filter through the string, somehow…louder than Avery's. Clearer, like the reception is better.
hide hide hide calm down Nia won’t hate calm down will she get it over with already—
Nia cuts the connection herself, recoiling with wide eyes. Tobias glares back at her, none of the turmoil she just felt showing on his face.
“Riolu?” Val prompts.
“You didn’t even touch me,” Tobias grumbles. “Why do you look so freaked out?”
“I-I didn’t need to?” Nia says, more a question than a statement. “I…my aura connected on its own?”
“Without contact?” Avery asks.
Surprised, Nia nods. Her attention is admittedly torn, though, caught on the thoughts and emotions Nia felt when she connected to her partner. He’s…so scared of her looking at his aura. And not because of privacy reasons, like she’d previously thought.
He’s…scared Nia will hate what she sees?
“Hm.” Val looks like she expected this turn of events. “I suspect the depth of your bond with someone influences how easily you can connect to them.”
“Or maybe Nia is just getting better as she goes?” Felix suggests.
Nia can’t give the speculation her full attention like she usually would. She’s too busy trying to tear her thoughts away from Tobias’ suddenly worrying self-esteem, or lack thereof. She…doesn’t think she can really bring it up directly, since they were kind of his private thoughts? But she’s more than a little concerned. She’s confident that the two of them are friends at this point, but he’s still so scared that she’s suddenly going to…what? Turn on him? Just because she gets a better understanding of who he is?
“Try again on Wartortle,” Val says.
Nia manages to focus back on the conversation, at least a little. Distracted, almost without thinking, she reaches out and tries to make her aura connect to Felix again, this time without touching. Her aura strains and reaches an inch or two past her body before snapping back. Completely different than it was with Tobias, where it leaped for him like a long-lost friend.
“No,” Nia murmurs. “I think Val is right. It’s…it feels completely different.”
Felix looks unusually put out by Nia struggling to connect with his aura. Val, Avery and Xander, however, just seem thoughtful. Kry is busy picking at her teeth.
Tobias is staunchly looking everywhere but Nia, face redder than usual and fingers rubbing at his scarf. Embarrassed. Nia supposes she understands how he feels, even in her distracted state. It’s one thing to feel close to him, but another thing entirely to have tangible proof of their friendship. Then again, apparently he needs proof, if his inner thoughts are anything to gauge by.
“If only we could speak with one of the lucario tribes,” Avery sighs. “They must know so much more about aura and what it can do. Psychic energy can be used for telepathy and more physical techniques like telekinesis, but aura is an entirely different matter since it deals directly with life energy and emotions. I’ve heard you can even influence a target's emotional state and manipulate their aura like you would your own!”
Nia leans back, something in her gut turning over as she snaps back to the conversation at hand. Influencing others’ emotions? Manipulating their aura, their life energy?
"That…uh, sounds a little scary, Avery."
Avery seems surprised, but then laughs. “Apologies. I suppose it does. I just thought it was fascinating! And I know you would never misuse your aura, so I don’t fear that kind of power in your paws.”
Nia’s unease fades a bit as she gives them a smile. It’s nice to know Avery has so much faith in her.
“For now, continue to explore this technique, Riolu,” Val says. She tilts her head towards the battlefield. “Avery. Luxio. You are next.”
Avery looks reluctant to leave the discussion, but sighs and stands with an unreasonable amount of grace. They give Xander a teasing smile. “Think you can win this time?”
Xander laughs, lighting up in the way he only seems to around the kirlia. It’s kind of adorable. He nudges his teammate as they walk onto the battlefield together. “I’ll certainly try my best.”
Val hums, gaze lingering on the two of them as they start sparring without her call. “Charmander, you will battle Wartortle next.”
Nia frowns. Felix just battled a bit ago. “Shouldn’t I..?”
“You can fight if you would prefer to, but I can see you are reluctant. I believe you are making fine enough combat progress to focus on your aura today.”
Oh. Nia would prefer that over sparring, if Val thinks she’s doing all right. “O-Okay! So should I just..?”
“Practice with my aura while I monitor the sparring,” Val says, still watching the battle. “Connect to me, then try stepping away to see how far you can go before you lose the connection. Take a break between each attempt.”
There’s no hesitation in the medicham’s words, so after a moment Nia nods and closes her eyes to connect to Val’s orange energy. It’s not nearly as easy as Tobias or even Avery, but not any more difficult than Felix. A gentle tap to the fighting type’s arm, and the connection, though weak, is made. Val’s thoughts and emotions, calm as a still lake, leak through.
Luxio spark more aggressive Avery work on physical strength Riolu take breaks cannot forget exhaust herself—
Nia tries to channel out the medicham's thoughts, feeling a bit like she’s intruding. The thoughts are still there, but like someone murmuring nearby. She can kind of tune them out, and instead focuses on getting to her feet.
Whoa. She feels a bit woozy, as she usually does when stretching her aura in new ways. After a moment she manages to back away, one step at a time. The string between them stretches longer and longer. All Nia sees is her own aura and Val’s, the orange silhouette of her a bright beacon amidst the sea of black behind her eyelids.
Nia makes it ten steps away before she feels the string…strain, for lack of a better word. A tug on her soul. Then, one more step and it snaps. Nia gasps and stumbles, barely managing to catch herself before she can fall.
“Nia?” Tobias calls, apparently watching. His brow is furrowed.
“I’m fine!” She pants. That feeling just…surprised her. It was as if something she was leaning her weight on suddenly vanished.
“Take a break,” Val calls.
Nia does so, staggering back to Val’s side to sit and watch Xander and Avery exchange blows.
That’s how the training session continues, the others taking turns sparring, Tobias included, while Nia trains this new facet of her aura.
Avery, of course, gently interrogates Nia every time they are on the sidelines, watching Nia’s progress with fascination. The two of them hold a conversation as Nia treads back and forth, getting familiar with seeing the others through her aura. Avery is as curious about Nia and Tobias’ travels to Asra and Shivergleam as they are about everything else.
When Nia brings up how protect and misty terrain stopped the effects of the forming mystery dungeon on their way back from Shivergleam, Avery falls silent. When Nia finishes that round of connection training and opens her eyes, Avery is staring at her in much the same way they did when Nia made the connection between aura and type energy. Like their world has just shifted on its axis a bit.
“Avery?”
“…It’s almost a shame you became a Seeker, Nia. The research community would be lucky to have you.”
“Has no one ever tried to use a move like that in a mystery dungeon?” Nia asks, frowning. It feels kind of…obvious?
Avery hums. “I’m sure someone has, but it’s certainly not a well-documented strategy. The number of Pokemon who know such moves is already small, and the number of those Pokemon who just happen to get caught in a mystery dungeon forming are even smaller. To then also have a calm enough head to try defending rather than running? Even less so.”
“Oh.” Nia suddenly feels very, very glad that her instinct seems to be to freeze and defend, rather than to fight or flee. In this case, it worked in her favor.
“Mystery dungeons are a fairly recent phenomenon, in the grand scheme of things,” Avery continues. “Less than half a century old. And considering how dangerous they are to study as well as how randomly and rarely they appear—at least until recently—many basic facts about how they function are still unknown."
Huh. Nia guesses that makes sense.
"So this is an incredible discovery!" Avery says, excited. "I’ll need to share with Father later and ask him to connect with the researchers and archivists at the other guilds. I wonder why those moves can interact directly with a mystery dungeon? Is the environment itself using an attack somehow?”
Avery’s voice trails off to a mutter, and Nia has to stop herself from responding. Because she knows the answer to that, thanks to Giratina. Knows that the weakening border around the Pokemon world is the cause of the mystery dungeons, and that it’s made of life energy, of aura, just like any Pokemon. It makes sense that moves, which also use aura as their base power, can interact with it.
But sharing that knowledge would mean admitting to her run-in with Giratina. It would mean sharing the news of the world ending, the news that their hopes currently hinge on finding a long-lost dormant legendary. And August is going to talk to Alistair and Tawny anyways, right? Nia doesn’t want to put that burden on Avery’s shoulders. Not when there’s nothing they can do about it. They’re having a good time, training together! There’s no reason for Nia to bother Avery with terrible news. Not yet.
Nia takes a break shortly after that conversation, starting to feel truly worn down. Tobias sits down beside her after his latest spar, panting hard after facing off against Xander. Felix and Avery battle in front of them, while Xander and Kry talk strategy and Val observes.
“Hey, you crazy kids!”
Nia and Tobias tilt their heads back to see Azami hanging over them. She must be done training her own students. The tsareena’s mouth is hidden behind her high collar, but her eyes are crinkled with a smile. “Good to see you back at the Tree in one piece.”
Tobias scoffs, but Nia feels the way he relaxes at her side. “What, you think we were going to lose an arm or something out there?”
Azami laughs. “I never know with you, Spitfire!”
The tsareena takes a seat on Val’s other side to watch the spar now that she’s done mentoring her own students. After a moment, she decides to cheer on Avery. Felix sends her a betrayed look in the midst of battle that results in him getting blasted by a fairy move. Val gets up a moment later to move to where Felix is groaning on the floor, a quiet lecture about getting distracted in battle likely on her tongue.
On Nia's other side, Tobias is now arguing with Kry and Xander about offensive versus defensive strategies. Tobias insists that offensive is best, of course, while Xander leans more towards defensive strategies. Kry seems to be arguing that going on the offensive is not aggressive enough, somehow.
Nia, left to drift in the middle, sits in contented silence, letting her fatigued aura rest. She watches Val talk to Avery next. The medicham’s stoic expression is softened ever so slightly as she directs the kirlia on how they could’ve better dodged a tricky aqua tail attack earlier in the battle.
Azami leans over to whisper to Nia, “You’re one of her favorites, y’know.”
“W-What?”
“Val,” Azami says. She straightens up, but keeps her voice low. “She didn’t have the greatest mentor growing up, so she tends to keep her students at arm’s length. But she always perks up when you and Spitfire are back in town.”
“Oh,” Nia says, unsure what else to respond with. Her ears feel warm.
She…wasn’t expecting that. Val doesn’t seem to hate being around Nia and teaching her, but Nia has a hard time believing that Val holds any particular fondness for her, either. Especially considering Nia’s inexperience with pretty much, well…everything. If anything, she’d thought Val might find her kind of exhausting to deal with. Not that the medicham ever let that slip, but she doesn’t let much of anything slip.
“Trust me,” Azami laughs. “Other than Alistair, I’m the best Val translator in the guild. We’re close.”
Her voice is sly, and Nia glances at the tall grass type.
Azami winks.
Oh, Nia thinks as her brows shoot up. She doesn’t want to assume anything, but Azami isn’t exactly subtle. Does that mean her and Val..?
Val finishes offering advice and returns to sit between Nia and Azami, stopping Nia’s moment of revelation. Still, she can’t help peeking over at the two Pokemon afterwards, trying to figure out if Azami was just teasing her or not. Azami does lean awfully close to Val when they talk, and the medicham doesn’t seem to mind at all. Then again, cool and collected is kind of her default state.
For a moment, Nia thinks, I could connect to Val’s aura to find out.
Then she registers that thought and tears her gaze away to watch the next spar, stomach turning uncomfortably. She’s going to need to be careful with how she practices this new technique. Every time she thinks she’s getting a grasp on her aura, getting comfortable with it, something new pops up to throw a curveball and make her feel like she’s handling a live bomb. It’s just…scary. To know she holds so much power.
Val calls it quits on everyone’s training soon after. Tobias and Xander’s team are radiating exhaustion, and they eagerly agree to break for a late lunch. While Nia isn’t physically tired, her aura is worn down to a fraction of its usual amount and that leaves her ready for a rest and a good meal, too.
“Wanna come with us to the dining hall?” Felix invites, smile broad as he stands and stretches.
Nia glances at her partner. Tobias seems uncertain, but doesn’t disagree immediately, so he’s probably just feeling shy about how to say yes without a fuss. Nia accepts for them both, and the group packs up to head down the Lexym Tree to the cafeteria floor.
As they leave, calling thanks to Val and Azami, Nia spots the tsareena slinging an arm around Val’s shoulders, laughing about something. Val’s mouth twitches into a small smile.
Nia bites back a smile of her own and hurries after her friends.
Notes:
I come from the future bearing a sketch of Val and Azami! Just the gals being pals. :]
Chapter 54
Summary:
After a tense conversation in the cafeteria, Nia and Tobias make plans with Team Evergreen for a team-up mission.
Notes:
Happy late Valentine's Day, y'all!!!
Hope you enjoy the chapter. :D
Chapter Text
Conversation bubbles up naturally between Team Scarlet and Team Shellshock as they head down the Lexym Tree in search of food. Nia is delighted when Tobias even joins the conversation of his own volition, bantering with Xander about nearly taking him down with dragon rage during their joint training session. When the group stops by the nursery to grab Xander’s siblings to join them, the shinx cubs tackle first Xander and then Tobias with shrieks of excitement, rubbing their faces against the two with loud purrs.
On the cafeteria floor, Xander’s team splits off to the far end of the room to join the other food line, calling that they’ll grab a table. Nia and Tobias enter the closer line, picking up trays and stepping into the queue behind a weasel-like Pokemon balancing on two paws. Her long fur is tan with streaks of darker brown, and her blue eyes are sharp. The Pokemon scowls at Nia as she gets into line, muzzle twitching, before looking forward again.
Nia tries not to let the brief look bother her, but lowers her voice as Tobias plots how to beat Kry the next time the two of them spar. As the two of them chat, the line slowly moves, Nia holding out her tray to accept food from the grass type behind the counter. She hasn’t noticed the fiery chicken Pokemon working as a chef since the first time she ate here. Maybe they were just working here temporarily? Tobias is still the only fire type she sees regularly around the Haven.
The humanoid Pokemon behind the counter today has olives in her hair (or maybe they are her hair?), and plops two large spoonfuls of something onto Nia’s tray. Usually, Nia doesn’t even question the guild’s meals anymore since the cooking is always delicious, but the food today throws her. Rice, paired with what looks like veggies or berries in an orange-brown sauce.
“Is this…curry?” Nia whispers, just loud enough for Tobias to hear. She pulls her tray closer to eye it. The rich smell of the sauce makes her mouth water.
Tobias squints at his own serving, then shrugs. “Dunno. Smells good.”
Nia hums, fascinated, and shuffles sideways to keep up with the line. “Any idea what it’s made of? The smell kind of reminds me of—"
She’s so distracted that she bumps into the weasel Pokemon in front of her.
Before she can apologize, the weasel bares her teeth in a snarl. “Watch it!”
Nia jumps back a step, startled by the animosity in the other Pokemon’s voice. “S-Sorry! Sorry. I didn’t mean to bump into you. I wasn’t paying attention—”
“Clearly!”
“Sorry! I was just, um. I’ll be sure to look out better in the future so I don’t bump into anyone. I mean, I wasn’t trying to right now, of course, but—"
“Just watch where you’re walking, human.”
Human. While Nia is long since used to eager Pokemon running up to ask if she really used to be human, this feels…different. This feels like Ghatha. Like Fort Asra. Maybe there’s a reason why this Pokemon seemed to drop into a foul mood as soon as Nia stepped into line.
“Lay off,” Tobias says, tuning into the conversation. “She already apologized.”
“I wasn’t talking to you, wisp!”
There’s a notable drop in volume from the voices around them.
…Wisp?
Tobias’ expression darkens further. “Oh, so it’s gonna be like that. You really want—"
“I-I’ll be more careful!” Nia cuts in, ready for this conversation to be over. “I’m really sorry again.”
“Stop apologizing!” Tobias hisses. “You didn’t do anything wrong!”
“Her being here is wrong,” the weasel snaps. “And if you’re really sorry you’ll go back where you came from and leave us alone.”
Nia takes another panicked step back, nearly toppling both her and Tobias.
“That’s it,” Tobias says, a bit louder. He shoves his tray towards Nia. “Nia, hold my tray.”
“What?! No!”
She doesn’t want this to escalate. Already Nia can hear the quiet murmurs around them growing louder, can feel a tension building in the air as the weasel’s striped fur spikes. So Nia panics and backs out of line, pulling Tobias with her despite his protests. They’re only missing dessert, anyways.
Even if that is her favorite.
The weasel snorts something that sounds suspiciously like coward before continuing forward in line like nothing happened. Nia's eyes stay glued to the weasel’s back as she moves away. Her heart beats loud and nervous in her ears.
She…wasn’t ready for that. Wasn’t ready to for that kind of hostility in the guild. Sure, it was from someone who clearly wanted a fight, but still. The weasel had decided that Nia being human was enough to make her a target. That because she's human, she's allowed to be a target.
Nia thought it was safe here.
They've ran into scared Pokemon taking their fear out on humans a couple of times now, namely in Ghatha and Asra. But not here, where everyone has been neutral towards her humanity at worst. She heard August, she knows the sentiment has been spreading, but…
It isn’t even our fault, Nia thinks, hollowly. Now that she’s talked to Giratina, now that she knows it isn’t anything the humans have done, knows that their displacement is just an unfortunate side-effect of the dimension’s borders breaking down, the accusations hurt even more. They aren’t doing anything wrong. They’re just existing. Trying to fit in and find somewhere to belong until they can go home.
Nia sniffs, blinking back tears. Her throat is tight. She stares down at her tray and the cooling curry. She isn’t so hungry anymore.
Tobias, who had been grumbling insults at the weasel’s back, turns to Nia. “C’mon, you can’t take anything that idiot says to heart. She was a jerk to both of us so she probably walks around everywhere with that terrible attitude.”
That does remind Nia of a beat in the conversation that had confused her more than it had upset her.
She frowns at Tobias. “You mean when she called you…wisp? Is that bad?”
Tobias' expression twists. “Maybe don’t say that too loud. It doesn’t bother me anymore, but it’s, uh…kind of an insult for fire types. Like…saying that we’re so weak our fire got snuffed out.”
Nia’s eyes widen. “That’s horrible! B-But Azami calls you Spitfire. And Andyn calls you flame-brain and stuff—are those..?”
Tobias snorts a laugh and shakes his head. “Nah, those are fine.”
Nia knows she looks as unsure as she feels. Tobias elaborates.
“Seriously, Nia. You’d know if they were actually insulting me. It’s more…playful than that, I guess? They poke at me being a fire type, sure, but they aren’t really implying anything…bad with it.”
“Flame-brain doesn’t sound very nice.”
“Neither does ‘kindling,’ but Arceus themself will not stop me from calling your stupid deerling friend that. It’s not any worse than us just calling each other dummy. Wisp just has…a different tone to it.”
Nia slowly nods, brow knitting. So it’s something about the social context that makes it different. Makes one worse than the others. She supposes human slang is equally confusing, if she really thinks about it.
“C’mon,” Tobias says with a jerk of his head. “We still need to eat.”
Nia takes a breath and nods. Not like they can do much about the weasel right now anyways. They could go tell Maggie or August, she supposes, and August did say long ago to let him know if anyone gave her trouble, but…
“Should we tell August about this?” Nia asks.
Tobias shakes his head immediately. “No. August means well, but all that would do is make that linoone angrier. Much as I’d love to set her stupid pelt on fire, we don’t need to be dealing with a fight on top of everything else.”
“But he could tell her to stop, right?”
“Trust me. When I was younger, telling only made them get better at doing stuff like this quietly.”
And isn’t that a loaded statement. Nia stares at Tobias for a moment, suddenly far more upset about how easily he brushes off any insults thrown his way. It speaks of practice.
She thinks of his aura earlier, of how desperately he wanted to hide it away from her, afraid she would hate him. Does he even realize how much his isolation from the rest of the guild these past eight years has affected how he sees himself?
Tobias raises a brow at her, so Nia gives a weak smile and gestures for him to lead the way. She’d been so excited to come down here to eat with everyone, and now it feels like her heart is hanging heavy in her chest. But they might as well join their friends.
Tobias takes the lead and Nia trails after the charmander to the table, where Xander’s team and the shinx kids are already sitting with their food, talking as they eat. Tobias moves around the table to sit by Laine, giving the cub a noogie as he sits that makes her shriek and duck away.
Nia heads for the empty spot on the closer side, next to Felix. The wartortle is seated oddly on the wooden bench, one short leg thrown over it so he’s perched sideways as if he’d been about to get up. He meets Nia’s gaze as she approaches, his usual jovial expression subdued.
Felix leans closer as she sits, brow furrowed. “You all right?”
Nia blinks, surprised. Is it that obvious that she’s still upset?
“Heard what happened in line,” Felix whispers. His fluffy ears wiggle. “These aren’t just for show. So. You okay?”
The concern make Nia smile a bit more genuinely, some of the tightness wound up in her gut loosening. There may be rude people even here in the guild, but at least there are also sweethearts like Felix.
“I’m all right,” she murmurs. “Thanks for checking in. It just…caught me off-guard, you know? I’m used to the guild being a place I don’t need to worry about that. It’s getting worse, I guess.”
Felix returns her smile, though there’s a crook to his brow that belies his lingering worry. “Well, let us know if anyone starts giving you trouble. Xander and I would be happy to put them in their place—" He winks. “—and I have a feeling we could do it a bit more subtly than your partner.”
Nia laughs and nods. Felix turns back to his food, but Nia sees him send Tobias a covert look, as if to check on the charmander while knowing he wouldn’t want to be fussed over. Nia smiles, warmed by the concern, as she starts picking at her meal—the curry is good, even if it takes her a moment to get used to the soft texture.
Soon enough, both Nia and Tobias are swept into the conversation at the table. Kry is slamming a fist against the wood, the fraxure arguing that yache berries are objectively better than nanab berries, and Avery is fighting an uphill battle against her. The kirlia offers up well-worded reasoning for why nanab berries are superior, but Kry shoots down each argument with counterpoints of, “But they’re pink!” and “They taste like rotten river water!”
Avery stops pointing out that those are subjective opinions after the fourth rebuttal, changing strategies instead to point out the physical benefits of each berry. Xander gives Kry a scolding look (that she promptly ignores) after the third table-rattling slam of her fist, and the shinx cubs laugh and laugh as Felix jumps in to suggest mago berries are actually the best choice, making both Avery and Kry turn to him with offended expressions.
Throughout the lively debate, Nia glances at Tobias to try checking in on him. He seems all right, although Nia can’t help noticing that he isn’t using his flames to cook his berries like he sometimes does. Maybe he just isn’t feeling like cooked berries today, or maybe that Pokemon’s comment got to him more than he wanted to admit.
Eventually, Felix moves the conversation on to regaling both the shinx kids and Nia and Tobias with the daring tale of Team Shellshock’s latest dungeon crawl. Nia has a feeling a few embellishments were made to make their team sound extra cool—Xander rolling his eyes and Kry’s snort all but confirm it—but she enjoys it all the same.
“I wish we could go exploring already,” Laine sighs when the story is done.
“We’ll be a team soon too!” Luca says, little paws on the table so he can stand up in his seat. “Me ‘n you, Lainey!”
“Oh? What about Leor?” Avery asks.
As all eyes turn to the shyest shinx cub, Leor squeaks and huddles down on the bench, wide gold eyes peering over the table.
“He’s gonna be a medic,” Luca says, chin tilted proudly.
“Like Fen!” Laine adds.
Xander looks as surprised about this news as Nia is, leaning down to meet his younger brother's eyes. “This true?”
Leor looks nervous, but glances over at Tobias before giving the barest nod.
Xander grins, one giant paw squeezing the cub closer. “That’s great, Lee! You would be a fantastic medic.”
“Really?” Leor asks, looking unsure.
“Of course! You three can do whatever you set your minds to. And I’m not just saying that because I’m your brother.”
Luca and Laine cheer while Leor leans into Xander’s side. The luxio purrs and nuzzles the top of his little brother’s head.
It’s a sweet moment, but Nia can see the instant Leor’s eyes crack open and he registers most of the table watching the exchange. He squeaks and wriggles free of Xander’s hold. Xander laughs and lets him go, and the cub almost tumbles himself right off the bench.
“Leor’s gonna train under Fen, and Laine and I are gonna make a Seekers team together!” Luca says, little tail lashing. “Team Thunderspark! And we’re gonna be stronger than any other team!”
“Even ours?” Felix goads, grinning.
“Duh!” Laine says. “You’re a water type! You won’t stand a chance!”
Felix laughs, then tilts his head towards Kry. “True, but our team’s also got the meanest ‘mon this side of the continent.”
Kry looks torn between taking that as a compliment and an insult, and eventually just flicks a piece of rice at the wartortle as punishment.
“You’re going to be great Seekers,” Xander agrees, popping a berry into his mouth. “When you’re old enough.”
Laine and Luca whine in unison, the latter plopping his chin down onto his tray.
“Do we have to wait that long? We’re already strong!” Laine protests.
“Yeah! We should be able to make our own decisions by now,” Luca grumbles, batting a berry around his tray.
“Those are the rules,” Xander says, giving them both a stern look. “It’s only a few more years. If you two can stay out of trouble and stop tormenting poor Arlo, that is.”
The kids groan again, and Nia bites back a smile as she chews. Xander is sweet with his siblings. Sometimes he acts more like a father to them than a brother, but Nia supposes that’s to be expected, between how they were brought here and raised in the nursery their whole lives, plus Xander’s protective nature. It reminds her of her own brother, in a bittersweet way.
Nia feels lighter by the time they finish eating and part ways with Xander’s team. Both Avery and Xander give her a hug before leaving, and Felix offers a fist bump and an easy grin. Kry lightly smacks Nia’s legs with her tail as she passes, and outright punches Tobias in the arm. He glares at her back, but Nia thinks the exchange is a friendly one, somehow.
After the stressful morning talking to Maggie and August, aura training with Val, and the moment in the cafeteria—not to mention the exhaustion still present from their journey—Nia is ready for a nap when they finally make it back to their room. Tobias starts unpacking their bag and taking inventory of their items, so Nia forces herself to write back to Hazel before crashing. She thanks the raichu for the offered discount on a human bed, but explains that they’re pretty busy right now and need to save on money. She’ll absolutely be buying one in the future, though! She also mentions meeting up with Beck and asks her to tell the floatzel and his crew hi.
By the time Nia is finished, her letter sealed up and placed back into the mailbox with the flag up, she's practically asleep on her feet. Tobias has moved over to the window, leafy curtain pulled high to let fresh air and sunlight flood the room. He’s propped against the wall and framed by blue sky, guitar in hand as he starts plucking at scales.
Nia yawns. “I’m gonna take a nap.”
Tobias spares her a glance. “I’ll wake you for supper.”
Nia hums her thanks and moves to their nests to flop down, wiggling to get comfortable on the bed of moss and straw. It’s soft enough, not scratchy at all with her fur as a barrier, and her muscles relax.
Quiet falls over the room, save for Tobias’ playing and the whistle of the wind. A gust blows directly through the window and skims over Nia’s side, making her skin prickle with goosebumps. It’s a little chilly, with fall in full swing and winter fast approaching. Over the past few weeks, even sleeping outside hasn’t been a problem, but…well. Usually Tobias is sleeping at her side, and he gives off heat like a little campfire.
Whining, Nia picks up her head and looks at Tobias, squinting against the bright light of the window. Normally she would be more hesitant about being so needy, but she’s tired and she’s cold so she pushes herself to her feet and stumbles over to him, rubbing her arms. It’s even chillier by the window with the wind wrapping around her.
Tobias stops his playing, looking up.
Nia shifts on her feet. Her brain is mushy with fatigue and tantalizing snatches of sleep. All she manages to say is, “Cold.”
Tobias snorts. He glances at the window. “Want me to close the curtain?”
He doesn’t sound upset about the prospect, but Nia can guess that he likes the chill of the breeze combined with the heat of the sun. His orange scales glow in the light, like embers. Even with her fur, Nia just isn’t built to stay warm like a fire type is.
Nia’s mouth presses into a line. “Can I just sleep by you?”
Tobias blinks, and a flush rises to his cheeks. They usually sleep next to each other nowadays, and Nia hasn’t made it a secret that she enjoys the warmth he puts off, but she admittedly doesn’t usually…ask. Out loud. Somehow putting it into words does make it sound more embarrassing.
But she’s tired, dang it!
After a moment, Tobias wordlessly flicks his tail over to make room. Nia doesn’t let herself hesitate before sinking into the empty spot, curling heavily into his side. Immediately, heat seeps into her fur to warm her up.
“Sure, just make yourself comfy,” Tobias grumbles, no bite to his voice even as she accidentally elbows him in the ribs.
Finally, she settles, melted against his side with a happy hum. It’s like falling asleep cuddling a heater. Even lying closer to the window, she’s immediately warmer.
“Why don’t you guys use blankets?” She mumbles. “We had blankets in Asra. I miss blankets.”
Tobias snorts. “We do use blankets. We just keep them in storage until the end of fall when they’re actually needed.”
Nia picks up her head to give Tobias a despairing look. “I could’ve had blankets this whole time?!”
Tobias visibly bites back a smile. Jerk. “We’ll get you a blanket later if you’re that upset about it, you big baby. I didn’t realize it was a problem.”
“Stupid warm fire types,” Nia gripes, flopping back against Tobias. She’s absolutely getting herself a blanket. For now, Tobias’ heat will suffice.
Slowly, sleep washes over her brain like bathwater, soothing and inviting. Before she slips under completely, she hears Tobias start playing his guitar again, shifting his posture just enough to accommodate her. The cords he picks at are slow and gentle.
She’s asleep in seconds.
She feels like she’s only been asleep for seconds when the door to their room slams open with a bang. A harsh note from the guitar follows, as well as a yell of, “Nia!”
Nia bolts up. She blinks away the haze of sleep, cringing at the late-afternoon sunlight painting their room in bright tones and deep shadows. She must’ve been asleep longer than she thought.
“Ever hear of knocking?” Tobias hisses.
Nia rubs at her eyes, following his voice to look at the doorway, where Andyn, Ezra and Jaz are frozen in the middle of what looks like a grand entrance. The sneasel and stufful seem remorseful despite their comically stiff poses. The deerling, on the other hand, seems strangely flustered, gaze flicking from Nia to Tobias.
“Sorry,” Jaz finally says. “Are we, uh…interrupting?”
“Nia was asleep, you idiots,” Tobias says, sitting back and clutching his guitar close.
Nia yawns. “‘S okay. I shouldn’t nap too long or I won’t sleep tonight.”
The trio that makes up Team Evergreen still seem oddly hesitant to enter the room. Nia laughs at the shy behavior and waves them in. Finally, slowly, they do, sitting down in front of the window as well and getting comfortable.
Ezra’s ruby eyes land on Tobias’ guitar and stay there, going wide. “Whoa, you play guitar?!”
“No,” Tobias lies, removing the instrument from his lap and tucking it behind himself.
“Aw, c’mon!”
“I think it’s great to have a hobby outside of Seeker duties,” Jaz says, meeting Tobias’ sour expression with a smile.
Andyn just looks weirded out, although Nia can’t tell if it’s from the idea of Tobias playing an instrument or something to do with how she keeps looking suspiciously between Nia and Tobias.
Tobias crosses his arms. “What do you want?”
Ezra and Jaz turn to Andyn. The deerling jolts. With a stomp of her delicate hoof, she says, “Right! Since someone didn’t even bother to tell us she was back—honestly, Nia, I had to find out from Kry of all ‘mon—we decided we’d come see you instead!”
“We haven’t even been back a day,” Tobias huffs.
Nia shrugs with an apologetic smile. “I figured you'd still be on a mission."
Andyn narrows her eyes, then lifts her nose into the air with a dainty hmph. “Fine. You’re forgiven.”
“Forgiven?” Tobias says, annoyed. “For what? Not checking in? You’re not our mom.”
Andyn gives him an acidic look. “That attitude is why Nia is forgiven and you are not.”
“You have to be trying to pick a fight. Is Kry kicking your tail on the daily not enough for you, you masochistic little—"
Nia claps her hands together with a single sharp sound. “No fighting until I’m awake enough to deal with it!”
Her voice is firm, but she’s more amused than irritated now that she knows Tobias enjoys the bickering on some level. Andyn has to enjoy it too, considering how often she instigates.
“We didn’t come here for Andyn to pick a fight, believe it or not,” Jaz sighs.
“We wanted to see you as soon as you got back!” Ezra adds. “I feel like you two travel a lot more than most low-level Seekers.”
There’s a question in that sentence, subtle enough to decide whether they want to answer it or not. And for a moment, Nia wants to share everything, just like she wanted to with Xander and Avery in the training hall. It would take some weight off her shoulders, to be able to vent about it. To get her friends’ reassurances.
But those same fears hold Nia back. She doesn’t want to be the reason these three lose that playful spark of adventure they bring to every room they enter. She doesn’t want them to feel weighed down as heavily as she does every time she recalls Giratina’s words.
So Nia just smiles and says, “I-I like getting to see more of the Pokemon world, that's all. You know, since I’m not very familiar with it.”
Which isn’t strictly untrue, but the words still leave a bitter taste in her mouth.
“Are you planning on heading out again soon?” Jaz asks, either not catching onto the half-truth or choosing not to call her out.
Andyn sticks her lip out in a pout and drops her ears, giving Nia the most pitiful baby deer expression possible. Oh no. She’s like Bambi but even sadder. How can you be sadder than Bambi?
“We are,” Tobias says, totally unaffected by the face. “We plan to stick around for a few days and do some missions. Then we’re heading back east.”
Andyn’s pout drops for a genuinely worried expression. “Ghatha again?”
Ezra shifts uncomfortably. “Didn’t you two get caught up in that fire last time you were there?”
“Not Ghatha,” Nia says. “We’re going to find Will. The yamask I told you about? We’re hoping he can help us with something. Um. Human stuff.”
Andyn’s gaze slides to Tobias, as if expecting him to protest. He’s too busy glancing over his shoulder to notice, probably debating whether or not to get his guitar back out even with their current company. Nia knows he’s been trying to get comfortable with the basics again and he hates leaving things unfinished.
“Safe travels,” Jaz finally says. “Especially over the sea. The winds have been rough lately.”
“What hasn’t been rough lately?” Andyn groans. “The world’s unhappy and she’s letting us know it.”
Nia swallows against the lump in her throat. “We'll be careful. But enough about us! What’s going on with you three? What have you been up to?”
Ezra sighs. “We've been even busier than usual. Since more and more disasters and dungeons are popping up, it feels like we're constantly on the go.”
Nia gives the sneasel a sympathetic look.
“We’re racking up Seeker points, though,” Ezra adds with a grin. “And cash.”
“We would have more than enough points to reach C-rank if we could just get another team mission finished,” Jaz says, her dark little eyes trained on Andyn.
The deerling looks away, frowning.
“Oh!” Ezra sits up, feathery red ear flicking. “Right! Remember what we talked about last time you were home? While you’re around, you guys should do a team-up mission with us! I know you’re only E-Rank, but you still need both of your team-ups, right?”
“D-Rank, actually,” Tobias corrects, smug.
“What?!” Andyn’s jaw drops, outraged. “You’re already D-rank? How?!”
“Got an upgrade from the second-in-command in Ghatha,” Tobias says, clearly enjoying every second of this exchange. “For helping in the fire.”
Andyn glares at him, looking like she wants to snap something rude. Then her gaze flicks to Nia and she backs down, huffing.
“Well, congratulations then,” Jaz says, giving her teammate an amused glance. “That’s impressive, considering how recently you formed your team.”
“This means you definitely need to do a team-up with us!” Ezra says, leaning forward. “Since we’re the same rank now we don’t need to worry about trying to find a mission ranked somewhere in the middle!”
“We do need to do our team-up missions at some point,” Tobias grumbles, clearly reluctant. “Cordelia wasn’t impressed by our rank and most other ‘mon won’t be either. We need to keep rising so we don’t get turned away from anything important.”
“Awesome!” Ezra says. “We could—"
“I didn’t say we’d do it with you,” Tobias growls.
“Yeah, Ez,” Andyn agrees. “I mean…technically they’re D-rank but they’re still pretty new, so—"
Uh-oh.
Tobias straightens up at Nia’s side. “You think we can’t keep up with you?”
Andyn scoffs. “I didn’t say that, but if you’re thinking it—"
“You didn’t say it but you sure meant it—"
“Stop,” Nia and Jaz say at the same time, exasperated. Tobias and Andyn shut their mouths.
“Are you really worried we won’t be able to carry our weight?” Nia asks, a little hurt. “I know we’re new, but we are still the same rank as you guys.”
Not to mention Nia and Tobias been through a lot more than most other Seekers their rank. At least from what Tobias has said.
Ezra and Jaz look to Andyn, clearly the one taking issue with the idea. The deerling winces, posture uncharacteristically small.
“It’s not…I do want you there, but it’s just…”
Ezra speaks up. “Andyn’s parents are a bit, uh…tough on her. High expectations. If we ever mess up a mission, then…”
All three members of Team Evergreen shudder.
Nia blinks at them, surprised. “Your…parents?” Honestly, Nia had never given them any thought before.
Andyn nods, looking miserable but trying to hide it. “Yeah. They’re great, really! Just, um. They’re really high-rank Seekers so they kind of expect me to uphold their legacy, you know?”
“Who are your parents?” Tobias asks, brow furrowed. “I’ve been here eight years and I don’t think I’ve ever seen them.”
“You have,” Andyn sighs. “Just…not often. And probably not, um. With me. They’re both sawsbuck so they kind of blend in with all the grass types. They’re Team Sequoia.”
The name doesn’t ring any bells for Nia, but Tobias’ brows lift. He almost looks impressed.
“Yeah,” Ezra laughs. “Big prints to fill. They’re pretty strict, too, so we have to make sure we do our missions well or Andyn gets an earful. Sometimes all of us get it.”
Andyn shoots Ezra a look that clearly says to shut up, so he does.
“That…seems like a lot of pressure,” Nia murmurs, doubly glad now that she didn’t tell Andyn anything about Giratina or the dying world. The deerling clearly doesn’t need more things to worry about.
Andyn suddenly seems to register the gloomy atmosphere and Nia’s concerned expression, because she sits up with a strained laugh. “Sure, but it’s really cool, too! Everyone knows my mom and dad since they’re such amazing Seekers.”
Nia frowns.
“But since they’re so great and they expect me to be great too,” Andyn adds. “That means you two have to keep up with us if you’re going to join us on a mission. Got it?”
Nia wants to push, but Andyn is clearly trying to move the conversation along, so eventually she just nods. Tobias rolls his eyes and finally pulls the guitar out to settle in his lap again, but he doesn’t argue. He refuses to look up from his tuning as he asks, “What kind of things do you even do for a team-up mission?”
“Pretty much anything,” Jaz answers. “At least for D to C rank. It can be dungeon work, cleanup, construction, escort missions, foraging, even guild tasks. As long as both teams do the mission together, it counts.”
Tobias gives her a doubtful look. “That seems...”
“Too easy?” Ezra laughs. “That’s what I said. But I guess they save combat missions as a team-up requirement for B to A rank. This is just getting teams used to working with other ‘mon they usually don’t.”
“That makes sense,” Nia says, purposefully not looking at Tobias as he starts plucking at the guitar strings in a scale. Ezra didn’t get the memo and is watching Tobias’ hands like a transfixed cat, his claws twitching like he wants to try it too. “What kind of mission should we do, then?”
“Easier missions would be, well. Easier. But my parents wouldn’t be impressed.”
Something about that sentiment rubs Nia the wrong way, but she doesn’t interrupt as Andyn goes on.
“And a dungeon would look good but that’s a bit of a risk if we aren’t already familiar with each other’s fighting styles. I don’t trust flame-brain here not to char me to a crisp.”
Tobias stops playing long enough to shoot Andyn a glare.
“So something in the middle,” Nia surmises.
“I guess that would work,” Andyn hedges.
“One average mission will be fine, Anne,” Jaz says. “We don’t need to take on the most difficult mission on the board every single day. Even with your parents.”
Andyn visibly stops herself from retorting, probably with something sharp. She sighs. “Fine. Just don’t be late! Meet us at the job boards at dawn, okay?”
Nia snorts. “I wish I could make Tobias sleep in past dawn. He’s a morning person.”
Ezra’s face screws up. “Gross. So is Andyn. Must be a grass and fire-type thing.”
Andyn and Tobias look disgruntled about being on the same side of something for once. Nia laughs.
With their plan in place, Team Evergreen heads out soon after for an early supper. Nia, now wide awake but not yet hungry enough to eat, turns to Tobias with her best puppy dog eyes.
“What?”
“Blankets?” She says, hopeful.
Tobias seems unimpressed by her pleading expression, but after a moment he sighs and puts his guitar aside to get up. “Fine, fine. Come on. We’ll have to go down to storage to pick ‘em up.”
Nia cheers and hurries to follow him out of the room. They're only halfway down the hall when a thought occurs to her, and she steps up to his side to better see his face.
“Hey, storage is on a lower floor, right? Could we stop stop by the archives on the way back? I bet they have some music books you could check out."
Tobias has been figuring out the basics of his guitar-playing pretty quickly, and she can only imagine he'll want to move on to more actual melodies soon. He just looks so content when he plays that she can't help wanting to encourage the renewed hobby, even with the world teetering on the brink of destruction. Maybe especially because of that. She wants to make sure he takes the time to check out some books before they have to leave again.
Tobias looks thoughtful at the suggestion. Hesitant, but definitely interested. "We could.”
Nia beams.
That night, Nia wakes to the ground rumbling beneath her.
For a split-second, she thinks she’s back in Asra, the desert town cracking like broken porcelain beneath her and bringing buildings down with it. She scrambles to free herself from the net of her blanket. Out of the corner of her eye she sees Tobias doing the same from the wild movement of his tail flame.
But no—the sliver of moonlight peeking out from the bottom of the curtain isn’t right. The room smells of forest instead of dusty desert. The sound is different, too—a distant rumble, a loud creaking, muted cries of alarm from next door that are higher than Granite and Takeo’s voices.
It takes Nia a few seconds while her brain rattles around inside her skull to realize that they’re at the guild, in the Lexym Tree. It takes a beat longer for her to register that the slowing vibrations are, however, still an earthquake.
Slowly, so slowly it’s hard to tell if it has actually stopped, the earthquake stills. Nia, heart racing, looks wide-eyed at Tobias. The charmander stares back in the dim light of his tail, brow furrowed and expression cautious.
“You okay?” He whispers.
She nods. “You?”
“Yeah.”
Voices start up, quietly, in the hall. Wordlessly, Nia and Tobias stumble to unsteady feet and poke their heads out the door.
Many of the Seekers who live on the floor are standing in the hallway, talking to one another. Some have shaken expressions, while others just look quietly concerned. Nia picks out a few sentences amidst the babble.
“—earthquakes now. I thought the winds were bad enough. How—"
“Do you think there’ll be any aftershocks? What if some ‘mon were down in the tunnels? I don’t—”
“—I’ll be all right. Just scared me, mostly. Terran bumped his head but—"
“What if they get worse? I can’t—"
Nia tunes out the conversations then, everyone else’s nerves and uncertainty only piling onto her own. It looks like in this hall at least there weren’t any serious injuries, but what about everywhere else?
“What should we do?” Nia whispers to Tobias. “Seekers…help, right? Are we supposed to go check on everyone?”
“I don’t know,” Tobias admits. “Nothing like this has happened at the guild before. At least that I can remember.”
The reminder of the increasing number of natural disasters makes Nia’s stomach sink. The linoone’s words from earlier echo in her head. It’s not her fault. It’s not any of the humans’ fault.
(But the other Pokemon don’t know that, do they?)
“Can we go check on Xander and Andyn’s teams?” Nia whispers. “A-And maybe Maggie?”
She won’t be able to sleep if they don’t.
Tobias nods, then leads the way out the door and down the hall. Nia can’t tell if she’s imagining the way some of the other Pokemon send her wary looks as they spot her. She steps closer to Tobias regardless.
Thankfully, everyone seems to be physically fine, save for Felix startling himself right into Team Shellshock's cabinet and knocking off some knick-knacks. The rest of Xander’s team—down one luxio after he ran off to check on his siblings—is unusually quiet and pensive. Andyn, Ezra and Jaz seem equally rattled, trying to cover up their unease with light tones and jokes that fall painfully flat. The tight hug and comforting smile Maggie gives Nia and Tobias helps a little, but not enough.
Eventually, Nia and Tobias try to get a few more hours of sleep before dawn. Their floor of lower-level Seekers was assured by Verene a few minutes prior that the higher ranking ‘mon would take care of checking on the Haven for now. Lower ranks will take the dawn shift.
Nia almost wishes they were asked to head out now. She can’t seem to get her mind to settle despite the exhaustion tugging at her fur and the soft warmth of the blanket around her. From the way Tobias shifts throughout the night at her side, she doesn’t think he gets much rest either.
Chapter 55
Summary:
A mission with Team Evergreen.
Chapter Text
Tobias wakes at dawn, his internal clock as sharp as ever despite the earthquake disrupting his night of sleep. They’re supposed to join Team Evergreen for a joint mission today, so Tobias shakes Nia awake rougher than he usually does, not wanting Andyn to hold poor punctuality over their heads the whole morning. Nia whines, somehow even more difficult to wake when she has a blanket to bury herself back under. Finally, Tobias just rips the covers off her curled body, and is almost impressed by the sleepy glare she gives him in return.
Eventually, Tobias manages to drag Nia to her paws and get the two of them get moving. They eat a quick breakfast of the berries they’d brought back from Maggie’s the day before as they head down the Lexym Tree, until they finally reach the bottom floor underground.
“Whoa,” Nia murmurs.
While this floor is pretty much always populated, Seekers clustered around the mission boards and moving out into the forest through the spiderweb of tunnels circling the room, it’s rarely this busy. A bustling crowd of Pokemon are moving in and out of the space, more Seekers than Tobias has seen active at once. Some of the higher-ranked teams, powerful and scarred and more often than not evolved, are trailing in with exhaustion on their faces, while the lower-rank teams are tagging out for their own missions in the Haven. Must be taking shifts on earthquake cleanup.
Verene and a few higher-rank guild members seem to be directing teams on where to head next, the mission board not yet updated with all of the information coming in from last night’s damages.
“Oh! Over there!” Nia says, pointing.
Tobias follows her gaze to where Ezra is waving them over, the sneasel’s claws just barely visible over the crowd. Tobias takes the lead and weaves through the throng of Pokemon until he and Nia finally reach Team Evergreen’s side.
“Good morning,” Jaz says. The little stufful looks unruffled as always by everything going on, giving them both a smile.
“Morning! Where’s Andyn?” Nia asks.
Ezra jerks a claw over his shoulder.
Tobias follows the gesture. The deerling is shoving her way through the crowd towards a servine who is doling out missions, a solosis at their side communicating information with its telepathy.
As Nia starts up a conversation with Ezra and Jaz, Tobias pushes his own way through the crowd until he’s at the deerling’s side.
“D-Rank team,” Andyn is saying. “Three members.”
“We’re doing a team-up mission, actually,” Tobias interrupts, glaring at Andyn and daring her to argue. “So five members.”
She doesn’t look happy to see Tobias, as usual, but she doesn’t contradict him.
“Species?”
“Deerling, sneasel, and stufful.”
“Charmander and riolu.”
The servine’s tongue flicks thoughtfully as they look down at the papers in their short, leafy hands. The solosis floats closer to murmur to them, and the servine nods and crosses something off their list.
“Most of the Haven has been attended to, so we’re starting to focus on the guild. One of the tunnels down here caved in after the quake. We need the next shift of hands to help remove the rubble.”
Tobias feels Andyn deflate at his side, and tries not to do the same.
“Cave cleanup?” Andyn asks, voice bordering on a whine. “Surely you could use us somewhere more important? We aren’t even ground types!”
“Ground types are handling the unstable areas out in the forest,” The servine says, raising a brow and looking a bit impatient.
Andyn straightens up immediately at the expression. “R-Right. Um. Which tunnel, then?”
The servine flicks their leafy tail towards one of the eastern tunnels, before gesturing for them to hurry out of the way for the next team.
Tobias gives Andyn a sour look once they step away. “You were really going to lie just to get out of working with us.”
Andyn scoffs, refusing to meet his eye, and marches back to their teammates. “I forgot, okay?”
“Sure.”
Ezra and Jaz are unphased by Andyn’s mood or her news that they’ll be on cave cleanup. Nia, too, just seems happy to spend some time with her friends. Tobias resigns himself to the job and prepares for a long day of monotonous, tiring work and an evening of picking dirt out from under his claws.
When they head into the tunnel they were directed to, it almost seems like nothing is wrong. The rounded, grooved walls appear sturdy as usual, the blue stones jutting from the earth intact and glowing softly.
It’s as they move deeper that the damage and cleanup effort becomes more obvious. Temporary torches line the walls to offer more light, warming up the unusual darkness of the tunnel. The walls themselves are no longer smoothed, instead a lumpy patchwork of soil as if they had to be hastily molded anew after the earthquake. Hard dirt and rubble is scattered across the floor, not yet cleaned up or tamped down by footsteps. The blue stones that usually grow from the walls and ceiling are largely destroyed, mixed in among the soil in broken, dull shards. As they walk even deeper, five sets of footsteps absorbed by the earth, brackets of wood start to appear too, lining the tunnel walls like ribs. Probably helping to add stability as they excavate, if Tobias had to guess.
Tobias registers the quiet murmur of conversation right before they finally reach the worksite. The tunnel, as expected, is blocked by fallen rocks and soil, a mountain at least three times Tobias’ height. A large cart sits heavy on its wheels nearby, a ramp leading up to its bed and a couple of metal buckets sitting around its base. More torches are jammed into the ground around the area to provide extra light, especially without the usual blue glow of the gemstones available.
Two huge Pokemon are gesturing at the cave-in as they talk. The largest is a stout, familiar-looking hippowdon, her dark gray hide nearly blending in with the darkness. The other is a tall Pokemon, its head resting atop thin but powerful tentacles—a toedscruel.
Nia steps closer, grabbing Tobias’ arm to whisper, “Tobias, we met her the first day I came to the guild! The hippo. Um. Alana, I think?”
“Abana,” Jaz corrects in a whisper of her own. “She’s typically a tunnel guard.”
The hippowdon’s little ears flick, and the conversation between the two large Pokemon cuts off as they turn to look at the newcomers.
“Guessing you’re the next batch of hands, then?” The toedscruel asks, his voice gravelly.
“Looks like it,” Abana says, moving closer with steps heavy enough to rumble the ground beneath them. Her gaze moves over each of them, then pauses on Nia.
Nia gives her a shy, hopeful wave.
“Little riolu!” The hippowdon crows, giving a big, blocky smile. “Been a while since I’ve seen you around! I was wondering if you were still at the guild. You a Seeker now?”
“Y-Yes, ma’am! It’s good to see you again.”
The hippowdon chuckles. “You as well, little one. Happy to say I recognize everyone else here, too! At least a bit. You two are Maggie’s boy and Idris and Brielle’s daughter, right?”
Tobias straightens up and nods, flushing. It feels strange, to hear others so confidently call him Maggie’s when he wasn’t nearly as certain about it until recently. But it’s…nice, too. And at least Abana doesn’t already seem to hate him like a lot of the guild does. He hasn’t ran into her much over the years.
Andyn straightens too, chest puffing with pride. “That’s right, ma’am! Ready to make them proud.”
Abana laughs, and the sound is loud in the small space of the tunnel. “Good to hear! Don’t worry, we’ll certainly put you to work. Last group left just a bit ago all tuckered out. Let’s see if we can keep you going until noon.”
Ezra salutes the hippowdon. Nia, after a panicked glance at the sneasel, does the same. Tobias snorts.
“Listen up. Here’s how this goes,” The toedscruel says, crossing one tentacle over the other. “I’m Conifer and this is Abana. We’ll be doing the digging itself to make sure the tunnel stays stable. You all are on cleanup duty.”
Andyn’s ear flicks, but she doesn’t interrupt.
The toedscruel turns to point to the top of the cave-in, where there’s a black gap of space between the rubble and the ceiling. “We’re using a benching method. We dig out the top layer first to gauge the stability of the tunnel and what materials we’re working with, then go back to dig out the layers underneath.”
“But all you five gotta worry about is moving that spoil.” Abana nods to the bottom of the heap, where broken chunks of stone and soil taper off. “Over to that cart as we work.”
Tobias follows the hippowdon’s gaze over to the large cart against the wall, humming his assent. Not exciting work, but easy enough to understand.
Andyn takes a step forward. Her voice is respectful and chipper on the surface, but Tobias can hear something more strained running underneath. “That’s it? I—we can really help more with the digging itself, if you'd like! Surely we’d be more useful actually helping out.”
“You’ll be more useful unburied,” Conifer grumbles. “If you don’t want to do the work we need done, go complain to whoever sent you down here.”
Andyn hesitates, glancing back at each of them. Her gaze lingers on Tobias, as if hoping that he'll join her in throwing a fit. He raises a brow, unimpressed.
“No,” Andyn says, stepping back. “We’ve got it.”
And with that, they get to work.
Andyn and Ezra are stationed atop the tumble of earth itself. They work on jabbing away at the discarded rock and soil with their hooves and claws, breaking it up until it’s small and loose enough to be scooped into the provided buckets. The buckets are almost as big as Jaz, so the stufful’s job is just to fill them with her blunt paws before scooting them behind her for the next ‘mon to grab. Tobias and Nia are put in charge of carrying the filled buckets up the ramp to dump into the cart before returning the empty containers to the stufful’s side. Then the cycle repeats.
“What happens when we fill up the whole cart?” Ezra asks, pausing in his digging to look over his shoulder.
Tobias grunts as he picks up his second bucket of soil—almost half his size and just as heavy. They are going to be so sore after today. “Dunno.”
“A psychic Pokemon will come grab the cart to empty outside when it’s full,” Conifer says distractedly from where he’s monitoring the hollow shelf above the cave-in.
Abana, who had squeezed inside the gap, is nowhere to be seen. Dirt and rocks occasionally come spraying out of the opening to tumble down to Andyn and Ezra, though, so she must be digging.
Tobias can’t walk normally with the heavy bucket in his arms, so he waddles carefully up the ramp to dump its contents onto the empty bed of the cart. A thin layer of dirt and rocks spill over the floorboards, wood grain still clearly visible through the soil.
Nia’s footfalls, heavier than usual, plod up the wooden ramp behind Tobias. She overturns her own bucket and watches the dirt scatter across the wood, looking just as disheartened as he feels by how little it actually seems to add. Tobias bites back a sigh and turns to go back to the pile, where Jaz is already scooping rock and dirt into a third bucket.
Grab bucket. Carry up ramp. Dump. Ignore how quickly his muscles are starting to burn. Repeat.
Nia sets down her bucket after the next drop and shakes out her arms, looking between the cart and the mountain of earth with her ears low. “We’re supposed to do this for six hours?”
“I’m sure we can take breaks to rest and get water,” Jaz soothes, nudging the next filled bucket towards them. “The guild wouldn’t want us to hurt ourselves.”
“Correct,” Conifer rumbles, making Nia jump. “We will call for breaks, but take a breather if you need one. You are here to work, not injure yourself.”
That’s good at least, but it doesn’t make the work any less grueling.
“Why do we keep ending up in tunnels, anyways?” Tobias growls, more to himself than anything, as he grabs another bucketful to carry to the cart.
“The Asra mines were kind of your fault, to be fair,” Nia says as she approaches, then pauses. “Actually, you picked out the tropius mission too, didn’t you?”
“Yeah, yeah. It was a rhetorical question,” Tobias grumbles, flicking her leg with his tail as he passes. Nia laughs, but doesn’t push the point.
The process from there is long, monotonous, and most of all exhausting. Dig, scoop, carry, dump, repeat.
Dig.
Scoop.
Carry.
Dump.
Repeat.
Tobias is steaming with sweat and his shoulders and arms are burning within the hour. From the way Nia’s playful comments and Ezra’s lighthearted chatter die down to wordless, heavy breathing, they must be feeling the strain as well.
Abana and Conifer take turns digging out the shelf and then the earth underneath, stopping to discuss the process in quiet voices between each switch. Well, until—
“Seekers,” Conifer suddenly says, startling everyone. “Take a break.”
Tobias blinks, looking between the endless mountain of soil and the barely filled cart. It doesn’t look like it’s time for a break, much as his body would appreciate one.
The toedscruel waves a dismissive tentacle. “Go on. One of you grab water for the rest of the group. Rest up for a bit, then get back to it.”
Andyn grunts, then immediately jabs away at the soil with renewed vigor.
Ezra sighs. “Anne.”
“You take a break,” Andyn huffs. “I’m fine.”
Tobias rolls his eyes. What exactly does she think she’s proving by being a stubborn brat?
One of Conifer’s yellow tentacles reaches over to wrap around the deerling’s middle. She yelps as she’s plucked from the dirt and placed down closer to the cart.
“Rest,” Conifer says with a sharp look. “Or you will burn out too quickly. That’s an order.”
Andyn ducks her head in what could be an agreeable bow, if Tobias couldn’t see her annoyed expression from his angle.
The deerling reluctantly follows Conifer’s command, though, and soon enough the two teams are sitting around the cart to rest. Jaz had put up the world’s politest fight so she could be the one to go get the canteen of water and some hydration fruit, citing that she was doing the least physically demanding labor. Other than a token protest from Nia, no one had argued, too exhausted to move.
Tobias stretches out his arms and shoulders while they wait for the stufful to return. One arm over the other, then switch.
“I hope everyone in the forest is okay,” Nia murmurs, stretching out her legs. “They would’ve sent someone to check on Hadley, right? A-And the other families we’ve helped?”
Tobias frowns. “Where did that come from?”
Nia shrugs, concerned expression staying put. “I mean…the quake wasn’t too bad here, but I’m just worried about everyone else. There are a lot of Pokemon living in the Haven. How do the Seekers know they checked on everyone who needs help?”
Tobias honestly hasn’t given it much thought. He’s always just assumed that the upper-level Seekers know what they’re doing. Although now that Nia has put the idea in his head, he can’t help thinking about all of the Pokemon he has met in the Haven over the years. Even just the ones he’s interacted with recently, partnered with Nia.
That tropius mother and her lost calf. The teddiursa who got caught in the nearby dungeon, and their roselia friend who was so desperate to save them. The elderly gloom they escorted across the Haven to her sister’s house. The caves they cleaned out for that pancham and her cubs. The torterra and turtwig family they delivered medicine to. Hadley, infuriating as the golisopod is. All of the Pokemon Tobias has met when traveling with Maggie and giving out herbs over the years. Hundreds of Pokemon.
“Yeah,” Tobias says, uncomfortable with the weight of so many lives on his mind. “But the guild said they already sent out Pokemon to make sure the civilians are all right. They must have some kind of system set up so they don’t miss anyone. August knows what he’s doing. We just need to do what we can here.”
“I guess you’re right,” Nia sighs, though she doesn’t sound convinced.
Jaz returns shortly after that conversation, stumbling under the uneven bulk of the canteen and hydration berries strapped to her back.
“Let one of us get the water next time,” Ezra snickers as he moves to help his teammate. “This thing’s bigger than you are.”
Jaz huffs an unamused noise and flops to the dirt while Nia unstraps the items, handing Tobias the berries for him to eat. He immediately pops one into his mouth and savors the juicy burst of sweetness as the others pass around the water canteen, taking long gulps to rehydrate.
All too soon, though, it’s time to get back to work.
Dig.
Scoop.
Carry.
Dump.
Repeat.
It isn’t difficult work, really, at least mentally. Hardly any thinking required. But that almost makes it worse, in Tobias’ opinion, having nothing to keep his mind busy as his body toils. Nothing to focus on but the growing fatigue in his muscles and the boredom in his brain.
Tobias is relieved when Nia speaks up as they wait for Jaz to finish scooping the next bucket. The riolu must be tiring too, but her ruby eyes are curious as she peers past Abana, to where Conifer is squeezed into the hollow above the mountain of soil and shoveling dirt down to Andyn and Ezra.
“Hey, Abana?”
The hippowdon hums, the noise a deep vibration Tobias can feel in the soles of his feet.
“Do all of the guild’s tunnels go out into the forest? Or do some of them go somewhere else?”
“Just to the forest around the Haven. Why do you ask?”
“Well…if that’s the case, why do we even have—” Nia cuts herself off, as if finding her own phrasing too rude. But then she continues, more carefully, “Why does the guild have a tunnel system in the first place? Wouldn’t a front door at the base of the tree work better?”
“It would certainly make it easier without the tunnels, wouldn’t it?” Abana chuckles. “They were originally made as a form of defense for the guild, but they do feel a bit silly nowadays.”
“Defense?” Ezra asks, pausing his digging. His feathery ear—usually a bright red hue—is dull from dust and dirt. “Defense from what?”
“The world hasn’t always been as friendly as it is nowadays,” Abana says. “When the guilds were first created, there were enough folks against the idea that they had to make sure the Tree was secure against any attacks.”
Jaz shoves the next bucket of dirt behind her. Nia grabs it, grunting as she takes small steps towards the cart. Over her shoulder, she says, “Why wouldn’t people want the guilds around? They’ve always been about helping out, right?”
“Mhm. But having the authority to say what is right and what is wrong—and the ability to dole out punishment accordingly—is a lot of power. Some ‘mon worried that those in such a position would abuse that power.”
“August would never do that!” Nia says, stopping in the middle of the ramp to give Abana an offended expression.
Abana laughs. “Agreed! But August is not the only Pokemon in the world willing to become guildmaster.”
“Still,” Nia says, frowning as she dumps the dirt bucket. “People trust the guilds. I can’t imagine what kind of jerk would take advantage of that.”
“That’s because you’re a sweetheart,” Ezra calls lightly, still digging.
Nia eeps with embarrassment, nearly tripping off the ramp. Tobias snorts a laugh as he picks up his own bucket and moves her way.
“And naïve,” Conifer grunts, head poking out from the shelf of dirt. He shakes some soil loose from his tentacles and squeezes out into the open again. “Even today, there are some guildmasters I refuse to work under.”
That has Tobias’ interest piqued, and seemingly the others’ as well, by how their ears perk. “Which ones?”
“I’m not at liberty to say.”
“Why’d you even bring it up, then?” Tobias mumbles as he climbs the ramp and dumps his bucket. The wooden cart is filled with a thick layer of soil and rock by now, but it’s still only a fourth or so of the way full. How long have they been at it just to make this tiny dent? Two hours? Three?
There’s the quiet shifting of soil behind him, and when Tobias glances back, Abana is vanishing again into the hollow above the cave-in. Must be her turn to dig.
“So just to clarify,” Jaz says. “The tunnels were made to keep the entrances to the Lexym Tree hidden, so that Pokemon who were against the guild couldn’t easily attack?”
“Most of them, yes.”
Tobias stops as he reaches the bottom of the ramp. Most of them?
“Most of them?” Nia echoes.
Conifer, adjusting something on one of the brackets holding up the walls, says, “There are more tunnels deeper down, but they are not easily reached, wrapped in the Tree’s roots as they are. They're surrounded by a wall too thick to dig through without risk of damaging the Tree itself.”
“What were those tunnels used for?” Jaz asks, scooping dirt into Nia’s bucket and kicking everyone back into motion.
Conifer pauses to look over at the group of them, hanging on to his every word in their boredom. He sighs. “I asked one of the older diggers about it once, and he said they used to be storage bunkers before they became too inconvenient to access. They haven’t been used in decades, at least.”
“Huh,” Nia says, crouched by Jaz and helping scoop errant soil into her bucket. “Wonder what they kept down there?”
“Treasure?” Ezra suggests, glancing over his shoulder with a toothy grin.
“Don’t be dumb,” Andyn grumbles, speaking up for the first time in a while. “Probably just supplies or something.”
“Aw, you’re no fun.”
“We aren’t supposed to be having fun,” Andyn retorts.
Even Tobias rolls his eyes at that, and he knows he’s a stick in the mud.
Conversation trails off again, dampened by Andyn’s comment and their own exhaustion.
Dig.
Scoop.
Carry.
Dump.
Repeat.
Tobias isn’t sure how much time passes before they’re instructed to take a break again. They still have some water and berries left, so no one is tasked with going to grab more from the cafeteria floor.
Tobias flops onto the ground and shoves a berry into his mouth, staring up at the ceiling where a few fragments of blue crystals are still wedged into the soil, glowing faintly. Nia lies down near him, for once a normal distance apart and not leeching his warmth. Ezra and Jaz join the two of them on their own backs a moment later. It’s quieter than their first break as they all try to catch their breath. Tobias flexes his tired, cramping fingers and arms.
“What kind of gemstones are those?” Nia eventually asks, also staring up at the ceiling. “I’ve been meaning to ask.”
“The tunnel crystals?” Jaz asks.
“Yeah! They’re so pretty. Do you know what they are?”
“Can’t be any form of evolutionary stone,” Ezra says. “Would’ve been mined out of here in a heartbeat.”
"Really?" Andyn scoffs. Tobias notices for the first time that she’s the only one still standing, shifting on her hooves impatiently and watching Abana and Conifer work. “It's not like evolutionary stones are worth all that much when we can't evolve anymore.”
“Before that, Anne.”
For a moment, Tobias considers that they could be the stones used to make damp rocks, which extend the use of rain dance. The caves beneath Asra had been lined with the crystals to make smooth rocks and heat rocks, after all. But the Lexym Guild hasn’t ever been a particularly rainy place. No more than anywhere else, at least.
Nia sighs. “We should’ve asked Carnelian. I bet he would’ve loved looking at these.”
“Carnelian?” Ezra asks.
Nia sits up to meet the sneasel’s eyes. “Yeah! He’s a researcher we met on the way back from Shivergleam! Apparently he was called in to look at some weird stones at the base of the mountains north of here.”
“The Silenfroar range?” Jaz asks.
“Yup! I bet he’d know what these are.”
“Does it matter what they are?” Andyn cuts in, voice sharp. She’s now pacing lightly back and forth.
Conversation stops as everyone watches her.
Out of the corner of his eye, Tobias sees Nia’s ears lower, just a bit. “Oh. I mean…I guess not, no, but…”
“It’d be fun to know, right?” Jaz says.
Andyn doesn’t answer.
Tobias sits up to glare at the deerling, half-wishing she’d notice and pick a fight so he had an excuse to battle. Just because Andyn is in a mood doesn’t mean she can take it out on Nia and the others. Is this all because she isn’t happy with their mission today? Tobias isn’t exactly thrilled about it either, but you don’t see him throwing a fit about it.
Abana calls them back over to work soon after, and Tobias channels his irritation into dumping his heavy bucket of dirt with a bit more force than necessary.
Dig.
Scoop.
Carry.
Dump.
Repeat.
It’s quiet as they work. Just the soft shift of dirt and the occasional louder sound of hooves and claws chipping away at stone. Measured, raspy breaths and wood-heavy footsteps. Normally Nia—and probably Ezra, too, if Tobias had to guess—would never be silent for so long, but the work keeps them busy.
It’s almost too quiet, until Andyn speaks up.
“Why don’t we just use attacks to clear this out?” She pants. “My bullet seed could—"
“No moves,” Abana says, voice hard.
Andyn clamps her mouth shut. Everyone stops to give the hippowdon their full attention.
“This tunnel is unstable right now,” Abana says, meeting Andyn’s gaze until the deerling looks away. “Careless attacks will bring the whole cave down on top of us.”
“And then we will have to dig you out, and redo all of our hard work,” Conifer calls from within the shelf. “If you even survive the initial collapse.”
“That makes sense for us,” Ezra says, wiping some dirt from his cheek. “But you’re ground types, right? Couldn’t you just dig this tunnel out real quick with some of your moves?”
Abana gives the sneasel an amused look. “Can you perfectly control an avalanche, little flurry? Mold it to form a castle of ice and snow with a flick of your claw?”
Ezra tilts his head. “Oh. No, I definitely can’t do that.”
“The earth is similar,” Abana says. She scoops a divot out of the hard dirt as easily as swiping aside snow. “We could dig through it on our own in minutes, but if we want the tunnels to stand strong on their own even when we aren’t here, we must build them up more carefully than that. They must stand under their own weight without relying on our powers.”
There’s a moment of quiet as they all digest those words.
“This is the only tunnel that caved in, right?” Jaz asks. “So they must be pretty stable.”
Abana nods, red eyes trained on the gap where more dirt rains from Conifer’s digging. “This tunnel is used less often than the others so it didn't get checked as regularly. We’ll monitor it closer from now on to make sure it can withstand future quakes.”
Tobias frowns as he sets his empty bucket down in front of Jaz. He doesn’t like the way Abana said that—like future quakes are a certainty and not just a potential thing. Although with the increase in natural disasters, he guesses it makes sense that she wants to be prepared.
Everyone else must pick up on Abana’s implication too, because the silence that falls over the group feels heavier than it did before.
Dig.
Scoop.
Carry.
Dump.
Repeat.
They have to have been working for more than four hours at this point. Tobias’ arms, shoulders, and back are screaming at him, pained from the constant lift and carry of a bucket almost as heavy as he is. He notices Nia and Jaz slowing down as they lose steam, and more than once Nia trips over her own paws and has to right herself.
Tobias feels like he’s been rolling around in the desert, gritty soil coating his scales and crusting under his claws. Even with his job having the least hands-on contact with the dirt, he swears he’s tasting the stuff. The only reason Tobias hasn’t complained much—out loud, at least—is because he knows he needs to save his breath.
Andyn doesn’t seem to have the same reservations. Tobias can hear her occasionally cursing under her breath as she works on loosening the soil with Ezra. She hasn’t slowed down at all, still as fervent as she was hours earlier. It’d be admirable if Tobias wasn’t still irked at her for her earlier attitude.
Ezra had initially been snickering at some of her comments, but at some point that had stopped. Tobias doesn’t think anything of that shift until he hears the sneasel whisper something to Andyn with a concerned note in his voice. Jaz, who had been refilling Tobias’ bucket with soil, pauses and looks up at their leader as well.
“No, I’m not okay,” Andyn snaps, louder than her partner. “We should be doing something more important than digging out stupid tunnels, Ez!”
Tobias snorts. “Well we’re not, so get over it.”
Andyn whirls around, barely keeping her footing on the shifting soil. “Oh, you shut it!”
“Whoa, Anne—”
“O-Okay, maybe we should—”
Tobias curls his lip and takes a step forward, flexing his claws. “No, let her talk.”
“We are not starting a fight here,” Jaz says, stepping in front of Tobias. He glares down at the stufful, expecting her to falter, but she holds his gaze with a firm stare. Her striped tail twitches to Tobias’ left. Tobias follows the movement and glances at Conifer, whose narrowed gaze has switched from Abana’s digging over to them. Watching.
Tobias growls, backing up a step. He is not going to get in trouble just because of this stupid deerling’s attitude problem.
“Andyn,” Jaz soothes, turning around to look up at her teammate. “Deep breath.”
“No! We’re better than this, Jaz!” Andyn says, voice bordering on a shout. “Cleanup duty? That looks like a punishment!”
The deerling sounds angry, but as Tobias looks at her face, he thinks she looks…scared, almost. Brown eyes wide, a noticeable tremble to her mouth even from a distance away. Against his will, some of Tobias’ own fury drains away.
Huh.
“Andyn,” Jaz says, voice firmer than Tobias has ever heard it. “Breathe.”
Ezra steps closer to the deerling and lays a paw on her shoulder, taking an exaggerated breath. Andyn’s expression melts into something a bit more grounded at his touch, annoyance showing through instead of fear. Reluctantly, she shuts her eyes and takes a shaky breath. Then another. And another.
When Andyn has breathed for a minute, tense stance a bit more relaxed, Jaz says, “Good. Go get the next round of water for everyone, please.”
Andyn’s eyes open, dismayed. “But—"
“Andyn,” Jaz says, unyielding.
The deerling frowns down at the stufful for a moment. Two. Then she spots Conifer still watching the whole scene silently, and stiffens. Immediately, she shrugs Ezra off and springs lightly down the pile of rock and soil, slipping past Tobias, Nia and Jaz. Back down the tunnel and towards the guild.
In the silence that follows, Ezra and Jaz glance first at Conifer, who has remained pointedly silent, and then at Nia and Tobias. Ezra almost looks embarrassed, while Jaz just looks…tired.
“Is she all right?” Nia asks, paws wringing nervously.
“Yes,” Jaz sighs. “Just give her a bit.”
Tobias and Nia exchange a doubtful look, but hesitantly get back to work as Ezra and Jaz start digging and scooping as if nothing had even happened. Still, the quiet left in Andyn’s wake is somehow even more stifling than before. Tobias is just glad that Conifer didn’t say anything about the deerling’s little freakout—as much as Tobias doesn’t like her, even he doesn’t want to deal with that secondhand embarrassment.
With Andyn gone and only one ‘mon loosening the soil, unfortunately the work moves twice as slowly as it did before. So slowly that Tobias and Nia are forced to sit and wait minutes at a time for Ezra to break down the rocks and clumps of dirt enough to pass along to Jaz. While the break should feel nice, Tobias is instead annoyed with the delay in progress. Eventually, he stands and puts his bucket aside with a quiet clang.
Nia, who had also been waiting at Jaz’s side and helping her scoop, turns to him. “Tobias?”
“I’m switching for a bit,” He mumbles, moving past them and scrambling his way up the pile of soil to Ezra’s side. The dirt beneath him shifts and gives under his feet, making his ascent much less dignified than he’d like. Still, Ezra needs help in order to pick up the pace. And Tobias wants to talk to him anyways, away from Conifer and Nia’s ears.
“Oh, hey,” Ezra says, blinking at Tobias. A hesitant grin crosses his face. “Couldn’t resist the most glamorous part of the job, huh?”
Tobias snorts. “Hardly.” He immediately gets to work breaking up the soil and rock in front of him with his claws before sending it farther down the pile to Jaz and Nia. “You were being too slow. And I have a question for you.”
Ezra resumes his own digging, ears angled Tobias’ way. “Well, you’ve got me! What’s up?”
Tobias works silently for a few moments, unsure of how to start. He’d been trained on this area a little bit, apprenticed under Maggie and living in such close quarters to Fen up on the medical floor. But it’s not exactly a comfortable question. Tobias would prefer to ask Andyn directly, but he has a feeling she wouldn’t tell him the truth regardless. And Ezra would likely know.
“Andyn,” Tobias starts, hesitant. “She seemed…panicked, earlier. During her little yelling fit.”
Ezra stops digging, visibly surprised. “You noticed that?”
“I’m not blind.”
Ezra is quiet for a long moment, before he goes back to digging. “No, I guess you’re not.”
Tobias narrows his eyes at the careful non-answer. “Does this have anything to do with what you mentioned yesterday in our quarters? About her parents having high expectations?”
Ezra winces. “…Yeah. Don’t tell her I told you, but uh. She’s freaking out a bit about what her parents will think of us taking this job.”
So Tobias guessed right. He frowns, digging harder into the rocky soil to break it up into smaller chunks. “Her parents don’t hurt her, right?”
“What?” Ezra’s head snaps up. “No! Arceus, no, nothing like that. They’re just…they have really high expectations. Too high. And they kind of…ignore Andyn for a while, if she does something they don’t like. Like taking on a cleanup mission instead of something more, uh. Flashy.”
Tobias’ own digging stops so he can stare at Ezra, almost in disbelief. Maggie would never ignore him or Nia to punish them for a mistake, let alone for the crime of…doing their job?
“Yeah,” Ezra agrees with a weak laugh. “Her parents are harsh. But their opinions mean everything to her. Jaz and I have tried to tell her before how messed up it is when they ignore her like that, but she refuses hear it.”
“Stubborn,” Tobias says without thinking.
Ezra’s eyes twinkle at him, as if to say, You’re one to talk, before his smile drops and he turns back to their work. Tobias follows his lead. “We try to tell her she’s more than what she achieves or what she can do, but it’s…hard. She’s almost tougher on herself than they are. I honestly don’t know if she could handle it if we ever failed a mission.”
“Maybe it would do her some good to fail,” Tobias mutters. Everything he’s learned since becoming a Seeker seems to have come from him messing up in one way or another, so. It could be good for her to see that she can fail and the world won’t end. Stupid parents’ opinions aside.
Tobias wishes the consequences of he and Nia’s responsibilities were so small-scale.
Tobias shoves that bitter thought aside. It’s not Andyn’s fault that Tobias and Nia have been saddled with the impossibly large task of saving the world. Just because their problem is so big doesn’t mean that Andyn’s family situation isn't terrible, too.
Tobias had been worried that Ezra would chatter endlessly when Tobias joined him in digging, since he’s a new and exciting target to prod at, but the sneasel is blessedly quiet after their little conversation. They work side-by-side on their own portions of the soil, save for Ezra occasionally taking over on a particularly difficult chunk of rock to break apart. Sharp as Tobias’ talons are—or were, before he dulled them on all this dirt—they’re still no match for a sneasel’s massive claws.
Tobias works with the dark-type until Jaz and Nia have more than their work cut out for them below. Then he huffs and sits back, wiping a wisp of steam from his brow.
Ezra spares him a glance. “Break time?”
“Moving back to bucket duty,” Tobias answers, already turning and sliding back down to the ground.
“Actually, it's a good time for a break,” Abana says from above them, shuffling her way out of the hole she’s been digging in. Her huge head blocks the opening entirely, and Tobias isn’t actually sure how she manages to squeeze in and out of there.
“Thank goodness,” Nia groans, stumbling back against the cart and sliding to the ground. “I’m ready to drop.”
Tobias goes to stand at her side, leaning against the cart himself. He looks down at the top of Nia’s head and has the incredibly strong urge to flick one of her ears. He stuffs the impulse down as Ezra and Jaz trudge over to join them.
“Guess Anne’s not back with the water yet,” Ezra sighs, flopping down.
“Should someone go check on her?” Nia asks, clearly worried.
“Nah, let her work off some steam,” Ezra says, waving away her concerns. “She’ll be back soon.”
“After dumping her part of the work on you,” Tobias grumbles.
“Yeah, but that just means I got to work beside my new best buddy,” Ezra says with a cheeky grin. “A real warm and fuzzy fellow. Gotta love him.”
Tobias wants to flick the sneasel’s ear too, but much more violently. Too bad he’s out of reach.
After that, Jaz and Nia chat for a bit, still trying to figure out what kind of stones line the tunnels and who they could ask to find out. Ezra is lying on his back like a staryu, eyes closed, and Tobias could almost believe he was asleep if not for how his ears angle to catch the girls’ conversation.
Tobias feels his own restlessness build the longer they wait for Andyn to return, until it’s tinged with irritation. Distraught or not over her parents’ judgement, the deerling was sent out to get them water. Tobias’ throat is bone-dry and he’s sure the others are thirsty, too. Soon enough they’ll be called back to work.
“I’ll be back,” Tobias says, pushing off the cart.
Nia blinks up at him. “Where’re you going?”
“I’m gonna drag that little twig back here with our drinks.”
“What?” Nia scrambles to her paws. “Tobias, I don’t think—if anyone’s going to check up on Andyn, maybe I should. I don’t know if you two should, uh…talk right now, when she’s already upset.”
Tobias gives Nia a dry look. “And if she’s still in a mood and refuses to come back? Or tells you to leave her alone?”
Nia winces. She glances down at Jaz and Ezra as if to ask if one of them would rather go.
Tobias is half-expecting the two other members of Team Evergreen to be just as alarmed as Nia, but instead Jaz looks almost…thoughtful. Eventually, she shakes her head. “I won’t be able to say anything to her I haven’t said before. I’m all right with you going.”
Ezra has sat up again, but he’s leaning back leisurely on his hands. He smiles at Tobias with more familiarity than Tobias feels he earned in their brief time talking atop the cave-in pile. “Nah, I think Tobias has this covered. Go for it.”
Tobias is sure he and Nia are sharing identical expressions of surprise. He…didn’t actually think they’d agree so easily. He isn’t sure how to feel about the sudden show of faith.
…He’ll deal with that later.
Tobias looks back to Nia. “Satisfied?”
Nia still seems unsure. Her gaze flicks behind him, in the direction Andyn ran off to earlier. “I-I guess. Just…try not to fight, okay?”
“No promises,” Tobias says, spinning on his heel and setting off down the tunnel. Nia sputters at the answer, but doesn’t chase after him.
Tobias quickly arrives at the open area where the mission boards are stationed. There are a few Pokemon moving to or from the web of tunnels surrounding the space, but the crowd from earlier has largely cleared out.
Tobias frowns, looking around. If Andyn actually went to get them water and hydration berries, she would’ve had to go upstairs to the cafeteria floor. He walks over to the steps, but pauses when his eye catches an out-of-place form at the entrance of one of the other tunnels. He blinks, noting the large ears and long, spindly legs as the Pokemon paces back and forth in the mouth of the cave. Andyn.
Tobias takes a bracing breath and marches over to meet her. As he gets closer, he sees that she at least did get the water and berries, both packs strapped across her back and dangling with every step.
Andyn’s ears angle around as he approaches, and she turns to face him in the blue light of the tunnel. Her tense expression sours further. “Great. First today’s mission and now this. What do you want?”
Tobias opens his mouth to say that he was sent to check on her. Maybe even joke that they need the water before they die of thirst. He opens his mouth to say that her parents are horrible and that she should stop caring so much about what they think.
Instead, what he says is, “I want you to come back and do your job.”
Andyn’s eyes narrow. “I am doing my job. Don’t act so high and mighty—it's not like you’re happy to be doing this stupid mission.”
Tobias snorts. “Of course I’m not happy about it. It’s exhausting and mind-numbing and I’m gonna be picking dirt out of my scales for a week. It sucks. But it’s gotta get done.”
Andyn rolls her eyes. “Yeah, but they could’ve at least gotten the total newbies to do it instead.”
There it is again. This apparent belief Andyn holds that low-level work is beneath her. Or at least not good enough for her oh-so-important parents. Tobias has only been partnered with the deerling for a day and he’s already tired of everyone dancing around this.
“We’re helping the guild,” Tobias growls. “It’s one day of work. Do you really need to whine about it so much?”
Andyn has the gall to look offended. “I am not whining! And you’re one to talk! I didn’t see you do anything but mope around and snap at everyone for years until Nia made you a pity partner!”
Tobias' lip curls. Right for the throat, huh? Sorry Nia, but if Andyn wants a fight, she’ll get a fight. “And yet I’m not the one throwing a temper tantrum.”
“I am not throwing a tantrum!" Andyn says, stomping a hoof. “We’re better than this! Even you two are better than this! We should be doing something actually worthy of a Seeker! This just looks like—like cleaning duties!”
“And that’s not good enough for a perfect Seeker like you, is it? Arceus, it shouldn’t matter who does what! It doesn’t make you better than someone else just because you’re a higher rank!”
“I know that!” Andyn protests.
“Do you?”
“Of course!” Andyn huffs. “But my parents—"
“Entei, shut up about your parents!” Tobias shouts, throwing up his hands. “Clearly they’re awful!”
Andyn takes a threatening step forward. “Take that back. I'm tired of everyone saying that! My parents just want what’s best for me! I just need to get better!”
“You ever think that your parents getting mad about you helping the guild makes them the problem here, not you?”
Andyn’s expression twists. “Oh, that’s easy for you to say! You have Maggie as a parent. She doesn’t care if you’re a screw-up.”
Tobias scoffs, though the words hurt more than he expects. If only because no one has echoed his own thoughts so clearly before.
Andyn glares Tobias down. If she’s regretful at all about her words, it doesn’t show.
Tobias crosses his arms. “You’re right. Maggie doesn’t care that I’m a screw-up, just that I’m trying. Because she’s actually a good parent.”
For a moment, Tobias is positive that Andyn is about to launch an attack at him. She’s practically quivering with fury. “My parents are good parents! They just want me to be the best Seeker I can be!”
“And that’s worth turning you into a nervous wreck, apparently.”
“I’m fine!” Andyn shrieks.
“Oh yeah, obviously.”
“You don’t know what you’re talking about! You’re lucky. No one ever expects anything from you!”
Her words are loud enough to echo down the tunnel. For a brief moment, Tobias thinks of Giratina and the whole Pokemon world, depending on him and Nia to keep it safe. Then, Tobias thinks of Vivi, of her scared little face looking up at him, latching onto him too tight with her claws. Terrified but trusting that her big brother will keep her safe.
Rage surges in Tobias’ chest like magma, and he takes a step forward to meet Andyn in the middle of the tunnel.
“I had someone who expected everything from me!” Tobias snarls. His eyes feel hot. His chest feels hot. Everything is heat. “But I let her down. And I have been trying so hard to make up for that ever since.”
Normally Tobias would be embarrassed by the way his voice cracks. But Andyn’s anger finally falters. Her breath catches as she steps back, suddenly looking unsure. So Tobias continues.
“Messing up isn’t the end of the world. It’s normal. Everyone messes up—even your stupid parents! They aren’t perfect, and you shouldn’t have to be either! And if this is all it takes to set you off? Not getting the perfect mission that you were hoping for this morning? I honestly hope you never find out what it’s like to mess up when you really, really can’t afford to.”
Andyn stares. Silence falls. Tobias’ tail flame is larger than usual thanks to his emotions, fighting with the cool blue glow of the tunnel’s gemstones.
“C’mon,” he growls. “Let’s just go already. They’ll be wondering where we are.”
“Tobias,” Andyn says, voice hushed. “I…”
“I don’t want to hear it.”
Tobias turns and heads back to the mission boards. He doesn’t hear Andyn follow, but he doesn’t make himself stop to wait. He storms past the other guild members still milling about on the ground floor. Then he continues to the tunnel with the cave-in where he left everyone else.
“There you are!” Nia says when he rounds the last bend in the tunnel. Her happy expression fades as soon as she gets a good look at his face. “Is everything okay?”
“Fine,” Tobias says, sharper than he means to.
Ezra and Jaz look worried too, quickly picking up on his mood. Their gazes move past him, probably searching for Andyn.
After an awkward moment of silence, Nia’s ears perk. Tobias watches as Andyn trots into the tunnel after him. Stubbornly refusing to meet anyone’s eyes, the deerling stops briefly at their group to bite the straps of her cargo loose. The canteen and the bundle of hydration fruits drop to the dirt. Without a word, she climbs the pile of soil and gets back to work jabbing away at rock and dirt with her tiny hooves.
“Anne?” Ezra calls, hesitant.
Andyn doesn’t answer.
Ezra and Jaz trade an uneasy, loaded look, but with the experience of someone used to the situation, simply let it lie. They both take a few gulps of water and then get back to work at their own stations. Ezra glances at Andyn when he reaches the top of the dirt pile, but seems to decide against pushing her any further.
Nia looks between them all with wide eyes, ears pinned back. “Guys..? Shouldn’t we—”
“Not now, Nia,” Tobias grunts, picking up the first full bucket Jaz scoots behind her and turning to take it to the cart. He certainly doesn’t want to talk this out right now, and he’s sure Andyn doesn’t, either. Poking at them in their current state won’t end well for anyone. He can still feel embers glowing in his flame sac, ready for a fight.
Abana, at least, doesn’t say anything about the sudden tension aside from a lifting of her brows. The diggers keep to their own business, apparently.
In choking silence, they get back to work.
Dig.
Scoop.
Carry.
Dump.
Repeat.
Tobias lets his mind blank out as much as possible, which isn’t too difficult as the exhaustion of the day truly starts to set in. He deliberately ignores Andyn’s furious digging, and avoids Nia’s concerned looks, too.
Tobias isn’t sure if they’ve actually worked as long as they were supposed to when Conifer suddenly calls for them to quit for the day, or if the toedscruel is just tired of the tension in the air.
Regardless, Tobias is relieved to finally set his bucket down by the cart and observe the fruits of all their labor. They managed to fill up most of the cart with soil, but even that is a hardly noticeable dent in the mountain of dirt left from the cave-in.
Well. Not his problem, at least for the rest of the day.
Ezra and Jaz join him and Nia by the cart. Andyn keeps working until Conifer pointedly clears his throat. Then, the deerling sighs, rough and annoyed, before turning and bounding down the soil with more energy than she should reasonably have.
“Come on,” the grass type says as she passes by, looking ahead with her gaze unwavering. “We need to tell them our shift is over.”
“Andyn—” Nia starts.
The deerling doesn’t even break her stride. She continues down the tunnel without losing pace until she's around the bend and out of sight.
Nia wilts, looking hurt. Tobias feels his own irritation with the deerling tick up a notch further.
“Will she be okay?” Nia asks.
Ezra and Jaz look first at each other, then at Tobias.
“I didn’t do anything!” He hisses, tail flame flaring defensively.
“We weren’t accusing you, dude,” Ezra says. “But…”
“You said something to her,” Jaz finishes. Tobias would bristle at her words, if her tone wasn't so calm. Thoughtful. “Something that made her think.”
Tobias shrugs, hating the feeling of their eyes probing at him.
“Hm.” Jaz looks at him for a moment longer, then nods with a small smile. “Well, thank you both for working with us today. Hopefully in the future any team-ups we do will go a bit smoother.”
And with that, the little stufful toddles off down the tunnel after her leader.
“We can just tell the servine that you finished up your shift, if you want?” Ezra offers, looking a bit awkward. “So you don’t have to, uh…”
Don’t have to bump into Andyn again.
“That’d be great, Ezra,” Nia says, giving him a smile. “Thank you.”
The sneasel nods, looking relieved, and hurries after his teammates with a wave. “See you later!”
When it’s just the two of them and they’ve stepped a safe distance away from Abana and Conifer, Nia turns to Tobias, brow furrowed. “Tobias—"
“I don’t want to talk about it,” Tobias says, barely keeping his voice even. He’s still simmering, but Nia doesn’t deserve him snapping at her. “We argued. Something came up with my family. It’s done.”
Nia doesn’t look satisfied by that answer, and opens her mouth to speak before visibly stopping herself. Then, she tilts her head. “Um. Want to grab some food and go see Maggie?”
Tobias is immeasurably relieved that Nia isn’t pushing the issue. At least not right now. But for once, Tobias hesitates at the offer. Maggie would help him feel better, but she’s probably busy right now. It’s only midday, even if it feels like it should be later.
“Or we could go back to our room and rest for a bit?”
“Our room.”
Nia offers a small smile and holds out a paw. Tobias stares at it for a moment, wrestling between embarrassment and his desire to take it. Nia laughs softly and makes the decision for him, linking their soil-rough palms together before tugging him away. She calls out a goodbye and thanks to Abana and Conifer as she goes.
Tobias does feel better after grabbing something to eat and returning to the privacy of their room. He even gives himself a light flame bath to burn away some of the dirt on his scales. Nia watches the process with a look of pure fascination (like a weirdo).
Afterwards, she laments her own lack of a shower before wondering if it’d be strange to ask Felix to use his water moves on her. Tobias pictures the wartortle accidentally hydro pumping her through a wall, and surprises himself with the loud bark of laughter that mental image prompts.
Nia’s stunned expression only eggs him on, and he can’t seem to stop laughing at the idea. Maybe it’s just the relief of getting to relax in their room after the tension of the morning, or his own exhaustion, but he laughs and laughs and laughs.
Nia joins him after a brief, awed silence. Tobias tries to explain why he’s laughing so hard and only gets halfway through the sentence before cracking up all over again. Nia seems to get the gist, though, because her delighted giggles kick up to match his own.
Nia is lying beside him on the plush red of their rug when the cycle finally stops, both of them still trying to catch their breath as they wipe away tears. Tobias marvels at how his stomach aches. He hasn’t laughed so hard in…well, probably at least a few years. It’s good. It distracts him from the long morning, and from all the regrets and worries that have been weighing on his mind.
As stressful as the day has been, Tobias is glad now more than ever that he has Nia as a partner.
Chapter 56
Summary:
Tobias and Nia tie up some loose ends around the guild in preparation for their journey to find Will, and Tobias shares a special pastime with his partner.
Chapter Text
Team Evergreen doesn’t make an appearance after their mission in the tunnels, though Jaz stops by Tobias and Nia’s room at dawn two days later to give them an update on Andyn's mood.
“She was quiet for a while,” the stufful says. “Thinking, I suppose. But otherwise she's acting fine again.”
“Did I actually get through that thick skull of hers?” Tobias grumbles. He’s tying Nia’s scarf around her arm before they leave for the day, and it’s slipping annoyingly through his fingers.
Jaz sighs. “No, unfortunately not. It’s going to take more than a few heated words to get her to change her mind about this. Ezra and I have tried. But...”
Nia’s ears perk. “But..?”
“Something you said did make her think, Tobias. Maybe you planted some seeds that just need a bit of time to bloom.”
Pretty words for such a nasty conversation, Tobias thinks idly as he finally ties Nia’s scarf tight. He doesn’t have nearly as much faith that Andyn will turn over a new leaf any time soon.
Nia smiles at Jaz. “Well, I’m happy to hear she’s back to her normal self, at least. Sorry again that our group mission wasn’t, uh…as fun as we might’ve hoped.”
Tobias opens his mouth to say that that was Andyn’s fault, not theirs.
Jaz beats him to it, laughing softly. “Not your fault. Neither of your faults, really.”
Nia doesn’t argue that point, and the stufful leaves shortly after with a word of luck for their mission today and a promise to pass their hellos on to Ezra.
“Well, I’m glad we don’t have to worry about Andyn too much,” Nia says as the two of them pack up for the day and head down the Lexym Tree to the mission boards. “Are you still doing okay?”
Tobias is doing fine. Probably better than he should be, honestly. While Andyn hit a sore spot and he was much harsher than Nia would’ve been regarding the deerling’s parents, he stands firm by his conviction that Andyn needs a wake-up call. His words didn’t manage to get through to her, but he doesn’t really regret what he said, either.
“I’m fine. Just wish she’d wake up and realize her parents are the problem here.”
Nia is behind him on the steps, but Tobias can feel her attention on him, laser-focused. “You fought about her parents?”
Belatedly, Tobias realizes that this is the first time he’s said what his argument with the deerling was even about. Nia has been careful not to push.
“They suck, okay?” Tobias growls. “If they’re the reason she’s like that, then she should know that that’s messed up.”
Nia hums, but otherwise falls silent. That’s as good as an agreement for her, so Tobias doesn’t let the issue linger as they reach the ground floor where the mission boards are posted.
They’re still waiting to hear back from August about traveling to Will’s human settlement, so they’ve been avoiding any missions that would wear them out too much just in case they need to leave on short notice. Still, Tobias does have to swallow his pride when he realizes that leaves them with just a few very basic mission options for the day.
It’s not that he thinks the jobs are beneath him or anything, but they are undeniably…boring. And they give them less Seeker points, too. But he refuses to throw a fit like Andyn did.
“Well, let’s get this over with.”
“Hey, it might be fun!” Nia says, looking genuinely excited about the mission she’d picked out for them. “I haven’t tried cooking since waking up in this world.”
Tobias gives her an appraising look as they make their way back up the tree’s staircase. “Did you cook a lot as a human?”
Nia shakes her head. “Just basic stuff. Baking, mostly. But if it’s a low-level mission, it can’t be anything too complex, right?”
Tobias shrugs. For all his years at the guild, he’s never actually helped out in the cafeteria kitchen, always too busy trailing after Maggie and helping with medicinal duties.
He’s surprised to find that the day is actually pretty interesting, tucked away in the guild’s sprawling kitchen. They’re put to work under the command of the cooking staff, and their mission for the day is to provide breakfast and lunch for the entirety of the guild.
The vespiquen in charge has Tobias use his flames often, lighting fires in clay ovens and carefully toasting nuts and vegetables. He isn’t sure whether to be offended or proud when the chef looks at him with delight halfway through the morning with a clap of her hands and proclaims that they must make occa berry flambé for dessert today, with a fire type’s flames so readily on-hand.
He is proud, in an embarrassed sort of way, when the bug type compliments him on his temperature control with his flames. He manages to avoid burning a single pot or dish. While it’s a strange feeling, he likes the appreciative looks he gets from the other workers when he uses his fire, rather than the guild's usual wariness.
Tobias actually ends up enjoying the day more than Nia does, if the way she drags herself to the stairs at the end of their shift is any gauge. Her fur is caked in flour from a few ingredient mishaps, and Tobias has to bite back a laugh at her appearance.
She gives him a tired, playful glare in return. “Want to share with the class?”
“You look like a fidough.”
“Fidough,” Nia echoes, squinting. “Is that…a dog Pokemon? Oh my God, is that a bread pun?"
“It’s their species name. They are kind of…doughy, though. Yeah. That's the joke.”
Nia barks a laugh, and Tobias grins.
“Pokemon names are so silly! Hahaha!”
Tobias shakes his head as he leads the way up the stairs to their quarters. “Hey, at least they make sense. Who looks at a riolu and calls it a dog? What even is a dog?”
“Me! I’m a dog!”
“Yeah, yeah. And I’m Reshiram. C’mon, I want to have time to clean up before supper. You wanna eat with Maggie tonight? We can brag about the food we helped make.”
“Oh, that’d be perfect!” Nia says. Her fatigued posture lifts at the prospect, like a flower wilting in reverse. “Don’t let me forget, though, that I really need to talk to Avery sometime about the whole species naming thing. And the Pokemon language in general. Ordirune? It makes no sense that you and I can talk and read the same language when it’s, well…not the same language!”
Tobias vaguely remembers Nia mentioning this before, when they were in Ghatha with Junie. “Does it need to make sense? It works. We can understand each other. That’s what matters.”
“How are you not curious about it? It’s so wild to me!”
“It just doesn’t seem like something you’re gonna be able to figure out, so why waste time thinking about it?”
“Because it’s fun!” Nia counters. “I like trying to figure stuff out, even if it doesn’t really matter.”
Tobias can’t really argue with that. Nia’s just different than him in that regard. Still, as a nincada and surskit pass them on the stairs, he gives it a moment of thought.
“Giratina said that Mew made your Pokemon body, right? She probably did something with your brain so you could understand Ordirune, so you wouldn’t be totally lost in our world.”
“But language isn’t genetic,” Nia argues. “It’s something you learn. That’s true for Pokemon too, right?”
“Yeah?”
“Then it doesn’t really make sense that she could just…imprint it onto our brains, does it?”
Tobias frowns as they finally reach their floor, his legs a bit tired as usual from the climb. “It doesn’t make sense that she could just make you a whole body, either, but here you are. If she made your brain for you, why couldn’t she make it familiar with our language? Pokemon hatch knowing survival instincts because those things were ingrained into our bodies from birth. Like…charmander hatchlings knowing to keep their tail flames small if they’re in danger. Maybe Mew did something similar and built your body so you already know Ordirune and your brain sorta just…translates for you without you realizing it.”
Nia stops behind him right before they reach their door, and Tobias turns to look at her.
She’s staring at him with wide, almost awestruck eyes. “Tobias, that’s such a cool way of thinking about it! Oh man, you should come with me when I meet up with Avery. They'd find that idea super interesting. Plus, I’m sure Xander and the others would love to see you! I think you and Kry are like…bros or something now, after your spar the other day?”
Tobias snorts and turns back to the door. “Yeah, I’m sure they’re all dying to see me.”
His hand settles on the knob, but Nia reaches out to cover it with her own paw. She gives him a long, searching look. “Hey, you know I’m not joking, right?”
“They’re your friends.”
“Well, yeah, maybe first. But they want to be your friend, too. They aren’t just…putting up with you to hang out with me.”
Tobias feels all too seen, suddenly. Like his scarf got lost somewhere and left his neck naked and vulnerable. Tobias shifts on his feet, looking away.
That…doesn’t feel right. But aside from Nia, he hasn’t had a friend his own age since he was nine—and that was his sister. He isn’t exactly an expert on how friends work.
“They’re kind of stuck with me, if they want to be friends with you.”
Nia gives him a light bat of her paw and a scolding smile. “They’re not stuck with you. You’re fun to be around, Tobias. Whether you want to acknowledge that or not.”
Tobias thinks of how he yelled at Andyn just two days ago. “Sure.”
Then, unwittingly, he thinks about the rest of that mission. Thinks about Ezra’s cheeky, playful comments and Jaz’s calm confidence when she encouraged him talk to Andyn alone. Thinks further back, to Kry punching his shoulder during training and Xander and Felix’s lighthearted smack-talk and easy conversation. Thinks about Avery’s gentle smile and full attention when Tobias spoke.
He doesn’t think he’s their friend, not really. But the idea that he might be, someday, doesn’t seem quite as ridiculous as it once was. Tobias has…a lot of mixed feelings about that. Fear that he’s going to royally screw it up is somewhere near the top, though, so he shoves away the warmth the idea brings. No use worrying about it unless it actually happens, after all.
Tobias finally opens the door to their room, only to stop as soon as he notices a piece of paper resting on the floor near his feet. Tobias picks it up, and feels his fingers tighten around the sheet as he realizes what it is.
“What is it?” Nia asks, peering over his shoulder.
“It’s from August,” he summarizes, skimming through the short message. “We have permission to head overseas and find Will first thing in the morning.”
“Giratina was telling the truth, then?”
“Or they think it’s too big a risk to ignore, if nothing else,” Tobias murmurs. The bottom of the note says that the funds for their flight have been dropped into their mailbox, so Tobias digs that pouch out right away to add to their own money. He moves to where their satchel was left to rest against the wall for the day.
“Tomorrow,” Nia says, sitting heavily in her nest and wrapping herself up in one of their blankets like a swadloon. “That’s…so soon. I know we were waiting to hear back from them, but…well. I guess we’d better let everyone know we’re leaving again?”
Tobias drags their bag over and sits to sort through it, catching the disappointed note in his partner’s voice. He doesn’t really mind traveling again, even if their time back at the guild has been fine. Good, even, for the most part. But knowing they’ll have to say goodbye to Maggie again so soon does have something in his heart squeezing tight. He hopes she doesn’t cry.
“Yeah,” he finally answers, pulling out their meager collection of items to sort through. “We can tell Maggie when we eat with her later.”
Nia voices her agreement, watching Tobias as he puts everything together. Her mind is clearly miles away, though.
Tobias leaves her to her thoughts, making sure they have the usual essentials that they travel with: apples and berries for food and status ailments, their map, and a canteen of water for Nia. He would grab some hydration berries for himself if they didn’t shrivel so quickly, but at least fire types don’t dehydrate easily.
Anything else? They could go down to the item dispensary and peruse the orbs and seeds available, but their funds still aren’t overly impressive. And they aren’t planning on getting caught in any dungeons or intense battles.
...Okay, he knows better by now than to assume that will hold true. Still, by this point they’ve mostly gotten by without items, so he thinks they'll be all right without any fancy aids.
Besides, Nia will probably want to bring a book, and their sparse packing leaves plenty of room for that. They could almost pack up Nia’s beloved new blanket too, if they wanted to squish everything in, but that feels like a waste of space if they'll be indoors most nights. He’s basically a walking heater for the riolu at this point anyways.
Tobias looks around the room and his gaze catches on his guitar, leaning carefully against the wall by the window. He frowns at the instrument, fingers flexing as he itches to hold it. He’s been enjoying relearning it, and it calms him down on late nights, but it isn’t really an essential item. Their pack would be better off carrying something actually useful.
“You’re taking your guitar along, right?” Nia asks, startling Tobias out of his thoughts. She must've followed his gaze and guessed what he was thinking.
Tobias shrugs, looking back at their satchel. “Probably not. It’s not exactly useful.”
“It makes you happy,” Nia protests, like that makes it useful, somehow. “Plus, I like hearing you play. So if we’re taking a vote…”
Tobias flushes, falling still. Part of him still wants to argue, rationality over sentimentality and all that, but. Well. If Nia doesn’t mind him taking up the space, then…
Tobias silently gets up to retrieve the guitar. He tucks it away in their bag amongst the other items, pleased with how neatly it slots in between their supplies and a book about abilities that Nia had handed him to bring along.
Packing complete.
It’s only a few short hours later that they go to the medical floor with trays of food in hand, including some of the occa berry flambé that they’d helped make earlier in the day. They call a greeting to Fen and drop off a meal with the leafeon that has them purring their thanks. Next door, Maggie seems pleasantly surprised by their appearance.
"Hello, you two! Good to see you."
“You eat yet?” Tobias asks, holding up one of the two heavy trays he’s carrying.
Maggie smiles, taking the meal with a single vine and settling down in her nest to eat. “I was just starting to feel peckish, actually. Thank you, dear. Will you stay and eat with us tonight?”
“If that’s all right!” Nia says, holding her second tray—which she was insistent on—out to Sage with a smile.
The ivysaur, who had been eyeing the door as if it was just expected for him to leave any time Tobias showed up, blinks in surprise. Then, with a bashful smile and a murmur of thanks, he takes the meal with his own vines.
Tobias and Nia sit down close to Maggie and dig in.
Off to the side, Sage shifts awkwardly on his short legs. His leaves sway with the motion.
“Sit down already,” Tobias grumbles. “We aren’t chasing you out.”
Sage looks even more thrown by the peace offering, but with a glance at Maggie and Nia, he finally settles down as well on Nia’s other side. Maggie smiles soothingly at her apprentice's nerves, and Tobias is surprised that the open affection doesn’t feel…grating, this time. In fact, it feels kind of ridiculous when Maggie immediately turns her attention back to Tobias and Nia with bright eyes, clearly thrilled to have them here.
Tobias wonders how he was ever threatened by Sage’s appearance. Maggie has more than enough love to go around.
As they eat, Maggie questions what they’ve been up to today with a note of amusement in her voice. Her gaze lingers on the patches of flour still caught stubbornly in Nia’s soft fur, even after the riolu had scrubbed at them for a solid half-hour earlier.
Nia groans and dives into her mishaps in the kitchen, including when she’d tripped over a morelull and knocked over a slurpuff who was busy mixing up dry ingredients for a crust. Tobias laughs as he replays the scene in his head, but flushes when Nia follows it up with an exasperated comparison to Tobias basically being “Gordon Ramsay” in the kitchen, whatever that means. It’s clearly a compliment.
Maggie laughs. “That doesn’t surprise me, actually. Tobias was always very careful with measurements when he helped me make our medicines, even when he was small. He has a good eye for detail, when he’s invested.”
Tobias feels his face grow hotter as Nia and Sage look at him with astonished expressions.
“You don’t have to look that surprised."
The ivysaur winces and looks back to his meal with a quiet, “Sorry.”
Nia just shrugs with an easy laugh, as if to ask if he could blame her.
The conversation flows smoothly as they catch up. Sage is quiet, almost silent, but he’s clearly listening, tracking the conversation with pricked ears and sharp garnet eyes as he picks delicately at his meal. Tobias isn’t sure if it’s because the ivysaur is still cautious after Tobias’ initial hostility, or if he’s just that quiet by nature.
Nia tries to pull the grass type into the conversation a few times, but after a few short, almost shy answers, she relents and lets him bask in the conversation without necessarily participating. Maggie doesn’t seem worried about the ivysaur’s silence, so Tobias doesn’t concern himself with it either.
During a lull in the conversation, Maggie says, “You know, your mission from today has me thinking. Sage and I might have to steal you for ourselves soon—we could use some extra hands to gather the last of the autumn herbs later this week. The northern part of the Haven will likely have its first heavy frost soon.”
“Oh. About that…” Nia trails off, giving Tobias a pleading look.
Tobias sighs, putting his fork back onto his tray. Leaving it up to him, huh? “We’re actually heading out again tomorrow morning.”
“So soon?” Maggie asks with a bewildered expression.
“August dropped off a letter today approving our travel, so…” Nia says, dejected.
Maggie smiles, leaning over to brush her muzzle over the top of the riolu’s head. “You’re fine, dear. I knew as soon as we spoke with August that you would be traveling again soon. I’m just going to miss you. And worry, of course.”
“We’ll be fine,” Tobias says. “We always are.”
“You’re always getting into trouble, you mean,” Maggie corrects with a playful glare. “Let a mother worry, Tobias. And just do your best to come home without any new scars, all right?”
Tobias’ hand drifts up to his scarf. Out of the corner of his eye, he sees Nia wince and trail a paw over the scarf on her own arm, right where she’d gotten bit by that panpour outlaw moons ago.
“We’ll be careful!” Nia finally says, though her smile doesn’t look nearly as confident as she sounds.
Maggie doesn’t seem convinced either, but drops the conversation to return to lighter topics. Such as how, just yesterday, Sage had given his first bitter medicine to some of the guild children who had come down with a cold.
Tobias laughs at the distraught expression on the ivysaur’s face, more than familiar with the experience after years of doing it himself. “How’d you like giving Bella her dose?”
The little bellsprout could be a menace when she wanted to be. Tobias can still feel the phantom smacking of her tiny root-arms.
Sage groans and drops his face into his tray.
“He made a valiant effort,” Maggie says, patting the ivysaur’s shoulder with a vine. Which means that Sage was surely near tears by the time they were finished.
Tobias uses his fork to point a bite of occa berry dessert in Sage’s direction. “Word of advice? Honey. Drown her dose in the stuff, but don’t tell her it’s anything but what it is. She can’t resist honey, but she won’t eat it if you try to trick her. Stubborn as a mudbray, that one.”
Tobias half-expects the ivysaur to dismiss his words, since Sage is older than him and the one actually in the medicinal role now. Instead, the ivysaur perks up and nods, reaching over his shoulder with a vine to pull a notepad and inkwell off the nearby desk and start writing something down.
Tobias blinks. He didn’t mean to actually take notes. The earnest faith in the gesture has his face heating. He looks away, stuffing a bite of occa berry flambé into his mouth. It’s delicious.
Soon enough, they’re all finished eating and it’s time to head out. Sage quietly insists that he can take the trays down to the cafeteria, leaving Maggie alone with Tobias and Nia.
“You two be careful on your trip, you hear?” Maggie says, voice firmer as she pulls them into a hug. “I don’t want to hear about you getting caught in any more fires or deadly fights.”
“No promises,” Tobias mumbles.
Maggie gives him an extra hard squeeze before releasing him.
“We’ll be careful, Maggie,” Nia says, stepping away with misty eyes. “See you soon, okay?”
Tobias can’t seem to say anything. The words stick like sap in his throat. He swallows against the lump of them and bumps his head against Maggie’s leg once more before stepping away.
The meganium sees them off as they pad down the hall and back down the tree.
“Xander’s team next?” Nia asks.
“You could go on your own, you know.”
“I could. But..?”
Tobias huffs, but doesn’t argue as he follows Nia to Team Shellshock’s quarters. The riolu knocks on the door, and childish shrieks rise up from behind the wood. Luca’s distinct little voice yells, “Hide! Hide!” and Tobias grins.
Avery is the one to answer, the kirlia’s gentle expression lighting up. “Nia! And Tobias. Lovely to see you two.”
“Good to see you too,” Nia says warmly. “Could we come in for a sec?”
Avery steps aside for Nia and Tobias, and as soon as Tobias crosses the room’s threshold he’s tackled by a writhing mass of blue and black fur.
“Gotcha!”
“Surrender, outlaw!”
“Lainey, sit on his head!”
Tobias puts up a halfhearted fight as the shinx cubs work to hold him down. Tiny paws step on his arms and belly and legs and his vision is taken over by lashing tails and gleaming, golden eyes.
“Don’t suffocate him, kids,” Xander calls idly, before his voice is drowned out by childish peals of laughter.
Tobias lets the cubs think they’ve won for a few moments, before twisting and gently throwing them off with an exaggerated roar. Leor squeaks and scrambles away to dive behind Team Shellshock’s items chest. Laine and Luca hiss playfully at Tobias before following their more timid brother, probably to come up with a new plan of attack.
Tobias smirks and moves to join the other occupants of the room.
Xander, Avery, and Nia are watching the cubs peek over the items chest with fond, amused looks. Felix is crouching beside the kids’ hiding place and murmuring something that quickly catches their attention. Kry is nowhere to be seen, probably out training or something while the cubs are here wreaking havoc. She doesn’t seem like much of a kid person.
Tobias stops at Nia’s side, purposefully putting his back to the shinx cubs to make himself an easy target.
“So you’re heading out again already?” Avery is asking.
“You two are the most restless ‘mons I’ve ever met,” Felix calls idly from beside the chest. “Try not to come back all banged up again, all right?”
“I’ll second that,” Xander says, and Tobias is surprised when the luxio’s golden gaze focuses not only on Nia, but Tobias as well. “Be careful.”
“Always!”
Xander chuffs a quiet laugh, as if well aware of how untrue that statement is. “Regardless. Do you two have everything packed up already?”
“I think so?”
“We travel light,” Tobias says.
Xander flicks his tail, looking thoughtful. His eyes stray over to the items chest on the side of the room, though Tobias thinks he isn’t focused on his siblings at the moment. Avery follows his gaze, and Tobias wonders if the kirlia is reading the luxio’s mind, since they apparently use telepathy with each other fairly often.
Avery must be, because they smile at Xander as if pleased with something he’d suggested, then back at Nia and Tobias. “Do you two have any orbs in your inventory?”
Nia looks to Tobias. He shakes his head.
Xander nods, and Avery goes to the chest, murmuring a quiet, “Excuse me,” to shoo the kids off the lid before opening the top and rummaging through it. They find what they’re looking for quickly, returning to Tobias and Nia with a shiny blue wonder orb in hand. Without hesitation, they hold it out.
“Take this with you. Just in case.”
After a beat of surprise, Tobias reaches out to take it, rolling the surprisingly heavy orb around his hands. “What kind is it?”
“An all power-up orb,” Avery answers. “It raises your team’s attack and special attack for a few minutes.”
“But...aren't these really rare or expensive or something?” Nia asks, gently taking the orb from Tobias’ hands to peer closer at it.
“The two of you seem to attract danger wherever you go,” Xander says, not answering the question. “I’ll sleep better if you take it.”
“We both will,” Avery amends.
Tobias’ immediate impulse is to reject such a rare, pricey item just being dropped into their laps. However, he remembers how desperately he’d wanted any kind of helpful item back on the Aqua Jet, when they were traveling via the river and the mystery dungeon hit. It would be undeniably good to have as a back-up measure.
Nia seems equally unsure for a moment, but then she smiles and cradles the orb closer. “Well...thank you, then. It’s really too much.”
"Not at all," Avery says.
Xander’s shoulders lose some of their tension once they accept the gift, and that's what convinces Tobias not to put up a fight. They mean it. They're just worried about their safety, about Nia and maybe even a little about Tobias. And somehow, their concern doesn't feel like pity, but something warmer. Something easier to stomach.
Nia gently bumps Tobias with her hip, so he rolls his eyes and tacks on a quiet, “Yeah. Thanks.”
Xander opens his mouth to respond, but before he can say anything, his ears swivel in the direction of the chest.
That’s Tobias’ only warning before the shinx cubs yell, “Attack!” and charge Tobias once more. Felix must’ve been giving them battle tips, because this time they move as a coordinated unit, tackling Tobias’ legs. The charmander lets himself go down with an exaggerated oof, and the kids shriek as they swarm his chest, pinning him down with their soft little bodies. While he could still wriggle free if he really wanted to, their combined weight does hold him down pretty effectively. Tobias “struggles” for a few moments more before going limp with a dramatic groan.
“Victory!” Leor says.
“Drag him to jail!” Luca shouts.
“Throw him in the pit!” Laine adds.
“Whoa, where’d you hear that last one?” Felix asks, startled.
“From a cool story Bella found in the archives!"
Bella. Of course. Tobias has said it before and he’ll say it again: that bellsprout is a menace.
“Looks like I’ll be having another chat with Arlo,” Xander sighs, sounding all too much like a father.
Nia and Tobias head out shortly after, despite the shinx cubs’ whining over losing their playmate. At the door, Xander catches Nia in a one-armed hug, brushing the top of her head with his chin. The familiarity of the gesture catches Tobias off-guard, but Nia simply hugs the luxio back, unsurprised by the open affection.
As they leave, Felix and the kids’ loud goodbyes and Avery’s much quieter farewell following them into the hall, Nia hesitates.
“I feel like we should tell Team Evergreen that we’re heading out again, but…”
Tobias can only imagine the awkward tension that would rise if he was shoved into the same room as Andyn right now.
“I’ll leave that one to you.”
“That...might be for the best. I won’t be too long.”
Tobias waves her off, turning to head back to their room. He can get some more practice in on his guitar before they sleep. “Just remember that we head out early.”
“When do we not?” Nia counters, giving a wave of her own before setting off towards Team Evergreen’s quarters.
Tobias is relieved that Nia didn’t want him to join for that last visit. Between working in the kitchen this morning and seeing Team Shellshock and the shinx kids earlier, Tobias is just about done socializing for the day. He’s more than content to flop down in his nest and strum at his guitar for the rest of the night before they get back on the road tomorrow.
To Tobias’ surprise, Nia returns not long after they parted ways, when the moon is just starting to rise into the sky. She assures him that it went well, even if Andyn was a little quieter than usual, and that they all wished the two of them safe travels.
“Wished you safe travels, you mean,” Tobias snorts as he plucks away at an aimless melody. “Andyn probably hopes I fall off our flight ‘mon and into the ocean.”
“I don’t think she’s that upset,” Nia says, lying down herself. She eyes Tobias for a moment before reaching into their satchel and pulling out her book.
The night is peaceful, after that. Tobias works his way through some of the simple melodies from the music book they’d picked up in the archives, familiarizing himself with the easier tunes before trying anything more advanced. Nia reads her book, kicking her legs and occasionally mumbling something to herself.
It’s getting close to midnight when Nia finally yawns and slides her book back into their satchel. She curls up in her nest, blanket pulled tight over her shoulders until it bunches up by her chin, and watches as Tobias plays.
Eventually, Tobias figures he’d better get some rest too and slides the guitar and music book back into their satchel. He closes the curtain until the room is only dimly lit by his own tail flame, and curls up in his nest. He doesn’t realize until he's settled in that Nia isn’t actually asleep yet. Instead, she’s watching Tobias, clearly still wide awake.
“What’s up?” Tobias asks.
Nia shrugs. “Just…can’t sleep.”
Tobias knows the feeling. While it was easy to get lost in his music for the evening, Tobias won’t be surprised if he’s up for a while yet. Especially with their flight tomorrow, he has a lot on his mind.
For a moment Tobias just gazes back at Nia in the dim light, wondering if either of them are going to be well-rested come dawn. Then, he thinks of similar nights long, long ago, of looking at his sister or parents with a similar restless itch under his skin.
An idea pops into his mind.
For a moment, he hesitates. This is something…sacred. Something he hasn’t shared with anyone else since he lost his family. It feels wrong to even think about sharing it.
Then again, that’s what he’d thought about discussing Vivi and his parents at all, before the cart ride from Asra to Shivergleam. And that was…nice. Really nice. Swapping sibling stories with Nia. It hurt, but it also made something in him feel…looser. Like stretching out a stiff muscle that he hadn’t exercised in forever.
Tobias sits up before he can second-guess himself. “C’mon. I have an idea.”
Nia props herself up on an arm. “What?”
He climbs out of their nest and holds out a hand. “Trust me. It’ll help.”
For a moment Nia looks unsure, but then a smile crosses her face. Tobias helps her to her paws, and she doesn’t let go once she’s standing. He decides not to think about it too hard and gives her paw a squeeze, grabbing Nia’s beloved new blanket and slinging it over his shoulder.
“C’mon.”
Nia laughs under her breath as they leave the room, making sure to shut the door extra quiet behind her so they don’t disturb the other Pokemon on the floor.
“Where are we going?”
“Sure, just let me ruin the surprise.”
Nia's brows raise, but she doesn’t ask any more questions and just follows with an air of palpable curiosity. Tobias leads them to the staircase and starts climbing up, up, up through the guild.
“Are we visiting Maggie again?” Nia whispers.
“No.”
Tobias has done this many times over the years, since first arriving at the guild. But he’s always done it alone, sneaking past Maggie’s sleeping form to climb up to his favorite spot. He’d thought about asking Maggie to join before—she would’ve indulged him. But somehow it had always seemed a bit too painful before now. Before Nia. Now it feels less like chasing something he can’t get back and more like…sharing something he loves. Making it new again.
They finally reach the mail floor, evident by the cool breeze blowing into the staircase. There aren’t many fliers that work at night, so the floor is empty, the platforms bordering the edges of the room opening up to patches of clear night sky.
“Oh,” Nia breathes, registering where they are.
She follows him wordlessly as he goes to one of the far platforms and sits down at the end of it. She sits beside him, then casts a nervous glance below them to the Haven's trees, black and spindly and thin with the coming winter. She scoots back an inch.
Like this, they’re sitting at the edge of the world, the sprawling forest below and an ocean of stars above.
Tobias hands over Nia’s blanket, now heated by his own scales, and she gladly takes it to wrap herself up. He’s hardly surprised when she still scooches over to press against his side. The night air is cold, after all, chilly enough that he won’t argue against a little extra warmth himself.
“It’s beautiful out here,” Nia says, hushed. “I couldn’t really appreciate the stars in Asra, since we were on a stakeout. But here…”
“Peaceful, right?”
Nia hums her agreement.
For a moment, they’re quiet. The wind whistles by them this high up, stronger without the blocking force of the forest and carrying with it the crisp scent of the Silenfroar Mountains. Tobias can kind of see where the mountain range sits, a void of pointed black on the horizon that blots out the sky.
Tobias moves his eyes up to stare at the stars, feeling something in his throat tighten even as the rest of him relaxes. Even when he was a child, scared of nothing more than shadows on cave walls, his parents would lead him to the mouth of their cave to look up at the stars when he couldn’t sleep.
It makes him feel small. But in a comforting way.
“This is where we became a team.”
Tobias looks at Nia. “What?”
“Well. Technically we became a team down in the tunnels.” Nia smiles at Tobias. “But I consider this to be where we actually became one. For real.”
Right. After Afon’s Cap, when Nia finally stood up for herself and Tobias agreed to stop being so awful to her. They shook on it. Tobias can still see Nia in the pink evening light, paw outstretched and smile hopeful.
He flushes and looks away. He gestures vaguely with a hand. “Sorry. For. Y’know.”
Nia barks a laugh. “Being a bit of a jerk at first?”
He grunts.
“It’s fine. You’re much sweeter now.”
Tobias shoots her a look. “I’m not sweet.”
“Of course you aren’t,” Nia coos, giving his arm a patronizing pat. He shoves her away, and she laughs, immediately swaying back to his side.
“You have been so sassy lately,” he grumbles.
“Sorry, sorry. I’ll be nice.”
A brief moment of quiet. Then, a giggle from Nia.
“What?”
“I was just thinking about when we first met.”
Tobias has a brief flash of memory, from months ago. Spotting a strange, unfamiliar Pokemon—a riolu—unconscious in the middle of a nearby field. Waking her up to make sure she wasn’t hurt. Getting a blank stare and rising panic in return before Nia bolted into the woods and right into a mystery dungeon, Tobias hot on her heels.
Tobias snorts. “You were a mess.”
"I was!" Nia laughs. "I'm actually kind of embarrassed by it now. Can you imagine Kry’s reaction to seeing me run away from everything like that?”
“You were terrified of a seedot,” Tobias agrees, amused by the thought.
Although, knowing now how wildly different the Pokemon world is from Nia’s own, Tobias can’t blame her for being so freaked out. If anything, he’s a little embarrassed by how harshly he’d treated her. He wasn’t exactly a comforting presence at the time.
“But look at you now. Taking down steelixes all on your own.”
“Are you ever going to let that go?” Nia whines, paws coming up to hide her face.
“Nope. It's objectively awesome. And you aren’t going to tell anyone, so.”
Nia snorts another laugh. “I can’t believe I was so close to becoming a researcher instead of a Seeker. I can’t believe I fight on a daily basis!”
Tobias blinks, looking over at her. “You almost became a researcher?”
“I never told you that? Before I thought of teaming up with you, I thought becoming a Seeker was too scary, so I was going to become a researcher instead. Like Alistair and Tawny.”
Tobias wrinkles his snout, trying to picture it. On one hand, Nia would be right at home surrounded by all those books and the cozy environment of the guild every day. He could see her getting along well with the gardevoir and ribombee down in the archives.
But on the other hand, Tobias has also seen Nia’s eyes light up when she travels somewhere new. Seen how insatiably curious she is about the world and all the Pokemon in it. He's seen how her riolu nature shines through when she’s defending someone in a fight, and how genuinely happy she is when she can help out a client. All of that good would be smothered, stuck here at the guild.
And where would he be, if Nia hadn’t decided to come rescue him in that dungeon? Dead, at worst. Stuck in the medicinal quarters and miserable at best. Maybe Nia would’ve been happy as a researcher, but Tobias is immeasurably glad that they’re here together instead, as a team.
They both fall quiet again, looking up at the stars. The moon overhead is bright, painting everything in shades of black and silver.
“Humans went to the moon, y’know,” Nia eventually says.
Tobias gives her a dry look. “Ha ha. Funny.”
Nia blinks, looking genuinely caught off-guard. “No, really! Not, like. All of us. It was only a few. But we really did.”
Tobias squints at her, doubtful. But Nia doesn’t break. “…I thought you said humans couldn’t fly.”
“We can‘t. Or, well. Not on our own. But we built machines that can!”
Machines. Right. “Like…the cars you were talking about on the way to Asra?”
“Yes!” Tobias can hear Nia's tail give a happy thump against the wood. “Cars are great—they're so much faster than walking. And I loved the train in Ghatha. It was really similar to our own trains, so I wonder if a human had a hand in inventing that.”
“Probably. Don’t know if a Pokemon would’ve come up with something like that on their own. It was…kind of cool, I guess.”
“Oh, just you wait. There are so many cool human things I wanna show you! When I—"
Nia’s words cut off abruptly. Tobias feels a jab at his heart, knowing exactly why she'd clamped her mouth shut so suddenly. He wouldn’t ever get to visit, of course. And Nia wouldn’t get to visit him, either, if she left and went back to the human world. Giratina made that pretty clear. Tobias’ hand drifts up to his scarf, skimming the worn material comfortingly through his fingers.
The dark feels heavier, suddenly. Pressing down on them. Suffocating.
“I’m scared,” Nia eventually murmurs, curling tighter into her blanket. Her breath billows into the night air. “Of what will happen if we can’t do this. If we fail.”
Tobias knows the feeling. While Nia has two worlds’ safety on her mind, Tobias is struggling with just the one. He tries not to think about it too often, or it settles on his chest like a rock slide.
“Do you really think we’ll be able to find Xerneas?” Nia whispers, eyes trained on the mountains in the distance.
Tobias takes a moment to think before responding. “I don’t know. It’s not a great sign that Xerneas and Yveltal have been hidden for so long without anyone stumbling across them, but…”
“They’re the only lead we’ve got.”
Tobias swallows. “Yeah. But if worse comes to worst…we’ll just have to figure something else out. Failing isn’t really an option.”
Not with how much is on the line. They have to find a way to fix this if they want to keep everyone and everything in both of their worlds safe.
Nia turns to tuck her head into Tobias’ shoulder, her breath tickling his skin. The touch is grounding, somehow. Distracting enough to keep him out of his own head. They need a distraction. They can’t do anything until dawn anyways.
“Have I told you how much my family loved stars?” He blurts.
Nia’s breath catches, audible with her so close. “…No?”
Tobias wants to tell her. Wants to share. It’s still a terrifying feeling. His heart beats hard in his chest.
“We…lived in the mountains. Not the Silenfroar range here, but across the sea. Near a little village. But we lived way up, in a cave.”
Nia is silent. Tobias thinks she might be holding her breath.
“The sky was really clear, up there. It felt like we could reach out and touch the stars at night. Like…like it was just us and them.”
Tobias kind of feels like that now, actually. It’s a strange sensation. Deja vu, in a way. A little painful. A little sweet.
“And if it was ever too cloudy to see them from our cave, my…our parents would take Vivi and I flying. It was…”
The most magical thing he’d ever experienced. Something that makes a deep longing ache in his chest, even now. He hates that the world took that away from him. Won’t let him evolve to fly himself.
Nia’s hand slips free of the blanket to hold his own, her fur almost as warm as him.
Tobias takes a deep breath. “It was one of my favorite things. Vivi’s, too. When we couldn’t sleep, we’d sit at the mouth of the cave and they would teach us about constellations. Sing us stories.”
Nia is silent, hanging onto Tobias’ every word. Tobias closes his eyes. He can almost imagine it, fuzzy but warm. His father’s wing around him and his sister, keeping them sheltered from the chilly mountain breeze. Their mother humming and singing folk tales about the constellations. Tobias’ head bobbing as his eyes slipped closed and sleep washed over him.
“Do you remember any of the stories?” Nia asks.
Does he? He’s kept his memories locked away in the back of his mind for so long that trying to excavate them feels like wading through a sea of cobwebs. His eyes scan the sky, landing on a bright constellation vaguely resembling a head with big, round ears. He points at it with his free hand.
“That’s the teddiursa cub.”
Nia follows his gesture. “Teddiursa?”
“We saved one on our first mission. Uh. Small. Orange fur. Claws.”
“Oh! The cute little teddy bear!”
"Yup. He pairs with the ursaring.”
Nia follows Tobias’ finger as he trails up and to the right, where another collection of stars create the larger, blockier form of an ursaring head.
“Ursaring?”
“It’s what teddiursa evolves into. The story…” What was it again? “The story says that the teddiursa got lost one day. The ursaring was his mother, and she looked for him frantically, for three endless nights.”
Nia makes a sad sound in her throat.
“Desperate, the ursaring prayed to the stars, asking Jirachi to help her find her cub. Jirachi, the wishmaker, heard her and made her a part of the night sky, to be seen by all. The teddiursa saw his mother in the night sky, and wished to join her. Jirachi granted it, and the two have lived together in the sky ever since.”
Nia hums. “We have a similar set of constellations in our world, actually. Ursa Minor and Ursa Major.”
“Really?”
Nia nods, stars reflecting in her eyes. “I don’t remember much about the story associated with it, but…I think it’s sad.” She turns a smile onto Tobias. “I can’t decide if your world’s version is happier or not.”
Tobias blinks. He’d always assumed the story was a happy one, because the mother and child were reunited. “What do you mean?”
“I mean…they’re trapped in the sky, right? Are they happy there?”
Tobias frowns, looking back at the constellations. “…I like to think they are.”
Nia laughs softly. “Look at me, being the pessimist. I like your way of thinking better.”
Tobias makes a vague noise in his throat. They have enough things going wrong with the real world. Why not choose to believe that at least the teddiursa and ursaring got a happy ending?
“Thanks, Tobias. For sharing with me.”
Tobias isn’t sure if she means the story, or his memories, or his spot here, looking at the stars. Maybe all of it. He shrugs, embarrassed. “Who else ‘m I gonna tell? Xander?”
Nia gives him an exasperated, fond look. “I wasn’t kidding earlier. Maybe you can’t see it, but they really do want to be your friend. You guys seemed to be having a lot of fun when we sparred the other day.”
It can’t be that easy to make friends. Not when Tobias has spent the last eight years of his life almost entirely alone. But Nia is better at emotions than he is, so…
“It wouldn’t be…too terrible. Training with them again sometime.”
Nia grins, a teasing glint in her eyes. “Come on. Is it really so bad to have a few friends? You and I are friends, right?”
Tobias scoffs. “Duh. You’re my best friend.”
Nia’s smile drops with surprise, and Tobias tenses. His face burns with heat, and he snaps his gaze out to look over the trees, mortified.
Why did he say that? And so naturally, too. Best friend. What is he, five?
(Then again, it’s kind of obvious, isn’t it?)
Tobias can still feel Nia’s eyes on him, and steals a glance to find her eyes a little shiny, her expression a bit wobbly. “Tobias…”
“We should get some sleep!” Tobias says, too loud as he jumps to his feet. Nia nearly falls over in his haste. He doesn’t offer her a hand up this time, pacing a few steps into the flight floor and willing his stupid nerves to calm down.
He doesn’t hear Nia follow after him, but in a few short seconds she’s at his side again and stepping in front of him. “Tobias?”
He grunts, staring at his feet. At least the night hides how red his face is.
“Hey, I'm...I'm going to try something, okay? Feel free to tell me to stop.”
Tobias looks up, confused.
Nia looks just as embarrassed as he feels, somehow, shuffling in her blanket. But slowly, slow enough for him to stop her, she steps closer to wrap him up in a hug, cheek pressed into his scarf and blanket enveloping them both in warmth.
“I’m really glad you’re the one who found me in that field,” she murmurs. “You’re the best friend I could’ve asked for.”
Tobias feels his throat tighten up. As much as he knows that that’s not true—he’s a pain to be around more often than not—he also believes that she means it. His hands fall to the arms around his torso. His chest feels uncomfortably warm, a completely different sensation than when he uses his flames.
Nia squeezes him once before stepping back, closer to the stairs. She has a shy smile on her face. “C’mon, we should get to bed. One of us needs to be awake for tomorrow’s flight.”
Tobias relaxes, relieved to settle back into their usual banter. He moves to follow her down the stairs, ignoring the heat lingering in his cheeks. “I still don’t get how your two modes for flight are either screaming in terror or passing out.”
“It’s exhausting to be scared out of my mind! And I’m not scared when I’m sleeping.”
“Until you slip off our flight ‘mon and fall into the ocean.”
“You wouldn’t let that happen.”
“I might, if you insist we meet up with Junie in Stonebrook.”
Nia laughs. “C’mon, avoiding her won’t do you any good. You know she’d find us eventually anyways. And if you don’t want to fend her off alone, then you have to keep me alive.”
“Darn. All my plans, foiled.”
Nia laughs. Her tail wags as she talks, the blanket over her shoulders swishing with the motion. Tobias will never admit to finding it adorable. "Hey, do you think we’ll get to see Fliss tomorrow?”
“The braviary? Sure, if she’s around.”
“I hope so,” Nia says, “She was so nice, and she knew a lot! And she didn’t change how she treated us after she found out I was human, either. I wonder if—”
Tobias listens idly as Nia chatters on, the sound of her voice a comforting background noise for the short trip back to their room. Sleep sounds less daunting, after getting to unwind with Nia a bit. He’d been worried that sharing his space, his memories, would feel wrong, but instead it’s the opposite.
He feels…lighter. Ready for the journey ahead, no matter what it may hold.
Chapter 57
Summary:
Nia and Tobias fly across the Obsidian Sea, and reunite with a couple of familiar faces!
Chapter Text
The next day dawns cold and clear. As Nia and Tobias make the walk to the flying outpost, Nia is quickly woken up by the delicate frost coating the leaf-littered forest floor and the foliage they have to pass through. Her fur feels soaked through within minutes and her paws are chilled, but the brisk pace of the walk helps to warm her up. Well, that and walking a bit closer to Tobias. The charmander seems equally disgruntled about the approaching winter, but he doesn’t snap at Nia for bumping into him once or twice as she leeches off his bubble of warmth.
The sun is just starting to cut through the trees in rays of orange light, melting the frost, when Nia spots the tall structure of the flying outpost ahead of them. She picks up the pace, trotting ahead until it’s fully in sight in the middle of a small clearing. Something like canvas has been tied down to block the open gaps of the structure, acting as makeshift walls to cut off powerful gusts of wind. They billow and blow in the breeze like sails, flapping loudly.
There are only a few Pokemon waiting near the bottom of the structure, but Nia’s eyes lock onto one in particular, large and maroon with a fluffy mane of white.
“Fliss!”
The braviary’s head lifts from where she’d been talking to a smaller, bright orange Pokemon. Even with the intimidating scar where her right eye should be, the way Fliss’ face lights up is nothing short of adorable. “Nia! Well, I’ll be! You looking for a ride?”
“Yes!” Nia slows to a stop in front of the braviary, bouncing on her toes. Both because she’s excited to see the large flying type again and to stay warm. “Are you flying today?”
“Sure am! A little frost ain’t gonna stop me. Where’s that partner of yours? You two still a team?”
Nia turns, just in time for Tobias to emerge from the brush with a sour look. He takes a moment to shake melted frost from his foot. “Here. Just hating winter.”
Fliss laughs and jerks her chin up at the pieces of canvas. “You ain’t the only one. Half our crew’s hiding away until the sun comes out to warm everything up.”
“They’ll have to face the winter eventually,” a new voice says, crisp and even. The bird Fliss had been speaking with before steps closer, and Nia can’t help staring at his feathers a bit longer than is probably polite. He’s a bright orange, the color ending in flame-like tapers and fading into a light gray underbelly. His wings and tail are a striking black at their tips, and streaks of bright yellow band his tail feathers and ring his eyes and beak. He looks like the embodiment of fire, just a head or so taller than Nia and Tobias.
“This ball of sunshine is Comet,” Fliss says, amused. “If you’re lookin’ for a long flight, then he’ll be joining us for the trip.”
Tobias frowns, looking between Fliss and the new Pokemon. “Why?”
Fliss and Comet exchange a loaded look. Then, Fliss sighs. “Was hoping you wouldn’t ask, little flame. We’ve just been flyin’ in pairs lately. Extra safety and all that.”
Nia blinks. “Safety?”
“The winds are more volatile than they used to be,” Comet says. “I promise you we can handle it. It’s just a precaution.”
Nia can’t help wondering what had to happen for such a precaution to be put into place. She shuffles worriedly on her feet, glancing at Tobias. He doesn’t look any more soothed than she feels. No wonder, considering they’ll have to fly over the Obsidian Sea again. An accident over the open ocean is basically a death sentence for a charmander.
“We need to head back to Ghatha,” Nia says, locking eyes with Fliss. “So we would need to go over the ocean. Are you sure it’s safe?”
Nia knows this is technically Fliss’ livelihood, but she trusts the flying type not to lie to her just to make some extra money. Not about this.
The braviary ducks her head in a bow. “I’m as confident as a victini in my flight. But if ya aren’t comfortable, you could always find some water transport.”
“Though the ocean is becoming just as unstable,” Comet mutters.
Tobias shakes his head. “No. No, we’re on a tight schedule. I’ll be fine.”
Nia wonders if he’s reassuring her or himself.
“Neither Felicity or I have had any incidents,” Comet says. “Going together is just extra assurance. New protocol.”
Nia exchanges an uncertain look with Tobias. Normally she wouldn’t want to risk it, but they don’t really have any other option. They need to talk to Will as soon as possible, and using water transport would take far too long.
“We’ll fly,” Tobias says, deciding for the both of them. “If you’ll take us.”
“Gladly!”
The cost for travel is a bit higher than it was before—to compensate two ‘mons’ time rather than just one, Fliss explains—but luckily August gave them more funds than he’d thought they’d need. Tobias splits the payment between the two flying types, dropping the coins into the little pouch tied around Fliss’ leg and the small bag tied to Comet’s back.
Finally, it’s time to fly.
“Welcome aboard!”
Fliss crouches low, belly brushing the grass, to let them crawl on. Tobias doesn’t hesitate before taking a firm grip of the bird’s feathers and pulling himself up onto her back. He offers a hand, and Nia gives him a smile of thanks before letting him help her up. She sits behind him, wrapping her arms around his middle and grateful for his sturdy warmth.
“Smoother start than last time,” Fliss teases. “Ready to fly?”
Tobias nods. “Ready.”
Nia takes a deep breath. “As ready as I can be.”
Fliss laughs. “That’s what I like to hear! Just hold on tight now. Promise we’ll get ya to Ghatha safely.”
With that, Fliss pushes off the ground with powerful legs, giant wings beating hard to get into the air. She bobs once, then slowly lifts up and up and up. They rise past the outpost and the trunks of the trees, until they’re surging past leaves and into a sky that’s a robin’s egg blue.
Immediately, the wind buffets them, cold and biting.
Nia feels her stomach drop. She ducks her head into the warmth of Tobias’ shoulder, clinging tightly to him. She feels more than hears him sigh, but he doesn’t argue, just patting her arm twice once before holding once more to Fliss’ feathers.
Fliss rises higher and higher until she catches the air current she wants, then levels out to ride the wind. While the bone-deep fear clutching at Nia’s gut doesn’t disappear entirely, it does ease a bit once their jerky flight smooths out.
Nia almost wants to peek out at the world, recalling the brief glimpses of gorgeous, breathtaking views from last time. Plus, Tobias clearly loves this whole experience. It’d be fun to share it with him.
But as soon as she squints open an eye and catches sight of the sprawling forest below, looking as small as a carpet of moss, and the sheer openness of the sky around them, terror grabs her again.
She buries her head back into Tobias’ shoulder, taking deep breaths of his soothing scent to calm herself.
Nia still can’t remember if she’d flown before as a human. She knows planes are a thing, but her memory has only returned in bits and pieces. Much of her history is still blank, like a tapestry that’s more moth-eaten holes than actual thread. Was she afraid of heights in the human world too? Or is her body’s fighting type nature really enough to put such fear into her?
It’s hard to describe the feeling, especially as it engulfs her and makes her feel lightheaded. It’s like as much as she knows they’re (probably) safe with Fliss and Comet taking care of them, her body trembles with the knowledge that if she fell from here, she’d likely die. Her chest feels tight, her heart pounding hard against Tobias’ spine, and panic simmers quietly in the back of her mind.
“You breathing back there?” Tobias asks, head turning enough for Nia to catch the words.
Nia takes a gulp of air. Then another, slower, to try and follow his unspoken suggestion. Deep breaths. Just don’t think about it. You’re fine. Tobias is here, and Fliss is here, and if something goes wrong then Comet is here too.
“C-Can you talk?” Nia asks.
“Uh. I guess? About what?”
“Anything. I-I just need a distraction. Um. What kind of Pokemon is Comet?”
“Oh. He’s a talonflame. Fire and flying type, like a charizard. I don’t know too much about them, but he’s the final evolution in a three-stage form, and I can tell he’s fast. He keeps having to pull himself back so he doesn’t leave Fliss behind.”
Nia can’t bring herself to answer, breath stolen from her chest, so she nods.
Tobias keeps talking. “Uh. I think the first form is called a fletchling? They’re little things, about Junie’s size. Don’t remember the middle form’s name, though. Um…they’re probably pretty warm, if they’re anything like other fire types. That’s likely why he’s comfortable flying so early in the day, when it’s still cold.”
Comet must catch onto what Tobias is doing and what they’re discussing, because when Tobias starts running out of tidbits to share, Nia hears the talonflame’s voice shout to them over the wind.
“Talonflame are certainly a warmer species. We even create fire with our feathers, rather than a flame sac like most fire types. We produce an oil that’s flammable, and generate heat and friction through flapping our wings to ignite.”
“Watch,” Tobias says, tapping Nia’s arm.
Nia whines, but peeks open an eye in the direction of Comet’s voice.
Comet is sailing easily along on an air current, framed by blue sky. Upon seeing that he has her attention, he flaps his wings—once, twice, three times—and small embers spark to life from his feathers, leaping behind him to be carried away by the wind.
Nia’s curiosity just barely wins out over her fear. She lifts her head to watch more clearly as Comet does it again. He flaps once, hard, and flames burst to life around his wings, hot enough that Nia feels a brief wave of warmth. Then he shoots forward, zipping past Fliss.
“Show-off!” Fliss shouts, laughter in her voice.
“She was curious,” Comet counters, voice now on their other side.
Nia turns to look at him, mouth open to ask questions about how they can choose when to ignite, and if fletchlings can do that too, and a hundred other things—
But she catches sight of the Silenfroar Mountains behind the talonflame, remembers where she is, and icy fear grips her again. She buries her face with a whimper, feeling pathetic.
Tobias sighs.
“Want me to take a turn on distraction duty?” Fliss calls.
Someone must give her the affirmative, because she starts talking. “Did ya know that there’s another variant of braviary out there? Psychic and flying type! I met one once, and he could blast enough psychic energy to knock out a wailord. I can pack a punch myself, so I was mostly just jealous that he could use his powers to write! This old gal is forever cursed with illiteracy.”
“You can read,” Comet says, dry.
“Half-illiteracy, then!”
“That’s not how it works.”
Nia giggles despite herself, grateful for her travel companions as they fall into more animated conversation. Like this, if Nia keeps her eyes closed and takes deep breaths, if she lets the breeze soothe her and imagines she’s just on a windy hillside rather than hundreds of feet in the air, it’s not too terrible. Although Nia wishes she could whip out her blanket without risk of it blowing away. It’s much colder than the last time they flew.
The three Pokemon keep the conversation flowing, shifting from one topic to another, until Fliss finally asks why they’re returning to Ghatha so soon.
“We’re actually going to Stonebrook, a bit south of Ghatha,” Tobias says. “We’re meeting someone there.”
“Oh, Stonebrook!” Fliss crows. “Nice little place. Quaint. We could drop ya off there if you’d prefer, for a bit of extra poke to compensate our time.”
Tobias makes a thoughtful sound that rumbles in his chest. “How much extra?”
“Let’s say 150.”
Tobias mulls it over, and Nia can feel him turn his head as if to get her input.
“Whatever you think is best,” Nia says into his shoulder.
Tobias hesitates for a moment longer before turning forward again. “100 poke and you’ve got a deal.”
Fliss laughs, loud and booming even as the wind snatches the sound away. “Haggler, eh? You know what? Sure. I like you two, so 100 poke it is. Comet, you can have the larger share since I took the lower deal.”
Comet doesn’t answer, so Nia assumes he agrees with those conditions.
Time passes in a blur after that. Nia knows that they have at least a few hours until they reach the land across the sea, but she tries to distract herself by listening to the snippets of conversation around her and thinking about what they have waiting ahead of them. They’re going to find Junie! And see Will again, as well as his human settlement. Excitement mixes in with the nerves in her stomach.
However, it's hard not to let her mind drift to more panic-inducing thoughts too, like their current situation in the air, or their mission from Giratina, or even how much she misses her family in the human world when she has the time to think about them.
Nia wants them here. She wants her mom to stroke her hair and soothe her fear. She wants Clay to make stupid jokes to distract her. She wants Toni to stick her obnoxiously large headphones over Nia’s ears to drown out the quiet roar of the wind.
She misses them so much. Longing aches like a bruise inside her chest.
Nia sniffs and hopes that Tobias doesn’t notice her shaky breaths. Tears prick at her eyes, hot and insistent.
Nia misses them, and she doesn’t even have the full story. She’d hoped that after getting sick and remembering some of her life as a human, the rest of her memories would follow. But after the initial deluge, they’d slowed to a stop. She knows she’s still missing a lot, still has giant gaps in her memory that feel impossible to focus on for too long. What was the last thing she even did with her family before showing up here?
Nia is pulled out of her thoughts when Tobias speaks up, tapping her arm. “We’re at the ocean.”
Nia doesn’t think he means for her to look up, just to update her, so she nods her thanks into his shoulder.
After that, Nia tries to let the loud howl of the wind and the roar of the waves drown out her thoughts and anxieties. Tries to let the sensations surround her in a fuzzy haze.
She’s snapped back to reality by the sudden tilt of the world.
Nia squeaks, clinging to Tobias as Fliss’ considerable mass is knocked sideways by a sudden gust of wind. The braviary flaps wildly to correct herself, and Nia’s stomach flips. Oh, they’re gonna die they’re gonna die they’re gonna die—
Fliss finally manages to catch a gentler air current, leveling out her erratic flight. Nia keeps her face hidden away, focusing on her death grip around Tobias’ ribs and the way he’s clutching at her arm in return.
“Are you two all right?” Comet yells, sounding more tense than Nia would like. His voice is closer too, as if hovering near enough to catch them if they fall.
Tobias squeezes Nia’s wrist, whether to reassure her or himself that she’s still hanging on. “I don’t know if I’d say all right, exactly, but we’re still here. What was that?”
“Rogue wind,” Fliss calls back. “I’ve sailed these currents for more than twenty years, and I’ve never seen anything like ‘em. They like to pop up out of nowhere and throw us off course.”
“A symptom of the increasing natural disasters, as far as we can tell,” Comet adds. “It certainly makes travel more difficult. Dangerous, particularly for the smaller flyers.”
Nia’s heart sinks. This is just one more reminder of what they’re trying to stop. Of what will come to pass if they don’t fix the world. Nia can imagine the winds growing untamed enough eventually to ground flyers completely, whipping up storms and typhoons to wreak havoc alongside earthquakes and droughts.
Nia takes another deep breath to ward off fresh panic. This is why they’re going to see Will. They’re going to fix this. All of it.
“Don’t you worry—I’m much tougher than any rowdy wind!” Fliss calls, trying to sound upbeat. “You two just hold on tight and we’ll be sure to get you to Stonebrook safely.”
Tobias nods, but doesn’t respond. Nia, still trying to calm her racing heart, simply holds onto him tighter. She already didn’t like flying, but the thought that the world could suddenly flip and toss them into the ocean at any time is ten times worse. Not that she doesn’t trust Fliss, but she distrusts the current state of nature even more.
“I’ll scout ahead to make sure that doesn’t happen again,” Comet calls, just loud enough to hear, before Nia feels another burst of warmth from his flames. He must’ve jetted forward to fly just ahead of Fliss.
Unfortunately, conversation stops after that as Fliss and Comet focus on navigating the rough air currents. Time passes in tense quiet, aside from the rush of the wind and the roar of the waves. Every time a gust of wind shakes up their flight even the slightest bit, Nia’s heart jumps into her throat.
When Tobias finally speaks again, it’s quiet and almost to himself. “Huh.”
Nia tightens her grip on her partner. “W-What? Is something wrong?”
“No. I don’t think so, at least.” Tobias leans slightly, as if peering over Fliss’ side. “Giratina’s following us.”
That’s interesting enough to make Nia look up. She debates with herself for just a moment before steeling her courage, tightening her grip, and following Tobias’ gaze down, to the choppy ocean below.
Sure enough, Nia spots Giratina’s giant, serpentine shape in the broken reflections on the ocean’s surface. He’s following alongside Fliss’ quick pace, winding like a snake through black water.
Fliss notices the legendary’s presence, but she must think it’s another Pokemon because she just gripes about nosy water types before flapping higher to catch a different current. Nia stiffens at the reminder of how high up they are and burrows back into her safe space.
“Surely he has better things to do than follow us around,” Tobias says.
“Maybe we should give him an update?” Nia suggests. “To be fair, he doesn’t know what we’re doing. We could try talking to him through a reflection later?”
“Maybe.”
And with that, they fall silent again.
It’s late morning when they finally make it back to land, and almost noon by time Fliss calls out that they’ll be landing in Stonebrook in a few minutes.
The rest of their flight had been uneventful after that first incident. Comet had successfully steered them around any other severe turbulence, and the cold weather had warmed with the sun beating down on their backs. Still, Nia is beyond relieved to have the end of their flight so near, and she manages to lift her head and take a peek at where they’re going.
The forest below looks different from the one in Bethoc’s Haven. The trees back home are a range of species, mostly deciduous, with spreading boughs and wide leaves that change colors and wither away with the seasons. These trees, even from a distance, stand tall and pointed, a rich palette of greens despite the approaching winter. Evergreens?
Fliss and Comet aim for a notable gap in the trees. As they start to descend, Nia realizes they aren’t just settling in a small grove or clearing, but instead at the edge of a tiny village nestled amongst the trees. There are small buildings scattered throughout the space, built from boulders and slabs of stone propped against one another. Other than a few purposeful openings that are clearly windows, any gaps are filled in with smaller, carefully stacked stones. A stream winds through the town, stepping stones bridging its two halves, and even this late in autumn the whole place feels green and lush, each building topped by a grassy roof. They must be farther south than Nia had realized.
Pokemon are scattered around the village, going about their day. Children are chasing each other down dirt paths, shrieking with laughter, while a couple of adults talk and watch the kids from outside stone homes. Others appear to be doing chores or running errands. One building is seemingly the home of a merchant, and a few Pokemon are crowded around the little window where he’s exchanging goods. Smoke rises from another building, and Nia catches the savory scent of something cooking. Some Pokemon are even riding a cart out of town on the main path, heading who knows where.
Fliss finally touches down, and Nia wastes no time in sliding off her back. The cool, pine needle-strewn dirt below her feet is blessedly solid.
“Oh, thank God,” Nia breathes, sinking to the ground. Her legs are somehow both stiff and flimsy as jelly.
Fliss laughs, lowering herself so Tobias can slide down much more gracefully.
“You good?” He asks.
Nia groans, leaning forward to press her forehead against the dirt. Tobias gives her a patronizing pat on the back.
“Apologies again for the rough flight over,” Comet says, stepping closer.
“But we did get you here in one piece!” Fliss says, giving an exaggerated wink with her one good eye.
Tobias helps Nia to her feet. “That you did. Thanks.”
“We’re planning to head to Ghatha right away for our next job, so you may need to make the journey north on foot if you need a return flight,” Comet says.
“That’s fine!” Nia says, giving Comet a weak smile as she starts stretching out her stiff legs. “We probably won’t need a flight ‘mon for a while, anyways. We need to find someone here in town, and then we’re heading south.”
“Fair enough,” Fliss says. “Well, it was good seeing you two again, despite the rocky weather. Be careful on your travels and be sure to find us again if you need a flight! It’s always a pleasure having you as riders.”
“Thanks, Fliss,” Nia says, smiling warmly at the braviary. “I can’t say it’s been, um…fun, exactly, but I appreciate you doing your best to make it easier for me. Both of you.”
Comet dips his head. “Of course. It was nice meeting you both.”
With that, Fliss and Comet step back and take flight again, flapping up and into the sky. Nia waves them off until they’re out of sight.
Then it’s just Nia and Tobias standing at the edge of the village. Stonebrook is absolutely tiny, maybe ten or twelve small buildings in all, and Nia can see clear to the other side of town from where they’re standing. While the inhabitants of the village aren’t approaching them, there are one or two Pokemon watching them curiously, clearly wondering who they are and why they flew to Stonebrook of all places.
“Well, we’re here. Now what?” Tobias asks.
“Well…” Nia trails off, looking around. “I guess we just ask around until someone can point out where Junie lives? It can’t be too hard to find her in a town this small.”
Tobias shrugs, clearly not thrilled about socializing with a bunch of strangers, but follows as Nia wanders into the village proper, towards the merchant shop she’d spotted earlier.
“This place is nice,” Nia says, smiling as one of the children she’d seen before runs past her. The kid, a brown chipmunk Pokemon with a leafy green bonnet, does a double-take at the two strangers in his village, and skids to a stop. The Pokemon that had been chasing the little guy slams into him, and the two fall into a squirming, squabbling heap.
“It’s definitely not where I expected Junie of all Pokemon to settle down,” Tobias says, stepping around the kids. “It’s too…”
“Peaceful?”
“I was going to say boring, but yeah.”
Nia elbows him to be polite, still looking around as they approach the merchant’s shop. The village is open to the sun, but it’s surrounded by a thick wall of pine trees. Nia can’t decide if the forest feels reassuring or confining. Then again, she lives inside a giant tree, so she doesn’t really have room to talk.
“Nia?”
Nia stops in place, ears perking at the familiar voice. She spins to find it, beaming when she sees Junie stopped mid-step mere feet away. The rookidee is clearly shocked, beak open and wide ruby eyes flicking between Nia and Tobias in disbelief.
“Junie!” Nia says.
Junie blinks once. Twice. Then she finally seems to register that this is really happening. She tweets an excited, shrill noise before rocketing into Nia’s open arms. Nia falls to the dirt and moss, laughing.
“What’re you doing here?!” Junie says, nuzzling into Nia’s fur. “Where did you even come from?”
“We flew!” Nia laughs, hugging her. “Did you not see us? Half the village has been staring at us since we landed.”
“I just got into town!” Junie leans back just enough to meet Nia’s eyes, feathers fluffed with excitement. “What’re you doing here?!”
Nia feels her smile falter a bit. She sits up, and Junie resettles in her lap. “We have business south of here, so we thought we would stop by and visit you on the way.”
“I’m so glad you did! I missed your adorable face.” Junie’s gaze flicks behind Nia to where Tobias is standing, and she perks up all over again. “And Toby’s here too!”
“I told you not to call me that,” Tobias growls.
“Good to see you haven’t lost your charming personality!”
Nia giggles, while Tobias just rolls his eyes.
“Ahem.”
Nia and Junie look up to see a pink cow Pokemon standing over them, a basket full of linens held against her hip.
Oh. They decided to have their reunion right in the middle of town, didn’t they? And right in the middle of one of the walking paths, too.
Junie laughs and flaps her way out of Nia’s lap. “Sorry, Marie!”
Nia scrambles to follow. “Sorry, ma’am!”
Marie shakes her head, but she’s smiling as she passes. “Good to see you so happy, Junie. Just keep the paths clear, all right?”
Junie salutes the Pokemon’s back, sending Nia a wry smile.
Huh. Nia had gotten the impression back in Ghatha that Junie didn’t talk to her neighbors much, but that was a pretty casual exchange with Marie. Maybe she’s grown more comfortable with them since then?
Once the cow Pokemon is out of earshot, stopping outside of her home to hang the linens on a makeshift clothesline, Junie turns to Nia. “Come on, we can go back to my place.”
“Oh, sure!”
Nia and Tobias follow as Junie hops down one of the village’s dirt paths, then leaves the trail entirely to head into the woods.
Nia hesitates at the tree line, watching Junie’s dark feathers get nearly swallowed up by the forest’s heavy shade. The three of them are dwarfed by the tall evergreens here.
“You don’t live in town?” Nia asks.
“Nope! I live with Bo now! He should actually be stopping by the house soon with some lunch.”
Nia’s brows rise at the bird’s easy answer, but she dutifully follows before she can lose sight of the rookidee.
Junie had seemed so stubbornly independent back in Ghatha. When did that change? Nia did tell her she should try connecting more with her neighbors, but this feels like a big step.
“Bo?” Tobias asks when they catch up.
“Yeah! He’s a dork, but he’s the best. A real metal guy.”
Nia tilts her head, hearing the joke in Junie’s voice but unsure of what to make of it. A pun, no doubt.
“Is he your, um…”
Junie must pick up on what Nia is asking, because she scrunches up her face and sticks out her tongue. “Ew, no, gross. He’s like. A dad. Or an older brother, maybe. Oh! No, wait, he’s definitely an uncle!”
“How do you just decide that someone’s an uncle?” Tobias asks.
“When they have uncle energy, duh. Keep up, Toby.”
Tobias sends Nia a look that makes it clear he’s already done with Junie for this visit. Nia bites back a laugh.
The rookidee leads them farther into the forest than Nia expects, until Stonebrook is out of sight behind them and they’re surrounded by the quiet of the trees. It’s heavily shaded here with the canopy of evergreens so thick, and the air cools notably. At first, Nia almost finds it unnerving, used to the dappled sunshine of the forest in Bethoc’s Haven, but the peaceful quiet and gentle, dark colors grow on her quickly. The ground underfoot is a soft mix of dirt, moss, and soft pine needles, and the air is fragrant with the scent. The trunks of the pines tower above them. There’s less foliage to wade through, which is nice. It’s not bad, necessarily. Just…different.
Finally, Nia sees something up ahead, an out of place gray amongst the cool browns and greens of the forest.
“This is where we live!” Junie chirps, hopping ahead to present it with a wide flourish of her wings.
It’s a small abode made of stone, much like the homes back in Stonebrook proper. One of its walls seems to be made up of the large tree it’s propped against, and its roof is a grassy slant of soil atop a slab of stone. The other walls are made of smaller, carefully stacked rocks, with only two rectangular gaps left on either side of the wooden door—windows, most likely, seeing as they’re currently covered by leafy blinds. There are a few flowers and paint doodles decorating the outside, almost certainly Junie’s doing, that brighten the gray exterior. The little house is cushioned by moss and framed by more giant pine trees, but there are a few slices of sunshine in this part of the forest, making the whole place look homey rather than unwelcoming.
“It’s lovely!” Nia says, charmed.
“You sleep on the ground?” Tobias asks, sounding more confused than anything.
“Hey, what’s wrong with that?” Junie asks, giving him a glare. “You sleep on the ground!”
“We literally live in a tree.”
Junie stops mid-retort, blinking. “Huh. Guess you do. Still! Lots of Pokemon sleep on ground level!”
“Not flying types.”
“We’ve had some rough storms around here, okay?” Junie huffs. “Besides, I used to sleep in trees before moving in with Bo, and it’s not all it’s cracked up to be. I kept falling out, and it got so drafty! This is much cozier.”
“Or maybe you’re just a weirdo.”
“Maybe it’s just your human side talking,” Nia suggests, biting back a laugh at the cross look Junie sends her partner. “Humans do like being cozy.”
“Because it’s the best!” Junie says with a decisive nod. She opens her mouth to say something else, then pauses, glancing up through the trees as they rustle with the wind. “Oh! I think Bo’s home!”
Nia peers up through the pine branches and the slivers of sunlight, but she can’t see much of anything through the thick boughs.
“I’d step back if I were you,” Junie says, hopping back against the house. “I’ve been knocked over by his tailwind more times than I can count.”
Finally, Nia sees him: a silver bird diving through a gap in the evergreens. He flashes bright when he cuts through a ray of sunlight, like the sun reflecting off a car, and the undersides of his wings are a scarlet red. As he descends, Nia realizes just how big he really is, and scrambles back to make room, Tobias right on her heels.
The bird slows down with a few powerful flaps right before he meets the forest floor. The gust created from his wings makes Nia brace herself against the house and squint her eyes shut as he settles heavily onto the mossy ground.
Nia blinks grit from her eyes and trails her gaze up from huge talons and a bulky silver body until she finds the bird’s face. He’s gotta be over two times their height, and he’s seemingly covered in…metal? The wings he tucks against his sides almost seem to be tipped in blades, sharp as they are, but they don’t cut through the satchel strapped around his body. His head is an equally sharp thing, with a wicked beak of sharp teeth and a spike of metal atop his head, almost like a helmet. He meets Nia’s gaze with keen yellow eyes.
“You didn’t tell me we were having visitors, Junebug,” the bird says, voice more playful than Nia expects. “I would’ve cleaned the place up a bit. Now I just look like a bad host.”
Junie laughs, hopping forward to gesture with her wings. “I’m just as surprised as you are! These are the friends I told you about, from Ghatha! Nia and Toby.”
“Tobias, actually,” Tobias corrects. It’s halfhearted, though, as he sizes up the Pokemon in front of them.
Nia gives the large bird a smile and a shy wave.
The bird squawks a laugh. “You two are just like Junie described! Nice to meet you. I’m Bolat. Local mail ‘mon and self-appointed wrangler for this little impidimp.”
Bolat reaches out a taloned foot to nudge Junie, surprisingly gentle. The rookidee trills an annoyed sound as she’s still nearly knocked over, but she’s smiling.
“I keep your life exciting and you know it!”
“Can’t argue with that.”
“It’s nice to meet you,” Nia says, bowing lightly. Tobias doesn’t say anything, but Nia sees him give the bird a respectful nod.
“You too.” Bolat tilts his head, looking at them consideringly. “Do you two plan to bunk with us tonight?”
“Oh! I-I mean, we can find somewhere else to sleep if it’s any trouble, but—”
Bolat laughs and shakes his head. “No no, you’re fine. We have room. We’ll just need to get you some bedding for a proper nest. Guessing you haven’t done that yet?”
“They just got here!” Junie says. “Gimme like an hour. There’s some decent stuff in that glen west of here, right?”
Bolat hums, eyeing the two of them again before turning back to Junie. “How about I just grab some bedding for the night while I’m out on my second run? I’m sure you want to catch up anyways.”
Nia almost protests out of pure politeness, but glances at Junie instead. This is her home, after all. Even if Nia is surprised that the little bird isn’t immediately insisting she can do it herself.
After a moment of thought, though, Junie just nods. “If you don’t mind, that’d be awesome! Thanks, Bo.”
“Eh, no big. It’s a slow day anyways. Ah, here.” Bolat lifts a wing to dip his beak into the satchel looped over his body, rummaging around through…letters? He finally re-emerges with a small sack, which he drops in front of Junie. “Grabbed some lunch. Make sure you eat a few of the chestnuts and greens—you need more bulk if you want to carry more than a letter at a time.”
Junie groans and butts her head against Bolat’s leg with a thonk. “I know, I know! I’ll eat my stupid veggies. Thanks.”
Bolat laughs again and looks at Nia and Tobias. “There should be enough in there for all three of you, if you haven’t had lunch yet. I’ll pick something else up for myself.”
“Are you sure?” Nia asks, ears lowering. She can’t help feeling like they’re imposing, showing up so suddenly and making Bolat do so much for them.
“Of course!” Bolat waves them off with a giant wing. “Any friend of June’s is a friend of mine. Make yourselves at home.”
“Well…thank you, then.”
“’Course.” Bolat squints up through the trees at the midday sunshine. “I’d better get going if I don’t want to be late, though. Can you hold down the fort until I get back, Junebug?”
“Aye aye, cap’n!” Junie says, saluting with her little wing.
“In that case, I’ll see you all this evening with bedding in tow. See you!”
Bolat barely waits for Nia and Tobias to say their own goodbyes before he’s flapping hard at the ground again and lifting up into the air. Nia watches, kind of awestruck that a bird seemingly made of metal can appear so light and graceful as he flies up between the trees and out of sight.
Then Nia squints, looking down at Junie. “’A real metal guy?’”
Junie chirps a laugh. “I wasn’t lying, was I?”
Tobias snorts. “A skarmory’s about as metal as a flying type can get.”
“Exactly! Now, come on in. I can’t make you guys proper nests until Bo brings back some fluff, but we can still catch up and eat!”
Junie grabs the lip of the sack of food and drags it along behind her, flapping furiously against its weight. Nia holds open the front door so Junie can get inside, watching as the little bird pulls open the blinds on the two small windows to let in some fresh air and sunlight. Then Nia follows her, surprised by how the inside of the little home feels both cozy and more spacious than she expects.
It’s clearly a space built for just one or two Pokemon, but it’s organized. There’s a small basin off to one side of the room, with bowls, cloths, and other supplies resting near it on a small, flat boulder. On the other side, there’s a larger slab of stone, where two nests sit. One is clearly Junie’s, a tiny bowl of moss and pine needles perfectly sized to cup her body. The second nest is much, much larger, and Nia has to stare at it for a moment to try to understand what she’s looking at.
Are those…thorns?
Junie notices Nia’s expression and twitters a laugh. “Yeah, Bo sleeps in a nest of brambles. Apparently lots of skarmory do it to protect their chicks and toughen up their feathers or something? Or he’s just a freak, I dunno.”
“That’s, um…really intense,” Nia settles on.
“Right?! I’ll stick with my soft, squishy nest, thank you very much. I’m a delicate lady, after all.”
Over near the table, Tobias snorts.
“Oh, what?” Junie says, playfully challenging. “Something you want to say, Toby?”
“Lots of things. But then Nia would scold me for being rude.”
“Like that ever stopped you before.”
Nia smiles as the two go back and forth. She trails closer to the nests, which are sitting right next to one another, almost touching.
“You two seem close,” Nia says, glancing back at Junie.
“I mean…I guess? I haven’t really been here that long.”
“Yeah, but you seemed really against letting anyone help you back in Ghatha. So I guess I’m just glad you found someone here you trust.”
“Yeah…” Junie starts preening her wing, visibly embarrassed. “I was being kind of dumb about that, in hindsight. Like. Bo can be ridiculous, but he’s super nice, y’know? I really like living here. He’s been teaching me a lot, too! Like getting me to fly higher without freaking out.”
Nia turns to look at Junie. “Really?”
“Yup! I can even fly above the trees now! Not by much before I panic again, but I’m definitely better than before. Bo thinks he can get me over my fear of heights in under a year!”
“See if he can teach Nia, too,” Tobias jokes, picking up a bowl to inspect it.
“This…seems like a big deal to you,” Nia says slowly, a little confused. “I-I mean, don’t get me wrong! It’s great! But your fear of heights didn’t seem to bother you that much before?”
“Well…” Junie hops over to fiddle with the tie on the sack of food, clearly looking for something to keep herself busy. “I couldn’t help you in the fire at Ghatha because I was too scared of flying, and I only ended up living with Bo because I was too weak to navigate a storm. So I guess I just want to get better at being a flying type so I can actually do things and not be scared all the time. Plus, I’ll need to be able to fly for real if I want to have a more exciting job than just running errands around Stonebrook.”
“A job?” Tobias asks, frowning. “Like as a Seeker?”
Junie bursts into laughter. “Absolutely not! Fighting’s the worst. Don’t know how you do it, Nia. And dealing with clients and guildmasters? Ugh. No thanks.”
“What’re you hoping to do instead?” Nia asks.
“I’m thinking a mail ‘mon like Bo!” Junie says. She abandons the sack and hops up onto the windowsill to better meet Nia’s gaze. She looks excited, chest puffed and eyes bright. “It’ll take me a few years to learn the landscape well enough to find my way around, and I have to build up enough strength to actually carry a few letters long distance—especially since I have to stay a pipsqueak forever—but I think I’d really like it! Bo’s let me tag along on a few of his runs and it’s the best. He gets to go everywhere and he meets so many funny people!”
Nia blinks at Junie’s enthusiasm, surprised. That’s…quite the long-term goal. Without thinking, she says, “Years? But what about getting back home?”
Junie seems confused for a moment, but then she pouts. “Oh. Right. You still want to be human again, don’t you?”
Nia jerks back. She remembers Junie mentioning something like this in Ghatha, but— “You don’t? You want to stay here? Like this? Forever?”
Junie’s pout deepens into something more genuinely troubled. Her eyes flick to Tobias before resettling on Nia. “Yeah? Just because you want to go back to the boring old human world doesn’t mean everyone does.”
“But…” Nia trails off, at a loss for words. She looks at Tobias, wondering if he’s as surprised as she is. He’s pointedly fiddling with the bowl in his hands, not meeting Nia’s eyes. Oh. Right. Leaving would mean…leaving him behind. And everyone else, too.
But even with that in mind, Nia still can’t help her shock. When she thinks of the human world, she doesn’t think of how boring it can be. She thinks of her family, of going home and reuniting with them. She thinks of her brother pulling her into a crushing hug and lifting her off the ground. She thinks of her mom crying and cooking a big meal for the family to eat together. She thinks of Toni refusing to leave her side for a week straight and catching her up on everything she missed.
Does Junie not have people like that to go home to?
“Do you not remember anything yet?” Nia asks. “About your old life?”
Junie hops down to the soft dirt of the floor and back over to the sack of food. “No, I remember. Not a lot, but enough. It just isn’t good enough to convince me to go back.”
“Wait, doesn’t Will have some theory about humans having to get close to death to regain their memories?” Tobias asks, narrowing his eyes at Junie. “Did you get your memories back after the fire in Ghatha?”
“Nope! Not there. I got pretty hurt right after I got back to Stonebrook, so it must’ve been then. I didn’t know about the whole near-death thing, but it did happen while I was recovering, so.”
“You got hurt?!” Nia asks, alarmed despite knowing that Junie has been totally fine the entire time they’ve been talking. She still can’t resist stepping closer and crouching to scan the delicate little bird’s body. “It had to be serious if you remembered something.”
Junie chirps a laugh. “Sure was! A nasty storm hit the woods and a branch fell on me. Almost flattened me like a pancake! Funny how that’s almost happened twice now, huh? Anyways, that’s how I met Bo! He helped me get back on my feet. Oh! And look at this!”
Junie ignores the distress surely painting Nia’s face to hop back a step. Then, with a furrow in her little brow and a few moments of quiet, a bubble of bright orange energy flickers to life around her.
Aura. Junie’s aura. Nia can sense it immediately, even if she hadn’t been able to see it herself. Her jaw drops.
The bubble around the rookidee only lasts for a second or two, weak and faint, before vanishing again. Junie pants, clearly exhausted from the little display, but beams at Nia and Tobias’ gobsmacked expressions.
“I used protect when the branch landed on me! Though apparently not very well, since I still fractured some bones. Definitely not as strong as the one you used in Ghatha, Nia. But still! Isn’t that cool?!”
“You can use aura now?” Tobias asks, looking horrified. He’s probably thinking about Junie possessing all of the intimate soul-reading powers that Nia has.
Junie shakes her head. “Nah. Just this one move. But I still thought it was neat!”
“It is neat,” Nia offers a beat too late, feeling off-kilter. That one book in the archives did mention that all humans could use protect, but it’s still strange seeing it in action.
Junie puffs out her little chest, proud, before realizing something. She glares at Nia. “Wait, you also got some of your memories back? That means you almost died again, too! I thought I told you guys not to get into any more trouble!”
Nia winces, holding out her hands in a placating gesture. “T-To be fair, I just got really sick?”
“That’s an understatement,” Tobias grumbles, walking over to flick Nia with his tail.
“Oh.” Junie’s irritation deflates. “That sucks.”
“A little,” Nia laughs. “Although…Junie, do me a favor and promise to go to a doctor right away if you get sick, okay? It can get pretty serious for humans.”
Junie opens her mouth to make a lighthearted quip, but something about the expressions on their faces stops her. She tilts her head, clearly curious, but eventually chirps, “Yeah, okay. I promise.”
After that, they settle on the ground outside to eat, where the dirt and moss has been warmed a bit by the sun. Tobias opens the sack Bolat brought back, where a small feast of berries, veggies, and some spiky chestnuts await them for lunch.
Junie gets to work carefully cracking open the chestnuts with her beak while Nia and Tobias divvy up the rest of the food for their impromptu picnic. It’s still chilly out, especially in the shade of the forest, but it’s not as cold as it was while flying over. The wind smells like fresh pine as it rattles through the trees, and dappled sunlight plays across the ground.
“I still feel bad eating the food Bolat got specifically for you two,” Nia says as Junie passes them some of the unshelled chestnuts to add to their meal.
“Don’t be. Bo’s really generous, and he finds lots of food while he’s out on the job. He took me in when I got hurt and took care of me without a second thought.”
Nia smiles as she takes a bite of a carrot-like vegetable, crunching away at it. Bolat does seem awfully nice, and Nia’s beyond grateful that Junie found someone like him to take care of her when she was so injured. She doesn’t want to imagine what would’ve happened otherwise.
“So, catch me up,” Junie says around a mouthful of food. “Any leads on the whole ‘returning to the human world’ front?”
Nia feels Tobias’ eyes on her, and tries not to look too eager at the prospect. “Um…a few? I have some ideas, but nothing solid yet.”
Junie hums, clearly sympathetic but not at all upset on her own behalf. “That sucks. Sorry, Nia. Let me know if I can help, okay? Although I don’t know what I could add that you and Will don’t already have covered.”
Nia slowly puts her own food back down. “Junie, you…you really don’t want to go back home, do you?”
Junie shrugs, looking uncomfortable. “I mean. I miss some stuff, I guess, but most of my memories are just…blah, you know? And I’m happy here! Even though I’m gonna be a little shrimp forever, I’m much happier here than I ever was as a human.”
Nia sits back, torn. On one hand, it’s not like she can argue with Junie’s feelings. And just because Nia wants to see her family and friends so desperately doesn’t mean everyone does. But to just abandon her old life entirely? Just like that?
“You aren’t worried that somebody will miss you?” Nia can’t help asking.
“Not really. They aren’t my problem anymore.”
What in the world does that mean?
Nia tries not to visibly slump, and starts picking at her food again. She’d been so excited to share her recovered memories with the rookidee, but now she isn’t so sure she wants to. Would Junie even want her to, or would it just be awkward?
“So is that the mission you’re doing south of here? Figuring out human stuff?”
“Um, no. Not really. We are going to see Will, but not about that.”
“What for, then?”
Nia glances at Tobias. He’s munching on a chestnut, and gives Nia a wave of his hand that clearly says it’s Nia’s prerogative how much she wants to share.
“Okay, your little telepathic communication thing is adorable, but what’s with the serious face?” Junie asks. She looks between Nia and Tobias. “You’re not telling me something.”
For a moment, Nia considers brushing off Junie’s concerns. She hadn’t told Xander’s team or Andyn’s team about the whole “world ending” thing, but…well, quite frankly, she doesn’t think Junie will let it go now that she’s picked up on it.
Plus, she’s human like Nia, as much as she apparently doesn’t want to be anymore. She didn’t have a life here before all of this started happening. It feels right, to let her in on the secret too.
Nia puts her food down again. “You’re right. Sorry. We, um…we found something out recently. Something big.”
Junie frowns. “Bad big?”
“Certainly not good big,” Tobias huffs.
“We met Giratina,” Nia says. “He—"
“Wait, back up. Giratina? The scary nightmare creature that Will explicitly told us not to talk to?”
Nia winces. “Yes? He’s, um…actually pretty civil. If a bit of a grouch.”
“So like Tobias, then,” Junie says. She doesn’t even bask in his reaction, adding, “Okay, hold up, start from the beginning. I need the whole story.”
Nia hesitates, but crumbles quickly under Junie’s insistent gaze.
So Nia tells the story yet again, from the moment when Tobias noticed Giratina following them, all the way up to their talk with August when they returned to the guild. She’s getting better at summarizing after telling the story twice before, but Tobias still jumps in occasionally to add any important details that she forgets. Junie is surprisingly quiet for most of it, aside from when she chastises them for being idiots, jumping down into dangerous mines with criminals and meeting up with crazy bugs who want to send them to the distortion world.
Finally, voice raspy and meal still only half-finished, Nia says, “And that’s the gist. This world—the Pokemon world—is basically in danger of falling apart entirely if we don’t do something to stop it. And the human world will go down with it.”
“Nia thinks Will might have some human connections who can help us find Xerneas, so that she can strengthen the barrier,” Tobias adds. “Or fix it afterwards, if it’s predetermined to break. Either way, we don’t have much go to go on, so we’re checking with him just in case.”
Junie’s expression is somber when they finish. She stares long and hard at the dirt, clearly deep in thought. Finally, she sighs and looks up. “Well. That’s a fine pickle. And just when I was getting comfy here, too. I guess we’ll just have to see what Will has to say, right?”
Nia blinks, then echoes the little bird. “We?”
“Well, yeah! I’m coming with you two to Will’s place, of course.” Junie says. “I just got you back. You aren’t ditching me again while you go off to save the world!”
Nia straightens up, heart lifting. “Really?”
Tobias groans. “Really?”
“Yup! You’re stuck with me, lizard-breath.”
“Greeeaaat,” Tobias drawls, using his flames to char a pecha berry cupped in his palms.
“But what about Bolat?” Nia asks.
Junie waves Nia off. “He’ll be fine! He was on his own forever before I showed up. As long as I come back eventually to show him I’m not dead I’m sure he’ll be cool about it. And I can keep training while we head south so I’m not slacking!”
Nia smiles, something in her relaxing. “That’d be great, Junie. We’d be happy to have you.”
“Happy is a strong word,” Tobias says.
Nia glances at him, afraid for a moment that she’d just made a decision for the both of them that he’s genuinely upset about, but he doesn’t actually look bothered by this development. He bites into his berry with a casual movement, his tail flame its usual calm flicker and his expression even. Just their usual banter, then.
“Aw, c’mon! I’m excited to be traveling with you guys again! I guess we should leave right away tomorrow morning since this is kind of time-sensitive, huh? We’ve got mysteries to solve, worlds to save, eldritch horrors to meet—oh! Nia!”
Nia jumps, nearly dropping the peeled chestnut in her hand. “Y-Yeah?”
“I wanted to ask earlier, but I didn’t want to interrupt. If you can communicate with Giratina through reflections and he’s on our side now, could we like. Call him?”
Nia stares at Junie, chestnut forgotten. “You want to talk to him? He’s…kinda scary.”
“That’s even better!” Junie says, hopping up excitedly. “It’ll be like we’re trying to summon demons at a sleepover. Wait here!”
Junie darts inside her and Bolat’s home, and Nia looks at Tobias, bewildered.
The charmander shrugs, apparently more or less unphased. “You did suggest we get in touch with him so he knows what we’re up to.”
“I…guess?”
Junie flaps out the front door in an unsteady bob, a small stone bowl barely gripped in her tiny claws. She drops it on the ground in front of Nia, then lands clumsily on the other side.
“There! Will that work? You can use your canteen water, right?”
Okay, guess they’re doing this right now. Nia sighs, once again putting the last of her food aside to grab her canteen and pour an inch of water into the bowl. Sunlight bounces across the water’s surface as it settles. The whole thing is about the size of Nia’s hand, just large enough to see faint reflections of the trees above them.
“Now what?” Junie asks, practically vibrating. “Do we have to chant or something?”
“I don’t actually know,” Nia says, frowning. “We haven’t tried to call him like this before.”
“He can’t be far,” Tobias says, leaning closer to the bowl. “He was following us on the trip over.”
Just as Nia’s about to try calling for Giratina, Junie shouts, “Hey, lord of nightmares! Get your butt over here!”
“Junie!” Nia hisses, wide-eyed.
“What?! You said he’s on your side now!”
“He is, but he’s also a god with a temper!”
“Uh, hey,” Tobias says, pointing. “He’s here.”
Nia looks down, surprised. Sure enough, she can see the faint reflection of Giratina’s silhouette in the surface of the bowl. Just his head, really, the rest of his body likely unable to fit into view.
“Whoa,” Junie breathes, feathers ruffled but expression delighted.
Giratina’s eyes narrow slightly, as if to ask what they want. Nia can practically hear his rapidly thinning patience.
“W-We saw you following us earlier, over the ocean,” Nia explains. “So I thought you were maybe wondering what we were doing? I figured we could give you an update. I-If you’d like.”
“We also wanted to see if we could contact you,” Tobias adds. “Which I guess is a yes.”
Giratina nods, looking back at Nia. Waiting.
She jerks. “O-Oh! Okay. Um. So we’re looking for a friend of mine, a human, who has been gathering other humans. We think he might have an idea of where to find Xerneas, since I know he’s been researching a lot of stuff and talking to a lot of people. So that’s why we’re, uh. Here. And traveling.”
Giratina seems to mull that over for a moment, before nodding his approval.
“Can he not talk?” Junie whispers, loudly.
“He talked to me in his dimension,” Nia says, feeling weirdly rude speaking about Giratina in the third-person when he’s right there. “But I don’t think he can speak to us through reflections?”
“But what if he has something important to tell you?”
Giratina shifts, catching their attention before Nia or Tobias can answer. He brings up a tendril-like wing, the giant talon at its tip settling close to the surface of the reflection and blocking out Giratina himself.
“Does he want you to…touch him? E.T. style?” Junie asks. “Can you even do that?”
Nia frowns, staring at the talon seemingly right on the other side of the water’s surface. “I…don’t know. He did pull me through a reflection in Shivergleam, but I kind of assumed that was like…a special ritual that Edme set up?”
“He did it at the river near the guild too,” Tobias grumbles.
Huh. He’s right. Which means…
Curious, and knowing that the legendary would have been able to kill her easily last time they met but decided not to, Nia lifts her hand and holds it over the water.
“You sure?” Junie asks.
Tobias reaches out and grabs Nia’s free arm, as if to make sure he isn’t left behind this time if she’s yanked through again.
With a deep breath, Nia dips her finger gently into the chilled water, trying not to disturb the reflections on the surface. Sure enough, after an inch or two, she hits not the smooth stone of the bowl’s bottom, but the dulled point of something else, ice-cold.
Giratina.
Nia’s brows raise. Curious, she dips the rest of her hand into the bowl. While she can’t wrap her hand around the sheer size of the claw, it’s undeniable that she has surpassed the depth of the bowl itself. Like a magic trick.
“Whoa,” Junie murmurs again.
Satisfied for now, Nia pulls her hand free, amazed to realize her fur isn’t even wet. She blinks down at the water as it settles. Giratina has pulled away so they can see his face again.
“So when you’re around, you can make any reflection into a portal to the distortion world?” Tobias asks.
The legendary nods.
“Does that only work for Nia? Or for anyone?” Junie asks.
Nia doesn’t know how Giratina does it, but she can practically feel his exasperation through the reflection.
“Oh, r-right. Yes or no questions, Junie.”
“Fine, fine! How about this—can anyone go through a portal you open?”
Giratina nods again.
The three of them sit back as one.
“Huh,” Nia says. “I’m not sure that really changes anything? But I guess it’s good to know that we can check in with you any time if we need to.”
“Could be a helpful escape route in an emergency,” Tobias muses, hand at his chin. “As long as we find a reflection large enough.”
Giratina suddenly jerks, looking off to the side. His eyes narrow. He looks back at them, as if asking if they’re done here. There must be another one of those rumblings in the rift that Nia had experienced while there. A sign of the coming disaster. He probably wants to check it out to make sure it’s nothing more serious.
“I think that’s all we know right now. Um. Thank you for answering?” Nia says, feeling awkward about how exactly she’s supposed to sign off with a legendary.
Giratina nods, then slips out of sight. The reflection of the trees overhead and Nia’s curious face, leant over the bowl, flicker back into sight.
The three of them are quiet for a moment, digesting that experience.
“Okay, so. World-ending terror aside, that was pretty awesome,” Junie says. She hops up, looking all too excited. “We should try to summon more horror monsters before we have to get on the road tomorrow! Bo told me about this Pokémon called Darkrai who gives you nightmares. I don’t think he does it to mess with people, but let’s pretend he does because that’s much scarier.”
Nia can’t help laughing. The tension that had settled over them breaks instantly.
“Darkrai’s a legendary, feather-brain,” Tobias says. “He’s probably already dormant.”
“But he’s the god of nightmares or something! So maybe he’s immune to sleep stuff!”
Nia relaxes and finishes the last few bites of her meal as the two of them start up another silly argument. The exhaustion of the flight and the day’s antics are finally starting to weigh on her, but for at least tonight they can rest here with Junie and Bolat.
Suddenly, with just one more friend at their side, everything ahead doesn’t seem quite as scary.
Chapter 58
Summary:
Tobias, Nia, and Junie travel south to find Will and the human settlement.
Chapter Text
“You’ve got food and water for the road, and the map I gave you.”
“Yup and yup!”
“And you know what to do if anyone gives you trouble.”
“Bo, c’mon! Nia and Toby are stronger than they look. They’ll keep me safe.”
“Answer the question, Junebug.”
“Fine, fine. If anyone gives me trouble, I peck out their eyes.”
“Good egg.”
Tobias snorts. He and Nia, well-rested after an admittedly cozy night in Junie and Bolat’s home, lean against one of the tall pines to the side of the flying types’ home as they wait for them to finish saying their goodbyes. Junie seems ready to head out, at least, bouncing in place with the aforementioned map pinned under one of her tiny feet.
Now they just need Bolat to stop being an overbearing blissey.
Tobias looks up at slivers of blue sky as the wind rustles through the pines. It’s not as early as he usually likes to get going, mid-morning rather than dawn, but Junie and Bolat alike had refused to get up sooner. Outvoted three to one once Nia realized she had sleep-in backup, Tobias had settled for resting a bit longer, eventually flipping through Nia’s book about abilities out of boredom.
He’s glad they’re finally getting moving. The day looks nice, only a bit chilled by autumn winds, but he’s feeling restless. Ready to talk to Will and find out if the yamask has any answers. If not, then he’s ready to head back to the guild where they can see if August and the others came up with anything instead.
“Bo, we’ll be fine! Seriously!” Junie complains after another round of questions. “You worry too much.”
The skarmory gives Junie a playful nip with his wickedly sharp beak. “I don’t think you worry enough, for such a tiny thing. I’d prefer to escort you all there myself, but I can’t get someone to fill in for my mail route on such short notice.”
Nia cringes. “Sorry. I debated sending a letter ahead of time, but I thought it’d be a nice surprise for Junie.”
“It was!” Junie assures.
“We’ll be fine,” Tobias says, stepping forward and plucking the map out from under Junie’s foot before she loses it. He ignores her squawk of protest. “Luckily for these two, I can actually read a map.”
Bolat laughs as Junie pecks at Tobias’ leg and gets a light kick in return. “Good to hear. ‘Mon are fairly kind around this area, so just stop someone if you do get off the path and they should be able to guide you back.”
Nia and Tobias nod, and it falls quiet as Junie and Bolat both seem to realize there’s nothing else to be said.
“Bye, Bo,” Junie whispers, hopping forward to rub the top of her head against his metallic leg. “Sorry for ditching so suddenly. I’ll be back soon.”
Bo bends to rest his giant beak on Junie’s body. “Just come back safe, all right? We both know you have a penchant for trouble.”
Junie laughs, hopping back. “But I always find my way out of it!”
“Rarely on your own,” Tobias says. Nia elbows him.
“Oh, just wait and see if I save your butt next time you’re in trouble! You two have no room to talk!” Junie sticks her tongue out at him.
Tobias can’t resist doing the same.
“And on that note,” Nia says, laughter in her voice. “We’d better get going. Thanks again for letting us stay the night, Bo. And for the food! We’ll see you on our way back through, okay?”
“Safe travels, you three. Bring this little troublemaker back in one piece, all right? Too quiet around this place without her.”
Nia assures him that they will. Junie hops onto her shoulder, and the three of them start on the forested path back to Stonebrook, Nia and Junie waving until Bolat is completely out of sight.
Junie is directing Nia where to go, so Tobias lets himself fall back to pull out the map Bolat had lent them.
While the skarmory had pointed out their destination once already, the map is still more detailed than Tobias expects, spanning half the continent and even including some simple drawings to illustrate. He finds Stonebrook in the middle of the forest, then traces the path leading to the main road. From there, he moves south until the road leaves the forest entirely and enters the plains to the south. Eventually, the path hits the ocean at Kaleido Bay.
According to the skarmory, the human settlement is halfway between where the forest ends and the ocean begins, built into the side of a mesa off the main road. If they follow the trail south and stick to it, the mesa should be easy to spot. Bolat guessed that they could even make it there by nightfall, if they kept up a good pace.
Tobias looks up as they break from the pines and into the bright sunlight bathing Stonebrook in warmth. He would love to take a rest on one of the smooth, heated boulders strewn about the little village, but they have places to be. He folds up the map and tucks it into their satchel, then speeds up to match Nia’s stride.
“Marie makes the bestpastries ever,” Junie is saying, swooping around Nia as she points out different areas of the village. “Especially her pies. Ooh, we could stop and get one to eat on the way!”
“We can’t stop every time you get distracted,” Tobias says. “If we want to make it to Will’s by nightfall, we need to keep up a good pace.”
Junie pouts at him. “Spoilsport.”
“We do need to talk to Will as soon as possible,” Nia says, even as she lifts her nose into the air to sniff for pastries. “Maybe when we come back through?”
“Fiiine!”
Tobias takes the lead as they reach the path leading out of town. Junie doesn’t argue, instead diving into a conversation with Nia about what she’s been learning during her mail ‘mon training.
“So even though I’m tiny I could still carry letters and smaller packages. And if I did ever evolve—oh! Nia, have you seen a picture of what my evolution would be?!”
“I don’t think so?”
“I would be huge!” Junie says, swooping past Tobias to splay her wings wide. “Like, bigger than Bo!”
“Really?” Nia asks, eyes wide.
“Guess that’s one upside to the world ending,” Tobias says. “I don’t trust you with the power of a corviknight.”
Junie lands on the satchel looped around Tobias’ shoulder. “Aw, you scared?”
“No. You’d be a steel type. I’d scorch your feathers right off.”
“You wish!”
“You’d be a steel type?” Nia asks, curious.
“Yeah! Like Bo! Isn’t that neat?! Toby, you’re just jealous of how cool I’d be. I’d scare the pants off everyone!”
“Oh, please. I’d be a charizard. You’d be no match.”
“I still don’t think I’ve seen what a charizard actually looks like,” Nia says thoughtfully, head tilted. “You said you’d be big enough to carry me, right?”
“Easily. Charizard are strong flyers.”
“We could be flying buddies!” Junie chirps.
“Not a chance.”
“Flying,” Nia says, voice weak. “Great. How about land buddies instead?”
Tobias snorts, resigning himself to a day of lively conversation.
Their walk to the main road is uneventful. When they arrive, Tobias is a little surprised to see that the new path doesn’t look that different from the little trail to Stonebrook. It’s still a dirt road, just much wider and flattened from countless footsteps, the tall trees on either side a little more open to let in patches of sunlight.
The biggest change is how much busier this road is; they end up passing quite a few Pokemon on their way south. Mostly carts carrying goods between towns, some travelers on foot, and even another Seeker team or two, who give them cordial nods of acknowledgement as they pass.
Maybe an hour in, Nia and Junie take to guessing the names of each unknown species they see, making a game out of it with Tobias as the referee. After a bulky pignite passes by, the two wait until he’s out of sight before conspiring.
“Okay, what do we think?” Junie asks, perched on Nia’s shoulder. “Definitely something with ‘pig,’ right?”
“Hm…could be ‘boar’ instead,” Nia points out. “He had little tusks, right?”
“True. Okay, so ‘pig’ or ‘boar,’ and a fighting type.”
Nia frowns. “I was thinking fire, actually. He was a really bright orange.”
“Yeah, but did you see how jacked he was?! Plus, his fur kinda looked like was wearing a leotard or something. Definitely a fighting type.”
Nia hums doubtfully. “Okay, so fire or fighting? What does that give us?”
“Fire, fire, fire…cinder, maybe? Flame?” “Flame,” Nia murmurs. “Flame, flame…flambé?”
“Nia!” Junie gasps, sounding delighted. “Pork is not a thing here! You cannibal!”
“I-I wasn’t—they have a Pokemon called fidough, Junie! As in D-O-U-G-H! It’s a fair guess!”
Tobias barks a laugh, then quickly schools his expression when Nia and Junie look his way.
“Okay, okay!” Junie says, relenting. “Flambé’s on the table. So what’re our options? Flampig? Flamboar?”
“Flamboar’s not terrible,” Nia says. Then she gasps, paws clapping together. “I’ve got it! Flambabe!”
Tobias and Junie shoot Nia a puzzled look.
Nia shrinks back. “L-Like Babe the pig? From the book..?”
“Nerd,” Tobias and Junie say, in sync.
Junie gives Tobias a thrilled look. He gives her a horrified one in return. It’s not a good sign when they’re on the same wavelength.
“O-Okay, so it’s probably not flambabe!” Nia says, looking embarrassed. “Tobias, what’re they actually called?”
“It’s probably not even a pun this time,” Junie sighs.
“You sure you want to know?”
“Yeah!”
Tobias smirks. “…Pignite.”
A pause. Then Nia and Junie groan, defeated once more by the wordplay of the Ordirune language.
“But he was a fighting type, right?” Junie asks.
“I still think he looked a little fiery.”
Expectant, both of them look to Tobias once again.
“Pignite are fire types.”
“Yes!” Nia fist pumps.
“…And fighting types.”
“Yes!” Junie shouts.
“Wait,” Nia says. “So is that another tie?”
Their fourth tie in a row. Nia and Junie look at each other, then groan again, loud enough to startle a laugh out of Tobias.
It’s early afternoon when they finally reach the edge of the forest, the trees thinning out into wide, flat fields of dry grasses. In the distance sits the faint, blocky shape of the mesa they’re looking for, tall amongst the flat landscape. Bolat wasn’t wrong—it’s certainly easy to spot.
They decide to stop there in the shade for lunch, pulling out the food Bolat had packed for them: mostly leftover berries and nuts from yesterday, as well as some bread that melts deliciously in Tobias mouth.
Maybe they do need to stop by that bakery on the way back.
They’re finishing up their meal food, looking out at the mesa, when conversation turns to Nia’s developing aura abilities.
“You can read minds now?!” Junie asks, beak dropping open to reveal a mouth full of mushed-up bread.
Tobias wrinkles his muzzle and reaches over to snap her beak closed.
Nia laughs, bashful. “Not exactly? It’s still mostly just emotions and, um…vague ideas of what they’re thinking? But they do get easier to understand if I’m really close to whoever I’m reading.”
The riolu glances at Tobias before looking away again. Tobias takes another bite of food and refuses to look at either of his companions, face burning hot.
Junie, unfortunately, catches the brief exchange. “Oh? And how did you find this out?”
“W-Well, I tested it out with some of my—some of ourfriends during training, and on my instructor.”
“And Toby joined in on the fun?”
Tobias glares at the little bird. “Val made me.”
Junie tweets a laugh. “Okay, okay, jeez. If looks could kill. So it doesn’t work if you aren’t really close to someone?”
“Well…” Nia tilts her head, lowering the bread she’d been nibbling on. “No. I can still latch on to their aura and get a vague idea of what they’re feeling. Like I always could. But with Tobias, it was almost like he was talking. It was more…specific.”
Tobias crunches into a chestnut to crack it open with his teeth. He still isn’t fond of that whole deal. Sure, if someone has to be peeking into his head, he’ll take Nia over almost anyone else, but those are his private thoughts and feelings. He doesn’t want someone poking around and judging him for what they find. He’s not a great Pokemon, but no one else needs to know that.
“So you took a little tour inside Toby’s head? Pretty nasty place, I bet,” Junie says.
Case in point.
Tobias reaches over and steals the rookidee’s last bluk berry, popping it into his mouth just to spite her.
“Hey!”
“You deserved it.”
“You kind of did,” Nia says, smiling sympathetically.
Junie huffs, but doesn’t argue. Then she perks up again, and Tobias knows what she’s going to say before the words even leave her mouth. “You should try it again on me! I wanna know if I can feel you rummaging around in my head.”
Nia doesn’t seem all that surprised by the request, either. Still, she looks cautious. “You sure? It’s kind of, uh. Private.”
“You said the same thing the first time you looked at my aura! C’mon, let’s try it!”
Nia laughs. “Okay, okay. I’ll, um, try it from a distance first, then use contact if that doesn’t work.”
Junie doesn’t argue, settling down a foot or so from Nia.
Nia closes her eyes, concentrating. Her paws remain in her lap.
Tobias watches, curious despite himself. Just because he doesn’t want to be the test subject doesn’t mean Nia’s powers aren’t interesting.
“Oh!” Nia’s eyes remain closed, but her brows shoot up. “I got it! And I didn’t even have to make contact first.”
“Does that mean you’re getting better at using your aura?” Junie asks. “Or that we’re besties?”
Nia makes a so-so gesture with her paw. “Probably a bit of column A, bit of column B? Stay there—I want to see how far I can get.”
Nia stands up, eyes still closed, and starts backing up across the grass.
“Rock,” Tobias calls, just in time for Nia to stumble and nearly fall on her tail. She shoots him a grin and a thumbs-up, eyes still closed, before continue to step back, slower this time.
Finally, Nia stops a few yards away from Junie. She’s frowning and tilting her head as if to hear better.
“I think this is my limit right now,” Nia says.
“That’s farther than it was at the guild,” Tobias points out.
“Can you tell what I’m thinking?!” Junie calls.
A moment of quiet. Then, Nia laughs. “Not exactly, but I can tell you’re trying to think of the weirdest things possible to catch me off-guard. You feel…playful?”
Junie laughs. “I’ll show you playful! Here, see if you can feel what flying is like!”
With that, Junie launches herself into the air.
“Oh, this should be good,” Tobias mutters, watching Junie flap higher above their heads. She catches a breeze, then falls backwards and does a loop-de-loop with more agility than Tobias expects. Huh. Maybe her training with the skarmory is helping after all.
Nia groans, sinking to her knees and looking sick. Her eyes crack open. “Ugh. Yup, I felt that.”
“You did?!” Junie calls, stopping to flap in place.
“Unfortunately. I swear I could feel my stomach flip.”
“Yeah, isn’t it awesome?”
Tobias snorts, watching as Junie does more loops and spins overhead, a dark blur against the bright blue of the sky. Her shadow passes over them.
Nia trudges back to Tobias’ side and plops down, still looking vaguely nauseous. “I don’t think I was built for the air.”
Tobias laughs. “You literally weren’t.”
Nia whines, tucking her head into her knees.
Tobias gives her another patronizing pat on the back before tilting his head back to watch Junie again. The little flying type is whooping with joy as she shows off, and Tobias is torn between envy and a weird sense of peace.
Tobias doesn’t hate having the rookidee around. He likes how happy she makes Nia, for one. And with such a heavy atmosphere hanging over them lately—what with the world ending and all—even Tobias can appreciate a bit of levity.
In some ways, Junie actually reminds him of his sister. Much more annoying, of course, much pushier, but she has a similar kind of wit and playfulness to her as Vivi did. At first the similarity rubbed him the wrong way, but it’s starting to feel familiar now. More entertaining than upsetting.
“Toby! Toby, watch this!”
She even uses the same stupid nickname.
Tobias rolls his eyes. “I’m watching!”
Junie tucks her wings and drops like a stone. Beside him, Nia yelps, tensing as if to jump up. But Junie snaps open her wings just in time and swoops low across the ground to flutter to a stop at their feet.
“Wasn’t that sick?!”
“It looked dangerous!” Nia frets.
“Nah, Bo showed me how to do it safely.”
“Bolat showed you how to do that?!” Nia asks, scandalized.
“Uh, yeah? I told you he has fun uncle energy. He’s not my dad.”
“Still!”
Tobias shakes his head, biting back a smile as he starts cleaning up the remains of their meal. It’s time to get moving again.
By time they find the fork in the road leading to Will’s settlement, it’s sunset and even Junie has quieted down, fatigued after a long afternoon of travelling the road through open fields under the hot sun. The mesa looms over them, still in the distance but close enough that they can pick out some of the finer details of its stone face and scraggly trees.
Noticing the branching path, Junie perks up from where she’s nestled into Nia’s neck fluff.
“Finally! I feel like we’ve been looking at that stupid rock forever. How much longer do you think we have?”
Tobias doesn’t answer, stepping onto the smaller trail leading in the direction of the mesa. Unlike the main road, this path is made for only one or two ‘mon at a time, dirt trail nearly swallowed by the long, dry grasses swaying gently around them.
“Maybe an hour or two, if I had to guess?” Nia says, squinting.
Junie whines, burying her face into Nia’s fur.
“You aren’t even the one walking,” Tobias grumbles, hopping down a shallow shelf of rock in the path.
“At least we can see where we’re heading,” Nia says, ever the optimist. “And it’s late enough that it’s going to start cooling down soon.”
“I guess.”
With that, they fall silent again. Slowly, the sky bleeds to a lavender gray, only their breaths and the whistle of the wind through rustling grass to keep them company. It’s nearly dusk by time they reach the foot of the mesa, its presence overwhelmingly tall above them. It brings to mind half-remembered sensations from Tobias’ childhood in the mountains.
The trail they’d been following starts to wind its way up a steep, mountainous incline. It’s almost serpentine, snaking through the environment, cobbled with rough stones underfoot and walled in by cliff faces, wiry trees, and foliage. Tobias, already tired from the journey here, is breathing hard within minutes. Junie takes mercy on Nia and hops down to trail along behind them.
Tobias isn’t sure how long they follow the trail, relying more and more on Tobias’ tail flame to light the way as the sky darkens. Nia and Tobias both trip more than once on the rough terrain, and take to skating their hands along the rocks and branches crowding on either side of the path to keep their balance. Junie at least doesn’t have to worry about going slipping into a ravine or sliding off the mountainside.
Tobias is getting close to calling that they stop to rest for the night, the conditions too dangerous to traverse with such low light, when they round a bend and see…lights.
“Oh, look,” Nia says, stopping.
Tobias and Junie stop too, staring across the small canyon they’ve been ascending.
On the other side, tucked under the shelf-like lip of the top of the mesa, sprawls a surprisingly sizeable town, seemingly carved into the side of the cliff itself. The buildings are angular structures made of stone, and there is enough golden light spilling from windows and open doors to illuminate them, an oasis of warmth in the sprawling darkness of night.
“It’s beautiful,” Nia murmurs.
“It almost looks like a human city!” Junie says.
It’s…fine. Tobias doesn’t understand why they’re fussing so much.
“C’mon,” Tobias says, moving forward again. “Almost there.”
Luckily for their sore, tired feet, they wind their way around the canyon and to the entrance of the village relatively quickly.
There, a hulking mass of purple armor and pointed barbs is stationed. A nidoking. Tobias remembers seeing him at the human convention, but he still stops in his tracks as the poison type’s beady eyes lock onto them.
Before anyone can say anything, a high voice speaks up.
“Oh, hey! It’s you three!”
Tobias blinks. Then, movement catches his eye. It’s a tiny yellow blur, hopping down from the nidoking’s shoulder and skittering across the rocky dirt to stop before the trio. A young joltik, his fluffy yellow fur bright against the darkness. He’s barely the size of Tobias’ hand.
Tobias’ brow furrows at the familiar greeting. He glances up at the nidoking to make sure this isn’t some sort of trap, then back at Nia and Junie. They seem just as lost as he is.
“I’m sorry,” Nia says, stepping forward and crouching down. “Um. Have we met?”
The joltik cocks his head, but then looks down at himself and chirps, “Oh, right!”
The little bug type leaps up, tucks into a roll, and in a flash of cool blue light, grows over five times as big before landing on four paws. His coat is orange with black stripes and accented with fluffy cream fur.
“I’m Asher!” The growlithe pup yips, tail wagging proudly. “I ran into you at the convention, remember?”
Tobias stares, still more caught off guard by the haunting coat pattern than anything.
“Whoa!” Junie shoves forward. “How’d you do that?!”
Asher snickers, leaps up again, and in another icy blue flash lands on more delicate paws. They’re a deep red against his dark gray coat, matching the tuft of red fur sitting atop his head beween pointed ears. His golden eyes are bright as sparks.
Tobias breathes again.
“I’m a zorua, duh!”
“Don’t duh me! I’m human. How was I supposed to know that?”
“Humans don’t seem to know a lot of things.”
“Hey!”
While Junie and Asher squabble, Tobias takes another breath to calm himself. It’s better with the growlithe visage gone. Zorua are tricksters, but he can handle a trickster better than a growlithe.
“Can zorua turn into…anything?” Nia whispers to Tobias, eyes wide and ears perked. Tobias can practically see the questions building on her tongue.
“Any Pokemon, yeah.”
He snorts despite himself as Asher morphs into a rookidee, Junie’s mirror image. The real Junie squawks, outraged, and bats at him with a wing. Asher laughs, and for a brief moment Tobias sees a flicker of gray fur and red paws before he perfects the illusion once more.
“They’re more like…illusions, though, rather than actual transformations.”
That doesn’t deter Nia’s obvious fascination. She asks Asher if he can turn into her as well, and the zorua does so in a heartbeat, grinning at Nia’s awestruck expression.
“As fun as this is,” Tobias interrupts, still eyeing the silent mass of nidoking nearby. “Can we go inside?”
“Oh!” Asher morphs again in a flash, changing into another charmander, just without Tobias’ scarf. “Sure! C’mon! I can show you around. I know everything about this place.”
Asher skips towards the nidoking and the light of the town behind him. Junie giggles at the sight while Nia bites back a smile. Tobias huffs, following the cheeky kid with a lash of his tail.
The nidoking is even more intimidating up close. Over four times their height and just as wide, with a variety of scars. Tobias can feel the nidoking’s weight and strength as he shifts, looking over each of them.
“Hi, Slate!” Asher chirps.
The massive nidoking grunts in return. “You know them?”
“Sorta! They were at the human convention in Ghatha.”
Slate nods, stepping aside and shifting his heavy tail out of the way.
“Thanks, Slate! I’ll bring you more gummies tomorrow.”
Slate doesn’t answer, but Asher isn’t fazed. He shifts into a meowth and trots by the nidoking with his tail held high. “You haven’t been here before, right?”
“No,” Tobias answers, looking around as they enter town.
A path leads around the outside of the village, a sturdy wall of stones to their right to prevent anyone from tumbling off the cliff. Periodically, torches are perched atop the stone to provide light. To their left, they pass tall buildings constructed of rocks and mortar, where golden light and laughter spill from open windows into the cooling night air.
“So what do you wanna see first? We’ve got all kinds of cool human stuff here! Like…clothes! You guys like clothes, right? We have someone who makes those!”
“You do?” Nia asks, tail wagging in excitement. She picks up her pace to match Asher. Junie hops onto her shoulder to listen as well. Tobias trails behind.
“Yeah! But they aren’t working right now, since it’s late. Oh! Do you want a bath? We have a soapmaker here, too. All the humans go crazy for soap.”
“You have soap?!” Nia asks, voice cracking. She sound like she’s about to cry.
Asher laughs. “Yeah! I don’t really like it. Too strong for me. But we can get you some to use! I know they’ve been working on new, uh…flavors? Scents!”
“What else do you have?” Junie asks, sounding just as excited as Nia.
“Lotsa stuff! Oh! We have someone who makes games and toys, too! You definitely have to visit him. He’s the best.”
Tobias falls farther back, continuing to look around as the three babble on. Most of the inhabitants seem to be inside as night settles in, but the group passes one or two ‘mon out and about. They’re wearing more cloth than Tobias is used to seeing outside of cold weather. A flaaffy has a billowy transparent shawl around their shoulders and another tied around their hips, and a strangely familiar-looking elekid and sandile wearing lightweight scarves scamper by right after.
One building’s door is propped open, and Tobias glances in as they pass by. While the group of Pokemon inside don’t seem to be related biologically, all different species and types, they laugh comfortably with one another as they play games and chat. They’re sitting around a small firepit in the center space of the home. Tobias catches sight of large alcoves set into the rounded walls behind them, with blankets spilling out. Nests?
There are large jars bordering the empty wall off to the side of the group, likely for water. Plus a table with some chairs, books in a small bookcase, floors covered in rugs, and even a few pieces of art hung on the walls.
It's…cozy-looking, admittedly. Spacious enough, but warm. Lived-in.
“Is that a band?!” Junie asks from up ahead, just a smidge too loud.
Her question snags Tobias’ attention, and he jogs to catch up with the three of them. Nia and Junie are looking expectantly at a small outdoor area, with a little fire pit lit in its belly. A small crowd of Pokemon—of humans—are gathered around its edges, reclined and chatting across tiers of stone steps.
In the center, near the fire, a trio of Pokemon do appear to be preparing for a song. A clobbopus hovers their broad tentacles over a pair of drums. A loudred is holding a delicate wooden flute to his lips with giant hands. The last Pokemon, a brionne, appears to be a singer. She has a flipper held to her throat, her eyes closed as she hums to herself.
Nia, Junie, and even Asher gravitate towards the performers with shining eyes. Tobias sighs, resigning himself to listening too, and stands next to his partner.
The drummer start first, jumping right into a tempo so quick that their tentacles are a blur of movement. The crowd’s chatter slows and quiets. After a moment, the flutist joins in with surprising grace, their sharp notes somehow weaving perfectly around the drumbeats. Finally, a few beats later, the vocalist starts up, raising her chin and closing her eyes to release a high, haunting note.
Tobias feels a chill roll over the skin on his arms, as much as he doesn’t want to admit it. He was hoping these three would be terrible. Instead, as the brionne sings a few more wordless notes, her voice lilting high and low in tandem with the flute, Tobias has to admit they’re…good. Really good. His fingers twitch towards the satchel at his hip, wanting to pull out his guitar and join in.
He chances a glance at Nia and Junie. Both of them are enraptured, and Nia even looks a little emotional. Tobias wonders if she knows the song, or if it’s just his partner being her usual sensitive self.
Tobias huffs and closes his eyes, letting the stupidly beautiful music wash over him. The night breeze drifts by, cool, but it carries some of the warmth and scent of the bonfire with it, too. He should probably be enjoying this.
Eventually, minutes later, the song dies away with a warbling high note. The crowd breaks into applause, whistling and cheering.
“Wasn’t that great?” Nia leans over to whisper, eyes shining. Apparently she remembers that he exists again.
“It was fine,” he grumbles.
Nia gives him a more focused look, smile faltering. “Are you okay?”
“Asher!” A voice calls from behind them, cutting Tobias off before he can respond.
Asher jumps and squeaks at the voice, meowth tail bottlebrushing as he spins around. “H-Hey Dad!”
Tobias turns around to see a jolteon moving towards them at a brisk pace. Tobias can’t tell if his fur is the normal level of spiked for a jolteon, or if it’s pricklier than usual from the worried annoyance Tobias can read on the Pokemon’s face.
The jolteon seems surprised when he notices Tobias, Nia, and Junie, though, slowing to a stop. “Oh! Hello there. I…wasn’t aware we had newcomers.”
“We’re not,” Tobias says.
“We just got in tonight. We were hoping to talk to Will about something,” Nia says. “A-And maybe stay for a night or two to rest afterwards? We ran into Asher at the convention in Ghatha, so he was showing us around.”
“He’s supposed to be cleaning his room,” the jolteon says, giving Asher a dry look.
“Can’t it wait until after I show them around?” Asher whines. “Cerise is singing tonight!”
The jolteon’s stern expression doesn’t falter, but he does sigh. “You can come with me as I show them around, but after that you’re cleaning up your toys.”
“Fiiine,” Asher groans. He transforms back into a zorua and moves to the jolteon’s side, tail held low. “I wasn’t doing anything bad.”
“He’s been really helpful, actually!” Nia assures.
The jolteon’s spines relax a bit more. “Well, that’s good to hear, at least. Did you three want to keep watching the show? I’d imagine you’re likely half-asleep if you traveled here by foot, but Cerise is quite the treasure.”
“Well…” Nia glances longingly over her shoulder at the band as they start up their next song, and then at Tobias.
There’s a sudden loud gurgle, and all of their heads snap down to look at Junie.
For once, the rookidee almost seems embarrassed. Still, she laughs. “Uh. You got any food?”
The jolteon chuckles. “I think that can be arranged. Come with me. We can always show you around more tomorrow.”
The jolteon trots down the path, deeper into town. The rest of them follow as the band’s next song drifts into the air. Their group passes by a few other Pokemon, but Tobias doesn’t pay them any mind until he sees Nia do a double-take, slowing to a stop.
“What?” Tobias asks.
“That Pokemon looked like Seiji. The scientist who helped me with my aura at the convention?”
Tobias turns to look at the group again. Sure enough, there’s a little blue disk of a bronzor bobbing along with the others.
“Oh, have you met before?” The jolteon asks, doubling back.
“Briefly,” Nia answers. “I guess I just wasn’t expecting to see him here.”
“Ah. Well, we had a large surge in numbers after the fire. Lots of humans didn’t feel safe after that, unfortunately.”
Tobias suddenly realizes why that elekid and sandile they’d passed by earlier looked familiar. They’d seen the electric-type at the convention, having trouble containing his electricity, and Tobias had pulled that very sandile out of the building’s rubble himself.
“Is everyone here because of stuff like that?” Junie asks, hopping onto a nearby stone to be closer to eye-level.
“Not everyone, but the majority. With the way the world is breaking down, animosity towards humans has only gotten worse. They come here for sanctuary. For likeminded folks who they can connect to and feel safe with.”
Tobias frowns. On one hand, he gets that—he feels an automatic kinship with other Seekers, after all, and fire types. But something about all of the humans hiding out here still feels…wrong. Nia’s happy at the guild, right? She always gets so excited about meeting new Pokemon and learning new things. Do these humans really want to trade all of that away? Is the world really so scary to them that they have to hide from it entirely?
Tobias glances at Nia and Junie.
Nia’s brow is furrowed, but Tobias isn’t sure exactly what she’s thinking.
Junie tilts her head at the jolteon. “That makes sense, but how did you get here?”
“Pardon?” The jolteon asks, looking surprised.
“Well, you’re the kid’s dad, right?” Junie asks, glancing at Asher. The zorua has transformed into a vulpix and is absentmindedly chasing his own tails. “He told us he wasn’t a human at the convention, so…”
“Junie!” Nia admonishes, looking embarrassed.
“What?! It’s a valid question!”
It is, actually. Tobias had forgotten about that. He narrows his eyes at the jolteon.
…Who he hasn’t gotten the name of yet.
The jolteon doesn’t look cornered by the question. He simply laughs. “Ah, right. Well, I’m close with Will, so I just wanted to help him out. I’m not the only non-human here.”
“Really?” Nia asks.
“Of course.” The jolteon sits back, looking at ease. “We couldn’t have built up this village with just the humans, especially at the beginning.”
“Slate’s not human!” Asher muffled voice chimes in. His fluffy tails are caught in his jaws, and he’s still spinning in a circle. “He helped us build a lot since he’s so strong!”
“Why?” Tobias asks. The humans he gets—they feel safer here, and they’re hoping Will is their ticking to returning home. But natural-born Pokemon?
“Most of them were hired during the building process and just decided to stick around,” the jolteon says, shrugging his shoulders. “Some of them want to go to the human world, too.”
Junie frowns. “How would that work if they don’t have a human body to go back to?”
“Will’s been looking into that. The research team figures that if humans were given a body to fit into this world, then the same should happen for Pokemon going the opposite direction. If not, then they’ll likely just keep their Pokemon forms.”
Tobias exchanges a doubtful look with Nia. They both know the truth, after all, that Nia and Junie were only given their Pokemon forms because Mew created them. Although yamask are formed without any interference, so…
The jolteon catches their look. “You said you wanted to talk to Will, right? Is it about getting back to the human world?”
“To…an extent,” Nia answers. “It’s related, but it’s actually more to do with the natural disasters. We were hoping he could help us with a lead.”
The jolteon hums, glancing down at Asher as his son rolls over with a flash and turns into an eevee, weaving between his legs. “I’m sure he’d be willing to talk, but he’s likely retired for the night. Can it wait until morning?”
Tobias opens his mouth to say no, but Nia beats him to it.
“Sure!” At Tobias’ glare, she adds. “W-We need to rest anyways. One night shouldn’t hurt, right?”
Tobias doesn’t argue, much as he wants to. He is exhausted. And he wants to be in top form when they talk to Will.
“I vote food and sleep!” Junie chirps.
The jolteon smiles. “We can manage that. Come on. Not much farther now.”
The jolteon turns to go, but Tobias steps forward first. “Wait. First—what’s your name?”
Both Nia and Junie look startled, first by the sudden question and then by the realization that they’d made it this far into the conversation without such a basic exchange.
The jolteon looks at them for a moment, then laughs. Tobias doesn’t like it. “Right, my apologies. I forget sometimes, with newcomers. Here. You’re probably more familiar with this face.”
The jolteon doesn’t need to leap up, and simply flashes a bright purple before he transforms into a psychic type ponyta, with a fluffy mane and a small black horn.
Junie gasps and points a wing. “The My Little Pony!”
Nia yelps, “Fidel?!”
Fidel smiles, sidestepping Asher as the kid tries to tackle his legs. “We didn’t get to talk much at the Ghatha convention, with everything that happened. But I remember you three. Nia and Junie, wasn’t it? And…”
“Tobias!” Junie offers up.
Tobias flicks her with his tail, nearly knocking her over.
“Are you a zorua too?” Nia asks. She looks a little embarrassed about the bluntness of her question, but it’s clear she’s been thrown for a loop by this revelation.
“Not quite.” In another quick purple flash, Fidel transforms again. Then he’s twice his previous size, towering over the rest of them. Lanky, powerful arms are covered in deep gray fur and tipped with long red claws. Longer red fur flows from atop his head and around his neck like a mane. Sharp face, sharp ears, sharp smile.
“Dad’s a zoroark!” Asher says proudly, transforming back into a zorua and craning back to look up at Fidel. “If I do stay a Pokemon when we go to the human world, I’m hoping I’ll be able to evolve there! Then I can make illusions for all the big Pokemon that Dad can. Right?”
Fidel leans down to nose his son’s head with a tight smile. “Right.”
Tobias frowns. So Fidel is planning on going to the human world with his son? That feels…off. Even if Fidel and Will are friends. Even taking the natural disasters and mystery dungeons into account. Would that really be enough for Fidel to take his son away from the only world they know?
“Are there other zoroark around?” Junie asks, clearly from a place of curiosity and not the suspicion Tobias is feeling.
“Oh! Right!” Nia says, tail wagging excitedly. “You’re a canine—do zorua and zoroark travel in packs like riolu and lucario do?”
Fidel gives Nia an amused look. “I don’t see much of a pack with you right now.”
“That’s ‘cause she’s got us!” Junie says, hopping up to perch on Nia’s shoulder. “Much more versatile.”
Fidel looks endeared by the idea. “I suppose that’s true.”
“Me and Dad are the only zors around here,” Asher adds. He scrambles up his dad’s back to burrow into the zoroark’s fluffy mane. A moment later, his little face pokes out to look at them. “Sometimes I wish there were more, but it is fun playing pranks since no one here is good at seeing illusions.”
“Which is a habit we’ve been trying to break.”
Asher snickers and burrows back into Fidel’s mane.
Fidel sighs, but the sound is fond. He looks down at the three of them. “How about I finally get you all to the inn?”
Tobias doesn’t argue, trailing behind Nia and Junie as they chat with the zoroark. The dark type leads them to one of the larger structures, near the edge of the settlement. It’s a tall, tan building made of stacked stones and mortar, golden light spilling from its windows.
The door is cracked open, so Fidel nudges his way inside. They follow, finding themselves in a spacious room taking up the entirety of the first floor. A brightly patterned rug circles the floor, a fire pit at its center, providing light and warmth. An assortment of alcoves line the rounded walls. Some are large enough to hold entire Pokemon and have blankets folded up inside, ready to be used as nests. Another section of the wall has much smaller nooks dug into the stone. For storage, likely, considering the wrapped goods and jars Tobias spots there.
There’s a torracat lying in one of the sleeping shelves, a blanket draped over her. She’s using a claw to carefully carve into a chunk of wood, the little alcove lit by the glowing bell at her throat. Her ear twitches, and she glances up at the newcomers.
“We’ve got a few late-night visitors, Clara. Think you can get them settled in with some food and a bed for the night?”
The torracat sighs, setting down her carving and slipping to the ground to stretch. Her black and red striped pelt ripples. “Only for you, Del.”
“Thank you.” Fidel smiles. “I have to get Asher to clean up his room and—”
The zoroark cuts himself off, blinking. He pats at his mane, then looks down around his legs. Asher is gone. They all give the room a quick glance, but the zorua is nowhere to be seen.
Fidel’s expression falls flat. “No desserts for him for a week. You’ve got this, Clara?”
Clara looks amused, whiskers twitching. She gestures him out with a paw. “I can handle ‘em. Go catch your kid.”
“Thank you.” Fidel gives them all a tired smile and a nod. “I’ll come get you tomorrow morning when Will is free. Rest well.”
With that, Fidel slips back out the door.
Clara yawns, showing off sharp teeth. “Well. Let’s get you settled, I guess. You could’ve came a bit earlier, y’know. I was in the middle of something.”
“Sorry,” Nia says, sheepish. “We, uh, came a long way.”
“Isn’t this your job?” Junie asks, much less apologetic.
“Eh, kinda.” The torracat slinks to the side of the room where the smaller alcoves sit in the wall, full of goods. She flicks her tail for them to take a seat on the ground by the fire. “As much of a job as you need here, at least.”
“Which means..?”
“Will takes care of us whether we work or not,” Clara says, pulling down wooden plates and some wrapped goods to throw together a late-night meal. “I just like having a bit of pocket money.”
“That’s kind of him,” Nia says.
“Yeah,” Tobias says, doubtful. “How did he hire the ‘mon to build this place if he’s throwing money around like that?”
“Maybe he found a good job?” Nia suggests.
“Or he found hidden treasure!” Junie chirps.
“Mm. Dunno, don’t care.” Clara unwraps the packages to reveal breads, cheeses, berries, and nuts. Tobias’ stomach growls. “It’s chill here, and that’s all I care about.”
Nia and Junie continue the conversation as Clara puts together a little snack plate for each of them. Tobias crosses his arms and leans back against the wall, unsatisfied. Maybe he is being overly cautious, but he’d argue he’s just compensating for Nia and Junie’s lack of caution. Someone’s gotta make sure they don’t end up dead from trusting the wrong ‘mon.
But at least for tonight, he’ll rest. Tomorrow they can see what Will has to say.
Chapter 59
Summary:
Nia, Tobias, and Junie talk with Will, and run into someone unexpected.
Chapter Text
Nia wakes up all on her own for once. She’s cozy and warm, and it takes a few minutes to realize where she is, tucked away into one of the alcoves of the inn they’d stayed at the night before.
She relishes the chance to move at her own pace, and stretches as she slips down to the stone ground. The torracat innkeeper, Clara, is nowhere to be seen, and bright sunlight and distant conversation stream in through the open windows.
Nia yawns as she walks outside, leaning against the warm stone wall enclosing the city so she can get a good look at the settlement in daylight.
The buildings stretching on either side of her are a blend of tan and brown, made of stones and clay. Little pops of color come from billowing curtains and a mural painted onto the side of one of the buildings.
Nia leans to see it better, heart aching as she recognizes humans and animals painted with painstaking detail, too unique to be anything but real, remembered loved ones. They’re relaxing in front of a house, a forest behind them and a city visible in the distance. It’s one of the most human sights Nia has seen since coming to this world.
It’s beautiful.
Nia tears her eyes away, leaning back to look instead at the top of the cliffs above them. The solidity of the mesa is a comforting strength, anchoring the buildings carved from its face.
At Nia’s back, over the stone wall, the sky is a bright blue above a canyon of rocky brown terrain and scraggly green trees. A cool breeze slips by, balancing well with the warm sunshine, and Nia closes her eyes as she takes a deep breath.
Pokemon—humans—pass by her, chatting and laughing amicably. Nia opens her eyes to watch them go about their business.
They look just like regular Pokemon, aside from the clothing and accessories clearly worn for comfort rather than necessity. But somehow, Nia thinks she can tell they’re human in other ways, too, just in how they move, how they walk and talk and act.
A delicate cat Pokemon with purple tufts of fur sits back on her hind legs to gesture with her forepaws as she talks, rather than with her tail or ears. A boulder Pokemon with a lizard-like face keeps overbalancing as he walks, and has to stutter-step on his short legs to regain his equilibrium before he tips over. A round little dragon Pokemon, blue with a shark-like fin and a red underbelly, grins wide as she spots a friend, her fangs on full display in a way that would feel distinctly threatening to Nia coming from a natural-born Pokemon.
They’re human, just like her. They don’t fit into this world quite right. It’s comforting, somehow, knowing that they’re all in the same boat Nia is. Knowing that no one here is going to get upset about her wanting to go home because that’s what they want, too.
On some level, Nia wishes she could stay here with them. She wishes she could forget that she has obligations to this world, to Giratina and Tobias and her guild. Some part of her just wants to…relax. No more scary fights with criminals. No more heartbreak from helping injured ‘mon after a natural disaster or mystery dungeon. No more pressure to save the entire world. To save multiple worlds.
…Would Nia leave Tobias and Maggie and everyone at the guild behind, for that kind of security? That kind of peace?
Her heart stabs with grief, and then with shame. No, she…she doesn’t think she could.
Even if she kind of wishes she could.
“Finally awake?”
Nia jumps, straightening up at Tobias’ voice. Her partner walks up to her, holding something in his hand. When he reaches her, he plops it on the rock wall. Something small, wrapped in cloth?
A delicious scent reaches Nia’s nose, making her stomach rumble. She unwraps the little package and perks up when she realizes it’s some kind of…burrito? She wastes no time stuffing it into her mouth, moaning at the taste. It has gooey cheese, vegetables that taste similar to potatoes and peppers, and…eggs? How does that work here?
Nia chooses not to question it.
“Thank you!” Nia says between bites.
Tobias leans away from her, torn between amusement and disgust. “Figured you’d be hungry, but you don’t have to go feral on me. They have more.”
He juts a thumb back the way he came. Must be the cafeteria. Or maybe a restaurant or something.
Nia just hums a happy sound, continuing to stuff her face. The ingredients have a distinctly non-human taste to them, the spicy red bits just a step to the left of a human world pepper, but it’s still undeniably human-inspired.
She’s just finishing her last bite when she hears “Nia!” from somewhere up above.
Nia looks up, hand over her eyes. Junie peels away from a small flock of flying types, diving down and flapping to a stop just before she would‘ve crashed into the top of the stone wall.
“I wish you’d stop doing that,” Nia whines, hand on her chest.
“It’s fun!” Junie chirps. Her eyes are bright. “You ready to try out the baths? I’ve been waiting for like an hour! Firebutt said I shouldn’t wake you.”
Tobias casually shoves Junie off the rock wall. She disappears over the edge with a squawk, then flutters back up with a glare.
Oh, the baths! She’d forgotten. “I’d love to try them, but don’t we need to talk to Will?”
“He can’t meet with us until later,” Tobias grumbles. “Fidel said he’d come find us when he’s ready.”
“Which means we can try their fancy baths!” Junie presses.
Nia smiles, then falters when she looks at Tobias. “You could come with us and see if they have, uh…anything for fire types?”
Tobias waves her off. “Go splash around in your fancy water. I’m not done looking around anyways.”
Nia watches him a moment longer, uncertain. He’d been in a bad mood last night, and they hadn’t had a chance to talk about it. Before she can push, though, Junie is flapping madly at her back, nudging her forward by her shoulders.
“C’mon! C’mon!”
Nia laughs, letting the rookidee guide her towards whichever building the baths are housed in. “I’m going, I’m going! We’ll come find you when we’re done, Tobias!”
Nia hears Tobias grunt in agreement before she’s pulled away entirely.
The bathhouse is impressive, a larger building with a few deep, bathtub-like basins cut out of the stone floor. Tiny lidded pots circle the edge of each one, and there’s a makeshift drain cut into the bottom of each basin.
Late morning seems to be an unpopular bath time for the settlement. There’s a large white-and-black sheep Pokemon taking up almost the entirety of one basin, dozing peacefully in milky water. Nia can’t imagine cleaning up the wet fluff he’ll leave behind will be fun.
The only other Pokemon inside are a grumpy-looking anteater with fiery colors and pipe-like ridges on his body, and a large blue toad Pokémon with bubble-like lumps on his arms and head. The two of them are standing at a counter and the toad greets Nia and Junie with casual hospitality, so they probably run the place.
After confirming that they’re here for a bath, the anteater ambles over to a wooden ladder that leads up through a gap in the ceiling. He climbs it and disappears onto the second floor.
The toad leads them to one of the smaller bath basins, placing a cover over the drain and warning them to stay back. Then, a wooden gutter is lowered from the ceiling at an angle, tipped right over the bath. A few moments later, steaming hot water gushes down the gutter and begins to fill the basin.
“Whoa,” Junie murmurs.
Nia watches, fascinated, and looks up to find more gutters inlaid into the ceiling, each positioned above a different basin. It’s a really cool system. How long would it take to make something like this?
The toad gathers a few of the clay pots filled with soaps, offering them for a sniff so Nia and Junie can pick a scent they agree on before pouring it into the bath. Once they do, the water quickly froths with bubbles and the soft, soothing scent of lavender wafts throughout the room.
Junie hops onto Nia’s shoulder, watching the toad Pokemon work. Then she whispers, “D’you think he makes the water himself?”
Nia twists up her mouth. “What? No!”
“He might,” Junie says, playfully serious. “He looks like a water type, and we don’t know where that water comes from.”
“So you think he just spits it out himself?!”
“I’d bet ten breakfast burritos that that fire type went upstairs to heat up the water. Why else would they need a water type here too?”
Nia looks again at the toad, pasting on a smile when he glances their way. “Wouldn’t that be…unhygienic? It would come from his mouth!”
“I’m just saying! It’s gotta be hard to get fresh water up here. A water type would be super handy for that.”
Nia hates that she has a point.
When the basin is mostly full, the toad croaks a signal of some kind, and the water trickles to a stop. The ropes holding the gutter in place reel up, lifting it to lock back into the ceiling.
The toad wishes them a relaxing bath and says to let him know if they need anything. He lays a couple of cloth towels on the edge of the bath before ambling away.
Junie wastes no time fluttering into the bath. She stays near the edge where it’s shallower, fluffing her feathers and splashing about like a bird in a fountain before settling into a relaxed puddle.
“Ohhh my God. Nia, get in here, this is awesome.”
Nia hesitates.
“C’mon! You’ve bathed in rivers, right? Water type spit can’t be any more nasty than that!”
“It’s a lot more nasty!” Nia protests, but finally dips a foot in. It’s hot, almost too much so, but it feels wonderful. Slowly, Nia wades in deeper, then sinks down to sit until the water comes up to her chin.
Okay, mouthwater or not, this is so nice. The water feels clean, at least, frothy with bubbles and scented with relaxing lavender. Nia melts into it, slumping against the curve of the rough stone basin and letting her limbs float.
They both relax for a while, soaking in the quiet and warmth, until Junie speaks up.
“So since we’re having girl time—painting our nails, fluffing our hair…”
Nia opens an eye, giving Junie an amused look.
“How’s the whole thing with you and Toby going?”
Nia opens both eyes now, giving her a confused look. “What do you mean?”
Junie, floating on the surface of the water like a rubber duck, squints at Nia. “…Huh. So you really are just oblivious. Wonder if Toby is too.”
Nia sits up. “Oblivious? About what?”
Junie waves her off with a wing, sending water droplets scattering. “Nothing. I’ll tell you if it gets annoying.” Then she tilts her head. “Wonder if I could get a betting pool going with your friends at the guild. Oh, Bo would definitely be in.”
“A bet about what?!”
“You’ll figure it out eventually,” Junie dismisses. “Hey, did I ever tell you about the time me and my cousin dumped a bunch of bubble bath into my neighbor’s pool?”
Nia frowns. She’s not happy that Junie is hiding something from her that’s apparently about her, but she knows better than to push when Junie has already made up her mind.
Instead, Nia scrubs at her fur as she listens to Junie’s story, relishing this rare opportunity to take an actual bath for once. She even dunks underneath the water, coming up soaking wet. She shakes out her fur to splash Junie, and the rookidee shrieks and splashes Nia in return.
Eventually the bath starts to cool. Junie hops out first, ruffling her feathers, and Nia uses one of the towels to cover the little bird and rub her dry. Then, when Junie is a puffball, Nia does the same for herself, combing her short claws through her fur to smooth it.
They thank the two Pokemon running the bath, then head outside. Nia takes a deep breath and stretches, enjoying the way the cool breeze slips through her nearly-dry fur.
“What now?” Junie says, looking up at Nia. “Find Toby?”
“Probably. We’ll need to meet with Will soon, and I want to make sure Tobias is doing all right. He seemed a bit upset last night.”
“Don’t know how you can tell that apart from his usual grouchiness,” Junie jokes. She flaps into the air. “I’ll look for him!”
Nia watches as Junie swoops over the rock wall and to the left, flying high above the canyon below. She really has made a lot of progress since they last saw her. Nia needs to thank Bo for looking out for her friend and teaching her so much in such a short amount of time.
Nia shakes her head and goes right, looking around for her partner’s distinctive orange scales. People wave and nod to her as she passes, and she stops once or twice to exchange quick pleasantries with ‘mon they met at the convention.
Nia smiles as she walks by a hopscotch court drawn onto the stone walkway. Pokemon—probably on the younger side from how they screech and chase each other, stumbling over too-large paws and feet—play on it, hopping across and jeering at one another. A Pokemon that looks like a cross between a honeycomb and a bee floats effortlessly over the hopscotch squares, and two other kids (notably on two legs) yell that that’s cheating.
It’s just past the kids that Nia spots Tobias, leaning against the rock wall and watching the children play with a distant expression. He looks up when he notices her.
“Hey. Get your fill of fancy water?”
“I did, thank you very much.” Nia reaches his side and bumps his shoulder, then holds up her arm. “Feel my fur.“
“Why?”
“It’s soft! Seriously, feel it!”
Tobias rolls his eyes, but pets the fur on her arm. Then he stops, looking surprised, and does it again, as if entranced.
Nia laughs, and Tobias yanks his hand away.
He looks away, flushing. “It’s…fine.”
“Smell me too! I smell like a candle!”
She leans closer to him, and Tobias shoves her back, cheeks burning darker. “I’m not smelling you, you weirdo!”
Nia laughs again, burying her nose into her own neck fluff to take a deep whiff. Oh, she is going to miss these fancy baths. Her fur is silky smooth, finally free of dirt and sweat. She needs to talk to Maggie about getting something like this at the guild. She bets she could get a petition going.
Junie finds them shortly after, alighting on the rock wall and smirking at Tobias, who is still cherry-red. It’s pretty adorable.
“What’d you do?”
“Made him pet my arm.”
“Ooh. That’s evil.“
“I just wanted him to feel how soft my fur is!”
“Exactly.”
Before Nia can decode what Junie is talking about, someone clears their throat behind her. She turns, surprised, and looks up to see a brown deer Pokemon with yellow, eye-like antlers smiling down at the three of them.
“Hello. I hope you all slept well.” He takes a sniff of the air. “I see you found the baths!”
Normally Nia isn’t one to turn down a friendly conversation, even with a stranger, but the casual greeting makes even her pause. Then, her eyes widen as she recognizes the voice. “Oh! Fidel?”
“At your service.” Fidel bows his head, then transforms with a flash of purple light back into his zoroark form from the night before.
“Why do you morph so much?” Junie asks with a tilt of her head. “If you aren’t gonna prank people like Asher, then it seems like a lot of effort.”
Fidel laughs. “Not at all! That’s like asking why a water type swims if he doesn’t have anywhere to be. It’s instinctive. Like…stretching a muscle. Keeps us sharp, too, for situations where we do need to transform.”
“Such as?” Tobias asks, crossing his arms.
“Well…” Fidel thinks for a moment. “It’s important to be able to disguise in more populated areas. Especially if we need information but want to stay discreet. If we blend in, no one questions us.”
“‘Us?’”
“Asher and I.”
“You bring your son along on missions?”
Nia elbows Tobias, giving him a look. She knows he’s suspicious of Will and Fidel and everyone else here. He doesn’t need to be rude about it!
“I like to have him close by,” is all Fidel says, though his smile is tight. He flicks an ear, then turns. “Come along. We can talk as we walk. Will is available if you’re ready to meet with him.”
“Sure!” Nia trots after the zoroark, and Junie lands on her shoulder a moment later. She can hear Tobias follow after them.
As Fidel asks how they liked breakfast, he leads them to a building nestled right in the middle of the settlement. It doesn’t look any different from the others, medium-sized with slices cut from the clay and stone to act as windows. The zoroark opens the front door, leading them in.
The area inside is relatively small. It’s a sitting area of sorts, with cushions around a small fire pit, and a table with chairs nearby. A wooden ladder against the wall leads up through a gap to the second floor.
“This is more of a casual meeting area,” Fidel explains. He leads them to a door at the back wall without breaking stride. “But considering the sensitive nature of the conversation we have in mind, we’ll meet with Will in the back.”
“‘The back?’” Junie whispers. “Okay, that does sound sketchy.”
“Not you too!” Nia mutters. “Come on, he just wants some privacy. We are talking about the end of the world here!”
Nia follows Fidel through the door. Considering it’s set against the back wall, where the building meets flush against the cliffside, she expects to enter a small room. A bedroom, maybe.
Instead, Nia stops in surprise as a cool draft slips past her.
Junie, on her shoulder, murmurs, “Whoa.”
Ahead of them, Fidel moves without hesitation into a…tunnel. It must cut straight into the cliffside, and it goes deeper than Nia can immediately see the end of. It isn’t dark, though, instead lit by lanterns lining the walls.
“Wait,” Nia steps closer to get a better look at the lights. “Are these using—“
“Electricity?!” Junie shouts, making Nia wince.
“Hm?” Fidel pauses, looking back from his place farther ahead. “Oh! Yes, aren’t those incredible? Ash is pretty taken with them. You humans have come up with some amazing technology.”
“How’re they…holding the electricity?” Tobias asks, clearly curious but not wanting to make it obvious. He looks at Nia and Junie, the two humans in the tunnel.
Junie holds up her wings. “Don’t look at me!”
Nia’s brow furrows as she tries to remember elementary school lessons from over a decade ago. “W-Well. In the human world I think electricity runs through a…wire? And it heats up until it’s so hot that it glows. I think that’s how it worked with old bulbs, at least.”
“But where does the electricity come from?” Junie asks. “They don’t have outlets and wires and stuff here.”
“Our electric type residents give us the energy we need,” Fidel answers, waiting patiently farther down the hall. “Will has been trying to set up electric lighting in all the buildings, but it’s difficult with only a few electric types living here and such a big area to cover. He also has the tendency to get distracted by other projects, so for now this one is on hold.”
“I get that. I’m easily distracted too,” Junie says, tracking a dust mote as it floats by.
“Speaking of…” Fidel says. His voice is light, but he tilts his head in a clear bid for them to keep moving.
“Oh! Right!” Nia hurries to catch up to Fidel.
The tunnel goes a bit farther into the mountainside before opening up to a large room, also dimly lit by electric lanterns. There are three more tunnels leading out of the room, and Nia wonders for a moment what kind of rooms they lead to and how deep they go.
A table sits in the middle of this room, with round cuts of stone positioned around it to act as stools. There’s also a large bookshelf full of tomes against the far wall, and a desk covered with papers at its side.
Hovering at the desk is Will. The yamask is crowded close to someone Nia thinks, for a moment, is a decoration rather than a Pokemon. They almost look like a mix between a totem pole—all colorful geometric patterns and black accents—and a…bird? They have thin, angular wings, and bring to mind art that Nia had seen somewhere in the human world. Maybe Native American or South American pieces? They have no hands, so they’re holding onto a few of the papers with psychic energy. The two of them are murmuring to each other, deep in discussion.
Fidel clears his throat.
Will’s thoughtful frown vanishes as he looks up. “Ah, come in, come in! It’s good to see you three again.”
Will hands his own papers over to the totem-bird, then leaves their side to greet the newcomers. He shakes Nia’s hand, skin cold in the brief moment of contact, and nods with a warm smile at Tobias and Junie.
“Good to see you too!” Junie chirps. “Nice digs you’ve got here.”
Will chuckles. “Thank you. It’s not much, but it works well enough. We wanted to build a safe inner space in case the outer homes became uninhabitable in poor weather, but it doubles as a great area for our research. And for discussing more, ah, sensitive topics.”
The totem-bird tilts their way at that, looking at them with a single cyan eye. Then they wordlessly take the papers they’d been reading and hover down one of the tunnels until they’re out of sight.
Will gestures to the table. “Would you like to sit? I hear you all had a long journey yesterday.”
“We did!” Junie says. She sits first on one of the stools, and then—when that’s too short for her to see over—opts instead to perch on the edge of the table itself. “I thought my feet were gonna fall off.”
“We carried you half the way!” Tobias protests, taking a seat for himself.
“Nia did.”
“You don’t weigh a lot,” Nia says, taking a seat too. “But we were definitely happy to see this place. Thank you for letting us stay for a few days.”
“Of course,” Will says. “Any human—or friend of humans—is a friend of ours. Our little settlement has grown a lot in the past few months, but we’re always happy to see new faces.”
“And yet somehow everything here is free,” Tobias says, almost casual if not for the accusatory stare he’s sending Will’s way.
Will sits down across from Nia, placing his golden mask face-up on the table. Unsettling human eyes stare blankly at the rock ceiling. “We have quite a few of our people acting as gatherers, and we’re working on building an agricultural system for this climate as well. So we don’t need to buy much to survive.”
“But you buy some of it.”
Nia kicks Tobias lightly under the table, fighting to keep a pleasant expression on her face. He stubbornly refuses to look her way.
“We do,” Will agrees. “We sell some of the goods the artisans make here, like our soaps, tools, and clothes, and that gives us a decent fund for necessities.”
“Human-made goods are considered luxury items,” Fidel adds, taking a spot at Will’s left shoulder, like a second-in-command at a guild. Even from his place on the floor, he’s taller than everyone sitting on the stools. “Humans craft differently than Pokemon do.”
“They really bring in that much coin?” Tobias asks, clearly doubtful.
“Dude,” Junie says, looking both amused and exasperated.
Will laughs. “Tobias, if I’ve done something to earn such distrust, you’re more than welcome to ask me about it directly. Or in private, if you prefer.”
Tobias’ face flushes, embarrassed to be called out. But he just huffs and crosses his arms, leaning back as far as he can on the stool without falling off.
“Look, you haven’t done anything…wrong, really. You just make a lot of promises that I’m not convinced you can keep, and you’re so vague about everything. Plus, you’re, y’know.”
Tobias gestures vaguely at Will.
Will just seems amused by this conversation. He raises his brows. “I’m..?”
“That!” Tobias says, pointing with a scowl. “You have all the reason in the world to get mad about me being so suspicious of you, but you aren’t.”
Nia peeks at Will, embarrassed and guilty and yet somehow a little relieved that Tobias is just putting everything out there.
Will hums, leaning forward to rest his chin on interlaced hands. “Well, I’m certainly not going to get angry with you for being cautious. I actually think a bit of suspicion is healthy when dealing with those you don’t know well.”
Nia blinks at Will, surprised. He’s always seemed so welcoming, so Nia had assumed he was more like her and just put his trust into people.
Tobias makes a low sound, unconvinced.
“As for being vague and making promises?” Will’s smile turns a little sad, a little self-deprecating. “I suppose in a way, you’re correct about that.”
Tobias doesn’t reply, waiting for Will to elaborate.
“While we are looking into all the leads we can, we don’t have as many answers as I would like to have by this point.”
“But you said you could get us home,” Nia says, voice small.
Will locks eyes with her. “And I promise you I will. That’s why I’m all right with making such promises despite not knowing exactly how I will achieve them. This is all I care about in this world. In a way, it is my life’s work. And I’m determined to accomplish it and return us home, no matter what.”
Nia nods, trying to swallow the uncertainty in her chest. There’s so much conviction in Will’s voice, a fire in his eyes, that she can’t help but believe him.
Tobias, on the other hand, still seems unsatisfied.
“And the funds to build this place?” Tobias asks. “You didn’t have any artisan ‘mon or goods to sell until after it was made, right?”
“Correct. I saved up for years to get the money, doing odd jobs and the like,” Will answers. “And I made quite a few friends over that time who were willing to help me get it started.“
“Like myself,” Fidel confirms, smiling. “Will and I were friends before we started working towards the same goal. He’s the one who told me all about the human world.”
“And that’s why you want to go to the human world with Asher?” Junie asks. “Because Will is?”
Fidel’s happy expression fades. “I decided long ago to follow Will, but like most of the other natural-born Pokemon who want to cross over, this world’s deterioration is definitely a factor. I…worry. About Asher growing up here. Perhaps the human world will be kinder.”
“I don’t know if the human world would be kinder, really. I like this place better, personally.” Junie glances at Nia. “But to each their own, I guess.”
“The human world can be plenty nice,” Nia protests.
“Even if they don’t turn into humans when they cross over?” Tobias asks.
Nia opens her mouth, then closes it, looking away. Which she knows is an answer in itself.
Fidel doesn’t seem surprised. “Even if we don’t turn into humans ourselves, we always have our illusions to rely on. They’ve gotten us this far.”
“I’m sure we can get you set up just fine,” Will says, all confidence. “I’ve learned a few things about making a new life in a new world since coming here, and I was doing just fine in the human world before.”
Nia perks up at that. “Oh! Right! You probably remember your human life since you’re a yamask, right?”
“What did you do before becoming a Pokemon?” Junie asks curiously. “Were you like a motivational speaker or something?”
“I was an accountant,” Will laughs. “Incredibly boring work, I’m afraid. I’m more interested in knowing about you all! Nia, you said in your letter that you remembered a bit about your human life after falling ill, correct?”
“Yes!” Nia leans over the table in her excitement. She’s shared a few of her memories with Tobias, and he sort of gets it since he lost his own family, but not completely. He wasn’t human, after all. “I don’t remember everything, but I remember some things about my family! I have a mom and a brother, Clay. And my best friend Toni is basically my sister.”
“That’s wonderful,” Will says, smiling warmly. “I can tell you’re close by how you talk about them. I’m sure they miss you terribly.”
Nia feels a stab of grief in her chest, so abrupt that it steals her breath away. She doesn’t like thinking about that, about her family wondering where she is and when she’s coming back and if she’s okay. “Y-Yeah. I really miss them, too.”
She misses joking around with Clay and Toni. Misses talking about school and everyday nonsense with her mom. Misses their house and their old swingset and the comforting routine of her human life.
Slowly, Nia sits back on her stool again.
“It’ll be all right,” Will says, reaching across the table to pat Nia’s hand. Despite the cold, it’s comforting. Almost parental. “We’ll get you back home to your family. I promise you that.”
Nia gives him a watery smile in response.
“Have you recovered any memories?” Will asks, looking at Junie next.
Junie cringes. “Uh. Yeah, some. I don’t, um. Really wanna go back, though.”
“Is that so?” Will asks, visibly surprised.
Junie opens her mouth, probably to deflect. Then her eyes flick to Nia, and she sighs. “…Look, I don’t have a lot I want to go back to, okay? I’m still too young to live on my own and I don’t have the best relationship with my parents. They don’t really…like me. They think I’m too annoying.”
Nia hears Fidel suck in a breath. Will frowns. Even Tobias seems offended on Junie’s behalf. Nia tries to parse the words she just heard.
Too annoying? Sure, kids can be a bit much, but what kind of parent doesn’t like their own child? And openly enough for their child to state it as surely as the sky is blue or the grass is green? Like it’s fact?
“But they love you, right?” Nia asks, quiet.
Junie scoffs. “Sure. Maybe. Doesn’t matter if I can’t tell, though.”
There are a few moments of heavy silence.
Nia suddenly understands Junie’s adoration of Bolat. The skarmory is clearly as fond of her as she is of him, which must’ve been…new, for her.
Nia’s heart aches.
Fidel speaks up first, expression pained. “I’m sorry to hear that, Junie. No child should ever feel unloved by their parents.”
“Guess my parents didn’t get the memo,” Junie mumbles. “Probably happy to be rid of me, honestly.”
“Then that is their loss,” Will says, sharper than Nia expects.
Another moment of uncomfortable silence. Even Junie and Tobias look surprised by Will’s anger, sudden and biting. Nia would’ve expected Fidel to be angry, being a parent himself, but…
Will takes a deep breath, then lets it out, smoothing one hand across the tabletop. The other latches onto his golden mask. “…Apologies. I’m afraid that’s a bit of a sore spot for me. Well, for the both of us, I suppose.”
“Did…” Nia hesitates. She doesn’t want to be nosy, but… “Do you have kids? In the human world?”
Will smiles. “I do. Well, I expect I do by now.”
“You expect you do?” Tobias asks.
“When I first came to this world, my wife was pregnant. If time passes at the same rate in both worlds, then our daughter was born years ago.”
“I’m so sorry,” Nia murmurs.
“Thank you.” Will’s voice is rough, so he clears his throat before speaking again. “You can imagine why I’m so set on finding a way home.”
The yamask’s gaze shifts down. He strokes wispy black fingers down his mask, tracing the lifeless eyes etched there.
“I did not have the greatest parents myself, Junie,” Will continues. “But I was…so excited to be a father. I just can’t understand parents like yours. I’m sorry that you had to deal with that.”
Junie shifts on her feet, clearly uncomfortable. “Oh. Um…thanks? I’m not too broken up about it anymore. I think I like this place better anyways.”
Will looks up at that. “…I suppose that’s good. Just remember that there’s more than your parents’ disapproval waiting for you in the human world. They matter much less when you’re an adult, and I wouldn’t want you to avoid returning to the human world for something so temporary. You still have a whole life ahead of you.”
Junie looks like she wants this conversation to be over, so she just nods. “I guess I can understand why you want to go back so badly, if you have a wife and kid you actually like.”
“I just want to know they’re all right,” Will says. He gives Nia a sad smile. “I expect you want the same, with your own family. To see them again. Laugh with them and hold them. Grow old with them.”
“More than anything,” Nia says, throat tight.
It’s one thing to have someone be sympathetic to her situation, but it’s different knowing they actually understand where you’re coming from. That they’re feeling the exact same pain you are. Even Hazel, sweet as she is, has already established a life here in the Pokemon world. She has a husband and kids and grandkids. A business and a life. She’s lived here for decades. It’s just not the same.
But Will gets it. He gets it.
“Now,” Will says. He straightens, face falling back into a more neutral expression. “Much as I’d love to sit and reminisce, I believe you came here for a reason, yes? You mentioned to Fidel that you have important information regarding the natural disasters.”
Nia has to take a moment to collect herself, so Tobias starts. “Yeah. Recently, we learned the cause for…well, everything that’s happening in our world, basically. Not just the natural disasters. Nia thought you might be able to help us with a solution.”
Will exchanges a serious look with Fidel. “That’s…certainly more than we were expecting. Please, tell us what you know.”
Tobias glances at Nia. She gives him a weak smile and a thumbs-up, so he gestures with his chin for her to start. They’re getting good at summarizing everything they’ve learned so far, after retelling the sequence of events to Maggie, August, and Junie.
“You know the letter I sent a while ago?” Nia asks. “About Giratina trying to pull me into the stream?”
Will’s expression darkens. Fidel, behind him, frowns but doesn’t look surprised. Will must keep him in the loop.
“Yes?”
“I did some research,” Tobias says. “And realized there was someone who could give us some answers about Giratina. A shedinja to the south, named Edme.”
Will’s face twitches, brow furrowing before smoothing out again.
“We got sidetracked on a different mission first, though,” Nia says. “And long story short, Giratina sort of…helped us out?”
With how Will had insisted humans avoid Giratina at all costs, Nia expects the yamask to look surprised.
Fidel does.
Will simply narrows his eyes, calm and collected. “You’re certain about that? That he was trying to help you?”
Nia exchanges a look with Tobias.
“Preeetty sure,” Tobias drawls. “We probably would’ve died on that mission without him.”
Fidel’s ears pin back, alarm passing over his face. He looks at the three of them in turn, as if to make sure they’re all right.
Will simply hums. “Interesting.”
That’s…it?
“That’s it?” Tobias asks, echoing Nia’s thoughts. His tone is more caustic than the voice in her head, though. “You were so against anyone even talking to Giratina in Ghatha, but you believe that he was helping us? Just like that?”
“Oh, I don’t believe that he helped you out of the goodness of his heart,” Will says, waving the idea away. “I can believe that he helped you, as long as there’s another motive behind his actions.”
“You’re…not wrong,” Nia admits. “I, uh. Actually talked to him, in Shivergleam.”
Will frowns. “You talked to Giratina?”
“Through a reflection?” Fidel asks.
Tobias snorts. “Nope. Edme tricked us and Giratina pulled Nia into his dimension for a little chat.”
“What?” Will floats off his seat. “You were pulled into the Distortion World?”
“Isn’t that dangerous?” Fidel asks.
“What did he say to you?” Will cuts in.
“W-Well…” Nia leans back from the intense expression on Will’s face. “He told me his side of the story, I guess? Everyone thinks he was banished to the Distortion World because he attacked another legendary, but Giratina and Edme said that wasn’t true.”
“Likely story,” Will murmurs. He shakes his head. “Continue, please.”
“Um. He said that the fight between him and Cresselia started because Arceus went dormant, and the other legendaries panicked. Since more and more of them were falling asleep and they didn’t know why, tensions were, uh. High. He told the other legendaries off for abandoning the mortal realm and Cresselia attacked him. He was just defending himself.”
Will makes a doubtful sound in his throat, clearly not buying it. Fidel seems more open to the idea, frowning but listening intently.
“The Lake Trio banished him to the Distortion World in all the chaos,” Tobias picks up. “And now Giratina can’t do anything, since he’s stuck there. But he thinks he knows why everything is falling apart—why the legendaries are going dormant, why the mystery dungeons are forming, why the natural disasters are increasing, even why humans are showing up.”
That makes Will straighten, eyes flashing. “They’re all connected? Surely us humans don’t have anything to do with it. That’s just fear-mongering.”
“We aren’t causing the disasters,” Nia agrees. “We’re just…another symptom of the root problem, like everything else.”
“And that problem is?”
Nia tries to remember how Giratina had described it. “Giratina said that his world, the Distortion World, is kind of like a…shell. It’s wrapped around the Pokemon world, which would be the fruit. It encases it. Protects it.”
Will nods.
“And it has…borders, somehow. The…outer skin of that shell, I guess. Giratina said that everything that’s happening is from that border weakening.”
“Weakening?” Fidel asks. “Like it’s…wearing thin?”
Tobias shakes his head. “The border is going to break. Something is going to rip right through it and crack the shell wide open.”
“Going to?” Will echoes.
Nia nods. “He said it hasn’t actually happened yet, because time doesn’t work normally there. But the closer we get to that point in time here, the more severe everything gets.”
“And when we reach that point in time…” Will murmurs.
“He pretty much implied the world would end. That it would be a thousand times worse than what we’re currently seeing.”
Fidel’s red mane bristles, like a cat. He looks horrified.
Will, on the other hand, just seems deep in thought. He has one hand at his chin and the other on his mask.
“What could cause something like that?” He murmurs.
“Giratina said it’d probably have to be a legendary,” Nia says. “Since it’d have to be something super powerful, and most Pokemon don’t even have the ability to affect the border. It’s more like…a sheet of life energy or aura, rather than a tangible, touchable thing.”
“But aren’t most legends already dormant?” Fidel asks.
“They are,” Tobias says, dragging a heavy hand over his face to pinch at his eyes. “So we don’t know how it’s going to happen.”
“Is it predetermined?” Will asks. “Inevitable?”
Nia nods. “I suggested trying to stop it before it happened—whatever it is—but Giratina seemed pretty positive that it was set in stone.”
Everyone falls silent as they digest that. Nia can hear the quiet hum of the electric lanterns on the walls. Will is absentmindedly tracing the lines of his mask, brow furrowed. Fidel is glancing anxiously at the tunnel they arrived through, as if itching to go find Asher. Tobias is staring at the lanterns, tapping his claws against the tabletop. Junie, probably wanting a bit of comfort, hops off the table and into Nia’s lap. Nia makes room for her and cards her fingers through the bird’s soft feathers.
“Giratina said that all of this is connected to humans showing up in this world, correct?” Will finally asks.
Nia nods. “Giratina said that the human world—well, a few different worlds, actually—are right next to this one. Like…fruits on a vine. And since the border is weakening, human souls are starting to…slip through, somehow?“
“Mew’s the one who transforms humans into Pokemon and suppresses their memories so they can acclimate better,” Tobias adds. “They were working together, according to Giratina.”
“That would explain how it was done,” Will murmurs. “Considering she is supposedly the progenitor of all Pokemon.”
“Giratina said Mew transformed every lost human she could find,” Nia says. “Any that she missed, turned into, uh…yamask.”
She feels a bit awkward explaining that. Giratina’s words linger in her skull, that yamask have a harder time acclimating to the Pokemon world. That they’re not…built for it, really. Not fully accepted.
Will barks a bitter laugh. “Well, that explains a few things. So if human souls are slipping through without intent, then we are here entirely by accident?”
“Seems like it,” Tobias snorts. “Yet Giratina still decided it’s apparently Nia’s job to fix this mess.”
“And how does he propose you do that?” Fidel asks, wary.
“Well…since the border is made of life energy, and we’re pretty sure it’s going to break no matter what…”
“Our only idea is to fix it immediately after it breaks, before the damage is fully done,” Tobias finishes. “Most legendaries are already dormant, but there are two that were asleep naturally before Arceus fell.”
Fidel’s eyes widen with understanding. “Yveltal and Xerneas?”
“The gods of…destruction and new life, correct?” Will asks.
Nia nods. “Giratina is hoping that since the two of them were already in a 1,000-year sleep cycle, that we can wake them early somehow.“
“Wake Xerneas early,” Tobias corrects. “Yveltal would probably just make everything worse.”
“Hm.” Will tilts his head. “I suppose he would.”
“So that’s our plan.” Nia says, the words feeling anticlimactic. “Right now we’re just trying to find Xerneas.”
“Which I assume is no small feat, if no one has stumbled across her yet,” Will says.
“That’s what we were hoping to get your help with,” Nia admits. “We have no idea where to start. Giratina only said that she should be here somewhere, in the Pokemon world.”
“August, our guild leader, is looking into it with the archivists, but Nia thought you might have different sources of information than they do.”
Will doesn’t answer right away, looking back down at the golden mask on the table. His hands are steepled in front of his mouth. “Nia, did you ask Giratina about returning to the human world while you were in his dimension?“
Nia blinks, caught off-guard by the sudden change in topic. “U-Um. Yeah, I did. He said that attempting anything like that while the border is unstable would basically be suicide.”
“Odd,” Will murmurs. “I would think it would be easier to travel between worlds while the border is weakened.“
Nia had thought the same thing. The border weakening is how they got here in the first place, after all. But either Giratina is wrong about his own domain, or…
Nia frowns, a prick of unease making her shift in her seat. “Do you think he was lying?”
“Perhaps. If Giratina is truly so desperate for your help, Nia, then he wouldn’t want to risk you leaving before the border is fixed. Making you too afraid to even try hopping back to the human world is certainly one way to accomplish that.”
“But why would he need to lie at all?” Junie asks. “This is Nia we’re talking about here. There’s no way she would just leave everyone behind while this world is falling apart. She’d obviously help fix the border before going back to the human world.”
“Either Giratina doesn’t know Nia’s character very well,” Will says, looking up to meet Nia’s eyes. His expression is grave. “Or…”
Nia’s ears pin back under the weight of Will’s gaze. “O-Or what..?”
Will is silent for a long, long moment. “…Or he’s worried that despite your character, you won’t fix the border if you know the consequences of that decision.”
The…consequences?
“Think about it. Fixing the border means sealing the only known entry point between the human world and this one. Which is also our only known exit point.”
It takes a moment for the implications to sink in.
Nia stares at Will, stricken. “If we fix the border…we’ll be stuck in this world forever?”
“It’s a possibility.”
Nia shakes her head. No. No, there has to be a way. Some way to fix this world without cutting off their only route home.
“Breathe, Nia,” Fidel says, quiet.
Nia had almost forgotten the zoroark was here. She looks at him, uncomprehending. He takes an exaggerated breath, waiting for her to match him before releasing it. Once, twice, three times. Slowly, her rising emotions plateau into something manageable.
“S-So then what do we do?” Nia whispers. “I-I can’t—there has to be some way to do both. Some way to fix this world and still get us home.”
“We don’t know that fixing the border will cut off your only way back to the human world,” Tobias points out.
“True,” Will says. He is clearly deep in thought, but he doesn’t seem panicked by this realization. His serene expression calms something in Nia, too. “I had already been looking into methods for traveling between worlds without Giratina’s help anyways, so this is simply another factor to take into consideration.”
“B-But if Giratina thinks it’s impossible—”
“The gods can be wrong just as often as mortals can,” Will says, voice hard.
Nia doesn’t know what to say to that. But strangely, it gives her some hope.
“So…does this mean you’ll help us look for Xerneas?” Tobias asks, eyes narrowed.
“Yes,” Will says, “Whether Giratina is lying or not, the fact of the matter is that we can’t find a way home if we all die from this calamity first. So finding Xerneas to stabilize the border takes priority.”
“How noble of you,” Tobias says, sarcastic.
“It’s basic logic,” Will says with a smile and a shrug. “Of course I want to go home to my world as soon as possible. But first we must survive this world. With any luck, perhaps the answer to one problem will lead us to the answer for the other.”
Will’s confidence that they can still do both—that they can fix this world and find a way back home—feels like a soothing balm over Nia’s frayed nerves. She definitely doesn’t want to abandon this world and everyone in it to a terrible fate, but she doesn’t want to seal away their one chance at returning home to the human world, either.
There has to be a way for everything to work out.
“Thank you,” Nia breathes. She realizes she’s holding Junie a bit too tightly, and relaxes her grip.
“So we’re officially switching focus?” Fidel asks, looking at Will.
The yamask nods. “Yes. Number one priority is to track down Xerneas or Yveltal.”
There’s a beat of quiet.
“Isn’t that the, uh, destruction guy?” Junie asks. “Didn’t we say we don’t want to wake him up?”
“Correct,” Will says. “But if we can find one legendary, their counterpart will likely be nearby, yes?”
They all look to Tobias and Fidel, the two natural-born Pokemon in the room.
Tobias’ face twists in thought. “That…sounds right, but I haven’t heard any stories about Xerneas or Yveltal in forever.”
“I believe legend states that they do sleep near one another,” Fidel confirms.
Will claps, straightening up with a smile. “Excellent. So we have our next step, yes? We locate Xerneas, wake her, and enlist her aid in fixing the border once the break occurs. Do we have a guesstimate for when that will happen?”
“W-Well, Giratina said it would definitely happen within the year. But I don’t think he was sure other than that? It could be sooner.”
Will nods. “Then we shouldn’t delay.”
“Would you like me to notify the research team?” Fidel asks.
“Please do.”
Fidel rises to his paws, shoots Nia, Tobias, and Junie a quick smile, then lopes down the tunnel the totem-bird had disappeared into earlier.
“Thank you so much for helping us with this,” Nia sighs, turning back to Will. “You don’t know how much of a relief it is having your support.”
“Of course,” Will says with a comforting smile. “Thank you for coming to me.“
Will grabs his mask and moves off his stool. Nia and Tobias follow his lead, getting to their feet. Junie hops onto Nia’s shoulder to hitch a ride.
“So what now?” Tobias asks, glancing down the tunnel Fidel and the totem-bird researcher had vanished into. “We go back to the guild and you let us know if you find anything?”
“You’re welcome to stay here at the settlement for a bit,” Will says. “While I doubt we’ll be able to locate either legendary immediately, it should only take a few days for us to give you a better idea of where to search.”
“That soon?” Nia asks.
Will floats a bit higher, looking proud. “My research team has access to a wide array of resources. Give us a couple of days and we can give you at least a vague idea of where to start looking.”
Nia smiles. “That sounds great. Thank you, Will.”
“Of course,” Will gestures towards the tunnel they entered from, as if to guide them back outside. “We’ll be sure to keep you updated, but let Fidel or I know if you need anything in the meantime.“
“Why the rush, Will?”
Nia nearly trips over her own paws, not expecting the distinctly feminine voice from the mouth of one of the inner tunnels. It sounds strangely familiar too, light and teasing with a sharp undertone, but surely it can’t be—
“Rosalind?” Tobias hisses under his breath.
Sure enough, there’s a hatterene leaning casually against the opening of one of the tunnels, her pink and blue colors bright against the natural tones of the cave. She has that same sly smile curling at her lips, dark eyes glittering beneath the hat-like piece on her head.
Will squeezes his eyes shut, looking distinctly irritated for a moment before pasting on a smile and turning to meet Rosalind’s eyes. “Rosalind. Finished with your tea?”
Rosalind laughs, dainty and light, then shuffles forward to meet them. “I was wondering who you had to meet with so urgently. You know I like to stay in the loop on these things, Will.”
“That I do,” Will sighs. After a moment of hesitation, he turns to present Rosalind to them. “Nia, Tobias, Junie, this is—"
“We’ve met,” Tobias says, tense.
Will falters, frowning as he looks between the three of them and Rosalind. “…Is that so?”
“It is! These three are some of my cutest little workers.”
“How…nice,” Will says, stilted.
Nia understands the awkward tension in the air. She feels unsure about this whole situation, too. Rosalind isn’t exactly shy about being a shady underworld informant, so why is she here with Will?
For a moment, Nia considers Tobias’ ever-present suspicion of the yamask. Glancing at her partner, who has yet to look away from Rosalind, it’s clear that any rapport Will had built during their previous conversation has been wiped away. And for once, she can’t really blame him. What would Will need Rosalind around for?
…Then again, they needed Rosalind’s help to find the outlaw trio that Tobias is after. Who’s to say Will doesn’t have a similar arrangement?
Nia takes a deep breath, forcing herself to calm down. They all have their reasons.
Rosalind’s dark eyes focus on Nia, and her smile grows. Right. Empath. “Good to see you again, Team Scarlet.”
“Wish I could say the same,” Tobias grumbles. He glares openly between Rosalind and Will. “Why are you here? How do you two know each other?”
“How forward of you!” Rosalind mock gasps, putting the hand of her hair-tentacle-arm thing over her mouth. “Don’t you know a lady’s affairs are private?”
Will sighs again. “Rosalind and I are…acquaintances.”
“Is that all we are? Come now, Will, we’ve known each other for years.”
“Rosalind.”
Rosalind smiles sweetly, clearly enjoying herself.
Nia isn’t sure how to feel about…any of this, really.
“Fine, fine.” Rosalind looks back to them. “Consider us…business partners, of a sort. You know that I like to stay informed about all the goings-on in the world. I can’t let an entire group of humans go off on their own without knowing what they’re up to, can I? I’m not very fond of surprises, after all.”
Nia…supposes that makes sense. Still, she exchanges a guarded, doubtful look with Tobias.
“So you get information. What does Will get out of your…partnership?” Tobias asks.
“He already told you some of his assets came from old friends, correct?” Rosalind says.
“You were listening to our conversation?” Junie blurts.
“Yes. A bit rude, perhaps, but it’s also rude to leave a guest waiting.”
“What do you want, Rosalind?” Will asks, sounding very tired.
“So impatient,” Rosalind tsks. Then she smiles at Tobias. “Since fate decided we should cross paths, I just wanted to offer a little tidbit of information that Team Scarlet might be interested in.”
Tobias straightens, eyes flashing. “Is this about..?”
“It is. Are you interested?“
Tobias glances at Will. “Not here. But yeah.”
Rosalind hums. “Fair. Will, darling, would you mind giving us a moment?”
Will does in fact look like he minds, but after a few seconds he relents with a stiff smile. “Of course.” He turns back to the three of them. “I’m going to confer with the research team. I’ll speak with you all later.”
Nia nods with a shaky smile. “Sounds good. Thanks again, Will.”
“Thank you as well,” Will says. Then he turns and heads down the tunnel Fidel had disappeared through, sparing Rosalind one last glance before vanishing.
Rosalind looks back to them. “Now, where were we?”
“First,” Tobias says, arms crossing. “What’s the price?”
Rosalind laughs, louder than earlier . More genuine. “You catch on quickly, don’t you? Good.“
Nia exchanges a worried look with Junie. Rosalind makes her nervous in the best of circumstances, but especially when they’re “negotiating.”
“My price is low this time around. I won’t even draw up a contract, seeing as this meetup was unexpected.” Rosalind leans over them, closer to their faces. Nia leans back, gulping.
“Personal space?” Junie mumbles.
“All I want,” Rosalind whispers, and the quiet tone puts Nia even more on edge. “Is for you to inform me immediately if our dearest Will makes a move to go to the human world.”
Nia blinks. “…W-What? But we aren’t—we’re only trying to find Xerneas right now. He can’t make the jump until we fix—“
“Can’t he?” Rosalind asks, smile dropping. She tilts her head, locking eyes with Nia.
Nia feels her stomach drop.
What exactly is Rosalind implying? That Will isn’t going to do what he says he is? That he’s going to try to go to the human world without fixing the Pokemon world first? He wouldn’t do that, not when it would mean disaster for everyone.
He…wouldn’t, right?
“What do you know?” Tobias asks.
“Mm. Nothing substantial.” Rosalind straightens up with a pleasant smile. “Just a hunch. I’ve known Will for years. He’s more desperate than he appears.”
“E-Even then, he wouldn’t do that,“ Nia protests. “It’s not safe to try until the border is fixed! For either world.”
“I wonder. Grief has it’s own kind of logic, to those desperate enough.”
Nia falls silent, wishing Junie was in her arms to hug instead of perched on her shoulder.
“Anything that sets off alarm bells, you tell me about immediately,” Rosalind reiterates. “Deal?”
“W-Why?” Nia can’t help asking. “Why do you want to know?”
Rosalind tilts her head. “Because that idiot is either going to make a horrible mistake with repercussions that I do not want to deal with, or he is going to be my ticket to safety when this world falls apart. Either way, he cannot be trusted to act in my best interests.”
Nia falls silent. She desperately wants to defend Will, but she also feels like arguing with Rosalind is liable to get her mysteriously injured. Or worse.
“Deal,” Tobias says. “If we notice anything, we’ll let you know as soon as possible.”
Rosalind smiles. “Good. In that case, here’s your payment. Are you familiar with Kaleido Bay?”
That does sound familiar. Nia looks to Tobias.
“The city to the south, right?” He asks, frowning. “Where the road meets the sea?”
“That’s it,” Rosalind says, turning to stroll along the wall of the room. “It’s had trouble with damages recently due to natural disasters, but it’s a lovely little city. Lots of shops.”
“Okay?” Tobias says with a scowl. “What about it?”
“It won’t be to your liking, Charmander,” Rosalind says, reaching out to tap at one of the lantern lights. “Half the city is floating above the waves and other half lies beneath them. However, it does hold something of interest, other than shops.”
Nia glances at Tobias. He’s tracking Rosalind closely, fists balled.
“Kaleido Bay, funny enough, holds a prison under its waves, reserved for particularly dangerous criminals."
Oh. Oh no. Nia’s stomach sinks.
“They caught them?” Tobias rasps, taking a step forward.
“They caught one of them,” Rosalind says, turning back to them. “The pangoro, Dismas. He’s under tight security, but if you’d like to talk to him I can arrange a conversation.”
“Yes.” Tobias doesn’t even hesitate, taking another step towards the hatterene. “Please.”
“Tobias,” Nia murmurs, laying a gentle hand on his arm.
He jolts, as if he forgot she was even there.
“Are you sure you’ll be…okay? Seeing him?” Nia whispers.
She can’t help thinking about Tobias at that crobat’s home in the desert. Overwhelmed by grief and destroying the gifts left on the outlaw’s grave. She’d never seen him so…lost in himself before. It was scary.
Tobias swallows. He looks away. “I have so many questions. I have to talk to him, Nia.”
Nia squeezes his arm once before letting go. “…Okay.”
Junie snuggles closer to Nia’s neck. Nia appreciates the warm point of contact and leans her head into the touch.
Rosalind smiles. “Excellent. In that case, go to the prison in Kaleido and ask to speak to Jude, on behalf of Rosie.”
“Rosie?” Junie mumbles, just loud enough for Nia to hear.
“When Jude arrives, tell him you need to speak with prisoner D22. And no, he does not get a choice. He either lets you in, or I tell his superiors about Sahara City.”
Nia doesn’t want to know what this Jude did in Sahara City or just how much trouble he’ll be in if Rosalind rats him out. Even the vague threat directed at someone else sends goosebumps down Nia’s arms.
Rosalind is terrifying.
Nia can tell Tobias is unnerved too, his shoulders tense, but he simply nods. “Got it. Anything else?“
“No, that should be it.” Rosalind smiles at them. “You’re free to leave. Good luck.”
Without looking away from the hatterene, Tobias herds Nia and Junie towards the tunnel they’d initially entered through.
“Actually, there is one more thing,” Rosalind calls, stopping them in their tracks.
Nia peeks over her shoulder, past Tobias. Rosalind has moved over to the desk with papers scattered atop it, looking idly through them.
“Remember that I do know you’re human now, Riolu. Rookidee.” Rosalind’s voice is calm, but Nia’s breath catches all the same. “And rumors can be a nasty, nasty thing to deal with nowadays. So step carefully.”
“Hey!” Tobias barks. In the low light of the cave, Nia can see embers glowing through the thin skin of his jaw. “I said we’d keep up our end of the deal.”
Rosalind smiles sweetly, looking up at them from across the room. “Then we shouldn’t have any issues, should we?”
Tobias growls under his breath and nudges Nia down the tunnel. Nia does actually stumble over her own paws this time, in her haste to leave.
They’re all silent as they exit the tunnel into the outer building, then even farther outside into early afternoon air. It feels…wrong, for the day to be bright and sunny, all blue sky and cool, fresh air, after such heavy discussions.
Nia takes a deep breath, leaning against the warm stone wall of the village. Tobias follows. The Pokemon—humans—of the village pass around them, still as carefree as ever. Nia can hear the children they’d passed by earlier shouting and laughing in the distance.
“Anyone else kind of hate Rosalind?” Junie asks.
Nia gives a nervous laughs. “I could do without her jump-scaring us, that’s for sure.”
They both look at Tobias, expecting him to respond as well. Instead, he’s looking out over the trees of the mesa, brow furrowed. Looking south, towards Kaleido Bay.
“…Tobias? You all right?”
Tobias takes a breath, shaking his head. “Yeah. Yeah, I’m fine.”
“Thinking about Kaleido Bay?”
Tobias nods.
“I thought so,” Nia says, quiet. “When are we leaving?”
Tobias looks up at her, surprised.
Nia lifts her brows in return. Does he really think she’s going to let him go on his own? He should know better by now.
Tobias laughs a quiet, humorless laugh. “You know you don’t have to come.“
“You know I am,” Nia murmurs in return, reaching out to take his hand.
Tobias’ mouth twitches with a smile before falling again. “Kaleido should only be a day’s walk south. We could be back in a couple days and see if Will’s found anything by then.”
Nia nods. “So what time?”
“We could leave early tomorrow morning and get there by late afternoon.”
“Okay,” Nia says, closing her eyes as she leans back against the stone wall. Tobias joins her, hand still clasped in her own. Junie is unmoving on Nia’s shoulder.
Quiet falls over them again. Nia imagines they’re both thinking about the same things she is. Finding Xerneas and saving the world from destruction. Will’s promises and Rosalind’s suspicion. Tobias and the outlaw he’s going to talk to all too soon.
Nia wants to believe that everything will turn out okay, but there’s a pit in her stomach all the same.
Chapter 60
Summary:
Tobias and Nia head to Kaleido Bay to find Dismas.
Chapter Text
Toby dips his fingers into cold yellow paint, taking a moment to wiggle them around and savor the sensation. He smiles. It’s not often that they get paint from the market instead of their homemade stuff, but there was a sale when Mama dropped in at the market yesterday to drop off the mail. This yellow is brighter than the kind they make at home, and thicker too.
Carefully, Toby lifts his fingers and smears paint on the rough rock wall of the cave, right where the sunlight shining from the entrance stops in a hard line of light. He’s working small right now, trying to put the finishing touches on the picture he’s been working on for forever.
Or an hour. Same difference, really.
Chipper humming accompanies him as he works, from his left. Vivi’s piece is a lot more…what was the word Papa used? Abstract. A lot more abstract than his. She seems to be working totally on instinct, barely pausing to wipe off her hands before jamming them into a different color to slap onto the wall. He can hear her tiny claws catch against the gritty rock every once in a while.
Toby uses careful fingers to paint the next part of his picture, one of the most important parts: the fire. He starts at the base and winds his fingers up to make trails of flames. Then he does it again, to thicken the yellow and help it stand out.
He leans back, hands tacky with drying paint, and tilts his head to consider his work so far.
Four charizard fly across the cave wall, close together in a diamond formation, their wings spread wide. Some of them look a little…lumpy. But the orange paint Papa made by mixing red and yellow stands out bright and warm against the tan of the rock, and he still thinks it looks nice. He even got the right eye colors. Blue for him and Mama, and green for Vivi and Papa.
“That looks good,” their papa says from behind them, where he’s been chipping away at a new instrument for someone, alternating between using his tools and his own sharp claws.
Toby turns his head. “Really? We don’t look too…lumpy?”
Papa rumbles a quiet laugh. “I am kind of lumpy, so I think it looks great. Why are my eyes blue?”
Toby frowns, looking back at the picture. “That’s me!”
“You’re going to be even bigger than me and Mom?”
“Well yeah,” Toby says. He crouches to dip a claw into the red paint, then adds it to the center of the flames at the charizards’ tail tips. Perfect. “Mama says we have to eat all our berries and veggies to get big and strong and you don’t eat all of yours.”
Toby can feel his father’s dry look on his back. He refuses to turn around, biting back a smile.
“Yeah,” Vivi chimes in, eyes still locked onto her colorful, blobby mess. “Why do we have to eat our greens if you don’t?”
“Because I’m already big and strong,” Papa says, laughter in his voice.
“But did you eat your veggies when you were a charmander?”
“…Yes.”
“Are you lying?” Vivi asks, turning with a suspicious expression. Her hands and arms are caked in different colors of paint, some dry and some fresh. She’s not wearing her oversized red scarf, for once. Papa convinced her to take it off earlier so she wouldn’t get paint on it.
“…No.”
“You are!” She says with an accusatory point, delighted.
Toby laughs, then sing-songs, “Mama says it’s bad to lie, Papa!”
Nobody answers Toby. The cave is suddenly silent. Somehow, the space feels emptier than it should.
Confused, Tobias turns. Papa is…gone. And so is Vivi.
Panicked, Tobias turns around, but no one else is here. Instead, the cave is dark, heavy clouds and distant rain dimming the light of the sky.
He’s alone.
Tobias backs up and trips over one of the paint bowls, catching himself on the wall. He freezes when he sees the hand that caught him, covered in red. He…he didn’t get that much red on his hand, he knows he didn’t. He was careful. But it has to be paint. It can’t be anything else.
Where is his family? Vivi? Papa? Mama?
Why is he the only one left?
Tobias jerks awake, nearly falling right out of the shelf he’s sleeping in. He stops himself just in time, and stares at the hand that he caught himself with. Dry and its usual orange color.
It takes him a few moments to recognize where he is once he looks up, panting.
It’s a quiet, dim room. Fairly spacious. Gray dawn light is just starting to leak in through the closed curtains. A fire pit sits in the middle of the space, only a few embers still glowing from the fire last night. Most of the alcoves set into the opposite wall are dark and empty.
Right, he’s…at the inn. At the human settlement. In one of the sleeping alcoves.
Tobias glances to his side, used to Nia sleeping right next to him. But they’d taken separate, smaller shelves when they first arrived here. Junie is probably snuggled up next to her still fast asleep. The room is silent, so it doesn’t seem like he woke anyone else up, either.
Tobias takes a deep breath, heart still fluttering in his chest, and rubs at his eyes, damp with tears. Ugh.
Tobias slips out of the alcove, glancing over his shoulder as he makes his way to the door. Nia is indeed curled up beneath a blanket in her own shelf, pointed ears just barely visible as they poke out of her cocoon. Junie is likely close by. Clara the innkeeper and a togedemaru who came in late last night are also sound asleep in their own little recesses.
Relieved, Tobias goes outside and closes the door softly behind him. Then he moves to the wall surrounding the town, standing atop the step at its foot so he can see over the barrier and into the valley below. The town is quiet at such an early hour.
Tobias closes his eyes and takes another shuddering breath, bending to press his forehead against the stone. He hasn’t had a nightmare like that in…a while. They do tend to surface more when he’s thinking a lot about the outlaw trio, though, so it makes sense.
Doesn’t mean he doesn’t hate it. He can still smell blood and rain.
Tobias hears the quiet flutter of the inn’s curtains behind him, then an equally quiet flutter of wings. He turns his head just enough to give Junie a tired glare.
The rookidee settles on the wall by his arm.
“Is Nia awake?” Tobias asks.
“Ha. No. She sleeps like a rock. I, uh…heard you.”
Tobias stays silent.
“Did you have a nightmare?”
Tobias grunts an affirmative, too tired to feel embarrassed. He looks out over the trees in the canyon instead. The sky is slowly lightening from black to gray, bringing definition back into the world.
“Do you want to, uh. Talk about it?”
Tobias snorts. “No. Do you?”
“Not really, but I thought I’d check.”
They both fall quiet again. The breeze carries voices their way from farther into the settlement. Tobias can faintly hear someone calling to the baker to put the next batch of rolls in the oven.
“Hey,” Junie finally says, hesitant. “Are you gonna be okay, today? Talking to that jerk in the jail cell?”
“Probably not,” Tobias admits. “But I don’t really have another option. I need answers, and he has them.”
“Fair. Just…good luck, then.”
“Aren’t you coming with us?”
“Nah. I think I’m gonna stay here until you guys get back.”
Tobias frowns, finally looking at the rookidee head-on. “Why?”
Junie shifts on her tiny feet. “Well…this seems like an important thing. To you. A, uh. Private thing. I didn’t think you’d actually want me there.”
Tobias is surprised she’s being so thoughtful. And for a moment he wants to agree. He remembers—vaguely—what he did at the crobat’s grave in the desert. He can’t imagine this will be much better.
But then he remembers what Junie said yesterday while talking about her parents, voice light with forced levity:
“They think I’m too annoying.”
“You can come,” Tobias grumbles, pillowing his chin on his arms again. “Just can’t promise it’ll be a fun trip.”
Junie doesn’t answer for a long moment. “Actually, I was thinking I’d stick around here anyways. You still don’t trust Will, right?”
Tobias frowns, looking at her from the corner of his eye. “…Right.”
“I could be your little spy on the inside. Hang around to make sure him and Rosalind don’t do anything suspicious while you’re gone.”
“You think Will’s suspicious?”
“Well…not as much as you do. But if Rosalind is so cautious, that’s kind of a red flag, isn’t it? And no one would suspect me of all people to be doing a little espionage. Might be good to see if I can notice anything weird going on.”
That’s…a surprisingly good idea. “Wish Nia thought the same.”
“Yeah. She’s not dumb, but she can be pretty dumb about this kind of stuff, huh?”
“Desperate is more like it,” Tobias mumbles. “She wants to go back to the human world so badly that it’s like she’s blind to anything that’ll get in the way of that.”
“We’ll just have to be her eyes, then.”
Tobias makes a vague sound of agreement. He admittedly likes the idea of having someone here to keep an eye on things while they’re gone, but…
“Just be careful. I don’t think Will would do anything obvious, but…”
“Aww, is the big bad lizard worried about me?”
Tobias fights the urge to shove her off the wall again, rolling his eyes. “Nia would be upset if you mysteriously disappeared.”
“Suuurrre,” Junie laughs. She nudges his arm with her whole body, and he barely feels it, light as she is. “I’ll be careful. I’m pretty good at acting oblivious and talking my way out of problems.”
“More like you are oblivious and don’t know when to shut up.”
“Eh, same difference.”
Tobias’ mouth twitches as he fights off a smile. “Well. Thanks, I guess. Don’t die.”
“Same to you, Toby.”
Junie stays strangely quiet after that. Slowly, the sun rises and light starts to paint the valley, color creeping over the land. After a while, more doors open and close. More voices greet each other as the settlement wakes and begins the day.
Tobias peeks again at Junie. The rookidee is a puddle of blue and black and yellow on the warming stone, eyes closed and feathers blowing softly in the breeze. For just the briefest of moments, he thinks of his dream, of little hands covered in paint and a grinning orange face, so much like his own, next to him instead. His heart clenches.
Tobias takes a deep breath and looks back out at the canyon. He needs to wake Nia soon. She got to sleep in yesterday, but he wants to make it to Kaleido Bay by a decent time today.
They’d geared up already the evening before, packing enough food, hydration berries, and water for the short trip south. Nia had clearly been reluctant to leave the little settlement behind before getting to explore it fully, staring longingly at the tailor’s shop in particular. Maybe they could stop by there on their way back through, before heading back to the Haven.
They’d also bumped into Fidel in the evening, and had let him know about their plans. The zoroark had seemed concerned, probably guessing that their journey south had something to do with Rosalind’s private chat, but he’d simply wished them safe travels, letting them know that there would be a place for them to rest when they returned.
Tobias turns, looking back at the inn. “We should get going. You sure you want to stay?”
“Yup! I’ll wake Nia if you wanna grab breakfast. It’s funny seeing her flail around in her blankets.”
Tobias huffs a laugh, agreeing and heading towards the little bakery a few buildings down. Their front door is propped open, the smell of fresh bread wafting out, so Tobias hesitates for only a moment before going inside.
Luckily, the simisear and chansey running the place don’t seem irritated to see someone so early. They’re actually apologetic for not having more to offer, only honeyed rolls and toasted nuts finished and ready for the day. Tobias quietly assures them that the food smells delicious before accepting three servings, each wrapped in cloth.
Tobias skirts past a scizor as he leaves, then heads back to the wall in front of the inn. He’s about to lean against it to eat when a flash of color he hadn’t noticed the day before catches his eye. It’s…a mural, painted onto the side of one of the buildings.
Tobias hesitates, glancing around at the mostly empty walkway before grabbing the food and moving to get a better look. He doesn’t leave the wall, but stops when he gets a better vantage point, food momentarily forgotten.
The mural is…interesting. It’s a happy scene, with a group of what Tobias presumes are humans gathered in front of a strange-looking building. A house, maybe, though it seems rather large. The humans look like the drawings he saw at the convention in Ghatha: tall, lanky creatures wearing lots of clothing, with fur atop their heads. The fur color is different depending on the human, as are their eyes and even their skin tone. Some are larger than others, and some are clearly older or younger. Tobias looks at them with fascination, scanning their smiling, laughing faces and body language.
What did Nia look like, as a human? None of these humans have blue fur, but it’s hard to think about her in any other color. Were her eyes still red? What did she like to wear?
“Finally got her up!” Junie’s voice says from behind him.
Tobias jumps, holding the food closer to himself as he turns.
Junie is flying circles around Nia. The riolu is rubbing her eyes as she walks, clearly still half-asleep. Their satchel is looped over her shoulder, though, prepped and ready to go for the day.
“‘Morning,” Nia mumbles. Wordlessly, she holds her red scarf out to Tobias.
Tobias sets their food down to follow the unspoken request, and ties the scarf around his partner’s upper arm. Nia waits patiently, sniffing the air, as Junie watches with a smug grin that Tobias doesn’t feel like investigating.
“Here,” Tobias says when he’s done, shoving one bundle of food into Nia’s arms. The other he sets on the wall, untying it with a tug of his claw so the sides fall open. Junie trills a happy noise and digs in immediately.
“Oh,” Nia says, perking up as she unravels her own meal, plopping down right on the stone to eat. “This smells delicious! Thank you, Tobias.”
Tobias grunts, joining her on the ground and taking a bite of his own food. The rolls are delicious, warm and soft with a thin layer of honey coating the top. The nuts are smoky, satisfyingly crunchy between his teeth. He makes short work of the meal, hungrier than he realized.
When he looks up again Nia is finishing up her own roll, but her head is tilted to the side, gaze focused on the mural.
“Which kind did you look like?” Tobias finds himself asking.
Nia blinks, focusing on him. “Hm?”
He gestures vaguely in the direction of the painting. “Those are humans, right? Which one did you look like?”
Junie titters above them, which means he said something stupid. Whatever. He ignores her.
Nia giggles, much gentler. “Well…all of them, I guess? But also none of them.”
Tobias scowls at that vague, cryptic answer.
Nia laughs again. “Really! We all look kind of similar, at least in general shape. There aren’t any differences as big as, say…a riolu and a rookidee. But we all look a little different from each other, too. In the human world, I have glasses, and long hair. Otherwise, I’m just kind of average, I guess?”
Tobias frowns, glancing between Nia and the mural. “What color fur did you have?”
Junie chokes on her food.
Nia smiles. “My hair? It’s brown. My eyes are too.”
Tobias has a tough time imagining that. He’s so used to looking at Nia and seeing blue and black fur and bright ruby red eyes. It’s hard to think about her as anything other than a riolu. He tries for a moment to imagine what she’d look like as a human, but can’t quite pull it together, even as he glances again at the mural for help.
Before Tobias can say anything else, a high voice interrupts. “You’re up early today!”
Tobias blinks, looking past Nia. A lillipup is bounding over to them. It takes a moment for Tobias to place the young voice.
“Asher!” Junie cries, peering over the wall, clearly delighted. “Hey, little dude!”
Asher morphs back into his zorua self, sticking his tongue out at Junie. “I’m not little! I’m bigger than you!”
“Everyone is bigger than me, kid. It’s not a high bar.”
Asher growls up at her, playful, before getting distracted and sniffing the air, much like Nia had minutes before. “Ooh, they made honey rolls?! Those are my favorite!”
“They’re really good,” Nia agrees.
“If they have honey, they’ll probably use it for dessert tonight too,” Asher muses, tail wagging. Then he blinks, looking over the three of them with new eyes. “Wait, are you leaving already?”
“Nia and I are heading south to Kaleido for a day,” Tobias says.
Nia opens her mouth, then pauses, blinking first at him and then at Junie in question.
“I’m gonna stay here until you guys get back,” Junie says, much more confident than when she’d suggested the idea to Tobias earlier. “Someone’s gotta keep an eye on things around here while you’re gone.”
Nia frowns, clearly catching on to what Junie is implying. She looks at Tobias. He holds up his hands in return. “Don’t look at me. It wasn’t my idea.”
“As funny as it is to see you glare daggers at him, he’s right. I brought it up.”
Nia seems confused by that, but she doesn’t push, glancing at Asher’s curious gaze. “W-Well…all right. If you’re sure?”
“Yup! Just stay out of trouble since I won’t be there to bail you out, okay?”
“That’s our line,” Tobias snorts.
Junie kicks a nut at his head.
“If you’re gonna stay here, can we play?” Asher asks, bouncing in place.
“Sure, little man,” Junie says, grabbing her food’s empty cloth in a foot and fluttering over to drop it on Tobias’ head. He brushes it off with a glare. “I’ll even help you set up some sweet pranks if you want.”
Asher’s golden eyes shine. “Yes! I’m gonna go get breakfast, but then we’ve gotta plan, okay?”
The zorua takes off towards the bakery without waiting for an answer. They watch him go, amused.
Nia sits up, looking at Tobias. “Well, should we get going?”
The contentment in Tobias’ gut curdles as he remembers exactly where they’re going today. He takes a breath, then nods and stands. “Yeah.”
Nia gives him an encouraging smile, then turns to Junie, expression turning stern. “We’ll be back in a day or two. Do not give Will any trouble, okay?”
“Only if he gives me trouble first,” Junie says with a wink. She hops into the air, flapping to grab their food cloths like tiny flags. “You two be safe! Make sure you send a letter if you’re gonna be late.”
And with that, Junie is gone, following Asher towards the smell of delicious food.
Tobias leads the way out of the settlement right after. Slate the nidoking is on guard duty again at the front gate, and Tobias gives the scarred sentry a wide berth as they leave, picking their way down the rocky trail. He can feel the poison type’s eyes on the back of his neck until they’re out of sight.
The path is less treacherous when they can actually see where they’re setting their feet, but it still isn’t exactly smooth. Wiry roots snake in and out of the dirt, and rocks act like staggered steps, ready to trip them up. Scratchy, prickly plants edge into the path and grab at their ankles. The trail leads up and down and around, winding down the mesa like a great serpent. Overhead, the rising sun warms the world. There’s little shade to speak of, with the bulk of the trees sprouting away from the path.
It takes an hour for them to reach the bottom of the mesa, already breathing hard. They stop for a moment to eat some hydration berries and drink some water, then move on.
The journey is relatively quiet, both of them wanting to conserve their energy and likely thinking about the destination ahead. Tobias is, at least.
They take the same trail back through long grasses that they’d taken on the way into Will’s settlement, until they hit the wider, smoother dirt path of the main road.
It’s here that Nia speaks up.
“So…what’s the plan, when we get to Kaleido? Are we going straight to the prison?”
Tobias’ mouth twists. “I think so. We want to make sure we don’t miss visitation hours, and we can always check anything else out afterwards.”
Nia doesn’t answer for a long moment. The silence feels heavy.
“And do you…want me there? When you talk to him?”
Tobias stops and looks at Nia in surprise. “Yeah? Do you…not want to be there?”
Nia did have to physically hold him back last time they found out anything substantial about Team Zenith. And he can’t promise he’ll be any more composed during this meeting. He wouldn’t blame her for not wanting to witness that again.
Nia shakes her head, eyes wide. “N-No, I do! If you want me there. I just…didn’t know if you’d want to keep it private? I wanted to make sure.”
Tobias shakes his head. His face feels hot. The Tobias from a few months ago would be absolutely baffled by him willingly—gladly—sharing anything about his past. But this is Nia. The Tobias from a few months ago barely had a friend, let alone a best friend. “No, I’d…I’d like for you to be there.”
It’s easier to face something this terrifying with his partner at his side.
Nia smiles, something in her shoulders relaxing. Like she feels the same. He hopes she feels the same. He hopes he can calm her storms like she calms his.
Filled with renewed determination, the two of them continue down the path south, to Kaleido Bay.
To Dismas, and the answers he holds.
It’s mid-afternoon when they spot Kaleido Bay in the distance. They see the tops of the buildings first, white with rounded points like seashells, and it’s not long before they can see the city in its entirety. It’s a shimmering thing, sparkling white and silver with pops of bright color against the blue of the ocean.
“Whoa,” Nia says, stopping to take in the sight. “I thought Rosalind was joking. Is it really floating?”
Tobias squints, holding a hand over his eyes against the sun overhead. “Maybe?”
He hopes not—a city built on an island is bad enough as a fire type, but a floating one seems even worse.
Tobias grimaces, but moves forward again.
As they get closer to the city, they also approach the white sands of the beach itself. It’s a nice area even this late in the year. There are a few Pokemon walking along the shore or camped out for a picnic. A large group of younger ‘mon are chasing a ball down the beach, shouting to each other and making a game of it.
Despite the weight that has followed them since waking up this morning, Nia perks up, tail wagging slowly as she watches the scene. When they finally step off craggy rock and tough grass and onto soft, warm sand, the riolu takes a moment to wiggle her toes in it. Tobias waits for her to get her fill, silently following her lead. It’s a…strange sensation. But not awful.
The waves crash loudly this close to the sea, a constant and rhythmic shhSHHHshh…shhSHHHshh…shhSHHHshh. If they weren’t here for the reasons they are, it’d be soothing, Tobias thinks. He closes his eyes for a moment to let the cool, salty breeze wash over his skin and tries to let it soothe some of the tension in his gut.
Eventually, they get moving again. While there are ferry ‘mon carrying visitors to the city over the water, there’s also a single bridge leading there from the shore, for those poor enough to have to walk. Tobias heads for that.
As they get closer, Tobias sees that it’s a more complex design than he realized at first, white stone—concrete?—intertwined with some kind of shiny metal. Steel, maybe. Both substances are uncommon as building materials, at least in Tobias’ limited experience, but maybe it’s important for the infrastructure of this kind of place. As they take the steps up and start the walk across the long bridge, frothy white foam crashes into the bridge’s tall supports. Tobias is just glad that it feels stable underfoot.
The way to the city is long, farther out than Tobias would prefer, the blue-green hue of the ocean getting deeper beneath them as they go. The wind picks up, too.
They pass a surprising amount of Pokemon on the way, mostly locals and workers from the looks of them. Tobias spots a few raised brows and hushed conversations once they see him. Since the majority of Pokemon they pass are water types, Tobias guesses that they probably don’t see many fire types out here. He tries to ignore them, forcing himself to look straight ahead.
Posh tourists ride by in the water below, providing some distraction. They’re either sitting in boats or atop other Pokemon instead of walking on their own feet, with lapras, blastoise, wailmer, and dondozo ferrying them to and from the city. Nia quietly counts how many parasols she sees under her breath.
As they get closer to the island, it becomes clearer that the city is indeed floating. It’s not a natural island, a protrusion from the earth below, so much as…giant chunks of artificial land, linked close together somehow beneath the waves. The gaps between almost look like canals, with water types and canoes traversing them like little roads.
While the city is much too large for Tobias and Nia’s weight to make it bob, he does notice the slightest sway underfoot when they finally reach the end of the bridge. It unbalances him almost immediately, making him stumble like he just stepped onto the Aqua Jet again.
Nia offers him her arm, but he shakes his head, flushing. He’s already getting enough looks from curious passersby. He doesn’t need to be leaning on Nia like a crutch, too.
Tobias takes a minute to regain his bearings, then leads them into the city proper. Considering it’s apparently a hotspot for tourists, it’s unsurprisingly busy, with crowds of Pokemon chatting and laughing as they pass by. Most are holding wrapped cloth packages or paper bags, surely full of treasures from a bountiful shopping trip.
Nia is predictably looking this way and that as she tries to take everything in, nearly bumping into a few of the ‘mon they pass.
Tobias supposes he can understand why. The city is interesting, if nothing else, with its tall, rounded buildings of gleaming white and silver and seams of ocean water separating out different neighborhoods. The pieces shift in subtle ripples along the waves, the unusually large gaps between buildings—nothing like Ghatha and the human settlement’s close-crowded architecture—making them overlap in his vision in dizzying ways. It doesn’t help that most of the buildings also have their first floors hollowed out, open on three sides rather than enclosed with four walls. Those spaces seem to be dedicated to sitting areas, with water-resistant tables and chairs, or just as a place to store larger statues or toys.
The city is also surprisingly colorful. Shops and stalls have tented areas overhead for shade, and they tend to use bright colors and patterns in the fabric. Tropical, well-tended flowers grow everywhere in little plots of dirt, on building corners and under windows and bordering the canals. Some of the concrete buildings are inlaid with chunks of coral or painted with accents of color. Occasional mosaics pop up underfoot too, sprawling art pieces larger than a wailmer that depict flowers and water type Pokemon. And of course, the crowds of Pokemon wandering the streets only add to the vivid mix of colors.
Rosalind did mention that this place is known for its shops, but Tobias is still astonished by the sheer variety of merchants they pass. They’re all selling different things, from food to exploration items to non-necessities that call to the rich tourists around them. One stall is selling dried berry strips, while the one next to it is selling some kind of kelp, according to the sign below it. Apparently it’s grown right here in the city, underneath the ocean. A shop selling orbs and seeds “for protection in dungeons and natural disasters” is a tempting find, but Tobias knows better than to spend his cash when they don’t need to.
Useful shops like those are far outnumbered, though, by stalls that sell nothing but knickknacks and decorations, souvenirs from the city decorated with colorful shells and coral and gems. There are even one or two shops dedicated solely to fabric and clothing, some of which reminds Tobias of what he saw Pokemon wearing at the human settlement. Lots of jewelry shops, too, which is usually a rarity in Metreja.
There are cafés and bakeries and spas. A few ferry businesses. Artists selling their wares, ceramics and paintings and drawings.
It’s something else that captures Nia’s attention, though.
“Oh, Tobias! Look!”
It’s a little glass shop. Colorful wares cover the countertop: vases and dishware, platters and trinkets, statues and jewelry. Every piece is beautiful and well-crafted, delicate but sturdy. Patterns and gradients paint them in a rainbow of hues, some shiny and some frosted. Nia’s eyes skim over them, a wondrous expression on her face.
Just visible inside the open door of the build building, a monferno glassblower is sitting at a bench, hard at work. Across his lap, he turns a long, metal rod with a confident hand. At the end of it, a green bulb of glass is being spun. The fire type uses his free hand to pinch and pull at the probably-scalding glass, creating delicate curls and wisps. It takes a moment for Tobias to notice a smaller Pokemon, a blue panpour who’s the spitting image of the simipour running the counter out front, working too. She’s blowing at the other end of the metal pole—a pipe?—with her cheeks puffed. The two Pokemon look completely absorbed in their work, focused and totally at ease with the process, as if they’ve done it millions of times before.
Tobias wonders if this glass shop is the only one here in town. Glass is rare in his experience, but here it seems to be used more commonly. A few of the shops actually have large pieces of glass covering long windows to show off the wares inside, which Tobias hasn’t ever seen done before. There’s glass elsewhere, too, smaller panes on house windows and used in decorations like windchimes.
It’s interesting. If they weren’t here for a specific reason, if they didn’t have a world to save and outlaws to interrogate, Tobias wouldn’t mind learning more about the practice.
But the reminder of what they are here for pulls Tobias back to reality, and his chest tightens. He steps off to the side to watch as Nia picks up one of the glass statues, tracing a finger over its thin, pointed horns.
Right. They aren’t here to shop. They’re here for the pangoro held somewhere below the city. Dismas.
Tobias expected to feel ready for this, after so long. Instead, he isn’t really sure how to feel. He’s wanted answers for nearly a decade now. He’s been actively chasing Team Zenith for months. And yet now that some of his goals are within reach, everything doesn’t feel quite…real.
The anger Tobias holds for the outlaws is still there, of course. As always. It’s a quiet, seething sort of hatred, a low ember that only flares on occasion nowadays but that’s always, always lit.
But aside from that?
The vindictive part of him is actually a little disappointed. Upset that some other Seeker brought the pangoro in instead of him. But he doesn’t know how well he’d fare in a fight with one of his literal nightmares, so maybe that was for the best. He’d be useless if he panicked in the middle of a deadly brawl.
Even now, he’s anxious. Even if he doesn’t want to admit it. Both to just see one of the outlaws again, and to ask Dismas the question that’s been haunting him for eight years now.
Why did Team Zenith do what they did? Why kill his family? Why kill innocent children?
Why?
That single word makes him feel a tangle of emotions so thick he could never hope to unravel it. It feels a bit like nerves in his stomach. A bit like desperation choking his throat. He hates it. But he needs to know.
Every time Tobias tries to think back to that night, tries to think of anything that could explain why the arcanine and his crew suddenly turned on them, it’s like his mind can’t handle it and cuts the memory short. He’s gotten vague glimpses of the incident over the years, but most of them come at the cost of a panic attack that sends him spiraling before he can recall the night in its entirety. So since his own brain refuses to give him the answers he needs, he just has to ask someone else who was there. As much as he doesn’t want to.
“Would you happen to know how to get to the prison from here?”
Nia’s voice, directed at the simipour shopkeeper, yanks Tobias back to the present. He looks up.
The water type seems startled by the question, but then her eyes flick over their bag and the scarf tied around Nia’s arm. Hesitantly, she nods and points right, further into the city.
“If you follow this canal to the heart of the city and straight through to the other side, the entrance to the prison is near the edge of the island. Look for red coral out front.”
Nia thanks the shopkeeper, but the riolu’s smile fades as she turns to him. He can only imagine what expression he’s wearing.
“Are you ready? We can always wait until later tonight, or tomorrow, or…”
Tobias shakes his head and straightens up, ready to move. Nia seems to get the message. It’s now or never. Waiting will only delay the inevitable.
Tobias leads the way across the city, following the large canal the shopkeeper had pointed out. They have to cross a few of the city’s segmented islands to do so, and Tobias quickly decides that he hates the floating bridges that are used to cross the smaller canals. They wobble and sink underfoot and feel much more unstable than the city itself.
Kaleido Bay is beautiful, but it’s just too ingrained with the sea for Tobias to really feel comfortable. Nia clearly loves the place—as she does most places—pointing out something new and exciting to look at every few minutes. Whether that be a particularly elaborate tourist boat pulled through the canals, or a saltwater fountain in a little plaza where children scream and play, or a building that Nia says looks like a “church,” built with stunning glass windows that depict images of Pokemon in the ocean. Tobias doesn’t recognize them all, but he knows he spots Kyrogre, Lugia, and Manaphy.
As they near the edge of the city, where homes and less flashy businesses reside, they see more areas under repair, likely from the natural disasters that Rosalind had mentioned. Either this area got hit harder, being without a buffer against the open ocean, or it’s just the last to be fixed since it isn’t where the tourists go to spend their money.
The Pokemon on the streets here are more casual, too, and there are almost no ferry ‘mon swimming in the canals. No fancy accessories or shopping bags in sight. Likely locals rather than tourists. One or two give them curious looks, probably wondering if they’re lost, before spotting their scarves and looking away again to go about their business.
At one point, Nia nudges Tobias to catch his attention, nodding her head across the canal. He follows her gaze, finding a large group of Pokemon gathered around the wooden remains of a building that was nearly ripped off its foundations. The Pokemon in the group are talking quietly to one another, sharing sad smiles and hugs. A small seel is crying with his flippers covering his eyes, his sobs loud enough to echo across the water as a poliwhirl tries in vain to comfort him.
Tobias spots a pile of items—bright shells and coral, food and flowers and letters—stacked together neatly at the foot of the building. A lump rises in his throat.
“Is that..?” Nia murmurs.
“Funeral,” Tobias confirms, looking away.
“D-Do you think it was a natural disaster?”
“Probably,” Tobias answers. “I’d guess the newer buildings are made with the natural disasters in mind, but that one looked older.”
Nia glances back one more time at the decimated home, grief obvious in her slanted ears and limp tail. Tobias can imagine what she’s thinking about. That she’s feeling that desperation, that weight of the world, on her shoulders once more.
“We’ll fix it,” She murmurs. “Everything.”
Tobias nods but doesn’t offer his own reassurance. As cold as it sounds, he can’t focus on the rest of the world right now. Not when the pangoro they’re about to talk to is dominating every thought and every cell in his body.
They finally find the prison, a small building close to the edge of the city. The bulk of the exterior is white concrete and gleaming metal, but two pieces of tall red coral stand on either side of the door, framing it.
Tobias doesn’t realize he’s stopped in the doorway until Nia steps closer to his side, arms brushing. She’s watching him, and when he looks at her, she tilts her head. As if to ask if he’s sure about this.
He nods, ignoring the way his heart is pounding against his ribs. He takes a deep breath, then leads the way inside.
The interior is surprisingly small, with little more than a front desk and some shelves full of books and files. A large metal door dominates the back wall, so Tobias guesses that probably leads to the prison itself.
A smoochum is at the desk in front of them, sitting on what must be an unreasonably tall stool. She’s writing something on a document. When she finishes, she adds the sheet to a stack of paper to her right, which is already taller than she is. Then she grabs a paper from the stack to her left and starts writing again, only glancing up when the door clicks shut behind them.
“Can I help you?”
Tobias steps up to the desk, ignoring her impatient tone.
“We’re here to see prisoner D22.”
The smoochum lifts a brow, giving them an unimpressed once-over. “…Rank?”
Tobias considers lying, for a moment, before deciding that she’ll probably request to see their badges anyways if he aims too high. “D-Rank.”
“You must be at least B-rank for clearance to visit high-security prisoners,” the smoochum drones, going back to her papers.
“We have to see him,” Tobias says, slapping his hand onto the edge of the desk. He desperately wishes he was taller so he didn’t have to look up for this. “Let us talk to Jude. He works here, right?”
“Please,” Nia adds, pulling Tobias back with a hand on his arm. “It’s really important.”
The smoochum still seems unconvinced, but sighs. “Badges?”
Nia digs their badges out of their bag, handing them over the counter. The smoochum flips them over, giving them an idle examination before sliding them back.
“If Jude says you leave, then you leave. Got it?”
“Y-Yes,” Nia says.
“Tell him Rosie sent us,” Tobias adds.
The smoochum waves them off. She leans back to tug on a chain leading into the wall. The faint sound of a bell follows, then the click of a slat opening.
“Send Jude up. He has Seekers here looking to talk to a prisoner. They say ‘Rosie’ sent them.”
The slat clicks closed again. The smoochum doesn’t wait for an affirmative, wordlessly going back to her paperwork.
Tobias glances at Nia. The riolu shrugs, looking as uncertain as he feels.
After a few minutes of quiet, interrupted only by the scratch and flutter of the smoochum’s papers and Tobias’ restless pacing, the metal door on the back wall finally opens with a heavy grating sound. A large Pokemon, not much taller than them but long and wide, enters the room with slow steps. His blue-green plates look more like rock than skin, as do the craggy yellow points of his spiked shell. Beady eyes perch just above a jagged mouth, glancing at Tobias and Nia before turning to the smoochum.
He must be Jude.
“A turtle?” Nia whispers to Tobias.
“A drednaw,” Tobias whispers back, studying the water type’s surly expression.
Jude is saying something to the smoochum that makes her frown. She shakes her head. The drednaw makes another comment, too quiet to hear, and the smoochum hisses a response. The conversation gets more heated, until the smoochum finally just flaps a dismissive arm at him and returns to her work. Jude huffs, but finally walks over to them.
He leans in a little closer than is comfortable, voice hushed. “You said Rosie sent you?”
Tobias nods. “We’re Seekers. She said you can get us in to talk to a prisoner.”
The drednaw grinds his jaws with obvious irritation. “…Who do you want to see?”
“D22,” Tobias answers. “A pangoro named Dismas.”
“That’s just about the highest security prisoner we’ve got here. Why d’you want to see him?”
“Does it matter?”
“I can’t let just anyone in to see him.”
“B-But—!” Nia stutters.
“Rosalind said to remind you of Sahara City,” Tobias cuts in, silently praying this will work. “If that changes your mind.”
Tobias didn’t think it was possible for a Pokemon with such thick scales to visibly pale, but Jude does. He glances over his shoulder at the smoochum, as if afraid she’d heard. When she doesn’t pause in her writing, Jude breathes again, turning a glare onto Tobias. Tobias glares back.
After a tense moment, without looking away, Jude calls, “They’re clear. Get Miro and Toko to escort ‘em. They’re on duty right now.”
The smoochum actually looks up at that, visibly surprised. But after a moment she turns back to the bell and rings it again, passing along Jude’s request.
“Make sure you tell Rosie that I held up my end of the deal,” Jude rumbles, low. Then he lumbers past them, shouldering the door open to go outside.
Tobias is once again reminded that they should never, ever cross Rosalind. He exchanges an uncomfortable look with Nia.
Within a few short minutes, the metal door behind the front desk opens again, and a malamar and quagsire walk through. The malamar’s sharp yellow eyes skim over Nia and Tobias, move past them to empty air, then focus back on the smoochum at the front desk with a questioning look.
“That’s them,” the smoochum says, annoyed. “Got Jude’s approval and everything. Go on.”
While the quagsire seems unphased by this information, the malamar is clearly taken aback. Still, he doesn’t argue, instead stepping forwards to speak to them.
“We’re taking you to see D22, right?” The malamar checks. He’s expressive despite the rigid beak on his face. His tentacles make up for it, the ones on his head waving as if caught in an undercurrent and occasionally lifting like perked ears.
The quagsire stays silent, studying them with unblinking eyes. Despite her casual posture, Tobias gets the distinct feeling that she’s on-guard, and stronger than she looks.
“Y-Yes please,” Nia answers. “We, um. Need to talk to him.”
“We won’t be able to leave you alone with him,” the malamar warns. “Safety protocol. But we can give you half an hour of supervised visitation.”
Tobias isn’t thrilled about that—having two strangers in the room for such an emotionally vulnerable conversation. And only half an hour?
Still, he knows better than to argue. This could very well be Tobias’ only chance to get some answers about Team Zenith. About his family.
Tobias nods.
The malamar nods in return and gestures for them to follow him back through the doorway, stepping into the lead. The quagsire moves to trail behind Nia and Tobias, boxing them in.
Wordlessly, they’re lead past the front desk and out of the lobby.
Tobias is kind of surprised that they didn’t ask to check their bag. Maybe they trust Seekers not to bring in anything dangerous? Or maybe Jude or the overworked smoochum was supposed to check it. Whatever. Tobias isn’t going to bring it up. He feels better having their meager supply of items close by, anyways.
Instead, Tobias focuses on where they’re heading. The floor here is set at an angle, sloping downward, and the long hallway they’re in is dim as the door shuts behind them, the metal walls windowless. The only reason they can see at all is the light from Tobias’ tail flame, the yellow glow of the malamar’s spotted markings, and the soft green glow of…moss? Algae, maybe. It grows in impressive mounds out of little planters protruding from the walls every few feet. Like little balconies of light.
Below the algae, the hallways are also lined with well-maintained plants growing from water-filled basins in the floor. Tobias can’t tell what kind of plants they are in the darkness, the silhouette of them foreign, but the smell of saltwater is thick in the air under the lush greenery, so they’re probably ocean-based.
The hallway they’re traveling down goes on and on, curving slightly. A strange sensation builds in Tobias’ ears, and it takes him a moment to realize what it must be.
Pressure. They’re going under the waves. It’s getting colder, too.
A jolt of fear lances through Tobias’ gut, completely separate from his nerves regarding Dismas. He reaches over and fumbles Nia’s paw into his own, squeezing it. She glances at him, then tightens her own grip in return. He’s grateful she doesn’t say anything about it.
They walk for a few minutes longer, the quiet echo of their steps a soothing rhythm. The pressure gets stronger, Nia slowly cringing under its weight in her sensitive ears.
“Try equalizing,” the malamar says, breaking the silence. He glances back at Nia, then gestures with a tentacle at his face. “It helps with the pressure. Pinch your nose shut and swallow a few times. Or wiggle your jaw.”
Nia hesitantly follows the psychic type’s directions, trying first one technique and then the other. After alternating between the two once or twice, she perks up, tense shoulders dropping. “That helped a lot! Thank you.”
“No problem. It’s tough when you aren’t used to the pressure change.”
Tobias tries to subtly follow Nia’s lead, wiggling his own jaw and blowing air out of his nose. It does relieve some of the pressure that had built up in his ears and head.
“So are you two here on official Seeker business?” The malamar asks. Tobias can’t tell if he’s genuinely curious, if he’s just being friendly, or if he’s suspicious about why they want to talk to Dismas. Maybe all three.
Nia looks to Tobias for an answer, which is fair. Once again, he considers lying, but if they really won’t be allowed to talk to the pangoro alone, then they’re bound to find out why they’re here anyways.
“Personal matter,” Tobias settles on.
Thankfully, the malamar accepts that with nothing more than a nod. “In that case, I hope you get what you’re looking for from this conversation. Dismas is usually pretty straightforward.”
“That’s one word to describe him,” the quagsire says from behind them, voice soft. Both Tobias and Nia jump. “I would use the word cruel.”
“What was he arrested for?” Nia asks, hesitant.
The malamar glances back at them, lingering on whatever expression Tobias is wearing. He looks forward again. “Take your pick. Theft, destruction of property, murder. It’s the last one that shot him and his teammates to the top of every guild’s priority list.”
Murder. Tobias isn’t sure if the charge is even related to his own family. He’d managed to tell Maggie about the Pokemon who attacked his family, eventually, and he’s sure they put out some kind of warning around the mountains where he used to live, but he doubts that the years-late testimony of a traumatized child would be enough on its own for a solid murder charge. At least not without calling Tobias in to talk to an official guild member first.
Then again, Tobias supposes the crime would be pretty obvious when an entire family all but disappeared from their home. He doubts they ever found their bodies. He vaguely remembers Maggie murmuring questions to the medical ‘mon in the village, after some townspeople went to make sure there weren’t any other survivors. He remembers the way the doctor shook their head, how Maggie’s expression fell even further. Tobias doesn’t know if Team Zenith simply sealed off the cave to create a tomb, or burned everything until it was unrecognizable, or what. He doesn’t really want to know.
If there were bodies to bury, Maggie would’ve asked if he wanted to visit their graves before they left for Bethoc’s Haven. But she didn’t.
Tobias’ legs suddenly feel pathetically weak. Like they’ve been replaced with jelly. Some part of him, something small and young and scared, desperately wants to turn and run. Leave now before the truth is revealed. Before he has to face Dismas again.
He shoves that part of himself away, holding tighter to Nia’s paw.
“Well. Multiple charges of murder,” the malamar adds, quieter. “Merchants. A few Seekers. Suspected one-offs. He and his crew have built quite the reputation for themselves.”
Tobias feels nauseous. Somehow this has always felt so personal, Team Zenith’s crime against his family. But Tobias isn’t the only one they’ve hurt. Somewhere out there, there are others they’ve done the same to. Other families and friends and partners who are missing loved ones. Who are weighed down by a similar grief.
That familiar old rage surges through Tobias’ chest like magma. It makes it hard to breathe, makes it hard for him to think about anything aside from hurting Dismas like Dismas hurt him.
But Tobias can feel Nia’s fingers squeeze his, briefly. Can feel her gaze burning into the side of his head. So he closes his eyes, trusting her to lead them, and takes a deep breath. Another. Another. He won’t be allowed to fight a prisoner. He has to be civil, to a degree. He has to keep his head enough to speak, or this whole thing amounts to nothing.
He can’t waste this opportunity.
Tobias only opens his eyes when the darkness behind his eyelids shifts. Their footsteps sound different suddenly, less contained.
They’ve finally reached the end of the long ramp leading down. Ahead of them lies a metal hallway with multiple other hallways branching off of it. To different cells, maybe.
The floor is lit by the same green moss as the hallway they just left, but there’s an even fainter light coming from the walls as well, from tall, thin…windows? It takes Tobias a moment to register what he’s seeing through them.
The ocean is dark this far down, the water inky black, but more moss lights the environment surrounding the prison, growing atop silhouettes of rocky outcroppings. It creates a surreal effect, a gradient of soft green light and harsh black shapes.
Before he looks away, Tobias also catches a glimpse of brighter light streaking by outside. It comes from a lanturn, the lures dangling from the water type’s head glowing a warm yellow. A few seconds later, a vague shape carrying what looks like a moss-fueled lamp swims by as well, too quick to identify. Guards, maybe. Making sure the prisoners stay in or that any curious water types stay out?
Either way, Tobias can’t help wondering why the windows are here at all. He’s not very familiar with glass, but he didn’t think it would be strong enough to withstand the pressure of the ocean.
Just as he’s thinking that, the light catches oddly on one of the windows they pass. Ah, there it is—the unique shimmer of a move. Light screen, maybe, or reflect, reinforcing the glass panes. If he squints, he thinks he can even see the pale green hue of light clay acting as caulk, simultaneously sealing the windows in place and strengthening the effects of the protective moves.
He’s still not a fan.
“How do they get air down here?” Nia asks, distracting Tobias from his staredown with the windows. She’s quiet enough that Tobias isn’t sure if she’s asking him or just talking to herself.
“Vents,” the malamar answers. He motions up with a lift of his head tentacles. Tobias follows the gesture to see a slatted vent laid into the ceiling as they pass by. “Pipes lead up to the surface, and the greenery down here helps with oxygen generation.”
“And the windows?” Tobias can’t help asking. “Seems like a dangerous design choice for an underwater prison.”
“That’s by design,” the malamar says. “Don’t worry, they’re maintained daily. But they can be helpful, if we have an escape attempt. There’s a reason we don’t take water type prisoners here.”
Oh. So the windows are an emergency stop measure. If a prisoner tries to escape, they flood the room they’re in to slow them down?
Or maybe they just drown them.
Tobias shivers at the idea. Nia seems equally perturbed, falling silent again.
Tobias glances down the hallways they pass, expecting to hear jeering voices and see hulking shadows through jail bars. Instead, the cells seem to be individual rooms, each sealed shut by a heavy steel door with a crank in place to open it. A placard rests above each door with a letter-number combo etched into it.
Tobias watches with trepidation as the numbers rise as they walk, from D01 up to D05, then D10 to D15. Do they really need this many prison cells? Maybe they house more prisoners here than he realized.
Finally, they stop in front of a room. D22 is etched into the placard above the door.
Tobias feels lightheaded. He knows he’s holding onto Nia a little tighter than he should, but he can’t seem to relax his grip. The malamar says something, but it’s not until the quagsire steps in front of them that Tobias realizes they’ve been trying to give him a command.
“We’ve gotta step back for a sec,” Nia murmurs, tugging Tobias away from the door.
Tobias nods, barely hearing her as the quagsire puts their whole body into rolling the crank beside the door. With a low groan, the metal slowly lifts. The inside is a weakly lit green like the halls, but Tobias can’t see past the malamar’s twitching tentacles.
The malamar waits until the door is high enough, then slips inside with a quiet, authoritative, “Wait here.”
Tobias does so, heart roaring in his ears. When the door finishes opening and clicks into place, the quagsire steps into the malamar’s spot, guarding the doorway so they can’t enter.
Tobias can hear the rattle of chains and the muted tones of conversation from inside. Nothing discernible, but the deep rumble of a new voice stands out against the malamar’s higher tones.
Tobias’ stomach turns.
“You’re sure you want to do this?” Nia whispers, just loud enough for him to hear.
Even then, even knowing there’s no possible way the pangoro could’ve heard, Tobias nods his head instead of answering, desperately wanting her to stop talking. He can’t be weak here. He can’t let the pangoro know that just the hint of his voice has Tobias on the edge of panic.
All too soon, the malamar calls out, “All right. We’re ready.”
The quagsire steps aside to usher them in.
Tobias steps inside. The interior looks just like the rest of the floor, lit faintly green by moss. Two windows, tall but slim, are all that offer a respite from the steely metallic walls and floor. There’s a flattened nest of dry, dark green moss in the corner of the room, large enough to easily fit Nia, Tobias, and all of Team Shellshock inside of it.
Tobias only has a moment to take all of that in before he focuses on the Pokemon sitting in the center of the room.
Tobias has always thought he must’ve exaggerated the pangoro’s size in his nightmares, but Dismas is just as big as he remembers. Even sitting cross-legged on the floor, the pangoro is easily three times their height, and just as wide. Coarse black and white fur does little to hide the muscles in his arms and legs, his limbs as thick as tree trunks. He looks like he could punch through the metal walls of his cell with no trouble if he really wanted to.
Which is probably what the heavy shackles on the pangoro’s wrists, ankles, and neck are there to prevent. Their chains, thicker than Tobias’ arm, lead down through gaps in the floor. They’ve been pulled taut, keeping the pangoro forcibly low to the ground.
Finally, Tobias looks at the pangoro’s face. Dismas looks…bored, almost. Tobias imagines he’d be sitting with his elbow resting on crossed knees and his chin planted in the palm of his paw if he had the range of motion to do so. His shadowed eyes are hardly visible.
Tobias swallows. He wishes Mom was here. Or Dad. Or Maggie. Even with Dismas tied down, Tobias still feels so small. He hates how vulnerable he feels as he steps forward, stopping a few feet away from the outlaw. Nia hovers at his side.
He feels like he’s nine years old again.
“You’re free to talk,” the malamar says. He moves past Tobias to stand guard at the door, Releasing the crank and closing the door with a flash of yellow psychic energy and a loud clang.
The quagsire waddles over to stand at the pangoro’s side, keeping a close eye on the criminal.
And then it’s quiet, and all that’s left to do is to find the truth.
Chapter 61
Summary:
Tobias speaks with Dismas.
Notes:
Content warnings for this chapter!
This chapter covers the night Tobias lost his family, so warnings for blood, violence, and child death (his sister). Nothing graphic, but still a bit of an intense subject. Stay safe!
Chapter Text
In the silence, Dismas gives them an uninterested onceover, starting at Nia and ending with Tobias. When the pangoro reaches Tobias’ face, his brow furrows, his chin lifting with a spark of interest.
Tobias can’t decide if he wants to glare back or look away. His throat is tight. He balls the hand not holding Nia’s into a fist, trying to keep himself from shaking like a newborn.
Suddenly, the pangoro’s brows rise, and a toothy grin lights up his face. He rears back as much as he can in his chains, roaring with laughter. He’d probably be slapping his knee if he could.
Tobias stares, stunned. When he’d imagined this in the past, thought about coming face-to-face with one of the outlaws, he’d never pictured laughter. He kind of feels like puking.
Dismas’ laughter dies down, but the jovial expression remains. “You’re the little brat from the mountains! How long’s it been? Five years? Six?”
He says it like a distant relative catching up. Like he’s asking how Tobias’ training has been going, instead of reuniting with the child he made an orphan.
“It’s been eight years,” Tobias hisses. He can’t decide if he wants to attack the pangoro or run away. Nia’s grip anchors him in place.
“Huh. Time flies. You’re still a squirt, but you were a tiny little thing then. No bigger than my paw.”
Dismas lifts a paw as far as he can with the chains restricting him, and wiggles his fingers. His claws flash in the low light. He could probably still crush Tobias without a second thought, but when Tobias was younger, when he was half his current size, it would’ve been effortless. Vivi was even tinier.
Tobias grits his teeth, anger slowly overpowering the terror. He can feel his control slipping, embers climbing into his throat.
“You a big-shot Seeker now?” Dismas asks, still so casual. He gestures to the scarf around Tobias’ throat.
Tobias’ free hand lifts, grabbing the worn material as if to keep it from him. This scarf was Vivi’s, and Tobias will die before he lets this monster touch it.
Dismas’ gaze moves to Nia. “This your little partner?”
Nia doesn’t answer, but Tobias can feel her squeeze his hand just a bit tighter. She’s standing tall out of the corner of his eye.
Dismas huffs. “You gonna say anything or are you two just here to waste my time?”
Tobias takes a step forward, fire boiling over. “Shut up! You aren’t the one asking questions here!”
Dismas’ brow rises. “Well, go on then. I don’t have all day.”
Tobias wants to lunge for the pangoro’s throat. Nia tugs him back a step, away from Dismas and back to her side. Tobias can’t tell if she’s shaking too, or if that’s just him.
Tobias swallows, gut churning.
“Why?” He rasps. “Why did you kill them?”
Dismas looks unimpressed by the question. “You were there, brat. Surely you remember.”
Tobias was there, but he doesn’t remember. He can’t. Every time he’s ever tried to remember the details, panic has risen like a tide, swamping his thoughts and choking him for air, sending him flailing until he stops.
Dismas, in response to Tobias’ silence, shrugs a shoulder. “Sulien ordered it.”
Tobias takes a breath, tears brimming in his eyes. He blinks them back. “Why did Sulien want to kill them? My dad was an instrument-maker. My mom was a mail-mon. My sister was six. They…there’s no way they were involved in something shady, and we…it’s not like we had a lot of money. So why?”
Tobias hates the way his voice breaks. He hates that this is how he has to get his answers. He hates being at the mercy of Dismas yet again.
The pangoro snorts. “It’s not like we went there planning it. There was a storm.”
Tobias knows there was a storm, but that doesn’t explain anything. Why would the storm be important? Tobias doesn’t know, he doesn’t remember, he—
…He does. He does remember.
It’s raining. Hard. Has been all day, and although storms usually pass quickly in the mountains, this one doesn’t look like it’s gonna let up anytime soon.
Since she can’t fly safely in this kind of weather, Mama’s home today—a rarity in the middle of the afternoon. She takes over for Papa’s lessons to let him work in peace, playing little games with Toby and Vivi to help them learn their letters and math.
Each time they finish a lesson, Mama lets them each hold onto one of her giant wings. She flaps them open to fling her children up with shrieks of laughter before gently catching them and lowering them back to the ground. Usually they can get three rounds out of her with cries of “Again! Again!” before she puts her foot down and they have to start the next lesson.
It’s a peaceful day. A bit boring, even, until late afternoon when a shadow—three shadows—block out the gray light from the mouth of the cave.
Toby recognizes the biggest Pokemon from one of his books. He remembers, ‘cause he’s a fire type like them. A growlithe, maybe? Wait, no, an arcanine.
His ear is shredded like an old piece of fabric, scars cutting through his fur and across one of his eyes. His fur is limp with rain, though, and he has a sheepish smile on his face, so he doesn’t seem scary.
There’s another Pokemon standing behind him with his arms folded and an unhappy scowl on his face. He’s tall, with black and white fur.
The third Pokemon, a crobat, came in dangling from the tall Pokemon’s arm, but quickly hopped off to huddle in the dirt instead. His wings are crossed over his body, looking too drenched to fly.
“Sorry for intruding,” the arcanine says, friendly and warm. “We were hoping we could get out of the rain for a while?”
Tobias blinks. He stares at Dismas. “You…you said you wanted to get out of the rain.”
“Yup.”
“But that…” Tobias’ heart is pounding faster. Why does he feel like he’s the one being interrogated here?
Tobias glances at the quagsire standing guard off to the side, as if she’ll somehow have the answers. The quagsire looks back at him, sharp gaze softened by something sad and sympathetic.
Tobias doesn’t have time for her pity. He avoids Nia’s gaze entirely, looking back at Dismas. “B-But that wasn’t true, right? You were just…lying. To get to us.”
Dismas snorts. “Why would we lie? The idiots wanted out of the rain.”
“But why our cave?!”
“We ran across your cave by chance, brat. Your family just had the bad luck of living in the first decent shelter we found going over the mountain range.”
Tobias stares at Dismas, disbelief making him feel numb.
By chance? Bad luck?
Tobias’ family was killed because of bad luck?
That—that can’t be right. Tobias lost his whole world that night. There has to be a better reason. There has to be some reason why his family had to go through that. Why he had to go through that.
“What do you mean?” Tobias asks, trying make the words a demand. They come out weak and lost. “If it was just by chance that you met us, then why did you attack us?!”
“You don’t remember.”
No, Tobias doesn’t remember, because he can’t ever let himself remember that night in full. Because when he tries, the panic comes back in full force and shuts him down before he even gets a chance.
Tobias snarls, a wordless and feral sound. A threat.
Dismas rolls his eyes. “Your mom figured us out.”
Tobias stops, breathing hard. Embers flutter in the edges of his vision.
Just like that, just like a twig holding together a dam, everything falls loose.
He remembers.
His parents are welcoming, at first. His mama jokes with the arcanine and crobat, Sulien and Asra, about the rain while his father adds kindling to the fire to give it extra warm.
Toby is a little shy, as he always is around strangers. Even more with big, strong strangers like these ones.
Vivi echoes all of his awe without the shyness, immediately bouncing around the strangers’ paws with question after question about their names and species and types and where they’re from. The tall one, a pangoro named Dismas, is clearly annoyed by her curiosity, but Asra and Sulien smile and answer patiently.
The storm rages on far longer than anyone expects, into the evening. Vivi has graduated from crawling around Sulien’s giant paws to to climbing over the arcanine’s fluffy back and mane. She’d scrambled her way up the fire type’s shoulders before their parents could stop her, and once there the arcanine had assured them she was fine. Toby had settled in at Sulien’s paws, listening to the adults talk.
The strangers tell them that they’re called Team Zenith, and they focus on rescue work.
“Is that how you got that scar on your face?” Vivi asks, sprawled stop Sulien’s fluffy head and peering down at him.
“Vivian!” Mama scolds.
Sulien laughs. “It’s fine. No, this one was from a nasty fight.”
Vivi gasps. “A bad guy?!”
Sulien nods, solemn. “The worst.”
“Whoa.”
Toby echoes his sister, leaning back against the arcanine’s warm, fluffy chest. He loves his Mama and Papa, but there’s something really nice about a pelt so soft.
“Maybe I wanna be a Seeker when I grow up,” Toby muses.
“Oh! Me too! Me too!”
“You’ll both have to get a bit bigger first,” Mama teases, flicking her tail over to tickle Tobias’ side. He giggles and kicks her away.
Eventually, Mama excuses herself from the warmth of the fire to grab her mail for the following day. When the storm clears up, she’ll have a lot of deliveries to make. She brings them to the fire to organize by neighborhood, sorting them into piles.
Toby crawls into her lap, watching as she reads the name and location on each one before deciding which pile it belongs to. He tries to read them too and make it a race, but he’s a lot slower than her.
Conversation continues between the adults, interrupted only by Vivi’s occasional question or exclamation. Toby mostly listens, and reads, and sometimes puts a letter on the right pile when Mama points it out to him.
He perks up when they’re done with the regular mail and get to the guild notices. A lot of the papers are boring stuff that just go to the local guild outpost, but sometimes they have wanted posters that Mama has to pin up in town. Those are a little scary, but they’re kind of exciting, too.
Tobias skims the words he can see on the current paper, the sheet held a little too high over his head as Mama reads. Finally, she hands it over to him, pointing out where it needs to go. He lays it gently in place.
Mama picks up the next letter, and Toby feels it when she suddenly goes tense underneath him. Confused, he looks up at the paper she’s holding, seeing that it’s a wanted poster with pictures of outlaws on it.
Huh. Mama doesn’t usually get scared by wanted posters like Toby and Vivi sometimes do.
It’s taking way too long for her to hand it to him, so Toby tugs impatiently on his mom’s wrist. The paper is yanked down just enough for him to catch a glimpse of the pictures.
An arcanine with a scar. A crobat. A pangoro.
Mom yanks the letter away from him. He lets her, frowning up at her face in confusion.
“Mama, what—"
“Toby, go over to Papa.”
Toby hesitates, feeling like something is…wrong. Why was Team Zenith on the wanted poster? Toby thought those were only for bad Pokemon.
Mama doesn’t wait for him, sliding him off her lap and standing. She gathers the piles of letters with unusually sharp movements.
“Mama?”
“You’re fine, sweetie,” Mama says, neck dipping to brush her muzzle over his head. “I just don’t feel like working on those anymore tonight. I’ll get your help with them again later. Go over to your dad, okay?”
Her voice shakes.
Toby glances at Papa. He’s watching Mama now, smile gone.
Toby looks back at Mama. She’s watching Vivi, who is crawling all over Sulien and still chattering on about something.
Mama’s quiet. Like something’s wrong but she doesn’t want Toby and Vivi to know about it.
The arcanine smiles at Mama, apparently picking up on it, too. “Something wrong, ma’am?”
“No no. Just—Vivi, get off Mr. Sulien, all right?”
“Aww, why?” Vivi whines, little fingers tightening in his fur.
“Vivian!” Mama snaps.
Toby and Vivi both wince. Slowly, with a pout, Vivi slides down Sulien’s back and trudges over to Papa, leaning into his side. He wraps his tail around her.
“Toby, why don’t you come over here too?” Papa says, voice light. “It’s about time for bed.”
There’s something about his tone, though, that makes Tobias tense.
Toby doesn’t move. He doesn’t understand why that outlaw paper had Team Zenith on it, or why everyone suddenly got so quiet.
Mama is standing, not putting her papers away like she said she would. Like it’s important that Toby goes over to Papa before she does.
Papa is sitting up straighter than before, not letting Vivi move. He motions Toby closer.
It’s Asra who really makes Toby upset, though. The crobat suddenly looks sick to his stomach, gaze flicking between Sulien and Mama.
Sulien smiles. “You’re sure nothing is wrong?”
Thunder rumbles outside, long and low. Like the sky is growling.
Toby finally darts to his sister’s side, ducking under his papa’s tail and pressing close to his belly where it’s safe. He’s scared. He doesn’t know why he’s scared.
“You said you’re a mail mon, right?” Sulien asks politely.
His mama doesn’t answer.
“That includes notices to the guild, doesn’t it?”
Sulien stands up. He stretches, muscles rippling under striped fur.
“Show me that last notice you were sorting.”
Mama shakes her head. Toby doesn’t think he’s ever seen that look on her face. “We don’t want any trouble.”
“Shame,” Sulien says, casual. “Neither did I. But it seems trouble has found us regardless.”
Papa’s tail curls tighter around them, pressing them close.
“We don’t have much,” Mama says, low. Fervent. “But you can have it. Just go. Or let us go. We’ll go.”
“I’m afraid that’s really not the problem here,” Sulien says. “The problem is that we need to get out of this mountain range without anyone knowing where we’re heading next.”
“We won’t say anything,” Mama says, quick. Desperate. She’s usually the one picking fights, not trying to compromise.
Toby’s stomach feels cold.
“S-Sulien,” Asra says, hushed. “Come on, they said they won’t say anything. We can make them leave and—"
Sulien sighs, cutting the crobat off. “I’d really like to believe that. Unfortunately, you know I’d rather not take any chances.”
He flexes his paw, claws extending in the firelight.
Tobias flinches.
Vivi whimpers.
A growl pours from Papa’s throat.
His mama’s wings spread, making her bigger. She looks angry. She looks terrified.
“You really didn’t come there looking for us,” Tobias whispers, staring at Dismas. The pangoro stares back, expressionless.
It wasn’t some kind of shady business. Or even a robbery. It wasn’t anything against his parents at all.
They were simply in the wrong place at the wrong time. They extended their kindness to the wrong Pokemon.
“I’m afraid I’d rather play it safe,” Sulien says. He flicks his shredded ear.
Dismas launches himself forward. Toby doesn’t even see the move that sends Mama flying back into the cave wall with a crack.
“Mama!” Toby shrieks.
He and Vivi try to push past Papa’s tail, but he drags them back.
“Aria!” His papa yells.
Mama pushes herself up, blowing a wave of fire out in front of her to ward the pangoro off. She glances at them, eyes wild. “Run, Silas!”
Papa hesitates for only a second. Then he scoops Tobias and Vivi up in his arms and bolts towards the mouth of the cave.
But it’s storming! Mama said they can never fly when it’s storming! It’s too dangerous. There’s rain and lightning and wind and—
And Sulien is there, standing large and proud against the darkness.
Papa stops. Toby can hear Mama fighting with the pangoro behind them.
“They’re just kids,” his papa says, voice tight. “Let them go.”
Sulien’s eyes move down to Toby and Vivi. “They are. But eventually they’ll be adults. And that one—” he nods at Vivi, who bares her teeth and growls, even with tears in her eyes. “Has the look of a hero. No, they’re old enough to realize what happened here.”
Toby feels his papa’s heart racing against his back, skin hot and clammy all at once. Slowly, he’s put down beside Vivi.
“Papa?” Toby asks, shaky. He’s trying to sniff back tears, but he can hear his mama snarling and the FWOOSH and heat of fire and Sulien is looking at them like a stranger, like a villain in a story and—
“Toby. Take your sister and run.”
Papa’s voice is low. Almost too low to hear.
Toby blinks. “W-What?”
They aren’t allowed out in storms, and definitely not on their own.
Papa spares him a glance. He swallows. “Run. Don’t stop running until you’re safe. And take care of your sister.”
“Papa?” Vivi says.
“We love you both,” Papa whispers. His voice is higher than usual. Rough. “So much.”
Before Tobias can answer, Papa is using his tail to sweep the two of them towards the mouth of the cave. Toby stumbles, Vivi crying out at his side.
Then Papa is arcing over them with a roar that shakes Toby to his bones. He watches with wide eyes as Papa and Sulien tumble together in a snarling blur of orange.
Everything is chaos. Growling and crashing and fire and—
Vivi slams into him, hugging him desperately. He wraps his arms around her on instinct, claws bunching into the oversized red scarf she always wears like a little cape.
“Tobias!” His mother roars. He looks over at her, panicked. She’s panting, one of her wings hanging in a sickening way at her side as the pangoro recovers from a heavy hit. “Run!”
“Asra!” Sulien barks. “Grab them!”
Tobias spins, locking eyes with the crobat. He’s flapping in midair, looking just as scared as Tobias feels.
“Sulien, they’re—they’re just kids. Surely we don’t need to hurt them, right?”
The word ‘hurt’ jolts Toby into movement. He grabs his sister by the hand and yanks her towards the entrance, tears blurring his vision.
A flash of purple flies by and blocks the entrance, making them stumble back. The crobat flaps in place, brow furrowed as he glances between them and Sulien.
Toby grabs Vivi tighter and darts to the side, hoping to skirt around the crobat. The crobat swoops at them, barely missing them. It feels threatening, like he’s going to pick them up and carry them away, but—
“He wasn’t really trying, was he?” Tobias rasps. “He…he was so much faster than that. He wanted us to escape. But…”
For an instant, Toby thinks they’re going to make it. They duck under the crobat’s wings and—
A heavy weight—a thousand times heavier than Mama and Papa when they play fight with them—slams into Toby, pinning him on his back. It knocks the air out of him. He tries to gasp for air as he looks up at his attacker.
Sulien doesn’t look scared like Asra. He doesn’t look like he’s feeling anything, except mild irritation. Toby feels the arcanine’s claws dig into his throat, bruising in their force and cutting off his air as something wet leaks down his skin.
Toby tries to kick, but he can’t reach the arcanine’s chest. Vivi screams and grabs the arcanine’s paw, trying to pull it off of him.
Sulien grabs her in his mouth like she’s nothing more than a toy, throwing her aside. She slams into the cave wall with a cracking sound and lands hard on her stomach.
Tobias tries to turn his head, his sister’s name on his tongue, but pain sears through his neck as claws tear at his soft throat.
Sulien’s mouth opens, and Toby sees nothing but fangs and fire lunging at him as he squeezes his eyes shut.
There’s a roar and a gust of hot air, and then the weight is gone from him entirely. Mama slams the arcanine into the wall with a sound that echoes and sends stone raining down from the ceiling.
Toby gasps and coughs as he scrambles up, reaching for his neck. His palm comes away red and slick with blood. It tickles as it streaks down his chest.
Toby ignores it, still coughing as he stumbles to Vivi’s side. She’s trying to push herself up, but one of her hands is pressed to the back of her head and the other shakes and trembles.
“Lemme see,” Toby rasps, kneeling at her side. He helps her sit up, then peels away the hand on her head. His heart stops when he sees slick red on her palm.
Vivi whines, slumping into Toby’s shoulder. He pulls her close, looking around frantically.
Mama is wrestling with Sulien now. Papa has turned on the pangoro, cornering him in the back of the cave. Asra is still stalled in place, staring at them with wide yellow eyes.
“Tobias! Run!” Mama yells again.
Toby jolts, then staggers to his feet. He feels lightheaded, spots in his vision, but he knows he needs to move. Vivi is clinging to him weakly, but she can’t seem to get her feet under her even when he tries to pull her up.
Toby feels renewed panic lap at him. Usually when they get hurt, when they scrape a knee or pull a claw, they go to their parents. And Vivi is clearly hurt, stumbling and tilting as if she’s dizzy.
He doesn’t know how to fix this.
Tobias decides on a different course of action. He swings Vivi around and pulls her onto his back, hopping to secure her higher. He nearly falls from the weight throwing him off balance, but staggers towards the mouth of the cave all the same.
“Asra, get those kids or you’re next!” Sulien snarls.
There’s no protest this time. A blur of purple flashes out of the corner of Toby’s eye, swooping for him again. He ducks and runs faster, out of the cave.
The storm slams into him like a wall. The cold rain stings against his skin, whipping into his face like needles. He squints against it. Between the rain and wind and darkness, he can hardly see two feet in front of him.
Another snarl comes from the cave. Toby startles and takes off, stumbling over rocks and slipping in mud. Each time he does, Vivi whimpers, her face tucked away in the crook of his bloodied neck.
Tobias runs and runs through the darkness, sliding down steep inclines and through scraggly groups of trees. It’s a miracle he doesn’t run himself right off the cliffside, guided only by hazy memory and luck.
He feels like he runs forever.
His lungs burn. He can’t feel his legs. Vivi sits like a boulder tied to his back, deadweight, but he doesn’t dare slow down. His fingers feel locked into place by the cold.
He doesn’t stop until a deep mud puddle sucks his foot down. He falls hard onto his front, then lays gasping in the mud. Its icy cold burns, and eventually he summons the strength to push himself up and crawl out of the puddle he’d landed in.
He gently deposits Vivi onto the ground behind him.
She slumps over.
“Vivi?” Toby asks, panting.
Vivi lies motionless on the grass. Too quiet. Too still. She’s never that quiet and still, even when she’s asleep.
“Vivi?” Toby asks again, shaking her gently. She feels cold, but everything feels cold right now.
He turns her over, to find her eyes closed and her little brow furrowed. He pats her cheek. “Vivi? Vivi, c’mon. W-Wake up! We…we gotta go. We gotta hide. O-Or get help, or…”
Vivi doesn’t answer. Fresh panic blooms in Tobias’ chest, and hot tears flood his eyes. He can’t tell what’s rain and what’s tears.
He shakes her a little harder. Her head lolls.
“Vivi!” He shouts.
She doesn’t wake up. Is it—is it because she hit her head?
He turns her over in his lap, breath hitching when he sees the place she smacked the back of her head against the cave wall when Sulien threw her. The rain has been washing out the wound, but it still glistens with fresh blood. Tobias knows head wounds bleed a lot, especially in the mountains, but the scariest part is how the spot looks almost…dented. Just a bit.
Toby looks around desperately. He can’t see anyone in the darkness and rain, and he knows there aren’t many other Pokemon who live near their home, but—
But he’s so scared. He’s never been so scared in his entire life.
“Help!” Toby yells, voice hoarse. Sulien and Asra and Dismas might hear him, but…but his sister is hurt.
“Help!” He yells again, a hot wave of tears filling his eyes to streak down chilled cheeks. “Please!”
He yells and yells, but nobody answers.
Tobias suddenly remembers what Papa told them, a long time ago. That they should pray to Entei if they ever feel scared or unsafe. He protects kids like them! He’ll help. He has to.
“E-Entei, please help us. Please, I’m really scared and Vivi needs help a-and I don’t know what else to do.”
Toby waits again. The storm continues overhead, loud and cold and endless. Entei doesn’t appear on fiery paws to whisk them away. There’s no big, strong presence to shield them from the rain.
They’re on their own.
Toby sniffs hard, looking down at Vivi. He doesn’t know what to do. Did she lose too much blood? Or is something inside her hurt? What did Mama say that one time about bad injuries?
You…you need to stop the bleeding if you get hurt real bad. You need to put something on the injury.
Tobias doesn’t have supplies, but his eyes land on Vivi’s scarf, its red hue looking dull and drab in the darkness and rain. Vivi’s going to be so mad at him for getting blood on her favorite scarf, but—but this is more important.
Toby unknots the scarf with shaking hands, then presses the soaking wet fabric against the wound. He expects Vivi to whine or cry out, since it has to hurt.
She doesn’t move. She still hasn’t moved.
Thunder rumbles again. The rain comes down in sheets, painful and freezing against his nearly-numb skin. Toby needs to find shelter soon. Sitting out in the rain for too long is dangerous for any fire type, but especially kids. Especially in the mountains.
Toby starts to drag Vivi onto his back again, when something catches his eye.
The tip of her short tail.
Dark.
Tobias drops her. He hates himself for it immediately, but he does. He hovers over her—her body—her, and shivers, and stares.
No. No no no.
B-But—but maybe she’s still okay? Maybe she’s just hurt, really bad, but if he gets her help, then…
Tobias presses the side of his head to Vivi’s chest.
He waits. And waits. Two rolls of thunder. Three. The rain doesn’t let up.
No breath. No heartbeat.
Toby whimpers. Then he gathers air into his lungs and wails. He thought that he knew what it was like, to be upset. To be scared. To be in pain. He remembers crying to Mama and Papa really hard that one time he pulled a claw.
This is something else. His voice rips out of him like it’s alive, like he has no control over it. He drapes himself over Vivi, crying, pleading for her to come back. He doesn’t know how long.
She doesn’t answer.
Tobias doesn’t remember getting up. He doesn’t remember leaving Vivi. He doesn’t remember wandering off with his sister’s scarf clenched tight in his fingers.
He does remember stepping just a bit too close to a cliffside that was loosened by the rain. Remembers how it gave out from underneath him. Remembers how he didn’t even yell, falling and falling and then—
Darkness.
Next time he woke up, he was bandaged and warm, tucked into a soft bed. The nice Pokemon who found him half-buried under rubble had taken him to the village doctor. Tobias had asked the doctor where his sister was, or his parents, and he knew right away what the old ‘mon’s tight smile and evasive answers meant.
His family was gone.
A painful squeeze of Tobias’ hand catches his attention. What is that? Did Sulien come back for him? No, he’s safe at the doctor’s house, he—
He stares at the riolu in front of him, uncomprehending. There’s not a riolu at the doctor’s, and certainly not in his cave.
Her ruby eyes are glassy with tears, and she’s holding his hand. Something about her makes him feel safe.
She’s saying something, but Tobias can’t hear her, his heartbeat loud in his ears. He can read her lips, though, as she repeats one word to him, over and over.
Breathe.
Tobias tries to listen, taking a shaky breath of air. Then another, and another. The riolu doesn’t look away, smiling encouragingly and breathing with him.
Slowly, Tobias feels his body settle into the room around him. It’s warmer here than in the rain, but colder than the doctor’s house. Darker, lit a muted green. His ears feel funny. His free hand is pulling at his—at Vivi’s scarf, and his neck burns as if the marks left there haven’t long since scarred over. There’s a quagsire and malamar watching him with sympathetic expressions, and—
Tobias freezes when he sees the pangoro. Dismas. Dismas is here, he’s going to hurt Mama and Papa and Vivi and the riolu and—
“Tobias!” The riolu places both paws on either side of his face, turning him away from the pangoro until all he can see is her. “Ignore him. Keep breathing with me, okay?”
Tobias doesn’t think he can, but he nods anyways and tries to follow the riolu’s exaggerated breaths. In. Out. Again.
Tobias doesn’t know when the riolu in front of him turns into someone he knows, but suddenly his brain remembers that she has a name.
Nia.
He latches onto her paws, taking stock of himself.
His eyes sting, as if he was crying. He’s still shaking, but his breathing is steadier. The grief and terror in his chest feels fresh, painful as the day he lost his family.
Tobias must make a pitiful sound, because Nia shushes him gently, murmuring, “Hey, stay here with me, okay? You back?”
Tobias nods, trying to stay in the present. He focuses on the cool metal underfoot. Nia’s soft paws on his cheeks. The sight of her eyes, red cooled to a deep brown in the green light. The quiet creak of the metal room around them.
He’s here. He’s in Kaleido Bay, with Nia. And he finally has the answer he has wanted all these years. He finally knows why his family was ripped away from him.
Chance.
Has Tobias wasted the last eight years of his life, looking for this? For a simple, nonsensical answer that changes nothing? An answer that was hidden away inside his own head?
If Sulien gets captured by other Seekers like Dismas had, then…what is Tobias’ goal? Without answers to find and the outlaws to track down, what does he have to strive towards?
What does he even have to live for?
“We really messed you up, huh?” Dismas says. The pangoro doesn’t sound remorseful. If anything, he says it like a joke, lighthearted and casual.
Nia snaps her teeth at him. “Shut up!”
Tobias looks at Dismas again. He tries to speak, then has to clear his throat to get the words to come. “You…don’t even care, do you? About what you did?”
Dismas snorts. “Your family wasn’t the first ‘mon we had to take out, kid. I can’t afford to get all weepy about it. I’m not Asra.”
“The crobat?” Nia murmurs. “Wasn’t he your partner?”
“A coward is what he was. Always trying to avoid getting his claws dirty. I bet that softhearted idiot didn’t even look for you brats after Sulien told him to. I was surprised Sulien let him run off at all, at least with his skull intact.”
Nia glances at Tobias before saying, “Asra’s, um…dead. He died in a rockslide.”
Dismas barks a laugh. “Ah, there it is! Looks like Sulien found him after all.”
Their faces must ask the question for them.
“Asra was spineless, but he was fast. He wouldn’t have gotten taken out by a rock slide. Not a natural one, at least.”
Nia looks vaguely sick. “You mean..?”
“Sulien always hated how much of a softie Asra was. Trying to run and start a new life with so much blood on his fangs? When he knew all of our history? Nah. He was a danger Sulien couldn’t risk keeping alive. It was only a matter of time for him.”
“And you?” Nia challenges. “Is Sulien the reason you got caught?”
Dismas laughs again. “No, we parted ways a while ago. I had enough of his brilliant ideas and decided to strike out on my own.”
“Lot of good that did you,” Nia mutters.
“You mean this place?” Dismas asks, making a vague gesture around the room with one restrained paw. “I needed somewhere to crash for a while. Time to figure out where I’m going next and all that. But now that you mention it, I am getting sick of the slop they serve here as food.”
Dismas looks past them, towards the malamar standing guard at the door. “Hey, beak face!”
The malamar straightens up, tentacles flaring. “Quiet down, D22.”
“Yeah, yeah, I’ll be quick.” Dismas grins, toothy and goading. “Just thought you’d want to know that your little disable treatments haven’t been lasting as long as you wanted ‘em to.”
He lifts both paws as high as he can, curling them into fists. One paw bursts into flames, bright enough to be painful to Tobias’ eyes in the dim light. The other fist glints in the fire’s light, coated in ice.
Tobias feels a familiar sense of dread pool in his gut.
“Put your attacks away!” the malamar shouts, marching closer. The quagsire backs up a step, falling into a defensive stance.
“Aw, but I’ve been having a lot of fun in here with my little science experiments,” Dismas chuckles, opening his fists and dismissing the elemental energy. “You do know what happens when you heat and cool chains so frequently, right?”
The pangoro pulls his arms in, straining them against the metal chains. Tobias can hear them creak and groan for just a second before—
The chains snap like a cheap toy.
Tobias scrambles backwards, nearly tripping over his own feet. Nia moves with him.
Dismas isn’t the fastest ‘mon, but he’s still faster than the quagsire beside him. Before the water type can shoot off a move, the pangoro spins to punch her in the gut, the bright glint of metal following in his wake.
Bullet punch.
The quagsire resists steel type moves, but she still goes skidding back, slamming into the metal wall with a loud bang. Tobias flinches, seeing Vivi, hearing rain—
The malamar rushes past them, pushing Nia and Tobias back with one tentacle and attacking Dismas with the other. Dismas catches the move in a giant paw, grinning, shackles and broken chains dangling from his wrists.
The pangoro turns, swinging the malamar with him, and slams him into the floor, leaving a dent in the metal.
“Miro!” the quagsire calls, getting back to her feet. “Send out an alert!”
Right! The malamar’s a psychic-type. They must have some kind of telepathy system set up here to communicate.
Except the malamar doesn’t answer, rolling to dodge a heavy fist. He lunges into a peck that Dismas barely wards off with his legs and neck still shackled. The malamar looks almost frenzied, going after the pangoro with a vicious aggression. It’s strange, and so unsettling a strategy to see from a psychic type that Tobias realizes with a sinking heart what Dismas was doing earlier.
Taunt.
All the malamar can do is attack. And that is a terrible thing for a Pokemon who likely relies on stat changes and status moves to fight.
It’s clear from the easy way that Dismas handles the psychic type. With a single throat chop that leaves the malamar gasping, Tobias can see the end coming. Dismas sweeps his arm back, dark type energy leaving streaks like black lightning in its wake, then stabs a shadow claw through the malamar’s gut.
Nia makes a shrill sound, stumbling back with her paws clamped over her muzzle. Tobias just watches with a sick sense of deja vu.
Dismas lets the energy dissipate.
The malamar drops and lies still.
Tobias has to believe he’s alive, despite the odds. He can’t watch this monster kill another Pokemon right in front of him.
Dismas takes advantage of the moment of stunned silence. He lifts massive paws to grab either side of the shackle around his neck, snapping it open like a chestnut to drop at his paws. He sighs, satisfied, and rolls his neck with a crack that makes both Nia and Tobias wince.
The quagsire jumps into action, rushing at the pangoro. Her cheeks puff up with a water gun.
Dismas ducks under the first jet, fists flashing with fire before he punches right through the two chains holding his legs in place. Those, too, break with little resistance, likely weakened beforehand for this chance at escape.
The quagsire is slower than Dismas, but she fights strategically, keeping her distance when possible to shoot off a water pulse or mud shot. When she sees an opening, she moves in closer for an aqua tail or slam attack.
Tobias wants to help, afraid of what will happen if and when the quagsire goes down, but…Tobias knows what it’s like, trying to fight in close quarters with a partner you’re unused to. It can cause more problems than staying out of the fight entirely. They’d likely just get in the way.
Tobias glances at the crank to the door over his shoulder, wondering if they could open it themselves, but it’s nearly as tall as them. There’s no way they could get enough leverage.
Before Tobias can think of anything else, the quagsire is slammed down with enough force to dent the metal floor. She’s still fighting, landing a powerful drain punch on the pangoro that actually makes him grunt in pain, but Tobias gets the feeling that she isn’t going all-out. Whether that’s because she can’t use moves like surf or earthquake in this delicate prison cell without risking collateral damage or because she’s afraid of hurting Nia, Tobias, and the malamar, it’s clear to Tobias that she’s holding back.
She still puts up an impressive fight, but it only takes a few more powerful, unrestrained blows from Dismas before the quagsire thuds to the metal floor and stays there, out cold.
And with that, everything falls quiet. All Tobias can hear is the roar of his heartbeat in his ears. He stares at the pangoro, fear building in his gut.
Not again. He can’t do this again.
Nia steps in front of him, paws raised in a fighting stance. She looks confident, if you aren’t close enough to see the way she’s trembling.
Dismas turns to the two of them, huffing a laugh when he sees Nia’s stance. “What, you squirts wanna fight? You could just let me walk out, you know.”
Nia glances back at Tobias, as if asking what he wants to do. Tobias stares past her, unable to answer. He knows he’s shaking.
Tobias wanted this, not so long ago. He wanted the chance to take down the outlaws that killed his family. But now, trapped in here with Dismas, knowing he and Nia’s lives are on the line if they try to fight? Knowing what the pangoro can and will do, without a second thought?
Tobias is afraid. He wants to run. Hide. Let Dismas go without a fight.
But he can’t.
He can’t risk Dismas going free. He can’t risk the pangoro doing more harm to anyone else.
Tobias forces himself to breathe. Forces himself to step forward on stiff, shaky legs to stand beside Nia. He crouches into his own battle stance, trying to summon his fire.
Dismas laughs. “I’m impressed! Seeing as you just about wet yourself earlier, I thought you’d turn tail at the first sign of trouble.”
The pangoro strolls away from them, towards the far wall of the room. His broken chains drag on the metal floor with every step. He stops in front of the nearest of the tall, slim windows.
“If you wanna play hero…”
Dismas flings out a paw, slamming it into the window with a heart-stopping crack. It’s the way he’s holding his fingers, flat in a chopping motion, that tips Tobias off to what he just did.
The reflect and light screen cast over the glass, the only thing reinforcing it, stand no chance against a brick break attack. The barriers flicker, shimmering outward from the hit before dissipating entirely.
The unprotected glass cracks, splintering like a fault line. Right where Dismas’ fist hit, frothy water bursts in, spilling across the floor in an endless, powerful jet of water. In a room like this, sealed tight, it’s only a matter of time before it floods the space completely. It’d be a death trap for most Pokemon, but especially for Tobias.
Dismas grins as he turns back to them, toothy and ruthless. “Then let’s play.”
Chapter 62
Summary:
Tobias and Nia fight to stay alive.
Notes:
Content warnings for this chapter!
Discussions of death, survivor’s guilt, and vaguely suicidal thoughts in the last scene. Stay safe!
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
Without another word, Dismas launches himself at them. Nia yelps and dives out of the way. Tobias rolls the other direction. The pangoro’s fist swings past them, hard enough for a gust of wind to follow.
Tobias has enough time to lock wide, terrified eyes with Nia before they’re forced into battle in earnest.
The pangoro kicks out with a low sweep of his leg, probably hoping to get both of them. Tobias stumbles back to avoid it while Nia hops over the attack. She wastes no time summoning her aura, pulling it into the form of a staff to deflect another swing of the pangoro’s fist. It’s glittering with ice in the blue glow of her energy.
Tobias can’t get between the two in such close quarters without causing problems for Nia, so he skirts around Dismas to attack his back with bursts of flame. The pangoro is distracted enough to send a move Tobias’ way, but he quickly focuses on Nia again. His onslaught is relentless, slowly pushing their battle closer to the wall.
Tobias continues his assault and tries to keep a handle on his frantic thoughts, but the loud rush of water spilling through the window behind him isn’t helping. Think, Toby. They can’t win a battle of pure strength, not against Dismas. They’re outclassed and Tobias knows it. So they need a plan.
Tobias’ eyes flick around the cell between attacks, trying to find something to help. They can’t escape the room—the door crank is too heavy, too far off the ground. The guards are both unconscious on the floor. The rest of the room is bereft of exits, unless they manage to float to the top of the room and crawl up the air vent before the water catches up to them.
No, that won’t work. The water would swallow him and Nia, short as they are, way before it impeded Dismas. And Tobias can’t swim.
Tobias’ eyes catch again on the cracked window, gushing water at a steady rate. He’d thought at first that the water was just to slow them—him, specifically—down. But Dismas can’t be thinking they’re that much of a threat. He’s clearly confident in his abilities, and for good reason.
Is it some kind of sick power play to mess with Tobias? Is Dismas so confident that he put a self-imposed timer on himself just for fun? Or is he hoping to take the entire prison down with him? Punch the door down and let the whole place flood? Tobias wouldn’t be surprised if the pangoro’s escape plan was to just keep swinging until he was free and cause as much damage as possible on the way out.
Either way, it adds a whole new layer of terror to a situation that was already bad enough. The seawater spilling into the room is already reaching them, lapping at their feet in a thin layer. It burns underfoot, and Tobias grits his teeth against the sensation.
Nia gasps as the water reaches her. She ducks under another fist. “Tobias! The guards!”
It takes a moment for Tobias to understand what she’s talking about. Then he curses, glancing at the quagsire and malamar lying unconscious on the floor. Which is now flooding. They don’t have anywhere safe they can put them, even if they had the time and safety to, but they can’t just let them drown, either.
Maybe that’s what Dismas was aiming for.
Tobias growls, dodging a retaliatory kick from Dismas and going for the malamar first. He avoids looking at where the Pokemon was stabbed through the gut, and instead puts his whole body into rolling the malamar onto their back.
Tobias looks frantically for any sign of gills. The malamar’s body seems like it could be conducive for swimming, but Tobias can’t be sure considering he was breathing air earlier.
Then his eyes catch on the suction cups on the malamar’s tentacle-like arms.
…Oh, this is such a stupid idea.
Tobias glances back at Nia. The riolu is just barely managing to ward off Dismas, aura staff helping her sidestep and deflect heavy punches, but she’s clearly struggling to keep up. Tobias has to hurry.
Tobias puts his whole body into shoving the malamar the few feet over to the wall, then props the psychic type up against the metal. Then he grabs the malamar’s tentacle-like arm and jumps as high as he can to slap it sucker-side-down against the wall.
When Tobias lands with a splash, the malamar’s arm hangs securely to the wall. It’s holding the guard upright, so that his face is now a few feet above the rising tide.
Good enough.
Tobias looks at the quagsire. She’s already lying face-up and doesn’t have anything obvious that could help her stay upright like the malamar’s suction cups. He could try to prop her against the wall so she’s at least sitting up, but he’s honestly not sure he could move her. She looks even heavier than her colleague.
A loud BANG comes from Nia and Dismas’ fight. Tobias glances over his shoulder, terrified of what he’ll see, only to find that Nia has just barely evaded a punch that put a giant dent into the metal wall.
He doesn’t have time to sit here and figure something out. Nia needs him. The quagsire is a water-type—he’ll just have to hope that she’s either naturally buoyant enough to float, or that she can breathe underwater somehow.
Tobias runs back to the fight, noting how strange it was that Dismas hadn’t gone after him at all in his absence. The pangoro has been pursuing Nia almost single-mindedly for most of the fight, only attacking Tobias when he needs to get him off his back. At first, Tobias had just figured he’d picked a target at random between the two of them, or maybe he wanted to be extra sadistic and take out Tobias’ partner first.
But even now, as Tobias sends a dragon rage at the pangoro’s back that actually makes him grunt, Dismas only retaliates enough to send Tobias on the retreat before bearing down on Nia again. It’s not until Nia uses the opportunity to take a swing of her own with her aura club that Tobias realizes why she’s the target.
Because Dismas dodges, jerking away from the hit.
Nia’s strong, but no more than Tobias is. So why would Dismas be wary of her hits and practically ignore Tobias? It’s not like her moves are—
Oh, of course. Dismas doesn’t know that Nia can’t use fighting type energy. He’s expecting super-effective hits, and trying to avoid any of them landing, even if that means he has to wall Tobias’ attacks in the meantime.
He’s trying to take out the bigger threat first.
Okay, that’s not great, but maybe they can use that to their advantage somehow. They certainly need every advantage they can get, Tobias thinks, distracted by the water now covering the entirety of the floor in a thin sheen, lapping and rippling like a spring. It splashes underfoot with every step.
Tobias sends another glance at the door. He really doesn’t think they can open it, but they need out of this deathtrap just as much as they need to get away from Dismas. They can’t dodge forever, and he doubts anyone on the outside even knows what’s happening down here.
…Wait.
Tobias glances again at the window, at the glow of green visible past the break.
This much water should disrupt the currents around the prison, and there are guards outside. Surely water types meant to be patrolling the area will notice that something is drawing water in towards the prison, right? He has to believe they will. If a guard notices the break, then they’re sure to investigate and send someone to help, which means…
They don’t have to win this fight. They just have to outlast Dismas until reinforcements arrive.
Nia is already panting hard, though, having had no chance to catch her breath despite Dismas’ slower speed. They can’t risk either of them getting hit by a single move head-on, so evasion is top priority. She needs a break.
Tobias will just have to give her one.
He leaps up onto Dismas’ back, grabbing fistfuls of thick fur and pulling himself up to the pangoro’s shoulder. Dismas growls, irritated, and tries to shake him off.
Tobias holds tighter, calling his fire to his mouth and puffing his cheeks. He hasn’t tried this move before—he doesn’t like the brutality of biting if he doesn’t have to—but if anyone deserves it, Dismas does.
Fangs molten with heat, Tobias clamps down as hard as he can on the segment between Dismas’ neck and shoulder, past fur and straight into flesh. Dismas snarls, trying to grab Tobias to wrench him free.
Nia hesitates for a second, but then uses a quick attack to dart to the other side of the room in a flash, stumbling over her paws and leaning against the wall to recover with heavy breaths.
Dismas finally manages to snag Tobias’ side with a sharp claw, yanking him off. Tobias is thrown heavily into the thin layer of water, but he rolls to his feet relatively unharmed. Blood drips down his side, but the gash doesn’t seem deep. He licks his fangs, grimacing at the taste of iron there.
Dismas doesn’t give him time to think, immediately coming at him with a bullet punch. Tobias jerks away, and the ineffective move doesn’t do more than graze him, but he’s still sent staggering by the sheer force of it.
Before Dismas can attack again, Nia shoots past Tobias, quick attack making her a blur of blue. She swings her aura staff and slams it into Dismas’ hip. He grunts, but simply catches the staff before it can retract, snapping the aura in half as easily as a twig between his fingers.
Nia watches her aura flicker out, ears pinning flat.
Dismas’ gaze narrows. “…No fighting type moves, Riolu? You’re either real soft or real stupid, and they’re the same in my book.”
He doesn’t wait for a response, lunging into an attack that has Nia and Tobias scrambling away again.
Dismas must suspect that something’s off about Nia’s attacks after that, but if anything it only seems to make him more suspicious, bearing down on Nia even harder than before. She uses small patches of protect to avoid getting hit, rather than dodging around every attack and wearing herself out so quickly. Their satchel swings and bounces with each blow, and Tobias’ eyes lock onto it.
Do they have anything useful in their bag? They passed by that item shop earlier, but Tobias didn’t buy anything despite the fact that he should know better by now, with their record of running into trouble.
But wait—Xander and Avery, they gave them—
Tobias sucks in a deep breath, then releases a thick gray cloud of smokescreen.
Just in time, too, as Dismas gets sick of Nia’s protection strategy and uses a brick break to shatter her next shield. She cries out, stumbling back.
Luckily, the smokescreen spreads quickly enough to give the pangoro pause. The already dim green light of the room grows even hazier, Dismas and Nia melting away into vague silhouettes before vanishing almost entirely.
Tobias squints, grateful that his eyes are sharp enough to pick out Dismas in the smoke, stance wary, and Nia, who has backed away from the fight to look around frantically.
Tobias moves to her side, grateful that the dull roar of water pouring into the room hides the sound of his splashing steps. He grabs her arm, slapping a hand over her mouth to stop her from yelping.
“Gimme the bag,” Tobias whispers.
Nia quickly complies. She swings the satchel around for Tobias to dig through, and he finds the smooth surface of the orb within. He pulls it out, then grabs Nia’s paw to place it onto the item as well.
“Tobias, what—"
“Close your eyes.”
Tobias has heard about orbs before from passing Seeker teams, so he hopes he’s remembering how to activate one correctly. He squeezes his eyes shut and twists the top half of the orb. A blinding blue-white light flashes through his eyelids.
And then he feels it. The energy contained within the all power-up orb rushes through his body, making him feel stronger. His fire burns hotter in his belly.
Nia blinks at the hollow shell of the orb, then at him. “What..?”
Tobias flings the orb aside. “We’ll be stronger for a while. C’mon, we can’t waste this chance. We have to stall him.”
Nia bites her lip, but nods. “I’ll have to wait for the smoke to clear a bit so I can see.”
“I’ll start, then,” Tobias says, darting in to attack.
Dismas’ ears twitch as he tries to track the sound of Tobias’ approach, luckily distorted by the water and the metallic enclosure. Tobias doesn’t give him the chance to figure it out. He unleashes a dragon rage on the pangoro’s side. The purple flames light up the haze of smoke, and Dismas slashes blindly in his direction.
Tobias dodges and switches to flame bursts, trying to use the lingering smokescreen to his advantage to circle the pangoro and disorient him.
After a few blows, Dismas snarls.
The sound is weighty, carrying with it some kind of move energy. It hits Tobias in a dark wave, strong enough to hurt but weak enough for him to keep his footing. His fire suddenly feels less powerful, though.
Before Dismas can continue his attack, a sphere of blue aura launches from the smoke into Dismas’ back. He growls and spins, seeing Nia’s silhouette in the fading smoke just as she can see him. Still, she takes the opportunity to throw another ball of aura as he lunges for her. Nia rolls out of the way in a loud splash, but then is back on the defensive, using a staff of aura to deflect and dodge his heavy hits.
Tobias growls and launches himself back into the fight, the two of them once again dancing around the lumbering Pokemon’s devastating moves. But they’re getting knicked more and more as the fight drags on and they slow down, their movements growing sloppy. It doesn’t help that the water underfoot continues to rise, now up to Tobias’ ankles. It adds an extra weight to each of his steps, making him slower and clumsier.
They can’t afford to keep this fight going much longer.
Nia must think the same, because after she narrowly avoids a terrifying shadow claw to the chest she calls out, “Tobias! Use smokescreen again!”
Tobias can’t spare Nia a glance, but his voice is bewildered as he shouts, “What?!”
Sure, Tobias would have an advantage with his sharper eyes, but Nia would be just as blind as Dismas.
“Trust me!” Nia says, slipping into Dismas’ space to…tap him with her paw?
Tobias has no idea what she’s planning, but he listens. Dismas doesn’t seem to like the idea, because he turns and takes a swing at Tobias. Tobias hops back from it, then spews a dark cloud of smoke, even thicker than earlier. It hazes the room in seconds
Dismas makes a frustrated sound, punching in Tobias’ direction. Tobias takes his chance to back up and take a breather. He glances at Nia.
The riolu has also backed up. She’s panting hard, but a rest doesn’t seem to be her plan. Instead, her aura staff vanishes, and she closes her eyes. A moment later, the faint blue of her aura outlines her, the appendages on either side of her face lifting.
Then Tobias feels it. It’s faint, almost unnoticeable, like Nia has brushed up against him. Not forceful, but definitely present.
Her aura. She tagged him. That explains what she was doing earlier, too, when she made such light contact with Dismas. She’s tracking the two of them by their energy.
Nia moves. Her steps gain confidence as she runs to Tobias’ side, giving Dismas a wide berth. The pangoro’s head snaps side to side, trying to find them in the impenetrable smoke.
“Aura,” Nia explains breathlessly, eyes still closed. “I’ve gotta thank Val later for making me brush up on my training. Now what’s the plan?”
Tobias looks back at Dismas. “We’ve mostly been dodging, but we need to get some hard hits in before the orb wears off if we want to have a chance at outlasting him. I’ll keep the smokescreen up if you can keep using your aura.”
Nia nods. “I-I think I can. Flank him?”
“Circle him. Keep moving. He’s still dangerous even if he can’t see exactly where we are.”
“Right.”
As one, Tobias and Nia run at Dismas, splitting around him like water. Dismas must notice their presence, because he bares his teeth, crouching lower in preparation to strike.
Tobias begins the attack, trying to keep his distance as much as possible by using his flames. He starts at Dismas’ back, then his side, then his chest, focused on staying moving. Each hit lights up the smoke in a bright, dizzying haze.
Nia joins in with her own attacks, sometimes throwing messy aura spheres and sometimes darting in to take a swing with her aura staff before vanishing back into the smoke just as quickly.
Dismas is clearly irritated by the tactic, swinging for them blindly with heavy paws. At one point he tries to use another snarl attack, and Tobias only avoids the shockwave of sound because Nia is crossing by him and blocks it with a flicker of protect.
Dismas sees the bright blue of her energy in the fading smokescreen, and lunges. They separate again.
“Tobias—more smoke!”
“No,” Dismas snaps. “Your little game ends here.”
The words are thick with frustration, but that’s not what makes Tobias’ skin tingle and a hot fog fall over his thoughts. Distantly, he recognizes the energy projected through the words themselves.
Taunt. No more smokescreen, then. Tobias has to fight. He feels the heat of it in his bones.
Tobias growls and launches himself at Dismas, strategy thrown to the wayside in exchange for claws and teeth.
Dismas grins, welcoming the full-frontal attack. While Tobias gets a slash or two off on the pangoro in his frenzy, slicing through pelt and skin, both blows land on Dismas’ arms, relatively harmless.
In such close quarters, Dismas is able to grab Tobias easily. He swings him around before slamming him down into the water covering the ground. Tobias’ spine hits the metal underneath painfully hard, sending a spike of jarring pain through his body. Even worse, the cold ocean water laps over his body, burning against his skin and leaving him gasping.
At least his head feels a bit clearer.
“Let him go!”
Nia flickers between them and wheels her staff back to smack the pangoro’s arm away. To Tobias’ surprise, there’s enough power there to make it happen.
As soon as he’s released, Tobias scrambles back.
Nia is on the offensive, now, slamming her staff into the pangoro’s legs and sides and leaping around his retaliatory blows using little bursts of quick attack. Her hits seem to be landing harder, not just making Dismas brace against them but actively chasing him backwards.
Is she just that angry, or did she sneak in a work up, boosting her attack even more? Tobias knows they can’t afford to hold back, but he’s getting a bit worried about her energy reserves.
As if to spite him for the thought, Nia stumbles as she tries to dodge Dismas’ next punch. Her quick attack falters, and she can’t move fast enough with the water lapping at her ankles, slowing her down.
Dismas’ fist doesn’t hit her head-on, but even a blow to the side is enough to send her flying back, skimming across the shallow water like a stone before slamming into the metal wall and slumping to the ground.
“Nia!” Tobia screams.
He stares, seeing Vivi and desperately thinking Get up get up get up you have to get up—
He only dodges Dismas’ incoming attack on instinct, feeling the pangoro’s fur brush his side. With Nia down, Dismas has officially switched targets.
Tobias is more worried about his partner, though. He tries to get to her, but Dismas blocks his path, using Tobias’ obvious distraction to his advantage. He’d had a hold on his fear before, but it has returned in an all-consuming wave of terror.
Tobias dodges attack after attack, trying to create an opening to check on Nia. Finally, after a particularly large burst of fire that makes even Dismas step back, Tobias manages a glimpse in the riolu’s direction.
His heart skips a beat.
Nia is leaning heavily on the wall, one paw braced against it. The other is pressed tight against her side. Her face is twisted with pain.
But she’s alive. She’s standing.
Dismas follows Tobias’ gaze, clearly weighing whether or not to go finish the job. Something protective and feral and furious rises in Tobias’ gut in response. He’s done playing fair.
“Hey!” He snaps.
Dismas glances down at him, and Tobias spits fire directly into his eyes.
The pangoro roars, stumbling back. Tobias takes his chance and sprints to Nia’s side.
“Tobias,” she wheezes.
“You’re hurt,” he says, like an idiot. He peels her paw away from her side, doing his best to ignore her pained whine.
No blood, thank Arceus, but that just means the damage is internal. Which is almost more worrying.
“Think it’s my ribs,” she murmurs, looking like she’s fighting to stay conscious. “I-I don’t…”
“Shh, don’t move. I got it. Just…"
Tobias looks around, hoping that help has somehow magically appeared in the last ten seconds. But no, it’s still just the two of them and Dismas, who is scrubbing at his eyes. The guards lie unconscious nearby.
The water is rising higher. The green glow from the window reflects onto the rippling waves, the whole room a surreal fractured mirror. It’s already up to Tobias’ knees.
Wait.
“A mirror,” Tobias breathes.
Between the dim lighting and the constant ripple running through the water, the reflection isn’t super clear, though, the image fractured and faint. Will it be enough?
Dismas finally lifts his head, locking eyes with Tobias. He snarls, fists clenching.
Tobias can’t afford not to try.
“Giratina!” He shouts, desperate.
Nia blinks, mind clearly clouded with pain as she struggles to understand what he’s doing.
And then, a moment later, Tobias sees him. In the rippling reflection below, a familiar pair of glowing red eyes and a golden mask-like face. Giratina glances at the pangoro across the room, then glares at Nia and Tobias.
“Get us out of here or we’re dead,” Tobias says, less of a command and more of a plea.
Dismas roars, charging them. Tobias steps in front of Nia. He presses them both back against the wall, praying under his breath and fighting to keep his eyes open against the charging outlaw.
And then, as Dismas nears with his fist raised, Tobias and Nia
are
yanked
down.
Tobias stomach flips. Gravity itself seems to turn, the air suddenly much drier, and nearly silent. He lands hard on rocky ground. Nia cries out as she lands beside him.
Tobias looks around wildly, only to find himself in one of the strangest places he’s ever seen. It’s an endless indigo abyss, like a starless night. Chunks of land float throughout the space like islands that escaped gravity’s grasp. Patches of light hang like colorful windows throughout the void, glimpses into brighter worlds.
And above them floats a banished god, easily the largest Pokémon Tobias has ever seen.
Giratina leans closer to them, looming with all the ire of a furious parent. “What in the gods’ name is happening here?”
“Long story,” Tobias says, kneeling to help Nia into a sitting position. “But we need help.”
“That much is obvious.”
“Before that,” Nia rasps, coughing then wincing. “C-Can you bring the quagsire and malamar here too? They were in the same room as us.”
Giratina’s eyes narrow, but he wordlessly moves up to one of the patches of light, a larger one with a familiar green glow to it. Tobias realizes all at once that it’s a portal. Likely the one they were yanked through—the reflection created by the water on the prison floor. Giratina uses a wing-like tendril to touch it, and a moment later, the malamar is pulled through, limp, and laid onto the rocky ground beside Nia and Tobias. A few seconds later, the quagsire joins him.
“Good,” Tobias says. Then he cranes his head back to meet Giratina’s eyes. He would probably feel intimidated if he were here in any other circumstance, but all of his adrenaline is still locked onto the battle with Dismas. “Keep them safe. Nia too.”
“What?” Nia asks, head snapping up. She tries to push away from him to stand, and nearly falls on her face. Tobias settles her back onto the ground
“Keep her here,” Tobias says to Giratina, voice hard. “She can’t fight in this condition.”
Nia whines a protest, trying and failing to get to her feet again. He ignores the way his body itches to help her. She can’t possibly think he’d let her back in there with Dismas, not with that kind of injury.
“You want to return?” Giratina rumbles to Tobias.
“I don’t want to,” Tobias admits, watching Dismas through the reflection they arrived in. It’s a surreal view from below, as if they were seeing him through a glass floor. His paws are sharp against the glass, but everything else is blurred and distorted. The water ripples green and black, warping the view of the ceiling. Even still, Tobias can tell the pangoro is looking around the room in a battle stance, suspicious about their sudden disappearance. “But if no one’s there to keep him occupied, then he’s going to rip his way through the prison and destroy the whole place in the process. He might kill someone.”
“He’ll kill you!” Nia says.
“He will if he gets the chance, but unless you or Giratina have any other brilliant ideas, then…”
Nia looks up at Giratina, tears in her eyes. “C-Can’t you grab Dismas? You’re a god!”
“He is powerful, and a dark type as well,” Giratina says with a rueful shake of his head. “I cannot drag him here against his will. Not at my current strength. I can slow him down, but that is all.”
That would help, but it wouldn’t be enough on its own. The water in the room is still rising, and soon it’ll be too high for Tobias to move through at all without wading, which would render him practically useless.
No, he needs another form of attack. Something that’ll keep him moving quickly enough. But there isn’t any higher ground to stand on in the little prison cell, or even floating debris to hop between. It’s practically empty, the pangoro and the pool of water the only things of note.
Tobias stares up at the portal, imagining what he’d do after Giratina flung him back through.
And then he gets his actual stupidest idea of the fight. His breath catches.
“Tobias?”
“Giratina,” Tobias says, slowly. “What happens if you throw someone through a portal?”
Nia and Giratina stare at him with equally dumbfounded looks.
“Well?”
“If you were to go through the portal at such a speed, you would continue your momentum into the mortal realm,” Giratina says.
“So I’d just shoot up out of the water, right?”
“In theory, yes.”
“And you could catch me again when I landed. Bring me back here.”
“You’re going to play whack-a-mole with a murderer,” Nia says, in disbelief. “Tobias, no, that’s so risky!”
Tobias doesn’t admit that she’s right. He flattens his mouth, looking up to meet Giratina’s eyes. “You willing to help? The water’s too deep for me to fight otherwise.”
Giratina doesn’t answer.
Tobias swallows. “Please. He can’t be set free.”
Giratina rumbles a mildly irritated sort of noise. “Do not expect this to become a habit.”
Nia makes a sound of protest, but Tobias just gives her what he hopes is a reassuring smile before hopping onto Giratina’s offered wing-tendril-thing.
Tobias is lifted up to the portal. “All right. Let’s try this. Ready?”
“Mm.”
Tobias braces himself. Giratina lowers his wing, then launches him up with surprising force. Tobias resists the urge to close his eyes, rocketing through the portal and—
And flying up into humid air, the sound of rushing water in the enclosed space like a slap to the face. Green light and metal surrounds him once again. Dismas whips his head around, staring at Tobias as he slows mid-air against gravity.
Tobias, with a vicious grin, spins to thwack the pangoro with his tail before gravity takes him and he drops again. Dismas, completely unprepared, stumbles back with a grunt.
Instead of landing in the water, Tobias phases through the reflection and into Giratina’s dimension, caught by the tendrils of the legendary in question.
Tobias can’t believe that worked. He laughs, probably a little hysterically. “Can you keep doing that? Just…keep me coming in at different angles so it’s less predictable.”
Giratina doesn’t look thrilled by the prospect, but he wordlessly braces himself for another throw. Tobias tenses.
Giratina chucks him again, and this time Tobias re-enters the battlefield from behind Dismas. The pangoro spins to meet him, but not before Tobias spits another flame burst at his face, dropping again just as quickly.
Just as before, he phases through the portal and back into the dry, quiet air of the distortion world. Giratina’s tendrils catch him, cold against his back.
He’s launched back up for another attack. And another. And another.
Each time, Tobias gets more confident. He hits the pangoro with a burst of fire or dragon rage, or swipes at him with his claws or a swing of his tail before falling back to safety. Dismas starts trying to grab him, but Giratina keeps Tobias’ entry point random each time and drags Dismas’ feet as much as possible to make him stumble and slow.
Tobias would almost say Dismas is starting to lag, the slightest bit.
Tobias’ own muscles burn with overuse, screaming for a break, but he needs to stall for as long as physically possibly, until help arrives.
He grunts as Giratina launches him through the portal once more. Tobias summons his fire for another flame burst—
Dismas snatches Tobias out of midair. Before Tobias can even register what’s happening, he’s being swung around and slammed down into the water again. His back presses against the metal floor, and burning cold water closes over his head. He chokes on it, struggling against the massive paw holding him down.
It’s loud under the water, an endless roar in his ears, and Tobias realizes that the pangoro has pinned him closer to the crack in the window. The water is likely too agitated here for a reflection to work as a portal.
Panic sets in immediately.
Dismas doesn’t move, as unyielding as a statue as he holds Tobias down. He’s not even going to crush Tobias—he’s going to make him suffer. Drown him slowly.
Tobias is going to die here.
He’s going to die to the same monster that killed his family. He doesn’t want to die.
He doesn’t want to die.
Tobias hears something, a vague yell that sounds suspiciously like Nia. He cracks his eyes open against stinging saltwater just in time to see the water above light up with the blue of her aura.
Of course.
The weight of Dismas’ paw is suddenly gone.
Tobias sits up, coughing and spluttering. He gasps in air, lungs burning, skin numb with pain. He feels too heavy to stand up.
A quiet splash and a whimper, nearly lost to the torrent of water gushing in, is the only thing that manages to lift Tobias’ head. Nia, hand still pressed to her side and visibly trembling, limps to his side.
“T-Tobias! Are you okay?”
“You were supposed to stay with Giratina,” he says, glaring at her.
“Change of plans?” Nia says with a shaky smile.
As one, he and Nia see movement and look over. Dismas is pushing himself to his feet against the far wall. He’s soaking wet, and he looks livid.
Nia presses silently against Tobias’ side, the two of them facing the pangoro head-on.
A piercing crack comes from behind them. Tobias stiffens, glancing back.
The pressure of the water against the window has finally gotten to be too much. The cracks around the break lengthen, branching out in loud, jarring jolts.
…Wait. Is that the shadow of a Pokemon on the other side of the glass?
The rest of the window suddenly shatters. Water comes at them in a wave.
Nia grabs Tobias’ arm, and the blue of her aura flickers to life around them, encasing them in a bubble of protection. Against the semi-translucent barrier, seawater crashes in, swirling against the surface in whorls and waves. Tobias can feel the pressure of the ocean settling around them, like being jammed into a too-small space.
Through the frothy water, Tobias sees Dismas get slammed by the current. The water rises immediately to his waist, then incrementally higher. For the first time, the pangoro actually looks afraid, trying to back away with nowhere to go.
Then, Tobias sees them: Pokemon. Bright streaks of light as guards swarm the room through the broken window. Tobias recognizes the yellow glow of the lanturn he’d noticed earlier, as well as the crawdaunt with his mossy green lantern. A dewgong and an octillery swim by as well, their tones bright against the dark green water. A kingdra and vaporeon slip past the window’s jagged edges with ease. Finally, a sharpedo barrels through and attacks Dismas immediately, latching onto the pangoro’s arm with razor-sharp teeth to hold the outlaw in place.
It’s chaos, but it’s clearly controlled chaos as they all follow some unspoken protocol, three or four of the water types corralling and containing the pangoro in seconds. Moments later, they tug him out of the cell and through the window, presumably up to the surface.
Tobias is relieved when he sees the octillery and dewgong speed out of the room as well, the two injured, unconscious guards held tight between them. Giratina must’ve slipped them back into the room amidst the flurry of activity.
At this point the room has flooded almost entirely, making the water seem almost calm outside of their bubble. Only one or two ‘mon are left after the rush, and the sudden stillness is almost unnerving.
Tobias jumps when he turns his head and notices a giant blue face peering in at them, barely small enough to fit through the broken window. His fanged mouth is large enough to swallow them whole, but he nods reassuringly when he meets Tobias’ eyes. He has a crest at his forehead, fins framing his face, and long blue whiskers.
A gyarados.
The gyarados swims through the window, carefully avoiding broken glass, and wraps his long tail around their protect bubble. Tobias holds Nia to his side, stumbling when their bubble is easily picked up in the gyarados’ grasp and maneuvered through the window into the open ocean beyond.
The gyarados doesn’t move nearly as quickly as Tobias would like, seeming almost leisurely as he swims up to the surface. As the pressure in Tobias’ ears shifts uncomfortably, he figures the gyarados probably has his reasons for the slow ascent, but he still can’t help wishing the water type would hurry up.
Nia is breathing hard, shaking like a leaf in a storm, likely on her very last restores of energy after such a tough fight. Tobias has no idea how she’s still holding on to the protect at all, honestly. He pulls her into a hug, letting her lean most of her weight on him, and she squeezes him hard, fingers digging into his skin. He uses his thumbs to rub circles into her back in return, murmuring encouragements.
Slowly, the surface comes closer. The ocean around them fades from heavy black and bright green to a gentle, sunlit blue. And finally, finally, they break the surface. The gyarados lifts their bubble onto his broad back, finally safe in the open air.
“You can relax, Riolu,” the gyarados says, just loud enough to be heard through the barrier.
Nia doesn’t, arms still locked tight around Tobias.
Tobias taps her back. “Nia, you can let go.”
She whimpers quietly. A questioning, uncertain noise.
“They’ve got us. We’re safe.”
Another beat of hesitation, and then Nia releases the protect. Bright sunlight and fresh, cool air hit Tobias’ chilled skin. Nia slumps against him, complete deadweight.
“Nia?”
Tobias feels a sudden rush of fear, remembering Vivi’s small body doing the same. He hurriedly sits and eases her into his lap, face-up. To his relief, her brow creases with the movement. Her chest rises and falls, shallower than he would like but otherwise steady.
She’s fine. Out like a light, but alive.
Tobias exhales, leaning forward to wrap his arms loosely around Nia’s shoulders. He presses his face into the ruff of fur around her neck.
Alive. She’s alive. He’s alive. They fell into a deathtrap with Dismas and survived.
Tobias barks a laugh, eyes stinging with tears. Then he can’t seem to stop laughing, until he’s gasping for air and crying too, shaking. Nia’s going to have to wash her fur.
The tension and terror that has been sitting like bile in his gut since they first saw Dismas finally starts to ease. It feels like breaching the surface all over again. It feels like relief.
The gyarados brings them to a dock at the edge of the city, where officials are trying to keep a gawking crowd of bystanders at bay with shouts and only half-succeeding. Word must’ve spread that something exciting was happening.
Tobias barely registers it, only focused on sticking by Nia as they’re handed off to another ‘mon and carted off somewhere.
He doesn’t come back to himself until two healer ‘mon try to separate Nia from his death grip. It’s likely for treatment, considering that when he lifts his head they’re in what is clearly a small clinic, but he’s still reluctant to part from her.
“I’m her partner,” Tobias rasps, though it comes out as more of a whine.
The Pokemon trying to see to their injuries, an audino and a clefable, exchange looks.
“We aren’t separating you,” the audino assures, voice low and soothing. “But you have to let go so we can look you both over.”
Tobias reluctantly releases Nia, relieved when they’re only parted by a few feet so the medics have enough room to work.
“She got hit on her right side,” Tobias says to the clefable looking him over, letting the fairy type move his limbs around as she checks for mobility issues. “Check her ribs.”
“Lerin knows what he’s doing,” the clefable says, though she sounds more amused than anything. “Don’t worry. Your partner is in good hands.”
Tobias nods, forcing himself to relax and follow the clefable’s directions as she gives him a thorough checkup. After cleaning and bandaging the gash on his side and running him through a heal pulse session, Tobias is feeling fuzzy-headed and ready to sleep for a week, but otherwise significantly better.
The clefable eases Tobias into a large, mossy nest, soft against his raw and water-chafed skin. Sleep tugs at him, but…
“Nia?” Tobias mumbles.
“She has a fracture on one rib,” the audino answers, carefully laying Nia into the nest next to Tobias. “Otherwise, only some nasty bruising. It’ll hurt and she’ll need to take it easy for a week or so—no combat—but the heal pulse kickstarted the healing process. She’ll be fine. Probably up and about in a day or two.”
Good. Tobias hums his thanks, wiggling closer until he can lie right next to Nia, tucking his face into the fluff around her neck to feel her breathe.
And then he’s out.
It feels like Tobias has only just closed his eyes when he’s woken by a quiet, cut-off sound of pain. His eyes snap open in an instant.
Nia stares back at him like a child caught doing something they shouldn't be. She’s still lying down, but her paw is pressed against her injured side and her body is curled tight with tension.
“Careful," Tobias mumbles, reaching up to rub at his eyes. "You cracked a rib.”
“You don’t say,” Nia huffs, somewhere between pained and amused. She visibly forces herself to relax, gingerly laying her arm down and trying to uncurl.
It’s early morning, warm sunshine just starting to filter into the room through sheer curtains and painting everything in a golden light.
“So we didn’t die?” Nia asks, only half-joking.
Tobias breathes a laugh. “We survived. Somehow. You got the worst of it.”
“I’d say. Feels like I got hit by a truck.”
Tobias’ smile falters. “They said you’ll have to take it easy for a couple weeks, but you should be able to walk around in a day or two.”
Nia tries to take a deeper breath, and winces when she can't. She exhales with a forced steadiness. “Junie’s gonna kill me.”
“You? I’m definitely getting the blame for this.”
Nia laughs, but quickly chokes off into a pained sound.
Tobias’ heart sinks. He looks away. “…I’m sorry. That you got hurt. And for, uh…getting us into that situation in the first place. Every time we try to learn more about Team Zenith, I feel like we end up fighting for our lives.”
Nia is quiet for a moment. Then she reaches over and takes his hand, uncurling his fingers to intertwine their hands and give a squeeze. “This time wasn’t your fault.”
“I’m the reason we were there at all.”
“It was important to you. You couldn’t have known he’d break free like that.”
“Still. You got hurt.”
“That’s just part of the Seeker lifestyle, Tobias.”
“Wish it wasn’t.” Tobias finally works up the courage to meet Nia’s eyes again, feeling unworthy of the soft affection he sees there.
But then her expression falls, brow furrowing. Hesitantly, as if afraid to hear the answer, Nia asks, “Have you heard anything about the guards? Did they..?”
Survive? Tobias feels more guilt pile onto his shoulders.
Tobias shakes his head. “I don’t know. I know they got ‘em out, but I haven’t heard anything else.”
Nia hums, but doesn’t push. Then she runs her thumb over the back of his hand. “How about you? How are you feeling about…everything?”
Tobias knows what she’s asking. How is he handling what he learned from Dismas? What he remembered about that night?
The fact that his family died just to cover Team Zenith’s tracks.
The reminder makes hot tears prick at Tobias’ eyes. He takes a shaky breath. “Honestly? Not great.”
Nia makes a wordless sound of encouragement.
“It’s just...I always figured there had to be a reason, you know? Something I could point to and say, ‘This is why that happened.’ Some big, important motive. And knowing it was all just bad timing? Just Sulien covering his tracks? It feels…wrong.”
Tobias sniffs. He feels a few tears spill over, streaking sideways down his face. He lowers his chin, but doesn’t bother wiping the tears away. He knows there are more coming. His throat is tight.
“They never deserved to die, but at least if there was a better reason, there would be some kind of logic to it, y’know? But no, it was all just…chance.”
The knowledge leaves Tobias feeling strangely unmoored. He would’ve guessed that this revelation would stoke his rage more than ever. Instead, the burning hate that has kept him going the past eight years, that has driven him to hunt down the outlaws and make them pay, has…dampened.
He still hates Team Zenith, of course, and Sulien still needs to be stopped, but for the first time ever Tobias is realizing how…insignificant all of this is, in the grand scheme of things. This whole city has no idea who Dismas is, or what he did to Tobias’ family. They’re just tourists and locals going on with their lives, happily unaware.
That night destroyed Tobias’ world, but for everyone else? For Sulien? It meant absolutely nothing.
Does it even matter that Tobias survived? He wasn’t the one who stopped Asra, or who brought Dismas to this prison. Sulien will likely be caught by some random high-ranking team without Tobias even knowing it.
So what’s the point? Why is he still here when his family isn’t? He’s justified his survival with vengeance for so long, but when that isn’t a real factor, all that’s left to ask is why he got to live when they didn't. Once Sulien is taken care of, what is he even supposed to do with his life?
To Tobias’ surprise, a sob rips from his throat. This time, the shame is too much, and he curls up tighter in the nest, covering his face with his hands so he can cry without Nia seeing him.
Of course she won’t let that stand. Nia’s soft, cool paws tug at his shoulders, coaxing him closer until he can bury himself in her neck, crying into her soft fur. One paw comes up to cup the back of his head, the other stroking at his shoulder blades while she murmurs words too quiet to understand.
For a moment, Tobias is torn between mortification and relief, before grief hits him like a wave and buries it all. It drowns him more thoroughly than the ocean had, leaving him gasping for air and trembling with pain.
“I miss them so much,” he whimpers.
Nia’s hold tightens. He can feel her swallow. “I know.”
“I-I don’t—they should’ve lived. Vivi should’ve lived."
“I know. But you did the best you could, Tobias. It’s a miracle you even survived.”
“I shouldn’t have!” Tobias cries. “I should’ve died with her.”
Nia’s breath hitches. She holds him even tighter, voice shaking. “Well...I’m glad you survived, for what it's worth. And your family would be happy you did, too.”
Tobias shakes his head. “But I couldn’t even avenge them! I-I didn’t catch Asra, or Dismas. I-I…What good am I if I can’t even do that? That’s all I’m here for!”
At that, Nia wrenches them apart. Through Tobias’ tears, she looks on the verge of tears herself. “You’re here to live, Tobias. You don’t have to do anything to deserve that. I…I didn’t know your family, but I’m positive that’s what they would have wanted, too.”
The words strike Tobias in the chest. They feel blasphemous. They feel like a gasp of air after drowning for nearly a decade.
“I don’t deserve it,” Tobias whispers.
“You do. You deserve to be happy, Tobias. It wasn’t your fault.”
It feels shameful, admitting that some part of him wants Nia to be right. Wants that burden lifted off his back.
“It’s not fair,” he rasps, “That I got to live and they didn’t.”
“I know. I’m sorry.”
Nia’s words are sympathetic. Forgiving. Tobias can’t ingest them, not with guilt still choking him like a physical thing. Like Dismas himself is here with his fingers around Tobias’ throat.
Tobias doesn’t think he’ll ever be able to forgive himself for not doing enough. For not saving them, somehow. For surviving when they didn’t.
But...Nia’s also right. His family wouldn’t have wanted him to be miserable his entire life. They definitely wouldn’t have wanted him to die with them. They loved him as much as he loved them.
When Dismas was trying to drown him earlier, Tobias remembers thinking that he didn’t want to die. He was scared, sure, but here with Nia he realizes that it wasn’t just fear talking, or a desire to take down Team Zenith.
He’d wanted to live, too.
Tobias had thought he didn’t care whether he lived or died, after the mines in Fort Asra. But…he does care. Surprisingly, he doesn’t actually want to die.
The thought feels selfish and too large to comprehend, almost heavier than the shame and hate he has carried around all these years. He wouldn’t know what to do with that kind of freedom, with his life not constantly weighed down by thoughts of the outlaws and his family’s tragic deaths.
...Could he really do that? Choke down the guilt and live a life for someone other than his ghosts? Live purely for himself? It sounds so wrong.
But…Nia says he deserves it. And he trusts her.
Maybe he could just try it. Try…living for the sake of living, rather than as a means to an end. For Nia’s sake, and for Maggie’s, and for the Pokemon at the guild he’s starting to think of as friends.
Maybe Nia’s right. Maybe he wasn’t just left alive as some sick memorial to the worst night of his life. Even when guilt threatens to consume him whole, maybe it’s okay for him to try to be happy.
Maybe one day he’ll even believe he deserves it.
Notes:
Want more of this chapter? Check out this awesome fanart that Haroovitnir made! :'] Thanks so much for making it!
Chapter 63
Summary:
Nia and Tobias get some time to relax and check out Kaleido Bay before solidifying their plans to find Xerneas.
Notes:
(See the end of the chapter for notes.)
Chapter Text
“Oh! Tobias, look at these!”
Nia knows this is the fifth time today she’s called him to her side with the same level of excitement, but she can’t help it! Kaleido Bay is just made for overeager tourists like herself.
Besides, Tobias doesn’t seem to mind her enthusiasm. He looks up from the other side of the merchant stall, dry amusement on his face, and wordlessly skirts around other tourists browsing the merchant’s wares to reach her side.
“What did you find now?”
Nia points out her newest marvel: little sculptures crafted out of shells and stones and chunks of coral. They’re lined up across the counter, depicting…Pokemon? Nia thinks they’re supposed to be Pokemon. They’re kind of silly-looking, though, with proportions that even Nia can tell are way off.
They remind her of something she’s seen in the human world, when her and her family visited the beach and perused the endless little shops made specifically for tourists. Shells and rocks and googly-eyes haphazardly glued together to form palm-sized sea turtles and fish.
Tobias cracks a smile, picking up what Nia thinks is supposed to be a pichu. “Didn’t know there was a water type pichu out there.”
“Would that make it a beach-u?”
Tobias barks a laugh.
Nia beams, pleased with her accomplishment. Her eyes linger on her partner, trying to gauge how he’s feeling as he looks through more of the silly figurines.
It’s been nearly two days since their fight with Dismas. Nia’s ribs are finally well enough to walk around—sore, with stabs of pain if she laughs or inhales too deeply, but manageable—so they’d decided to browse the tourist shops of Kaleido Bay before heading back to Will’s settlement. According to Tobias, a merchant cart willing to take passengers is scheduled to leave town in the early afternoon, so they should be able to hitch a ride with them then.
Tobias seems to be doing as well as he can be, considering the circumstances. Nia’s relieved by that. Her heart still hurts every time she remembers his cries the other night, when he wailed into her shoulder and grieved all that he had lost.
“I should’ve died with her. I couldn’t even avenge them! What good am I if I can’t even do that?”
Nia had fought off a burst of panic at those words, staying wide awake even when Tobias had eventually drifted off. She’d held him close with a lump in her throat and frantically wondered if she needed to do something more drastic to keep him safe from himself.
The next day he’d seemed more lost than actively interested in harming himself, but she still felt herself tense every time he drifted off into thought, eyes glassy and brow furrowed, or when he had to leave the room for a few minutes.
He’s still quieter than usual, and that makes her worry, but Nia also can’t help thinking some part of him seems…lighter, almost. Like a weight she’d never noticed him carrying has finally been lifted away.
Even the way Tobias is picking through the merchant’s goods is different. He’s eyeing them with actual interest, which she usually wouldn’t expect from him. She can’t tell if the change is just him trying to distract himself, or if he’s actually letting himself relax for once. Letting himself take in the world around them rather than charging after Team Zenith with no allowance for trivial things.
Maybe Nia is just overly optimistic, but she can’t help hoping something good came from Tobias meeting Dismas and learning the truth.
Tobias snorts, catching Nia’s attention again.
“Look. It’s the jerk from the prison.”
Nia looks at the little shell creature in his hands: a grumpy bipedal sea turtle, with a rocky shell. A carracosta, Nia knows now. Its eyes are mismatched, one higher than the other, giving it a ridiculous expression.
Nia laughs, then winces when the action sends a bolt of pain through her ribs. Tobias winces too, looking torn between apology and being just as smug about making her laugh as she was for him.
“I think I prefer this version,” Nia says, taking the little figure to turn it over in her hands.
It’s cute. Much cuter than the real version they’d met yesterday, at least.
They’d been expecting a visit from the officials at the prison after everything that went down, but Nia still hadn’t been prepared for the carracosta who was sent to inform them of the aftermath of Dismas’ escape and subsequent recapture.
The carracosta did confirm right away that Dismas was safely secured and had been assigned a constant guard for his transfer to an even higher security prison in Ghatha. After his little stunt with the shackles here in Kaleido, they aren’t taking the risk of leaving him alone before his trial.
Tobias’ relief had been palpable after that piece of news, his tight shoulders slumping.
Unfortunately, the agent’s tone had hardened immediately after.
“I do have a matter of security to discuss with you both.”
Nia sends a nervous glance Tobias’ way. He’s holding a poker face better than she is, but she can see the tension hidden in his spine.
The carracosta lets that heavy sentence sit for a moment. Then he continues. “D22 was a high-security prisoner. A D-rank team with no official connection should not have had the clearance to speak with him.”
Nia cringes. They’re not just in trouble, but big trouble. She’d half-expected them to be, with how they’d used Rosalind’s connections to blackmail their way into Dismas’ cell, but…
Well, this is coming back to bite them much sooner than she’d feared it would. Guilt and fear eats at her in equal measure, but she keeps her mouth shut, staring down at her lap.
She doesn’t want them to get in trouble with the law, but she also doesn’t want them to get in trouble with Rosalind. Nia doesn’t want to imagine what the hatterene would do if they sold her out.
Nia half-expects Tobias to lie and get them out of this, but he also stays silent, apparently deciding that such a game would be too dangerous with the authoritative carracosta.
The atmosphere in the room is stifling. Choking. Nia thinks she’s sweating under her fur. Can she sweat? She’s wondered about this before. She’s basically a dog, so she thinks she just sweats through her paws and—
The carracosta grunts. “I see you two are going to be just as stubborn as Jude.”
Jude. The drednaw they blackmailed to let them into the prison. Oh, jeez. What happens if no one talks? They don’t torture people for stuff like this, right? Do they throw them in jail?
Just as panic starts to bloom in earnest in Nia’s chest, the carracosta sighs.
“Fine. We aren’t going to push for a statement that would likely just be a lie.”
While the tone isn’t scolding, per se, and the words aren’t outright condemnation, the meaning is clear.
They messed up. They did something that bent the rules, at best, and the officer in front of them is well aware of that. Even if he can’t accuse them outright.
Nia barely resists looking at Tobias again, swallowing hard and keeping her eyes down.
She can feel the burn of the carracosta’s accusing stare. “Considering you weren’t the direct cause of D22’s escape attempt and you did recapture him, we’ll be lenient this time. Tapu knows he would’ve done more damage without your intervention.”
Nia holds her breath.
“I’ll be letting your guildmaster know to keep an eye on you two for suspicious activity, but we won’t actively restrict you from missions. Consider this strike one on Team Scarlet’s record.”
Nia finally lifts her head to peek at the carracosta, unsure how to feel. Part of her didn’t even think they could get a mark on their record like that. Could their Seeker status be revoked entirely if they got too many?
That thought carves a pit of shame in her stomach. They never should’ve worked with Rosalind in the first place. And they definitely shouldn’t have done something as low as blackmailing Jude, no matter what he might’ve done to get in Rosalind’s books.
Is he going to be okay? What if he gets fired from the prison for this?
Nia swallows back tears.
They might be the reason someone loses their job. And they’re going to have a mark on their record. That means August will know about it, right? She can already imagine the shame of talking to their guildmaster with that weight hanging over their head.
Tobias, on the other hand, seems relieved at the sentencing, apparently more aware than Nia of exactly how badly this could’ve gone. He nods. “Thank you.”
The carracosta doesn’t smile. He looks at the two of them for another moment, then simply turns to leave.
“W-Wait!” Nia says, unable to stop herself. She knows asking about Jude would be a stupid idea, and some cowardly part of her doesn’t really want to know. But there are two other Pokemon who have been on her mind ever since waking up here in the clinic.
The carracosta stops.
“The guards. The ones who escorted us into the prison. Are they, um…okay?”
The carracosta looks back at her, something in his sharp expression finally softening. “Miroslav won’t be on duty for a long while, but he’ll live. Toko’s injuries were minimal. She asked that I thank you both for making sure the two of them made it out alive.”
Nia melts with relief. It’s so strong it almost overshadows the guilt she’d been wrestling with before. “Thank you.”
The carracosta leaves without another word.
Nia and Tobias wait another minute in heavy silence. Finally, when they’re both convinced the carracosta is really gone, they exhale.
“Well, that was terrifying,” Nia murmurs, sweeping her hands back over her ears.
Tobias makes a quiet sound of agreement, pinching at his eyes. He looks like he’s thinking hard about something, so Nia watches him and waits while her heart rate slows.
Sure enough, he eventually speaks up. “We shouldn’t take any more missions from Rosalind. At least for a while.”
Nia straightens, surprise clear in her voice. “Really?”
Tobias had never flinched at the idea of working with Rosalind. Even after Asra, when Nia thought it was too dangerous to keep pursuing her leads, he’d been adamant. She would’ve thought that after Dismas, after Rosalind’s lead pulling through more than ever before, he would be even more stubborn.
Tobias huffs a laugh. “I know. Just…”
It’s clear he doesn’t know how to articulate what he’s feeling. Likely wrestling with the fact that they’d almost died—again—as well as the more severe consequences they just barely sidestepped with the law.
Whatever made him change his mind, Nia isn’t going to argue. “I’m fine with that. That guy was almost as terrifying as Rosalind.”
Tobias makes a halfhearted attempt at a laugh.
Even now, surrounded by happy chatter and the tropical beauty of Kaleido Bay, that conversation weighs heavy as stone on Nia’s mind. She hates going against the rules, and she hates getting in trouble. She hates that they have a mark on their record now, and that they’ll have to face August’s disappointed gaze without being able to explain themselves. She hates that they’ll likely never know how their interference affected Jude. Grumpy as he was, she still didn’t want to get him in trouble.
They’re supposed to help people, not hurt them.
Nia sighs, wincing as the motion strains her ribs. Then she shakes her head to dispel the gloomy thoughts. They can’t do anything about it now. She’ll just have to make sure they don’t hurt anyone else in the future. Especially not for their own gain.
Nia and Tobias wander away from the craft merchant’s stall, strolling through the city and taking in the sights. The salty breeze is balanced out nicely by the midmorning sunshine, and the sky overhead is a deep blue that makes the surrounding ocean shimmer. The bright buildings and even brighter merchant stalls are eye-catching and cheery, making for the perfect distraction from anxious thoughts.
The Pokemon crowding past them are clearly in high spirits, too, chatting and laughing with one another as they shop. Families corral excited children who are grasping sweets in sticky paws, and friends nudge one another to point out their next destination. An adorable couple passes by them, linked arm in arm. Mid-conversation, the taller one dips to give the top of their partner’s head an affectionate nuzzle.
Nia smiles at the gesture, then looks at Tobias. To her surprise, he’s also watching the couple, brow furrowed. Nia tilts her head at him, and he quickly glances at her before looking away, face warming as he hurriedly points out the next stall.
It’s a familiar little shop, and Nia perks up. “Oh, the glassblowing shop! Can we look around for a bit? I didn’t really get the chance the other day.”
Tobias nods his agreement, and the two of them split up to peruse the wares carefully laid across the counter of the building’s wraparound stall.
Last time, a blue monkey Pokemon with long, curled hair atop her head had been behind the counter—a simipour, according to Tobias—but this time around the merchant is a stoic-looking fire type, though he too looks strikingly monkey-like. He’s orange like Tobias, with a long fire-tipped tail and intricate blue markings over his eyes. A monferno, Nia thinks.
Nia doesn’t pay him much mind, startled instead by the little blue monkey also flitting about behind the stand, pulling herself up to be able to see over the counter and talk to customers. She’s just a kid, clearly, but for a moment Nia feels a phantom pain on her upper arm, under where her scarf is tied. They’d fought a panpour once before—an outlaw—and for a moment seeing such similar features throws Nia for a loop.
But this panpour is much smaller, and the spitting image of the simipour Nia had spoken with days before. There’s none of the outlaw’s malice on her cheerful little face, and the blue of her fur is a darker hue than his.
Nia manages to pull her eyes away, instead focusing on the beautiful glassworks on the table in front of her, shining and sparkling in the sun. After a moment of hesitation, she dares to pick one up to see it more clearly.
It’s a Pokemon—a seahorse of some kind. Unlike the wonky proportions of the shell figurines they saw earlier, this statue is intentionally styled, the curves of it elegant and acting as a perfect balance to the sharp points of its frills.
Nia carefully puts the statue back, eyes scanning the pieces until she stops at one of the more abstract works. It’s the color that she notices first, a turquoise blue that matches Nia’s aura almost perfectly.
It’s shaped like a flame, or maybe a drop of water, with wisps of glass curving upwards and intertwining with one another. The thinner ends are almost transparent, and the thicker base has incredible depth, blue like springwater.
It’s gorgeous. Nia hesitates before picking it up in her hands, running a thumb over its smooth surface.
She really, really wants to buy it. Maybe she’s just a sucker for souvenirs, but it’s so well-crafted and it feels…personal, almost. Like it was made for her.
Nia examines the little price tag tied around it, frowning. She can afford it, surprisingly, but it would clear out her personal funds entirely. She doesn’t think she can justify spending that much. What if she needs that money later? Or what if Tobias needs it for something that his own funds or the team’s can’t cover?
Nia reluctantly puts the statue back down.
“Aw, I really like that one!”
Nia looks up, surprised to lock eyes with the little panpour. She has her arms crossed on the counter from the other side of the stall, a grin on her face.
“I helped Dad make that, y’know!” She adds, clearly proud.
Nia blinks, glancing over at the monferno. He’s on the other side of the stall and talking with Tobias, who actually seems to be responding willingly, if not a bit awkwardly. His arms are crossed over his chest but his expression is open and oddly attentive.
Man, Nia really wants to know what he could be talking about so happily with a stranger. Maybe he feels more comfortable because they’re both fire types?
But Nia has her own conversation partner.
She smiles at the little monkey. “It’s gorgeous. You did a great job on it!”
The panpour smiles wider, showing off sharp fangs. “I know! Is it just too expensive for you?”
Nia shrugs with a regretful smile. “A bit.”
The panpour doesn’t seem offended, thankfully, just nodding in response. “I’d ask Dad to give you a discount, but he’s real strict about that kind of stuff.”
“It’s a fair price,” a deeper voice calls, and both Nia and the panpour jump, looking over at the child’s father. The monferno is walking over to join their conversation, and he ruffles the poof of fur on the panpour’s head as she shrieks with laughter.
“I-It is!” Nia agrees. “I’m just a bit tight on money right now, unfortunately.”
Tobias trails around the stall after his fellow fire type, stopping at Nia’s side. He tilts his head, scanning the goods. “You wanted to buy something?”
Nia gestures at the blue flame-like statue with a smile. “Isn’t it pretty?”
Tobias picks it up, just as delicately as Nia had. “…It is. Good craftsmanship.”
“You didn’t answer before,” the monferno says gruffly, looking at Tobias. “You interested in glassblowing?”
To Nia’s surprise, Tobias hesitates. He glances at her, as if embarrassed, before nodding. “Couldn’t do it myself, but it’s impressive.”
“Why not?” the panpour chirps, pointing. “You’re a fire type. You have good hands for it.”
Tobias looks uncomfortable, shrugging. “Don’t have time to learn. I’m a Seeker.”
“Doesn’t mean you have to be a Seeker forever!” the panpour says brightly.
The monferno grunts in agreement. “You don’t have to make a career of it, either. Let me know if you’re ever interested in learning and I can help you get started.”
Nia blinks, surprised by the generous offer.
Tobias looks equally thrown. “Really?”
The monferno shrugs. “Sure. Not many fire types ‘round here for me to pass the craft on to. Just don’t go stealing my customers.”
Tobias laughs at that. “Don’t think I could even if I wanted to.”
“It’s all practice.”
Tobias hums, staring down at the glass piece. “I’ll…think about it.”
Tobias ignores the surprise that Nia knows is written all over her face. He idly looks at the glass flame’s price tag himself before putting the piece back on the table. He glances at Nia. “You ready to go?”
Nia’s eyes linger on the statue, but she shakes her head and smiles. “Yeah. Let’s go before I make an impulsive purchase.”
The two of them say goodbye to the merchant and his daughter, trailing farther down the street.
As soon as they’re sucked back into the crowd, away from prying ears, Nia looks at Tobias. “I bet you’d be good at it, you know. If you tried it.”
Tobias snorts. “Glassblowing?”
“Yeah! You’re already good at guitar. Like that girl said, you have the build for it.”
Tobias’ mouth twists. “…Let’s save the world before we start looking for new hobbies.”
Nia wilts. He does have a point.
Tobias frowns, looking her over. “You okay? We can take a break.”
Oh. He must think she’s getting tired. He isn’t wrong, per se—the constant ache in Nia’s ribs and the tense way she has to hold herself IS exhausting—but that wasn’t what she’d been thinking about.
But if he doesn’t mind…
“Could we rest? Just for a minute.”
Tobias nods, looking around before leading them to a little island of shade in the sea of sun. It’s cast by a large bush of flowers, taller than they are, and the little wall containing the plant is the perfect size for them to sit on. Nia eases herself down with a relieved sigh.
Tobias stares at her, brow furrowed. “You’re supposed to tell me when you need a break.”
Nia gives him a smile. “I don’t need a break. It’s just nice.”
Tobias rolls his eyes. “Well then tell me when it would be nice to have a break.”
Nia bites back a laugh. “Will do.”
Tobias nods, then leans against the wall as well, the two of them falling silent to people watch. Tobias fiddles absentmindedly with the satchel looped around his shoulder, sharp claws kneading the fabric like a cat. Adorable.
Minutes later, Tobias suddenly straightens up. “Hey, do you mind waiting here for a minute? I’m gonna, uh…go back and get that monferno’s name. Just in case.”
Nia blinks. “Oh! No, go ahead.”
Tobias nods, mumbling that he’ll be right back before slipping away into the crowd. Nia watches him go, relieved that he’s still thinking about the future and what might make him happy down the line. She’s been worried about that more than ever after his breakdown the other night.
Satisfied, Nia tilts her head back to close her eyes and enjoy the weather.
It doesn’t feel like long at all before Tobias returns, readjusting the satchel on his shoulder.
“Hey!” She greets. “Did you get his name?”
Tobias freezes. “Yeah. He’s, uh. Rico.”
Nia gives him a funny look. “You don’t sound super confident about that.”
Tobias doesn’t answer, instead looking her over. “You ready to walk again? We can wait here a while longer if not.”
Nia shakes her head, slowly getting to her feet. “No, I’m good. You sure you don’t want me to take the bag for a while?”
Tobias grabs the bag almost protectively, glaring at her. “You’re not carrying the bag when you have a cracked rib.”
Nia lifts her hands, palms out, in a peace offering. “Okay, okay! Don’t worry, I’m not gonna steal it from you.”
“Good.”
Nia shakes her head, smiling, and follows Tobias back into the thick of the market.
They spend the rest of the morning that way, drifting through town and browsing the shops. They even stop for lunch at a delightful little cafe with a clear view of the ocean.
By early afternoon, Nia is exhausted and more than ready to get off her feet. Tobias checks the sun’s positioning in the sky before leading them first across the bridge to shore, then along the hot sand of Kaleido Bay’s beach.
Finally, they reach the path they took when arriving here, where the sand meets firmer soil. A merchant cart awaits there, with a giant Clydesdale-like Pokemon the color of clay at its front and a kecleon checking the cart’s contents. Tobias pays the little chameleon for a ride back north, then leads the two of them to the back of the cart.
Tobias climbs in first, then helps Nia up into the cart. Nia sits as soon as she’s in, collapsing back against some bags of…grain? Rice? Whatever it is, the bumpy texture is welcome if it means she can lean back and relax her sore ribs.
Two other Pokemon, lone travelers by the look of them, also climb into the cart shortly after, giving Nia and Tobias a cordial nod before finding their own places to sit.
Tobias settles down next to Nia, eyeing the strangers for a moment before deeming them innocent enough for him to relax, too.
Nia doubts he’ll be able to sleep, though. After a moment of deliberation, and figuring that her worrywart of a partner would just tell her to take the chance to rest anyways, she tilts her head back against the bags to close her eyes.
Nia falls into a light doze, somewhere between asleep and awake. The bumpy movement of the cart as it starts up and travels along is strangely soothing, and must nudge her closer to Tobias, as warmth spreads through her side and the faint scent of her partner wreathes around her. He doesn’t protest, though, and the soundtrack of their journey—the faint rustle of the winds through dry grass, the rhythmic hoofsteps of the horse Pokemon pulling the cart, and the quiet conversation of the other travelers in the cart—becomes a wash of white noise.
Nia barely registers that any time has passed before she’s being nudged awake. She lifts her head, blinking against a haze of sleep. “Hm?”
“Time to get off,” Tobias says, looking amused.
Nia makes a quiet noise of protest, but doesn’t put up her usual fight since she knows the rest of the caravan is waiting on them.
Nia pushes herself to her feet, wincing when the motion pulls at her ribs. Yawning, she clumsily follows Tobias off the cart, accepting his help without a thought.
The trail back through the tall grass to the mesa in the distance seems both impossibly long and strangely short. Nia shakes off her clumsy, half-awake steps as she goes, needing to be alert for the climb up to the cliffside village.
It’s sunset when they finally arrive back at the gates to the human settlement.
Slate isn’t the one guarding the entrance this time. Instead, a bipedal yellow lizard Pokemon with a sun-like collar and black scales covering his head and neck greets them with easy familiarity. Nia remembers seeing him around the settlement a few times before she and Tobias left for Kaleido, so the lizard must recognize them in turn.
Even with her nap on the way here and the walk up the mesa, Nia is still trying to shake off the last dregs of sleep. So it takes a moment to register when a familiar voice yells at them from above.
“You’re back!”
Nia startles and looks up. Junie dives at her from the nearest rooftop like a tiny, feathery comet.
“Wait, don’t—!” Tobias shouts.
Even though some part of her knows it’s a bad idea, Nia can’t just not catch Junie. So she opens her arms, and Junie barrels into her, making Nia stumble back with a yelp. Tobias’ hands steady her.
“She’s hurt, you idiot!”
Junie immediately flails out of Nia’s arms to flutter in the air in front of them. “What?!”
“I’m fine,” Nia says, trying to smile instead of grimace as she straightens up. “My ribs are just a bit sore.”
Junie’s face falls. “I’m sorry, Nia! I should’ve checked first but I was just excited and—wait.”
Oh boy. Here it comes.
Junie looks between the two of them with angry suspicion, fluttering just a bit higher to be at eye-level. “You got hurt. I told you not to get hurt!”
Tobias sighs, arm still looped loosely around Nia’s back. “Our visit to the prison didn’t go as planned.”
“Ya think?! I swear, I can’t leave you two alone for a second! I was getting worried since you weren’t back yet and I knew you got into trouble, but I told myself, ‘No! It’s only been a couple of days! How could they possibly find trouble that quickly?’ Like a fluffy little—"
“Junie!” Nia says. “Breathe.”
Junie’s beak clicks shut.
Nia wordlessly holds out her arm as a perch, like a hawk handler she remembers seeing at the zoo when she was young.
Junie hesitates, but after a moments she settles on Nia’s arm, nearly weightless. Nia thinks she sees her feathers trembling.
“I’m okay,” Nia soothes.
“You’d better be,” Junie grumbles. But the words are weak, no bite behind them at all. She turns her glare on Tobias next. “You hurt too?”
“No.”
Nia frowns at him.
“Ugh, fine. It’s just my side. But it’s already mostly healed.”
Tobias lifts his arm to show where fresh bandages sit plastered across his side after Dismas snagged him with a claw.
Junie doesn’t look pleased by how casual he’s being. “You two are walking disasters, you know that? C’mon, let’s get you some food before you keel over.”
Junie flaps back into the air, giving them another quick scan as if to assure herself they’re in one piece. Then she nods and leads the way to the cafeteria.
“Well,” Nia says, giving Tobias a teasing smile. “She didn’t chew us out too badly.”
Tobias snorts. “Bold of you to assume she’s finished.”
Then he seems to realize all at once that he still has an arm wrapped around Nia’s back. He yanks himself away with a flush, muttering something about hurrying up before Junie comes back.
Nia chuckles, following her partner as he chases after their friend.
When they’re done eating and catching Junie up on their trip to Kaleido Bay—which did indeed include a second round of scolding—Nia is more than ready to go back to the inn and flop into a nest. She crosses her arms on the little table they’re seated at, easing herself into a slouch to rest her head and relax.
“So,” Tobias says, lowering his voice and ducking closer to Junie. “What’d we miss here the last few days?”
Junie chirps a laugh. “Nothing warranting that sort of tone, Mr. Suspicious. I was a little distracted by Asher, but I didn’t see anything obvious. Rosalind left soon after you two, and Will seems to be really into his research. Fidel just keeps the place running smoothly, as far as I can tell.”
Tobias slumps, clearly disappointed that his suspicions about Will still have no backing. Nia tries not to feel smug about that and doesn’t really succeed.
Junie opens her mouth to say something else, but her eyes flick past Nia and Tobias, towards the door of the establishment. “Well, speak of the devil. Or his dog, at least.”
Nia looks over her shoulder, immediately spotting the tall figure of Fidel. The zoroark is standing in the open doorway of the building and clearly looking around for someone.
His ears perk when he catches sight of the three of them. He weaves between other tables and patrons to reach their side.
“Good to see you two made it back safely,” Fidel says with a warm smile.
“Mostly safe,” Junie corrects with a dry look.
“Good to see you too, Fidel,” Nia says, pushing past another scolding with a smile. “You looking for someone?”
“You three, actually,” Fidel chuckles. “I heard that you and Tobias had returned, so I thought I’d let you know personally that Will has some information to help with your search for Xerneas. However, since it’s getting late, you’re more than welcome to wait until morning and get some rest first.”
Nia blinks, exchanging a surprised look with Tobias. She honestly hadn’t expected Will’s team to find anything in…what? Two days? Three? And she is awfully tired, but…
Well, the thought that they could get some answers or at least a little direction before bed is a nice one.
Both Tobias and Junie look to Nia to make the decision, seeing as she’s the most injured and in need of rest.
“Let’s go ahead and meet tonight,” Nia says, slipping out of her seat and stretching carefully. “I’m just going to be thinking about it all night anyways if I go to bed now.”
“I’m sure Will will be pleased to see you,” Fidel says with a smile. “He can be impatient when he wants to get something done.”
And with that, Fidel steps back and waits for the three of them to gather their crumbs and trays into a tidy tower on the table before leading them outside.
Junie, apparently deeming Nia too injured to act as her usual perch, instead settles on the satchel at Tobias’ hip. He glares down at her, but doesn’t try to push her off, so she wiggles into her spot with a smug fluff of her feathers.
Nia bites back a smile and soaks in the easy atmosphere of the settlement as the Pokemon—the humans—around them go about their evening.
Fidel leads their group back through the same building as before, down the electric-lit tunnel and to the quarters hidden within the cliffside. It’s cooler here, a slight dampness to the air and to the stone underfoot.
Will is alone this time, sitting at the table with a few sheets of paper in one hand and a cup of something hot and steaming—tea, Nia thinks, by the scent—in the other.
He looks up when they enter, red eyes brightening. “Ah, welcome back! I see Fidel found you all. How was your trip to Kaleido?”
Nia grimaces, making a so-so gesture with her hand before glancing at Tobias.
Unsurprisingly, he doesn’t look eager to share. He crosses his arms. “Fine.”
There’s an awkward beat of silence after that.
When it’s clear Tobias won’t be elaborating, Will claps his hands to move them along. “Well, I for one am happy to see you back safe and sound. I’m sure you’re tired, so I’ll cut to the chase. Fidel told you that we’ve made some progress on our research?”
Will gestures for them to sit, so they all gather once more around the stone table. Nia has to ease herself onto the stool, and she waves off Fidel’s concerned look.
“So whatcha find out?” Junie asks with a tilt of her head.
Will gathers up the papers in his hands, splaying them out in front of him. Nia leans forward to read them herself, but the scribbled notes—written in more than one handwriting—are tough to parse, especially upside-down.
“While we don’t have anything like exact coordinates, we do have a better idea of where Xerneas may have decided to rest.” Will points at a particular block of text, written in a hurried scrawl. “We confirmed first that her proximity is indeed close to Yveltal, which we expected considering that the two of them are so intertwined in legend.”
“They are likely sleeping within sight of each other,” Fidel adds. “Almost certainly on the same continent.”
“Great,” Tobias says, voice heavy with sarcasm. “But we don’t have time to search entire continents.“
Will smiles, a gleam in his eye. “True, but I’m not finished quite yet.”
He flips through his papers again until he finds what he’s looking for.
“Here! Xerneas and Yveltal always choose different locations for each sleep cycle, but the environments where they rest always tie into their natural roles.”
“Meaning..?” Nia prompts.
“Meaning that while Yveltal would likely settle somewhere barren of life—a harsh environment with few plants or Pokemon—Xerneas would likely settle down in a very different kind of environment: somewhere absolutely teeming with life energy.”
“Xerneas disperses life energy into the world when she wakes,” Fidel elaborates. “In order to prepare for that moment, she needs to feed on the ambient life energy around her as she sleeps. Yveltal, however, consumes life energy when he wakes, so he needs a barren environment to empty those stores of energy into when he falls into sleep. The two of them are push and pull, like the tides. You need both to keep this world in balance.”
“Even more astonishing,” Will adds. “Both of them can tap directly into this life energy as if it were one connected system. A great tapestry made up of every living thing, from plants and Pokemon to the fabric of this dimension itself—which is likely why Giratina is hoping Xerneas can prevent or at least heal the break in the dimensional border. With their power, Xerneas and Yveltal can restore energy where it is lacking, and remove energy where there is an excess.”
Nia nods slowly, trying to take all of that in.
“So they can both just…feel all of the life energy, everywhere?” Junie asks, uncertain. “Like, all of it in the world? Even us?”
Fidel hums. “It’s said that all life energy in the world is intertwined, in a way, so yes. I have no idea how, or how the legends access it, though.” He gives Nia a brief smile. “You’d have to ask one of them yourself, or one of the Pokemon more attuned to life energy, such as the lucario and riolu.”
Nia blinks, leaning back as all eyes turn to her. “Don’t look at me! I can see the aura of other Pokemon, but I can’t do anything like that!”
“Have you ever tried?” Will asks, looking at Nia thoughtfully.
“W-What do you mean?”
“Tried tapping into the life energy outside of other beings,” Will clarifies. “Plants. The dimensional border. It would be fascinating to learn how deep your aura powers go.”
Nia won’t deny that the idea does pique her curiosity, but it sounds much too powerful an ability for her to have in reach.
…Then again, Nia hasn’t ever tried looking for life energy outside of other people, and she certainly hasn’t tried anything like Xerneas and Yveltal seem to be able to do. Affecting that greater tapestry of aura threaded throughout the world. Adding to it, or taking it away. Interacting with it directly.
It all sounds kind of overwhelming. Maybe that’s something she can look into later, when she’s back at the guild with Avery and Val.
“Okay, put the aura experiments on hold for a minute,” Tobias sighs. “Right now, we have to focus on the mission. We know Xerneas will settle somewhere lush, and Yveltal will hibernate somewhere barren. That doesn’t narrow it down much.”
He has a point, unfortunately. If that’s all they have to go on, the duo could be anywhere. Xerneas could be resting in a forest, or under a field, or within a coral reef. She might even be sleeping below a city. Yveltal, likewise, could be sleeping in the desert, or the arctic, or even on the ocean floor. There are endless locations that would fit the bill for both.
Will’s excitement dampens. “You’re correct, unfortunately. We do have one other clue at the moment, but I’m not sure it’s of any help.”
“What is it?”
Will flips through his papers again, frowning. “Yveltal apparently cocoons himself in a very peculiar kind of crystal when he hibernates. Sometimes it can crop up in excess in the environment around him, giving a hint of his presence. However, if those crystals have yet to be discovered anywhere, then…”
Then they’re out of luck.
Still, as silence falls over all of them, Nia frowns. Something about that phrasing—strange crystals—tickles at her brain. Where has she heard something about that before? Recently, even?
It takes a moment, but then it hits her.
“Carnelian!” She gasps, hands smacking the tabletop. She looks at Tobias. “Didn’t Carnelian say he was called to investigate some weird crystals under the Silenfroar mountains?”
Tobias’ brow furrows, and Nia can tell it takes him a moment to place the name of the sableye they’d saved, when they were stranded in that dungeon with the crew of the Aqua Jet.
Then his face falls slack with surprise. “He did.“
“The Silenfroar range could certainly be considered barren of life,” Will murmurs, glancing at Fidel for confirmation. “It’s a very harsh, snowy land, yes?”
“Our guildmaster trained in a village on top of those mountains,” Tobias protests. “Pokemon live there.”
“That doesn’t necessarily mean Yveltal couldn’t still be nearby,” Fidel says. “He destroys life energy, but that doesn’t mean someone would die from living near his resting place. Just that anything more fragile, such as plants, likely couldn’t grow in the area. Which wouldn’t stand out as strange in such a desolate environment.”
“So you think there’s a good chance Yveltal could be there?” Nia asks.
Fidel nods. “Likely inside one of the mountains, if he’s stayed hidden for so long.”
“So if we assume Yveltal is in the mountains somewhere, we should be able to limit our search for Xerneas to the areas around Silenfroar, right?” Tobias asks.
Will shakes his head. “No, we shouldn’t just assume we can use the mountains as a starting point. We can’t afford to be wrong and waste time searching the areas nearby when we know we have to be efficient about all of this. We’re on a time limit.”
“But how can we know for sure that Yveltal is actually there?” Junie asks.
“Simple,” Will says with a smile. “We check for ourselves. If we can confirm Yveltal’s presence in the mountains, then we can use Silenfroar as the anchor point in our search for Xerneas with full confidence.”
That does make sense. The world is on a time limit, so they can’t afford to be looking in the wrong area only to never find the legendary because Xerneas is somewhere else entirely.
“So does that mean we need to go to the Silenfroar mountains?” Nia asks, looking to Tobias.
“I would prefer to look into this myself,” Tobias admits. “But I don’t know if we’d be the best choice for that. We aren’t the fastest Seekers in the guild, so August might decide to send someone else.”
“Like a flying type?” Junie asks with a tilt of her head.
“Normally that would be the fastest option,” Tobias agrees. “But I know the Lexym mail ‘mon can’t deliver anywhere in the mountain range because the air is too frigid for flight. Prone to blizzards and avalanches, too. So August would probably have to send a land ‘mon.”
“There are a lot of grass and bug types at the guild, though,” Nia says. “We would at least have an advantage in the snow, right?”
Tobias’ muzzle wrinkles as if he disagrees with that sentiment, but he nods all the same.
“Stop by your guild first and see if you can convince your guildmaster,” Will says, flipping through his papers. “I would prefer to work with ‘mon I know I can trust on this. On that matter—Fidel?”
The zoroark straightens to attention.
“Could you accompany Team Scarlet to Silenfroar to look into this? I’m sure they could use a helping hand, and there’s no one I trust more.”
Nia expects Fidel to agree instantly after how loyal he’s proven to be, but instead he falters, looking torn. He glances at the tunnel leading back outside. “I wouldn’t mind, but…”
“You know we’ll take good care of Asher in your absence,” Will says, giving Fidel a soothing smile. “Please, Fidel. I need someone to give me the news right away once Nia and Tobias return to their guild, and there’s no one I trust more with the job.”
Fidel still looks reluctant, but he forces a smile and a nod. “Of course. I’ll talk to Asher.”
“Good.” Will nods and looks back to Nia and Tobias. “Fidel will accompany you two for the time being.”
“We didn’t ask for an escort,” Tobias growls, crossing his arms and glaring at Will.
“Tobias,” Nia sighs. “C’mon, you just said it’s going to be a rough trip. We need all the help we can get.”
Tobias clearly isn’t convinced, but he relents under Nia’s pleading expression. “Fine.”
“Does that mean I can come too?” Junie pipes up.
Everyone turns to her, surprised.
She chirps a laugh. “C’mon, you can’t expect me to sit out on saving the world! Bo will understand.”
Nia exchanges an uncertain look with Tobias. “It…might be dangerous, Junie.”
Junie scoffs. “Duh! That’s why I’ve gotta come along! Look at what happens to you two when I’m not there to keep you out of trouble.”
She gestures at Nia’s ribs and Tobias’ bandaged side.
Oh. She’s worried about them. Of course she is, after hearing about their fight with Dismas.
Nia softens, glancing at Tobias. “What do you think?”
Tobias shrugs. “Whatever. Just don’t complain when it’s freezing cold in the mountains.”
“That’s what I’ve got you for!” Junie chirps. “You’ll be my walking heating pad.”
Tobias rolls his eyes, but doesn’t push any further.
“Good. Now that that’s settled,” Will says, hands clasped as he looks between them. “Be careful if you do find Yveltal. Do not under any circumstance wake him, as he could go on a rampage if he’s roused early and Xerneas isn’t awake to calm him. Just confirm his presence or the lack thereof, then report back as soon as possible.”
Everyone around the table, even Tobias, gives a solemn nod.
“I suppose we should leave first thing in the morning, then?” Fidel asks.
Will gives him a sympathetic smile. “Time is of the essence, old friend, so yes. I’ll send one of our night fliers to the nearest travel outpost right away to hire flight ‘mon for the trip. It’ll be much quicker if you can leave directly from the settlement in the morning.”
Fidel nods. “Understood.” He turns to the Nia, Tobias, and Junie. “Rest up tonight at the inn, and be ready to go by dawn. Make sure to eat breakfast before we depart.”
“Yes, Dad,” Junie jokes under her breath. Nia bites back a smile.
“Then you’re all dismissed,” Will says. “Good luck and stay safe.”
Fidel murmurs his thanks and hurries out of the room, likely to find Asher. Nia and Junie give their own thanks before getting up to leave, too.
Tobias groans as he stands. “Guess we need to see if there are any winter cloaks in our size at the guild. We can’t go somewhere so harsh without protection.”
“Oh! No need for that,” Will says, catching them before they get too far. He gives their surprised looks a smile. “Our seamstress here in town already has some snow gear prepared for the coming winter. She’s likely still in the shop if you want to stop by yet tonight. Feel free to grab whatever you think you’ll need, free of charge.”
Nia blinks. “Oh! Are you sure? That’s awfully generous.”
Will waves them off. “Of course, of course! You three are working to save the world—I think we can spare a few coats and scarves for that. Besides, Florence knows she’ll always be properly compensated for her work.”
Nia glances at Tobias and Junie. Tobias doesn’t look thrilled about being indebted to Will in any way, but he doesn’t argue. Junie, on the other hand, chirps a happy, “Thanks!”
The three of them head outside, and Nia takes a breath of crisp evening air, feeling a pang of longing when she catches the smoky scent of the settlement’s fire pits and hears the distant sound of the band they’d listened to the other night. She wishes they could’ve stayed here just a bit longer, but unfortunately the end of the world waits for no one.
Tobias starts walking. “C’mon. Let’s get this over with before the shop closes for the night.”
Oh, right. Clothes! Nia perks up, and she can see her own excitement reflected in Junie’s eyes.
“Shopping trip!” Junie crows, pulling ahead of Tobias and drawing looks from a few passing ‘mon.
“Shopping trip!” Nia echoes, much quieter but no less eager.
“Shopping trip,” Tobias monotones, with all the excitement of someone about to be tortured.
Nia giggles as Junie cackles, the three of them quickly tracking down the tailor shop they’d seen in the days before.
Warm light spills from the windows, the lack of flicker telling Nia that this building must be one of the few with electric lighting, like the tunnels. When they head inside, a bell jingles overhead to announce their arrival.
Nia’s eyes jump immediately to the colorful swathes of clothing crowding the large room. Some clothes are hung on horizontal wooden poles like makeshift store racks, little islands of fabric with just enough space between them to act as cramped walkways. Other clothes line shelves and closet-like alcoves set into the walls.
Everything seems to be roughly organized by size, a rack of clothes along the left wall boasting cloaks and dresses and robes long enough to be curtains, though they’d probably fit Maggie or August well. Conversely, racks on the right side of the room look more like baby clothes or pet outfits, some even tiny enough for Junie’s small frame.
Accessories, jewelry, and even shoes are also shelved here and there between clothes and near the register.
While it’s immediately clear that the fabric options aren’t as diverse as Nia is used to, with nothing plastic or synthetic in sight, there is an impressive variety of styles and colors. It almost feels like Nia’s back in the human world again, shopping with her mom or Toni.
Nia swallows back a sudden surge of longing, and tries to focus instead on the good feelings the shop’s familiarity brings.
“Hello.”
A Pokemon, presumably the Florence that Will had mentioned, is looking at them from the front desk. She’s a tall black Pokemon with white ribbonlike adornments atop her head and chest. She has a pouty purple face and pale blue eyes framed by hair-like disks on either side of her head. She reminds Nia of a particular style of fashion from the human world, one she thinks was popular in Japan.
Regardless, the Pokemon has a long piece of fabric laid across the counter she’s sitting at, one end of it held carefully in her hand. A threaded needle floats in the air just above the piece of cloth, surrounded by the purple glow of psychic energy.
“We’re closing soon,” Florence says, going back to her work. Her needle moves with confident, elegant movements, dipping in and out of the fabric. “But you can take a look around if you’re quick.”
“We’re here on Will’s orders,” Tobias says, eyeing the contents of the shop like they’ll bite him. “We need snow gear fit for the mountains.”
The needle stops sewing for a moment as Florence glances up at them again. But then she shrugs and goes back to her work. “I’ve got a few pieces that would fit you three in the back section. Check there.”
Tobias nods, apparently not bothered by Florence’s less-than-social behavior, and leads the way through the shop. Junie hops from rack to rack above their heads, starry-eyed as she looks around like a kid in a candy store.
Nia can relate to the feeling. While the impressive craftsmanship and the sheer number of pieces in the shop would be thrilling enough on their own, some part of Nia is also excited by the idea of wearing clothing again, weirdly enough. She’s long since gotten past the embarrassment of being “naked,” as long as she doesn’t think about it too hard, but there’s something distinctly human about clothing that she’s eager to reclaim.
Tobias finally stops in front of a rack of clothing made for Pokemon around their size. He quickly pushes through summery shawls, skirts and robes to reach the smaller selection of winter clothing at the end. He flips through the thick fabrics for a moment, skimming past clothing clearly made for quadrupeds, and stops at a deep navy cloak that hangs heavily on its makeshift hanger. After looking it over for a moment, he pulls it free, draws it around his shoulders to check the fit, and flips the hood over his head. It doesn’t drag on the floor, and it seems to sit comfortably around his shoulders and tail.
It looks nice on him, too, the dark tone complimenting his bright orange skin and cool blue eyes.
Tobias nods and pulls it off, draping it over his arm. “Done.”
Nia blinks. “Just like that?” She glances at the nearby floor-length mirror, slightly less smooth than human mirrors but effective enough. It must’ve cost a fortune, rare as mirrorstone seems to be in this world. “You don’t want to see how it looks or anything before deciding?”
Tobias raises a brow. “Why would that matter? It’s heavy enough and it fits. Does it look stupid or something?”
“N-No! It looks nice on you,” Nia assures. “It goes well with your eyes, actually.”
Tobias blinks, clearly surprised. Slowly, a flush spreads across his cheeks and nose.
Junie snrrks a laugh from atop a nearby rack of clothes. “Well, if Nia thinks it looks good, that’s all that matters, right?”
Nia frowns up at her. “Don’t you think it looks nice?”
“Yeah, yeah,” Junie assures, waving her off with a wing. “Looks great. Now if you need me, I’ll be looking at the little chihuahua-sized stuff over here.”
Junie hops a few racks over, where notably tiny clothes are hung, and starts picking through them to find something for herself.
Tobias is strangely quiet after Junie’s cryptic comment. He holds his cloak closer and shuffles over to look through some knit hats instead of commenting.
Nia’s shakes her head and takes Tobias’ place, looking through the small selection of snow clothes. There are a few cloaks like Tobias’, and she can imagine he chose that option because it’s what he’s used to. Less restrictive than most human-styled clothes.
Nia can’t help being drawn to the more coat-like options, though, with sleeves and a line of buttons down the front. She feels strangely nostalgic as she runs her fingers over soft, thick fabric stuffed with down.
How difficult was it for the seamstress to adapt to working with these kinds of materials? Is it hard to make thick, hide-like cloth without animal pelts or plastic? What about the downy feathers stuffing the coat, which would’ve had to have come from a Pokemon? Molting feathers, maybe.
Nia’s musings stop when she comes across a cream-colored coat, with adorable charcoal buttons off to the side and large pockets. It has a heavy hood, too, with little slots in the fabric for ears.
Nia pulls it off the rack and slips it on, pleased to find that other than the sleeves being a bit long, it fits perfectly, snug and warm.
“What do you think?” Nia asks, stepping back and giving a little spin.
Junie, struggling into something like a winter vest with a disgruntled Tobias’ help, stops to look. She lights up. “You look adorable! Don’t you think so, Toby?”
Tobias spares Nia a glance, face reddening again before he looks back at Junie, yanking her into the vest a little rougher than necessary. “It’s fine. Is it warm?”
Oh. Nia actually feels a little disappointed by his lackluster answer, for some reason. But at least Junie likes it.
Nia nods, moving to look at herself in the mirror, pleased by the coat’s color against her fur. “It’s really warm! I’m still gonna grab a hat and scarf, though. Tobias, do you need a set?”
Tobias grunts an affirmative. “Probably. Didn’t get a chance to grab anything else before this little idiot recruited me.”
“Hey! Excuse me for never dressing as a bird before. I don’t have hands, Toby—it’s hard!”
Nia chuckles as she picks out a matching hat and scarf set for both herself and Tobias. A deep scarlet combo for herself, and a cream set the same color as her coat for Tobias. That way, they’ll still look like a team even when they’re all bundled up.
From there, it takes twice as long as it did for Nia and Tobias to get Junie’s snow gear figured out, mostly because she has to consider her wings. Eventually, though, they manage to stuff her into a combined snow vest and cloak, and she seems pleased by the slits on the sides of the vest that allow her to slip her wings through to fly, while the cloak sitting on top of her wings should still keep her warm when she’s on the ground.
Junie, of course, picks a bright yellow hue from the few color options available, which makes her stand out like a sore thumb in the shop’s dim light.
Tobias looks so tired. “Is that really the color you’re going with?”
“It is a little bright,” Nia admits with a smile. “But I like it.”
“It’s your favorite color. Of course you like it,” Tobias huffs. “I think she looks like a combee.”
Nia blinks, surprised and delighted that Tobias remembered that little fact about her.
“Yep, this one’s good,” Junie confirms, looking smug that her choice has the bonus factor of annoying Tobias. “Now help me get back out of it. I’ve still gotta grab an itty-bitty hat and scarf before we leave.”
They manage to untangle Junie from her outfit and find a hat and scarf that she approves of, which are of course dyed an obnoxious pink color. At this point, Nia is pretty sure she’s picking such bright hues just to annoy Tobias.
Tobias, likely catching on to her game, steadfastly refuses to comment.
The seamstress doesn’t give them any trouble about payment, luckily, and even hands them a thin fabric sack to carry everything in. Nia makes sure to thank her before they leave, taking the bag and swinging it as they walk out of the shop and back to the inn.
They’d fallen into a comfortable quiet as they left the shop, but Junie speaks up now from where she’s nestled between the top of their satchel and Tobias’ side. Her voice is unusually quiet.
“Hey, Nia?”
Nia’s worried by the bird’s suddenly downcast expression. “What’s up?”
“Could you help me write a letter to Bo when we get back to the inn? Since Will’s having our ride come here, I won’t get to see the big guy before we go to your guild. I don’t want him to freak out when I don’t come back home after a few days.”
Oh, Nia hadn’t thought about that. The skarmory would be beside himself if Junie didn’t return when she said she would, and Nia has no idea how long Junie will be with them at the guild while they try to track down Xerneas.
Nia feels a stab of guilt for involving Junie in all this, despite her insisting on tagging along.
“Of course, Junie. Are you still sure you want to come with us? N-Not that I don’t want you there, but…”
Junie actually seems to consider backing out for a moment, but then she shakes her head, giving Nia a smile that falls flat.
“No, I wanna go. Someone has to keep an eye on you two, and saving the world should be fun. I just…don’t want him to worry, y’know?”
Nia gets it. She nods. “Yeah. Let’s write that as soon as we get back, okay? We can mail it off tomorrow before we leave.”
Junie looks relieved. “Thanks, Nia. You’re the best.”
Nia smiles, and Junie moves the conversation onto lighter topics, rambling about what tips she might learn from the flight ‘mon during their trip tomorrow.
They’ve got an early morning ahead of them, but Nia thinks they’re ready for it.
Notes:
Hey all! Quick announcement that there's officially a Seekers of Soul Discord server now. :] If you would like to join, try out this link first:
https://discord.gg/8eJgUTw8
If the link has already expired by time you get to this chapter, then feel free to ask for it in your comment below!
Also, enjoy a bonus flipbook test! 👀
Chapter 64
Summary:
Tobias, Nia, and Junie travel back to the Lexym Guild with Fidel in tow, where they update August and reunite with an unexpected face.
Chapter Text
The next morning is thankfully clear for their flight back to the guild. Tobias is the first one up, as usual, but Nia and Junie only grumble a little upon being woken up, since they can’t sleep in with Fidel and the flight ‘mon waiting on them.
By time they’ve grabbed breakfast and their gear and left the inn, Fidel is already stationed near one of the empty bonfire pits. Behind him, perched on the wall surrounding the cliffside village, two large flying types are perched.
For a split-second, Tobias thinks the bulkier silhouette is Fliss, but as they get closer he can see that there are a few differences. This Pokemon’s plumage is a different color, a stark white layered above a gray undercoat. And the crest above his face is definitely different, too—an almost eye-like pattern of bright blue and purple. No scar, either. A shiny, maybe? Or the psychic type variant if braviary that Fliss had mentioned before?
Whatever the case, he’s massive, possibly even larger than Fliss.
Next to him is a slightly smaller Pokemon—a pidgeot. She gives them a calm smile as they approach, the long yellow and red feathers atop her head streaming behind her in the wind.
Fidel turns to greet them as well. “Ah, good morning.”
“Yeesh,” Junie says. “You sure it’s a good morning? You look rough, dude.”
Tobias had thought the same—the zoroark’s voice is duller than usual, his smile worn and tired—but at least Tobias had the tact not to say it.
“Junie!” Nia quietly scolds.
Fidel laughs. “I’m aware I’m not at my finest, Nia. It’s been a long morning. And night. Asher was not pleased about my leaving on such short notice.”
Nia makes a sympathetic sound in her throat. “Understandable. You two do seem close.”
“We are. I hate to leave him so suddenly, but I know Will and the rest of the settlement will look after him.” The zoroark shoulders his large pack, looking them over. “You’re all ready to head out? You picked out some snow gear from Florence’s shop?”
“Yup!” Nia says.
“My coat makes me look like a lemon,” Junie’s adds cheerfully.
Fidel’s smile curves into something a bit more genuine. “That’ll make you easy to spot on the mountain, I suppose.”
“Yeah! See, Toby? Strategic advantage.”
“Strategic stupidity.”
“Hey!”
Fidel interrupts the brewing squabble by introducing the two flight ‘mon who will be flying them across the Obsidian Sea, back to the Metreja continent and the guild nestled within Bethoc’s Haven. The braviary, Cato, greets them with a nod, and the pidgeot, Auretta, ducks her head with a polite, “Pleased to meet you all.”
Since Fidel is heavier than Tobias, Nia, and Junie combined, he boards the braviary alone. The rest of them crawl atop the pidgeot, who crouches low to ease their climb.
Nia sits behind Tobias as has become the norm, so she can hold onto him and hide her face. By now, Tobias is almost used to the way she wraps her arms around his torso, though he still has to will his face not to burn with embarrassment.
“Ooh, cozy,” Junie teases. “Where do I sit?”
The flying types decide to have Junie settle in front of Tobias, and she wastes no time leaning back against him like her own personal seat. She cranes her head back, grinning. He flicks her forehead. She snaps her beak at his fingers with a playful clack clack.
Shortly after, they leave the human settlement with a powerful beating of wings, lifting into cool dawn air and higher into the sky, until the collection of stone buildings lining the cliffside look more like toys than an actual city.
And then they’re off.
Junie, of course, can’t stay quiet for long, so they’ve only just reached the ocean when she finally stops trying to talk to Tobias (who is busy enjoying the flight) and Nia (who is busy being terrified) and instead strikes up conversation with the pidgeot.
Luckily, Auretta seems content to chat as they glide over open water, and it doesn’t take long for the conversation between the two to turn to flight.
“Yeah,” Junie says. “I’m not, uh, a real strong flier yet. I get freaked out flying too high on my own. But I wanna be a mail ‘mon one day, so I’m working on it! And riding on your back doesn’t scare me or anything.”
The pidgeot hums in response. Then she turns her head to catch Junie’s eye. “Have you ever flown over the ocean?”
“Nope!”
“Would you like to try?”
It takes a moment for Junie to understand what Auretta means. Then she squawks, “Right now?! What if I crash?”
“I’ll watch you,” Auretta soothes. “I helped my little sister learn to fly over these very waves, once. And she was a pidgey at the time, so not much larger than you.”
“Aren’t the winds unpredictable nowadays?” Tobias asks, dubious.
“They are,” Auretta confirms. “But they seem calm today. Would you like to try? Your wingspan isn’t made for soaring like ours, but we’re here so you can always take a break.”
Junie still seems unsure, leaning over to peer down at the waves far below. But after a long moment of silence she shakes herself and says, “You know what? Why not! Just, uh. Don’t let me die, okay?”
The pidgeot trills a sound somewhere between amused and encouraging. “Of course not. I’ll be here.”
For the next few minutes, the pidgeot gently coaches Junie, teaching her how to keep her wings steady and ride the air currents, as well as how to seek out thermals to elevate.
Eventually, Junie works up the courage to leap from Auretta’s back. The rookidee’s wings snap out and beat furiously, and for a heart-stopping moment Junie is swept back head-over-heels by a powerful gust of wind.
But Auretta is quick to tuck her wings and drop back with her, calmly buffeting the wind in front of Junie so she can regain her balance.
Still, Tobias can’t help looking back to make sure Junie just didn’t plummet into the ocean. Nia, whose arms had tightened around him, squeaks, “I-Is she okay?!”
She is. Her little face is screwed up with determination as she listens to Auretta calmly explain to keep her wings steady and to soar with the air current instead of working against it.
It takes a few more minutes before Junie seems to have the hang of it, only a little shaky as she coasts along behind Auretta.
“I think I got it!” Junie shouts.
Fidel, who had been watching from atop the braviary off to the side, yells, “Good work!”
“Stay calm, even when the winds shift,” the braviary adds, watching as well.
“I’m going to elevate,” Auretta calls over her shoulder. “The wind will feel stronger for a moment, but just let it take you, all right? We’re on a wide current, so you shouldn't be lead astray. Don’t panic.”
Junie calls, “Got it!”
The pidgeot tilts and flies higher, out of Junie’s path.
Junie looks overwhelmed for a moment, flapping once before stopping herself and straightening her wings. She wobbles, but then she’s quickly picked up like a leaf on the wind, moving forward at a brisk clip.
Before anyone can ask how she’s doing, Junie whoops a loud, joyous sound. Auretta dips so she can fly right beside her, and Junie turns to face them with a beaming grin.
“Toby, look! I did it! And it feels awesome!”
Tobias can’t help smiling back, something sharp and warm in his chest. He always wanted to be there when his sister evolved and got to fly herself for the first time. This isn’t that, but it’s close enough to have him choked up.
“You did it,” he says, trying not to make it obvious that he’s feeling stupidly emotional.
Luckily, Junie is too distracted by her own joy to call him out on it, simply turning her face up to enjoy the sun.
Of course, it’s not five minutes later before Junie starts begging Auretta and Cato to show her how to do some “cool flight tricks.” Tobias is relieved when they gently shoot down her idea of learning how to barrel roll.
The rest of the trip is largely uneventful, thankfully, no rogue winds to disrupt their journey across the sea. Nia stays hidden in Tobias’ shoulder most of the time, but she makes muffled comments occasionally, so she must be listening to their conversations.
At one point Tobias thinks he catches a glimpse of Giratina checking in on them in the reflection of the sky below, but the titan is gone too quickly for Tobias to be sure.
They’d borrowed a cup of water the night before to update Giratina on their findings about Yveltal and Xerneas, and their plans to go to Silenfroar. Giratina had seemed to approve, apparently deeming their guess a valid possibility.
However, he’d also seemed more exhausted than usual, expression flat and his subdued gestures lacking their usual bite. Nia, being Nia, had of course asked if he was all right.
Giratina had straightened up, walls visibly rebuilding as he nodded. Nia clearly hadn’t been convinced, but without a way to hear Giratina speaking through the reflection it wasn’t like they could even understand anything he said except a yes or no answer.
Regardless of what was actually wrong—if anything—Tobias figures that Giratina just doesn’t feel like wasting valuable time and energy to monitor them today.
Junie takes to resting periodically on Auretta’s back, but she still leaps back into the air as much as possible, rambling about how impressed Bo will be by her new skills.
Hours pass peacefully this way, and it’s nearly noon, the sun high and bright overhead, when the braviary calls out, “Land ahoy!”
Tobias squints, ignoring Nia’s quiet, “Thank goodness.” Sure enough, the shore of the Bethoc Bluffs and the forest of the Haven lie on the horizon, faded blue with distance.
Tobias is startled out of his search by a high, unexpected voice coming from Fidel and Cato’s direction.
“Finally! I thought we’d never get there!”
Cato falters, and everyone else’s heads snap over.
From the pack still strapped to Fidel’s back, a tiny gray and red head is poking out with a devious grin, clearly enjoying their stunned reactions.
“Asher?!” Junie yells.
“Asher?” Fidel asks, half shocked and half concerned. He quickly unstraps his pack to pull it in front of him. Seeing that his son is unharmed, his brows lower. “What are you doing here?”
The zorua sinks low into the bag at his father’s upset tone, until all Tobias can see are golden eyes and lowered ears. He can barely hear the zorua over the wind as he says, “I didn’t want you to go.”
Fidel’s anger softens. He sighs. “I didn’t want to leave you either, but that does not mean you are allowed to disobey direct orders. What if we were going straight to the mountains and had to stop to find somewhere safe for you to stay?”
“I’d be okay!” Asher says. “I’m tough! And I can always hide in your hair to stay warm.”
“You are not coming to the mountians,” Fidel says, voice hard. “And I will be double-checking that you haven’t decided to sneak along again before we go.”
Asher pouts. “But—"
“No. You will stay at the guild’s nursery until we return.”
Asher perks up again. “Does that mean you’re not sending me back to the settlement? Please tell me you’re not. It’s so boring there!”
Fidel sighs, glancing over at Tobias, Nia, and Junie. “…No. we can’t afford to turn around simply to drop you off. You’ll come with us to the Lexym Guild, as long as Team Scarlet thinks you’d be welcome there.”
“Of course he would!” Junie chirps, despite having never been to the guild herself.
Tobias squashes her down with a hand, ignoring her offended cheep. “I’m sure Asher can stay in the guild’s nursery while we’re gone. Honestly, the shinx kids will probably be thrilled to have a new playmate.”
Asher almost wiggles out of his father’s hold in his excitement. “Ooh, are they fun? How old are they? I bet I could turn into a shinx!”
“Don’t sound so thrilled,” Fidel admonishes. “We will be talking about this more once we settle in. You’re still in trouble.”
“Right. Sorry,” Asher says.
Tobias doesn’t think he sounds all that sorry at all, but it is clear Asher doesn’t like upsetting his father, even if he doesn’t really regret stowing away.
Despite the scolding, Fidel doesn’t stop his son from joining in the conversation after that. Some part of Tobias thinks the zoroark is actually relieved to have his son nearby where he can keep an eye on him.
Half the remaining journey is spent with Asher yelling questions across the sky about the Lexym Guild, which Tobias answers patiently. Junie wastes no time jumping in with questions of her own.
They must’ve taken a different flight route than usual since they came straight from the human settlement, because today they pass over a beach town near the bluffs on the edge of the continent. It’s a fairly small place, bigger than Stonebrook but much smaller than Ghatha. Closer to Fort Asra’s population than anything. Tobias thinks he remembers visiting once or twice with Maggie when he was younger.
As they fly over the bustling town, the braviary carrying Fidel suddenly jerks, strong enough to cut off Asher’s rambling with a yip. Fidel pulls his son closer.
“Cato?” Auretta says, tone concerned. She flies closer, as if to steady him.
The braviary doesn’t answer for a moment, frowning down at the quiet activity of the town below. “I’m fine. Just…thought I felt something strange in the air for a moment.”
Tobias frowns, eyeing the braviary’s crest. Fliss said that braviary variants were psychic types, right? Psychics do tend to be a bit more sensitive to certain things.
But after a tense moment of observation, the braviary shakes his head. “Probably nothing. Likely some psychic types playing with their powers. Apologies for the scare.”
The rest of them take the dismissal for what it is, slowly relaxing again. Asher and Junie resume their questioning after a minute or two.
The two chatterboxes only fall silent once they reach the Haven in earnest, and the giant tree that houses the Lexym Guild towers in the distance, far above the other trees of the forest.
“It’s huge!” Junie says. “You guys didn’t tell me you lived somewhere so cool!”
Tobias shrugs. He’s lived at the guild for over eight years now, so it’s long since lost its novelty. It’s just…home, nowadays.
Auretta and Cato find the mail ‘mons’ flight floor with easy familiarity, alighting on the wooden platforms with gentle thumps.
Fidel and Asher slide down from the braviary’s back, and Auretta crouches for Tobias, Nia and Junie to do the same. Tobias tries to help Nia soften her landing, but she still winces as she lands, paw going to her ribs.
The two flight ‘mon were paid in advance by Will, so they give their goodbyes and head off to the flight outpost. Junie hops after them, calling out her thanks for the impromptu flight lesson.
It’s not long until the two flying types are out of sight.
“So what now?” Junie asks, eyes sparkling as she takes in the open, windy interior and wooden walls. “Gonna give us the grand tour?”
For once, Tobias wishes they could do something so laid-back, but he knows they need to get something else over with first.
“We need to talk to August first. Update him and see if he found anything out about Xerneas while we were gone. Plus, we need to get his approval so we can travel to the mountains. He might have some tips for us.”
“And…” Nia adds, looking nervous. “Um. We have to tell him about the whole Kaleido Bay thing, right?”
The mark on their record, yeah. As their guildmaster, August will find out about it sooner or later, so Tobias would rather the rillaboom hear it straight from him.
Tobias nods, ignoring Asher’s curious look and Junie’s sympathetic grimace.
“We’ll join you, if that’s all right. I need to make sure it’s okay for Asher to stay here while we’re gone,” Fidel says, giving his son—who is happily sniffing circles around the room, probably tracking an old scent—an unimpressed look.
Decision made, Tobias leads their little group up the few flights to August’s office. He just hopes the rillaboom is free so they can get this over with.
The whole walk, Junie and Asher take turns eagerly pointing out different parts of the Lexym Tree’s construction, peering through the lattice windows they pass and asking how they built a whole guild inside of a tree.
“I think it’s magic,” Nia whispers conspiratorially, leaning closer to Asher and wiggling her fingers.
Asher grins. “Has to be. Even with lotsa grass types around, this tree is humongous! Like, weirdly so. Right, Dad?”
“It is impressive.”
“Hm. Magic and lots of love and care?” Nia jokes, glancing at Tobias.
Tobias snorts. “I’m sure that’s it.”
Tobias is glad they don’t push for actual answers, at least, considering he doesn’t have them. As far as he knows, the Lexym Tree has been like this for over a century, since the guilds were first formed and Bethoc herself founded this branch.
Still, their good mood nosedives as they reach August’s quarters at the top of the guild. The stone doors are closed tight, vines wrapping around their surface, and bright autumn foliage wreathes the corners of the doorframe.
Tobias takes a deep breath and knocks. He’s both relieved and disappointed when August’s deep voice can be faintly heard in response.
Verene is the one who opens the doors. The lurantis scans Tobias and the others with mild surprise, but she opens the door wider without hesitation, silently ushering them in.
August seems just as surprised to see them, though his expression quickly turns to warm relief.
Tobias stomach churns. For a second, he considers not telling August about their transgression in Kaleido at all.
…But no, that’ll only delay the inevitable. And August would be even more disappointed in them if they tried to hide it.
Tobias takes another breath to calm his nerves.
“Team Scarlet! I wasn’t expecting you back so soon. And I see you’ve brought company?”
Tobias nods, gesturing first at Junie. “Juniper the rookidee. You might remember that we met her in Ghatha on our last trip East.”
“Junie,” Junie corrects, hopping forward with a dramatic bow. “I live in Stonebrook! I’m just here to help these two knuckleheads stay in one piece.”
August chuckles. “Pleasure to meet you. And you two?”
Fidel steps forward, his usual friendly demeanor stiffening as he bows as well. “Fidel the zoroark. Second in command at the human settlement south of Ghatha. This is my son, Asher.”
“Hiya!” Asher chirps. In a flash of light, he morphs into a grookey to bow just as dramatically as Junie had.
Junie snorts, but Fidel almost looks panicked as he nudges his son. Asher glances up at him, sighs, then transforms back into a zorua to bow more respectfully.
August watches the exchange with a strange expression, half-amused and half…sad, almost? Still, his smile is warm when Fidel looks back to him. “You and your son are welcome here, Fidel. Worry not.”
Fidel’s tense posture doesn’t relax, but he does nod, murmuring his thanks.
“Happy as I am to welcome you all to the Lexym Guild, am I wrong in assuming you have a purpose in mind, coming here with Team Scarlet? Have you news on your search for Xerneas?”
Tobias nods. “Will’s team did some research, and we think we have a place to start looking.”
He glances at Fidel, and the zoroark takes over.
“Xerneas and Yveltal rest within a certain proximity of one another during their sleep cycles.”
August nods, not looking surprised. He must’ve found similar claims in his own research here at the guild.
“As such, we only need to find one before we have an anchor point to find the other,” Fidel continues. “We can also assume from the legends that their resting places display specific qualities. Namely, that Xerneas will rest somewhere lush, and Yveltal somewhere barren. In addition, the crystals forming their cocoons typically spill over into the environment around them as well.”
August narrows his eyes, a thoughtful hand coming up to his chin. “That makes sense, considering the role of each legendary in regards to the ecosystem. I’m assuming you believe one of the two legendaries to be nearby since you followed Team Scarlet all the way back to Metreja?”
Fidel nods, looking to Nia.
She startles, but hurries forward to continue. “Y-Yes! Do you remember the sableye we rescued in that dungeon on the river, along with Team Aqua Jet? Carnelian?”
August smiles. “I do. A nervous little fellow, but very polite.”
“Yes! Before he left the guild, he mentioned that he was going somewhere to investigate some strange crystals.”
“The Silenfroar Mountain range,” Tobias adds.
August straightens, brow furrowing with understanding. “Which would certainly be a barren landscape, yes?”
Fidel nods. “We’re thinking that Yveltal may be resting there. However, we want to investigate and confirm for sure so we can use his location as a tether to find Xerneas, considering they should be within sight of one another.”
August hums, thoughtful, his gaze locked on one of the branches snaking its way through the walls of the room and bringing a burst of autumn leaves with it.
Tobias frowns. He knows August well enough after all these years to guess what that look means. “You found something out while we were gone, didn’t you?”
August blinks back to the present, and laughs. “That transparent, am I? We have been performing our own research in your brief absence, but let me confirm my suspicions with Alistair and Tawny first before I share what I suspect. Don’t worry, I’ll be sure to keep you all in the loop.”
Tobias doesn’t doubt that August is telling the truth, despite how much grief he’s given his guildmaster over the years.
Another jab of guilt in Tobias’ chest.
“You trained up in those mountains once, right?” Tobias asks, pushing past the feeling. “Did you hear anything about Yveltal while you were there?”
August looks faintly surprised that Tobias remembers that little tidbit, probably since it was shared so many years ago. The rillaboom shakes his head. “No, I heard nothing of the sort while I was there. But though they welcomed me on a surface level by the end of my training, I was never truly one of them. It’s likely they would still keep important secrets from me, and a legendary hidden in their territory would certainly qualify.”
“Oh,” Nia says, wilting. “Does that mean you wouldn’t be able to put in a good word for us?”
August’s brows raise. “You mean to travel up the mountain yourselves? All of you?”
“Will would like to work with ‘mon he personally knows he can trust,” Fidel says. “And I could help to assure their safety, if you permit it.”
“And Giratina asked US to look into Xerneas,” Tobias adds. Well, he asked Nia, but still—they’re a unit. “And we know Carnelian, too. He trusts us. It makes sense for us to go.”
Nia and Junie open their mouths to add their own input, but August lifts a hand to stop them.
“You don’t need to try so hard to convince me. You’ve already proven yourselves worthy of missions far above your ranking, and you aren’t the worst option in the guild, type-wise.”
Verene, who had been silently watching the exchange off to the side, steps forward for the first time, pink and white claws crossed politely but voice firm. “All the same, August, if time is a pressing matter, should we not send someone who could make the trip faster? I know we don’t have many upper-level Seekers on hand who are great in the cold, but someone like Team Sequoia could adapt well.”
Andyn’s parents? Oh, absolutely not. Tobias is not trusting the fate of the world to two sawsbuck who can’t even raise their own kid properly.
Before he can protest, August shakes his head. “You know as well as I do that Team Sequoia would make enemies of the village sooner than they’d find any answers, Verene. Trust me on this. We need someone non-threatening who already has a connection with the sableye researcher at the very least.” He smiles at them. “As I cannot go myself, I have a feeling this group is exactly the team for the job.”
Tobias is going to die from the guilt. A glance at Nia shows she’s feeling the same, wincing under the praise.
Verene doesn’t seem thrilled by August’s answer, glancing over Nia, Tobias, Junie and Asher doubtfully, but she dutifully steps back.
August looks back to them. “You have my approval for Team Scarlet to investigate the Silenfroar mountain range for signs of Xerneas or Yveltal’s presence. I do want you to wait a day or so for my confirmation before you depart, though. I need to draft a letter to the matriarch of the village if you want to bypass any initial suspicion. Additionally, I want you to prepare properly—the mountainside can be brutal, especially if you run into any bad weather. Make sure to get some snow clothes from Vera before leaving.”
“Already done!” Junie chirps. “Will hooked us up.”
“We didn’t grab shoes, though,” Nia frets. “The ones at the shop looked too thin, so…”
August bends over his desk for a moment to scribble a note to himself. “In that case, make sure you grab some snowshoes before departing from the guild. I believe Vera has a few pairs in storage. I’ll send word so she can dig them out.”
Nia gives her thanks, looking relieved.
“What about me?” Asher asks, head craning back to look up at his father.
Fidel falters. “Right. Guildmaster, would it be possible for my son to stay here in your guild’s nursery while we journey up the mountain? He was not supposed to join on this trip, but…”
“Of course,” August says, clearly catching Fidel off-guard with such easy approval. “Arlo and his assistants can handle one more bundle of chaos, I’m sure. Just be sure not to cause them too much grief, little one.”
Asher perks up with a radiant smile. “Of course not, sir!”
Junie and Tobias snort in unison.
“Does that mean I’m cool to crash with Nia and Toby while I’m here too?” Junie asks.
August nods. “I expected as much. You should have more than enough room in Team Scarlet’s quarters.”
Junie whispers, “Mission accomplished!” to Nia, making the riolu smile.
August makes a sound in his throat as if he just remembered something. “Speaking of which, you actually have another guest who requested to meet with you. They’ve been staying in the guest quarters the last few days, but I’ll send word for them to meet up with you right away. I’m sure they’ll be interested in joining you on your journey to Silenfroar.”
Tobias blinks, surprised, and exchanges a confused look with Nia. A guest?
“You and your son will also have guest quarters for the duration of your stay,” August says to Fidel, quickly writing down some details on a slip of paper before holding it out to him. “Though Asher is more than welcome to sleep in the nursery while you’re away.”
Fidel takes the slip of paper after a beat of hesitation, murmuring his thanks. Asher clambers up his father’s side to perch on his shoulder and read it too.
“If that’s all,” August says, “I’m sure you’re all hungry after your travels. Feel free to go to the cafeteria—they should still be serving lunch at this hour.”
Nia and Tobias hesitate, exchanging a reluctant glance. Part of Tobias just wants to leave and deal with the mark on their record later, especially if August could potentially rescind his permission for them to investigate the mountains, but…
He can’t just lie to August, not after how welcoming he’s been to them. Today, and for Tobias’ whole life, honestly.
“We have something else to tell you,” Tobias sighs. He glances uncomfortably at Fidel. “About, uh…an incident we were a part of in Kaleido Bay.”
August straightens, his smile curving into a concerned frown.
Fidel must pick up on their discomfort, because he smiles awkwardly and dips his head. “In that case, Asher and I will go find our lodgings for the night and grab some food. I’ll come to speak with you tomorrow, Team Scarlet.”
“Can we go see the nursery first?!” Asher asks, shaking his dad’s shoulder. “I gotta find those shinx kids!”
“We can,” Fidel agrees with a wry look. “But you’re also helping me draft a letter to poor Will to let him know you’re safe. He’ll be in a fuss over your disappearance.”
Asher winces. “…Whoops. Didn’t think about that.”
“Yes, ‘Whoops.’” Fidel turns back to August with another formal bow. “Thank you again for your hospitality, Guildmaster.”
August nods and dismisses the father and son, and they take their leave to slip quietly from the room.
In their absence, a heavy silence falls.
August turns back to them, looking more concerned than anything. “What exactly is this ‘incident’ that occurred in Kaleido Bay?”
Tobias takes a breath and steps forward. “It was my fault. We found out that one of the Pokemon responsible for the death of my family was being held in the prison there. I wanted to talk to him.”
August recoils, clearly not expecting that answer. The rillaboom surely knows the vague details of how Tobias came to join the guild years ago, but even Maggie doesn’t have the full story. And Tobias has certainly never willingly divulged details like this to him.
It helps to say it like a report. To keep a clinical sort of distance from the event itself.
Verene is staring at Tobias with uncharacteristic emotion, pink eyes wide with shock. Tobias wouldn’t be surprised if this is the first time she’s hearing about his circumstances at all, considering she wasn’t at the guild when he first arrived.
August could’ve told her at some point, of course, but Tobias realizes suddenly that he’d always just trusted that August would keep it as quiet as possible out of respect for his privacy. After all, from the very beginning, August was one of the few ‘mon at the guild who treated Tobias with respect. He has always showed a deep, honest sympathy for Tobias’ circumstances, rather than pity.
August has always been on Tobias’ side, even if Tobias didn’t recognize it until recently.
Which is why Tobias is going to keep his lying to a minimum, here and now. They can’t implicate Rosalind because Arceus knows what she would do in retaliation, but…
“We blackmailed a guard to get into the prison,” Tobias admits, lifting his chin and locking eyes with August. “I had to know.”
August’s expression becomes more somber. He leans forward to rest his chin on interlaced fingers. “I see. And did you find what you were looking for by speaking with this outlaw?”
Tobias swallows down fresh grief. “…In a way, yes. I don’t regret doing it.”
He does regret getting Nia in trouble too, and of course the danger of the whole situation in the first place, but as far as tarnishing his own record? He’d do that a thousand times over to find answers. To get some closure.
“Nia didn’t want me to go alone, but it was entirely my idea.”
“I went along with it,” Nia protests, stepping up to his side. “I-I…I should bear any punishment you give, too.”
August hums, looking between them. “And you two are telling me this out of the goodness of your hearts? Or were you found out?”
“Dismas made an escape attempt while we were there,” Tobias says, lifting his arm to show his still-bandaged side, finally almost healed. “We delayed him until reinforcements arrived, but that did bring attention to the whole incident. One of the wardens came to talk to us afterwards and explained that due to our help we would get a lighter punishment, but we’ll still have a mark on our record. You should be receiving notice of that soon.”
August is silent for a few moments, looking to Verene as if to gauge her reaction. She looks troubled by the admission of wrongdoing, but strangely uncertain, too. Likely still reeling from the revelation about Tobias’ family.
Finally, August sighs, making a note on a slip of paper on his desk. “Well, I certainly can’t condone you both engaging in such unsavory activity, not to mention where you received the knowledge to blackmail a prison guard in the first place—"
Here, August pauses to give them a stern, knowing look that makes them wince.
“—But I can also understand where you are coming from, Tobias. I suppose my next question must be whether you plan to repeat such behavior in the future?”
“Not if it might hurt someone else,” Nia answers first. Tobias looks at her, surprised by the passion in her voice.
“The Pokemon we blackmailed got in trouble, too,” Nia continues, quieter, voice shaky. “I-I can’t do that again. Hurt someone else for personal gain.”
She peeks at Tobias as she says it, expression both hard and pleading, as if begging him not to put her in such a situation again.
Tobias feels fresh guilt worm its way into his gut. He hadn’t thought much about Jude’s repercussions at all. Of course Nia has been stewing in guilt over them the whole time.
“Agreed,” Tobias finally says, crumbling under Nia’s expression. “I…can’t say I wouldn’t be tempted in the future if information about the outlaws who killed my family was on the line, but I’ll go with Nia on this. I promise no one else will be caught in the crossfire in the future.”
August gives them a tired smile. “As much as I am pleased to hear that your hearts are in the right place, as your guildmaster I need to remind you both that you should not admit to planning to break any rules to Verene and I.”
Nia and Tobias both wince, Nia murmuring a quiet, “Sorry.”
August chuckles, shaking his head.
Verene looks torn, as if unsure if August should be taking all of this so lightly.
Tobias swallows, pushing forward. “Do we still have your permission to investigate the Silenfroar Mountains?”
August quirks a brow. “Would it stop you if I said no?”
Nia and Tobias exchange an uncertain look.
August coughs, though it sounds suspiciously like he’s covering a laugh. “Don’t answer that. Typically, teams with infractions for suspicious activity would be put on leave while the issue was investigated, but seeing as you came to tell me your reasoning directly, that step of the process is complete for now. I do truly believe you all are the best choice for this mission, so I’ll keep you as the assigned team.”
Tobias releases a breath he hadn’t realized he’d been holding, hearing Nia do the same next to him.
“However,” August continues, pinning them both with a stern look. “This is still a permanent red flag on your record. Accumulate more than two and your team will be put on leave indefinitely. Do not put me in that position. Got it?”
Tobias straightens up with a nod. “Yes sir.”
“Y-Yes sir!”
August holds the look for a moment longer, then waves them out. “In that case, you three are free to go. I’ll send your other guest to your quarters soon. And I believe you had a rather large delivery as well during your absence.
Tobias blinks. News of a “guest” is strange enough, but they had a big delivery, too?
Tobias doesn’t question it aloud, though. He, Nia and even Junie bow and say their thanks before scurrying out of the room.
Just before Tobias crosses the threshold, August calls out, “Tobias?”
Tobias stops, looking back at the rillaboom.
His face is soft. “Circumstances aside, I’m glad you found what you were looking for in the prison. I hope it bring you some measure of peace.”
Tobias swallows against an unexpected wave of emotion, nodding and mumbling his thanks before following Nia and Junie out of the room.
As soon as the door closes behind them and they’re alone in the hallway, Junie sags to the floor. “Whew! Well that was nerve-racking. No wonder you don’t like to get in trouble, Nia.”
“Who does?” Nia asks, aghast.
Tobias just points at Junie, who proudly fluffs out her chest. She’s an impidimp under all those feathers, he swears.
“Well, I certainly don’t enjoy it,” Nia murmurs. But then she perks up. “Oh! But what do you think August meant by us having a guest? And a delivery?”
“I want food and a tour soon, but I’m curious too. We could go to your room first to check it out?” Junie suggests.
Tobias doesn’t see any issue with that. They’re likely not going to get much done today aside from settling back in and checking on Maggie and Nia’s friends, so they might as well quell their curiosity and take their time.
Tobias leads the three of them to the floor where the Seekers’ quarters are housed, then down the hall and to their room. Along the way, Nia tells Junie about where and who they need to visit while at the guild.
“Oh, you’ll love Maggie! She’s Tobias’ mom and she’s the sweetest person alive. And you’ll probably meet Fen and Sage during that visit, too. And I need to introduce you to Xander’s team! They’re a few years older than us, but they’re some of our best friends. And Andyn’s—"
Nia cuts herself off abruptly.
Tobias rolls his eyes, not even looking back to see his partner’s crestfallen expression. “If Andyn is still in a mood a week after our little tiff, that’s her problem. And don’t you dare go to apologize to her when it’s her fault for having such an awful attitude.”
“I-I know,” Nia says quietly. “But…I do miss her.”
“If you’re worried, you could always check in with the sensible members of her team.”
“Wait, hold up. What’s the drama here?” Junie asks, fluttering forward to perch on Tobias’ shoulder. “Who’s Andyn?”
“One of Nia’s friends. We did a joint mission with her team before we left and she was being an insecure little brat the whole time. She was still acting huffy when we left.”
“She was being a brat to Nia?” Junie asks, aghast. “Oh, she’d better be a bug type. I’m gonna peck some sense into her.”
“Junie, no!” Nia says.
Tobias smirks. “Grass type, actually. So you’re good. And I think her teammates might just cheer you on at this point.”
“Tobias!“ Nia says, louder.
Tobias and Junie ignore Nia’s protests from behind them on the staircase, the two of them instead making more and more ridiculous attack plans. Tobias knows Nia isn’t actually upset with them since he can hear the growing laughter in her voice with every protest. After Junie threatens to stalk Andyn around the guild and drop berries on her head in some kind of psychological warfare, Nia doesn’t even try to protest anymore as she giggles.
The teasing continues until they reach their room. Tobias opens the door, expecting their delivery to be something too large for the mailbox but still manageably small.
Instead, the three of them stop cold in the entryway of the room, staring at the supplies lumped together into a pile taller than them.
“What in the..?” Tobias says.
Nia gasps, pushing past them. “It’s a bed!”
“For real?!” Junie yells. She flutters forward to join Nia, eagerly knelt next to a bundle of…wooden posts?
Tobias frowns, joining them as well. “I thought you didn’t buy a bed from Hazel because it was too expensive.”
“Oh.” Nia pauses, blinking. “I didn’t.”
Junie brings their attention to a little note tied to one of the posts, plucking it free with her beak to hold out to Nia. Nia skims through it, and a peek reveals that it’s written in that strange scrawling script from Hazel’s last letter, completely illegible to him.
Nia’s expression softens. “It IS from Hazel. She says she wants to thank us for returning her ‘silly husband’ to her and her family in one piece. No charge.”
“Her husband?” Junie asks.
“Yeah! He’s super nice. I think he’s called a floatzel? We saved him and his crew from a mystery dungeon on the way back from Shivergleam.”
“No charge at all is pretty generous of her,” Tobias says, raising a brow.
“I know! I almost don’t want to accept.”
“Hey, don’t look for the hair in the soup and all that,” Junie says, hopping from one bundle of crisply cut, polished wood to another.
“Do you always have to make it yourself?” Tobias asks doubtfully. It looks…kind of complicated.
With a grin, Nia flips over the letter to show him the back, where more is written along with some little doodles to help illustrate. “Nope, but there are instructions! It doesn’t look too bad.”
Tobias still doesn’t get why the two of them are so excited. He’s having a hard time figuring out what this weird bed will even look like by the time they’re done. What’s wrong with a simple nest on the floor?
Junie must sense his doubt, because she hops over the wood and says, “You’ll understand soon, Toby. Come over here and feel this!”
Tobias rounds the pile of materials to find a giant rectangular…something? It looks thick but soft and it’s covered in cloth. It sparks a long-forgotten memory on the edge of his thoughts, of waking up somewhere impossibly soft after Team Zenith’s attack.
Oh. Maybe he has slept in a similar kind of bed before. He thinks the doctor in the village had one? Maybe there was a human living there that Tobias was unaware of at the time.
Trying not to look too intrigued, Tobias follows Junie’s order and sits down on the edge of what she calls a “mattress.” It feels like more of those springs might be inside, but it’s heavily padded by fabric and other stuffing, so he sinks comfortably a few inches before lightly bouncing back up.
Okay, maybe Tobias is starting to see why they’re so excited to sleep on this. He hesitates, knowing Junie will likely comment on it, but eventually decides to flop back onto it fully.
“Nice, right?” Junie asks, her smug expression audible. Tobias doesn’t give her the satisfaction of responding, instead closing his eyes.
…It is pretty comfortable.
Nia snickers, but thankfully doesn’t comment. The sound is followed by the clatter of wood and shuffling as Nia starts putting together whatever the rest of the supplies are for.
“Okay, looks like it’s just a peg system, so I don’t think we’ll need tools…”
“Should we grab food before you get lost in construction mode?” Junie pipes up, looking between them. “I’m starving.”
Nia is clearly reluctant to part with her new project, but Tobias is hungry too. They compromise, heading down to grab lunch and bringing it back to their room to eat.
Tobias and Junie dig in with relish, the little rookidee praising the cooking’s quality. Nia just takes bites of her meal here and there while organizing the materials and lining up pegs in their proper placement.
After he’s finished eating, Tobias peels himself from the mattress to help Nia hold the supplies in place, since her muttering has only gotten more frustrated in the last few minutes.
The two of them are only halfway through building what is apparently a frame to hold the mattress off the floor when a quiet tap tap comes from the doorway. They all turn to look, just as a familiar head pokes into the room.
Oh. That’s the second time this afternoon that Tobias has been thrown completely for a loop.
“Samir?!” Nia gasps, practically throwing down the materials in her paws to scramble up and greet the skiddo.
Samir looks just as they’d left them in Fort Asra, albeit a bit more unsure in this new environment. Their nerves visibly lessen in the face of Nia’s enthusiastic greeting, but the skiddo still holds themself stiffly as ever, legs locked and chin raised. Across their back, a satchel like the one Maggie wears when gathering herbs is draped over their spine.
So the mystery guest August had mentioned before is Samir. After hearing about the skiddo’s terrible partner back in Fort Asra, and Nia offering Samir a place in the Lexym Guild instead, Tobias can take a wild guess for why they’re here.
He’s just not quite sure how to feel about it.
Chapter 65
Summary:
Tobias and Nia introduce Junie and Samir to the guild.
Chapter Text
Samir stands strong in the wake of Nia’s enthusiasm. Her tail is a blur as she bombards the poor skiddo with questions that they struggle to answer with a simple yes or no.
“So that’s the mystery visitor?” Junie whispers, fluttering onto Tobias’ shoulder.
“Yeah. A Seeker we worked with in Fort Asra,” Tobias whispers back.
“You don’t seem as thrilled as Nia about them showing up here.”
Tobias’ mouth flattens as he tries to figure out his feelings on Samir’s sudden appearance.
On one hand, Tobias actually liked working with Samir. They’re competent at their job, and their personality isn’t insufferable like Andyn or some other Seekers he’s met over the years.
On the other hand, Tobias hasn’t forgotten that Nia offered Samir a place in the guild, and potentially on their team. Logically, Tobias shouldn’t be against the idea of more team members, but he still feels a little…territorial, maybe? Of his current team with Nia. He doesn’t want anything or anyone to intrude on the partnership they’ve built.
Then again, they’ve already got Junie and Fidel tagging along to the mountains, so what difference would one more Pokemon really make?
Tobias shakes his head. He’s getting ahead of himself.
“No, I like them,” Tobias admits. “Just…surprised to see them here so suddenly.”
Junie hums, but doesn’t push further.
Samir interrupts Nia’s chatter by holding up a hoof. Then they use their teeth to carefully pull a rolled-up tube of papers out of the side of their pack, holding the makeshift scroll out to her.
Nia blinks, then takes the offered papers and unrolls them to read. Tobias walks closer to read over her shoulder, giving Samir a cordial nod of greeting first.
He’s unsurprised to see that the first page is an official guild form. A transfer form, for Samir to join or create their own team here at the Lexym Guild.
Tobias’ stomach sinks. Looks like he was right. And he doesn’t really hate the idea—or at least he shouldn’t. Samir is just about the best option they could ask for when looking for a third teammate, but…
It’s just weird to think about having another official member on their team. It would change everything about their dynamic and how they run missions. No more Tobias and Nia. Instead, it would be Tobias, Nia, and Samir.
Tobias forces himself to continue reading with a neutral expression. The letter stipulates that Samir can officially leave the jurisdiction of their old guild and join the Lexym Guild as long as they get August’s approval. Which, judging by the leafy stamp at the bottom of the page beside August’s sloppy signature, they already did.
There’s a second sheet below the first, and Nia flips to it, only to find an additional request form to join Team Scarlet specifically. Samir’s signature sits at the bottom of the page, in even messier handwriting. There’s an empty space above it for Nia and Tobias’ signatures, if they approve.
As one, they all look up at Samir.
The skiddo is clearly nervous, as much as they try to hide it. They gesture again at the papers. Nia flips to the final page, which is covered in blunt, shaky Ordirune, likely penned by the tip of Samir’s hoof. It’s so messy it’s almost childlike, but it’s legible.
I WOULD LIKE TO REQUEST TO JOIN TEAM SCARLET OFFICIALLY. I BELIEVE WE WORK WELL TOGETHER AFTER OUR PARTNERSHIP IN FORT ASRA.
NO OBLIGATION IF YOU DO NOT AGREE. I CAN FIND ANOTHER TEAM.
THANK YOU.
SAMIR
The blunt yet formal language actually gets a snort from Tobias, despite his mixed feelings about the whole situation. He really does like Samir. He just…needs some time to think this over first.
“You really want to join our team?” Nia asks, dumbfounded. Then a frown creases her face. “You’re sure you’re all right leaving your old guild?”
Samir grimaces, then nods. Tobias remembers the words they scratched into the dirt during their stakeout in the desert, about the partner who’d abandoned them after their injury made them mute.
DIDN’T WANT ME
Their partner and the guild as a whole were probably happy to be rid of Samir, if the skiddo’s judgement is accurate.
Tobias swallows down a growl. Samir’s old partner and guild are idiots for shunning the skiddo so blatantly. Especially considering how capable they are as a Seeker, mute or not.
Samir must’ve come straight here after finishing their duties in Fort Asra and putting the transfer paperwork through. It feels…not quite desperate, but close enough for sympathy to well up in Tobias’ gut. He knows what it’s like to be disliked or—at best—pitied by those around you. He can imagine it’s even worse for something you can’t help, like losing your voice from an injury.
Still, Tobias is grateful that Nia looks at him before blurting out an answer, a question clear on her face. Tobias’ expression must look as uncertain as he feels, because she doesn’t even hesitate before turning back to Samir to say, “Could we talk it over on our own before giving you an answer, Samir?”
The skiddo nods, looking relieved that Tobias and Nia are going to consider the proposition at all. Then they turn to leave.
“Wait!” Nia says, reaching for them. “We need to talk before giving you an official answer, but you’re still our friend. You don’t need to leave. I-If you want to stay, that is.”
Tobias can agree with that, at least, and shrugs casually when Samir looks at him.
“Yeah! Come help us piece this monster of a bed together,” Junie says. “It’s craft time in here and boy are these two bad at it.”
“You could help if we’re so terrible,” Tobias grumbles, brushing the rookidee off his shoulder and moving back to the half-assembled bed frame.
“That peg is heavier than I am, Toby! What am I gonna do? Get squished? Not helpful. For your information, I am doing an excellent job at supervising.”
“You’re doing an excellent job at being even more annoying than usual.”
As they bicker, Nia leads a hesitant Samir over to their operation, pointing out what they’re doing: fitting wooden pieces together and building up the bed’s frame piece by piece. Once Samir has the gist, they jump in to help with a serious expression. They’re painfully earnest about it, too, as if this is a mission to prove their worth to the team as a whole.
Yeesh. It’s a bit intense, even for Tobias.
“Jeez, you’re a serious one, aintcha?” Junie asks, peering down at Samir from her “supervising position” atop one post of the bed frame. “It’s all right to lighten up a bit, y’know?”
Samir ignores the suggestion, shrugging uncomfortably
“Toby said your name’s Samir, right? I’m Junie!”
Samir offers a distracted nod in greeting.
Junie is quiet for a moment, tilting her head one way and then the other. “So…is the no-talking thing by choice, or..?”
Samir drops the wooden dowel they’d been delicately holding in their teeth. Nia stammers something unintelligible.
“They’re mute,” Tobias cuts in, pointedly casual. “Injury.”
“Ohh.” Junie nods. “’Kay! Just curious. Guess that means you don’t have vines to talk with, either.”
Tobias pauses in his own work, curious despite himself. Can skiddo learn vine whip?
Samir winces, then lifts their chin to tap at their throat. It takes Tobias a moment to understand what they’re saying.
“Your injury?” Tobias guesses.
Most grass types do have the base of their vines somewhere around their throat. If Samir’s injury was bad enough to damage their vocal cords, it’s possible that it messed with other parts of their body as well.
How did they even survive that kind of injury?
Samir nods, confirming Tobias’ guess. Then they focus back on their work with a steeliness that screams for Junie to stop talking about this.
So Junie, of course, keeps talking about it.
“Oh. Have you ever tried talking with like…morse code or something? Oh! Or whistles? Sometimes mail ‘mon use different chirps and stuff to communicate codes instead of talking. It’s super neat!”
Morse code? Tobias thinks Nia mentioned something similar during their stakeout in Asra. And the whistle idea isn’t actually a bad suggestion, either.
Samir’s stiff posture eases as they blink at Junie, surprised. Whether by her easy acceptance or her surprisingly thoughtful ideas, Tobias isn’t sure.
“Oh, I hadn’t thought of whistling!” Nia says, pausing in her own work. “Can you whistle, Samir? Or, like, click your tongue?”
Samir hesitates, looking between the three of them. Then, quietly, they click their tongue against the roof of their mouth. Once, twice.
Nia beams. “You can!”
“Try to whistle,” Junie prompts.
Samir’s muzzle clearly isn’t made for it, but after a few tries, they do manage to get a weak whistle out between forceful gusts of air.
“Now we’re in business!” Junie cheers. “There’s gotta be some kind of Pokemon language set up for situations like this, right? I mean, some Pokemon don’t even have mouths and I can say from personal experience that sign language isn’t always an option.”
“I bet Avery or their dad would know!” Nia says, perking up at the chance to go to the archives and learn something new. “Would you be interested in that, Samir? Learning something like Morse code or whistle phrases so we could communicate a little easier?”
Samir, once again, looks blown away by the easy acceptance that Nia and Junie are offering. They swallow hard with suspiciously bright eyes, and nod.
“Great! How about we stop by the archives right away once we get this built?”
“If you get it built,” Junie corrects. “I’m down, though. I want the whole grand tour of this place!”
“Oh, right! Did anyone give you a tour of the guild yet, Samir?”
Samir makes a so-so motion with their hoof. So likely a surface-level tour that covered the necessities, but nothing in-depth. August probably just assigned a random low-level Seeker to do the honors.
“We’ll show you around,” Tobias decides, grunting as he finally gets two wooden posts wedged together properly. He steps back to give it a look, nodding in satisfaction.
It thankfully doesn’t take much longer to fit the bed frame together, and then Tobias, Nia, and Samir haul the surprisingly heavy mattress atop it. When that’s done, Nia grabs the blankets they’d pulled from storage during their previous trip to the guild, and throws them on top. The whole setup creates a strange but cozy-looking nest elevated a foot off the ground. Just high enough for Tobias to comfortably sit on. It’s surprisingly large, too, easily big enough for both Nia and Tobias to curl up together. Samir could probably even squeeze in if they wanted to, and Junie could definitely find a spot.
While Tobias isn’t sure how to feel about that mental picture, he can’t deny the bed itself looks incredibly cozy. He’s willing to give it a shot, after how soft it felt earlier.
“I am pumped to go to sleep tonight,” Junie says. “Good job, crew.”
“Same!” Nia says, sitting on the bed and looking pleased about its bounce. “Tobias, Samir, are you two going to try it too?”
“I’ll give it a shot,” Tobias says.
Samir looks surprised to be included, giving a noncommittal shrug and a shuffle of their hooves in an almost shy gesture.
With that task complete, they finally get to show Junie and Samir around the guild properly, starting on the bottom floor where the mission boards are stationed. They briefly explain the network of tunnels surrounding them, taking a few steps inside one so the newcomers can get the full effect. Junie is expectedly awed by the glowing crystals growing from the walls and floor and ceiling, but even Samir seems impressed by their quiet beauty.
Their group stops by the nursery floor, too, both to show it to Junie and Samir and so Tobias can check in on the shinx cubs. He isn’t at all surprised to find that Asher has captivated the entire group of children, the zorua shifting between each child’s species with ease and delighting in their excited reactions. It feels strangely dreamlike when Asher turns into a fourth shinx cub at the others’ behest, and Tobias leans over to bet Nia that they’ll use that ability to torment their older brother at least once. Nia laughs and doesn’t take that bet.
Fidel is there too, the zoroark watching his son entertain the other children with a relieved smile as he sits next to Arlo. The drampa is keeping a watchful eye on the kids as usual, but he’s taking the opportunity to rest while Asher keeps them busy. The two older ‘mon wave at Tobias, Nia, Junie and Samir when they notice them lingering in the doorway, but otherwise don’t move to approach.
Next, Tobias and Nia show off the cafeteria, Nia giggling as she regales them with their last mission on kitchen duty. After that, they show them the item dispensary floor and the training floor, too, which clearly catches Samir’s interest. Nia waves enthusiastically to Val when she spots the medicham across the room, supervising a mock battle between a treecko and a venonat. Val gives a slight upturn of her lips and a nod in return.
They do end up stopping by the archives as well, and Nia introduces the two newcomers to the archivists, Alistair the gardevoir and Tawny the ribombee. Tawny and Junie hit it off right away, tiny chatterboxes that they are, and Alistair is clearly intrigued by their quest for a non-verbal language that Samir could use to communicate easier.
The gardevoir disappears into the shelves with Nia and Samir in tow, and Tobias—despite his better judgement—stays behind to listen to Junie and Tawny ramble about…nesting on top of the library shelves?
Maybe he should’ve went with the others.
Luckily, it doesn’t take long for Alistair to return with Samir and Nia. The gardevoir has a book in his hands that’s dusty from disuse, and while he sounds apologetic that he can’t help much personally, he does comment that Avery actually knows a few rudimentary phrases of the whistle-based language contained within.
Samir still looks shocked by the easy, enthusiastic help that Nia and the others are offering, and Tobias feels a jab of anger towards the skiddo’s old guild. Seekers are supposed to help, regardless of the problem, and that includes their own members. Tobias should tell August to look into Samir’s old guild when this whole “world-saving” business is done. Something isn’t right over there, and he knows August would take his concerns seriously.
Once they’re done checking out the book, Tobias smothers his ire and leads their group farther up the tree, past the administrative floor and the Seeker quarters until they finally reach the medical wing. Fen is busy looking over a pair of Pokemon when they pass by, but Maggie immediately abandons what she’s mixing up at the counter as soon as she notices their arrival.
“Welcome home!” The meganium says, happily returning the hugs Tobias and Nia press into her flowery mane. Then she looks over their heads and smiles. “And with two new faces! Would this happen to be…Junie? And Samir?”
“Are you a psychic type or did Toby just complain about me that much?” Junie asks, fluttering forward to land on Nia’s shoulder. Samir just looks surprised to be recognized at all.
Maggie stifles a laugh, a vine coming up over her mouth. “I assure you he only complained his usual amount, and Nia had all good things to say. It’s lovely to meet you, dear.”
“You too!” Junie chirps. “You have excellent vibes, ma’am. No idea how you’ve dealt with Toby’s nonsense for so many years.”
Maggie does laugh aloud this time, and Tobias rolls his eyes.
Nia waves Samir forward, and they hesitantly step closer.
“And you must be Samir,” Maggie says with a gentler smile. “It’s lovely to meet you as well, dear. Thank you for taking such good care of these two in Fort Asra.”
Samir ducks their head into a shy nod.
“Dude, stop being so adorable,” Junie teases. “I wanna be the new favorite child.”
Samir hunches even more into themself. Tobias has to admit it’s kind of hilarious, after how stoic and sure of themself they were in Fort Asra. Clearly the new location and overwhelming friendliness is an environment they’re much less confident in.
Tobias and Nia quickly catch Maggie up on their trip to Will’s settlement, and it’s only when Samir can’t seem to hide a look of shock that Tobias realizes something: Samir wasn’t aware of the whole world-saving business they’d been assigned by Giratina. Samir didn’t even know that Nia was human.
All things considered, Tobias thinks the skiddo is taking it rather well. Their brow is furrowed and their gaze is distant as they try to process everything, but they aren’t sprinting from the room or visibly upset. Still, Nia and Maggie both seem concerned.
“Samir..?” Nia prompts.
Samir opens their mouth to speak before closing it again with a frustrated grunt. They shake their head and wave Nia off, as if to assure her that they’re fine.
“Gotta say,” Junie laughs, clearly enjoying the whole situation. “You’re handling this whole, ‘The world is ending and an eldritch god assigned us to save it’ thing better than I probably would’ve all at once. Oh! And Nia being human. I’m human too, if it matters.”
Samir once again loses their composure for a moment, eyes bulging as they look at Junie. Then they whip their head back to Nia and Tobias as if to ask if there’s anything else earth-shattering they should know about.
Nia holds up her paws. “That’s it! I promise!”
“For now, at least,” Tobias adds.
Samir’s gaze goes distant again, as if already beholding the horrors that lie ahead.
“Sure you still want to join this team?” Junie jokes.
“Yeahhh…we probably should’ve warned you about, uh, all of that first,” Nia says, cringing. “Um. You’re welcome to back out if it’s too much? We’d understand.”
Maggie looks more surprised by the idea of Samir joining their team than by anything else in this conversation. She gives Tobias a probing, concerned look.
He shrugs, mouthing, Still deciding.
Maggie’s expression softens, and she mouths back, Tell me if you need to talk.
Tobias nods, relieved that she knows him so well. He doesn’t know if he’ll take her up on the offer, but it’s always good to be reminded that it’s an option.
Samir, on the other hand, is clearly still riding the waves of all the information just dumped on them. But after a minute of silent thought, they finally shake their head, tap the ground twice, and nod. Their expression is determined.
“You want to help?” Tobias guesses.
Samir nods again.
Nia brightens. “Then we’re happy to have you along! Though it is unfortunate that we’re heading somewhere so cold right off the bat, since you’re a grass type. Will you be okay up in the mountains?”
“You can pick up a cloak from Vera’s winter storage before we go,” Tobias says. “But Nia’s right. It’ll still be rough on you and Junie in particular thanks to your typings.”
Samir doesn’t seem overly concerned by the terrain they’ll be facing. If anything, they simply look deep in thought, as if strategizing what they’ll need to combat the harsh environment. Tobias can’t help admiring that, even if it’s what he expected of the skiddo after Fort Asra. Samir doesn’t balk from a challenge, even if that challenge may decide the fate of the world.
Their group spends a bit more time with Maggie before heading back downstairs to the Seeker quarters. Nia wants to see if Xander’s team has returned yet since it’s nearing late afternoon.
Instead of Xander, it’s Andyn who Tobias runs right into while rounding a corner of the hallway.
Oh, perfect. The gods are laughing at Tobias in their sleep.
Andyn backsteps. “Oh, sorry, I—"
She cuts herself off as she realizes who she bumped into, and her expression darkens. The deerling stalks past Tobias and the others without a word.
“Wait, Andyn—” Nia says.
“We’re busy, Nia.”
Nia falls silent, wilting. Tobias is tempted to snarl something after Andyn, but he’s distracted by Ezra and Jaz, who are hurrying after their team leader from the direction of their room. The two ‘mon pause once they see Tobias, Nia and their tagalongs.
“Oh, hey!” Ezra says, grinning with his sharp sneasel teeth. “Didn’t know you were back already!”
“Is she still in a mood?” Tobias asks, crossing his arms. “It’s been like a week.”
Jaz sighs. “No, she’s been okay. Probably just wasn’t happy to see you again so soon, Tobias.”
“She can really hold a grudge,” Ezra adds cheerfully. Then his eyes land on Samir and Junie. “Ooh, new faces! You two friends with Nia and Tobias?”
“We are!” Junie chirps, puffing out her chest with pride. “Name’s Junie. That’s Samir. I’m guessing that ray of sunshine was your teammate?”
Jaz gives her a regretful smile. “I promise she‘s not normally like that. She’s just trying to untangle some…unpleasant emotions that Tobias brought out last week.”
“Doesn’t mean she has to ignore Nia to do that,” Tobias grumbles.
“Nah, but she probably finds it easier to push you both away rather than trying to sidestep one half of a team,” Ezra says. “After all, you’re pretty much joined at the hip nowadays. She’ll figure it out eventually, Nia. Try not to take it personally.”
“That’s stupid,” Junie scoffs. “Why shouldn’t Nia take it personally? We shouldn’t just have to deal with miss priss acting like a brat because Toby made her think about something she didn’t want to hear.”
Jaz winces. The stufful’s usual composure falters with guilt. Nia looks like she’s about to protest, but Jaz cuts her off. “No no, she’s right. We…probably enable Andyn more than we should.”
“She’s never gonna stop being a brat if you don’t put your foot down,” Tobias agrees.
Ezra and Jaz exchange a look.
“You’re right,” Ezra says, chuckling. “But it’s just easier to ride it out sometimes, y’know? Andyn can be a lot, but she’s still our best friend. It can be hard standing up to her when she’s upset.”
Samir nods immediately in understanding, and once again Tobias wants to meet the skiddo’s former partner. Just to talk. And maybe punch a little.
“Ez! Jaz! C’mon!”
Andyn’s voice rings out from the hall behind them, and Tobias huffs. Not even doubling back to grab her teammates? Coward.
“Sorry, gotta go,” Ezra says. “But we need to catch up when this all blows over!”
“Stay safe,” Jaz adds.
And then the two Pokemon are gone, hurrying after Andyn. There’s a moment of quiet.
“Well, that doesn’t seem like a very healthy team dynamic,” Junie chirps from Nia’s shoulder.
Nia makes a sound in her throat like she wants to agree, but doesn’t want to badmouth her friend. “Andyn’s dealing with a lot of pressure from her parents. I’m sure she’ll figure it out soon!”
Tobias doesn’t argue, knowing a futile battle when he sees one. Instead, he pushes past the encounter to lead their group to Team Shellshock’s quarters. Much as Tobias didn’t get along with Xander in the past, at least he can count on the luxio to actually act like an adult.
When they get there, the team’s door is halfway open, and inside Tobias spots Xander removing items from Team Shellshock’s satchel, Avery logging something onto their team badges, and Felix flopping down into a nest with a relieved sigh. Looks like they just got back from a long day.
Xander’s ears twitch before Tobias can knock, and he looks up with a warm smile. “Hey. Almost didn’t recognize you two with an extra set of hooves along for the ride. Come on in.”
They do so, Nia going straight for a hug that Xander returns with a loud purr.
Kry, munching on a yache berry against the far wall, locks onto the new faces of the group immediately. “Who are you two?”
Junie perks up, fluttering forward to perch on a windowsill by the fraxure. “I’m Junie! Mail ‘mon in training.”
Kry loses interest immediately. She looks at Samir instead.
Samir straightens up, glancing at Nia in an almost panicked fashion.
“Oh!” Nia pulls out of the hug to gesture towards the skiddo. “And this is Samir. They just transferred here from another guild.”
“You battle?” Kry asks.
Samir blinks, but nods.
Kry bares her teeth in a grin. “Consider me your next opponent, then. I wanna see your battle technique after being trained by a different set of mentors.”
“That’s her way of making new friends,” Felix whisper-yells to Samir.
Samir looks uncomfortable being the center of attention, but they hesitantly nod.
“So what’s your deal?” Junie asks. “You’re only friends with people you can fight?”
Kry shrugs. “You don’t impress me much if you don’t.”
Oh. Oh, that was the wrong thing to say to Junie.
The rookidee narrows her eyes. Then, quick as a flash, she lunges, grabs the last of Kry’s berry—almost half her size—and flies out the open door.
Kry blinks, hand still curled around an invisible berry.
Felix barks a laugh, and Nia’s giggles follow shortly after. Xander and Avery look just as stunned as Kry.
Tobias grins. Okay, he can see the humor in Junie’s antics when they aren’t being directed at him.
“Hey!” Kry yells, bolting out of the room. “I am going to murder you, you ball of feathers!"
Samir looks genuinely concerned by the threat, but Felix waves them off. “She won’t actually hurt her. She knows she’d get a scolding for that.”
Tobias snorts. “You should be more worried about Kry, honestly. Junie’s a menace.”
Felix’s fluffy ears perk, the wartortle clearly delighted by that tidbit of information. “Really. Well, that’s a fun development. I’m guessing this is the same Junie you all met back in Ghatha?”
“Yeah!” Nia says. “And Samir is the skiddo we met in Fort Asra.”
“Sounds like you’ve been as busy as ever,” Avery says. The kirlia folds into a sit with unnatural grace, patting the ground for Nia and the others to join them. “Feel like sharing?”
“Ooh, yeah! You two always get into the craziest binds,” Felix says, scooting closer. “What’ve you been up to this time?”
Tobias and Nia exchange a look, then start on the (abridged) version of their trip to the human settlement. While they don’t go into detail on why exactly they visited Kaleido Bay, Nia does make sure to thank Team Shellshock for their gift of an all power-up orb.
Who knows if they would’ve been able to defeat Dismas without it.
Xander just sighs at that, giving them a tired smile. “Sometimes I don’t know who’s pushing me towards gray fur faster—you two or the cubs. I’m glad we could help, though.”
“Now I feel like we need to supply you more often to ensure your safety,” Avery says, only half-teasing. “A weekly care package, perhaps?”
“That won’t be necessary!” Nia laughs, waving the kirlia off. “Um. Probably not, at least.”
Tobias snorts. “With our track record? Wouldn’t be the worst idea.”
Even Samir has a long-suffering expression of agreement on their face, and they’ve only been with Tobias and Nia for one life-threatening scenario.
“I guess it makes sense you’d run into trouble so often when you travel as much as you two do,” Felix says. “Actually, do you mind me asking why you travel so much? I’ve been wondering. Most teams stay closer to home, especially this early in your career.”
Nia opens her mouth to answer, then hesitates. She glances at Samir, recently roped into the whole “world-saving” business, then gives Tobias an unsure, questioning look. He shrugs in response. Nia is the one with the personal quest from Giratina, and these are Nia’s friends before his. She gets to decide who she clues into the reality of their situation. He’s honestly kind of surprised she hasn’t done so already.
After an awkward moment of silence, Nia says, “It’s…actually kind of complicated. I didn’t want to tell you guys if I didn’t have to worry you, but it might be good for you to know.”
The quiet flap of wings interrupts before Nia can go any further. Junie glides causally into the room, perching on Nia’s shoulder with berry juice staining the feathers around her beak. Smugness radiates from her like a visible thing.
“Hey.”
Felix raises his brows, clearly impressed. “Hey. I see you survived Kry’s rampage?”
Junie laughs. “She’s so clumsy! I thought she’d give me a better chase, honestly. She’s even easier to rile up than Toby.”
Right on cue, Kry comes crashing into the room, breathing hard with rage in her eyes. She locks onto Junie. “You.”
“No murdering, Kry,” Felix drawls.
Kry glares at the wartortle, but then looks at Xander as if to verify.
The luxio sighs. “No murder, Kry.”
The fraxure growls. “Meet me in the arena, you little puff of air.”
Junie puts on a show of considering the idea, then smirks. “Nah.”
For a moment, Kry looks like she’s actually going to lunge. Junie snuggles closer to Nia’s neck, apparently safe in the knowledge that somebody will stop any actual assault.
“Sit down and breathe, Kry,” Avery says, somehow managing to sound sympathetic rather than patronizing.
Kry stares at the kirlia for a moment, then huffs and stalks over to the alcove in the wall that Tobias has seen her use before. She flops into it, tail tip flicking with irritation.
“Now, what were you saying, Nia?” Avery prompts.
Nia glances at Samir again, as if asking whether they’re glad Nia told them the truth about everything. Samir seems surprised to be part of this decision, but gives a nod of encouragement.
Nia takes a deep breath. “Well…it’s about the world, actually. Everything that’s been going wrong with it. Mystery dungeons, natural disasters, the legendaries, evolution. How everything is breaking down. We’re sort of…looking into how to stop it?”
Team Shellshock clearly isn’t expecting this to be the reason for Tobias and Nia’s constant traveling and danger-prone adventures. Their expressions shift from surprise to solemn interest. Even Kry turns over with a frown on her face.
So once again, Tobias and Nia explain everything. About Giratina, about the weakening dimensional border, and about their mission to find Xerneas so she can stop everything from falling apart. Tobias’ throat is dry by time they’re finished.
“Samir just learned about all of this, too,” Nia adds, glancing at the skiddo. “They’re going to come with us to the mountains to help look for Yveltal.”
Samir nods.
At that, Avery surfaces from their pool of deep thought. Surprisingly, their first question isn’t directed at Nia or Tobias, but Samir. “Apologies for being so blunt, Samir, but are you mute?”
Samir’s jaw tightens, but they nod.
“Oh! Yeah! We stopped by the archives earlier and talked to your dad!” Nia says, perking up. “We were hoping to figure out an easier way for Samir to communicate with us, so he gave us a book about whistle-based language and told us that you already know some phrases. Would you mind helping us get started on the basics while we’re still here at the guild?”
Avery mirrors Nia’s excitement. “Oh, of course not! I’m afraid I don’t know a lot, but I was curious a few years ago and dove into researching the language for a week or two. Xander figured it might be helpful to know a few non-spoken codes for missions, so we actually all know some short commands.”
Avery gives Xander a soft look, as if thankful for his support. In response, the luxio looks away with pinned ears and an embarrassed little smile. Ugh. They’re so gross together.
“We’ll only be here for a couple of days, though,” Nia says. “So we won’t have a lot of time to practice before then.”
“Oh!” Felix straightens up. “You could come with us tomorrow morning for a joint mission! If you don’t have plans already.”
“That would give us a bit of time to practice before you leave,” Avery murmurs.
Tobias blinks at them. “A joint mission?”
Even Nia looks surprised by the proposal after Andyn’s reluctance to team up last week. Xander’s team is even B-rank, a full two ranks above Team Scarlet.
“As long as you don’t slow us down, I don’t care,” Kry grumbles from her little cave.
“It’d be fun to see you two in action,” Felix says. “Especially since Nia apparently takes down steelixes in her spare time.”
Nia smiles bashfully, and Tobias rolls his eyes. He knows the wartortle flirts with everything that moves (and probably things that don’t, if a particularly shiny cascoon caught his eye), but somehow it’s even more irritating when directed at Nia.
“We were planning to go after an outlaw who was spotted nearby,” Avery says. “But he is at a high C-rank level.”
“Oh,” Nia says, the jump in difficulty clearly intimidating her. She glances at Tobias.
“Feel free to say no,” Xander stresses. “We can always pick a lower-level mission. It’s difficult enough just working with a new team member.”
Tobias fights down the urge to bristle at that comment. He has to tell himself that Xander is just being considerate of their lower rank, and maybe a bit overprotective of Nia. It’s a reasonable concern, after all, not an insult to their skills.
However, what Tobias thinks but doesn’t say is that a high C-rank mission would only be two ranks above the tasks they’re supposed to be taking at this point. Tobias is pretty sure they’ve gotten so strong so quickly in part because they keep running into (and barely surviving) situations far above their pay grade.
Tobias looks at Nia. She still seems unsure, but with her anything that isn’t an outright no usually just means she’s nervous.
Tobias’ own knee-jerk reaction is to say no to joining the other team at all, but…well, the mission with Team Evergreen was fine, other than Andyn being insufferable. And Tobias actually learned a lot while sparring with Team Shellshock last week. It would be a good opportunity for Samir to get a crash-course in whistle communication with Avery, too.
Finally, Tobias looks to Samir. The skiddo looks back, seemingly fine with whatever they decide.
“We can handle it,” Tobias decides. “What kind of outlaw are we talking about here?”
“A victreebel,” Avery answers. “He was seen yesterday near the mystery dungeon that opened up last week after the earthquake.”
“And since he’s a grass type, it’d be extra nice to have a fire ‘mon on this mission,” Felix teases, leaning over to nudge Tobias with a friendly elbow.
Oh. That sentiment makes Tobias feel…weird. Lexym Pokemon never want a fire type around.
Tobias isn’t really sure how to respond, so he just shrugs and looks down to fiddle with his scarf.
“Well, I’ll leave the whole ‘fighting bad guys’ thing to you, then,” Junie says, unbothered. “This girl ain’t built for battle. I think I’ll explore the guild some more while you’re gone. See if Asher’s rallied the kids into an army yet.”
“Coward,” Kry growls.
“Meathead,” Junie retorts.
Kry snarls. Junie bats her eyes.
“Anyways,” Nia says, clapping to get everyone’s attention. “Do you know anything about the dungeon, since he’s probably hiding in there?”
Team Shellshock goes into debriefing mode, explaining that the dungeon has taken on a rocky jungle atmosphere, with lots of grass, bug and ground types. The two teams solidify their plan to meet up in the psychic wing at dawn for an easy teleportation to the edge of the dungeon.
Afterwards, Tobias, Nia, Junie and Samir head out, seeing as evening is setting in and fatigue is visibly weighing on Team Shellshock’s shoulders. Nia suggests they grab food from the cafeteria to take back to Team Scarlet’s room for supper, then relax for the rest of the night.
They do so, settling down in their room with steaming bowls balanced atop wooden trays. Supper tonight is a hearty stew to combat the cooling fall weather, and they gobble down their bowls with a side of fresh bread and cheese.
During the meal, Nia wonders whether Samir needs their own scarf or badge before tomorrow’s mission, which makes Tobias pause. The skiddo is still wearing the same scarf they had in Fort Asra: a dark green bandana that blends into the leafy mane around their neck and covers up the scar hidden underneath.
Huh. Another similarity between them.
“Can you even get those if you aren’t officially part of a team yet?” Junie asks with a tilt of her head. “I mean, since you’re still deciding and all…”
Speaking of which—they need to talk that over, too. Which is decidedly harder to do when Samir and Junie are right there. Despite the easy atmosphere of the meal, Tobias feels a fresh ache of longing for the simplicity of when it was just him and Nia.
“They should be able to give you a scarf at least,” Tobias hedges. “It’d be nice to be able to match when we’re outside the Haven, in case we get separated.”
Samir nods, something like relief in their expression. Although Tobias has a feeling it’s more that they’re ready to leave their old scarf—and the memories attached to it—behind, rather than them being afraid of getting separated from the team.
Junie looks between Samir and Tobias. “Would we get that on the item floor? If that’s where we can grab cloaks and snowshoes and stuff, too, then me and Samir can go get those together!”
Tobias blinks, surprised by her initiative. “That…could work, yeah.”
Samir seems reluctant to be partnered off alone with someone they aren’t familiar with, but the skiddo nods before Nia can act on their discomfort. Good. If Samir and Junie take care of grabbing those items, then Tobias and Nia will have a few minutes alone to talk about Samir’s potential placement on the team.
Tobias nods his approval. “You remember which floor it is? Rainer will probably be there on his evening shift. He’s a politoed. Talk to him and he can get you a scarf and directions to Vera to pick up some snow gear.”
Junie salutes with a wing. “Aye-aye, cap’n! C’mon, Samir!”
Junie doesn’t wait for a response, flapping into the air and flying out of the room. Samir scrambles to their feet, nearly knocking over their empty bowl. They look wide-eyed between the door and Nia and Tobias.
Tobias raises a brow, tilting his head as if to say, “Go on.”
Samir hesitates for a moment longer before hurrying after Junie.
Nia giggles. “They’re quite the pair.”
Tobias snorts. “Junie certainly talks enough for the both of them.”
Then, he turns to Nia, expression falling serious. For a moment, Nia seems confused by the sudden shift in atmosphere. But then she glances at the door, and realization dawns. She sets her own empty bowl aside and turns to face him as well.
“You want to talk about Samir, I’m guessing.”
Tobias nods. “Junie gave us the chance. Might as well take it.”
“All right. Well…what do you think about them joining our team? You can tell me if you don’t want them to. This feels like a big decision, so I think it should be unanimous.”
Tobias releases a breath he hadn’t realized he’d been holding. He’s relieved that Nia’s aware of the significance of this decision and seemingly willing to take a No without complaint. “Samir…wouldn’t be the worst choice for a partner. Not by a long shot.”
“But?”
“But…” Tobias hesitates, feeling a flush come to his face. How does he phrase this without it sounding pathetic? “It would be really…different. From how it’s been so far.”
Nia makes an encouraging sound in her throat.
“I know we end up with other ‘mon more often than not,” Tobias says, slowly picking his words. “And I’ve gotten used to Junie being around so much, but…”
“But it’d still be different,” Nia summarizes. “Between us. Junie will go home eventually. Samir wouldn’t.”
Tobias nods. “It’s just…a different dynamic. You and I are partners. I lead a lot of the time, but you know how to lead if you need to. And I don’t have to think about you just following an order without thought because I’m your ‘leader.’ Samir, though…”
Nia tilts her head thoughtfully. “They have kind of been defaulting to whatever we want them to do ever since they showed up here.”
“I think they’re just desperate to make a good impression, after their last guild experience,” Tobias mutters.
“I…don’t think you’re wrong. But I think they’d put their foot down if they really thought it was important to do so. They did that in Asra, right? They tried to stop you from going down into the mines.”
“True,” Tobias admits. “And we did work well together. They do a good job balancing out some of our impulsiveness.”
Nia’s mouth twitches with a smile. “We do have a tendency to run headfirst into dangerous situations. They could help us slow down and think things through.”
A beat of silence. Tobias stares at Nia’s open expression.
“You want Samir to join. Don’t you?”
Nia shrugs. “I do. I think it’d be good for all of us, and I like them. But I don’t want them to join if you don’t want them to. We’re partners, and this is a big decision. It’s either two yeses or it’s a no.”
Tobias feels some of the tension bleed from his shoulders. Nia said the same thing not five minutes ago, but it reassures him to hear her say it again, and to hear it said so easily.
His opinion matters here.
“If we’re going to have another teammate, Samir is about the best I could ask for,” Tobias admits. “It’s just…hard, knowing things will be different without knowing exactly how they’ll be different.”
“Different is scary,” Nia agrees. She holds out a paw.
Hardly hesitating, Tobias takes it. She squeezes his hand.
“My vote is yes, but I don’t want to rush you,” Nia says. “Take your time. Samir is patient. They know this is a big decision.”
“But it’s not fair to string them along, either,” Tobias mumbles. Especially not after their last terrible partner.
“You’re not stringing them along. You just aren’t sure. It’s okay to take your time making a decision.”
Tobias takes a breath and nods. Nia waits with him in silence, her thumb stroking the back of his hand in a soothing gesture.
Tobias is no closer to a decision when Nia speaks again. “How about a trial period?”
“A trial period?”
“Yeah! We have Samir join us for now, but kind of like…on probation? They can help us while we save the world, and then if everything’s still good afterwards and we both agree on it, they can join officially!”
That…doesn’t sound too terrible. Tobias knows that it’s just another way of pushing the decision off until later, but he’s too relieved by the suggestion to care. Somehow, knowing that it isn’t quite permanent helps. “Okay. Yeah, let’s do that. Let’s run it by them and if they’re okay with that, then I am too.”
Nia beams. “Great! Thanks, Tobias.”
“For what?”
“For giving this a shot,” Nia clarifies. “I know it’s hard for you to open up to people.”
The casual familiarity of that remark makes something like embarrassment balloon in Tobias’ chest. He gives Nia’s paw one last squeeze before pulling away.
Then his eyes land on their satchel, where he’d gently set it against the wall earlier today.
Oh. This might be the last time they’re alone for a while. And Tobias does not want Junie here for an exchange that’s already likely to be mortifying.
“Close your eyes,” Tobias says, getting up and moving to rummage through their bag.
“What?”
“Trust me. I’ve got a surprise.”
And there it is, wrapped up and carefully stashed away at the bottom of the bag. Tobias pulls the paper-wrapped object out and holds it behind his back, careful with the heft of it. He feels a flutter of nervous excitement in his gut.
Nia’s head is turned his way, a confused smile on her face, but her eyes are closed. “A surprise?”
Tobias makes a quiet noise of agreement, sitting down in front of her again. “Hold out your paws.”
Nia does so. “What’s the occasion?”
Tobias pauses, something like “Thanks for being my partner” running through his head before he shoves away the mushy thought.
“No reason,” he grunts. “Just wanted to. Don’t make a big deal out of it.”
Tobias sets the gift in her paws.
Nia is clearly surprised by the weight of it. Her eyes open, and she blinks down at the package before tentatively starting to unwrap it.
Tobias holds his breath, heart pounding.
As soon as the first sheen of blue shows through, Nia gasps. She speeds up as she unwraps the rest of it, until she can cradle the glass in her paws like it’s the greatest treasure in the universe.
“The sculpture from Kaleido Bay?” Nia murmurs. She looks up to stare at Tobias.
“Uh. Yeah. You seemed like you really liked it? And it’s not like I’m doing anything important with my personal funds, so—"
Nia’s lip wobbles as tears fill her eyes.
For a heartbeat, Tobias panics. She said she liked it, right? Did he misunderstand? He’s already calculating how quickly he can rip it from her paws and chuck it out the window.
But then Nia’s gently setting the statue aside and yanking him into a hug.
Oh.
Slowly, Tobias returns the gesture, flushing. He always forgets how soft Nia’s fur is, cool against his warmer skin. “Does that mean you like it?”
“I love it! You didn’t have to do that.”
Tobias huffs a laugh. There are obvious tears in her voice. “I mean, I can always send it back?”
“Don’t you dare,” Nia mumbles, sniffling into his shoulder. “This is the first decoration we even have for this place.”
Tobias laughs, and Nia pulls away, keeping her paws on his arms as she smiles at him, soft and sweet. “Thank you, Tobias. Really. You’re the best.”
Tobias can’t handle her looking at him like that, so he coughs and reaches to pick up the statue, pretending to check it for cracks. Luckily, it looks like it survived the journey perfectly intact, delicate flame-likes wisps arcing up without flaw.
Nia’s smile turns confused as she takes it back from him. “Wait, but you didn’t buy it while we were at the stand. When did you—" Nia cuts herself off. “When you went back to get Rico’s name?!”
Tobias laughs. “Yeah, his name’s not Rico.”
Nia looks somewhere between scandalized and delighted, and settles on breaking into laughter. It’s unfortunate that she has to stifle it a moment later to spare her ribs, but even through the pain the giant smile never leaves her face. Her ruby eyes linger on the statue in her paws, soft and admiring.
“Thank you,” she whispers again.
Tobias feels the heat return to his face. He shrugs.
He basks in a quiet wash of pride for the next few minutes, as Nia babbles on about where to display the glass piece. Eventually, she settles on the bookcase set against the wall, still woefully empty. The statue is placed in the center of the top shelf, an eye-catching blue against the warm wood. It glistens in the dying sunset.
Shortly after, Junie and Samir make their return. Junie flutters into the room unhindered, but Samir follows with a bulging sack slung over their shoulders.
“We’re back!”
“Took you a while,” Tobias notes.
Junie laughs as she settles onto the bed frame. “Samir took forever finding the perfect cloak for themself and snowshoes for you guys. The measurements couldn’t be off by even a centimeter.”
Samir gives Junie a dry look as they sling the sack to the ground, tugging it open so Tobias and Nia can see the wooden snowshoes and snowcloak stuffed inside. Tobias knows that expression well, though. Junie is growing on Samir, much as they might not want to admit it.
The skiddo also has a scarlet red scarf tied around their neck, replacing their old green one. Something about seeing their team’s color on a new ‘mon does make Tobias feel proud, like Samir joining permanently might not be so scary. This could be their third team member one day. They are their third team member, at least for now.
Tobias tears his gaze away to examine Samir’s haul. Nia is already oohing and ahhing over the construction of the little snowshoes brought back for them. They are impressive, the outer ring made with some kind of hardwood, and the inner “webbing” a crisscross of reinforced string shot. A similar string shot strap, thicker and wider, is attached to the side of the shoes to secure them onto their feet. They’re well-made, as far as Tobias can tell, but that’s not a surprise with Vera in charge of accessories at the guild. The leavanny is a professional.
While they’re busy examining their new gear, Junie spots Nia’s gift. She flies closer to get a better look at it.
“Whoa, where’d this come from?”
Nia eagerly bounds over to show it off. “Tobias got it for me in Kaleido Bay! He surprised me with it while you guys were gone. There was this little glassblowing shop there and—"
Tobias is expecting the smug, irritating look Junie sends him as Nia rambles on. As the riolu picks up the statue to show to Samir, Junie flutters on top of the bed post closest to Tobias, and leans over to whisper, “Nice work, Romeo. That was actually pretty sweet.”
Tobias doesn’t know what a ‘Romeo’ is, but he catches the implication and bats her off the post so she bounces off the nest—the bed—with a shriek of laughter.
Thankfully, Nia can’t gush about the gift forever, though Tobias keeps catching her giving it happy glances even after putting it back. Each time, something warm blossoms in his chest all over again, pleased with his impulsive decision even if his personal funds are nearly empty.
Worth it.
As they all settle in for the night, Nia is the first to approach the lingering question in the air.
“Oh! Samir, we talked while you two were out. About you joining the team.”
Samir stops in the middle of unpacking their own bag, and despite the way they clearly try to appear casual, Tobias can’t help thinking they look like they’re bracing themself for a blow.
“If you’re all right with it, we’d like to do a sort of, um…trial run?” Nia says. “We loved working with you in Fort Asra! But we just want to make sure we’re a good fit before deciding for sure. We were thinking we’d see how the trip to Silenfroar and the whole world-saving business shakes out, then talk. Are you all right with that?”
Samir, thankfully, just looks relieved by her answer, as if they were expecting an outright no. They give her a nod, then glance at Tobias.
“It’s a big decision, adding a new team member,” Tobias says. “But you’re definitely not the worst choice. You’re very bearable compared to some ‘mon.”
Tobias gives Junie a pointed look, and she sticks her tongue out at him in return.
“Yeah!” Nia says. “Welcome to the team, Samir. Patent pending, I guess. The scarf looks good on you!”
Samir straightens up, giving her a determined nod. As if to say they won’t regret giving Samir a chance.
From there, the rest of the evening is peaceful. Tobias digs out his guitar and rests against the side of their new bed as he picks idly at chords, trying not to feel self-conscious when both Junie and Samir watch with open curiosity.
Junie doesn’t comment, though, instead following Nia’s lead and sprawling across their plush scarlet rug with the book they’d picked up earlier in the archive. Together, the three of them flip through the pages of clicks and whistles, and start practicing basic phrases.
Yes and No are easy when you can see Samir nod or shake their head, but it’s good to have verbal cues ready, too, in case they’re in a situation where they can’t actually see the skiddo. The book’s translation for No is a simple high note whistle that dips into a low note, and Yes is the same but with the two notes reversed. Junie picks it up immediately, while Nia and Samir struggle with molding their mouths into the right shapes.
Samir seems a little frustrated and embarrassed after their first few attempts, but Nia and Junie laugh it off, the little rookidee making fun of Nia for spitting everywhere until even Samir is fighting off a smile.
Tobias listens as he plucks at his guitar, committing the whistles to memory and silently practicing the mouth shapes alongside them.
That’s how they pass the evening until the first yawn floats across the room. Junie takes that as her cue to call it a night and dives into their new nest, using her beak to burrow underneath the blankets and pop out on the other side with her little face peeking out.
Nia follows shortly after, pulling Tobias with her. It takes a bit of convincing, but even Samir is dragged into the bed, and altogether it’s just large enough to fit the four of them. Nia and Tobias curl up close side-by-side, with Junie nesting in the crook of Nia’s neck. Samir shyly scoots to the edge of the bed, leaving a bit of space between them and the rest of the team, but they seem comfortable enough, if not a bit awkward.
As soon as Tobias lies down, he gets it. This is the comfiest thing he’s ever laid on in his life.
He’s never going to be able to go back to a regular nest after this, is he?
“Oh my God, this is the best thing ever,” Junie mumbles, sounding half-asleep already. “I’m gonna marry Hazel.”
Nia barks a laugh. “She’s, like, a grandma, Junie! And already married!”
“Then grandpa better watch his back or I’m gonna steal his woman.”
Nia snickers as Tobias snorts. Samir seems unsure how to respond, but Tobias can see them slowly relaxing in their little corner of the bed.
Junie asks Nia to tell her more about Hazel and her family, so Nia whispers about the raichu living in Afon’s Cap. Tobias listens with half-lidded eyes and takes in the darkness of the room, lit only by his tail flame and the moonlight filtering through the window’s leaf curtain. All around him, he’s surrounded by softness and warmth.
Tobias drifts off quicker than he has in a long, long time.
Chapter 66
Summary:
Team Scarlet joins Team Shellshock for their latest mission, and Nia picks up a few new skills.
Chapter Text
Just as planned, Team Scarlet meets up with Team Shellshock in the psychics’ quarters at dawn.
Nia yawns and shuffles closer to Xander’s warmth as Tobias and Avery set up their teleportation coordinates with the abra behind the counter, who is accompanied today by a little green jelly Pokemon. A solosis, Nia thinks through hazy, sleepy thoughts.
The abra seems to be sick, speaking with a throaty voice and sniffling every few seconds. Nia makes sure to keep her distance, not wanting a repeat of her illness from before. Still, she feels a bit bad for them—their narrow eyes are drooping with fatigue, and the solosis keeps shooting them concerned looks. August surely lets sick Pokemon take days off to recover, so the abra probably insisted on coming in to work.
Well, not much Nia can do, unfortunately. She knows firsthand how stubborn some people can be about their health.
Samir is standing close to Nia’s other side, shifting restlessly on their hooves. Kry and Felix are joking about something across the room, far too awake for the early hour.
Finally, everything seems to be worked out for today’s joint mission. Tobias stands on Nia’s other side, a welcome wave of heat in the morning air, and Avery steps into place by Xander, a hair closer than they strictly need to be.
Once everyone is brushing up against each other, physical contact made, the abra and solosis hem the group in on either side. The solosis glows a faint yellow as they start to use their psychic powers, but the abra seems to be struggling, purple energy flickering in and out of existence around them as sweat beads on their forehead.
Nia exchanges a worried look with Avery.
Avery shifts. “Minerva, are you—”
Before they can finish speaking, Nia feels it. The tingle running through her fur. Then, all at once, her vision is a flash of light and her stomach flips as a feeling of weightlessness overtakes her and—
She lands on cold, dewy grass and stumbles with nausea. Oh, she’s gonna barf.
Nia takes a deep breath and keeps a firm grip on Tobias’ arm as she regains her bearings.
“’S wrong with her?” She hears Kry ask.
“She’s a fighting type,” Avery says. The kirlia moves closer to rub Nia’s back. “That doesn’t mesh well with psychic energy. Especially since Minerva is sick and couldn’t make the transport as smooth as usual.”
Nia squints open her eyes as her stomach starts to settle. Ugh. She’s never going to get used to teleportation.
Still, it is useful. Looks like they’re already almost to the dungeon, if the forest around them is any indication. They’re in the thick of it, lush greens and muddy browns interrupted only by streaks of white frost and the occasional glimpse of gray stone. Overhead, a cloudy sky is visible through half-bare branches. Looks like it’s going to rain later today.
Nia shivers as a gust of wind blows by.
“I’m okay,” Nia assures. “Thanks.”
Tobias nods as she releases him. A moment later, Avery steps back to give her some space.
“It looks like they still got us to the right place,” Tobias says, looking around. “So which way to the dungeon? You think the victreebel outlaw is hiding in there, right?”
Xander nods. “Right. I don’t see any other reason for him to be hanging around this area so consistently. Chances are he’s evading capture in one of the deeper levels.”
“Coward,” Kry snorts, cracking her knuckles. She looks to Avery. “Which way, Ave?”
Avery hums, closing their eyes. Nia feels a gentle ripple of psychic energy pass over her, much less nauseating than the teleportation. Is the kirlia using some kind of ability to track the outlaw? Or are they just sensing the dungeon itself? Nia knows psychic types are the ones most sensitive to shifts in energy like that.
Nia doesn’t want to interrupt to ask, and Avery starts walking with their usual grace as soon as they open their eyes, despite the tricky roots and foliage underfoot. “This way. It’s not far.”
Kry and Xander follow instantly, while Felix falls back, looking at Samir.
“Wanna start your first lesson?” The wartortle asks, arms crossed behind his head.
Nia blinks. “You know the whistle language too?”
“The important stuff, yeah! We all do. Watch this. Hey, Kry!” Felix whistles a short trio of notes in a distinct pattern, ending with a click.
Kry cackles. “Back at ya, buddy. Remind me to kick your tail extra hard later.”
“What did you say?” Nia asks.
“Something unfit for innocent ears.”
Farther ahead, Tobias snorts. “I see you only retained the most important information.”
“Of course! It’s extra fun to curse out enemies when they can’t understand you.”
Nia giggles. Samir looks uncertainly between them, as if unsure of whether they’re allowed to be so lighthearted while on a mission.
Luckily, the skiddo loosens up as Avery leads the group through the cool, damp forest and Felix teaches them some actually useful phrases. The wartortle starts with a refresher over the basics that Nia discovered with Samir and Junie the night before, and she finds that it helps to be able to practice with someone more experienced out loud.
Still, the language is tricky. With so few “notes” to work with, it’s easy to mix up the phrases as they get more numerous and complex. For example, two quick, sharp whistles signifies to be on guard, or that something needs attention. Two whistles with a longer pause in the middle is more of a check-in on your party. Yes is an easy enough answer to that question if all is well, but the more detailed responses only add more complexity. “Injured” is a high-to-low No with a click of the tongue at the end. “Stuck” is a click, a sharp whistle, and another click, as if the sound itself is trapped between the two noises. And so on.
It's fascinating, and Felix is a surprisingly good teacher, patient and clear as he bookends Samir and Nia’s mess-ups with his usual levity, but it’s still a lot to take in, especially as they cross into the border of the mystery dungeon proper.
Nia shudders as the now-familiar charge enters the air, prickly and unnerving. In what seems like a blink, the “walls” of the dungeon crowd in around them. What was frosty but open forest is suddenly close walls of towering roots and stone, slick with frozen condensation. Trees tower high overhead, dark and clawlike against the bright white of the sky. As always, it all feel mildly claustrophobic, their group corralled into a narrow hallway that stretches on in front of them before branching off.
Felix seems to take their entrance as his cue, because he falls back to cover the rear of the group without hesitation. Xander takes the lead of their combined party, the luxio’s relaxed posture tensing into something more alert. Kry lurks close behind him, prowling like she’s ready to attack at any moment. Avery slows down to join Nia, Tobias, and Samir in the middle.
“This is our usual formation,” the kirlia explains. “But until we find out where everyone works best, feel free to claim a space anywhere.”
Nia, who is usually comfortable just following Tobias through dungeons and making sure any charges are sandwiched safely between them, exchanges a hesitant look with Samir. Tobias, unsurprisingly, moves past them to take the spot right behind Kry, probably itching to prove himself. After a moment, Samir hesitantly follows, settling behind Tobias and in front of Avery.
Nia decides to take the place behind Avery, joining Felix in the back of the group. The wartortle gives her a bright grin and a friendly twitch of his fluffy ears.
And then they tackle the dungeon in earnest.
The group has to pause periodically to handle the ferals that start to appear. While Xander’s team works together fluidly, clearly old pros, it’s an adjustment for Nia to traverse a mystery dungeon with not only one new teammate, but another team entirely. With the rescue mission involving the crew of the Aqua Jet, Nia and Tobias had handled most of the fighting, with little interference aside from Cordelia and Beck’s protective outbursts.
Here, everyone is a battler. Xander and Kry clear the way easily when a tangela and gloom attack, Kry grabbing the tangela by the vine and slamming it into the stone and root walls of the hallway. Xander uses a flash of dazzling electricity to stun the gloom before knocking it aside with a heavy paw. Tobias leaps forward to finish it with an ember attack, and Xander gives the charmander a nod of thanks for the support.
When a tan and black-striped crocodile tries to sneak up from behind, Felix blasts it with a powerful jet of water so it goes tumbling out of sight down the hall. Nia, who hadn’t been listening for sneak-attacks at all until that point, makes a mental note to keep her ears as vigilant as her eyes.
When they cross an open room from one hall to another, the ground covered with frosty grass and housing a single tall, near-leafless tree, it’s up to Nia, Samir, and Avery in the middle of the group to fend off a sandslash and little grassy chipmunk. Nia vaguely remembers Samir’s strategy in their fight against the steelix, and makes sure to give the goat plenty of space as they go for the sandslash with a volley of razor leaves.
Nia instead takes on the chipmunk, dodging its sharp teeth and white eyes and giving it a kick square to the chest to send it stumbling backwards. Avery takes that opportunity to encircle it with a glow of indigo energy, then sends it flying into the wall. There, it slides to the ground, unconscious.
Samir is busy fending off the sandslash’s dagger-like claws with careful parries of their horns, so Nia jumps into that fight with a blast of aura to send the sandslash staggering and give the skiddo some breathing room. Samir doesn’t hesitate to send another barrage of leaves at the sandslash, and the spiky creature staggers back before falling unconscious.
“Yes!” Nia turns to Samir with a hand raised for a high-five, before faltering. Oh. Right.
Samir looks at her, bewildered, but hesitantly taps her palm with a horn. Nia laughs.
The first floor of the dungeon is surprisingly painless, but their two teams do start to trip over each other once they get deeper into the dungeon. Nia gets nicked by Felix’s water gun when she jumps into battle expecting Tobias to be at her side, and she has to take a few minutes to assure Felix—who is rambling apologies and near tears—that she’s really all right.
Tobias and Kry both go for an opponent with their usual brand of aggression, and crash into each other when the feral dodges unexpectedly. While the two of them snarl insults at each other, Samir jumps in to help and nearly slices Xander to ribbons with their razor leaf attack.
Avery is the only one who manages to weave around everyone without issue, so they take out the feral with a quick flash of fairy energy.
After that mess of a battle, Xander stops to analyze their party with sharp golden eyes.
“All right, clearly it’s time to re-order. Kry, join Felix at the tail of the group. Tobias, Samir, you two take point in front of me. Nia, you and Avery hold down the middle.”
Nia doesn’t know why she’s surprised by the sudden show of authority. Xander is the leader of Team Shellshock, after all. It makes sense that he’d give out commands, and it’s not like he’s saying anything with a tone of arrogance. His voice has the sort of calm confidence to it that says the luxio knows what he’s doing and that he expects his word to be followed. She supposes she’s just used to her and Tobias’ way of working, which tends to be more of a question-and-response conversation.
Samir doesn’t look surprised by Xander’s style of leading, and follows the order without issue.
Tobias, on the other hand, narrows his eyes. “You’re putting me in the lead?”
Xander looks at him sharply, as if irritated that Tobias is being contrary, before registering the open suspicion on the charmander’s face. The luxio takes a deep breath.
“I’d like you to lead because I know you do so for your own team, so I can trust your judgement. And I can tell you’re itching to battle anyways.”
“Why put Samir in second, though?” Nia asks, fully trusting Xander’s knowledge but curious to know the logic behind it.
“Samir has a powerful razor leaf attack at their disposal, but it’s volatile in the middle of a group considering how widespread it is. In this formation, if any leaves do go wide during battle, then Tobias won’t take nearly as much damage from a grass type attack.”
Nia can tell Tobias’ hackles are slowly lowering, but he still asks, “And you or Kry aren’t leading us because..?”
Xander smiles. “Kry isn’t leading because, quite frankly, she will go out of her way to fight everything she sees.”
Kry, who had been passing by Nia on her way to the back of the group, sends a very human and very rude hand gesture over her shoulder. Huh. Nia wonders where she learned that from.
“I’d prefer to stand back,” Xander continues. “Because I want to see how you two fight and act as a team. I’ll be right behind you as backup. Sound good?”
Tobias stares at Xander with a furrowed brow for a moment longer, as if to make sure he isn’t playing a prank, before wordlessly passing by the luxio and skiddo to take point.
Nia isn’t sure if she’s more surprised by Tobias agreeing to the reassignment, or by Kry going along with it. The fraxure clearly isn’t thrilled about getting taken out of the action, but she joins Felix as requested. The wartortle snickers and elbows her as she joins him, and she pushes him back so hard he almost stumbles into the wall.
Xander looks over everyone’s places again, then nods to Tobias. “We’re good.”
Tobias straightens up, nodding in return before leading the group down the next hall.
Xander’s strategizing proves itself as soon as they run into the next few groups of ferals. Tobias doesn’t go out of his way to pick fights, but his usual aggressive combat style works well as the first line of defense. Samir, with only Tobias to watch out for, can clearly focus better and use their leaves more precisely as they fight. When a little green cat does slip through their wall of attacks, Xander doesn’t hesitate to pounce, slamming the smaller cat down to give it a shock and knock it out.
Felix and Kry are clearly used to working together already, and do so effortlessly. When a Pokemon tries to sneak up on the group from behind, Felix knows when to fall back and let Kry lunge forward, and when to step in to help her out, resulting in a near-flawless battle and a fist bump between the two ‘mon by the end of it.
And Nia is delighted to find that she and Avery continue to work well together, too. Nia is the frontal attack, getting in the face of a phanpy who rolls right past the front of their group to avert its momentum with her aura staff, sending it veering into the wall. From there, Avery picks it up with their psychic energy to finish it.
It only takes a few battles for all of them to find an easy synergy, smoothly traversing hall after hall and mowing down ferals in the process.
It’s going so well five floors in that Avery decides to start teaching on the go, apparently unworried about making noise and calling out lessons for Samir’s new language between and sometimes even during battles. When a feral approaches, Avery uses the sharp whistle-whistle code to alert everyone, and at the kirlia’s behest, Samir and Nia echo them. After each fight, they take turns asking for a check-in, and everyone whistles a low-to-high Yes in response.
Well, until Xander answers with a woozy No instead, after a sneak-attack from a dugtrio.
“Dodge would be another useful command,” Avery says, almost guilty, as they kneel to offer an oran berry to their partner. The luxio is fine, if a bit bruised, but his tense frame relaxes as soon as Avery puts a hand on his back.
The rest of them wait while Xander crunches into a few of the small blue berries, Kry and Tobias keeping watch. The mystery dungeon shifts around them like a slow-moving optical illusion, a living, breathing maze of roots and stone and trees, but no ferals jump out.
Nia takes the chance to rest, and sits on a nearby stone. “What’s dodge, then?”
“Oh, I got that one!” Felix says, stretching his sides. He straightens up and whistles once, sharp and loud and low. It almost sounds like the word “move,” if you strain for it.
Samir hesitates, but then tries the word themself. It takes a try or two of them blowing air through their cheeks, but then they get a wobbly version of it down. Nia brightens, giving them a congratulatory clap. Then she tries it herself.
The two of them are still trying to get it nailed down, Felix coaching them by squishing his own cheeks to show how to mold the sound, when Xander gets back to his feet. Everyone turns to look as the luxio shakes out his fur, standing tall once again.
“Sorry for the detour,” he says, smiling with something like embarrassment. “We ready to keep moving? Or do we need a food break?”
“We’re only on floor seven, right?” Tobias asks, frowning. “Do we know how deep this dungeon goes?”
“It’s not very large, actually,” Avery says, getting back to their feet and reorganizing the satchel looped around their delicate shoulders. “Only a few more floors.”
Nia blinks. “Really? This is a C-rank mission though, right?”
“Doesn’t mean the dungeon is C-rank,” Kry says, stretching her arms. “Just means the outlaw we’re hunting is C-rank levels of danger.”
Oh. Nia supposes makes sense. The Pokemon they’ve been fighting haven’t felt much stronger than the Pokemon they usually fight, which she’s been grateful for, but she forgot that they’re here for a specific target.
“I’m good,” Tobias says. He looks first at Nia, then Samir. “You two?”
“Good!” Nia chirps, giving him a thumbs-up. She doesn’t want to actually barf when they reach the outlaw. She can eat when they get back.
Samir nods as well.
Xander smiles. “Good. In that case, let’s keep moving. The outlaw will likely be hiding near the end of the dungeon. Keep your eyes open.”
The others nod. Felix gives Xander a joking salute, and Nia bites back a laugh.
“Tobias, I’m going to take point again, if that works for you.”
Tobias stiffens, distress crossing his face for an instant before he stuffs it away again. “I can handle it.”
“I know you can,” the luxio says, voice calm. “But we’ll need your fire against the outlaw. I’d rather keep you back a bit so you’re at full strength.”
Tobias’ mouth twists, as if he doesn’t believe that that’s the full reason, but he grudgingly nods, falling back behind the luxio.
Nia goes to Tobias’ side as everyone else prepares to get moving again. “Hey. Remember that they’re responsible for us in this dungeon, since they’re the upper-level team. I’m sure he’s not pulling you back because he doesn’t believe in you.”
Tobias shrugs, clearly not buying it. “I guess.”
“Really! You did awesome as leader,” Nia assures, giving him a smile.
Tobias glances at her, and finally the quiet upset on his face fades a bit. He gives her a faint smile in return. “Thanks.”
Nia gives his arm a squeeze, then retreats back to her position in the middle of the group, behind Avery and in front of Kry.
And they continue on.
The remaining floors aren’t much tougher than the previous ones, but the air of the group is notably more quiet and tense as everyone pays closer attention to their surroundings. Nia keeps her ears perked and her eyes moving almost constantly before realizing—
“Um. Hey, Avery?”
“Mhm?”
“Uh. What does a victreebel look like?”
Behind her, Kry barks a laugh. Nia’s ears burn. She can’t believe she forgot to ask this beforehand.
Avery glances over their shoulder with an amused look. “Well, you know he’s a grass type. Otherwise, he’s large, taller than all of us, and shaped a bit like a sitrus berry. Bright yellow, with darker spots and leaves for arms, and his mouth is on the top of his head.”
“On top of his head?” Nia echoes, aghast.
“Yeah, victreebel are weird ones,” Kry says. “They like to bury themselves in the ground to ambush enemies.”
“Don’t let him grab you with his vine, either,” Felix adds, sounding mildly unnerved. “Seriously. Victreebel have lethal acids in their stomach and while I like to think most ‘mon wouldn’t go that far, he could potentially, uh. Eat you?”
“Eat me?!” Nia shrieks, a little louder than she means to. She stops on the spot to give Felix a horrified look.
“We won’t let him eat you!” Felix assures, hands out.
“If he does, I’ll kick his tail extra hard,” Kry offers with a smirk, as if that helps.
“Thanks,” Nia says weakly, only half-listening. They faced a known murderer in Kaleido’s prison less than a week ago who was much higher than C-rank, but something about the idea of this victreebel outlaw being able to eat Pokemon is so much more alarming.
Nia is suddenly very, very aware that she took it for granted that Pokemon society is basically vegetarian. Every giant, toothy-mawed Pokemon she’s ever met flashes through her mind.
“S-So how do you avoid it ambushing you?” Nia asks, voice hushed in the tense air. “If it likes to hide itself?”
“You stay vigilant,” Xander answers from the front of the pack, one of his large ears swiveled backwards to listen. “Which is easier with seven pairs of eyes, rather than four. You’ll be fine, Nia. We won’t let anything happen to you.”
Nia swallows down shame for needing to be babied, but nods, relieved all the same.
“Just put those big ears and nose to use,” Kry adds.
Nia blinks, glancing over her shoulder. “My nose?”
Kry tears her eyes away from their surroundings to give Nia an unimpressed look. “You’re a riolu. You don’t use your nose?”
“Um. I usually try to block out smells, actually. They’re a bit, uh. Overwhelming.”
Kry abandons her surveillance to stare at Nia, as if genuinely shocked that the answer to her question was Yes. “You’re a riolu,” she says again, in disbelief.
“Who was once human,” Avery reminds gently, stepping over a root crawling across the path. “I’m guessing humans are more like my species in that their sense of smell is rather unremarkable, correct?”
Nia nods. “Y-Yeah. Like, we can smell! But it’s nothing like a dog’s nose. I spent so long just trying to get used to this body that I guess it feels difficult to try changing how I use it at this point.”
“Makes sense,” Felix says.
“It would be helpful if we could train you to track in the future,” Tobias says, glancing back at her. “It definitely has its uses in the field.”
Nia sighs, vaguely recalling that they’ve had this conversation before. “I know, I know. How exactly do you train your nose, though?”
Xander hums. “It’s really just like training any other part of your body. You practice.” The luxio stops, looking back thoughtfully. “Actually, victreebel have a very distinct scent. Right, Ave?”
The kirlia perks up. “Oh! Yes, you’re right! The acids in their stomach smell overwhelmingly sweet, somewhat like honey. Are you suggesting..?”
Xander smirks. “Well, if we’re talking training, this is a prime opportunity. What do you think, Nia? Want to give your nose a workout?”
Nia blinks, looking around as she’s put on the spot. She doesn’t really want to—she would much rather practice first in a more secluded area with something less, uh…important on the line. But then her gaze lands on Samir, who has clearly been so nervous but so brave about approaching them to join as a team, about meeting new people, about learning a whole new language, and—
“I can try,” tumbles from Nia’s mouth. She’s not sure who’s more surprised by that—her or Tobias.
“That’s the spirit!” Felix cheers, nudging her forward.
She stumbles over her own paws, but slides past everyone to reach the front of the group. Xander steps aside for her too, and she looks at him with pinned ears, nervous. “I-I’m leading?”
“You can do it,” Xander assures her, all confidence. “I’ll be right behind you.”
The luxio does as he says and stations himself second in line, which helps alleviate some of her worry. Still, it’s rare for Nia to take the lead in a dungeon. Rare as in she can’t even recall if she’s done it before, aside from the one time she entered a dungeon alone, chasing after Tobias before they even became partners.
That feels like so long ago. They’ve done so much since then. She’s done so much since then.
She’s gotta be braver now than she was then, right?
Nia takes a deep breath to calm her nerves, shaking out her arms. Then she nods and takes the lead, feeling the gaze of her friends on her back. “S-So I just…pick a direction and go?”
“Use your nose, dummy!” Kry jeers.
“Shut your mouth, dummy!” Tobias growls back. “Give her a sec!”
Nia closes her eyes to block out the squabbling, listening first for anything abnormal. Aside from Avery hushing the argument, Nia can only hear the wind through the trees and the distant cries of feral Pokemon. But nothing unusual.
Her nose. She needs to use her nose. Usually, Nia tries to block out most of the information that comes with taking a deep breath, since it’s so overwhelming. Like squinting against a bright cacophony of colors, or putting on sunglasses so her eyes don’t burn. But this time, she takes a long breath through her nose and tries to understand what she’s smelling.
Some of it’s familiar. The sharp bite of frost, the earthy scent of the forest, Tobias and Xander’s comforting scents close by. But then there’s also the sour tang of something she realizes is probably the scent of a feral, likely one that passed through this very hall not too long ago. But nothing sweet.
“Nothing,” Nia reports, wrinkling her nose and blowing air out of her nostrils as if to clear out all the scents.
“Then we keep moving,” Xander says. “Do you feel comfortable leading?”
Nia glances back at Tobias and Samir. Tobias gives her a nod, as if to say she can do this, and Samir glances at him before doing the same. Right. She’s just leading them through the dungeon. No big deal.
Nia tries not to feel wholly responsible for the lives following behind her, and instead marches forward with a swagger she doesn’t feel, down the hall and to a nearly-empty room. There, a feral toedscool jolts awake from where it’d been sleeping in the corner.
She nearly freezes when it runs at her with an angry cry, but she manages to dodge at the last second. Tobias and Samir burst past Xander, and make quick work of the ‘mon with a burst of fire and a volley of leaves.
Nia, panting, stares at the downed feral, heart pounding.
“You good?” Tobias asks, hushed as he comes closer.
Nia nods, swallowing. She is. She just needs to stop freaking herself out and get her head in the game. It’s no big deal—she has her teammates behind her.
Oh.
Nia blinks, then looks up at Tobias, who is watching her with a furrowed brow, and then at Samir, who is squinting at the downed toedscool as if to make sure it’s really knocked out. Behind the two of them, Xander gives her an encouraging, knowing smile.
Right. She has all of them behind her. Just because she’s leading their steps doesn’t mean she’s suddenly alone. Quite the opposite, actually.
“I’m good,” Nia says, meaning it this time. She pushes herself to her feet and brushes off her fur, offering a smile. “Sorry. Got in my own head for a minute there.”
Tobias reaches out to knock his knuckles against her forehead. “Well, get out of it. You’ll have plenty of time to overthink later.”
Nia snorts and bats his hand away, turning back to the empty room. There are two hallways they could take, other than the one they came from, but she isn’t sure which one to follow.
Oh, right! The whole reason she’s in the lead at all. Nia closes her eyes again and takes a deep breath, both thrilled and alarmed when, beneath the strangely musky scent of the toedscool, she catches a hint of something…sweet.
Brow furrowed, she steps closer to one hallway and sniffs a few times, not sure if she imagined the scent. But then, when she steps closer to the other, she smells it again: something almost like honey. Like a whisper of it on the breeze.
“I…I think I smell something?” Nia says, looking back at Xander. “Something sweet, right?”
The luxio nods with an encouraging smile. “Is it stronger on one path than the other?”
“It’s really faint, but I think so?”
“Then we follow it,” Xander says with a decisive wave of his tail. “Lead on, Nia. Just remember to keep smelling as you go—I don’t want us tripping over the outlaw, and it should be obvious when it starts to get stronger.”
Nia nods, resisting the urge to salute like Felix had earlier, and turns back to the hall the sweet scent had come from, cautiously walking down its path. The scent strengthens ever so slightly, but nothing close to “obvious” like Xander had said.
When they reach the next open room, the crumbling stone stairs at its center explains the question on her mind.
“I’m smelling him from the next floor?” Nia asks, shocked.
“You are,” Xander confirms, seeming pleased as he looks at the top of the stairs. “Good work, Nia. You’re a natural.”
Nia flushes under her fur, pleased relief unfolding in her chest.
Xander’s mouth drops open the slightest bit, and after a moment Nia realizes she’s seen the gesture before, in housecats. Is he…scenting the air?
“Wait, can you smell him too?” Nia asks.
Kry snorts. Felix punches her arm.
“Ah, yeah,” Xander says, sheepish, as his ears fold back. “I’ve got a strong sense of smell, too. Just wanted to make sure he wasn’t waiting right near where we’d pop up. We should be all right if you want to keep leading, but I can hop in front if you’re worried.”
Nia blinks, unsure how to take that sudden revelation. Well…she supposes she has a willing teacher on hand if she needs help with tracking in the future? “Um…if you’re pretty sure he’s not right up ahead, I guess I can stay in the lead?”
Xander nods. “Do that, then. I’ll keep an eye on the trail too so we don’t stumble over him unexpectedly, but this is the perfect opportunity to get you started on tracking.”
Nia takes a deep breath, then leads the group up the set of cold stone stairs. She braces herself as her foot hits the top step, but the sudden warp to a new floor, in a new room, is still as jarring as ever. Her stomach flips like a pancake.
She glances back to make sure everyone is with her, then sniffs the air to find the scent again.
Xander was right—the victreebel isn’t waiting for them in this room, or even on this floor. There’s a clear scent trail she can follow as the smell gets stronger and stronger, almost like following a line of paint across the ground. Except instead of seeing it, it just becomes more and more obvious to her nose where the paint leads and where it doesn’t. She gets more and more comfortable with closing her eyes and relying on her ears and nose than she’s used to doing, and some part of her feels oddly…thrilled by it.
It took her a while to get used to this body, and even now she’s usually fairly neutral about it. But something about this process feels…instinctive, almost. And fun! Like rediscovering her aura for the first time. It’s not something she ever could’ve done as a human, and it almost feels like a superpower.
Once or twice she loses the trail, usually when it crosses through a puddle or a patch of frost or a particularly strong feral scent, as if the line of paint has been wiped away. But each time, Xander is quick to find it by scenting the air himself, showing her how to do the same with her own nose, and setting her back on the right path.
It’s two floors deeper into the dungeon that the scent becomes nearly unbearable, cloying the air to a nauseating degree. It’s so strong that it decimates the path she’d been following entirely, as if instead of a line of paint on the ground the entire floor had been painted.
“Well, he’s definitely here,” Xander says, quiet, his own muzzle wrinkled with distaste. “Nia, I’ll take lead again.”
Nia gladly lets him do so, falling back to walk behind Avery. She rubs her nose as she tries to put her “blinders” back up to block out some of the sweet stench.
“I need your duller senses of smell now,” Xander tosses over his shoulder with an amused look. “Nia and I are overwhelmed up here. Let me know if you smell him, and keep an eye out.”
Kry rolls her eyes, but everyone nods, falling back into formation as they follow the luxio.
It’s unusually quiet on this floor, and Nia doesn’t know if that’s because the outlaw scared off all the ferals, or if he really is out here eating other Pokemon. Surely not, right? Like, he’s a criminal, but a petty one. Nia’s pretty sure cannibalism would get you put much higher on the guild’s priority list than a simple thief.
Regardless, their group is silent and tense as they traverse the halls, scanning every rustle overhead and every shift of stone in the walls. The sweet scent of rotten honey permeates the air.
They pass through an open room with a single tree growing from the side of the stony walls, surprisingly large and still with a great deal of leaves on its branches.
It’s here that Samir stops in their tracks.
Avery, behind them, stops as well. “Samir?”
Samir’s brow is furrowed, their gaze locked onto the tree. A breeze rustles through the leaves and then—
Samir whistles two piercing, short notes, jumping back. Everyone but Nia and Tobias, still unfamiliar with the whistle language, leaps away as well, just as a vine lashes out almost too quick to see, slamming into the hard ground where they’d been standing a moment before. Nia yelps and staggers away, heart pounding.
“Found ya!” Kry growls, racing forward to tackle the trunk of the tree, sending it shaking. “Come out, coward!”
A giant creature, bright yellow and almost pear-shaped, drops from the boughs of the tree and lunges at Kry with a guttural scream, slashing with the leaves at its sides. Kry grins and neatly dodges each attack, before swinging around to slam the creature with her tail.
The creature goes flying closer to the middle of the room, tumbling over once before righting itself. Finally, Nia gets a good luck at it.
It’s the victreebel outlaw they’ve been searching for. He almost looks like a pitcher plant, a bright yellow color with darker speckles. Large, sharp leaves are held at his sides and cover the top of his head, which is indeed an open mouth. Acid slips between his teeth and drips to scorch the grass, right above panicked, darting eyes. The long vine he attacked with before stems from the top of his head, and it lashes now like the tail of an angry cat.
“Keep your distance!” Xander calls. “Ave, slow him down. Kry, act as cover. Felix, ice moves. Team Scarlet, long-range attacks only.”
Nia nods, watching as the victreebel is surrounded by Avery’s distinct indigo energy. The outlaw shrieks in pain as Avery uses some kind of psychic move, but he manages to lash out with his vine, making the kirlia dodge and lose focus.
Unfortunately for the victreebel, there’s a storm of attacks waiting in the wings. Xander launches a dazzling electric move that locks the outlaw in place with a cry of pain, and Felix follows immediately after with a gust of icy wind that coats the grass type in frost. Samir’s razor leaf attack and Tobias’ flames follow shortly after, swamping him.
Nia waits, almost expecting the victreebel to fall unconscious in record time. However, the moment the attacks have a gap, the outlaw screeches again and spins, spitting a shower of acid.
“Take cover!” Xander yells.
Nia hurries to do so, tripping over herself as she backs out of range. The acid splashes at her feet, the grass beneath sizzling and withering to nothing. Yikes.
The victreebel takes advantage of the moment to retreat, and uses his vine to swing back up into the tree. A moment later, Nia sees the faint glow of a move at work.
“He’s healing,” Avery warns.
Nia looks around, glad that everyone seems to have been able to dodge the dangerous attack.
“Want me to shake him out again?” Kry calls.
“No,” Xander says. “He’s expecting that. Let me—”
Before he can finish, the victreebel’s vine is shooting out from the leaves again, wrapping around Tobias’ ankle and yanking his feet out from under him with a shout. In a flash, he’s pulled through the air towards the tree.
“Tobias!” Nia yells, heart dropping. The outlaw must be trying to take out the biggest type threat first.
She bolts after her partner before she can think about it, pouring her energy into a quick attack and leaping up to grab onto him. The two of them, light as they are, are whipped through the air and into the tangle of leaves and branches.
The outlaw looks surprised to have reeled in Nia as well, and Tobias takes the instant of hesitation to blast him with a flame burst. The outlaw shrieks, flinging Tobias aside as Nia loses her grip. The charmander gasps, tumbling out of the branches to fall the (thankfully) short distance to the ground below.
Nia snags a branch with her arm and latches the rest of her body around it like a koala, getting her bearings. Okay, she’s in the tree. With the dangerous criminal. The dangerous criminal who is still recovering from Tobias’ attack, eyes squeezed shut and embers smoldering away at his leaves.
Ugh. She needs to get him back out in the open, doesn’t she? She’s in literally the perfect position to do so.
Nia takes a breath, pushing herself up to balance carefully on the branch, then makes the short leap to the branch the victreebel is resting on. The outlaw whips around to face her. Before he can do a thing, she reels back, aura staff forming in her hands. He looked pretty light when Kry hit him earlier, right?
“Batter up!”
Nia slams the grass type with her aura, sending him flying out of the tree with a shriek.
Nia hurries to follow, dropping carefully to the ground below. Tobias, who had apparently been climbing back up to help her, is halfway up the tree trunk, holding on with his claws.
“Oh. Uh. Nice hit?”
“Thanks!”
The two of them dart back into the fight, where the victreebel is once again trying to flee. This time, Avery catches them in a bubble of psychic energy. When the victreebel tries to swipe at the kirlia with his vine, Kry steps in front to intercept, letting it wrap around her arm with a feral grin.
“Someone cut this guy loose. I’m tired of him playing yo-yo.”
Nia doesn’t even have time to consider what the fraxure is asking before Samir sends a razor leaf attack at the vine, severing it. The victreebel shrieks and reels back.
Nia gasps, hand coming up over her mouth. Did she—did they just cut off one of the outlaw’s limbs?! She glances at the others, but no one looks as horrified as she feels. Even Avery, usually the most sympathetic to Nia’s soft heart, doesn’t wince.
Okay. Okay, maybe that means that wasn’t as serious as Nia is thinking it is. The victreebel doesn’t bleed from the remnants of its vine, or go into shock. Instead, it simply goes on the offensive once again, sending another wave of acid around itself in a sludgy, dangerous mess.
Later. She can ask about the vine thing later, when she’s not dodging puddles of bone-melting goo.
The victreebel is apparently tired of dealing with their long-range strategy now that he has nothing to fight back with, because he launches himself directly at Felix next. One of the victreebel’s leaves glows a bright green as he swings it around, slicing into Felix’s shell with a super-effective hit.
The wartortle is sent rolling back with a pained cry. Nia’s stomach jumps.
Still, she’s surprised by the sheer panic in Xander’s voice as he shouts, “Felix!”
She looks over to see the luxio full-body tackle the victreebel with a snarl, distance strategy apparently out the window. The two roll until Xander comes out on top, slamming his paws down to pin the light grass type in place. There’s an instant where Xander’s fur lifts with crackling electricity, his gold eyes alight with fury. Then, in a flash of lighting, the victreebel is struck. The outlaw screeches, locking up as light blinds Nia.
When the stars behind her eyelids start to fade, Nia squints an eye open. The victreebel is out completely, fried to a black crisp. His crumpled leaves twitch.
And just like that, the fight is over.
“Whoa!” Kry laughs. “A bit overkill, Xan.”
The sentiment echoes Nia’s own thoughts, and even Tobias and Samir seem shocked, whether by the sheer display of power or by how ruthlessly the luxio attacked their enemy, she can’t tell.
“Felix!” Xander cries, ignoring Kry and bolting to the wartortle’s side.
The water type groans and sits up slowly, wincing. He chuckles and pushes Xander’s probing muzzle away. “‘M fine, you big worrywart. Calm down.”
“You’re sure?” Xander asks, scanning Felix’s body again and again, lingering around his shell. “That leaf blade looked strong.”
“Let me see,” Avery says, moving to kneel beside Felix. They feel at the edge of the wartortle’s shell, where the attack must’ve landed.
Felix hisses a breath, wincing.
“Toughen up!” Kry calls. “You’ve taken worse than that.”
The fraxure has wandered over to the victreebel and is nudging at him with a foot. The outlaw twitches again, which Nia really hopes means he’s alive and not just working the last bits of electricity out of his system.
Xander is…actually kind of terrifying when he wants to be.
“Felix!” Xander hisses, catching Nia’s attention again. The luxio is keeping the wartortle on the ground with a heavy paw, ears pinned back. “Stay down and let Avery check you over, for Raikou’s sake!”
“I must defend my honor!” Felix groans dramatically, throwing back his head. “Kry has challenged my toughness! As a wartortle, such a slight cannot stand!”
Avery goes back to feeling around the injury, and Felix yelps, facade broken. Xander sighs, once again looking more like a tired parent and less like a raging ball of lightning.
“He’s been through worse?” Nia asks Kry.
“Yeah,” Kry says, walking over. She has the short remnant of the victreebel’s vine slung over her shoulder, and is using it to drag the crispy outlaw behind her. “Nearly got his shell split in half by a nasty leaf blade a couple years ago. Xander gets all fussy when Felix takes a hard grass type hit now.”
“His shell almost split?” Nia asks absently, still staring at the outlaw.
“Yup,” Kry says, popping the “p.” “Like a chestnut. He tried to laugh it off, then passed out as soon as he stood up while Avery worked on teleporting us out. He’s still got the scar if you’re looking for it.”
“Felix, don’t—!”
They all look over to find Felix sitting up to eat the sitrus berry that Avery handed him. Xander looks a moment away from tackling him back to the ground, fur bristled.
“Ugh.” Kry rolls her eyes. Nia looks at her, questioning.
“I know Xander can’t help being a bit of a dad with the cubs and all, but those two have been teammates for almost a decade now. He should know Felix can handle himself. He needs to stop getting his tail in such a twist over every little hit.”
“I don’t know,” Nia says thoughtfully. “I think it’s kind of sweet that he cares so much.”
Kry snorts. “We all care. He’s just the only one working himself into a frenzy over it.”
Nia is thinking about how to respond to that when she finally notices Samir, standing nearby and watching Xander fret over his teammate. The skiddo’s expression is a complicated mix of emotions. They look…pained.
Before Nia can step forward to make sure they’re all right, Tobias beats her to it.
“Hey,” Tobias says, nudging the skiddo. Samir jumps, looking at the charmander almost guiltily. “Good awareness back there. You spotted the outlaw before any of us did.”
Samir seems surprised by the compliment. But then they nod, opening their mouth to say something before letting their breath out in frustration. Finally, they mouth, Thank you.
Tobias mutters something embarrassed in response, clearly feeling as awkward about the exchange as Samir is. Nia, on the other hand, can’t help a soft smile.
Before she can decide whether or not to go join them, she’s distracted by Felix rocking to his feet, sitrus berry finished. Xander stands too, weaving around the wartortle as if to catch him if he drops.
“I’m fine! Don’t get your fur in a tangle.” Felix does a spin to prove it, then nearly falls over. But it does look more like it’s just from the wartortle being clumsy rather than from his injury.
Avery simply gives the wartortle a fond look and an affectionate pat on the cheek before walking over to Nia and Kry.
“The outlaw is all right?” Avery asks, peering past Kry.
Kry waves a dismissive hand. “He’ll live ‘til we get back to the guild.”
“Kry.”
“Seriously, he’s fine!”
“Kry, we can’t have Xander going to jail for murder.”
“Look, he’s breathing! I think! He’ll be fine!”
Avery sighs and crouches to make sure the outlaw is indeed still alive.
Nia is reminded of her earlier horror, and she can’t stop her eyes from jumping back to the victreebel’s severed vine. “U-Um. His vine. That’s not like…losing a limb, is it?”
Tobias, who had been walking over to Nia, raises a brow. A moment later, Felix and Xander join them, Samir on their heels.
“No, it’s not,” Avery confirms with an apologetic look. “I didn’t think how that would appear to you. Grass types are connected to the plant life growing on their body, and it may sting a bit if suddenly severed, but his vine will regrow fairly quickly.”
Oh, thank God. Nia finally relaxes, some of the nausea in her gut settling.
“Jeez, even Kry isn’t that ruthless,” Felix says, clearly teasing. “Usually, at least.”
“If I were ruthless, you’d be missing a few limbs yourself.”
“Yeah, yeah,” Felix says. Then he turns to Nia and Tobias with bright eyes. “Last hits aside, that was awesome! You two have been holding out on us in training. You’re seriously strong!”
Nia cracks a shy smile. “Thanks, Felix.”
Tobias looks away. “I didn’t do that much.”
“What?! Yeah you did! Seriously, I wish we always had a fire type like you with us. You’re great with your flames. Attacking even as you’re getting dragged into a tree? Your lung control must be crazy!”
Tobias flushes, looking down to kick at the frosted ground as if it holds the secrets of the universe. Nia smiles, watching him with a sad sort of fondness. She wonders how often anyone compliments him for his fire. Especially in the Haven.
“Great, the fire type can use his fire,” Kry says as she sits on the outlaw’s back, making the poor guy oof a breath of air. “I’m more impressed with you two.”
The fraxure’s claw points right at her and Samir.
“U-Us?”
“Yes, you. Thought you’d wimp out on us, Riolu, not pull that little stunt in the tree. And you, little leaf? Sharp reflexes.”
“Um. Thank you?” Nia manages. “I think?”
“That was just as much an insult as it was a compliment,” Tobias grumbles, giving Kry a dirty look. The fraxure smirks in return.
“She’s right, though,” Xander says, still standing a bit closer to Felix than is probably necessary. He’s finally managed to tear his eyes away from his partner, though. “You did well.”
“Thank you!” Nia says. “So did you. That attack at the end was…”
“Strong,” Tobias finishes, crossing his arms. “But if you could’ve done that the whole time, why didn’t you just do it from the start?”
“That move depleted my energy completely. I’m going to be feeling it tonight, and my electricity won’t be back to full charge until tomorrow. I try not to use a thunder attack unless I really need to.”
“Or until you get all overprotective,” Felix teases, nudging his friend.
Xander coughs. “Right. Or that. Regardless, mission accomplished. Good work, team.”
Nia finally relaxes at those words.
Before they return to the guild, Avery calls for an injury check, but aside from Felix, the rest of them made it out with only minor scrapes and bruises. So in a matter of minutes, they’re rounding up the outlaw and pulling out their badges for a teleportation back to the guild.
When the usual flash of light fades, Nia keeps her eyes closed until the nausea passes.
“Wait, why are we out here?” Kry asks.
Nia forces her eyes open, only now registering the quiet rustle of the leaves overhead and the open, breezy scent of the forest. They’re…somewhere outside of the guild? Don’t they usually warp in directly to the psychics’ quarters?
Avery hums, looking concerned. “Minerva was clearlyfeeling unwell this morning. It’s likely that the psychic wing is either short-staffed or Minerva’s illness is making their teleportation more inaccurate. I’ll check in on them when we get back.”
“More walking it is,” Felix sighs, not sounding all that put out. “Ah, well. Good reminder of how lucky we are to have the teleportation system in the first place.”
“True,” Xander says, flicking his tail and stepping through the brush. “Come on, it’s not far to the nearest entrance.”
“You say that, but you don’t have to carry this stupid lump,” Kry grumbles, hefting the unconscious body of the victreebel overhead with a grunt.
“Think of it as an extra workout,” Xander says, tone light. “And I can take over if you get too tired.”
Kry growls in a way that says he will not be taking over, regardless of how she feels.
“This is actually kind of convenient,” Nia says, looking at Samir. “We haven’t gotten to show you all the entrances to the guild yet, right?”
Samir shakes their head, then tilts it in question.
“The guild has multiple tunnels running underneath it,” Xander explains, leading them through the undergrowth. “All of which lead out into the forest. The entrances are hidden, but all of the guildmembers are shown where they are.”
Samir’s eyes widen as they straighten up and look around with more purpose than before, as if to catalogue where they are so they can find their way back in the future.
Nia laughs. “Don’t worry, I still get lost all the time, even here.”
Tobias snorts and flicks her leg with his tail. “Which doesn’t mean you should encourage Samir to do the same.”
Team Shellshock points out the notable landmarks on their way to the nearest entrance. Nia takes a few mental notes herself, having forgotten most of them since her initial introduction to the guild.
Finally, they arrive at a small cave hidden away beside a creek bed, behind a curtain of lichen and moss. Xander takes the lead and slips inside, and the rest of them follow into the darkness as it slopes downward into cool, damp earth.
Nia is about to block out the loamy scent of the soil in her usual fashion, before deciding to take a deep, purposeful breath of the scent instead. Tobias and the others were right. Her nose is an advantage, and she should start trying to use it.
Beneath the smell of the earth, she detects the scents of her friends as well as fainter hints of other guildmembers she’s met and passed by before. She even thinks she catches Abana’s trail in particular, the hippo’s scent reminding her somehow of a sandy beach.
Nia keeps her eyes cracked open as they walk, even as she tries to identify the overwhelming variety of scents she comes across. While they have Tobias’ tail flame to light the way initially, soon the darkness starts to lift on its own. Then, their surroundings brighten significantly as familiar glowing blue crystals start littering the walls and ceiling of the large tunnel.
Their group makes small talk as they near the guild, light and relaxed, until Xander suddenly stops at the head of the pack. Nia and Avery, who had been chatting right behind him, nearly bump into his legs.
“Xander?” Avery asks, the rest of the group falling silent.
“Shh,” Xander murmurs, staring ahead with a serious expression and pricked ears.
“What is it?” Nia murmurs.
Xander’s focus doesn’t waver. “I thought I heard…”
Nia frowns, straining her ears and swiveling them in the same direction. It takes a moment, but then she hears it too: high voices that definitely shouldn’t be down here in the tunnels.
“And you’re sure we can find our way back?” Laine asks. The shinx cub sounds uncertain.
“If we get lost, Xander’s gonna be so upset,” Leor adds. “A-And Arlo, and Junie, and—"
“They won’t be upset because they won’t know!” Asher responds. The zorua is the loudest of them all, sounding almost cocky. “C’mon, don’t you get bored stuck in the nursery all day? I wanna explore this giant forest!”
“Yeah!” Luca cheers. “He’s right! C’mon, we’re more than strong enough to go outside by ourselves by now. Don’t be such cubs about it.”
Xander’s expression darkens, and he bounds forward down the tunnels. As soon as he rounds the corner, he’s met with startled shrieks.
The rest of their party follows quickly, and sure enough there’s the three shinx cubs, cowering in front of Xander, whose fur is lifted along his spine. Asher is the only one still standing tall, glaring up at the older ‘mon.
“You know you’re not supposed to be down here alone,” Xander is saying. “And you’re certainly not supposed to leave the guild.”
“We weren’t gonna!” Luca says.
Xander stares his brother down, twitching an ear. “You want to try that again?”
Luca shrinks back.
“That’s such a stupid rule!” Asher says brazenly. He morphs into a little green monkey with a sprout atop its head, reminding Nia of August somehow. As if he could intimidate Xander by echoing the appearance of the guildmaster.
Xander is clearly unimpressed by the display, muzzle wrinkling with the hint of a snarl for just an instant before he regains his cool with a deep breath. “It’s a rule meant to keep my siblings safe. How old are you?”
Asher falters. “…Twelve.”
“And do you know how old my siblings are?”
Asher glances back at the smaller shinx cubs. “Eight, right? But that’s not that much younger than me!”
“It’s young enough that they’re going to look to you to lead them. Are you prepared to bear that responsibility?”
Asher’s bravado stumbles for the first time. “Um. W-Well…"
“If one of them gets hurt and you’re lost a mile away from the guild, do you know what to do in that kind of situation? If you stumble into a mystery dungeon, do you know how to fight your way out?”
Asher swallows, ears falling. He morphs back into his zorua form with a flash of light, fluffy tail lowering. “…No.”
Xander sighs, then directs his stern look across all four kids evenly. “I know you feel cooped up in the guild, and I’m sorry about that. I’ll try to make more time to take you outside to explore.”
The cubs perk up at that.
“But,” Xander continues, stern. “Rules are there for a reason. This one is there to keep you safe, especially when the world is so dangerous right now.It’s okay to question rules if they don’t make sense or if you’re unhappy with them, and hopefully you’ll get an answer that explains things. But you have to understand why a rule is there before you even think about breaking it. All right?”
The three shinx cubs nod with murmured agreements, properly chastised. Asher glances at them as if he’s seeing them for the first time, and Nia catches the zorua glancing down to where his paw rests next to Luca’s, almost twice its size.
Finally, after a few moments of heavy silence, Xander softens. He leans down to lick each of the shinx cubs on the head, then gives Asher a gentle brush of his paw as he passes. “Come on, let’s get you all back to Arlo. I’m sure he’s worried sick. Asher’s father too, if he’s around.”
“Actually, Junie was watching us since we were supposed to be playing together,” Laine says, looking contrite all over again.
Oh boy. Nia can only imagine how the little rookidee is handling all this.
“Then you’ll be apologizing to her first,” Xander says simply, flicking his tail for them to follow.
The kids do, trudging behind the luxio. They cast a few curious glances behind themselves at the rest of the party, looking torn between embarrassment at getting in trouble and curiosity about how their mission went, especially once they see Kry carrying the unconscious victreebel. That’s when they start muttering to each other with renewed excitement, and Nia has to stifle a laugh.
She hopes they got the message, but it looks like that won’t keep them down for long. Well, the shinx cubs, at least. Asher still looks rather put out, trailing along with his head low and a thoughtful frown on his face.
Their crew of eleven—twelve, counting the outlaw—files out of the tunnels and onto the mission floor where the bulletin boards are posted. There aren’t any other teams present at the moment, which explains how the cubs snuck through undetected, but as they start climbing the spiral staircase leading up into the Lexym Tree, a blur of blue and black nearly flies straight into Xander’s face, backpedaling just in time with a squawk.
It's Junie, flapping frantically in place with wide eyes and panting breaths. “Oh, hey guys! Back already, huh? Everyone in one piece? Great. Awesome. You want to help me with a little something?”
Nia holds up a hand. “Jun—”
“I lost the kids,” Junie blurts. “Like, your kids, dude. We were playing hide and seek and they were supposed to stay on the nursery floor but I can’t find them anywhere. Or Asher! I should’ve guessed they were going to be little gremlins about it when they were whispering to each other but—”
Xander, clearly amused but trying to keep a stern expression, steps aside to reveal the group of kids.
Luca is in the front, ears pinned back. “Uh. We’re here. Sorry, Junie.”
The rookidee cuts herself off, beak hanging open. Then, she sighs with relief, landing heavily on the nearest step. “Oh, thank God.”
“We caught them trying to sneak out of the tunnels into the forest,” Xander says, giving all four cubs another scolding look. “Which I will be telling Arlo about. And Asher’s father.”
Luca and Asher wince. Laine and Leor shrink back and shuffle their paws.
Junie groans. “I know I’m a cool rebellious role model, kids, but you’re not supposed to disobey me! Do you know how upset Arlo and Fidel would be if I lost you?! Arlo’s a giant dragon! He could eat me in one bite!”
“Arlo wouldn’t eat you,” Laine protests quietly, head tilted in confusion.
“But he could! Look at me, I’m bite-sized!”
“Regardless,” Xander interrupts. “You four will be apologizing to everyone you worried. And then you will not whine or argue with whatever punishment Arlo and Fidel see fit to give you.”
All four cubs mutter a reluctant agreement.
Xander sighs. “Well, go on then. Apologize to Junie.”
The shinx cubs murmur a seemingly genuine chorus of, “Sorry, Junie.” Asher mumbles his own apology a moment later, looking embarrassed as his ears fold back.
Junie snorts. “Thanks, I guess. Just don’t do it again under my watch. Good luck with the rest of your apology tour.”
And with that, Junie flutters up and over Xander to perch on Nia’s shoulder.
“Well, I guess I’ll be taking the criminals back to the nursery floor,” Xander says. He looks back at his teammates, farther down the staircase. “You can go ahead and drop off the outlaw. I’ll catch up in a bit.”
Kry pushes past him without hesitation, hefting the victreebel over her head. Felix gives Xander another joking salute before following her, ruffling the fur on Laine’s head as he passes. Avery waits a beat longer, looking at Xander questioningly.
The luxio gives them a tired smile. “I’m fine, Ave. Go ahead. I’ll be right behind you.”
The kirlia relents and heads up the staircase as well, whispering something about checking on Minerva, the sick abra from this morning.
Finally, Xander turns back to Team Scarlet. “It was good working with you all today.” His gaze settles first on Nia, then Tobias and Samir. “All of you. You work well together.”
Nia beams, and Samir and Tobias shift in place, muttering a quiet thanks.
With that said, Xander turns to herd the four cubs up the stairs back to the nursery floor, already laying into them again about how bad an idea it was to try sneaking out. Winter’s coming, after all. They could get lost and freeze to death overnight, or stumble into a mystery dungeon, or come across an outlaw, or—
Junie laughs as Xander’s voice fades away. “Kinda glad he’s being so hard on them, actually. I was gonna start losing feathers from the stress.”
“Understandable,” Nia says, giving Junie a pat with her finger. “Have you eaten yet?”
Junie perks up. “Nope! Food time?”
“Food time,” Tobias agrees, taking the lead up the stairs.
That evening, the rain that had been hanging heavy over their heads the entire day finally arrives, coming down in stinging cold sheets. Thankfully, they’re all back in Team Scarlet’s quarters by then. Junie is tweeting short melodies from the human world for Tobias to imitate on his guitar, and Samir is practicing their whistle words. Nia, exhausted as usual after a mission, is skimming through a book near the gray light of the window.
As soon as the first drops of rain patter against the wooden sill, Nia hears the distant drumming of August using his powers. Right on cue, the roots and branches making up the frame of the window in their room start to wind shut, creaking like old rope until the opening is much smaller than before, easy enough to cover with the leaf-sewn blind installed overhead. After doing so, the room is dimly lit, and Nia can only see by the faint light bleeding through the blind and Tobias’ tail flame.
Samir’s mouth twists. They squint and lean closer to try reading the book in front of them, then glance at Tobias and his tail flame before looking away just as quickly.
Nia laughs under her breath. “Samir, you can use Tobias’ tail flame to read. I do it all the time.”
Tobias gives Nia a dry look, but doesn’t argue, his eyes sliding shut as he continues to play.
Samir hesitates, but then flips the book shut and picks it up with delicate teeth. They move over and lie down again close to Tobias, flipping the book back open to resume their studies.
Nia smiles, tempted to go over and join them.
But she has something else on her mind suddenly, after watching the tree obey August’s orders like that. She’d marveled at it briefly before, the rillaboom’s power and command over nature, but now she can’t help thinking about how it actually works. Does he tap into the energy of the tree itself?
Will’s words from their last meeting come to mind.
“Have you ever tried? Tried tapping into the life energy outside of other beings? Plants. The dimensional border. It would be fascinating to learn how deep your aura powers go.”
Nia never tried interacting with aura aside from other Pokemon because she simply didn’t think it was an option. Sure, if aura is life energy, then it makes sense that anything alive should have its own form of aura, but tapping into the life energy of the world itself doesn’t seem like something Nia should be able to do. That kind of power would be a lot of responsibility, wouldn’t it? It feels like something only gods should have access to.
Then again, Pokemon are constantly interacting with that energy anyways, in how they use their moves. So maybe it isn’t as big of a deal as she’s making it out to be?
Nia glances at the others from her place in shadow near the window. She can’t very well read now, and she is tired from the day. She’s sure Junie is going to call her over any minute now, but...
Nia closes her eyes and places a hand against the wooden wall of the room. She gathers her energy, like she does before reading the aura of another Pokemon. Then she holds her breath, and tentatively reaches out to the tree.
She’s stunned when she realizes there is something there, reaching back. It’s not a concentrated, bright ball of aura and color like Tobias, or Junie or Samir. Not a soul, necessarily, but still life. It’s fainter. Quieter. Something she has to actively look for or risk missing entirely.
But Nia feels like she can almost…follow it. Like a network of rivers. Like she can dive into that lifeforce and see where it goes.
So she does. She tries to focus her consciousness into her aura, and sends it into that strange tangle of roadways, millions and millions of strands of energy threaded together, splitting and converging again and again. Are those the individual roots of the tree? Its branches? Or maybe something much smaller, like the veins of a leaf? Its atoms, even?
Nia has no way to ground herself, so she picks a thread at random and follows it, feeling the pathway usher her down an endless road, through uncountable connections, through a web too large for her to comprehend. She thinks she notices something like a soul on the edge of her periphery a few times, bright colors in large concentrations of life energy, but she doesn’t investigate until she brushes by something familiar, a burst of indigo aura that feels like a serene night sky—
Avery?
Nia cuts the connection, startled, and blinks in the dim light, her breathing a little heavy. Did she—? No, that couldn’t have been Avery. The kirlia is all the way down the hall in Team Shellshock’s quarters, and Nia has never reached her aura nearly that far before, let alone so effortlessly.
Except…her aura wasn’t connected to her on its own this time, was it? She was riding the lifeforce of the tree, coasting along its aura like a surfer on a wave. So could she have really..?
“Nia! You good?”
Junie’s voice snaps Nia from her thoughts, and she whips her head up, blinking at the rookidee across the room. Junie is staring at Nia with a confused little smile, head tilted. Tobias has stopped playing and Samir has stopped reading, the two of them also watching Nia with a touch of concern.
Oh. Right. She supposes it is weird for her to be sitting here in the dark with her eyes closed.
Nia forces a laugh, sitting up and grabbing her book to move over to the warm glow of Tobias’ tail flame. There, she sits against their bed, close to the charmander’s side. “Sorry. Tired, I guess.”
She doesn’t know why she says that. She doesn’t know why she doesn’t feel excited about this discovery. Maybe because she’s still in disbelief that she could be right.
“Well, at least nod off over here where it’s warm,” Junie teases. “Toby, play us a lullaby.”
“I’m not your personal minstrel,” Tobias grumbles. Still, he starts plucking away at a softer melody than before.
Nia tilts her head back and closes her eyes, hugging her book close with one arm. With the other, she places a hand on the wooden floor, too curious to resist. Once again, she reaches out with her aura, and leaps into the quiet, gentle lifeforce of the wood.
This time, she picks a direction with purpose. Tracks the vibrations of the specific aura she’s looking for like a spider feeling the vibrations of prey caught in its web. Tracks it like the scent trail in the mystery dungeon.
Just as Nia suspects, she brushes up against a blaze of bright orange energy, Junie’s familiar silhouette lighting up behind her eyes. No contact needed. And she’s done that before, but something about the way she doesn’t feel drained at all, something about how she accidentally connected to someone rooms and rooms away, feels…big.
In a world like this where nature is so present, where life energy weaves through the very fabric of reality so consistently, how far could Nia reach? Could she reach Maggie, up on the top floor? Or Fliss, at the flying outpost? Beck and Hazel, in Afon’s Cap?
Could she affect that lifeforce somehow, like Xerneas and Yveltal can?
Nia abruptly cuts off her aura and grounds herself back in the physical world. She focuses on Tobias’ playing and the heat radiating from his skin. Focuses on Junie’s chipper comments and the sound of Samir flipping a page as they read. Focuses on the smell of the rain and the feeling of rough wood grain against her hand.
Nia’s heart pounds. Her stomach churns.
She’s suddenly reminded of that fight with the seviper, outside of Ghatha. When Nia's aura grew in power and she felt like it was too much for her to control. When she’d handled her aura like a live bomb, terrified of it destroying everything and everyone around her.
For reasons she can't quite explain, Nia feels that same fear now.
Chapter 67
Summary:
Tragedy strikes near the guild. Nia and the others are called in to help.
Content warnings for this chapter.
This is a bit of an intense chapter and has a warning for blood and injury, as well as death. Nothing overly graphic, but stay safe and read with caution if you're sensitive to any of the above.
Chapter Text
Nia startles awake to the sound of a heavy fist pounding on the door.
“All Seekers D-rank and above come to the flight floor!”
Nia blinks in the dim light of Tobias’ tail, half-asleep brain trying to catch up to what she just heard. She’s wrapped up in the blankets of their bed, warm and cozy, and Tobias is sitting up and rubbing his eyes next to her. Samir is already pulling themself free of the blankets to land on the floor, the clunk of their hooves loud against the wood. The skiddo shakes out their pelt, leaves rustling.
It can’t be dawn yet—Tobias looks just as out of sorts as she feels, and rain still pounds against the closed leafblind window, the room dark as night.
“What’s going on?” Junie yawns from her place at Nia’s hip.
“Dunno,” Tobias grumbles, pulling himself from the warmth of the bed and moving to the door, Samir close on his heels.
Once he opens the door, the quiet clamor of voices on the other side wakes Nia up immediately. It sounds the same as the night of the earthquake last week. Like something has suddenly gone unexpectedly wrong.
Heart pounding, Nia staggers out of bed herself and goes to the door, only to stop at the sensation of an unfamiliar voice coming from…inside her head? It almost sounds like she hears it aloud, except that it’s too…clear. Without the rebound and muffling caused by physical space.
All Seekers D-Rank and above, go to the flight floor for disaster assistance. Await further orders.
Was that…telepathy?
“Another disaster?” Nia asks, exchanging an uneasy look with Tobias and Samir.
“We just had an earthquake and a dungeon pop up last week,” Tobias says, frowning. “And it’s rare for an entire guild of Seekers to be called out all at once.”
“Does that mean it’s bad?” Junie asks from the bed, voice small in the suddenly heavy atmosphere.
Samir nods, expression grim.
Tobias looks outside the door to where teams of Seekers are flowing down the hall like fish in a stream, all of them wearing similarly tense expressions as they whisper to one another.
“Well. That means us too,” Tobias says, visibly bracing himself. He goes to their chest and grabs his green rain poncho, snagging their satchel as well. “C’mon.”
Nia takes the satchel from him as he passes, then glances back at Junie. Nia can only see the shine of her wide, worried eyes in the dark of the room.
“U-Um. We’ll be back, Junie.”
Junie nods, uncharacteristically quiet. Nia wants to comfort her, but Tobias and Samir are already stepping into the flow of Pokemon, so she has to hurry after them.
Nia stumbles as she breaks into the tight crowd of Pokemon and is carried along the dark hallway with them. She hooks a hand around Tobias’ arm to make sure they don’t get separated, and Samir stays close to her side, shouldering their way through the mess.
“S-So we don’t know what happened?” Nia asks, trying to find her words through sluggish thoughts.
She’d been kept awake later than usual the night before, trying to calm her heart after discovering…whatever she discovered regarding her aura. It shouldn’t have scared her so badly, but it just felt so…big. Like a power that she wasn’t responsible enough to hold. She doesn’t know what else she can do with it, and she doesn’t know if she wants to know.
Regardless, she keeps a firm grasp on her aura now, especially as her ears and nose are overwhelmed by the hushed voices and anxious scents surrounding them.
“I’m guessing they’ll tell us what’s going on when they send us off to…wherever we’re going,” Tobias says. He has to separate from Nia as they reach the stairs and start climbing to the flight floor. “But it has to be bad. I don’t remember the last time the whole guild was called out at once like this.”
Nia swallows. She looks at Samir, climbing the stairs a step behind her. “Have you seen something like this before, Samir?”
Samir nods. If possible, their serious expression grows even more stiff.
Nia bites back the question on her tongue and looks ahead again. She doesn’t have to ask if it was a bad experience. She can see the answer on the skiddo’s face.
The air in the stairwell is oppressive, charged with nervous energy and crowded with too many bodies. Finally, though, they reach the flight floor, where cold gusts of rain whip through the crowd and wake Nia up fully. Usually the flight floor is dark at night, but someone has brought up crystals from the tunnels and hung them around the room in jars to give them a bit of blue light.
Nia stands on her tiptoes to try seeing ahead, but she can’t peer over the crowd of taller ‘mon ahead of them.
“Line up! Distinct lines!” A voice calls from somewhere ahead, barely heard over the clamor of voices.
Nia sees Tobias stretch up as well to see better. His face lights with recognition, and he drops back down to wave them forward. The charmander shoves his way diagonally through the crowd, a clear destination in mind. Samir follows, then Nia, whispering apologies for her team shoving their way through.
Nia doesn’t know who or what Tobias saw until the charmander cups his hands around his mouth and calls, “Ezra!”
The sneasel’s ears, one a feathery red, twitch at the call, and the ‘mon turns to them a moment later. A tense smile comes to his face as he nods to them.
“Hey.”
Tobias pushes into the vague semblance of a line that Team Evergreen are standing in, Jaz the stufful and Andyn the deerling just a step ahead of Ezra. Nia and Samir crowd close to join them.
Andyn gives them all an unreadable look before facing forward again.
“Do you know what this is about?” Tobias asks.
“Apparently there’s trouble along the coast, near Bethoc Bluffs,” Ezra says.
“A mystery dungeon is forming right on top of a town,” Jaz adds, ears low. “Combined with this storm, they need everyone’s help on evacuation efforts.”
Nia’s stomach drops at the thought. She remembers the horrifying experience of a mystery dungeon forming on top of them during their trip on the Aqua Jet. She remembers the slow slide of her consciousness slipping away from her, the electric energy in the air, and how the environment itself started folding and twisting around them like a living funhouse. She can’t imagine that kind of disaster falling over an entire town in the middle of the night.
Tobias’ brow furrows at the news, but his expression drops entirely a moment later, the orange of his face paling.
“Tobias?” Nia asks.
“Is it right on the bluffs?” Tobias rasps. “The town. Is it right up against the ocean?”
Jaz frowns. “Yes, I believe so. Do you—"
“The braviary,” Tobias says, looking at Nia with stricken eyes. “When we flew back to the guild. That’s the town we flew over.”
It takes a moment for Nia to remember, but then her hands come up to cover her mouth.
The psychic type braviary who had carried Fidel and Asher back to the guild. He’d sensed something strange in the air when they passed over that cute little town right next to the sea. He’d said that he figured it was some psychic types getting carried away with their powers, but was he actually sensing the dungeon before it started forming?
Could they have prevented this? Warned somebody?
The line shuffles forward as another shout calls out farther in the room. Vaguely, Nia thinks she recognizes the voice.
“Our flight ‘mon sensed something strange in that area,” Tobias explains. “He said it was probably nothing, but…”
Jaz and Ezra’s faces fall with sympathy.
“That wasn’t your call to make,” Jaz says, low and soothing. “All we can do now is help with evacuation.”
That doesn’t fully assuage the guilt in Nia’s stomach, but she does nod alongside Tobias.
They fall silent after that, everyone wrestling with their own thoughts. Tobias pulls his rain poncho over his head, cloaking his bright orange scales in leafy green.
All too soon, they move far enough forward with the crowd to see what’s happening up front.
Looks like they have two modes of transportation going right now. Some ‘mon are being led to the open platforms the flight ‘mon use, despite the storm raging outside. A familiar large bird—the fearow that carried them back from Ghatha on their first trip—is waiting at one of the openings, three smaller Seekers climbing aboard his back. Once they’re settled, he doesn’t hesitate before taking a few steps and launching himself into the rain and darkness.
A moment later, a giant toucan Pokemon flies in from the storm to take his place, shaking out drenched feathers and breathing heavily. The servine who directed Seeker teams after the earthquake barks out an order for the next group of ‘mon to climb aboard without a single moment of rest. The other flight platforms seem to be running a similar operation.
Closer to the middle of the room, the psychic Pokemon responsible for transporting Seekers out of dungeons are teleporting teams to the disaster zone. They’re divided into three groups, each positioned in a circle, and as Nia watches, a team of Seekers steps into the middle of one group before beaming away in a flash of light.
Nia is surprised to see Alistair—the gardevoir from the archives, Avery’s father—and Val the medicham helping out, much taller than most of the other psychic ‘mon. Does Val even know teleport? Maybe she can lend her psychic power to the others somehow even if she doesn’t?
Either way, it looks like it’s all hands on deck. Though Nia doesn’t see Minerva, the sick abra that had transported them the day before. She supposes in this kind of situation a shaky teleportation could be even more disastrous than being down a Pokemon.
It feels like it takes an agonizingly long time before it’s Team Evergreen’s turn to step up for teleportation. To Nia’s surprise, the nearest ‘mon—an unfamiliar pink Pokemon, cute and fairy-like with pointed ears and little wings—waves her, Tobias, and Samir forward along with them.
“You’re small enough that we’ll be teleporting you together in a group,” Alistair explains, the gardevoir’s voice all business. He only falters once he realizes who he’s teleporting.
Nia gives him a strained smile and a little wave.
Alistair returns the expression. “Hello, Nia. Could you all take a step closer to one another? The less space between you, the better.”
Everyone, even Andyn, silently shuffles closer until they’re all pressed arm-to-arm. Alistair glances over their group one more time, but stops once his eyes land on Ezra.
Before Alistair can say anything, the sneasel reaches into the pink scarf around his neck and holds up a tiny object between two claws. It looks like a little disc painted with…a black and white target?
“I’m good,” Ezra assures.
Alistair nods, looking relieved, then steps back.
Ezra must spot Nia’s curious expression, because he gives her a little smile as he settles back into place against her side, his fur cold even through her own. “It’s called a ring target. I’m a dark type. Psychic moves like teleport won’t work on me without it.”
“Oh.” Nia blinks. “I hadn’t thought of that.”
Ezra’s smile grows a bit more genuine. “Lots of ‘mon don’t. No worries.”
Alistair calls out a warning. He and the other psychic Pokemon raise their hands, glowing with a spectrum of colorful psychic energy. Nia feels the uncomfortable tingle of their power running through her fur and prickling at her skin.
The usual flash of light and flip of her stomach happens quicker than she expects, though, and then she’s in total darkness. The muffled crowd of voices and enclosed warmth of the flight room is replaced with stinging cold rain against her fur and howling gusts of wind strong enough to make her stumble.
Nia looks around, squinting against the deluge and blinking hard to adjust her eyes. Tobias, hood flipped over his head, is close by, his tail flame dancing in the storm. Samir stands on the charmander’s other side, alert as they take in their surroundings.
Team Evergreen are here too, clearly trying to acclimate as well.
A rumbling sound, almost like thunder, catches Nia’s attention, and she looks past them to the horizon. A flash of lightning illuminates the sky for a long moment, and her breath catches.
They’re on the bluffs outside of town, giving them what should be a clear vantage point of the buildings perched along the oceanside cliffs. But instead of the short, blocky silhouettes Nia expects, it’s like her eyes can’t quite…focus on the area. Like a bright light was shone in her eyes and she’s chasing the amorphous shapes of after-images, blinking spots from her vision. Darkness falls over them again before she can try to understand what she saw.
Was that…the dungeon?
Between what should be the town and their two teams, Nia can make out a smaller, defined group of silhouettes, speckled with blue crystal lamps and small torches. It writhes with movement, crowds of Pokemon running about and calling to one another. She sees a few Pokemon laid out across the ground, injured or unconscious, as others bend over them, trying to work on their injuries in the darkness and rain. As she watches, one of the injured disappears in a column of light as they’re teleported away.
Nia thinks she hears the distant timbre of August’s voice somewhere, calling out orders, but it’s his second in command who she spots first: Verene.
The lurantis is speaking with another Pokemon, and it takes Nia a moment to realize that the other ‘mon is Fen. The leafeon looks unusually serious, leafy tail held low and a satchel strapped across their back. After Verene finishes speaking to them, Fen nods and darts back over to the crowd, leaning over one of the downed ‘mon.
Verene catches sight of Nia and the others, and strides over to them. “Team Scarlet. Team Evergreen. The dungeon is nearly finished forming, but—"
She’s cut off by a thunderous noise, and a few shrieks from the crowd of Pokemon. They all turn to see large slabs of rock and earth crumbling away from the bluffs under the town, blacker than the night around them. They plummet in building-sized chunks to the ocean below, sending explosions of froth up in their wake.
Above where they fell, that amorphous, twisting mass of the town lies, treacherously close to falling into the sea as well.
Verene curses under her breath. “As you can see, the situation is…precarious. The storm and instability of the dungeon is eroding the cliffside, and our scouts report that the dungeon is reflecting that with particularly dangerous conditions inside.”
Before anyone can ask her to elaborate on what exactly that means, Verene continues, “Right now we’re having teams circle the perimeter to find survivors and get them immediate medical attention and transport to the guild.”
Nia stares at her, uncomprehending. “S-Survivors?”
Verene gives her a sympathetic look. “Yes. Kallio was a small town. No psychic types lived there. They had no warning this was coming.”
Nia feels another surge of guilt, despite her not knowing the source of the braviary’s hesitation. If she’d only realized…
She shakes her head. She can’t focus on that now.
“What about the Pokemon trapped inside?” Nia asks. She knows Pokemon caught in mystery dungeons are often left inside until the dungeon dissipates, simply because there aren’t enough high-level Seekers to extract all the Pokemon from every single dungeon safely, but… “If the dungeon itself is dangerous, then aren’t all the Pokemon inside at risk of getting hurt?”
Right on cue, something from the town’s—the dungeon’s—direction cracks and rumbles. A few voices in the crowd cry out.
Verene sighs. “Yes. There are likely injured Pokemon inside. But all that means is that we cannot safely send low-level teams inside without serious risk—especially without the means to protect you from going feral yourselves while it’s still forming. We have to keep Seekers safe first before they can help anyone else.”
“But—"
“We have a select few teams looking for injured Pokemon inside. For now, everyone else is staying in the safe zone.”
Someone yells something to catch Verene’s attention. The lurantis looks over her shoulder, then turns fully when Sage the ivysaur runs up to her, saying something in low, urgent tones.
Faintly, Nia wonders if Maggie is here too, or if she’s back at the guild prepping for patients.
Verene nods and hurries after Sage, yelling over her shoulder, “Scout the perimeter and bring injured ‘mon back here to the medics! Don’t depend on the badges—the psychics’ line of communication is too backed up.”
With that, Nia is left with Tobias, Samir, and Team Evergreen, surrounded by a palpable air of tension and chaos. Nia shivers under the freezing rain.
“What now?” She asks, voice almost lost to the wind.
“We do what she said to do,” Tobias says, rolling out his shoulders. “Look for evacuees and bring them to the medics.”
“Should we split up?” Ezra asks, looking between their two teams.
Andyn nods. For the first time tonight—in a while, really—she looks directly at Nia and Tobias. “We’ll go right, closer to the bluffs. You take the side closer to the forest.”
Tobias frowns as if he wants to argue, before deciding it’s not worth it and nodding. The two teams split, and Tobias leads them at a brisk pace to the left.
They wade through scraggly beach grass, the blades slick with rain and whipping at them in the wind, and make sure to give the edge of the town a wide berth. It’s easy to do even in the dark, when they can feel the unnatural tingle of the mystery dungeon anytime they start getting too close. Like static dancing on their skin.
As they go, they pass other Seekers who are on their way back to the medics with injured Pokemon in their arms or draped across their backs. Some of the rescued ‘mon are crying. Most of them are unnaturally still. Nia can’t see the extent of their injuries in the darkness, but she can smell the sharp bite of iron even through the rain.
Rather than her nose, though, it’s Nia’s ears that find the first injured Pokémon. She catches a weak plea for help when the wind settles down for a moment, and stops in her tracks. Ears straining, she shushes Tobias when he calls her name in question, then follows a second call through the darkness of the bluffs, stumbling over muddy ditches and holes hidden beneath the grass.
When she loses the sound of the voice, she switches to her nose, fighting the urge to flee from the scent of blood. Instead, she follows it like Xander coached her to, still much slower than she’d like to be as she plays a game of hot and cold against the dampening effect of the rain.
Eventually, though, they find them: two Pokemon huddling from the wind next to a large rock. One of them is holding their side, and the other’s floppy ear is torn and bloodied. They look so relieved when they realize they’ve been found by Seekers, and Nia is just grateful that they’re small enough for Nia, Tobias, and Samir to help transport to the medics.
They make the long trek back through the dark and the wet, and Nia is already exhausted when they drop off the two ‘mon with Fen and Sage and a few unfamiliar medics who must have been brought in to help. Her limbs feel heavy as lead, and she’s so cold she can’t feel her fingers or toes or ears, but…
There are still more Pokemon out there, hurt. People who need their help.
And so they go out again and again with the other Seekers, trudging through the blackness of the storm and becoming desensitized to the loud rumblings of the mystery dungeon settling. Nia finds herself slipping on the terrain more and more often as fatigue wears at her, and she can’t imagine how Tobias is holding up so well, being weak to water.
But each time they find an injured Pokemon hobbling away from the dungeon and their terrified eyes melt with relief at the sign of help, Nia remembers why she’s out here.
They’ve made it much farther around the town’s border on their latest trip when Tobias stops their procession. He squints into the rain, and Nia and Samir follow his lead, until Nia spots a speck of light in the distance, close to the dungeon. It peters out, then rekindles for a moment like embers.
Or, as Nia realizes once they rush towards the strange sight, like sparks.
It’s a little Pokemon who almost runs right past them in her terror, electricity bursting off her fur in sparks of light.
“Whoa, hey! Plusle! We’re here to help,” Tobias calls.
The Pokemon—a plusle?—stumbles to a stop, blinking at them and breathing hard as she tries to register what she’s seeing. One of her little paws is held at a strange angle, as if she injured it and needs to keep weight off of it, and her light coat is drenched and muddied. For a moment Nia feels her heart stop when she sees the Pokemon’s cheeks, ears, and paws covered in red, before realizing that’s just the color of her fur.
The plusle sinks to her haunches, clearly relieved.
“Seekers! Oh, thank goodness. My sister’s hurt. She—"
The plusle looks over her shoulder and stops cold, going unnaturally still. Then, she sits up taller, ears perking as she looks around.
“Mal?”
Oh no.
“Mallory?!” The plusle yells, standing up and almost falling over.
“Did you get separated?” Nia asks gently, steadying the little Pokemon.
“No no no—she was right behind me!” The plusle says, voice high and wobbling. Her eyes, dark against the brightness of her fur, are locked onto the black mass of the dungeon she just escaped. Nia still feels like she can’t look at it too long or she starts to get a headache trying to track what’s moving and what’s not.
Before Nia can say a thing, the plusle lunges past her, back the way she came.
Samir jumps in the plusle’s path, blocking her. When the plusle tries to duck around them, Tobias snatches her around the waist, holding her in place against his chest as she kicks and sparks.
“Let me go! I have to make sure she’s all right!”
“Hey!” Nia steps in front of her, hands out, trying to sound soothing despite the way she has to yell over the wind and rain. “Hey, it’ll be okay! Th-There are teams inside looking for people that need help. They’ll find her!”
“They don’t know she’s there!” The plusle wails, struggling harder. “W-What if they miss her?!”
Nia feels her ears pin back. She thought her compassion had reached a plateau for the night after seeing so many injured, upset Pokemon already, but something in her heart aches anew for this plusle. She thinks of her own sibling, and how desperately she misses him. How she’d feel if she knew he was in life-threatening danger just a stone’s throw away.
Nia looks around, praying that a high-rank team will just be wandering by so Nia can ask them to look for the plusle’s sister. But they’re alone, and Nia hasn’t even seen any of the search teams back at the teleportation area. How many are there? Surely at least a few, right? Maybe they’ll find the plusle’s sister on their own?
Or maybe they’ll miss her entirely.
Nia’s heart sinks as she looks back at the shrieking, sparking plusle. Can Nia live with herself if she doesn’t try to help, and the plusle’s sister never comes home?
Nia glances at Tobias, whose face is scrunched up as he struggles against the little electric type, and there’s a barely-contained grief in his eyes. She glances at Samir too, but they just look resigned, expression solemn as they watch the plusle fight.
No, Nia thinks. No. She won’t allow another pair of siblings to be separated. Not like this. Not like her and Clay. Not like Tobias and Vivi.
They’re Seekers. She can’t just sit here when she has the chance to help someone.
“I’ll look for her,” Nia says.
The plusle stops fighting, going limp in Tobias’ arms and panting, “W-What?”
Nia can feel Tobias and Samir’s eyes on her too, but she can’t seem to look away from the plusle’s teary face, full of sorrow and fear and hope.
Nia tries a shaky smile. “I’ll go in and find her myself.”
She looks up at Tobias, whose brow is furrowed, then Samir, who seems bewildered.
“I have my badge, right?” Nia says. “I can always teleport out when I track her down.”
Tobias hesitantly sets the plusle back on the ground, now that the fight has seemingly left her. He stays crouched next to her, but looks up at Nia. “Nia, you heard Verene. It’s not stable in there, and the badges aren’t reliable right now.”
“I know. But…we can’t just leave someone when we know they’re in there. Hurt.”
Samir moves to stand behind Tobias and the plusle. The skiddo locks eyes with Nia, then shakes their head with a sharp whistle of No.
A rare surge of anger shoots through Nia’s chest. “You don’t get it, Samir! That’s her sister! We can’t just…”
Nia bites her tongue, closing her eyes and taking a deep breath. When she opens them again, Tobias is standing, looking conflicted under the shadow of his hood. He glances down at the plusle, who is staring past them at the dungeon, shaking as she silently cries.
Tobias looks back to Nia. “It’s not safe.”
“I know.”
“The dungeon might not even be fully formed yet.”
“Th-Then I’ll…I’ll use protect until it is. Like on the Aqua Jet.”
Tobias sighs, breath coming out in a cloud of steam. “I’m not letting you go in there alone.”
“I’m going, Tobias.”
“I know. I’m coming with you.”
Nia feels a rush of relief, and relaxes from the tense stance she’d been taking. Tobias looks back at her, a well of emotion in his own eyes. She knew he’d understand.
Samir splashes closer to them, catching their attention. The skiddo doesn’t look happy, shaking their head again with an emphatic No.
Nia knows the skiddo has a point. She knows this is dangerous. And she keeps telling herself that they’ll stop doing this, stop running headfirst into danger. But—but…
She can’t just leave that Pokemon behind.
“I’m going in there, Samir,” Nia says, holding the skiddo’s dark gaze. “You can take Plusle to the medics if you don’t want to come.”
Something in Samir’s expression falters, but only for a moment. Then, their face grows stonier than before. They huff, once, before turning and gently scooping the plusle onto their head with their horns, letting the little ‘mon slide down to cling to their back.
“She’s a minun,” The plusle sniffs, clinging weakly to Samir’s leafy mane. “Please find her.”
Samir gives Nia and Tobias one last, long look before leaving at a trot through the rain. Nia can’t decide if she feels relieved that Samir didn’t argue more, or if she’s upset that they fractured from the team so easily. For a moment she wonders if this is the right thing to do at all, but—
But she thinks of that plusle’s cries, and she pictures her own brother’s face, and her resolve hardens.
Nia looks at Tobias. The charmander is watching the spot where Samir left, a complicated expression on his own face.
“Thanks for staying with me,” Nia says, quiet.
“Always,” Tobias answers, looking at her. “It’s not a smart idea, but when have we ever used those?”
Nia smiles at him, before a distant rumble from the dungeon makes them look back at the looming sight of it. It’s like a nightmare, a twisting mass of shapes barely visible in the darkness. Like something lurking on the edge of her vision.
“If we’re gonna go, let’s go,” Tobias says.
Nia nods, letting him light the way.
The two of them approach the oppressive field of the dungeon. The air grows thick and hard to breathe, and the bite of it runs lightly along her arms like teeth. The darkness ahead makes it impossible to get even a glimpse of what they’re walking into.
Then Nia’s ears catch something on the wind.
She stops Tobias and the two of them turn. After a moment, Tobias points out three blobs of movement approaching over the open grass. It’s not until they get close enough to breach the flickering light of Tobias’ tail flame that Nia recognizes them as Team Evergreen.
“We passed the skiddo,” Andyn pants, glancing over Nia and Tobias as if to make sure they’re all right. “Is there someone injured out here?”
Nia exchanges a look with Tobias. Then, hesitantly, she admits, “No. We’re going into the dungeon.”
All of Team Evergreen stares at Nia for a moment, then Tobias, then back.
“You’re going in there?” Ezra finally asks, alarmed.
“Are you stupid?!” Andyn says. “Verene told us how dangerous it is!”
“That plusle with Samir,” Nia says. “Her sister is still in there. A minun. She’s hurt, so—"
“So what?! You’re going to risk getting yourselves killed just to find one ‘mon?!”
Nia blinks at Andyn, confused by the question. “…Yes?”
“We’re Seekers,” Tobias adds. “Danger’s part of the job description.”
Nia isn’t sure what to expect in response—maybe for Andyn to yell even louder—but she certainly isn’t expecting the deerling to reel back as if struck, looking almost…embarrassed as she stares at them. A literal deer in the headlights.
“Andyn?” Ezra says.
Andyn’s eyes flash. She straightens up, brow lowering.
“Andyn,” Jaz cautions.
“Right,” Andyn says. “You’re right. We’ll go with you.”
Ezra’s head snaps over to look at the deerling. “What?! Anne!”
“They’re right, Ez. We’re Seekers. This is what Seekers do.”
“What Seekers do,” Jaz says, sounding angry for the first time since Nia has known her. The stufful glares up at Andyn. “Is what’s best for others while keeping ourselves safe. And they still need help out here.”
“If they can handle the dungeon, so can we!” Andyn snaps, jerking her head at Nia and Tobias.
There’s a moment of silence.
“Anne,” Ezra says, his disappointment mirroring Nia’s own. “It’s not a competition.”
They don’t have time for this.
“You cannot be thinking like that now of all times,” Tobias agrees, a growl on the edge of his voice.
“Oh, like you don’t think about it!”
“No, actually, we don’t!” Nia snaps, voice breaking. Everyone looks at her, surprised. “We’re going in because that Pokemon lost her sister, not to boost our rank or reputation or whatever! Do you even hear yourself?!”
Nia turns on her heel and stalks towards the dungeon, fury battling with exhaustion in her body. She knows Andyn gets caught up in her reputation with her parents and everything, but to be thinking about that now?
Jaz must say something to Andyn, because the deerling snaps, “I’ll go in by myself if I have to!”
“Andyn,” Nia hears Ezra sigh. His voice is drowned out by the rain as they gain distance. “You know we’ll follow you anywhere. I just…really don’t think this is a good idea. I mean…”
Tobias speeds up to match Nia’s pace, leaning forward to catch her eye the best he can in the pouring rain. “Hey, you good?”
“No,” Nia says, wiping at her eyes. Hot tears are immediately replaced by cold rain.
Tobias doesn’t seem to know what to say to that, because he doesn’t answer, simply letting her take the lead.
As they get closer to the dungeon, the buzz of its presence worsens, like bugs under Nia’s skin. The dungeon’s unfathomable appearance looms ahead of them, restless and endlessly shifting in the night.
Until it reaches a breaking point, and in a single step they cross into the dungeon. The environment opens up around them as the tingling settles into something more stable.
Nia doesn’t know what she expected to see inside. She knows mystery dungeons mirror and twist the environments they appear in, expanding on them and making them into something new, but somehow she’s still taken off-guard.
The dungeon has combined the short homes of the town with the tall cliffside they rest upon, resulting in towering structures that loom overhead like skyscrapers. Uneven buildings cobbled together out of stone houses and the rough earth of the cliffs. She catches sight of other things that must be from the town—a chair, a dingy stuffed animal, a woven rug—sticking out of the towers like crumbs caught in a child’s Play-Doh. Piles of rubble and broken stone litter the almost street-like hallway they’re standing in.
Nia remembers watching a video about a tsunami once. She remembers the sheer devastation it left in its wake, wreckage and personal belongings and trash all mixed together in an unfathomable, endless stretch of debris. This reminds her eerily of that.
The weather doesn’t help. The dungeon has copied the storm from outside, rain falling in continuous sheets from a dark sky, and wind blows harshly against them, forcing Nia to plant her feet and brace herself to stay upright. Large patches of the rocky ground are covered in what Nia hopes are just puddles and nothing deeper.
A loud sound—cracking like ice but rumbling like thunder—comes from somewhere behind them, and they both spin to watch as—
As one of the towers farther down the pathway starts to break apart. Whether from the wind, or the lopsided weight of the structure, or maybe just the sheer instability of the dungeon itself, a large chunk of the building sloughs off from the rest, falling in slow motion before slamming to the ground with a deafening sound. Nia can feels its impact underfoot, and stumbles.
It takes a few seconds for the rocks and rubble to even start to settle, and the constant sound of rain takes over once more in Nia’s ringing ears. She exchanges a terrified look with Tobias.
Verene was right. This is much more dangerous than a typical dungeon.
Nia can only be glad that it must be finished forming, because the slow, syrupy feeling of her thoughts slipping away from her isn’t present, at the very least.
“We need to keep moving,” Tobias says, hushed as he eyes the nearest towering building, groaning ominously in the wind. “C’mon.”
Nia nods, following behind Tobias and keeping a watchful eye on their surroundings.
As they walk, at a faster pace than usual despite having to step around and climb over debris, Nia is struck by how quiet it is. Or maybe not quiet, but…empty. The rain and wind are a constant backdrop of noise, and another building crashes loudly in the distance, but they make it to the first set of stairs without a hint of another Pokemon, feral or otherwise.
It’s unsettling.
On the second floor, Nia looks at more mountains of rubble and realizes with a sickening feeling that they could easily miss the minun—or any other injured civilians—if they’re just going through by sight and sound alone.
She might be able to use her nose if she knew what she was looking for, but without something strong like blood to use as a beacon, everything just washes together in a bland mix of rain and stone. She didn’t even register a scent from the plusle, drenched through as she was.
Nia’s mind jumps next to the discovery she made last night: the network of aura at the guild. Like veins or threads making up a greater whole, pathways she could use to travel and connect her aura farther than ever.
Could she use that power to find someone here?
She’s feeling desperate enough to try.
“Tobias, hang on a second.”
Tobias stops, looking back at her questioningly.
“I want to try something,” Nia says. She crouches, laying her hand on cold, wet stone, and closes her eyes. Then she sends her aura out in a pulse, feeling for those same pathways.
She’s startled by what she finds instead.
While the sheer size of the network of aura had been overwhelming back at the guild, it had still had some sort of order to it. There was a natural system in place dictating how the threads weaved together, how they followed one another and branched out. Like a tapestry. Like roots from a tree, or veins in a body.
Here, there is no order. The strands of aura float and twist, reconnecting at random before splitting once more in a flare of light and color. Like a blanket unraveling. Like a bruise, countless blood vessels bursting under an invisible blow.
If the world is made up of those threads of aura, of life, is this what a mystery dungeon is? Those threads becoming damaged? Reality itself weakening and unraveling?
Nia doubts she can traverse these threads of aura like she could at the tree, disconnected mess that they are, but she gives it a shot anyways, sending out a spark of aura to see where it goes.
She’s disheartened but not surprised when she almost immediately loses her grip on the nearest strand and is thrown into a free fall, her aura petering out without anything to ground it.
This place is like a wound in the fabric of reality itself.
Nia cuts off her aura, taking a deep breath. Okay. That’s something to think on later. Right now, they have a mission to do. And her aura isn’t going to be of any help.
“Nevermind,” Nia says. “Didn’t work.”
Tobias frowns, looking like he wants to ask what she tried, but another loud crash in the distance makes both of them glance towards the sound nervously.
Wordlessly, Tobias starts moving again. Nia follows.
By the third floor, Nia suggests calling for the minun. They haven’t seen a single feral—any Pokemon at all, actually—so there shouldn’t be any risk.
Tobias reluctantly agrees.
From there, they call for the plusle’s sister every hall or so, voices both too loud in the echoing cityscape and too quiet, nearly drowned out by the wind and rain.
It’s not until the fourth floor that Nia notices something out of place. A scent that’s unfortunately all too familiar by this point of the night.
Blood.
“I’ve got something,” she says, stopping Tobias and sniffing the air.
He gestures for her to take the lead, so she does, closing her eyes and straining to follow the heavy tang of iron that’s just strong enough to stand out over the wash of rain.
She takes a wrong turn, and they have to backtrack, but Tobias doesn’t call her out on it. The two of them are silent, on edge as another tower falls only a hallway over, shockingly loud and close enough to shake the ground.
But slowly, the scent gets stronger, until Nia finally finds the source: a pile of broken rubble from one of the fallen buildings. She starts digging immediately, and Tobias joins her. The scent of blood grows.
Together, the two of them push aside a large stone to reach the Pokemon she’s sure is trapped beneath.
Only to stop at the sight of a Pokemon’s back, their body curled away from her. They look like a cat, with a curled tail and dark, pointed ears. Their soft gray fur is drenched and muddied, and the scent of blood is almost overwhelming.
“Hello?” Nia tries. She touches them, then yanks her hand away at how cold they are.
“Nia,” Tobias says, soft. She jumps, looking at him.
The charmander gestures with his chin for her to move back.
Nia does so, numb. Tobias moves into her place, crawling up the rocks a bit to be able to peer over the Pokemon’s side and at their face. She sees him reach for their neck and hold.
His shoulders drop.
Tobias turns back and slides down to solid ground with a wet splash. He won’t look at her. Nia glances back at the Pokemon, then follows.
“Tobias?” Nia tries, voice shaking.
He shakes his head. “They’re gone.”
Nia’s stomach drops, and she stares at him for a moment, uncomprehending. “W-What? No, they can’t…”
“They are,” Tobias says, firmer. He reaches out and takes her hand, tugging her behind him as he walks away with purpose.
She stumbles before catching up to him, and uses his hold as an anchor amongst her shock. His grip is tight, his eyes glossy and his mouth set in a bleak line. Nia tightens her fingers around his own.
That isn’t the last Pokemon they find deceased in the rubble on the following floors, and Nia finds herself wishing they would run into some ferals. Because if they did, at least that would mean some of the Pokemon in the dungeon were still alive.
She takes to using her aura as a radar like she did when Tobias was buried in the mines. Looking desperately for life under each pile of rubble that smells of blood.
Each time, she finds nothing.
Each time, she digs anyways, praying that her aura is wrong.
After the fourth Pokemon they find cold and still, she feels numb, not entirely herself as they travel deeper into the dungeon. Distantly, she notices that her hands sting with fresh cuts and bruises from digging so haphazardly.
She’s not paying enough attention to their surroundings until it’s almost too late, and a tower falls right behind the two of them. They sprint forward to get out of its path, diving behind rocks for cover.
As they’re looking back at the aftermath, panting, Tobias speaks up.
“We need to leave.”
Nia sits up, staring at him with despair. “What? No, we haven’t found the minun yet and—“
“Nia.”
It’s Tobias’ voice that stops her, more than anything. How quiet it is, tired and heavy with grief. He stares at her, pale eyes glistening in the light of his tail.
He’s right. She knows he’s right. It’s far too dangerous in here, and they haven’t found a single Pokemon alive. This isn’t safe.
She thinks of that plusle, wailing for her sister, and swallows down a hot wave of tears.
“One more floor,” she bargains. “One more, and then we leave.”
Tobias sighs. “One more. Then I’m making us both leave.”
Nia nods, grateful, and follows Tobias to the next set of stairs. They’re as cold and wet underfoot as the rest of the dungeon, and Nia hardly even feels the nausea that usually hits her when they warp to a new floor.
But something in her chest leaps as a new sound reaches her ears.
Voices. Loud enough to hear echoing in the distance.
Tobias’ shocked expression mirrors Nia’s own. With palpable excitement, he leads them towards the voices at a quick pace, nearly jogging. Nia’s heart climbs into her throat with hope, but—
She feels strangely upset when they come across not a group of survivors, but Team Evergreen. Andyn must’ve gotten them to come into the dungeon with her after all.
Currently, the deerling is arguing loudly with Jaz.
“I told you you can leave if you want! I’m staying until we find that minun.”
“You know we aren’t leaving you in here alone,” Jaz says, with the sort of heated patience of a parent two seconds from finally snapping. “But we are leaving. I’m putting my foot down. It’s too dangerous in here.”
“If those two can handle it, then so can we!”
“Anne, Jaz, c’mon, don’t fight,” Ezra pleads, standing off to the side of the two with his claws raised pleadingly. The sneasel looks deeply upset, ears pinned and eyes wide.
“Hey,” Tobias snaps, probably feeling just as disappointed as Nia.
Team Evergreen startles, looking over at them as they approach.
Tobias’ tail lashes, a streak of fire in the darkness. “Don’t look so surprised. We heard you arguing three halls over.”
“Because these two want to ditch the mission,” Andyn says.
“I don’t blame them,” Tobias responds. “We’re leaving after this floor ourselves. It’s too dangerous.”
Andyn turns on him. “Oh, what happened to ‘danger being part of the job description,’ huh?”
“There’s danger and then there’s just being reckless. At this rate, we’re at risk of becoming casualties ourselves.”
“Fine! Then you can all go home with your tails tucked!” Andyn shouts, stomping a hoof. “I’m not leaving until I find this ‘mon! That’s what a real Seeker would do!”
“Andyn,” Ezra tries. “C’mon.”
“Will you stop trying to impress your terrible parents and listen?!” Tobias yells, throwing out his arms. “We’ve found enough bodies in here! I’m not letting any of us add to that number.”
That finally punches a hole in Andyn’s sails. She deflates, staring at him with wide eyes. “…Bodies?”
“Four,” Tobias says, harsh, jerking his chin at Nia. “Nia can scent ‘em under the rubble.”
All eyes turn to Nia, and she just stares back. What do they want her to say? She’s exhausted and cold and on edge, and barely keeping the grief at bay that she knows will pile onto her for those dead civilians once she has a moment to rest.
“Andyn,” Jaz says quietly. “Can we go now? Please.”
Andyn swallows, but jerks her head in a nod. “Yeah. Yeah, let’s go.”
Ezra and Jaz visibly droop with relief. They pull out their badges to check if they can connect to the psychics.
But Nia stiffens, catching a scent on the breeze that's all too familiar after tonight.
Blood.
Nia tugs on Tobias' arm.
“Yeah?”
“One more,” Nia whispers. “I know they probably aren't..." Alive. "But we need to check.”
Tobias looks at her, hard expression softening. “...Fine. One more.”
Team Evergreen look up at them with a question in their eyes.
“I smell blood,” Nia explains. “I…I need to make sure.”
Jaz looks unsure, glancing up at the towers as they sway in the breeze, groaning under their own unbalanced weight.
“We’ll go with you,” Andyn says.
“Anne—” Ezra starts.
“No,” Andyn says, harsh. “We’ll go too.”
She doesn’t say any more, eyes alight with their usual fire. Nia doesn’t have the energy to fight her stubbornness.
Instead, Nia silently turns and leads the way down the nearest hall, nose raised as she tries to follow the scent of blood.
Along the way, with the backdrop of the storm overhead and the rain doing its best to lead her astray, she prays to whoever might be listening that this time they’ll find someone alive.
Her hopes fall when they come across another mountain of rubble from a fallen tower. It’s still as a grave in the rain, unmoving.
With a practiced, almost mechanical focus, Nia and Tobias start digging, moving rock and stone aside. After a beat of hesitation, Andyn and the others follow their lead.
It’s Ezra who finds the source of the blood underneath, calling out for the others to help him move a particularly large chunk of wall.
They do so, uncovering a little Pokemon half-buried in rubble, limp and still and looking like nothing more than a bedraggled doll. While their pelt is intact, part of their body is almost caved in, as if it had been crushed. Their fur is a creamy color, even in the darkness, and though the tips of their paws and ears are blue instead of red, they bear a striking resemblance to the plusle outside.
No.
Nia stares at the body, willing it to move. Willing it to, at the very least, be somebody else.
The others are equally silent. After a moment, Nia hears the quiet splash of footsteps. Tobias steps into view, kneeling next to the little Pokemon and putting the side of his head near their mouth. Then, after a few moments, he presses two fingers beneath the soft hollow of the Pokemon’s jaw, roughly where you’d check the pulse on a human.
Do most Pokemon have similar pulse points? Nia wonders. Tobias has checked the neck for most of the Pokemon they’ve found, so she supposes so, if their anatomy is similar enough to humans or animals. Are their heart rates the same? Probably not. Then again, that doesn’t matter if there isn’t a heartbeat to begin with.
None of this feels entirely real.
Tobias’ face falls, and he squeezes his eyes shut. Then he takes a step away. “She’s gone.”
Hot tears fill Nia’s eyes, and her chest aches as she clamps down on the sob clawing at her sternum. In a fit of desperation, Nia closes her eyes and reaches out with her aura, hoping to brush against an unfamiliar burst of aura.
Nothing. There’s no life left in that body.
Nia takes a breath to keep herself from falling apart, and opens her eyes.
“No,” Andyn says, quiet. Then, louder, she says, “She can’t be! We can’t have come all this way only to…”
Andyn steps forward herself, but hesitates before reaching the minun. She swallows hard, staring down at the body. Slowly, her ears fall.
She looks up at Tobias. “C-Can we at least take her body with us?”
Tobias shakes his head. “She’s pinned. There’s no way we’re moving a stone that size, and we can’t move her without…”
Without doing serious damage to the body. Nia feels like she might be sick.
Andyn’s head drops, and she steps back.
“Now what?” Ezra asks, voice hushed in the rain.
“Now we leave,” Jaz says, firm. “We’re in danger just being here, and our mission failed.”
No one has an argument for that.
Together, they slowly rummage through their bags and pull out their badges, Andyn stepping close to Ezra to be pulled into his teleportation.
Nia brushes up against Tobias, and clicks the recall button for her own badge.
Nothing happens.
A lump rises in Nia’s throat.
She clicks it again. Nothing.
“It’s not working,” Nia murmurs.
Jaz sighs, heavy. “Verene did say not to rely on the badges since the lines of communication are overloaded.”
Fresh misery blooms in Nia’s chest. “Then what do we do?”
“We keep trying,” Tobias says. He glances over his shoulder as another stone crumbles and crashes to the ground in the distance. “But we keep moving. If we can’t get through, we have to get out. It’s too dangerous to stay here.”
No one, not even Andyn, argues with that.
Silently, as the one with the most visibility thanks to his tail flame, Tobias takes the lead. Nia steps into line behind him, with Team Evergreen following after.
They traverse the halls, climbing over and through mountains of rubble and eyeing the towering silhouettes above them with suspicion. They feel somehow alive in the darkness and rain, faint silhouettes of giants waiting to strike.
After finding the stairs, they try the badges again on the next floor, only to find that they still can’t make a connection.
A gust of wind blows through, making them all shudder, and in the distance another tower falls.
“C’mon. We’ve gotta keep moving,” Tobias says.
“Do we?” Andyn challenges, stopping. “Wouldn’t it be safer to stay in one place where we just have to keep an eye on the towers around us?”
She does have a point.
But Tobias shakes his head. “If the badges’ communication is down for hours, we don’t want to be stranded in here. Depending on how deep the dungeon goes, we could make our own way out before then.”
Also a good point.
Andyn huffs, though it’s an echo of her usual self. “I think we should stay in one place.”
Tobias turns to her, scowling. “Do you actually think that, or are you just arguing because you want to prove you’re a better leader?”
Andyn glares back. “I am a better leader.”
Tobias snorts.
“This doesn’t even matter,” Ezra whines. “Especially right now!”
It doesn’t. Pokemon are dead and they’re arguing over nothing.
“Andyn, don’t start this now,” Jaz says.
Andyn ignores them, marching closer to Tobias. “No, go on. I know you think you’re better than us. Than me especially.”
Tobias stares back at her, irritated and exhausted. “I didn’t, until you started acting unbearable. Now I know we’re better Seekers than you.”
Andyn narrows her eyes, voice rising. “I am the daughter of Team Sequoia! I have leadership in my blood!”
“Leadership doesn’t mean pulling your teammates into a dungeon they don’t want to be in!” Tobias snarls back, pointing at Ezra and Jaz. “Leadership means listening to your team!”
“Oh, like that skiddo? They didn’t look too happy to be sent out on their own.”
Nia winces.
Tobias takes a threatening step forward, tail flaring. “At least they’re safe. You brought your teammates unwillingly into a dangerous situation.”
“You did the same to Nia!”
“I pushed to come in here,” Nia objects quietly. “Tobias didn’t want me to go alone.”
Andyn flusters at that, glancing back at Jaz and Ezra as if hoping one of them will step in to help her, too. They just look back at her, visibly tired of dealing with this argument again and again.
“Fine!” Andyn snaps. “You’re the better leader, Tobias. Congrats. Since he’s so much better, just follow him instead, you two. I’ll find my own way out.”
The deerling prowls to the other side of the room and down the hall.
“Anne,” Ezra pleads, hurrying after her. “C’mon, that’s not—"
For a moment, Nia watches them go with a tired indifference. She can't be bothered to deal with Andyn's touchy feelings right now.
Her ear twitches.
Then the fur on her neck rises, and Nia blinks, going ramrod straight as something instinctive screams at her to pay attention. She looks around, taking a deep breath of the air and pricking her ears to find what suddenly has her so on edge.
She realizes it’s a sound. Something that started so quietly that it was lost to the rain, but she recognizes it now as it picks up volume. She knows it well after hearing it so many times tonight. The crack and rumble of stone.
She looks up, finally noticing the faint silhouette sliding away from its base ahead.
Right in Andyn and Ezra’s path.
“Andyn! Ezra!” Nia yells, running forward.
Ezra’s ears perk a moment before Nia calls out, and his head snaps up too.
Nia has a single moment to take in what’s about to happen. A single moment to see the sneasel launch an ice attack at Andyn and send her flying farther down the hall.
Rubble and rocks fall atop Ezra with a roar, burying him in an instant. Nia skids to a stop, unable to tear her eyes aways. It feels endless.
Then, a choking silence as the tower settles, pebbles clattering down the sides and splashing into puddles.
“No,” Jaz breathes at Nia’s side. The stufful runs forward on stubby legs. “Ezra! Andyn!”
Nia and Tobias run after her.
“Ezra! Andyn!” Jaz calls again, usually calm voice shrill with panic.
“‘M okay,” A woozy voice calls from past the rubble. Andyn. Thank God. “Ugh. What happened?”
“Ezra,” Jaz says by way of explanation, going to the rubble and immediately pushing aside rocks with more strength than her small stature would suggest she has.
Nia and Tobias join the stufful, Tobias taking only a moment to look up at the tower and make sure it’s stable before digging though the wreckage himself.
Andyn comes stumbling over the rise of the debris, shaking her head and wincing. “W-Wait, what? What about Ezra?”
She stops in her tracks once she sees them. All of them except the sneasel. Her eyes flicker down to the rubble beneath her.
Nia hears the way she chokes. “Is he—"
“We don’t know yet,” Tobias snaps. “Get down here and help us dig him out!”
Andyn scrambles to do so, joining them and using her hooves to jab at rock and earth and shove it away with frantic butts of her head.
“Nia, can you see him?” Tobias pants, still digging.
Nia closes her eyes and pauses to focus her aura. Part of her doesn’t even want to look. Doesn’t want to see another empty shell where life once burned. Especially not someone she knew.
But she has to. So she sends out her aura, and there, just a foot or two in, she spots him.
His aura is a vibrant pink, a shade lighter than Team Evergreen’s scarfs. Lively and bright and loud like a hibiscus flower.
He’s alive. His aura is jumping like sound waves, flickering with pain and adrenaline and panic, but he’s alive.
“He’s alive,” Nia breathes, resuming her digging with fervor. “But he’s hurt.”
“Ezra!” Andyn calls, digging hard enough that Nia fears she’s going to break a limb. “We’re coming for you, Ez. D-Don’t die, okay? You can't die!”
After that, it’s silent, save for the pounding rain and the shift and clunk of rubble. The sharp scent of blood drifts up to Nia’s nose, making her swallow back fear.
Until finally, Andyn cries out, “I see him!”
Nia, Tobias and Jaz scramble to her portion of the rubble, helping to move aside rocks and debris until they can see his muddied pink scarf, and the blue-black fur of his chest. They quickly unbury his face so he can breathe, Andyn audibly exhaling when they see his eyes screwed up with pain. They work to uncover the rest of him, limb by limb, until there’s only one arm left.
Andyn and Tobias pause. Nia looks over, and realizes why.
The sneasel’s arm is pinned under a large slab of rock, almost up to the shoulder. It’s bigger than all of them combined.
“We need to move this,” Andyn says.
“Wait,” Tobias says, putting a hand on her shoulder. “I don’t remember everything, but I know crush damage can be made worse by removing the weight.”
“Can be made worse?” Jaz presses.
“We need to get him out of here!” Andyn insists, near tears. “We have to move it.”
“What about the badges?” Jaz asks, looking at Nia. “Are they working yet?”
Nia rushes to check them, making sure to put a hand on the others before clicking for a recall.
Nothing.
“What do we do?” Andyn asks Tobias, looking at him with terror-filled eyes and visibly shaking. All the bravado from earlier is gone.
“We can’t carry him out of the dungeon,” Tobias says, clearly trying to think through his panic. “We don’t know how bad the damage to his arm is, or how deep the dungeon goes. But…”
The towers creak ominously above them.
“We can’t stay here,” Nia finishes. She looks around, desperate for an escape. They don’t have an escape orb—though at this point she’s thinking they need to keep one on hand—and the only other way out is to go through, right?
Her eyes catch on a large puddle nearby, and she freezes. Thinks of Kaleido Bay. Of the flooded prison.
“Giratina,” Nia gasps, looking at Tobias. “He can get us out of here.”
Realization dawns on the charmander’s face. “You’re right.”
Both Andyn and Jaz stare at them, brows furrowed as tears track down their face. “What?”
“Trust me,” Nia says, staggering to her feet. “I know a way out.”
Jaz and Andyn still look unsure, but they nod, clinging to any scrap of hope offered to them.
“In that case, we need to take the risk and free him,” Tobias says, looking up at the giant slab of rock. “We’re going to have to topple this off the mound away from him. Got it?”
Andyn and Jaz nod along with Nia.
Under Tobias’ instruction, the four of them brace themselves against the rock, giving Ezra a careful gap. Then, they push against the stone with a chorus of grunts. For a heart-stopping moment, it doesn’t budge.
But then it shifts. The smaller rocks at its base slip loose and crunch.
Ezra screams.
Nia and the others let go.
“No! We have to get this off!” Tobias shouts. “It’s going to hurt! Ignore him!”
Easier said than done. Jaz and Andyn look like they want to argue, wild eyes flicking between Ezra, unconscious but groaning in pain, and Tobias, already leaning back into the rock.
The charmander looks at each of them one by one, panting hard. “Listen to me. We have to get him out of here. I know what I said earlier, but we don’t have time to play this safe. Push. The sooner it gets off him, the sooner we can get him help.”
Andyn’s mouth trembles, but she nods. Jaz does the same. Nia gets back into position and braces herself against the side of the rock.
“Go!”
As one, they push again, straining. The stone shifts.
Ezra screams. It’s a sound Nia never wants to hear again, ripping from the sneasel’s chest like a wild animal.
Nia grits her teeth and pushes harder, willing every ounce of energy and aura into her muscles. Beside her, Tobias scrabbles to keep his footing in the rubble, and snarls with the effort.
Andyn and Jaz grunt as they push as well, barely audible above the screaming and rain.
C’mon—come on!
And then suddenly, the weight of the stone tips and falls away, toppling over itself. It rolls once with a heavy sound, then slides farther down the mound.
“Ezra!” Andyn cries.
The deerling crouches to nose the sneasel’s face. At her side, Jaz stares down in horror at the mess of Ezra's arm.
Or what’s left of it.
Nia has to look away, swallowing down bile. Still, she can see Ezra’s arm in her mind’s eye. The mangled, flattened mess of fur and blood and bone. She can smell it.
She’s glad he’s unconscious. Even if he’s in pain, she prays he won’t remember this.
“Now what?” Andyn asks, looking up through her tears. “Y-You said you have a way out, right?”
Nia nods, gesturing at the nearby puddle. “We need to get him in there.”
Jaz and Andyn both stare at her as if she’s lost her mind.
“Trust us,” Tobias says, moving over to the sneasel’s arm and grimacing. “And give me your scarves.”
Andyn hesitates, then turns her neck obligingly. Tobias makes quick work of the knot keeping her scarf in place, and Nia hurries to untie the bow around Jaz’s throat, handing the pink fabric over to Tobias.
Tobias ties the two scarves together, then pulls the fabric under Ezra’s body and around his shoulder. With more fortitude than Nia will ever have, Tobias scoops Ezra’s bloody, mangled arm into his hands and gently lays the limb across Ezra’s chest, ignoring his whimper. Then, Tobias pulls the scarf around Ezra fully, tying it tightly over the sneasel’s injured arm to keep it plastered against his chest in a makeshift sling.
“Nia,” Tobias says. “Help me move him.”
Nia scrambles to his side, breathing through her mouth to help the nausea rolling through her gut. With Tobias’ guidance, she picks up the sneasel’s legs, while he carefully takes the sneasel’s upper half.
Andyn stumbles to her hooves and moves to help guide them down the uneven rubble, kicking large chunks of stone out of the way and warning them of unstable areas.
Together, they set Ezra down beside the puddle. Then, Nia leans over it and calls, “Giratina!”
For a moment, there is nothing. Just desperate silence, rain, and ragged breathing.
Then, Nia sees something—a glimpse of deeper darkness and red eyes—before the ripples of the rain drown it out again.
Right, the rain. The disturbance in the reflections is probably messing up Giratina’s ability to get through, like in the prison in Kaleido. If they could just cover this puddle somehow, like with an umbrella—
Ah!
Nia lifts a hand and channels her exhausted aura into a protect, forming a half-sphere of turquoise energy above their heads. Rain pounds against it like a piece of glass, running off the sides to fall around them.
Below her, the puddle’s reflection calms. Giratina’s glowing red eyes and golden mask come into focus.
Andyn gasps. Jaz stares.
“Giratina!” Nia says, falling to her knees with relief. “We need your help. Please. You need to get Ezra out of here, back to the guild or at least with the medics. Please.”
Nia expects Giratina to give her an impatient look, willing her to explain why he has to help mere mortals again so soon. Or maybe he won’t, and he’ll just nod and save them all from this horrible place.
She doesn’t expect him to hesitate, looking away with something like shame.
“Please,” she says again, voice breaking.
Finally, Giratina nods. Nia releases the breath she’d been holding, and gestures for Tobias to pull Ezra into the water.
“W-Wait—what is—" Andyn says, stepping forward.
“Is this safe?” Jaz asks.
“It is,” Nia assures. “We’ve done it before. Trust me.”
The deerling and stufful don’t argue further. Together, Nia and Tobias settle Ezra into the puddle gently, Nia wincing at the red that immediately swirls into the water like ink. But it should still be clear enough, Nia thinks, watching the reflection fall still again.
Giratina circles the sneasel, and for the briefest moment Nia thinks she sees Ezra get tugged down, before the movement stops. Like Ezra is getting…stuck. It happens again, Giratina’s eyes narrowing in concentration.
Ezra’s head lolls, limp.
Nia’s mind races, heart pounding.
“What’s happening?” Andyn asks.
“I-I don’t know,” Nia says, exchanging a glance of barely-concealed panic with Tobias.
Can Giratina only pull in humans? No, Giratina pulled Tobias in no problem at Kaleido Bay, so that can’t be it.
“I-Is it Ezra?” Nia asks, thinking of the teleport. “Because he’s a dark type?”
Giratina shakes his head, looking away with something like defeat. His wings are limp. He looks so…tired.
No.
Nia placed her own hand in the puddle. Giratina looks at her, then reaches out with a tendril-like wing to touch. She distinctly remembers the feeling of doing so before, of a cold, firm point resting against her palm.
She feels nothing now.
“Something’s wrong,” she says, voice shaky. “I can’t—" No, that’s not right. “He can’t make contact anymore.”
Why? Is it because they’re in a mystery dungeon, where everything is so unstable?
If not, what could’ve happened in the last week to make that change? Has something happened to the border?
Or has Giratina just grown that much weaker?
“It’s not working, is it?” Jaz asks, quiet.
Nia shakes her head, still staring into the puddle as Giratina slips away. “No. I-I…I don’t know why.”
Another beat of silence. Andyn sniffles, letting out a shuddering breath.
“Can you bring him over here?” Jaz asks, quiet and surprisingly calm, at least on the surface.
Nia lets the protect overhead vanish, and a sheet of cold rain hits her all at once, blurring her vision.
Carefully, she and Tobias lift Ezra from the puddle and place him back onto solid ground.
“I’m sorry,” Nia murmurs.
Jaz doesn’t answer, checking something on the pink scarf around Ezra’s neck—the ring target, tucked away into a little pocket—before settling against the sneasel’s hip and going back to trying their badges’ rescue recall with a steadfast determination.
Unsure of what else to do, the rest of them cluster around Ezra in silence. Andyn tucks her legs beneath her, and Nia and Tobias carefully lift Ezra’s head so he can rest against the deerling’s side like a pillow.
Nia, with no other way to help, puts another small shield of aura overhead to shelter them from the rain, at least until her energy runs out.
And they wait.
Nia doesn’t know how long they sit there, huddled together and shivering. Nia murmurs prayers under her breath. Andyn curls tighter around Ezra, and Jaz sends out signals for emergency pickup, again and again.
The rain continues to fall. The wind blows. The towers around them creak and groan, and occasionally one falls in the distance, making them jump. The night feels endless.
Until—
“I got through,” Jaz breathes.
Nia lifts her head, but before she can even look at the stufful, she feels it. The tingle of psychic energy running over her skin.
Teleport blinds her vision.
They land in a heap of dripping wet fur on the wooden floor of the flight room. The shift in environment is jarring, the dim light of the crystals bright and the stillness of an enclosed space like a wave of heat. The sound of the rain is suddenly dulled by the walls of the guild, and it makes Nia feel like she lost a part of her hearing.
Exhaustion bears down on her like a physical weight.
Alistair blinks down at them with tired eyes, moving closer with concern. “Are you all—"
“Medic,” Tobias groans, sitting up. “Ezra needs a medic, now. Someone with surgical experience.”
Alistair’s eyes skim over their group before locking onto the sneasel, who is thankfully still out cold. Blood has dyed the pink of his makeshift sling a deep red.
“Medic!” Alistair yells. “We need one of the medics down here immediately!”
One of the other psychic ‘mon, an abra that Nia doesn’t know the name of, blips away in a teleport.
As the other ‘mon in charge of the nearly-empty flight floor crowd around Ezra, Nia and Tobias let themselves be pushed back.
Nia can’t stop seeing Ezra’s arm. The scent of blood feels permanently tattooed to the back of her throat.
Through the numb exhaustion blanketing her thoughts, guilt bubbles up in Nia’s gut.
Guilt for Ezra, being rushed to the medic for emergency treatment after Nia’s stupid decision to go into the dungeon. Guilt for all the Pokemon they couldn’t save, their bodies left cold and alone in the rain.
That plusle will never see her sister again.
Nia thought she’d be all cried out for the night, but her throat closes up as her vision blurs hot with tears.
Samir was right. Nia should have just ignored the plusle’s pleading and continued looking for injured Pokemon in the safe zone. They didn’t gain a single thing from going into the dungeon. Ezra was hurt, and no one they found survived. They couldn’t even bring back the bodies.
Nia turns to bury her face in Tobias' scarf, and the tears overflow.
Chapter 68
Summary:
Team Scarlet works through the emotional aftermath of the disaster at Bethoc Bluffs.
Chapter Text
Once Ezra and Team Evergreen are teleported up to the medics, Tobias and Nia are left on the flight floor with Alistair and the other psychics.
Alistair turns to them with an exhausted sigh. “Are you two all right?”
Nia, still sniffling into Tobias’ shoulder, doesn’t answer.
“We’re not hurt,” Tobias answers. All right is a bit of a stretch, though.
The gardevoir seems to understand, eyes softening. “What happened?”
Tobias recognizes that tone. It’s caring, but firm enough that it’s an order. Alistair probably needs to inform August, Verene, and the medics about what happened, and wants to get it done right away before he forgets in the chaos.
“We went into the dungeon,” Tobias says, dropping his eyes. “Team Evergreen followed us in. One of the towers collapsed on top of Ezra and crushed his arm.”
Alistair doesn’t scold them or reassure them. He simply hums in understanding. “I’ll pass that info along to the medics and let Verene know you’re back at the guild. Evacuation is almost complete, so why don’t you two head to your quarters and get some rest?”
Nia doesn’t answer, lifting her head from Tobias’ shoulder to instead stare down at her paws. Tobias nods. He doesn’t want to go back out there anyways—not after what happened to Ezra. Even if Tobias sort of feels like they’re running away from their duties.
“Could you have Verene let our teammate Samir know we’re back?” Tobias asks, quiet. “They weren’t with us when we went in.”
Alistair assures them that he can, then recommends again that they get some sleep.
“Ezra is in good hands,” the gardevoir adds before turning back to the other psychics, who are teleporting another team and a few evacuees into the guild in a blinding flash of light.
Tobias watches the proceedings dully. Behind he and Nia, one of the open flight ports lets rain mist in against their backs, and Tobias is at least grateful for his poncho shielding him from the worst of it. The weather is finally slowing down too, a gentle drizzle rather than a downpour. When Tobias looks, the sky is lighter, a sleepy pre-dawn gray rather than the pitch black of night.
Beside him, Nia stares into space with tired eyes. Her ears and tail hang low.
“C’mon,” Tobias mutters, taking Nia’s paw. “Let’s get some rest.”
Nia lets him tug her into motion and back to their quarters. The Seekers floor is unusually quiet when the reach it, and the two of them plod by the other teams’ rooms in equal silence.
When they open the door to their room, Junie immediately pops out of the blankets, clearly having not slept a wink since they left.
“You’re back! Thank God. I was going stir-crazy in here and you had me all worried about—"
Junie stops when she really takes them in.
“…Everything okay?” Junie asks, quieter. Her eyes flick over Tobias’ shoulder. “Where’s Samir?”
“Samir’s fine,” Tobias rasps, scrubbing a hand over his eyes. “Probably not happy with us, but safe. We…”
“I made us do something stupid,” Nia whispers. She sniffs, swallowing hard. “Ezra got hurt.”
“Oh…” Junie falters, watching Nia with uncertain eyes. “Do you wanna talk about it?”
Nia wipes at her face and shakes her head, trudging over to the bed and crawling under the covers to hide. She curls into a tight ball rather than sprawling everywhere like she usually does, and Tobias’ wordlessly follows her example, taking off his rain poncho and climbing into the mountain of blankets and pillows as well.
“Later,” Tobias says, feeling Junie’s questioning eyes on him. “Just…I need to sleep a while first.”
Junie doesn’t push, thankfully. She just sighs and moves to burrow under the blankets next to Nia.
Tobias hesitates before taking the second blanket and curling up too, his spine pressed to Nia’s through the blankets.
The covers feel scratchy against his scales, his skin sensitive and raw after being out in the rain for so long. He tries to ignore it, closing his eyes and willing sleep to come. He’s exhausted, and he just…doesn’t want to think about this. Not yet.
Tobias must fall asleep quicker than he expects, because the next thing he knows he’s waking up with a gasp, and fighting his way free of the covers, heart pounding hard in his chest. He looks around wildly, panting as he catches his bearings.
Right. They’re home. And despite feeling like he hadn’t slept a blink, he must’ve been out for hours. Late morning sunshine lights their room with a soft, gentle glow through the leaf blinds.
Vaguely, Tobias recalls wisps of the nightmares he must’ve had. Memories, of a sort. Cold fur and stiff muscle under his fingers. Ezra’s voice, screaming. The rumble of rock, and then Nia’s voice screaming in the sneasel’s place. Or maybe Vivi’s. Tobias can’t be sure. Even now, the sensations are fading fast.
Whatever he dreamed, it certainly didn’t help him feel well-rested. Tobias groans and rubs at his temple. He feels a headache coming on, and he’s tempted to try going back to sleep. Not like he wants to face what he knows awaits them in the waking world anyways.
The guilt.
Tobias takes a few minutes to calm himself, then lifts his head again once he feels more at ease. Beside him, Nia and Junie are still fast asleep, two motionless lumps under the covers. Nia’s tail is poking out.
Tobias is surprised to hear another source of soft breathing, though, and looks past them to find Samir has returned as well, curled up on the bed without a blanket on Nia’s other side.
Tobias watches the skiddo sleep for a moment, the guilt in his chest growing heavier.
Samir tried to stop them from going into the dungeon. Tobias is sure they’ll have something to say about that—and rightfully so. It was a stupid decision. Beyond reckless. But he couldn’t let Nia go alone, and he didn’t fight her once they met that plusle wailing for her sister.
Tobias sees the minun’s body in his mind’s eye for a moment, her pale fur wet and dirty and her body unnaturally still.
Tobias shakes his head as if he can physically dislodge the image. Still, the heaviness in his chest remains.
They weren’t fast enough. Once again, he couldn’t save someone’s sister. Couldn’t save anyone. Was there even a chance they could, if they’d moved quicker? Or were all the casualties already dead long before they even stepped foot into the dungeon?
…Does it matter? Ezra is seriously injured, either way. And they accomplished nothing.
Tobias takes a long, shaky breath, and pushes himself up. He slips out of the bed to stretch, yawning until his jaw cracks. He still feels exhausted, his limbs heavy. After a moment of hesitation, Tobias grabs his warm blanket and pulls it over Samir, hoping to alleviate some of the guilt in his chest.
Then, he goes to the window, peeking past the blind to find that the clouds have mostly cleared, only a few wisps remaining from last night’s storm. The sky is a light, wintery blue and bright with sun. The autumn-toned forest below smells wet with rain, and the air bites at his cheeks.
Last night almost feels like it was a bad dream.
Tobias looks over at the bed again, throat tightening as he thinks of the bits of his nightmare that he remembers. Endless, stinging rain. Digging, digging, digging. Rumbling and death and tired fear. Ezra screaming. Nia too.
That could’ve easily been Nia pinned beneath that tower instead, and it makes him physically nauseous to think about. He can’t imagine how Andyn and Jaz are faring.
They should check on Ezra today, even if some part of Tobias is terrified to find that they couldn’t save the sneasel. That he died while they slept.
Tobias shakes his head. No. No use thinking like that.
A quiet shift of the covers on the bed makes Tobias look back. Junie’s awake, the rookidee’s head poking out of the covers as she blinks sleep from her eyes.
“Hey,” she whispers. She glances at Nia, then Samir, then back. Some of what Tobias is feeling must be on his face, because she doesn’t don her usual smug smirk. Instead, she carefully extricates herself from the nest and flutters to his side. “You all right?”
“Not really.” Tobias says. He lets the blind close.
“What happened out there?” Junie asks.
“…Let’s get some food for everyone and I’ll tell you on the way.”
Junie doesn’t respond aside from fluttering up to perch on his shoulder. Tobias welcomes the grounding sensation of her tiny, prickling claws and the gentle brush of her feathers against the side of his jaw.
It’s a bit closer to noon when Tobias and Junie return to Team Scarlet’s room, Tobias gently kicking the door open to avoid dropping any of the fruit In his arms. He doubts they’ll need so much, even for the four of them, but he wanted to be prepared with some light, easy snacks. Although Junie mentioned not having much of an appetite after hearing about their night, and he can’t imagine Nia and Samir will be very hungry, either.
Nia is awake, though she apparently hasn’t been for long. She’s sitting up in bed with the blankets pooled around her as she rubs at her eyes.
Samir is awake too, but much more alert. The skiddo is sitting by the window, peering past the blinds like Tobias had been. When they turn, their expression is unreadable but definitely not happy.
Tobias sets the pile of food down, meeting the skiddo’s eyes. “Food.”
Nia slips out of bed with one of the blankets wrapped around her shoulders and stumbles over, muttering a word of thanks before picking listlessly through the offerings.
Samir abandons the window to approach the rest of them and lock eyes with Tobias.
Tobias holds back a sigh. “…Guessing you want to talk?”
Nia stops pretending to look through the food, looking up at Samir with wide eyes.
Samir nods, once.
Tobias bites back irritation as he glances down at Nia, huddled in her blanket as if that could protect her from the world. “This can’t wait a day?”
Samir hesitates. They glance down at Nia too, but then shake their head, resolute.
“Fine,” Tobias grumbles. He flops down on the plush scarlet rug in the center of the room.
Nia tentatively joins him, pulling the blanket closer around herself. Tobias isn’t sure if she’s genuinely cold or just needs it for comfort. Junie wordlessly hops into the riolu’s lap for moral support.
Tobias looks at Samir. “I don’t know if anyone caught you up, but—"
Samir cuts him off with a curt nod, only a twitch of their brow betraying any emotion. Word must’ve spread about Ezra’s injury, then.
Heavy silence falls between them.
Samir opens their mouth, then stops. Their brow furrows. They stamp a hoof, once, clearly frustrated, and huff a breath through their nostrils.
Right. Whistle communication can only get you so far. It can’t be easy to be upset and be physically unable to articulate it. Tobias quickly stuffs away any pity that might be showing on his face.
“Do you want some paper?” Nia asks, quiet.
Samir only looks more frustrated at the offer. They look around the room, then suddenly stop, as if struck with an idea.
The skiddo frowns at them and taps their hoof on the floor twice, as if to tell them to stay here.
Then, they leave the room.
Tobias blinks. He exchanges an uncertain look with Nia.
“Uh. Where’d they go?” Junie asks.
“Dunno,” Tobias mumbles.
A minute passes.
Then, they hear the telltale sound of Samir’s hooves against the wooden floor. The skiddo stalks into the room, shoulders tense, and positions themself across from Tobias and Nia.
To Tobias’ surprise, Avery trails in behind them. The kirlia offers the three of them a strained smile and a little wave before joining Samir’s side.
“Samir asked me to act as a telepathic translator for a few minutes,” Avery says. They glance at the skiddo and the tension visible in every rigid line of their body. “They have some things they want to say without getting muddled.”
Tobias blinks, surprised. Psychic ‘mon using telepathy isn’t an uncommon disability aid for mute ‘mon, but he’d assumed Samir wouldn’t be comfortable asking someone they’d only met once to do the job. Especially for a situation like this.
Though, looking at the way Samir holds their head, jaw clenched, maybe they’re just so upset that it’s worth the discomfort.
Tobias fights the urge to squirm with renewed shame, and nods. “Right. Uh…go ahead, then.”
Samir glances at Avery.
Avery says, “I’m angry.”
Tobias winces. Yeah, he thought that would be the case.
“I know you were doing what you thought was right, going into the dungeon. In a way, that’s admirable,” Avery says, watching Samir’s face.
While the kirlia doesn’t have quite the right inflection—Tobias hears none of the carefully controlled anger he sees in the skiddo’s posture—it’s clear that Avery is using Samir’s body language to make sure they get the right message across.
Samir turns a hard look on Nia and Tobias.
“But what you did was stupid and reckless, and you could’ve gotten yourselves killed. From what I hear, you almost did.”
Nia flinches. Tobias bites his lip to keep from making a defensive remark.
“And I tried to warn you as much as I could in the field,” Avery says, watching as Samir starts to pace in a tight path, back and forth. “And you just—didn’t listen. I don’t try to stop you for fun, you know? I’ve been in an active disaster zone before. I know how bad it can be. I knew the chances of anyone surviving in that dungeon were slim when the outside looked so volatile.”
With each word, Tobias feels his shoulders raise a little higher, as if to protect himself from the sharp scolding.
“This happened in Fort Asra, too. I told you the mines were too dangerous, and you insisted on going in without Calder anyways. And we almost died there as well! Eddy would’ve killed us if he got the chance. You know he would have.”
Tobias feels an extra heavy layer of shame settle on his shoulders for that one. Fort Asra’s recklessness was all Tobias—and for his own gain, too. At least Nia was trying to help other Pokemon during last night’s emergency.
“Nia,” Avery continues, as Samir swings their head to focus on the riolu. “I thought you had a cooler head than Tobias, but you let your emotions get the best of you last night.”
Nia winces. Tobias fights the urge to defend her, to tell Samir to back off while Nia’s in such a fragile emotional state.
Junie does it in his stead, fluttering forward to glare up at the skiddo. “Hey! I wasn’t there last night, but I know Nia was only trying to help! She’s an awesome Seeker and she saved my life by being so brave!”
“And when she saved your life, did she risk her own in the process?” Avery asks, low, matching the burn in Samir’s eyes.
Junie falters. “…W-Well...”
“What happens if she doesn’t make it out from the next reckless decision she makes? Or if Tobias doesn’t? Are you okay with their deaths on your conscience?”
At Tobias’ side, Nia takes a sharp breath.
Junie’s fluffed feathers fall back into place, and she suddenly looks twice as small. “…N-No.”
Samir shakes their head, agitated.
“This happened with my old teammate too,” Avery says. “No one ever listens to me when I’m just trying to keep them safe!”
Samir punctuates Avery’s voice with a stomp of their hoof, and Tobias knows they would be yelling if they could. Instead, they glare daggers at Nia and Tobias as Junie shuffles back into Nia’s lap.
“I can’t be on a team with Pokemon who jeopardize not only their own safety, but that of everyone around them,” Avery continues, quiet. “Not again. I’ve done that before, and it ended with me losing my voice and nearly my life.”
Tobias stares at Samir, aghast. That’s how they got hurt? Because their partner didn’t listen to them?
Nausea rolls in Tobias’ stomach. Beside him, Nia silently brings a paw up over her mouth.
“I know I’m the one on a trial run,” Avery continues, as Samir’s jaw tightens and they stubbornly hold Nia and Tobias’ gaze. “But if this happens even one more time, I’m gone. I’ll withdraw my application and return to the Pyrite Guild immediately. No debate.”
Silence crushes down on the room yet again.
Nia stares at Samir as fresh tears bud in her eyes. Tobias can’t blame her for being so stricken. Hearing that the injury that took the skiddo’s voice and nearly killed them came from their partner’s negligence—their recklessness—is…more than a little upsetting. Especially considering how poorly Tobias and Nia have viewed the skiddo’s last teammate.
Samir’s right. They haven’t listened to them. Tobias and Nia let their emotions rule over the skiddo’s wants twice now. And it doesn’t matter if Nia and Tobias’ motivations are somehow more selfless or more personal than Samir’s ex-partner’s, does it? It doesn’t matter when it hurts Samir all the same.
“You’re right,” Tobias says, quiet.
Samir stops, looking sharply at him. Tobias can read the What? on their face without Avery’s help.
“You’re right,” Tobias reiterates, rubbing a hand over his eyes. Arceus, he’s tired. “We should’ve listened to you. We shouldn’t have brushed you off.”
“I’m so sorry,” Nia adds, voice cracking. “I knew we shouldn’t go in there but I just couldn’t stop thinking about my own brother, a-and I couldn’t just leave the minun, and—"
“Breathe,” Tobias murmurs.
Nia cuts herself off, taking a shaky breath. Her eyes are wet. “We should’ve listened to you, Samir. I’m so sorry. And I’m really sorry we made you feel like your voice didn’t matter in that decision.”
Tobias nods, mumbling, “Sorry. We can promise to do better, but…I don’t know how much weight our word carries on its own.”
There’s a moment of silence, punctuated by Nia wiping at her eyes, while she and Tobias wait for Samir’s response.
Samir stares at them for a moment, as if expecting them to continue. When the skiddo realizes they’re done, their expression shifts to confusion.
Samir glances at Avery, and for the first time in this conversation the kirlia looks close to smiling.
“That’s it?” Avery asks for Samir.
Tobias frowns, exchanging a hesitant look with Nia. “I’m…not sure what else we can say, other than apologizing and trying to do better if you give us another chance.”
“Promising to do better,” Nia says, fervent.
Samir shakes their head, brow furrowed.
“No,” Avery says. “Aren’t you two angry?”
…What?
Nia tilts her head. “A-About what?”
Samir’s ears slide back, and their head ducks, embarrassed.
“I didn’t stick with my partners. I stand by what I said, but I thought you’d have your own piece to say about me abandoning the team on the field. And then coming back and scolding you when I’m not even an official member.”
Oh. Tobias looks again at Samir. Despite their threat to leave—and Tobias has no doubt that it’s genuine—they look a bit timid themself, as if waiting for Nia and Tobias to kick them off the team for…what? Insubordination?
Tobias snorts. “Why would we do that? You’re right.”
Samir looks up, surprised.
“And,” Nia adds, voice soft. “Even if you weren’t, this isn’t the kind of team where you get in trouble for, um…’disobeying’ Tobias. Or me. Tobias usually leads us in dungeons, but…”
Nia glances at Tobias, so he finishes, “We don’t really have a leader in the traditional sense. We’re a team. You’re afforded just as much say as either of us.”
Samir blinks at them, clearly baffled by the idea. Their mouth opens. Then closes. Their brow furrows again.
“You say that,” Avery says. “But so far that hasn’t proven true.”
Tobias winces. While Samir wasn’t technically on the team in Fort Asra, their point still stands.
“You say you’ll do better. How do I know you’ll follow through on that?” Avery asks.
Tobias swallows, exchanging an uncertain look with Nia.
“I don’t think there is a way to know, until we’re put into that kind of situation again.”
Nia looks at Samir. “Unless you have an idea?”
Samir thinks for a moment, before sighing and shaking their head.
“Then I guess,” Tobias says, slowly. “Your trial period in the mountains is our trial period too.”
“If you’re still willing to come with us,” Nia murmurs.
Samir doesn’t answer immediately. They look between Tobias and Nia for a few silent moments with dark, conflicted eyes. Tobias fights the urge to look away.
While a small part of Tobias—the part still reluctant to add anyone to their two-person team—finds the idea of Samir leaving a relief, this isn’t how he’d ever want that to happen. Not because they’re such bad teammates that the skiddo feels forced to leave for their own safety. And a much larger part of Tobias doesn’t want the skiddo to leave at all. They’re a good teammate.
“You were right,” Tobias says. “You knew what you were doing more than we did, and we should’ve listened to you. If you’re willing to stick around for one more try, we can show you that we can listen and be the teammates you deserve.”
They have to. Samir made an excellent point, earlier. They can’t keep gambling with each other’s lives and just hoping it’ll turn out all right. They need to be smarter.
“We can hold each other to that,” Nia says.
“And I can help too!” Junie says, putting up a wing. “If they try pulling any stupid, reckless stunts I can yell at ‘em and tell them they’re both being idiots!”
Samir huffs something like a laugh, some of the tension in their shoulders dropping as they look at Nia, Tobias and Junie with an almost annoyed expression.
Avery laughs. “Took the wind from your wings, didn’t they?”
Samir’s mouth twists, and they nod. Then they take a deep breath.
“I mean it,” Avery says, voice going soft again as they speak for Samir. “I won’t hesitate to leave if this happens again. I won’t have anyone’s blood on my conscience. Not yours, and not mine. Not when it can be avoided.”
Tobias thinks of Ezra and hears the sneasel’s screams, and thinks again of how easily that could’ve been him or Nia instead. “I know. We won’t fight you on that.”
“We deserve to lose you if we mess up like that again,” Nia says. “So we just…won’t mess up.”
Samir stares them down for a few more long moments, then sighs.
“Then for now, I’m with you,” Avery says.
Junie cheers. Nia breathes a sigh of relief, chin dropping to her chest. Tobias feels a bit of his own tension melt away.
Samir turns to Avery with a nod.
Avery smiles and curtsies. “You’re very welcome. Feel free to let me know if you need my help again.”
Samir nods, all righteous anger gone from their expression. Instead, Tobias spots some of the embarrassment he’d been expecting earlier.
“Really,” Avery says, gentler. They smile and tilt their head Nia and Tobias’ way. “There’s no shame in it. We all need help sometimes.”
Samir hesitates, but nods, though they can’t quite hold the kirlia’s gaze.
Avery turns next to Tobias and Nia. “Speaking of—how are you two holding up? I hear it was a particularly difficult night for Team Scarlet.”
Not as difficult as it was for Team Evergreen, Tobias thinks, cringing.
“Not great,” he hedges.
Nia shakes her head, taking a deep breath to straighten out the wobbly, upset line of her mouth. “U-Um. Have you heard anything about how Ezra is doing?”
Avery shakes their head. “No. I’m afraid my team only just woke up a short while ago. You could try visiting the medical floor? Maggie may be able to give you an update, even if Ezra isn’t her patient.”
That’s true. Even if Ezra is being treated by other medics, Maggie and Sage would still be supplying the herbal treatments with a disaster this catastrophic.
“You don’t think she’ll be too busy?” Nia asks.
Avery shrugs, the kind smile never leaving their face. “You won’t know until you try. If she is, you can always visit again later.”
“You want to go check?” Tobias asks Nia, half-hoping she’ll say no. He’s still dreading the possibility that Ezra passed away in the hours since his injury. Tobias will be relieved if they just find the sneasel alive, but even the best-case scenario won’t be easy to handle.
Nia looks scared, hugging Junie close to her chest and shrinking into her blanket. Tobias imagines she’s probably thinking much the same as him, but she still nods a yes.
Avery excuses themself back to their own room with a word of luck and directions to come straight to them if they need to talk or need more telepathic translating.
And then it’s time to go find Ezra.
Junie and Samir tag along without Tobias having to ask, and almost all too soon the four of them have made it up the stairs and to the medical wing.
The floor is noticeably busier than usual. Unfamiliar medics pass between the rooms lining the hall, talking to one another in low, urgent tones. Quiet voices can be heard from inside the patient rooms, and somewhere farther down the hall Tobias hears someone crying.
Nia shuffles closer to Tobias, Junie settled in the crook of her neck. Samir stands close to the riolu’s side.
Tobias eyes the medics that pass, gauging how easily they’ll be able to slip down the hall without getting in anyone’s way. He can’t remember the last time they had someone here who needed surgery, but he does know that patients with severe injuries will likely be housed together farther from the stairs.
One of the medics notices them hovering near the staircase before they can make their move. It’s a meowstic, and she stops to ask with a tired air what they need.
“Is Ezra the sneasel available for visitors?” Tobias asks, dread building in his chest. Don’t say he died. Don’t say he died. “His arm—"
“I know the sneasel,” the meowstic says, thankfully not wearing the sympathetic expression that would mean Ezra passed away due to complications. Instead, she looks so tired she almost comes across as bored, her yellow eyes lidded and her pointy ears held low. “Are you friends of his?”
Tobias hesitates. Nia nods, giving a quiet confirmation.
The meowstic looks them over, then nods. “He’s still unconscious, but you can visit briefly as long as you don’t cause any problems.” The meowstic turns and points towards the end of the hall. “He’s in the last room on the left with his team. There are other patients in there as well, so do not disturb them.”
They all nod, and Tobias quickly leads the group down the hall, staying pressed to the wall to stay out of the medics’ way. At the end of the hall, Tobias stops and peers into the room the meowstic had pointed them to.
There are a few patients resting inside, lying in nests situated against the walls. They all appear heavily injured, bandaged and out cold. There are one or two unfamiliar ‘mon visiting the wounded, sitting exhausted and morose at their bedsides. A medic is carefully unraveling the maroon-stained bandages on a doduo’s stump of a leg.
Tobias tears his eyes away from the grisly sight to focus on the familiar pair of ‘mon at the back of the room: a deerling and stufful. The two of them are silent, Jaz curled up in a ball and seemingly fast asleep with her striped tail laid over her face, and Andyn resting with her long legs tucked underneath her and her head hung low.
Just past them, Tobias catches a glimpse of dark fur: Ezra, motionless in a nest of his own.
Tobias glances at Nia, who has frozen up beside him with wide eyes and pinned ears. She looks terrified.
“We can always come back later,” Tobias murmurs.
For a moment, Nia doesn’t respond. Then, she swallows and shakes her head. “N-No. No, I want to see how he’s doing. If they need anything.”
Nia takes stilted steps into the room. Tobias exchanges a grim look with Samir before following.
Andyn’s ear flicks when Nia gets close. The deerling lifts her head to look at the newcomers, and for a moment a thousand different emotions flicker across her tired face. Anger, sorrow, relief and shame battle for dominance in her red-rimmed eyes.
“How is he?” Nia asks, quiet.
“He lost his arm,” Andyn responds, quieter.
Nia stops in her tracks, looking at Andyn as if she’d misheard. Tobias sighs. Maybe he should’ve warned her that that would likely be the case.
Tobias looks past Andyn to where Ezra is resting. The sneasel’s entire upper body is wrapped in bandages, and his left arm is simply...gone. The curve of his shoulder slopes smoothly into his ribcage.
At least the sneasel is alive.
Nia’s mouth opens, then closes. “Andyn, I-I…I’m so sorry.”
“You should be!” Andyn snaps. “If you hadn’t gone in there—"
Samir steps forward with a sharp stomp of their hoof. The dark look in the skiddo’s eye is enough to make Andyn’s mouth click shut.
“You can’t blame Nia for this,” Tobias says, more tired than angry at this point. “It was stupid of us to go in, but you’re the one who decided to follow. And you’re the one who made your team go with you.”
Andyn flinches, looking away. Looking at Ezra. Slowly, her head drops again.
“…I know.”
Another uncomfortable silence. Nia looks on the brink of tears again.
“He’s stable, right?” Tobias asks. He imagines a medic would be on constant standby otherwise.
Andyn lets out a shuddering breath, nodding. “He is. He’ll live. He’ll just be…”
Be missing an arm. Tobias can imagine it’s hard to take in. For anyone, but especially for a sneasel, seeing as their claws are one of their greatest weapons.
“There are plenty of Seekers who’ve lost limbs,” Tobias says, not sounding nearly as reassuring as he’d like. He recalls glimpsing one or two such ‘mon over the years and marveling at their scars when he was younger.
Andyn swallows hard. Then, she looks back at them, mouth shaking like she’s barely keeping herself from falling apart. “My parents stopped by.”
Tobias frowns.
“Th-They…” Andyn glances at Ezra. “They said that I should start thinking about how to let Ezra know he’s off the team. Since he’s…a liability now.”
Tobias’ jaw goes slack, stunned. The suggestion would be harsh enough, but to come from Andyn’s parents? About one of Andyn’s best friends? And less than a day after the whole traumatic incident happened?
“That’s horrible,” Nia says, looking sick.
“Yeah, those are officially horrible people,” Junie mutters.
“They’re not horrible!” Andyn says, voice high. A few tears slip down her cheeks. She tries to glare at Nia and Junie, but it’s ruined by the way her face crumples. “Th-They just…they…”
For a long moment, it’s silent again, save for the quiet sound of the medic working on another Pokemon elsewhere in the room. Andyn sniffles.
“There’s only so long you can make excuses for them,” Tobias says.
Andyn doesn’t answer that, looking back at Ezra’s unmoving form. The deerling reminds Tobias of a wilted flower, her ears and shoulders limp. Like she’s barely holding herself upright.
Nia shifts on her paws. “I-I don’t know if there’s anything we can do before we leave, but, um…don’t hesitate to ask if we can help, okay? We—"
“You’re leaving?” Andyn asks, head snapping up to look at Nia. Her voice is accusing, but her eyes are scared.
“Probably in the next couple days,” Tobias confirms.
Andyn shakes her head, tears welling up again. “Y-You can’t! I—Ezra needs you right now!”
Nia winces. “I-I know. I’d rather stay here, but we’re on a timeline a-and—“
“A timeline? What could be so important that you have to up and abandon us right now?!” Andyn asks, pushing herself to her hooves. She’s visibly shaking, enough so that Tobias worries her thin legs will snap like twigs beneath her.
Out of the corner of his eye, Tobias sees Jaz finally stir and lift her head.
Nia takes a step back, paws up. “W-We don’t want to! B-But—"
“Is it something to do with that monster you summoned in the dungeon?” Andyn asks, voice rising. “Giratina? How long have you been hiding that little secret from us?!”
“Shut up!” Tobias hisses, glancing over his shoulder. The few unfamiliar ‘mon who are visiting their loved ones are staring at the commotion, though they quickly look away.
“Anne?” Jaz murmurs, sitting up.
“I-It kind of has to do with him,” Nia admits. “But it’s really important, Andyn. L-Like, um…world-saving important. We wouldn’t go otherwise! But—"
“Of course it’s world-saving important!” Andyn says with a bitter laugh, shaking her head. “Why wouldn’t you be gallivanting off to save the world?”
Nia blinks. “What?”
“After all, you’re perfect little Nia. The human with all the answers!”
“Andyn,” Tobias warns.
“W-What are you—?” Nia stammers, looking blindsided. “I don’t know—"
“You’ve always gotta be the hero, right? You just keep thinking you’re so good and sweet when your stupid idea is the reason Ezra got hurt at all!”
“Andyn!” Jaz snaps. The stufful moves between Andyn and everyone else, butting the deerling back a step.
Whatever look is on the stufful’s face, it’s enough for Andyn to finally back down, face twisted with emotion and tears streaming from her eyes. The grass type turns back to Ezra, folding her legs once more as she falls back to the ground.
“Just go,” Andyn says. “All of you. Go have your little human party with Giratina in the mountains. I don’t care anymore.”
“Andyn,” Nia whimpers, barely loud enough for Tobias to hear. “I don’t…”
Tobias intercepts his partner’s reaching paw, giving her heartbroken expression a silent shake of his head. Samir takes over from there and gently herds Nia back towards the hall while Junie murmurs soothing words.
Tobias glares at Andyn’s back. “Nia visited today hoping to help. Your parents visited to tell you to abandon your partner. Think harder about which ‘mon you really want to push away.”
Andyn stiffens, but doesn’t answer. Tobias turns on his heel to follow Nia and the others out into the hall.
Nia is choking back hiccupping sobs. Junie is preening the collar of fur around the riolu’s neck in a soothing gesture. Samir is pressed against Nia’s side, holding her up, but the skiddo looks at Tobias with dark, angry eyes. Tobias can only imagine how the skiddo feels about the deerling right now, having been in Ezra’s position themself.
“Tobias! Nia!”
Tobias turns, surprised to find Jaz hurrying after them on her short, stubby legs. The stufful’s face is apologetic, and she looks deeply pained when she catches sight of Nia trying to pull herself together.
“I’m so sorry about that,” Jaz says.
“Not your fault,” Junie grumbles. “You aren’t the one with a stick up your—"
“All the same,” Jaz says, cutting her off. “I’m sorry. Andyn isn’t taking this well, but that was way out of line.”
“Why are you always the one apologizing for her?” Tobias asks, crossing his arms.
Jaz hesitates. “I…shouldn’t be. I know. But I just know how good of a ‘mon she can be.”
“Well that’s not a very good reason,” Junie grumbles. “Anyone can be nice one day of the year. That doesn’t matter much if they still suck every other day.”
Jaz pauses, then sighs. “…I suppose you’re right about that. Andyn’s been going through a lot lately, but that doesn’t excuse her lashing out.”
“Why do you and Ezra even follow her?” Tobias asks. “Seems like you’d be better off on your own team.”
For a long moment, the stufful doesn’t answer. Their whole group has to shift to the side of the hall to let a couple of medics through.
“That would never work,” Jaz finally says. “We need Andyn. She’s the heart of our team.”
Tobias frowns. “The heart?”
Jaz smiles up at him, soft and sad. “Ezra and I don’t have the drive or the confidence to be Seekers on our own. Andyn is the one who makes us feel strong. She’s the one who makes us feel like we can do anything. When she’s focused, when she’s in a good place, it’s like…I can see the kind of leader she could be one day. And it’s amazing. And that makes me want to be amazing too.”
Tobias can hear the sincerity in the stufful’s voice, and to some extent he understands what she means, but…
“But…” Jaz says, quiet. She casts a somber look back into the room. “There are certain things you can’t come back from. And I don’t know if we’ll be able to come back from this one.”
“You’re disbanding your team?” Junie asks.
Jaz shakes her head. “Not yet. But we can’t keep going like this, with Andyn so focused on perfection that she puts us in danger. I want to wait and see what Ezra thinks first. If he even wants to be a Seeker anymore after all this.”
Tobias feels a twist in his stomach thinking about what the sneasel will have to face when he wakes up. The ice type has always been absurdly bright and friendly, but Tobias can’t imagine even Ezra will be able to just shrug off an injury this life-changing.
Tobias glances at Nia and Samir, fresh guilt creeping into his lungs. This very easily could’ve been their team on the verge of disbanding. Nia or Samir in that nest and missing an entire limb.
Tobias can’t let them endanger themselves so recklessly ever again.
“I’m so sorry we have to leave,” Nia sniffs. Her face is still a damp, teary mess, and her voice is warbly. “I really wish we could stay, but this just…isn’t something that can wait.”
Jaz gives the riolu a tired smile. “That’s not hard to believe after seeing Giratina himself in that dungeon. But you can tell us all about it later. I’d better go check on Andyn, all right? Take it easy and be safe.”
They nod and say their goodbyes as the stufful returns to her team. Then, they’re left in the hallway, unsure where to go next.
For a moment, Tobias desperately wants to find Maggie and soak up the meganium’s soothing presence. They could all use that, honestly. But she’s likely still busy with Sage, mixing up herbs for all the injured. Seeing how busy everyone is up here, they probably shouldn’t disturb her.
Nia’s stomach growls, loud, breaking Tobias from his thoughts. The riolu’s muzzle wrinkles, and Tobias can imagine that she doesn’t feel like eating even if her body is hungry. But it’s important to stay fed.
“C’mon. Let’s eat some of those berries we brought back earlier.”
No one argues, and they make it back to Team Scarlet’s quarters without another word between them. Tobias immediately digs through the pile of berries until he finds a persim berry, and shoves it into Nia’s paws.
Nia doesn’t argue with the unsaid command, and starts nibbling at the berry’s pink skin through lingering sniffles. Tobias digs out a rawst berry for himself and gets to work cooking it in the bowl of his hands with a small jet of fire. The first bite of its warm, dimpled skin is a welcome comfort, the juices bitter and sharp on his tongue.
Junie and Samir pick through the berry pile as well, the rookidee trying to guess what the skiddo’s favorite berry is while Samir half-heartedly entertains her guesses with a dry shake of their head. Junie hams up her despair after each wrong guess.
A whimper from Nia’s direction has all of them turning her way. Tobias’ heart sinks to find fresh tears slipping down her face as she clearly tries and fails to hold them back, berry held tight enough in her paws that Tobias fears it’ll get crushed to a pulp.
“Whoa, hey, what’s wrong?” Junie asks, abandoning her game to flutter onto Nia’s leg. “I mean…a lot is wrong, but uh—”
“What’s wrong specifically?” Tobias clarifies, abandoning his own food to sit down in front of the riolu.
Like a dam bursting, Nia starts crying in earnest, dropping her berry to cover her face. Heart-wrenching sobs rip from her chest and make her shoulders jump.
Samir had frozen nearby at the first cry, but they jolt and quickly settle against Nia’s side, as if to offer moral support with their presence despite the obvious panic on their face.
For a second, Tobias panics too. This isn’t the same quiet, constant grief they’ve all been feeling today. This feels like a bubble bursting—like something in particular is making her so upset she simply can’t process it. And knowing Nia, she needs some way to work it out of her system.
So, swallowing his own discomfort, Tobias asks, “Hey, uh. Is this more of a hug problem or a talk problem?”
Nia’s crying slows just long enough for her to wail, “Both!”
“Well, you heard the girl,” Junie chuckles, hopping closer to nuzzle Nia’s waist.
Tobias hesitates for only a moment before scooching closer. Then, he gently tugs the riolu’s paws away from her eyes and guides her into a hug. Nia latches onto the contact immediately, squeezing him tight enough in return that it’s almost painful.
Tobias tries to remember what Maggie did in the past when he was this upset. When he was desperately missing his family and feeling the fresh pain of their absence all over again. After a moment, he tentatively rests a hand on Nia’s back, then skims it up and down her spine in what he hopes is a soothing gesture.
As Nia cries, Tobias feels the grief and guilt he’d been shoving into the back of his mind all day surface anew. She doesn’t deserve to feel like this. None of them do.
This has to be the worst part of being a Seeker.
Tobias squeezes his eyes shut and takes a deep, shuddering breath, trying to send his own sorrow from last night’s disaster along with it. It feels…nice, in a way. To just let himself be sad. To be upset.
Eventually, though, Nia’s cries soften and fade. She pulls back from the hug with clear reluctance, wiping at the wet fur on her cheeks. The red of her eyes pops even brighter than usual.
“Sorry,” Nia says, her voice a wreck. “I’m fine. Just…been a long night. Day. It’s not fair for me to act like mine’s been any worse than yours.”
Tobias snorts. “Just because we aren’t crying doesn’t mean you aren’t allowed to cry.”
“Yeah! And even if we’re all upset, maybe you’re the most upset right now,” Junie says, peering up at Nia. “That’s okay. Sometimes people need more help at different times, even if everyone is dealing with the same crappy situation. We’ll take turns.”
Nia huffs a watery laugh. Her expression is warm as she runs a paw over the rookidee’s back, earning a pleased chirp.
Still, something on Nia’s face gives Tobias pause.
“You’ve got something else on your mind,” Tobias guesses, ignoring Nia’s surprised look. “Something other than the general awfulness we’re all dealing with.”
Nia blinks. “O-Oh. I mean…kind of? But it isn’t important."
“What?! It’s important if it’s upsetting you!” Junie says, whacking Nia with a wing. “Spill!”
Nia smiles, like the sun peeking through the clouds. Just as quickly, the expression falls away. For a few quiet moments, Tobias thinks she isn’t going to talk at all.
Then, Nia whispers, “I was just thinking that maybe Andyn was right.”
Tobias frowns. Junie makes a squawk of outrage. Even Samir pulls away from Nia to give the riolu a baffled look.
“I know it was Andyn’s choice to follow us into the dungeon,” Nia explains. “A-And Ezra’s choice to follow her. But I wanted to save that minun. I wanted to save her so badly that I didn’t listen to Samir, a-and I pulled Tobias in with me too. And if I hadn’t done that then Ezra never would’ve gotten hurt and—"
“Whoa, slow down,” Junie says.
If anything, Nia talks faster. She’s blinking back a fresh wave of tears. “I-I just feel so guilty for everything, a-and maybe Andyn’s right and I just like playing the hero? And that’s even worse because I thought I was just being a good person but is it actually good if you have to try to be good a-and—"
“Okay, hang on,” Tobias says, hands out. Alarm bubbles in his gut.
“A-And now I feel like I won’t know what to do in the future because if I can’t trust my own moral compass to lead me to the right decisions, what do I trust?!” Nia asks. “I was so sure I was doing the right thing but was I just doing it to make myself feel better? A-And even if I wasn’t, I know I need to think things through better but does that mean I have to make myself not care because I don’t think I even know how to do that a-and—"
Tobias grabs either side of Nia’s face, stopping her rambling and catching her off-guard. She stares at Tobias with glossy eyes, panting as she catches her breath.
“Breathe, Nia,” Tobias murmurs.
He breathes deep, waiting for her to mimic him the best she can before letting it out. Another breath. Another exhale. Again.
Slowly, the wild light dims in Nia’s eyes. But she still looks so…uncertain. Like she’s doubting everything she is and everything she stands for. It hurts to see, when Tobias often looks to her as his own moral compass.
“It wasn’t smart of us to go into that dungeon,” Tobias says, releasing her. “It was reckless. You shouldn’t have done it, I shouldn’t have let it happen, and Andyn definitely shouldn’t have followed us. But that doesn’t mean you were wrong to care.”
Nia watches him with lost, pleading eyes. Begging him to convince her.
“If circumstances had been different, maybe the minun would’ve been alive when we found her. But even here and now, when she isn’t? When we gained nothing? I know that if we hadn’t gone into that dungeon to look for survivors, it would’ve haunted you. You’d be sitting here wondering if you could’ve saved that minun if you’d only tried. I know you would be, because I would be thinking the same thing. There was no right answer in that situation.”
Tobias glances at Samir, half-expecting a protest from the skiddo. They’re watching Tobias with a furrowed brow, but they don’t interrupt.
Tobias swallows. “A-At least this way, the plusle will know for sure what happened to her sister. And we only know that because we tried. We cared. So I don’t think it’s bad to try to do what’s right, even if that means you’re wrong sometimes.”
“Yeah,” Junie says, voice soft. “Remember? You followed your gut and came to save me in Ghatha. If you never tried to do good, even when your brain told you it would be smarter and easier not to, then I would be dead right now.”
“B-But…” Nia looks at Samir. “We agreed we were too reckless last night.”
“We were,” Tobias says. “But I think it’s just a matter of…balance. A balance that we need to get better at finding. Between trying to do what’s right, and trying to keep ourselves and others safe.”
“But how do we know where that balance is when my heart says it’s always worth the risk to try?” Nia whispers. “I-I know it’s stupid to be so emotional over this, but—"
“It’s not stupid,” Tobias says, harsher than he means to. Everyone looks at him, and his face heats. “It’s not stupid to care.”
Nia doesn’t respond, and Tobias holds back a frustrated growl. She doesn’t get it. It’s not only that her emotional, caring nature isn’t stupid. It’s that it’s important.
“Look,” Tobias sighs. “You know how earlier, Jaz said that Andyn was so amazing that it made her and Ezra want to be amazing too?”
Nia nods with a small, confused noise of agreement.
“I…kind of understood what she was saying. Because you’re that for me too, Nia. You’re good. You care. You always try to do the right thing. And you make me want to do the right thing and care, too. If I’m in a situation and I don’t know what to do, then…I look to you.”
And that’s something Tobias treasures and admires in his partner. Nia without her ridiculous kindness and her silly, soft heart simply wouldn’t be Nia. And Tobias would never want that.
There’s a moment of heavy silence where Tobias wants to melt into the floor. But Nia is staring at him with something like hope, fresh tears glittering in her eyes. “Really?”
“Really,” Tobias admits. “And if we can just learn to be a bit more cautious about how we follow that drive to do good, I don’t see any reason for us to stop trying, or to stop caring. Right?”
Nia bubbles with a relieved laugh, but there’s a bend to her brow that belies the worry beneath the joy. “I just…I don’t know if you should look to me as your guide for something that important. I try to be a good person, but I’m nothing special.”
Tobias scoffs. He’d argue his partner is very special. And even if he is biased, that bias has to come from something real, right? It’s not based on nothing. It comes from how Nia has always been there for him, even when he didn’t deserve it. How she always tries to do what’s right, even when it’s hard. How she always tries to be kind and helpful to everyone they meet.
A surge of affection swamps Tobias like a wave. If Tobias could just show her that feeling, how much she inspires him, how merely thinking about his partner fills him with comfort and courage and makes him want to be better, then—
Oh.
Oh, he could do that, couldn’t he? Tobias is one of the few Pokemon in the world who actually can show that to his partner.
Fear threatens to smother the warm trust in Tobias’ chest, but he shoves it away before it can take hold. Because this would show Nia how much she means to him, simply because of who she is. And maybe then she’d understand why he looks to her like a guiding star.
“Read my aura,” Tobias says.
Nia and Junie blink at him, shocked. Even Samir seems to gauge the importance of the request after a glance at Nia and Junie’s reactions.
Nia’s mouth flaps. “Tobias, I—are you sure? What—why?”
Tobias swallows. His heart is beating hard against his ribs. He shrugs. “It would show you. That you…inspire me and stuff. Just from being you. You don’t have to do it, but—"
“No!” Nia says, paws out. “I would love to, but. Um.”
They fall into an awkward silence again. Nia watches him with wide, wide red eyes.
Tobias can’t blame her. He remembers how vehement he was in the early days of their partnership about her keeping her aura to herself. Tobias always said it was about it being creepy, a breach of privacy, but if he actually lets himself think about it, Tobias thinks it’s more about the vulnerability of it all. Of Nia seeing Tobias as he actually is instead of the Pokemon he tries to be nowadays.
Tobias doesn’t even know who he really is. He doesn’t know if him trying to be good like Nia actually makes any kind of impact on who he is at his core. The thought scares him.
But…if he can trust anyone with himself, with his very soul, he knows it’s Nia. Even if he’s drowning in embarrassment and fear and some kind of deep shame simply for being him, for being woefully inadequate as a son and partner and Seeker, he knows that Nia will still see the best in whatever he has to offer.
And he wants Nia to see the best in herself, too. Even if that’s through him.
So Tobias takes a breath—two—and holds out a shaky hand, palm up.
After a long moment of hesitation, Nia reaches back.
Chapter 69
Summary:
Nia reads Tobias' aura, memories are shared, and Giratina brings startling news.
Chapter Text
For a long moment, Nia stares at Tobias, trying to convince herself that she heard him correctly.
“Read my aura.”
Nia didn’t think she’d ever hear him say that after he so staunchly rejected the idea in the past. And yet here he is, holding out his hand to her with trembling fingertips.
Nia’s first impulse is to reject his offer since he’s so clearly freaked out by the idea. But he’s holding her gaze despite the tension in his jaw, and Nia can’t imagine turning him down after he worked up the courage to make himself so willingly vulnerable.
So after a moment of hesitation, Nia reaches out too. She takes his hand and sends her own aura to where their palms are pressed together.
Tobias’ aura flares to life behind her eyes, like dawn breaking over the horizon.
His aura is red. Nia already knew that from the glimpse she caught in Fort Asra, in the mines, but she’d been taking the quickest glances possible back then to preserve his privacy. Here and now, she’s being invited to look.
So she does.
Tobias’ soul is red. But it’s not red like Xander’s, not the bright crimson of fresh blood and passion. It’s…deeper. More of a maroon, really. Scarlet. Just a few shades darker than their scarves, or the rug they’re sitting on, or the color of Nia’s eyes.
The red unfurls in her mind’s eye like the petals of a flower, newly bloomed and surrounded by thorns. She doesn’t think the thorns will ever be fully clipped, but she doesn’t think she even wants them to be, if that means destroying some part of this beautiful thing cupped in her hands. No one said that briars couldn’t be held, if held carefully, and there’s something about this balance that feels right. Delicate petals and a prickly shield, soft and sharp all at once.
She gently turns Tobias’ aura over and over, handling it like a precious gemstone and finding something new in every facet of its surface.
He’s the red of…a ripe cherry, or a spoonful of jam. A burst of refreshing flavor that’s as tart as it is sweet. He’s biting humor and small, shy smiles. He’s long summer days spent in idle company, eating syrupy red popsicles and lying starfished on hot concrete.
He’s the red of dried blood. The shade of old wounds only recently washed and tended to. He is more than scraped knees and bloody knuckles, but instead a gash in the chest stitched up and finally on the mend. He’s the muscle of the heart beating just underneath.
And he’s also the deep maroon of a worn winter scarf and gloves, homemade so you can feel the love in every misshapen stitch. Downy soft but protective against the chill of winter. Safety and comfort and warm affection laid over frigid skin. A soothing, gentle touch against Nia’s jaw and wrists.
He feels like home.
Nia feels goosebumps rise on her skin, prickling her fur, as she takes Tobias in over and over again. She doesn’t think she could ever get tired of looking at him.
But then she notices Tobias’ aura shaking, swirling with nervous energy. She immediately moves to soothe it, and his soul doesn’t fight when her own bright blue aura brushes against it. If anything, it seems to lean into her, welcoming the way she smooths and sands its rough edges like a cat grooming down unruly fur.
Distantly, she notes that their auras looks rather pretty together. Like they belong like this, intertwined.
And then, in a concentrated effort that Nia can feel, Tobias unfolds. Thinks and pushes his emotions towards her and—
Nia’s breath catches. Her chest swells with warm, choking affection. With gratitude and fondness and amusement. With trust, and admiration, and pride. It’s so overwhelming that it takes Nia a moment to realize what he’s doing.
“It would show you. That you…inspire me and stuff. Just from being you.”
He’s thinking about…her.
This is what she makes him feel?
Nia is swamped by another wave of emotions—her own this time. Awe and disbelief and even a tingle of fear rush through her. She knew that the two of them were friends. Best friends, even. But knowing that logically, and feeling that love for herself? It’s a completely different story.
Nia makes a sound somewhere between a laugh and a sob, and hurries to send her own emotions back to Tobias in turn. Tries to show him how moved she is by him doing this, by him offering for her to look into his very soul. Tries to smother him in the affection that is very much so reciprocated. Tries to radiate how happy and grateful she is to have him as a friend and as her partner in this world. Tries to explain how watching him grow over the past half a year has made her just as proud of him as he is of her. Tries to convey how he’s pushed her to be better, too. Stronger.
Nia opens her eyes, and blinks hard against blurry vision. She’s crying.
Tobias is staring back at her, eyes wide and teary too. He looks like he feels just as breathless as she does.
Neither of them speak. Instead, Nia lets her aura twine around his like an affectionate cat, and his aura shyly reaches back. She can see a mirror of that shyness in his expression as it softens, his cheeks darkening in a charming way.
Nia feels so, so warm.
If this is how Tobias feels about her, if he thinks this highly of her, then…she can’t be that bad, right? Even if the thought of living up to his view of her is a bit daunting, it’s…inspiring, too. Knowing that he believes in her so deeply. That he does think she’s good, just for trying. She’ll just have to do her best to live up to his expectations.
For a long moment, the two of them stay locked in their trance, emotions trading back and forth like a ball in a children’s game.
Then Nia hears Junie whisper to Samir, “Uh. Should we leave?”
Tobias jolts and yanks his hand away, red flooding his face. Nia blinks, feeling her own ears and cheeks heat as she looks at Junie, who is still sitting at their side next to Samir.
Junie just looks entertained, but Samir looks mortified to have sat in on such an intimate moment. The skiddo is glaring down at Junie with something like admonishment despite the relief in their posture over the moment being broken.
Nia laughs, high and embarrassed as she wipes at her eyes. “S-Sorry. Sorry. We didn’t mean to make you two uncomfortable.”
“Eh, it was a little weird, but I’ve been through worse,” Junie says. Then her expression curls into something smug. “I’m guessing you liked what you found?”
Weird way to phrase that, but— “Oh! U-Um. Yeah, of course. I mean, it’s Tobias. Of course I like him.”
Tobias makes a strangled sound in his throat, his hands over his face.
Junie looks delighted by this response. “Uh-huh. Good to know.”
Nia tilts her head, giving the little bird a questioning look.
Junie waves her off. “Forget it. More importantly, are you feeling better?”
Oh. Nia sits up, lifting a hand to her chest and gauging her emotions. Yes, she is feeling better. Something about seeing Tobias’ faith in her firsthand, bathing in his presence like that, soothed most of the tension that’s been choking her ever since she woke up today. She doesn’t feel perfect, but definitely leagues better than before.
“I do.” She gives Tobias a smile. “Thank you, Tobias. For doing that, and for…thinking so highly of me.”
Tobias finally peels his hands away from his face. He glares at Junie, cheeks still red. “Don’t mention it. Either of you.”
Nia bites back a laugh for his sake, reaching over to pat his leg instead.
With Nia calmed down, their group awkwardly continues their late berry lunch, although Nia carries the warmth of her moment with Tobias in her chest like a candle. It warms her and chases away the shadows any time Andyn’s biting words come back to haunt her.
Once everyone is full and there are only a few berries left over, they start to discuss what to do with the rest of their day. While it’s much too late to take on a mission—and they likely wouldn’t anyways, after the exhausting night they had—they could go to the training hall still. Or go visit the shinx cubs and Asher down in the nursery.
Their decision is made for them when someone knocks at the door, and a familiar green head pokes into the room.
“Maggie!” Nia says, perking up. “Come in!”
The meganium smiles, ducking to step into the room and casting a quick look over all four of them, as if checking to make sure they’re in one piece. With that done, she joins them on the rug in the middle of the room, loafing between Nia and Tobias. Nia happily leans into Maggie’s flower mane and gives her a hug, taking a deep breath of her fresh floral scent. On the edge of her awareness, Nia senses the grass type’s lavender-colored aura, radiating exhaustion and relief.
Maggie uses a vine to tug Tobias into her other side, and he goes into the hug with a grunt and a meager show of resistance.
Junie chirps and flutters into Nia’s lap, nestling against Maggie’s petals herself. Samir watches the hug pile form with their increasingly familiar brand of awkwardness around such open affection.
“I’m so glad to see you all safe,” Maggie murmurs. “I knew you hadn’t been brought to medical, but an old ‘mon like me is still going to worry.”
“We’re fine,” Tobias says, leaning back to frown up at his mother. “Are you all right? You look like you haven’t slept.”
Maggie huffs a laugh, soft and tired. The bags under her eyes are dark. “It’s been a long day up in medical, as I’m sure you’re aware.”
For a moment, Nia thinks of Ezra again, unconscious and missing an arm. Thinks of Andyn shouting at her. Thinks of all the injured Pokemon they saw. Thinks of the absence of a minun they’d hoped to save.
Nia’s newly risen spirits fall again.
Maggie must see the way the whole group wilts, because her expression melts into something sympathetic. “I’m sure Ezra’s injury wasn't easy on you all. In addition to…everything else.”
Nia swallows and nods.
“Yeah. It hasn’t been…great,” Tobias hedges. He glances at Samir. “We…Nia and I really messed up last night. We’re working through it.”
Maggie hums, eyeing Tobias before apparently deciding that she doesn’t need to push or scold them for their recklessness. “Well…while I wish it hadn’t come at such a steep price, a lesson learned is still a lesson learned. And thankfully, Ezra’s condition is stable.”
Nia looks away, another pang of guilt striking her in the chest. Ezra’s stable, yes, but he may never be a Seeker again.
A stifling quiet falls over the room.
Maggie sighs. “Now, don’t look so glum. ‘Mon can do just fine with a missing limb.”
“Even a sneasel?” Tobias grumbles.
Maggie gently bops Tobias on the head with a vine. “Yes, even a sneasel. Why, Fane would’ve—”
Maggie’s voice cuts off abruptly. The meganium blinks, looking more surprised than anyone, as if she hadn’t meant to say that.
Nia lifts her head. She looks at Tobias, only to see him looking just as confused as she feels.
“Fane..?” Tobias asks.
For a long moment, Maggie is quiet. Pensive. Then, she says, “I…suppose now feels like the right time to tell you about him. I’ve mentioned him before, but Fane was our...was my human friend, decades ago. When I was just a bayleef.”
Nia straightens up, ears pricked. She does vaguely remember Maggie mentioning something about knowing a former human, long ago. But from Tobias’ reaction, even he hasn’t heard the full story.
Although, the way she’s talking about him—
“He was your friend?” Junie says, frowning.
Maggie gives her a wistful smile. “Yes. Unfortunately, Fane passed away many years ago.”
Oh.
“It was an accident,” a new voice says from the doorway of their room, deep and familiar. Nia jumps, looking over her shoulder.
August. The rillaboom is standing in the threshold to the hall, a soft sort of sadness on his face. “Telling the story without me, Mags?”
Maggie rolls her eyes, looking remarkably like Tobias for a moment. “If you would’ve announced yourself, I would’ve invited you to help me tell it.”
August chuckles, stepping into the room and closing the door behind him. “Apologies, Team Scarlet. I didn’t mean to eavesdrop, but I heard Maggie mention Fane and couldn’t help myself.”
A dot connects in Nia’s head. She remembers August’s words, too, mentioned just as long ago as Maggie’s. During Nia’s very first day at the guild.
“Maggie isn’t the only one with fond memories of a plucky little human once dropped into our world.”
“You knew Fane?” Tobias asks.
August rumbles an affirmative, moving closer to sit on the rug next to Samir, his legs criss-crossed. “I did. The three of us were as close as could be.”
“When you and I weren’t squabbling, that is,” Maggie teases.
August snorts. “Right. We were as close as can be when we weren’t competing for Fane’s silly little heart.”
Nia blinks, surprised, looking between August and Maggie. “You both…liked him? Romantically?”
Junie cackles. “Oh, the drama!”
Maggie’s face flushes—a new, endearing look for her—but she scoffs as she bats at August with a vine. “We were young. It was more a…friendly rivalry, than anything serious.”
August laughs. “You only say that because I was winning.”
Maggie’s mouth drops open, affronted. “You were not! Fane was oblivious to us both.”
Nia looks back and forth as the two older ‘mon banter, a smile playing at her lips. For a moment, the two wise grass types feel like nothing more than children, laughing and playing with an ease and familiarity that Nia has glimpsed but never seen outright.
Tobias looks more exasperated by the two than anything, clearly used to their more casual relationship. He shrugs with a smile when Nia looks at him, as if to say, What’re you gonna do?
“Wait. Neither of you ever confessed?” Junie asks.
Maggie and August’s lighthearted bickering peters out, something sad entering their expressions.
“I’m afraid neither of us got the chance to,” August says.
Maggie sighs. “Before Fane stumbled into us at the guild, I traveled for my research as an herbalist and August acted as my guard. When he met us, Fane quickly decided that he wanted to come along, too. See the world and all that.”
August snorts. “He was a blitzle. An electric type. And he made a surprisingly good case to our guildmaster that he’d be helpful against any flying types, since Maggie and I were both weak to them. The guildmaster agreed, despite his misgivings about Fane’s leg.”
Nia tilts her head. Fane’s…leg?
“That’s why I was thinking of Fane in the first place,” Maggie explains. “He came to this world missing the lower half of one of his legs. Not a debilitating thing to deal with, but certainly not easy, either.”
“Fane hated anyone pitying him for his leg, but he definitely complained his fair share about it, too,” August laughs. The rillaboom drops his chin into his palm, his face still warm with love even decades later. “One day Fane was chattering on about something or another and he mentioned how he was born missing a leg in the human world, too. He joked that he was already used to being off-balance anyways, since ‘God knew he would be too powerful with all his limbs.’”
Junie snorts.
“And he was so surprised after saying it, too!” Maggie laughs. “Much like you, Nia, Fane didn’t remember much about his human life. That little tidbit seemed to just sort of…come out. However, considering he hadn’t mentioned the whole being human part before, we were much more shocked about that. What a sight the three of us must’ve made, gaping at each other like fools.”
Both Maggie and August pause for a moment, clearly lost in memories. Nia doesn’t dare speak, or even breathe too loud, for fear of breaking the fragile atmosphere.
Then, Maggie sighs. “We had so much fun together, travelling the world. But Fane fell ill, roughly half a year after we met. It was…serious. Just like your sickness, Nia.”
“I was convinced he was going to die,” August adds, almost too low to hear. To Nia’s surprise, he looks at her with a small, guilty smile. “I confess that I thought much the same when you fell ill, Nia. I apologize. I really must think better of you humans and your perseverance.”
Both Maggie and Tobias seem unnaturally stiff out of the corner of Nia’s eye, but Nia just holds up her hands. “Oh! U-Um. That’s okay! I’m sure you weren’t the only one who thought that.”
August shakes his head. “Regardless, Fane did recover, although he was…concerningly quiet, after that. For nearly a month.”
Maggie nods. “We never could get it out of him, what made him so…despondent, after recovering. It was something to do with his memories, but he was strangely tight-lipped about it. Too personal to share with even us, I suppose.”
“And then, just a few short weeks after his good spirits returned, Fane died in an accident on the road,” August says. “Nobody’s fault. Just a mudslide that we weren’t experienced enough to predict ahead of time. Unfortunately, an electric type like him didn’t stand a chance.”
Nia’s eyes widen as her heart skips a beat. She thinks about digging Tobias out from under that rockslide. Or dragging Ezra out from beneath that pillar. How easily either of them could’ve died.
“I’m so sorry,” Nia murmurs.
The meganium strokes a vine down Nia’s back. “Thank you, dear. It was a long time ago. We’re mostly past it now, but…”
“You never stop missing him,” August finishes, making eye contact with Maggie.
“No,” Maggie agrees, quiet. “You don’t. You just learn to focus on the joy he brought while he was here, rather than the grief he left in his wake.”
Nia swallows and closes her eyes, leaning into Maggie’s soft petals. She thinks she understands their grief a bit better now, with such a fresh reminder from last night’s disaster.
They really do need to be more careful. Not just for themselves, but for those they would leave behind if the worst were to happen.
After a long moment, Maggie takes a bracing breath and shakes her head. “I only brought up Fane because he got along just fine without his leg. Don’t get me wrong—it was a challenge for him at times. The world was simply not made to accommodate him, and he did need our help every now and then, when his stubborn self would allow it.”
Maggie pauses. “But while Ezra’s situation is very different since he wasn’t born without his arm, I don’t want you to face Ezra with pity in your eyes. If I know that sneasel at all, he has a better chance of bouncing back than any of you expect. Maybe as a Seeker, and maybe not. But as long as he survives, you have to at least give him the chance to flourish. Recovery won’t be easy on him, but it’ll be even harder if you write him off as a lost cause, no matter how well-intentioned.”
Nia mulls over her words, letting them sink into her mind. And for the first time, she feels something other than guilt and grief weighing on her shoulders at the thought of Ezra waking up. She feels…hope. Determination.
Maggie’s right. Ezra doesn’t need their pity. He needs their support. And by the time they come back from the mountains, Nia will be ready to give it.
A glance at Tobias and Samir reveals a similar fire in their eyes. Samir in particular looks invigorated by Maggie’s words, which Nia supposes makes sense after their own injury.
“We’ll keep that in mind,” Nia says. “Thanks, Maggie.”
Maggie smiles. “You’re very welcome, dear.”
Silence falls over the room again, though more peaceful this time.
At least until August clears his throat, catching everyone’s attention. “I’m sorry to interrupt, but I’m afraid that I did come to visit Team Scarlet with a specific goal in mind.”
The guildmaster’s serious tone makes Nia’s gut bubble with fresh nerves.
“While I came here with the intention to do so, I don’t believe I need to tell you off for being reckless last night, do I?” August starts, levelling each of them one-by-one with a stern look.
Nia winces, knowing that the remnants of her earlier breakdown are probably still very visible on her face. “N-No, sir.”
“Samir chewed us out already,” Tobias sighs. “And rightfully so.”
August nods. “Good. Even if you technically didn’t disobey direct orders, going into that dungeon was a stupid and reckless decision. Don’t make the same mistake in the future, or I will be forced to give your team its second strike for your own safety.”
Nia flinches. “Yes, sir.”
Tobias mumbles an affirmative as well, his gaze locked onto the ground.
“Good. With that done, I have news regarding your mission to Silenfroar.”
Nia blinks, looking up.
“Much as you likely should be kept here until you prove you can listen to orders,” August says, voice hard. Nia barely holds back another flinch. “And as much as Verene agrees, I still believe it’s more important that your team makes this journey to the mountains. For better or for worse, it appears you’re at the heart of the dimensional border issue, and I’m not willing to risk the fate of the world just to follow proper protocol.”
No one dares to respond to that.
“As such, I’m officially approving your travel order to the mountains. If your team is rested and ready after tonight, you can leave at dawn.”
Tobias looks as surprised as Nia feels. “That soon?”
August’s expression darkens. “Last night, we saw firsthand how much damage the degradation of the world is causing. And from what I understand, it’s only going to get worse from here. I can’t justify spending any more time on caution when even a single hour could make a difference on a monumental scale.”
Nia exchanges a loaded look with her friends, one by one. While she certainly doesn’t disagree, it’s nerve-wracking hearing the words from August himself. It makes everything feel even more serious. More real. Urgent.
“Will you four be ready to travel by tomorrow?” August asks.
Samir and Tobias nod immediately. After a moment of hesitation, Nia follows. August is right. They can’t postpone this any longer.
“I’m as ready as I’ll ever be,” Junie says, her tense voice aiming for lighthearted but missing by a mile.
August nods, shoulders dropping. “Good. In that case, you’ll set out at dawn tomorrow by flight ‘mon along with Fidel. He’s already confirmed he’s ready to travel.”
Oh, right. The zoroark will be joining them on this mission. Something about that—about having an actual adult on their side—eases Nia’s mind a bit. She nods along with the others.
“Good,” August says, slapping a hand on his knee as he rises to his feet. “In that case, I’ll leave you to it. Rest up, and don’t forget to bring proper snow gear.”
“Done and done!” Junie chirps with a salute of her wing.
August smiles, then reaches into his leafy mane and pulls out an envelope. He hands it to Nia. “Here’s the letter I promised, vouching for your team. Give it to the matriarch of Silen, the village atop the mountains. Don’t lose it.”
Nia nods, taking the letter and holding it close to her chest.
For a moment, August sweeps his gaze over each of them, one by one. Nia wonders what he sees, looking down at a bunch of kids a fraction of his size. She wonders if he regrets sending them into a dangerous environment to look for signs of dormant legends. Wonders if he doubts them, and their chances of saving the world.
August doesn’t say. He simply smiles once more and says, “Good luck, Team Scarlet. Be safe.”
And then he’s gone, ducking through the doorway and back into the hall.
Nia swallows, staring after him. “It…suddenly feels a lot more real, doesn’t it?”
“Yeah,” Tobias whispers.
Nia gets up, gently nudging Junie off her lap, to tuck August’s letter safely into an inner pocket of their satchel. After a moment, Tobias joins her, double-checking that they have all of their snow gear for the trip.
Maggie sighs and stands, too. “I suppose I should be getting back up to medical as well, before Sage gets too overwhelmed.”
“Thanks for checking on us,” Nia says, abandoning the satchel to hug Maggie’s leg goodbye.
The meganium bends her neck to hug Nia back. Her voice trembles as she says, “Of course, dear. You all be careful and come back to us safe and sound, all right?”
Tobias, who just “happened” to wander into hugging range, is yanked into a tight embrace as well.
“We’ll be careful,” Tobias mutters.
“Good. Samir? Junie?” Maggie says, lifting her head. The skiddo and rookidee straighten up. “Make sure they don’t get into too much trouble, all right?”
Junie salutes again. “Yes, ma’am!”
Samir nods seriously as well, legs snapping together like a soldier at attention.
Maggie smiles, her eyes misty. Then she releases Nia and Tobias and steps back, giving them one last look and a quiet bid to be careful before she goes to leave as well.
Nia suddenly remembers something she thought of earlier.
“O-Oh! Maggie?”
“Yes?”
Nia swallows hard. “Do you…have you seen a plusle in the medical wing?”
Maggie makes a thoughtful sound in her throat. “I haven’t, but if they weren’t seriously injured, they’re likely being housed somewhere else for the moment.”
Nia takes a shaky breath. “The reason we went into the dungeon in the first place was to try and save a plusle’s sister. A minun. They got separated. If you do see the plusle, can…can you let her know that we did find her sister, but she was already—”
A lump clogs Nia’s throat and tears sting her eyes. She blinks furiously, trying to regain her grasp on speech.
But Maggie clearly gets the message, her face falling with sympathy. For a moment, she looks like she’s going to turn around and envelop Nia in another hug.
Tobias and Samir step up on either side of Nia instead, and she gains strength from their steady presence.
Maggie nods, voice soft. “Of course, dear. I’ll find her and break the news. I’m sure on some level, she’ll be relieved to know.”
Nia is definitely fighting off tears now, so she just nods. Tobias takes her hand and gives it a squeeze.
Maggie, clearly reluctant to leave, finally turns away with another murmur of goodbye and a bid for them to be safe.
And then they’re left alone again, the room feeling oddly empty without Maggie and August. Late afternoon light shines through their window’s leaf blind, just on the edge of sunset. Soon enough they’ll be heading off to bed, then waking up again to head to the mountains.
Nia takes a few breaths to reign in her emotions, then nods to Tobias and Samir. As one, their group gathers around their supplies to prepare.
It’s dusk by time they’re finally finished, after checking and re-checking that they have everything. They’ve got their snow cloaks and scarves and snowshoes. They’ve got their satchel, their badges, and August’s letter. They’ve got apples, travel snacks from the cafeteria, hydration berries and water, and aspear and yache berries to help fight off the cold. They’ve also packed up a bit of their money, in case they need cash for the village on the mountaintop. They even have a few herbs wrapped up and ready to go for tomorrow morning, courtesy of a quick visit to Maggie and Sage. They’re apparently supposed to help boost everyone’s immune systems in the frigid weather.
Once they’re all packed up, Nia feels…restless, without anything to do. She supposes they could go see Fidel and make sure he’s ready, but August already assured them of that.
Tobias keeps fidgeting too, and Nia assumes he feels the same restlessness under his skin. That is, until he turns to her and says, “Hey, I’ve been thinking about something.”
Nia exchanges a confused look with Junie, then gives Tobias her full attention. He doesn’t sound angry or anything, but he does sound…tense. “Yeah? What’s up?”
“It’s about Giratina.”
Nia’s stomach turns. So much has been happening today that she’s hardly even thought about that. About how Giratina’s reflection and its portal properties didn’t work last night, when Ezra was injured. Giratina couldn’t pull the sneasel—couldn’t pull any of them—through to the Distortion World like she’d been expecting.
Tobias mouth flattens into a worried line. “I’ve been wondering why the portal didn’t work last night. It was clear he was trying to pull us through, but he just…couldn’t. Do you think it was because we were in a dungeon?”
“What, like it was too unstable in there or something?” Junie asks.
“Yeah.”
Nia frowns as she thinks. She wishes she could agree, but something about the way Giratina had looked at her in that moment, something in his face and posture, made her fear otherwise. He’d looked…utterly exhausted. Ashamed, almost.
“I don’t think that’s it,” Nia says. “I mean, the dungeons are definitely unstable—”
Nia thinks about how she’d tried to follow the threads of life energy in the dungeon to find the minun. Thinks about how the typically organized pathways of aura were instead split and frayed like loose stitching. The memory makes her feel sick with wrongness.
“—but I don’t think that’s quite it.”
A quiet tap tap of Samir’s hoof catches everyone’s attention. Samir is frowning, and they tilt their head in question.
Oh, right! Samir wasn’t there last night, and they don’t have as much knowledge of Giratina’s portals as Junie does.
“Whoops. Sorry, Samir,” Nia says. “When we were in the dungeon last night and Ezra got hurt, I tried to call Giratina so we could use his reflection as a portal out.”
Samir leans back, looking stunned, as if to ask, You can do that?
Nia cringes. “We could do that in Kaleido Bay just a week ago, but…”
“But Giratina couldn’t seem to do it last night,” Tobias finishes, looking troubled. “He clearly tried, but it was like he couldn’t reach through to our world anymore. I thought maybe it was just that the dungeon was too unstable, but…”
He looks at Nia.
Nia shifts on her feet. “I mean, I don’t have any proof that that isn’t what happened. But something about how Giratina looked and reacted made it feel like…something else was the problem.”
Like something had changed since Kaleido.
Junie frowns. “Well, why don’t you just ask him?”
Nia looks down at the little bird. “What?”
“Call him up like we did at me and Bo’s place!”
…Huh. She has a point. Giratina can’t seem to audibly talk to them when they’re just communicating through reflections, but he could at least give them yes or no answers.
“Okay. Let’s try it,” Nia says, looking at Tobias. “You’re right. We need to know what’s going on, and find out if Giratina is even a viable escape route anymore.”
It doesn’t take long for Nia to retrieve a bowl of water and bring it back to their room. She places it carefully on the floor, and all of them gather around it.
Nia releases a long breath, and then says, “Hey, Giratina? Are you there?”
For a moment, there’s no response. Then, there’s the familiar faint flicker of gold and gray and black. Giratina’s eyes swirl into view and glow up at them like tiny red fireflies.
Samir shifts in place, readjusting the legs folded under their body. They seem understandably unsettled by the god’s appearance. Nia supposes that it was too much to hope for a repeat of Junie’s easy, enthusiastic acceptance from the last time they did this.
“Hi,” Nia starts, lamely. “Um. We made it out of the dungeon, in case you were wondering.”
Giratina doesn’t answer, but he does look away slightly, as if he feels…guilty.
Nia holds up her hands. “We’re not upset with you or anything! But we are, uh…a little worried. About why that didn’t work this time. Was it because we were in a dungeon?”
Giratina hesitates, then shakes his head.
Nia exchanges a worried look with the others. “Then…is this a new development? You can’t pull Pokemon into the Distortion World anymore?”
Nia remembers trying to touch Giratina through the reflection in the dungeon. Remembers the fear when she felt only cold water against her palm.
Giratina heaves a silent, but visible sigh. He nods.
Nia’s heart sinks. It had been such a comforting thought, having Giratina’s reflections as an escape route, only for them to lose it just as quickly as it appeared.
“But why?” Tobias asks, leaning over the cup of water. “You had no problem breaching the barrier in Kaleido Bay, just a few days ago.” Tobias’ breath catches at his own words, his face paling. “That…that didn’t deplete your energy or something, did it?”
For the first time today, Nia sees a spark of Giratina’s old grumpiness as he glares at Tobias. As if offended by the thought that such a trivial action could drain him.
“I was just checking,” Tobias mutteres, sitting back.
“So if that isn’t the problem,” Nia says, slowly. “Then has something else changed in the last few days? Relating to the border.”
Giratina meets her eyes, looking more exhausted than ever. He nods.
Nia’s heart skips a beat. “Okay. Okay, that…doesn’t sound good. What does that mean?”
Giratina obviously can’t say anything, but the way he looks at Nia, all heavy eyes and grave stillness, speaks volumes.
Nia exchanges a nervous look with Tobias. “We…still have a year before the barrier is supposed to break, right?”
Her worst fears come true when Giratina closes his eyes and shakes his head. Stricken, Nia watches as Giratina lifts two of his tendrils and holds them apart from each other, as if indicating the size of something. Then, abruptly, they’re shoved much closer together.
“The timeline,” Tobias breathes. “It…shortened?”
Nia feels horror crawl up her throat. “W-What?! You mean we have less time before it happens?”
Junie had been listening silently, squinting into the reflection, but now she speaks up. “If the time before the big bad shortened all of a sudden, does that mean this is like…some science-fiction time travel stuff? Like the butterfly effect or something?”
Nia stares at her. “What, like someone did something in the last few days that changed the course of the future? Something that made the barrier-breaking event…accelerate?”
“Yeah!”
Giratina’s head lowers in a single, defeated nod. Nia feels like throwing up.
Whatever is destined to break the barrier of this world is no longer granting them a generous year to head it off. But then…how long do they have?
“How long until it happens?” Tobias croaks, voicing Nia’s thoughts.
“Half a year?” Nia asks.
Giratina shakes his head. Nia’s fear grows.
“Three months?” Junie suggests.
No.
“Two months?”
Another shake of the head.
Nia feels a terrified sort of numbness washing over her. “…One month?”
Giratina hesitates. Then, he gives an uncertain nod.
A heavy, dread-filled silence falls over the room like a physical weight. Nia’s heart roars in her ears.
A month. They have a month before the dimensional border cracks and the Pokemon world is no more. A month to find Xerneas and stop it from happening.
Nia can’t bring herself to look at the others. Instead, she stares down at the shaking fingers folded in her lap. She feels like she should be crying, but instead she’s frozen in place.
This doesn’t feel real. It feels like a bad dream.
…What do they do now?
For a long, horrible moment, none of them move. None of them speak. Then—
“All right,” Junie breathes, catching their attention. The rookidee is clearly just as perturbed as the rest of them, but she shakes herself out, fluffing up her feathers. “A month. That’s, uh. Not great. But we’re leaving tomorrow, right? Maybe we’ll have this all figured out by the end of the week!”
For a moment, Nia stares at Junie, uncomprehending. The little bird is clearly forcing her optimism. She clearly doesn’t believe it herself.
But…she’s trying. And she’s right to, isn’t she? They can’t give up before the disaster even happens. Before they’ve even tried.
Nia takes a sharp breath. Then another. Slowly eases her heartrate back to something manageable. She feels the others’ eyes on her.
“She’s right,” Nia says, weaker than she’d like. “We can’t just…not try, no matter how much the odds are stacked against us.”
Nia summons her courage, and lifts her eyes to make eye contact with each of her friends, one by one. Junie’s eyes shine with relief and terror in equal measure. Samir looks doubtful. Tobias’ expression is desperate and pale.
“Either we lie down and die here,” Nia says. “Or we try to find an answer, even if it feels like a losing battle.”
“Woo,” Junie cheers, warbly and weak, with a light pump of her wing.
Nia snorts a hysterical laugh.
At her side, Tobias huffs a laugh too. He scrubs a hand over his face, rubbing hard at the skin. “You’re both crazy. But I guess you’re right, too. Even if it’s a lost cause, there’s no point in giving up now. Either we don’t try and we’re guaranteed to fail, or we do try and have at least a chance at figuring this out in time.”
As one, everyone looks at Samir. The skiddo frowns and leans away from all the attention.
“Whatcha say, Samir?” Junie asks, her voice a strange balance of earnest and teasing. “Willing to give the impossible a shot?”
The skiddo looks at Junie for a long moment. Then at Nia and Tobias. Finally, they sigh, and push one of their front hooves close to the cup of water, as if to say that they’re in.
Nia smiles, something desperate and hopeful rising in her chest despite the terror lingering in her very bones. She looks down at Giratina, who is watching them with an unreadable expression.
“The mission’s still on, Giratina. Don’t count us out yet, okay?”
Giratina rolls his eyes, and Nia huffs another laugh.
They can do this. They have to. It doesn’t matter if their odds are suddenly even lower than before. They don’t have the option of giving up. And tomorrow morning, they’ll start their journey to find the answers they need.
Chapter 70
Summary:
Team Scarlet climbs the Silenfroar Mountains.
Chapter Text
Team Scarlet wakes at dawn the next morning, just as the sky is starting to lighten to a soft blue-gray. Tobias takes charge of making sure they have everything packed, with Samir as his second pair of eyes since Nia’s only half-awake at this hour. He double-checks their bags twice while Junie yanks Nia from their bed, then distributes everyone’s cloaks and winter gear, along with the immunity-boosting herbs Maggie gave them the day before.
Once they’re all bundled up and ready to go, they meet Fidel on the flight floor, where the zoroark is similarly dressed for the cold in a maroon cloak and navy scarf and hat. He has a much larger bag than theirs on his back, and Tobias imagines Fidel likely checked it multiple times to be sure that Asher hadn’t stowed away inside.
Fidel is talking to one of the flight ‘mon hired to take them as high as possible up the mountainside: a mandibuzz. She laughs at something the zoroark says, clearly at ease with a fellow dark type. At her side, a togekiss and a pidgeot—a different pidgeot than Auretta—are having their own discussion, fluffing out their feathers against the cold.
Fidel smiles when he sees them. “Good morning! Are you all ready to head out?”
Samir, dressed in a deep green cloak and maroon scarf, nods.
“Ready is a strong word,” Junie yawns, huddled close to the warmth of Nia’s neck. The rookidee looks like a grepa berry in her bright yellow cloak and vest.
Nia makes a sleepy grunt of agreement from inside her cream coat. She’s clearly not happy about flying, the cold, or the early hour, and Tobias has to hold back a laugh at how much she resembles a grumpy little snorunt.
“We’re ready,” Tobias confirms.
“Good. Then we’d best get a move on. It’s going to be a long journey.”
Fidel climbs atop the mandibuzz’s back without another word. He doesn’t introduce their party to the flight ‘mon, but the flying types don’t offer up their own names, either. Tobias is fine with that, and Nia is apparently too disgruntled to ask about it herself.
The remaining two flight ‘mon glance over their party, clearly deciding who to place where. Finally, the togekiss crouches and beckons Samir closer with a sweet smile. Samir seems hesitant about boarding, stepping forward and then back like they don’t quite know how to climb on.
Oh. Tobias hadn’t even thought about Samir being uncomfortable with flying. Not only is the skiddo a grass type, probably most comfortable on the ground like Nia, but they also have hooves, meaning they can’t even hold on properly. No wonder they look so uneasy, no matter how much they try to hide it.
Tobias hesitates, glancing between Nia and Samir as the togekiss gently coaches the skiddo’s wobbly hooves onto her back. Tobias knows Nia hates flying too, but maybe he should fly with Samir today to make sure they’re secure?
Nia is just awake enough to pick up on the problem. For a moment, her brow furrows, and then lifts in understanding. “Samir, have you flown before?”
Samir finally settles into the soft feathers of the togekiss’ back. They give a singular shake of their head, eyes averted like they’re embarrassed to admit it.
Tobias opens his mouth, but Junie beats him to it.
“Oh, I could ride with you!” Junie offers. “It’s hard to think about how high up you are when I’m blabbing your ear off.”
Samir huffs a laugh, but doesn’t outright reject the idea.
“I’ll keep us steady,” the togekiss assures, her voice soft.
“Amani is the smoothest flyer we have,” the mandibuzz agrees. “You don’t have to worry about any rough patches with her.”
Tobias’ mouth twists as he glances again at Nia. He doesn’t want to leave her on her own when he knows how terrified she gets while flying, but Samir falling off would be a much worse outcome.
“I’ll keep you company!” Junie decides. She flutters from Nia’s shoulder to settle under Samir’s front hooves, right under their chin. For a moment, Samir recoils from the sudden proximity, before slowly leaning back into it.
“And what’re you gonna do if Samir falls?” Tobias can’t help teasing. Junie is maybe a fifth of the skiddo’s size.
“Slow our landing and scream my head off!” Junie answers brightly.
Tobias rolls his eyes, but he does feel better knowing that Junie will be with Samir for the duration of the flight. From the way Samir’s stiff posture has eased, they must agree. The whistle they give a moment later—signaling the okay to move—decides it.
Tobias takes Samir at their word and climbs atop the pidgeot’s back. Once he’s sat, he pulls Nia up behind him. “Just yank on Junie’s feathers if there’s a problem, all right? Trust me, I know from experience that she’s loud enough to be heard over the wind.”
Samir snorts. Junie sticks her tongue out at Tobias.
“It should be a short flight,” Fidel assures, patiently waiting for them all to get settled.
Tobias nods, taking firm handfuls of the pidgeot’s feathers to hold on. Nia silently wraps her arms around his waist and buries her head into his cloak, and Tobias wills his face not to flush.
“Ready,” Nia says, voice muffled.
She doesn’t sound ready at all, but they have mountains to climb and answers to find. Tobias nods at the mandibuzz, since she seems like the leader here. Sure enough, she takes point without any hesitation, running a few clunky steps towards the open port before leaping off the flight dock and dropping out of sight. The togekiss follows her in a much more graceful, gentle arc, like a leaf on the wind. Then it’s their turn, the pidgeot beneath them diving after the others. Nia’s arms tighten around Tobias waist as cold, whistling wind rushes past them.
Despite the chill, the sight from so high up is as beautiful as ever. Everything is sleepy and dim so early in the morning, and the sun is just peeking out over the horizon as a bright wash of pink. It’s hard to believe that the world is so close to ruin when it looks so peaceful.
Even Junie, already chattering away to Samir, is a bit more hushed than usual, as if she doesn’t want to break the stillness either. Samir has their jaw clenched and their eyes squinted shut against the wind, but they do seem secure on the togekiss’ back, so Tobias relaxes and decides to enjoy the ride.
Luckily, the flight to the mountain range goes as smoothly as Fidel had predicted. The wind is biting cold and the gravity of the task ahead is heavy when no one is talking, but they don’t have any scares as they travel over brown, mostly-bare forest and towards the faint blue mass of the mountains in the distance.
The Silenfroar Mountains.
Tobias keeps his eyes locked onto them as they get closer and closer, fuzzy silhouettes slowly gaining detail. They’re somehow taller than he imagined. Tobias can’t even see the tops of them, cloaked as they are in swathes of clouds, and the wind chills even more as they approach. Ugh. Tobias doesn’t need a reminder of how cold they’ll soon be.
Still, there’s no postponing it. Even if the flying types can’t go directly to the village at the peak, they at least know which mountain it rests on and can drop them off as closely as possible. Tobias is grateful for that. He imagines it would take days if not weeks to make the trek from the guild entirely on foot. Days they don’t have.
The flyers gather into a tight formation once they approach the base of the mountains, blocking errant winds. Below them, the scenery changes from the usual forest to pine trees, and then even those start to thin out and become sparse. The land itself rises up at an incline, less and less vegetation and more dappling gray stone and large chunks of rock.
All the while, the mountains loom overhead, an impossibly massive presence that makes it hard to breathe. Especially the mountain they’re heading towards—the tallest of them all.
The temperature drops a degree at a time as the flying types climb higher with strained wingbeats and try to catch updrafts to help. Below them, white snow and frost starts to trickle into the environment, coating large chunks of the steep, sloped landscape. The flyers have to tear through low-hanging clouds heavy with condensation, and Tobias shivers as some of the moisture coats his exposed skin, cold as ice. His head feels light, almost dizzy.
Below them, the landscape becomes bright with snow, until it’s covering most of the ground in a stark blanket of white. Ridges and hills are steep here, more of a climb than a walk.
“We’ll have to drop you off up ahead!” Mandibuzz calls. “Too quick of an ascent and you’ll risk altitude sickness, and we’ll be reaching our own limits soon.”
Fidel calls back an affirmative, and Tobias glances at the pidgeot’s wings on either side of them. Condensation is gathering on the feathers there and frosting over, weighing them down and making each wingbeat noticeably slower. Heavier. The pidgeot’s muscles must be stiffening with the cold.
No wonder most flying types can’t make the full ascent to the village.
It’s a matter of minutes before the mandibuzz leads the group in a gentle descent, spiraling down to the snow for a light landing. The pidgeot and togekiss follow, until they’ve all settled onto solid ground.
“This is as far as we can take you,” the mandibuzz says, crouching. White clouds billow from her beak as she speaks.
“This will do,” Fidel assures, tying snowshoes to his hind paws. The zoroark slides off and lands in the snow with a quite crunch, only sinking a couple inches thanks to the light, wooden accessories underfoot. “Thank you.”
Tobias and Nia take a moment to pull their own snowshoes out of their pack and strap them onto their feet. It’s a strange feeling for Tobias, but Nia looks as delighted as usual about wearing anything resembling “clothes.”
Tobias slides off the pidgeot’s back first and grimaces as he lands in the snow. Thankfully, between the snowshoes and how light he is, he manages to stay on the top layer of the stuff, only sinking in slightly. Nia stumbles into the snow next to him.
Samir drops a bit deeper a few feet away, their face scrunching up as their hooves pierce through the top layer of ice.
Junie lands on Nia’s shoulder, tilting her head at Samir. “You grabbed some snowshoes too, right?”
Samir nods, expertly loosening the tie on their own pack with their teeth and reaching in to pull out similar-looking snowshoes—four of them—and tossing them out. One shoe tries to skate away on the ice, and Samir stomps down on it with a panicked expression.
“How do these work on hooves?” Nia asks, approaching the skiddo and crouching to get a better look. “Do you need help with them?”
Samir seems a bit embarrassed, but nods. They flip one shoe over to show how it has two straps overlaid in a square instead of just one, in order to tighten around the hoof and box it in. Nia immediately gets to work, holding out the first one for Samir to step into before tightening the straps around them and asking if it’s good.
“Thank you again,” Fidel says to the flyers with a smile. “You’ve made our journey much easier.”
“Of course,” the mandibuzz says. “Just be careful, all right? The hardest part’s ahead of you, and the snow isn’t always stable here.”
Fidel nods. The mandibuzz flaps hard at the ground, kicking up a gust of powdery snow, and slowly rises into the air. The pidgeot and togekiss offer their own quiet wishes of good luck before doing the same, and soon all three of them are soaring away, quickly vanishing into the clouds.
Tobias watches them go, something nervous curling in his gut. They’re really on their own now.
“Done!” Nia says.
Tobias looks over to see that Samir has been securely strapped into their snowshoes and can now stand on the top layer of snow with Nia and Tobias.
“All right,” Fidel says, giving them all a onceover. “We’d best get moving, then. Even with that head-start, it’ll take us the rest of the day to reach the summit.”
Samir nods. Nia takes a bracing breath and bounces in place, either trying to psyche herself up or stay warm. Junie, on her shoulder, giggles as she bounces with the motion.
Fidel takes the lead, a beacon of maroon as he trudges up the nearest slope. Tobias gestures Nia and Samir forward next, deciding to take the rear to keep an eye on everyone.
And they start moving.
It’s obvious right away that it’s going to be slow going. The snowshoes help with traction and keep them from sliding or sinking, but they can still only move so fast on the incline. Additionally, it’s not just a straight shot up the snowy hillside. The mountain is made up of rock under all that snow, meaning they have to detour through and around large chunks of stone and ice to traverse it safely.
It only takes a matter of minutes for Tobias to start feeling the burn in his legs and chest, sharp air sliding down his throat with a bite. He imagines it’s the same for Nia and Samir, the two of them staying silent and moving with slow, determined steps ahead of him.
It’s quiet, aside from the howl of the wind and the crunch of their steps. All around them, the other mountains in the range loom, half-obscured by clouds and casting long, blue shadows. It makes Tobias feel boxed in.
Junie is the first one to speak up, of course, from her spot on Nia’s shoulder. “Hey, Fidel?”
“Yes?”
“How do people usually travel to the village? Are there, like…guides or something that you can hire to escort you up the mountain?”
“Unfortunately, no,” Fidel says, stopping to allow them to catch up. “I asked August a similar question, and he made it clear that the residents of the village aren’t willing to risk their own safety for outsiders. At least not without gaining something in return greater than money.”
“Rude.”
"Perhaps. Or perhaps it'd be better to describe them as...fiercely private. Apparently, they are so against outside interference that they don't even share the name of the village itself freely. At least until you've earned their trust."
No wonder Tobias hasn't heard an actual name for the place yet. A baffled scowl crosses his face. "Why? Wouldn't that make everything super difficult for no reason?"
"Yeah!" Junie chirps. "Like, what if they have to send mail or order supplies or something? How do they tell people where to go?"
Fidel sounds amused when he answers, "Well, I suppose they do what we've been doing and just call it the Silenfroar settlement."
"That's dumb," Junie huffs.
"I don't know, I think it's kind of neat!" Nia says, looking thoughtful. "I mean, it's probably like a tradition at this point, right? Or...a rite of passage. You earn the trust of the people living there, so you earn the trust of the village itself. It's a really interesting way of thinking about names, actually."
Tobias rolls his eyes, more fond than annoyed. Of course Nia finds the whole complicated ordeal fascinating. She's such a nerd.
"And to be fair," Fidel adds, "It’s a big ask for them to risk injury and even death for Pokemon they don't know or particularly want to know. Especially outsiders who don’t know how to handle the environment and its dangers.”
“I guess that part makes sense,” Junie admits. “Couldn’t August have sent more Pokemon with us, then? I know most of the Lexym Guild are grass and bug types, but couldn’t he have, like, hired some ice types or something?”
Fidel makes a thoughtful noise, pausing again for them to catch up. Nia looks like she’s trying to step in the zoroark’s footfalls to make it easier on herself, but his stride is much longer than hers.
“I asked about that as well,” Fidel says. The poof of his mane—or at least the bits of it spilling out between his cloak and scarf—are already stiffening with ice. “Unfortunately, with the disasters and dungeons growing more frequent, August said they’re spread too thin to spare anyone who can take the cold. And he can’t very well request assistance from other overworked guilds for a mission like this, since most would see it as an attempt to outrun a ninjask.”
Tobias’ mouth twists. He supposes that makes sense. The other guilds wouldn’t be able to spare Seekers without reasonable cause, and saying, “Hey, two of my C-rank Seekers talked to Giratina and said the world is about to end, so we have to track down a long-lost legend to save it” probably wouldn’t go over well, even if they did call Giratina to make an appearance.
Still. It’d be nice.
Ahead of them, the path is blocked by a giant, icy boulder. Fidel stations himself to the side of it, crouching and holding out his forepaws with clear intent to give them a boost. Nia takes the offer with a word of thanks, allowing the zoroark to launch her into the air so she can scrabble up and over the obstacle. Samir clearly wishes they could do this on their own, but they accept the help as well, and barely manage to clear the boulder with Nia pulling them over the top. Tobias accepts the boost with his own nod of thanks, digging his claws in as best he can at the top as Nia pulls him over the edge using the satchel looped around his shoulder.
Fidel puts them all to shame by leaping onto the stone with ease, then hopping lightly to the snow on the other side to help them down.
“This isn’t the worst situation, though,” Fidel says once they’re all on the ground and moving again. “I talked with your archivists to make sure we were prepared, and apparently the less paws on the mountain at a time, the better. The biggest danger to watch out for is an avalanche, and those are most often caused by unaware ‘mon treading on unstable snow. The less weight we have walking around, the safer we are.”
“It was smart to do research on the mountains beforehand,” Nia says, looking irritated with herself. “I don’t know why I didn’t think of that.”
“You’ve been busy,” Fidel chuckles. “I haven’t been doing much aside from making sure Asher doesn’t cause trouble in the nursery.”
He goes quiet after that, and Tobias can guess why.
“Asher will be fine, Fidel,” Nia assures, speeding up to reach the zoroark’s side. “He’s already found a kindred spirit in Luca and the others! They love him.”
Fidel chuckles, giving Nia a fond look. “I know. I just worry when I’m away from him, with…how we can be perceived.”
“I don’t get why illusion powers make people so upset. There are plenty of Pokemon with even more dangerous abilities out there, right?”
“I would say so,” Fidel agrees. “But Pokemon aren’t always rational creatures.”
Fidel leaves it at that. The group falls quiet again, save for their harsh clouds of breath.
Time passes. Hours, if Tobias is tracking the light of the sun correctly through the layers of fog-like clouds that grow thicker as they climb.
After a while, Fidel takes to bounding ahead of them with agile steps and seemingly endless energy, until he’s a distant speck of color against the white and gray of the mountainside. It’s clear from the zoroark’s pricked ears and sharp eyes that he’s scouting out the safest path for them. Tobias appreciates it. It’s an endless slog up the mountainside, and Tobias feels too fatigued just trying to walk to keep a proper eye on their surroundings.
The others must feel the same. Nia slips and falls to her knees at one point, and Junie quickly abandons her perch on the riolu’s shoulder to take turns hitching a ride with each of them. The rookidee spends the most time perched on Fidel’s much larger, heavier frame, but she looks unhappy about that arrangement as well. Tobias catches her lifting out a wing more than once as if wondering if she really couldn’t just fly herself. Fidel shakes his head at her each time, as if to discourage the thought. After seeing how quickly the much larger flying types’ wings frosted over, Tobias agrees that it would be far too dangerous.
Fidel quickly falls into a pattern of having them stop for a break every hour or so. Tobias would feel guilty about the zoroark being so clearly held back by Team Scarlet’s slow progress if he wasn’t just so relieved to rest.
Each time they stop to catch their breath, Tobias clears away the snow with his fire so they can flop down, rest, and rehydrate their bodies. It becomes increasingly difficult for Tobias to ignore the burning in his muscles and the sharp pain in his throat and chest from the frigid air. He’s been ducking his head as they walk to breath through the filter of his scarf, but even that much isn’t enough to protect his airway.
It's nearly noon by now, and Tobias’ heart is still beating hard against his chest even though they stopped minutes ago. He bites into another hydration berry, greedily swallowing the burst of juice inside. One of their packed snacks, a nut and berry bar, sits half-eaten next to an aspear berry in the bowl of his lap.
At Tobias’ side, Fidel looks out over the mountains, then up towards the summit. Tobias has no idea how close they are to the village, but the zoroark sniffs the air as if that could help him figure it out.
Nia is watching the zoroark too, taking a bite of yache berry and scrunching her nose at the sour taste. “Hey, Fidel? Why do you keep smelling the air?”
Fidel looks surprised to have been noticed. He smiles. “There isn’t much to smell up here, but I like to stay alert with all my senses. You never know what you might notice.”
Nia hums, looking thoughtful, and takes a sniff of the air herself.
“S-Smell the village yet?” Junie asks hopefully. She’s currently half-buried in Nia’s scarf, her beak chattering with the cold.
Fidel gives the rookidee a sympathetic look. “I’m afraid it’ll be a while yet.”
Junie groans, clearly feeling the cold the most between her type disadvantage and how small she is.
For a long moment, Fidel continues to watch Junie. He seems…conflicted. Then he says, “If you’re comfortable doing so, Junie, you’re more than welcome to nest in my mane. Asher’s always going on about how warm it is.”
Tobias is surprised by the offer. Fidel has never been unkind to them, but he has always kept a polite distance between himself and Team Scarlet. An edge of…professionalism, maybe. As if to purposefully keep their relationship to strictly business partners.
Even Junie looks astonished. “You w-wouldn’t mind?”
“I actually kind of miss the little mite rustling around,” Fidel admits, chuckling.
Junie hesitates, but apparently decides she’d rather be warm than polite. She flutters over to Fidel and buries herself in the red mane of fur around his neck. She pokes her head out again a moment later, sighing with contentment.
“Asher wasn’t wrong. You’re like a heated blanket!”
Fidel smiles. “It certainly helps in weather like this. Feel free to stay in there when we get moving again.”
“Dude. I owe you my life.”
Tobias snorts, slipping a hand under his own scarf and team bandana to scratch lightly at his skin. Ugh. He doesn’t like to pay much attention to his neck, perpetually hidden beneath his scarf, but it’s starting to itch.
They get moving again, packing up and setting out with an air of weary determination. Tobias makes a face as soon as they step back into the snow, and Junie peers at him from Fidel’s mane.
“Toby, you’re sure making a lot of faces for a fire type. Shouldn’t you be, like, immune to the cold?”
Tobias glares at her. “I have scales.” And thin ones, at that. “I’m not protected against the cold like a fire type with a thick coat or a shell would be.” If anything, he’s probably a bit more vulnerable to the elements than Nia or Fidel.
“I don’t think anyone’s safe when it’s this cold,” Nia huffs. Her cream coat is nearly lost in the environment, just a shade warmer than the snow. “I’m ready to warm up as soon as possible.”
“I thought snow was your favorite weather?” Tobias asks, voice dry.
“It is when I can go inside to warm up!” Nia whines. “I’d kill for some thick, fuzzy socks and a mug of hot chocolate right now.”
“Oh, don’t say that!” Junie groans. “That’d be so nice.”
Chocolate. Tobias thinks he’s heard Nia mention that before. He can see his own curiosity on Samir’s face, from where the skiddo is plodding along in front of him, glancing between Nia and Junie.
Fine, he’ll bite.
“What’s chocolate?” Tobias asks.
“You haven’t had chocolate?!” Junie shouts.
“Shh!” Nia hisses, surprising both Tobias and Samir. The riolu glances up the mountainside, ears pinned nervously as she whispers, “Don’t yell! That can cause an avalanche!”
Junie shrinks back into Fidel’s mane, wide-eyed.
Tobias’ stomach turns. It can?
“Oh, you don’t need to worry about that,” Fidel says calmly. “The ribombee in the archives told me that was nothing more than a rumor. Sound doesn’t trigger avalanches. Changing temperatures and poor layering of snow and ice sets up the conditions, but it’s typically shifting weight or wind that does it.”
“Oh.” Nia relaxes. “Oh, good. Sorry, Junie.”
“Nah, you’re good. I remembered that after you said it, too. Must’ve been a cartoon thing.”
“So we can yell all we like, and we just need to make sure not to step wrong and pray the weather doesn’t cause any problems,” Tobias grumbles. “Great.”
Samir huffs, apparently sharing Tobias’ bleak outlook.
“I’m keeping an ear out for any danger,” Fidel assures. “I’ll do my best to make sure we make it to the top safely.”
After that, everyone falls silent again, saving their breath for the harsh climb. It quickly becomes an exhausting but mind-numbing task. Tobias takes sharp, painful breaths of freezing air. He puts one heavy foot in front of the other, and tries to ignore the straps of the showshoes digging into his skin. His neck itches and burns, and his eyes water. It doesn’t take long for the exposed parts of his body to lose sensation.
But they have to keep moving.
They continue to climb, carefully navigating steep, slippery slopes. At one point, they have to carefully skirt around a crevice in the ice to avoid falling into pitch black nothingness.
It feels like they’ll never reach the top.
Up ahead, Fidel suddenly stops, looking off to the side as if he noticed something. Then he diverts from their path, crouching beside…a shallow shelf of rock. It looks like a dark, gaping wound in the mountainside, stark against the snow.
“Let’s stop for the night,” Fidel says when the rest of them catch up.
Nia blinks, exchanging a confused look with Tobias and Samir. Her teeth chatter when she asks, “U-Um. Where?”
“We’ll freeze to death out here,” Tobias agrees.
“We won’t make it to the summit by nightfall,” Fidel explains. “So we need to make camp.”
Tobias blinks, looking up. It happened so gradually—and the environment is still so bright due to the white of the snow—that Tobias hadn’t even realized it, but it’s much darker than the last time they stopped for a break. Probably nearing dusk. He could hardly even tell, without the usual golden light of a sunset. Everything just sort of…dimmed.
Fidel’s right. They won’t make it to the summit today. Panic socks him in the gut.
“Can we even survive a night out here?”
Fidel jerks his head towards the rocky outcropping he’d been looking at before. “We can use this as our base.”
The zoroark moves closer to the rocky shelf, ducking to peer beneath it. It isn’t a cave, per se, just a shallow overhang of stone, but it does create a small divot underneath that’s mostly free of snow and sheltered from the worst of the wind.
“We’re gonna sleep here?” Junie asks, aghast.
“It’s the best option we have,” Fidel says, poking around the space. There’s barely enough room for him. “We’ll have to squeeze, but that’ll help us stay warm. And the overhang should protect us from any minor avalanches that might happen overnight.”
Nia and Samir glance at Tobias, then each other, nervous and doubtful. But Tobias can see the same exhaustion that he feels in his very bones reflected in their tired faces and slumped shoulders. The idea of stopping to rest sounds wonderful, even if that means sleeping here.
“Maybe we can pack the snow like an igloo,” Nia muses, trying to sound optimistic. She kneels near the edge of the shallow cave, and tries piling the snow into a mound. Luckily, it’s wet enough to stick. She makes a pleased sound and starts packing on more, slowly building up a wall to help block the wind.
“Good idea,” Fidel praises. He starts helping, his much larger paws scooping up snow with ease to get started on the other side. Samir uses their snowshoes to push more snow in Nia’s direction, and Tobias sighs and moves to help Fidel.
Tobias’ fingers are somehow both numb and stinging with pain by time they’re done, but they’ve built up an impressive dome of snow around the little divot. Tobias uses his flames to melt the outermost layer of snow and harden it into ice to make sure it won’t crumble, and they leave a gap open on top of the structure so they can breathe.
Finally, all that’s left is to crowd inside through the small opening they’d left untouched.
Fidel crawls in first and pulls a blanket from his pack to lie on the ground. Then he curls up on top, coaxing the rest of them into the circle of his body. Junie wastes no time fluttering into the shelter and burrowing into Fidel’s fur and mane, even as damp as it is. Nia follows, kicking off her snowshoes and curling atop Fidel with a sigh of relief.
Samir looks embarrassed to be treated like a child, but they relent after nudging off their own snowshoes and flopping onto Fidel’s soft pelt. It looks like it’s hitting them all at once how exhausted they are.
Finally, Tobias follows, so that they’re a heap of bodies drying around the meager heat of his tail flame. His fire is their only light source as night falls, but the space is small and cramped enough that it illuminates everything inside, glistening off the icy walls.
The whole arrangement is a bit closer than Tobias is comfortable with, and the smell of damp, sweaty Pokemon isn’t great, but he doesn’t complain. Between the blocked wind and their shared body heat, some semblance of feeling is finally coming back to his frigid extremities. The temperature change is so great that it actually burns.
His neck in particular is on fire, and he irritably rubs icy fingers against the skin of his throat. Ugh. It’s never been this bad, not since it was first healing all those years ago, but he supposes he’s also never been this cold before. He usually doesn’t think about it very much.
“We probably should’ve heated up some food and boiled water to drink,” Fidel says quietly, frowning. “We’ll need the energy tomorrow.”
“Can’t we just eat snow?” Junie asks from where she’s smushed between Nia and Samir, already half-asleep.
“Best not to, if possible. It takes energy to melt snow in your body, and that will just make you colder.”
“We can eat in the morning,” Tobias yawns. Past the stinging pain of his skin warming up again, he feels the exhaustion hitting in full. The gentle rise and fall of Fidel’s breathing beneath him doesn’t help.
“I suppose,” Fidel says, resting his head back atop his cloak. He has to be the coldest of all of them, with only his cloak and fur shielding him from the chill of the rocky mountain, but he doesn’t complain. Vaguely, Tobias wonders if the zoroark can’t help feeling a little parental over them in this kind of situation, with how much younger and smaller they are. He’s clearly a father, through and through. A good one.
Something about that thought pains Tobias, bringing to mind his own dad. He can’t help remembering his papa’s wings enfolding him and Vivi to keep them warm in cool mountain air.
He pushes the memory away, too tired to deal with the emotions it carries.
As they all warm up and start to drift off to sleep, Tobias hears Nia speak up. Her hushed voice is loud in the close quarters.
“Hey, Fidel?”
“Yes?”
“Thank you for helping us with this. I know you’re just doing it to help save the world and keep Asher and Will and everyone safe, but…I feel safer, too. Knowing you’re here and have our backs.”
Maybe Nia felt the same protective vibe that Tobias did.
Fidel is quiet for a long, heavy moment. Then he murmurs, “You’re welcome. I would do anything for Asher and Will, but…I’m happy that I can help relieve your burden as well.”
There’s not much conversation after that. If they were home, Nia would be complaining about how cold it was, but compared to the howling wind outside, this is paradise.
Sleep comes quickly for Tobias.
The next morning, Tobias wakes feeling like he hasn’t slept a wink, and his muscles are sore and heavy when he stretches atop Fidel’s fluffy fur. He has to work to pull on his snow gear and drag himself back into the cold, wincing as the frigid temperature slaps him in the face.
He’s really starting to hate the cold.
Everyone else slips outside into the cool blue morning, shivering and muttering complaints, though the protests quiet as they use Tobias’ tail flame to slowly heat up some snow and hydration berries for drinking water. While Fidel handles that, Tobias gnaws at a near-frozen breakfast of yache and aspear berries meant to, ironically, help them resist the cold.
It's a quiet, tired breakfast, and then it’s right back to it.
“We should be able to reach the summit today before it gets dark,” Fidel says encouragingly, staring up the mountainside where clouds blot everything out of sight. “It can’t be much farther.”
Before it gets dark? The thought that they have another full day of climbing ahead of them kind of makes Tobias want to cry.
Nia and Junie look like they feel the same. The riolu blinks back literal tears with a sniff. Samir just seems exhausted.
But they push on regardless, somehow even slower and quieter than the day before. Even Fidel seems sluggish as he scouts ahead, though Tobias isn’t sure whether that’s the zoroark’s own exhaustion making itself known or if Fidel is slowing down for their sake.
Tobias fights the urge to scratch at the tight skin around his neck and focuses instead on putting one foot in front of the other and making sure that he keeps everyone else in sight ahead of him.
One foot.
Then the other.
Don’t think about how cold it is. Don’t think about how he already can’t feel his toes or nose. Don’t think about heavy limbs and a sore throat. Don’t think about how much farther they have to go.
Just keep moving. Second after second and minute after minute, until the hours add up.
They climb.
Hours pass. The gray, sleepy light of morning sharpens to a blinding white with crisp blue shadows.
It’s not until Junie asks, “Uh. Is it normal that I’m getting a little lightheaded?” from Fidel’s mane that Tobias realizes he is, too.
“Altitude changes taking their toll, I’m guessing,” Fidel says with a frown. “The mandibuzz warned me about that. Unfortunately, there’s not much we can do aside from taking it slow and staying hydrated. Does anyone need to stop?”
No one wants to stop. Not when it’ll only feel like hindering their progress. So, slowly, one by one, they shake their heads. Fidel looks conflicted, glancing over them with sympathy in his eyes, but he takes them at their word and keeps moving.
When they do finally stop for a break an eternity later, it’s atop a ridge with a clear view of the mountains surrounding them. Somehow, they almost look small from way up here, despite the fact that they’re adorned with low-hanging clouds that say otherwise. It feels like they’re in the sky itself.
“Wow,” Nia breathes, looking at the view with more energy than he’s seen from her all day. “Climbing this is awful, but the view is beautiful.”
Tobias supposes it is kind of breathtaking, when he looks out and thinks of where they are. How high up. He just wishes he wasn’t so exhausted and cold while looking at it.
It’s mid-afternoon when the group gets moving again. Tobias hefts their satchel over his shoulder—it’s his turn to carry it—before following the others on their endless trudge through the snow. He doesn’t think he wants to see snow ever again after this adventure, which is unfortunate considering it’s nearly winter back home. At least it’s warmer in the Haven, though, and they won’t have to be out for days at a time like this.
Tobias is pulled from his thoughts by Fidel stopping ahead of them, the movement more abrupt than usual. The zoroark is nearly a speck in the distance, but Tobias can see how he rises to his hind legs, stock-still and ears pricked as he stares up the mountainside.
The wind blows loudly around them, whipping Tobias’ cloak away from his legs. His stomach clenches with a bad feeling.
After a few long seconds, Nia calls, “Fidel?”
Another moment of cautious stillness. Tobias takes a few steps forward, passing Nia and Samir to get closer to Fidel and ask what’s wrong.
Suddenly, the zoroark drops and bolts back towards them, kicking up snow. He shouts something, but it’s lost to a quiet…rumbling sound. For a moment, Tobias thinks it’s just the blood rushing in his ears, until he realizes it’s growing exponentially louder with each ticking second. Slowly, it becomes more defined—a sound like rushing water and snapping ice.
Then, Tobias sees it: what looks like a cloud bursting from the mountainside, exploding over the lip of the nearest ridge and chasing Fidel with terrifying speed. It almost looks like smoke, but lumpier. More solid. It moves like the froth of raging water, sliding and crashing and quickly gaining speed on the zoroark, more and more pouring and tumbling down the mountainside and shaking the ground beneath Tobias’ feet.
Fidel is dwarfed by the avalanche at his heels.
Panic shoots through Tobias.
The zoroark is still shouting something, probably telling them to move, but Tobias doesn’t see how they could simply sidestep an avalanche that feels as wide as the horizon. It barrels towards them with all the speed of the train they saw at Ghatha.
No. Faster than that.
As Tobias watches, it catches Fidel, yanking his paws out from under him. The zoroark tumbles beneath snow and ice, covered in an instant and surfacing only as an occasional flash of red.
Tobias casts a frantic look to the left and right, but sees nothing that could protect them. Junie is saying something behind him, her voice frantic and rising with panic.
“Run!” Tobias yells, turning to stumble back the way they came. He doesn’t know what else to do.
Ahead of him, Tobias sees Nia yelling something at Junie. The riolu flings her arm up, and Junie’s bright yellow shoots into the air with it, her dark wings snapping out to flap wildly and keep her afloat. Nia reaches over and yanks Samir into her side, and the skiddo stumbles, legs buckling in the snow. Tobias has just enough time to feel relieved that the two of them are together.
Then, the avalanche hits him like a wave.
The ground slides out from under Tobias’ feet. He tumbles head over heels with a gasp that sends a chunk of snow searing down his throat. Then he’s caught in the riptide of the avalanche, snow tumbling over his head and carrying him along like a current. Chunks of ice—or the ground, maybe—slam into him, planting bruises that’ll surely bloom later as long as he survives this. He feels like he’s an instant away from the current snapping off a limb, his head dizzy and unable to determine which way is up in the chaos.
Then his head surfaces and he manages to gasp in air as he latches onto a chunk of ice as big as a donphan and rides it down the current. He can’t see a thing with snow and ice flickering over his vision and stinging his eyes, churned up by the force of the avalanche. Everything is deafening noise and stinging cold.
For a brief moment, the ice he’s atop catches on something—the ridge they climbed over earlier, maybe?—though he can feel it shifting, about to tumble over and continue its momentum.
Wait, a ridge? When they were setting up camp last night, didn’t Fidel say something about the overhang protecting them from avalanches?
Tobias feels the ice chunk drop and he goes tumbling with it, trying in vain to turn and fight against the current, to the safety of the ridge, only to be swept away again.
Snow and light and dark and cold and—
And then he’s being grabbed by the arm and yanked to the side. Ice and snow suck at his legs and try to pull him back into the flow of the avalanche, but then he’s free of the current and collapsing onto semi-solid, icy ground. He pants hard, body too exhausted to move and see what in Entei’s name just happened.
Around him, the roar of the avalanche continues beyond his heavy breathing and pounding heart, but it’s muted compared to before. A distant thing.
Slowly, Tobias becomes aware enough to register a nose prodding at his face. Then, a familiar whistle-pause-whistle in his ear, again and again. Are you okay? Are you okay?
Tobias groans, lifting his head and blinking hard. It can’t be, but…
Sure enough, Samir is crouched in front of him, brown eyes fluttering closed with a relieved sigh. And behind the skiddo, around them is—
Nia’s aura, a blue forcefield encircling them like glass. It’s not fully enclosed, not the bubble that Tobias has seen her make before, but instead a concentrated shield against the force of the avalanche. It’s curved, sending snow and ice diverting around them, like a rock in a stream. The avalanche pounds against it, seemingly endless.
Nia is holding up the shield with both hands, her stance wide and teeth gritted. Aura glows in her eyes and around her snowshoes, as if staking her to the ground. Their group isn’t entirely stationary, though. The chunk of ice they’ve found refuge on is small and still riding downhill with everything else, just at a slightly slower, more controlled pace. Like a raft in a hurricane.
Before Tobias can say anything, Nia’s head lifts with a gasp. “Fidel!”
Tobias’ brain is still trying to catch up, but he squints in the direction Nia’s faced towards, trying to see anything past the snow and ice.
Samir stumbles to their feet—holding one foreleg off the ground—and whistles a single, sharp word.
No.
Tobias slowly sits up, wincing.
“But—Fidel!” Nia gasps. “H-He’s right there. If I—”
For an instant, the shield flickers, letting in a burst of snow and a few rattling chunks of ice that spatter over them. Tobias’ heart jumps into his throat.
Samir limps the two steps needed to glare directly at Nia, their eyes fierce. Again, the skiddo whistles, No.
Oh. Tobias understands now, even if he doesn’t like it. Nia must’ve sensed Fidel. Must want to help him, because of course she does, she’s Nia. But…
If that shield goes down, they’ll be lost to the avalanche again, and that could spell disaster.
For a moment, looking at Samir’s fierce expression, Tobias feels like he’s back at the guild, being scolded by the skiddo for their recklessness. Except this time, he knows he has to side with them.
“Nia,” Tobias whispers. “You can’t. You know you can’t.”
Nia whimpers, but hangs her head and doesn’t move. The shield holds.
They continue down the mountainside, undoing all the progress they’d made over the past day of hiking. And eventually, the avalanche calms. Slowly at first, then more noticeably. The impenetrable cloud of snow thins, until light and sky finally show through. The rumble softens, then dies off entirely.
And their little raft of safety drifts to a gentle stop.
Nia gasps, knees buckling as the shield disappears. Snow and ice pours in over her arms and around Tobias and Samir’s ankles as she takes harsh gulps of air.
For a long moment, it’s unnervingly silent without the sound of the avalanche. It almost feels wrong, leaving a ringing in Tobias’ ears.
Tobias blinks as he stumbles to his feet, looking around and trying to understand what just happened. Low-hanging clouds and a glimpse of sky sit overhead. Snow and ice paint the landscape, with the imposing blue mass of the mountains as a backdrop. Everything is still and peaceful, as if nothing had even happened.
He can’t see Fidel anywhere.
“Guys!”
Tobias looks up, relieved to spot a flash of yellow swooping down from the sky. Junie. Good, she’s safe. She lands with clumsy wingbeats on the snow beside them, seemingly unscathed save for the frost already coating her wings.
“Is everyone okay?” Junie gasps, looking between the three of them between clouds of heavy breathing. “Did you lose Fidel?”
“We did,” Nia says, voice strained. She pushes herself to her feet, staggering for a moment. She’s clearly drained from using her aura to hold back so much force. “I-I saw him, for a moment, after we grabbed Tobias. But…”
Junie wilts as Nia speaks. The rookidee looks farther down the mountainside. “S-Should we go look for him?”
Nia turns to stumble past Junie and Tobias, avoiding their eyes. Then, voice breaking, she lifts her paws to her mouth to shout, “Fidel!”
For a long moment they’re all silent, save for the echo of Nia’s call and the howl of the wind. Around them, the snow snaps and settles.
No answer.
“Fidel!” Nia calls again, voice pitching up an octave.
Before he can worry about Fidel, Tobias needs to make sure everyone else is okay. Junie seems fine, if extra cold after her bout in the air. She’s shaking, icy wings tucked away to warm up. Samir seems fine, save for the brooding expression on their face and the way they have a front hoof held gingerly above the ground. As Tobias watches, the skiddo tries to put weight on it, and immediately winces, lifting it again. Great. Tobias hopes that’s just a sprain, and not broken.
“Fidel!” Nia yells again, sounding like she’s on the brink of tears. She’s clearly upset, but she’s standing and doesn’t seem physically hurt.
Finally, Tobias takes stock of himself. He feels aches and bruises blooming under his skin, and a glance at his body shows some new scrapes have dripped red into the snow. But as he stands and moves his arms, he doesn’t think any serious damage was done. Definitely not as much as could’ve been done if he’d gone the full length down the mountainside.
However, he feels dread unfurl in his stomach when he registers the lightness of his cloak against his back. Praying that he’s wrong, he reaches behind himself and pats his spine, confirming yet another problem.
Their satchel is gone, ripped away by the avalanche. Along with their badges, the letter from August, and all their supplies. Their food. Their healing items.
Tobias forcibly turns his mind away from that problem for now.
“Fidel!” Nia’s voice cracks. She’s staring down the mountainside, shoulders hitching.
“Nia,” Tobias sighs, reaching for her.
“Why did you stop me?!” Nia snarls, spinning around. There are tears in her eyes as she moves past Tobias to glare at Samir. Her fists shake. “I-I could’ve saved him! I…”
Samir just looks back at Nia with tired eyes.
“Nia,” Tobias warns, stepping between them and putting his hands on her shoulders. “I know you’re upset, but I couldn’t even see Fidel. He would’ve been too far to reach safely. You know that.”
For a moment, Nia glares at Tobias too, before her anger tips over into grief. She sniffles as the tears overflow, and wipes at her face. “I know. I-I just…”
She trails off. Tobias rubs her arms while he looks down the mountainside at what used to be a pristine blanket of snow. Now it looks like a mess, churned-up chunks of ice and snow as far as Tobias can see.
No Fidel.
How do they even begin searching for someone in a situation like this? Should they? What if they trigger a second avalanche? It’d probably be safer not to risk it. But what if Fidel is hurt, or buried beneath the snow?
“I’ll take a look,” Junie says. Her voice is nervous, but she unfolds her wings from beneath her cloak and crouches.
“Are you good to fly?” Tobias asks, frowning. He saw the way she landed. Even if she’s uninjured, she’s clearly struggling in the cold and wind.
“I’ll come back when I’m a popsicle,” Junie jokes, giving Tobias a reassuring half-smile. Then she pushes off, flapping clumsily into the air as wind currents bat her to the side. She pushes through, though, gliding down the mountainside in jerky starts and stops.
“We should look, too,” Nia says, quiet but determined. “I-I can use my aura to search.”
The riolu stumbles and falls on her first step, and Tobias realizes she lost one of her snowshoes in addition to what is surely a case of aura exhaustion.
“Don’t push yourself,” Tobias says quietly, helping her to her feet.
Nia barks a laugh. “We’ve been pushing ourselves for the past two days. What’s a little more?”
Tobias can’t really argue with that. Still— “Here. Take this, at least.” Tobias slips off one of his snowshoes and hands it to her. “We’re about the same size. You’ll need it if you want a chance of walking down the mountainside instead of tripping.”
“Oh.” Nia blinks and looks down at her shoeless paw, as if only now realizing it was bare. Then, she hesitantly takes the snowshoe and slips it on. “Thank you. I didn’t…won’t you need it?”
“I’m gonna hang back with Samir until you find something,” Tobias says, ignoring Samir’s head whipping over to scowl at Tobias. “They can’t walk down that and I won’t be much help unless you need another pair of hands. Just be careful.”
Nia’s eyes widen as she looks at Samir and spots their injured hoof. Her ears go back and her expression pinches with concern, but she doesn’t say anything. Instead, she nods with a quiet thanks and turns to tromp through the snow, holding a paw out in front of her to channel her aura into a radar and hunt for signs of Fidel. As Nia descends, Junie circles lower so the two can work in tandem.
Tobias turns back to Samir. He lifts a brow when Samir meets his gaze with a strained expression and all four hooves planted on the snow.
“I know you’re injured, Samir,” Tobias groans, pinching the skin between his eyes. “Don’t make it worse by being a stubborn idiot.”
The skiddo scoffs, but dutifully lifts their injured hoof from the snow. Their eyes are averted, an ashamed expression on their face.
“Thank you,” Tobias murmurs, crouching to take hold of the skiddo’s injured leg. Unfortunately, he’s really not great with internal injuries, so it’s hard to tell if it’s broken or just sprained. Either way, the grass type won’t be walking on it any time soon. Not up the mountain, at least.
Another stab of fear in Tobias’ gut. He swallows to keep it down, standing back up. “No walking on that. Keep it raised for now.”
Samir’s brow furrows. The skiddo looks down the mountainside towards Nia and Junie, then back at Tobias with a somber expression.
“I know,” Tobias croaks, watching Nia stumble through the snow. Junie falters in the air and drops for a moment before catching herself. “The situation is…bad.”
Samir doesn’t answer.
Tobias opens his mouth to say something else—to ask Samir what they think they should do, maybe—when Nia cries out.
“I found him! Tobias, come help me dig! Hurry!”
Her voice is shrill with urgency. Tobias jolts and starts tripping down the slope towards her, cursing his single snowshoe before deciding to ditch it altogether. He immediately sinks deeper than before, up to his knees, ice cutting at his feet and snow burning at his skin.
Tobias calls over his shoulder, “Samir, stay put!”
The skiddo, who had been hobbling after him, scowls and plunks back down into the snow.
It feels like hours by time Tobias finally reaches Nia’s side, panting. Junie is already at her side, scraping at the snow with her tiny feet. Nia is making more progress, digging with hurried scoops of her paws.
“Tobias!” Nia says, glancing up at him. “Dig here. He needs to be able to breathe.”
Tobias’ heart jumps, and he immediately kneels to start digging as well. “Is he alive?”
“He is. But I don’t think he’s getting enough air. I-I think people can die by suffocation when they get buried like this.”
Tobias stuffs down the fear that inspires and nods, resuming his digging. He tries to ignore the way his fingers go numb with raw, stinging pain.
It feels endless. How deep is Fidel? And if Nia’s right, how long can someone survive under the snow without air?
Finally, Nia removes a chunk of ice, revealing Fidel’s long, dark muzzle. His eyes are closed, framed by a snow-clumped mane of red fur.
“Oh, thank God,” Nia whispers. She brushes snow away from the zoroark’s face with gentle, shaking paws. “Fidel?”
Fidel doesn’t answer, but when Tobias hovers fingers over the zoroark’s mouth, he feels puffs of warm breath against his skin.
“He’s breathing,” Tobias sighs, letting his head tip forward to rest onto the snow. He feels more than sees the other two collapse with relief next to him.
It takes longer than Tobias would like, but they get Fidel unburied enough to gently pull him free of the snow entirely. Bits of his dark fur are clumped black with blood, but Tobias doesn’t see any serious injuries, thankfully. All they can do is pray that Fidel doesn’t have internal bleeding.
With that done, their momentum slows. Suddenly, Tobias realizes it’s getting dark. The afternoon sky is rapidly growing dimmer with dusk.
“What now?” Junie asks, voice small.
The answering silence is heavy. Fidel is unconscious, Samir’s hoof is injured, and they’ve lost almost all of their supplies. They have no way up the mountain or even back down to safety. They’re stuck, and night will fall in a matter of an hour. Maybe two.
Panic wells in Tobias’ chest, and he struggles to take deep breaths. They won’t die here. They can’t.
“I-I could try flying to the village?” Junie suggests. “Or back down to get help?”
“No,” Tobias says, sharp. “You can’t make it in this weather. And I’m not risking splitting us up.”
For a moment, Junie looks like she wants to argue, before she deflates again, looking down at her semi-extended wing. Her feathers are thick with ice. Tobias would be surprised if she could even take flight.
Nia’s ear twitches and swivels, and she looks behind her. “Samir! What’re you doing? You’re hurt!”
Oh, that skiddo better not be—
They are. Samir is picking their way carefully down the mountainside, despite their injured hoof.
Tobias gives the skiddo a scathing look as they approach. Samir rolls their eyes and gestures to Fidel, as if to say, What, you were going to lug him up to me?
…Fair point.
“Let’s set up here for the night,” Tobias decides once Samir reaches them. He looks around for a ridge like they sheltered in last night, but can’t even spot the one he tumbled over during the avalanche. They’ll have to make do out in the open.
“Here?” Junie asks.
“You have a tent stashed under that coat of yours?”
“I wish.”
“Another snow fort, then?” Nia murmurs.
“We don’t exactly have a lot of options,” Tobias says.
After a moment of tired hesitation, the group starts building another makeshift igloo, keeping Fidel where he is and building the structure around him. Tobias is worried about the fact that they won’t have a rock wall to protect them from any other avalanches, but he can’t see any shelter close enough to drag Fidel to. He’s also worried about them lying directly on the cold, wet ground, but Fidel seems to have lost his own supply bag as well, so no blanket.
It’s nearly dark by time their sloppy shelter is built, lumpy and misshapen but blocking the worst of the wind. They’ve long since stopped talking, each of them fighting against the oppressive, quietly terrified air that’s fallen over them.
As soon as the shelter is finished, all of them pile inside, packing close together in a shivering lump around Fidel. Tobias doesn’t think he’ll be able to sleep, as scared and cold as he is. Instead, he listens to the chattering teeth of his companions. Listens to the little whimpers Junie tries to stifle, and the wet sniffles from Nia. The way Samir is turned away from them all as if to hide their face. Tobias’ tail flame is dangerously low, but he refuses to think about one or all of them never waking up again.
He is so, so scared.
Still, Tobias must drift off at some point, because he wakes up to Nia’s sharp inhale as she bolts upright.
“Nia?” Tobias slurs, picking up his head with a squint. “What—”
Nia looks intense, her eyes distant as if she’s listening to some far-off call. Her paw drifts to her chest. “I thought I felt…”
Nia closes her eyes, and the appendages on either side of her face lift with a blue glow, lighting the interior of their shelter.
Samir and Junie lift their own heads, blinking sleep out of their eyes with questioning noises.
Nia’s eyes snap open. She pushes past Tobias to start digging at the wall, bringing it down in clumps.
“Hey!” Tobias snaps, recoiling from the wave of frigid air. “What’re you—”
Nia’s already gone, slipping out into the night.
“Hey! Over here!” Nia yells, muted through the layers of snow.
Tobias’ breath catches in his lungs, his anger evaporating. He scrambles after her, pulling himself into the howling wind of the mountainside. Nia is standing right outside, looking up the mountain and waving her arms.
Tobias follows her gaze, and feels a desperate, painful hope surge in his chest.
A pack of Pokemon are leaping and skidding down the slope with practiced ease. For a moment, Tobias thinks he’s seeing things when faint flashes of color shine amongst the dark shapes, until they get close enough to see under the moonlight.
No wonder Nia was the first to notice them. They must be using aura.
It’s a pack of lucario, their forms a strange echo of Nia’s silhouette, except twice as tall and more lithe, all lanky muscle and sharp edges. There’s one, two, three, four…five of them, coming their way fast. Tobias blinks hard, trying to convince himself he’s not seeing things.
“Hey, what—” Junie hops out of their shelter, cutting herself off. “Oh. Oh! Are they—?”
“They thought they heard yells when the avalanche struck,” Nia breathes, looking back at them with bright, teary eyes. “They’re here to help.”
All the tension in Tobias’ body leaves at once, almost sending him to his knees. Normally, he’d be more suspicious of a powerful pack of strangers coming their way in the dead of night, especially when they’re exhausted and injured, but this time he’ll take his chances.
They’re saved. Oh, thank Arceus.
Within minutes, the lucario reach their side, slowing to a stop with steps that barely shift the snow beneath their paws.
“A riolu?” one of the lucario says, her quiet voice surprised as she locks eyes with Nia. “But she’s…”
The rest of the lucario don’t comment, but Tobias doesn’t miss the way they all home in on Nia with something like shock flickering across their stoic faces.
“Thank you so much for coming to help us,” Nia says, ignoring the looks to stumble forward in the snow. Her words are fast, running together with exhaustion and relief. “W-We’re from the Lexym Guild. August sent us. We need to get to the village on top of the mountain, but the avalanche…”
The lead lucario’s stiff expression doesn’t soften, but he does nod. “We heard. Come. We’ll take you the rest of the way.” His eyes, a piercing blue, glance over the pitiful shelter they’d built. “You have injured among you.”
“We do,” Tobias admits.
The lead lucario nods.
Without a word, three of the lucario peel away from the pack and dig out a chunk of the shelter’s roof. One lucario reaches in and plucks out an alarmed-looking Samir, though the skiddo calms when they see Nia, Tobias, and Junie. The two other lucario silently heft Fidel’s larger form between them.
A third lucario pads over to crouch and offer Nia a spot on his back.
“O-Oh!” Nia seems surprised. “Thank you.”
She climbs on, and Junie hops up to nestle into the crook of the riolu's shoulder.
Another lucario steps over to Tobias, and he forces himself not to bristle as he too is offered a ride. On the one hand, it’s a bit embarrassing to have to be carried into the village. On the other hand, he is fartoo exhausted to protest. So, after a moment of hesitation, Tobias climbs onto the lucario’s back and wraps his arms around their neck, marveling at the strange familiarity of the Pokemon’s collar of fur. It’s not as soft as Nia’s fur, but very little is.
The lead lucario is the only one without someone to carry. He glances once more over their pathetic shelter, as if to make sure they aren’t forgetting anything. Then, without a word, he turns and bounds up the mountainside. The other lucario follow as if on command, leaping after him.
Tobias is amazed by how quickly the lucario move. They don’t have snowshoes, but a glance down at their paws shows they’re instead using quick flashes of aura to keep traction and spread out their weight across the snow. The lucario holding Tobias has orange aura, bold against the blue tones of the night.
Using their aura and the powerful muscles that Tobias can feel bunching and stretching beneath him, the lucario launch themselves up the mountainside in impressive leaps, arcing fearlessly through the air to land on bounders and ridges that lie invisible beneath the snow, at least to Tobias’ eyes.
Could they be using aura to map out their route? Tobias is too tired to think about it for long. He’s sure Nia will ask about it later anyways.
For now, Tobias allows his head to tip forward and rest against the lucario’s shoulder as he closes his eyes. Now that they’re out of immediate danger, he’s starting to feel the toll his body has taken. Bruises and scrapes and water damage on his skin. Aching, heavy limbs. A fire on the skin of his throat, hidden beneath his scarf.
But he’s just relieved they aren’t dead.
Chapter 71
Summary:
Nia, Tobias, Samir and Junie meet a few new faces--and one old acquaintance--in the village atop the mountains, and focus on recuperating before their search for Yveltal continues.
Chapter Text
Nia feels dizzy with relief as they’re taken to the village. She tightens her arms around the neck of the lucario carrying her, grateful that they’re doing most of the work of holding her and Junie up.
Junie is quiet where she’s nestled in the crook of Nia’s neck, surely just as exhausted as the rest of them, so Nia closes her eyes as the moonlit snow of the mountainside rushes by at an incredible speed, wind whistling against her ears with each impressive leap through the air. The lucario are beyond agile.
Lucario—Nia’s evolved form. She’s sure she’ll have a million questions for them once she doesn’t feel like a lump of a person anymore.
Could Nia make leaps like this one day, if she stayed in this world long enough to evolve? She’s pretty sure she could already manage the snowshoe technique they’re using with a little practice, and she’s weirdly proud that she thought of something similar during the avalanche, spiking her aura through her snowshoes to cling to the ice like cleats.
The lucario leap and bound silently, though, gracefully navigating the mountainside in a way that Nia knows she would struggle with. They move as a seamless group, like a school of fish, and Nia wonders if they’re using aura to communicate rather than words, or if they’re just that well-trained. She could probably use her own aura to find out, but she can tell her energy is low after holding back the avalanche.
Plus, some part of her suspects that would be rude. Like eavesdropping.
So Nia stays quiet and keeps her aura to herself, despite the way she can feel other auras brushing by hers on occasion, gone too fast for her to decipher what they’re feeling.
Time passes in a surreal blur, both endless and instant. Finally, Nia notices the lucario beneath her slowing down, and she lifts her head to see that they’re cresting a snowy ridge, light glowing from beyond its lip. And when they reach the top, Nia can see its source.
The village. It’s tucked away inside the shallow bowl of a valley, the slopes surrounding it too gentle for an avalanche to form. The buildings themselves are made from stone and wood, low to the ground with steeply pointed, snow-covered roofs. Thick ice crawls up the foundations of the buildings and hang as icicles from the edges of their roofs like delicate adornments, glistening with firelight from the torches outside nearly every home. Through the cracks in windows and doors, Nia can see more firelight beckoning with its golden glow.
Nia doesn’t think she’s ever seen a more inviting sight in her life. She’s so ready to be warm.
The lucario who rescued them cluster together as they enter the village proper, the leader striding forward with purpose and a destination clearly in mind.
Since night has already fallen, it seems like most of the villagers are already tucked away inside their homes, but there are still a couple of Pokemon out and about, nearly all of them species Nia hasn’t seen before. Ice types, most likely.
There’s a giant polar bear with icicles growing on his face like a beard, a basket full of some kind of vegetable or root sitting on his hip. A tiny blue and white bear cub with a dripping nose toddles after him.
A large white yeti Pokemon with an afro-like snowball atop his head pushes a sleigh of crates across the snow with his powerful arms. He passes by them with a quiet word of greeting to the lucario and a wary glance at Nia and the others.
A pale blue dinosaur Pokemon with a build similar to Maggie and a lovely sunset-toned frill atop her head watches them curiously from her house’s window.
Nia can’t manage more than a tired smile when she meets each of their gazes, but they don’t seem all that excited to see strangers. Fidel did say they’d be seen as outsiders, so it makes sense that they wouldn’t have a warm reception, even if some part of Nia can’t help feeling a bit hurt when they don’t return her friendliness. She tries not to take it personally.
“The Matriarch will want to speak with you right away,” the lead lucario says, catching Nia’s attention. It’s clear from how he says it that it’s an order, and not an offer.
“What about Fidel and Samir?” Nia asks, looking back at the zoroark’s limp form being carried between two of the lucario. “They’re both hurt.”
The lead lucario glances over his shoulder at Fidel, then looks forward again. Wordlessly, the two lucario carrying Fidel peel off to take the zoroark elsewhere.
“Hey!” Tobias barks. “Where are they—"
“The healer. Is your injury urgent, Skiddo?”
Nia glances back again to see Samir shake their head no, which Nia knows better than to fight against even if they really should get their leg looked at sooner rather than later.
Nia wishes they could rest before having to explain everything, but the lucario ahead of them is all business and strides through the small village at a quick pace, his tall ears pricked. She doesn’t think he’d agree to dropping them off somewhere for food and sleep before accomplishing what he has set out to do.
Luckily, it’s only a couple of minutes before Nia sees their destination. It’s a building larger than the others, and the ice at its base is much taller than the other clusters in the village, surrounding the structure like a fancy crystalline frame. A small set of stairs leads up to thick wooden doors, and the lead lucario opens them without hesitation, the others following him inside.
The lead lucario guides them down a surprisingly ornate front hall decorated with rugs on the floor, tapestries along the walls, and shelves and side tables displaying beautiful stones and gems. It’s dim, the wooden interior warm but not well-lit, and Nia barely has a chance to look around before they’re reaching the end of the hall and turning to enter a smaller room.
The new space is surprisingly cozy, almost like a den. It’s dim, lit by the flicker of a fireplace, but it’s just as well decorated as the front hall. Tapestries cover the walls in geometric patterns and abstract depictions of Pokemon, mountains, and plants. More stones and gems sit atop shelves and bookcases, glinting in the firelight. And in front of the fireplace, sitting atop a plush rug, are two tall chairs.
The lead lucario guides their group around the chairs, the pack gently setting them down onto their own shaky feet. Nia shudders as the heat of the fire hits her back; the warmth is both incredibly welcome and somehow too hot after being exposed to the frigid air outside. She watches over Samir’s head as most of the lucario exit the room, save for the leader who guided them here.
A new Pokemon catches Nia’s attention next, sitting in front of them in one of the high-backed chairs. She’s sipping from a stone mug with her eyes closed, but Nia’s gut swoops with surprise and lingering guilt as she realizes the Pokemon looks like Ezra. She has a similar shade of sleek, dark blue fur and a gleam of gold at her forehead. And around her mug, the impressive claws of Ezra’s evolutionary line are curled. The only differences are that she’s larger than Nia’s friend, and her striking red ears are held much lower beneath a tall, proud crown of feathers. Maybe she’s the sneasel line’s evolution?
The second thing Nia notices are the barely visible streaks of gray around her face, marking her age. A thin, patterned shawl also rests around her shoulders. She must be on the older side, but there’s something about the confident, leisurely way she holds herself that makes Nia feel like she’s still a force to be reckoned with.
“Matriarch,” the lead lucario says, bowing respectfully.
Nia hurries to bow as well, clamping a hand over Junie when the bird nearly falls off her shoulder.
“Soren,” the Matriarch says in return, voice wry. She opens sharp, cat-like eyes to look over Nia and the others. “So you’re the mites that set off the avalanche? You and that zoroark.”
The lucario, Soren, answers for them with a nod. He must’ve used his aura to let her know that ahead of time.
“Interesting that there’s a riolu among you,” the Matriarch comments, looking at Nia with idle curiosity. “It’s rare for riolu to separate from the packs, isn’t it?”
Nia exchanges an uncertain look with Tobias and Samir. What does she say to that?
“She’s human,” Soren answers, his tone unreadable.
Nia’s head whips over to stare at him. Soren stares back with piercing blue eyes.
There’s no way he should know that, so…he must’ve picked that up from her aura, even if Nia’s never noticed much of a difference between a Pokemon’s aura and a human’s aura. But she knows he’s been paying careful attention to hers ever since they met. Even now, she can feel his energy—a deep, almost royal blue color—brushing near hers, not quite looking at her feelings or thoughts but almost…encircling her. Guarding her aura and preparing to counter if she uses it in some way.
She doesn’t like the claustrophobic feeling.
Nia swallows down a note of fear. Okay, so they know she’s human. They still rescued them and brought them to the village, so even if Soren’s guarded stare isn’t her favorite thing in the world, they aren’t immediately freaking out about her humanity.
The Matriarch sips at her drink, watching. Waiting.
“I-I am human,” Nia admits. “My name is Nia. These are my friends—my teammates. Tobias, Samir, and Junie.” She gestures to each of them in turn. “The zoroark is our friend Fidel.”
The Matriarch glances at Soren, then back to them. “You four seem relatively unscathed for how injured the zoroark is.”
Nia winces, fresh guilt clogging her throat. “I used my aura to protect us, but Fidel was scouting ahead. I…I couldn’t reach him in time.”
The aura surrounding Nia’s tightens for a moment. Nia feels a flicker of Soren’s emotions.
Suspicion. Unease.
Just as quickly as they arrived, the emotions distance themselves.
“You held back the avalanche by yourself?” The Matriarch asks, tone neutral.
Nia nods.
Soren continues to stare at Nia, frowning. “You also knew that we were approaching you on the mountainside. And what our intentions were.”
Nia frowns back at him. Should…she not have been able to do that? “Yes..? I felt your aura searching for ours. That you were looking for survivors to bring back to the village.”
The lucario doesn’t respond, though the furrow in his brow deepens slightly.
“I suppose the next question is why you were trying to climb the mountain in the first place,” the Matriarch says, finishing her drink and setting it onto the side table with a quiet clunk of stone on wood. “Not many venture this way, and for good reason. You would’ve been dead by morning without the pack’s goodwill.”
Nia swallows, nodding. “W-We know.” She glances at Soren. “Thank you again.”
Soren doesn’t respond.
Beside her, Tobias steps forward. “We were sent here on a mission by Augustus, the Lexym guildmaster.”
The Matriarch straightens in her seat, clearly recognizing the name of the rillaboom.
“We’re looking into the world’s instability and suspect we might know the cause of it,” Tobias continues. “And we’re trying to figure out how to fix it before it’s too late.”
The Matriarch hums. “Is that so? A noble aim. And what could the mountain offer you in such an endeavor?”
Tobias glances at Nia and Samir. Nia nods.
“We want to explore the mountains to see if we can find evidence of Yveltal sleeping nearby.”
Though the Matriarch and lucario don’t visibly react, something in the air—in their aura—grows heavy. Cautious.
“We’re actually trying to find Xerneas,” Nia clarifies, a little frantic. “But we thought since they usually sleep so close to each other, we could narrow down the search if we could confirm Yveltal’s resting place first.”
“Yveltal’s location has been lost to time,” the Matriarch says. The light of the fire flickers across her face, giving her an eerie look. “What leads your search here?”
“The barren landscape, for one,” Tobias says.
“A-And the crystals,” Nia adds. Soren and the Matriarch lock their gazes onto her. “We ran into a researcher on a mission a couple weeks back, and he said he was coming here to investigate some strange crystal formations. Carnelian the sableye?”
The Matriarch sits back, her eyes narrowing. Quietly, almost too low to hear, she says something to Soren. For a moment, Nia thinks she’s just too tired to understand the jumble of words, until Soren answers back with something equally incomprehensible.
Oh. That’s…a different language. It’s a consonant-heavy tongue, and some of the sounds are entirely unfamiliar to Nia, throaty as they are. Nia thought that whatever allowed her to understand and speak Ordirune—the most common language in this world—just translated all languages, but apparently not. Nia glances at Junie, still perched on her shoulder, but the rookidee looks just as lost as Nia feels. Tobias and Samir seem equally out of the loop, their shoulders tense and brows furrowed.
Huh. She’d put the whole language translation thing on the backburner, but this makes her curious again. If there are multiple languages in this world, then doesn’t that mean Nia should still be able to speak plain English? Or…will her tongue always twist it into Ordirune?
She hopes not. Something about losing her native language entirely makes her feel…sad.
Finally, the Matriarch turns back to them. “If Augustus sent you, then he surely sent a letter to vouch for you, yes?”
“He did,” Tobias confirms, grimacing. “But we lost our pack in the avalanche. Our items were wiped.”
The Matriarch sighs, rubbing at her forehead with her knuckles. “Of course. In that case, I will need to have Soren check your aura.”
Tobias and Samir both lean away, visibly uncomfortable.
“Why?” Junie asks, suspicious.
“To verify that you’re honest about your intentions,” the Matriarch explains. “If we have any knowledge regarding Yveltal, I will not risk that kind of power falling into the wrong hands.”
Nia supposes that makes sense, but…
She glances again at Tobias and Samir and their tense postures. They clearly hate the idea of a stranger they don’t trust reading their aura.
“Could you just check mine?” Nia asks, taking a step closer to Soren. “Tobias and Samir are private people.”
“You can check mine too!” Junie chirps.
Tobias starts to protest behind them, but apparently thinks better of it as he falls silent.
“Will that work?” Nia asks.
Soren seems unhappy with the compromise, but maybe that’s just how his face always looks because he only hesitates for a moment before nodding. Then, he closes his eyes and holds out a paw in front of Nia and Junie.
And then, all at once, the aura that had been skimming around Nia's engulfs her. It's heavy, and it doesn’t hesitate before carding through her aura with purpose, digging between her ribs and pulling at her soul like taffy as it searches for something in particular.
It feels so…intrusive. Nia desperately hopes this isn’t what it’s like when she reads someone’s aura. She always tries to be gentle when she does it, turning their soul over in her hands like a delicate turtleshell to read the patterns and scars on its surface.
Soren’s aura feels like a pat down, like someone physically digging their fingers through her brain, clinically pulling away her thoughts layer by layer without care. It doesn’t hurt, per se, but it does feel deeply uncomfortable.
“Stop!”
Soren homes in on a particular chain of emotions, pulling at them to read the train of thought attached. A moment later, she realizes it’s about their mission. She glimpses the vague storm of feelings attached to the memories: the desperation, hope, and fear of learning about this world’s destruction and all that would come with it. And following that, their desperate plan to fix it and Nia’s burning desire to succeed. Her hope to save everyone in this world and her own.
“I said stop!”
Tobias?
Suddenly, blessedly, Soren’s aura retreats. It feels like fighting her way out of twisted, too-hot blankets. Like a gasp of fresh, cool air.
Nia’s legs nearly give out as she comes back to herself. Tobias’ arm is looped around her back as a steadying heat, though, and Samir is pressed close on her other side, the two of them the only things keeping her from collapsing into a heap of shaky limbs. Junie trembles against Nia’s neck.
“What were you doing to them?” Tobias snarls. “I’ve seen Nia do that with a hundred ‘mon and they’ve never looked like that!”
Soren’s blue eyes focus on Nia, narrowing. “You have read others’ aura?”
Nia nods, rubbing her hands over her arms and giving herself a shake.
“She’s done it with me and it never felt like that,” Junie snaps, making them all look at her. She’s glaring up at Soren despite the way she shakes. “Dude, I-I don’t even understand what you just did, but even I can tell it was super rude!”
The Matriarch snorts. “Soren, it seems your bedside manner continues to lack.”
“It was the most efficient method of verifying their claims,” Soren protests.
“Well maybe don’t pick the most efficient method if it’s going to suck!” Junie yells.
“Did you at least find an answer?” the Matriarch asks.
“I did,” Soren confirms. “They’re telling the truth.”
The Matriarch nods, satisfied. Then she looks back to them. “In that case, I apologize for the cold welcome you’ve received so far. We’re always wary of outsiders, but particularly when they come asking after such dangerous information.”
Tobias doesn’t respond, looking too riled up to answer politely. Nia doesn’t either, still trying to steady her own voice.
“In all truth,” the Matriarch continues, crossing her legs and folding her clawed hands atop her lap. “We summoned Carnelian here to research the crystals for a similar reason. While we weren’t hoping to find Xerneas, we have been concerned by the Silen mountains’ increasing instability. Although we’re aware that the issue is much more widespread than our little corner of the sky, I wanted to be sure that Yveltal’s presence wasn’t contributing in some way.”
“T-The mountains’ instability?” Nia echoes. “Like…the avalanches?”
The Matriarch nods. “The weather has been slowly growing more and more unpredictable each year, changing centuries-old patterns and creating volatile conditions. Storms and deadly winds are more common than ever, and our winters are harsher. And while the village itself has not been claimed by any, thankfully, a mystery dungeon formed on the next mountain over just last month.”
“And you already knew that Yveltal slept here, in the mountains,” Tobias guesses, brow furrowed and voice suspicious.
“We have records stating as much,” the Matriarch admits. “But we never sought him out. Intruding on a legend’s domain without reason is just asking for trouble. But when we noticed strange, unknown crystals growing on the mountainside…”
“You thought it best to look into them, just in case,” Nia finishes.
The Matriarch nods. “I wanted to know where exactly Yveltal slept, and if his proximity has been harming the village. Expediting the disasters. Carnelian was called in to verify that the crystals are indeed connected to Yveltal, and to track them to their source.”
“So have you already confirmed that they’re from Yveltal’s cocoon?” Tobias asks.
The Matriarch shakes her head. “Not yet. Carnelian believes we’re close, and has good reason to believe they are indeed from Yveltal, but we haven’t found his resting place.”
“Still, it sounds like we’re after the same thing, right?” Nia says. “If Carnelian can lead us to the crystals and we can confirm that Yveltal is actually here, that narrows down the locations where Xerneas could be sleeping.”
“And you believe Xerneas will be able to fix the world’s disruption,” the Matriarch says.
Nia winces. “W-Well…it’s more a hope than anything certain, but...”
“The dimensional border around our world is weakening,” Tobias says. “And soon it’s going to break entirely. We’re hoping that if we can find Xerneas, she can use her life energy to fill the gap and keep the barrier intact.”
There’s a long moment of silence where both Soren and the Matriarch take that in, looking thoughtful but not particularly surprised.
Finally, Soren speaks up. “Our pack has known for years that this was an issue involving the world’s aura, but where did you get such information?”
“Giratina,” Nia admits, cringing when both Soren and the Matriarch look at her in surprise. “It’s…sort of a long story.”
Soren huffs, crossing his arms over his chest. The spikes on the back of his paws catch Nia’s eye. “And even Giratina believes Xerneas will fix this?”
“You don’t think she can?” Tobias challenges.
“You should be more preoccupied with whether or not Xerneas will want to.”
A tense moment of quiet follows, the crackle of the fire the only sound in the room.
“What do you mean?” Nia asks.
“Xerneas and Yveltal are the gods of creation and destruction,” Soren says. “The cycle of life and death. If this is meant to be how the world ends, then Xerneas will likely not stop it from happening.”
Nia’s stomach churns. “W-What? But…if she can fix it, why wouldn’t she?”
“It’s not her role,” Soren says simply. “Her duty is to rebuild once the destruction has already passed. Not to prevent it from occurring at all. If there were no winter, there would be no spring, after all.”
Nia shakes her head. No, that can’t be true. Right now, Xerneas is their only hope. If fixing the border is impossible, then…then this whole world and everyone in it will die. And so will the human world.
“And how do you know that for sure?” Tobias growls.
“Because Xerneas is the god of creation,” Soren says. “The guardian of life energy—of aura. We lucario are her most devout followers. We follow her guidance our entire lives.”
Another long pause. Nia feels panic slowly rising in her chest.
“S-So what does that mean for us?” Junie asks. “This was the only idea we had, right?”
Soren doesn’t answer, looking calmly resigned to such a fate.
The Matriarch, however, scoffs. “For such a stubborn bunch, you lucario are so weak-willed. I, for one, am not letting my village die without a fight.”
Nia looks at the older Pokemon in surprise.
Soren sighs. “Matriarch, you know as well as I do that finding and waking Xerneas is a long shot on its own, but convincing her to stop the cycle of life and death is simply a fool’s errand.”
“Ha!” The Matriarch bares her sharp teeth at Soren, the expression feeling more like a challenge than a smile. “Then consider me a fool, pup. You and your father might believe in following the will of the world, but I do not.”
“Then…you’re on our side?” Nia asks, quiet.
The Matriarch looks at Nia with a gleam in her eyes. “Thankfully, while the pack is not under my control, neither am I under theirs. So consider my village an ally in this wild legend hunt of yours. August always was one for crazy ideas.”
Hope lifts once more in Nia’s chest. “So you think we can do it? Fix the barrier?”
“Won’t know until we try,” the Matriarch says with a shrug. “And it’s better to die fighting than to roll over and guide death’s foot right to your throat.”
Soren makes a derisive sound from his spot off to the side, clearly disagreeing with the sentiment.
Nia is sticking firmly with the Matriarch on this one. Nia doesn’t care if Xerneas thinks this is the natural order of things, or if a new world would be born from the ashes of this one’s destruction. This is her world. Her people. This world and the human one both. She won’t let them go without a fight.
“So the plan remains unchanged, then,” Tobias says, glancing between Nia, Samir, and Junie.
Nia takes a breath and nods. “We find Yveltal to confirm his presence, then use his location to find Xerneas and ask her to reinforce the barrier.”
“And if she refuses?” Soren asks. His tone is neutral, but only just.
“Then we cross that bridge when we get to it,” Nia says, voice a bit sharper than necessary.
“Three cheers for winging it!” Junie says, pumping a wing from her spot on Nia’s shoulder.
Tobias snorts.
Samir looks just as solemn as they usually do when the topic of their mission comes up, but thankfully the skiddo doesn’t seem to have been shaken from their resolve at all. Their front leg, however, is still being held delicately above the rug.
Right. Samir’s injured, Fidel is unconscious somewhere, and between exhaustion, stress, and hunger, Nia feels moments away from withering away into a pile of dust. Right on cue, her stomach growls, loudly. She groans and covers her face with her hands, embarrassed.
“Sounds like you’re more than ready for food and rest,” the Matriarch says, clearly amused. “We can move forward with the search tomorrow morning. Have Eira take a look at your injuries, and then rest up. You should all be able to fit comfortably in the guest lodgings with your old acquaintance.”
Old acquaintance?
A timid knock comes from the doorway, and Nia turns to the newcomer. She perks up when she sees a familiar little ghost Pokemon, his translucent purple body nearly lost to the darkness if not for his diamond eyes glinting in the firelight.
“Carnelian!”
The sableye looks shy but pleased by Nia’s excited greeting, returning her wave across the room.
“Enter, Carnelian,” the Matriarch says.
The sableye skitters over to join them, smiling with sharp teeth. If Nia had seen such a face in the human world she probably would’ve had nightmares about it, but here and now she finds it strangely endearing.
“It’s so good to see you!” Nia says, feeling her tail wagging behind her. She has to fight off the urge to hug the nervous little ghost.
“I-It’s good to see you too,” Carnelian says. He looks between Nia and Tobias, then quickly averts his eyes from Samir and Junie’s curious gazes. “I-I was shocked when Cobalt sent word that you were here!”
Cobalt? Maybe one of the other lucario.
“Are you all right sharing the guest house with me during your stay?” Carnelian asks. “I-It’s the only one in the village since they usually never have visitors, but I-I wasn’t expecting anyone so I did have quite a few of my books shipped over, which in hindsight feels rude but—”
“Books?!” Nia interrupts, ears pricking.
“Oh, now you’ve done it,” Tobias says.
Junie laughs. “Just try keeping this nerd out of your place now!”
Carnelian lights up. “Oh! Well, I-I’m happy to share!”
That is music to Nia’s ears. While they’re sure to be busy while they’re here and Nia still has plenty of books to read at the guild, she’s excited to see what the sableye has on hand.
“Go on, then,” the Matriarch says, catching their attention. She waves them out with a clawed hand. “Tomorrow morning, you’ll join Carnelian, Nouf, and Soren bright and early in the search for Yveltal.”
Soren is helping? Nia looks at the lucario, surprised.
In turn, the lucario scowls at the Matriarch with more expression than Nia has seen from him all night. “With all due respect, Matriarch, I never agreed to help.”
“Ah, but I have ways of getting your father on my side,” the Matriarch says, winking at Nia and the others. “Preparing the young leader-in-training to socialize properly with outsiders is a valuable skill, wouldn’t you say?”
Leader in training? So Soren isn’t the leader of the lucario pack, but the son of the leader? Nia supposes that does explain his stoic but deferring demeanor in the Matriarch’s presence. Even now, the lucario is visibly reigning in his irritation, jaw clenching and eyes closing for a moment before he regains his calm countenance.
“We shall see.”
“That we shall. Carnelian, if you would?”
“Y-Yes, ma’am!”
The sableye leads Nia and the others out of the room and down the hall, back outside and into the frigid bite of mountain air. Nia shivers and steps closer to Tobias to leech some of his meager warmth, keeping an eye on Samir on her other side. The skiddo is still limping, carefully navigating the icy ground so they don’t slip and fall.
Carnelian is surprisingly chatty as he leads them across town, clearly familiar with the place after a couple weeks of living here. He points out the purpose of each building they pass, from the market to the town storage to the homes of individual civilians.
Nia feels a little bad interrupting him, but she can’t help asking, “Carnelian, you don’t happen to know how Fidel is doing, do you? The zoroark that showed up with us?”
“O-Oh! Yes, Eira was checking him over when I left,” Carnelian says. “I don’t think she was too worried about him. She starts frosting over her workspace when she’s really stressed, and when I left, everything was still ice-free! In fact, I-I think she wanted to move him into the guest quarters to have somewhere warm to recover, so he might even be there already when we arrive.”
Oh, that would be lovely. While Nia’s just relieved to hear that Fidel is in good hands, she’ll feel much better once she sees him again for herself.
Thankfully, they reach Carnelian’s house—or, more accurately, the guest lodgings—soon thereafter. It’s a cozy triangle of a building, similar to the other houses they’ve passed, with warmth spilling through shuttered windows and painting the snow around its base with golden light and blue shadows.
Carnelian pulls open the front door and leads them inside, and Nia’s eyes immediately find Fidel’s bright red mane of hair. The zoroark is curled up beneath a pile of thick blankets, bandages peeking out from under his fur. The quilted lump of his body rises and falls with steady breaths.
Thank goodness.
At his side, an unfamiliar Pokemon is placing medical supplies back into a sturdy woven bag, though she pauses to look up as they enter. She’s very clearly an ice type, mostly white with light blue accents and two shards of ice atop her head. However, she also comes across as very feminine—almost like she’s wearing a kimono. Her arms flare out around her wrists like long sleeves, and a red sash-like piece circles her middle before arcing out behind her like a bow. She floats a few inches off the ground, no legs beneath her, and her face almost reminds Nia of a skull, the skin beneath her eyeholes and jaw a frostbitten purple. Her eyes are just as blue as Soren’s, striking a balance between beautiful and haunting.
Her expression warms as she sees them, though. “Welcome back. These are the rest of our guests, I assume?”
“Yes!” Carnelian moves to stand at the healer’s side, presenting the much larger Pokemon in an unusually confident gesture. “This is Eira! The best healer in the mountains.”
Eira gives him a playful nudge. “I’m the only healer in these mountains, you sly spirit.” Then she floats forward and bows to them. “It’s nice to meet you all. I assume the Matriarch let you know that I would be attending to your medical needs?”
“Yes!” Nia bows in return. “Thank you so much for taking care of Fidel.”
“Of course! Go ahead and take a seat, and I’ll check on the rest of you one by one.”
Nia takes a look around as they step inside the building, amused by what she finds. While the walls are a warm wooden brown, and a patterned rug spreads over most of the floor, any décor, is hidden behind towers of books and loose-leaf paper. Tabletops are similarly covered by piles of stones and gems.
Carnelian has certainly made himself at home here, huh?
Their spare bed, luckily, is already set up on the floor next to Fidel, close to the fireplace set into the wall. Nia groans with relief as she flops into it, spreading out and stretching her sore, cold muscles in the warmth of the fire. Junie does the same with a happy sigh, and Tobias and Samir follow shortly after, the four of them piling together on the makeshift cot like puzzle pieces as their bodies are finally allowed to rest.
This is heaven.
“Carnelian, why don’t you grab them some food?” Eira says, more of an order than a suggestion even with her light, almost tinkling voice.
“O-Oh! Of course, you all must be starving!” Carnelian hurries out of the house, and Nia blinks after him, surprised yet again by his eagerness.
“Excuse my cousin’s excitement,” Eira says, floating over to them with her medical supplies in tow. “He doesn’t often feel comfortable with strangers, but he told me all about Team Scarlet when he first arrived the other week. He’s thrilled to see you again.”
Nia flushes beneath her fur as she sits up. “We didn’t do that much for him, really! We were just doing our job.”
“Mm.” Eira looks at Nia fondly. “Yes, I imagined you’d say something like that. Well, just know that you have my thanks, regardless.”
“You’re his cousin?” Junie interrupts, looking curiously between Eira and the door where Carnelian had disappeared.
“I am!” Eira says, looking proud as she starts pulling out medical supplies. Bandages, herbs and little jars of ointment become organized piles on the floor. “When the Matriarch mentioned the crystals and their possible importance, I knew Carnelian would be up for the task. He’s very sharp, you know.”
“I can’t wait to see him in action!” Nia says.
Eira hums her agreement, glancing over their group with an expert eye before settling next to Samir and gesturing for them to extend their injured leg. The skiddo looks annoyed, but silently does as asked. Eira hums and feels around their leg, all the way from the lump of their knee down to their hoof, noting when they tense up and asking where it hurts most.
Nia looks away since Samir seems strangely embarrassed about the injury. As she soaks up the heat of the fire and pets Junie’s soft feathers, her eyes catch instead on Tobias. The charmander is scratching at his neck with an irritable expression.
“You okay?” she asks.
Tobias jumps, his face flushing. “Yeah. Yeah, just, uh. An itch.”
Nia frowns, tilting her head. “You sure? I thought I saw you scratching at your neck when we were climbing, too.”
Tobias averts his eyes, looking disgruntled. “’S fine. Just some old injuries acting up in the cold.”
“Oh. Maybe Eira has something for that?”
Tobias shrugs. Then, he looks back at Nia. “Are you okay? After whatever that lucario jerk did earlier?”
Nia blinks. She recognizes the deflection for what it is, but she’s also surprised Tobias is still thinking about that. “O-Oh. Yeah. I mean, it wasn’t great, but it’s not like it hurt or anything?”
“It was super creepy is what it was!” Junie says, sitting up from where she’d been sprawled across the blankets like a bird splatted against a window. Her feathers puff out as her anger reignites. “I thought it’d feel like when Nia reads my aura but it felt like the dude was rifling through my pockets or something! Except it was my head or my soul or whatever, which made it ten times worse! Talk about an invasion of privacy.”
Tobias’ eyes darken and he glances at the door, as if debating whether or not to march back outside and find the lucario to chew him out properly.
Nia lays a hand on his arm to keep him in place. “Yeah, it, um…felt a lot more intrusive than I would’ve liked. Junie, you said it doesn’t feel like that when I read your aura, right?”
Junie looks up at Nia, surprised. “What? No, definitely not! When you do it it’s all warm and stuff! Like…I’m your little guinea pig and you’re giving me a nice bath or something.”
Nia snorts a laugh, caught off-guard by the comparison. “Like what?”
“You know what I mean! It's like...how little animals get nervous about people handling ‘em, and you need to reassure them and be gentle and stuff so you don’t stress ‘em out, right? When he was doing the aura stuff, it was kind of…scary? I could feel how easily he pried my thoughts open, and he didn’t really care that I was nervous. But with you, you’re always super soft and stuff and you don’t pry like that, so I always feel safe!”
Oh. Nia doesn’t think she realized she was actually worried about this until Junie immediately laid her fears to rest. Hot tears prick at her eyes.
“Aww, c’mon, don’t get all weepy on me! Your little guinea pig doesn’t know how to deal with that!”
Nia barks another laugh. “Stop saying that!”
“She’s right,” Tobias says, catching Nia’s attention. His eyes are low, something in his posture a little upset. “I was nervous when you read my aura, but it wasn’t bad at all with you. I’m sorry he didn’t treat you two the same way.”
Fresh tears spring to Nia’s eyes. “Tobias!”
“Stop, you’re making her cry more! One guinea pig can only handle so many tears!”
Their delirious conversation continues until Eira gives Samir the all-clear. The skiddo’s leg is bandaged from the top of their hoof up to their knee, a chunk of ice tied to both joints. Their entire leg is also elevated on a pillow, and they look down at the setup with a disgruntled expression.
Nia’s happy mood dampens.
“All right,” Eira says with a little clap. “Other than that sprain, you should be good to go, Skiddo. No walking for you tomorrow, but you should be clear for the day after.”
Samir looks away with their ears low, not answering.
“Hey, that’s not too bad!” Junie calls, trying to cheer Samir up. “C’mon, we’re weak to ice types, dude. We’re lucky we even made it up here at all!”
Samir huffs, still not looking at any of them. Nia’s brow furrows.
Eira floats over to Tobias next. “Tobias, right? Let’s give you a look next.”
Tobias sighs but doesn’t argue, removing his winter gear and letting the ice type look him over. He is pretty beat up, bloody scratches and blossoming bruises littering his skin. Luckily, they all seem pretty minor, at least to Nia’s untrained eye.
Junie flutters around the charmander, chirping about how he’s going to look like a chameleon with all those colorful bruises, and Nia takes the opportunity to scoot over to Samir, who’s still glaring down at their bandaged leg.
“Hey,” Nia murmurs. “You okay?”
Samir doesn’t meet her eye, but they do nod.
Nia doesn’t believe them.
For a long moment, Nia worries at her lip, working up her courage. “Hey, Samir? I wanted to apologize.”
Samir finally looks up, visibly confused.
“About what I said on the mountain, after the avalanche,” Nia explains, shame squirming in her gut. She looks down, picking at the melting snow encrusted onto the bottom of her coat. “And during the avalanche too, I guess.”
Samir stares, still not getting it.
“I didn’t listen to you. Or, well, I almost didn’t. About letting Fidel go. I knew it was too dangerous to let my shield drop, but I just thought if I could grab him, I could—” Nia cuts herself off, taking a breath. “You were right. And I’m sorry that I argued with you. And then yelled at you afterwards. I was really worried about Fidel, but I shouldn’t have taken it out on you when you were just trying to keep us safe.”
Samir doesn’t respond. After a few beats of silence, Nia peeks up at them.
The skiddo seems flabbergasted, blinking at her and her hunched, contrite posture. Finally, shakily, they whistle a quiet low-to-high response: Okay. It’s okay. They still seem like they’re trying to wrap their head around her apology.
Nia breathes a sigh of relief as one of the many, many weights on her shoulders melts away.
“Thank you. I just wanted to say that right away, especially since we’ll be separated most of the day tomorrow,” Nia says.
The skiddo’s glare returns as they focus back on their injured leg. They narrow their eyes, then glance at Eira, who is smearing some kind of salve on Tobias’ cuts and bruises and bandaging up the worst of them. Then Samir’s eyes flick to the door.
Oh no. Nia recognizes that look.
“Samir,” Nia warns in a low voice, leaning closer. “I saw that. You are not sneaking out to join us tomorrow.”
Samir huffs and shakes their head, stamping their other foreleg ineffectually against the blankets as they meet Nia’s gaze. No, they whistle.
“Samir, you have to rest! What if you hurt your leg more by walking on it too soon?”
Samir is shaking their head fervently before she’s even done talking. They meet her eyes, whistling again. No.
Nia stares at them, trying to understand why they’re suddenly so stubborn about this. They did this on the mountainside too, when they were freshly injured and trying to hobble down to help unbury Fidel despite Nia and Tobias telling the skiddo to stay put.
For someone so serious about Nia and Tobias playing it safe, they aren’t very safe with themself, are they? It’s like Samir thinks they’re playing by different rules, like they don’t get to rest just because they’re hurt. Like something terrible will happen if they do.
And then it clicks.
Nia feels her heart drop. She stares at the desperate shine in Samir’s eyes, at the way their mouth trembles the slightest bit.
Samir’s old partner abandoned them when they got hurt, right? So who’s to say that Nia and Tobias won’t do the same?
Nia hesitates, but then reaches out to cup Samir’s face in her hands. The skiddo jolts a bit, surprised, but doesn’t pull away. “Samir, you know you’re allowed to rest when you’re hurt, right?”
Samir’s eyes widen, something like fear crossing their face. They tug weakly against her hold.
Nia tightens her grip. “Samir, we want you to rest. It’s fine if you sit out tomorrow.”
Samir shakes their head, closing their eyes tight.
Nia tries to put all the conviction she can into her voice. “We aren’t going to leave you behind or think you’re a bad partner or something just because you got hurt, all right?”
Samir slowly stops fighting, cracking their eyes open again to search Nia’s face.
“We’re not your old teammate, Samir. When you’re ready to go again, we’ll still be here, okay? But until you’re better, just…please rest. We don’t want you to hurt yourself.”
Samir’s expression crumbles. They yank their head free of her hold and dip their head to hide their face.
Nia silently panics, hands reaching. Was that the right thing to say? Did she make it better or worse? What does she do now? Scoot closer or leave them be?
Before she can decide, Samir gently buries their face in her lap, careful not to prod her with their horns. They’re shaking.
Oh.
Nia quietly turns her body to hide the skiddo from the others’ view, stroking a hand down the back of their head and through the surprisingly soft mane of their leaves as Samir shudders.
“You’re our teammate, Samir,” Nia murmurs. “And more importantly, our friend. You don’t have to prove yourself every moment of every day, okay? Especially if it’s going to hurt you. We don’t want that. Okay?”
Samir sniffles, but finally nods against Nia’s stomach. She smiles, relieved.
By the time Eira deems Tobias’ inspection finished, Samir has pulled themself together again, wiping at their face with their good foreleg. They look mortified by their little breakdown, avoiding Nia’s gaze, so she just gives them one more gentle smile before shuffling back to Tobias and Junie.
Tobias is covered in small bandages and shiny poultices, his expression resigned. Junie is making fun of the charmander even as Eira checks her over, gently extending her small wings and feeling for any breaks or strains.
Luckily, Junie is cleared with no injuries, and then it’s Nia’s turn. She dutifully takes off her own winter gear and follows Eira’s instructions as the ice type looks her over, gently squeezing and feeling along her limbs and shoulders.
As Nia answers Eira’s questions, she spots Tobias once more scratching at his neck, annoyed expression twitching into something painful before he pulls his claws away.
Nia frowns. She doesn’t know why Tobias doesn’t want Eira to see whatever scars he has perpetually hidden beneath his scarf, but…
She looks over her shoulder, to where Eira is finishing up. “Hey, Eira?”
“Hmm?”
“Do you have anything for…old wounds? Uh, like when they act up in the cold?”
“For scars, you mean?” Eira asks, coming back around to face Nia with a curious expression.
“Um,” Nia looks over Eira’s shoulder, at her partner, and back. “I think so.”
Eira follows her gaze, making a quiet “Ah” of realization. Then she nods and digs into her bag, handing a jar of salve over to Nia. “Here—advise him to put it on once in the morning, any time during the day when the itching is bothering him, and once at night before bed, all right? Don’t be afraid to really pile it on. It should help moisturize and soothe the irritation, and it has a nip of a numbing agent, too.”
Nia takes the jar gratefully, cradling it in her hands. “Thank you so much.”
“Just doing my job,” Eira says, echoing Nia’s earlier words with a smile.
Just as they’re finishing their last checkup, Carnelian finally returns with food in tow.
“S-Sorry for the wait!” the sableye says, gently kicking the door open and shuffling inside with two bowls in hand. Soup? Whatever it is, it’s steaming hot, and Nia’s stomach rumbles as she takes a deep sniff of the air. “I had to get an extra pair of wings to help me bring them over.”
Behind Carnelian, a fluffy, red and white penguin-like Pokemon waddles in. He’s holding two more bowls of soup, one notably smaller than the rest for Junie’s tiny stomach. “Hey, Eira! Got some hungry bellies in here?”
Eira smiles at the newcomer. “That we do. Thank you for your help, Nico.”
Nico smiles back, and he and Carnelian quickly pass out the four bowls of soup. The food smells wonderful, hearty and well-spiced and loaded with some kind of vegetables. Or maybe roots?
Whatever the ingredients are, the dish has Nia drooling.
They quickly tuck in with a word of thanks, and Nia practically inhales her food, savoring the hot, salty broth, the soft potato-like vegetables and withered greens, and the slice of bread that Nico pulled out—from his tail?—and handed to them once they were settled.
If Nia weren’t so focused on devouring her meal, she’d be curious about all the ingredients they used for it. Vegetation doesn’t seem like it would do well in this climate, considering the lack of trees and grasses they’d seen on the way up. Maybe some kind of cold-resistant berries or crops grow up here? Or maybe they use roots or pine needles or tree bark or something. She thinks she remembers something like that back in the human world.
Whatever the answer is, Nia doesn’t think she’s ever tasted anything better.
Nico chats idly with Carnelian and Eira as Team Scarlet eats, the bird looking proud of how quickly they drain their bowls. When they’re done, satiated and warm and ready to pass out, they give the bird another round of thanks that he accepts with a bashful “Shucks!” before taking their bowls and spoons and heading out for the night. Eira follows him out, wishing everyone a good sleep and letting them know she’ll be back before they set out in the morning, and to send Carnelian for her if Fidel showed any worrying symptoms overnight.
Carnelian tries to start up a new conversation with them after that, but they don’t last long before they’re slurring their words through big yawns. Nia’s eyes feel heavier and heavier with each passing blink, and Junie has already slumped over into a lump of snoring feathers.
“You’d better get some rest before tomorrow,” Carnelian says with a smile. He slides a few more logs into the fire and peeks at Fidel’s sleeping face before retreating to his own nest in the back of the lodge with one of his books. Huh. It’s pretty dark over there, but maybe ghost types have good night vision? That would make sense.
They’re all too exhausted to go far, so they lie down to sleep right where they’d been sitting. It’s not until Nia almost flops right on top of something hard that she remembers the jar she’d been keeping tucked away in her lap.
Oh, right!
Nia holds back another yawn and pushes herself back up. She squints over at Tobias, grateful that Junie is already out cold and Samir is quickly nodding off themself, their head dipping. “Hey, Tobias?”
Tobias was just about to lie down, too. Instead, his jaw cracks with a yawn as he looks back at her, matching her low tone. “Yeah?”
Nia holds the jar out to him. “Here.”
Tobias blinks sluggishly at the jar, then back at her, a furrow in his brow. “What’s this?”
“You said you had old injuries acting up, right? Like scars? I asked Eira if she had medicine for something like that and she said to use this when you wake up and go to sleep. Oh, and also if it itches during the day.”
Some alertness returns to Tobias’ expression as he realizes what Nia’s saying. He stares at her, face flushing, before he finally takes the jar and holds it close to his chest. “Oh. Um. Thanks, Nia. I’ll give it a try.”
Nia hums and flops back down in her spot on the bed, sighing happily at the softness and warmth. Just before she drifts off to sleep, Nia’s sharp ears hear the quiet spin of the lid being opened.
She hopes it helps.
Chapter 72
Summary:
Nia, Tobias, and Junie join Carnelian in his search for Yveltal, and learn a bit more about aura in the process thanks to a very unwilling helper.
Chapter Text
“All right, Samir, extend your leg for me. Gently now.”
The skiddo follows Eira’s instructions, their displeased expression just on the edge of a pout.
“C’mon, Samir,” Junie says, lifting her head from where she’s digging face-first into her breakfast. “Think of it this way—you get to stay here all warm and toasty while we go freeze our butts off!”
“More importantly,” Nia says, “You can rest and focus on healing up. And help Eira keep an eye on Fidel!”
Samir still doesn’t look happy about being left behind for today’s excursion, but they seem to have accepted that Nia and Tobias—not to mention Eira—aren’t going to let them put any strain on their injured leg. The skiddo will just have to deal with staying put for a day.
Nia moves her empty plate off her lap and wipes her face clean of stray crumbs. They’d been given a fresh loaf of hot, berry-laden bread for breakfast, and Nia had devoured two thick slices in record time. The meal had reminded her of muffins made by her mom, and the only thing that had slowed her down at all was the bittersweet lump of nostalgia in her throat.
Nia pushes aside memories of early mornings laughing over breakfast and gets up to distract herself.
First she goes to Fidel’s side, crouching to peer at the zoroark’s sleeping face. Eira had already checked on him when she first arrived, and the froslass had seemed pleased by what she’d found—she’d even said Fidel might wake up later today.
Nia tucks the blankets a bit closer around the zoroark, then straightens up to look around. Tobias and Junie are taking their time finishing their own meal, distracted by conversation as Eira re-wraps Samir’s leg. And Carnelian already left a little while ago to discuss his plans for the day with the Matriarch, and he has yet to return.
Since they have a bit of time to idle, Nia takes the chance to wander around the cabin, winding through the towers of books Carnelian has stacked around the room. The sableye gave her permission to flip through any that caught her eye, so she skims their spines until one does, then carefully pulls it free.
It’s titled World’s Blessings: Evolution Stones. Nia flips through it, slowing down when she spots a beautiful illustration showing a variety of colorful stones. The pretty blue and gold one under her thumb almost looks like it has a lightning bolt inside of it, and it’s fittingly labeled as a “thunder stone.” That name tickles Nia’s memory, and once she flips to the following page and sees an illustration of a familiar evolutionary line, she realizes why.
Right! Pikachu evolves into raichu with a thunder stone. And apparently the climate and location where one is used decides whether or not the raichu is a psychic variant, like Hazel, or a plain electric type. Fascinating! Does it happen immediately when they touch it? Can they stop the evolution process? Surely they can, right?
Nia flips eagerly through the next few pages, wishing she had the spare time to read through everything it discusses—especially the speculative reasoning behind why the stones work the way they do, the specific Pokemon they affect, and so on.
The book focuses next on the water stone and its information, and then the fire stone. Nia doesn’t pause until a striking illustration catches her eye, making her heart jump.
The growlithe evolutionary line lies in front of her. She recognizes the first evolution from when Asher transformed into a growlithe, all the way back at the human convention in Ghatha. But her eyes are drawn instead to the much larger evolution beside it.
An arcanine. Just like Sulien, the leader of the outlaws who killed Tobias’ family, and almost Tobias as well. She doesn’t know the details that Tobias and Dismas were privy to during their talk in Kaleido’s prison, but she knows enough to piece the night together. However, she’s never had a visual to put to the species name before.
She traces the arcanine’s form with her eyes, focusing on its sharp teeth and giant paws. Her fur prickles. Nia can only imagine how small a young charmander would be compared to such a beast: like a toddler next to a tiger. Her stomach churns.
“Nia!” Tobias calls.
Nia slams the book shut and spins to face him and Junie across the room. “Y-Yeah?”
They’re both standing and stretching, though Tobias gives her an odd look. “Uh. You ready?”
Nia hurries to join them. “A-Aren’t we waiting for Carnelian?”
“He likely got held up by the Matriarch,” Eira says, amused, as she closes her bag. “He’s too polite to cut her off when she starts chatting. You’ll get an earlier start if you go find him yourselves.”
“Will do,” Tobias says. He pulls on his snow cloak, then reaches up as if to adjust a satchel strap on his shoulder, before realizing nothing is there.
Nia stifles a laugh as she pulls on her own coat. “Maybe someone in the village has a spare bag? Or we could always buy one and restock our items here in the village.”
“Kanan should have all the supplies you need,” Eira says. “Just take a left from here and follow the path to the maroon building with the inventory sign out front.”
Nia nods, logging that info into her memory as she helps Junie shrug on her own little snowcoat and vest. It’s only once Nia looks around to make sure that they’re not forgetting anything that she realizes Samir looks…very lost, lying in their blankets with their leg propped up and watching everyone leave with something nervous in their eyes.
Oh, right. They’re going to be stuck here all day, probably ruminating over the fact that they aren’t with the rest of the team, helping.
“Uh, Samir, do you want some books to read while we’re gone?” Nia offers.
Samir doesn’t exactly look thrilled by the idea, but they do shrug.
“Okay! Any preferences?” Nia bends to look at the titles in the nearest stack, skimming through names. “Most of them are about, um. Rocks. But…”
Samir gives her a dry look, as if to say, Just pick one.
Nia still tries to find some titles that look interesting, including one about earth and stone-related myths and legends.
Then, finally, they’re out the door and stepping into frigid cold air. It’s like a slap to the face, chasing away any lingering sleepiness in Nia’s head. She shakes out her fur and hops on her feet to warm up.
Eira closes the door behind her with one last call to Samir that she’ll be back to check on them in a few hours. Then the froslass points Tobias to the item shop before leaving with a cheery wave, leaving Nia, Tobias, and Junie standing outside the guest lodgings.
Even in the shade of the valley, the snow around them feels bright, especially framed by the early morning sky overhead. Nia blinks to adjust, and shifts Junie’s weight on her shoulder. “Right! To the shop, then?”
Tobias nods and leads the way. The morning is calm as they weave through the village, watching the townsfolk start their day as the sun peeks over the valley and makes the snow sparkle. Nia plays with the cold air, releasing puffs of breath to form steam and imagining what it would be like to have fire breath like Tobias.
“Hey, I’ve been wondering,” Junie says, idly. “Since we lost our bag, that means we lost our money too, right? How’re we gonna buy anything?”
Nia stops. A few feet ahead, Tobias stumbles mid-step before falling still as well.
On Nia’s shoulder, Junie looks back and forth between them, snrrking a laugh. “Neither of you thought of that?”
Tobias spins around, face bright red as he points at Junie. “Why didn’t you say anything sooner?!”
“I didn’t think I had to!” Junie answers with equal volume. “I thought it was obvious and you had some kind of plan!”
If possible, Tobias’ face grows even more flushed. It would be hilarious if Nia wasn’t feeling just as embarrassed.
She groans and plants her face in her hands. “We are so stupid. How are we gonna buy anything if we don’t have any money!?”
“I think something can be arranged.”
Nia jumps and looks up at the wry voice, even more embarrassed to find the Matriarch approaching them, Carnelian skittering along behind her.
“Good morning, you three,” the Matriarch says, clearly enjoying their mortification.
Nia thinks Tobias is literally steaming with embarrassment as he mumbles a greeting in return.
“Good morning,” Nia says with a sheepish smile, making sure to meet Carnelian’s gemstone eyes as well. “Um. Guess you heard about our little problem?”
The matriarch laughs. “The whole village heard you!”
She moves her clawed hands atop one another to rest her weight on—oh. For the first time, Nia notices that the weavile is using a cane today. One that’s seemingly made of pure ice, its crystallized facets gleaming in the morning sun.
Huh. Nia supposes she is on the older side. Still, something about that—about a mobility aid paired with a ‘mon from the sneasel line—makes her wonder if the Matriarch might have some ideas to help Ezra’s recovery, back at the guild. She doesn’t know if anything can be done in this world for a Pokemon missing an entire arm, but…
“Don’t fret,” the Matriarch says, breaking Nia from her thoughts. “Since you’re working in the interests of the village, I’m more than willing to part with a bag and a few items to make sure your party is properly prepared.”
Nia slumps with relief. “Thank you so much. We didn’t even think about losing our money.”
“Some of us did,” Junie points out.
The Matriarch laughs. “Can’t blame you, after your journey here. Carnelian, could you run to Kanan’s place and grab a bag and some supplies? Food for lunch, too.”
The sableye behind the weavile jolts. “O-Of course! I’ll, um. Be right back.”
The sableye darts off before anyone can get a word in, so the Matriarch calls after him, “Meet us at the entrance to the mountain! We’ve got a brat to pick up on the way.”
Carnelian nods before continuing on. Nia startles as the Matriarch turns and hobbles off in the opposite direction, clearly expecting them to follow. After a quick exchange of looks with Tobias and Junie, they hurry after the weavile.
“’A brat to pick up?’” Tobias quotes.
“Soren,” the Matriarch says. “He’ll be accompanying you on your dig today.”
Tobias’ face wrinkles up like he took a bite of something sour, and Junie groans, “Not him!”
Nia is…torn. On one hand, she certainly hadn’t enjoyed how blunt the lucario was in his aura use yesterday. But on the other hand, she hadn’t sensed any bad intent from him, either. It was like…the mindset of a doctor cutting into a patient. Clinical. No-nonsense. Efficient.
She still would’ve appreciated a gentler touch.
Still, Nia can’t help feeling a bit excited, too. Soren isn’t likely to be forthcoming about…anything, really. But he’s still a lucario who clearly knows his way around aura. Maybe she can get him to share some tips or something!
“Couldn’t we have literally anyone else?” Junie grumbles, her feathers fluffing out from the edges of her snow gear.
“You could,” the Matriarch admits as she leads them around the edge of the village. The rocky, snowy incline of the valley and some hardy pine trees rise up on their other side. “But I’m hoping you’ll rub off on him a bit, Riolu.”
Nia blinks at the weavile’s back. “Me?”
“So we have to deal with a jerk because you’re hoping Nia will make Soren nice?” Tobias growls.
“It worked for you,” Junie teases.
Tobias looks genuinely offended by that remark. Nia tries not to laugh.
“Soren is never going to be nice,” the Matriarch snorts. “But if he stays so rigid, he’s going to snap himself in two one day. Can’t have that.”
So he’s…tense? Uptight? Nia doesn’t know how she’s supposed to help with that. She looks at Tobias and Junie, but they seem equally unsure.
Before they can ask the weavile to elaborate, Nia’s attention is stolen away by a new sight. Camped outside the village in a snowy clearing and hemmed in by pine trees is the lucario settlement. Their homes are simple but impressive igloos built from blocks of ice. Nia remembers someone—Avery, maybe—mentioning that the packs are a nomadic people, and Nia wonders if that’s why they choose to live in temporary homes like this.
Or, Nia thinks, eyeing the few lucario already out and about, Maybe they just aren’t bothered by the cold. Their pelts do look thicker than hers. Is that an evolutionary thing, or something built up from living in such frigid temperatures?
“The pack chooses to live outside of the village,” the Matriarch explains. “They say the cold strengthens their minds and bodies.”
Oh. Or that.
“Hardcore,” Junie whispers.
It’s surreal, seeing an entire group of Pokemon so similar to Nia and yet so different. They’re all easily twice her height if not taller, with a more lithe build and varying shades of blue fur, but otherwise the resemblance is striking. From the way Tobias and Junie glance back and forth between Nia and the pack of strangers, she imagines they’re thinking the same thing.
The lucario chat openly with one another, their expressions warm and comfortable. One lucario says something to another, and both of them laugh, loud in the still morning air as steam billows between them. They’re so…lively.
Which means it’s just Soren who’s like, uh. That.
As Nia watches the lucario interact, a second thought itches at her brain, spurred on by the way one of the lucario reacts after spotting her, their smile faltering into something…somber. Sad, almost.
Nia wonders why she has yet to see a single riolu among the pack.
Before she can ask the Matriarch about it, her attention is grabbed yet again by a lucario exiting the largest igloo, his expression as cold as his surroundings and his icy eyes familiar. Soren. The pack leader’s son marches in their direction, seemingly unsurprised by their arrival.
Nia notes how the other lucario straighten up and quiet down as Soren marches by. Like…co-workers hushing a rowdy conversation so they don’t get in trouble with their strict boss.
Wait, no. That’s not quite right. That would imply a sense of fear, or at least dislike, but the way the lucario look at Soren is brimming with…respect. Admiration, even. There’s a distance there, but Nia gets the sense that the way they straighten their postures isn’t to avoid a scolding, but instead to make Soren proud of them.
Huh. So is their relationship more like…a king and his loyal subjects? Or his knights, maybe?
“Oh, here we go,” Junie mutters.
Soren bows to the Matriarch as soon as he reaches them. “Good morning, Matriarch.”
The Matriarch inclines her head in return. “Good morning, Soren. I see your father convinced you to join us today?”
“Yes, Matriarch,” Soren grits out. His gaze flicks over the rest of them, lingering on Nia. While his expression doesn’t visibly make his displeasure known, Nia can still feel it radiating off of him in waves.
“Off we go, then!” the Matriarch chirps, ignoring the awkward atmosphere. She turns and leads them away, and Soren follows immediately in her footsteps.
Nia, Tobias, and Junie exchange an uncertain look before trailing after them.
The weavile leads their group past the village and onto a small trail in the snow, bordered on either side by boulders and scraggly trees. The slow incline leads up the side of the valley, towards the looming presence of the mountaintop.
When they reach the yawning mouth of a cave—or a tunnel, more likely—Nia sees that someone is already waiting for them.
“Carnelian!” She calls, waving.
The sableye perks up at her voice, and waves back with a woven bag in hand.
At the sableye’s side is a big lump of brown…hair? It has a pack tied around it, a small lantern hooked to the strap, and for a long moment, Nia wonders what in the world she’s looking at. Well, until the hair moves, turning to reveal long, floppy ears, a pair of short tusks, and a pink nose. A Pokemon! Some kind of…pig, maybe? A boar?
“’Morning, Nouf,” the Matriarch calls as they approach. “Thanks as always for helping out.”
Right, the Matriarch mentioned another Pokemon yesterday.
“What kind of Pokemon is that?” Nia whispers to Tobias.
“Piloswine, I think,” Tobias answers.
Soren’s ear twitches, and he casts a cold glance over his shoulder. When he faces forward again, Junie sticks her tongue out at his back.
“We already had a tunnel through the mountain,” the Matriarch says, turning to Nia and the others. “But with Carnelian going off-route to follow the crystals to their source, Nouf here has been helping him dig.”
Nouf rumbles, which Nia takes as some sort of greeting. She gives a tentative smile and a little wave in return.
“These two will still be doing the digging,” the Matriarch explains. “But I would like you four to join as protection as we get closer to the source. If something goes wrong, it wouldn’t do for these two to get in trouble without backup.”
“Do you expect something to go wrong?” Tobias asks, crossing his arms.
“No,” the Matriarch says. “But you can never be too careful. Cave-ins, mystery dungeons, and Yveltal himself are all risks at the moment, with how unstable the world is.”
“T-The crystals themselves aren’t harmful, though,” Carnelian assures, bringing up a worry Nia didn’t even think to have. The sableye steps forward to hold out the woven bag, and Nia realizes this must be the supplies that the Matriarch told him to grab. Nia takes it with a word of thanks. “I b-believe they’re just, um…energy run-off, from Yveltal’s cocoon.”
“So you’re pretty sure they are coming from Yveltal,” Tobias says, taking the bag from Nia to peer inside.
Carnelian nods. “I-I am. I’ve never seen anything like this crystal before, and the c-closest I could find were Dark Gems. A-And since Yveltal is a dark type…”
“It’s strong evidence that we’re on the right track,” Nia guesses.
Carnelian beams. “Correct!”
“Go on, then,” the Matriarch urges, almost playfully. “I want you all back before dusk, or we’ll send a search party in after you. You have your supplies, yes?”
Nouf makes another snuffle that Nia takes as agreement. Tobias nods, slinging their new pack over his shoulders—good, he must be satisfied with the contents, then. This bag is more like a backpack than their old one, and it rests easily against his spine.
“W-We’ll be careful, ma’am!” Carnelian says with a little bow.
Then he turns and leads the way into the cave, his semi-translucent form vanishing in the shade. Nouf shuffles in next, the lantern on her back clanking and swaying with each short step. Soren follows, and Nia and the others bring up the rear.
Inside the tunnel, darkness smothers them almost immediately. There’s no wind or sunlight here, and the air is bitingly cold.
Tobias’ tail flame and Nouf’s small lantern are the only sources of light, barely illuminating the stony tunnel around them. Carnelian leads without hesitation, though, looking strangely confident as the rest of them grow more cautious with their footing. His night vision at work, Nia supposes.
As they walk, Nia slowly adjusts to the environment, to the stillness in the air and the quiet echoing of their footsteps. The darkness doesn’t offer much in the way of sightseeing, and Carnelian and Nouf seem focused on their task, so…
Nia’s eyes drift to Soren’s back. She clears her throat. “Hey, Soren?”
The lucario flicks an ear.
“How long has your pack been here at the village?”
“Two months,” the lucario answers.
Silence falls.
“So…you all come here for the winter, then?” Nia asks, trying to sound polite. “I would’ve thought you’d go somewhere warmer.”
Soren grunts unhelpfully.
Another silence.
Tobias gives Nia a look that says, Give it up. He’s a lost cause.
Nia ignores it. “Um…where do you all go the rest of the year?”
“We travel.”
On Nia’s shoulder, Junie faceplants and mumbles, “Kill me.”
“I can’t imagine what that would be like,” Nia says. “It looked like there were pretty many of you, right? I didn’t see any riolu, though.”
Soren finally looks at her, though it’s more of a glare than anything. His aura spikes with emotion. “We have no riolu.”
Nia recoils. The resulting silence feels heavier this time.
The ground beneath them gently slopes down as they go deeper into the mountain. Nia alternates between looking at Soren and keeping track of her own feet.
“U-Um, what do you mean?” Nia finally asks, her voice small.
Soren takes a visible breath, his shoulders rising and falling. “Is this information relevant to your mission?”
“Well, n-no, but—”
“Then I have no reason to explain further.”
Nia gapes at his back. “Well, I mean…I am a riolu. So I think that makes it a little relevant to me?”
Soren scoffs. “You are a human in a riolu’s pelt. You are not one of us.”
Nia winces, struck in the chest by a surprising amount of hurt. Technically Soren isn’t wrong, and Nia has made it a point in the past for others to recognize her as human, but…something about Soren’s dismissiveness still feels awful. Like after all the work Nia has put into figuring out this body, she’ll still never be enough to fill it properly.
“Hey, there’s no need to be rude!” Junie says.
“You are the same, Rookidee. Your words mean nothing here.”
Junie makes an outraged noise.
“Then let my words mean something,” Tobias growls, his tail flame growing brighter. Carnelian, at the head of the pack, glances back nervously. “Whether these two were humans or not shouldn’t matter. Right now, they’re just as much a Pokemon as you and me.”
“You can’t see their souls,” Soren dismisses, still infuriatingly calm. Still not looking at them. “They are different.”
“I’ve never noticed a difference between human and Pokemon souls,” Nia protests.
“Not a surprise.”
Okay, he is officially getting under Nia’s skin. Her aura bristles in response. “And what does that mean?”
“Yeah, Nia’s great with her aura!” Junie says. “And it actually feels nice when she does a reading, unlike when you do it!”
Soren’s tail flicks. “I highly doubt any aura reading is actually taking place. It takes years for riolu to grasp such a skill.”
“Well, I’m not a riolu, am I?” Nia snarks. She shoves Soren’s aura with her own, like siblings annoying each other across the middle seat of a car.
To Nia’s surprise, Soren stumbles. He whips his head around to stare at her with wide eyes. Nia stops to glare at him, but it takes Carnelian and Nouf a few more steps to realize the others aren’t following.
“You should not be able to do that,” Soren says, low.
“And yet I am,” Nia counters. “Are you ready to talk to me like an actual person yet?”
Soren narrows his eyes. Then, Nia feels his aura prod at hers, cautious and testing. Nia can sense that he’s trying to get a read on her, on her strength, and so she pushes back, until the two of them are in a proverbial aura wrestling match. Vaguely, Nia registers the blue glow of her aura surrounding herself, the appendages on either side of her face lifting. Soren’s eyes flash a deeper blue as well.
Nia wishes her aura weren’t so exhausted from their trip up the mountainside. Her reserves are still low after holding back that avalanche yesterday.
In what feels like hours but couldn’t be longer than a couple of seconds, Soren finally manages to pin Nia’s aura. He holds it there for a few long moments—just long enough for the lucario’s victory to be indisputable.
Nia releases her aura, panting, and glares at Soren. She really wishes she could’ve overpowered him, but she supposes that isn’t realistic, given his evolution and the years of practice he has on her.
Still, Nia thinks the little squabble accomplished something. The lucario’s expression is wary as he stares down at her, lacking the dismissive condescension from before. Like he’s actually seeing her as a riolu.
Or as a threat.
Tobias, who had stepped closer to Nia, meets her eyes with a frown. “You okay? What did he do?”
“I started it,” Nia admits.
“U-Um,” Carnelian squeaks, drawing everyone’s attention. The sableye flinches as all eyes land on him. “S-Sorry to interrupt, but we should really keep moving if we want to make progress today…”
All at once, Nia’s stubborn defiance melts away, replaced by guilt. “Oh. Of course. Sorry, Carnelian.”
Carnelian glances between them, as if unsure they’ll actually follow, before nodding and leading the way again. Nia follows, Junie on her shoulder and Tobias at her side, and after a moment Nia hears Soren trail behind them.
As they continue their journey, Nia takes a few deep breaths of chilly cave air to cool her irritation. She doesn’t even look back at Soren as they walk, instead keeping her eyes on the faintly lit path ahead of them.
At least until Soren speaks up, minutes later. “Where did you learn to use your aura?”
For a moment, Nia is tempted to be as childish as the lucario and refuse to answer. But she wants information, not a fight, so she says, “Our mentor, Val. She’s a medicham.”
Soren doesn’t respond, but Nia can feel his gaze heavy on her back.
“She helped me understand the basics, and I got some tips from my friend Avery, too—a kirlia. Otherwise, it’s just been me…figuring it out as I go.”
Soren is quiet for a long moment. “And I assume you have not been in this world long.”
“Um,” Nia says, glancing at Tobias. “Four or five months, maybe?”
Nia can’t see Soren, but she can feel his aura jolt with surprise. Then it sours, turning to disbelief instead. Ugh.
“Read my aura,” Soren says. “Like the rookidee claims you did for her.”
Junie spins around on Nia’s shoulder to face Soren. “At least say please! God. Maybe commanding someone to do something is how things work in your pack, but Nia doesn’t have to do what you say!”
Nia glances back, and swallows a laugh at the stunned expression on the lucario’s face. She wonders if he’s ever been talked to like that before.
“A ‘please’ wouldn’t hurt,” Nia teases.
Soren gives Nia a dry look. But then, after an agonizingly long stalemate, he glances away and mumbles, “Fine. Please.”
“There we go!” Nia falls back a step to walk next to Soren, and Tobias wordlessly follows on her other side. “Tobias, could you hold my hand to make sure I don’t trip?”
Tobias mumbles an assent and takes Nia’s hand, his fingers warm around hers.
Satisfied, Nia closes her eyes and reaches out with her aura to find Soren’s, making a connection between the two of them. She skims over the deep, ocean-blue surface of his soul with the intent to dive in, dipping her proverbial fingers into the waters to test the temperature.
She’s not all that surprised to find resistance where others usually invite her in with open arms. Soren is wound tight, less a flexible ocean and more…a block of ice. Or maybe a dense blue sapphire, the edges of him cut sharp and clean.
There’s something at his aura’s core, something bright, but Nia can hardly see it through the stone’s hardened layers. She supposes she could dig her claws into him like a pickaxe, and break him apart to see what’s inside.
But she’s not Soren.
Instead, Nia tries to coax the aura open gently, tries to cushion the sapphire in the bowl of her palms and polish it—melt it—with a warm breath and a soft touch. She can feel a bit of Soren’s cautious defense slough away, and the facets clear for the briefest moment to show her a peek at who he is at his core.
Soren is…someone carrying the weight of the world on his shoulders. A young adult, barely more than a child himself, who was raised from birth with his future duties in mind. While other children played in the snow drifts and dirt, he was placed on a pedestal, his personality chipped away one flaw at a time and sculpted to fit his role as a perfect crowned jewel.
It’s…sad, actually, that Nia can’t find evidence of much else, at first. What kind of upbringing did Soren have, that his entire being is shaped more into the role of a leader than it is a person with their own thoughts and feelings?
But there has to be more. She knows there has to be more.
Nia tries to squash any of her emotions that could be interpreted as pity, knowing the lucario would pick up on it in an instant, and instead tries to project a sense of…open curiosity. Not towards Soren the leader’s son and future leader of the pack, but towards Soren the person.
Nia holds the gem of his soul up to the light, and tries to see through it to the pieces of him hidden underneath that polished exterior.
Finally, at just the right angle, she catches a glimpse of someone different. Someone…painfully tired. Tired, and lonely, and uncertain of how well he can lead his pack when they all know what’s coming. He loves his people fiercely, but he doesn’t know how to comfort them because he was never taught comfort and—
Soren’s aura yanks away from Nia, and Nia lets him go willingly.
When Nia opens her eyes, Soren is stopped in place with an unreadable expression, staring at her. Nia stops as well, offering him a judgement-free tilt of her head.
For a long moment, nothing is said. Ahead of them, Carnelian stops once more to look back. “U-Um…”
Soren wordlessly resumes walking, moving past Carnelian and leading their group forward himself.
Nia follows, taking a breath and trying to decide how she feels about what she just saw. While knowing a fraction of what Soren went through still doesn’t excuse his harsh demeanor, she’s also swamped by an overwhelming wave of sympathy for the lucario.
She can’t imagine being raised for one purpose and one purpose only, and never being allowed to stray from it. Even worse, Soren was forced into a role that he was destined to fail. He’s lived his entire life with the burden of leading his pack through a dying world and knowing he won’t succeed.
How do you even handle that sort of pressure? That sort of hopelessness?
She felt firsthand how isolating it must’ve been.
Nia shakes out her fur to rid herself of the feeling. Junie and Tobias blessedly don’t ask Nia what happened, though they keep glancing between Nia and Soren as if that could give them answers. Instead, their group falls silent again, following Soren and Carnelian deeper and deeper into the tunnels and closer to the heart of the mountain.
Eventually, they leave the wide path they’d been following to go down a smaller side-tunnel. From the rich scent of soil and the rough ground underfoot, Nia guesses that this one must’ve been dug more recently.
It’s only here, as Nia starts paying attention to their surroundings again, that she notices the flash of firelight reflecting off of something shiny in the cave wall.
Oh. It’s a small, faceted stone, black as night and barely visible in the low light. As they walk past it and the angle changes, Nia catches a hint of red at the stone’s core.
More and more of the stones start to litter the walls and even the ground, sometimes as clusters and sometimes in a dappling pattern, almost like scales. Nia thinks her eyes are playing tricks on her at first, but no—as they go deeper, a faint purpley-red glow emanates from them, like glow-in-the-dark stars.
“Carnelian, are those..?”
Carnelian glances back, then grins. “Yes! These are the strange stones the village noticed. Beautiful, aren’t they? They begin to glow the farther down we go and—I suspect—the closer we get to their source. They’re quite tasty, too.”
Nia almost trips. “Tasty?!”
Carnelian gives a nervous laugh. “V-Very! You know that sableye eat gemstones and minerals, yes?”
“Y-Yeah, but how did you know that these were safe to eat?”
For the first time, Nouf speaks up, the piloswine’s voice low. “He didn’t.”
“Carnelian!”
“I couldn’t resist!” Carnelian protests. “They’re so beautiful! I just had to know how they tasted!”
Nia laughs, caught off-guard. “Well, I guess it didn’t hurt you, so…what do they taste like?”
Tobias snorts a laugh of his own, glancing fondly at Nia.
What?! She’s curious!
“Like haban berries,” Carnelian sighs. “Strong and crisp.”
“Well, now I’ve gotta try a haban berry,” Junie says. “Hey, Carnelian. What’re your absolute favorite rocks to eat?”
“Oh, how could I choose? I’m particularly fond of dusk stones, but a cold ice stone is perfect on a hot day. And grated sun stones are a lovely seasoning on a good soup or curry!”
“Sun stones, huh?” Tobias muses. “We found those sometimes where I grew up. My sister always said they looked like candy. Nearly broke her tooth on one once.”
Nia glances at Tobias, her heart squeezing at the wistful, amused look on his face. He doesn’t talk about his sister often.
“I wouldn’t say they taste like candy,” Carnelian chuckles. “They have a warm and earthy flavor to them. I much prefer them to the bitterness of moon stones, though.”
“Ooh, what’s the nastiest stone you’ve ever eaten?” Junie asks.
Carnelian answers all of their questions about the flavors of various stones, seemingly delighted by their interest, until they finally reach their destination. The tunnel in front of them abruptly ends in a cave wall, littered with those strange, lightly glowing stones.
“Here we are,” Carnelian says. “Nouf and I will handle the digging, so just keep an eye out for any disturbances.”
“Are you sure?” Nia asks with a frown. “It feels kind of…rude, not to help.”
“That’s very kind of you,” Carnelian says, “But—"
“You will only slow us down,” Nouf says.
“Y-Yeah, that’s, um. True.”
Nia’s brows raise, and she steps back, gesturing with a hand. “Then by all means!”
Carnelian says something to Nouf, who snuffles an answer, before the two of them start digging right into the wall. Nia’s impressed by how easily Carnelian’s claws carve out the rock and soil, scooping it behind him in a pile as easily as a dog digging into sand. Nouf, a step behind, doesn’t hesitate to shove the soil away from Carnelian and pack it into the walls with her short tusks.
Wow. Looks like they do have it covered.
Soren crosses his arms and leans against the wall, watching the two ‘mon work.
Unsure of what else to do, Nia and Tobias find their own spots to sit down across from the lucario. Nia presses against Tobias’ side, enjoying his warmth in the cold air, and Junie settles into the dip of Nia’s lap.
Nia and Tobias joke about how much easier their own cave-in cleanup would’ve been with Carnelian and Nouf on their side, before telling Junie the full story of that tumultuous mission with Andyn’s team beneath the guild.
Eventually, though, their story is done and conversation lulls. The only sound is that of Carnelian and Nouf shifting rock and soil aside.
At least until Soren speaks up. “Why do you fight against the will of the world?”
Nia looks up, startled to find the lucario staring straight at her, and even more surprised that he’s starting a conversation at all. “W-What?”
“You know that Xerneas will likely reject your plans,” Soren explains. “The fact that we feel the effects of the dimensional break even now only reinforces that it is destined to happen. And yet you and the Matriarch still foolishly wish to wake her anyways. Why?”
Nia frowns. “Well…we know it’s a long shot. But it’s the best plan we have if we don’t want this world to end, right?”
“Wishing something were not so does not mean it isn’t meant to happen.”
“How would you even know if something is meant to happen?” Junie challenges. “Giratina doesn’t seem to think it should!”
“He did say that the other legendaries were in a panic when Arceus went dormant,” Nia agrees. “So maybe this isn’t actually the will of the world, but more like…an accident?”
Soren’s mouth twists with doubt.
Tobias flicks his tail, throwing shadows across the cave wall. “Even if it is ‘meant to happen,’ who says we have to just accept that?”
Soren narrows his eyes at Tobias. “It is our duty to listen to the world’s will and follow its lead. Fighting against it won’t achieve anything.”
“Well, I don’t think the world should get to decide that,” Junie says.
“And who are you to decide in its stead?”
“Why not us?” Nia asks, the words genuine. “When I look at the aura in the world, it doesn’t feel like we’re any less important than it is. It feels more like we’re all separate, but…connected, too. Like the different parts of an ecosystem. Or the threads in a tapestry.”
Soren looks at Nia sharply. For a moment, she thinks it’s just because of the way they’re challenging his worldview, until he repeats her words back to her. “When you ‘look at the aura in the world?’”
Tobias and Junie turn curious eyes onto Nia as well, and her ears slope back as she realizes she never actually told them about her most recent discovery.
She gives an embarrassed laugh. “Oh! I, um, realized recently that I can see the aura in the environment, too. Not just in Pokemon, but in plants and the earth and stuff. How it all connects. Which seems kind of obvious in hindsight, but I was never really looking for it before and it’s a lot more faint than our aura is, like background noise or something that you just get used to. So I, uh…”
Nia’s rambling trails off once she notices Soren’s intense expression. “Um. Is that…not allowed?”
“It…is,” Soren says, sounding like the words are being physically dragged out of him. “But typically, only lucario can manage it. Riolu rarely develop their aura enough to do so before evolution.”
Nia isn’t sure how to react to that. A mix of embarrassment and pride washes over her as Tobias gives her an impressed look and Junie wolf-whistles.
Just to make sure that Nia isn’t wrong and that the world’s aura is indeed what she’s seeing, she takes a moment to double-check, placing a hand against the rocky soil to send her aura out in a pulse.
It's definitely more difficult here, where she’s not surrounded by the life energy of the Haven’s forest, but…
There. Thin threads of aura making up the world around her. She doesn’t know if the human world—her world—would look like this too, but this world is filled with life energy, with aura, down to its core. Down to its very atoms. She can see its structure, the fabric of reality that they need to keep from tearing.
Once again, Nia feels the strange, unsettling sensation that this is something she shouldn’t be handling. Like being given an open flame in a paper house.
“I…think that’s what I’m seeing?” Nia says. “In the Lexym Tree the pathways were much clearer, spread out like veins or…rivers, maybe. I could see them and follow them really easily. Here, the aura is more faint. But it’s still there.”
As if to prove it, Nia sends a bit of her aura down one of the pathways to brush against Soren’s foot. It takes more effort on her part than it would have somewhere lush like the Haven, but it’s doable.
The lucario’s jaw tightens.
Tobias blinks at Nia, bewildered. “How long have you been able to do that?”
“I only thought about it after Will suggested it,” Nia says. She looks at Soren again. “The only place I’ve seen the world’s aura broken was in a mystery dungeon. I’m guessing you knew that already, though.”
For a long moment, Soren seems reluctant to respond, before admitting, “Yes. Aura ties this world together. The increasing number of mystery dungeons are…wounds, of a sort. Areas of the dimensional barrier where the aura has grown thin and frayed. Holes in that tapestry, as you put it.”
“But mystery dungeons fade after a while,” Tobias says. “Does that mean those wounds close themselves up?”
Soren shakes his head. “Not entirely. Each time reality’s fabric is torn and stitched together again, its binding is loosened. Weakened. Until eventually…”
“It unravels completely,” Nia whispers.
Soren nods.
“Wait, that’s what mystery dungeons are?” Junie asks, looking between all of them. “Then why do Pokemon go crazy if they’re caught in one while it’s forming?”
Once more, all eyes turn to Soren. He scowls.
“This actually is sort of relevant to our mission,” Nia points out. “So the Matriarch would probably want you to tell us, right?”
Soren gives Nia an irritated look, clearly hating the way the Matriarch’s authority is being leveraged against him. “…We are influenced heavily by the world around us. Exposure to sudden instability in the world’s aura is enough to drive a Pokemon temporarily mad. Only moves that stabilize and block that bleed of life energy can protect someone’s mind until the dungeon starts to close the wound itself.”
Like the moves protect and misty terrain, Nia realizes. That’s how they avoided going feral during the formation of that mystery dungeon with the Aqua Jet’s crew. A wide-eyed glance at Tobias shows that he’s thinking the same thing.
“So if that’s the case, then Giratina is right,” Nia says. “The pre-emptive break in the dimensional border—those threads being torn apart in the future—is behind everything going wrong in the world, right?”
“Giratina’s words…do have some sense to them,” Soren admits. “The world’s decline has been accelerating rapidly. It makes sense that one final rip through loose, frayed strings could cause enough damage to be permanent, and catastrophic enough to be felt through time.”
No one seems to know how to answer that. Carnelian and Nouf, caught up in their digging—and making impressive headway—likely can’t even hear their discussion.
Down here in the cold and darkness, it feels like they’re the only people in the world. Nia shivers.
“If Xerneas is willing to help,” Nia says, soft. “Will she even be able to fix something so…dire?”
Soren sighs. “If Xerneas were to agree to help, she should be able to reinforce the barrier enough to change the current path of its break, yes. And theoretically, the world should be able to stabilize itself well enough afterwards.”
Nia swallows. “But…you don’t think she’ll want to help us.”
“I do not think she will interfere if this is how the world is meant to end,” Soren says, neatly side-stepping a definitive yes or no.
Another pause, as Nia tries to fathom just…letting an entire world and countless lives die when you have the power to stop it.
“So if the aura of the world and the auras of Pokemon are connected,” Tobias says, catching Nia’s attention. “Is that why Pokemon can’t evolve anymore?”
Oh, Nia hadn’t even thought about that.
Soren gives Tobias a dull look, staying silent.
“It has to be, right?” Nia says. “It all started around the same time. Maybe Pokemon auras are fraying, too..?”
“But that should cause some kind of obvious health defect, right?” Tobias asks with a frown. “From what I can tell, nothing is different aside from evolution being stopped.”
“Evolution is not possible without enough stable energy in the environment to support it,” Soren says, surprising them both. Though when Nia looks, she thinks she catches a hint of annoyance on his face. Ah, so he’s the kind of person who can’t stand others being misinformed.
Noted.
“And since the world’s aura is fraying, already stretched thin just trying to hold itself together,” Tobias says, trailing off.
Soren nods. “The surplus of aura the world used to offer us Pokemon, allowing us the necessary burst of energy to change form, is now gone, bleeding from the frayed border at too constant a rate to replenish. The network of aura in the environment is too unstable to sustain growth, and our bodies can sense that. We are offered only enough energy for us to survive and use our moves, nothing more. Evolution is not considered a high priority without a stable enough world to support our new forms, even if that means the extinction of entire species.”
Soren’s tone dips into something…different, for those last few words. Something bitter, and angry. So unlike the obedient resignation he’s shown so far. Nia eyes the way he glares at the ground, his arms crossed.
“Extinction?” Nia presses, gently.
Soren’s face twitches, and Nia imagines him berating himself for the slip. She expects him to close himself off again, but instead he looks at her with a furrowed brow.
“…I suppose you should be informed, on the off chance that we survive long enough for it to matter.”
Nia blinks, unsure of how to take that preface.
“Certain Pokemon can only have children after evolving. With evolution stopped, those species are at risk of going extinct entirely.“
Oh. That is…not what Nia was expecting.
“Riolu and lucario are one such species. With evolution impossible, we would die out within a generation,” Soren says. He barks a sharp, biting laugh, making Nia jump. “Not that it matters either way, I suppose. Not when we can see the energy of the world dying around us. It would be cruel to introduce new life to the world when it’s doomed from the start, so we have not had a riolu—a child—in our ranks for over a decade.”
For the first time, Nia thinks she can see a glimpse of Soren the person rather than Soren the future head of the pack. He’s still acting as a leader, but this bitterness doesn’t feel like duty. This feels like frustration on a personal level, frustration borne from love rather than obligation.
Nia thinks about what she felt when reading his aura. The exhaustion, the expectations and hopelessness, and how despite it all Soren’s first priority was still leading his pack well. Comforting them. It’s obvious to Nia that he places their well-being above…everything, really.
Which means he’s not as resigned to this fate as he’d like any of them to believe. He can’t be.
“That’s…incredibly sad,” Nia murmurs.
She thinks about that leavanny they met during the bug swarm’s migration. About how she worried for her kids’ fate, stuck as sewaddle their whole lives.
Soren nods, looking at Nia with something almost resembling sympathy. “You could never have children of your own without evolving. Not by blood, at least.”
Nia’s face heats, and she lifts her hands to wave them frantically in front of her. “O-Oh! No, that’s, um. Fine, actually. Even if I was interested in having kids one day, I’m not staying in this world once the barrier is fixed. I already have a family waiting for me in the human world.”
For a long moment, Soren doesn’t respond. His eyes narrow.
“W-What?”
“What will you do if you cannot return to the human world?”
Nia stares at Soren, uncomprehending. The chill in the air suddenly feels sharper than before, cutting through her coat and fur and burrowing into her skin.
“There has to be a way,” Nia says, slowly. “I…came here from the human world.”
“Your soul did,” Soren agrees. “But souls do not simply wander.”
Nia’s mouth goes dry. She feels like her stomach has been punched through her lungs. She struggles to take a calming breath, then another, and wills her voice to stay steady. “W-What does that mean?”
Soren is silent for a few long seconds. Too long. “I am not at liberty to say.”
What is that supposed to mean? The fear in Nia’s gut curdles into anger.
“I will find a way home,” Nia says, her voice rising, arguing despite the fact that Soren gave her nothing to fight. Her hands clench around the edge of her coat.
Just because Soren and Giratina think it’s impossible doesn’t mean it is. Soren was wrong about her aura control, after all. And if they’re already going to do the impossible and save the world from falling apart, then there has to be a way to find her way back home, too. Will said he’d find a way, and she believes him.
Junie looks up at Nia, her face uncertain. At Nia’s side, Tobias looks away, watching Carnelian and Nouf’s work.
Soren doesn’t answer, simply staring her down in the low light, his eyes like chips of ice.
Nia takes a deep breath, frantically searching for another topic to focus on. “Y-You said earlier that only lucario can see the world’s aura like I can. Does that mean you can do it too?”
Soren doesn’t answer for a few long moments, and Nia is terrified that he won’t. That he’ll just let her float in her fears. But finally, he relents.
“I can.”
“Can you tell me more about how to use it?” Nia asks, aware that she sounds just a bit too desperate. She can’t handle Junie’s concerned expression, so she gathers the bird into her arms. “I-It’s kind of…intimidating, to me. But I could see it being helpful, for searching and stuff! Like how your pack found us on the mountainside.”
Soren still seems reluctant to share what he probably sees as pack secrets, but Nia thinks his resolve is slowly crumbling. He just needs a final push.
“Please?” Nia asks, softly. “If we can save the world, maybe this information will help us do it. And you clearly don’t want your pack to die, will of the world or not.”
Soren closes his eyes with a heavy breath, and for a moment Nia thinks she said the wrong thing. But then—
“The world’s aura offers helpful pathways for searching, yes, but they have other uses as well. Most importantly, as lines for communication and energy transfer.”
Nia leans back, thinking. Searching for someone she understands, and even communication makes sense. It’s like what she did for Tobias, intentionally projecting her thoughts and feelings to assure him during his aura reading. Just…instead of using her own energy to keep that aura connection stable, she could use the established aura of the world, right? Send her energy down a specific path like a boat on a waterway.
But considering how much control she has, and how that connection stabilizes and goes both ways, Nia supposes it’d be more accurate to think of it like…a transmission on a wire, maybe. Two phones connected over miles of distance. It would explain how Soren has been communicating silently with the Matriarch and his pack this whole time.
But…
“Energy transfer?” Nia asks.
Soren nods. “We are all made up of life energy, after all. Once you connect to your target, it is possible to transfer aura between vessels. That’s how healing moves work, sending energy from one Pokemon to another to replenish their strength.”
“And that loss of life energy doesn’t…hurt the sender?” Nia asks, unsure. “Like, long-term?”
“No more than using a move would. A loss of aura isn’t permanent, unless there is a constant leak counterbalancing that regeneration, like in the case of the world’s border. Otherwise, it will replenish with simple time and rest.”
“Is that how it works for moves that use the power of the environment?” Tobias asks, brow furrowed. “Like…hidden power, or surf. They use energy from the environment to form the attack, right?”
Soren glances at Tobias, looking even more reluctant to answer his questions than Nia’s.
Junie groans, finally fed up. “Dude! They aren’t gonna backstab your pack or anything if you tell ‘em how aura works! They just like learning stuff ‘cause they’re big ol’ nerds!”
…Well, that’s one way to put it.
Tobias gives the rookidee an unimpressed look, and Junie fluffs herself up with a huff. Nia laughs and strokes a hand over the little bird’s back to calm her down, grateful as always to have her here in all of her Junie-ness during such stressful moments.
To Nia’s surprise, Soren seems to have been disarmed by the silly outburst as well. He only sighs before holding out a paw, palm up. There, a ball of his aura forms, the color of a roiling sea.
“You are correct. Pokemon, the world—we are all connected, and while there must be intent behind the transfer of energy for it to function correctly, it can be done. In the case of such moves, the transfer can occur without any understanding of aura at all.”
“And that’s what we’re hoping Xerneas will do?” Nia asks. “Transfer enough energy into the barrier so it can withstand whatever is destined to rip through it? Or at least wake up in time to fix it right after it happens?"
Tobias frowns, watching Soren snuff out his aura. “Where would Xerneas even get that much energy, though? If the world’s aura is already falling apart and there’s not enough life energy to go around…”
“Xerneas has been building energy as she sleeps, in preparation to counterbalance Yveltal’s awakening,” Soren says, sounding almost thoughtful. “As such, she should, theoretically, have enough energy amassed to reinforce the dimensional border with the aura from her own body.”
“But if all energy is connected,” Junie says. “That means Xerneas would be connected to the dimensional border already, right? Why doesn’t her energy just…go ahead and fill those gaps even if she’s asleep?”
“Everything is connected,” Soren agrees, “But that does not mean that energy always goes where it is needed—simply that the pathways exist. Sometimes distribution of aura must be consciously directed.”
Right. It’s like…the electricity wired up to a house. Sure, the power might be right there in the walls, but it’s not going to charge up a dying electronic unless you plug that electronic into an outlet and give the energy a specific direction to go.
“So the life energies of Pokemon and the world can plug into each other,” Nia muses. “But they’re also…separate, in a way. Which is why we haven’t seen regular Pokemon falling dormant or anything.”
Soren nods. “Only the legends are directly tied into the threads of the universe. The rest of us are simply contained within it.”
Huh. Nia tilts her head back against the cold rock wall while she mulls that over.
So as long as they can find enough energy outside of the fabric of the world itself, Xerneas should be able to reinforce the barrier before…whatever is supposed to break it gets the chance to do so. Or at least be able to stitch it closed after the break, as long as they’re ready for it.
Now they just have to, y’know. Find Xerneas and convince her to help. Even if Soren is confident that she won’t.
What will they do if she refuses?
Nia shakes her head. She can’t just sit here and dwell on that thought in the dark. No use worrying endlessly over something she can’t do anything about right now.
She looks around for a distraction, automatically seeking out Tobias first. He has his own head tilted back, brow furrowed in thought, and Nia’s eyes trail down to his neck, covered as always by his scarf. She hasn’t seen him scratch at it once today, so hopefully that means the cream Eira gave him is working.
Her eyes trail next to Junie, who is still cuddled up in Nia’s lap and unusually quiet as she thinks.
Finally, Nia looks at Soren, who is standing across the tunnel with his eyes closed.
Everyone else seems content to stew in their thoughts, but Nia doesn’t think she should let her anxious mind have full reign at the moment. So she goes to her usual method of distraction and takes to practicing her aura, forming it as a baton and seeing how long she can keep it tangible as she flips it around her fingers. She occasionally loses hold of it and launches it across the floor to dissipate in a flash of blue light.
Soren watches her antics with his usual serious expression. Nia thinks she can feel his aura hovering nearby, as if watching her, but she tries to ignore the feeling and focuses on strengthening her aura, one trick at a time.
Nia considers trying out some of the things Soren mentioned before—communicating with her aura over a distance, or even transferring energy, but…
Well, quite frankly, her aura is still weak from their trip up the mountains and stopping the avalanche. She’s curious, but she also really doesn’t want to exhaust herself when they’ll be stuck down here for who knows how long.
“Come,” Soren says, pushing off the wall. Nia loses her concentration and fumbles the baton so it bonks her on the head. “They are moving on.”
Nia rubs her head as she turns, surprised to see that the lucario is right. Carnelian and Nouf are making impressive headway into the dirt, already yards deeper than before and nearly out of sight as they dig around a bend in the tunnel.
Nia and the others get up to follow, and her rear is already sore from sitting on the cold, hard ground.
It’s gonna be a long day.
Nia loses track of time quickly underground, and wishes not for the first time that they had a watch. Hours pass—interrupted only by a quick lunch—before Carnelian and Nouf finally call it quits, the two of them clearly exhausted. The sableye seems pleased with the progress they’ve made today, but Nouf…well. It’s hard to know what Nouf’s thinking.
Carnelian leads them out of the mountain and back into the outside world, and Nia is surprised to find the sun dipping into a late afternoon. She’s not sure if she thought it’d be later in the day, or earlier. Time gets weird underground.
Either way, she blinks hard against the bright shine of the sun reflecting off the snow, and relishes the feeling of cold wind ruffling her fur and warm sun on her face. The air of the cave had felt dead and still by comparison.
Soren parts from their group almost immediately, sparing them a nod before heading back to where the pack is camped out. Junie blows a raspberry at his back, but Nia is actually a little sad to see him go.
Soren still isn’t…friendly, by any means. But he did share some information with them, and Nia has a bit of a better idea of how he ticks. She’s more comfortable in his presence after being around him all day, at the very least.
Carnelian leads the rest of them back towards the guest lodgings, telling them excitedly about what supper will be tonight and how Nico, the delibird who brought them their meals last night, has started keeping gemstones on hand to grate up and sprinkle into Carnelian’s food so he can enjoy the delibird’s cooking and get nutrients all at once.
Nia smiles and interjects with questions at the right times, delighted to see the little ghost flourishing and really making a home for himself here. As they walk into the village, her eyes wander, taking in the townsfolk going about their business now that it’s daytime.
August had stressed that the mountain town was wary of outsiders, and their welcome from Soren and the Matriarch had proved that. While the townsfolk haven’t been hostile by any means—Eira and Nico are outright friendly—the other townsfolk eye them with more wariness than they received in larger cities like Ghatha or Kaleido. This feels more like Shivergleam, like a small, isolated community where everyone knows everyone and anyone outside of that loop is considered an outsider.
The village is friendlier than Nia was expecting, though. As they pass by the light blue dinosaur Nia noticed the night before and what looks like a penguin with an ice cube for a head, the two ‘mon call to Carnelian with a cheery greeting. Nia wonders how much of their relatively positive reception is thanks to them having Carnelian’s favor. She has no doubt that’s why Eira is so open with them, but it seems like the little ghost has won over the rest of the other villagers as well in the few weeks since he’s been here. Not that Nia can blame them—Carnelian is a sweetheart.
Nia is distracted from her thoughts as they pass by what looks like…a sandslash? But instead of the sandy brown she’s used to, this one is a light blue, its spines crystalline and icy.
More importantly, the sled it’s pulling, topped high with lumber, is tipping over as one of its runners catches on a rock. The sandslash squeaks as it’s yanked back with it.
Nia uses quick attack to dart forward and catch the tipping tower of wood, pushing it back into place with a grunt.
The sandslash, lying on her back in the snow, blinks up at Nia, surprised.
“Are you all right?” Nia asks.
Junie, who had managed somehowto cling to Nia’s shoulder during her quick attack, pecks a stray piece of wood back into place. “This is a lot of lumber for one ‘mon to handle!”
The sandslash comes back to herself, rolling to her feet as her short ears pin to her skull. “O-Oh. Um. Yes. I’m fine. Thank you.”
The sandslash bows to Nia and Junie and hurries off without another word, the lumber sled trundling along behind her.
Nia frowns at the Pokémon’s retreat. They didn’t, like…offend her or something, did they?
“Don’t worry,” Carnelian says, sidling up beside Nia. “I-I think she was just embarrassed. She’s the quiet sort. Usually her son is with her and he does most of the talking.”
Nia still feels unsure, and glances around at the feeling of eyes on them. A few of the townsfolk are indeed watching Nia and Junie, though Nia can’t tell how they felt about that little exchange from their neutral expressions and murmured conversations.
Carnelian starts talking again with a bit of forced cheer, leading them back towards the guest lodgings, so Nia tries to put the incident out of mind as she and the others follow the little ghost type.
When they walk inside the guest lodgings, Nia perks up at a welcome sight.
“Fidel!”
The zoroark is awake, sitting up in his nest with a quilt around his shoulders. Samir is lying next to him, the two of them peering down at two open books. They look up as the group enters.
“You’re okay!” Junie says. She flutters over to perch on Samir’s blanketed back and gives Fidel a quick once-over.
“How’re you feeling?” Nia asks, hurrying over as well.
The zoroark’s eyes are heavy and his mane is a mess, but he manages a tired smile. “Hello, you two. Good to see you’re all unharmed.”
“Well, most of us,” Junie says, tugging playfully at one of the leaves wreathing Samir’s neck.
Samir rolls their eyes. As if to prove something, they stand up—on all four legs. They give a little trot around the open space surrounding their beds.
“You’re healed!” Nia says, tail wagging. She’ll never get over how quickly Pokemon recover. It’s incredible.
Junie, riding atop Samir’s back, laughs. “Okay, dude, we get it! Stop showing off. Man, Eira really knows her stuff, huh?”
“That she does,” Fidel says, watching with a smile as Samir settles back down. Tobias gestures for the skiddo to extend their leg so he can take a curious look at the injury, still wrapped up in bandages. “She used some kind of poultice made with a ground-up root, and Samir was up and about in hours.”
“And you?” Tobias asks. He looks up at Fidel.
“Still not great,” Fidel admits. “Very sore. But I’m alive, and I hear that I have you all to thank for that. So thank you.”
The zoroark says that last sentence seriously, making purposeful eye contact with each of them. Nia can imagine he’s probably thinking of Asher, of what would’ve happened if he hadn’t made it back home to his son.
Nia swallows a lump in her throat. “Of course. We wouldn’t leave you behind. I’m just…I’m sorry that I couldn’t protect you in the first place.”
Fidel shakes his head. “No no, none of that. You have to keep yourselves safe before you can help anyone else. And you came back for me. That means more than you think, even if the father in me wants to scold you all for endangering yourselves to do so.”
“Aww, you’re such a softie!” Junie says, fluttering up to perch atop Fidel’s fluffy head. “Literally and metaphorically.”
“So did Eira give you two the all-clear?” Tobias asks, glancing between the two injured ‘mon.
Samir nods with a satisfied look on their face.
Fidel grimaces. “Afraid I’m on bed rest for at least another day. Apologies that I can’t be of more help.”
Junie snorts. “You’re not missing much. We literally just sat in a cave all day while Carnelian and Nouf dug a hole.”
“She’s not wrong,” Nia laughs.
“I think we can manage on our own,” Tobias agrees with a smirk. “We’re supposedly there to guard the diggers in case they stumble across Yveltal or there’s a cave-in or something, but I think the Matriarch just wanted to stick Soren in a hole with someone and make him socialize.”
Fidel rumbles a quiet laugh. “You don’t sound very fond of this Soren fellow.”
“Right, you haven’t met him yet,” Nia realizes.
“Lucky duck,” Junie grumbles.
While the rookidee starts telling Fidel about Soren in very unkind terms, making Tobias snort, Nia flops back into their nest and closes her eyes, fatigued after the long day of aura training and tense conversation.
They haven’t found Yveltal yet, but maybe tomorrow will be more fruitful.
Pages Navigation
IFBench on Chapter 1 Mon 12 Oct 2020 02:35PM UTC
Comment Actions
Level99Eevee on Chapter 1 Mon 12 Oct 2020 06:35PM UTC
Comment Actions
IFBench on Chapter 1 Mon 12 Oct 2020 10:28PM UTC
Comment Actions
quaintplanet on Chapter 1 Wed 06 Apr 2022 08:58PM UTC
Comment Actions
Level99Eevee on Chapter 1 Wed 06 Apr 2022 11:15PM UTC
Comment Actions
Saccharine_Velvet_Spice on Chapter 1 Sat 09 Mar 2024 04:15AM UTC
Comment Actions
Level99Eevee on Chapter 1 Sat 09 Mar 2024 06:35PM UTC
Comment Actions
whimsy_wack0o on Chapter 1 Sat 23 Mar 2024 07:00PM UTC
Last Edited Sat 23 Mar 2024 07:00PM UTC
Comment Actions
Level99Eevee on Chapter 1 Sun 24 Mar 2024 03:25AM UTC
Last Edited Sun 24 Mar 2024 03:25AM UTC
Comment Actions
Kirogi_21W on Chapter 1 Fri 19 Apr 2024 03:33PM UTC
Comment Actions
Level99Eevee on Chapter 1 Fri 19 Apr 2024 04:23PM UTC
Comment Actions
Kirogi_21W on Chapter 1 Sat 20 Apr 2024 03:57AM UTC
Comment Actions
TheTacticianAlchemist on Chapter 1 Tue 30 Apr 2024 08:06PM UTC
Comment Actions
Level99Eevee on Chapter 1 Tue 30 Apr 2024 09:03PM UTC
Last Edited Tue 30 Apr 2024 09:03PM UTC
Comment Actions
And_ShinyVersion on Chapter 1 Tue 21 May 2024 09:31PM UTC
Comment Actions
Level99Eevee on Chapter 1 Wed 22 May 2024 12:14AM UTC
Comment Actions
ApianCat (Guest) on Chapter 1 Mon 19 Aug 2024 04:58PM UTC
Comment Actions
Level99Eevee on Chapter 1 Mon 19 Aug 2024 05:07PM UTC
Comment Actions
CR_Coder (Guest) on Chapter 2 Tue 03 Nov 2020 04:35AM UTC
Comment Actions
Level99Eevee on Chapter 2 Tue 03 Nov 2020 04:11PM UTC
Comment Actions
Maple_Cloak on Chapter 2 Fri 29 Mar 2024 06:36AM UTC
Comment Actions
Level99Eevee on Chapter 2 Sat 30 Mar 2024 01:27AM UTC
Comment Actions
Imber (ImberArdeo) on Chapter 2 Mon 11 Jan 2021 04:51AM UTC
Comment Actions
Level99Eevee on Chapter 2 Mon 11 Jan 2021 05:37AM UTC
Comment Actions
quaintplanet on Chapter 2 Thu 07 Apr 2022 09:59PM UTC
Comment Actions
Level99Eevee on Chapter 2 Fri 08 Apr 2022 01:30AM UTC
Comment Actions
Level99Eevee on Chapter 2 Sat 09 Apr 2022 01:18AM UTC
Comment Actions
jdphobe on Chapter 2 Mon 08 Aug 2022 07:11AM UTC
Comment Actions
Level99Eevee on Chapter 2 Mon 08 Aug 2022 06:00PM UTC
Comment Actions
Tikki303 on Chapter 2 Mon 14 Nov 2022 04:43AM UTC
Comment Actions
Level99Eevee on Chapter 2 Mon 14 Nov 2022 02:31PM UTC
Comment Actions
Memebot on Chapter 2 Mon 11 Mar 2024 04:28PM UTC
Comment Actions
Level99Eevee on Chapter 2 Mon 11 Mar 2024 05:35PM UTC
Comment Actions
houseatlantic on Chapter 2 Tue 12 Mar 2024 10:04PM UTC
Last Edited Tue 12 Mar 2024 10:04PM UTC
Comment Actions
Level99Eevee on Chapter 2 Tue 12 Mar 2024 11:20PM UTC
Comment Actions
Saccharine_Velvet_Spice on Chapter 2 Thu 14 Mar 2024 01:55PM UTC
Comment Actions
Level99Eevee on Chapter 2 Thu 14 Mar 2024 10:12PM UTC
Comment Actions
whimsy_wack0o on Chapter 2 Sat 23 Mar 2024 07:09PM UTC
Comment Actions
Level99Eevee on Chapter 2 Sun 24 Mar 2024 03:28AM UTC
Comment Actions
trappedinshipping on Chapter 2 Sat 27 Apr 2024 08:52AM UTC
Comment Actions
Level99Eevee on Chapter 2 Sat 27 Apr 2024 03:21PM UTC
Comment Actions
TheTacticianAlchemist on Chapter 2 Thu 25 Jul 2024 06:10AM UTC
Comment Actions
Level99Eevee on Chapter 2 Fri 26 Jul 2024 03:00PM UTC
Comment Actions
WhenTheLeahvesFall on Chapter 2 Mon 23 Sep 2024 01:04AM UTC
Comment Actions
Level99Eevee on Chapter 2 Mon 23 Sep 2024 01:39AM UTC
Comment Actions
WhenTheLeahvesFall on Chapter 2 Mon 23 Sep 2024 02:55AM UTC
Comment Actions
Level99Eevee on Chapter 2 Mon 23 Sep 2024 01:40PM UTC
Comment Actions
WhenTheLeahvesFall on Chapter 2 Mon 23 Sep 2024 03:34PM UTC
Last Edited Mon 23 Sep 2024 03:36PM UTC
Comment Actions
Level99Eevee on Chapter 2 Mon 23 Sep 2024 05:06PM UTC
Comment Actions
Pages Navigation