Episode 15: Visionary Training

“Visionary Magic is half knowledge, half imagination,” Pola explained, walking with her paws tucked behind her head. “You channel the energy for attacks through a special jewel and an incantation, and then unleash it like a Pokémon attack.”

“It figures there’s a lot of rules. Let’s start from the top,” Shannon cocked his head. “What’s the jewel, and where am I going to find one?”

“Kayla, remember the strange, crystallized cave thingies that Gema mentioned that morning briefing?” Pola asked.

“I remember. I was in one. I was the one who reported it,” she replied.

“It was an awesome party filled with all those bugs from the forest! They were so funny,” Kari chimed in.

“Funny isn’t the way I’d put it, but yeah,” Kayla grinned.

“Wow, so this won’t be too new to you guys. Yeah, those crystals have been around for a while. I dunno exactly how they appear or what those crystal dens are, but they’ve been around for a while. If you’re compatible with one, you can learn Visionary Magic inside,” Pola explained. She held up her necklace, the red jewel with the emblem-like wings on it. “They look exactly as you want them to look.”

“So I just go into one of these and I’ll find my jewel and learn a move? It can’t be that convenient,” Shannon sighed.

Pola shrugged. “I dunno. It was for me.”

“And we’re on the right track? You can sense these dens?” Kayla asked.

Right now, the team were walking through the woodland on the opposite side of the academy to where the Twinight Woods were. As far as Kayla knew, this was simply woodland, dense enough for ferals but not chaotic enough to be called a mystery dungeon. The forest grew around the mountainside, so the terrain was dotted with hills, small cliffs, and a mixture of rough earth and mossy soil. It was too dense and messy for any civilised Pokémon to settle here.

“Yep. I’ve always had a knack for finding these things, that’s why I have a fair few Visionary moves up my sleeve,” Pola bragged. “Most Pokémon only actually have one, so you’re gettin’ special treatment from someone with experience.”

“Lucky me,” Shannon’s tone lacked all enthusiasm.

“Hey, I tried being flirty before. You weren’t havin’ it,” the Plusle shrugged. “See, here’s the thing with Visionary Magic. Don’t go getting your hopes up. It’s actually just ordinary Pokémon moves. They’re normal Pokémon moves powered up with uh, it’s kinda like a boost from your willpower.”

“My… willpower?” Shannon was even more perplexed.

“I do my incantation, yeah? And then it’s just me using Pokémon moves, something Plusle can’t normally do. The move comes out only as powerful as I imagine it to be. It’s still a Pokémon move, so it’s still stuck with type matchups and all that stuff. And even if I like, wanted to be super powerful and say… tried to destroy the whole academy with it, I couldn’t, even if I pictured that. Tri Attack can only be as strong as Tri Attack,” Pola rambled, tucking her paws behind her head again.

“Now I’m curious,” Kayla perked up. “What’s the point then? Why not just learn Tri Attack normally?”

“You’ve seen it yourself. It’s like, a trade-off. I have to stand there, reciting an incantation for heck knows how long. The advantage is that the move comes out way stronger than a normal Pokémon attack, and it isn’t tiring at all,” Pola answered. “When I say as strong as I imagine it, it’s like… ugh, I’m trying to make this make sense. It’s like, say I could use Tri Attack normally, yeah?”

“I’m following,” Kayla nodded.

“I’d be tiring myself out using Tri Attack at full power. And let’s just be silly for a moment and say, my full effort Tri Attack could destroy this tree, yeah?” Pola patted the trunk she just passed. “I’d tire myself out like hell doing it, and probably couldn’t do it again for a while. Same for if you like, used Quick Attack for a whole marathon. But if I casted Tri Attack as Visionary Magic, I could be constantly shooting it at my max power, enough to destroy a tree, and not get tired. It’s using the move at my max possible power. The only trade-off is having to cast it.”

“And you have full freedom of the output, too. Like when you fought me, each beam of Tri Attack fired off independently, while any Pokémon using the move normally would fire the three beams off at once with no finesse,” Kayla assumed.

“You can use any move as long as you know the incantation and stuff too, right?” Kari added.

“Yeah, you got it!” Pola posed. She slinked over to Shannon and laid a paw on his chest. “So if you’re a weakling, your magic is still gonna be weak, too. You’re gonna have to work on those muscles while you study.”

“We just had a conversation about touching last night,” he groaned and rolled his eyes.

“That was about getting’ ya from behind,” Pola giggled, walking her digits up to his chin.

“Cut it out. We’re meant to focus, here,” he broke away.

“Hey I promise. When shit gets serious, I’ll be serious. Like I was last night. But when there’s time for fun, I hope you wanna have fun,” she gave him a flirty wave. He groaned lightly, but now he was sweating a little. “I doubt it’s much further anyway. We’re covering ground quickly since it’s not a mystery dungeon.”

“We’re counting on you, you know. If you’re not pulling our tail that you can sense these crystal caverns, then we’ve no other leads in finding one,” Kayla warned.

“I know, I know, don’t get your knickers in a twist,” she waved at Kayla this time, and then slowed. “Er, that’s a good question, actually. Do you wear knickers?”

“Huh?” Kayla couldn’t help her high pitch.

“I dunno. Does the fluff count?” Pola cocked her head.

Kayla shut her eyes to refrain, and still, out came a grunt. “I don’t even know how I’m meant to respond. Or what’s going through your head to come to that trail of thought.”

“Well, ya’see—”

“That doesn’t mean I was asking.”

“It is a fun question, though. Shannon’s got his cute dress thing, you’ve got your fancy cape shirt thingy, and I can’t really wear clothes ‘cos they’d just rip every time I stretch. But what about you, Kayla?” Kari wondered. “What sorta clothes do you prefer?”

Kayla was relieved she followed that into a general question, but then she still didn’t know how to answer. Mum hadn’t dabbled in clothing for style, and that preference latched to her. “I… don’t really wear clothes or accessories. It’s hard to think about because someone would have to put it on and take it off for me every time.”

“Oh, right,” Kari slumped.

“Hee hee hee, it’s fine. I think I have enough trouble keeping this ponytail,” she flicked her head to sway it around. “Maybe someday you’ll see how I look with my hair loose.”

“I bet you look kinda cool! If I had extra fur, I’d love to style it properly,” Kari squealed.

“Can you not technically just stretch it?” Kayla wondered.

“If I tried, I’d probably lose track and start doing somethin’ weird with it,” she giggled. “But, well… I-I don’t mind, you know. I you ever wanted to wear clothes and stuff; I wouldn’t mind helping you out with them.”

“Kari?” Kayla was surprised, but the Furret didn’t seem to realise what she’d just proposed. “Huh. Guess you’re all kinda pervy in your own little ways.”

The Furret froze with her tail pointing straight up, and turned bright red. “Wa-wa-wa-wait, I didn’t mean anythin’ weird!”

“Hey, I haven’t said anything at all,” Shannon sighed and slumped.

“She’s saying you’re allowed to,” Pola nudged him.

“Please…” he sighed again.

“I just meant… like… I-I-I mean… I just think it’s a shame you have to miss out on something cool, y’know?” Kari shook her paws, still bright red. “Clothes can make you feel better about yourself! And then you’ve got clothes that do stuff like protect you from poison and stuff.”

Kayla couldn’t help but giggle again. “I appreciate the offer, but I’m good. Do they even make clothes for my size?”

“I hope you’re aware you write yourself into the fat jokes sometimes,” Pola said smugly.

“I’m aware. ‘Cos that wasn’t a joke,” she replied. That deflated the Plusle, thankfully. “Buneary and Lopunny are expected to be thin as twigs so much that we don’t have sizes for me, last I checked. At least without pricey custom stuff. While I was growing up, Mum just didn’t bother.”

“I’m still nosy about that fluff, ya’know,” Pola went half-lidded.

“It’s just… fluff. There’s nothing special about it,” Kayla smiled.

“But you hid berries and food in it last time!” cried the Plusle

“Oooh, is there anythin’ there right now?” Kari’s tailed wagged. Kayla became smug, and puffed out her chest.

“You bet. But you’re gonna have to wait ‘till later to find out.”

“Ooh, a surprise,” giggled Kari.

“But what does it like, count as? Is it like, natural panties? Or is it a skirt? The world wants to know, Kayla!” Pola cried.

“You’re not gonna let this go, are you?” Kayla slumped. “Can’t I just say ladies secret?”

“We’re all ladies here!”

“Hey, I’m right here,” Shannon cried.

“You’re wearing a pink dress and you can’t fight. You might as well be a lady too!” Pola snapped.

“What?” Shannon leaned toward her this time. “This isn’t a dress! It’s a cloth designed to amplify energy gathered by Visionary incantation. I cut holes in it so I could wear it like a shirt.”

“Wait, really?” Pola gasped.

“Yes. I told you that when we first met. You must’ve forgotten. You were under spiked influence,” he said, calming right down. Pola froze while the others walked ahead, and then beamed up with a happy cheer.

“That’s your special jewel, then!” she skipped over to catch up. “I wish I’d known sooner. All you need now is a revelation and an incantation.”

“For real? I could have been using this the whole time?” he tugged at it. “Can’t you just teach me one of your incantations, then?”

“Okay, here’s the weird, technical part. In order for an incantation to work, it has to be understood by the caster. You could copy my exact words, but if it doesn’t make sense to you the way it does to me, then nothing’ll happen,” Pola put her paws on her hips. “It’s for this reason that everyone has their own incantations. We could learn the same moves and have different incantations for them. One would make sense to me, and one would make sense to you.”

“Can’t you just explain to me what your cast means?” Shannon asked with a furrowed brow.

“Do you wanna learn or what? There’s no easy way here. You go into a crystal den and get a revelation that gives you the incantation. The Visionary has to figure it out for themselves,” Pola leaned toward him. “Remember how I said it’s based on your own imagination? We understand things differently, as individuals. So it must be a revelation learnt by you and you only. The rest of us can’t help you.”

This is sounding tougher than I thought. But also weirdly similar to my Dream World powers, Kayla realised, stopping to tap her foot. Pola got real bossy all of a sudden, too. I’ll take it over whatever that was about my fluff…

“That is because it is similar to your Dream World powers, Kayla,” a young, stale voice spoke, making everyone gasp and go quiet. There was a slight amount of echo in the voice, very unlike how everyone’s voices were carried by this mountain forest. “Visionary Magic makes use of a similar theory, but the user does not have to be a dreamer. The artefact used to channel the energy for the attack is often an item taken from the Dream World.”

“Jirachi? Is that you?” Kayla gasped.

“Oh! Can you not see me? I apologize,” Jirachi replied. A yellow sphere of light bounced out of Kayla’s ponytail and quickly morphed into Jirachi, plain-faced as ever. “You left me in the room, but I was curious about your endeavours, so I followed.”

“How long have you been here? Actually, never mind. I didn’t even know you could do that,” Kayla shuddered.

“I was around last night. I feel intrinsically connected to you after all, Kayla. When you are not in my presence, I feel I am in danger,” he explained. “If you are concerned about your privacy, you need not be.”

“Yeah. Reading my thoughts is just- please don’t do that,” she slid a foot forward to emphasize her threat, but it went ignored. Or that’s what it looked like, anyway. Jirachi’s expression was perfectly static, and they steadily floated up and down on the spot, as if bobbing on top of a calm swimming pool. “Okay, uh… if Visionary stuff is kinda just using energy from the Dream World, then could that be part of the disturbances?”

“I doubt it. The artefacts Visionaries use are everyday items, after all. As Pola mentioned, their moves don’t surpass what is capable by Pokémon, either. You could make the argument that the incantation simply uses residue energy from the artefact to visualize what an ordinary Pokémon imagines. Sort of like a daydream,” Jirachi explained.

“Oooooh, that makes things sooooo much easier to think of. Why didn’t you just say that in the first place?” Kari said. “Dreamers sleep to make worlds, daydreamers daydream to cast magic. That’s easy!”

“I… didn’t know that. I guess that’s a ‘Kari’ way of memorizing it all,” Pola snickered. “Whatever works. At least now you have the nitty gritty of it as well as the short story.”

“Now I’m just worried whether I can get that revelation or not,” Shannon turned away.

“Don’t sweat it! You have to fight, but it’s not like its rigorous training or any of that hard stuff. Do I look like I work hard for mine?” Pola gave him a half-lidded grin. Shannon could only stare back however, and gulped. “Aww, I’m serious! You’ll be fine. Just do your best.”

Strange how there aren’t any feral Pokémon. At least, those that wanna attack us, Kayla realised as they returned to their trek. They had been at this for a while now, though it was hard to tell how far they had gone. The woodland was thick enough that RSE Academy or any of the surrounding landmarks couldn’t be seen in the distance, especially not with white fog spilling between the trees. The ground was beginning to level a bit, so she knew they were reaching the foot of the hill.

Surely enough, after another twenty or so minutes of walking, Pola finally beamed up and sprinted ahead. By now the cliffs had reduced to natural steps where rock jutted out of the moss, while weeds and grass covered a lot of the ground. Not far ahead was a crater, magically devoid of the chilly mist that swamped everything else. In the centre was a crystal den, this one a bright, icy blue in sheen.

“Right on cue. And you doubted me,” Pola stuck her tongue at Kayla, who rolled her eyes.

“That cave… I’ve never seen anything like it. It’s so… bright,” Shannon remarked, entranced.

“Pretty romantic, huh?” Pola nudged up against him. He was too distracted to notice.

“Yeah…”

“Hee hee hee. Why look? Let’s go, baby!” Pola cheered.

“I hope it’s fun like another party,” Kari giggled as they all slid down into the crater.

Kayla skipped ahead to scout for a second. This seemed too easy, and in a way, cryptic. Perhaps this was a similar situation to the Twinight Woods situation, where all the Pokémon in the area were drawn to the den, and they were simply late to witness so.

“Ahem,” the gruff throat clearing made her jump. “Welcome, stranger! Ya look lost.”

“Where did you come from?” Kayla caught her breath, and then realised. “Wa-wait a minute, you’re—”

“Oh! Fancy meetin’ you ‘ere. Kayla, wasn’t it?” Blissey responded with his own surprise. “Heh heh heh, got some rare things fer sale, if you’re lookin’. Gonna need some good if yer explorin’ these parts.”

“We’re good for now. But what’re you doing here? Didn’t you get escorted to Repose in the end?” Kayla asked as the others gathered around. Jirachi promptly hid in her ponytail, though it seemed like Blissey couldn’t see him in the first place.

“I did. But this here’s still part o’ me job. I came from the other end, so I was always gonna explore this section. I’m in no need of your protection, if yer worried,” he explained, pointing all over the place. She had no idea what was in those directions however, so he might as well have been aimlessly wandering in her eyes.

“Well, you do you. We have a job to do in that crystal den, and things might get weird. You might want to clear the area,” she warned.

“Ah, you want the den, do ya? Figures a strange Buneary wants a strange experience like that,” Blissey shut his eyes and swayed. “It’ll be two thousand Gald for the group. Pay up, and you’ve got all the time you could wish for, heh heh.”

“Wait, what? Are you… is this place yours?” Kayla leaned back.

“You can get some wondrous powers if ya get a good experience in there. Could, mind ya – it’s not a guarantee. S’why I charge unwary Pokémon. Those not lookin’ get deterred, and those who know get their goods. Somethin’ tells me yer here for the goods… but I’ve still gotta make a livin’,” he shilled the place with a catchy enthusiasm, but that only made the Buneary uncomfortable. There was real danger in there last time, danger that could have killed her. Making money off that felt wrong. “So, two thousand or you can turn tail. Which is it?”

Kayla sighed. “Do we even have enough?”

“Whoa, whoa, hold up. You’re just gonna take this weirdo’s word for it?” Pola stepped up. “We know what’s in there, and it doesn’t belong to him. The dens don’t belong to anybody!”

“Doesn’t it?” Blissey’s eyes narrowed, and he leaned forward. “Should I take that as you want to battle over it, hmm?”

“I get it, it’s like fighting over treasure!” Kari threw her arms up in glee. “What’re we gonna do, Kayla?”

“I’d rather not go through the trouble, but to be honest, it’s not up to me, leader or not. This is Shannon’s mission, after all,” Kayla pointed out.

“If that’s how you really feel, why’d you even come with?” Pola rolled her eyes. “Some leader you are.”

“Please don’t start fighting. It’s okay. I can pay for it. It’s for me, after all,” Shannon proposed.

“If all of us are going in, that’s pretty unfair, isn’t it?” Kari worried.

“It’s fine. This is for my personal quest, after all,” he insisted as he rummaged through his belongings. He counted some coins and held them up to the Blissey, who further counted them, and then snatched them impatiently.

“I’m sorry about this. I really don’t have a lot until we clear a job,” Kayla confessed.

“It’s fine, honestly. Let’s go,” Shannon replied, leading the way.

“Whoo! You’re serious about this after all,” Pola threw her arms up as she followed.

“Oh, last thing. If we’re gonna run into each other a fair bit, what’s your name?” Kayla asked. “You’re a pretty unique guy, if you’re letting these crystal dens out to Pokémon.”

“A fair proposal. My name, though?” Blissey slowed, and went half-lidded. “It’s Cruxis.”

“Cruxis?” Shannon spun and froze. Everyone froze with him. “It can’t be. The leading expert on Visionary research?”

“Oh? That’s a title I think yer mistaken on. I’m just a travelling merchant,” Cruxis bowed. Shannon’s eyes narrowed ever so slightly, but he left it at that.

Inside the den was familiar. Everything was like a theatre hall, only made out of the same reflective crystal as the outside. Stands that circled the stage, some even higher up on a second floor Kayla had no idea how to reach. It was a little chilly in here, and despite the smoothness of the surfaces, she had an unexpectedly firm grip on the flooring. Without any Pokémon around however, there was an eerie quiet, besides the light breaths and steps of the team.

“Aww, there’s no one here. Some party,” Kari whined.

“You were really excited about another party, huh?” Kayla remarked as she spun around to admire the place. “There was no one around the forest, too.”

“Makes things easier for us. ‘Kay, you’re up, big man,” Pola commented, giving Shannon a little shove. He was clearly apprehensive about the whole thing, staring at the crystal stage in the centre. He could walk right up there, yet he held his fists tight and grumbled at it.

“I dunno. It’s just kinda creepy without anyone around. There’s always Pokémon living in the forests, so why not this one?” Kari put a paw to her lip.

“You girls worry too much about the small stuff,” Pola sighed and shrugged.

Shannon climbed up and warily edged forward until he was in the centre of the stage. From here he had a clear view of the entirety of the rest of the den, and all light reflected directly towards him. He slowly spun around to scout, taking note of the dark cores within the crystalline walls. The more he scanned, the more those dark areas seemed to grow, all until he realised what was happening, and he flinched.

The walls were showing him. His reflection as a dark entity. A Pachirisu textured entirely in black, with luminous purple for its stripes. Even its eyes matched his own, right down to the bright glint above his pupils. The only difference were those eyes glowed, much like the stripes of the reflection. He eventually stopped to stare straight at it, and his heart skipped a beat. The reflection wasn’t following him perfectly as it should, and blinked on its own. “What?” Shannon whispered. His senses made his tail flick, and he threw himself to the floor just as the crystal den worked its magic. There was a bright flash of light, and then a cylinder of purple light slammed down in the centre of the stage.

“Shannon!” Kayla gasped as everyone hopped up to his aid.

The light cylinder died down, and in its place was their enemy: the black Pachirisu seen in the reflections. It seemed to mirror Shannon besides its colours, even wearing its own sinister coloured cloth. It itched its face a few times, and then procured a knife from within its tail.
“It’s you?” Pola remarked. “I’ve never seen anythin’ like this before.”

“What is it normally?” Shannon was hesitant to take his eyes off of it to glance back at her.

“Er, I dunno! Not whatever this is?” she shrugged.

“Real helpful,” he sighed.

“Ye who seeks the greater power of their dreams,” a voice echoed through the den, making everyone jump again. “The deepest desires of your heart and mind have been made manifest. Conquer these temptations, and what you seek shall be unlocked.”

“Not much of a riddle, is it?” Shannon commented as he calmed down onto all fours. “So if I defeat this thing, Visionary powers are mine.”

“That guy’s got your knife. Are you gonna be okay?” Kari asked.

“It doesn’t matter. I have to try,” he shook his head.

“Nonsense. The voice didn’t have any problem with us being here, did it? Otherwise it’d have done something to kick us out by now,” Kayla grinned as she posed for battle. “If you won’t fight me in training, I’ll just have to settle for your dark clone.”

“You’re not serious, are you?” Shannon’s eyes widened.

Kayla’s answer was to sprint forward with an eager grin, going right into her world of battle that replaced the crystal stage with patterns and hues of icy blues and whites. The Dark Pachirisu didn’t move from the spot, even as she leapt up high and dove towards him. She spun just as she reached him, kicking his face with tremendous force. The reward was the satisfying crunch of a direct hit, and the Pachirisu being knocked a mile away. It rolled and skidded across the floor before it made any attempt to resist, where it flipped back to its feet. It was unharmed, and cocked a smug smirk.

“Kayla, be careful! Hitting him up close has gotta be risky!” Kari squeaked.

“Yeah. Gotta get ‘im from afar, with stuff like this!” Pola added, thrusting a paw skyward. All three beams of Tri Attack fired from the tips of her digits, close and condensed as they spiralled across the stage. All three beams hit the Pachirisu at once, enshrouding them in a massive explosion.

“And that just looks like overkill,” Kayla remarked, unrolling both ears to listen for the result. Nothing happened until the smoke cleared, revealing the dark Pachirisu had been floored. They got back up however, once again showing no damage.

“No fucking way!” Pola gasped. The dark Pachirisu sprinted forward in a flash, knife bared in both paws. Pola could only gasp and shift back before it was metres from her, threatening to stab her neck.

“Get moving!” Kari squealed as she threw herself into the Pachirisu. She wrestled the electric type a little, and wound up whacking them with her tail to knock them down again. They flipped back to their feet, now with a frustrated gaze on their face. “C’mon Pola, get into it!”

“Uh, thanks,” the Plusle breathed out.

“This is weird. He’s not taking any damage,” Kayla pointed out. “Maybe he only takes damage from Shannon? This is his trial, after all.”

“Even though he attacked me?” Pola spat. “Also, Shannon can’t fight!”

“I… can. I have to learn, if I’m going to get revenge,” Shannon said quietly. He tensed himself and held his Razor Claw at the ready. “I just didn’t think I’d have to use this so soon.”

“Be careful. You’re fighting with real weapons. One wrong move and you’ll get the serious ouchies,” Kari worried.

“I… I know that. But if it were easy, then a lot more Pokémon would have these powers,” Shannon’s eyes narrowed.

With that, he charged forward with a battle cry of his own. For the first time in this fight, the dark Pachirisu responded to his approach, leaned forward with their own knife in both paws. The enemy thrust first, to which Shannon skidded to a stop. He stumbled instead, falling to the side to dodge another stab from his opponent. From here, it was clear that Shannon was not exaggerating when he warned he was not seasoned in battle.

“Shannon!” Kayla cried, her heart racing with worry. The way the Pachirisu stumbled about almost blindly, swinging his weapon at nothing, was practically a countdown to him taking a mortal wound. There was an effort to hit the dark Pachirisu for sure, but it was no greater than a child taking on a warrior. He thrust his knife, slashed, and all with enough force that he shouted, but the enemy stepped away from each so casually it was a mockery. “Shannon, duck!”

Kayla shot Ice Beam before he realised what she was doing, but he managed to throw himself down just in time. Her attack hit the dark Pachirisu and stunned them in place, but the ice wasn’t spreading. They weren’t getting frozen.

“Guys?” Shannon cried as he scrambled back over to them. Kayla had to let up her attack in order to catch her breath.

“What’re you doing out there? You’ll never hit ‘em, fighting like that. Did you forget you were a Pokémon or something? What about your moves?” Pola snapped.

“My moves are… I don’t think they’ll hit,” Shannon looked over his shoulder. The dark Pachirisu shook themselves off, and then glared with a sinister smirk. “My moves don’t deal damage. They’re useless here.”

The dark Pachirisu’s smile faded the moment he said that. They charged again, to which the group spread out across the stage and prepared their own attacks from a distance. Shannon was the one the enemy wanted however, to which he got ready to defend.

Or so he thought. The dark Pachirisu suddenly changed direction and charged at Kayla, who slid a foot back ready to take him on. Instead of attacking with their knife however, the dark Pachirisu smacked their cheeks to channel sparks, and then thrust both paws to release a wave of electricity. Kayla gasped as there wasn’t a way out. The electricity took the form of huge, yellow rings which pulsed through the air, large and wide enough that her only hope of dodging was to pray they had no effect if she went through the hole in the centre. She twisted to the side and braced for the worst.

Static coated the Buneary from head to toe, leaving her spouting gibberish as her body stretched straight up and jittered. Yellow volts sparked across her body, acting almost like chains that locked her to the spot. With the paralysis in place, the dark Pachirisu glanced over their shoulder to grin at the others, and then drew back their knife arm as if to throw the weapon.

“Kari, do something!” Pola shouted; her paws lit as if she were in the midst of casting.

“No!” Kari cried as she bolted forward, but she was clearly too far away.

“Ack, please work!” Shannon choked on his own breath. Leaning his body to the side, he pointed his right paw skyward, and it glowed brighter than a beacon. Despite the emergency, even Pola and Kari were drawn to his beacon, like flies drawn to a light. The Dark Pachirisu changed target almost as though they were hypnotised in the moment, and spun as they threw their knife. Shannon’s heart raced as the knife targeted him instead, and though he was halfway on the other side of the stage, he couldn’t dodge it in time.

Everything slowed the moment it hit. None of what had just happened registered to him. Just that he was in the air, and his new friends were shouting.

Friends?

Allies. That’s what they were. Pokémon who had agreed to help him on his quest for revenge. They helped him out in this battle, so he helped them. That’s all this was. Over the course of that, he had been stabbed in the chest once again.

…

Everything was faded, blurry, and cold as ice. And yet, he could barely shiver. Shannon let out shuddering breaths as he struggled to maintain consciousness. His view kept changing focus, going from blurry to clear as if his eyes were changing lens. He was on his back, floating in some deep, cold space. Above him were clusters of stars and light in dark, navy blue vastness. No wind, no touch, no feeling otherwise.

He needed more than this. He was too curious. Putting his all into sitting up, he managed to curl his head around, where he breathed in sharply. A knife was stuck right through his chest, and blood was leaking through. Oddly, his cloth was gone. It was his wound, the one part of his chest where his fur couldn’t grow, revealing his bare skin.

The sight of it made his body turn even colder. It hurt, but it also didn’t hurt. The knowledge of the knife being there presented all the pain he expected to feel, but in actuality, it didn’t hurt a bit. He didn’t dare move further or try to make better of this situation. He didn’t know the first thing about healing wounds or other medical intricacies. He was somehow alive with this knife in him, so he was better off waiting until someone qualified could help.

Despite deciding this, he flinched hard at the lightest touch, gasping before holding his breath again. His body was descending into some sort of liquid. It definitely wasn’t liquid, it felt too thick to be so. It also reflected the gorgeous, spatial surroundings, but it wasn’t so thick that it worried him. He floated on the surface of this liquid, shivering as its warmth crawled through his back and relaxed him.

Instinct returned. He could see clearly again. He could hear the ethereal, glistening tones of trickling bells around him. Pain quickly began to surge around his stab, making him grunt and curl up. He floated upright, just about managing to keep his head above the liquid. With the stab below the surface, warmth embraced it, warmth that didn’t hurt nearly as much as it should have.

He didn’t question it. Instinct continued to drive him. Familiar instinct, the kind that makes you try ideas to work something you’ve never worked with before. Not that he had ever been here before, in this situation where he had to help himself from being stabbed in the chest, yet the instinct was undeniable. He had to breathe carefully as his feet and paws struggled to swim in the liquid, but the moment he got a chance, he placed his paws on the handle of the knife. He took a deep breath, tilted his head up, clenched his eyes shut, and then pulled with all his might.

The motion had him splash into the liquid briefly, while a hideously sharp sting shocked him as the knife came free. A gush of blood came with it, staining the liquid, but not hampering the liquid’s warm effect any less. Shannon let go and gasped, in disbelief at what he had just experienced. His scar remained, but his chest had instantly healed as if there hadn’t been a knife in it in the first place.

His senses alerted him, and he glared forward in threat. Floating just above the liquid’s surface was the dark Pachirisu, with its paws and feet hung loosely. An air of calmness surrounded the Pokémon however, and its knife was gone. It rose its head slowly, ensuring their eyes locked, and then spoke. The words came out with authority, respect, and a proud manner that eased Shannon’s feelings entirely.

“Well. Done.”

…

“Shannon! Shannon oh my gods, wake up!” Pola cried. “Gods damn it, I couldn’t have- I shouldn’t have- can’t we do something? Anything?”

For how he felt right now, the tone was melodramatic. Shannon grumbled and squirmed before he opened his eyes. Pola was leaned over him with tears in her eyes, and gasped.

“Say something!” she begged. The way she was leaned over him, he couldn’t do much more than wiggle.

“Urgh… something,” he replied, turning his head sideways.

“Thank goodness,” the Plusle let out a great sigh. She sat up, but she couldn’t take her eyes off him. “I thought… I really thought you’d…”

“Are you… crying over me?” Shannon asked. At first he felt guilty, but now he was confused. He sat up and rubbed his chest, surprised to feel his cloth. There was no wound, or even any indication he’d been hurt there. “You shouldn’t worry about me. When I went into this, I’m doing it full well knowing I could get seriously hurt. Getting wounded simply means I wasn’t strong enough.”

Pola’s mouth hit the floor. “You smug bitch! See if I ever care about you again!”

“I… wha?” Shannon cocked his head. The Plusle growled and moved to slap his face, but hesitated with a trembling paw instead. She stood up and turned her back, folding her arms.

“C’mon… really? You can do better than that,” Kayla remarked, shaking her head. “But seriously, are you feeling alright?”

“I’m perfectly fine. I think I got hit by that knife, but then I had a vision. Or I think it was a dream,” Shannon got up and scratched the back of his head. “Whatever it was, I got what I wanted. I think I can use a Visionary Move now.”

“Really?” Kari beamed up.

“Good for you,” Pola grumbled without turning around.

“I just… had some sort of vision. It was weird, but it made sense to me,” he tried to explain. “It’s not a damaging move, but I realised how to cast Life Dew. I’ll have a play around with it later. For now, what exactly happened? We’re not in the crystal den anymore.”

“You… got stabbed. By the shadow Pachirisu thingy. It was bleeding really bad, too,” Kayla turned away. “We were in a real spot, you know. That Blissey wasn’t waiting around for us, either.”

“Cruxis…” Shannon whispered, turning to the distance. The misty woods were the same as when they came in, but the crystal den was gone completely. The crater it was in remained, now oddly vacant of trees and rocky ledges like the rest of the hill.

“You said he was a leading scientist in Visionary stuff, right?” Kayla asked.

“Not exactly a scientist, but his knowledge is the most anyone else knows about them. To think Cruxis is a quirky guy like that,” Shannon replied, still staring off into the distance.

Kayla joined him briefly, her mind deep in wonder. An enigmatic travelling Blissey, a male Blissey at that, who made a market out of his healing ability and knowledge to peddle provisions. Having knowledge of Visionary Pokémon enough to rent and let out crystal dens too, this guy had a mystical range of talents.

She sighed. When did dwelling on information like this ever get her anywhere? And why did it even matter? With that conclusion, she stretched, and then snickered to herself. “Well, what’re we still hanging around here for? If we start climbing back from now, we’ll make dinner with time to spare.”

“Eek, right! It’s all uphill from here,” Kari realised.

“And ‘cos it ain’t a mystery dungeon, we can’t just warp with our badges. Urgh,” Pola slumped.

“Hey, you’re the one who led us here. I would race ya to the top, but you look like you’re ready to keel over,” Kayla remarked.

“Whaaat? Oh don’t get all big-headed. Kari, you get in on this too,” Pola crouched for a sprint start. “You as well, Shannon. Your training’s just starting.”

“You want me to run uphill?” he cried.

“After your performance, that’s the least of the shit you’ve gotta do. We’re gonna make a man outta you yet!” She announced. “Now get over here!”

Shannon sighed and slouched over. “I’ve really put myself into it this time.”