Chapter 9: Testing the Limits

“Are you nervous?”

Ezera frowned at Litleo’s question. He watched the lobby empty out as the guild members went to start their normal routines. “I don’t know, to be honest. Tests usually scare me, but the entire time I’ve been doing this, I haven’t felt nervous except for the dynamax incident.”

“Any idea why that is?” Litleo asked, sparing him a quick glance.

“Well… you’ve been a huge help. I wouldn’t have made it this far without your smarts.”

“If there was another ‘mon in my place you’d say the same thing.”

“I wouldn’t though! Seriously.”

Rapidash’s voice addressed them, interrupting Litleo’s retort. “Ezera. Litleo,” she called.

Ezera straightened himself. He and Litleo approached the podium. ‘Today’s the day. I’ve actually reached the end of this test, ‘ Ezera thought. ‘Once this is done, would I still be considered ‘weak?”

“The fifth and final day of the test has arrived, dears. The previous days should have served you well in preparing for this moment,” Rapidash stated.

“Oho, joining us isn’t so farfetch’d anymore, is it?” Sirfetch’d quipped.

Rapidash’s eye twitched. “Your final assessment will involve a rescue, the number one priority in our line of work. It’s very seldom we get those types of requests, but when we do…”

“A- a rescue? And here I thought the stakes couldn’t get higher than an outlaw…” Ezera said, rubbing his tusk.

“It will be difficult, but we are confident you will succeed.”

“And if you don’t, you will fail the test of course,” Sirfetch’d chimed.

“Thank you for the obvious reminder, Guildmaster,” Rapidash said. “Your objective is to rescue a lost Meditite inside Free Frolick Fields. Once you rescue her, bring her to town and you will be finished.”

“Is that really it?” Ezera said.

“You are right to think there’s a catch.”

Litleo put a paw to her yawn. “Let me guess, we have until the afternoon to wrap this up?”

Rapidash nodded. “That is correct. Alert us any later and it will not be counted.”

“Ah, I never was that great with timed tests.” Ezera shuddered thinking about all his unfinished timed test essays.

“Time is a luxury few can afford, which is especially true for us adventurers.”

“And the more time you dawdle here means less time for you out there! Best get going, Ekans and Lillipup!” Sirfetch’d said.

“That’s… us, right,” Ezera mumbled. “Ready, Litleo?”

Litleo tossed the Wonder Map to him. “Lead the way.”

---

“Did you get all that?” Litleo said.

“Yup. We’re taking the same path like we did for Flin, but instead of going down to the wharf, we keep on walking,” Ezera repeated, walking in one of Kaiyo Town’s sidestreets.

“Good,” Litleo replied. “Free Frolick Field is a mystery dungeon, so not many ‘mon travel through that road. It tends to be forgotten.”

Regular shouts of peddlers and other business dealings reached their ears. They emerged into the town plaza. Blurs of pokémon rushed by them while others stopped to watch a raboot juggle four pebbles with their feet. Ezera stayed under the shade of an awning and exhaled.

“Quick break. All this walking is not helping the soreness I’m feeling,” he said.

Litleo plopped down in the sun. “It’s your test you’re jeopardizing. Do whatever you want.”

“The sun’s not that high. I think fifteen seconds won’t spell failure. Are you feeling better from last night?”

“How about you focus on yourself for now?”

“I learned early on I was never very good at that,” Ezera said. “Maybe you could teach me how you do it.” His eye caught a small lamb circling the lanturn fountain. Their white wool and gray pigtails bounced with every distressed step. None of those coming and going into the plaza paid them any mind. “Uh, do you see that pokémon hopping near the fountain?”

Litleo followed his gaze. “That wooloo? What about them?” Her tail dropped to the floor, knowing what he was about to suggest. “We- you, don’t have time for this.”

“It’ll be really quick. A simple what’s wrong.”

“If they needed something they’d go to the guild and report it. It’s not our business.”

“But they might be too scared to know to do that,” Ezera countered.

Litleo’s mane heated up. “Look, it’s either this random wooloo or your assignment. You can only worry about one. Do you really want to fail over a random ‘mon in the street?”

“I’m gonna worry about both of them,” Ezera decided. He strode over to wooloo, and Litleo followed with an irritated sigh. Wooloo’s teary gaze met Ezera’s.

“Who are you, mister?” Wooloo asked.

“Hi there. I’m Ezera. Is your name Wooloo?” Ezera replied.

“Mm… Mhm.”

“What are you doing out here all by yourself?”

“My dada left with some pokémon and hasn’t come back…”

“There’s your answer. Their parent probably left them alone for a bit, so what?” Litleo said.

“How long has it been since he left?” Ezera asked, ignoring her and surveying the area.

“A long time,” Wooloo answered.

Litleo scoffed. “Thank you. That’s helpful. Reeeaaal helpful.”

Wooloo’s eyes watered. “I’m scared…”

“Don’t mind her, she’s always cranky,” Ezera soothed, glaring at Litleo.

Litleo turned her head away, indignant.

“Do you have any idea where he went?”

“Um…” Wooloo sniffled. “Are you helping me?”

“Sure. Just give us a direction and we’ll help you look,” Ezera replied.

Wooloo’s face brightened. “Tha-thank you!”

‘This is going to be a waste of time,‘ Litleo thought. ‘Why don’t I call one of the other guild members to deal with this?‘ She pulled Ezera out of earshot from Wooloo.

“Hey, I can easily grab another guild member to help Wooloo,” Litleo explained. “We don’t need to stick around.”

“This doesn’t have anything to do with your not caring about strangers belief, does it?” Ezera said, annoyed. “We’re already here. Might as well do what we can.”

“You- Ugh. I’m not changing your mind, am I?”

Ezera moved past her. “Nope!”

Litleo bit her lower lip. She took one step and gasped as a high pitched ringing hit her ears. An invisible weight crushed her back as if a wailord sat on top. She crouched, trying not to fall. A part of her mind clicked open, like a door being unlocked after years of staying shut. Litleo shut her eyes and found a familiar scene playing out before her.

“Hey, so… I took an off the books request,” Rockruff said, approaching her in the hallway of their quarters.

“Off the books? Is that safe?” Litleo asked.

“It might not be. But they looked so desperate, how could I say no? And besides, I’ve got you. There’s no safer place to be!”

“Ha-ha. I’m not sure about off the books… my gut is telling me we should stay away.”

“At least meet them first, then judge,” Rockruff chided, giving her a playful push. “Whaddaya say? We’ll leave first thing in the early morning.”

“I can tell you already made up your mind. Fine,” Litleo replied. She used a paw to mess up Rockruff’s hair in return. “But if there’s any sign of danger we are leaving. Deal?”

Rockruff nodded. “Yes, ma’am!”

Litleo’s eyes snapped open, removing the ringing and weight off her back. ‘No, no, no! What happened after that?! Ugh!‘

She craned her head to the sky as if something would come down and give her the answer. Rockruff’s ‘Yes ma’am’ echoed in Litleo’s brain. She glanced at Ezera and Wooloo. They didn’t notice her little episode. ‘I don’t remember having that conversation…‘ Her heart skipped a beat. ‘Are my memories finally returning? But why only that little?‘

It dawned on Litleo the similarities of both situations. Her gut told her to stay away then, and it was telling her to stay away now. If she had listened to it before- ‘Urgh, stop! I can’t dwell on this. I have to tell the guild.‘ Litleo rustled through her satchel for the Linkbead and paused. ‘But… what if there’s a chance my other memories could come back? It’d be the most progress I’ve made in months. Crap. I have to see this through… even if I hate it.‘ She walked back to the fountain.

“He left… down that road,” Wooloo said, looking toward the east road.

“Huh. We were going that way too. Guess it works out,” Ezera commented, tapping his tusk. “Are you okay staying here a bit longer?”

“No! I want to go with you. I promise I won’t get in the way. Pretty pleeeease?”

Wooloo’s pleading eyes made Litleo take a deep breath and look at the sky. “Great. Two kids to watch now. Could this get any worse?”

“What was that?” Ezera asked, already leaving with Wooloo.

“…Nothing.”

They followed the path until it diverged between the wharf and Free Frolick Field. The trail to the mystery dungeon curved up, and was normally dusted over by the sand from the beach. Litleo raised an eyebrow at the obvious disturbance of it now. The sand had been shifted to create a mess, making it impossible to figure out who walked here.

“Whoever your dad went with definitely came through this way,” Litleo deduced.

“Hmm, so he went into the mystery dungeon? Two pokémon to rescue then,” Ezera said.

“Should be no challenge for you.”

“No challenge if there’s nothing to fight today, which I highly doubt.”

The path widened up, allowing Wooloo to stay in the center between Ezera and Litleo. Free Frolick Field’s rainbow assortment of plants surrounded them as they continued along. The stalks grew up to their height and then some, preventing them from seeing anything other than what was in front and behind. Small particles of pollen and petals blew in the air as the plants swayed to the rhythm of the wind.

“I just realized, Rapidash didn’t even say where Meditite is. Only that they’re in here,” Ezera said, picking off a piece of pollen sticking to his tail. “Flying-types must have it so easy. They could recon the whole area and not have to blindly search like we do.”

“That’s where you’re wrong,” Litleo stated, shaking her head. “Sure they can fly above, but their vision is just as good as ours down here.”

“Oh. Thanks for the correction, professor. I thought you ‘didn’t pay attention to this stuff,'” Ezera quoted.

Litleo shot him a glare. “Quiet. It’s not like I’m completely shutting off my ears to everything.”

“You two have to be best friends,” Wooloo butted in.

“We are far from that,” Litleo rejected.

“Liar! It’s super clear you are.”

Ezera shrugged. “He sounds like he knows what he’s talking about. We should listen to him.”

“What’s it like carrying that?” Wooloo went on, nudging Litleo’s bag with his head. “My dada never lets me carry anything. He always tells me I can help when I’m older and stronger.”

“And do you listen to him?” Ezera said.

“No! That’s why I practice when he’s not watching. But that does mean I never get to show my progress…”

Ezera’s expression softened. “Well, you could show us.”

“With what?”

“If you ask Litleo nicely, she might let you hold her bag for a few seconds,” Ezera suggested. “Maybe to make up being rude earlier…?”

Wooloo jumped up and down. “Ooh! Could I? Could I? Please?”

Litleo wished she knew Guillotine about now. ‘Then I could get rid of his big mouth.‘ She put on a strained smile. “Fine.” She slung the strap off her neck and onto Wooloo’s. The bottom of the bag hung a few inches off the floor, thanks to Wooloo’s fluffy wool.

Wooloo skipped forward holding his head up. He pivoted to face them. “Look at me! I’m an expert adventurer!”

“It suits you,” Ezera said.

“Hehe. I want to join the guild one day, just like you two!”

Litleo’s fur bristled. ‘Neither of us have any sign we’re in the guild… How would he know that?‘ “Okay, time’s up. I’d like my bag back.”

A pained cry to their right made Litleo pause. Wooloo stiffened.

“Dada!” he cried, before running off.

“Hey! Get back here!” Litleo called.

She dove into the crowd of flowers. Ezera stayed right behind her, keeping track of her tail so he didn’t get lost himself. Litleo’s nostrils burned from the overwhelming scent of honeydew. Shortly after, the never ending colors disoriented her sense of direction. It wasn’t long until she ground to a halt.

“Shoot, where is he?” Litleo cursed, ripping the stem off a nearby weed.

“If we yell we could get their attention,” Ezera said, listening for other voices.

“And freely signal wildmon to us? Sure, what a brilliant idea.”

“Well at least we know he’s near. It’s just a matter of-“

“Oh, you want a taste o’ my horns dont’cha!” a hoarse voice yelled.

“…Finishing my sentence,” Ezera deadpanned.

“Over there,” Litleo said, tail pointed to the northwest of her.

They ran through a set of dandelions and arrived onto an open patch of farmland. Orange and yellow roots twisted and curled out of the tilled soil. A lone, skinny birch tree stood at the end of the field. Beneath it, Wooloo and a larger version of himself were surrounded by a beedrill and combee.

“Is that…?” Ezera started.

“Dubwool. That should be his dad,” Litleo said. She gave a short breath of relief seeing her bag still on Wooloo’s side. “But now we have angry wildmon in the way.”

“Leave my dada and I alone!” Wooloo said, positioning himself in front of Dubwool.

Dubwool stomped the dirt. “Stay put, laddie! Why are you here and not in town?!”

“I came looking for you with some adventurers! Look, there they are now!”

Beedrill spun around, revealing his sharp, blue eyes. “Zzzz! So, some more thieves want to take our settlement’s stuff, zzzz?”

“What is it with you pokémon and assuming the worst right off the bat?” Ezera complained.

“They have a point, though. Do you see that next to Dubwool’s feet?” Litleo directed.

A stash of fruits and vegetables were neatly bundled in a cardboard box. Ezera eased up from his stance.

“You’re kidding me. He’s an actual thief? Now what?” he said.

“Take them back, they ain’t mine!” Dubwool argued. He pushed the box forward using his horns. “I never been crooked all me life, and sure ain’t starting now! It’s those daft, cowardly pokémon who ran and staged me!”

Beedrill turned back and flew higher to eye both groups. He armed his stingers. “Zzzz, and what guarantee do we have you won’t try again? Better to teach you here so you really learn, zzzz!”

“Ooooh just try me you little bugger! Good for nothing wilds!”

Litleo hunched down, getting ready to spring. “I’m going for bee-“

“Hold on! Let’s use our brain and not our brawn this time, alright?” Ezera walked forward holding his arms up. “This fighting is useless. Attacking Dubwool will make him want payback, not leave. He’s even freely giving your stuff. Will you really attack a pokémon like that?”

“You’re one to talk. What’s in this for you?” the combee asked, flying close to Ezera’s face.

“Nothing. We’re from the guild. So unless you want to anger us, can’t we all say ‘have a nice day’ to each other?”

“The guild has no jurisdiction here. We don’t care.”

“Okay, but your chief might.”

Combee buzzed up and down, agitated. “Chieftess!”

“Sorry, chieftess,” Ezera corrected. He glanced at Litleo and mouthed ‘Oops.’ “Think, if you attack this one pokémon and get us involved, what happens in the future when you need help? The guild won’t aid you.”

“But that’s your job!”

“You just said it yourself. The guild has no jurisdiction here. Which is it then?”

Beedrill lowered his stingers. “Zzzz… definitely don’t want Chieftess Fabe angry. Cobe, we should lay off, zzzz.”

“…Hmph! Point made,” the combee said. He circled around the box of stolen goods while beedrill picked it up. “Have a… nice day.” He and beedrill flew off out of sight.

“What do you know? Your big mouth has a use after all,” Litleo said, walking to Wooloo.

“I’m questioning whether I should take that as a compliment,” Ezera said, following her.

Litleo stared at Wooloo expectantly. “Hand it over.”

“Oh, yeah! Here you go,” Wooloo obliged, slinging her satchel off and into her paw.

The familiar weight of the bag eased Litleo’s nerves. ‘But why does…?‘ She jostled the bag, and clinking came from the inside. Her paw trembled as she opened the flap.

“Dada, we should get going. Thank you for helping me find him,” Wooloo stated, trying but failing to hide the shakiness of his voice.

Litleo was too preoccupied to hear him speak. She stared expressionless at the pebbles and rocks now filling the contents of her “bag.” ‘They’re gone. And- and the scarves…‘ Her shock faded, replaced by her insides boiling in fury. She crunched the dirt with a flexed paw and threw the bag to the floor. Litleo rammed Wooloo headfirst, causing him to lose his footing. Wooloo rolled until his underside faced up and Litleo pinned his stomach.

“Missy, what are you-” Dubwool began.

“Stay out of this, grandpa!” Litleo hissed, spouting a small wave of fire to keep him at bay. Dubwool reeled back on his hind legs.

Ezera caught Dubwool and steadied him. “Litleo, what’s going on?”

“I’ll deal with you in a moment,” Litleo retorted, glaring. She pressed down on Wooloo. “I’m going to ask once. Where. Is. My. Satchel?”

“Tha- that is your satchel!” Wooloo bleated.

“Don’t play dumb with me! I’ve carried it around for a long time and this obviously isn’t it! What did you do with it?”

“I- I-“

Litleo made sure the fire that blew from her mouth reached centimeters away from Wooloo’s face. The heat radiating from her mane began singeing the tips of his wool. “If you don’t answer me in the next five seconds, I’m going to burn you blind.”

“That’s me son! If you hurt him-!” Dubwool warned.

Ezera held Dubwool in place. “She’s not. She wouldn’t!” He looked worriedly at Litleo. “He’s just a kid.”

“A scumbag of a kid,” Litleo said. “Five. Four. Three. Two-“

“Okay, okay! I- I switched your bag. They told me you might be too dumb to notice the change,” Wooloo said, tearing up.

“Who told you?”

“A Morgrem and Zigzagoon. They found me and- and told me about you. Please, I’m sorry, I like my eyes!”

“Morgrem and Zigzagoon? That’s Team Punker, isn’t it?” Ezera wondered aloud, frowning.

“They have my bag?” Litleo snarled.

Wooloo nodded. “I didn’t think you’d catch on…”

“You’re a kid! You shouldn’t be doing crime anyway,” Ezera scolded.

“If my dada would let me do things once- BAA-AH!”

Litleo put more pressure on his stomach. “Tell me where they’re headed.”

“To- to Turntop Cave! I swear!” Wooloo said.

Litleo laid off him and stepped back. Dubwool broke from Ezera’s grip and rushed to his son.

“Owie, dada! Not the ear!” Wooloo said.

“Oh you’re in for more than a spanking when we get home, laddie. Wait til mama hears this! Thievery. In me family!” Dubwool ranted. “You adventurers aren’t off the hook either. Almost killing-“

“I’m not in the mood to listen, grandpa. Get lost and go home, or should I have left your fate to the wildmon?” Litleo snapped, scowling.

Dubwool clamped his mouth shut and mumbled something incoherent. He dragged Wooloo away through the plants. Ezera fiddled with his fingers.

“Um… I only wanted-“

“To help? I don’t want to hear it,” Litleo said, meeting his gaze coldly. “You haven’t helped anymon. The only ‘mon you’ve helped is yourself.”

He winced. “…What’ll you do?”

“I could go after the one and only important thing left to me, but if I do that I risk being barred from the guild. Because I have to watch your stupid test.”

“Then… then… we have to go get it back,” Ezera declared, taking on a determined look in his eyes. He balled his hands. “It’s priceless to you, and that matters more than this test.”

Litleo fought the urge to tell him off. He was the one who got them into this mess, what if he made it worse? ‘But I followed along like an idiot, again. And now I’ve lost the last things of him. If I don’t get them back, I’ll…‘

She inhaled sharply, not letting her anger come out just yet. “You know you’ll fail the test, right? This will have all been for nothing.”

“It’s okay. I’m not gonna worry about it for right now.”

“Whatever. We’ll take a shortcut to the cave by cutting through here.”

“But this is a mystery dungeon. You know where to go?”

‘I don’t. But I have no other choice.‘ Litleo started running.

“Also, you weren’t really planning on hurting Wooloo if he didn’t tell you,” Ezera asked, “were you?”

She decided it was best not to answer.

---

Lapping waves told Ezera and Litleo they were near the last of Free Frolick Field’s territory. Turntop Cave’s outer inverted rocks came into view in the distance. Crouching next to one of the rocks were the figures of Morgrem and Zigzagoon, combing through Litleo’s satchel.

“I’m going to kill them,” Litleo growled, huffing fire out her nose. “On my mark.”

“I’m hoping figuratively…” Ezera mumbled, wiping sweat off his head.

He examined the sun’s position in the sky, judging it would be only a couple hours before it became afternoon. ‘There’s no turning back now. I hope Meditite will be safe. What am I even gonna say to the leaders?‘

“Go!”

They jumped onto the sand and bolted. Team Punker glanced up in surprise and shouted at each other. Ezera and Litleo were too far to hear them, but they glimpsed Morgrem scolding Zigzagoon before the both of them rushed into the cave. Litleo increased her speed.

“You’re not going anywhere!” she said.

‘Crap! If we don’t stop running soon I think I’m going to pass out.‘ They passed through the dark entrance and stepped onto slimy stone. Ezera slowed his pace to avoid running into a stalactite. The temperature dropped considerably from outside. The cool, moistness in the air quickly restored Ezera’s energy.

“Are there multiple paths in this cave?” Ezera asked, squinting while his eyes adjusted to the dimness.

“Further ahead, so we need to catch them before then,” Litleo replied, brisk walking.

Ezera gazed at the ceiling, wondering where the light allowing them to see was coming from. The floor above was awfully flat. ‘Didn’t she say before we’ll be upside down in some parts? Or… are we already upside down?‘ He shrugged it off. ‘You just cost Litleo something important, focus on it will you?‘

Litleo’s ears twitched, picking up hushed voices.

“Where do we go, Morg? We don’t know the layout of this dungeon!” she heard Zigzagoon say.

Litleo turned past a sizable stalactite and slid to a stop. The area became spacious at this part, and cylinder stone pillars filled the sides. The ceiling appeared to mirror the layout they currently stood on.

“Finally. I knew you idiots wouldn’t get far,” Litleo said.

Morgrem shouldered her bag, grinning. “Still duped ya, didn’t we? And I’ve got ya goodies right in my hand. Don’t do anythin to burn it.”

Litleo gritted her teeth.

“I’m feelin nice,” Morgrem continued, “so I’ll let ya pick out somethin to take back. Not ya fancy scarves though. It’s property of Team Punker now.”

“You should accept. Morg’s gen… generousecity doesn’t come often,” Zigzagoon added.

“You’ve got a lot of nerve,” Litleo said, her mane burning intensely. “That’s why I’ll accept it.”

Morgrem’s grin faltered. “E-eh?”

“After I make sure you regret it!”

Litleo pounced and barreled into Morgrem. They rolled down the path, kicking and punching. Ezera and Zigzagoon went to intercept when they found themselves slowly floating off the floor, unable to resist.

“What the heck?” Ezera said. He flapped his limbs to push downward but the floating accelerated. His body dropped onto the ceiling with a THUD. Ezera rolled over, and his eyes widened as he stood and looked up. Litleo was now on top of him. She ducked, avoiding Morgrem’s Fake Out. On the other end of Ezera, Zigzagoon got up.

“Oh… I’m all alone with you,” he commented, shaking his tail.

Ezera readied himself. “Works for me. And I’m not getting paralyzed again.”

Zigzagoon fired a stream of pointed missiles. Ezera moved right, getting grazed in the process. He returned an angry fireball, which Zigzagoon leapt in a zig-zag pattern to dodge. Jagged rings of darkness sailed to Ezera with each leap. Ezera shivered as they traveled through his body and dashed to meet Zigzagoon. He outstretched his arm, readying a Slash. Zigzagoon tensed to retaliate. However, Ezera stopped himself and spat a blue ball of energy.

“Uwah!” Zigzagoon yelped.

The Dragon Rage smacked him square in the face. Ezera’s claws swiped across his snout. Blood trickled in it and without thinking, Zigzagoon’s body overtook an orange aura. Ezera barely comprehended that fact before Zigzagoon flung himself into him. The force knocked Ezera down to all fours.

Below, Litleo rolled left as a beam of darkness traveled past her. She flinched from the rock debris crashing behind. Regaining herself, she ran through the dust and bared her fire engulfed teeth. Morgrem rummaged through her bag and chucked a seed, cutting her attack short. The seed disintegrated, producing an explosive blast. More dust filled the area.

Litleo hissed, retreating to a crouch. “Rrrgh, using my items…”

“I should be a ‘venturer!” Morgrem cackled, lunging out of the dust.

Litleo raised her right foreleg, intercepting the strike. She twisted her head and bit the strap of her bag, infusing it with fire. SNAP! The satchel promptly fell to the floor. But Litleo couldn’t grab it as weightlessness took her and Morgrem.

“Not now!” she yowled.

Morgrem stretched his arm, missing the bag. “Bah, stupid dungeon!” He narrowed his eyes at Litleo. “If I can’t have it, have this!”

Litleo breathed a swirl of heat before he could move. Morgrem yelled in pain while the two of them propelled backward. At the same time, Ezera and Zigzagoon floated off their floor. Litleo’s back bumped into Ezera.

“If you get the chance, grab my bag,” Litleo ordered.

Ezera didn’t have a chance to respond. Their momentary suspension ended. He and Morgrem fell to the bottom, while Litleo and Zigzagoon fell top. He scoured the floor for a quick second, yet didn’t find the satchel.

“Where did it- oh,” Ezera murmured.

Somehow, the bag was levitating in the space between the ground and ceiling. It stayed perfectly still above both team’s heads. ‘This is like capture the flag, but with real stakes. We need to knock these guys out soon.‘

“And so the weak dragon returns,” Morgrem said, rising to his feet. “Maybe I’ll take ya tusks too!” He launched a False Surrender once more.

Ezera dove behind a stone pillar in fright. The dark ray exploded and chipped his cover. Morgrem sprinted to a pillar slightly raised off the floor. Ezera poked his head out, trailing Morgrem’s path. ‘Those pillars will let him reach her satchel!‘

“No you don’t!” Ezera shouted. He ran across, spitting a blue fireball. Morgrem effortlessly evaded it and reached the pillar first. He prepared to jump to the next, but Ezera, having no other choice, grabbed the only thing he could. Morgrem howled as his spiked tail was yanked, sending him tumbling down. Ezera sliced Morgrem’s exposed back with a glowing hand. Morgrem screamed then spun about. A purple coated fist knocked Ezera’s jaw up. The taste of iron entered his mouth.

“Gah!” Ezera cried, staggering back.

Morgrem chopped his hand sideways, striking Ezera’s throat. He used his left leg to kick him down. Ezera rolled to his side, coughing profusely. Specks of black crawled in his peripherals. ‘God damn it! All this and still not good enough.‘ He shot a weak Dragon Rage to create some distance.

Meanwhile, Litleo torched incoming missiles. She roared and Zigzagoon cowered. She plowed him to the wall with a Headbutt, chaining a Flamethrower. In return, Zigzagoon’s Counter activated. Litleo strafed but it wasn’t enough. She skidded several feet away.

“Cheap… move,” Litleo groaned. One of her hind legs buckled. Again, weightlessness grabbed hold of her and Zigzagoon. They dropped quickly this time, and now both teams were together on the bottom floor.

“We got’im, Zigzagoon. They done for,” Morgrem said, wiping his mouth.

“I’m… I’m not sure how much longer I can go,” Zigzagoon replied.

Litleo pushed Ezera to his feet. “If you fall on me now, Ezera, so help me…”

“Ngh… I’ll say the same to you,” Ezera said, rubbing his jaw. “If we can climb the pillars first, we could get your bag.”

“Then go. I’ll take their attention.”

“But-“

“Go!”

Ezera darted to the pillars. Litleo went forward, shooting small bursts of flames to get Morgrem and Zigzagoon to stay on the defensive. Her shots missed Zigzagoon, and he zoomed to the pillar as well.

“Get back here!” Litleo growled, biting his bushy tail with a Fire Fang. Zigzagoon yipped as he was thrown back. She started building fire in her throat. Morgrem snuck behind and clapped the sides of Litleo’s head. Her flames extinguished into wisps of smoke. She whirled around, batting her paws. Unfortunately her mark missed.

“Too slow!” Morgrem taunted, Sucker Punching her on the return momentum. Litleo stumbled backwards, growing faint.

Ezera hopped to the next pillar, eyeing Litleo. He had to make it quick, or she was screwed! Ezera leaped to the last pillar. Not waiting, he jumped across the space and successfully grabbed the satchel. He hit the ground in front of Litleo.

“Take this,” Ezera urged, fumbling out an Oran Berry. Morgrem and Zigzagoon finished charging their moves and unleashed them. Ezera moved to cover Litleo. An X-shape exploded on his back. Pointed missiles jabbed him and Litleo. His consciousness slipped away. He collapsed over her bag, the Oran Berry rolling out of his right hand. Litleo took one bite out of it. Vitality rushed to her weary limbs. Her mane reached new levels of heat.

“Fine, bastards. You want my bag so bad…” Litleo seethed, “take it!” She clamped it in her mouth, pulling it out beneath Ezera. She threw it to Morgrem and Zigzagoon.

Team Punker watched it fly and caught it, just in time to see a torrent of flames encroach them. They wailed and passed out instantly from the heat. Litleo’s chest heaved with each breath as she ended the Flamethrower. Her breathing filled the sudden quietness of the cave. She slowly approached Team Punker. She flipped Morgrem face up, who groaned weakly.

“Damned… guild… yah-” he whispered.

Litleo stepped on his throat.

“Ech!”

“I should kill you.” Anger seeped into Litleo’s paw. “You wanted to take… the one last memento of my partner, who I don’t even know is…” She closed her eyes tight, putting pressure down. Morgrem feebly tried to fend her off. “And it’s pokémon like you he wanted to save. Pokémon like you… don’t deserve his compassion.”

“Litleo. That’s enough.”

She turned her attention up. Ezera was standing now, clutching his right arm.

“He’s suffered plenty already,” Ezera added. “We can turn both of them in and they’ll get what they deserve.”

“It’s not enough. You think jail will teach them to stop?”

“You can’t decide that. Rockruff wouldn’t want you to.”

“You don’t even know him. You can’t say that,” Litleo spat.

Ezera took a couple, cautious steps to her. “I think I’ve heard enough of him to make an assumption. Come on. This isn’t the way to do it.”

Litleo’s eyes darted between Ezera and Morgrem. She pushed down harder. Morgrem’s choking worsened.

“Please, Litleo, stop!”

Litleo’s tail curled and she held it for a second longer. She took her paw off, smacking the floor angrily. Morgrem violently gasped for air for a few seconds before falling silent, finally unconscious. Litleo padded to her charred bag, its color a nice shade of crispy black.

“Thank you,” Ezera said, breathing in relief. “But… you burned all of it? What about the scarves?”

Litleo retrieved the scarves from the base of a pillar, along with the guild badge. “I took the important stuff out before tossing the bag. And as I thought…” She used a paw to roll a glossy, blue orb out of the satchel. “The Escape Orb is still intact. We’re done here.”

Ezera nodded. Litleo touched the orb and a rainbow column of light encased the four pokémon, leaving Turntop Cave behind.