Chapter 7 – Intrigue

Just about every basic structure had a leader to them. Whether it was a country, fiefdom, city or town, there was always some structure of systematic hierarchy in place. A king ruled over a country. He in turn entrusted the management of land to his vassals in exchange for loyalty and allegiance. The vassals looked after the land and collected taxes from the people, thereby keeping the country functioning.

This was true in Selenia, where the tsar entrusted oblasts to smaller dynasties who administered smaller matters within them. It was a system rigidly placed with hundreds of years of precedent, one that even the new regime of Mitrofan couldn’t undo. And so lands were doled out in the fashion of old, some to lords who switched allegiances from a tsarist position to him, and also to lucky individuals.

Among these individuals stood a certain Obstagoon that had become infamous among those who he presided over in the Ozerograd oblast. He hadn’t been given his land; rather, he’d taken it by force by killing the previous lord and lady, taking over residence in their villa and instilling himself as the self-proclaimed leader of the area. The nature of his takeover also attracted the seedier, roguish types to his side, and he created a gang out of them, which he called the Thorned Roses. They kept his leadership intact through quashing resistance and through intimidation, violence and other shady methods.

Meanwhile, he would be the head honcho of it all, living the life of a lord and indulging in all the privileges that status brought. He spent most of his time out of town, in a villa not far from Ozerograd itself. He made sure to take full advantage of the previous lord’s living conditions, guzzling exotic foods, and frequently raiding the wine cellar, usually becoming incredibly inebriated as a result of his excessive drinking.

He also had luxurious furnishings in the villa, and he had servants to obey his every word. They were Thorned Roses, of course – he wouldn’t have wanted the servants of the previous lord for fear of possible reprisal by them. It would be all too easy to slip poison into his wine and kill him that way. He was one to cut out potential problems at the root, rather than let them sprout later on.

He may have been strong, but it never hurt to be prepared. Thus, he engaged in training as a pastime to keep him vigilant.

Right now, the Obstagoon was laying into training dummies down by the shoreline of Lake Lazurny. A path led from the villa down to the lake, and floodgates had been set up along the path, just in case the lake’s flooding reached that high. Granted, given the recent warm weather, there was little worry of this.

The sound of splintering wood came as Hinnerk slashed the dummy to pieces with a finishing blow in Night Slash. It didn’t stand a chance against the Normal and Dark-type’s force, and crumbled to pieces in a pile.

He reflected on his situation, as top dog of the Thorned Roses. Even among his men, he was fearsome, and some of them had been on the receiving end of his wrath for daring to speak up to him. In some cases, they had been servants, and admittedly, that did make him slightly paranoid that they might try and kill him in some way.

Maybe it’d be better to have no one serving me in that house, he thought to himself, before dismissing that thought. Nah. We all live for a day when we don’t have to work. I’m not passing up being served by servants. Honestly…that’s a dream life. Who the hell would pass that opportunity up?

Two names sprung to mind. And immediately, his mood soured.

…Well, not unless you’re a certain team consisting of a do-gooder mudfish and a smug gecko with a tree stuck up his ass. Honest to Arceus…what’s the point in going all the way to Grandmaster Rank and not accept all the honours that come with all that fame? Who in their right mind would pass that up? It’s wasted on people like them!

Hinnerk found himself growling and his teeth gnashing at the thought of the two figures that had come into his head. And I was having a pretty good day too, he thought to himself. But even when they’re not here, those two bastards still manage to be the most irritating pricks to ever have walked Ardalion. Honestly…I’m gonna need another fill of wine to forget those thoughts.

With his mind made up as to what to do next, the Obstagoon made his way back up to the villa, readying himself for another plundering of the wine cellar. It may have only been around mid-morning, but Hinnerk was vexed enough by his thoughts to want to suppress them with alcohol.

He climbed the path to the top, past the floodgates. He reached the villa and was about to head inside, when…

“Ah, there you are, Boss. There was me thinking you were passed out on the canapé again from one of your drunken binges.”

The Obstagoon turned around in a slight huff, and saw none other than Mikhail. And behind him were a pair of Pokémon. Specifically, Bruno and Vivian, both of whom wore an expression that wished they were anywhere but here.

This was, of course, due to Hinnerk’s fearsomeness. But that image of him could not have been cultivated well enough if Mikhail wasn’t the second-in-command of the Thorned Roses. He was an able strategist, whose cunning and wit enabled them to effectively gather a motley crew of misfits and ruffians and organised them into a gang that would be able to reinforce Hinnerk’s power and make the people of Ozerograd cower in submission to him and the Thorned Roses. Without Mikhail, Hinnerk would not be where he was now.

But this morning, due to his sudden foul mood, the Obstagoon wished himself that the viper was elsewhere. He was in no mood to deal with him and his wily manner.

“What is it, Mikhail?” Hinnerk demanded, not making an effort to disguise his annoyance. “This better be good. If it isn’t, then piss off.”

“My, we’re in a foul mood today, aren’t we?” observed the Seviper. “But then that’s what happens when you quaff alcohol like it’s water on a daily basis. You wouldn’t want to be known as Hinnerk the Drunken Imbecile, do you?”

“Shut up, Mikhail!” growled the Obstagoon. “Now what the hell are you here for?” His attention was then drawn to the two Pokémon behind Mikhail. “And why do you have two runts with you?”

“For one simple reason: they failed their mission.” The Seviper turned to face the duo behind him. “You shouldn’t have failed to apprehend that girl.”

“It wasn’t our fault!” protested Vivian. “We would’ve got her if those stupid do-gooders hadn’t showed up!”

“Yeah!” Bruno seconded. “W-We’re not disloyal to you, Boss, really! It was as Vivian said! It was out of our hands!”

“Honestly, do you hear that desperation, Hinnerk?” Mikhail dismissed. “It’s like a herd of wild Wooloo bleating sometimes. At least come up with better excuses in front of the Boss. How pathetic, Bruno and Vivian.”

“Bruno and Vivian…” Hinnerk scanned the two. “Oh yes, I remember now. The rookies that joined sometime back. The Meowth and that Deino boy with a girl’s name.” He snickered at this, looking at the dragon in question. “Vivian…Who the hell gave you that name in the first place? Was your voice too high-pitched to tell?”

Vivian was on the cusp of giving a retort. But he remembered who he was speaking to, and reluctantly held his tongue.

“So what did Girl’s Name and the other runt fail in?” the Thorned Roses’ leader asked. “Was it something serious? It better not have been.” He glared at the rookies, whose fear only increased tenfold.

“Thankfully, no. They were to apprehend a girl whose family’s behind on rent payments,” Mikhail informed. “They had the perfect opportunity, and squandered it. He looked over at the two in acknowledgment. “Tell the Boss exactly how you failed that simple task. Any excuses, and it’s straight to latrine duty.”

Bruno and Vivian gulped when faced with the demanding leers of Hinnerk and Mikhail. The former swallowed his fear and spoke up.

“Two friends of the girl came along to save her,” the Meowth began. “And they were a lot stronger than we thought. …We lost to them,” he admitted, embarrassed and ashamed.

“They were talking heroic crap about how they were going to help Selenia in its darkest hour. Or something like that,” Vivian recalled scathingly. “That Riolu…Could he have been any more annoying? Talking like he was number one…He talked shit about the Thorned Roses, too. Said he hadn’t even heard of us.

“He was weird, too. His eyes were green, even though Riolu’s eyes are normally red,” elaborated Bruno. “…Stupid twit. He’ll get what’s coming to him. That Treecko, too.”

Hinnerk was half-listening to the explanation the rookies were giving him, not really caring at first. However, at Bruno’s last statement, he suddenly snapped to attention.

A Treecko?

“A Riolu and a Treecko…” Mikhail murmured. “They might well be those two I encountered in the main square yesterday. That same Riolu talked back to me as well, as if he was some big shot. …My Poison Tail showed him.” He grinned evilly at the memory.

“…So that Riolu’s a problem, then,” Hinnerk noted. “…But I’m more curious about the Treecko. What did you glean about them?”

“…Hmm…” The Seviper racked his brains. “…I didn’t notice any defining traits about the Treecko. The only thing I could say is that she was a girl around late adolescence, if I had to make an educated guess. …I couldn’t say for sure. To me, the Riolu was the greater drawer of attention of the two of them.” He looked at his boss, curiosity in his eyes. “…Why do you ask? Why are you so curious about the Treecko?

“…Oh, it’s just…something,” Hinnerk replied. “Just a hunch, really. You two!” His raised voice made the Meowth and Deino jump. “Did you get names for them?”

“Names? Um…” Bruno racked his brains. “What was that Treecko called? Elvina? No…Elvira. Yes, it was Elvira!”

The mention of that name made Hinnerk think back. It was familiar. He’d definitely heard it being mentioned before.

Elvira…

With that name, a half-forgotten memory came back to him.

---

Seven years ago…

Hinnerk walked through the back streets of Iria, clutching a sack. He had been tasked to transport a valuable commodity by his overheads, and he obliged dutifully, knowing that his reward would be a lucrative one. At one point, he stopped, and looked through the small sack once more, double-checking that nothing had fallen out. That wouldn’t end well for me if it did.

He continued along the alley, strutting on all fours as a Linoone. He had not yet evolved, although he was putting in hours at night time in order to potentially trigger the evolution.

It’ll happen one day, he kept assuring himself.

He wasn’t too much further to his destination, at least. Just another bit to go, and…

“Hah…Finally, we’re out of there.”

The sound of the voice made Hinnerk freeze. Especially given that he knew who that voice belonged to.

What? What the hell is Kallias doing here?! No, no, no…if he sees me, then I’m doomed! Quickly, he looked for a hiding place. But there wasn’t anywhere completely foolproof, so he had to make do with some stacked beer kegs. Please don’t come down this far, please don’t come down this far…he silently begged.

“You’re telling me,” a second voice sounded out. “I never thought we’d get out of there.”

Shit…Melchior’s here too?

“Who would’ve thought it’d come to this in our lives?” Kallias’s voice spoke, with slight mirth in it. “I mean, I’m grateful for the praise, but…it does wear on you when you just want to go home to the Guild. After all, I did promise Elvira I’d be home for her hatch day. I don’t want to be away like last time.”

“It’s not for another few days, though,” Melchior pointed out. “You’ve got time, Kallias.”

“Yes, time. Time enough for the Tropius Carriers to deliver it,” Kallias said. “That Dresilian merchant did promise me he’d have everything ready before then.”

“Let’s hope he followed through,” Melchior replied. “That would be most unfortunate, if the hatch day gift arrived late.”

“True. I do love my little girl.” Kallias’s voice spoke with tenderness. “She and Zenobia mean the world to me. And I don’t want to let Elvira down like last hatch day. To think she’ll be eleven already…She’s growing up fast. Before you know it, she’ll be apprenticing at the Guild. And I’m sure when that happens, she’ll be the happiest girl in the world.”

“I imagine she will,” Melchior agreed. “…You’re not going to give it to her right away, though, are you?”

“No, too soon,” dismissed Kallias. “Not until she’s a teenager, at least. But that’s not too far away. Time flies, alright. My little girl will be a Grovyle before we know it. That’s what it feels like these days.”

“Sure does,” Melchior agreed. “…Hmm…I think the coast is clear. The crowd appeared to miss us.”

“Thank the gods for that,” Kallias replied, relief present in his voice. “My arms ache after signing all those autographs. I just want to get back to the Guild…”

“Let’s go, then,” Melchior replied. Then, to the immense relief of the Linoone in the alley, the duo strolled away back into the main streets.

…Thank Arceus they didn’t see me, Hinnerk thought, breathing a sigh of relief. It’d be one thing to be spotted. But by Team Marshwood of all people? I’d never live it down. Now then…once the coast is clear, time to get out of sight.

After a short wait to make sure the Sceptile and Swampert were gone, the Linoone continued down the alleyway.

---

It had been a close call of a moment, back then, trying to avoid detection. And frankly, it was a moment that he had dreaded on reflection, being so close to being caught by Kallias and Melchior, two individuals he loathed with a passion.

But now…it proved to highlight to him an important fact that he typically dismissed before this.

Fernblade Kallias had a daughter named Elvira. And now there was a Treecko by the name of Elvira that had defeated two of his henchmen.

…There’s no way in hell that’s a coincidence. I’d stake my whole claim to Ozerograd on it. …So, like father, like daughter, eh? Typical. Just typical. Even when Kallias has disappeared off the face of the world, his spawn takes his place.

…But they’re not the same, he then thought to himself. Fernblade Kallias was in a league of his own. There’s no way his kid’s as powerful as he is. She’s just a Treecko, after all. Which means…I may be able to reel her in.

A devilish smile appeared on the Obstagoon’s lips.

“…Hinnerk?” questioned Mikhail, not knowing why his boss’s foul mood had given way to a smirk.

“Change of plans, Mikhail,” Hinnerk announced. “We have a Treecko to hunt.”

“Do we now? Why the haste?” Mikhail wondered.

“Revenge, Mikhail.” Hinnerk grinned evilly. “I’ve a strong hunch that Treecko is Fernblade Kallias’s daughter.”

“Fernblade Kallias’s daughter?” The Seviper cocked his head. “You really think so?”

“I’m certain of it. If this Treecko conveniently named Elvira doesn’t happen to have any relation to that smug bastard, then I’ll eat carpet,” Hinnerk replied. “He had a kid named Elvira, that puffed-up do-gooder. I’ll be damned if it’s a coincidence. And I can’t think of a better way to get revenge on Fernblade Kallias by doing away with his little girl.”

“A wonderful idea,” Mikhail agreed, his expression taking on the same evil grin that Hinnerk was sporting. “That would be a delicious act of karma, wouldn’t it?”

“Indeed, it would.” Hinnerk licked his lips. “Looks like we got ourselves a wench to hunt. Scour the surrounding area for her, and when you find her, make sure to bring her back to me. But don’t kill her. I want to be the one to send her to Yveltal’s embrace.”

“Understood. I’ll get around to dispatching men to look for her.” The Seviper then gestured to the two behind him. “But first of all. For your failure, you two are assigned to sewer treatment.”

“Oh come on! Really?” protested Bruno. “But we told you about the girl’s name!”

“Doesn’t matter. You lost to her,” Mikhail dismissed. “Now hop to it! Those sewers won’t clean themselves!”

“Fine,” accepted the Meowth reluctantly. “Vivian, let’s just do it and get it over with.”

“…Alright,” sighed Vivian in defeat, before they turned around to leave.

“Don’t worry, Hinnerk. I won’t let you down,” pledged Mikhail. “We’ll find Fernblade Kallias’s girl. And that Riolu, too. They’ll make fine sacrifices.” With that, the viper turned and made his way back to town with his two subordinates.

“They sure will, Mikhail,” the Obstagoon grinned, as he left. “It’s annoying, though. His little girl has been hiding under my nose all this time, has she? If only I’d known that sooner…Oh well. Better late than never, I suppose.” He turned his back and got ready to head into the villa.

Before he entered the building, Hinnerk looked to the blue sky, up to the heavens. A taunting smile crossed his face.

That’ll show you, Fernblade Kallias. After the way you ruined my life…I’d be all too happy to snuff the life from the girl that meant everything to you.

---

“Mmm…this is rather nice,” Zenobia commented, after eating a piece of nanab bread. “It’s as good as mine, I’d say.”

“Oh no, I wouldn’t say so,” Elvira replied. “This is good, but…nothing compares to your nanab bread, Mom.”

“I haven’t made it in a while. Perhaps when this leg of mine heals, I’ll get around to making some.”

It was the morning after Arian and Elvira had returned home from their escapade in Blossoming Meadow. They regaled that day’s exploits to Zenobia over dinner, and the Heliolisk congratulated them for their selflessness in jumping in to save the young Flabébé. The two Pokémon went to bed not long after, satisfied that they’d done a good day’s work.

Now it was the next morning, and the three occupants of the house were eating breakfast. However, instead of preparing her own breakfast, Zenobia wished to try some of the nanab bread loaf that Arian and Elvira brought home the night prior. The two agreed, and so nanab bread was that morning’s dish.

“We would need nanab berries, though,” Elvira pointed out. “And that’s something I haven’t seen in the marketplace for a while. Because all the merchants have been scared off.”

“What about someone like Conall and Caitríona?” suggested Arian. “Would they sell them?”

“They weren’t selling them yesterday. Just items for Mystery Dungeon delving,” the Treecko replied. “I wonder if they have any more intel for us.”

“Guess we’ll see when we go back into town today,” Arian said.

“Going into town…” A worried look crossed Zenobia’s face. “Are you sure, you two?”

“Well…” Elvira’s reply faltered when she saw the concern in her mother’s eyes.

“We need to figure out what’s going with the Thorned Roses,” Arian reasoned. “We won’t be able to find out anything without going into town.”

“I understand that. I really do.” Zenobia’s worry did not waver. “But think of yourselves as well. The fact that Arian was attacked and poisoned yesterday without provocation is only proof of the kinds of tricks the Thorned Roses will pull. If you must go into town, then please, please be careful…”

“Don’t worry, Mom. We will be,” Elvira assured. However, she didn’t sound so confident after hearing that speech from her mother. Arian could sense the sadness and doubt in her.

She got up and went to clean up. But at that moment, knocking was heard on the front door.

“Who could that be?” wondered Zenobia.

“I’ll get it,” Elvira volunteered. She made her way out of the room and down the hallway.

“I’ll go as well,” Arian seconded, and followed Elvira. The Treecko reached the front door, and opened it.

Outside were two Pokémon. One of them was a pink, white and red insect-like Pokémon with two long scythes and a striped pattern along its legs. The other was a familiar face to the duo – a Petilil.

“Oh, hello, Flora,” greeted Elvira. “And Vardan as well. …It’s good to see you.”

“Likewise,” the other Pokémon returned. The voice of it was masculine, which was something of a surprise to Arian; their colouration did look a tad feminine to him. “It’s good to see you again, Elvira. It’s nice to meet your partner too.” He looked over her shoulder at the Riolu just behind her. “Arian, was it? Flora told me all about you. I’m Vardan, her father. It’s good to meet you.”

“Oh, er, you too,” returned Arian, somewhat awkwardly. He looked away slightly, and then his gaze fell on Flora. “Hi, Flora.”

“You’re not great at introductions, are you?” the Petilil snarked.

“Don’t be rude, Flora,” Vardna chastised. “You said he was “You said he had amnesia. He’s likely still getting adjusted to this new reality of his.” He turned back to Arian. “I’m probably the first Lurantis you’ve seen, I presume?”

“Yeah. I haven’t seen anyone like you before,” Arian confirmed. “Then again, I haven’t seen much since waking up.”

“Why did you come out here, Vardan?” Elvira wondered. “Flora, I understand. But why you as well?”

“Well, I came to see you and your mother,” the Lurantis elaborated. “But there’s another reason too, involving the two of you. Could we go in and discuss it?”

“Of course. Come on in,” Elvira permitted.

And so the two visitors ended up having tea with the three residents of the house. Vardan brought some persim tea leaves, which brought another new taste to Arian’s lips. He found he rather liked it. The taste wasn’t a blessing on his lips – it wasn’t quite that flavourful to him – but it was alright.

“So how are things going in town?” Zenobia asked, taking a sip of tea.

“Same as always,” Vardan replied, giving something of a chuckle with a light hint of bitterness. “Thorned Roses everywhere, everyone being fearful of them, and therefore people tend to only go out if they absolutely have to. It’s not been great for business, to say the least. But we’re getting by, somehow.”

“And how’s Diantha?” the Heliolisk queried. “I see she couldn’t be with you today.”

“No. She’s holding down the fort while we’re out here,” explained the Lurantis. “She sends her regards, though. Oh, and she hopes you get better soon as well.”

“I hope so, too. It’s been quite limiting,” agreed Zenobia, looking down at her injured leg. “On the upside, though, I’ve finally been able to dig into that bookshelf and find some literature. I’ve been re-reading the Mystery Dungeon Tales series. My goodness, it’s bringing back memories of when Kallias showed that series to me. I’m going to jump right back into it once we’re done here.”

“All that talk about books and stories…You really are a family of bookworms,” Flora remarked.

“Yes, and proud to be one,” the Heliolisk countered. “Books are a gateway to another world. A brilliant escape from a grim reality. You should read with me, Flora.”

“Maybe,” the Petilil deflected.

“So you’ll be looking after Mom for the day,” Elvira said to Flora. “But why are you here, Vardan?”

“Okay, there’s a bit of a story to this one. This morning, Rosa came into our shop. And unusually for the woman, she was in a good mood. When I asked her about it, she told me that her daughter had been rescued from Blossoming Meadow by two young Pokémon. They were none other than a Riolu and a Treecko by the name of Arian and Elvira.”

“…Rosa? Would she be a Florges, by any chance?” Elvira asked.

“Yes, she is. I know her well, and she and Diantha are good friends,” explained the Lurantis. “Flora had already told me about Elvira forming a team with a Riolu named Arian, so it didn’t take long to connect the dots. Truth be told, I was curious about this new development, so when Flora was getting ready to head out here, I decided to tag along. So you do odd jobs that mercenaries of the Guild would’ve done, eh?”

“Yes. That’s right.”

“Well, would you mind if I employed your services?” Vardan requested.

“You want to hire us?” Arian said. He hadn’t expected this.

“Yes. I’ll pay you, of course. Is 100P good for payment?” the Lurantis asked.

“That’s alright,” accepted Elvira. “As long as the job isn’t super difficult, anyway.”

“”It shouldn’t be,” Vardan said. “I’ve wanted for the last while to go to Cyan Cove. You surely know of the pearls that are found deep within the place?”

“Yes, indeed,” Zenobia replied. “Kallias fashioned a necklace out of some pearls for an anniversary present for me once.”

“Funny you should bring that up, Zenobia,” Vardan said, with a light chuckle at the coincidence. “I want to get something similar for Diantha. With how things are going with the Thorned Roses, I would like to get her a gift to lift her spirits.”

“Oh, let me guess,” presumed Arian. “You want us to find a pearl for you in Cyan Cove.”

“Yes, that’s it exactly,” the Lurantis replied. “I’d like you to retrieve pearls from there. They’re normally found in the depths of the Dungeon.”

“Dungeon?” Then it clicked for Arian. “So it’s a Mystery Dungeon, then.”

“True. But it’s a benign one. You shouldn’t have much trouble with it,” Vardan assured.

“He’s right,” Elvira seconded. “I’ve been there a few times. It’s not too dangerous. We should be fine.”

“And it’s away from town,” Zenobia added. “So hopefully, you won’t encounter any Thorned Roses there.”

“Well, let’s not wait any longer, then.” Arian got up from his seat. “Come on, Elvira. Let’s get going.”

“Okay. I’ll just get the bag and then we’ll go,” the Treecko said. She also got up from her seat, and left the kitchen to head to her own room, where their mercenary’s bag was located. Arian followed her out of the room.

“What a pair,” Vardan commented. “Guess she’s finally taking after her father, eh?”

“Stop doing that, Dad,” Flora chastised. “I told you; Elvira doesn’t want to be compared to her dad. It’ll only make her feel like she’s not good enough.”

“But in fairness, it will be hard to separate them,” Vardan countered. “If word gets out about Elvira, people will inevitably compare her to her father. It’s just what people do.”

“I hope they don’t,” Zenobia expressed. “People always raise their expectations too high, and become disappointed when they fall short. Kallias encountered a fair amount of people like that who were expecting someone grand and heroic, only for his humble self to show up to them. Elvira’s right to be worried about that kind of treatment.”

“Hopefully she doesn’t get it too bad,” Vardan wished. “I wish her and Arian all the best. I really do. Who knows? They might well be the ones to knock the Thorned Roses down a peg or two. May Jirachi watch over them, and give them good fortune for times ahead.”

---

“We go to the left,” Elvira directed, once they had reached the road outside the house.

“Hmm…I haven’t been this way yet,” Arian noted, as he followed his partner in her instructed direction. “What’s in this direction?”

“Well, Cyan Cove is this way, of course. But this is the main road that links the two towns of Ozerograd and Lukomoria. Beyond that, it eventually leads to the Empyrean Mountains and Miletos.”

“The Empyrean Mountains?” Arian asked quizzically. “What are those?”

“The Empyrean Mountains…” Elvira considered what to say. “…I’d say they’re the most prominent physical feature in Ardalion. It runs down the centre of the continent, and every single country has a part of the mountain range in them. All of the continent’s major rivers run from there, and act as the lifeblood of Ardalion, nourishing millions of people. And the mountains themselves are massive. They’re some of the tallest mountains in the country, some mountains reaching above the clouds themselves. They’re honestly dominating. We should go see them at some point.”

“Ooh…I’d like to see that,” the Riolu said enthusiastically.

“They are quite a sight,” the Treecko agreed. “They’re like a barrier between the western and eastern halves of Ardalion. It’s only thanks to a few narrow passageways that we can even link them. And even then, those are fairly treacherous to trek through. I have thought, though that the Empyrean Mountains being a barrier isn’t necessarily a good thing.”

“What do you mean?” Arian asked.

“You wouldn’t know this, Arian, but the truth is that there’s a big West-East divide in Ardalion,” revealed Elvira. “That is to say, there’s rivalry and considerable friction between Selenia and Alba, the countries west of the Empyrean Mountains, and Dresilia and Miletos, the countries of the east. You see, the east has better land than the West, which in the past led the eastern countries to become more powerful than their Western equivalents. But this led to the east looking down on the West like they’re barbaric, backward savages. And this means that the west now looks on the east like they’re selfish and egotistic.”

“Really? Is it that bad?” the Riolu wondered.

“Mmhm. And the Empyrean Mountains make this difference all the more real,” the Treecko went on. “Once you’re on the opposite side, it’s easy to view it as a world different from your own. The same goes for the people. If you’re not a regular traveller between the halves of Ardalion, it’s easy to believe what you hear.”

“So there’s racism at play in this world…” Arian murmured.

“Unfortunately, yes,” Elvira accepted. “But obviously not all the stereotypes are true. Dad and Melchior had requests from the east by people who knew better than to believe in rumours. The tsar was also building bridges between the east and Selenia. While it was never an alliance as such, it was pretty close to it. A shame Mitrofan had to come along and derail all that.”

“Wait a minute,” Arian pondered. “If the leaders of the east were good friends with the previous tsar, then why aren’t they doing anything about Mitrofan?”

“There isn’t the political will in the east to do anything about Mitrofan,” the Treecko replied. “Even if the leaders supported Mitrofan’s removal, they’d still have to get approval from their nobles, and that would be an arduous task. It’s apathy more than anything that’s keeping them.”

“…That’s terrible,” replied the Riolu, partly shocked by the reason given. “Apathy? Really? But there are people suffering over this side of the mountains! They need help!”

“If it’s over the other side of the mountains, then it’s not their problem. That’s simply how they’d view it,” Elvira reasoned. “I know. It is terrible. But that’s just the way it is. Plus, from what I hear, they’ve had their own upheavals to deal with. They’d probably have bigger things on their plate than help out a country that’s been despised by most of their citizens and nobility.”

“That’s…” Arian tried to come up with a response, but came up with nothing. He could only walk on in silence, slightly staggered by what he had heard, about the inactivity of the east in the face of this calamity in the west. How could they be so selfish? he thought to himself.

The two walked on in silence for the next while. Arian was still lost in thought about the east-west divide Elvira told him about, while the Treecko herself had gone silent, presumably lost in her own thoughts.

Silence reigned as the two of them walked further down the road. Eventually, Arian’s thoughts drifted from his previous discussion with Elvira, and to their surroundings. Once again, the day was bright and sunny, and it brought out the best in the landscape. The grass was green, a gentle breeze blew, and the sun shone brightly, casting the land in a warm glow.

“Yet another beautiful day,” he remarked.

“…Mmm,” was all that Elvira murmured in agreement.

That’s strange, the Riolu thought to himself. Is that all Elvira has to say? He looked over at the Treecko, and noticed that she had a pensive look on her face. What’s she thinking about?

“Elvira?” he asked. “Is something the matter?”

“Hm?” Elvira seemed to snap out of her thoughts. “Oh no, I’m fine. Really.”

“Are you alright? You seem a bit out of it,” Arian observed. “Penny for your thoughts?”

“‘Penny for your thoughts?'” Elvira repeated, rather confused. “What does that mean?”

“Oh, um. ‘What’s on your mind?'” the Riolu said. “You haven’t heard that expression before?”

“…No. Never. What is a penny?” wondered Elvira. “And what does that expression mean?”

“A penny?” Arian was surprised at this gap in knowledge from the normally knowledgeable Treecko. “It’s one coin. Like one Poké. A small amount. Where it comes from…” He thought about it. “I don’t know myself, actually.”

“Hm. Must be a human thing,” mused Elvira.

“I guess so.”

“So your memories of the human world haven’t been wiped completely, then?” Elvira said. “If you can recall that…”

“Some vague things come back to me, I guess. But I can’t remember anything major.” That was still beyond the Riolu’s reach.

“It’s alright. Maybe it’ll come back to you in time.” Elvira was about to say more, but then she saw where they were. “Oh, here we are. The road to Cyan Cove.

a Y-junction lay in front of them, with a small side road veered downhill to the right, down to a small beach. The signpost at the junction helpfully informed them of what was in each direction.

← Lukomoria, Milenia Pass, Empyrean Mountains, MILETOS

→ Cyan Cove

“So to the right we go,” Arian said.

The two walked down the hill. As they got further down, It wasn’t long before they reached the rocks above the cove itself; a small inlet with. However, it was different to the beach just outside Elvira’s house; this beach was more sheltered, with rocky formations all around the beach. True to its name, the sea seemed to shine a bright cyan colour in the inlet.

“Where’s the Mystery Dungeon?” Arian wondered.

“It’s down on the beach, near the centre of it,” Elvira said, pointing to where she directed. “We’ll have to climb down the rocks to get there.”

“…Alright then. Shouldn’t be a problem.”

And indeed, it wasn’t. The rocks were large, and climbing down them proved unchallenging. Occasionally, some unsteady footings were made by Arian, who hadn’t climbed in his body of a Riolu before, but in the end, they both made it to the Mystery Dungeon without incident.

And right away, Arian noticed it, as he stepped onto the sand.

It was a cave. But it seemed like a dark, black abyss where no detail of the cave’s insides could be made out. This being the third instance of this oddity, the Riolu knew immediately what this meant.

“So that’s it, then,” the human remarked. “The Mystery Dungeon. Are there really pearls in here? It looks a bit plain on the outside.”

“That’s because you haven’t seen the inside,” Elvira countered. “Never judge a book by its cover. Or in this case, never judge a cave by its entrance.”

“Okay, that’s at least a saying we have in the human world. The first one anyway,” Arian replied. “Guess our sayings aren’t so different after all.”

“I guess not. …But anyway. Let’s head in and get what Vardan wants.”

And with that, the duo headed in.

---

Cyan Cove

B1F

Once again, Arian and Elvira returned to the familiar format of the maze. However, this was a bit different for the former, due to the fact that this was his first Mystery Dungeon that was a cave. Thankfully, it wasn’t dark to the point of sightlessness, and even if it was, Arian would be able to see just fine due to his good night vision as a Riolu.

“So this is Cyan Cove’s Mystery Dungeon?” the Riolu said, looking around at the cave. “…Not bad. But would we really find pearls in here?”

“Yes. There’s an area at the end where there’s a huge deposit of them,” Elvira told him. “We just need to make our way there. There’s no need to scour every floor like we did the last two times.”

“…Good. That takes the stress off things,” Arian said, a hint of relief in his voice. “Well then…I guess we’ll start looking for the stairs.”

And so they started searching. A walk through the corridors and rooms revealed a cave with a seabound theme. Puddles of water were everywhere, and the scent of saltwater invaded Arian’s nose. He tried hard not to sneeze.

He and Elvira rounded a corner. There, they were approached by a Roggenrola.

“A Rock-type? Oh, I do well against those!” he recalled, remembering what he’d been told about types by Elvira and Tamara two days prior. He charged a Force Palm and struck the Mantle Pokémon, staggering it. However, that was not enough to knock it out.

“Allow me to help, Arian,” Elvira requested, before stepping forward and using Absorb. That did the trick, and the Roggenrola was down.

“Thanks, Elvira,” Arian said gratefully.

“No problem,” the Treecko replied. “Rock-types are known for being physically hardy. So don’t be surprised if you don’t knock them out in one hit, even with an attack like Force Palm that they’re weak to.”

“Right. Gotcha.”

“There are plenty of Rock- and Water-types in this place. We shouldn’t have too hard a time,” Elvira said. “Even so, remember what I said.”

“I understand, Elvira.”

they continued along the path. It was fortunate for them that the stairs were in the next room.

“Would you look at that! What a pleasant surprise,” Arian chirped. “They were right here waiting for us.”

“Down we go, then,” Elvira said, and the duo climbed down the steps.

---

Cyan Cove

B4F

The two made good progress through the Mystery Dungeon. The next two floors yielded little to no incidents for them, and they also picked up some more items and money that were laying on the floor. The Pokémon of the Dungeon were also no trouble; it was mostly Water- and Rock-types that went down to Elvira and Arian’s attacks with ease.

The fourth floor proved a bit more troublesome for them, though. The wild Pokémon still fell easily, but the stairs proved to be elusive to find. And after a while of trudging around the labyrinth, Arian found himself wanting to take a break. He wasn’t tired, but wanted an opportunity just to stop and sit down for a while.

They were making their way down another corridor. They reached the end of it, but a scan of the room it led into revealed no other exit to the room.

“Dead end,” Elvira said to Arian. “Back we go.”

“Wait a minute, Elvira,” the Riolu requested. “Do you mind if we take a break first? I could kinda use it right now.”

“Well…alright,” the Treecko accepted. “I suppose it wouldn’t hurt.” She stepped back into the room, and sat down on the floor, next to a rock. Arian followed her into the room, and sat down opposite her. The room had a body of water in it, though a quick sniff from the Riolu found it to be saltwater, and thus not the sort of water to fill up their canteens with.

There were two canteens, and Arian took a swig from one of them. Although he was not overly thirsty, he found it a blessing to drink it at that point.

“Any reason why you asked to stop?” Elvira wondered.

“The search for the stairs is getting tedious,” complained the Riolu. “Just wanted a little break before moving on.”

“It can be frustrating,” agreed Elvira. “We’re about halfway there. A little rest wouldn’t hurt. Whenever you’re ready, we’ll get back on the move.”

“Thanks.”

Arian took a bite out of an apple. As he ate it, he looked across at his partner. Elvira had partially submerged her left hand in water, and was looking into its crystal clear depths. By the looks of it, her mind was elsewhere. That reminded Arian of the conversation they’d had earlier, and he decided to tie up that loose end.

“So what was on your mind earlier?” he asked.

“Hm? What?” Elvira snapped out of her slight trance.

“Your mind’s wandering. There’s something bugging you,” Arian pressed. “You want to tell me?”

“Well…I suppose you would have to hear it at some point.” Elvira sighed as she began. “You haven’t been told about the recent extreme events happening across Ardalion, have you?”

“Extreme events?” Arian shook his head. “First I’ve heard of them. It doesn’t sound good, though.”

“It isn’t. Over the last few years, there’s been a gradual increase in natural disasters like volcanic eruptions and earthquakes,” Elvira explained. “And then there’s also extreme weather. In the last year alone in Selenia, the autumnal storms were much more fierce, the winter was bitter cold, and this summer, about a few weeks before you arrived, we had a heatwave and a drought.”

“Really? But the weather’s been nice the past two days, hasn’t it?”

“Yes. Too nice, if anything. Too much sun, and not enough rain. We had some rain a few weeks ago, but it wasn’t anywhere near enough. For Selenia’s crops and the livelihoods of the people, it’s quite worrying.”

“That’s not good.” Immediately, Arian understood the gravity of the situation. “If there’s no rain, crops can’t grow, and water supplies can’t be replenished.”

“You’ve got that right. There’s a well at the back of our house where we get our water from,” Elvira went on. “The water level’s getting worryingly low. If rain doesn’t come soon, then I don’t know what we’re going to do.” She let out another long sigh.

Oh God, that sounds bad. This is a problem that’s affecting everyone…

“I really don’t like talking about them,” the Treecko continued gloomily. “At least we can hold out hope that the Thorned Roses and Mitrofan can be taken out by our own hands. But these events are out of our control. No one knows anything about why this is happening.” She looked at the ground. “I hate being powerless like this…”

“It’s alright, Elvira,” Arian assured. “There has to be an explanation. There just has to be. And who knows? Maybe one day we’ll find it out together.”

“Maybe. …Thanks, Arian. I guess this is what a partner is for, huh? To lift the other’s spirits when they’re down.” Elvira then rose from her position. “Are you okay to keep going, Arian?”

“Sure I am.” Arian got up as well. “Come on. Let’s find the exit.”

---

Cyan Cove

Grotto

The two made it through the rest of the Mystery Dungeon without much incident. Arian could at least say now that he was getting the hang of his moves, and his Force Palm was quickly proving to be his most viable option of attack. This was something that didn’t go unnoticed by Elvira, and she chose to speak up about it once they’d climbed the stairs on the sixth floor.

“Your Force Palm’s quite powerful,” she noted. “But my word of advice would be to not be overdependent on any one move. Your fighting style might become predictable.”

“I see,” Arian said. “I suppose I could use Quick Attack or Metal Claw more. Change up my attacks every once in a while. But we’re at the end anyway. No more wild Pokémon to worry about.”

The part of the cave they walked into had quite a large ceiling, from which a few stalactites hung. But what drew Arian’s attention more was the large, cyan-coloured pool of water in front of them. One question stuck out to him, though, as he looked around.

“Where are the pearls?” he asked. “…I don’t see any around.”

“I know where they are,” Elvira said. “Follow me.” And Arian did so, following her to the edge of the water. The cyan blue water was incredibly clear, and he could see the bottom of the pond.

“Whoa,” he reacted. “That’s…deep.”

“I know,” Elvira replied. “But it’s nothing I can’t handle. Stay here, Arian. I’ll get the pearls.”

“Wait a minute. Elvira, what are you – “

Arian didn’t even get a chance to finish his sentence before Elvira ran forward. Then a big splash sounded out, and next thing he knew, he saw the Treecko in the water, swimming down to the bottom.

“Elvira!” he cried out instinctively. He was about to continue, but broke himself off as he saw her movements. She was actually quite an adept swimmer, and was able to reach the pool’s floor effortlessly. Then she appeared to reach out for something by one of the rocks at the bottom. After that, she then made her way back up, and surfaced again.

“Hah…!” she breathed, taking in air. “Got them…Got the pearls.” She wordlessly laid out her findings, as she took in more breaths of air.

“So that’s what we were looking for,” Arian observed, taking in his paw a few of the pearls.

“Yeah…Vardan will be thrilled with this find,” Elvira said, as she gradually regained her breath. “You could certainly make a necklace with these.”

“So that’s mission accomplished, then?”

“Yes. All that’s left is to pack these up and head out of here.”

“Cool. …Say, you swam rather well back there,” noted the Riolu, as he began to pack up the pearls.

“…Oh, I’ve learned over the years,” Elvira told him. “My dad taught me well, and I used to practice with him back in the day, usually when he was home. ‘It never hurts to learn how to swim,’ he’d say. It certainly helped out today.”

“That’s the pearls gathered up,” Arian announced. “Let’s get out of here.”

And so they left the Mystery Dungeon. As they walked back out to the beach and into the afternoon daylight, Arian looked back with a sense of satisfaction.

Another day, another successful mission. I just hope this streak keeps up.

---

“Oi!”

Evening was beginning to descend on Ozerograd. And with the beginning of the descent into evening came time for Caitríona and Conall to close up shop for the day.

However, in the midst of closing their stall, they were accosted by two Thorned Roses. But not just any two Thorned Roses.

It was a Krokorok and a Gligar.

“Hm?” Conall turned around and saw them. “Oh, hello there.”

“We meet again, ya ol’ mutt,” the Krokorok growled. “We got us a few questions to ask ya, and yer gonna answer ’em, pronto. Got it?”

“I sure do.” Strangely, he didn’t sound fearful in the slightest, despite the intimidating look from the sand crocodile. “Well, Ríona, let’s see what these kids have to tell us.”

“Hey! Don’t call us kids!” raged the Gligar. “Remember whose territory you’re walking on! Don’t you dare pretend you’re above us Thorned Roses!”

“Sure, I understand.” Again, there wasn’t the slightest ounce of fear from Conall. “Now what do you adults have to question us about?”

“A bit better,” mumbled the Gligar.

“These two.” The Krokorok produced a poster. “Boss has us lookin’ for ’em. Know anythin’?”

At the sight of the poster, Caitríona’s eyes widened. Two Pokémon stood illustrated in it, and the image was a depiction of a Riolu and a Treecko. Below the artist’s impression of them lay a lone word scrawled in big letters.

WANTED

“I…” Caitríona faltered, unsure of how to respond.

“A Riolu and a Treecko?” Conall observed, looking at the poster.

“Yeah…Some of our lot’ve been sayin’ the two of ya was talkin’ to ’em yesterday,” the Krokorok continued. “Ain’t nothin’, is it? Ya wanna tell us what that’s all about?”

“You know that you can drop the act, Ishmael,” the Lycanroc said, with a light chuckle. “You know us. And there’s no one else around to spot you.”

“Dunno what yer talkin’ about,” growled the Krokorok. “Now tell us! Didja see these two or not?!”

“Come on. You don’t need to be so aggressive.” Conall flashed a teasing grin. “Remember the old days, when you were just a little Sandile, sitting on my lap and calling me Unky Boo-Boo? Oh, those were the days…”

“Oi, shaddap!” The Krokorok’s face was turning red. “Didja or didn’tcha see ’em, ya ol’ berk?!”

“Well now. Did you see them?” the Lycanroc wondered. “That’s the bigger question here.”

“We did,” the Gligar answered. “They came in and out of the north end of town. On the way back, they had a little Flabébé with them.”

“…Hm. Dunno what that’s about. But you wanna know why they went out the north end of town?”

“Why?”

“To get this.” Conall held up the Sandy Torc, which made both Thorned Roses’ eyes widen in recognition. “We asked them to.”

“Lill was looking for that!” the Gligar said.

“That ol’ trinket? Yeah, ‘swot she’s missin’.” The Krokorok looked closer at it. “Yup, sure was.”

“Give it to her next time you see her,” Caitríona requested, as Conall handed the torc to him. “That’s an old clan treasure, that. I wouldn’t want this crowd getting their grubby hands on it.”

“Gotcha. We’ll do it.” The crocodile took the item.

“And while you’re at it, I’ve a little favour to ask either you or Lillian to do tomorrow,” Conall requested. “It’s to do with those two, actually.”

“What is it?” Axel wondered.

“Well…” The Lycanroc beckoned them closer, and in hushed tones, told them.

“…’S a good idea,” the Krokorok agreed. “But we gotta tell Lill first. And the Chief, too.”

“Chief…” Conall chuckled lightly at that name. “I still think it’s strange you all refer to him as Chief. Sometimes it takes me a minute to realise you mean…’you-know-who’.”

“‘E’s a Chief. ‘S the way I see it. Ain’t a Chief in our sense, but least ‘e’s a damn sight better than that plonker we got.” An angry edge came into Ishmael’s tone.

“You got that right, Ish.” The Gligar seemed just as cross.

“Let’s not think about that, Ishmael. Axel,” Caitríona advised. “Just tell Lillian and him about this. And go quickly. It’s getting close to curfew.”

“Gotcha, Auntie Ríona,” Ishmael acknowledged. “I’ll be off.”

“Good luck, you two,” Conall wished. “Know that you have us if you need help. Or if you need a shoulder to cry on.”

“Don’t think I’ll be needin’ ya for that, Uncle.” With that, Ishmael was off, Axel trailing him.

“Hey, Ish,” the latter queried. “You think they’re worth it?”

“Maybe. But ya know the Chief; ‘e’ll be stoked at any newbies comin’ in,” commented the Krokorok. He looked down at the wanted poster again, gazing at the two in the illustration.

Yeah, this lot might be worth pickin’ up. Just wot’ve they got?