Chapter 16: A Day of Recovery

The morning sun crept up onto the skyline, spreading orange light into the fading darkness. Down in Rugged Crags, Roca tiptoed about to pack some food into her tiny sack. Salna’s deep breathing masked most of the noise as she slipped a few berries and plants out of the pots. Now prepared, Roca lowered the wall sealing the cave.

Crrrrrrrrk.

Salna lifted his head off the floor. “Wha… Roca? Is that you?”

Roca cringed, cursing under her breath. “Yeah, Pop.”

“What’s going on? Leaving to scout so soon?”

“No, I…” She quickly went to embrace him then broke it off. “I’ve decided I’m going on a journey.”

Salna shifted into a sitting position. “A journey? What for?”

“It’s time I finally leave Rugged Crags.”

“Leave? Why- Now wait a darn minute, you can’t up and leave!” Salna got to his feet. “We just learned about Ruffers, and not too long ago you said you weren’t ready to go out on your own.”

“Don’t try to stop me,” Roca dissuaded, gritting her teeth. “The guild doesn’t care so it’s down to me. I’m going to find Ruffers, for us.”

“Think about this carefully, you have no idea where to start looking,” Salna said, reaching out.

Roca stepped away from him, now outside the cave. “And his useless partner doesn’t either! We’re both on square one. I’m his sister. I know his scent. I know him. I’ll… I’ll get to Ruffers first.”

“Roca…”

“I love you, pop. Take care until we both return, ‘kay?”

Salna watched her go with a sad smile. “I wanted them two to leave when they were ready, but for it to turn out like this… Be safe, my girl.”

---

“Is this really how it works?” Ezera whispered, standing in the hall outside Litleo’s quarters.

“Ye bet. Wake up late, Water Gun seals yer fate!” Wartortle heartily replied, peering into the room to make sure she was still asleep.

“She went through a lot yesterday, though.”

“That’s the way it be. We all got stuff in our lives, no excuse to be tardy,” Wartortle replied, turning back. “And Litleo’s been off the hook multiple times!”

“The Guildmaster did give him the clear to do this. And once Wartortle says he’s going to do it…” Corvisquire added.

“I never back down! Here we GOOOO!” Wartortle shouted at the top of his lungs, barging into Litleo’s quarters. A rush of water doused her not a second later. She leaped up with a holler and floundered about. Wartortle cackled and held on to his buddy for support, clearly enjoying this way too much. “Aye, I’ve been waiting fer this moment forever! Ahahaha!”

Litleo blinked rapidly, getting her bearings. Water dripped down her whole head and onto the soaked cushions. “You’ve got to be- UGH!” she groaned.

“Good morning, sleepy,” Ezera said, half smirking in amusement and pity.

Corvisquire hopped forward and held out a towel on his wing. Litleo took it, sighing.

“Thanks…” she said.

“We should hurry. The Guildmaster might’ve started briefing already,” Corvisquire advised.

“Either that or puns. Ye know how much he likes those,” Wartortle said. He and Corvisquire departed hastily, leaving Ezera to wait for Litleo.

Litleo threw the towel down and shook her head sideways. “Great, now I’m going to have water in my ear. Exactly how I wanted to start my morning.”

“If you’re a fire-type couldn’t you heat yourself up to dry it or something?” Ezera suggested.

“Ezera, how can I heat up the inside of my ears? Then I’d be hurting my eardrums and everything else important.”

“Ah, you know what, I’m gonna blame it being too early in the morning for lack of common sense…”

“Uh huh.” Litleo continued shaking her head a few times. “It’s not coming out. Let’s just head over.”

They left her quarters and made it to the lobby, where some of the guild members exchanged quiet greetings with them. They took a spot next to Team Piksqueak.

“…after I defeated him, I said, ‘Oi! Look at me, I’m machamp now!'” Sirfetch’d finished, pointing his sword up proudly and laughing.

Pichu slumped into Pachirisu’s and Morpeko’s arms. “My earrrssss… He’s told this same story AND pun how many times?”

Pachirisu shrugged and patted Pichu’s head. “We’ll get through this, great leader.”

“Aw, we didn’t get to hear it,” Ezera said. “Maybe I’ll ask him to tell it again.”

Sparks flew from Pichu’s cheeks. “Don’t you do it! I’m going bye-bye!”

Litleo batted the back of Ezera’s head. “Very funny.”

Rapidash stomped on the stage, drawing silence. “Thank you, Guildmaster, for your… entertaining stories as always. Since all is in attendance, let’s start our debrief, shall we?”

“Hrrmm, yes. I believe Ridiculous would like to speak with us,” Sirfetch’d announced.

Reuniclus floated onto the stage with Helin in tow. “Wrong names aside, salutations, everymon. We have made some advancements in our research on the dynamax.”

“What have you found out, dear?” Rapidash said.

“One thing that’s been puzzling me is how Oddie managed to sustain her form, or acquire it in the first place. Helin and I have been running some tests, using a Substitute doll to simulate a pokémon taking in a ton of aether without any external support. The findings-“

“Shut up and just show them, Riu,” Helin interrupted, holding up a green dinosaur looking doll.

Reuniclus nodded, levitating the doll out of Helin’s paws. “Here we have a modified Substitute doll, one that runs on electricity as we do aether. If this is a normal ‘mon like us, observe what happens when we take in different amounts of aether. Helin, if you please.”

Helin shot a tiny ball of electricity into the doll.

“The electricity is the aether in this scenario. No change so far, right?”

Helin threw a few more charges in.

Reuniclus let the doll float around the room among the crowd. “Notice how it’s starting to heat up,” she went on. “Eventually, as more and more aether enters the body…” Helin continued to zap the doll even after it began trembling with energy. On a final zap, the dinosaur’s head popped off and landed at Ezera’s feet. A few gasps rippled out and a scream, notably from Pichu. Ezera and Litleo stared at her.

“What?” she said, leaving Pachirisu and Morpeko’s arms after jumping into them. “That was scary…”

“I’m staying far away from dynamaxing. I like my head, yah,” Gana piped up.

“Your head will be fine as long as you have a Wishing Star,” Helin said. “Don’t be dramatic.”

Reuniclus reclaimed the doll head with Psychic. “It’s the irregular dynamaxing you should be concerned about. As proven here, the consequences for harnessing that much aether have detrimental effects to our body. Eventually we take so much aether that we cannot hold it all. The tests match what happened to Oddie and make it clear it’s impossible to naturally absorb such enormous amounts of aether.”

“What I’m hearing is this could be the work of some ‘mon trying to stir up trouble?” Inteleon summarized, revealing his team hiding out in a corner. He nudged them both with his elbows. “Well, gents, I think we have a new mission.”

“It’d offer no challenge for us,” Thievul boasted, pointing his snout in a dignified manner.

“Let us not be too hasty, dear. Reuniclus did not suggest it was,” Rapidash said.

Purrloin scoffed. “What else could it be?”

“A one time freak accident?” Yamper answered hopefully.

“Sadly, we still can’t answer that confidently. Out of the books we’ve read so far, nothing mentions the sigils we saw that day either. I’m inclined to agree with Inteleon that it’s the work of something, or somemon,” Reuniclus stated, crossing her arms and frowning.

“Have those books mentioned anything else?” Rapidash queried.

“No. That’s about all we have to share,” Reuniclus concluded.

Rapidash nodded. “Thank you for your work so far. Adventurers, what we’ve heard may be unsettling, but keep heart. I too share Yamper’s hope the incident was a one time thing.”

“I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but Ezera and I encountered something you’re not going to like,” Litleo announced, raising a paw.

“Do elaborate, dear.”

“Long story short, there was a mystery dungeon inside Rugged Crags. A shifting one.”

Reuniclus floated to the front of the stage, curiosity piqued. “But Rugged Crags doesn’t have those.”

“Alright, Litleo and Ezera, stay here so we may finish discussing this. The rest of you, dismissed, and stay vigilant,” Rapidash ordered.

“Nothing our astounding guild doesn’t do already! Let the sword guide you,” Sirfetch’d started.

“And the shield protect us!” the guild members recited.

As the crowd broke off, some chatter reached Ezera’s ears.

“Aren’t those the same two who defeated the dynamax?” a roselia said, walking by.

“Can’t be coincidence they end up where mysterious things go on,” a lairon responded.

Ezera shifted his weight around, fidgeting with his fingers. Were they really the target of suspicion already? ‘I guess it doesn’t help that somehow we do end up around weird stuff…‘ The four pokémon from the stage gathered at Ezera and Litleo’s position, plus Team Ace.

Litleo looked disapprovingly towards them. “Didn’t you hear the Vicemaster?”

Inteleon held his arms out. “Come now, you don’t think Team Ace would let valuable info like this slip by? It’s not a good look to let a mid-rank and newbie discover things Veterans should.”

“Once you make the discovery that your status of Veteran isn’t deserved, then you can talk to us. After all, we’re finding things you aren’t, hm?”

“Ha! Stay clever, Litleo.”

“If you would allow us to listen in, Guildmaster,” Deuce commented, tipping his head.

“I don’t see why not,” Sirfetch’d allowed, nodding. “Go ahead and begin, Ludicolo.”

“Ugh… Anyway, while we were at the Rugged Crags settlement, an area of it suddenly caved in. It created this hole and waypoint that led into the dungeon,” Litleo described.

“Yeah, there were some red clouds and an earthquake too,” Ezera said, tapping his chin. “And the, um, pokémon? Wildmon? Whoever, were based off this trapped sandslash’s stories.”

Rapidash lightly sighed. “Are we to understand you went in the mystery dungeon? With no alert or warning to your fellow guild members?”

“We didn’t have time to wait. Like Ezera said, a couple of the wildmon got trapped in there,” Litleo said, averting her eyes to the side.

“Still… that is dangerous.”

“At the end we met a larger than normal Coalossal, but they weren’t dynamaxed,” Litleo went on.

“We took him down and got the wildmon out, then the dungeon disappeared,” Ezera finished.

“Disappeared?” Helin shared a look with Reuniclus.

“Yeah. It went poof, like it wasn’t even there.”

“An aetherless spot, a dynamax, and a pop-up mystery dungeon that followed a story,” Reuniclus restated, holding out three fingers for the events. “Hmm…”

“What is it, Riu?” Helin said.

“Nothing, just musing on what connects them.”

“You did good work, Electivire and Ludicolo, navigating the unknown, just like in my day!” Sirfetch’d praised, posing like a superhero.

“Ezera forgot to mention, he absorbed this energy into my bag, it was probably the main cause of that dungeon appearing,” Litleo said. She tossed her satchel down in the center for all to see.

“Looks ordinary to me,” Thievul noted, leaning in and squinting.

“I swear that’s what happened! I-” Ezera paused, realizing how crazy he’d sound if he mentioned having a voice speak to him. ‘And I have to be careful since Team Ace doesn’t know I’m human…‘ “I… went up to the energy and these sparks started flying into it.”

“Would you allow me into your mind so I can see these sparks?” Reuniclus asked, floating closer to Ezera.

Ezera froze in panic. ‘Will she discover the voice talking there? Crap!‘ “Errr, do you have to? I wouldn’t lie.”

“Well, it would be easiest to get a sense of what you’re talking about. Unless, Litleo, you can explain further?”

Litleo rubbed her foreleg in embarrassment. “I was, urg… knocked out. I didn’t see anything.”

“That’s something you don’t hear everyday,” Inteleon snickered.

She glared at him. “Quiet.”

Reuniclus whispered something to Helin and her assistant scattered off. “If you’re truly uncomfortable, Ezera, I won’t do it.”

“No judgement, dear,” Rapidash assured.

‘Aaahh, I’m gonna look suspicious if I refuse. I hope mental conversations are something psychics can’t read.‘ Ezera gulped. “Um, nevermind then. It’s fine. Go ahead.”

Reuniclus’ gaze met Ezera’s. He kept it still as her eyes turned pink, then normal again. “I see. Those sparks would be aether. I sent Helin to retrieve our aethoreader. Using that will let us know how much went into Litleo’s satchel,” she said, much to Ezera’s relief. Whether or not she knew about the voice, she didn’t show it. Ezera was just glad she didn’t bring it up. Helin returned and Reuniclus grabbed the tool. She held it to the bag, waiting for a reading. “How odd. It’s perfectly normal. There’s no extra aether anywhere.”

Litleo’s tail drooped. “Even you don’t have an answer?”

“What did you two do to be surrounded by things as strange as unown? I want in,” Helin said.

“Careful what you wish for, Helin. If this keeps up we’ll have too much to do,” Reuniclus said, playing with the knobs on the aethoreader.

Helin grabbed the device from her. “I welcome it! Better than the mundane crap we’re doing all day.”

“Suffice it to say there’s nothing we can do for you, Litleo. You can come back to us if your bag starts to exhibit unusual qualities.”

“Like gaining sentience, for example.”

“A talking bag? That would be fun,” Sirfetch’d quipped.

Rapidash looked to Sirfetch’d and shook her head. “Focus, please, Guildmaster. I fear if we don’t get a lead on these events soon it will be disastrous. Ezera, Litleo. If you do encounter this situation again, please let us know first and try not to enter it if you can. We need all hands and paws here, and I’d prefer not… losing anymore.”

“Will do,” Ezera replied.

“Team Ace, the same goes for you. As experienced as you are, we don’t have a clue what we’re dealing with.”

Inteleon shrugged, clearly offended. “If that’s what you want, Vicemaster.”

“All of you will stick to guild work like the other members. And if we catch you doing solo investigations, there will be consequences. Capiche?” Sirfetch’d stated.

“Yes, Guildmaster,” the teams agreed.

“Off you go! Make today a good one.”

Ezera and Litleo walked out to the courtyard, both turning to the sky as they stretched.

“What’s on our agenda?” Ezera asked, bending over to touch his feet. He did want to discuss yesterday, although it would probably serve him better to wait.

“I was doing some thinking, I’m going to take you into town,” Litleo said, doing a light jog in a circle. “We’ll go browse some TM’s.”

“Those are for teaching moves, right? Do you want a new one?”

“They’re not for me. I’ll buy one for you.”

Ezera rushed straight up. “M- me? What for?”

“You were complaining yesterday about your moves, weren’t you? Maybe Kecleon has some good stock and you’ll find something you like to replace one.”

“I don’t want to waste your money though, since I still owe you for some items.”

Litleo rolled her eyes. “Okay. I’ll spend it on myself.”

“Oh, I didn’t say I didn’t want it…” Ezera murmured.

“Make up your mind, Ezera. I’m not going to play the ‘oh-it’s-fine’ game with you. I don’t coddle. If you want it, say so.”

‘She is not messing around.‘ Ezera inhaled. “Okay. Yes, I will take you up on your offer.”

Litleo jogged to the start of the bridge, much more satisfied with that answer. “Better. Let’s go then.”

---

Litleo and Ezera went to Kecleon’s Wares for their shopping. The round store’s face, or rather the owner’s face, stared at them as they walked up. The design stayed simple, sporting green frills on the side and two black circles toward the top. The opening where purple Kecleon operated represented something very close to a mouth. The pair stayed underneath the purple-green awning extending off the mouth and waited for the TM’s to be brought out. Common items like berries and seeds could be seen on display in the back. Purple Kecleon exited the warehouse and laid out the wares on the wooden counter.

“Here you go! All the TM’s I have on hand,” purple Kecleon stated. He went off to help another customer.

“These look a lot like CD’s,” Ezera remarked, sorting through them.

Litleo counted seven to choose from. “A decent amount here. Do you see any you want to use?”

“Um, could you read them off to me real quick?”

“How do I keep forgetting? Maybe you need a learning day instead.”

“I can read perfectly fine back home you know! I was always at the top of my class AND grade for reading comprehension checks.”

“That’s cool and all but is that helping you right now?”

Ezera opened his mouth only to close it and hang his head in defeat.

Litleo smirked. “Yeah.” She stepped forward, reading the letters engraved on the silver discs. “We’ve got Thunder Wave, Waterfall, Protect, and Energy Ball. Then these ones are Rest, Nasty Plot, and Brick Break.”

“Those options don’t sound appealing except for Energy Ball.” He examined the discs, as if each would somehow reveal a new piece of info.

‘Did I make a mistake suggesting this today? Ezera sucks at making decisions and now I’ve just given him seven…‘ she thought. Litleo kept the newfound urge to smack herself under control.

“How do I know if I can learn it?”

“Try and touch it. If it’s compatible the disc will shine green. If it isn’t, it won’t shine at all.”

“Okay…” Ezera put his hand on the Energy Ball disc. “Dang it, nothing.”

Litleo pushed the disc to the back. “I figured you wouldn’t be able to learn that.”

“And you still let me try anyway?”

“Hey, I’m not claiming to be a know-it-all. It was worth a shot seeing as how we’ve been dealing with some craziness lately,” Litleo said. “What’s you learning Energy Ball on top of it?”

“Well, sadly I can’t, so that leaves not much. I guess Protect wouldn’t be bad? I do like defense,” he said, glancing at her.

“You’re doing it again, Ezera. I’m not babying you.”

“Right, right… I’ll try Protect.” He put his hand over the disc. The TM glowed a mint green. “Hey, that’s a good sign!”

“Yeah, you can learn it. Is Protect what you want then?” Litleo asked.

“Mhm.”

Litleo waved at Kecleon. “Kecleon!” The store owner waddled to them. “We’ll be taking this Protect TM,” she claimed, sliding the required Poké to him.

“All yours, thank you for your patronage! See you again soon,” purple Kecleon cheerfully said.

Ezera grabbed the TM, turning it over. “So how do I use this?”

“That’s easy. Your moves right now are Slash, Bite, Dragon Rage, and what else?”

Ezera pondered for a moment. “I learned a new one, dunno what it’s called. It kinda went like this.” He demonstrated chopping the air with his hands.

“That’s… shoot, I know it… Double- no, Dual Chop. Duh. Anyway, picture what move you want to replace. Got it?”

“Okay, got it.”

“Close your eyes…” Litleo grinned and snapped the TM up in her mouth. She then hopped and smashed the disc on Ezera’s head. The TM dissolved into specks of glitter.

Ezera stepped backward in bewilderment. “Did you just break it?!” As soon as he said that, a mint green light briefly shone over him. He blinked in response. “Oh.”

Litleo giggled. “That was fun. I’ve been wanting to get that out of my system.”

“You could’ve at least warned me… Let’s see if it works.” Ezera ducked his head behind his arms, causing his skin to harden. Some of the passersby stared in alarm at him testing out a move in the middle of a busy street. He quickly stopped and turned to Litleo. “Whoops, aha… This should be handier than Bite. Thank you.”

“Don’t mention it. I’m only trying to make sure you aren’t a burden,” she replied, following the line of strolling pokémon behind them on the path.

“A burden? I beat Coalossal while you napped,” he said, following along.

“If you can pull that off multiple times, I’ll admit you’ve gotten better.”

“Or you could just admit you might like having me around.”

“Sure. I like having you around so much, I’m about to ditch you.” Litleo slowed and pointed her tail, revealing a cutout sign of two fists colliding. Beyond it a three story dojo awaited. Each story had curved roofing tiles with golden trims and paper windows.

“I’m going to sign you up for some training with the Sawk and Throh brothers,” Litleo continued. “Your strength is lacking, to put it lightly.” She put up a paw to stop Ezera’s next words. “Yeah, you defeated Coalossal. But from what you told me, that was mostly the environment happening to work in your favor. What happens when it’s not? You still need power along with that mouth of yours.”

“Only you would mix in a compliment and a diss in the same sentence,” Ezera said, chuckling. “Okay though, you make a good argument. If I do this, what will you do in the meantime?”

“Visit Indeedee, do a light commission, think about some… leads on my mind.”

“I’m not usually one to advocate for naps, but you should take it easy. You’re looking a hell of a lot tired and stressed even with all that sleep.”

“Ezera, I can’t. When I do, it’s short and disrupted,” she argued, sighing. To emphasize this she started pacing. “And I’m sick of ‘mon telling me to rest.”

“But yesterday-“

“Is in the past,” Litleo shot back, stopping. ‘Calm down. What are you getting upset for?‘ she thought. She took a deep breath, letting the heat simmer out in her mane. “The last time I got decent sleep was maybe more than a week ago, and I don’t know how that happened. I’m not going to force it.”

“Uh, I guess I should tell you something…”

“What?”

“I think I helped with that.” Ezera ran his fingers along the edge of the cutout, not looking at her. “You were having a nightmare and I went to soothe you. Seemed like the right thing to do in the moment.”

Litleo’s tail fell, thinking about the implications of that. ‘Soothe, so he…?‘ She stiffened slightly. ‘That would explain some things.‘ “I… don’t know what you want me to do with that info.”

“Hopefully not hit me with an Ember? I was wondering if you knew or were ever gonna bring it up.”

They didn’t say anything for a few moments. “You know how I work. I don’t relax. What do you expect me to do all day?”

“…I got it!” Ezera exclaimed, doing the equivalent of a snap with his tiny fingers. “After I finish with Sawk and Throh, why not teach me a little reading?”

“That’s not exactly what I would want to do for the day either.”

“It’s a good compromise though, you gotta admit. You don’t do nothing and I get to relearn my ABC’s!”

Litleo had to laugh at the absurdity of relearning something as common as the alphabet. “Fine. I’ll tutor you today. Next time I might charge you. Now where is Sawk so I can get rid of you for a few hours?”

They entered through the wooden sliding doors. The smell of burning wax wafted about. Immediately they came onto a pentagonal white training mat, with rectangular wooden pillars supporting each corner. Ahead, Sawk threw a flurry of speedy kicks and punches toward Throh. Throh matched the speed, blocking every attempt.

“Hey, Sawk, I’ve got business!” Litleo shouted.

Sawk and Throh gazed in their direction. However, Sawk was in the middle of a punch and Throh in the middle of a block. Because of Litleo, Sawk’s punch went astray and struck Throh’s forehead, causing Throh to fling his hand up and slap Sawk.

“Owah! I can’t believe you hit me, brothah!” Throh complained.

“I am so sorry, brothah! I wasn’t looking,” Sawk said. “Then again, you hit me too.”

The brothers bowed at the same time and clashed foreheads.

“OW!” they said.

“You can do the apology bow first, brothah,” Throh said, rubbing his forehead.

“No, you first, brothah,” Sawk insisted, also rubbing his forehead.

They yet again bowed and bumped foreheads.

“This is who you wanted me to train under?” Ezera asked, hesitation clear in his tone.

“You get used to it,” Litleo replied.

“Welcome back, disciple Litleo,” Sawk said. He walked off the mat and stood shoulder to shoulder with his brother.

“Have you been keeping up with your exercises?” Throh said.

“Yes I have, don’t worry. I was hoping you’d take Ezera here for some exercises,” Litleo explained, motioning her head towards Ezera.

Throh’s face brightened. “A new disciple, brothah!”

“It’s most exciting, brothah!” Sawk said.

Litleo deposited money into Sawk’s hand. “Here’s the one-fifty Poké needed.”

“Wonderful. We begin our session immediately. Come, disciple Ezera! Onto the mat.”

“Have fun! See you at the guild whenever you’re done,” Litleo stated smugly. Ezera cast a doubtful face behind as she left. ‘Trust me, Ezera, you’re going to need this.‘

---

With Ezera occupied in the dojo, Litleo returned to the guild. She needed to have her fur restored by Indeedee or it might scar. Sure, she never cared much about appearance, but she had some standards. Litleo turned the corner into the infirmary. Indeedee was wrapping an archeops’ wing in bandages while a pidgey and joltik waited by the side.

“Your plain insistence that you don’t need feathers is why this keeps getting infected. Doesn’t it hurt plucking them?” Indeedee tied the bandage. She stepped back, pursing her lips. “If this continues, I’m putting a cone around your wing.”

“No, not ze cone! I won’t be able to work like zat,” the archeops cried, flapping his good wing.

“We kept telling you this would happen,” the pidgey said. “C’mon gang. We’ve taken enough of Indeedee’s time.”

“Keep an eye on him,” Indeedee warned as they departed, waving her hand. She tilted her head, noticing Litleo. “Oh, Litleo, need something?”

Litleo padded inward. “Yeah. Can you help with my fur?” She pivoted to show the few missing spots. “I don’t want to wait for it to come back on its own.”

“Of course I can help. Missing fur is so common with everymon I treat. I just need some special growth oil and ta-da! Brand new. It should be in this cabinet…” Indeedee opened a white drawer. After a few seconds of clatter, she brought out a cylindrical canister and a few cotton swabs. “Whenever you’re ready!”

Litleo set her bag on the floor and hopped onto a bed.

“A little warning, since we’re close I make no guarantees I won’t read you.”

“Just do what you need to do. It’s fine, I guess.”

“I find it rare you aren’t snarking me.” Indeedee dipped a cotton swab and began applying the oil to Litleo’s skin. It smelled of pungent spices all mixed together.

“Is it supposed to feel like it’s burning?” Litleo asked, grimacing.

“Burning is good! It means your skin is absorbing the oil.” Indeedee moved to the other side and started applying oil there. “Where’s Ezera? I thought you two cuties were inseparable.”

“I left him at Sawk and Throh’s Dojo. He’s probably having the time of his life right now.”

---

“Uuf!”

Ezera’s jaw hit the training mat as his legs were kicked out underneath him. His entire head buzzed from the impact. He laid splayed out, not wanting to get up.

“Nice Low Sweep, brothah!” Sawk cheered.

“Thank you, brothah!” Throh returned his focus to Ezera. “Get up, disciple Ezera. Your reaction and defense is… getting there.”

Ezera rose, sighing. “Can we get to offense yet? I think I’d like more input on my moves.”

“Nonsense. Defense is crucial. No defense makes you weak!”

“I guess that’s true-” Another Low Sweep knocked Ezera off his feet again. “Freaking- damn it!”

“Your opponent will not wait for your words to finish. Again!”

‘Why did I agree to this?‘ Ezera wondered. ‘Wait a minute… did I even have a choice?!‘

---

“And all set! When you sleep and wake up, your fur will be waiting for you!” Indeedee stated.

“Got any suggestions for those who can’t sleep?” Litleo asked, shaking herself.

“Where’s this coming from? You never speak to me about these things.”

“You know what, nevermind. I didn’t say anything.”

“No no, you’ve dug this hole, we’re both in it now.” Indeedee put the supplies off to the side and sat on the bed. She laid Litleo on her lap, stroking Litleo’s back slowly.

“Hey, let me down!” Litleo yowled, tail sticking straight out.

“Shhhh-shh-shhh. Your emotions are still as turbulent as ever. Talk to me. My listening services are open.”

“Then would you stop petting me?! Jeez. I was just asking for tips on how to sleep better.”

“I know plenty of methods for insomnia. Sleep Seeds, Hypnosis, being knocked out-“

“Ignoring your concerning last point, I don’t want to rely on those to sleep. Can’t there be something more natural?” Litleo asked, frowning.

“Mmm, the most natural would be putting your mind at ease, and by that I mean getting to the root of your stress,” Indeedee said, leaning over to make sure Litleo could see her face. “If I had to guess, the thing giving you the most stress is, say…”

“His name isn’t forbidden, you know. I won’t die hearing it.”

“Rockruff.”

A pang went off in Litleo’s heart. ‘I won’t die hearing it, but it still hurts.‘

Indeedee placed Litleo on the bed and made eye contact. She held a hand over her heart. “It’s okay to feel. That’s part of who we are.”

Litleo turned her gaze away. She bit her lip, deciding if she should ask the question gnawing at her. “Indeedee, should I let Rapidash see inside my memories?”

“It would be the logical choice.”

“I know that. Anymon would tell me to do it.” Litleo jumped to the ground. “If I allowed her to look, it might solve all of this. I’d stop worrying. Be able to sleep. The teams would trust me.” She paused for a second. “Am I wrong for not wanting her to? I’m afraid… that-“

“Rapidash might find something blaming you, or confirm your worst fear.”

“…Yeah,” Litleo said, glancing up.

“Those are valid concerns,” Indeedee admitted. She leaned on the mattress. “…In my opinion, you can take it at your own pace. The Vicemaster respects that too.”

“But is that fair to his family? I was there yesterday, and… I’m potentially keeping them from knowing where he is.”

“I think… what’s fair is knowing you’ve exhausted every fiber of your being to find him. And when you’re sure you can’t do anymore, see the Vicemaster. That’s what I would do.”

Litleo raised an eyebrow. “You’re serious?”

“Indeed. I’m a stubborn type, just like you.” Indeedee spread her arms out. “Care for a hug?”

“I don’t really do hugs. But thanks, Indeedee.”

Indeedee smiled. “My pleasure. Oh! I almost forgot, but there is one more trick I know for insomnia. Have a friend you trust nearby.”

“Pft. That one sounds fake.”

“I’m the nurse here! I don’t gain anything from lying,” Indeedee said, sticking out her tongue. “Saying ‘see you around’ would imply I’d want you to get hurt, and that’s not what I want. Nonetheless…” She giggled, swaying side to side. “See you around, hehe.”

Litleo shouldered her bag. Even with the added weight, she walked out of the infirmary feeling a little lighter.

---

“Brothah! Does that look like a Dragon Rage to you?” Sawk asked.

“It does not, brothah!” Throh answered.

“This will not do.”

“You see the problem too?”

“Disciple Ezera, you have a disconnect between what you think your moves are, and what they actually are,” Sawk said, breathing in and out deeply.

“Um… sorry, what?” Ezera stammered. They’d been at this for a bit, and he was getting tired seeing no change. ‘Now Sawk wants to hit me with philosophical statements.‘

“What is the fancy word researchers like to use to explain energy?”

“You mean aether?”

“Yes! Moves use your aether, therefore become an expression of you. They are not merely a tool to attack or defend.” Sawk widened his stance, facing forward. “Think of your Dragon Rage as you! You are physically moving to that destination. When you reach it-” He quickly jabbed the air. “You strike. Not the move. You.”

‘Is this really gonna make a difference?‘ Ezera thought. He inhaled and readied another Dragon Rage. The tickle formed in his throat, building into a burning feeling. He imagined the ball of dragonfire- no, himself, flying across the space toward Throh. The burning reached a peak and he let it out at his target. Throh grunted as he blocked the fireball, a much different reaction than earlier.

“Woah, it actually got stronger,” Ezera remarked, mouth agape.

Sawk’s eyes took on a dangerous gleam. “Good! Now, it is time to put it to the test. Are you ready, brothah?”

Throh tightened his belt. “Always!”

“Then get ready disciple Ezera, for both of us!”

“Wait what do you mean both…” Ezera froze as the two brothers sprinted at him like seeing vanillite on a hot day. “Oh damn it-!”

---

Litleo waited in the courtyard, lying on the grass. She glimpsed Ezera’s familiar shaped horn in the distance. He trudged closer and closer, eventually seeing her and joining her on the ground. He fell to his butt and let out a giant sigh.

“I’m so glad to see you having a relaxing time,” Ezera greeted, a touch of sarcasm in his voice.

“I wouldn’t call it relaxing, but it was… peaceful, all things considered,” Litleo replied, looking him over, one eyebrow raised. “It doesn’t change my mind on how I feel sitting around though. After today I’m not taking a rest day for a while. Did you have a ‘relaxing’ time?”

“Oh sure. I call getting knocked around the epitome of relaxing.”

“I hope you learned something at least,” she snorted.

“I did, yeah. That if two somewhat crazy martial artists approach you, run.” Ezera grinned as she rolled her eyes. “I learned how to strengthen my moves at least. I call that a win.”

“Then are you ready to study, mister? I borrowed a couple books from Reuniclus. Luckily her library has some on children’s learning.”

“We’re really starting from the bottom, huh?”

“Did you want the twenty page research papers instead? She has plenty of those.”

“Children’s books sound good!”

Litleo took out the first book and turned to the front page. “Okay, this book covers a few letters. Since you don’t have to learn to speak, all you need to do is memorize what they look like.”

“I can do that. I think.”

“First we have ‘A.'” She tapped a claw on the picture: two diagonal, parallel, squiggly lines with a circle connecting them in between.

“I guess I can kinda see it? This is gonna be weird for me, I’m calling it now…” Ezera mumbled.

After roughly an hour, Litleo decided it was time for a change of pace. “I’m bored so it’s time for a quiz,” she announced, shutting the book. “No peeking while the quiz is in session.”

“Wait a minute, I didn’t sign up for any tests!” Ezera said.

“Your fault for asking me to be your teacher.”

“Is it too late to fire you?”

“Good luck, I’m resistant to fire.”

Ezera broke out into a grin at her lame joke. “It exists! You have humor!”

“Do you have the paper and ink I gave you ready?” Litleo dismissed.

“Yup,” he answered, waving the paper.

“Then write ‘seat.'” She watched him slowly smear the ink into letters. “Wrong. The ‘ea’ is different, remember?”

“I don’t get it. Why does ‘e’ and ‘a’ together need to have a different look?”

“The same reason ‘es’ and every other conjugation that exists is different. No one knows or cares. Now pay attention!”

They studied till the sun went down, then assembled with the guild members for dinner inside the mess hall. Dewott joined them midway through, and the three of them ate in enjoyable company.

“I learned how to read a little today!” Ezera said to Dewott, almost done with his plate.

Dewott clapped. “Nice. It’s never too late to learn.“

“He still knows just as much as a newborn, but it’s something,” Litleo added.

“Hey, I’ll be able to read those research articles before you know it,” Ezera replied. “Anyway, did you do anything cool today, Dewott?”

“I learned how to slice four apples with one swing using my scalchop,” Dewott signed. He practiced the motion in the air.

“Oooh, you gotta show us for real!”

“Adventurers!” a familiar voice called.

All eyes in the mess hall turned to the archway. Rapidash and Reuniclus stood there, covering two other pokémon behind them. ‘Who are they hiding?‘ Litleo wondered, stretching her neck out.

“I’d like to bring a quick development to your attention,” Rapidash said. “The Guildmaster and I are pleased to announce two pokémon who will be working with us temporarily.”

Reuniclus moved aside to let the two pass. “Introducing, Orbeetle and Sling.” A partially purple slowking regally strutted to the front with his hovering companion. “They are scholars belonging to Bubula Academy. It seems the academy heads have taken an interest in what we’re doing.”

“Soooo nice to meet you all. Sling, at your service,” Sling said, bowing.

Orbeetle flew ahead of Sling, his large red head glinting off the lights in the room. “Um, ummm, hel- hello. Orbeetle. We’re here to… to…”

“Provide some support and research the dynamax occurrence. We hope we’ll be able to help you, and in return help us,” Sling finished. He smiled, gazing at everyone in the room and landing on Litleo.

An odd feeling of familiarity surfaced, sending a slight shiver throughout her body. She narrowed her eyes however, not backing down. ‘That shell on his head is odd. I wonder if he’s any different from other slowking.‘

“Right. That’ll be all, dears. Enjoy the rest of your night,” Rapidash stated, taking them away into the hall again.

“Hm. Hopefully Reuniclus will make some breakthroughs with them,” Ezera said, turning back to his food. “Interesting looking bunch.”

“With three brains from the academy, they should. They all seem extra smart,” Dewott signed.

‘I had this same feeling when Ezera gave me his little talk about pokémon in his world. Why does it feel triggered again?‘ Litleo pondered.

“Welp, I’m gonna finish off the last of this and go to bed. I’m pooped,” Ezera announced.

Litleo, Ezera, and Dewott wrapped up dinner and bade each other goodnight. Litleo entered her quarters only to stare at her pillow, due to Indeedee’s talk coming to mind. After some debate, she made her way down to Ezera. She found him already curled up, eyes closed. ‘There’s no way he fell asleep that fast!‘

Ezera opened one eye, confirming her assumption. “Hm? What’s up?”

“Um, would you mind if I slept in here tonight?” Litleo hesitantly walked into the room. “I just… want the company. Is that fine with you?”

“Oh, uh… sure,” Ezera said, moving his spot. “I knew you’d grow to like me.”

“Don’t get any ideas. It’s for one night only.” She grabbed one of his extra pillows and threw it down towards the wall, settling in across from him. “Well… night.”

“Night.” He closed his eyes. “Actually, I think it’s fair if I get to ask you something while you’re here.”

“Of course you would. What?”

“What do you like to do for fun?”

Litleo stared at the wall, taken aback by the randomness of the question. ‘For fun?‘ Truth to be told, she’d forgotten about the things she considered fun. Not like she had any time for them, or thought they’d be entertaining considering her current circumstances.

‘Although they may be somewhat enjoyable if… No. I can’t be thinking about fun while he’s still out there. That would be betraying him,‘ Litleo thought. ‘But not giving Ezera a chance makes me feel guilty too.‘ How annoying. It wasn’t like her to get worked up over a simple question.

“Litleo?” Ezera said.

“I… I like to watch the plays Kaiyo Town’s theater puts on, or hike somewhere new to name a couple,” Litleo answered.

“Oh, there’s a theater?”

“Yeah. They have shows every few weeks, and when it premiers the place gets packed. Sometimes traveling troupes will perform there too.”

“Call me interested. We’ll have to make plans to go if we get any free time then. That is, if you’re okay with that.”

“…Sure, we’ll see.”

“Also, if someone catches us together in here-” Ezera started. Some rustling and a couple seconds later, a pillow whacked him on the face. “Ow- hey!”

“Go to sleep, idiot,” Litleo said.

“Just saying…”

“Go. To. Sleep.”

Ezera laughed to himself for a few seconds. “Goodnight.”

In the dimness, a tiny smile Ezera couldn’t see formed on Litleo’s face. “…Goodnight, dummy.”