Chapter 33: Out of the Unknown

Team Rebound accompanied Kubfu and Zande through the jungle for the better part of an hour. Litleo didn’t know why she assumed their place of rest was near the dungeon, that was probably too much to ask. She did hope, however, that the direction they were walking was bringing them closer to their intended destination rather than away from it.

“I should’ve asked this before we started, but how close is your house to Prosperity Vale?” Litleo said. ‘Having to backtrack wouldn’t be the end of the world but I’d rather not…‘

Zande glanced back at her. “It’s near it, actually. Is that somewhere you want to go?”

“Possibly.”

“I’ve been down there a few times. I can guide you around.”

“Don’t forget me!” Kubfu interrupted. “I can’t guide but I’m good with my fists.”

“There’s nothing to fight down there,” Zande said, eyebrows scrunching a tad. A few moments went by before he said, “Litleo. Those scarves you have are most unique.”

Litleo groaned inside at his comment. Was he simply making conversation, or wanted to know more so he could steal it when they weren’t aware? She’d have to be more vigilant.

“Yes they are,” Litleo curtly responded.

“Did you have them crafted them somewhere?”

‘I don’t even know what to say to that,‘ she thought. “No, somemon gave them to me.”

Zande seemed to get the message that she wasn’t talking, so he shifted his questions to his companion. “Kubfu, want to explain how you met these lads?

Kubfu’s face blanched. “At a game.” She mumbled the second half barely loud enough for them to hear. “In Kaiyo Town.”

“Was this when I was restocking our inventory? You were supposed to use that time for training.”

“Egh, I know, but check it, this dude’s a chopping pro!” Kubfu said, pointing to Dewott.

Dewott vehemently shook his head and waved his paws. “I’m not anything special. My family made me practice the motions a ton when I was young.“

Kubfu nudged Dewott’s arm. “Don’t downplay yourself, dude. It was impressive.”

“Kubfu gets it,” Ezera seconded, nodding. “Next thing you know you’ll be breaking whole tables in half.”

Dewott raised his paws high. “What’s after that, buildings?“

“Ha, if you wanted.”

Zande halted at two towering trees and looked up. “We’re here.”

The rest of them followed his gaze, seeing the two rustic orange treehouses above. A bridge connected them together, and underneath that was a general, circular deck. To reach it, rungs had been attached to the tree trunk like a ladder.

“Yay for me,” Litleo deadpanned. “I’m the only one who can’t climb.”

“You can’t climb, but at least you run the fastest out of all of us?” Ezera comforted, offering a half smile. “Or, Zande might beat you in that category too.”

Litleo responded with a glare.

“In any case, I can’t climb those either. My arms are too short…”

“I can bring you both up,” Zande said, extending his hand. “And you too, lad, if you want,” he added, looking at Dewott.

“I’ll climb myself, thanks,” Dewott signed.

“Is that the only way?” Litleo mumbled.

“Unfortunately, lass. I like keeping ways intruders can get in to a minimum,” Zande replied.

She couldn’t really argue against that line of thinking, “Fine…”

“Race you!” Kubfu said, jumping onto the rungs and scaling it quickly.

Dewott hesitantly placed his paw on the first rung, making sure he had enough grip, before pulling himself up. He soon gained a steady rhythm and reached the top, waving to Ezera and Litleo below.

Litleo sighed. At least she wasn’t the only one needing help. Zande wrapped his vines around both of them, then made the climb up. Once they touched down on the deck, Zande gestured to the house on the other tree.

“This one is mine,” he stated, walking onto the bridge. The wood clattered and creaked as he went across.

“I hope this is safe…” Ezera muttered, taking a glimpse over the deck’s railing.

Kubfu jogged onto the bridge, grinning all the while. “Sure is! Come on.”

Ezera cleared his throat. “Ladies first,” he said, moving aside.

Litleo rolled her eyes and proceeded. The bridge may have wobbled, but at least it was sturdier than she gave it credit for. Reaching the treehouse, she had a brief second to glance at the other bridge it connected to, before a scraping noise from within claimed her attention.

Zande was pushing an oval-shaped table to the center, while Kubfu waited near the worn wall with four stools. A couple shelves holding books, seeds, and other handheld items sat tucked in the corner ahead of Litleo. In the opposite corner was a hefty pile of straw. A green blanket laid neatly folded by it.

Kubfu moved the three stools into place when Zande finished relocating the table. She then dropped onto the straw, splaying out.

“Please, sit,” Zande said. He brought the fourth stool over and seated himself.

Rebound took their seats quickly, though with a little help from Dewott since they were fitted for taller ‘mon.

Ezera ran his finger on the table, examining all the dust he picked up. “I guess you don’t come here often, huh?”

Zande’s eyes roamed over the walls. “Aye. It’s a compromise we have to make.”

“Super nice to come back to though! Helps us store things we pick up on our travels,” Kubfu said from her laid down position.

“What exactly do you do when traveling?” Dewott signed, running two digits across his paw.

Litleo watched for any signs of fidgeting on Zande’s part. The three of them had agreed to try and press Zande or Kubfu when they could, just to be certain they were who they said they were.

Zande folded his hands on the table. “In short, we investigate phenomena and make sure nothing upsets the balance of nature.”

“That’s fancy talk for saying we beat up bad guys!” Kubfu chimed, chopping the air. “There’s also-“

“Let’s not flood them with the details,” Zande interrupted, glancing at her through his peripherals.

“I just wanted to make a joke-“

“Not the time or place, lass.”

Kubfu flopped down again. “Zande’s straighter than the town council. I’ve never heard him laugh in my life.”

“Never laugh? Everyone has to laugh,” Ezera said, chuckling.

“Not this dude.”

“…I do it for your well-being,” Zande said.

“You don’t laugh for my well-being?”

“No, the…” Zande sighed, closing his eyes. “I digress. You want to know more about our encounter, Litleo?”

‘Deflecting the conversation back to us… Whatever.‘ Litleo slowly nodded.

Zande took his hands off the table, bringing them to his lap. “Several months back, the jungle signaled to me something was amiss. I couldn’t figure out why, even after scouring the forest, so I headed into the vale. It was then that I stumbled upon you, unconscious and wounded.”

Litleo’s tail curled itself tight. Her claws unsheathed, digging slightly into the wood. ‘Not a good start already.‘ “Was… was anymon else there?”

“No. Should there have been?”

She sighed, but out of relief or disappointment, she couldn’t decide. “Nevermind. Go on.”

Zande’s gaze lingered on her for a moment before he relented. “I brought you here for some emergency aid, but I’m no medic. I had to return you to your organization.”

“Is that why I came back and you were gone? You never told me about this! I could’ve went with you,” Kubfu interrupted, sitting up.

“There wasn’t any need. Having you would slow me,” Zande said, half turning to her. He turned around again to Litleo. “You were asleep and delirious for most of the trip. In the small moments of lucidity you did have, it was mostly jibber jabber.”

“Yeah I don’t… remember any of that,” Litleo said. She bit her lip, wondering if anything left her mouth that’d embarrass her.

“You made some small mentions of not being able to leave, now that I think about it. Does that mean anything to you?”

“…Can’t say it does. Is there anything else?”

“No. I left you at the guild’s entrance, and that was that.” Zande held eye contact with Litleo. “Lass, what is it you hope to find in the vale?”

“Something that’ll jog my memory,” Litleo replied, keeping a straight face. “I’m looking for somemon. If I can see something familiar it might help me find them.”

“My offer to guide is still up. I could take you to where I first saw you.”

Litleo checked in with Ezera and Dewott via head nods. “Works for us.”

“Good. Truthfully, I think following you may be helpful for us too. The jungle is still feeling restless,” Zande went on, leg bouncing up and down in thought. “Something’s wrong on this continent. Something deep. “

“You’ve heard of the dynamax incidents, I assume?” Litleo said.

Zande’s face had ‘elaborate’ written all over it.

“Well, a few pokémon were forced to dynamax and uh… sadly passed away,” Ezera started. “These guys, Sling and Orbeetle-“

“Sling is a purple slowking,” Dewott added.

“Mhm. He and Orbeetle are behind it. Dunno why they’re trying to make pokémon dynamax, but it’s brought others a lot of grief. Like the first pokémon they chose? They were just a kid.” Ezera’s expression hardened thinking about it. “And his friend had to watch him fade into nothing.” He explained their first run-ins with Sling and Orbeetle, as well as their experience with the other victims. He did leave out their dynamax attempt on Litleo, however.

“These dudes are seriously messed up,” Kubfu remarked when he finished. “I wanna punch them so bad.”

Zande scratched his chin, frowning deeply. “It’s awful, but I think a symptom of the main issue.”

“An issue that you think you’ll find out by going with us?” Litleo clarified.

“You understand, lass,” Zande affirmed. “We can head on down first thing tomorrow morning. It’s a bit of a hike so rest your noggins. Kubfu, would you mind if them lads stayed in your place tonight?”

“Aw heck yeah I wouldn’t mind!” Kubfu replied, jumping up. “Wait, let me make sure it’s tidy first!” She raced out the doorway in a flash, making loud thuds on the planks.

“Tread lightly!” Zande called. He ambled toward the shelf and picked up some seeds, popping them in his mouth.

Litleo had a good amount to unpack. If Zande hadn’t found her that day, would she be alive right now? ‘Rockruff also wasn’t with me… What does that mean?‘ she thought.

‘You know what it could mean,‘ an inner voice told her.

“Hey, um, thank you for saving me back then,” Litleo said to Zande, if only to avoid engaging in any more of her thoughts.

“It was nothing, lass. You saved our fur in the dungeon, we’re even now,” Zande acknowledged.

“From what I saw, you had it under control,” Dewott signed, pointing to his eyes before making fists with both paws.

“Didn’t matter if we did. The main point is you resolved the dungeon itself, and that takes a load off my mind.” Zande sat on his bed with his back to the wall, closing his eyes. “Kubfu should be ready for you.”

Taking that as their cue, the three of them left as quietly as they could. Kubfu’s house was located on the tree they’d originally climbed up, meaning they took the second bridge leading to it.

The door was already ajar, leaving Rebound to walk in as Kubfu pushed open a window on the side wall. Her place was set up similarly to Zande’s, though one difference laid in the few posters pinned around the area.

“Oh, just in time! I managed to split the straw into three,” Kubfu began, motioning to the corner the beds were in, “but there’s four of us. Hm… I’ll run to Zande and ask if I can take some of his. Be right back!” She sprinted out without another thought.

“She’s almost Piksqueak levels of hyper,” Dewott signed.

“Imagine if they meet tomorrow. That’ll be an energy overload.” Ezera lightly laughed to himself. “About tomorrow actually… Is Sirfetch’d gonna meet us down there? It sounds like we’re doing our own thing with Zande.”

“I don’t see why not. It’s no different than meeting above the vale,” Litleo said.

Ezera crossed his arms, inching toward her. Litleo shied away as he watched her face intently.

“Um, are you invading my space or something?”

“Just trying to see what you’re feeling. You look, I don’t know, neutral.”

“That’s exactly where I want to be. It could go either way tomorrow.” Litleo didn’t want to add she just got real good at keeping it there.

Ezera raised his brow at her. “I don’t know how you’re not nervous. I’d be.”

“You’re always nervous.”

“Thanks, I put a lot of effort into it.” Ezera winked at her.

Litleo withheld a snort. ‘If I had to pin a feeling right now, it’d be anticipation more than anything.‘

“Just know we’re with you, no matter what we discover tomorrow,” Dewott signed.

Litleo’s stomach twisted at that. That had to be a lie, wasn’t it? “I know we’ve already gone over this, but… even if it turns out I did, you know… kill him?” she barely whispered.

“Then I’m sure there must’ve been a good reason behind it,” Ezera replied with no hesitation.

Another stomach twist. What if there wasn’t a “good” reason? What could even be justified as “good?”

Despite her doubts, Litleo kept her stoic face on. “Thanks, you two.”

Kubfu’s steps filled the air, and a moment later she reappeared with a pile of straw in her arms. “S’cuse me!” She brushed past Dewott, setting it down next to the other beds. “Why’s everymon piled in the entry? Is there a haunter hiding somewhere?” Kubfu asked, skimming the floor.

“Oh, uh, no. We were just talking,” Ezera replied. “Have you finished tidying?”

“Yeah! You’re free to sit wherever. And touch anything laying around,” Kubfu said, flattening out the straw. “Just not the posters.”

“Gotcha.”

Litleo and Dewott went to sit on the straw, seeing as there was little of interest.

Ezera was with them until he paused to inspect a poster. “Aw.”

“What?” Litleo said.

“They’re so sad.”

Not wanting to get up again, Litleo outstretched her neck to view it. From what she could tell, it depicted a serperior wrapped around a snivy in a harsh snowstorm. “What else are they going to do, be happy they’re stuck in a blizzard?”

“Obviously not. But dang, I feel bad for them.”

“They made it out alright if you’re worried about that,” Kubfu interjected, going toward her desk. “Zande and I made sure.”

Ezera tilted his head, frowning. “These aren’t just fake paintings?” He asked, facing Kubfu.

“Nah! They’re pokémon I’ve run into and drawn,” Kubfu elaborated. She pulled out a paper and some colored charcoal.

“You’re really good at this stuff,” Ezera said, viewing another poster.

“Ay, thank you! I’m no smeargle, but it’s fun to make art when I’m not chopping pokémon down left and right.” She held one finger up. “That makes me sound like a fight maniac. Promise you I’m not.”

‘Are you sure about that?‘ Litleo thought, laying her head on her paws.

“Also, if you want me out of here, I’d get it. You probably have secret guild stuff to talk about-“

“We couldn’t kick you out of your own room,” Dewott signed, flicking his paw up as he shook his head. “You’re good.“

“Wicked then,” Kubfu said, grinning. She started sketching something down.

The group fell silent. The sun hadn’t dipped yet, but Litleo already felt her eyelids drooping. She shook her head, remembering one thing she had to do before going to sleep. “Ezera, can you give me the bag?”

“Sure, here.” He placed it in front of her before settling into the empty bed between her and Dewott.

On instinct she opened the flap, checking that the scarves were safely tucked inside. The yellow glimmers told her they were. She shut the bag and laid her head on it. If Zande or Kubfu tried to take it, she’d know.

She knew it wasn’t nice, possibly even irrational, to assume they’d resort to thievery, given their recent honest intentions. But to be so close to gleaning the truth? To finally put the months of torment to rest? She couldn’t lose them.

Those scarves would either be presents for the living, or belongings of the departed.

…How much Litleo yearned for it to be the former.

---

The following morning, Team Rebound was up early to get a head start on the hike into the vale. Although it wasn’t like the nerves were helping them sleep in anyway. Zande lowered Litleo and Ezera to the jungle floor with his vines.

“Be a minute! We’re double checking Kubfu’s pack!” he shouted from the deck.

“No problem!” Ezera responded, glancing up. He placed his hands on his hips, observing his teammates. “We don’t have anything else we need to check, right?”

“We’ve already told the Guildmaster about going down, I think we’re good,” Dewott signed.

Litleo didn’t answer, fidgeting with the satchel’s strap to get it comfortable on her neck.

“You okay there?” Ezera said.

“Nothing feels right…” She insisted on holding it for today, which Ezera gladly relinquished to her. Only now she was remembering how much of a pain it was for ‘mon like her. “Ugh, forget it. I’ll get used to it.”

Kubfu dropped down from the rungs. “You guys got ready fast. Is that normal for all guild members?” She swiftly tied the ribbons behind her head into their usual knotted appearance.

“Heh, basically. We’ve got a Water Gun alarm if you aren’t ready quick enough,” Ezera said.

“None of us have needed it, except for one,” Dewott signed, subtly pointing a digit at Litleo.

“It was just that one time,” Litleo grumbled.

Zande landed next to them a couple moments later. “Prosperity Vale is about twenty minutes from us. That’s when Kubfu and I swing by vine, however,” he stated, re-curling the vines on his arms.

“Lucky for us we don’t really care how long it takes. As long as we get there,” Litleo said, itching to get a move on.

“We won’t dally any longer. This way.” He jumped onto a tree, then leapt to several more until he checked behind him.

Kubfu and Rebound started after him in a mix of jogging and walking. Amidst their concentrated and steady pace, Ezera suddenly began thinking out loud.

“Hmm… I wonder if Roca made it here,” he said.

Litleo raised an eyebrow. “Where’s this coming from?”

“Before we rescued you she told me she’d come here herself.”

“That sounds like something she’d do.”

“Do you think she’s already in the vale?”

“If that’s the case, wouldn’t that mean she had to fight through the mystery dungeon?” Litleo surmised. “I doubt she entered it, unless she was that insane or stupidly brave.”

“Huh. She might’ve went around,” Ezera admitted, tilting his head. “I guess we’ll see.”

Litleo let her mind wander as they trekked onward. She always thought it’d be just her locating Rockruff. She’d be searching through a place like this, and in a stroke of luck, there he would be, injured but safe. She’d rush to him and apologize, with no one else around to hear or see their tearful reunion.

Instead, almost everymon was searching for him. Her, his sister, and a good portion of the guild were dedicating time for it. There’d be no quiet one on one for her.

‘And rather than saying thank you, he’d say sorry for causing such a debacle in the first place. I can picture it already,‘ Litleo thought, shaking her head.

Eventually the density of the jungle began to thin out, allowing the group to glimpse the blue and orange horizon.

“There it is, lads,” Zande introduced, letting Rebound go ahead.

Clearing the last of the trees, they arrived at a cliff, but more importantly, Prosperity Vale.

Litleo temporarily forgot about her objective as she viewed it. Calling it a ravine was more accurate, since the parted stone ran deep and as far as her eye could see. The sun was barely climbing to its peak, casting weak shafts of light into the shadowed pit. Long vines draped over the edges of stone near the top.

Prosperity Vale sure was aptly named.

“Holy crap,” Ezera marveled, eyes going wide. “This could be a second Grand Canyon…”

“A second what?” Litleo asked.

“Some uh, H-landmark. It’s this huge… errr, grand canyon.”

“You just said that.”

“I know. I’m saying it’s literally named ‘The Grand Canyon,'” Ezera said, putting air quotes around it.

Litleo blinked twice as she processed that. “…At least it gets the point across.”

Dewott carefully stepped forward. “Do you see that?” He signaled to something inside the vale.

Litleo and Ezera squinted. It was tough to make out, but the unnatural shape of the rocks meant only one thing.

“Are those buildings?“

“That they are, lad. Used to house the clan of Calyrex,” Zande replied, joining Rebound at the cliff.

“Woah. Are we going there?” Ezera asked, looking at Zande.

“Aye.”

“That seems pretty far…”

Litleo jabbed Ezera’s arm. “Are you complaining?”

“Ow, hey, I’m not. But you wanna look at that and tell me it’s not a hike?” Ezera continued, rubbing where she hit him. “I’m just hoping it’s not dark when we get there.”

“There’ll be plenty of light for you to do what you need, that I’m sure of,” Zande reassured.

“The real killer is going down,” Kubfu added. She put her hands above her eyes, shading them. “Takes a while to reach the bottom and the path is hecka narrow.”

“How narrow are we talking?” Dewott signed, holding his paws close to each other like he was measuring something.

“About as wide as Zande.”

“We’ll proceed in a single file for that reason,” Zande explained. “I’ll be last, and if you slip, I have my vines to catch you. Ready to go?”

Litleo fought the frown forming in her expression. ‘Now we get to leave Zande potentially in charge of our lives. Great.‘ “Yeah. We’ve seen enough.”

“Whoever wants to lead, the path is off to the right.”

Litleo instantly set off towards the pathway. She frowned at how little extra room she had for her paws, but proceeded. Hopefully it widened up further along.

---

The path did not get wider. Rather, it began zigzagging and creating switchbacks across the side of the ravine. Not that it made it a pain to navigate, but it did add to the time.

For a mercy, however, the descent was uneventful, which Litleo expected to flip on its head any second. The ground didn’t cave in, none of them tripped, and they didn’t encounter any crazy wildmon. It was a peaceful hike in a peaceful vale.

She could only wonder what that would mean for them later down the road.

In spite of that, the fact remained that a few hours later, through multiple rest stops and the same stony view, the group of five reached the bottom of Prosperity Vale.

“Dang, that was definitely a walk,” Ezera said, wiping some sweat off his head.

Dewott leaned against a wall. “I’m not sure I can go back up in the same day.“

“Me neither…”

‘I didn’t expect the hike to be so tiring too,‘ Litleo thought, sitting. More than likely they’d have to camp for the night here. That itself wouldn’t be so bad with the guild and potentially… Rockruff.

“I told you it was killer!” Kubfu remarked, somehow maintaining the same bouncy energy from earlier. “At least it’s flat from here on out.”

Zande held an Apple in his hand. “And not far until we reach the village.” He chomped the entire fruit in two bites.

Hearing that gave Litleo’s legs the energy it needed to move again. “No time to keep resting if that’s the case.” With a grunt, she went ahead, not giving the others much chance to argue.

‘I’m not recognizing any of this place, or feeling that ringing.‘ Litleo’s chest tightened slightly. ‘Maybe I have to be closer like last time…‘

Soon enough the buildings Dewott spotted were coming up in their view. A solemnness rested over the structures, devoid of the vibrant colors and life Litleo was accustomed to from Kaiyo or Bubula Town. Just as they were about to pass the village fence, Rebound’s Linkbead pinged.

Pling! Pling!

“You answer it,” Litleo stated, pawing the Linkbead out for Ezera.

“Hello?” Ezera said, taking it.

“Espurr! Myself and Team Chase have made it to the vale’s entrance! Where are you currently?” Sirfetch’d responded.

“We’re at the bottom already. About to reach the village in it.”

“Hrmm, we’ll meet you there then. Piksqueak is running late apparently.“

“No problem. We’ll let you know if we find anything.”

“Yamper darling, hold me, I’m feeling a little faint-” Purrloin suddenly cut in.

“I told you not to look at the edge!” Yamper exclaimed.

A few shuffles were heard before the Linkbead suddenly dimmed. The five pokémon stared at it in momentary silence.

“I’m gonna assume she’s okay,” Ezera said, putting the Linkbead back in the bag.

“Uh huh…” Litleo turned her eyes upward, getting a good look at the stone sign dangling above.

“Chron… Chronical?” Ezera read. “Of the Vale. What’s that mean?”

“Chroniclers of the Vale,” Zande corrected. “Calyrex was a prestigious clan, and had many titles. This was the most popular one they went by.”

“How do you know that?” Dewott signed, suspicion entering his expression.

“I’ve been around.”

‘Definitely knows more than he lets on.‘ Litleo filed it away for another time. He was helping them, or so it seemed, better not stir anything up. “Zande, where exactly did you find me?”

“It’s deeper in,” Zande said, sauntering past her.

“Don’t lag too far behind,” Litleo whispered to Ezera, knowing he wanted to stop and venture inside each building.

“Can’t make any promises,” Ezera replied.

The architecture certainly checked off the unique box. The majority followed simple shapes, ranging from cubes, a few triangles, to even stacked spheres. They kept a consistent gray color and forgoed any flair— they merely functioned as what they needed to be, whatever that was.

“These buildings are in decent shape for being old. Does someone repair these occasionally?” Ezera inquired. “Or live here?”

“It doesn’t look like anymon stays here,” Dewott signed.

Zande nodded, still looking ahead. “Aye lad, they’ve long been abandoned.”

“It makes sense. There’s no resources. No water, food, then the hike.“

Ezera held a hand out, putting the other on his hip. “But I mean, look at Rugged Crags. They only have rocks and they make do.”

“Nah, it’s not even about the resources. If you live in an old legendary’s house, you’re asking to have bad luck follow you,” Kubfu said, nodding to herself.

“Really?”

“Yeah dude! I heard one story that a few ‘mon moved in to Raikou’s old home, and for the next few months they kept getting fired from their jobs no matter what they did.”

“I feel like that says more about them than bad luck,” Litleo commented.

“Would Calyrex do something like that anyway? They’re supposed to be nice, aren’t they?” Ezera went on.

“Whatever it is they’d actually do, be mindful we’re walking in their territory now. They might hear you,” Zande cautioned, holding a finger to his mouth.

That made Ezera and Kubfu gulp.

“Oh, I’m definitely hearing you,” a familiar voice said.

Ezera and Kubfu yelped, startling Litleo in turn. “Could you guys not?” she griped.

Roca appeared in the entryway to one of the houses. “You made it after all,” she said, a hint of disappointment in her tone.

“Great to see you too,” Litleo replied, facing her.

Zande readied his hands for combat. “Who’s this lass?”

“An acquaintance of ours. She’s not a threat,” Litleo assured, tail flicking.

“Excuse me?” Roca remarked.

“It’s not an insult, geez. Not everything is directed at you.” Litleo briefly glanced over Roca. No visible injuries as far as she could tell. “How did you get past the dungeon?”

“Are you talking about that massive vine trap? I just went around. Didn’t bother me.”

‘That answers that question about how big the dungeon really was. Not big enough if Roca could beat us here.‘ Litleo shook her head. “Any luck on your end?”

Roca looked sideways. “…Not really, no. There’s no way you’ll have any either.”

“Why’s that?”

“This whole village is nothing but empty stone. I shouldn’t have bothered coming. All of you are lying to yourselves…” Roca answered.

“I kinda did tell you Litleo would be the only one to gain something from here,” Ezera muttered, shrugging.

Roca turned her snout away. “Feel free to prove me wrong.” She jerked her head at Zande and Kubfu. “New towner friends of yours?”

“We’re residents of the vale,” Zande said, unsure if he should put down his hands. A slap from Kubfu made him eventually do so.

“You can continue. She’ll come with us if she wants to,” Litleo ordered. Truth be told, she rather Roca did.

“Hmph… I’m already here,” Roca said.

Zande led them through a few turns into different streets before halting at one that ended with the ravine’s wall. He then motioned them to wait as he kept his eyes trained to the ground. Taking two steps to the left, he planted his feet and looked at Litleo.

“This is where you were, lass,” Zande announced.

Litleo glanced left and right. In this dead part of the village? She expected something more grand. The buildings here were the same as the others. ‘This… isn’t helpful at all.‘ “There’s nothing here. Are you sure? One hundred percent?”

“Would it help if I told you one hundred and one?” Zande replied.

“It doesn’t make sense. How could I be hurt with nothing around?”

“What did I say?” Roca blurted out, scoffing.

Litleo blew out a puff of fire. ‘I know for a fact Rockruff and I had company! So that means…“

“Is it possible you moved here from elsewhere? Either by yourself or by some other ‘mon?” Dewott signed.

“That sounds likely. But from where?” Litleo wondered.

Nobody had an answer immediately. Would they need to scour every single building for a hidden trap door or something?

“Oh, how about a cave?” Ezera said, perking up. He walked toward the ravine’s wall, gesturing around it. “Rugged Crags drills holes into the side of the cliff. Is there any stuff like that here?”

Zande rubbed his chin. “Not that I’m aware of. We don’t have many ground or rock-types.”

“Underground then?”

“That search area is too extensive.”

“Well, crap.” Ezera studied the face of the wall for a moment. “Maybe…” He began feeling the rock face, running his hand along the cracks and edges.

“What are you looking for?” Litleo called.

“A secret lever maybe. Or a hidden button. I’ve played a good amount of games that did camouflage like this.”

Litleo sighed, doubting he’d find anything. She racked her brain for the next plan of action. Unfortunately, she was coming up empty. ‘This can’t be it, damn it!‘

“Uh, guys?” Ezera called.

The five pokémon gazed his direction, but quickly noticed he wasn’t there.

“Ay hold up, did you use an Invisify Orb?” Kubfu asked.

Ezera emerged from the wall of the ravine, eyes wide like he surprised himself. “Knew those years of video games weren’t wasted.”

Litleo’s tail stiffened. “Is that the cave?”

“Yup, fake wall. Gonna need a Luminous Orb.”

Litleo’s paws trembled as she fumbled to bring one out. Dewott came over, shooting her a look saying he got it, and held it up. They advanced inside the fake wall with Zande, Kubfu, and Roca at their backs.

Litleo suppressed a shiver when the orb’s light hit their surroundings. It didn’t make sense, but somehow the cave was… more lifeless than any other she’d been in.

“What the heck happened here?” Ezera murmured.

Somemon, or multiple ‘mon, had been using it as a hideout. Despite its shallowness, jagged claw marks scratched the walls and floor. Broken barrels laid strewn in several spots, empty of their contents. The oddest thing to Litleo was the tinge of something burnt in the air, which might’ve had to do with certain parts of the rock having darker streaks than normal.

Her head tightened as she surveyed the scene. ‘I… I was here.‘ The ringing came next, causing her to clutch her head. ‘It’s happening again!‘

“Litleo! Is it a memory?” Ezera exclaimed.

Litleo gritted her teeth and nodded. ‘Please, tell me what happened that day!‘

---

“Can you feel any openings? This thing can’t be invincible!”

Litleo and Rockruff were back to back in the same cave, trapped in a cage made out of psychic energy. Two torches were dimly lit on both sides of it.

“Trying, but it’s pretty damn tough!” Litleo gnawed on the bar for a few seconds before giving up. “Ugh!” She smacked the bar with her forepaw. “Shit, what are we going to do?! Nobody will ever find us down here-“

“Hey, don’t say that,” Rockruff soothed, reaching out. “We’ll be okay-“

“You can’t actually believe that,” Litleo refuted, gently putting his paw down. “This isn’t the time for your pure optimism. We need something more solid.”

“Is it optimism when it turns out to be true?”

Litleo forcefully exhaled. “You’re reallllly testing me right now.”

“I do that all the time already, what’s new?” he said, faintly smirking.

“I swear to- Be serious!”

A light patter of footsteps echoing throughout the cave silenced their chatter. Before long, a short and bipedal pokémon entered, the green bulb on their head drawing most of Litleo and Rockruff’s gaze.

“He was right. Your aether IS different,” the pokémon commented instantly. “And just how did you get to be here?”

“What the hell do you want with us?” Litleo snarled.

“Tch, is it normal for your kind to be so rude when greeting?”

“Gee, maybe I’d be nicer if you didn’t imprison us.”

“I think you’d agree it was necessary.”

“Wait a minute,” Rockruff interrupted, ears falling flat, “aren’t you… Calyrex?”

“The guild keeps up with its history,” Calyrex confirmed, approaching the cage.

“You’re supposed to be extinct.”

“Many things are supposed to happen, but you’ll find they don’t always come true.”

Rockruff frowned, sticking his snout through the bars. “How could you trap us? My pop told so many stories about your benevolence.”

Calyrex’s face went distant for a moment. “Don’t speak about what you don’t know. I still labor for everymon, only in the bigger picture.”

“Then tell us.”

“Nice try, young ‘mon, but I am here for your… ‘friend,'” Calyrex said, having to force out the word. “She has information I can use.”

“Like I’m telling you anything,” Litleo argued, scowling.

“I’ll give you until nightfall to reconsider. Otherwise, I’ll resort to other methods.”

“You know what she wants?” Rockruff whispered.

“He doesn’t know?” Calyrex turned her back on them. “Maybe you can educate him on who you TRULY are, Litleo,” she said, reaching the outside and disappearing.

Rockruff’s innocent eyes met Litleo’s. This wasn’t how she wanted to tell him. Then again, this wasn’t how anything was supposed to go from the start.

“Rockruff, I-“

“This is what you were hiding, wasn’t it?”

Litleo bit her lip, flinching. “I’m… I’m human,” she uttered, hanging her head.

A whine escaped from Rockruff, staring at her with a hurt she never wanted to see.

The scene melted away. When next it reformed, the area was the same, but this time, Litleo was held in the air by Calyrex.

“You will tell me where your world is,” Calyrex boomed. “I’d rather not force it from you.”

“Like hell you will,” Litleo retorted, writhing in place.

“Cooperate or I will hurt your friend.”

“Can’t you see threats won’t work on her?” a large figure said in the dark part of the cave. “Her soul is too stubborn for that. No, she needs… daaaanger.”

“Silence, you!” Calyrex ordered, glaring at them.

Litleo fired off an Ember, which Calyrex effortlessly avoided. “You leave Rockruff the hell alone! He has nothing to do with me!”

“But he does. He’s your partner, is he not?” Calyrex pressed.

Litleo’s expression fell. “Not anymore, thanks to you.”

“…Hmph. He’ll be better off that way. Perhaps I’ll let him go when I’m done with you, or should he want to join me, that would suffice too.” Calyrex’s eyes glowed blue. “Since you won’t let me in, you leave me no choice. You brought this pain on yourself.”

---

Litleo drew in a huge breath. A dull thud echoed in her ears, her heart racing from the new info. She focused on the ground, feeling the stone underneath her paws as proof she wasn’t living the flashback. She glimpsed the anxious faces nearby and tried to recollect herself.

‘Calyrex trapped us. She’s behind it. She’s the one who messed with my head! And Rockruff, we-‘ A grim realization set in.

She wasn’t any closer to figuring out the truth about him.

“Damn it! DAMN IT!” Needing to release the heat in her mane, Litleo churned out a Flamethrower to the ceiling.

“Are- are you okay? What did you see?” Ezera asked.

“Not enough to know where Rockruff is! It always stops! I need more.” Her eyes darted side to side. “These memories will never be enough. I need to find who did this to me.”

“Who is?”

Litleo couldn’t keep her breaths from becoming increasingly rapid. “It’s Calyrex.”

Zande took a step, leaning forward. “Impossible. They no longer exist.”

“I know what I saw,” Litleo asserted, gritting her teeth.

“No. No way! You’re totally lying! Calyrex is a legendary. What would they ever want to do with you and my brother?” Roca yelled.

“Why would I lie about that?!”

“Because you’re too ashamed to say you’re an awful pokémon!”

“Look, dumbass, Calyrex is alive and did who knows what to me! They know about Rockruff!”

“Okay maybe we should breathe for a-” Ezera started.

“No, we don’t!” Litleo snapped, eyes somewhat crazed. “If I breathe I want that breath to tell me where in this damn world he is!”

This memory was her final shot at learning his fate. Now that it was gone, there wasn’t anything else to probe, nor explore. Rockruff was going to be forever lost, and her… a murderer.

‘There’s nothing else.‘ The despair began creeping in her, erasing her heated outburst. Litleo’s head angled downwards.

“I’m never going to know, am I?” she whimpered.

Roca had no sharp jab this time, absorbing the tense silence with everyone else. Ezera tentatively touched Litleo’s shoulder. She hardly felt it.

“If… If Calyrex is alive, there’s very little chance we’ll find her,” Zande began, beginning to pace. “She’ll have been avoiding detection for centuries, perhaps millenia. That leaves one other thing. Recall the sign at the entrance— the Chroniclers of Time?”

“Uh, yeah. Calyrex could see the past and future, right?” Ezera responded.

“Aye. You’ve done research on them?”

“We have Reuniclus to thank for that.” Ezera waved it off. “Anyway, what’s that have to do with anything?”

“How do you think they saw the past and future?” Zande asked, fully regarding Ezera.

“By their… mind? I don’t think Reuniclus ever specified but I’m pretty sure that’s what she implied…”

“That’s where you’d be wrong, lad. Calyrex had that ability thanks to two items they created,” Zande described, holding out both hands. “Omnipast and Omnifuture. For them, using those items to chronicle what they saw helped to create the perfect path for pokémon. We could try and find the item relating to the past.”

“It’d still work?” Litleo softly said. ‘Do I bother getting my hopes up?‘

“You can pray that it does.”

“Okay wait, how do you know all this stuff?” Ezera questioned, frowning. “Lore behind the title I can understand, but now you’re telling me an item that can see different points in time exists. Even I’m starting to disbelieve you.”

“My ancestors’ ancestors passed this knowledge down. I wouldn’t bring it up if it wasn’t worth checking out, I think,” Zande explained, running his hand behind his head. “More importantly, I must know if Calyrex was involved.”

Ignoring Zande’s fixation on Calyrex, it was more checking out— All they did was check out, and each instance left Litleo more hopeless and hurt. Yet… why else did she come all this way? To stop and accept she killed her partner? Litleo shut her eyes, exhaling. “I’m so tired of being disappointed.”

“Litleo…” Ezera said.

“But what’s being disappointed one last time?” She opened her eyes. “Where can we find it?”

---

The group of six traveled to the middle of the village under Zande’s directions. There they came upon a flight of stairs building into the side of the ravine, where a massive set of double doors awaited at the top.

‘Here we are…‘ Litleo thought, watching Roca, Zande, and Kubfu climb. It was hard to say she had any nerves now. Mostly it was numbness that pervaded every sense of her mind.

“Need any help?” Ezera asked, interrupting her gloom.

“No, I’m fine,” she replied, continuing to stare.

“We could just run, you know, depending on what we do or don’t find.”

Litleo lightly scoffed. She never ran, but just for the heck of it, she entertained him. More than likely after today, she’d have less chances to talk to him. “To where?”

“Another continent, wherever you think is good. Who’s going to stop us?”

“We’d be international criminals for sure,” Dewott signed. He bumped his paws together, putting one digit up, then pretended to scribble on his arm. “Easy thing to add to our resume.“

“Let’s go to the Sand Continent then. We can hide in all the dunes.” Litleo didn’t have it in her to laugh, and neither did they. “No… I can’t do that to you guys. That’s not a life.” She went up a few steps before she spoke again. “I’ve already screwed up one, I don’t want to screw up yours too.”

Ezera inhaled. “You haven’t-“

“Don’t argue with me on this, Ezera. Let’s just… see what’s ahead.”

Ezera clearly didn’t like that, but respected her wish nonetheless. When they reached the peak of the stairs, Zande pushed open one door, revealing a grand chamber. A long blue carpet ran down the middle, lines by rows of inverted triangle braziers.

Kubfu walked in first. The braziers flared to life one by one in a succession of hums. Green and blueish fire colored the chamber moments later. Now properly illuminated, the group spotted how the stone floor and walls had all been smoothed out, which would’ve shined were it not for the dust everywhere. At the end of the carpet laid a wooden altar. Three prongs sprouted off the top of it.

Kubfu whistled. “Lots of space for a whole lot of emptiness.”

Litleo had to agree. Aside from the altar, there weren’t any other significant structures or doors that led elsewhere. ‘Unless there’s another hidden wall…‘

“It’s so easy to get in,” Roca added, crinkling her nose. “Who doesn’t put a lock in the place they hide important stuff?” She took a couple more steps before a screeching cry rang out, sounding akin to a noivern who had been abruptly woken up.

The fire on the braziers turned bright red, and the group whirled about to locate the source. Except, projecting up from the altar’s prongs was a hologram, with the words:

Unauthorized aetheric signatures detected. Safety measures deploying. Ten.

“You just jinxed us dude!” Kubfu exclaimed.

Nine.

“Shit, how was I supposed to know?!” Roca retorted.

Eight.

“Uuuh, what’s included in safety measures, Zande?” Ezera asked, backing away.

Seven.

“I wouldn’t know. My ancestors never mentioned this,” Zande answered with a grimace, loosening his vines.

Six.

Litleo simply sighed. “Freaking great.”

Five. Four.

“Maybe it’ll break and we won’t have to leave,” Ezera hoped.

Dewott brandished his watery blade. “Somehow I doubt it.“

The hologram glitched for a second, showing the words three then four, before ultimately disappearing.

The six pokémon listened to the crackle of the braziers for a couple seconds. Still they failed to see any “safety measures.”

Ezera’s brow went up. “Yay?”

Three beams of light shot out from the altar, striking the floor. The first beam manifested into a bipedal, olive green dragon, their long tail sweeping behind them. The second grew into a lioness that appeared like a bigger version of Litleo. And the third molded into a blue quadruped, with a horn and armor protecting their head.

To top it all off, the door to the chamber shut itself.

“…Well, that’s just lovely,” Ezera muttered, observing the translucent haxorus, pyroar, and samurott.

“Why did it have to copy us out of everymon?” Litleo grumbled. Despite the dread, a part of her twinged hopefully. An alarm system meant they were in the right place. The items could very well be here.

“Screw this, I’m going to know if my brother is alive or not! No ‘mon will take that from me!” Roca yelled, bounding towards Pyroar.

“Roca, no-! Idiot!” Litleo rapidly pulled out a Reviver Seed and handed it to Ezera and Dewott. “Put it somewhere.” She followed after Roca.

“Can’t leave her hanging. Me and you on Samurott?” Kubfu checked, looking at Dewott.

Dewott nodded.

“Okay, guess we’ll take out ourselves,” Ezera said, facepalming. He sized up the opposing haxorus, who was currently doing the same thing. “I wonder if they fight like us too…”

On the left side of the chamber, Pyroar attempted to combat Roca with a twisted pulse of darkness. It fizzled against Roca’s stone pillar, who then used it to spring forth. Pyroar reared up and easily batted Roca aside. The rockruff ate plenty of dust as she tumbled.

A wave of flames struck Pyroar the next second. Though instead of burning anything, all it seemed to do was reflect off them like they were glass. Litleo hardly noticed that fact as she rammed her Flame Charged body into Pyroar. She instantly bounced back, leaving Pyroar unscathed and her with a throbbing pain in her shoulder.

‘Agh, what the?‘ Litleo knew her limited choice of moves made this more difficult, but for it to be shrugged off entirely? Something wasn’t right.

Pyroar’s own mane lit up, returning the favor with a massive Overheat to Litleo’s face. Being on the receiving end for once meant she had no idea how to take it except pedal backwards. The sheer temperature took away all her breath, leaving her gasping to stay upright.

Multiple stones jutting out of the floor ended the onslaught, courtesy of Roca. Pyroar wordlessly yowled trying to escape the rocky prison.

“How’s that, huh?!” Roca barked.

A barrage of rocks dropped on Pyroar right after, burying them in rubble.

“I don’t know if we’re hurting them at all,” Litleo said, nibbling an Oran.

“We better be! It’s super effective-” Roca replied, but was interrupted when a white beam shattered the rubble from within.

Chunks of rock pelted Litleo and Roca as they stumbled away. Litleo shook her head, glaring at Pyroar’s unhurt figure and the white ball of energy in their mouth.

“Hyper Beam!” Litleo shouted. She had a temporary flashback to the one that hit her in Rugged Crags. Not this time.

Litleo dove for a nearby brazier as cover. Roca blurred out among the area in a dozen rockruff copies. It didn’t matter to Pyroar, promptly eliminating both defenses in one sweep.

BOOOM! The floor quaked from the impact, and Litleo flinched as her cover exploded. She quickly got up to see the historic room in shambles.

‘Good, didn’t lose to it this time!‘

Roca somehow managed to get behind Pyroar during the chaos. She lunged forth and viciously latched onto Pyroar’s tail.

“Litleo! Can you damage them at all?!” Ezera shouted a few feet down.

“No! They’re protected by something!” Litleo answered, glancing at him. She tossed him an Oran.

Ezera caught it and winced, tentatively touching the side of his left arm. Haxorus’ Dragon Pulse barely touched him and already it hurt like hell.

It was the same story for them anyway. So far Haxorus showed no signs of weakening despite his and Zande’s head on attacks.

“Break the source of the projections!” Zande suddenly commanded, eyeing the throne. His vines strained to hold Haxorus’ arms down. “It’s the only way we’ll win!”

Zande pulled on his vines, fighting against Haxorus’ pull, but the dragon-type won the strength contest. Haxorus yanked their direction, flinging Zande towards them. Their tusks lit up a deathly silver before striking him dead center across his chest.

Zande landed on the ground with a thump, knocked out cold.

Ezera gawked at the successful Guillotine. “Holy- Litleo, could I get another Reviver?!” His request went unheard unfortunately. Litleo was back to being occupied with Pyroar. “Craaaaaap…” He was already holding the seed Litleo gave him in his mouth. Could he reach Zande without getting hit?

Haxorus stomped after Ezera, readying a pulse of dragon energy. Ezera backed up into a brazier, and not having any other recourse, Protected himself. The attack bore into his skin like a subdued flame. Though the moment he put down his arms, Haxorus charged in swinging their claws.

“Whywhywhywhy-” Ezera played ring-around-the-brazier while Haxorus chased him. He hoped to get a chance to run— but his bigger self soon broke the rules of the game, employing their tail to smash the structure.

Ezera instinctually cowered. Before he knew it, Haxorus’ tail glowed purple and sent him careening across the chamber. His vision went dark immediately.

Dewott glimpsed Ezera go down out of the corner of his eye. He swallowed his concern, focusing on dodging Samurott’s watery tail. Even if he wanted to back up Ezera, switching targets would likely yield the same result: Them getting knocked out.

“We need to hit that altar!” Kubfu exclaimed, assuming a boxing stance while Samurott unsheathed both scalchops.

“I might be able to get to it,” Dewott signed, planning a path. “Can you distract Samurott for me?“

“I got you covered dude!” Kubfu sprinted headfirst into Samurott.

The bigger water-type slashed their scalchops horizontally as she came in. Kubfu vaulted over it, aiming her Iron Head at the vulnerable spot of Samurott’s neck. Samurott reeled from the impact, silently coughing. They seemed peeved more than hurt.

Dewott Aqua Jetted past the two, swerving around a draconic beam halfway to his destination. He somersaulted to a stop near the altar, prepared to fend off Haxorus, but found Ezera annoying them with multiple Dragon Rages.

Hopefully that was enough. Dewott turned and swung his Razor Shell at the throne’s prongs. CHK! His blade barely chipped the wood’s edge. Dewott did a double take— Destroying it would take a matter of years if he kept trying.

Any more chances to break the altar disappeared when the fur on his neck abruptly stood on end. He immediately sidestepped to the right. Samurott’s swords whizzed by his ear as he pivoted one eighty degrees.

“Sorry!” Kubfu groaned, on the ground and soaking wet. “They’re real tough…”

Samurott swung again. Their scalchops collided against Dewott’s singular one, splashing droplets of water everywhere. Dewott’s left paw braced his right arm, putting all his muscle to repel the strike. The weapon inched closer and closer to Dewott’s face. His whiskers vibrated from the energy.

Clenching his scalchop tighter, Dewott redirected the pressure to his left, successfully sliding out. The watery swords slammed down on the stone, creating two rather large indents.

That would’ve KO’d him for sure.

Dewott sped off in a torrent of water towards Ezera’s direction. He swooped in just in time, saving his friend from Haxorus’ claws. They dropped by Kubfu for a regroup.

“Thanks,” Ezera said, panting.

“Didn’t work?” Kubfu asked, eating a Sitrus.

Dewott shook his head. At this rate Samurott and Haxorus were going to overpower them soon. What did they do now?

On the other end, Litleo and Roca couldn’t catch a break. Each advance Litleo made to scorch the throne was blocked one way or another by the nigh invincible Pyroar.

“Why are they so strong?!” Roca exclaimed, throwing up another stone wall for her and Litleo. Pyroar’s third wave of Overheat struck it. The intense warmth crawled around the sides, and before long the wall crumbled. “Gah!”

It was a fruitless effort to dig through the satchel for items to turn the tide, but Litleo did it anyway. Her search revealed Rockruff’s scarves sparkling and dimming every few seconds. When did they start doing that? How didn’t she notice it sooner?

Litleo brought one out, confused. Pyroar, Haxorus, and Samurott all faced her immediately. Litleo froze.

The hologram displayed new words, turning the brazier flames to a light yellow: Authorized aetheric signature detected.

A green triangle and red circle appeared below the hologram.

Disable safety measures?

Litleo had no clue why the sudden change, but she certainly was going to make the most out of it. She took a tentative step to the altar.

The defense system’s pokémon remained staring at her.

Litleo hurriedly crossed them until the shapes were in front of her. ‘Which one is yes?‘ Generally green meant good, but at the same time, circles also denoted confirmation. ‘It’s red though…‘ She went with her gut and pressed the triangle.

The three enemies all turned their heads down, dissolving into particles of light. Behind her, the doors to the chamber automatically reopened as the braziers returned to green and blue. Silence imbued the area.

‘What… in the damn world?‘ Litleo thought.

Her teammates couldn’t believe it either. The battle was over just like that?

“Where- huh?” Ezera said, rubbing his eyes.

“Are you telling me… you could’ve done that from the beginning?” Roca questioned, slowly looking to Litleo to give a death glare.

“I-” Litleo tried to recall if the scarves glowed like that before. She was sure they didn’t. “They only started doing that now.”

Kubfu went to kneel by Zande. She squeezed some ginger colored root over his wounds. “Weird for some scarves to be recognized as authority, but I’ll take it. Those were some scary ‘mon.”

Litleo scrutinized the scarves closely. First acting as aether collectors, and now this? ‘What aetheric signature could it have?‘ She couldn’t come up with any names, save for one. ‘So, what? Calyrex is connected to the scarves too? How can that be when Rockruff got them?‘

“This ‘omni’ stuff better exist for all the damn trouble we just went through…” Roca complained.

Litleo directed her attention to the altar, where new words on the hologram were.

Awaiting input.

“How do we give it input?” Ezera said, standing near Litleo.

“I’d… I’d assume giving it a command probably.” Litleo steadied her voice. The prospect of this actually working left her short on air. “Where is Omnipast?”

The hologram turned gray.

“Er, that’s more a question and not a command,” Ezera commented.

Litleo gave him a fake smile. “Thanks for letting me know.”

The hologram lit up gray again.

“Ugh, stupid- Find Omnipast.”

A light rumble echoed under their feet. The altar slid aside as a platform arose from beneath it. In it sat a wooden basket, carrying two glass orbs: One forest green, chipped but whole, and the other a navy blue, having a decent chunk collapsed in on itself.

Litleo’s tail drooped. “Please don’t tell me they’re both broken.”

“Let me- ah, see,” Zande claimed, hobbling up. His eyes gleamed excitedly. He inspected the orb on the right, then the one on the left. He bent down to read the plaque woven into the basket. “This one here is Omnipast,” he said, holding a hand over the green orb. “And fortunately, seems to be usable.” Zande tapped it lightly.

“Is it supposed to do something?” Ezera guessed after nothing popped up.

“I don’t know. This is ancient.”

Dewott’s paw shot up to the ceiling. “Can you fit it in the prongs?”

Ezera gasped. “Oooooh yeah, good idea, Dewott!”

Zande carefully lifted Omnipast up and slotted it on the altar. The orb snugly fit in the prongs.

The hologram became tinted in red, and showed a picture of an opaque orb compared to a bright one.

“What now?” Roca whined.

“I should’ve guessed.” Zande stroked the fur on his chin. “It might require aether to run, which is in line with Calyrex’s abilities. The surroundings don’t provide enough.”

“How the heck are we going to give it aether? We aren’t them.”

“Aether? Wait, we have that.” Ezera pointed to the scarf in Litleo’s paw. “From the dungeon. Do you think we can transfer it?”

“Let’s try it.” Litleo retrieved the second scarf, then held both to the orb. A faint yellow tether appeared between them and Omnipast. Balls of aether began to flow out of the scarf. It was just like the vortex in the dungeons, except reverse.

Omnipast started to rotate at a leisurely pace. A green triangle briefly became visible, until another set of words took over.

Awaiting query.

‘Is this actually happening?‘ A flash of heat ran through her mane. Litleo had no idea how to word the question. What exactly did this item understand? She decided to be straightforward with it.

“Where is Ruffers, a rockruff from Rugged Crags?” Litleo had no time to react as a blast of invisible psychic energy attacked her. A wave of nausea washed over her head. “Ow- crap! Are you kidding me?”

Memory fragment detected. Analyzing.

While she kept her food down, the orb flashed the many colors of the rainbow for a couple minutes. A picture of a world traveling through the galaxy stayed present on the hologram the entire time.

Cross referencing memory with space time continuum.

Omnipast displayed a blown up projection of Litleo and Rockruff, mid-conversation somewhere in the plains. Litleo’s heart reached new levels of Agility, pounding so fast she thought she’d never be able to calm down after this.

‘It’s- it’s happening! It’s really happening!‘

State ‘Begin’ when ready.

Litleo steeled her nerves. At long last, Rockruff’s whereabouts would be set in stone.

She shared looks with Ezera, Dewott, and Roca. All contained an equal amount of apprehensiveness. They technically should wait for the other guild members to get here, but Litleo had to know. Needed to know. She deserved it, didn’t she?

“Begin.”