Chapter 36: Trudging in the Deep

“Rockruff, stay…! What are you thinking?” Litleo muttered under her breath, seeing projection Rockruff sneak back into the cave with Calyrex and Eternatus.

“Is he… actually going to fight them?” Ezera asked, fidgeting with his hands.

Litleo gritted her teeth as they got their answer. Rockruff utilized the barrels and crates to try and dent Calyrex’s barrier; it didn’t do much. He was going to be in for a tough time.

“I can’t leave you, Litleo!” Rockruff shouted, haunches raised.

‘You should’ve,’ Litleo thought, her legs quivering ever so slightly. ‘You swore to me, didn’t you? Or is it only fair you lie to me after I did it to you?‘

“I don’t care how he escaped. You cannot let him interrupt me. Stop him safely, you hear me?” Calyrex ordered.

“O-okay!” Eternatus answered.

Then the battle began. Rockruff opened with a volley of boulders, which Eternatus quickly did away with. The legendary retaliated by firing off a massive purple laser, sweeping the battlefield in an instant. Rockruff unfortunately got caught in it.

“That was way too many stairs to climb!” a squeaky voice suddenly said from behind them. Everyone except Litleo and Roca turned around.

“We finally found you!” Yamper said as he and the other guild members marched into the chamber. “‘Ello everymon.”

Ezera waved his hand to quiet them. “I was afraid you wouldn’t make it in time.”

Pichu’s jaw dropped as she scampered up. “Is that Ruffy? Who’s that he’s fighting?”

“I’ll explain when it’s done,” Ezera answered quickly. “It’s the past. Just… watch.”

Sirfetch’d scratched his chin with his leek. “Hrm, I’ll have to sit this one out.”

The rest of the pokémon silently gathered close. The showdown continued between Rockruff and Eternatus, where the former seemed to be at a major disadvantage. Each attack he made barely scratched the legendary, while every counterattack brought him one step closer to losing. It came to a head when Rockruff crouched low, a white glow surrounding his figure.

“That glow- he’s evolving?!” Roca remarked, ears and tail raised.

“That’s our Ruffy!” Pichu cheered.

Litleo didn’t pay them any mind. She unconsciously leaned in, her breathing becoming erratic. ‘I want to believe this changes the outcome- but if he evolved and won, I wouldn’t be here right now.‘

Rockruff gained a boost of energy and zipped around, causing Eternatus to panic. He struck the legendary’s core, causing a ghastly shriek to ring out of him. Eternatus seemingly went down, and now Rockruff directed his attacks to Calyrex. Litleo flinched for every hit Rockruff made on Calyrex’s barrier. Dink! Dink! Dink!

‘Could he have actually done it?‘ she wondered for a split second.

“No more!” Eternatus shouted, blasting off the rocks piled atop him.

Litleo’s mane lost its warmth as she uttered, “Oh no.”

The evolution glow surrounding Rockruff dissipated. He tried to get away, but couldn’t. Eternatus quickly whaled on her defenseless partner, striking and slamming him in ways she couldn’t even begin to imagine the pain. His whimpers tore at her heart.

Litleo wanted to look away. In the corner of her eyes, she saw Ezera angle his head down. Yet she stayed glued to that damn projection, morbid curiosity compelling her to see this heartbreaking event to the very end.

“Restrain yourself, Eternatus!” Calyrex ordered.

“Noooo, he needs to be eliminated,” Eternatus growled, forming a swirling sphere of energy in front of his chest. “It’s time for the final send off!“

“Come on, Ruffers, move your ass!” Roca pleaded as the attack grew in size.

Deep down, Litleo knew he was too spent to do such a thing. How could he triumph against that strong of a pokémon, by himself? Rockruff merely looked up in… what emotion was that on his face? He appeared to be staring right at her.

She wondered what was passing through his mind. Was he regretting his choice? Cursing Litleo out? Scared because even if she was near, he was alone?

FYOOOOM!

Eternatus’ gigantic beam ran through the floor and up the wall in a straight line, engulfing Rockruff entirely. Blinding light painted the projection red.

‘That- that’s too powerful to be a normal move!‘ When the light cleared, Litleo’s eyes searched for Rockruff’s surely knocked out self. Except… ‘I don’t see him.’

‘How come I don’t see him?’ 

‘He couldn’t be-‘

To her horror, in a vile stroke of fate, the only sign of him was his shredded orange scarf, gently falling to the ground.

Litleo blinked at the remnants of her partner, as the realization caught up with her brain. She didn’t need to scream, because her past self did it for her.

“NO! NO! NOOO!” projection Litleo wailed. Her visceral scream pierced through the stone to reach the heavens and beyond. “ROCKRUFF!”

Dismay rippled across the pokémon in the chamber. Ezera put his hands up to his mouth. Dewott clenched his scarf. Roca stumbled back, whimpering nonstop. Piksqueak squealed and hugged each other, Chase turned away, while Zande and Kubfu respectfully bowed their heads.

And Litleo? She continued gawking, unable to voice or do anything at all.

Projection Litleo wriggled and squirmed with all her might against Calyrex’s psychic constraints. “Grraaaah! Aaaaah! Urrrraaagh!”

“IDIOT! What have you done?!” Calyrex berated. “Oh heavens above-! Hold still!” Calyrex’s paw jolted sideways as her concentration broke.

Projection Litleo shouted before falling unconscious, her body going limp in the air.

Calyrex stiffened at her grave error. “CONFOUND IT!” She dropped Litleo and pried open her eyes, checking for signs of damage. “Her memory is going to be all over the place… and it’s because of your mess!” Calyrex admonished, her gaze snapping to Eternatus and the carnage he wrought.

“Iiiii did the responsible thing. He would’ve been a pain in your side had I left him alone!” Eternatus argued.

“You destroyed an innocent life!“

“Innocent?” Eternatus cackled. “We moved past that stage when you woke us up. Who was it that brought some innocent pokémon to restore us?“

“That. Was. A necessity,” Calyrex retorted through clenched teeth. “If I didn’t need to I wouldn’t have. Your violence here was wholly unnecessary!“

“I got rid of the problem!“

“You’ve done nothing but create problems! At this rate I’m on the brink of sealing you back up!” she threatened, jabbing her paw as she faced him fully.

“You NEED me!” Eternatus snarled, claws snapping at air.

“I won’t if I halt everything!” Calyrex shouted, unflinching. “My desires mean nothing if you take the lives I’m trying to help. Now leave! Give me the REAL Eternatus.“

A rumbling growl emitted from Eternatus. His body changed to its navy form, and he looked around, dazed for a second. “Where…? That Rockruff… I tried to tell him-” His gaze landed on the blackened stone. “I-I didn’t want to…“

Calyrex massaged her temple. “It’s done now.“

Orbeetle hurriedly flew in to the scene along with a panting Sling. Calyrex and Eternatus shifted their focus to the newcomers.

“We have a problem! Somemon is snooping around the vale. They could find us.” Orbeetle did a double take at the destruction laying before him. “What happened in here?“

“Rockruff escaped his enclosure. Do either of you have something to do with that?” Calyrex interrogated, glaring fiercely at them.

Orbeetle and Sling exchanged glances with each other, shaking their heads.

“If he escaped it must’ve been his pure will that helped him,” Sling reasoned. He quizzically eyed Litleo. “Did you get the information you needed, Empress?“

“Just barely.“

“Is she…?“

“No. She’s alive.“

“And where is Rockruff?“

“…”

Piecing together Eternatus’ shame and the burnt rock, Sling and Orbeetle suddenly understood.

“Oh,” Sling said, his usual grin disappearing. “What an… unexpected development.“

“Wha- what’ll we do about the intruder?” Eternatus asked.

“I’m not having you deal with them, that’s for sure. We must get out of here,” Calyrex responded.

Orbeetle pointed to Litleo. “And her? Are we taking her with us?“

Calyrex held a paw to Litleo’s head. “I’ve accidentally fragmented her memories, so no. I’ll block and reformat what I can of this incident. Eternatus, create a portal for us out of here.“

“But- but you know I don’t have full control where it might take us-” Eternatus stammered.

“I don’t care, just do it! Before we’re discovered!” Calyrex barked, losing her patience.

Eternatus faced the darkened wall, holding his claws near his chest again. He grunted as energy flowed out of his core once more. Calyrex put her paws on Litleo’s head, eyes glowing blue.

“Empress, why not get rid of her?” Orbeetle suggested.”I don’t doubt your abilities, but if she finds a way to remember-“

“We may still need her for later. If she ever regains those memories, no one will believe her anyway.“

“And if she convinces a few?”

“If that day comes, we put her away for good. Until then…” Calyrex heavily sighed. “Rockruff found her worth saving over his life. Why? What did he see in her? Perhaps I can find out by keeping her alive.“

A WOOSH sounded the next second. A purple and blueish vortex opened up on the wall. “It’s done,” Eternatus announced, winded.

Calyrex stepped away from Litleo, extending one paw to the portal. “All of you, in.“

Orbeetle and Sling entered without a word. Eternatus cast a hesitant glance to Calyrex, then went in. Calyrex levitated Litleo up and took her outside, dropping her at the end of the street.

Going back into the cave, Calyrex pivoted, dashing toward Rockruff’s scarf. She kneeled and grabbed it, bringing the cloth to her face. “I’m sorry, young ‘mon. Your sacrifice will not be meaningless.” She vanished into the portal soon after.

The hologram turned a dull gray as Omnipast dimmed, leaving the room full of pokémon to glance at each other.

What was there to say?

Some unpleasant sounds came from Roca as she ran off to a corner, and subsequently threw up. Kubfu followed after her, patting the rockruff’s back while she mumbled something indiscernible. Roca didn’t shoo her away.

Litleo kept gazing at where the projection was, rigid as stone. Ezera’s first instinct was to reach out to her.

“Litleo, I- I’m so sorry…” Ezera began.

Roca, slightly recovered, hobbled back. “He’s… he’s dead,” she stated, sharply whining. She put one paw on her head. “Ruffers… Shit, SHIT! What am I going to tell Salna?!”

Zande approached Omnipast with a frown. “This mark…”

Their words barely registered to Litleo. Ezera continued to slowly outstretch his hand toward her shoulder. When he connected, she drew in a breath, as if time started to move for her again.

“Don’t… Don’t touch me…” Litleo breathlessly said.

Ezera withdrew.

Rockruff’s final stand replayed in her head again. And again. And again. And again.

That face, his face in his last moments… She couldn’t breathe; Her throat felt as if someone lodged globs of combee honey down it. She needed room- it was cramped, why was everything so cramped? Litleo stumbled to get moving, a numb buzz spreading throughout her legs.

“Litleo!” she heard Ezera call out.

The evening sun’s rays blinded her as she passed through the open doors, but the trapped feeling didn’t recede. Worse, the ravine’s walls seemed to bend inward, contorting in real time just to trap her. The stairs snapped in on themselves and threatened to swallow her up.

Litleo cowered off to the door’s side. Her heart beat like a rillaboom’s drum, pounding with such intensity that it rattled her entire being. The air around her spiked a few degrees as her mane flared uncontrollably. There was nowhere she could go. Nowhere to escape the fact that- that-

Rockruff was gone. Killed. Murdered. And Litleo witnessed it when it happened. Then Calyrex erased her knowledge of it, and now she learned it a second time!

How wasn’t him being dead obvious to her? The no clues of him being anywhere? The amnesia?

She was chasing a ghost for months.

“Litleo! Where-” Ezera exclaimed, running out alongside Dewott. He instantly noticed her.

Their eyes met, but her brain hardly acknowledged he was standing there.

“What can I do? What do you need?” he asked.

‘Maybe– maybe Omnipast is wrong,‘ Litleo thought, ignoring Ezera. Maybe he was still out there. Maybe she could still find him! That was a possibility, wasn’t it?

It had to be…

…Wasn’t it?

It was pitiful, really. She was an idiot through and through for allowing herself to believe.

To come all this way for this answer wasn’t worth it. There was no solace in learning the truth. No consolation that she didn’t actually kill him. Rockruff still died… because he went back for her. In that sense, she was responsible.

Or- did Litleo have it wrong? Wasn’t it his fault? He didn’t listen to her. Why didn’t he listen? Why did he blatantly ignore her pleas to save himself? Rockruff put himself in that position.

Her mind was splitting into pieces.

Ezera said something else but it came out muffled. He leaned in, holding out his hand, causing Litleo to bring her paws inward. She vehemently shook her head.

Litleo wanted to go back to before she knew. To when she could keep deluding herself that there was a chance. Now?

She glimpsed the scarves hanging out of the satchel’s flap. Rockruff’s-

Practically tearing the strap off, she tossed the bag down the steps. Ezera could only watch wide eyed while it bounced and scattered its contents.

Get it out of her sight. She didn’t want to see anything. Nothing would be best. At least then there wouldn’t be a wrenching ache tightening around her heart. It hurt— she hurt. She just wanted it to stop.

Litleo shut her eyes, blacking out the world.

‘There is nothing, there is nothing, there is nothing, there is nothing…‘

For a fire-type, she’d never felt so chillingly cold.

---

Ezera felt awful- Actually, he felt worse than awful.

Complete shit was the best way to put it.

Not for himself, but for Litleo. It was insane that after all the trials their team had gone through to get here, their reward was the worst nuke of bad news to ever grace the planet:

The pokémon they were searching for was long gone, Calyrex and Eternatus were alive, and now he was watching his teammate proceed into a dangerous, severe panic attack.

‘I don’t… I don’t know what to do for her. What can I do in something like this?‘ Ezera worried.

Litleo continued to shake her head, eyes squeezed tight. Her mouth was pinched together and she heavily breathed in and out.

‘If I touch her she might act out. Is giving her space really the only thing I can do?‘

His attention fell to the mess on the stairs. ‘I can clean that up, first of all.‘ Ezera turned to Litleo. “I’m gonna gather our bag,” he said gingerly. “Don’t move, okay?”

Litleo didn’t show any sign of hearing him. That was… serviceable, as long as she didn’t move to the side more. He was afraid of her unknowingly falling off the edge of the steps. Given her state, he didn’t think she was capable of moving an inch, but better safe than sorry.

“Can you stay…?” Ezera started saying to Dewott. The water-type nodded, understanding.

Ezera hopped to the bottom step, retrieving the bag. Rockruff’s scarves laid crumpled next to it, not glittering brightly anymore since they used its aether on Omnipast. ‘What happens to these now? They were supposed to wear it together.‘ That thought made him extra depressed.

As Ezera bent down and touched it, a pang of tightness attacked his chest. “Ow! What the-?” He gripped the afflicted area, sucking in a breath. The pang vanished. That weird vigor took its place, like when he made contact with the scarves last time. “The hell?”

Not in the mood for experimenting what that was about, he shook it off and stored Rockruff’s gifts at the bottom of the satchel. He reached for the Pecha Berry to his right, setting to work on reclaiming the items. It took about five minutes to get them all— most being round objects meant they rolled farther than they had any right to.

Ezera ascended the stairs hoping to see a tiny improvement in Litleo. Having some lucidity would be a start. When he got there, however, Litleo’s state remained unchanged. ‘I don’t want to just leave her out here, but she won’t let us move her.‘

Dewott rubbed his chest before facing his paws upward. “You okay? You looked like you were in pain for a moment.“

Ezera shook his head. “It’s nothing,” he whispered. “Probably breathed wrong. Used to get them sometimes.”

“What can we do now?“

Unfortunately, Ezera knew the only thing they could do was give Litleo time. Grief sucked, and for her, it’d be one major, major wound. “She needs the space, but I don’t feel comfortable leaving her alone.”

Dewott’s eyebrows furrowed worriedly in turn.

Before he could sign anything, Yamper and Purrloin approached them. “Sirfetch’d wants to see you two,” the corgi stated.

“Right now?” Ezera said.

“Right now.”

“Um…” As much as he didn’t want to leave Litleo, he also figured nothing was getting achieved standing next to her. “Then, could you watch Litleo? Just don’t get near her, she’s super… sensitive right now.”

“Not a problem. The five of us will be outside with her,” Yamper assured, nodding.

“I can’t imagine what she’s feeling. Hate to say it, but she really is a walking tragedy,” Purrloin remarked, curling her tail around her hip.

What Ezera wouldn’t do to make it a walking miracle instead. Piksqueak shuffled by him and Dewott as they walked to Sirfetch’d. The team’s eyes were puffy and red from their crying. Ezera had to avoid looking at them directly or else he’d tear up as well. He was doing fine so far holding his emotions in, he didn’t want to break now!

Zande was engaged in a conversation with the guildmaster when they got there. Kubfu presided over Roca, though both were silent. Maybe it was because Sirfetch’d didn’t exactly see what happened, but his collected demeanor certainly helped in keeping everyone in check.

“And you protect this general area?” Sirfetch’d asked, unable to see the suspicious look the zarude was giving him.

“We go wherever we’re needed,” Zande replied.

“You wanted to see us, Guildmaster?” Ezera interrupted.

“Eeevee, Dartrix. I was getting to know your new friend,” Sirfetch’d said, looking their way. “How is Liepard?”

“She’s… existing. I’d rather we were with her right now. Why did you need us?”

“I’m sorry to pull you away. I called you here to help me visualize everything you saw on this-” He waved his leek around. “Omnipast. I have to get the Vicemaster up to speed. If we want to make a plan it must be made quickly.”

‘I get he has to do this, but it really couldn’t wait until tomorrow?‘ Ezera inwardly groaned. He took in a deep breath and started from the part where Litleo and Rockruff were about to leave the spiritual grounds of the wildmon. No one outside the six of them needed to know the special moments they shared. Like earlier, Sirfetch’d didn’t react much throughout the story, simply nodding along as Ezera hit the key points.

“…then Rockruff went back, fought Eternatus, and… yeah,” Ezera ended, opting not to trigger Roca. Not only that, but something about the words ‘dead’ and ‘died’ never sat right with him. They sounded so final. “Calyrex and her helpers escaped through some portal.”

“I then found Litleo sometime later, and took her back to your guild,” Zande chimed in.

“Now here we are.” Sirfetch’d squeezed his leek, a snap crackling from it. “That puts some of our troubles into perspective. Where could they have gone?”

“They can travel with portals. It’s anymon’s guess,” Zande said. “What disturbs me is my ancestors used to serve Calyrex during their reign,” he explained, glancing upward like he was seeing them. “To know one is alive but engage in this… it’s diabolical.”

‘Why does Calyrex want to know where Litleo’s world is to begin with? Yeah she dislikes humans, but she couldn’t plan to… kill them, could she?‘ Ezera mused, rubbing his tusk. Whatever the case, they had to shut her down. “We should tell the townsmon about Calyrex’s plans. She gets power off belief, right?” Ezera began. “So if pokémon stop believing in her, she’ll be powerless to do anything.”

“You would basically be telling them Arceus is living right under their homes,” Dewott signed. “It’d be really tough to uproot faith like that.“

“Well can’t we bring Omnipast with us to show them?”

“Lad, even if we brought the throne and had the aether, I’m afraid Omnipast is completely unusable,” Zande interrupted, grabbing Omnipast from the throne’s prongs.

Ezera’s hand dropped to the side. “Huh?”

“See this?” Zande lowered the orb to Ezera’s eye level. A deep gash ran through it, as if someone took a chisel and decided to make it their next masterpiece. “It grew the more we watched. We’re lucky we got to see what we did. It could shatter to pieces any moment.”

‘This literally can’t get any worse. Without it, we can’t go back to town and convince the council Litleo is innocent!‘ His gaze drifted to Roca as he remembered Duraludon’s condition. ‘Unless… damn it!‘

“Okay- what if we tried finding someone to fix it?” Ezera suggested.

“Unless you know a ‘mon who was there in ancient times and has abilities like Calyrex,” Zande refuted, placing Omnipast in the basket it came in, “it is impossible.”

“But… we…” It was enough to make Ezera’s eyes water at the frustration of it all. He rubbed them rapidly to clear it away. That made him even more frustrated for crying. ‘Ugh, could I not for once? In front of everyone here? Breathe in…‘

Dewott’s paw rubbed Ezera’s shoulder, which comforted him, but also achieved the opposite effect of becoming so nice that Ezera still wanted to tear up in appreciation. There was no winning for him here.

“If Calyrex lost her power, who would stop Eternatus?” Kubfu wondered while Ezera had his moment.

“As it stands, no ‘mon can. Not even a great fighter like me knows how to counter that,” Sirfetch’d said. “Although, now that the history we’ve grown up with is a lie, what other pieces could be too?”

“Are you saying… Zacian and Zamazenta could be alive?” Zande realized, tightening his vines.

“Can we rule it out? Audino.”

It took everyone a visible second or two to process the pun. There was always a time and place for jokes, apparently.

“Finding proof of their existence will be tough,” Zande eventually said.

Sirfetch’d quickly glanced at his shield. Was there something behind it Ezera couldn’t see? “I might be able to help with that.”

Zande crossed his arms. “I will do some hunting on my own.” He looked to the doors of the chamber. “Before that, about Litleo…”

“Litleo’s a damn human. My brother wasn’t even friends with a pokémon,” Roca suddenly whined to herself.

Ezera partially ignored the comment. “What about her?” he said to Zande.

“I wonder what she was trying to do before Calyrex interfered. From the sounds of it, she wasn’t aware of this conflict.”

“Uh… not really sure what you mean. She was trying to help Rockruff. Rank up in the guild and all that?”

Kubfu stepped in. “I think he’s asking why Litleo came to our world. Humans don’t just appear, you know? If it wasn’t to prevent Calyrex from doing her thing, why else? Right?” she clarified, glancing at Zande.

Zande nodded.

‘I’m a human who just appeared. Don’t really know what I’m doing either besides trying to go home,‘ is what Ezera wanted to say. Good thing he had a filter. “Well, we won’t know. Her memory’s screwed.”

“Hrm, best to take your mind off it for now. That is all I needed. Rebound, keep your teammate close, capiche?” Sirfetch’d requested.

“Of course,” Ezera replied.

“We will trek back tomorrow.” Sirfetch’d began walking toward the doors, waving his leek. “It’s time to exit this stuffy hall. I have something to say.” Their small group walked outside, and Sirfetch’d pounded on his shield to gather the guildmates attention. “Adventurers!” he called.

The pokémon on the various steps focused on the guildmaster. Ezera peeped at Litleo— she was still in her own world.

“I understand Rockruff will be on our minds,” Sirfetch’d started, the tone of his voice as strong as ever. “Losing a comrade and friend is never easy, doubly so for a bright ‘mon like him. I’ll forgo the shpiel on my experiences, but remember to be kind to yourselves. In this hour when emotions run rampant, it’s the best gift we can have.”

‘Not be kind to others?‘ Ezera pondered. ‘Maybe that was a given, we’re doing it already.‘ He played with the flap of the satchel, putting himself in Litleo’s shoes and what she’d be thinking. ‘He does have a point. We judge ourselves the harshest anyway.‘

The Guildmaster straightened himself. “We will rest here tonight. Choose one of the nearby houses to settle in. Don’t stray!”

No one said anything, instead descending the steps as their form of acknowledgement. Yamper shot Ezera a consoling smile as the corgi left Litleo to them again.

“Ay, holler if you need us,” Kubfu mentioned, lightly punching Ezera’s arm.

“Will do. Thanks,” Ezera responded as she and Zande went down. He turned to Litleo. She was breathing calmer than before, her chest rising and falling in a steadier rhythm. Although, her eyes continued to be shut and the heat emanating from her mane flashed occasionally.

When Ezera had panic attacks, if he couldn’t get a hug or something equivalent to it, he always appreciated a distraction. And he just got an idea for one, provided Litleo could hear him.

“Hey, Litleo?” Ezera checked, softly as before.

“…Yeah?” she finally breathed.

‘Okay, nice. The worst seems to be mostly over.‘ On instinct he was about to ask if she was good, but that answer was painfully obvious so in lieu of that he asked, “Wanna see me dance?”

Litleo’s eyes cracked open ever so slightly. “Wh- what?”

Ezera lifted his arms and legs in awfully uncoordinated fashion. “I got some moves if you wanna see them.”

Her mouth hung open for several moments, before a confused, but tired scoff left her. “No, I… you’ll give me too much second hand embarrassment.”

“Sounds perfect, don’t you think?”

“I appreciate it, Ezera, but…” Litleo unsteadily got to her feet. She shook her head as Ezera tried approaching, flinching. “I want silence for now. Can you give me that, please?”

Ezera’s expression dropped. He rubbed his fingers rapidly. “Yeah, I can.”

“Thanks,” she said, her eyes on the ground. “I’ll pick the house we’ll stay in.” Litleo padded away, dragging both her paws and her tail with each step.

Dewott took in the many somber faces below them. “It’s a good thing we’re resting here tonight. We wouldn’t have the motivation to make the trip back otherwise.“

“It’s gonna be tough finding the motivation to do anything,” Ezera remarked, sitting down. “I’m overwhelmed.” He dragged his hands down his face with a sigh. “That feels wrong to say. I shouldn’t be overwhelmed, I’m not the one in pain. Litleo’s gonna need us more than ever.”

“She can’t rely on us if we don’t parse our feelings first.“

“Yeah, I guess.” Ezera separated his fidgeting hands, growing tired from doing it so much. “I’m worried Litleo’s gonna revert to her old self. She’s pushing us away again.”

“You said it yourself, she needs the space,” Dewott signed, holding a paw out and moving it circularly. He clenched his paw and dropped it down near his heart. “Grief works different for everymon.“

“I know, I know.” Ezera balled his hand, exhaling. “I just wish she’d let us comfort her. How are you taking it? You knew Rockruff too.”

The otter shook his head. “I still can’t believe it’s real.“

“Feels like we never will. I really wish it wasn’t real in the first place.” Ezera swung his tiny legs, observing the orange cream sky overhead. “If only we could be immortal.”

“Long life doesn’t sound too fun.“

“Assuming everyone else was immortal too?”

“To me, I think things would get stagnant after a while,” Dewott signed, moving his paw in a straight line.

“Even with friends?”

“That depends. Can you dance for me too?“

Ezera suddenly realized that Dewott was there for the whole dance situation. His cheeks flushed and his tail rose higher than he originally thought it could go. “Uuuh… that depends,” he replied, smirking to play it cool. “Law of equivalent exchange says you have to dance for me too.”

Dewott raised an eyebrow. “I’ve never heard of that law before.“

“It’s a scientific concept from my world. In case you didn’t know, I was a reputable scientist,” Ezera nonchalantly said. Dewott started laughing, causing Ezera to quickly join in.

It felt weird to laugh considering the circumstances, but they both needed one.

As it reduced to chuckles, Ezera went on, “I don’t see how we can go back when we’re criminals. We can’t even prove Litleo is innocent, not unless Roca talks to Duraludon. And how can we ask her to do that when she’s grieving? I bet she probably hates Litleo even more now.”

“There’s a chance it’s the opposite. She saw firsthand how they treated each other,” Dewott signed.

“That was before Litleo revealed she was lying.”

“And they made up despite it.“

“Hm…”

Ezera left it at that. There wasn’t much point debating when they could just ask Roca, although that would have to wait until all their emotions were settled.

It scared Ezera, thinking what he’d do if he were Rockruff that day. To be under so much pressure and limited time, with that burden… Would he be strong enough to make the right choice? Was there even a right choice in that scenario?

Rapidash and Zande’s comments floated to the forefront of his thoughts. ‘Humans are called for a reason.‘ Litleo was here before him. Rapidash thought he was the one meant for the crisis, but if Litleo arrived first, wouldn’t that make her the one? So… why the hell WAS he here?

Would that mean he and Litleo would eventually go face to face against Calyrex and Eternatus? Could they solve it together? Did the key to going home lie there?

The multitude of questions made Ezera’s head spin, enough to feel his own anxiety creep in his fingertips. He dug them into his thighs, frowning. ‘I can’t dwell on this. I have to deal with what’s in front of me first.‘

Ezera viewed Dewott flipping his scalchop in his paws. The sight relaxed him, even if the action wasn’t particularly special. Dewott saw him looking and smiled awkwardly, setting his scalchop in the middle of his lap. Ezera smiled back.

Regardless of the challenges ahead, they were a team, and they were gonna help each other stand.

A feeling of discomfort passed through Ezera’s chest again. He really did breathe wrong earlier, huh?

‘Me and Dewott… We’ll be waiting for you, Litleo. You just have to say the word.‘

---

That night, Rebound slept in the house closest to the chamber. Its design wasn’t much different from the others the guild members picked, hosting the same square foundation and two rooms, one for the living area and another for sleeping. A small rounded hearth resided in the corner of the living area, while a table accompanied it a few feet away. In the adjacent room, any hints of the original bedding were long gone, leaving what seemed like four stone bunks. It was crude, but they made do.

Dewott couldn’t help but wonder about the previous conversation in the day, when they discussed sleeping in a legendary’s old house. Superstition and what they learned aside, he figured Calyrex couldn’t make their life any worse than it already was.

For Litleo, in any case. When Dewott and Ezera entered the house earlier, the normally sarcastic fire-type acted much like a statue. She barely ate, rarely spoke, and went straight to bed when night hit.

Dewott knew guilt when he saw it. It was in the eyes. A ‘mon could argue lots of things could be seen in them, but guilt… that was different. It lingered behind the iris like a cloud of Smokescreen. It was baggage that didn’t get lighter, a mist that never cleared on its own.

Dewott didn’t want Litleo to feel like he did.

He just didn’t know how to convey that to her. She wasn’t in a good headspace, and what right did he have to give advice? He hadn’t gotten over his own. Plus, Ezera was closer to her for good reason.

In all honesty, Dewott still found Litleo a tad intimidating— in a good way. She was brash, took charge, and led by example. Fair traits of being honorable he would say. Talking to her made him feel ill-qualified.

Dewott angled his head back on the wall, exhaling through his nose. Sleep wasn’t coming to him easy tonight. His attention drifted to his buddy beside him. Ezera fell asleep sitting upright. His head rested to one side, drooping toward his chest while the rest of his body leaned on Dewott’s arm. Gentle snoring could be heard from the human-dragon.

Dare he say that it was…

He shook his head. ‘Best not to tell him that.‘

Litleo slept apart from them on the opposite bunk, curling against the wall. It was good she fell asleep; she needed it badly. But for Dewott, he did the one thing he always did when he couldn’t sleep— he took a walk. The otter made sure his tail didn’t slap the ground as he got up, nudging Ezera slightly to the left. Assured Ezera wouldn’t fall over, he tiptoed out the room and went through the doorway.

The chill air in the ravine nipped at his fur as he shook himself. Dewott pulled up his scarf to stave off the tingle his nose felt. On second thought, maybe he should just stay inside.

‘Five minutes shouldn’t hurt,‘ he thought. Dewott treaded lightly, acutely aware of how his steps went pat pat pat on the stone. The enclosed walls only made it louder. ‘It’d be embarrassing if I woke the others up.‘ He knew his guildmates were residing in the houses nearby, but he didn’t know where Kubfu, Zande, or Roca had gone.

None of those three had an obligation to stay; they got the answers they wanted. They could very well have made their way out of the ravine already. Although, leaving without a goodbye? That didn’t seem to be Zande or Kubfu’s style. Roca’s probably, based on what he saw and heard about her. ‘She shouldn’t walk home alone, though.‘

Dewott continued ambling through the deserted streets, tapping his scalchop all the while. He couldn’t be nervous around Litleo forever. They worked in the same team! So why was it hard to say something, compared to Ezera where he could freely speak his mind?

A sort of ghostly cry echoed around him. It was light, haunting, and melancholic. The sound reverberated off the rock walls, fading into silence after a few seconds, only to surface again in the next moments. Dewott’s fur bristled all over. His first instinct was to run directly back to his team and wake them.

Except the closer he listened to it, the more he realized who it sounded like.

That was Roca. She was crying somewhere out here. He hurried toward where it was coming from.

Rounding the bend where a peculiar three-sphered structure sat, Dewott found the crying originating two buildings down. He glimpsed Roca’s dark outline sitting on the roof of a tall inverted cone. How did she get up there?

Half curious and concerned, he approached the cone building’s entrance, crouching under the crumbled arch to get inside. He halted as his foot almost touched the floor, spotting the glints of cracked lenses and metallic rods waiting for him to step on. Dewott stretched his leg over to a safe spot with no glass, keeping his tail pressed against his back as the rest of him followed behind.

Peeking upward, a healthy amount of moonlight shone through the center glass pane on the roof. The light revealed large, rolled up parchments parked against the walls, as well as frames of rock fragments hanging in various places of the room. Dewott found them unusual in color, but Roca’s sobs meant checking them out was a lower priority.

On his immediate right, a series of steps curved along with the wall to reach the top. Dewott quietly climbed them, until he finally poked his head up and saw Roca. The rockruff shifted to lay on her side, hugging her brother’s scarf underneath.

‘Am I… Should I be here?‘ He was obviously intruding on a moment of privacy for Roca. She went out of her way to distance herself from everymon. ‘I should let her grieve.‘

As Dewott decided, the breeze blew in from behind, and unfortunately for him, carried his scent straight to Roca’s nose. She sat up instantly, ears raising in alarm.

“What- the fuck? At least say something- if you’re going to…” Roca began, hiccuping every few words. She trailed off as she realized who she was saying that to. “Nevermind,” she muttered, her anger leaving just as quick as it came.

Embarrassment burned the tips of Dewott’s ears. He looked like a stalker. “I’m so sorry for disturbing you. I’ll leave,” he signed, turning around and hurrying down the steps.

This was why he was never going to get his scalchop back. Getting caught doing dumb things-

“Wait!”

Dewott froze. He went and poked his head up again.

Roca pawed over Rockruff’s old scarf, sniffling. “You don’t… have to.”

Dewott’s embarrassment partially faded, replaced with intrigue. What sparked this instead of brushing him off? He slowly emerged from the stairwell, waiting to see if she said anything else.

Roca didn’t move, resuming her silent hiccups and gloomy stare into the distance. Dewott walked to her left, sitting by crossing his legs. Unsure if she wanted to talk, he decided to awkwardly examine the architecture around.

…He’d seen most of it already. More geometric buildings. More endlessly high walls that even rock types couldn’t scale. The only new feature he spotted was way, way farther down ahead— a cavern, by the looks of it. Where did that lead to? If he had the Wonder Map he could’ve inspected it.

“Do you have any siblings?” Roca asked, softly.

‘She does want to talk,‘ he thought. Dewott brought up three digits one by one, before lowering a paw near his hip. “Three, all younger.“

“Do they look up to you?”

Hesitation invaded Dewott’s paws. He held them mid air, his expression becoming pensive. “Maybe at one point they did.“

“Did?”

“I’m sure they don’t anymore. Not since I was…” The Linkbead flickered as Dewott’s brain scrambled thinking about that day. His whiskers twitched, a twinge of shame washing over his chest. He wasn’t expecting to discuss that incident tonight. “Baking.“

Confusion entered Roca’s face. “Huh?”

Dewott recollected his train of thought. He slid his paws across each other, moving one outward. “Banished. I was banished.“

Roca seemed to temporarily forget her troubles. “No shit?” she said, interest and surprise filling her voice.

That was likely an invitation to elaborate. He could— getting Roca to relate with him might help in convincing her to talk to Duraludon. Only… ‘I haven’t told Ezera about it either.‘ Nor did Dewott think he ever would, unless it was absolutely necessary. His friends would look at him different, and that was a fear he didn’t want to face just yet.

But if it could improve their situation just a tiny bit…

“I’m not going to say much on the details, sorry,” Dewott signed.

Roca simply tilted her head. “Is it that bad?”

“I… hurt somemon. It caused a big scene in the tribe,” he signed, doing a quick cutting motion on his paw, before moving his arm like he was stirring. “The tribe leader took my scalchop and banished me as punishment.“

“You didn’t hurt the ‘mon on purpose?”

“No, I would never.“

“Why did they resort to banishment then?”

Dewott gave a shrug of his shoulders. Of course, he knew the reason for it. He brought dishonor to their lineage. It was his mistake, and had to atone.

If you can’t cut it after all I’ve done for you, you are not fit to live here, is what his mom had said.

“To think that got you banished… must’ve been some hardcore hurt you did,” Roca remarked.

Dewott drummed his digits on his scalchop. That was about right.

“For what it’s worth, they might still look up to you. It’s a… younger sibling thing,” Roca said, smiling sadly.

Another shrug. Dewott doubted it. When he left Bubula Lake, none of his family saw him off.

“Ruffers wasn’t afraid of going out. He took initiative.” She turned the scarf over to where the letters were visible. “I admire that-” She stopped herself. “Admired that, about him.”

Not knowing what to say, he kept his paws down.

“And now with my other half gone…” Roca went on, voice breaking.

Dewott buried the lower half of his face into his scarf. He didn’t have an answer to that either.

Roca inhaled as her ears flattened. “He gave so much, and this is how he was repaid. I hate how shitty it all is.”

He picked up an odd lack of Litleo in that statement. This would be his one chance to hear what she thought about her. “Do you… blame Litleo for it?“

Roca didn’t respond for a while. Her gaze went up to the pale moon, reflecting its white in her emerald eyes. Eventually she said, “I want to. But at this point… I don’t really know.” Another pause. “She can be an ass, but she’s sincere. Ruffers knew that. I saw it.”

“You should tell her that,” Dewott signed. ‘As somemon who never had that chance, it would help,‘ he thought.

“Not- not now. I’m still… thinking. Litleo’s human. She’s the reason they got hunted.” Roca sighed. “There’s something else.”

Dewott waited for her to go on.

“I tipped off the police you were planning a jailbreak,” Roca admitted, mumbling.

Dewott blinked. He knew it was questionable how Manectric reached the convoy so quickly. “Why tell me? You could’ve kept that to yourself.“

“I would’ve, but axew, Ezer…a?” She continued after Dewott nodded. “He was right, warning me before I left that day. I wouldn’t have learned about Ruffers if your team failed.”

Ezera talked to her one on one? When did he have time to do that? Dewott mentally shook that thought off. It didn’t matter.

“If I have one thing in common with my brother, it’s that we own up to our mistakes,” Roca stated, expression hardening. “And we make it right. That’s not something I can say about towners.”

‘Furret was a townsmon and he rectified his mistake. Did she forget about him?‘ Dewott recalled. He pointed to her and put his paws together, then left one on his chest. “Is this you saying you’ll do a favor?“

Roca scratched her ear. “…In a way.”

This was what their team needed, he realized. What better time to pop the question? “If you decide not to blame Litleo… can you speak to Duraludon to clear her name?” he signed. “We would all appreciate it.“

“With the councilmon?” Regret already entered her face. “I- I’ll… think about it,” she said, lying atop Ruffers’ scarf.

“That’s good enough for us.“

Silence captured them again. The wind blew stronger now, penetrating Dewott’s fur and making his skin plead for warmth. ‘Getting sick on the journey back wouldn’t be good.‘ He rose to his feet.

“You won’t be cold?” Dewott signed, shaking his arms.

“I have all I need,” Roca replied, talking into the fabric. She glanced up at him. “…Make sure she does too.”

‘Litleo,‘ he understood. Dewott gave his best thumbs up, and Roca closed her eyes. As he reached the stairwell, he once more viewed the rockruff bearing the cold, inky night. There were plenty of shelters to sleep in, but she purposely stayed out here. Was she atoning for something too, without outside help?

Dewott made up his mind. He would say his piece to Litleo soon. He wouldn’t be afraid.