Chapter 16: Suffocation, Incineration and Separation

Another day had begun, and Mallku was eager to get it started.

The bedroom was quiet as he was the only one up yet, but he knew there was no rush to wake the other two, Jirachi and Victini, since it was just going to be a relaxed day today. No travel, no worry. Bor would do the traveling for them.

He reached for his scarf off the wooden drawer in the room, running his claws through its red, silky wool. He felt his sensations relax, taking the moment to get a good feel for the scarf and its lack of complexity.

The lack of complexity was something he really needed right now.

Years ago, he would’ve seen this item, and all the power it bestowed, as merely a right. A right that he dutifully deserved. In a time where working for the guild was less of an obligation and more of a job to keep himself alive and busy, in a time where the hard work and strain was built into an effort to keep the guild from having second thoughts about having hired him, so young and inexperienced and merely a Sneasel with uninhibited dreams.

And yet, now… it was more than that. It was a show of his determination, his luck, his prowess, his ability to outlast all the others he’d worked alongside through the years. It was more than just closure- it was a symbol, it was a sign of everything he’d endured, and much more.

But there was one thing about living so long that many, ironically, don’t survive far enough to realize- that everything starts to simmer off after a while, that you never really grow more mature like the books say, that loneliness and constant repetition cycle in and out like hunger pangs and tiredness, that everything starts to feel blurry when you aren’t straining yourself to look at all the things going on in this rapidly changing world, and that you feel yourself waiting anxiously, unsure if you should live life riskier or even more riskless then the state of your own dilemma, torn between two unstable bridges.

Mallku had felt every step of it all.

And yet, the pain wasn’t just physical.

It was mental, too.

Diving out of his headspace, Mallku took the scarf and started tying it around his neck. The comfort was doubtless, as it had always been. The badge attached to the front reeked of nostalgia just as much, secure and tight as he finished up the binding.

I wonder how this looks… he mused. I brought a mirror with us, didn’t I?

He turned to the back of the room, passing a snoozing Victini in their nest and reaching for a brown bag right next to them. He zipped open the largest pocket and shuffled his claws through the various few items inside- orbs, wands and seeds, small bottles that contained Ari’s alcohol, and finally, a small mirror that was about the size of Jirachi’s head, which Mallku quickly pulled out and placed it on the wooden drawer near the door.

He took a good look at his reflection in the clear glass. He wasn’t necessarily one to care too much about his appearance or string it to his self-worth, but with the look of the red scarf and badge that was proudly attached to it, and the emotion that boomed within his determined expression, Mallku felt amiable. He hadn’t washed in quite a few days… not doing it before departure was one of his bigger mistakes no doubt, but his fur felt clean enough that any specks of dirt or waste were hard to pinpoint without a good eye.

He felt happy. He felt good. He felt fresh.

The sound of a yawn averted his senses, and Mallku quickly spun around to see who was up. His gaze wandered over the room before settling on Jirachi, the psychic making weak grumbling noises as they clawed their way out of bed. Their eyes were still brittle and baggy, matching the slowed and rigid movements that dulled with each motion.

“Good morning kiddo” Mallku beamed.

Jirachi sluggishly faked a smile, yawning. “H…hey Mall. What time is it?”

“It’s still dawn.”

“Damn.” They moved towards the drawer, looking up towards the mirror. “We’re not allowed outside the room, huh?”

“Nope. Gotta keep you three away from the captain. If he sees you, he’s gonna get freaky and mess up everything. It’s too much of a risk.”

“Of course you say that.”

Mallku crouched down and softly laid a claw on Jirachi’s shoulder. “Hey now, I’ll find something to do. You won’t be stuck in here all day. Not without having some fun, at least.”

Jirachi groaned. “What’s that supposed to mean? You’re not going to make me do old pokémon things, are you!?”

“You’ll find out in a bit” Mallku teased, standing up and moving towards his bag near Victini. He reached in and pulled out a white bottle that was about the size of his palm, fashioning a green gummi on the foil wrapped around it. “I’ll be back to deliver Ari’s alcohol. Stay inside the room while I’m gone, I don’t want you two gremlins making a mess.”

“Fine” Jirachi mumbled.

With a wave, Mallku departed out the door, closing it gently. He turned towards the dorm that was farthest right of the wall across from him, moving in a hushed pace. Daybreak permeated the sky from the world outside of the stairway hall, providing light and a relaxed atmosphere as he reached the door.

It creaked a little, but not enough to wake someone up. Inside the bedroom, Mallku spotted four faces- Andesine, Lucy, Todd, and finally, Ari. Everyone except Todd was still asleep, as the Forretress was mindlessly reading a book without notice of who was coming in. Lucy and Andesine were directly next to each other in the southeast corner, with Ari sprawled out in the middle of the room, just like in the basement before.

Mallku crept along the west wall, medicine in hand, until he reached the dragon. He carefully tapped Ari on the shoulder, and after a few seconds, Mallku heard a grumble. He tapped again, and this time, Ari finally awakened.

“I’m here with your medicine.”

Ari grumbled again. He made a stiff flap of his wings, claws extending from underneath as his body turned towards Mallku. The dragon’s eyes were coarse and droopy, flaked with small, red pigments- hints of a potentially dangerous feral conversion that would be reversed with the help of some alcohol, for right now anyways.

“Give.”

“Yeah sorry, just wait a second.” Mallku unscrewed the lid and revealed a syrupy liquid inside. “Just remember to not to drink too much at once. And uh… be light with it.”

“Whatever” Ari hissed. He snatched the bottle and started chugging it, making gurgling noises that made Mallku wince.

“If you’re going to vomit, do it over the railing. Drinking water helps too.”

Ari merely rolled his eyes. As he drank, the red pigment from his pupils started to fade.

“Well, I’m gonna head out now I guess.” Mallku took a quick glance at Andesine and Lucy, before turning to the door. “See you later.”

“Bye.”

Shutting the door, he sighed.

Today’s gonna be a long day, huh.

Mallku shuffled up the steps into the open air of the top deck, soon immersed in the bright sunshine of a new morning. It was mostly empty right now, he surmised, looking around. He had very little of an idea of what most pokémon would be doing today anyways, most likely sleeping in or staying in their rooms until the ship reached Goji.

He was about to turn tail back to his own dorm, when he happened to spot Ruby near a group of barrels in the middle section of the boat. He raised his claws in the air as he raced towards her, surprised that she was already awake.

Ruby barely saw him before flinching on sight, nearly as surprised. She backed up two steps, until hesitating and deciding to talk. She tightened her petals, reassured that her bag was still on her, and sighed as he came close.

“H-hi Mall.”

“Good to see you!” the Weavile chirped. He stopped before crossing his arms, wearing a dorky grin. “So, how’s it been?”

“O-oh… it’s fine. Not much going on.”

“Well, it’s going to get a little more interesting from here, trust me.” Mallku looked toward the horizon, eyes sharp and gaze focused. “Our next destination is pretty close, ya know. After we hit Lycan’s Dock tomorrow morning- heck, maybe even tonight, we’re gonna be passing through a mesa of sorts. And that’s not even a third of the trip. Crazy, huh?”

“Y-yeah it sure is.” Ruby was just about desperate to make an escape.

“I hope you don’t mind a bit of fighting. I mean, you did sign up knowing you’d have to at least once, right? Which means you’re okay with that.”

“I guess.”

“Now that I think about it, I bet you’re a good fighter” Mallku gushed. “Maybe I’m just getting ahead of myself though. I still haven’t seen you do much at all when it comes to combat.”

“Wh- huh?”

“Ruby, I’ve been saying that since I met you. You’re not seriously blind to your own potential, are you?”

“U-uhm…”

“Hey now, relax. My guildmaster said the same thing to me all the time.” He chuckled. “Would you want to do some practice sparring? It really gets the mind and muscles focused, and it’ll be fun!”

Fighting? At this time of day? “But… you’re an ice type right? I’m a grass type, and I’m weak to your moves… plus, you’re much more experienced than I am. We can’t d-do this some other time?”

“If I promise to go really soft, will you at least give it a try?”

Memories of the fight with her principal, all those years ago, flashed in her mind. The failure of a fighter she presented to him, her lack of focus, the sheer embarrassment of it all…

Nono, I can’t do this… she sighed to herself.

“I’m good, thanks.” Ruby backed up slowly. “The captain w-will get mad at us, and we might wake pokémon up…”

Mallku deflated. “Oh, okay then. Sorry about that. It’s just been a while since I’ve had to do anything related to fighting, since I’m not working the rescue team job anymore. Do you at least want to talk some more then? Get to know each other mo-“

Ruby backed up a bit too far and smacked into a pole, groaning as she tripped over herself. Mallku bolted forward and made sure she was okay, sighing with relief that it was barely any damage. He attempted to console her with some soothing back rubs, but only ended up making her more uncomfortable.

“Th-thanks?” Ruby mumbled.

“No problem.” Mallku relaxed his claws on his sides. “So uhm, you know moves right?”

“Yeah?”

“What moves do you know? If we know each other’s abilities, we could probably know each other’s strategies more too! And uh… that way we can work together easier.”

How long is this guy going to go on? “Just Magical Leaf and Grass Knot I think.”

“Grass moves, not sure why I’m surprised.” Mallku chuckled a few times, before lifting up his claws so Ruby could see. “As for my moves… well, I’ve been trying to get better at this cool move called Knock Off that works kinda like a utility-based option and gets rid of anything a pokémon’s holding. I already know Slash, Pursuit and Triple Axel… but I think Knock Off might give me an extra alternative.”

“Oh. Cool.”

“Want me to show it off? I’ve been working really hard to perfect it.”

Is this guy serious? “Uhm… no thanks.”

“Please?” Mallku begged. “I won’t use it on you. I’ll test it on a barrel or something while you’re out of the way.”

Ruby glanced behind her, anxious that Bor might be watching. Seeing no sight of him, she mustered out a “Fine.”

“Thanks.” Mallku closed his eyes and took a deep breath. He separated his legs and flexed his claws, feeling the aura in them like a pulse. Ruby stood watching through her petals, unsure of what he was about to do. The move Knock Off didn’t sound familiar, or at least, whatever move he was about to use was probably called something different to her. Based off the fact that Mallku was also part dark-type, she could only assume it was like a stronger Pursuit.

He stood focused for a solid ten to thirty seconds, before deciding he had enough stored energy ready to be launched into an attack. At the speed of a thunderclap, Mallku snapped his eyes awake and darted towards a nearby barrel, sitting just underneath the mast of the ship. His claws emanated the smallest of black sheens, until he jumped up into the air and pierced them into the wooden barrel directly blow his feet.

The attack was so quick that Ruby nearly missed watching it. With the strength of Mallku’s claws, a large tear ripped into the barrel, sending wood chips and scattered bits flying everywhere in all directions, pelting the surrounding area after the blow. A few went so far as to drop into the ocean over the edge of the ship, a height that was quite unexpected, given that the move was merely contact, and nothing like a Hyper Beam or Psychic.

Mallku marveled at the impact as he recovered on the ground, impressed by the damage. When the wood stopped falling, and the bare emptiness from inside the container showed itself, he looked back at Ruby and grinned.

“Thoughts?”

“H-how did a physical move do that much!?” She was in utter awe. “And that was just a regular attack?”

“Knock Off seems pretty strong, huh? One strike and everything went flying- that’s why it’s so good. It doesn’t just work on any old objects too, it can work on special stuff like scarves and items that pokémon might be carrying on them, or even orbs and seeds. Heck, it can even work on bags and send everything spilling out. It’s tough to learn, but it has a very high reward.”

Ruby looked around the boat. The only other person, or group for that matter, up on the deck was The Joes, doing short hustles and exercises on the other side, but they didn’t seem to notice the attack. Nor did they seem to hear the sound of its damage- the troopers were merely unfazed.

How then-

“I know what you’re thinking” Mallku interrupted. “I’m not lying to you. It’s the utter truth- aura and moves can do a lot if you put lots of effort and time into perfecting them. You want to learn, huh? You seemed pretty interested when we first met, would you like to train now?”

Ruby paused.

In all her life, she had never really heard much of what pokémon were truly capable of. She had lived in areas that were mostly devoid of talk about ferals and dungeon diving for the majority of her life, growing in tightly knit neighborhoods built by the affections of previous humans and sleeping in spaces where talk about legendary and mythical creatures was mostly ghetto.

She found it a little funny as she thought about it now- she was literally existing in short range of mythical pokémon, among explorers and seekers. So why was it so hard to conceptualize the power of it all? Why was it so hard to conceptualize that a single move could tear down a single shack, that a short punch could knock out a pokémon completely?

She knew moves.

She had evolved on her own.

And yet, she found herself in utter disbelief.

If this was just one attack… then what would-

“Ruby?”

She snapped awake- now remembering that she had accidentally blanked into nothing but thoughts, caught up in her own mind. She looked up, reconnecting with Mallku’s now concerned look, arms crossed and hinting at mild distress.

“Sorry” she blurted.

“I didn’t do anything bad, did I? Sorry if I…”

“No no it’s-“ She glanced in every direction, until her eyes locked onto one of the fallen barrel chips. “I-I was wondering if you could help me uhm… make my Magical Leaf attack better?”

Mallku’s grin returned. Phew.

“I’d love to!”

“So… how do we start?” Ruby was acting a little jittery; she tried to hide it, tried to straighten herself the best she could, but it was pointless. Mallku didn’t seem to notice thankfully, moving towards the most open space at the center of the deck, making sure there was enough room for practice.

“We’ll start in a minute.” He turned to face her. “I want to see you use the move first, so I can get an approach on what your style is.”

“Style?”

“Basically just the flavor you might add to your attacks. It’s something that’s completely unique to you and will help me know what teaching method works best.”

“Oh… okay. S-so do I just…”

Mallku pointed to his feet. “Step here.”

Ruby moved accordingly as he walked to the side, standing in a spot where he could coach but also not get hurt in the damage.

“Good, now close your eyes. Take a deep breath… if uh, grass types do that, heh.”

Ruby followed.

Her breathing was a little sputtery, admittedly a bit coarse, coming out closer to the dying puffs of smoke of a train than the actual respiration she should be doing. She winced, already realizing that she had struggled on the first step.

“Don’t worry about mistakes. This is all part of learning.”

This is all part of learning.

Deep breaths, deep breaths. Just like with seeing the bunker the first time. Just like with saying goodbye to her aunt…

No…

Ruby felt a sharp pain in her side and twisted- nearly tripping over a barrel chip. She looked up and found that Mallku was standing closer to her, expression full of distress again. It wasn’t out of agitation, more out of deep concern.

Why was he acting concerned all of a sudden?

“Ruby, are you sure you’re okay? You keep dissociating at random.”

She had nothing to say. Utter bafflement took over, decorated by awareness and anxiety.

“Sorry, it’s just been so long since I’ve done any fighting.” Half the truth. “I’m just not used to having to fight like this.”

Mallku tried to look supportive. He wanted to; he knew he had to. “It’s okay, don’t worry. Getting used to the strength of aura and what it can unleash is a hard part of training, but we’ll get better over time, trust me. Should I try moving you through some easier activities?”

“Th-that would be nice. Thanks.”

The Weavile smiled. Genuine, honest smile. “No problem! Here, let’s try this…”

He walked back a few steps in front of her, ready in case she faltered. “My guildmaster taught me that aura is the culmination of your soul. It’s what drives the powers of moves. Some attacks, like Aura Sphere, directly tie into that energy. While most pokémon like us can only use the most basic aspects of it, we can still use it to a sense. Powerful mons aren’t just powerful because they are strong- they also tend to have tough auras.”

Ruby tried to listen as much as she could. The topic was a bit more different than she was used to, but the concept didn’t seem too hard to grasp. She heard a little about auras throughout childhood- about pokémon like Lucario and Gardevoir that were very well known for their aura-related abilities. Mai had also said something about it… right?

Mallku cleared his throat. “Now that we know that, I have a question for you. How… does it feel when you use an attack?”

“H-huh? What do you mean?”

“Do you feel a strain? Do you feel you can use Magical Leaf, or any move for that matter, automatically without much thought?”

That’s a weird question.

“I feel it s-sometimes.” Another half-truth.

Mallku rose a claw to his chin, another on his hip. “Hmm.. Is it a strong strain? Does it happen with only one of your moves, or all?”

“Uh…” Ruby sighed, tightening her petals. “It’s not usually that strong, b-but it does feel like my stronger moves have more strain than weaker ones. Grass Knot can be hard to pull off if I don’t have a good environment for it.”

“That sounds pretty natural” Mallku replied. “So, what do you usually think of when you picture grass-type moves? A forest? A field full of flowers?”

“I mostly think of flowers, yeah.”

“That’s good.” Mallku flexed his claws. “Alrighty now. We have the imagery, now we can make the actual image. Ready?”

“Ready for what?”

“To guide you through the move, of course!”

Huh? “B-but didn’t you say we’re not using the move yet?”

“Not quite. But we will be picturing ourselves using Magical Leaf. You said it’s the easiest, so we’ll start with that.”

“Uh… okay.” No objections yet.

“Now, let’s try again. Close your eyes, take a deep breath. This time, try not to think. And if the thoughts come anyways, try fixating on something else.”
Both of them relaxed and followed through his instructions. Ruby wasn’t quite sure what she was doing anymore; after all, she only came outside to watch the sea. And yet she found herself stuck talking to Mallku with no way out, not wanting to act rude by not accepting his offer but also wanting to avoid any conversation possible.

I’m still thinking.

I need to stop.

Fortunately, it wasn’t for very long. She peeked through her petals fully aware that she was doing what she wasn’t supposed to be doing, and just as quickly withdrew them.

“Now, I want you to picture a field of flowers.”

Flowers… flowers…

“Think of colorful meadows and oozing colors, all on a large hill. Orange, red, purple… feel the softness on your stubs. The sun is bright, there’s not many clouds.”

Somewhere familiar. Petunias, poppies, and sunflowers…

Lush grass…

“The air is crisp. You’re by yourself, the landscape ahead is beautiful.”

By… yourself?

“Do you feel it? Do you feel calm, at peace?”

No…

Ruby couldn’t help it. She attempted to turn around, trying to get out of this strange and unorthodox place, feeling strangled by the fake reality of the field and its counterfeit nature. The flowers weren’t real, nor was the sense of serenity, nor was the sky depleted of clouds…

Behind her, was a forest, blanketing the rest of the hill. A large, mass of cherry trees blocking all other directions. It started to pull forward, suffocating with so deep of a chokehold that Ruby felt suppressed outside of the daydream too, reaching its wooden tentacles over her like a predator, tightening its grip on her bottom stubs to make sure she couldn’t escape.

This was a panic attack. She needed out.

I need out.

Ruby tried to snap out of it but failed to do nothing but struggle. She thrashed violently, but paused when she saw the face behind her- All breath became blanketed, every movement held to a pause.

Tori.

Nonononono-

It was all coming over again.

Finally, she jolted out of it. She found herself lying on the floor of the deck panting with her petals wrapped tightly around her.

Suffocation.

She opened them up slightly- she was desperate, and yet still a bit patient despite- letting out the biggest sigh of her life as Mallku rubbed her back.

“That was a panic attack?”

“Yeah” Ruby croaked. “I-I’m really sorry. I’ve never had it as bad as this.”

“I’m just glad you’re alright” Mallku chirped, grinning in an effort to lighten the mood. “I’ve been in some pretty bad spots too before. What do you think caused the uh… oh, nevermind. Want to head back to the dorms and do something else for a change? You seem pretty dizzy, or maybe you’d like a nap?”

What did she want?

“I… I could use a nap.”

“Great. I’ll help you up.”

Right as they were about to head back, they heard a shriek. They looked around the ship to see where it had come from, and soon found out.

Fire.

Embers started to swell farther back, arising around the hatch that led to the storage room, just in front of the tail of the boat. The flames were growing rapidly, eating away at the surrounding area with very little stopping it.

“Th-the boat is on fire…”

“That’s distressing. Heatran’s down there.”

“Sh-should we contact the captain?”

Mallku merely sighed and jumped into action. “It’s really better we don’t, not with the likelihood that telling the captain will only make him want to investigate further. Anyways, I’ll go get Victini and Jirachi, and tell Lucy to stay behind and watch Heatran. There’s no stopping a fire once it starts.” He sighed and pointed towards the dorms. “Go grab a lifeboat or something and warn the others.”

“B-but won’t you-“

“Just go. I’ll keep myself safe.”

No objections.

Ruby turned around and headed for the bedrooms. It was near the middle-front area of the ship, so there would still be time, but very little.

Fortunately, several pokémon were already crawling out of their rooms to see what was happening. Ruby found a box crate lying underneath the mast and jumped atop it. She reassured her satchel before shouting.

“Th-the boat is on fire!” She watched as more pokémon started piling out, noticing her. A few even had their bags. “The lifeboats are at the front! Run while you can!”

It only took a few seconds before the rest started realizing. She saw Todd and Brunia leading the crowd towards the supplies closet, and she quickly followed the rush. When she glanced back, Mai and The Joes were the only mons going the other direction.

There were only a few vests and rafts in there from the looks of it, as Ruby was promptly pushed back in the small crowd. When she tried to peek in, the room was bare and everyone else was bolting over the guardrails whether or not they could swim.

Brunia was the only one still waiting, as Ruby reached the edge.

Glimmora are weak to water. Figures.

She looked over the rails and noticed that there were mons already moving their rafts away from the ship. She tried to pinpoint Tori in the waters, before hearing a voice call out to her.

“Ruby!”

Proteus’s voice.

She saw him and Gabi barely floating on the surface of the ocean, waving their arms and pedipalps far below. With the rest of the rafts already departing, she was confused as to why Gabi and Proteus were waiting for her specifically.

The ship was in flames.

There was no time to stall, she had to take the risk and escape.

She had to jump.

Now, Ruby didn’t mind the other two, nor did she mind riding the raft out to nearby land, assuming it would come to that. What really unnerved her was the sole fact that there wasn’t any easier way to get off the boat, as Bor was likely unaware at the moment and wouldn’t be able to send the drawbridge down. She looked down at the murky teal waters through her petals and grimaced- she didn’t know how to swim.

Well… she wouldn’t be able to swim anyways. Her body wasn’t fit for that.

Ruby looked down again. They were still waiting.

If I fall Gabi should be able to catch me anyways.

Anxiously, she jumped onto a crate that had helped Todd previously reach over the guardrails and sucked in her breath. Without much choice, she leaped.

And plummeted.

And plummeted.

And plummeted.

 

~

 

The splash was like a thunderclap, sending a powerful wave that reverberated through the surrounding area. She missed the raft and fell deep into the water, body outright obscured under the surface. With her petals blocking her vision, she could do nothing but thrash blindly in the dark, the ocean water slowly sinking her down to the bottom.

If Gabi didn’t save her, she could drown.

Drown…

Drown…

Ruby felt a tightness again, a hold, constricting her stiffly. This time, it wasn’t from her own body though, as she could feel it getting lighter, slowly… slowly…

Proteus let out a sigh of relief as Gabi lifted Ruby onto the raft. The Cherrim was in a coughing fit the moment she broke air, though the sputtering only lasted half a minute as she slowed her breath. Ruby lay in the middle of the lifeboat, miraculously still bearing her satchel despite the fact that it was completely soggy now.

“You okay, Rubes?”

”Y-yeah, I’m fine.”

Proteus looked up at the boat, towering over them. More than half the boat was ruptured in flames now, sending tons of smoke into the air as parts of the ship slowly fell and sank off one by one.

“Kinda crazy how fast it happened, huh?” he remarked.

Gabi responded with a “Yup!” before glancing around the nearby waters to see if anyone else had fallen. She spotted Alice bobbing on the surface not too far away, and immediately pulled the raft towards her with a wave of psychic energy.

“Are you okay!?” Gabi yelled.

“I could use some help!” Alice shouted back, smiling awkwardly with everything but her head submerged.

Gabi outreached a hand and gripped the Chimecho by her wind chime, pulling her onto the raft directly next to Ruby. Gabi did one last circling glance but couldn’t find anyone else excluding those who were already moving away in different rafts, far too distant to reach.

“Is the boat really on fire?” Alice queried.

“It is. Dunno where Tores is, she probably got lost in the split.”

Ruby looked back up at the ship. And then realization hit.

He’s still up there.

She shifted closer to Gabi, who was balancing the raft. “I-I was with Mallku before… when the fire started. He said he’d go get Lucy, and th-then left.”

Proteus nodded. “What do you think caused the fire in the first place?”

“It was probably Heatran. That’s what he said” Ruby mumbled.

The four of them continued to stay on the lifeboat as the ship continued to become smothered in growing embers, watching from below. A Basculegion and Sharpedo passed them, zooming by with no notice to the raft. As a soft ambience hung over the area, and the ship slowly began to sink into debris, Proteus turned towards Ruby.

“Do you think Mallku will still make us follow him?”

“Probably.” Ruby looked up at the sky, wishing for reverie. “If he finds us, he’ll definitely make us come back.”

“If he doesn’t find us?”

“S-society is miles away. We’ll probably be feral before we get there.”

Gabi snorted. “When we hit land, we’ll spend the night and then go searching. The group is split up, so maybe it’s better to wait.”

“That’s true” Proteus chirped. “I’m sure no one expected this to happen. Didn’t expect everyone to be so calm either, but that’s just life.”

“I don’t think anyone was calm at all” Alice retorted, giggling.

The four of them let out collective sighs, mixed in with a few chuckles and laughs.

Hopefully Tori is safe Ruby thought to herself. With Gabi and Alice nearby and Proteus close to ease the tension and tell a few jokes, she at least knew she’d be fine tonight.

Even with everyone else potentially missing.

 

~

 

Everything was a mess.

Mallku darted down the stairs, panting. He ripped open the door to his dorm right off its hinges, finding Jirachi and Victini huddled in a corner with opened bottles and wooden debris on the floor. The flames were starting to reach this room already, and he knew that he needed to get these two somewhere safe.

He reached in and grabbed Jirachi, ignoring the delpeted wine bottles and the steel type’s guilty expression. Victini weaved after him, snatching the blankets from their nests and stuffing it all in the nearest bag. They reached for anything else they could save- the mirror, the cloaks, and a Slumber Orb hidden behind the drawer, and then proceeded to stuff them in for later.

Victini nearly avoided a falling wood plank before exiting the room. By the time they were out, there was no going back in.

Mallku led them to the deck and stopped to breathe. He glanced around. The ship was mostly deserted, caked in nothing but flames. Smoke littered the air, a clear sign that there was no point in going after Heatran anymore, not with the massive risk.

“It’s too dangerous to go back now” Victini commented, carrying the bag on their left shoulder.

Mallku sighed. “You’re right. We just need to hope that Heatran can do on his own. It’s not a big loss… is it?”

Jirachi and Victini shook their heads simultaneously.

“Welp, let’s go search for Mai and Liz then.” Mallku ushered them towards the front of the boat, pointing to an escape hatch, right next to the captain’s quarters. “Bor won’t mind if we take his raft, right? After all, he’s a water type, and he can survive well without it.”

Victini was about to correct him, but then stopped. “Yeah, you’re right. No risk vandalizing and destroying his ship if we’ll be dead before he can find us.”

They all collectively agreed. As they hurried down the hatch, Jirachi took one final glance back, squinting.

“I swear that was intentional.”