Brian is forced to deal with the aftermath of the undertaking, and decides if he should go after someone dear or not. His friends are there for him, for better or for worst.
Dungeon 46 – Calling
by NavarBuzzing and whirring noises were all Dexter could hear, standing before the door to Brian’s apartment. He grunted for a moment and knocked, hoping that this time, the Zoroark would open up. But there was no reply.
“…I would’ve ‘ad better chances with Popsicle. The fuck be Goggles doin’?”
With a grunt, the Floatzel knocked on the door again, only that this time he used some more force. Luckily, it worked, as he heard footsteps and soon enough, Brian came out of the door.
“Heya! What took you so long?” The fox asked, rubbing sweat off his face. Dexter couldn’t see it through the goggles Brian wore, but the Zoroark had dark circles under his eyes.
“Oh, I wonder what made me take so long to get ‘ere,” Dexter rolled his eyes, then took another, better look at Brian. “Ye look like crap. What ‘appened?”
Confused by that question, Brian took a look at himself. His fur seemed messy and scruff, shiny spots of grease stuck around it and on his goggles. His position was permanently hunched as he fiddled with a hookshot, and he smelled like he hadn’t taken a bath in days.
None of that mattered to him, as Brian just shrugged it off. “Eh. I don’t need sleep, I just need to finish this project.”
“What project? The train?”
“That one’s already finished. At least my part, anyway.” Brian waved at him to come inside. “Alright, enough chit chat. Are you helping me or not?”
Dexter didn’t really want to let him stay that way. With a sigh, he responded. “Only if ye take a shower. Before or after, whichever works fer ye.”
“I will not make any promises.”
Is that what friendship was like? Dexter had experienced so few that he wasn’t sure, even if his gut told him to help in any way he could. Most of the time, that involved beating someone up, but with feelings? That was a whole different story. Still, he had to try.
“Fine, fine. Goggles, walk me through whatever it be that there ye be workin’ on.”
“Ah, don’t worry! I just need brute strength, and maybe a volunteer?”
The interior of Brian’s apartment wasn’t in much better shape than the zoroark himself, there were leftovers scattered on the ground, accumulated from various days, the couch smelled funny, and there were so many things spread across the floor that it was a miracle anyone could walk inside without tripping.
“Scratch the shower. Ye need to clean this here place.”
“I will, don’t worry!” he grabbed Dexter’s hand, pulling him further into the flat. They passed the small hallway and stopped next to Brian’s room. The smell of grease was stronger coming from there, making Dexter gulp and cover his nose.
“What’re ye workin’ on exactly?”
His eyes sparkled like stars and Brian giggled, excited to show off his work. “Remember those weird spheres that Morgan—oh, right! You didn’t join the team by then!”
“…Glad ye figured it out.”
“Yup! Back to the main course—kitchen joke, I tried baking a cake yesterday, but didn’t work out, very greasy—”
“ Goggles .”
“ Ahem !”
As they went inside, Brian fiddled around his room, throwing some of his tools to the opposite side, along with towels on a nearby chair, surprisingly clean, compared to the rest of the room. Eventually, he turned around, facing Dexter. On his right paw, the Zoroark held a tiny spherical object, colored red and black. In the middle of the s was a small button, shaped like a circle.
“I think Meg called this a… poké ball?”
Dexter raised a brow. “What does it do?”
With a click, the sphere expanded. Now it could be held by Brian’s entire paw. He threw it in the air and caught it when it came down. He did all this while showing his signature toothy grin.
“From what I could tell, the guy that created this used ‘em to catch Pokémon. Don’t know exactly how that works.”
“Catch? What do ye mean?”
“That’s honestly a very long thing to explain, but basically he trapped us inside this ball.”
The weasel snorted at the last world and shrugged. “Aight, I believe ye. What’re ye plannin’ on doin’ with the ball?”
“Not with the ball itself,” Brian stated. “I was more interested in the shrinking mechanism. Figured we could use that to better hold any item we wanna.”
“Do ye know ‘ow that there works?”
“I do, actually! It works by compressing space, and—”
Dexter shook his head. “I be no longer interested in the explanation. What do ye want me ‘ere fer?”
“Uh, you’re my friend? I just wanted to show off what I’ve been working on?”
To that, the weasel frowned. “So what ye be sayin’ be that there ye spend a week workin’ on that there, instead o’ ‘elpin’ yerself?”
Brian tilted his head. “Helping myself?”
“Goggles, I’mma be ‘onest with ye,” the Floatzel grunted, crossing his arms and giving his teammate a stern look. “It be about time someone gave ye this here talk.”
“W-Wha?”
“Ye be doin’ all this here… fer what?” Dexter sighed. “Ye be distractin’ yerself. Not wantin’ to think ’bout yer brother. Because it ‘urts whenever ye do.”
Brian remained in silence, but he looked down, not really having any quips or other things to say. Suddenly, returning to his abandoned projects seemed much more tempting, and he no longer wanted Dexter inside, even if he knew the Floatzel was trying to help in any way he could.
“Point be: I be yer mate. An’ I wanna ‘elp ye. But ye need to ‘elp yerself, too.”
Brian snarled, closing his fist. “…How? I miss my brother, he’s my best friend in the whole world! We were supposed to be on this journey together, y’know?”
“Great question. ‘Ow’s about we figure it out t’gether?”
“You just answered my question with another one!” Brian pouted, but couldn’t hide a chuckle. “What do you want me to do anyway?”
Dexter nodded. “We could visit yer brother. Wherever ‘e be. Just gotta figure that out before, eh?”
Find Lance. No problem. No problem at all! Brian laughed again, covering his face and sitting on his bed, choosing to leave the sphere where it was. The sheer absurdity of that statement caused him to calm down for the moment.
Something that Dexter appreciated as well. This “friendship” thing was new, but it had its perks, and helping Brian out did give him that bubbling feeling in his gut. A good one, not those that he got whenever he was sick.
The door to Brian’s room opened with a loud thud, and Meggie came rushing into his side. She was panting, and immediately floated down to the ground, shaking to her very core.
“B-Brian! I gotta show you something!” Only now noticing Dex, she turned to his side. “C’mon, you too! You guys gotta see this!”
The trio climbed down the stairs, going towards the reception. The landlord was nowhere to be seen, but a group consisting of a Drampa and a Volbeat listened to a radio, intrigued.
“What’s goin’ on exactly, Meg?” Brian asked, panting. Curiosity got the better of him, because of course it did.
Meggie gulped. “Uuuh… you might wanna get closer. C’mon!”
They soon approached the duo, who continued to listen to the radio. Brian frowned, unsure what to expect. If it was serious enough for her to call him, then he really needed to pay attention to the conversation.
“…To the shock of all in this city, the king has been taken down!” Said the announcer.
“What does that have to do with—” Brian started, only to be interrupted by the others there. He forced a gulp and shut up.
“I repeat, a coup has occurred! It appears that this Marow—pardon me, this fire-type Marowak is behind all this!”
Fire-type Marowak? Brian thought, his mind flashing to the events that had taken place months ago. Could it be him…?
Meggie looked at him in silence, nodding. Dexter scratched the back of his head, unsure what made them so shocked. He wrapped his arms around them and smiled.
“Aight, mates. Let’s ‘earrr the rest o’ the announcement, eh?”
“Don’t have anything better to do anyway,” Meggie shrugged.
“Y-Yeah.” Brian added. Please be him, please be him, please be him!
They heard static coming from the radio, but it soon returned to normal. “And it seems the new king is a Lucario!”
Brian’s heart stopped. His eyes widened, and even his breathing slowed down, coming to a halt. Did he hear it correctly? A Lucario as king, a fire-type Marowak… It couldn’t be a coincidence, could it?
More static came up, before they heard someone clearing their throat. “I promise to do my best for the city!”
“L-Lance…” Brian fell to his knees, his heart seemed to shatter into a million pieces. His brother. His brother was alive and well.
Dexter’s face had a mix of shock and smugness in it. “Wha? Pup’s… Pup’s become king? I didn’t know ye two was royalty.”
“I-I… w-we’re not?” Brian panted, what was he going to do now? This was… Oh no! It was a crime! Lance couldn’t just do that!
Meggie pulled her teammates away from the group, getting far enough that they could talk in peace. Dexter grumbled, but followed. Brian didn’t say anything other than grunts and was out of it, dissociating with everything that was going on.
Dexter looked back at the radio, frowning. “What’re goin’ to do? I mean… it be an awful thing, but what can we do about it?”
Brian remained quiet. “…”
“He brought this on himself, let’s be real,” Meggie said, sighing. “…I wanna help him too, but what worries me the most is some stuff I’ve heard before you guys came in. Something about a legendary called Ne—”
Brian was gone in the blink of an eye, leaving the two behind.
Never in his life was Brian so conflicted about his own feelings. The shock was strong, too strong.
What can I do? What can I do?! What can I do?!
Brian fell to his knees, drawing a crowd near him. Right now he wanted nothing to do with them, so he quickly put on an illusion of invisibility and ran away, dropping it once he was far enough from the crowd.
“…I wish I could’ve helped you.”
Nobody was there. Brian simply talked to himself. He sat down on the ground and looked down, snapping his fingers. In front of him, an illusion of him and his brother as kids showed up. They were playing, having fun with each other. Something that he missed, now that they were so apart from one another, and not just physically.
“Was I a good brother to you?” Brian whined, his ears drooping. The Riolu stepped forward, standing in front of him.
“I-I always tried to be supportive… I… I only wanted you to be happy, even if it meant I wasn’t. T-The team… It was your idea, Lance. I never wanted to leave home, no. I did it for you.”
Riolu stood motionlessly, staring at Brian as the Zoroark shed tears, looking at his hands.
“…I killed someone too. I-I know that it’s a bad thing, and I know you do too. But what did you do, Lance? You overthrew someone? Why? Because the kidnapping made you this… this mons—”
Before finishing that sentence, Brian caught himself. He shook his head, denying the idea that his sibling, his best friend, was a monster, a merciless beast.
“But… I can’t keep making excuses for this, Lance. I just… I-I can’t. It’s not right!”
Unconsciously, Brian made the Riolu nearby approach and give him a hug. He gasped, and returned the gesture. He felt nothing, it was a simple illusion, nothing more than that. But, even if it was for just a moment, he could pretend Lance was there.
These things hurt. They hurt so much. How could this happen? They were going so fine before meeting… that other team.
“…I’m gonna find out more about this. It’s all because of that Marowak guy, right? I don’t know what happened, but I need answers.”
Brian dissipated the Riolu into thin air and stood up, taking a deep breath to calm down. His heart still raced, he wasn’t sure if this was the right course of action. “Just you wait! I’m bringing you back! And I’m gettin’ to the bottom of this!”
Dexter finally got to see the inside of Meggie’s house, and it looked much better than his own, he thought. Every piece of furniture was neatly placed, giving him and any other who went inside a nice feeling of comfort. The smell of hot chocolate only contributed to this, making his stomach growl.
And it was all so clean! He didn’t see any dirt or dusty parts around, and while the flat was small—the kitchen was merged with the living room!—Dexter still enjoyed the place. And the company. Mostly the company.
“Uuuh… what’re you doing, dude?” Meggie asked, tilting her head.
“Nuthin’. Just curious about this here place,” he replied, walking towards her.
The ghost nodded, sitting at a table. Or, well, she floated above the chair, having grown used to being a ghost now. She held a blue mug and blew on the chocolate to cool it down.
“Thanks fer invitin’ me ‘ere, Popsicle,” he said, sipping the chocolate down. It was too hot, but he was able to chug it without much of an issue.
“I figured we should let Brian take it easy. Us too, maybe. I guess. I dunno…” with each word, Meggie lowered her head, sipping more of the now cold drink.
“…Just know I be ‘ere fer ye an’ Goggles,” Dexter sighed, putting down the mug. “I don’t know Pup as much as ye two do, but it be ‘ard, ain’t it?”
She bit her lip and looked away. “Well, as long as he’s alright… I just wish I knew how to help. I know what his captor did to him, I knew him personally… and I wonder if things could be different.”
Pressing her to talk more about this wasn’t exactly Dexter’s plan for the day, but he was getting more curious about their situation.
“What do ye mean?”
“In a way… I think I feel responsible about it,” she sighed, finally managing to sit down. “And… after our last battle, I thought I’d stopped wondering about my human life. Just—”
Dexter nearly choked, paying close attention to what she just said. Those words rung in his ears, making his curiosity spike to the maximum. “Wait. Ye be a ‘uman? A real ‘uman?”
I thought I told him about this before. Shit. Meggie shrugged. “Well, I used to be. Not anymore, as you can prolly tell. I had an accident and ended up here.”
Her friend was staring with the biggest dumbstruck face she ever saw, almost embarrassing. She turned away and pouted. “Okay, okay! It’s nothing that big dude! No need to keep eyeing me like that!”
Dexter eventually rubbed the back of his head. “Aight, aight. Look, I’ve always thought ‘umans was a myth, y’know? Stuff o’ legends. Can’t believe I be actually seein’ one fer real.”
“And that’s where the trouble begins,” she replied, now staring at the liquid chocolate in the mug. “If I never worked with that man… then I wouldn’t have arrived here, and neither would him. All the lives he ruined, Lance… he would have a normal childhood. I’m responsible for it.”
Dexter shook his head, holding Meggie’s hand as they locked eyes. “I don’t think ye be responsible, Popsicle. Can’t pretend I understand much o’ what ye’ve been through, but I’ve spied the kindness ye ‘ave.”
Those words sounded like they were true, and Meggie knew that Dexter was right. Even so, how could she believe it? There was a living proof of her failure, after all. Despite the fact they stopped Morgan, the trauma he inflicted on so many innocent lives never disappeared.
“I bet Pup’s doin’ whatever ‘e’s doin’ ‘cause ‘e wants to,” Dexter replied, sighing as they held hands. “Y’know, we can find out where ‘e be, an’ go there ourselves. Find out the truth. What do ye say?”
Beautiful words. They spoke to her, to what Meggie wanted. Find some closure to this. Because of it, it was no surprise that she nodded in agreement.
What better thing to do than call his father? Even if Brian knew he was most likely unavailable. He had to try regardless.
After getting inside the guild, he ignored some of the recruits that were staring at him; his team got famous after all these adventures, Brian thought. That didn’t matter. All he wanted was to talk with whoever was in charge.
Which was a Mawile, sitting at her desk and reading a book, one about gossip, from what Brian could tell as he approached the table. Clearing his throat, he drew her attention, and a smile spread on her face.
She put down the book and smiled again. “Good morning, Brian! How’s your day going?”
“Honestly? Could be better,” he replied, shrugging and leaning in closer to her. “Jean, I wanna make a call. Is it free now? The phone?”
“Y-Yes!” Jean replied, feeling heat rising up on her face. She could only hope that she wasn’t blushing. The fairy quickly looked to her side, pointing at a wired phone on the desk. “F-Feel free to use it. I owe you and your team a lot, y’know.”
“Didn’t mean it like that, but sure.”
Weird. Brian elected to ignore it and began to type a number. With each digit he typed, the frown on his face grew. “C’mon, dad! Pick up the phone!”
“Tough times?” Jean asked, looking at him, to which Brian nodded. “…Well, I’m sure things will be better soon.”
“Hope you’re right,” Brian sighed, tapping the desk as he waited for his father to answer, but to no avail. “…Damn it.”
Brian walked away from the desk and crossed his arms. What to do, what to do? He had his arms tied, metaphorically.
“What’s troubling you so much?” Jean asked.
“I kinda heard my brother did some… messed up stuff,” he replied, gulping down. It was probably for the best if he didn’t go into details about what exactly Lance did.
“Really…? He seemed so nice when he visited me in the hospital that one time,” the Mawile sighed. “Hope he’s okay…”
“Sorry that you got kidnapped,” Brian said, turning around. “Thanks for trying, though. I’ll figure something out. See ya later!”
The fox ran off, but not before waving at Jean with a smile.
To make the wait for Brian to return more fun, Dexter decided to spice things up. Which meant he fiddled through the fox’s belongings until he found a cd player, before storming back to Meggie’s room with the biggest grin she ever saw on his face.
“What’re you planning now?”
“I figure, since we be fixin’ to plan the trip, an’ since Goggles ain’ ‘ere yet… we might as well ‘ave some fun, eh?”
Meggie spread her own smile. “Bet. What’s the mixtape today? I listened to a few of his, but by all means, surprise me.”
Dexter turned the device on and waited. Not long after, the sound began playing and he quickly nodded. “We can plan too. Ye got any notebook or somethin’ like it?”
“Just a sec!” Meggie floated away from the living room, going inside her room.
The weasel, meanwhile, began moving his head back and forth as the music blasted onto his ears.
‘ Load up on guns, bring your friends
It’s fun to lose and to pretend
She’s over-bored and self-assured
Oh no, I know a dirty word’
“Hello, hello, hello, how low!” Dexter sang, making the gestures of an air guitar with his arms. “Hello, hello, hello, how low! Hello, hello, hello, how low… hello, hello, hello…”
Bursting from her room, Meggie began to scream the lyrics. “With the lights out… it’s less dangerous! Here we are now… entertain us! I feel stupid and contagious…”
The two sang to one another, moving around and dancing to the rhythm of the song, laughing in between lyrics. Meggie raised her arm, showing the notebook.
“Turns out I know where that puppy is!” Meggie pointed out in the middle of her dancing. She threw the book in the air and curled around graciously, before picking it up. “Seems like it’s an island named Cydonia, at least that’s what the reporter said…”
Dexter snapped his finger and shook his hips, grinning. “So we gotta go to that there town? Neat. ‘Ow farrr be it?”
“No fucking idea!” She put the book on a couch nearby and floated towards it, still dancing. “Sorry, the song’s catchy and made me wanna swear.”
“Ye ain’t seen nothin’ until ye live with two sailors,” he chuckled, managing to break the ice(luckily, not Meggie) as he sat down. The radio still played, fixed on a shelf in the kitchen nearby.
“So we just need to plan our next steps… alright, shouldn’t take too long!” Meggie said, holding a pencil in her hand. “First, go to the island, second… find out exactly what’s going on there, and hopefully Lance can get back to the team.”
“I sure ‘ope so! Pup’s not a bad mon by any means.”
“You’re being very defensive over someone you met for just one night,” she teased, smirking at him.
She thought the grin Dexter had when he entered the room was big, but this time, he surpassed her expectations with a very smug smile. “Two nights, actually. But I won’t bother ye with the details o’ ‘ow I first met ‘im.”
“What?”
Truthfully, Brian needed to talk to someone. Not with his friends(at least not yet), but with someone who understood him. Sadly, his father was gone, as usual, and in the big town he lived in, he didn’t know many Pokémon well.
One exception sprung into his mind, making him walk towards the police precinct. He could visit that Arcanine. Yeah, it made sense. Visit Apollo, talk with him a little, maybe ask for guidance, that kind of thing. It wasn’t a plan, mostly because Brian never bothered to think more than that.
As he entered, the fox greeted whoever came close to him with a wave or a nod, and sometimes both. He smiled nervously, trying his best to remain calm.
“Where’s detective Apollo?” Brian asked a passerby Hawlucha.
“The Cap’n? He’s at his office.”
Well, that wasn’t very helpful. Brian passed by the Hawluch and then looked around. If Apollo got promoted, then his office might be bigger.
“Where is him?”
Fortunately, Brian managed to see the canine walking out of a room with a Dewott by his side. The fox quickly raced to his side, waving to the large Pokémon.
“Heya, kiddo!” Apollo barked, giving Brian the best hug his quadruped body could give. “Haven’t seen you in a while! How’s things?”
“Sir, we have a meeting soon,” the Dewott said.
“…Nevermind, you’re a busy mon,” Brian backed away, frowning.
“I can always have time for you, kid.” Apollo grinned, turning to face the otter. “I’ll be there soon, lemme just talk with him.”
With a nod, they were alone. Apollo then walked inside his office again, but Brian followed him. The place was comfy, with a chair made for quadrupeds, along with a table and sturdy windows. Brian specially looked at the latter, wondering how they were made. And how many hits it took until they broke.
“ Ahem ,” the fluffy fire-type cleared his throat, sitting down on the chair. “So! What brings you here? Another case for me to crack?”
If only you were a therapist… Brian thought. He didn’t sit down because there was only one chair, but really, he didn’t mind it. This was supposed to be brief, anyway. “So, uh… I might visit my brother soon. In… wherever he is.”
“Hmmm,” Apollo tilted his head, humming. “Well… if you’re here, I take it you’re having some trouble with this. And you wanna talk about it.”
“You hit the jackpot!” A small chuckle came out of Brian’s mouth.
Apollo frowned. He felt sorry for that kid. Brian seemed to be having a hard time. What could he do to help? Maybe he just needed to listen.
Brian stood up, looking at the window of Apollo’s office and wondering how he should start. A lump formed on his throat, and he struggled to say anything.
“Lance has left the team,” he finally said, still not looking at the canine. “It’s been three months now, and I don’t know why he did it. I’m worried, am I in the wrong here…? He’s family, and he’s my best friend, too.”
“Family, eh?” Apollo barked. He smiled at Brian before continuing. “Hm, as they say: the blood of the covenant is thicker than the water of the womb.”
“Huh?”
“Bonds forged are stronger than those related by blood,” he stated and scratched his chin. “Then again, I’m not really a follower of this saying. I’m very close to my family, and there’s even a nephew of mine that’s visiting.”
Brian turned around, his ears perking up. “Oh, I knew that. And I get it. But my family’s important to me too.”
“Then… go find him! Follow your heart, kid!” The canine said, smiling brightly. Brian looked at him and then leaned in for another hug, prompting Apollo to return the gesture. “…I’m sure you’ll do good, alright?”
They remained close to one another for a moment that seemed to go on forever for them. Brian began to shiver, and tears fell from his face into Apollo’s fur, causing him to pat the fox’s head slowly, caressing him softly.
“There, there… you’ll be fine, alright? You and your brother. You both have… a brave heart.”
Brian gulped and continued there for many minutes to come.
Even before entering Meggie’s flat, Brian had heard the songs inside that place. He frowned and knocked on the door as loud as he could, so she could hear him.
“One sec!” Meggie said from inside and opened the door. She waved at Brian. “Hi dude! Sailor and I are having a meeting, wanna come?”
He blushed deep beneath his fur. “What?”
“Not like that. More like… planning what we’re gonna do.”
Brian crossed his arms. “Uh, sure.”
After he walked in, he saw Dexter scribbling on a large whiteboard, but there were so many words splattered around he could hardly discern what was written. Not to mention that his nose managed to sniff out beer on Dexter’s fur.
“What’s going on here?” Brian asked, still with his arms crossed.
“Oh, ‘owdy, Goggles!” Dexter turned around, waving as quickly as he could. His fur was bristled, and the more he talked, the more the nasty stench of alcohol filled Brian’s nostrils. “Plannin’ our next move! Popsicle ‘ere ‘eard more o’ the announcement!”
“I did,” Meggie agreed.
That doesn’t explain why there’s a board and why he sounds so weird. more than usual, Brian sighed. “Hm. Meg, you know where he is?”
“Yup! Cydonia, apparently.” She replied, nodding. Meggie had sparkling eyes, almost excited for what was to come.
Dexter grinned. “We can go there. It might take a while by foot, but I be sure we can find someone to take us there. This here be the biggest town in the ‘ole continent.”
“Brian, this might be more than what meets the eye,” the Froslass said, now frowning. “…Scar talked about this Necrozma guy before, and I have a bad feeling about this. The last time someone wanted something to do with a legend, well…”
“I know,” Brian said. “We had to put an end to it. Buuut we don’t know the whole thing. I just want to see my brother again.”
He sighed. Finally talking about his feelings lifted an incredible weight off him, he was feeling lighter, better, even. And with the support of his friends, then maybe things would be alright after all. Brian looked at them and smiled.
“Thanks, everyone.”
Dexter approached Brian, tapping his mane. “Don’t mention it, mate. I’ve wanted to see the world e’er since I been little. Just got an opportunity, that be all. An’ with mates like y’all, it’ll be great.”
“My curiosity is high right now!” Meggie explained, smiling as she leaned in for a hug. “I still have many things to see, and since I’m living here already, I better enjoy my time!”
Brian returned the hug, soon finding out that Dexter had joined the two. The fox whimpered for a moment, but soon hugged both of his friends. In the end, he was sure that things would be alright.
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