Dungeon 31 – Lowest Point
by NavarLance charged out of the hospital looking down at the floor, rubbing his arm. What was he thinking?! Of course his friends wouldn’t take that news well! And now… he messed everything up, just like he always did.
In a fit of rage, he prepared an Aura Sphere, but stopped before he fired, eyes widening. The sphere was purple. Lance stood there, watching it fade into nothingness, aura particles floating in the air.
“What… just happened?” he asked no one in particular.
“Seems like you’re going through some issues, mister Williams.”
Or so Lance thought. Scar was right in front of him, arms folded around his back, his bone club pinned to his spine. His posture shifted to a more serious one, and he even crossed his arms.
“What do you want from me?” truth be told, Lance didn’t expect the Marowak, but… somehow he felt like he could share things with him. For starters, Scar never judged him for his murders.
Scar chuckled, raising his head to look at Lance. “Because the rest of the team returned, of course! I’ve come to visit them in the hospital.”
Right. That was all, then. Lance nodded to him. “Okay. I’ll go back to my apartment right now. I really don’t feel like I’m welcomed here…”
He walked past Scar, but to his surprise, he felt a scaly touch on his arm. Turning around, he saw Scar was grabbing him, not wanting to let go.
“That was my reason for coming here, yes. But… you’re not well mentally, mister Williams. I’d be happy to help you, if you so wish.”
Lance, unable to believe that, pouted. “Oh, really? And how can you help me? Mom’s a psychiatrist and look where I am.”
“Well, considering you went as far as absorbing one’s aura, and that it changed color, I’d say—”
Suddenly, a Machamp ran inside the hospital, carrying a scruffy, screaming Oshawott with all four arms. Alongside came a screaming treecko. The water-type was desperately trying to say something, but all that came out of its mouth were a bunch of “Shaaa”. The three soon entered the building.
Lance couldn’t help but tilt his head, a bit confused, but mostly intrigued by what had happened. Scar shared his curiosity, and cleared his throat.
“Interesting. This also serves as a good way of teaching you something. Do you know the risks of aura absorption?”
Lance just stared at him. “No…? Dad told me it can lead to my death. Is there anything else?”
Scar made a notion for Lance to follow him. At that point, he was curious about what the Marowak had to say to him, so he went on.
“For starters, do you know why dungeons tend to turn others feral?”
Lance rolled his eyes. A bookworm like him should know, but… there were just too many theories.
“I do not. What’s this all about?”
“My companion, Max, might not look like it, but he was a professor in a university. It’s on Post Town.”
That name made Lance’s ears perk up. “What? That’s on another continent, isn’t it? He came all the way here?!”
Scar laughed. “We’re all from different continents. Rescue teams aren’t common here in Eutrios… perhaps one day I might tell you about our story.”
“R-Right.”
He continued. “Anyway, a lot of scholars create theories about the feralization process. Before our team was formed, Maxwell was working on a thesis of his own. Very interesting, I might add.”
Lance kept listening to him, although he found the idea of someone like Max to be a professor… laughable. He kept it to himself, though.
“His theory is based on aura interference. That ferals have a much more unstable aura compared to us, and so anyone that can manipulate it, well…”
He blinked, realizing what was going on. “Dungeons tamper with the aura of a Pokémon?”
Scar nodded. “Precisely. Well done, mister Williams.”
He continued. “In a similar fashion, I think that’s why you went berserk back then. That Emera must have similar effects.”
Lance drooped his ears. “R-Right. When I mega evolved…”
Flashes of what happened back then appeared in his mind. He clenched his left fist, enraged at how stupid he was back then. If Lance just… took action, Morgan would be dead, like he deserved.
Unknowingly, his own aura flared up, colored purple. Once he noticed, Lance took a look at himself, and breathed to calm down. Slowly, the aura dissipated, leaving a shocked Lance to wonder about that incident.
Scar was unamused. “This is… interesting. I’ve never heard of a Lucario with purple aura before.”
Lance looked away, sighing. “Dad said that sometimes… our aura can change to reflect our emotional state. It’s weird, I know.”
“I… see. Very well, mister Williams. I know something that might help you with this. Come with me, it’s going to be fine.”
“Hmph,” Lance pouted, but went back to walking. “Fine, I’ll go.”
Brian was paralyzed. Not because of any move or something like that, he just couldn’t believe what his brother told him. A murderer. Lance was a murderer for so long… of course, he understood that, in his captive days, Lance had to kill in order to survive. But that was something else! Back at the dungeon… it was willingly.
Meggie, on the other hand, seemed worried. She wasn’t floating, just standing on the ground, to the point of it freezing around her body.
Neither really wanted to say anything; it wasn’t a normal situation by any means, and they both knew that. Despite this, talking was the key to solving this issue, whether they liked it or not.
The fox gulped, fingers trembling as he recalled his own killing incident. Just like Lance once did, Brian killed in self-defense. But even so, he should feel something. Remorse, guilt, sorrow, anything. Yet, all he felt was emptiness. And the worst part of it all: he liked that. A thought came to mind, crawling, seeping into his brain until it almost became too loud to ignore.
Fortunately, something else came to distract them; someone knocked on the door again.
“…Is it him?” Meggie whispered, looking at Brian.
“I-I don’t know.”
“It’s me, y’all!” the familiar voice of Lilith said from the other side of the wall. She seemed worried, but gentle at the same time.
“Oh… come on in!” Meggie said, now calming down again. That day was being rough.
The bunny entered, having the biggest, buck-toothed smile they saw on her. Brian closed his eyes, whining to himself, while Meggie waved at her and smiled sheepishly.
“Are y’all okay?” she asked, sitting down. “I’ve heard the news, but… I wanted to check on ya.”
Meggie shook her head off in denial. “No, but also… what news?”
Lilith pouted. “Y’all returned from the raid! Lance told me and my companion about it!”
Brian finally spoke, eyes still closed. “R-Right. It was… something. I can’t describe it, and don’t want to bother you with details.”
“Try me!”
He looked at Meggie, who nodded, and then took a deep breath. “Okay, let me explain this in the quickest way possible…”
Brian did his best, summarizing the events of the day. How they battled against Morgan and his lackey, how he almost got captured, how Meggie evolved. Everything that he found to be important, he told her.
The Lopunny watched it in a mix of amusement and fear. She sighed, noticing Brian was struggling to explain the next part.
Meggie blinked and approached him, nodding to try and reassure him.
Lilith also nodded. “Don’t worry, kiddo! My lips are sealed…”
“Right. Lance told us something—”
Meggie interrupted him. “He told us he’s a murderer.”
The bunny blinked, opening her mouth to gasp. Oh, how awful that revelation must have been for them! No wonder they seemed so upset… anyone would in that situation.
Nonetheless, they had a mission to fulfill, and that was, for her, more important.
“I… understand. It’s hard to trust him, yeah?”
Meggie and Brian exchanged looks, nodding to Lilith.
“Got it, got it. But here’s the thing… he’s your friend, right? Why not… trust him? Maybe there’s a reason behind all this.”
Brian snarled. Unable to hold anything else, he finally snapped. “He… he lied to me! I’m his brother, his best friend! A-And he lied about all those things! How… could he do this?!”
Meggie looked down, shivering. “I believed in him, I believed he wasn’t a monster or anything, but… he is.”
Lilith crossed her arms. “I think Lance is a complicated mon… he suffered a lot over the years, and… that might have broken him.”
Brian growled, his fur standing on its end. “What do you know?! Lance is my brother! I know more about him than you! And yet, and yet…”
The bunny approached him, touching his shoulder and tilting her head. “This is a problem that you both need to figure out with him. For the moment, we still need to stop that mad scientist…”
He knew she was right. It was hard to swallow, but Lilith had the right idea. Then it all came to him. Why he didn’t feel remorse at the murder he comitted. He stopped someone from doing the same to his friend. Just… like his brother did.
Meggie seemed to understand something too. Morgan… he was responsible for all of this, and she genuinely thought Lance was nice to her. That sweet Pokémon she knew, trapped in his own mind because of all that torture…
Lilith smiled. “In the end, what you decide to do is up to you… but what I’m suggesting is to redirect your anger to the bigger enemy here.”
The ice Pokémon nodded. “Focus all our anger on the Gallade? I’m… all for that.”
Brian looked at the Froslass, nodding. “Meg, I… understand that we should do this, but… I’m not sure if I want to talk with Lance right now. Maybe when this is over…”
“Maybe we can bring him back to how he used to be!” she declared, a bit excited at the idea, even floating in the air. However, the others were looking at her, and so she landed on the ground.
Lilith looked at the fox. “Right. And how long will it take until you’re free, Brian?”
“Doc says I’ll be free by the end of the day.”
“At least the healthcare here is free…” Meggie gave a sheepish smile.
“Alright,” she turned around, walking to the door. Before she left, she turned to face them once more. “I’d… consider thinking about what you’ll do.”
When Scar mentioned he knew something to help him, Lance didn’t expect… a game. They were in the same park as the day he fought the Lycanroc, but this time, both were sitting on a chair, decorated with a chess board. On Lance’s side were numerous black pieces, decorated like Pokémon. On Scar’s side, the same pieces were decorated in white.
The Marowak tapped the board to draw Lance’s attention. “Are you alright? You didn’t even say anything.”
Lance rolled his eyes. “Look, I just didn’t expect… chess, of all things.”
“Don’t you know the rules of this game, mister Williams?”
“I’ve played chess before. Admittedly, it’s not a game for me,” he began to explain. “Using the king is a bad move… but if the king doesn’t lead, how can he expect his subordinates to follow?”
“How… amusing,” Scar hummed. “Do you know the pieces, at least?”
The canine grumbled, pointing to a line of Pawniard pieces. He identified those as the pawns. His finger then pointed to a Golurk, the rook.
“Well done, Lance. And the others?”
Lance then pointed to a Nidoking and a Nidoqueen pieces, followed by a Rapidash piece, the knight. Finally, he pointed to a Hatterene, the bishop. After the demonstration, he crossed his arms, grumbling.
“I don’t understand the purpose of this, to be honest.”
Scar sighed, looking at the board. He was hoping not to explain anything, but Lance was making that difficult with his usual crankiness. Still, Scar was a patient mon.
“Allow me to clarify,” Scar pointed to himself. “I will give you a demonstration of how Morgan acts in battle, while you will play as… well, yourself.”
Lance’s teeth appeared as he snarled. “What does that have to do with my issues?!”
“By understanding your enemy, you’re able to best him, correct? I am merely trying to help you.”
Unbeknownst to them, the duo attracted quite a crowd. Perhaps it was due to how they were bickering amongst themselves, or maybe the passerby citizens were simply bored. Whatever it was, they were circling all around the two, waiting for the game to start.
Normally, Lance would refuse such a display. But if it meant helping him with his problems, then it should be fine. It’s not like he had anything else to lose, anyway.
“Very well. Let’s… begin.”
Scar smiled, picking one of the pieces with his paw. “Alright, mister Williams. Be aware, I’m not going easy on you.”
“I wouldn’t want it any other way.”
After leaving Brian’s room, Lilith went into the hall, entering the second to last door on her right. Inside, Max’s hand was being healed by a Blissey, when he noticed the bunny. With his free arm, he waved. Meanwhile, Blissey left the room in silence, leaving them alone.
“Yo! How are you doing?”
“I’ve talked with Brian and Meggie. A lot of things happened.”
Max agreed. “Got it. Any new development?”
“They know the Lucario is a killer. He told them.”
Max frowned, muttering something. He stopped and continued the conversation. “Shit. When boss told us, I didn’t believe him… but eh, looks like this makes things easier for us!”
“Not really,” she leaned onto the wall. “They almost wanted to quit, but I knocked some sense into the kids. We should be fine. For now, at least.”
Max’s frown turned into a grin. “And you came here to tell me that…?”
“I translated some of the Unown language from the book. We might have a genuine lead on… him.”
“Great!” Max gave her a thumbs-up. “Now we’re pretty close, right?!”
“Kinda, yeah,” Lilith also smiled. “I swear, if anyone knew you were a professor, they wouldn’t believe it. Look at how you act!”
The Electivire kept his grin. “Hey, my students liked this method of teaching! It has results, if you want, I can teach you some private lessons!”
Her face now had an annoyed expression. “Not interested. We should be planning our next move in this mission. The Gallade one.”
“Got it!”
With that, Lilith left the room again.
The audience cheered as the match continued. Lance was as stoic as he usually was. Scar moved one of his pawns to the middle of the board. “E4,” one member of the crowd said.
Lance responded by moving his pawn right in front of Scar’s. E5, he thought.
Despite Lance’s move blocking him, his opponent, not missing a beat, moved another pawn, landing it to the side of his previous one.
That’s F4… he’s playing king’s gambit? Lance scratched his chin. Hmph. Scar’s sacrificing a pawn and leaving his king open. He doesn’t even pretend to care for his allies.
The Lucario countered by moving one of his bishops to another row. He heard another member of the audience say “C5”, but didn’t mind it.
“Oh? You noticed my strategy already?” Scar asked, hiding a smile.
“I’m not an idiot, alright? I know what you’re doing…”
“Tell me, then.”
Lance closed his eyes, lost in thought. Once he opened them he looked straight into Scar’s face.
“You want me to realize that I still have a fighting chance against him… correct? It’s why you’re playing as if you’re him.”
Scar clapped his hands together. “Bravo. That’s… partially correct. While I am playing like him, I’m also enjoying this as a game.”
“A way for me to relax…”
Scar nodded. “And you don’t want to lose your attachments to your allies. Much like your friends, am I right?”
“I told them…” Lance said, ears drooping.
“That makes sense. Well, I still support you.”
Lance shook his head. “Let’s just move on with the game, alright? I’m here to win.”
Brian now sat down on the hospital bed, alone, since Meggie had left the room, but didn’t bother to tell him where she was going. The fox was thinking about everything. He said those things in the spur of the moment, but now that he could ponder, he felt… conflicted, at the very least. Not sure how to think about his sibling.
Just how much had him changed after the kidnapping? Brian knew he wouldn’t do such things back when they were younger. Oh, how he missed those wonderful days. The construct in how he acted when compared to the past was astounding.
I thought I got better, but in the end… I’m still as weak as I was back then!
His ears drooped, and a whining sound came out of his mouth. He started chewing on his lower lip and his eyes welled up with tears.
It’s my fault…! I should’ve been a better brother!
Brian snarled, clenching his fists; a drop of blood falling into the back of his paw. His whole body shook, his tears dropping on the bed.
I-If I was, he wouldn’t be like this!
The same feeling on his brain returned, the creeping one. He might have been fragile as a kid, but… Brian, in his own twisted way, was glad he had the courage to take down the Lycanroc. Because of that, Meggie was safe, and Morgan had lost an ally.
He hated having found joy in that hideous act. But there was nothing Brian could do to shake that feeling off. At least for now. So, instead, he laid down again, trying to fall asleep. Maybe in his dreams, he could find peace. It was the best option he had right now.
The Froslass stood outside of the hospital. After that troublesome day, all she wanted was to sleep for twenty-four hours. Sadly, that wasn’t possible. Soon enough, her mind drifted back to her human memories… or what she could remember, anyway. She tried to recollect more events, without success.
She looked at the sky, seeing the full moon gleaming on top of her. Its beauty was striking, of course.
That was when she heard someone clearing their throat, along with the sound of four paws touching the ground. Returning to the real world, Meggie saw an Arcanine in front of her, the police badge making her recognize who it was.
“Oh… detective Apollo!” she said, forcing a smile. “What can I do for you?”
“Seems like your team returned from the road trip!” the canine chuckled, sitting down on all fours.
She sort of wanted to have feet again, floating wasn’t as exciting as it appeared. Regardless, he was waiting for an answer.
“We… did,” she looked at herself, now having a genuine smile. “I evolved earlier today, to be honest.”
“Really? Congrats!” Apollo smiled, tail wagging slightly. “Evolving with a stone is weird, if you ask me!”
“Oh? You used a stone too? I think mine was called… dawn?” she scratched her chin, thinking.
“Yeah! That’s the one! Mine was a fire stone. Let me tell you something… the rumors that everyone tells can be so weird.”
Now curious, Meggie looked at him. “As in: ‘hey, you gotta die to evolve!’ weird?”
Apollo couldn’t help but chuckle. “Oh, they told me I had to get burned! For Arceus sake, what’s up with that?”
“I know, right?” she chuckled.
But then Meggie remembered something. She was asking him questions! She made a mental note not to get distracted again.
Meggie raised a brow. “Detective, what brings you here? I mean, you have a job, right?”
Apollo blinked and stood up, clearing his throat again. “S-Sorry! Well, I wanted to see how that Grovyle you rescued was. I need to set up an escort and all that…”
Unconvinced, Meggie crossed her arms. “Anything else?”
“Well, that was the cop reason for my visit,” Apollo whined, looking down. “But yeah, I’m also here to check on Brian. I like the kid. He was surprisingly helpful during some of my cases.”
Apollo continued on and on about that. Meggie, without much of a choice, listened to him praising the Zoroark for what felt like hours. She was waiting for a moment when he would shut up. When that finally came, it was her turn to ask questions.
“…How do you even know we’re here?” she asked.
The canine smiled again. “The city’s guard told me you returned.”
“Okay… well, we’re fine. For the most part. Lance—” before she spilled everything, Meggie stopped herself. It probably wasn’t a good idea to tell the news.
Sadly for her, Apollo noticed, raising a brow. “Lance… what?”
Shoot. Well, the best way to lie is with the truth…
Meggie bit her lip. “He met up with his abuser. A Gallade named… Morgan. This devastated him. I’m not even sure where he is right now.”
Apollo frowned, but believed her. He looked down once more, sighing. It really was a tragedy… Apollo wanted to do something more to help.
“I… do you know if Lance’s home?”
“He visited us too, but stormed off,” she looked into the street, searching for the Lucario, but found nothing.
“Got it. Thanks anyway, Meggie,” he walked towards the entrance, turning his face back to look at her. “I’ll handle things with the Grovyle for now, but… be safe. Alright?”
She nodded and waved as he entered the hospital.
Safe… I hope we’ll all be safe. Whatever Morgan’s planning, I hope we can stop it.
Lance and Scar walked away from the park, the Marowak holding a case with the chess pieces. Lance seemed to be better, smiling in the corner of his mouth. To make it clearer, his tail swished. But inside, Lance cursed that limb, annoyed that it did that everytime he was happy.
“I’m impressed with your skills, mister Williams,” the Marowak smiled. “Honestly, you could be a pro player.”
Lance continued to walk, grumbling. “I told you before… this game is not for me.”
“…I have a question for you, mister Williams.”
This time, he turned around. “What… is it?”
Scar looked at him straight in the eye and spoke.”Do you believe that, to defeat evil, you must become a greater one? Or will you surrender to it?”
Lance’s reaction was a silent one. He said no words, only gazing at Scar. Out of nowhere he dropped that question? But then again, he did confess about the murders he committed. Maybe this was Scar’s way of reassuring him?
“…In either case, evil remains,” he finally answered.
“Exactly. It’s a paradox,” Scar said, looking up at the sky. “What I mean is that… I understand why you’re so conflicted, but I still think you’re on the right path.”
The Lucario growled, his aura sensors started twitching. “How? My friends rejected me…”
“I think they’re just confused,” Scar then scratched his chin in thought. “Have you tried taking things out to bring them back to your side?”
“Sure! Because that’s totally going to work!” Lance shrugged, growling at Scar. “Why didn’t I think of that?! It’s such a great idea!”
Scar sighed. This was being harder than it should be. Nonetheless, he wasn’t a quitter, not at all. If he was taller, he would have tapped Lance’s shoulders. Since that wasn’t the case, he went for a friendly smile.
“I think you should try. Brian’s your brother, you’ve known him your whole life, mister Williams. And Meggie… she’s a good girl. I’m sure she’ll listen.”
Lance’s sensors were still twitching, feeling Scar’s emotions. The aura waves he radiated were calm, normal. Too normal. But that wasn’t important. For all intents and purposes, Scar wasn’t lying to him. Either that, or he was a good liar. But… with how much helpful he was during that entire week, Lance decided to trust him.
“Alright. I’ll give it a go. It’s not like I have anything else to lose, anyway…”
A broken husk of a Pokémon. That was all Lance was. In his mind, anyway. The duo went back to walking, this time into the streets of the city, going towards the hospital. Despite his anxiety over that, Lance made a promise he intended to keep.
After having her moment to relax, Meggie went back inside Brian’s room, finding him sleeping. Not wanting to wake him up, she slowly floated on top of a chair and lowered her body, sitting on it.
Why does this have to be so hard…? I didn’t… ask for all of this. All this fighting.
Meggie looked at Brian, sighing.
And in the end, Lance was just like him. But… is he? I don’t think he was born this way.
For one moment, just a single one… she thought about Morgan again. How he constantly tried to win her back, and she refused each time. What if she did? Would things be better that way? There was no way of knowing. And just the fact that he ruined the lives of so many innocents made her want to puke.
At least… at least they rescued one of the missing kids. Just that one child. It was like she was trying to tell herself something. What it was… she didn’t know. Some kind of motivation to keep going.
I’m not a hero, I’m… just me. But my friends need me. I need to fight… even if I don’t want to, I must…!
Another question came to mind. Something frightening. She shivered at the thought of it.
“What would I die for?”
“…I dunno.”
Meggie jolted back. Brian was staring at her. He suddenly stood up. With a sigh, the fox approached her, smiling.
“I have no idea… what you would die for.”
Meggie frowned, shaking her head. “I was just… thinking. About what we’re gonna do in the future. How are we… handling the thing with Lance?”
“Heh,” Brian laughed, ruffling his mane. “This hero thing… it’s hard.”
“Yeah, yeah. I don’t know either.”
Brian looked at the room’s window, seeing the city. So many Pokémon, just… living their lives peacefully.
“Dad told me something once. That a true hero is one who acts… even without hope,” Brian said, looking at himself.
He now looked at Meggie. “…Without witness.”
She simply listened to him, without being really sure how to react to that.
“…And without reward.”
“Are you saying we’re like that?” she tilted her head.
Brian shrugged, sitting down on the bed again. This time, his ears drooped again.
“Look, I… I’m not sure how we’ll handle Lance now. The things he did…”
“…What can we do?!”
Brian put his hands around his cheeks, standing up and walking in circles. “I don’t know, I don’t know! Lance… why did he turn out this way?!”
“I… can I tell you the truth?” she asked, and when she saw Brian nodding, she continued. “He’s reminding me of Morgan. The way he’s… a murderer.”
Brian frowned. “You’re scared of him too?”
“With everything I’ve seen him do? Yeah…”
They heard the door knocking one time, but the one who did that soon ran away, the footsteps were also heard by the duo.
Whatever that was, it was over. Meggie went on to Brian’s side and tried to comfort him to the best of her abilities.
As it turned out, Lance had just gotten there. The walk from the park really didn’t take too long, a few minutes, really. But now… he didn’t even hear most of the conversation Brian and Meggie were having. He didn’t need to. His aura sensors did all the job.
It was suffocating. Like being choked to death by someone. Lance held on to the wall as he walked to the exit. He was struggling to breathe as the feelings they felt were being drawn to him.
Being an aura user didn’t mean positive things all the time. Right now, that same sense that Lance relied on was overwhelming him.
They were scared of him! Of course they were… why wouldn’t they be? He was a monster. A monster. A murderer. Killer. Nothing good could come out of him.
I’m… not good.
Some of the nurses were running towards him, perhaps trying to help, but that hardly mattered right now. Lance ignored them, dashing forward with his eyes closed. Nothing and nobody mattered. Each step he took felt heavier than the other, until…
He was finally out, and once again, Scar was waiting, just outside the hospital. Lance raised his head, he would sigh if he wasn’t so busy breathing after that crisis.
“Are you okay?”
“What do you think?!” Lance shouted, showing his fangs.
“It… didn’t work out in the end, didn’t it?”
“They’re scared of me. My family, my friends…” Lance was shaking, trying desperately to hold on.
“I see. Well… it looks like you’re in the deepest pit of your life, aren’t you?”
“…Yes.”
Scar frowned. “Oh, I’m… sorry. I’m really sorry. This shouldn’t have happened. I really thought it would work, mister Wiliams.”
Lance created an Aura Sphere and growled. “Well, it didn’t. Now what?!”
The sphere soon faded into nothingness. Scar sighed, looking at him as he approached the Lucario. He was on the verge of tears, and Scar knew that. He needed to help.
“Mister Williams… I have a proposal for you.”
Lance barely heard it the first time Scar said that. He had to say it again for Lance to pay attention.
“What is it?”
In that moment… Lance listened. His eyes widened after hearing everything Scar had to say. His trembling slowly diminished, until he calmed down. His tears, his frown… they all disappeared, leaving only the stoic look again.
Despite everything, Lance was still himself. “…I accept.”
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