Chapter 6: Exposition Expedition

Dark clouds brewed above the thick canopy, hiding what would be the early morning sun’s rays. The leaves danced like maracas as gusts rustled the branches of the forest. Despite the chill the wind brought, two pokémon waited in the darkness. Their makeshift tent sat nestled in between the wooden trunks of the trees.

A round head with a ladybug pattern peered out of the tent flap and sniffed the air. He scratched one of his dots with a pointed claw. “There’s a storm arriving. Can you smell it?”

A rumble echoed across the sky as if on cue. Startled squawks and chittering sounded in the distance.

“Couldn’t have taken a genius to figure that out, Orbeetle,” his partner said, yawning. A rotund pokémon stepped out into the open, throwing his arms in the air for a wide stretch. Purple coated the top half of his body and the tip of his tail, while pink covered the rest. He adjusted the giant shell covering his head. “Why’s it matter?”

“Because, Sling,” Orbeetle said, floating up to him, “would the rain have an effect on our results?”

“It’s only water. Use that big brain of yours,” Sling said, tapping the circular green jewel that rested above his eyes. He fanned out the cape covering his shoulders.

“Don’t insult my intelligence!” Orbeetle exclaimed. The antennas serving as his eyebrows twitched. “I’m only trying to ensure our first attempt at this goes well. You’ve picked a candidate, right?”

“You’re going to bore me with prep talk now? That’ll take all the fun out of this.”

“There will be no fun if something goes awry and the Empress hears about it. So, as I said, you have a candidate?”

Sling exhaled, looking about. “Yes, yes. She will be meeting us here. I have the incantation ready.”

“Then where are they? And who did you pick?” Orbeetle asked, flying higher.

“Hoohoo, hold yourself. Be that excited and you’ll make them learn the ability Run Away,” Sling said, chuckling.

They waited a few minutes for the pokémon to show up. Orbeetle flitted around every second, trying to ease his impatience. Sling bent over to pick up a pebble, almost whacking Orbeetle in the process.

“Bah! Watch where you point that thing,” Orbeetle complained.

“Don’t blame me, blame the slowking,” Sling replied before tossing the pebble behind him.

Orbeetle ducked back into the tent. “I’ve had enough of this. Wake me up when they decide to finally show up. Though I doubt I’ll get much sleep in this horrible contrap-“

CRUNCH! Twigs snapped ahead of their encampment. Rustling followed soon after, until an oddish with a yellow middle leaf appeared. She looked at the horns protruding from Sling’s shell.

“You’re much scarier in the dark, mister,” she remarked.

“Hoohoo, am I now?” Sling said. “Thank you so very much. I’m glad you made it to us.”

“Us?”

Orbeetle flew out from Sling’s left side. He lowered himself to oddish’s height, eyeing her with his cyan blue eyes. “Hello there. What’s your name?”

“Oddie,” she said. “Your friend here said to come talk to him. Why?”

“Oddie, good. I’d like to ask you a question.” Orbeetle floated up to Sling’s shoulder. “Have you been encountering any trouble lately?”

Oddie glowered. “Yeah, I guess so. Some days ago, me and my friend Bip tried to punish some ‘mon who ruined our forest. But instead, they punished us! And now Bip’s parents won’t let him see me.”

“Oh my, that is quite the predicament you’re facing,” Sling commented. “I’d be furious too if I failed to deliver justice to those who hurt my home. We can help you so it doesn’t happen again.”

“Really?! How?” Oddie asked, perking up.

A grin crept into Sling’s lips. “How would you like to become stronger?”

---

“Ah, good morning, Guildmaster and Vicemaster.”

Ezera straightened his posture as the leaders approached. Litleo made a halfhearted attempt to straighten her unkempt mane, but when it wouldn’t stay up, she blew it once and left it at that.

“Morning, dears,” Rapidash said, offering a small smile. “Your assignment yesterday went swimmingly, I trust?”

Ezera spared a quick glance at Litleo who huffed. He met Rapidash’s gaze. “Ye- yeah. It went well.”

“I knew Eevee would breeze through it,” Sirfetch’d cheered, raising his sword and shield. “Only three more tests before you join our illustrious ranks.”

“Let’s not get ahead of ourselves, Guildmaster,” Rapidash said, shaking her head. “Today will be a little different than what you’ve experienced so far.”

“Oh fun, I know what this is,” Litleo muttered.

“Different how?” Ezera asked, ignoring Litleo’s un-enthusiasm.

A hearty laugh escaped Sirfetch’d. “Oho, it’s history day of course-sola!”

Litleo and Rapidash entered a death stare at his pun. Ezera blinked trying to process the joke.

“Oooooh,” he finally said. “Of course. Corsola. Ha. That’s pretty good.”

Rapidash cleared her throat. “Regardless, it is ‘history day’ as our members have dubbed it.”

“What happens on history day?” Ezera said.

“You learn boring knowledge on things related to the guild, the continent, whatever,” Litleo answered. Her tail thumped behind her as she slouched. “I think you might actually find this stuff interesting, won’t you?”

Ezera rubbed behind his head. “Aha… you’re not wrong.”

“Do I really need to be here for this? It’s just learning. I’d rather not hear it all over again,” Litleo pleaded, looking to Rapidash.

“Yes, you do. Partially because you won’t be hearing this inside Reuniclus’ lab,” Rapidash said.

Litleo’s tail froze. “Then where?”

“Verdan Forest. Reuniclus is going there today to grab some initial observations of the disturbed area you discovered.”

“And you and Eevee will be accompanying her there,” Sirfetch’d added.

“Oh, so like, another escort type thing?” Ezera said, tapping his fingers.

“With a mix of learning, you have the right of it, dear,” Rapidash said. “At the moment she is still preparing for the trip. She will ping Litleo’s Linkbead when she is ready to depart.”

“Your task will be completed when you arrive back with her,” Sirfetch’d finished. He puffed his chest out. “I’m sure it’ll be no trouble once again.”

Rapidash’s face turned into a slight frown. “If you keep saying that they will run into trouble.”

“Nonsense! My word is good.” He pointed his sword to the west hallway. “Now it’s to my office!”

“Good luck, dears,” Rapidash said, bowing her head. She took a step but halted. A blue force grabbed Sirfetch’d and placed him on the floor. Her eyes returned to their normal color. “If your word is good then so are your legs. Use them.”

“Is that how you treat your Guildmaster?” Sirfetch’d said, walking ahead.

“I’ll carry you when you start carrying me places…”

Their voices became quieter the further they went down the hallway. Ezera and Litleo shrugged at each other as it went silent.

“Any ideas for what we can do while we wait for Reuniclus?” Ezera asked.

“I’ve got one,” Litleo said, getting up.

She led them out the lobby and to the side of the commission center, where the grass had been replaced with a dirt square. Signs of scuffles could be seen from the scorched edges and messy impressions on it. The sizable area it covered didn’t calm Ezera’s worry of falling into the lake, however.

“Mind telling me what we’re doing here?” Ezera asked, standing right before the dirt. He folded his arms to warm himself.

Litleo stopped at the opposite side. “We’re going to train, and make you use Dragon Rage again.”

“Right now? Aren’t we gonna tire ourselves out before the important stuff today?”

“Tired is something you’ll have to get used to if you want to be in the guild.”

He hesitantly stepped into the training ring. “But how does this work? I don’t wanna hurt you.”

“Hurt me? I’ll be surprised if you even get me to break into a sweat.” Litleo charged up heat into her mane. “You have the first move.”

‘We’re really doing this, aren’t we?‘ Ezera thought, staring at the cloudy sky. ‘Okay, focus. If I can catch her off guard with Dragon Rage…‘ He attempted to remember the feeling in his gut from the encounter with Team Punker. A slight tickle entered his throat but fizzled out. He tried again and was met with less success. ‘Shoot! And that’s already a bust.‘

“What’s the hold up? You’re not that afraid of the embers I’m about to hit you with, are you?” Litleo taunted.

“You’re going to be the afraid one!” Ezera shouted, running in with outstretched hands.

Litleo waited for him to near before sidestepping to the right. Ezera, not accounting for his momentum, failed to stop in time and whizzed past her. She blew a light Ember that toasted his backside.

“You’re too predictable. If you’re going in close range at least try and conceal your attack,” she said.

Ezera turned around, wincing. “Got it.”

“You’ll also have an easier time if you bend your back a little. Don’t be so stiff.”

“Now you’re sounding like my dad when I practiced basketball.”

“He must be pretty smart then,” Litleo remarked.

“Annoyingly, yeah,” Ezera admitted, hunching down. “I’m already tired doing this.”

“Less complaining and more fighting. Or do you want to stay weak?”

A spark of anger ignited in his chest. “Alright, I’m gonna say it right now. I realllly don’t like that word.”

Litleo tilted her head, expression set to a mocking pout. “Aww, you don’t? That’s perfect. Now I’ll say it even more to irritate you.”

Ezera grunted and this time sprinted with his back lowered. Litleo shot some flames to divert him to the left. He instead put up his arms and took it head on. She gasped and backed up, narrowly avoiding his claws from cutting her fur. Ezera hopped back, still hunched.

“How’s that?” he asked.

“Not bad,” Litleo said. “Still weak sadly.” A mighty roar escaped her throat.

Ezera held his head, flinching from the noise. Litleo went low for a Headbutt. Ezera recovered and tripped trying to dodge, allowing Litleo to clip the side of his body. She hit him with another Ember as he dropped to his rump.

“I can’t see how you’re going to help anymon like that,” Litleo said. She circled around him, tail swishing to and fro.

“Is this really necessary? The insults?” Ezera said, taking a deep breath and standing. The fizzle in his throat grew stronger by the second.

Litleo stopped on the edge close to the lake. “If you can’t take a few jabs then you should give up right here.”

That did it. The pent up energy in Ezera’s chest snapped. Intense energy soared through his throat and out of his mouth. Litleo’s eyes widened from the blue fireball threatening to strike her, and she rolled out of the way. Ezera’s Dragon Rage sailed into the water with a sploosh.

“And there it is,” Litleo commented, gazing at the ripples. “I’m sure Dragon Rages are supposed to look more ferocious than that, though.”

Ezera joined her at the edge. “Well I have no idea how to strengthen it. I still don’t really know what I’m doing.”

“Yeah, you need a lot of practice. Preferably from a dragon-type tutor themselves. But we don’t have one at the guild or in town, so the best option would likely be Sawk and Throh’s Dojo. For now, you know the feeling. Memorize it. Then channel it.”

“That’s easier said than done. You don’t think I have to be angry to use it, do you?”

“I’m not a dragon expert. Your guess is as good as mine.”

Ezera rubbed his right tusk. “Those things you said… do you mean them?”

“Maybe I do. Maybe I don’t.” Litleo turned to him. “Why does it matter?”

“Uh, for starters…” he began before trailing off. He squinted at the bubbles rising from the water. “Wait, what’s that?”

A pink and brown slug emerged from the lake, who Ezera immediately recognized as Gastrodon. Another ghostly white pokémon sat on her back.

“Yikes! At least warn a ‘mon if you plan to sling attacks into the lake,” Gastrodon scolded.

“Oh sorry! It was an accident, I swear,” Ezera said, cheeks flushing.

“Apology accepted. Let’s start over, yah? I’m Gana,” she said.

“Ezera. You’ve um, probably seen me around.”

Gana nodded fervently. “Oh yah. Must be lucky, getting Litleo to take a liking to you.”

Litleo’s tail shot straight up. “I don’t! The only reason I’m here is because I’m assigned to him.”

“Yah, yah. Keep lying to yourself.” Gana swiveled her head behind. “Corla, go introduce your sweet face.”

Corla’s roundish body floated off Gana’s back and up to Ezera and Litleo. Her transparent branches flickered in and out of view. Ezera kept himself still so he wouldn’t shiver. ‘Is this what a corsola would look like in the afterlife?’

“Hello,” Corla said, voice quiet and monotone. “Would you like to donate some of your life force to me?” She stayed expressionless. “No? Okay… Goodbye…” She floated down to Gana’s back.

“Errr, hi?” was all Ezera could muster. “What are you two doing in the lake?”

“Oh! I’m an Apprentice for the guild, and I also work on aquatic things. Corla’s helping me out today. You happened to catch us before we set out.”

“Set out? Does this lake lead somewhere?”

“Yah! This lake has two paths that lead straight out to sea.”

Pling! Pling!

Ezera looked at Litleo. Litleo dug the source of the noise out of her satchel. She tapped her guild badge.

“Yes?” Litleo answered.

“Salutations, Litleo!” a charming voice called from the Linkbead. “Is Ezera with you?“

Litleo cringed from the loudness of the voice. “He is.”

“Perfecto! I’ll see you both in front of the guild. Oh oh, wait, this is Reuniclus by the way.“

“Yeah, we got that, Reuniclus,” Litleo said, rolling her eyes. “We’re coming over now.” She turned off the Linkbead.

“Alright, well, good luck to you, Gana. And Corla,” Ezera said.

“Same to you!” Gana replied. She and Corla slipped beneath the water once more.

Ezera and Litleo traveled to the front of the guild, where they found Reuniclus and Dewott waiting at the bridge. In front of Dewott laid a mechanical device. A banana colored lizard attended to it, dialing one of the two knobs. Reuniclus used her gelatin arm to beckon the pair over.

“We are just about ready. Helin is doing a quick maintenance check on the aethoreader,” Reuniclus stated. “Oh, but I forget myself. Pleased to see you, Ezera.” She extended her hand out to him.

“Hi,” Ezera said, shaking it. His eyes went wide as he heard Reuniclus’ voice in his head.

“The Vicemaster told me about you being human. Don’t worry, your secret’s safe with me,” Reuniclus told him telepathically. “But let’s return to the conversation outside, shall we? I’d rather not tire myself speaking to you this way.“

“This here is my assistant, Helin, or Helioptile as her species is known,” Reuniclus introduced. “I’m sure she’s happy to see a new face around here.”

Helin took a quick glance at Ezera, revealing her wide, oval orange eyes. “Charmed,” she dismissed.

“And I believe you’ve met Dewott already. He’ll be joining us while Helin stays here to record our findings.”

Dewott gave a small wave. A silver badge was pinned on the peach colored scarf around his neck.

Helin slapped the aethoreader and it produced a single beep. “I’m good to go here.”

“What exactly is this aethoreadothingy…?” Ezera asked.

Reuniclus took a backpack from Dewott. “Nothing quite complicated. It measures the level of aether in an area!”

“Yes, yes! Because we have soooo much time to waste to talk about it here. Save the lesson for when you’re on the road,” Helin interrupted.

“She’s right,” Litleo added, beginning to walk ahead. “Let’s get a move on. Otherwise we’ll be caught in the rain.”

“Good points, everymon. Let’s begin our trek for knowledge!” Reuniclus declared.

---

“As long as we stick to the main path we shouldn’t run into much trouble,” Reuniclus proclaimed as the group walked to Verdan Forest.

“I hope so…” Ezera murmured, glancing at the sky. A quick gale blew across his face. Dark grey clouds sat all above them, a sure sign rain would fall later.

“Tell that to us the last time we were here,” Litleo scoffed.

“Mystery dungeons are unpredictable after all. Especially so with wildmon behavior,” Reuniclus said, shuffling through her backpack.

“Did you say mystery dungeons?” Ezera butted in. ‘Isn’t that like… a spin-off game?‘ he wondered.

“I did. Verdan Forest is but one of the many mystery dungeons of our world.”

‘If only I could confirm with someone where I’ve heard mystery dungeon before…‘

“In fact, let’s go over some basic trivia to start your lesson,” Reuniclus stated upon zipping the backpack.

“Here we go,” Litleo sighed, hanging her head.

“Maybe you can hope there’s new information this time around,” Ezera consoled.

Litleo only shook her head.

“I’m ready,” he said, looking expectantly at Reuniclus.

“Back then, when the continents were all connected,” Reuniclus began, “pokémon lived under the rule of a tribe called Calyrex. For this lesson, all you have to know is that they oversaw most things and were able to manipulate aether. I’ll give a more detailed explanation about Calyrex themselves another time.”

“Real quick, what’s aether? You’ve mentioned it a couple times now.”

“Perfecto question! Aether is what you, I, and all things consist of. Interestingly, our soul is also tied to aether, which marks the difference between us and inanimate objects.”

“Gotcha…” Ezera said.

“This style of living under Calyrex worked for many millennia, but here’s what you might find intriguing.” Reuniclus floated in front of Ezera and faced him. “One day, a pokémon was able to create a portal that allowed humans to enter our world.”

Ezera’s jaw fell. “Huh? We- I mean, they, came here before? Where are they?” He saw Litleo clutching her head with a forepaw. “Litleo, you okay?”

“Nng… yeah. Ignore me,” she replied, continuing on. Dewott followed after her.

“Hold your ponyta, Ezera, we’ll get there in a moment,” Reuniclus stated, puzzled at Litleo. “I must admit, I’m ecstatic you seem to be enjoying this lesson. Most would ask for a condensed version by now.”

“Ah… well, I love lore. You were saying?” Ezera said.

“Right. When the first humans arrived, there was much confusion and apprehension towards them. However, pokémon slowly gained trust with them, and soon humans started teaching pokémon how to problem solve. This in turn reduced the need for Calyrex.”

“A few hundred years later, a pokémon born of corrupted aether came along,” Reuniclus went on, raising her arm to the sky and moving it from right to left. “By the name of Eternatus, they were a danger to all. Their very existence served to disrupt the land’s aetherial stability. What’s more, they were known to eat aether to sustain themselves. And as most ‘mon know, that brought about the Days of Ruination.”

Ezera laid a hand on his chin. “Where pokémon randomly, uh, dyna… something. Litleo mentioned it once.”

“Dynamax, and she is correct! The Days of Ruination was filled with pokémon unable to control themselves from dynamaxing, bringing about rampant chaos. The mystery dungeons were also becoming even crazier. Luckily, two stalwart souls appeared to solve the crisis: Zacian and Zamazenta. You might have seen their statues inside the guild lobby.”

“Oh that’s who they are?” Ezera realized. “I should’ve known they would be kinda important.”

“Quite so.” Reuniclus held up a finger. “Those two were the only ones with the power to stop Eternatus. Only one Calyrex remained alive in this period, and the little power they had left wasn’t enough.”

“I must warn that the details become murky at this point. There are many theories about what actually transpired during this time,” Reuniclus said, levitating the backpack around her. “The most accepted idea is that Zacian and Zamazenta combined their sacred items, the Valorous Sword and Honorous Shield, with the help of Calyrex. They then thrust this weapon into Eternatus’ core, causing an eruption that split the land into the continents we know today.”

“After Eternatus was slain, Zacian and Zamazenta’s items shattered. And without them, they would slowly turn to stone. So to ensure such a crisis could be averted in the future, they founded the Kaiyo Adventurer’s Guild and recruited pokémon who would be willing to fight those threats. Though as you have seen, this purpose has now turned into aiding our fellow ‘mon.”

“Uuuh, wait, when you say turn to stone, does that mean the statues in the lobby are Zacian and Zamazenta?” Ezera asked.

“Oh heavens no,” Reuniclus replied. “Those are replicas sculpted in their honor. The real ones both retreated to the places they liked the most, where they presumably spent their final days.”

Ezera frowned for a moment. “Alright, can I ask what happened to the humans?”

“Of course. Because their aether was different from that of pokémon, it meant they weren’t at risk of dynamaxing,” Reuniclus said, eyeing him.

‘Does that mean I can’t dynamax?’ Ezera thought. ‘Well, not like I’m gonna come across the item needed to do it anyway.‘ He cast the random worry aside.

“But that same difference put them at a greater risk with Eternatus. With the help of some legendary pokémon, it was decided they needed to be evacuated for their safety. They were to return through the portal, where it would be destroyed so Eternatus could not go after them.”

“That makes sense. But if you said the guild was made to fight threats, why did Rapidash mention that humans have been called in the past?”

“A good observation,” Reuniclus commended. “While true the portal is gone, some legendaries and beings retained knowledge on how to bring humans into our world. For why they chose humans, there is something unique in their qualities that allow them to beat our world’s crises.”

“Thus we come to the end of our history lesson. In the aftermath of the Days of Ruination, disputes on what should be done about the humans’ customs were up for debate. Those who wanted to keep some followed Calyrex and created Kaiyo Town, while those who didn’t became the wildmon. This was Calyrex’s last gift before disappearing without a trace.”

Reuniclus nodded to herself, beaming for having been able to tell the complete tale for once. “And a fun fact! Our continent, the Veiled Continent, got its name because our borders were closed for a long time. It wasn’t until eighty something years ago we finally opened them.”

“That’s quite the history,” Ezera said after a few moments. ‘But I still can’t get over the fact that we were once here before. I wonder if they’re the same humans as on Earth.‘ He cleared his throat. “I have one more question, if you don’t mind.”

“Ask away!” Reuniclus eagerly said.

“Is there a reason why wildmon are called, well, wildmon?”

“Ah. Like I mentioned before, we live in a world populated with mystery dungeons. Some have an ever changing layout, much like a labyrinth due to their unstable aether. Ours still are unstable, but not so much where they shift constantly and are uninhabitable. Pokémon who are born there tend to take on unique qualities. Their aether reflects some of that unstableness, hence the ‘wild’ look. It is why if you see a ‘mon with noticeably different features, you know they are most likely a wildmon. Although, it is not unheard of for variations to occur in towns, too.”

Dewott came running to Ezera and Reuniclus. He motioned for them to follow and took them through the patch of undergrowth. Ezera recognized the area he first woke up in. The barren vegetation hadn’t recovered at all since he left. Each tree and bush looked withered, and the remaining grass all died out. If there was any chance they’d regrow, it wouldn’t be soon.

“Oh… this is certainly abnormal,” Reuniclus said, setting her backpack on the dirt. She picked out a metal controller from it and clicked a button. “Helin, can you hear me?”

“Took you long enough!” Helin responded. “I’ve been waiting here so long that miltank have learned how to fly!“

“While not impossible, the probability of that happening is very close to zero.”

As Reuniclus conversed with Helin, Ezera approached Litleo. Her face was scrunched in thought. “Did you find any enemies?” he asked.

“None I can see or smell. Maybe they’re hiding because of the rain,” Litleo replied. “Did you enjoy your little history lesson?”

“I did, thank you. It was much better than you wanted me to believe.” Ezera watched Dewott lean on a tree, away from the rest of the group. “He doesn’t say much, does he?”

Litleo followed his gaze. “You could take a few tips from his example.”

“Ha-ha.” Ezera crossed his arms. “I kinda want to get to know him.”

“Then why not go talk to him? We’ll probably have to wait for Reuniclus to finish whatever she’s doing.”

“What about you?”

“For the love of…” she started, craning her neck to the canopy. “I’m going to sit here and be lonely. This will be one of those rare moments where I get to enjoy some peace.”

“When you put it that way you sound really old,” Ezera snickered.

Litleo glared at him. “Just go.”

Ezera threw his hands to the air in surrender and walked over to Dewott, albeit hesitantly. Dewott, seeing him, scooched to the right. Ezera took that as a good sign and joined him.

“Hi,” Ezera said. “How’s it uh, going?” He mentally smacked himself. ‘Oh great. Choo choo! All aboard the awkward train.‘

Dewott clipped and unclipped his singular scalchop before giving what Ezera assumed to be an attempt at a shy thumbs up.

‘I wonder where his other scalchop is. Is it a wildmon thing?‘ Ezera nodded. “Cool, cool. Ah… you don’t have to answer but, why are you over here by yourself? I’m not sure how well you know Litleo, but I can promise that I won’t bite if you want to chat.”

Dewott brought his scarf up to cover his mouth, fiddling with the fabric. Indecision gripped him until he finally moved his paws from his chest outward. He then shook his head and made an X with his arms twice, pointing to Ezera and Litleo.

“Woah,” Ezera said, eyes widened. “That’s… Is that sign language?”

Dewott quickly realized his mistake and tapped his guild badge. He signed again, “Thanks for the offer, but I wouldn’t want to impose on you two.“

Ezera’s eyes widened even further at somehow understanding it. “Wait, how-“

“Reuniclus’ invention.” Dewott pointed to the Linkbead on his guild badge. “She modified it. Allows me to convey my messages to others who don’t get it, basically.“

“Seriously? That’s really cool!”

Dewott looked away, embarrassed.

“I don’t see you around often. Where do you work normally?” Ezera asked.

Dewott gestured over his shoulder and flipped one paw over in the other. He then put both paws up to his right cheek. “I mostly hang out in the kitchen with Applin. Don’t have a team of my own. Being in there, it’s relaxing,” he signed. A tiny grin formed on his face. And there’s little room for…” The grin faltered and he shrugged. “Mess ups.“

“Mm, I get that. Never a-“

“My goodness!” Reuniclus shouted. Ezera, Litleo, and Dewott all looked at her in alarm. “These aetherial readings are off the charts!”

“Let me see, let me see!” Helin complained from within the controller. “Bah, Riu, there’s nothing showing up here. I think the machine’s broken.“

Reuniclus inspected the controller. “That’s precisely what I mean. They’re off the charts, literally! Nothing even shows up. Honestly, Helin, you should stop thinking so narrowly.”

“I’M THINKING NARROWLY? Listen here you little sh-“

“By all accounts there should be a good amount of aether in the area,” Reuniclus interrupted.

An exasperated groan came out from the controller. “You say there’s no signs of growth where you are? That may explain it,” Helin concluded.

“Very true.” Reuniclus floated to Dewott and handed him the controller. “Could you take this to another spot and measure the aether there? All you have to do is press that yellow button and it’ll send a snapshot to Helin.”

Dewott nodded and departed. Reuniclus returned to the backpack and picked out a notepad.

“Okay, he’ll be back any moment so I want to take this opportunity to ask a question,” she explained.

Litleo went to stand by Ezera’s side. “Which is what?”

“About Ezera’s claims of being human. It’s been a few days since you were found here, am I correct?”

“Yeah,” Ezera said.

“Have any of your memories returned regarding how you came to be here?” Reuniclus continued.

Ezera frowned, trying to think back. He recalled a blurry, vague thought of going to bed, but not much else. “Sorry, I got nothing.”

Reuniclus scribbled on the notepad. “But you still remember all your human memories before then?”

Ezera nodded.

“So it somewhat defies the standard of the previous occurrences… Another thing. Rapidash tells me she encountered a peculiar block in your mind. I’d like to take a look myself, if that is alright.”

“Uh, sure. You need me to clear my mind and allow a connection, right?”

Reuniclus’ eyes flashed blue and her body stiffened. “Very peculiar,” she mumbled, eyes normal again. She scribbled more notes down. “Suffice it to say, you are quickly rising to an area of interest of mine.”

Ezera didn’t know how to feel about his thoughts being invaded by an overly curious brainiac.

The bushes quivered and Dewott emerged, holding out the controller to Reuniclus. “Perfecto! Much appreciated, Dewott,” she said, taking it and bringing it closer to her face. “See, now this is normal aetheric readings.”

“Now the question is what could’ve caused this annoying problem,” Helin said.

“A question we’ll be wrestling with in the coming days. I’ll see you soon, Helin,” Reuniclus said, putting the controller away. “Our business is concluded here, but I’d like to take a detour to the Verdan Forest settlement if you three don’t mind.”

“You’re kidding,” Litleo said, tail drooping.

“Nope! I want to question Chesnaught, their chief. If he has any information it is imperative I am aware of it.”

Ezera placed his hands on his hips. “Hate to break the flow but wildmon have settlements? I was under the impression they were wild because they also DON’T have a set home.”

“Which is true for some, but many do choose to live permanently in the mystery dungeons and create settlements,” Reuniclus explained.

“I’m gonna lose track of how this all works soon,” he sighed.

“You’ll get it, no worries,” Dewott comforted with a nod, pointing both paws and giving a thumbs up.

Ezera smiled. “Thanks.”

Litleo observed their interaction and rolled her eyes. “Fine. Let’s go.”

Their group went back to the trail and followed it deeper into the forest. Along the way Reuniclus revealed a hidden path, which they began walking on. The canopy above them gradually lessened through the path, and at its end, a hedge the size of two stories greeted them. A leavanny and nuzleaf guarded the only opening as they approached.

“Say, Neal, we ain’t never seen these outsiders before,” the leavanny declared, her arms a pale shade of brown.

“No sirree,” Neal said. He had two leaves growing from his head instead of one. “State your business.”

“We wish to speak with your chief. I have some inquiries I’d like to make on behalf of the guild,” Reuniclus said, showing a platinum badge.

“The guild, eh? Alrighty. You’ll find’im in the-“

A navy caterpillar burst forth from a bush on the left, worry written all over his face. His antenna quivered rapidly. “You- you’ve gotta get the Chief! Please, it’s an emergency!”

“Woah, Bip, calm down, what’s got you into a Work Up?” the leavanny said.

Ezera and Litleo exchanged surprised glances.

“You don’t understand, we have to hurry! Get the Chief, get the Chief!” Bip urged.

The leavanny nodded at Neal and rushed inside. Litleo pulled Ezera into a whisper.

“He hasn’t noticed us yet,” she said.

“Would he remember us?” Ezera replied, inching ever so slightly to hide behind Reuniclus.

Litleo stuck her hind leg out to block him. “Are you kidding? Of course he would. Getting defeated is not something you forget so easily.”

Ezera rubbed his fingers together. “Do you think something bad happened?”

“We’re about to find out.” Litleo jerked her head to the lumbering figure behind the leavanny.

White fur layered their face and belly. A beige armored shell protected their head and bulky body, with six spines protruding from the back. A necklace of ginger colored claws dangled around their neck.

“Chief! I mean- Chesner- Chief Chesner! You’ve got to come with me!” Bip stuttered.

“Young Bip, what troubles you?” Chesner questioned, kneeling down.

“It’s Oddie! You know how we- how we always play together but some days ago we got into a fight and lost? Well she still was upset about it and because I haven’t seen her I don’t know what she’s been doing and- and-“

“Breathe, Bip, breathe,” Chesner reminded. “You need to tell me what the issue is.”

Bip took a deep breath and exhaled. “This morning I was a bad ‘mon and snuck out to play with her. While we were playing, she told me she received a super cool power. I asked her to show me, but she used it and started acting all weird, and- and you’ve just gotta come with me to help her!”

“Sounds serious. Neal, alert Svet I’ll be gone for a bit.” Chesner glanced over the guild members. “You folks from the guild?”

“Yes. I’ve got some questions for you, Chief Chesner, but it seems it’ll have to wait,” Reuniclus said. “Is it alright if we come along? We’ll do anything we can to help.”

Chesner grunted. “Suit yourself.”

Bip looked at their party and gasped. “It’s you two! The ones from the battle! This is all your fault!”

All eyes turned to Litleo and Ezera.

“Hey, we didn’t do anything wrong,” Litleo argued. “You attacked us when we were leaving.”

“But we are sorry if your friend is in danger because of us,” Ezera added.

“What? I’m not-“

Reuniclus covered Litleo’s mouth with a gelatin hand. “Now isn’t the time to be throwing blame. Take us to your friend.”

“It’s this way,” Bip grumbled.

The guild and Chesner followed Bip to a lush clearing. Fallen logs were arranged to create a rough playground, and a couple boulders were smoothed to function as slides. Oddie stood in the center of the clearing, dark wisps trailing off her body. Purple runes circled her.

“This doesn’t bode well,” Reuniclus said.

“Oddie! I’ve- I’ve brought help! The Chief is going to make you better,” Bip yelled. He directed his pleading eyes to Chesner. “You can help her, right?”

“I will try, little ‘mon,” Chesner said. He proceeded toward Oddie, extending an arm. “Young Oddie, can you hear me? Your friend is worried about you. Why don’t you take a break from whatever it is-“

“No, no… can’t… stop… have to…” Oddie mumbled.

“As your Chief I must ask you-“

“NO!”

Purple liquid launched toward Chesner. An invisible force grabbed and yanked him back. Reuniclus set the Chief down, ending her Psychic.

“My thanks,” Chesner said. “She would dare to use Toxic against me?”

“Not that I’m an expert in behavior, but I surmise she isn’t quite herself,” Reuniclus warned.

“That’s right! She would never attack you, Chief,” Bip said.

Oddie observed their group and locked on to Ezera and Litleo. “You two AGAIN!” She moved a few steps forward. “Come here to mess up our home some more?”

“Because we’d spend the time to hurt a few leaves. Get over yourself,” Litleo spurned.

“Litleo!” Ezera scolded. “No, we wouldn’t do anything to hurt your home. Honestly!”

“LIARS! You just want us gone. But that’s why I…” Oddie doubled over. “…Went and grabbed a new power. To deal with you outsiders. And now we’ll never have to lose to you again!”

“Oddie wait!” Bip screeched.

A powerful breeze swept in from all sides of the clearing. The runes surrounding Oddie dispersed. Oddie’s body swelled in size, easily rivaling that of a snorlax. The leaves on her head stretched outward and hung lower to the ground. Shock entered all the present pokémon’s minds.

“Wha- what the hell is happening to her?!” Ezera shouted.

Litleo’s fur and tail stood on end. “You just had a history lesson on this! You haven’t figured it out?”

Realization dawned on Ezera. Oddie used her new giant feet to smash a nearby log, sending bits of splinters everywhere.

“RAAAAAAH!“

Litleo’s expression turned stern. “What we’re seeing… is nothing other than dynamaxing.”