"Coffee," Artemis purred, "give me life!" She nearly ripped the cup from Flare's paws, and the poor Braixen squeaked in surprise. Without hesitation, Artemis chugged the entire cup, not at all ashamed of how she looked. She'd been waiting weeks for this shit and she was going to enjoy it, dammit.

  "... I'll go bring you the pot," Flare sighed. She set Silvally's cup of Sitrus tea on the table and flashed him a smile, before heading into the back of the cafe.

  Across from her, Silvally stifled a yawn, and gingerly took a sip from his cup. Just in front of him, the bag Kangaskhan gifted him was set on the table, unopened. How he didn't immediately tear into it last night when they got back to the guild, Artemis didn't know. It was driving her nuts not knowing what was inside, and it wasn't even for her!

  ... Arceus, she missed coffee. This reunion was long overdue. Screw that stupid Pokémon for messing up that port, who did it think it was, living in the water like that? She needed coffee to run on minimal sleep and catch criminals and tear through multiple missions a day and-

  Silvally opened up the small pouch and emptied it out, careful with his large talons. Several dried berries were set on the table, followed by a stack of what looked like 500 Poké, a white Gummi, a Max Elixir, and... Red fabric was pulled from the bottom of the satchel, spilling onto the table. It was some kind of scarf.

  "Miss K wasn't kidding," Artemis said, "that's not a bad little kit."

  "Is it good?" Silvally asked. "Berries are. The drink too." A talon prodded the dried berries and Max Elixir with each mention. He shuffled the little stack of coins toward Artemis, and cocked his head. "What's this worth?"

  "About 500 Poké, give or take." Artemis winced a little—she'd been neglecting his teaching, hadn't she? If he couldn't count-

  "No. I mean..." Silvally pushed a dried Oran forward. "How many blue ones can-" he winced and coughed, turning to take a drink of his tea. "Sorry. How many can I buy?"

  "Oh!" Artemis smiled sheepishly. "Um... Around twenty Oran berries, but it depends on the season."

  Silvally nodded, then paused, and his ear twitched. He turned to finish his tea, and upon setting his cup down, Flare returned. Artemis blinked as Flare plunked a pot of coffee down in front of her, and then turned to refill Silvally's cup. The Braixen left as quickly as she returned, off to help other customers in the cafe.

  Artemis poured herself another cup with a brief flare of Psychic, and drained it nearly as fast as she refilled it—really, if she weren't in public she'd have just poured it straight into her mouth. Silvally already turned his attention back to the items though, shuffling the coins and berries back into the bag—after stopping to make sure Artemis was watching, that is. She wondered why, until Chatot's words rattled in the back of her mind. Technically, she was responsible for anything and everything Silvally had access to, including finances. However, when she didn't protest, Silvally continued, tucking them away, along with the Elixirs.

  "What are these?" he asked, poking a talon at the Gummi, and pushing the scarf forward. "Sorry, I mean... Are these important?"

  "You've never had Gummies before?" Artemis asked, stunned. Everyone has had them. They're literally nature's candy.

  "I have. They didn't fill me up," Silvally explained.

  "Oh." Artemis once again felt like shit. Of course the Pokémon running for his life would prioritize filling food and not snacks. "Uh, they're kind of like... Food for the spirit?" She didn't really know how to explain it. "Some Pokémon swear it makes them smarter or stronger, but in my experience they're just a healthy candy. It's nice to have when you're feeling tired. Not sleepy tired, but, uh..."

  "Fatigued?" Silvally supplied. He looked to immediately regret speaking up, his ears twitching back, and his eyes shifting away from her again.

  "Yes, that. Thank you." Artemis noticed his ears lift a little higher, and he relaxed a touch. "Mind if I look at the scarf?"

  Silvally nodded, and pushed the fabric closer to her, before stuffing the Gummi into the satchel. Artemis grabbed the scarf in her paws and lifted it, leaning in to smell it, and took a glance at the stitching.

  "I think," Artemis started, narrowing her eyes at the piece of cloth, "this might be a Stamina scarf. They're not cheap." She quickly continued when she noticed Silvally's eyes widen. "It's a very nice gift. These help you not feel hungry." Silvally perked up at that, and looked intently at the scarf. She set it on the table and pushed it back toward him. "I'm not sure how it does it. I think it helps stabilize your energy and makes your body a little more efficient. Again, no clue how—I was never big into these things. They make my fur feel weird."

  Silvally took the scarf into his talons, looking over it with a critical, inquisitive gaze. Carefully, he flattened it on the table, and placed his left talon over it. With slow, precise movements, he used his beak and talon to tie it up, making a sort of impromptu wrist-band with it. That was probably for the best—his neck was much too thick to even entertain the possibility of wearing it normally.

  Silvally seemed pleased with himself, and pulled at the scarf to fix it. With the red fabric secured around his foreleg, Silvally performed a couple motions to ensure it was held properly in place.

  The duo finished up their drinks—Artemis shamelessly chugged the coffee pot, and for a brief moment swore she could hear colours. They paid, and stepped out of the cafe, weaving their way through the early morning traffic at the Crossroads. Artemis and Silvally wandered out of town, making their way to the main road that ran alongside both towns on the coast. If one were to follow the road long enough, they would end up at Shaymin Village–on the other side of the continent.

  Artemis glanced south down the road, where Leafeon's farm was. He told them that he'd meet them at the outskirts of Treasure Town with his produce cart. Artemis was already antsy to go, and suspected maybe she might have just indulged in her caffeine fix a little too much.

  Maybe. Probably not though. Definitely.

  …

  "Well, look who it is."

  Artemis's hackles raised, and her eye twitched. She knew that voice. It'd changed after five years, but that same grating, irritating tone wasn't something that one could forget. She turned, finding Silvally already facing the group, and set her gaze upon Team Dusk.

  "You evolved," Artemis said flatly.

  "And you're still a bitch," Weavile retorted.

  "Oh, that's how it is?" The Ninetales gave her tails a playful flick, and smiled at the group before her. "Despite it being years, you're still a petty, love-struck weakling who relies on his teammates to accomplish anything meaningful." Her gaze flicked to the Mightyena and Skuntank flanking their leader. "You two are still content just standing there, acting like thugs more than explorers. And, you," Artemis paused as she had to look up to meet the gaze of the armoured tank that was Drapion. "I don't know you. I hope you're less of an asshole than these three. Nice to meet you."

  The Drapion's rumbling chuckle was cut off by Skuntank. "Shut the fuck up, you freak."

  "She speaks!" Artemis mock gasped. "Put your tail down. You're flashing everyone walking by, and you smell." Skuntank spluttered with embarrassment and flushed several shades of red.

  "And you." Weavile turned to face Silvally. "Just because you weren't at the Depot last night doesn't mean you're not a part of this. It's convenient that your fire-type 'partner' was at the Depot last night, huh? Don't forget what I told you—I'm onto you. Everyone is. If you slip up, we'll be there."

  "Wait," Artemis turned to Silvally, "you ran into them? Why didn't you say anything?" Her tails fluttered anxiously.

  "We were busy searching," Silvally explained. His eyes flicked up to meet Drapion's, and the two seemed to share a look.

  Weavile scoffed. "Yeah, searching, when it's you two who caused it."

  "What!?" Artemis whirled back around, baring her teeth. "You think I had something to do with it? How fuckin' dare you."

  "Oh, defensive? Typical criminal behaviour." Mightyena spoke up this time, clearly amused. The dog-like Pokémon stepped forward confidently, only to flinch back when Artemis turned her gaze toward him.

  "I worked my ass off for this place. You think I'd suddenly start scaring everyone and stealing? Where is your fucking logic there?" Artemis was pissed. How dare they act like she hadn't worked for years of her life to keep this town safe. Her home. The sheer fucking nerve.

  The scent of smoke grew with each passing second, and Artemis glanced down, noticing that the grass beneath her was on fire, sizzling with her rage. Good. It was better than lashing out at the Pokémon in front of her.

  "Yes, I do." Weavile stepped forward, his eyes warily glancing down at the blackened grass and fire. "I think you're doing it for attention. I think you're looking for someone's attention in particular."

  "What the fuck are you on about?" Artemis growled.

  "Just think about it. The adopted daughter of some of the greatest heroes in the last hundred years. It's not enough that you're some sort of hybrid freak, and that you're one of the most famous Pokémon around by association." Weavile paced in front of her, keeping just out of her reach. "We both know you'll never be as great as them."

  "Shut the fuck up," Artemis growled. The heat rolling off of her fur spiked, and steam poured from her in droves, causing a misty carpet to form around the group. "You have no room to talk. Your parents are scum."

  That got a visceral reaction from the entirety of Team Dusk. Muscles clenched, teeth bared, and hatred flashed in their eyes. They all stepped closer, an aura of intimidation oozing from the group like sap, thick and cloying.

  "You want Mommy and Daddy's approval," Weavile continued, hissing through his teeth. "Went off on your own to prove yourself to them. To prove you're not just riding on their fame and legacy. How did that work out for you?"

  "Keep talking," Artemis snarled. "I'll rip your tongue out."

  "You were gone when they disappeared. We both know they're not dead-"

  "Shut. Up." Artemis hissed.

  "And you need something big," Weavile taunted. "Something to make the whole world turn to look at you."

  "I swear to Arceus..." Artemis's tails thrashed, denting the ground below.

  "You'll turn to a life of crime, just like the freak beside you. The biggest shock the world has ever seen. All of that, because-" Weavile leaned in.

  "Don't."

  "-you're nothing but a disappointment-"

  Artemis didn't know when she did it. She couldn't recall how it happened, or when her body moved. One moment, she was coiled, ready to beat Weavile to within an inch of his life. The next, her paw struck the ice-type across the face, flaming claws digging into the soft flesh of Weavile's cheek.

  It all happened so fast.

  Artemis blinked, and Weavile was gone. Team Dusk shot forward, all three of them intent on beating down Artemis.

  A shrill, ear-piercing shriek of metal on metal blasted all four of them. Team Dusk tripped mid-rush, falling to the ground clutching their ears. Artemis dropped as well, the sound piercing her very mind. She couldn't think, couldn't scream—the only thing she could focus on was the desire for it to stop.

  The ground beside her rattled, and the noise died just as suddenly as it sprang to life. Ears ringing, Artemis sat up, finding Silvally next to her, talons clenching the soft ground below, legs twitching and body shaking with adrenaline, ready to leap into battle. He towered over her and the rest of Team Dusk, sharp gaze daring them to make a move.

  And in that one moment, Artemis felt fear. The piercing silver eyes of a dangerous Pokémon looming over her, ready to end her life, and there was nothing she could do about it.

  …

  "Leave it," Weavile spoke up, and the atmosphere cracked like glass. All eyes turned to the Pokémon, who limped forward, one hand behind his back, and the other on his cheek. There were four very visible and smoking gashes across his face, blood oozing from between his claws. "It's not worth it. We got what we came for."

  "What!?" Skuntank jumped to all fours, and whirled to face her leader. "But she- but you-"

  "It's fine." Weavile limped forward, not even giving Artemis or Silvally a second glance. "Let's go. I wanna get this patched up before we head out."

  Artemis sat there, numb, watching Team Dusk gather themselves. The Mightyena and Skuntank shot her dirty looks before taking off after their leader. Drapion, the large Pokémon, turned to glare at her, then shifted his gaze to Silvally. Without a word, the purple behemoth stood and lumbered away, trundling down the path after the rest of his team.

  ...

  A short series of rough coughs sounded behind her, and Artemis turned. Silvally bent over, and spat out a glob of blood into the grass. The chimera Pokémon sat back, and rubbed his throat with a talon, grimacing at the sensation.

  "Ow," he grumbled.

  Artemis agreed. That hurt.

  Hers was just a little more internal.

  ~{O}~{O}~{O}~

  Drapion stood in the corner, scowling at the hospital staff as they tended to his (adoptive) brother. He watched over him, like always. As much as he wanted to throttle that fox for laying a hand–paw–on his brother... he couldn't exactly say Weavile didn't deserve it.

  His brother was being an absolute asshole to her. And, like it or not, Drapion was not going to prison for murder—not again, anyway. Artemis was fully within her right to slap his brother... though the claws and fire were a touch unnecessary.

  The rest of Team Dusk were equally useless in that regard, both Skuntank and Mightyena just helped contribute to rising tensions. Really, it was an unnecessary encounter, in Drapion's humble opinion. But, no one asked for his opinion, so he didn't give it.

  "There, that should do it," an Audino said. She finished applying the bandage with Oran paste onto Weavile's cheek, and turned, toddling out of the room. "Just call if you need anything!"

  Once the door to the room closed, Mightyena and Skuntank were full of questions again, badgering poor Weavile.

  "Why didn't you want to fight?" Skuntank asked her actual brother.

  "We could have taken them," Mightyena added. He was not related to anyone in the group.

  "That bitch was completely in the wrong!" Skuntank exclaimed, waving her paws about.

  "That Silvally guy wasn't that scary," Mightyena said.

  Drapion laughed, the sound rolling through the room. Skuntank and Mightyena both paused, nervous expressions crossing their features. They were never comfortable around Drapion, and for good reason.

  "That wasn't the point," Weavile slurred, half his face held in place with the bandage. "We were never going to fight them."

  "What? Then... why did we even go up to them?" Skuntank sat down, and poked Weavile in the ribs. "Did you want to get slapped?"

  Mightyena laughed. "I'll happily take your place next time. She could slap me wherever she wan- ow!" Skuntank did just that, turning to slap the dark Pokémon upside the muzzle.

  "As fun as it was to make the bitch almost cry, it's not what we wanted." Weavile shuffled around and reached into his Exploration bag, pulling out a metal cylinder. "This is what we wanted. C'mon, we know that fox values her image too much. She'd never stoop to something like theft—she's rich!"

  Drapion narrowed his gaze, looking over that silver tube. He recognized that—he'd been in prison after all. Every inmate had one.

  "What we wanted was that freak's files," Weavile explained. "Silvally wasn't at the depot last night. But, I'm sure he has an accomplice, or some sort of stash hidden somewhere. Those public files they listed were useless. Even the ones we get didn't have much. Artemis is babysitting the freak, and gets the full copy. Any explorer worth their salt would keep it on them."

  Drapion frowned, narrowing his eyes at the metal cylinder. Silvally wasn't a bad Pokémon by any means. Drapion had even intentionally tried to see if the nightmarish Pokémon was selfish or selfless, and glanced at the kids. The fact that Silvally had stepped in front of them, that he defended them, said enough.

  That, and he liked the guy. There weren't many Pokémon who'd stand up to Drapion without even flinching. Silvally would be a fun opponent to spar for sure, if he would even be down for something like that.

  But Weavile had intentionally gone for that information... It wouldn't hurt to look through, as violating as it was. Drapion knew he would have beat anyone who abused his personal information like this to within an inch of their life. But, Weavile was certain that Silvally had to be a part of it. What else could Drapion do but follow along, and step in when necessary to guide his brother?

  "Once this is all over, we'll burn this. As much as I hate her, she's good for other Pokémon." Weavile stuffed the cylinder back into his bag, and rubbed at his cheek. "No point in making everything worse. Once the Pokémon scaring the townsfolk are caught and taught a painful lesson, we'll head out again."

  Drapion sighed. All he really wanted was a nice get away to Zero Isles for a bit. The last mission would have been enough to pay for a few weeks there, but the entirety of Team Dusk had been called back to Treasure Town for psychic screening.

  Okay, maybe Drapion was slightly irritated by this whole situation too.

  Still, he'd keep an eye on things, and make sure no one overstepped. He'd hate to have to bury two more Pokémon.

  ~{O}~{O}~{O}~

  "You look glum," Leafeon commented. "What's up?"

  Silvally looked at Leafeon, who was driving the transport cart loaded with produce. The Rapidash up front seemed completely unbothered by the entire situation, merely performing its job of transporting goods over roads. Thankfully, Leafeon wasn't looking at Silvally, so he wouldn't have to talk.

  His throat still hurt something fierce.

  "It's nothing," Artemis said from the other side of the cart.

  Leafeon snorted. "Ha! When a woman says 'it's nothing' then it's definitely something."

  Silvally blinked. That made no sense.

  "Look, if ya don't wanna talk about it with our present company, I understand." Leafeon gestured ahead to the Rapidash, who still seemed completely content ignoring anything and everything around him. "But we've got a long walk, and you've been sighing every two minutes—and don't try to argue, I've been counting."

  Artemis groaned. "We just ran into some Pokémon I used to go to the guild with. They're not exactly pleasant. Now, can we please drop it?"

  "Oh yes, them. I don't blame you there." Leafeon turned and looked down at Silvally, waving a paw. "And how are you holding up, big guy? You've been coughing an awful lot. That tea not working for you?"

  "Tea's fine," Silvally grunted. "Sore throat." Really, he wished he could express his thanks to Leafeon further. His limbs didn't ache, his joints were fine, and talking didn't hurt—most of the time. The farmer's Sitrus tea was one of the single most life-changing things he'd had to date.

  "You sick?" Leafeon reached into a little box beside him on the cart's front, and pulled out a couple berries—Oran and Lum. "Here, take these."

  Silvally wasn't really in any position to refuse. Awkwardly, he hobbled forward on three legs, and caught the berries in his talon. He ate them quickly in order to regain his balance, and sighed, the combination easing his pain somewhat. "Thanks."

  "Any time. You two are our protection after all. Besides, anything for a friend." Leafeon tipped his hat to Silvally, and flashed him a smile.

  Silvally glanced down at the red scarf wrapped around his foreleg, finding it well secured still. It was plenty helpful, and Silvally felt like there was an actual difference. That, or his physiology was extremely susceptible to the placebo effect. As long as there were results, either was fine with him.

  This was nice. Despite the rough start to their job, today had been going well. Kangaskhan's gift finally made its way to him, he'd learned some new things, and now he was on the simplest job he'd had yet.

  Walking.

  …

  Walking in silence. Meandering even, the Rapidash was slow to pull the cart.

  …

  Or did this count as more of a meander? A lazy stroll?

  "You're all being really quiet," Leafeon commented.

  Sure, technically he and Artemis were security for the cart, but really, there wasn't anyone else around. They hadn't encountered a single Pokémon on the road with them. And, with the cool breeze and the warm sun beaming down on them, it was easy to forget he was working.

  Still, he kept his ears perked and eyes sharp, looking all around. The forest that the road ran through would provide perfect cover for anyone looking to jump them. The many curves of the road to avoid Mystery Dungeons meant that blind-spots and uncertain corners were common.

  Silvally looked past the cart, peering over the boxes of berries, fruits, and vegetables, to glance at Artemis. She seemed... defeated. Clearly, whatever Weavile had said hit her hard. It was odd, seeing the energetic, confident fox look so drained. Something about that was very wrong—it irritated him, for some reason.

  I should go talk to her, part of him reasoned.

  Yes, go irritate the scary fire-fox who's sensitive about her parents, the more logical part of him added.

  Silvally elected to not poke the scary fire-breathing Pokemon. Besides, a mission wasn't the best time to get into deep, wounding conversations about one's missing parents. Especially not with someone whom Silvally had a rather vested interest in avoiding.

  He wasn't keen on getting burned again.

  "If neither of you say something, I'm gonna start singing," Leafeon threatened. "Trust me, you don't want that. Isn't that right, Flash?"

  The Rapidash—Flash—turned and gazed at Leafeon with a bored look, before turning to face forward once more. Again, not a word spoken.

  "Really? Flashpoint, you're givin' me the silent treatment too?" Leafeon tossed both his forelegs in the air, and huffed, slumping forward in his seat. "Really, I thought with you two, there would have been something to talk about. But, fine. Singing it is."

  Leafeon took a deep breath, and Silvally cocked an ear to listen. Unfortunately, what came out of the farmer could hardly be called music. Sure, there was a clear rhythm to the words, but... well...

  "Oooohhhhh,

  I've got a bunch of Oran Berries,

  And it's way too much to carry,

  So I've got them bundled in a caaarrrtt.

  Now I'm singing a made up song,

  And I'll sing this all day long,

  Since the ice-fox is a royal faaarrrt."

  "Hey!" Artemis protested. "I'm not-"

  "Oh, Silvally's walking to my right,

  He gives crooks and wild 'mons a fright,

  All thanks to his frankly massive siiiiiiize."

  Silvally blinked, and glanced down at the cart. Sure, he was tall, but 'massive'? He didn't know about that.

  "And to my left is Artemis,

  The work-a-holic's slightly pissed,

  I can feel the temperature riiiiise."

  "Swear to Arceus, I'm going to bury you in snow," Artemis groused. Despite her words, a smirk tugged at her lips, and her tails were no longer dragging on the ground. "Annoying talking salad."

  "Annoying singing salad!" Leafeon corrected, pausing his song. "Come on, your Highness, we both know Arceus can't hear you over my siiiingiiinng!"

  Artemis blinked, and her expression became one of sheer annoyance, yet complete neutrality. She turned her gaze to Silvally, and locked eyes with him. "Paralyze him. Please. End my misery." The toneless begging nearly convinced him to do it too, at least, for a moment.

  But this was so outside of his normal that it was... fun. It didn't make sense, but Silvally was feeling content with the company and the silly song and the calm walk through the woods.

  "See? Now you're talking." Leafeon was far too proud of himself, in Silvally's opinion. "Was that so hard?"

  Given Artemis's expression, yes, it was incredibly difficult. Silvally's ears weren't exactly thrilled to have been part of that experience. As for Flashpoint dragging the cart along, he was still silent—Silvally's preferred level of conversation, if he was being honest.

  As Leafeon and Artemis bickered like old friends seemed wont to do, Silvally kept his gaze on the large Rapidash pulling the cart along. There was something odd about the horse that he just couldn't put his talon on. It was a gut feeling that irritated Silvally. He didn't know this Pokémon though, maybe he was normally this silent.

  Or maybe it was that the horse had a mane of active flame. It's not as if Silvally was terrified of fire or anything…

  A slight gust of wind teased through the trees, ruffling Silvally's feathers a touch, but the Rapidash looked unaffected. Though, Silvally reasoned, the Pokémon's mane could be so hot as to overpower the breeze.

  Silvally glanced down at his own talons and paws, taking in the mismatched clack and thud of his gait. The sound of Flash's movements were more in line with the thud of Silvally's paws than what he expected from hooves. The pattern of the sound was off too—the rolling and creaking of the wooden cart disguised it, but the impacts didn't match up with each step.

  Slowly, to not draw attention, Silvally drifted toward the rear of the cart. His gaze flicked down to the tracks in the gravel and packed dirt, eyeing the wheel marks, as well as Artemis's steps. Flashpoint's steps were... paw shaped, with large claws on the end of them.

  Silvally blinked. That wasn't how Rapidash footprints looked—his time in the wilderness told him as much. That was something else entirely, and likely smaller given the spacing of the paw prints.

  Gradually, Silvally made his way to the left of the cart, and caught up to Artemis. She'd fallen silent, losing an argument with Leafeon. While the farmer was busy taunting the dangerous explorer, Artemis remained quiet, if a little irritated, given the steam rolling from her coat and dispersing into the air.

  Silvally stepped ahead, catching Artemis's attention from the corner of her eye. She furrowed her brow and tilted her head, opening her mouth to probably ask Silvally what he was doing.

  "Shh," Silvally interrupted, quiet. Artemis scowled, but that passed, and she quirked a brow much to his relief. "The tracks are wrong," he whispered. He angled his head towards the rear of the cart, and Artemis seemed to understand this time.

  The duo drifted back, something Leafeon completely missed—he babbled on about markets and pricing. Silvally followed Artemis as they slipped behind the cart, allowing her to get a good look at the prints between the wagon tracks.

  "... Zoroark tracks," Artemis whispered. "They're natural illusionists."

  Silvally nodded. He figured as much, he just didn't know their name. The illusion foxes were sneaky and incredibly talented. Convincing too, depending on the amount of practice a Pokemon put in.

  "So," Artemis began, "Flash is a fake. I bet they were swapped at the farm somewhere." She cursed and muttered under her breath, her tails giving a few angry lashes. "So, we're probably walking into a trap."

  "Do we go back?" Silvally asked.

  Artemis shook her head. "No, let's keep going. We can catch everyone in the act if they jump us. I can go back after-"

  "What're you two whisperin' about?" Leafeon asked.

  Silvally jolted, and Artemis jumped, the two shooting their gaze up to the snoopy Pokémon. Leafeon had abandoned the reins and clambered over the boxes in his cart, allowing him to peer at the duo.

  "Work stuff," Artemis replied smoothly. Silvally nodded after a moment to confirm her words. Technically, they weren't lying.

  "Oh, yes, 'work stuff'. I see." Leafeon flashed them a smile, and winked, before whirling around and climbing back to the front of the cart. "Was wonderin' where you two went. If you wanted to flirt, you could have just said so."

  "Wh- we weren't-" Artemis protested. Leafeon snickered. "Shut up and keep an eye on the road, you overgrown salad. You're supposed to be watching for traps."

  "Of course, your highness." Another laugh escaped the farmer, much to Silvally's amusement and Artemis's ire. "Don't worry, your secret is safe with me."

  "Ugh..." Artemis rolled her eyes hard enough that Silvally swore he could feel it. After a moment, she turned to him again, lowering her voice, "If anything happens, switch to electric and paralyze the Zoroark. We don't need more illusions throwing us off."

  Silvally nodded, and the duo split up once more, returning to their dedicated spots on either side of the cart. The next few minutes were relatively quiet, if the idle conversation with Leafeon counted as 'quiet'. Apparently the farmer who spent hours at a time alone tending a field hated silence. What a torturous existence that must be. Still, it was something to half-listen to while he kept his eyes on the tree line.

  You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.

  It was several minutes later, after they rounded another sharp bend to avoid a Mystery Dungeon, that Leafeon spoke. "Whoa, hold on. There's a tree on the road."

  From his high up position, Leafeon was able to see the blockage on the road. Silvally could see it as well, seeing as he was nearly level with Leafeon. It was placed in such a way that it was after a slight rise and fall in the road—most Pokémon wouldn't have been able to see it from their position.

  "Well, isn't that convenient," Artemis huffed, sarcasm just dripping from her words. "Keep going, we'll get rid of it." Her steps sped up, and Artemis quickly passed the front of the cart. Silvally followed suit, his heart rate spiking ever-so-slightly.

  A glance towards Artemis revealed the light haze of purple around her legs. She was already preparing Agility, and was moving slowly to conceal it. Silvally followed her lead, concentrating, allowing a staticky feeling to envelop him. With a slight nudge, electricity crackled to life across his fur, and his feathers, eyes, and tail changed colour, bright yellow taking center stage.

  "Well I'll be," Leafeon said. "How did you go an' manage that?"

  "Practice," Silvally replied over his shoulder. The 'Rapidash' was just behind him, within his reach if he whirled around.

  The group came up to the fallen tree, and stopped. Silvally glanced around, eyes scanning the treeline, looking for anything. It was quiet, the only sound beyond the breathing of the Pokémon in the group was the leaves rustling in the trees. Artemis shared a glance with him, and the two waited for a moment, expecting something to happen.

  Nothing did.

  "You know, this is just like one of those bandit traps I was readin' about," Leafeon commented. He let out a little laugh, and despite his relaxed sound, his ears were also perked. Clearly, he knew something was going on too.

  Silvally waited another half-minute with Artemis, pretending to look over the tree, tense, waiting for... something. Something didn't happen though, it was just quiet. Finally, Silvally grew tired of waiting, and stepped forward, grabbing the large tree by clamping his metal beak into the bark. With a little grunt of effort, he started to pivot the tree, gradually freeing up the road.

  With a huff, and a thud that shook the ground, Silvally set the tree down, laying it alongside the road.

  Still nothing.

  "Well, let's get goin' then," Leafeon announced, picking up the reins and clicking his tongue. 'Flashpoint' the probably fake Rapidash, looked a touch confused, and kept glancing at the treeline. "Flash? Let's get a move on."

  It took several long moments for the Rapidash to move. Stares from both Silvally and Artemis, as well as the insistence from Leafeon was enough to finally get the horse to start forward. The steps were slow, unsure, as if he were waiting for-

  "Stop right there!" a voice exclaimed from the bushes.

  "You're surrounded," another said, a pair of red eyes emerging from the shadows of the trees. "Comply and you'll be spared."

  "Y-you're outnumbered!" a third voice claimed—there was very little conviction behind that one.

  Rapidash let out a sigh of relief, the first thing Silvally had heard from him in the last few hours. His relief came as what appeared to be his 'colleagues' stepped forth. One of those gooey slime dragons stepped out of the bushes, holding its hands in front of itself, looking like it very much did not want to be there. That wasn't the case for the Haunter that materialized, grinning at the group. The third of their group appeared to be a Marowak, given the skull on its head and the bone in its grip.

  "It doesn't matter who you are," the Marowak spoke up, "we're taking that cart. You don't need to be alive when we do."

  "I thought we weren't going to hurt anyone..." the Goodra murmured. It's tail swished nervously, knocking against a tree. An apple dropped from the leaves above and struck the dragon-type on the head. "Ack!"

  "No, no, Goober, we talked about this." It was the Haunter this time, the ghost fading from sight, only to reappear right beside the anxious looking goo-dragon. "Hurting is a last resort. Our plan was to scare them into giving us their stuff. Remember?"

  "Oh come on!" The Marowak smacked its bone weapon into its palm with a resounding crack. "You see who that is? We don't have time for this!"

  "Arceus, please deliver me from these idiots," a new voice spoke up. Silvally turned to look at 'Flashpoint'. The Rapidash melted around the edges, and after several seconds, became a creature of nightmarish proportions, melty-horse-face included. And then it was gone, standing in its place was a rather exasperated looking illusion fox. The Zoroark looked at Silvally and sighed. "See what I have to work with?" It gestured towards its friends, and shrugged helplessly.

  ...

  Silvally sprang into action, following their plan with expert precision. His electricity-coated talons snapped out, and wrapped around the neck of the Zoroark. The strangled half-yelp it let out became a teeth-chattering growl of pain, its whole body locking up as the electric-typing did its work. Without waiting, Silvally whirled around and launched the fox across the road, sending the Pokémon hurtling through the air.

  "What the- wah!" The Haunter had moments to vanish into a thin mist. The Goodra behind it had no such luck, and caught a twitching, electrified illusion fox straight to the face. The duo went down in a heap of limbs, groaning in paralyzed misery.

  "Oh, now you've done it!" The Marowak seemed somewhat giddy despite its friends getting thrown about. It hopped into the air, its body glowing a dull brown, and hit the ground with a little plume of dust, vanishing under the earth.

  Silvally took a breath, letting the electricity fade from his body. He splayed his talons against the dirt, feeling for the vibrations in the ground, hoping for a hint of where the Pokémon would emerge.

  A small thud on the ground beside him caught his attention, only to find Leafeon next to him. The farmer adjusted his sun hat, planted his paws on the ground, and flexed his claws. The ground beneath them rumbled and shook, and a muffled shriek of terror sounded out beneath the group.

  The ground buckled and shifted, before exploding outward in a cloud of dust. Emerging from the ground was a writhing mass of vines, with a very unhappy Marowak caught in them. It thrashed and squirmed and swung its bone-weapon at the greenery, to absolutely no effect.

  "What the- put me down! Fight me like a 'Mon!" Marowak's angry cries went ignored, as it was hoisted higher into the air, more vines coiling around the Pokémon, until all that was visible was its head, and a little nub of its tail. "This is cheating!"

  "Cheating is attackin' my farmhand," Leafeon growled. He flexed a foreleg, and the vines buckled, shoving the Marowak towards the pissed off farmer. "Where's Flashpoint?"

  "I'll never tell! You'll have to kill me-" The vines around the Marowak squeezed tighter. "Okay, okay! He's in the barn! We just gave him a fuckton of sleep seeds!" the ground-type wheezed. The vines relaxed a moment later, allowing Marowak to take a breath.

  The peace did not last long—a purple shimmer materialized in front of Silvally. He had no time to react as a massive clawed hand swiped at him, glowing with a ghostly purple energy that-

  Had no effect on him.

  The Haunter blinked, and looked down at the clawed hand buried halfway in Silvally's neck. Idly, it swiped its claws a few more times, each one completely ineffective.

  "What gives? I thought you were an electric-type?" Haunter asked.

  "I was," Silvally replied. It swiped at Silvally a couple more times, to absolutely no avail.

  "This sucks..." Haunter huffed and floated back, before fixing its gaze on Leafeon. It lunged forward, only to get blindsided by a column of ice racing by. Silvally felt the air temperature drop around him as Artemis bathed the ghost in ice. In less than a second, a completely frozen Haunter fell to the road with a thunk, unable to do anything beyond blink up at the group.

  "This was kinda sad," Artemis spoke up. She padded around, and looked at the group of 'criminals'. Marowak was restrained and struggling in a bundle of vines, Haunter was frozen, the Zoroark was still twitching and groaning from paralysis. The only one relatively fine was the Goodra, who was just holding the illusion fox with an awkward smile.

  "I knew this was a bad idea," the slime-dragon muttered. Goodra waddled forward, approaching the three of them, and set the Zoroark on the ground beside the other two of its group. "Um... Hi?"

  "Howdy," Leafeon replied. "Are you going to attack us?"

  "What?! No, never." Goober, the Goodra, took a step back and waved off the question. "I just put the tree there."

  "I see..." Leafeon nodded, his leaf bobbing a little with the motion. "You, uh, gonna try to free 'em?"

  "No, this is pretty normal. Last time they were caught, they got food and shelter for a month." The Goodra hummed, and pointed at the Marowak. "I think he was a little angry about being caught last time. The others like the jobs and perks that come with it though."

  Artemis had already begun loading up the restrained Pokémon in the back of Leafeon's cart, floating them in with Psychic. Silvally had to assist with the Zoroark, whom Leafeon had also tied up with a fresh series of vines. With all three of them bundled in the cart, Artemis, Silvally, and Leafeon turned to the last of their ambushers.

  "Can I come with you?" Goober asked.

  "Course ya can," Leafeon replied.

  "Absolutely not," Artemis said in almost the same instant. She turned to Leafeon, baffled. "What do you mean? You can't just-"

  "It's my cart, I make the rules." When Artemis went to protest, Leafeon interrupted her again. "Also, I hired you, so now I'm the boss." He said this with a very smug look, gazing at Artemis with far too much attitude for a plant to have.

  "And we," Artemis tilted her head towards Silvally, "are supposed to protect you. You don't know this Pokémon, and they," she pointed a paw at the three Pokémon in the back of the cart, "just tried to rob you!"

  "Don't care!" Leafeon turned and leaped back into the cart, sitting himself down in the driver's seat. "We need to get the cart to town, bring these three to the sheriff, and check on Flashpoint. I can't be in two places at once."

  "I- you- This is a horrible idea," Artemis groused. "Fine. Fine! Whatever, enjoy your new robber friend. I'll go back and check on Flash. You two keep going." Artemis turned her glare on the Goodra, who visibly stepped back with a squeak. "So help me, if you do anything, I will hunt you down and freeze you solid. Got it?"

  "Y-yes ma'am! Got it!" Goober squeaked. It gave some half-salute, half-bow, wobbling on its feet.

  "One normal day," Artemis huffed. "That's all I want." She turned, and Silvally met her gaze, his heart skipping a beat at the focus of those angry red eyes. "I'll see you in town. Just wait for me with Leafeon, I'll be back."

  Silvally nodded. It was a solid plan, considering the circumstances. He watched as Artemis focused, the purple glow around her legs growing thicker, a dull haze forming around her body. Her outline practically vibrated with the intensity of energy. Then, she crouched-

  - and she rocketed off, tearing down the road, too fast to follow. Artemis vanished around a bend in the road, leaving Silvally alone with Leafeon, and this strange Pokémon. Silvally turned, actually at eye level with the Goodra, and looked it over once.

  The dragon-type raised an arm and gave an awkward wave to Silvally, laughing nervously.

  "Alright y'all, I need someone to pull the cart." Leafeon tossed a length of vines toward the duo, landing it right between them. "I sure as heck ain't strong enough to pull it."

  Silvally glanced down at the vines, then the Goodra, and the cart. If he took them, he wouldn't be able to keep an eye on everything. He'd be vulnerable to attack, Leafeon wouldn't have protection, and 'Goober' would have free reign to anything it wanted.

  "I'll help!" A slime-covered hand gripped the make-shift rope, and the Goodra happily waddled in front of the cart. "North, right?"

  Well, that solved that problem. Silvally mentally shrugged and moved to the back of the cart, turning his gaze to the frozen and bound Pokémon. They were rather calm all things considered, though the Marowak did screech a few slurs in his direction.

  New words to add to his vocabulary!

  The cart lurched forward with a tug from the Goodra, causing the bound Pokémon in the back to jolt harshly. They ran into one another without any control, much to their irritation.

  "Oop, sorry!" Goober called back, yet did nothing to slow down. The dragon-type trucked along at a decent clip, much faster than the Zoroark moved. Maybe they'd get to their destination sooner than expected.

  ~{O}~{O}~{O}~

  Artemis's paws thumped rhythmically on the dirt road towards Leafeon's farm. The repetitive sound and sensation was relaxing—more so than leaving Silvally and Leafeon alone with four... three wannabe thieves, and an odd Goodra. Then again, most of them were typically rather friendly.

  She grimaced. Being naturally friendly to everyone with no choice of her own? Sounded terrible.

  With another tug on her energy reserves, Artemis shot forward a little faster. She was almost there, and the sooner she got there, the sooner she could get back. Leaving those two alone with the group who'd tried to jump them left a bad taste in her mouth.

  Rounding another corner, claws sinking into the dirt, she cleared another copse of trees and raced onto the farmstead proper. It was rather large for a farm maintained by just two or three Pokémon. Large fields sprawled out, freshly harvested of the standard vegetables. Berry trees lined the path toward the farmhouse, branches heavy with pink, blue, red, and purple berries of all types. Orchards sprawled across from the fields, and beside the squat bungalow that held memories, was the barn. The barn not used for anything other than storage—she'd hidden there a few times when her parents brought her to visit.

  Red eyes snapped to the large sliding doors, finding the metal slabs chained together. She took a breath, frost gathering at her jaws, and fired. A thick icicle, more a wedge than anything, crashed into the chains, shattering the links and rending the doors inward.

  "Oops..." She winced—that was coming out of her Poke balance.

  Still, there wasn't time to waste, and Artemis focused, causing a pink glow to cram itself into the new opening between the doors. She slowed to a walk, and narrowed her eyes, causing the Psychic grasp to wrench open the doors, damaging them further.

  ... Artemis decided then and there that she needed to work on her fine control a little more. Silvally's brushing was certainly helpful. Maybe he'd let her do that again? For practice.

  She did her best to calm her breathing, the heaving breaths rather loud in the silent barn. Her ears swivelled as she stepped into the shadows of the building, the interior only lit up by the open doors. With a small grip on the energy swirling within her, a fireball flickered to life above her head, sputtering at the haphazard control.

  Leafeon wouldn't appreciate her burning his farm down.

  Artemis peered into the stalls, and nosed her way behind tarps and bales of hay.

  "Flashpoint?" she called. "You in here?" She took a breath, and tried again, a little louder. "Flash?"

  There was no response. That didn't deter her one bit, and she scoured the barn for anything. Surely a massive flaming horse wouldn't be that hard to miss, but she wasn't seeing anything at all.

  Her eyes flicked up to the loft.

  ... They couldn't have crammed him up there, could they?

  Artemis huffed, crouched, and sprang toward one of the support beams. All four paws contacted the wood and she pushed off, performing a back-flip onto the platform. Upon landing, she turned, looking around the much smaller space. Surrounded by papers and boxes of old nick-knacks, there weren't many places to hide a horse.

  That is, until she glanced up, and found what looked like a hammock strung between the two halves of the roof. A rather large hammock, with a flickering light just barely peeking out the top.

  "Are you kidding me?" Artemis rolled her eyes, and jumped up toward the rafters. Her claws caught on the wooden beam and she scrambled her way up. "Fuck. Shit. Don't fall." She crept her way forward, and peered over the edge of the hammock.

  Yup. That was a sleeping Rapidash.

  "Psst. Flash, wake up." Artemis reached for the hammock and pushed at it with a paw. She nearly pushed herself off the rafters, and flailed a little. "Fucking- Wake up. Are you alive?"

  ...

  A deep snore rolled from the hammock, from horse face unseen.

  "Alive, check." Artemis huffed, and used a pair of tails to poke at the snoozing Rapidash. "Alright, wake up. Nap time's over."

  Still nothing.

  "You're late for work!" she tried. That did get a reaction—a muffled 'wuzzat?' and a little shift and squirm in the hammock. Flashpoint shifted around and sprawled out in a rather undignified manner, much to Artemis's mortification.

  "Alright, that's it." She jumped from the roof and landed on the loft once again. Whirling around, Artemis sat herself down and looked up, eyes flashing a bright pink. Psychic power enveloped the hammock, and Artemis gave him just a couple more seconds to show some sign of consciousness.

  ...

  Another snore rolled from the hammock.

  Her eye twitched, and the Psychic grip tightened around the horse. Flashpoint was ripped from the hammock and thrown straight to the left, before coming to a sudden halt. Artemis shook him up and down rather erratically, spinning him in circles at first.

  A terrified and shrill scream erupted from the Rapidash, and all fours of his legs kicked and flailed. Artemis had to make sure he was awake though. She nodded her head, and Flashpoint started flipping end over end, performing well over a dozen flips in the span of three seconds—many fighting-types would be jealous had they witnessed it.

  "OhsweetArceusputmedownholyshitI'mgoingtodie!" came the—as he would later claim—dignified scream of abject terror from the fire-horse.

  Artemis released her grasp on Flashpoint, allowing him to fall to the hay-covered floor below. A plume of hay flittered up from the impact, as well as a scrap of paper that seemed to have fallen from Flash. Artemis watched the paper float down, landing just in front of her.

  'We're sorry!

  No we're not-

  - Hopefully friends!'

  Several goop stains were smeared across the paper.

  Artemis blinked, and sighed. She planted her head against the railing of the loft with a solid thunk.

  "Artemis? What are-" Flashpoint's question was interrupted by him throwing up a little. "Ugh... What are you doing here?"

  "Saving you," she replied. Artemis jumped from the loft and landed with a soft thud, turning to look at the dishevelled Rapidash. She wasn't sure how a mane made of fire could look messy and like he'd just rolled out of bed, but he managed it quite well. "What happened?"

  "Ugh, my head... Uhh... I don't remember." Flash tried to stand up, but his front legs shook, and he flopped back to the floor. "Ow... The last thing I remember is finding some really tasty carrot cake in the middle of the field, and then... That's it."

  ...

  Artemis blinked, and narrowed her eyes. All nine of her tails thumped against the ground.

  "Uh... you alright?" Flashpoint asked.

  "... You found what?"

  "It was a-" He paused. "Oh. Uh. Look, I thought- Hah, you're gonna find this really funny, but, um... I thought Leafeon left it for me?" Flashpoint chuckled nervously.

  "..."

  "... Funny right?" he asked.

  Artemis turned and walked away, allowing at least four of her tails to swat the horse in the face. "You're an idiot." She made for the exit, growling and muttering under her breath.

  "Wh- wait! Where are you going?" Flashpoint tried to stand, but the Sleep Seeds still had him out of sorts. He managed to push himself to all fours on wobbly legs, only to start tilting, and landed on the barn floor yet again, kicking up more hay and dust.

  "Capim City," she said over her shoulder. "We'd have been there by now if you didn't fall for the most obvious trap in the world!"

  "Without me?!" Flashpoint pushed himself up again, and staggered forward, taking awkward and gangly steps that resembled a newborn foal. He managed to make it to the doors of the barn before collapsing again, legs splaying in different directions. "Take me with you!"

  Artemis stopped, and sighed. If she took him then she'd need to regulate her speed—she couldn't drag around a Rapidash while maintaining Agility the entire time. She probably wouldn't even make it halfway there before having to stop.

  But, the longer she took, the longer Silvally and Leafeon would be alone with those criminals (and Goodra). They were outnumbered by two, and... well, they weren't really outmatched in the slightest. Silvally could probably take care of them all by himself.

  ... It left a bad taste in her mouth though, and her stomach grew tight. Realistically, they were safe and fine...

  So why was she worried? Maybe because she couldn't watch over them? She'd have to make the trip with another Pokémon, something she didn't enjoy doing. The only Pokémon she's actually not minded working with was Silvally—he kept up and did what he needed to.

  Was it guilt? They didn't need her protection, so why-

  "Pleeeeaaaasseeee?" Flashpoint whined.

  A heavy sigh escaped the fox, and her eyes narrowed. Flashpoint yelped as he was swept up into another Psychic hold, floated over the ground. Artemis started to pad forward, pulling the Rapidash along—of course, she made sure to spin him around and flip him over a little bit, just to make sure he knew that he wasn't off the hook.

  Eating a wild carrot cake. Fucking idiot.

  Artemis set off the path, heading north again, listening to the sound of Flashpoint hitting his head on the trees as they left the farm. Her first stop was Treasure Town—she had to report it, after all.

  The others were probably fine. It's not like everything would go terribly wrong.

  ...

  She sped up just a little.

  ~{O}~{O}~{O}~

  "-and then everything went terribly wrong!" Goober the Goodra explained to the police chief. "They didn't want to hurt anyone. I think Marowak just got a little excited about hitting things again. He's silly like that."

  The group of four walked—and floated—through the lower half of Capim City, the air significantly cooler than the upper portions atop the rock formations. Large slabs of rock, much like Treasure Town, rose up high into the air. Those were the main portions of the city, where tourists wandered and Pokémon lived. Down here, things were more utilitarian, with various stores taking advantage of the cooler temperatures. Their destination was, surprisingly, Kecleon Super Market.

  Do they have a monopoly on general goods? Silvally wondered.

  "Is that right?" the Alakazam asked, her mental voice rattling around Silvally's head. She was shorter, a bipedal-looking Pokémon with more than enough yellow to blend into a pile of coins."It's a good thing no one was hurt." She floated just over the ground, psychic power allowing her to fly without moving a muscle. The police chief of Capim City rotated, turning to face the Goodra, and narrowed her gaze. One of her spoons shifted a little—and wasn't that curious, using a spoon to focus psychic power? Silvally wondered what effect a different focus would have on it—and the cart she was moving floated higher in the air.

  "Yep, we're okay," Leafeon replied. He padded along beside Silvally, seeming completely unconcerned about the heavy cart loaded with produce floating around. "Not a scratch. And, you mentioned that Chief Metagross said Flashpoint was well, so no harm done."

  "Mhm." The Alakazam hummed mentally, which threw Silvally for another loop. Her gaze flicked to Leafeon, and the presence in Silvally's mind dulled for a moment.

  "Oh no, not at all." Leafeon waved a paw at Alakazam. "All's well that ends well."

  "I see..." the voice was back.

  "I'm just glad everything worked out!" Goober the Goodra cheered, and flashed a smile at Silvally and Leafeon. "These are good people, and deserve good things."

  Silvally blinked at the unexpected praise, and glanced at the slimy dragon-type. He jolted back, finding the Goodra just a little too close for comfort. It was staring at him, waiting for some kind of reaction. The dragon's pleased expression was starting to fall, and the horn-like protrusions on its head started to droop.

  "Thanks," Silvally said.

  "You're welcome!" Goober perked right back up, happily walking ahead. Silvally had to pull to the side to avoid that thick tail swinging around with each step—that thing was frankly dangerous and more than a little gross.

  Silvally shuddered, his mind unwillingly bringing up flashes of the Grimer who'd sat on his back, and- oh the smell! Silvally gagged, and his typing flickered wildly for a moment, shifting into a sickly purple, before returning to normal.

  Just ahead of him and Leafeon, the Alakazam faltered, her psychic power flickering. Her expression became one of pure disgust, and Silvally realized he'd unfortunately subjected her to his rather powerful memories. Thankfully, the police chief looked sympathetic, and merely waved it off before turning back around, guiding the group onward.

  Something to note for later…

  Soon enough, the Kecleon Super Market came into view, after rounding another large stone mass. Silvally was relieved—the odd looks he was getting reminded him of his first few weeks in Treasure Town. Thankfully, not many of them appeared to be angry, more curious or, unfortunately, worried. Still, that was left behind rather quickly, seeing as the police chief, a large dragon, and a well-known farmer were walking with him.

  The Market loomed overhead, a large building made of grey brick, solid in appearance, and painted with bright green and purple streaks. It was a nice and cheery splash of colour in the cool shade of the rock formations towering high above. Off to the left side of the building was a smaller structure, with large wooden doors that had what looked like mist trickling out from under the door. A pair of Kecleon stood in front of it, and...

  Silvally blinked. They looked identical to the two Kecleon he'd seen at the open market in Treasure Town. They were the exact same, down to a little discoloration on one's left cheek. Did they run everything? Did they have some sort of psychic-type to teleport them wherever they wanted?

  ... Were they secretly monstrously powerful Pokémon?

  "Ah, Leafeon!" the green, chameleon-like Pokémon exclaimed. "We were just wondering about you."

  "Sorry! We hit a, uh, snag on the way up." Leafeon let out a small laugh, and gestured with a paw towards the cart. "I brought the berries and veggies as promised."

  The Alakazam police chief floated the cart to the ground, gently enough that it didn't even make a sound upon hitting the packed dirt road.

  "You're certain about your decision?" the chief asked. She spun around in the air, looking at Leafeon with an intense gaze.

  "Yes, ma'am, one-hundred percent," Leafeon replied with a nod, his leaf flopping about.

  "Very well." She floated forward, and reached down, holding an outstretched palm to Leafeon. With a sudden flash of light, a glimmering pink and blue orb appeared in her grip. "Activate this if you change your mind, or are in need of immediate assistance."

  Leafeon took the orb and lifted his hat. He set the orb on his head, before securing his hat once more. "Sounds like a plan, will do. Thanks for yer help again."

  "I'm just glad we could get this all sorted out." The chief turned her gaze on Silvally, and he could feel her mental reach gently brushing along his mind, more focused. "It was nice to meet you, Silvally. I was wondering what kind of Pokémon could cause such a stir on the continent. I'd like to speak with you properly, when Artemis rejoins you."

  Silvally blinked, and his heart skipped a beat. Was he in trouble? Why was this police chief now asking to talk to him? What did he do to-

  "You are not in trouble," she interrupted. "You did nothing wrong. I handle the reports that are submitted about community service sentences. Chief Metagross is too busy helping manage thirteen other branches to work on those. I track the progress, and submit the information. With someone as high-profile as you, I wanted to speak to you and Artemis directly about everything—just to see how you're faring."

  Silvally let out a breath, his stress melting away in that moment. This made sense. There was no guessing, or surprises, or subjective reasons. A progress report was straightforward and simple. If Metagross was that busy, then Chief Alakazam's involvement was necessary.

  "Okay," Silvally replied. After a moment, he added a little nod, much to the amusement of the Alakazam.

  "Abby was right about you," Alakazam mused. "Frightening but nice. I'll tell her you said hello."

  Pop!

  The police chief of Capim City vanished with an instantaneous teleport, leaving Silvally alone. He eyed the spot she vanished, mildly curious about the mechanics of such an ability.

  "Hey, c'mon!" Leafeon's voice called out, and Silvally turned, finding himself actually alone. The cart and the rest of his group had moved toward the large doors that were now open, a healthy amount of mist rolling out of the opening and to the grass. "Let's get these boxes unloaded!"

  Silvally followed behind the cart as the Goodra pulled it through the doors, starting their way down a very shallow slope. The temperature dropped drastically, icicles hanging from the roof only a few steps in. Silvally could see his breath.

  The large tunnel opened up into a larger open room, where the mist seemed to be coming from. Large slabs of ice were placed equally around the room, and between them were rows and rows of shelving and wood boxes.

  "Berries on the right, and the veggies on the left," the purple Kecleon stated.

  The cart lurched to a halt, and the Goodra immediately got to work, humming whilst moving the boxes around. Silvally mentally shrugged, and tried to help. Unfortunately, he couldn't exactly hold a crate in his beak, or walk with them in his talons. He tried to rear back and carry it while on two legs, but... He didn't account for the solid ceiling that was only slightly taller than he was on all fours.

  CLANG!

  Silvally dropped to all fours and let out a soft huff. He sat and rubbed at his head with a talon, not at all enjoying the stinging sensation, nor the way the sound echoed around the room.

  ...

  And... everyone was staring at him. Lovely. Silvally turned and moved towards the entrance of the freezer, seeing as there was little else he could do—he might as well stay out of the way.

  "Ya alright there, big guy?" Leafeon asked. Silvally nodded, and, when no one was looking, checked his talon for blood. "Alright. Gimme a sec and we can get outta here."

  So, pretty much useless, Silvally instead sat guard and watched the proceedings take place. One of the Kecleon brothers handed Leafeon a frankly hilariously large sack of money, while Goodra continued to wander back and forth, humming along to a silent song.

  A faint movement in one of the dark corners of the room caught Silvally's attention. It took a moment for him to make out what it was: one of those odd ice-ghost Pokémon, the ones that he'd seen abduct Pokémon in the freezing mountains. It remained in the shadows, mist falling to the floor below it, causing ice to start building up. The small Pokémon turned her gaze to watch Silvally as well, and a quiet giggle sounded out, one that no one else appeared to hear.

  "It was nice working with ya again," Leafeon said to the Kecleons. "Same schedule?"

  "Indeed. We'll see you in three months," the green one replied.

  "Take care now," the purple one added. "We'll bring your cart to the usual spot."

  Goober the Goodra finished setting down the last of the boxes and wandered its way toward the exit, stopping in front of Silvally with a big smile. Leafeon followed shortly after, a vine curled around the neck of the coin bag.

  "Right you two, let's go." Leafeon led the way, padding his way up the slope towards the outside. Goober the Goodra followed behind him happily, big tail swishing with each step, lumbering along without a care. Silvally took up the rear, still not completely comfortable with a strong and unknown Pokémon behind him.

  Once the four made it to the outside, Leafeon led them towards a spot of sunlight. Once the grass Pokémon hit the beam of light, he immediately perked up, his fur darkening slightly. "Alright you two, mission accomplished and all that."

  "Hooray!" the Goodra exclaimed. It jumped once with excitement, and upon landing caused the ground to shake a little bit. "We did it!"

  Silvally blinked. The dragon-type was a little too excited for just having its friends put in prison, failing to rob a cart, and then working for the person they'd tried to rob.

  Then again, Silvally was working side-by-side with one of his greatest fears. Maybe they were both a little crazy.

  "Job well done," Leafeon praised the Goodra. He fearlessly padded up to the large Pokémon and fished around in the sack of Poké that'd he'd been given. "Here ya go. You did good, kid."

  "Wait, really?" Goodra seemed stunned and held out a hand, looking at the stack of coins placed in its palm. "But, we tried to-"

  "But you didn't." Leafeon interrupted. "You're a good kid, you just need t' be more careful, kay?" The Goodra took the coins and blinked, confusion settling in for a happy little grin. "Now go on, get. Go wait for your pals."

  "I- Yes, okay! It was nice meeting you two!" Goober the Goodra stood up and turned around, the quick motion causing its tail to rush toward Silvally. He ducked, the gooey tail swishing over his head, and the dragon-type happily toddled off, lumbering down the road.

  ...

  "Whew." Leafeon sighed and sat back, raising a paw to rub at his face. "Arceus, I'm glad that's over. Poor thing looked one bad look away from tears."

  Silvally sat down and blinked, just watching Leafeon.

  "Oh, right. Here." Leafeon stepped up to Silvally and fished out a pawful of coins. And then another. And another. The pile of Poké coins grew on the grass, until it was a rather sizable amount. "There ya go. Not a bad amount without the Guild fees, hey?"

  The pile was frankly a little ridiculous. Silvally poked at it with a talon, watching a couple coins skitter down and to the grass at his touch. "Are you sure?" he asked.

  "'Course I am!" Leafeon sat back and waved at him with a paw. "I mean, this is to split between you and Artemis, but yes. All yours! Three-thousand or so, I might have put a lil extra in there." Leafeon sat back in the sun beam again, quiet as Silvally shrugged off his Treasure Bag. He opened it and, after glancing at Leafeon to confirm, started shovelling the coins in.

  "Thank you," Silvally said.

  "Nothin' to thank me for. You did yer job, this is the compensation." Leafeon wrapped a series of vines around his torso, securing the slightly smaller coin bag to his side. "Welp, whatcha think we should do while we wait?"

  "We?" Silvally asked. He secured his bag once more, and sat across from Leafeon.

  "Of course! You don't think I was just gonna leave ya in a new city all alone, did you?" Leafeon chuckled, and shook his head. "I'd be a pretty crappy friend if I did that."

  An odd tightness formed in Silvally's chest, and he had to take a couple breaths to make it go away.

  "I don't know about you, but I kinda wanna wander the city while we wait," Leafeon said. "Maybe check out a few spots, or visit a friend. How 'bout it?"

  Silvally nodded.

  "Great! Before we go though, could I ask ya something?"

  Another nod.

  "Right! Okay, so. The uh, the type thing. Mind if I..." Leafeon waited, and when Silvally didn't protest, he continued. "So, you can change types whenever ya want?"

  "Yes," Silvally replied. "If I know them."

  "How many do ya know?"

  "Five." Silvally stood up and demonstrated, rapidly shifting between a sickly purple, electric yellow, light blue, strong orange, and deep blue.

  "No grass-type?" Leafeon asked. When Silvally shook his head, Leafeon tilted his, and his leaf flopped to the side. "You wanna learn?"

  ~{O}~{O}~{O}~

  Emerald padded alongside Lucario, the duo making their way north, passed the Depot and the Market. Normally, a civilian Pokémon like Emerald wouldn't have her home in the explorer-only housing. Her situation was a little different though. As a witness and part of the Expedition Society protections, she was housed alongside the teams that called Treasure Town home.

  "I'll race you!" Aurum exclaimed, darting ahead. He ran forward, and over the edge of the stairs, only to stumble and trip, coming to a wobbly stop only five steps down. "Uh... Nevermind!"

  Emerald and Lucario both laughed, and drifted just a little closer together, her side brushing against his hip as they walked. Her fur tingled at the contact, and a blush announced itself on her cheeks.

  She genuinely liked Lucario—loved, even. For the last week she'd been pondering if she should make their arrangement permanent. Or at least float the question. Though, at this point with how often she slept over there, was there really any point in asking? The only thing that would change if they made it official would be her address on a piece of paper.

  Oh gosh, her and Lucario... Official?

  Her blush brightened.

  "What's on your mind?" Lucario asked. The two walked down the stairs, following after Aurum, and Lucario flashed her a grin. "Your aura suggests you're thinking of something interesting."

  "N-nothing!" Emerald squeaked. "Just, um, thinking about some books I left at my place."

  A deep, soft chuckle escaped Lucario. "Oh, is that right?" He settled one of his paws on her head, using a single digit to brush against the base of her very sensitive horn. "Maybe you and I should read that book tonight, once Aurum is in bed."

  "Eep!" Emerald jerked away and stumbled, all four of her paws suddenly becoming a confusing mess that couldn't tell which should move forward next. "I-I- you can't- I don't... Stop that!" The Absol, whose face was more red than dark grey, jogged forward to catch up to Aurum.

  The three made their way down the path, enjoying the trees that lined the brick road to the housing division. With the sea to their left, just beyond the small cliff and through the trees, the breeze on their fur was wonderful. Emerald truly enjoyed the clean, calm aspect of this area, and could see why many would choose to make their home here.

  Her home was just... Wherever these two went.

  "Mo-" Aurum caught himself, and blinked up at Emerald. "Miss Emerald? What do you need from your house?"

  Emerald caught the little slip up, and her heart skipped a beat. "I, um. I have some important things that my mom left for me. They mean a lot to me. I don't want to leave them alone while I'm away from home for a long time."

  "Ohhh..." Aurum gave a sage nod, as if everything in the world suddenly made sense. "Okay." They continued on for a few more seconds in silence, enjoying the sedate pace. "Does this mean you're moving in with us?"

  Emerald spluttered, and blushed several shades of red. Lucario choked on a breath, coughing into his fist behind the two.

  "I... Um..." Emerald struggled to answer.

  "We'll talk about it later," Lucario said. That answer, as always, seemed to settle the question for Aurum.

  "'Kay!"

  Emerald looked back at Lucario, and the two locked eyes for a moment. No words were spoken, but Emerald seemed to understand the silent question.

  Is that something you want?

  It was a big step, and a massive change, and such a permanent decision. She wanted to do it so badly.

  "Which house is yours?" Aurum asked, jogging forward into the cul-de-sac. He spun around in a circle, eyeing them all.

  "The one with the white door," Emerald replied.

  "With the pretty flowers?" Aurum asked. He raced his way up to the door, and jumped, trying to reach the handle, only to have his paws just glance off of it.

  "Hold on, I keep a key hidden out here just in case." Emerald made her way up to the flowerbed, and reached for a very specific brick. She lifted it up, only to blink, finding the little slot carved out for the thick metal key empty. "Where...?"

  "Almost got it!" Aurum exclaimed, jumping for the handle again. His claws skittered off the metal surface, and he grumbled.

  "It's locked, Aurum," Lucario explained to his son, to absolutely no avail.

  Emerald set down the brick and looked through the dirt near it, her claws brushing through the soil. Maybe it had fallen out somewhere? She lifted up a few other bricks lining the garden—maybe she'd switched some around.

  Aurum jumped again. "I've got it!" His little paws grabbed hold of the handle at the top of his jump.

  "Aurum, I told you-"

  Click!

  The door slowly swung open, Aurum's little foot-paws kicking as he drifted into the house. The hinges squeaked, the saltwater atmosphere near the ocean causing the metal to corrode faster.

  Immediately, Emerald was hit with a burning smell. Her heart dropped into her stomach, and her entire body went numb. The fur on the back of her neck lifted, and the breath she tried to inhale just wouldn't come, caught in her throat.

  Aurum let go of the handle and glanced inside, before letting out a startled yelp and staggered back. He ran into Lucario's legs, his dad quickly pushing him behind, to shield Aurum.

  The door drifted open the rest of the way, exposing the interior to the three of them. It was trashed, to put it mildly. The table inside was flipped onto its side, with a large bite mark taken from one of the edges. Shards of glass and pottery were scattered across the floor, various colours glittering in the sunlight. Emerald could just barely see her bookshelf from her position, and it had been thrown to the ground. The pile of ashes in front of it explained what had become of her personal book collection.

  "Oh Arceus..." Emerald choked out. She stumbled backward, only able to get a couple steps back before her legs gave out. "He... he found me. B-but I thought- I don't-"

  "Dad...?" Aurum asked. "What happened?"

  Lucario didn't respond, but his paws were curled into tight fists. He pushed Aurum back another step, encouraging his son down the stairs. Emerald could only sit in shock and watch as Lucario opened the door further, and took a step in.

  And another step.

  And another.

  Lucario's mouth opened and he said something, but Emerald couldn't hear it over the ringing in her ears. She thought she'd left that life behind. She gave it all up. What had happened was wrong, and she knew that. She made sure that she took all the proper steps to ensure he didn't get out.

  How could this happen?

  Emerald was young—she'd made mistakes. She knew that better than anyone. But, she'd left when things started getting bad and truly understood what was happening. It had to stop. She told the authorities everything, and she'd accepted the responsibility for her actions. She couldn't go back to Baram Town or Pokémon Square, and part of her deal was to go work for a public service for years. There was no more leniency, and she'd made it work for seven years.

  And now it was all coming back.

  "-merald?" Lucario asked, his voice soft. "Emerald?"

  The Absol jolted, looking up at Lucario. He looked... bad. Stunned. Like he wasn't all there, his eyes seeing through her. In shock. Lucario set a piece of wood with very messy Footprint Runes scrawled into it, and he turned his gaze to Emerald.

  She gazed at one of the floorboards ripped from the house. The message was clear as day. The world grew blurry at the edges, and the repeated thumping that shook the world surprisingly wasn't an earthquake, but her heartbeat. Was she even breathing? She thought she was, but she still felt light-headed.

  Lucario said something to her, but Emerald couldn't make out what it was. They were clearly words, but they had no meaning—not right now. Everything was going wrong. She did the right thing, so why...?

  Emerald looked up at Lucario. She needed him, to hold her, or comfort her, or just do that thing he does and hold her head against his core while brushing her hair. Something familiar to ground her.

  But, Lucario picked up Aurum, and held the little Riolu close to his chest, not even looking at Emerald. The grass crunched beneath his paws as he turned and walked away from her, moving towards Treasure Town.

  Without her.

  "Don't... Don't come back to the house tonight," Lucario said. He stopped, and took a breath, half-turning toward her. "Just... Go to the Guild. Tell them what happened. You'll be safe. I… I'll meet you there. Later."

  "Wh- Wait!" Emerald tried to run forward, but not feeling anything in her body had the unfortunate consequence of sending her sprawling to the ground. "Don't leave! Please!" She clawed at the ground, struggling to push herself upright.

  "Dad? Where are we going?" Aurum asked. The Riolu scrambled to look over his father's shoulder, the duo walking further and further away.

  "We're going home." Lucario's tone was final. "I... There's something important I need to tell you, Aurum. About your mother."

  "But we can't just leave mo- Miss Emerald!" Aurum squirmed in his father's grip, but nothing was breaking that iron hold. "Dad! Please!"

  Lucario didn't waver, nor turn. He didn't slow, or hesitate, or look back at Emerald. Aurum's struggles became quieter as the distance grew between them.

  Step by step.

  "Lucario, please!" Emerald's voice was hoarse, and the panic was setting in, drawing her throat tight. She couldn't call out like she so desperately wanted to. "Please don't go! I... I need you..." Her voice cracked, and she could feel the tears rolling down her face, soaking her fur.

  Emerald's head hit the grass, and she let out a sob, the sound muffled into the soft surface.

  All the while the words of the note left behind played over and over in her head. Taunting her. Dragging her back to what she thought she'd left behind.

  "It's been a long seven years, "Emerald". It's time you told the truth about your betrayal in Baram Town. I'll be seeing you soon.

  - H"

  Big thanks to my supporters for everything you do, it means a lot to me: Nithalys, Eris, Bonk, SugarCube, Towerator, Ultra-Anon, APHIL, Bast, blobbycat, Clagan, JoeyW, Pizzajolt, SleepyGhost, & Muffin Rat King.

  Also big thanks to Baron Von Richington, Garmfild, and Archer for additional help with early reading and editing.