Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Altered Bonds

  Chapter 22 — A Night's Spell

  “A Lanturn and a Banette, you say?”

  Eira hummed in response to Mismagius, her head still doing somersaults from the news. The human girl looked about, and found little to keep her grounded in the dream realm Mismagius conjured, with its indigo mist, star-speckled purple sky, and the semi-solid void her paws stood upon. A bizarre world of possibilities.

  Lucario’s teammates being on the archipelago hadn’t been a possibility in her mind. Their survival made sense, but for them to also make it into the archipelago? A liminal space that could only be accessed within a super specific spot in the ocean? Very unlikely.

  But the facts said otherwise. Two of them were here, waiting in Aquamush Town, Swampblot Island. The same location that Feebas’s uncle was, conveniently enough. A good chunk of her couldn’t help but be overwhelmed by the thought.

  A smaller chunk was spinning in joyous circles. Two of Lucario’s old teammates made it! They were here!

  A full day of traveling hadn’t been enough to get it out of her mind. Same for the rest of Team Heavendust, really. When Braixen and the others grew concerned, Lucario simply told them the letter came from companions he never thought he’d hear from again. There’d been a lot of congratulations after that — and maybe a few questions from a weirdly excited Heliolisk.

  Even now, Eira couldn’t help but buzz in place where she sat, feeling a whirlwind of emotions. Mismagius noticed this, of course, letting a grandmotherly chuckle. “You need not hide your happiness,” the witch assured her. “A matter of this nature merits some form of celebration, no?”

  “I-I guess?” Eira took a moment to process her words, before sharply shaking her head. “Wait, no, I’m not guessing. In what world wouldn’t I celebrate?”

  This was one of the best things that had ever happened to her and Lucario, after all, beyond her wristband and Team Heavendust becoming their allies. It wasn’t Mother, but the possibility of Mother surviving held as much substance as the mists of Tapu Fini. Even if by some miracle she was alive, she would have to be trapped in some remote village or hidden in the wild, experiencing who knew what.

  But Lucario having two of his teammates back? She could definitely settle for that. “I finally have someone else from back home,” Eira whispered.

  Two Pokemon that I can freely share my secrets with.

  A star fell from the dream sky, not far from them. Eira felt the ripples as it splashed through the void floor, and couldn’t help but let out a tiny laugh. Oh goodness, she’d never felt this wonderful in a good while. She wanted to meet Lanturn and Banette. She yearned to meet them.

  “I for one relish the thought of more Fallers to learn from,” Mismagius said, smiling at the thought of it. “Multiple perspectives mean more insight for my studies.”

  With her current mood, Eira found herself unusually willing to tease her tutor. “Of course you think of it that way.”

  “Whyyyyy wouldn’t I?” Mismagius clapped her cloth arms, bringing Eira to attention. “Of course, you are more than a noteworthy case study on your own, and we both have much to discover from your magic alone. You have practiced, yes?”

  A day’s worth of practice wasn’t much, but it was something. Eira wasted no time, conjuring an ice ball over her hand. Under Mismagius’s watchful gaze, she went through all the motions, moving it in various directions. Around her arm, over her fingers, up and down and back and forth.

  She let it launch into the air, before taking back control of it as gravity made it come down. The ball gently slowed to a stop at the tips of her nails, Eira letting it melt thereafter — much to her hand’s protest as freezing droplets fell onto her palm. “Still getting the hang of it,” she said. “Not used to doing everything manually.”

  “Microm*nag*ment is a tricky thing at first. But just as all children learn how to crawl and walk, it will become second nature to you in due time.” Mismagius waved an arm toward the sphere, and it vanished from existence, as per the rules of dream logic. “You woefully have few periods of time where you can safely practice in the real world, but no matter. Daily lessons in your dreams should serve as a decent supplement.”

  It was night now — in the outside world, Eira knew she was sleeping in her human form, separate from the others and under Lucario’s careful watch. Mismagius was making full use of that time when Eira needed to unwind the transformation stress on her soul, using it for training. Using her magic in the real world would make for better habits, but Eira feared getting Braixen or the others’ attention if she slipped up or did something they wouldn’t ignore.

  It made her appreciate the dream world, a place where she could quietly test her skills, all the more. “So what’s for today? More work on my ice?”

  “Ideally, we could.” Mismagius put on a mischievous look. “But you’ve performed ahead of my schedule, and you seem comfortable enough with Ice-type magic. Too comfortable, I’d even tease. Your affinity is what one should get familiar with, for the bare fundamentals, but you will need to venture out of your comfort zone in due time. Take, for instance, illusions.”

  Her form split into two, one more wispy in appearance. “It too is a trick that some Alolan Vulpix can learn, but not with Ice, their native element. It requires the esoteric types, mainly Psychic and Ghost, although Fairy and even Dark energies can serve as well. Your Pokemon self can harness all four, which should simplify things for your human self.”

  At the sight of illusions, another kind of giddiness bubbled with Eira. Such an amazing power it was, to distort how one saw the world around them. She’d read plenty of stories about Zoroark, the natural masters of the skill, and Mismagius was a firsthand account of the wonders one could do with that power.

  Eira very much wanted to learn it for herself. But even as she dreamed of the possibilities, a realistic part of her considered how illusions weren’t so simple to learn. “I don’t suppose,” she asked, “that one lesson’s enough to teach me, is it?”

  Mismagius stared. Then turned to the side, her doppelganger disappearing as the real witch let out a pained wheeze. “Hee! Ha! A single lesson on illusions?” she said. “Dear, I know you’re being rhetorical, but pleeeeease! What of the esoteric elements have you gained any form of mastery over, to begin with? Gifted as you are, even a few weeks would be such a stretch, I couldn’t possibly—”

  Strained laughter overcame the witch, an arm over her mouth. Eira winced a little — even a few weeks might not be enough? — but she pushed aside her worries for the time being. She wasn’t in any hurry for now. It was best to think of illusion magic as an investment for her future. Magic in general, really.

  Human magic’s a last resort anyway.

  “I know you have a basic understanding of Psychic energies, given your Extrasensory,” said Mismagius, getting a hold of herself. “We would start there, for your convenience. Would you know any Ghost moves as well?”

  Eira frowned at the question. “Spite.”

  “Hm. A vengeful hex common among your species. I take it you had poor experiences with it?” Mismagius shook her head before Eira could respond. “I have seen incidents before. Just as stress can unleash psychic energies on accident, so can negative emotions bring out your Spite.”

  “I-I learned it because of Aerodactyl. Nearly used it on Lucario.”

  Still not proud of that.

  “Likely under heightened tensions, I would wager. You do not strike me as one to often rage at others, and I believe you will keep yourself in check. This said, it does help if you learn to properly control the move, as you did with Extrasensory. It will teach you much about Ghost energies too.”

  Eira took heed of Mismagius’s advice. “But I distract myself,” the witch said, holding up Eira’s palm. “Remember our sphere exercise? Try doing the same, but with Psychic energy this time. I think you’ll find it surprisingly easy to do.”

  It was. Maybe it was how Psychic energy only needed a mental component, something any human could latch onto — was that why more humans gained psychic powers compared to other elements? — but once Eira managed to put herself into the zen-like focus needed, it came to her naturally. The power welled within her, before a mote of pink energy formed over her hand, swelling gradually to the size of a tennis ball.

  It was the concentration part that was tricky. Psychic energy demanded her to keep her focus, far more than her ice magic ever did. Eira felt a migraine work its way through her head as she struggled to keep the sphere intact. How do human psychics manage this? she questioned.

  “The same way that illusionists do? By learning to microman*ge and multi-task until it is second nature?” said Mismagius, Dream Eater letting her read her thoughts. “Now, let us see you try to move your sphere. Left and right, if you will.”

  There were some clear differences between how different type energies worked, Eira soon learned. For one, it was infinitely simpler to move a psychic sphere, due to how gravity didn’t affect it. On the other hand, that did mean the sphere was a lot floatier and lacked air friction, which threw her off as she gently slid the sphere around. Not to mention that, of course, doing anything with psychic magic was straight up taxing. If this was what human psychics had to go through, Eira could almost imagine why only so many became skilled at telekinesis and the like.

  Exhaustion threatened to make her lose the sphere. Only at the last moment did Mismagius cut in, removing the soul-burn she felt. It gave Eira a rough estimate of how much it would take in the real world before she collapsed from magic overuse. “It’s much worse than with my ice magic,” muttered Eira, “and I barely got to do anything with the sphere.”

  “The Psychic-type is a demanding element, but your inexperience also hinders you,” Mismagius stated. “Improving your spirit’s magic capacity — your Level — will do you much good there, but it is just as important for you to understand the other types better as well. The way you draw from the type is inefficient and nowhere as natural as it is with your innate affinity, and you must learn to overcome that. Or would you prefer to drop your interest in illusions, and return to your more familiar ice magic?”

  Eira looked into Mismagius’s eyes. Her sphere hovered still over her palm.

  “No,” she firmly said.

  “Then let us push your boundaries.”

  And so Eira spent her time controlling and understanding her sphere better. Mismagius would point out her flaws and how to correct them, and she would follow along. For one, she didn’t need to concentrate as hard as she thought she did, with only a light push required to keep the sphere in place. There was a minimum amount of force needed to keep the energy in place — anything less would collapse the sphere, and anything more was a waste of her soul’s magic.

  It also turned out that psychic magic really liked precision. Exact commands of where to move, when to stop, that kind of thing. Beyond that, a lot of the work was simply just getting used to working with Psychic-type energy, and learning to do minute corrections for herself. Eira soon managed to do a few neat moves with the sphere, at first pretending to draw basic squares and cubes in the air with it, then making precise infinity symbols with it.

  Her head and soul burned from the exercises still, but it was a notable improvement. “Not so bad, is it?” asked Mismagius.

  Eira shrugged, making the sphere loop up and down around her arm, corkscrew style. “Easier to move around, once you get the hang of it,” she said, gently rubbing her head with her other hand. “It just feels a little less natural to me than ice magic does, I guess. And it’s still more draining than I’d like.”

  “But you do not feel that illusions aren’t so impossible for you to learn, yes?”

  With some time and effort? “I think I can figure it out in time.”

  “I am certain you will. There are two types of tricks, you’ll find, that are commonly used in illusionary magic. One is the bending of light, to confuse the eyes, and the other is the tampering of brains, to deceive the mind. You ideally want both skills for the best possible effect, and Psychic and Ghost energies can provide you both.” Mismagius clasped her cloth arms. “Come to think of it, most Vulpix do learn Confuse Ray in the lower Levels, no? That will be useful to you in understanding some basic light trickery and Ghost-type energies, and if you grow skilled enough, you could even use it as an aid in creating illusions.”

  Eira found herself tantalized by the thought. Confuse Ray, was it? That would be very useful, and more appealing to train with compared to Spite. “Could you—” she began to ask.

  A weak purple light flared from Mismagius’s eyes, and Eira’s head spun for a moment, Mismagius appearing to split into three wavy, overlapping forms. She shook herself, squinting from the corner of her eyes at the effect.

  The witch cackled. “I’d suspect you are familiar enough with using your eyes for your abilities. Confuse Ray can be used similarly,” she said. “Some Pokemon choose to form it through spheres of eerie light, however, and I recommend you train with both methods in your spare time. Will that suffice?”

  Eira nodded, getting an inkling of how the move might work. It’d give her something to do while traveling — no need to spend time on it in the dream world.

  “Good. Honing both forms of magic, Pokemon and human, should do wonders for your fundamentals. It will make illusions much easier to produce in the long run. Expanding your soul’s magic capacity, or your Level, will be important too.” Mismagius let her Confuse Ray fade, rubbing her chin in thought. “Evolution too. Should you achieve it, you would likely gain a Fairy affinity, which opens more doors for light-based manipulation. And of course, an evolved human has a deepened connection to magic and the spirit, along with qualitative boosts to their physique too. I consider it integral for any budding human wizard.”

  The thought of evolution intrigued Eira. Was that actually possible? She hadn’t thought much about it, but she had wondered if evolution could work for her, considering she was just a human with a Pokemon disguise. Hearing Mismagius imply that humans could evolve, though, it was—

  “Wait,” Eira blurted, processing Mismagius’s words. “Uh, what do you mean by ‘evolved humans’?”

  Mismagius wore a blank smile. She faced downward, staring through the goopy void ground. For a good moment, Eira questioned if the Confuse Ray had messed up her senses more than she thought.

  “Mismagius?”

  “Hm?”

  “Humans don’t evolve.”

  The slightest smirk creased Mismagius’s face. “Are you sure, little wizard?”

  Madness tinged the edges of Eira’s mind. She slowly pulled up her hand, forming a fleck of ice on it. Stared at it. Considered the fact that yes, humans could have Levels and type affinities, on top of literal magic.

  She dwelled on the prophecy for a moment. Then swallowed. “N-no?”

  Mismagius seemed like she wanted to burst into cackling laughter, but she refrained. “A trick question, technically. A strange phenomenon with wizards is that, when their magic reaches a certain point, it begins to seep out of their spirits and infuse itself into the body. The effect can spark a transformative change, reshaping your mortal body to better conduct your magic. The effect is said to resemble evolution.”

  A sly look entered her teacher’s face. “But it is quite different. It is an ascension. Or, as some would simply put it, a Wizard Transformation.”

  The different terminology did not do quite enough to assure Eira. The girl took in a long, deep breath, trying to process this one hairball of an impossibility. Because sure! Why not? She already was an ill omen with secret magical powers and whatever. Why not throw human evolution into the mix? It was like she was in—

  A cultivation novel? Eira started, staring at her hands and the melting ice fleck she held. Why am I some kind of wacky off-brand cultivator?

  Ever since Lugia, Eira had been making a conscious effort to keep her thoughts in Vulpix speech. This was one of the exceptions though. Eira had no idea what ‘cultivator’ was said in the Pokemon tongue, and thus, she had naturally thought in Alph. Could Mismagius’s dream abilities translate a human tongue?

  “What was that about yourself and some kind of storybook, dear?”

  Yes and no. A vague understanding at best, it seemed. Eira frowned, wishing for a piece of paper and a pen — then blinked when she found herself holding both, with the latter being a modern ballpoint pen instead of the old fountain pens that Haven Archipelago had. Huh. Dreams.

  Mismagius seemed oddly curious about the pen, blinking as Eira clicked it to extend the tip and scribbled down her thoughts. She blinked just as much when she read her words.

  “Cultivation? Cultivator?”

  Both terms sounded foreign on her teacher’s tongue. “It’s based on old tales and beliefs,” Eira tried to explain, “about using mystical and spiritual means to improve one’s body and soul. It’s, uh, kind of a popular idea in Kanto and Johto? Kanto thinks of it as becoming in tune with the spirit world, and Johto sees it as extending one’s lifespan to become, uh—”

  Eira hastily wrote a new word. Mismagius, she could’ve sworn, seemed to recoil at it.

  “An immortal?”

  “Yeah. Oh, and there’s Ransei too? They have similar ideas to Kanto, but they see it as a means to perfect one’s body beyond its limits and gain unnatural strength, I think. Kanto’s more into the idea of humans that turn into—”

  Eira stiffened. The weirdness of Kantonian-cultivation stories seeped into her head, of men that turned into things inhuman, making her inner madness quake. “I-I’m not going to grow tails and fox fur, a-am I?” she whispered.

  Mismagius seemed to snap out of a strange funk, staring at Eira like she said something too ridiculous to imagine. “Pardon?” she said, lips twisting in pained mirth. “Oh, oh goodness, little one, did you not understand the first time? Ascension, not evolution! Perish the thought, the idea of you becoming a half-Pokemon, — hee! I promise you, while humans do experience a few changes, it’s never to such extremes!”

  Instant relief. Eira groaned out with all her heart, feeling like she’d dodged several bullets at point blank. Oh, thank God, evolution was perfectly fine with her as long as that wasn’t part of the package deal!

  Her sudden peace of mind made Mismagius titter. “At most,” she stated, “your kind gain minor touches to your appearance, things like eye color or body shape. Often, I’ve heard, clothes get altered as well due to the unleashed magic from your ascension. And of course, your body becomes boosted by your innate magic, which will make you— well, you’ll still be squishy, but also notably harder to maim or kill.”

  Pretty much cultivation then. Even the ascension part sounded like a ‘breakthrough’ in Ranseian cultivation stories. That said, a human transformation could affect one’s clothes? Where did that come from?

  Well, never mind that for now. “And my Pokemon self?” Eira asked.

  “Transformed Ditto cannot evolve, young one, and you are no different. However, from what little I understand of souls and your wristband, the nature of your spirit affects your form. A transformation would fundamentally affect your soul — your Vulpix self should ‘evolve’ as a result.” Mismagius frowned for a moment. “There’s a slight chance, however, that you could end up becoming more attuned to another Pokemon that becomes more suitable for you. Similarly, your transformation should change your type affinity to both Ice and Fairy, as far as I am concerned, but it is possible that you may end up attuned to a different type. An unlikely concern, but I think it is only fair that I warn you of this.”

  Eira did not like the uncertainty. Losing her Vulpix form would sting, and she’d much rather keep it. Never mind how problematic it would be, explaining to the others why Vulpix had evolved into an entirely separate Pokemon species. Please, no, she quietly pleaded.

  “In short, yes, I suppose that this idea of cultivation does correlate with human wizardry. Especially in regards to Ransei.” A perplexed, curious look sparkled in Mismagius’s eyes. “You had sparse notes on this region, I recall. A region with endless wars, secluded from most of the human world, yes?

  She had. Ransei was, well, a weird place. Its people were always dealing in civil wars waged by their feudal clans, almost like it was their national sport. Which might be technically true, because somehow, their fights had little true bloodshed. Still, the constant changes of authority and rulership over Ransei made it a volatile place, severely limiting travel to the region. It also made them lag notably behind in terms of technology.

  All of this helped create tons of rumors and wild ideas about the state of Ransei. Some had merit, like the core ideas of their cultivation folklore. Much of it, however, was outlandish stuff. This Eira told Mismagius, who took great amusement in the oddity of the region.

  “Truuuuuly a place of mystique,” she said. “In light of their cultivation ideas, one might wonder, did these people of Ransei know something of human magic? Do they still?” Seeing the way Eira’s brow creased, she chuckled to herself. “Well, I believe I’ve fried your mind enough for a day. Why won’t we conclude this session?”

  That had been a more tiring session than Eira had expected. She stared at her hand, weak and fleshy as it was, and found herself deeply uncomfortable.

  Because yes, she wasn’t going to turn into some furry spirit monster. On the other hand, excuse her? Evolution?

  Lucario had a letter clutched in his paws.

  He had to repeatedly assure himself that yes, the letter he tightly held was real.

  He sat in a little forested area, watched over by a midnight sky. Eira slept to his left on a blanket sprawled across the grass, faded red in color. His eyes bright with aura, Lucario kept a constant vigil for any intruders, finding none as he swept his gaze about. He felt only Eira’s presence, and Mismagius’s — needing to be close enough to use Dream Eater, she had concealed herself nearby.

  The others slept elsewhere, far away enough that Lucario couldn’t detect them, and vice versa. A necessary precaution with Braixen and Hattrem around. Once satisfied that nobody was approaching, his glowing eyes returned to the letter Lanturn and Banette had given him, his lips twitching upward.

  He didn’t have a good word to describe his current feelings. But if he had to choose one? He’d go with ‘wonderful’. Wonderful summed it up nicely, he thought.

  Eira shifted and grunted, and Lucario vaguely sensed slight movement from Mismagius too, the jackal facing his human girl. Their training session had ended, and with it, Eira’s deep sleep, the girl tossing to the other side of her blanket. She seemed to sense Lucario’s watching gaze, an eye cracking open and locking onto him.

  “Hunh?” she mumbled, hair splayed over her face.

  “Yeah, same to you, kiddo. Had a good time with the crazy witch?”

  Eira shook off her brain fog, forcing herself onto her arms to properly face Lucario. “Uh, yeah?” came her tired voice. “Learned stuff.”

  “Dang, can’t believe you learned stuff.”

  A snort. Eira took notice of the letter Lucario held, and a childish smile covered her face. “And you?” she asked. “You doing well?”

  Lucario smirked, before letting out a quiet barkful of laughter. “Do you even have to ask?”

  They sat there in silence for a good while, simply content in their scared little part of the woods. It was strange, how a little bit of happy news could lighten the load in one’s heart. For Lucario, it was almost like he’d recovered several pieces of himself he never knew he’d been missing.

  This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.

  His aura feelers tensed, and Lucario turned his head, only relaxing when he found Togetic’s aura approaching their area. She came into view soon enough, her glowing pink eyes meeting his blue ones for a brief moment. “My shift for the night,” she stated, before smiling at Eira. “Though maybe I don’t need to watch over you, if you’re already up?”

  Lucario did a quick check of Eira’s spirit, feeling no trace of a backlash within her. “Soul’s not hurting at all,” Eira replied. “But maybe it wouldn’t hurt to stay human a little longer?”

  Togetic hummed, settling herself down on a patch of grass. A strange expression overcame her as she took notice of the letter Lucario had refused to let go of.

  “You could leave that with Gabite, you know.”

  “Didn’t want to.”

  The physical presence of the paper meant too much to him, darn it. He couldn’t quite read it in the dark — glowing aura eyes were a poor substitute for actual light — but Lucario knew the words were there. He knew they were out there, Lanturn and Banette. Two pillars of support he could rely on.

  For a while, Eira was all he had of his old world. With Lanturn and Banette around, however, he had a new purpose.

  I need to meet up with them.

  “They had help with writing the letter, you can tell.” Lucario traced his finger over the words. “Banette can write a little, but he’s not this deft with the pen. The sloppy initials at the end, though? That’s them.”

  Now Eevee’s aura was approaching too, the Abhorrent slinking toward his and Eira’s space from a distance away. Lucario tilted his head a little to the side, letting the letter rest on his lap. “I think you’ll like them,” he told Eira. “Well, Lanturn at least, she’s a bubbly ray of sunshine. Banette’s more of a moody brooder, not exactly the most pleasant person to be around.”

  “But at least he’s familiar company?” said Eira.

  Lucario snickered. “Oh, I could kill for familiar company.”

  Cheeriness radiated from Togetic and Eira, their auras filled with joy on another’s behalf. It almost made Lucario feel guilty, the urge to apologize to Eira welling within him. Did it sting, knowing his companions had made it here safe and sound, while her Mother hadn’t? Surely it had to weigh on her a little.

  But then again, you’d probably offend her more by feeling sorry for her. Don’t do that to her, you fool.

  “I thought I would tell you, by the way,” said Togetic. “I got to see Feebas’s letter, before she and Hattrem settled in for the night. The handwriting’s the same as yours.”

  Lucario found that curious. Same scribe? Both letters had come from Aquamush Town after all. Maybe Feebas’s uncle wasn’t the best at writing either, being a marine Pokemon.

  Or maybe he is, and he helped Lanturn and Banette out? Seems a little coincidental. Lucario considered it for a bit, before snorting. Which means that’s totally the answer.

  It wasn’t important though. Lanturn and Banette being here was all that really mattered. “Seems like they adapted well enough to the archipelago,” Lucario remarked with a dry smile. “At the very least, they couldn’t have gotten anywhere near the amount of trouble we’ve had.”

  “You sure saying that out loud’s a good idea?” Eevee had gotten close, a bush rustling as he brushed past it to meet Lucario, Eira, and Togetic. “Sounds a lot like you’re trying to outdo the Banette species in the curse department.”

  Lucario could almost hear the scoff Banette would have made in response to that. It brought mirth to his face, his eyes growing distant. “Ah, look at that, somebody’s still living on cloud nine,” Eevee remarked.

  Can you blame him? Pink mist poured out of Eevee’s spikes, forming a ghostly Sylveon that beamed at Lucario with just his eyes. I’d think anyone else would act the same way in his situation. I know it’s late, by the way, but congratulations! After everything that’s been going on, it’s nice to have something going your way.

  He stretched a ribbon feeler toward Lucario. Lucario stared at the intangible appendage, and Sylveon let out a snort.

  Just do me a favor and pretend to shake it, okay?

  Amused, Lucario went along with the gesture, shaking his arm in tandem with the feeler’s movement. “Nah, Sylveon’s right, it’s nice having some good news for once,” said Eevee. “Your Lanturn and Banette companions, you think they’ll take kindly to Abhorrents like me? Or that they’ll be able to process the idea of a wizard human shapeshifter? Speaking of whom, how’s our false Vulpix doing with her magic training?”

  “Fine.” Eira put on an odd face. “Mismagius told me humans can evolve, sort of?”

  It was a probing sentence, meant to see if Eevee had heard anything about such a thing. It was also a completely ridiculous statement that came out of left field. Everyone instantly snapped their heads toward Eira.

  Really now? said Sylveon.

  “Huh,” muttered Eevee. “That’s a new one.”

  Togetic twisted her lips, as did Lucario, his aurasense probing the spot where he could’ve sworn Mismagius had just been a moment ago. “What in the furry fiction, kid?” he said.

  Eira mimicked his face, understanding his terrible line of thought. “I-it’s like cultivation stories based on Ransei, n-not the Kantonian ones.”

  “The fact that I know exactly what you mean makes me weirdly concerned about the junk Adam’s read to me.” Lucario took in a deep breath, trying to placate the whiplash of emotions he felt. Tried to feel some form of relief at Eira’s clarification.

  He turned to his side. Mismagius. He scowled and gave up trying.

  “What do you freaking mean, evolution?”

  The witch had an uncanny way of messing with his aurasense, he noticed. She couldn’t block it like Mew, but the illusionist seemed to shift places anytime he wasn’t laser-focused on her aura, moving without him noticing. “Ascension,” she corrected. “The term is ascension, if we must be exact. Wizard Transformation, or simply transformation, would also be more accurate.”

  And like that, she promptly ignored his pointed glare, sizing up Eevee and his Sylveon brother. A wickedly pleased look crossed her face, a little to the discomfort of both. “You’re the witch Lucario’s been talking about, huh?” Eevee hazarded.

  “And you, Abhorrent Eevee, must be the mutant who gave my student her charming wristband, hmm? You have quite the unusual curse, it seems.” She shifted her head toward Sylveon, before inspecting the anklet attached to Eevee’s paw. “You still keep the corrupted Z-Crystal that altered you — an Eevium-Z, is it not? How interesting.”

  Eevee stared for a while. Then stepped to the side, mist shooting out of his spikes. A sharp-eyed Vaporeon formed in Eevee’s original spot, Espeon appearing beside her.

  Allow me to convey our gratitude for Eira’s tutoring, elder Mismagius, Vaporeon spoke up. You seek something from us?

  Mismagius let out a delighted cackle, gaze snapping to the Eeveelution. “Knowledge, dear Vaporeon. Always knowledge. You and your Kabutops benefactor are the ones the human relies on for a way home, is it not so? How you came to meet this Kabutops that made the girl’s wristband, and what means he would have in thwarting the ever-so-bothersome prophecy — these questions burn bright in my mind. You would not mind the sudden questioning, yes?”

  Lucario already knew of Eevee’s encounter with Kabutops, having learned of it while talking the night before with Gabite. The latter question, however, was one he grew interested in hearing about. Eevee let out a harrumph, aware of the inquisitive gazes Eira and Togetic threw at him.

  “Chance encounter,” he said.

  Kabutops was doing fieldwork at Blitzfield Island, Sylveon elaborated. We had mutated a month before, and were fortunate to meet another friendly Abhorrent.

  Even as an Abhorrent, Kabutops would take a few trips out of his lair for personal research, said Vaporeon. He knows several odd dungeons with inter-island passageways. He was deeply sympathetic to our plight, and used one such passage to take us to Swampblot, taking us as an assistant for his work.

  “The old fossil’s a former relic hunter and well-taught in creating artifacts and magic trinkets, like Eira’s wristband. Did plenty of research on humans and distortion-related matters too.” Eevee put on an impish smirk. “I mentioned this to Lucario and Gabite, but Kabutops’s been an Abhorrent long before the recent outbreaks. A few years, according to him.”

  Lucario had remembered how hungry Gabite had become for details, the moment Eevee mentioned that in passing. “One of the first mutants?” Togetic wondered aloud. “How did it happen?”

  Lucario also remembered, with a bit of dark mirth, how flustered Gabite had become when Eevee was unable to give details. Kabutops was tight-lipped on his circumstances, so we do not know, Vaporeon told her. Regardless, he is a fountain of knowledge. I cannot promise a clear path home, but between his skills in creating magical tools and his understanding of dungeons and spacetime anomalies, Kabutops should have the means to help you discover something.

  In exchange for a little assistance in Kabutops’s research on the transformation wristband, and the Abhorrent mutation in general, of course. But to Lucario, that was a deal he’d take any day. Lanturn and Banette would get to benefit too — they’d all get a chance to go back to their world.

  It still wouldn’t be the same, without Adam and the others. But it was better than what he originally hoped for.

  Eira seemed uplifted by Vaporeon’s words, her face up with renewed anticipation for the day they’d reach Kabutops. “A proper artificer,” said Mismagius, expressing a deep longing of her own. “Oh, how long has it been since I met anyone who knows of the old crafts?”

  Togetic nodded, her happiness a reflection of Eira’s. “Kabutops’s interest in you won’t be just because of the wristband,” Eevee said to Eira. “He’s a little manic about anything human-related. You’d know as much if you’d seen him, the day he asked us to take the wristband and search for humans possibly hiding in the archipelago.”

  I always thought he was just looking for an excuse to have us collect as many human rumors as possible, Sylveon admitted with a polite chuckle. You’ll grow to like him. His mutation makes him all skeletal like Aerodactyl, except he’s more of a sea spirit ghost than a shadow monster — but as creepy as he might seem, he’s really nice and caring.

  “An old ghoulish researcher with a love for trinkets and humans?” Mismagius put a cloth-arm over her mouth. “I’m almost charmed at the thought of it, hee! Yes, this information will suffice. I look forward to an exchange with this Kabutops, should I have the chance.” She drifted over to Eira, giving her an appraising nod. “Do continue your magic practice, dearest student of mine. I would hope that with your aptitude, we’ll be able to witness your transformation before you depart these lands, hm?”

  She sunk into the ground. “Hey, hold on!” cried Lucario. “You don’t get to tell me humans can evolve and not elaborate further!”

  Mismagius poked her head out for a brief moment. “Ascend,” she corrected.

  And then she dove back down, leaving behind a rather peeved Lucario. “Must be fun having her around,” said Eevee, before he and his siblings put on matching faces of annoyance. “Darn it, Vaporeon, we should’ve asked her questions too. We’re a literal hivemind, and none of us remembered to ask Mismagius about human and Missing One stuff before she left?”

  Bothersome witch. It still irked him, the little smirk she threw at him when apologizing to Golisopod about the intensity of her soul. Lucario had made an attempt earlier to scrutinize her aura while she was training Eira in her dreams — but Mismagius’s soul was like a still lake while comatose, her thoughts too deep within her subconscious to pull out. Her lifeforce had seemed faint and distant, not quite like the tethered ‘power behind power’ Golisopod had described.

  Eira offered him an apologetic expression, which Lucario gladly took solace in. Togetic had her gaze lingering where Mismagius had been, eyes lit with her purity sense. “She confuses me more with each passing day,” she muttered. “Eira, sweetheart? What’s all this about, er, ascension and cultivation stories?”

  The girl quietly explained both, elaborating on what she knew. It helped to quell the chaos bubbling in Lucario’s mind. It also made him more annoyed at how little Mismagius actually explained. How exactly did human magic reach the critical point and cause a transformation? Were there specific conditions for each human? Could all humans reach a stage of ascension? Could they do it twice, just as some Pokemon evolved twice? Why did the transformation affect clothes?

  No, seriously, why are the clothes affected?

  “Yeah, I’m sleeping this one off, this is somehow stupider than human magic itself.” Lucario got himself up, a paw clenched around his letter. “Night, Eira. Keep the kid safe while I’m out, Togetic, okay?”

  Togetic looked at him like he was being silly for even needing to ask. Her eyes remained alight with pink light as Lucario began to move, the angelic keeping an eye out for intruders with her purity sense. A vacant part of his mind wondered about the exact range of her power, and how easily she could detect others with it.

  A more active part dwelled on the cleverness of such a trick, and the deeper connotations behind her ability. Ever since their talk on aura during the Jumpluff incident, Togetic had been making good use of her purity sense as a means to detect others. A mimicry of his own abilities, effectively. She’d been able to even sense Eira’s inner pain from transformation stress. The more he looked at it, the more he felt that—

  “You’re using aura.”

  Lucario surprised even himself with his statement, Togetic snapping to attention. “Huh?” she said.

  “You’re using aura. You might have an affinity for it too.” Lucario raised a finger, reconsidering the way he phrased his words. “That’s not to say you can do everything a Lucario can, but like I said before, your purity sense — and I guess Shaymin’s gratitude sense as well — it works like a specialized form of aura. You naturally see one’s purity, but you can extend that power to read deeper into someone’s spirit.”

  The words, naturally, had a deep effect on Togetic. Her pink eyes expanded, the intensity of their glow making Lucario squint a little. Wonder emanated from that glow.

  It wasn’t too far off from Eira’s own starry gaze when it came to the idea of human magic. “Your kind can learn Aura Sphere when fully evolved as well,” mused Lucario, cocking his head to the side to take in the wide-eyed stares of Eira, Eevee, and his other siblings. “Move your arm out.”

  The angelic did so without thinking. It took a second for her brain to catch up, Togetic lowering her head to stare at her outstretched nub. “That energy you’re using to bring out your purity sense through your eyes? Shift it to your arm, and try shaping it the way you make your Tri-Attacks,” he ordered.

  Togetic tried it. The light in her eyes faded out, and her nub shimmered with the faintest light. Nothing else, however. She squinted at her arm, forehead creasing, as she struggled for a good moment to make something happen.

  But she held fast. And it happened. What little light there was on her nub stirred, shaping itself into a little pellet of pink light. It hovered over her arm, Togetic gaping at it. Through Lucario’s own aurasense, he could feel her surprise — and the sensation of her own purity sense, manifested through the sphere. Far from pure aura, but a tiny proof of her ability to learn it.

  Amazement shone on Eira’s face at the sight of it, along with Eevee. Vaporeon and Espeon raised their brows, and Sylveon looked utterly captivated. The angelic slowly raised her head, managing to speak one of the most elegant, captivating responses one could ever make.

  “Oh.”

  Lucario crossed his arms. “Try practicing that,” he said. “An Aura Sphere shouldn’t be too hard for you to learn. The empath stuff might be trickier, but I’m sure you’ll learn a thing or two.”

  And then he walked off. Togetic drifted here, turning back to her sphere with burgeoning curiosity. Eira excitedly whispered to her, to the jackal’s amusement.

  Eevee dashed to his side. “Well, aren’t you something, professor?”

  “I taught her nothing, she had the fundamentals. Just pointed her in a direction.”

  “Pretty sure that’s how teaching works, you numbskull.”

  Lucario cocked an eye at Eevee. “I suppose,” the jackal slowly said. It’d be curious to see if he could guide Togetic further into the realm of aura — he had a feeling she’d take to it like a moth to an open flame, and it would very much tickle him if she learned to weaponize the skill against Aerodactyl and the Abhorrents. “Minor tidbit you might wanna hear, by the way, but Porygon-Z told me something interesting.”

  Lucario explained the Faller’s sudden appearance near Relicslab Village of Cragpeak Island, apparently having been dropped from a local dungeon. “A weak point in the dungeon?” Eevee mulled over it, before shaking his head. “Guess it resonated with the distortions and made a passageway between your homeland and mine. The rift’s obviously closed now, but maybe Kabutops could find a way to open it back up? Not that it’d be safe though, if Porygon-Z’s amnesiac state means anything.”

  “Was thinking the same thing. Might be a last resort option.”

  “Yep.” A little grumble left Eevee. “Did Gabite have to mention Eira’s ‘ailment’ to everyone?”

  Lucario huffed, just as unhappy to let Braixen and the others get any sliver of the girl’s secrets, but also aware of the wisdom behind it. “Flareon’s angry about it?”

  “If he wasn’t dead asleep, you’d be hearing him hissing with complaints. I know it’s the most logical way to prevent unwanted suspicion, but—”

  Eevee flattened his ears, a paw rubbing his Z-Crystal anklet. He fretted, and Lucario fretted a little too, glancing back to Eira. The human girl was still gushing with Togetic about aura, it seemed, with Vaporeon and Espeon listening in. Sylveon had yet to twitch from where he was, still fixated on Togetic’s little aura ball.

  Lucario made use of his own aura, pressing feelings of calm against himself. The girl would be fine. “Mind if I ask something?” he told Eevee.

  “Yeah?”

  “What about the Missing Ones did you want to ask Mismagius about?”

  Eevee kept still for a good while. Then tilted his head, toward the main campsite. Lucario turned in the same direction, and frowned.

  “Gabite’s seen some weird stuff in Tumbledust Island, hasn’t he?” said Eevee. “More than just the so-called humans — creepy mind screwers that those guys are. Whatever your tribe went through during the Ruptures sounds a little tame compared to his life, eh?”

  Lucario numbly nodded, recalling the discussion he had with Gabite and Eevee yesterday. They stared out into the forest.

  They stared back. Gabite stared back, eyes bloodshot.

  She grows in power. She will dwarf you—

  Shut up.

  Laughter. Eyes in the shadows watched him, a pair belonging to a robed, hooded evil. His face, half-rotted, a bony chin poking out. Mummified arms, a finger pointing his way.

  Deny it as you will, beast. But you fear her.

  Gabite feared the girl, it was true. But not for the reasons he thought. He scowled, blinking. When his eyes opened, the figure had disappeared.

  But not the other shapes. Slithering things. Skittering fiends. Eyes and teeth and fangs and outstretched arms, all formed of writhing layers of static. Gabite held back a growl, shaking his head—

  “Seeing things again?”

  Braixen was beside him, wand in his paw and lit with purple light. Gabite felt a light tap against his mind, and gave no resistance, letting his friend in. Instantly, he felt a soothing touch permeate through his skull and down his neck, into the rest of his body. It made him relax.

  The monsters blinked out of existence at once, like a canvas erased. “Had nightmares,” Gabite said, letting out a groan. “It’s always worse after the nightmares.”

  Bad memories of his youth would haunt him every so often, warped by his dreams. In the deepest, most treacherous parts of Tumbledust Island’s wilderness, dungeons were a cursed godsend. A lifeline in an endless expanse of desert, laden with precious food items and drinkable water — and crawling with abnormalities. Things that weren’t normal.

  He struggled to remember exact images. He’d been young then, and afraid of looking directly at them. Hadn’t there been an eye-thing that had literally tased his mind for staring at it? A floating teal mask made of four faces, one of which always noticed whenever he dared peek at it? Or were those just his dreams? Darn it, he could barely even recall the dungeons, they’d all blurred together at some point. Only the not-humans were exempt from that.

  “A pity I can only help so much,” said Braixen. A polite chuckle left him right after, seeing the look Gabite gave him. “Spare me the whole ‘you saved my life’ speech, brother, you know what I mean. Soothing a mind like yours isn’t an easy thing, never mind the ordeal of fixing it outright. No leads on the entities you believe you encountered either. Just learning of the term ‘Missing Ones’ was hard enough.”

  Funny that the monsters had a name. Missing Ones. “Still can’t pinpoint what parts of the deserts I’d been wandering?”

  “Absolutely nothing around where we first found you, most certainly. I’m almost contemplating the idea that you had extremely terrible luck in stumbling into the strangest, least-known dungeons in Tumbledust Island, or that said dungeons have strangely vanished into thin air ever since.”

  Most of Gabite’s memories had solidified around his first meeting with Braixen and Heliolisk, out in the wilderness — Golisopod hadn’t been there then. Oh, how strange and wonderful it had been to experience civilized society, and no longer worry about surviving the accursed desert. Adapting from a wild Pokemon’s life to being in an explorer team had been a challenge for everyone, but boy, was Gabite grateful that Braixen had held firm in helping him recover. How long had it been since, four or five years?

  “Togetic went out, I noticed,” said Braixen. He pointed with his stick. “Swapping with Lucario to watch his Vulpix kid, I take it.”

  Gabite took in the woods they were camping in, the night serene without the nightmares plaguing his head. A good distance away, Feebas and Hattrem laid flat on their sides, dead asleep, and Shaymin was curled up as her hedgehog self, flowers on her back blooming in auto-response to his thankful feelings toward Braixen. A slumbering Heliolisk and Golisopod were not far from him and the fire fox. “Seems so,” said Gabite.

  “I take it you got a strange vibe too from the jackal and his little one, when you first met them? I don’t know quite why, but something about them perplexes me, and I can’t tell why. It’s not even the so-called ailment Vulpix has that bothers me, to be honest.” Braixen put on a sheepish grin. “Not that I mean to pry, of course, I can tell the pair cherish their privacy. Maybe the letter Lucario received has something to do with my feelings?”

  Probing words. Blast it, Braixen was already trying to read into the situation. “Do all nobles have to use concealed language to hint at what they really mean to say?” asked Gabite.

  Braixen spread his arms out in an apologetic gesture, but said nothing. Gabite held back a grunt. It was great that Lucario had gotten in contact with some of his other folks from the human world, no doubt about that. It had clearly brightened his day. But why did that have to come at the expense of Braixen getting free information to scrutinize?

  He’s been suspicious of something going on, for him to already be doing this. Gabite let out a false yawn, laying his head on the grassy ground. “Go hit the hay, Braixen. No need to fuss over me, my head’s fine now.”

  Braixen looked like he had something witty to say in response, but refrained when Gabite glared at him with dull eyes. He settled for a polite nod, moving away to get some sleep. Gabite turned his head away, toward the direction where Lucario would be arriving from, and shoved down the emotions within him. Braixen tended to be sensitive to his emotions.

  Always figured Braixen would find out too much in due time, but it would’ve been easier if we got the girl to Kabutops first. Or barring that, if he’d gotten used enough to her. An uneasy frown touched Gabite’s face. It’s too early. But still salvageable, I think. I just have to be far more tactful with how I tell him.

  Lucario was walking his way, he noticed. Gabite held back a tinge of guilt, wondering if the jackal would sense it. How betrayed would he feel, if I did something behind his back to keep the kid safe? he thought.

  Gabite raised his head once Lucario approached, putting on a half-smile. Then paused, taking in how dead inside the jackal looked. “Everything alright?” Gabite whispered.

  Lucario stared. Then dragged him away from Braixen’s team.

  A minute of private conversation later, and Gabite found himself ruminating over human evolution, the concept of cultivation, and Mismagius’s skill in casually causing chaos. “Huh,” was his response when Lucario finally finished grumbling. “Sounds neat.”

  “N-neat?” sputtered the jackal.

  “Dunno why I never considered it, it makes sense in retrospect,” he said, finding wicked pleasure in Lucario’s dumbfounded gaze. It took a good moment before the jackal read the hidden meaning in Gabite’s words, stiffening at once, which amused Gabite further. Deep within his head, however, his brain was solely focused on the ramifications.

  My captors. Was this part of why they wouldn’t bleed? Why they seem to be undying monsters?

  There was something deeply relaxing, Lucario found, in the simple act of traveling. Maybe it was the welcome monotony, or the nostalgia behind the action. Or maybe he really just enjoyed long walks, going from one place to another.

  Their group had set out early in the morning, traveling down a dirt road through a forest with sharply formed hills and small, rocky cliff sides. The girls took the rear, with Eira the Vulpix focusing on a weak, half-formed sphere of yellow light she was trying to create, a Confuse Ray if Lucario had to guess. Had Mismagius been teaching her that? Hattrem and Feebas were encouraging the girl, and Togetic and Shaymin were silently whispering to each other — about human transformation, if Shaymin’s face was anything to go by. It was a stupid case of spite, but Lucario refused to use the term ‘ascension’.

  “So! Chums on Swampblot Island, ain’t that right, pal?” Heliolisk slid right beside Lucario’s ear, the jackal flinching at his sudden presence. “Excuse me if I’m sounding like a broken record on a gramophone — funky human inventions, those things! — but good to hear you got buddies elsewhere, I didn’t think you were the type! These Lanturn and Banette peeps, what business were they up to that got you falling into line with them? Didn’t have your little kiddo then, I’m guessing? What kind of weird accident split you up and made you believe you’d never see them again?”

  The guys took up the front. Lucario threw Braixen a please-chain-your-rabid-beast look, the fox sharing a quiet chuckle with Gabite. “Heliolisk, no more questions,” he ordered.

  “Aw, come on! He barely answered the ones I had yesterday! I just wanna know about his buds!”

  Golisopod made brief eye contact with Lucario, before rolling his eyes, a weirdly expressive action from the stoic bug. Kind of like Hattrem in that sense. Her brows had shifted with a touch of curiosity, earlier today, when Lucario had boldly decided to let her know of the similar handwriting his and Feebas’s letters had.

  It was pointless to hide it when they were all going to Aquamush Town, after all. Feebas too had been intrigued, especially when Lucario showed his letter for comparison. They both had agreed that yes, it was very likely that Feebas’s uncle was an acquaintance of Lanturn and Banette.

  They also had asked questions about the pair. Lucario deflected most of them. There’s only so much I can safely share about the twosome, he thought, before flicking his gaze back to a pouting Heliolisk. Why was the sun lizard still lingering around his personal space?

  “Okay, okay, trade offer.” Heliolisk made his eyes big and cutesy-looking. “See these adorable puppy Riolu eyes? You get these, and in return, I receive a single response from you— ow! Braixen, not the frill, man!”

  Braixen ignored him, pulling Heliolisk away. There was something about the naturally inquisitive look in the fox’s eyes that made Lucario uncomfortable, as if Braixen was constantly assessing him and who he was. Heliolisk asked questions aloud, but Braixen seemed to quietly answer them in his head. Is he reading into my deeper emotions or something? he wondered. Darn it, Gabite but with psychic abilities is horrifying.

  “North Green Ridge should be close by.” Gabite’s statement made everyone slow down, the dragon-shark turning around to address their party. “There’s a side path that leads right into a cave-like hole in one of the cliff sides, you can’t miss it.”

  “Green Ridge is unusual in that it is split into two dungeons, the North and South side,” Braixen explained. His focus was mainly on Feebas and Hattrem, the pair who knew least about the travel route he and Gabite had planned out. “They correspond to its two entrances that are rather spread apart, somewhat like Tallgrass Meadow, but far more useful for fast travel — it’ll save us half a day’s worth of time. There’s only about two or three little villages in between, and Kecleon merchants, adept explorer teams, and small escort squads use it frequently.”

  It had been Braixen’s suggestion to make use of the dungeon, to speed up their pace. “And the occasional dumb bandit that hopes to make some quick dough,” Gabite finished with a cackle. “People who use this route aren’t pushovers, mind you. Green Ridge’s got a B-rank threat level for good reason, particularly due to Graveler that love using Explosion, and the infrequent cases of Monster Houses appearing. Nothing our party can’t handle though, so long as you stick close together and listen to me and Braixen.”

  He put emphasis on the last several words, Feebas and Hattrem taking his message to heart as everyone grouped together. Eira sighed at her unfinished Confuse Ray, letting it disperse, before keeping close to Lucario. The thought of trigger-happy Graveler with an explosive streak had been a concern for Lucario, what with the large-scale damage they could cause, but Gabite wasn’t wrong. They had ten Pokemon amongst themselves, excluding Eevee and Mismagius, and Feebas wasn’t even that weak of a link in their chain. Friendly fire was a far bigger danger for them.

  Eevee had already left two hours ahead of the main group, not wanting his Abhorrent nature to cause issues in the off-chance that other Pokemon were traveling through the dungeon. He must’ve gotten to the other side by now. Mismagius, well, she’d been nowhere to be found when they went looking for her, and Gabite had decided there was no need to wait on her.

  The witch can hold herself, I’m sure. Will she know we’re using the dungeon though, or where we’ll be when settling for the night? Lucario pondered over it for a bit, before dismissing his concerns. Eh, it’s Mismagius. For all I know, we’ll come out the other side of the dungeon and she’ll be sitting there menacingly, asking us what took so long.

  He still decided to feel around with aurasense, in case she was around. Mismagius could mess with his sixth sense, but a basic detection would still tell him if she was anywhere nearby. No sign of her though. Just him, the others, a bird-shaped entity who’d just entered his range and was dive bombing toward—

  Lucario snapped his head skyward, eyes bugging out. “Move!” he warned the others.

  Too slow. Swellow dropped from his beak a blue orb with a shockwave pattern, the Blowback Orb hitting the ground at the epicenter of their party. Pulses of forceful blue energy burst out, and even Golisopod tumbled off his feet, never mind Lucario, who found himself sprawled against a tree trunk. The force left dust plumes leaping up from the dirt road, hazing his vision.

  Shaymin was quickest to recover, darting at the outlaw as he straightened out into a horizontal glide. This was still too slow, as Swellow had already activated another orb in his talons, orange with triangle patterns. The Rollcall Orb burst with light—

  And Weavile and Golduck instantly appeared from within the dust clouds, Shaymin gasping as the latter’s Psychic took hold. Swellow immediately pounced on Hattrem, and Weavile on Togetic, both crying out as they struck.

  Swellow immediately tore away Hattrem’s Treasure Bag, Steel Wing knocking the Psychic aside for good measure. Togetic tried to shove off Weavile, before finding her own Treasure Bag suddenly in Weavile’s hands — her surprised face being frozen in place by the point-blank Ice Beam that came after. Weavile then directed his Ice Beam at a thrashing Shaymin, trapping her in ice.

  Golduck flung the Mythical straight into the treeline and well out of sight. “SUCKERS!” he yelled.

  Lucario had scarcely gotten up when Weavile pulled from his pouch a brown orb with a lightning symbol, constricted with purple vines. Braixen hissed, eyes glowing in an instant, and Weavile blinked as his Psychic shattered the Petrify Orb before the weasel got to use it. Lucario seized the moment to lunge—

  Blowback Orb, number two, courtesy of Weavile. Lucario tumbled as its aftershock sent him careening to the side, scattered yet more dirt and dust, and threw the others into further chaos. “The dungeon!” Weavile told his henchmen, before bolting off. Swellow and Golduck moved too, the latter encasing himself in an Aqua Jet as they shot through the dust clouds and straight into the forest.

  A practiced hit-and-run, seemingly planned just for them. Lucario coughed out dust, baffled at what he’d just witnessed. Gabite let out a muted growl, he and Heliolisk being under the weight of Golisopod’s massive arm. The large bug himself was lying on his side and trying to pull his bulk up. Feebas had been launched several yards away, Hattrem seemed more livid than hurt by Swellow’s assault on her, and Togetic, well, her still-frozen face said it all.

  Somewhere between Togetic and Hattrem, Eira made a hacking noise, a plume of dust latching onto her pristine white fur. “What?” she questioned.

  Feebas pulled herself onto shaky fins, eyes wide. “My scale,” she said with a raised voice. “They took my Prism Scale!”