EVERYONE: Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Azure Rescuers (Chapter 15 posted)

[Gengarzilla]

Put yourself in their shoes, their minds, their bodies. Their new bodies.
If you were to be turned into a Pokémon and abruptly torn away from everything you know and love, to be dumped in some strange new world with no memories and no directions... could you fare any better than they?

An old tale, some new spins.
Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Azure Rescuers
I'd love to have a banner for this thing sometime.
​

Hello and welcome to my RRT/BRT retelling fic, Azure Rescuers! Thank you for taking time from your days (or nights, I don't hold prejudice against Noctowl or nocturnal people) to read my very first foray into longterm writing, your interest means a whole lot to me.

This was a little something which first came to my mind in June of 2016 and soon saw life on the upcoming 4th of July, a day after I turned 22. It soon became an important part of my life for the rest of that year and was originally completed during the 11th of January 2017. While I can say with absolute certainty that the Pokémon Mystery Dungeon series is my most cherished part of the entire Pokémon franchise, its first pair, released overseas to North America less than a week over 11 years ago... began to feel as if it was missing something once the next pair was released a couple of years later. Namely, a real post-credits story. Or at least one which wasn't so splintered, fragmented, scattered all over the place.

That's how I saw it, that's also why I created this: To pick up where (Spike) Chunsoft left off and make one myself in my capacity as a huge fan. I hope you can enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it!

With that said...

"Let's get you into the world of Pokémon! Go for it!"

Part 1: The visitors
Chapter 1: Baby steps
Chapter 2: The new rescuers
Chapter 3: A battle a day lures the doctor in
Chapter 4: Ice Crashing the party
Chapter 5: Urban Legend of Zapdos
Chapter 6: A shocking story
Chapter 7: The evening of eavesdropping
Chapter 8: Lies and loyalties
Chapter 9: The seedy technician
Chapter 10: Fire and Ice reunite
Chapter 11: Melting the Black Ice
Chapter 12: The absconder's absolution
Chapter 13: A spiteful punch
Chapter 14: The two faces of fire
Chapter 15: Earth Power (T)
Chapter 16:

Part 2: The opposition
Chapter 17:
Chapter 18:
Chapter 19:
Chapter 20:
Chapter 21:
Chapter 22:
Chapter 23:
Chapter 24:
Chapter 25:
Chapter 26:
Chapter 27:
Chapter 28:
Chapter 29:
Chapter 30:

Part 3: The aftermath
Epilogue:

 

[Gengarzilla]

Chapter 1: Baby steps​

The... the pleasant breeze...

This girl very much enjoyed it, feeling it rushing across her oddly diminutive form and hearing it sweep amongst the trees. She couldn’t quite recall how she had ended up here, laying within what seemed to be a forest of some sort. The only possibility she could even invent was that she had stupidly taken a nap inside a small wooded area near her home. However, it didn’t account for how she felt... a little unusual; as though she were in someone else’s body. She just had to wonder what was going on at the moment...

"Hey, you ok there? Wake up!"

She'd heard an unfamiliar voice among this late day breeze. It appeared as though the girl wasn't along here. At first, she briefly wondered whether this was someone from a search party. She didn’t want anyone to be making a scene over this and so decided to get up, though this did come with a little bit of difficulty however. She still felt a tad strange... and round.

What she saw next nearly made her fall over again. The voice came from someone possessing a round body, four stumpy legs, a large head, and a zigzagging mouth that was lightly hanging open. "A Pokémon?" This individual immediately expressed relief that she had come to, adding to her confusion. She had no idea how long she might have been out for... or any idea about anything else for that matter. What surprised her most was that this Pokémon was actually talking. "Are you speaking? I didn’t know that a human like me could hear that."

"Hah, you say you’re human? You look like a pretty normal Togepi from this angle, you sure you haven’t bumped your head somewhere?" the Pokémon immediately retorted.

Then it hit her, the decreased size and strange shape of her body. She looked at her hands and instead of seeing humanoid hands with four fingers and a thumb on each, she instead found herself looking at... stubby yellow hands. A quick glance down also unveiled an eggshell encasing most of her body, red and blue shapes dotted around it.

"T-Togepi? What?! I’ve turned into a Togepi?!" the former human exclaimed in shock. They were admittedly an adorable species of Pokémon but she wasn’t sure if she was entirely on board with this revelation. "What happened...?" she outwardly asked as she tried to recall how this could have possibly occurred, upon which she began to outright panic once no memories at all could be found. "I can’t remember anything either... What's going on here?!"

The individual bearing witness to this fretful episode could only watch with a mixture of curiosity and concern. "You’re a bit odd... Well, never mind. Do you remember your name at least?"

That’s right. Her name. "My name is..."

Now she was really beginning to get scared. "...I’m sorry, I can’t even remember that." the girl murmured. This day wasn’t going well, she had somehow been found as an amnesiac Togepi by a talking Pokémon. She began restlessly looking around for any way to figure out her predicament before catching sight of a Pidgey flock flying above them both. She didn’t know this for obvious reasons but Flying type Pokémon were her favourites as a human. "Something’s up with that flock, I wonder what they’re fluttering away from." she wondered.

Fluttering... Flutter... Something about that word sounded nice. It calmed her down a little. She had decided. "In place of my human name, just call me Flutter."

"Alright then. Flutter it is. Nice to meet you. I’m Terack, a Trapinch." the Pokémon next to her replied with. Before the newly named Togepi could respond, she heard shouting. A Butterfree was soon passing by them. "Are you alright? What’s the problem?" Flutter said without thinking twice. Whatever had this Butterfree so worked up sounded rather serious.

As it turned out, her assumption was right on the money. "I-it’s my baby Caterpie, a fissure opened up in the ground and he’s fallen in!" Terack’s only reply was a shocked "What?!" and Flutter felt an air of unease creep into her as she heard of how the Butterfree had been attacked by other Pokémon when trying to retrieve her child and couldn’t get past them. They were seemingly startled and angered by the fissure, from what the butterfly thought.

Forget her apparently bad day, this was way worse. There was only one thought on Flutter’s mind at present... "We gotta save that kid, let’s move!" she exclaimed, immediately rushing off with Terack hot on her proverbial tail...

~​

Soon, Flutter’s decision had led her and Terack deep into the forest, where navigating their way through the trees felt like some sort of maze. Several agitated Pidgey, Sunkern, and Wurmple previously made attempts to attack but they weren’t able to hold up that much of a fight against the duo. "Do you think we’re getting close to the Caterpie now?" Terack asked her as he used Sand Attack on a Wurmple, the sand kicked into its eyes causing a Tackle to miss before defeating it with his Bite move.

"I’m not sure, we could be close by now. Heads up!" Flutter replied, letting loose with a Growl to unnerve the Sunkern behind him. As he defeated the inhibited Pokémon, Flutter found herself glad for the opportunity to move about and attempt to adjust to this new form. Aside from the aforementioned Growl, she also knew Charm and the unpredictable Metronome. She had also seen her new Trapinch companion use Mud Slap on top of his Sand Attack and Bite.

There was still no sign of Caterpie though, nor was there a quick and easy way to find the fissure that this kid had fallen in. Just as her eyes skimmed past some bushes while she looked around for this fissure though, a wave of tiredness suddenly collided with her. For some ridiculously obscure reason, a nap sounded like the best thing in the world right about now... wait a moment. No, now wasn’t the time for that. Instead of letting herself drift off, Flutter looked harder at the bushes. Hard enough to the point where she could have sworn to somehow see the outline of six ovoid shapes within one of them. What she didn’t know is that this was her Foresight move.

"Terack, something’s in that leftmost bush!" she called to him in her slight daze. He took the cue, readying himself with Focus Energy before lunging straight into the said bush with Bite at the ready. Within it was an Exeggcute that had been attempting to covertly lull Flutter to sleep with Hypnosis, and the super-effective critical hit defeated it on the spot.

Just like that, her mist cleared. "Good call." he said upon emerging, taking the lead now with her at his back. Within a few more moments they had found the fissure and Terack began to dig a sloping tunnel, just like the sand pits he used to make, down into it after getting a look at the drop. They’d be able to use that to bring the young Caterpie out from the crack. Flutter slid down after the Trapinch once the tunnel was completed and caught sight of a caterpillar-like creature nearby, back turned to them and crying. She could tell right away that this was Caterpie, almost in an instinctual manner.

"Hey, we’re here to help.” she said gently to the scared child. “Your mother’s waiting".

~​

"My baby’s safe!" Butterfree called out in joy when Flutter and Terack returned, Caterpie on the Trapinch’s back. "I’m sorry, I really don’t know how to thank you two. What are your names?"

"I’m Terack." he answered. "This one here is Flutter. You don’t have to do anything, we’re just glad to have been here when you passed by." Caterpie’s eyes lit up at this sentence. "Terack and Flutter... C-cool...!" he had to say, adoringly staring at the two. Terack found it just a little embarrassing but reprociated with a friendly smile. Flutter, primarily due to her total memory loss, couldn’t remember the last time she felt this happy. She had undoubtedly taken a quick shine to the youngster.

Butterfree then appeared to have an idea. "Ah. It’s not much, but these are a token of my appreciation. Please take them." In her hands were an Oran Berry, a Pecha Berry, a Rawst Berry, and a Chesto Berry. Both Flutter and Terack graciously accepted the berries before Butterfree and Caterpie left the area.

Terack then turned to face Flutter as she spoke. "I’m glad that went without any problems, what a sweet kid." she said. The Trapinch replied with "Indeed, and you really did well out there. What are you going to do now though? You’ve somehow lost every last bit of your memory and became a Pokémon, do you have anywhere to stay after this?" The Togepi really wasn’t too delighted with this thought. Now that Terack had brought it up, she really didn’t have anywhere she could go... "N-no, I don’t... know what I'm going to do now..." she answered, looking very subdued and defeated as she stared blankly at her feet. Her Togepi feet. A pair of brutally firm reminders of this scary new situation which she'd found herself in.

"Alright then. Don’t worry about it, just follow me." Terack said to Flutter after taking note of her petrified, fearful expression. He headed eastwards out from the woods, the human turned Pokémon following close behind.

~​

"And here we are!" he said once they reached a three-way intersection. In front of them was a small and simple looking wooden cottage with one floor. The roof bore a resemblance to the top of a strawberry, complete with a green stalk at the top. Situated outside was a mailbox, currently empty.

"Is this your home then?" Flutter asked. Nothing could have prepared her for Terack’s answer. "It was. This is going to be your home now. There’s only one place to sleep in there but you can take that. I’ll pick out somewhere else to stay nearby." She was blown away by these words. Here he was, with a place of his own to call home, and he was moving out to give it to some amnesia-struck Togepi that he randomly encountered in the woods. "T-thank you... I really, really do owe you one, honestly..." she whimpered in a display of overpowering relief and gratitude. He’d just taken a massive load off of her mind and shoulders with this action. "You've really saved me here, is there some way I could ever repay you?" Flutter asked.

"Hey, don’t you worry about all that. I'm not looking for anything more than happiness. You just get yourself settled in and rested up, I’ll drop by to see you tomorrow." he said back to her, looking up at the sunset before leaving down the left path. Flutter waved goodbye to the Trapinch and went inside the house.

The fluffy mat located near the back of the interior looked nothing short of immensely inviting. Ok, now was the perfect time for a nap...

 

[Ghostsoul]

Put yourself in their shoes, their minds, their bodies. Their new bodies.
If you were to be turned into a Pokémon and abruptly torn away from everything you know and love, to be dumped in some strange new world with no memories and no directions... could you fare any better than they?

I feel like a serious evaluation of what it might be like to be turned into a Pokemon is something called for.

The... the pleasant breeze...

This is kind of a pet peeve of mine. The ellipses here aren't working and I think you change the sentence so that you could do without them.

This girl very much enjoyed it, feeling it rushing across her oddly diminutive form and hearing it sweep amongst the trees.

'oddly diminutive form' feels a bit choppy, especially since there is very little elaborate prose in the rest of the text the word 'diminutive' especially feels a bit out of place.

She still felt a tad strange... and round.

Can you feel 'round' how does being 'round' feel?

Togepi

A rather unusual choice, I respect that.

A quick glance down also unveiled an eggshell encasing most of her body, red and blue shapes dotted around it.

Again, you've described the appearance of something without really describing or explaining how it would feel?

"I’m not sure, we could be close by now. Heads up!" Flutter replied, letting loose with a Growl to unnerve the Sunkern behind him. As he defeated the inhibited Pokémon, Flutter found herself glad for the opportunity to move about and attempt to adjust to this new form. Aside from the aforementioned Growl, she also knew Charm and the unpredictable Metronome. She had also seen her new Trapinch companion use Mud Slap on top of his Sand Attack and Bite.

I think it's weird how you simply use the attack names but do not actually describe the attacks. It seems weird how she just kinds of lists off her attacks as if she is actually in a game rather than a piece of prose writing based off one.

She was blown away by these words. Here he was, with a place of his own to call home, and he was moving out to give it to some amnesia-struck Togepi that he randomly encountered in the woods.

'She was blown away' you're telling without really showing how she's actually been affected by this.

The fluffy mat located near the back of the interior looked nothing short of immensely inviting. Ok, now was the perfect time for a nap...

Her decison to take a nap was rather abrupt here. We have no idea to her thought patterns or otherwise.

This fic still feels very sequenced, this thing happens, then another thing, and another, so on and so fourth. It's not very immersive or descriptive. There isn't really a clear idea as to what the character is feeling and when. I think you have a good outline for a chapter, but it's not much more than that. It needs a lot more detail to fully invest the reader into the story.

 

[diamondpearl876]

Hey, there! I had a bit of time to check out the first chapter of your fic here. PMD fics are interesting because there's a ton of cool stuff you can do with them, despite how restricted the games feel (or maybe they just feel that way to me, who knows). Anyway, a togepi is an interesting 'mon to have your human character become, and in some way, it's kind of a metaphor. Togepi are babies just hatching from their shells, just learning about the world and how it works, and in a sense, that's what's happening to Flutter here. She's woken up with no memories - which isn't quite new to PMD fics, no, but there's still some semblance of originality - and she's got to start fresh with a new body.

It would've been cool to see a bit more of how she adapted to moving around as a togepi, especially when trying to rescue the caterpie. I like how you have her use her Foresight attack with her knowing she's using it; that's the kind of thing I'd expect from a human turned pokemon having no idea what's going on. I think my other favorite part was the name picking scene - not only because I, too, am an avid bird fan, but because it gave me a hint of what Flutter's character was like before the change.

I'm glad to decided to post, and hope to see more of your fic soon! ;D Feel free to contact anyone on the mod team or post in the Written Word if you ever need more help with anything.

 

[Gengarzilla]

Chapter 2: The new rescuers​

"Um, what's all this?"

Flutter the Togepi, formerly a human until she was found just outside the Tiny Woods with no memory of her past life, had awoken inside this strange location after going to sleep. The whole area, everything around her, had a rippling green glow about it but was otherwise quite empty. Nothing else was there, nobody was with here, and she could here nothing except for the sound of her own meek and confused voice.

"Is this just a dream?" she had to wonder. She couldn't quite recall how she ended up here, this scenario truly being the story of her life right now. "Hello? Is anyone else in here?" Flutter called out with a dash of desperation lightly seasoning her tone.

To her surprise, she caught in the corner of her eye an elegant looking figure in green and white who was indeed coming into view. The apparition never did progress beyond being barely visible though and the strange mist that came forth only resulted in this transparent figure shimmering amongst it. Flutter could then hear some sort of voice in her head, although it was utterly unintelligible. She couldn't make head nor tail of what they were apparently trying to tell her.

Within a few moments, this thing vanished abruptly and everything then faded to black as though this departure triggered it. Herself included.

~​

The very next thing Flutter knew, she was waking up in a homely looking room, laying down upon a fluffy mat. "What was... what did I just see then?" the girl murmured once she picked herself up, still not completely adjusted to her new self. She had to take a moment to digest what she witnessed before choosing to set it aside as a dream brought on by her inlaying anxiety. "Y-yep, maybe I'm just scared. Maybe it'll all stop once I begin getting to the bottom of what happened." Flutter convinced herself.

After all, she was still in the body of a Togepi and nowhere closer to finding out why.

Trying futilely to calm her worries, she initially thought about just going back to sleep under the hope that all of this was a dream in itself and that she would wake up back where she belonged, before remembering that it hadn't been all bad here.

There was that Trapinch who had given her this place without a second thought. He'd mentioned that he would come over today. The thought of Terack was one which settled things for her, this guy had already helped her out so much through his one big act. "Alright then, I suppose the least I could do is not sleep through his visit. That Pokémon was really nice after all." Flutter conceded.

"Hey, I'm here. You awake?" the Trapinch in question asked from outside. Flutter took a second upon hearing his voice to shake off whatever remaining signs of worry she bore on her face and then wandered over to see him. "Hi! It's really nice to see you!" she replied with a smile.

"Same here. You sleep ok last night?" Terack asked. Flutter guessed correctly that he was concerned for her after the situation he first met her in. She had already thrown that dream to the back of her mind and deemed it as nothing of much importance, so she replied to him in the affirmative. If they turned out to be something more relevant to her situation than she'd first thought, then he would be told. "That's good, I'm glad for that. Anything you've had some time to recall yet?"

The answer was very obvious, a definitive and unquestionable no. "I'm afraid not. Nothing's came up." Flutter responded to him. "Hey, don't worry about it. I'm sure something will surface soon. I'm not an expert on recovering lost memories but you ought to just take things nice and slowly, one day at a time." Terack responded encouragingly. He really did feel for her plight. "You can count on me to help out however I can." Terack added on.

Before she could answer him again, Flutter saw two Pokémon approaching them from behind Terack. Both of the same species, a metallic body with a large red eye on one end and three white claws on the other end. "Hello, we are Beldum. Are you Flutter and Terack?" one of them asked. "Yeah, that's us." Terack said back while turning around to see them.

"Good, our friend Caterpie just told us about how you saved him. Thank you for that. We're here because two... well, one of our friends needs help." Flutter caught notice of the sudden switch in number and asked what happened. "Our two Beldum friends got lost in a mystery dungeon called Thunderwave Cave and were caught up in a strange electromagnetic wave that stuck them both to each other fast. They were soon fused together by this and suddenly evolved into a singular Pokémon called Metang, which is now going completely berserk inside the cave. We think he's lost all control of himself because of this forced transformation but it's proving too difficult for us to stop him."

This definitely wasn't good in any sense of the word. Following a silent moment or two, Flutter looked at Terack while he did the same thing to confirm this course of action between each other before she gave the reply. "Take us to the cave."

~​

The Togepi and Trapinch duo were soon embroiled within their mission to find the wayward Metang. Not many Pokémon were showing up to impede them however, and those that did were swiftly taken care of. They all appeared to be injured or otherwise beaten up. It was a rather unnerving sight, Flutter thought.

After getting past a Plusle and Minun duo backed up by an Elekid, she and Terack then reached a dead end room surrounded by shallow water and saw the Pokémon that they were looking for. Similar eyes and body colouration alongside arms that resembled Beldum's whole body. "Metang?" Flutter asked. "Is that you? Your two friends are waiting outside, let's go."

The red eyes of this Pokémon gave little away before they started glowing purple, readying a Confusion attack. Solid purple ripples then swept out from the Pokémon and struck both targets. Flutter was otherwise ok but Terack was a different matter, as the attack seemed to have left him rather confused and generally incapable of combat. "I guess it's one on one until he recovers..." the Togepi conceded after attempting to bring him back to this planet. With that said, she ran towards the Metang and commenced the battle.

It would soon become quickly apparent to any nearby onlookers that Flutter was hopelessly outmatched by the opponent. Both Growl and Charm were of no use whatsoever as a result of the Clear Body ability and because Metronome had so far called out the extremely ineffective Psycho Cut and useless Sludge, she soon gave up on trying to edge out solely on luck. Because she didn't yet have conscious control over her last remaining move, her only remained option was to jump at Metang in this pitiful looking rudimentary tackle, such an action being swiftly punished by a Metal Claw.

For whatever reason, she found herself particularly pained by a slash from those shining silver claws, enough for a charging Take Down to knock her right out of this 'arena' and into the surrounding water. While she had nothing left to give, the noise of this scuffle had roused Terack from his confusion. With a single look at the beaten friend, he prepared his Focus Energy and rushed into battle before Metang had really thrown off the resultant recoil from his last move, immediately connecting with a Bite attack to his left arm which really bothered him a good deal.

The Trapinch soon got shook off however and their attacker then seemed to multiply into a group of five, a motion which left Terack deeply uncertain of what to do next and left Flutter seriously scared. She couldn't even handle one of these, let alone five.

The more she watched this bad situation though, the more it seemed somewhat off. The outlines and features of all but one of them began to fade subtly as she looked, her eyes picking up a blue hue throughout this. It was Foresight again and she decided to ride on it.

"On the far left!" she called out from her downed position in the water, ignoring the familiarity she felt regarding the situation. "The rest are fakes!"

Though he didn't know any better than her about what this was all about, Terack took her words and ran one of his feet across the ground to toss his Mud Slap at the leftmost Metang. Clear Body cancelled any accuracy drops he may have received but the inflicted damage caused the four Double Team copies to dissipate. "Wow! Thanks for that!" he quickly called out before biting at the Metang again and dodging a Metal Claw. One more Bite later and Metang collapsed. Flutter simply couldn't help but admire Terack and his efforts...

~​

The trio were now back outside the dungeon, waiting by the entrance for Metang to regain consciousness. The thrashed Flutter had also required the Oran Berry previously obtained from Butterfree in order to heal. Metal Claw had certainly stung.

Not long afterwards, he awoke and looked around in surprise. "What...? Where are we? What happened?" he quickly asked of the two Beldum, now back to his senses. A concerned "Oh..." was his only response once the duo told him about the situation as he turned to see Flutter and Terack. "I'm... really sorry for the trouble I caused you both in there. I didn't know what I was doing, where I was, who you all were, which way was left, right, up, down, anything! If there's anything at all that I can do to fix this, please say it."

"It's ok, don't worry about it. You didn't mean any of that." Flutter said to him. Terack collected a monetary reward from the grateful Beldum while Flutter attempted to build the Metang back up. He was quite abashed by his uncontrolled actions earlier, in addition to being rather scared of the cave behind everyone. Once she finished, the reunited trio went on their way.

"In a way, I really understand how that poor Metang must have felt. I've gotten stuck in a new body without being prepared too." Flutter spoke up during the journey back home, which really struck a chord in Terack. "Yeah. I'm sure the Beldum can take care of their buddy now." Terack spoke up.

This little experience of theirs had actually given him an idea. "Y'know... I could not have done this without you. I'm not kidding." Terack suddenly said. "If you hadn't pointed out the right Metang to hit then I could have been in trouble..." Flutter was surprised to hear this being put into words. "T-thanks, but I'm not sure how it even happened. It just, well, happened." she replied. Someday, she hoped to get come real control on this peculiarity.

Terack hoped so too, but he wanted to press on with this topic. "Here's an idea I'd thought of when we were on the way back out. What do you think about us forming a rescue team? You and me. It's only been a couple of days but I'd say that we already make a good team. Will you please do this for me?"

An even more surprised Flutter needed a few moments to think this over. A rescue team... She could hazard a firm guess to what this concept may entail. It sounded like it could be difficult but they had already saved a young Caterpie trapped in a fissure, followed by an abnormally evolved Metang. Now she thought about it, both tasks sounded like the sort of things that such a team would embark on. A way of keeping her mind away from her transformation from human to Pokémon would be great too, a way of keeping out anxious dreams. "Alright partner, I'm in." she finally decided, to Terack's delight.

The new team soon continued walking back home under the sunset while discussing possibilities for a team name, Terack giving her some finer details of what a rescue team does while encouraging her onwards. Though happily bolstered, Flutter couldn't have guessed that they were starting upon something larger than life itself with this career choice.

Terack's company gave her greater confidence though, so what she did know is that she had a teammate whom she could rely upon. That alone was enough.

 

[Gengarzilla]

Chapter 3: A battle a day lures the doctor in​

Flutter, now a member of the newly formed rescue team, Team Celeste, had just been on the receiving end of perhaps the worst wake up call that she could remember, in part due to her amnesia.

She had been in the middle of that very same dream from yesterday but it had been interrupted by a sudden earthquake. Not even bothering to find the white and green figure again amongst such bedlam, she had retracted back into her shell and waited it all out until she woke up just in time to feel the rumbling dissipate. "What... was all that about? Was that one of the earthquakes Terack told me about?" she asked herself as she managed to get up on her own two feet.

Now immediately filled to the brim with concern for what the earthquake may cause, like open fissures for more Pokémon like Caterpie to fall in, Flutter dashed outside to see if everything was ok. Nothing about her immediate surroundings appeared to be out of the ordinary however, leading to the swift conclusion that the epicentre of the quake was nowhere near being close to this area. This went nowhere towards lessening her surprise and worries though.

Flutter soon saw Terack, her Trapinch teammate, hurrying towards her in a mad dash. "Hey, you ok? I guess you heard that last earthquake too." he immediately said between breaths. He had apparently gotten little sleep last night, as evidenced by a stifled yawn. As it turned out, this whole night was particularly bad, it had been filled with the noise and commotion of them; Flutter only avoided having her sleep disrupted because her bizarre dreams were very deep ones for the most part. "I'm ok, Terack. It woke me up but I'm not hurt." she replied. Terack had told her about the alarming frequency of natural disasters in the world when they were on the way back from Thunderwave Cave.

"Uh... what? You're saying you slept through the rest of them? You've gotta teach me how to do that someday, I got hardly any shut-eye here." he said, yawning more openly this time. A passing Pelipper with the morning mail spared Flutter from explaining that oddity earlier than she wanted. It landed atop their empty mailbox and left some sort of package alongside a few letters inside it before taking flight once more and departing. "Could this be it?" Terack asked out loud before pulling the package out with his mouth and opening it. "It is! It's our starter set!"

Flutter could only reply with an "Uhh? How... cool.", not quite on the same page as him and his enthusiasm. "There's this Pokémon Rescue Organisation that somehow seems to know when new teams are formed. Don't ask me how because I don't know either. Anyway, they've sent this over to get us off the ground." he explained, tossing one of the two badges over to her afterwards. She caught and examined it, the badge was an oval shape in a white colour with similarly coloured wings on both the left and right sides. Flutter rather liked its general look.

"Let's see here..." he said after he finished looking at his badge, now reading through the letter attached to the kit. "Members of Team Celeste, we are glad that you have formed a rescue team... by holding up your new badges you can immediately transport Pokémon in need of rescuing to the Pelipper Post Office, alongside yourselves if you wish... completing rescue jobs earn points, enough points will allow your team to grow in rank... the enclosed supply bag will allow items to be carried with ease..." the Trapinch finished muttering out these important details. "Ayep, they've definitely set us up nicely."

Flutter nodded happily before taking a look in the mailbox herself and retrieving the letters. "Hey now, what about these?" she asked after showing some of them to him. "We've gotten some job requests already? That's really good news for our first day." Terack replied. "Flutter, let's head into Pokémon Square and get stocked up on items first. I'll show you around."

"Thanks, that sounds like a plan." Flutter approvingly replied. She put the Pecha, Rawst, and Chesto Berries from Butterfree into their bag before following him off east. Their conversation hadn't gone unnoticed however; a trio consisting of a Gengar, Ekans, and Medicham had overheard them, and none of these Pokémon looked very nice.

"A new rescue team? Operating in that run down shack? Keh, I say we should relieve them of those jobs." the Gengar abrasively whispered to his team...

~​

Upon returning to their team's base following a shopping trip for some equipment, where she picked up a smaller sized Defense Scarf for herself alongside Terack's own new purchase of a Power Band, Flutter heard a voice calling out to them. "So you're Team Celeste, eh?" it said. "Yeah, that's us." the Togepi replied as she turned around to see the Gengar approaching them, Ekans and Medicham both behind him. "Something you need?" Terack asked.

"Keh, nothing much. I'm merely astonished to see a rescue team operating from within a dump like that. Truly unbelievable." Gengar immediately replied, laying it on them both without missing a single beat. Flutter was immediately rubbed the wrong way by this; the said 'dump' was her much valued roof, her home in this world. Naturally she wasn't going to take this guy's insult well. "What did you just say?" she responded to the Ghost type, half stunned by the bluntness and half annoyed by the insult. Overall, she wasn't at all pleased. "Who are you three anyway, exterior design critics or something? What's your business here?" Terack asked in his befuddlement.

Gengar was more amused by their reactions than anything else. "I'm Gengar, behind me are Ekans-" the snake Pokémon acknowledged this with a light hiss. "-and Medicham." she gave them a nod that would have been considered respectful if not for a mean quality to her eyes. "We're not here to solely belittle what you intend to pass off as your little rescue base however. There's something else we're after. Ekans, do your stuff!" he said to the serpentine cohort.

"With pleasure." Ekans exclaimed, his eyes glowing red as he slithered forwards. Within a few moments his Glare had paralyzed both Terack and Flutter, robbing them both of their movements. After this, taking the job requests that Terack had was nothing more than child's play for him. "Hey, those are ours!" he angrily called once the paralysis had dissipated, Ekans now back with the group and the jobs now in Gengar's hands. "Kekekeh! We happen to be a rescue team too. It doesn't matter who does the job, right?" Gengar retorted. "Indeed." Medicham continued. "It's merely a front though. Our goal is something much greater." she went on as she used Confusion to blow the annoyed Flutter back into Terack after the Togepi stepped forwards to try and snap back at them.

"Let's get outta here. We got what we're here for." Gengar called to his underlings, the three of them turning to leave. "The name's Team Meanies, don't you rookies go forgetting it!" he left as his parting words. By the time Flutter and Terack picked themselves up, they were gone. "I won't. You can all count on it, crooks." she quietly muttered as though they were right next to her, feeling for the first time this deep sensation of outright rage bubbling within her. For what they'd said and done already, the so-called rescuers were now in her bad books.

Her anger soon gave way to concern as she asked if Terack was ok, glad to hear the affirmative. "What do we do now? That horrible group stole those jobs..." she asked him, apprehension in her voice. As Terack was about to respond, he felt something moving around underground...

"Flutter. Terack. We need your... Oh dear, you can't see us. I do apologize, that was very rude." The two Pokémon in question looked around at the call of their names before a Dugtrio popped up next to them. "We're Dugtrio. As we were saying, we need your help." Flutter was mildly startled by the Ground type's emergence from below but went over to talk, as this Pokémon seemed less likely to mess with her and Terack than Team Meanies just had. "Yeah, that's us. How can we help?"

Dugtrio began with his story. "Just a few moments ago, our son Diglett was abducted by a Pokémon called Skarmory. She screeched something about him and us having had this coming for a long time before flying off towards a dungeon called Mt. Steel." Terack was almost rigid once more, this time now with concern. "Had this coming? I'm really not sure what this Pokémon means by that either, but we'll go up and help the kid out." he declared, a motion that Flutter agreed with. "Of course we will. Dugtrio, please show us the way."

~​

Soon enough, the team had jumped straight into the mission at hand. Flutter was glad to finally have some form of offence in the form of Secret Power thanks to a TM given to them by a kindly Kangaskhan. It was certainly proving useful in their bid to save Diglett, as was Terack's newly learned Sand Tomb once they got a few floors in.

It couldn't be said that this was a cakewalk though. By virtue of their typing, the Aron were holding their own against Flutter's new move. She was needing Terack's assistance against them and was therefore rather relieved when they reached the mountain's peak.

"Seems that there's nowhere else for us to go. Flutter, you seen Diglett yet?" he asked her when they arrived. She looked around for the kid and soon found him trapped on a small platform just nearby. "There he is!" she exclaimed, making a few steps forward before a bird of some sorts landed in front of her. Something about it seemed... very odd indeed, Flutter thought. It appeared to be made of metal.

"Y-you're Skarmory, right?" Flutter said, stepping back but holding her ground beyond that. "What's going on here? Why did you take that Diglett?" She was going to first try and hear more about Skarmory's motivations behind suddenly abducting someone's son, as she couldn't really understand what this was all about either. "It's because of those earthquakes..." the Skarmory replied, a strangled mix of fear and anger in her voice. "They happen far too often, I haven't gotten a single night's sleep out of worry. Last night was horrible, terrifying, frightful. Nobody seems to know what causes them... but I've found out!" she continued, the aforementioned anger taking over. "The cause? This brat and the rest of his ilk running rampant throughout the ground! Wild, untamed, unchecked! I've had enough of this! I'm fixing our problem today!"

"We might have had too many earthquakes, yes , but you're still wrong to target Diglett like this!" Terack retorted, quickly getting frustrated with Skarmory's aggressive and heavy-handed attempt at fixing the problem. "It would take far more than many colonies of Diglett and Dugtrio to cause this. Let the child go." he finished calmly, only for the Skarmory to get even more furious. "THIS IS NOT UP FOR DISCUSSION, YOU TWO!" she screeched. "If you're going to get in my way then I'll have to deal with you both myself! I refuse to let these earthquakes continue!"

Flutter took a despairing sigh at Skarmory's blatant refusal to hear them out. "Words aren't working, Terack. I don't think we can avoid using force any longer." she admitted to him and herself just before turning to face their foe. "We're leaving here with him, Skarmory, no matter how much you scream and yell at us. Get out of our way." Flutter spoke back without so much as flinching. The unmoving, unyielding expression of determination on her face was even beginning to surprise her own teammate.

Though meek and small as she might be, Flutter wasn't afraid to toss around a rather defiant tongue in the face of adversity, this personality trait was one she held in her human days and it had been reawakened by the anger she'd felt towards Team Meanies earlier in the day. The former human was now enlightened to the tough fact that not every Pokémon here would be nice and friendly.

The armored bird growled at her opposition and quickly scraped one foot again the ground to kick up a Sand Attack to her face, a sudden action which served to catch Flutter completely off guard. Not a good start, she thought privately as she tried to clear the sand from her eyes. Skarmory immediately advanced upon her until she found her own sand turning around seemingly by itself to trap her in a whirling tornado. Terack's Sand Tomb had done the job of drawing Skarmory's attention away from Flutter. "That was a really sneaky move of hers. Are you ok there?" he asked her. "Y-yeah, thanks for helping me out." she replied. Her eyes still stung a little bit but she had gotten most of the sand out.

Skarmory then began to fly upwards in a spin to escape the Sand Tomb, diving down upon the two afterwards with her wings outstretched in a vicious Drill Peck. Terack took the brunt of it and nearly fell off the mountain while Flutter was clipped upwards by one of those sharp wings while trying to avoid her attack. Choosing to focus on that airborne target for now, Skarmory then grabbed Flutter's egg shaped body with one of her talons. Her claws on that foot then started glowing a metallic silver colour as she tightened her Metal Claw grip on her, carrying her high enough to avoid any further Sand Tomb hits from Terack, effectively shutting him out of this battle entirely for now. "Gah! Flutter!" he called out loudly, being reduced to just that.

"Your friend can't reach us from here, just give it up!" she yelled at the Togepi trapped in her Metal Claw's strengthening hold, intending to break through the tough eggshell around this youngster's body and finish her off here and now. Flutter simply stared up at her with a nondescript look on her face that gave nothing away before spontaneously letting out Secret Power as her form of revenge for that blindside Sand Attack, her whole body giving off a damaging pink shine that caused the Skarmory to crash land in a confused daze.

"I didn't know Secret Power could do that... Ow, ow, ow!" Flutter mumbled as she pulled herself loose from the grasp of the completely incoherent bird. She hurt all over and was absolutely certain that her shell and Defense Scarf had just saved her life. "Terack, please cover for me. I need a moment to shake that off..." the ailing Togepi gasped. She thought it safe to take a short breather and leave Skarmory up to Terack for the time being while their opponent was incapable of attack. "Gotcha!" Terack called out, taking upon a blue outline with Focus Energy before repeatedly lunging at Skarmory with Bite, his jaws glowing blue with each and every hit. Slowly but surely, they were taking the upper hand thanks to his Power Band.

She soon snapped out of her confusion and shook Terack off her back, following this up by avoiding Flutter's Metronome-summoned Flame Burst before using Leer to intimidate them with a pair of glowing red eyes. Another Drill Peck was soon prepared, only for a double Take Down to smash hard into her back with some significant force. Skarmory collapsed upon impact with the mountain's summit, unable to continue.

"Huh? Who just took Skarmory down?" Flutter asked in confusion. Terack saw the duo responsible for the double Take Down after she asked. "The two Beldum from yesterday! Hey, thanks for the help! What brings you here?" he asked, pleased for their timely intervention.

"We saw a pink light in the sky and went to see what it was. I'm glad we got here in time." one of them replied. "Yeah, that was my Secret Power move. Skarmory had me in a really tight Metal Claw up there." Flutter explained to them. The said Skarmory pulled herself back up afterwards, tired and very furious. "I-idiots...! You fools! Fine, take this with you but don't even think about coming back to apologize when their scum devastate this world!" she spat at them all before flying off.

Flutter and Terack both sighed in relief at Skarmory's retreat before explaining everything behind to the Beldum pair. "I see, so that's what this was all about? The Skarmory kidnapped Diglett after assuming that he and his folks were causing those earthquakes? We're both pleased to have helped." they replied. "Well, there is one more thing you could do for us here." Flutter asked. "Can you carry us over so we can reach him. We started a rescue team after saving Metang, our badges can do the rest."

Unbeknownst to the five Pokémon, they were being watched. A Salamence was perched upon another peak nearby with an exceptionally intelligent looking Golduck on his back; both had been listening to and observing the whole battle. "Hah! Rubix, they actually beat that crazy old bat!" the Salamence enthusiastically responded to the Golduck, whose heightened psychic abilities had already determined what Flutter really was...

Unlike his colleague, he wasn't as thrilled or impressed by what he'd witnessed just now, nor was he interested in the sight of Flutter and Terack being carried by the Beldum. "Hmmph, I calculate this to be nothing short of dumb luck. I say the human and that Trapinch were very, very fortunate to have their Beldum friends intervene." Rubix bluntly replied. "And Derkomai, don't be so loud. You might alert them to our presence."

"Of course, doctor. My mistake." Derkomai responded with a tone of humility to his voice. "What do you think of their capabilities as of now?" he asked, prompting a moment of silent thought from Rubix. "As of now? Middling at best, and that's a highly generous analysis. They're not a threat to us or our final objective. The human does display basic cooperation with Pokémon but she's not going to sway the lord with that. She's merely one being. Most assuredly, everyone else shall agree with me on that." Rubix went on.

Rubix's appraisal of the situation was well received by Derkomai, expect for one detail on which he had a differing opinion. "That Secret Power escape trick however, I must give my applause. I believe that must have taken some guts to pull off so smoothly. Why, she could very well become a worthwhile adversary someday." he spoke confidently, promising to enjoy this opportunity should he ever get the chance to face her in a battle. Rubix simply rolled his eyes at Derkomai's open fantasy spot, being highly used to this Salamence's history of harbouring a deep interest in waging battles against powerful or promising Pokémon.

"You ought to keep your priorities straight regarding our new find, Derkomai. Humans are still our targets." he reminded the powerful dragon. "Now that we've found another human, our time would be better served by returning to base and informing the lord immediately."

~​

"Flutter, Terack, thank you both so much. We couldn't be more grateful." Dugtrio said. The group were now back at the team base and collecting their reward from him. Flutter was glad but felt that she should say what was on her mind. "If you're wanting to thank anyone, please thank our Beldum friends here. Diglett was trapped in an area of the mountain surrounded by a deep gap. They both carried us across after taking down Skarmory. We couldn't have done this ourselves." the Togepi recited. She wasn't willing to leave their pivotal roles unrecognized.

"Ah? Then we do apologize, please accept our heartfelt thanks." Dugtrio replied, addressing the Beldum. "You're very welcome. We're happy to have helped, and... looking at Diglett back there on the mountain, my friend and I felt this certain kinship with him. Beldum and Diglett both evolve into joined entities, so we simply had to help the boy." Listening to the Beldum's statement, Flutter felt truly touched. A most delightful idea involving the two of them then entered her mind.

"We're most impressed! Sincerly, thank you all once more. Diglett, let's go home now." he said. "Yup! Thanks for saving me!" Diglett happily called before he and Dugtrio went back beneath the earth. "We should be going home too." the Beldum said. They went to leave before Flutter put her idea into words. "Wait, hold on!" she called out at the sight of them going. Both Beldum both stopped and looked back at her. Here goes nothing. "Would you... like to join our Team Celeste? I really meant it when I said we couldn't have done this ourselves. You both really came through for us today." Flutter quickly said. "Oh? Great idea!" Terack spoke up. "Yes, I'd love for you both to join us!"

This was an idea they both really liked. "Join your rescue team? That does sound fun. I'm in!" one of them replied. "Hold on though. If you're wanting us to join then we'll need some place nearby for us to stay, so we can quickly go on rescues if you need us. Is there anywhere like that?" asked the other one. A hole in Flutter's plan had just emerged. "Oh... I'm afraid not. Sorry." she had to admit.

"Ah... That's a shame. We're really sorry but we can't join you then. Bye-bye." they both said, leaving Flutter and Terack to themselves. "What a real downer." Terack muttered in response. "It would be great to have had them on board... I guess we've got to look at finding locations for them and other members to stay in." he continued. "Oh! We should pay a visit to the Wigglytuff's World shop!"

"Huh?" Flutter simply said in her confusion. "What are you getting at exactly?" She had not a single clue what this Trapinch was talking about here. "It's a place at Pokémon Square that deals in maps leading to many places, dungeons or otherwise. The shop's next to Felicity Bank which Persian runs. Wigglytuff wasn't there when we got ourselves some items earlier today but we'll probably have better luck tomorrow." he explained to her.

Now that he'd explained it in much better detail, the idea made more sense to her. "Ohh, you mean we should be able to find places for teammates to live when we visit? That's great! Yes, let's check there tomorrow!" she replied in a much happier tone, cheered up by the thought of rectifying their newest roadblock. "Cool. I guess I'll see you tomorrow then. Sleep tight now." he said before walking off. Flutter waved goodbye and went inside, feeling the exhaustion from their first day on the job beginning to catch up to her.

She was in need of a good night's sleep after the difficult scuffle with Skarmory. Preferably one uninterrupted by any earthquakes, she tirefully added as an amendment to her internal thoughts upon reflection over the day's events.

 

[Gengarzilla]

Chapter 4: Ice Crashing the party​

"Mmmmh... Oh, is this that dream again?" Flutter mumbled as she picked herself up from her sleeping position, quite intent on getting to the bottom of this peculiarity after an earthquake had cut the last one short.

The rippling green glow all but confirmed her quick suspicion if the subsequent appearance of that same being from before hadn't. The mist was there too, but somewhat lessened on this occasion for whatever reason. Flutter could also hear a voice in her head once more, but this time she could actually distinguish a couple of the words passing through her subconscious mind. "H-human...? You know about me being human?" she asked in abject surprise.

"Please, I need to know! Did you just talk about my role here? What do you mean?" she went on, more than a little bit desperate for this chance to get answers. Here and now, Flutter was maddeningly determined to interrogate this thing and learn how it knew her from her lost, murky past; in those days gone by.

Before Flutter could pick out any more words from the one sided mental conversation, a heavy sensation abruptly flooded her head. Whatever method being used by the other side was proving too difficult for them to maintain at this point in time. Having to go through all of this yet again and still end up without knowing why she was here was actually beginning to make Flutter fairly angry and upset; even abandoned, in the midst of her befuddlement. "No, don't you even think about leaving me hanging again! Stop messing with me! I want answers and I... want them now..." Her distress didn't last all that long, it was soon replaced by nothing as she felt herself float away...

~​

The next thing she knew, Flutter was waking up in her bed and feeling far too unrested and worked up for someone who was meant to be starting a brand new day. "Agh... Getting just those bits and pieces is even worse than nothing. What's wrong with me?" she mused in the privacy of her own head. She was quickly beginning to dislike being loaded with question after question whenever she woke up.

There was one rather huge thing which she could already gather from the pieces of last night's dream alone: Whatever that thing in her frequent dreams was, it seemed to know her from back when she was human, before she'd lost her memories. "I can't just pretend that these things are normal anymore, if someone I knew from back then is trying to contact me." Flutter believed. The series of dreams had now become an infinitely more important matter than they were in past mornings, she decided. As she'd promised herself two days ago that she would tell Terack all about this if they did go that way, the Togepi was now totally intent upon telling her friend of these experiences before they'd make any plans for the upcoming day.

The Trapinch in question soon entered, Flutter could only assume that she'd awoken a little bit on the late side if he'd gone in to check on her rather than wait for her as per usual. "You ok, pal? I was waiting outside for you and started to get worried... Is something wrong? You look sorta off." Terack spoke, only confirming Flutter's momentary assumption. She was glad to hear that he'd taken her oversleeping as a cause for concern. He did deserve for her to be honest about this after their time together throughout her days here, she thought. "Well, I've been having these strange dreams lately, ever since my first night here..." Flutter finally started to admit.

"Strange? What about these dreams makes you call them that?" he gently asked of her, immediately taking her previously held belief that they were because of her clear anxiety. Terack may not have actually seen a human before but he was certain they didn't look remotely like a Togepi; he knew this whole confusing ordeal would be something which a human couldn't take in overnight. "There's always this figure in green and white, a mist usually appearing with them. They seem to be speaking directly into my head but I've never heard anything clearly enough before last night. It sounds like this thing knew me as a human and mentioned some sort of role I'm supposed to have, but that's all I got..." she continued, ending off with a sigh which wordlessly explained the additional baggage these visitations were now causing.

This was generally an alarming thing for him to hear and it really did bother him to see Flutter becoming so loaded down. "I see, that does sound strange. It's sorta gotten me thinking now... You want to become a human again, huh?" Terack asked her. Flutter was honestly amazed that she hadn't thought about it very much, the time spent with Terack and her borderline obsessive need for answers on why this happened had been joining forces to keep that question buried. Did she want to reverse this and go back to being human? Her response would have been an unflinching 'yes' on the first day. Now though...

"I can't ever deny that this has all been scary at times, but... it hasn't been all bad, being a Togepi in this world. I met you, after all." she confessed, cracking a small yet sweet smile at what she'd just said. Flutter really couldn't have put more honesty into her words, thinking back on what time she'd spent here so far. "You found me as I woke up near the Tiny Woods, never once called me a liar, gave me this place so I could have a safe place to sleep... I know I'd already be much worse off than I am now if you weren't around. Should you keep guiding me and holding my hand while putting up with my mysteries, then I... I think I could learn to live with my situation if there's no way back." the girl concluded.

Terack didn't quite know what to say while they began to move outside, but he was glad to hear all of this from her. This heartfelt statement was making him feel deeply appreciated. "That's great news. I really do feel for you and what you're going through, you know? Whatever comes to you tomorrow or the day afterwards, you won't be learning it alone." he declared sympathetically, which very nearly moved Flutter to tears, though she couldn't say anything before Terack remembered something they were meant to do today "Oh! Weren't we supposed to visit Wigglytuff's World?" he recalled.

That name reminded Flutter of their plan too, which she'd completely forgotten about amidst her own personal drama. "Ahh, recruiting new members! Let's move it!" All tiredness now forgotten instead, she rushed off with Terack at her heels. They were fast enough to just miss the arrival of a trio, but this group had overheard the plan. "Wigglytuff's shop? Alright, let's go!" one voice said.

~​

"Friends are the best treasures of my world! Welcome!" Wigglytuff said to the two arrivals as Flutter watched. She liked this Pokémon shopkeeper already, their super friendly demeanor was very soothing to the human-turned-Pokémon "...Oh? This is your first time here?" she asked once Terack greeted her and said so. "So you must have started up your own rescue team too? That's wonderful! I sell maps to many places in this land where your new team members can stay. Since you're here for the very first time, I'm going to give you a pair of them absolutely free!" she happily told the two.

"Thanks Wigglytuff, that would be very nice of you." Flutter said with a smile. "Not a problem at all, helping teams get new friends is why I'm here~!" she exclaimed, giving them two maps as she just said. "These will lead you to the nearby Wild Plains and Mist-Rise Forest! I'm sure you can make lots of friends in this wide world who would love to see those two places! " Wigglytuff joyfully spoke.

"If it's alright, could you also give my friends a map to the Magnetic Quarry?" a voice called.

Flutter and Terack both looked in the direction of this voice and were surprised to see that it came from the very same Metang that they saved in the Thunderwave Cave a couple of days ago, with the Beldum duo behind him. Nothing prepared the members of Team Celeste for what he said next however. "I'm wanting to join their team." he spoke without any missed seconds.

Both of them were stunned by this development. Although Flutter had asked the two Beldum to join them yesterday, she'd never expected to have their recently evolved friend, a one-time foe for herself and Terack, practically throw himself into Team Celeste instead. "That's wonderful, you two have a new friend already! I'll give that one away too with no charge!" Wigglytuff delightedly said as she also handed over the map to this said location. Metang was more or less ecstatic about this. "Yeah, now I can join!" he said to his Beldum friends. One of them went to speak with the quietly astonished Flutter and Terack.

"I'm sorry for turning you down yesterday, as is my friend. The very moment that we told Metang about the events at Mt. Steel and your need for new members however, well... there really was no stopping him." this Beldum revealed. "He was so adamant about it that he spent all of last night looking for somewhere to stay nearby. I think he's wanting to repay you for saving him before, are you alright with this?" For Terack, this request needed no thought whatsoever. "Are we? We're both more than happy to have him on board." Terack answered.

"You mean I'm in...? I'm really, really in?" Metang happily questioned, feeling as though he were living in a wonderful dream. "Yep, welcome to the team!" Flutter replied. "It's really nice to have you, Metang... or whatever you're wanting us to call you now?" Flutter added questioningly. "Hmm, you mean like a nicknamex, in case we meet any other Metang while we're on a rescue somewhere? Give me a minute please..." he asked of her.

After some minutes of silent consideration and contemplation, Metang finally narrowed the options down to one big winner. "I'm going to go with Kyan. I really like the sound of that one somehow." their new member said. "Kyan, eh? Sounds neat." Terack replied in approval, Flutter following on this motion with a nod. "Then that's all settled. Kyan, make sure you do your best and help them in rescues. Good luck!" the Beldum said as their parting words before they departed. "I promise! I won't let them down!" the newly named Kyan called to them with a wave.

Wigglytuff had been watching all of this with a delighted smile. "That was lovely, I'm so happy I could have watched that." she exclaimed before refocusing on the customers. "I'm done with the giveaways now, but do visit if there's ever a map here that you're wanting to buy!" Flutter's response was a pleased smile followed by a cheery farewell to Wigglytuff for her help.

"Alright gang, I'm going to guess that Kyan's badge will mysteriously turn up in the mail tomorrow from that super secret Pokémon Rescue Organisation since we don't have a stock of them ourselves. Feel like swinging by the Kecleon Brothers to stock up?" Terack asked Flutter and Kyan, quickly getting down to business. Both of them were in agreement with this plan so the team made their way left towards their shops. Flutter soon noticed what appeared to be some sort of commotion in the middle of the square though.

"Oh please! I need help, my friend's stuck in a dungeon! Please!" a Jumpluff could be seen asking a Shiftry, the Pokémon being flanked by two Nuzleaf. "You can forget about it, miss, my Team Shifty doesn't work for loose change. Find someone else." the Shiftry dismissively replied to her, but Jumpluff was refusing to step down. "B-but all he needs is a gust of wind, can't you do that?" she continued, looking dead set on staying right there until he relented. Naturally, this back and forth display had drawn plenty of attention.

"Is something going on over there?" Terack asked the nearby Lombre after joining the crowd of Pokémon gathered around this. "That scene?" the resident asked. "Jumpluff over there is needing a team to rescue her friend in a dungeon called the Silent Chasm, but she's just not getting any luck with Shiftry. He's the one in the middle with the long nose. Shiftry's the leader of his own rescue team, but they're all very greedy. If you aren't prepared to pay them a hefty amount of money then they'll refuse to help. I feel really sorry for poor Jumpluff, being shut down like this." To put it in a few succinct words, the Trapinch was incensed by what he was witnessing. "T-that's... completely missing the point of a rescue team! Any rewards should be an afterthought, not the one driving motivation!" he spoke.

Becoming a real rescuer and joining a rescue team had been Terack's dearly held wish since he was little; a path which diverged from the legendary exploration career of his own famous grandfather, so it really infuriated him to see Shiftry's greedy ways with his own eyes. This was something he managed to keep in check yesterday regarding Gengar's Team Meanies, but there was no restraining that feeling now. "That's just horrible..." Flutter joined him in his disquiet, quite annoyed by Team Shifty's stance. "If Shiftry's not going to budge, I'll just have to take the job. Jumpluff deserves better than him." she spontaneously decided with Terack's approval. While Kyan agreed with them on their points, the more level headed member of Team Celeste had to stop Flutter from thoughtlessly going out there to volunteer the team's help. "W-wait a moment! Last I checked, none of us can produce the gusts of wind she needs." he flatly stated before his teammates could make fools of themselves.

"Hold on." a solid and stern voice called out to the gathering. An Alakazam with a highly experienced look to him had just arrived from the left, behind Team Shifty. Some voices were already echoing their way through the collected Pokémon and were primarily in recognition of the Alakazam, these soon intensifying when a Charizard and a Tyranitar also arrived behind him. "Are they saying that this is that Alakazam?! No way, this is so awesome!!" Kyan exclaimed in unbridled amazement, catching Terack and especially Flutter off guard with his switch from logical thought to sheer fanboy admiration. "Shiftry, you truly are as cold as the winds you summon." Alakazam simply said out loud. "Those strong winds are all that's needed to save Jumpluff's friend. With the use of those leafy fans of yours, this job is a very easy matter for you. That Pokémon needs help. Provide it." he commanded, plenty of authority placed within his last two words.

The agitated Shiftry looked at his two nervous Nuzleaf cohorts for the backup that never came. He had little choice left. "...Bah, fine! Since it's Team A.C.T., we'll do it." he finally relented, leaving with his duo. The discussion then turned to how easily Alakazam had swayed Shiftry.

"Um, who are those three?" Terack asked out loud. Kyan looked absolutely astonished that he'd even thought about letting those five words ever slip out at all in that order. "Wait, what? You don't know?! Those three happen to be Team A.C.T., only the most famous rescue team in this area." he started. "Over there-" the Metang gestured to the red draconic Pokémon with a flame on his tail. "-is Charizard. Mountains stand no chance against his mighty Fire Punch." He next turned Terack and Flutter's attention to the green armoured Pokémon. "There's Tyranitar. His Iron Defence, armoured body, and amazing strength all come together to give him an outstanding proficiency in battles." Finally, he looked at their leader; his idol. "And that's Alakazam, the leader. He prefers to fight from afar is amazingly intelligent. He's apparently committed everything he's ever seen to only his memory, ready to be recalled at at time. They say his Teleport is absolutely second to none." The Togepi and Trapinch refocused their attention to Kyan. "As a Psychic type myself, I happen to be a big fan of his work." he finished by confessing.

"Thanks for talking him into it..." Jumpluff said to Alakazam in a quiet and relieved voice. "Thanks aren't a necessity." he replied. "In this world, you should be expected to get help from your fellow Pokémon. Please come and see me if you're ever being turned down again. Take care and send my wishes to your friend when they return." Alakazam gently said to her before walking off.

"Wow, Alakazam's got quite the tender side too." Terack muttered, he and his teammates having heard his private word with Jumpluff. Flutter nodded, just as Team A.C.T. passed by them. "I guess you wouldn't get far as a rescue team if you didn't have such a good heart, huh?" A few seconds after this had left her mouth, Alakazam stopped dead in his tracks and looked back at her. The startled Lombre hid behind Kyan while Terack wore a look of surprise upon his face as the team's leader quietly stared at Flutter as she looked back inquiringly, neither saying a word. "Alakazam, is something the matter?" Tyranitar asked of his leader, both he and Charizard having noticed the sudden and inscrutable interest he had in this seemingly normal Togepi. This appeared to soon be dismissed upon Tyranitar's question. "...It's fine. Let's go." he finally responded, the group continuing on their way.

All awkwardness aside, Terack now fully understood Kyan's admiration. "Wow, they're good... Flutter, Kyan, they've got to be our inspiration. That's the kind of team we've got to become one day. The three of us need to pitch in and make our team first-class together!" he gave as a motivational call to them. Their approving responses said it all.

A less than savoury reception to this could be heard near the southern end of the square, coming from Gengar of Team Meanies. "Keh. Not if I can plot anything to derail you, Team Celeste. Your new chump's not going to help you against us." he remarked with venom thick in his voice...

~​

A whole week had now been and gone by since Team Celeste's former foe Kyan joined them. The Metang's badge had indeed arrived in their mailbox the day after he joined and he had started taking part in the team's job requests, one of them resulting in a Zinc Band being given for him to wear. His aid and new held item had added up to what Flutter saw as a noticeable spike in success for their team, culminating in them having advanced in rescue team rank from Normal Rank to Bronze Rank.

Flutter herself was still having those strange dreams. No progress was being made on her communications with the being who continued to visit her in these eerily quiet dreamscapes, she could still hear nothing clearly aside from mental mentions about some sort of role she had, which still made her very uneasy. There was nothing more that she felt could be done about them, she'd already told Terack and was considering the possibility of starting some sort of dream diary. Kyan still wasn't privy to her human origins but she fully intended to let him in on everything once she could find a suitable moment.

"Morning, Flutter. Sleep well?" Terack asked once she headed out from the base, the day following their rank up. "Yeah. I think I'm starting to get used to my dreams now, it's just the same scenario again and again. Let's work hard and have a good day out there!" she said, pleasing the Trapinch with that enthusiasm. Kyan arrived shortly afterwards with a guest atop his body. "Hello gang, we've got a little visitor here." he said to them both, looking up at said visitor. "Flutter and Terack, hi! Long time no see." Caterpie greeted them.

"Oh, hey there Caterpie. What brings you here?" Flutter asked with a smile. She was glad to see the kid again for the first time since that fateful day when Terack found her in this world. "I made a new friend yesterday, his name is Metapod. He and I were playing in the woods to the east but we got lost and separated. I think he's still stuck out there..." he told them, laying out the task he wanted them to do

"I see, that sounds terrible! Kekekeke!" a voice came out. Both Flutter and Terack immediately wore looks of exasperation at Gengar's distinctive laugh. "Ugh, not you three again..." Flutter moaned as Team Meanies arrived, ready to help themselves to another prospective job. "You need not worry, kiddo. If it's a rescue mission you're wanting then Team Meanies is on the case!" Gengar declared. Kyan and Caterpie were simply confused, none of them knowing who this guy was.

Flutter wasn't in the mood to be pestered by Gengar and company today. "Back off, Gengar! Caterpie's come to us for his help, go find your own jobs instead of stealing from us!" she immediately retorted in annoyance as she stepped forwards. "I think I'm missing something, Terack. What's gotten under her shell here? Have you two met these Pokémon?" Kyan inquired of him, as he'd never really seen this side of her yet. "On our first day as a rescue team, Gengar and his cronies stole our job requests. The mission to rescue Diglett saved our skins..." Terack explained to the new member.

"We've told you earlier, it doesn't matter who does the rescuing. The Pokémon in need is saved no matter who takes the job." Ekans shot back. "Exactly." Gengar concurred. "There's no way you and your lot can handle young Caterpie's task anyway, this isn't amateur hour. The forest dungeon to the east is called the Sinister Woods and it's no place for rookies. A mission in Tiny Woods is just perfect for you, kek!" Gengar spoke back demeaningly, but all he managed to accomplish with his insults was further awaken the beast within Flutter. "Tough dungeon or not, I won't back down and just let you do this. You're not getting your way." she adamantly replied, the tension between both teams now thick in the air as though it were a Pokémon's Mist or Haze move. Even this early into the game, it appeared almost as though Flutter and Gengar were destined, nay, fated to butt heads this way whenever they crossed paths.

Just then, his other teammate Medicham had an idea which she couldn't wait to tell her leader. "Gengar, if the girl's not backing down then let's make this interesting~!" Medicham said, whispering her sudden brainwave to him. "Oh! Excellent idea! Alright, Team Celeste. If you're so sure about this, here's a plan. Both of our teams take the mission and the first to rescue Metapod takes the reward!" Before anyone present could even voice the slightest hint of objection to this proposition, Team Meanies were off, drawing forth yet more of this side of Flutter. "T-the nerve, making a competition out of this! They're worse than Team Shifty!" Flutter suddenly spouted out amidst her indignation. Terack had to do the talking for her; she was that ticked off.

"Don't worry about them, we'll be sure to bring your pal back whether or not we're there first." Terack said to Caterpie. "I don't like the way that Gengar was talking to her, not in the slightest Let's throw all we give into saving Metapod, team!" Kyan called. Even with her continuing annoyance at the unwanted intervention of Team Meanies, Flutter was glad for the unwavering help of her two teammates.

As the triad left for the woods, a Pokémon swathed in a black cloak slinked back into the nearby trees after bearing silent witness to the whole altercation. "Stealing jobs? Despicable, deplorable behavior..." they simply muttered, agreeing with Flutter's outburst.

~​

Within the minutes, Team Celeste's members were within their mission in the Sinister Woods. As much as she despised herself for admitting this, Gengar may have been onto something regarding this dungeon's difficulty. It was definitely a bit tougher than the previous dungeons that they had cleared and the occasional errors fueled by Flutter's haste over taking Gengar's challenge seriously wasn't helping to soothe her overall mood.

Growing more and more frustrated over the course of this dungeon, her vexation was only amplified by a scene she saw in the clearing close to the end of the woods. Gengar, Ekans, and Medicham were all waiting for them. Team Meanies had arrived first. Flutter's day couldn't possibly get any worse. "Well, there's nowhere else to look. Metapod should be just up ahead. I'd say we've won this challenge!" Gengar said, immediately taking the chance to rub this in her face. "Just go away, you pest... What sort of twisted joy could you even get from messing with us?" Flutter tirefully asked him.

"It's very simple. New teams like yourselves are perfect for taking quick and easy jobs from. Even if they do find other jobs to take and complete, we keep coming back for more; they eventually give up and disband before even surpassing Normal Rank. Less competition for influence." Ekans coldly replied, he and the team now getting a bit irritated with Flutter's tongue themselves. "T-that explains why I've never heard of any new rescue teams rising high recently, you crooks bullied them into quitting!" Terack exclaimed in disgust. This was, without a doubt, one of the move vile things he'd had the displeasure of hearing.

"Of course." Medicham replied. "The rewards from those jobs are nice enough but what really matters to us is influence. Gengar told us that you three bore witness to Team A.C.T. a few days ago. There's truly little to distinguish us from you, that's the kind of team we've also got to become one day. With that kind of fame and good name with the public, world domination is but a few steps away~!" she exclaimed. Flutter didn't have any sort of response to give towards that ridiculous goal, she was far too annoyed at the comparison between their teams. Team Meanies weren't even a legitimate rescue team as far as she was concerned.

"Keh! However, I must say... No team has pushed us to do a stunt like that race before." Gengar admitted. "This sort of thing isn't our usual style, but we're going to end your Team Celeste ourselves!" With that now in the air, he and his teammates prepared to attack. No more time for screwing up, Flutter thought. She took the initiative in this battle with Foresight, a pair of light blue beams emanating from her eyes. The move caught Gengar off guard. "What the... What did you just do?!" he questioned in annoyance at becoming more vulnerable to Normal and Fighting moves.

Flutter owed Kyan a deep debt of gratitude for now being able to use her Foresight move at will, this was something she'd finally achieved during a series of training sessions at the newly opened Makuhita Dojo over the past week, wherein she had to find the correct Metang in a veritable army of Double Team copies over and over and over again. The repetition involved eventually drilled that move's execution into her memory and now it was as much second nature as her other moves. Undoubtedly, Flutter had mastered it in the nick of time.

Terack ran for Ekans and took him for an opponent while Kyan engaged in combat with Medicham. Gengar formed a purple ball of energy in his hands before throwing the Shadow Ball at Flutter, which she narrowly avoided before tackling him with Secret Power on full display to put him to sleep. Terack and Ekans were both carefully evading each other's moves, Sand Tomb and his new Rock Slide being avoided by Ekans but his attempts at Glare and Wrap were proving to be similarly ineffective. Kyan and Medicham had been throwing their Confusion attacks at each other in a true battle of the mind, the Metang's Zinc Band significantly greater strength against Psychic types serving him very well. Flutter was repeatedly attacking Gengar with Secret Power, slowly but surely wearing him down. Things were going rather smoothly for Team Celeste.

At least, they were. Terack eventually stumbled over Ekans's coils and found himself on the receiving end of a crushing Aqua Tail hit that knocked him clean out with a single blow, the serpent then poking his head into the bag that Terack dropped. Following a sideswipe of his Metal Claw and her Fire Punch, Kyan finally triumphed over Medicham to even the numbers but her Pure Power ability had given her fiery fist a much greater hit than he anticipated. He then blasted hard towards Gengar with a Take Down just as Ekans finished chowing down on all their Pecha Berries and tossed the Chesto Berry from Butterfree directly at Gengar after he took the hit from Kyan.

Now awake again, a Shadow Ball subsequently Kyan off with a highly effective blow before a point-blank use of the move caught Flutter during her Secret Power, sending the Togepi rolling back and inflicting a solid amount of damage. Before Flutter could even pull herself together, Ekans had her caught and trapped in his Wrap, lightly hissing close to the side of her face for intimidation. "I have Shed Skin, don't bother trying to sneak out of this with Secret Power..." he hissed. She tried to pull herself loose but didn't quite have the strength to do so.

"That could have done better..." Gengar remarked with a brief look at Medicham's unconscious form. "Keh, whatever. It's just you left and with no Pecha Berries thanks to Ekans. Do your thing!" he gloatingly said to Flutter before finishing with a command to him. "With pleasure..." Ekans said to him in a throaty hiss, wrapping his coils harder and harder around Flutter's shell as his fangs retracted outwards with a purple glow. He soon forcefully bit down on the back of her head, an area unprotected by her shell, with a Poison Fang.

She struggled against him with visible panic carved into her face, soon giving off a pained call for help once the steadily worsening poison from Ekans's move was in her system. "Shush, you!" he shouted at this, letting go of her in a spin before slamming an Aqua Tail hard on her from above. Flutter couldn't find it within herself to even get back up now, let alone attack as Ekans returned to Gengar's side. All she could do was lie there and curl up in pain as a tight sensation overtook her body, hoping that this was all a nightmare.

"Kekekekekeh!" Gengar simply replied as a watery, dark purple ball began forming in his hands, Venoshock shooting forth from it towards the badly poisoned and barely conscious Fairy type in the form of numerous poisonous blobs. Flutter closed her eyes and awaited the worst.

Except the worst never seemed to come.

To the surprise of both Gengar and Ekans, a black cloaked figure had leapt out from a nearby tree and landed in front of Flutter to intercept the oncoming Venoshock. "Gegeh?!" Gengar managed in surprise. The figure then quickly opened their crossed arms to unleash multiple black projectiles, the Payback move blowing Gengar back and knocking him out. Before Ekans could do anything productive, he too had been taken out. With Icicle Crash, an icicle had been formed in the hands of the new arrival and used against him as a blunt weapon.

"Hmph... I have no respect for such behavior. What an utter sham of a rescue team." they replied after turning their back on Team Meanies to tend to Flutter and her completely defeated team. Retrieving a Heal Seed from their satchel, they gently fed it to the unresponsive Flutter. Her breathing was slight but the shudder of her body was a sign that the seed was having its intended effect. She soon awoke with a terrified expression and began frantically staring around. "W-what...?! Where am I?!"

"Calm yourself. I've defeated the remaining two Pokémon and purged the poison from your system but you're still hurt..." this newcomer responded in a softer tone, and the exhaustion that caught up to her was solid proof of this. "A-alright... but who are you?" she asked. This was followed up not long afterwards with an "I could ask you the same thing, you annoying cloaked crusader!" from Gengar, who had just picked himself up.

"I'm the Black Ice, cloaked vigilante. Just call me Ice if desired." he introduced himself to those awake and present before his gaze returned to Team Meanies while he once again adopted a witheringly cool voice. "So you and your team have been stealing jobs from new teams and harassing them relentlessly? That's about as low as one can get. You call yourselves a rescue team? Joke of the century right there, you're a disgrace to the profession." he continued coldly when Ekans and Medicham got up. Although Ice's voice generally betrayed little emotions, he was truly fuming after what he'd heard about them earlier.

"Ooh, who do you even think you are anyway! Butting in on our job like-" Medicham angrily started before being cut off by Ice. "These three are under my protection now and I will ensure that they clear the rescue job which they were rightfully given. Gengar, you and your pathetic group of petty crooks will leave this forest immediately. Don't make me tell you twice." he said over her in the commanding tone to end all commanding tones, all without raising his voice. With very little options available, Gengar was forced to concede. "...Very well. You, Flutter. I'll cut you a break for now but this isn't over, kekekeh." he left as his threatening words of departure before the three fled from the forest.

"Ugh, that guy is such a massive pain." Flutter blurted out once they had left, taking an Oran Berry offered from her rescuer. "Quite..." Ice agreed, now giving a Reviver Seed each to Terack and Kyan. "Perhaps he'll learn his lesson after a few hours, now he knows exactly what I think of his team." Following the seeds and berry, all three of then were back on their feet. "Can't believe they got the drop on us..." Terack mumbled disappointedly as he retrieved their now emptier bag. "It's a shame, but at least the Black Ice here sent them off empty handed. We're still saving Metapod." Flutter said in an attempt to pick up his spirits. "Yes, of course." Kyan interjected. "They came for the good reputation and failed. Let's keep it up." Ice held his pleasure at this camaraderie. He liked seeing a rescue team who could throw off such a beating. Just from that alone, he knew they had the potential to make it really far as a combination someday.

"Hello?" someone called from within what little of the woods were left. A green cocoon Pokémon then hopped out into the clearing. "I'm Metapod, did you all come looking for me?" he asked of them. "Yep, I'm Flutter, these are Terack and Kyan, not sure if you've met the Black Ice before but he just saved our necks a few moments ago. Caterpie sent us, he's been worried." she said, introducing everyone. "Ok. I was very scared so I kept hardening my shell, waiting for help. Thanks for coming!" Metapod gratefully replied. "Wonderful. Let's get you all back home now, I'll escort you out." Ice said to the group. Everyone approved of this, so they all went on their way.

Very close to their path out from the woods, a Breloom with a rough manner of speech was handing out Reviver Seeds to the Pokémon that Team Celeste were forced to defeat along the way. "Humans... Nothin' but trouble, just as Dr. Rubix and the rest always say." the Breloom named Reishi said to himself as he revived a Shroomish. He then saw the team with Metapod moving past him on a path to his right, none the wiser to his presence. One member of the group however, shocked him to his very core.

"Is that... the Black Ice?! Wah, what is he doin' helpin' that human girl?" The possibility of him not knowing the status of that Togepi may admittedly be a high one, but her having that guy on her side was undoubtedly a potential cause for concern. Reishi had to raise the alert. He took out one of Rubix's own communication devices, an older model with heavy resemblance to a walkie talkie which was soon to be phased out once this group's designated inventor finalized his newer, streamlined version. "Mistress Zeninthia? It's Reishi here. We might have a bit of a new problem..."

~​

"This is really great, welcome back!" Caterpie sniffled happily. They had all returned safely to the base and the two Bug types were overjoyed to see each other again. "Thanks, Caterpie. It was a great idea to get your friends to do this." Metapod replied.

"Thanks to everyone for their help too, Team Celeste and the Black Ice. I'm really sorry, but I don't actually have any money or other rewards." the kid admitted. "Not to worry, Metapod's safety and your happiness are rewarding enough for us." Flutter said to him, both Terack and Kyan agreeing with her. "You've really got it. That's truly what being on a rescue team is all about. I must unfortunately go now, but trust me when I say I'll be keeping an eye on you." Ice declared with a smile hidden by his hooded cloak. He quickly dashed off with a happy farewell to them, feeling satisfied overall with today's events. "Team Celeste, you're even more cooler than I first thought... When I grow up, I want to go on rescues for the team just like you." Caterpie decided, followed by Metapod enthusiastically agreeing. "That's great, little buddies. Always chase your dreams." Kyan encouraging said to them.

"Say, Flutter... I've just got myself an idea here. Why don't we all make a much more impressive team base here later on? Something really neat." Terack threw out, remembering the cruel criticisms Gengar had to say regarding the place. Flutter's eyes almost glistened at the thought, as did those of Caterpie and Metapod. The three of them couldn't be more on board with this idea and Kyan's happy reply was a reply that they subsequently echoed. "Then that's settled up. Someday we'll all make something wonderful out of this. You two take care on the way home now." he said, watching Caterpie and Metapod leave.

"Well, we ended up working for free and losing a battle to Gengar's team but you and Ice are right. We saved Metapod, which is all that really matters." he mused to Flutter with a general recollection of the day's events. "Yeah, I'm not bitter about our altercation in the slightest. I'm just more tired and worn out than anything else..." Kyan admitted. "Alright, let's split for today and rest up. See you both tomorrow!" Flutter called as she went inside.

Before retiring for the night, she made sure to check on the bag to see what they still had in the aftermath of Ekans's feast. "That annoying Ekans, eating all our Pecha Berries and giving our Chesto Berry to Gengar..." The first thing she intended to do tomorrow was restock before anything else.

If they really wanted to model themselves after Alakazam's Team A.C.T., Flutter recalled, then these basics absolutely couldn't be overlooked.

 

[Gengarzilla]

Chapter 5: Urban Legend of Zapdos​

While Flutter and Team Celeste's other two members slept off their strenuous fight with the three members of Team Meanies during the rescue of Metapod, there was another event of an infinitely more serious nature taking place. A large forest fire situated just east of Mt. Thunder was attracting all sorts of teams whom had instead chosen to burn the midnight oil tonight.

However, one Pokémon had beaten them to it and was already putting in work within this inferno. The cloaked and hooded vigilante known only as the Black Ice was dashing his way through the hellfire with the fleet feet of a ninja. In his arms was a crying Budew, a little child he was saving from the blaze. Ice was taking great care to avoid any of the flames; his disadvantageous typing against fire was most definitely not a well kept secret like his real name was. Only one Pokémon was capable of connecting the dots and Ice preferred it to stay as such.

Finally emerging from the forest, he gave the scared child to her worried Roserade mother. "Oh, m-my baby..." she blubbed tearfully while Ice looked around. The rescue teams hadn't quite arrived yet, he shuddered to think about what could have happened to this child if he hadn't happened to be in the area when the forest fire erupted... The Roserade then spoke to a Kricketune, another resident of the forest, about whether they had seen her first child Roselia. Ice was struck with a horrible thought and ran back into the blaze, spotted by the first of the teams arriving on site.

With some careful running to avoid the patches of fire that weren't there in his last run, he eventually found the said Roselia cowering inside a ring of flames. "Don't worry, kid! I'll get you out of here!" Ice called out while he immediately used Whirlpool without a second wasted, forming and tossing this swirling formation of water at the conflagration threatening to consume her, dousing enough for him to leap in and collect the Grass type on his back. "Hold on tight to me, your family's outside." he told this frightened Roselia while looking around for the quickest way out. In a critical rescue operation such as this one, he knew that every single second counted. The slightest moment of hesitation could well be his undoing.

The forest fire was quickly beginning to worsen during this rush for the exit, this rush for safety, necessitating several more uses of Whirlpool just to clear the way forward. One final throw of it extinguished the fire that had since blocked the exit and allowed Ice to emerge from within, completely exhausted... to a rousing cheer from the gathering of rescue teams. Word of his presence and actions had spread to the entire group from the first arrivals that saw him and asked the Roserade.

The jubilant Roserade ran over to her child as Roselia got down from Ice's back and ran for her, both hugging each other. "I've heard some of these Pokémon say it's the Black Ice. T-thank you, I really don't know what to say..." Roserade managed to say through her overwhelming relief before some of the teams took her and the reunited family to safety.

One Pokémon from that group approached Ice with a grin. "Hey, Black Ice! Great work out there, now I'd call that a rescue to be proud of! How's about we team up sometime?" a burly Blastoise said out loud. Ice placed the pieces together once the Blastoise was joined by three other Pokémon, Feraligatr, Swampert, and Empoleon.

"Hmhm... so you must be Blastoise of Team Hydro, bearing the Silver Rank..." Ice finally said once he'd had a moment to kneel and catch his breath. The four Water type Pokémon were readying their Hydro Cannon attacks at the forest. "Though I prefer working alone, I'll be taking that offer right now." he remarked coolly but not unkindly, standing by them and forming his largest, best Whirlpool of the night. During this however, he felt a brief sense of unease regarding the nearby mountain but brushed it off as him being utterly spent from this night's strenuous and stressful event.

With that Whirlpool, the two streams of water from Blastoise's cannons, and each individual stream from his three teammates, the forest fire was soon nothing more than a bad memory for all those involved...

~​

The next morning, Flutter soon woke up with a yawn and a stretch of her small arms, now feeling happily rested. For some reason, she hadn't had that recurring dream, though it wasn't like she was going to miss them at this point. Constantly getting no answers from her nighttime pleas for information was deeply frustrating, an emotion which she was growing sick and tired of experiencing every day. This even led to the Togepi feeling some degree of resentment towards the messenger of said incomplete information; a mysterious visage which kept dropping in on her.

"Well, whatever! Good riddance! I didn't ask for this!" she spoke aloud, taking the time to vent out some of these misgivings. "I didn't ask to have my past dangled just above my head, unreachable and unknowable!"

Just by letting some of these thoughts exit her mouth as words, Flutter was already starting to feel somewhat happier. She put aside the rest of her own misgivings to the back of her head and went out to see Terack and Kyan outside. "Good morning Flutter, it looks like you've slept very well." Kyan said to her. "Yup, I feel ready for some good work today!" she declared, in a much improved mood now. It was easy to bottle up the brunt of her personal problems for another time.

"Umm, could this be where Team Celeste is?" a voice called to them, its Jumpluff bearer walking towards them. "Uhh, yeah! That's us... but haven't I seen you somewhere before?" Terack asked her, diving into his recollections to pull that up before Kyan beat him to the punch. "Oh yes, we saw you in the square that time. Alakazam got Shiftry to do your job request after he turned you down. What's happened since then?" he questioned her. The Metang was quite concerned, he hadn't expected her request to still be ongoing now.

Jumpluff's reply was simple and yet unnerving. "Shiftry still hasn't come back."

"Say what now? He's seriously not returned?" Flutter immediately said, rather bemused and very nearly lost for words. "You wanted him to provide a gust of wind to help your friend, shouldn't that have been a really easy job for him?" the Togepi outwardly wondered, remembering the scene clearly. Alakazam had spoke of Shiftry's leafy fans being ideal for this task, so it was anyone's guess as to why Jumpluff had been left waiting on him for over a week now. "Indeed, that's what I thought too. Team Celeste, would you be able to check on how things are going? I'm worried that he's gotten held up somehow." Jumpluff went on. "Sure thing, we'll help out after a trip to the square. I've been wanting to restock on berries after we lost most of ours to a Pokémon yesterday." Flutter told her. "Oh yeah, good plan. I'm all up for this." Terack suddenly replied, pleased that Flutter had kept that in mind. The team left Jumpluff to herself for now and went for their shopping trip.

Shiftry's MIA status was the topic of discussion in Pokémon Square today, Flutter and the others discovered. Snubbull was recounting Shiftry's complete lack of enthusiasm for the task and Lombre expressed his opinion that Shiftry had just ran for the hills. As much as she disapproved of Shiftry's philosophy, Flutter highly doubted that he'd be low and cowardly enough to do a runner on them.

"There's no way... Alakazam would have figured it out by now and really let him have it. I'm sure something's truly wrong out there." Flutter privately said, trying hard to quash the growing unease that this situation was spawning within her. Bellsprout, on the other hand, had a different story to tell as he saw them looking for some Pecha Berries. "Hey, you three." he asked them. "You're rescuers, right? Did you hear about that horrible forest fire last night?" Flutter admitted to not knowing on account of being asleep and pressed him for more, the words 'Forest' and 'Fire' used in that order and context had already gripped her.

Bellsprout continued to explain it all for her. "I heard that there were a whole bunch of rescue teams there despite it being late at night, and that Black Ice fellow was the first there. I dread to think about what could have happened to the two children, Budew and Roselia, if he hadn't been around to save them from that blaze. He and Blastoise's Team Hydro then put out that fire but it must have been a scary ordeal..." he recited, Flutter listening to the tale intentively.

Ice's actions were greatly acclaimed by the team of three he'd also saved mere hours before that event. "Saving two children trapped in a forest fire at the dead of night... Ooh, that's such a brave thing to do! I feel inspired!" Flutter voiced in admiration to her two teammates. "With a name like the Black Ice, I can even tell he has some problems with fire! Wow!" Undoubtedly, she was beginning to seriously look up to the guy now, just as Kyan did with Alakazam.

While Terack went to get more berries as she mused over this, Kyan... actually felt a spontaneous and brief flicker of envy pass through him. He was also bad at dealing with fires of all kinds but to a much more crippling extent, up to the point where there was no doubt in his twin-minds that he couldn't have done what Ice did last night. The story motivated him too even if it also made him feel completely insignificant by comparison. There would be a long, long way for all of them to go within their rescuer careers.

Though Terack tried, he wasn't able to completely replenish the set of berries eaten by Ekans yesterday, so Flutter eventually decided to reluctantly cut their losses once she was finished fangirling over Ice and then led the team back to Jumpluff. "We're ready." she said. "Please take us to the dungeon, we'll set this right."

Or at least, they were as ready as they could be.

~​

The group soon arrived at an entrance located within the sheer rock face of a cliff wall, Jumpluff as their guide. Kyan couldn't help but feel somewhat awestruck and a little excited by the scenery. "Wow, we're rather high up here, that's some cliff! I haven't seen anything like this!" he gasped

Flutter's attention was a little more focused on the entrance and Terack was talking with Jumpluff, so Kyan was paid little heed for the time being. "This is the place then? Silent Chasm?" Terack asked her. "Yes, you've just got to go and sort everything out over there..." she said with desperation lacing her voice. He understood this; Jumpluff had been waiting far too long for word of her friend's status. Flutter and Kyan both gathered around and began making their way into the dungeon.

Something appeared to have been recalled by the Jumpluff at the last second though, because she then called out for them to wait a moment. Team Celeste's trio wheeled back round to face her. "Is there something else to tell us?" Flutter asked. Jumpluff briefly hesitated. "I just remembered this and I'm not sure if you need to know this since it's simply just an old folktale from when my friend and I were both Skiploom, but... It's been said that some sort of powerful and frightening winged monster sleeps in this area."

This definitely didn't sit well with Terack in particular. Not only did this fabled monster sound stronger than Skarmory and the members of Team Meanies put together, but he also happened to have a particular... phobia to these scary old tales. Not thinking straight in the middle of a petrifying and blinding fear, he began feigning a stomachache, pushed onwards by the sensation of it being tied into a myriad of knots. "E-everyone, I don't think my breakfast is agreeing with me over here..." The other three Pokémon gathered around him.

Flutter and Kyan looked concerned for both him and the thought of doing this job with one member short, only for Terack to completely stick his foot in his mouth next. "Guys... how about you? You're both in pain too, right...?" Flutter was, to put it lightly and succinctly, not amused once she figured out. "...I don't know about Kyan, but I haven't eaten today and you know it." she replied in a deadpan manner, absolutely not going along with the act. She pulled him over by one leg to stage a private conversation, a firm look to her face.

"Even if I had a stomachache, I'd still go in there for Jumpluff. She's already had a hard time with Shiftry turning her down for not lining his team's coffers with riches but at least he didn't pull this little routine in the middle of the square. What's going on with you?" she immediately demanded, a little annoyed but more downright confused with his out of character actions. Kyan and Jumpluff both overheard this, he rather stunned by the sight of Flutter laying it down on the guy so thoroughly and she very much heartened by her statement.

Just hearing the voice of his good friend was enough to rope Terack out of his fright, whereupon he looked deeply ashamed at his attempt to dodge out of the job. "Urk, I-I'm so sorry! Scary monster stories have always freaked me out! I'll never ever ever do that again, it was wrong!" Terack apologetically called out loud, avoiding direct eye contact with anyone. Now that she knew this big fear of his; Flutter's expression quickly softened up. "I'm scared too." she quietly confessed, to his surprise. "Seriously? But you've always looked so brave in our other missions. You never backed down against Skarmory and Gengar, no matter how much they'd threatened us. It's your defiance in the face of adversity which I admire most about you, pal." Terack revealed.

With that out in the open, it became more clear than ever before to her just how... stubbornly obstructive and immovable she'd indeed become when challenged, something she knew had started when she and Terack first met Team Meanies on the day of the Mt. Steel mission; her first encounter with someone who wasn't a 'sugar and cream' type of Pokémon. It also helped a lot that Flutter had grown to genuinely hate those three too. "I've become bolder in my time here, but I know I'm not braver yet. I think that's going to come in the future. Now let's overlook the stomachache mishap and help Jumpluff with this."

"Right!" he said with more gusto, turning to see the pair of observers. "I'm ready to head on." Now regrouped, the team proceeded in.

Within the dungeon, it soon became apparent that Terack wasn't the only Pokémon in the area to be seriously scared by something. Many of them didn't even attempt to battle the group. It made for an easier trip than the one they had gone through yesterday but the fearful Pokémon weren't making it any more enjoyable. There was a particularly tense moment near the end involving a Gloom however. Kyan went over to shield Flutter from a spray of its Poison Powder, his Steel type affording him an immunity to poisons. "Thanks for the help..." she hushed before he used Double Team to throw the Gloom off guard and defeat it with Confusion.

A short time after this close shave, the group came across a wide room in the depths of the cave that truly looked like it had seen better days. Some sort of fight or scuffle appeared to have taken place here and there was a gaping hole in the wall through which a mountain underneath a gradually intensifying thundercloud could be seen. "Hey, is anybody here?" Flutter called out. "Jumpluff sent us to check on things!"

Another Jumpluff was hiding behind one of the rocks in the room, he went over to the Togepi after hearing her. "She sent you guys? Thanks, it was getting rather scary over here. If you're also looking for Shiftry then he's... well, hurt. Over there." he pointed at the Pokémon. There was no mistake, laying mostly behind a larger rock was the guy whom Alakazam persuaded to do this job. "Wah! Shiftry? What happened here?! Did something attack you?!" Flutter immediately rushed over and asked him, followed by the rest of the team and Jumpluff. Remembering what she was told about a monster earlier on gave her a serious feeling of unease.

A powerful voice soon called out from somewhere outside. "Move aside, you! Away from him!" A single, zig-zagged blade of air then flew in from the hole and struck Flutter hard on the side of her shell, forcefully blowing her back into a rock before she could even summon up any amount of resistance, anything she had planned was reduced to a pained yelp from this sudden attack. "Child, that cretin had the audacity to disturb my slumber! My slumber!" they boomed out while Terack and Kyan helped Flutter back on her feet. "Don't you think you're overreacting a little here?!" Kyan shot back at the voice.

"More of you? It matters not, no mercy shall be shown to any who defy me!" With electricity crackling from his wings, which were the same shape as the blade of air he'd hurled forcefully at this Togepi, the Legendary Pokémon Zapdos flew in through the hole and grabbed the unconscious form of Shiftry in his talons. Something immediately clicked in Flutter's head at the sight of this bird. "Y-you must be that winged monster... Let Shiftry go now!" she called, rather scared and working mostly on adrenaline at this point.

"Fool. An Air Cutter hasn't taught you to not meddle in the affairs of Zapdos...?" the bird questioned her fearsomely with a dangerous glint in his narrowed eyes. "Scale Mt. Thunder. My roost. Then we shall continue our affairs regarding this Shiftry." he continued in a highly ominous voice before departing. "G-get back here, you!" she yelled as she attempted to rush after him, a sharp pain in her side from their brief fight causing her to stumble and lose him.

"Agh, are you alright?" Kyan immediately said as he went over to her. "I'll be fine, but... Zapdos just took Shiftry... It doesn't matter how powerful Zapdos is, this is wrong..." Flutter could only mumble in a fitful, panicky, desperate response. "Gang, there's nothing else we can do here now. Let's get Jumpluff out of here before we even think about chasing Zapdos down." Terack immediately stated, taking charge in this moment where she couldn't. It was a motion that Flutter, feeling too held down by the gradually dulling pain, quietly conceded to.

~​

"That sounds so scary..." Jumpluff replied after having been told the whole story from her friend and Team Celeste. The five of them were now at the crossroads outside the team base. "Shiftry's winds got you out from between those rocks after all, but his powerful winds also smashed through a wall and tore in half some of the thunderclouds surrounding a mountain that you all think was Mt. Thunder?" she recounted. "Yeah, that's my guess." Flutter replied. At the very least, she was pleased to hear that Shiftry hadn't ran off after all.

"The monster rumor I told Team Celeste about... I had no idea it was true, nor did I know that the monster was Zapdos..." Jumpluff quietly said to herself until she was interrupted. "Hold up. Did you say Zapdos?" someone asked, that someone being none other than Alakazam of Team A.C.T., alongside his teammates Charizard and Tyranitar. "Jumpluff told us earlier that she was going to send your team to check on Shiftry. We decided to drop by to see how things fared for you, but this simple rescue has unmistakably escalated into something more serious if Zapdos has become involved. He's been asleep for several centuries." Alakazam spoke.

"Shiftry unwittingly woke Zapdos up during the rescue, from what we were just told. He's taken Shiftry to a place called Mt. Thunder." Kyan said, immediately engaging in discussion with him. "I'm Kyan of Team Celeste, and my two friends here are Flutter and Terack. What's a Zapdos anyway?" Alakazam had an eye on Flutter, whatever oddity he'd noticed about her last time they met still remained, but he couldn't be certain about what this was telling him just yet. The idea of a human actually finding their way into this world and taking a Pokémon form was utterly ludicrous. "Zapdos is very powerful, he's the second member of a Legendary Pokémon trio alongside she who controls ice, Articuno, and he who controls fire, Moltres. If Zapdos has taken Shiftry captive then we must act. Shiftry needs to be rescued." Alakazam explained and declared.

Flutter had only one thing she wanted to do tomorrow. "Team, we've got to help too." she immediately blurted out, flooring Alakazam and his teammates despite him not showing it. "What?! I must reiterate that Zapdos is a very powerful foe. Your team isn't anywhere close to being strong enough to match him." he shut her down, but she continued going as though Zapdos hadn't already today proven this himself with a single Air Cutter. "Even if that's true, we can't sit this one out after what we saw back in the Silent Chasm. We saw your team get Shiftry into this job that day too. I say Jumpluff getting turned down and it was really tough to watch, there's no Pokémon that I wouldn't want to help now." she adamantly said. "Absolutely. Zapdos doesn't scare me." Kyan added in. Charizard and Tyranitar, inwardly impressed by her statement, decided to test the team.

"Terack, is it?" Charizard asked him. "Have you ever been struck by any blast of electricity? Trust me on this one, it's not very pleasant." Being partially a Flying type, Charizard was speaking through personal experiences. "The bolts that Zapdos can shoot would even leave a Ground type like yourself stunned and at his mercy. He's one of very few Electric types who could harm you that way." he said, looking for Terack's reaction. "I can face that." Terack solidly responded. Although he was seriously unnerved inside by the confirmation of Zapdos being that powerful, the brief heart to heart he'd had with Flutter served to give him a major confidence boost towards her.

Meanwhile, Tyranitar went for Flutter. "You're the team's leader? Kid, Alakazam might have some sort of interest in you but I have... reservations. Although Charizard may occasionally joke around at times, he's serious here, Zapdos is no pushover. Why, you could even find yourself as a fried egg snack should you get this foe particularly angry..." This truly did shake Flutter up quite a bit, but she had no intentions of backing down. "I've got to say right here that I didn't like Shiftry very much when I saw him at the square. I thought that he was a horrible and greedy Pokémon. However, he's still a Pokémon and is now in need of help. Zapdos can make all the threats in the world but he isn't going to scare me out of doing what I ought to do as a rescuer." Little by little, day after day, Flutter was beginning to take honest pride in this title of hers.

"You hear them both?" Kyan asked Alakazam. "They and I want to be a part of this no matter how powerful our foe may be. Like Flutter said, we're a rescue team. There's no way we can ignore this." Alakazam quietly listened before looking at Charizard and Tyranitar, both of whom nodded to their leader. Finally, he conceded to Team Celeste. "...Very well. The three of you display admirable courage. I only ask that you remain cautious at all times within Mt. Thunder."

"Understood." Flutter simply replied to Alakazam with a nod. "Our two teams should make our own separate ways through this mountain dungeon. You should know full well-" he said to her, catching sight of a tiny crack on the side of her shell that she had yet to notice. "-how powerful Zapdos can be. You should only go when you and your team are fully prepared and ready for the task at hand." he concluded.

All three of them agreed. They knew that they would soon become wrapped up in their most challenging battle yet... and Alakazam hoped that Flutter would discover her lingering injury prior to that time. It could mean the difference between their complete victory or total defeat.

 

[Gengarzilla]

Chapter 6: The shocking story​

As daybreak arose and with it the Pokémon inhabitants of this world, so too did Flutter the sleeping Togepi; not quite a Pokémon but looking exactly like one in every measure.

Without any dream for her to agonise over today, Flutter was instead whiling away the first few minutes of her day with some quiet recollection regarding yesterday's scarier events, namely her confrontation with the furious Zapdos who had abducted Shiftry right in front of her team. Completely disregarding the warnings of this powerful new foe, she had every intention to meet him again on Mt. Thunder as he had suggested prior to his departure.

In fact, the girl was so raring to go that she'd failed to pick up on one detail, the small crack she got on her eggshell cover from one of Zapdos's moves. Even the smallest bit of damage should be a cause for alarm, since the shielded skin of a Togepi was particularly soft and sensitive. "You'll surely see me again, Zapdos. No threats or attacks are going to keep me down." she spoke. It was bold but very foolhardy.

Once through with this, she headed out from her home, the base of her rescue team, and waited for Terack and Kyan to arrive. Both of them came up to her within a few minutes. "Good morning, it looks like you've slept well!" Terack greeted her, the bright eyed and bushy tailed Flutter responding with a smile. "Now what's the plan for today? We could make track for Mt. Thunder right away, or we can take what Alakazam said and put it off until we're prepared." Kyan said. The delivery Pelipper landed on their mailbox and left a small package inside it before Flutter could reply to him. "Hold that thought, I'll get the mail." the Metang told them before bringing their delivery over.

There was a note on it, an aspect which intrigued Team Celeste's trio. "Now who could this be from? I'll read it." Terack volunteered.

To Team Celeste.

I've heard about what took place in the depths of the Silent Chasm yesterday. You three have another difficult challenge awaiting you, as I happen to know very well of Zapdos's power in spite of never meeting him.

Although I will be unable to directly assist you this time, I'm providing you another kind of aid through the three Violent Seeds sent with this note. Consume one and the power of your moves will temporarily skyrocket to their limit. I believe that it will give you a sporting chance against this foe. Best of luck out there.

Ever yours, the Black Ice.

Flutter was almost mesmerized by the memory of that cloaked vigilante who'd saved her and the team two days ago in the Sinister Woods as she opened the package to find the three seeds within. "No way, Violent Seeds are supposed to be seriously rare in this continent! How did Ice manage to pull this off?" Kyan finally questioned. "I would guess he's not from these parts... but who knows, that guy's a complete enigma in every way." Terack replied, though he looked just as puzzled. Flutter didn't join in on their thoughts but instead put the three Violent Seeds in the team's bag. She felt a brief flicker of pain pass her by during this action but barely registered it amongst her excitement.

"Thanks to that, I'd say that we're ready for Mt. Thunder. Let's get a move on!" she called, starting to head off in a run... which caused a far more noticeable sharp pain to ripple throughout her body before she'd even reached the crossroads in front of them, bad enough that she'd stumbled and fallen forwards. "Ahh! Ouch, something really hurts!" Flutter yelped out, feeling as though a white hot needle had been pushed straight into her skin somewhere.

Naturally, Terack and Kyan were quickly at her side to help Flutter back on her feet, both concerned by the visible discomfort she was presently displaying. It was at this point when Kyan saw just what was causing this torment. "Oh my goodness, is that a crack in the left side of your shell? That's where Zapdos got you with Air Cutter yesterday!"

Not only was Flutter still in considerable pain, she now felt completely stupid and slow for not picking up on this much earlier, especially now that she was remembering another sharp pain she felt when trying to chase Zapdos out of the dungeon. "No! How could I have missed that?!" she demanded in the form of a furious, upset cry, angry at Zapdos, obviously... but even more angry at herself for how it had taken her so long to discover this. "J-just stay calm, I'll get you inside. Terack, see if you can get us some help here!" Kyan said. He carefully guided Flutter back indoors and into bed while Terack ran off into the square as fast as he could.

~​

"That's the hurt Togepi you're needing help for?" the Clefable accompanying Terack asked him when they both entered the base. Kyan had been keeping the tender and aching Flutter company while they were waiting. "Yeah, that's her. Thanks for agreeing to help, um... whatever it is they call you." Terack replied, aware that he hadn't actually asked for this Pokémon's name during his frantic rush for aid. Flutter's outburst from before he left was deeply unsettling; he didn't expect her to get that wound up over her failed spot test.

"The name's Androma, but the friends call me Ann." the Clefable said. "Now sit tight, child, and let's see what's going on here..." Ann spoke softly, immediately getting Flutter to calm down somewhat and feel more at ease by way of her gentle tone and kind atmosphere. The Togepi believed straight up that she could trust this Pokémon.

Terack and Kyan waited as Ann began to examine Flutter's shell, coming across the crack during this search. The sight alone was a surprise to behold, as these things were usually rather tough and sturdy. Flutter herself had learned that fact from personal experience when Skarmory's Metal Claw hold couldn't break it; this was one reason why she hadn't bothered to check for any damage yesterday before turning in for the night, Flutter simply didn't expect to see any. "Oh my, and that happened yesterday? You poor thing..." she said to Flutter in a sympathetic way. "Y-yep... We had plans for a big rescue today, but I'm gonna guess those are off now..." Flutter weakly and sadly replied. She had fully convinced herself that Zapdos couldn't be blamed for the shortsightedness which landed her in this situation, and that she would need to look after her Pokémon body more carefully.

Flutter wasn't about to tell anybody this, but she was frightened by the discovery that her portable form of protection had its limits and now moderately scared of the one Pokémon who had done what she considered impossible.

"I'm afraid so, dearie, you're not going to do any rescues today." Ann replied, cutting straight to the chase. "A Togepi's shell can heal a small crack like this one very quickly, but I recommended that you get yourself plenty of rest and not overexert yourself until then. I'd say you're fortunate it wasn't something bigger." the Clefable concluded.

Both of Flutter's teammates really had no other option but to just roll with this obstacle sent their way. "Yikes, me too...!" Terack spoke, he too feeling uncomfortable about much of the same things Flutter just did. The idea of Zapdos supposedly having enough power to zap a Ground type like himself was now a much more daunting prospect than it seemed during yesterday evening.

"Anyway, thanks for the help. I'm Kyan, he's Terack, she's Flutter." Kyan said, snapping Terack and Flutter out of their separate thoughts. "You're very welcome, it was nice to meet you all!" Ann replied before she left... pleased with what she'd learned today.

"I'm really sorry this had to happen to you now of all moments, pal." Terack spoke in an attempt to try and console Flutter, really feeling bad for this bout of misfortune having befallen her now. "Mt. Thunder's gonna have to wait until then." he forced himself to admit. Even with Ice's Violent Seeds on hand, he wasn't certain if he and Kyan could pull this thing off by themselves. Flutter expected that conclusion, yes, but it still upset her to hear it outright. "Oh, that's such a shame... and I was so thrilled when those seeds arrived too..." Flutter glumly replied, still hurting; perhaps even more so on the inside when another thought occurred to her. "I guess you two rescuers will need to get on with your days..." she suddenly said in a rather brittle tone of voice. She hated the thought of spending most of the day alone with only the sharp pangs from her damaged shell keeping her company but Flutter recognised that they were still a rescue team with work to do, with or without a full team on duty. Terack and Kyan couldn't argue against the fact she poised to them so they both left her be, albeit with extreme reluctance.

At Pokémon Square, Terack was able to pick up more supplies with a visit to the Kecleon Brothers while Kyan was absolutely ecstatic over the Telekinesis TM he had just bought from them, which gave the Trapinch the idea of going to the Makuhita Dojo for the day to do some training, unwilling to go very far from the base today. Since even the thought of that recently established dojo failed to keep Flutter and her sad face out of his mind though, Terack decided to try and initiate a 'last resort' plan of sorts in the form of a proposition towards Kyan. "Say... Would you be alright with heading back there to keep Flutter company? I sorta don't feel right over leaving her alone like that." he asked Kyan. The Metang considered this for a moment before replying. "I understand what you mean. She looked really down on herself... Alright, I'll do that for you."

This was a huge load off of Terack's mind. Now Flutter wouldn't have to languish around by herself all day. "Thanks, buddy. I'll see you later then." he thanked him before the two split paths. Terack headed south towards the dojo and saw some sort of advertisement on its noticeboard outside. "Superpower training from the Superpower Pokémon, huh...?" he wondered as he read it to himself. "Sounds interesting and quite intensive."

~​

It was early evening by the time this session had finished, and Terack felt totally justified in his first thoughts. It had been interesting. He'd met up with a renowned solo rescuer Machamp inside the dojo and got some intensive training from them. Forgoing Bite, he had now learned Superpower from this Pokémon and was enjoying his newest move.

Arriving back at the team base, he entered it to see Kyan using his new Telekinesis move on an apple, a green outline surrounding it as the Metang carefully levitated it across the room. "That is a pretty cool move." Terack simply said as he watched it gently land, a gratuitous picture forming in his head of Kyan utilizing that move to hurl around the three Pokémon of Team Meanies with apparent ease. The Trapinch had to stifle a chuckle at his sudden, very abrupt fantasy, as he believed it was something more befitting of Flutter than Kyan.

The said Togepi hadn't seen the display or Terack's return by virtue of her being sound asleep. "Thanks for the compliment, I'm quite pleased about it." Kyan replied, pulling Terack out of the visualizations formed from his tired mind. "She's been asleep for about an hour now but she was very happy to have me stick around. That was a really great call you made." Kyan continued. "We were talking for a bit too. I... um, never expected Flutter to be so full of mystery." Worn out or not, this last sentence got Terack's attention completely. He didn't even need a more thorough explanation to know the details of what these two were discussing.

Flutter had made sure today still amounted to something by finally opening up to their newest member. Kyan was now a part of the masquerade.

Terack just started with a light nod. "It's all out then. Yeah, I found her alone in the woods with no memory of her life as a human; not even her actual name. Flutter named herself on the spot once we saw some Pidgey passing overhead. When she said that there was nowhere for her to stay, I simply had no choice but to give her this house." he recalled. To put it lightly, Kyan was deeply touched to hear this from him. "Wow... and this was when you'd only just met her? That's a really good thing you did for Flutter back there, I mean it." Kyan marvelled as he landed his body next to Flutter for some rest, needing it after the silent Telekinesis practice. As Terack felt a little tired after his time in the dojo, he too decided to spend tonight here; alongside his two best friends.

"I'm glad it was her I met in the woods that day. She was less than I expected when I went there, but less is more." he said back as he settled down next to Flutter himself.

~​

Thus, it came to be that Flutter woke up the next morning to a most pleasing sight; Terack was quietly sleeping next to her. "D-did he... come back and spend the night?" she asked nobody in particular with glistening eyes in a hushed whisper. It seemed like a mere gesture, true, but Flutter was willing to take any of his actions as signs of true friendship in her moment of physical weakness, so it was overwhelming to see proof that he'd given her his company for the whole night. Turning over to see Kyan, whom she had now confided her human origins to, sleeping next to her and making it two out of two, only amplified how touched she felt. "You're both really great friends." she continued.

Happily picking herself up to examine her shell, an activity which in retrospect she ought to have done this time yesterday, she was further delighted to see that the crack so debilitating her yesterday had already mended itself. Flutter made to gently shake both of them awake just to tell them. "Terack, Kyan, I'm as good as new!" she joyfully told them once they had both been roused from their sleep. "Oh, that wonderful news!" Terack called, followed by Kyan.

Hearing how happy they were for her, Flutter spontaneously decided upon taking back her retrospective thought. "You know..." she thought. "Looking at it now, you two, I'm actually glad for that setback yesterday. I feel that it's made us a closer group and team." she cheerfully said. "Oh yes, absolutely." Kyan replied. "I'm glad you felt comfortable enough to confide in me about what you were. Terack and I will do whatever we can during Team Celeste's quieter days to help jog your lost memories along." he assured her.

Though Terack enjoyed seeing this progress in bonding, hearing the name of their rescue team was a quick reminder of exactly what their postponed rescue mission was. "Of course we will, but today we've got Mt. Thunder to deal with." he reminded them. "Oh yeah, that! Shiftry and Zapdos!" Flutter exclaimed, quickly getting up and rushing out to the crossroads.

"...She's definitely healed up." Kyan managed to blankly remark in his surprise as we bore witness to Flutter's renewed haste. He grabbed their bag and was soon following her out in Terack's wake.

~​

"Well... This is it. Mt. Thunder." Terack said to the group as they approached the cave entrance into the mountain after some travel east. "Zapdos won't make this easy, but there's the chance that Alakazam's team could be in here already if they knew we were going through with this today. It would be great to have their help against that foe if Ice's gift doesn't quite work out." Kyan suggested. Spurred onwards by a nod from Flutter, who up until now had been dead silent while she stared up at the mountain towering above her, they went inside.

Just like Thunderwave Cave before it, this dungeon had plenty of Electric types roaming within. Terack and Kyan were both able to hold up against them thanks to the new additions to their capabilities, while Flutter soon found something that enabled her to keep up with them; a TM for the move Shock Wave. With this in place of Charm, she was able to shoot down some Pidgeotto with blue jolts of electricity when they began to cause Terack some problems.

"Thanks for the assist!" he called before ramming hard into a Stantler with Superpower, Kyan soon pushed his way through an approaching Ampharos with Take Down and led the team further onwards.

Following a brief rest at a waypoint along the way and some more scuffles with the local Pokémon, Team Celeste's members finally reached the peak. Flutter gave Terack and Kyan a Violent Seed each and held onto one herself before they spotted Shiftry laying ahead of them. "It's Shiftry!" Flutter called before the looming form of Zapdos landed between them and his captive.

"You three arrived here after all... I gave you kids fair warning, meddling is something that I will not tolerate!" he screeched. "He disrupted my slumber, what happens next is my business and mine alone!" Flutter was still a little intimidated, but something else was now mixed in with this now that the two of them were meeting eyes once again. Out of nowhere, she'd become filled to the brim with a stirred mixture of frustration and aggravation. "This is getting ridiculous!" she shot back while stepping towards him. "I don't care how powerful you are! I don't care how he wronged you! As the leader of Team Celeste, a Bronze Rank rescue team, I demand that you let Shiftry go! He's not yours to do with as you please, no Pokémon is!"

As though to accentuate the tension in the air, some bolts of lightning struck the ground nearby. "You dare to continue defying and questioning me?! Standing in my way?!" Zapdos replied to her dangerously. A fight was brewing on the horizon. "Then I must administer yet more of my might. There's no running this time. Team Celeste, prepare to be subjugated by my most righteous fury!" he declared powerfully before commencing their showdown with a jagged Air Cutter swing, the edges of his wings glowing white while he attacked. The whole team consumed their individual Violent Seeds before Kyan threw himself forward and used Confusion, his seed giving the solid purple ripples enough strength to cleave through Zapdos's move and strike him.

"What?! You kids..." he said in astonishment as he brushed off the hit and began his next move, by beating his wings rapidly to stir up a mass of heated red winds, Zapdos retaliated against the team by blowing them all back forcefully with his Heat Wave. Kyan in particular didn't take this too well, even with the Zinc Band around his right arm. "Agh, that move's tough!" the Metang called out, in need of some real assistance. Terack gave him an Oran Berry while Flutter took over with Shock Wave against Zapdos's Zap Cannon, both blue coloured shots of electricity clashing and ultimately dissipating in a stalemate.

No doubt, Zapdos was furious to see his electricity be held off by that of someone who wasn't even an Electric type Pokémon. "Get out of my way!!" Zapdos commanded in a shrill and aggravated voice, about to throw an entire round of Air Cutters before being caught by Kyan's Telekinesis. Kyan and Terack nodded to each other as the Trapinch used Focus Energy followed by a Rock Slide that Kyan pulled Zapdos straight into.

The savage critical hit deluge of rocks was all he could take. Zapdos landed in front of the trio as more lightning struck nearby, beaten and tired. "I have... been defeated... and so quickly?" he asked, at a complete loss. Team A.C.T. then arrived on the scene, looking prepared for the battle that had just ended. "...What? Did you three just defeat Zapdos?" Alakazam questioned in pure astonishment. The said Zapdos quietly watched these three newcomers and realised that the jig was up.

"Very well... I've calmed down now, take Shiftry back." he finally relented, addressing Flutter and company afterwards. "Team Celeste... it appears that I've underestimated you today, but I implore that you don't rest on your laurels. Next time we encounter each other, the outcome shall be wholly different..." Zapdos said before departing, as ominous as ever. Flutter watched him leave before rushing over to shake Shiftry awake. "Shiftry, are you with us?" she asked

"Urgh, y-yeah... I think... somehow..." he could barely mumble as she helped support him up onto his feet, near enough impossible to do on her own until Terack and Kyan joined in. "Either way, I'm really glad you're safe. The Jumpluff and everyone else have been really worried for your safety ever since Zapdos took you..." Flutter said. Throughout the past couple of days, the Togepi's indignation over the Pokémon Square scene had all but melted away.

Tyranitar finally managed to say what had been on his mind for a few moments now as he turned to address Flutter. "I never expected to find that you and your team had already defeated Zapdos before we arrived. Kid... Flutter... Truly, I've sold you short last time the two of us spoke. I understand now why Alakazam has an interest in you." he said with honesty in each word. Charizard then piped in. "I agree absolutely. There's something special about you, one little Togepi standing up to the legendary Zapdos isn't something you'd see every day. Most of the little squirts would just run and hide, or even cry, but you've toughed it out with your teammates. You really are something else, you know?"

Alakazam had kept quiet as his teammates spoke. No longer could he deny what his mind was telling him, preposterous as the situation was. "...I knew that I sensed something unusual about you when we first met, but this was beyond my expectations. Flutter, are you... even a Pokémon?" Terack was astounded by this deduction, and with a nod from Flutter which signalled that it was ok to tell everyone on this peak, he went onwards. "Actually, she isn't. Flutter... She used to be human."

This shocking revelation caught Charizard, Tyranitar, and Shiftry completely off guard. All three of them expressed surprise and disbelief at the bombshell. "Crazy story, but it's true." Flutter confessed. "I woke up one day in this world as a Togepi, met Terack afterwards, then we formed a team after saving Kyan in Thunderwave Cave. I don't remember a single thing about my past life. Alakazam, do you know who I am and why I'm like this?" she recounted and asked of him. "Hmm... I'm afraid I don't know the answers to either question, but..." Alakazam soon replied, still in the middle of thought. "One Pokémon may be able to answer them. Possibly the wisest Pokémon in our world." Flutter and her team all listened closely to him, hungry for more information on this potential lead to Flutter's lost past. "His name is Xatu, and he lives at the Hill of the Ancients, atop the Great Canyon in the dry region to the south. If you and your team travel there to meet with him yourself, perhaps some light will be shed upon your unusual dilemma."

"Hill of the Ancients, atop the Great Canyon?" Kyan repeated. "Understood. Let's get back with Shiftry to Pokémon Square and we'll go there tomorrow. Team, sound good?" Both Flutter and Terack approved of his motion, so the team soon began making their way back down the mountain and towards home.

Team A.C.T.'s members watched them leave, Charizard voicing something on his mind once Flutter's group were certainly out of earshot. "Alakazam... we're childhood friends. We've both known each other for a very long time. I'm certain there's something you know about this that you've withheld from Flutter and her friends. Care to share?" Alakazam very lightly chuckled as he spoke to Charizard.

"Most astute of you... Yes, there's something about this revelation that brings me a modicum of concern. I'd like to not speak of this matter right now though. It's capable of cruelly destroying and rending asunder every aspect of Flutter's livelihood here. If only for her sake alone, it must go unspoken..."

Flutter didn't know it yet, but her present position was very tenuous. It was entirely dependent on a certain piece of old folklore remaining unverified.

 

[TRNatalie]

This is a really great story so far. I've found all the characters(well most of them) likable(Terack being my favorite), the character development subtle but strong, and the scenes with emotional or action intensity are really well done. I'm looking forward to see where this story goes.

 

[lucarioknight56]

I've read up to chapter 3 of this, and I figured that I ought to post my thoughts.

Grammar/Structure:
While this is legible to read, the biggest I hindrance I'm encountering is that your dialogue is organized not by what character is speaking, but rather the subject multiple characters are talking about. When writing dialogue, you generally want to put a different character's lines in a different paragraph. Otherwise it becomes a rather confusing game of guess-who because of all the words.

Another thing are the errors through the text. There's unfortunately enough that, when combined with the aforementioned dialogue issue, really ruins the flow of the story. Giving a brief read-through for errors would do this a world of good, on top of restructuring your paragraphs.

Characters:
You've done well in describing and setting up your characters, and they're personalities stay true to their in-game counterparts. I don't think you need to change much in this regard.

Setting:
This is another problem area. I normally say, 'Get to the action, we don't need all this flavor text', but right now I'm needing to say, 'Hold on, where are we now?' You especially need to give descriptions about where the characters are currently at, or else we end up with characters making actions in white space in our heads. We have to have the bare minimum mentioned, otherwise it becomes difficult to imagine how everything happens. This, on top of the structure issues, also hinders the readability of the piece.

I think you could make a rather interesting setting here. Take for example Pokemon Town. You could tell us where the characters were at as they encounter Team Meanies. Let's say for this example they were on the path home. you could describe Kecleons' Shop and the wares they are featuring, and Felicity Bank, with Persian counting his hard-earned Poke. You could even mention Kangaskhan Storage, searching for willing Pokemon to accept their services. We haven't seen many fics feature RBRT's version of town, so please, paint a picture for us! We'd love to see the center location of the very first PMD game come to life!

Style:
There are a few things that could be worked on here, but the main thing is the use of description in character actions. For attacks in particular, we ought to have it laid out in front of us what the character is doing instead of simply saying, "She used Hidden Power." You do well with that in certain areas, but try to make one-liner descriptions the exception, not the rule.

Another thing are the rather long lines at times. They are fine to have at times, even encouraged amidst the short-to-medium lines that usually dominate writing. But fitting too much action or thought into a single sentence can also seriously hinder the flow. So keep the long lines limited where you can.

One final note: I've recently learned the usefulness of dashes and semicolons in writing, and would strongly suggest using them on occasion. It will end up better for the flow of your piece, and make the sentences feel more natural as our internal voices recite what you have written down.

Overall:
This has great potential in being a must-read fic, especially for it being a retelling of the original story that made us fall in love with PMD. You have the characters, the plot, and the nostalgia for the job...all you need to do is keep us interested. The biggest thing is working on the flow, and if you correct the errors through the text, restructure the dialogue through your paragraphs, and give us more detailed descriptions of environments and actions, this could be a great contender for the Winter Awards!

P.S. Don't get discouraged! Everyone always has something to work on in their stories, whether it be big or small! Especially me. Forgotten Isles isn't exactly the shining example of how to do a story right.

 

[Gengarzilla]

Thanks very much for the reviews!

I've read up to chapter 3 of this, and I figured that I ought to post my thoughts.

The first three chapters were the ones I felt most concerned about in regards to everything you've addressed in your review. I did feel really daunted over the thought of them giving readers a bad first impression before I started posting this fic, and that's why I'm pleased to get your encouragement.

I've recently learned the usefulness of dashes and semicolons in writing, and would strongly suggest using them on occasion. It will end up better for the flow of your piece, and make the sentences feel more natural as our internal voices recite what you have written down.

I'm a bit of a novice about when and where I ought to be using them in my writing, but I've been trying to fix that throughout the course of the fic. There's a bit of semicolon usage during the next three chapters.

I think you could make a rather interesting setting here. Take for example Pokemon Town. You could tell us where the characters were at as they encounter Team Meanies. Let's say for this example they were on the path home. you could describe Kecleons' Shop and the wares they are featuring, and Felicity Bank, with Persian counting his hard-earned Poke. You could even mention Kangaskhan Storage, searching for willing Pokemon to accept their services. We haven't seen many fics feature RBRT's version of town, so please, paint a picture for us! We'd love to see the center location of the very first PMD game come to life!

I'm definitely going to take this on board when the team visit town and first hear about the Ninetales legend, and then once Gengar is having them chased off. That tense scene always sticks out every time I remember the first PMD games, so I seriously want to do it justice.

For attacks in particular, we ought to have it laid out in front of us what the character is doing instead of simply saying, "She used Hidden Power." You do well with that in certain areas, but try to make one-liner descriptions the exception, not the rule.

I sometimes tend to imagine how the attack looks in my head and then go forward in the assumption that the readers get a similar image, which I do recognize isn't the right way to go about it. I blame the main anime series and its usually distinctive visuals for this one.

Looking over some of upcoming chapters I haven't put here yet, I would say that's something I do eventually catch on to. There's one certain attack later on which I'd made to look different in colour for each user in the story, as a way to get into the habit of describing attacks.

You've done well in describing and setting up your characters, and they're personalities stay true to their in-game counterparts. I don't think you need to change much in this regard.

I'm very glad to hear this; I feel as though I poured a lot into making these characters. I have to say that I was rather concerned about how everyone would take to the idea of me inserting totally new characters like Rubix and Derkomai into what's already an established setting.

Most of them will be more focal towards the second act for the most part, but I'd be pleased if their appearances and movements can keep others guessing throughout the nostalgic original story too.

 

[Gengarzilla]

Chapter 7: The evening of eavesdropping​

As with many, many others in this world which was being plagued by an ever-increasing amount of natural disasters with no known cause, Flutter had just been awoken from her slumber much earlier than she'd ever asked. She wasn't sure if she preferred this startling racket or those deeply uncomfortable dreams from earlier days. "Oh dear, another earthquake..." she mumbled while still halfway asleep, thoroughly hoping that it wouldn't urge the Skarmory from Mt. Steel to take any more desperate measures.

Still, Flutter thought as she got onto her feet and approached a pail of water which had been placed nearby, she believed she could now better relate to Skarmory after being woken up too early and on the wrong side of the bed today. Splashing some water on her face did at least help to alleviate some physical signs of her unrested state, as she still wanted to heed Alakazam's suggestion and pay a visit to Xatu at the Hill of the Ancients today. This was nothing like last time; Flutter was otherwise unblemished and saw no point to putting it off.

"Since I'm up now, I suppose I'll just wait outside." Flutter decided to herself with a session of yawning while she strode towards the door, expecting her teammates Terack and Kyan to not be waiting outside for her yet. As it transpired, however, she was incorrect; they were indeed there once she left the house. "Huh? You're both here earlier than I expected. Did you hear that earthquake too?" Flutter had to wonder, caught off guard enough to let this thought soar out of her mouth. Both of them seemed to be a bit tired out too, she noticed.

Terack and Kyan saw this on Flutter in kind. "Uh, there was definitely more than one earthquake last night. It was really difficult to get some sleep with all of them going on and off like that. I don't remember this ever getting so bad before." Terack informed her in a tone which, even though he was still worried, told Flutter that he was more or less accustomed to such restless nights.

The bit about last night actually being the scene for multiple quakes which clearly caused discomfort in many was a piece of news which greatly dulled Flutter's sense of readiness for the visit with Xatu. Immediately off the bat, her thoughts were pulled away from these personal problems of hers and towards those of everyone in this world. "We definitely ought to get better rested before making tracks for the Great Canyon." she heard Terack question her, drawing the girl straight back to reality. It felt easy to speak out what now rested in her mind. "H-hey, guys? Couldn't we hold that off until another day?" Flutter asked, now having had a change of heart. "Xatu isn't going anywhere, and I'm really worried about what's going on around us. What is it that makes you put me and my troubles above everything else?"

With every passing day in this world, Flutter was feeling more and more invested in its condition and committed to finding out whatever was behind the rash of disasters. Though surprised to hear this come from Flutter, who really wanted the answers she sought, her two friends understood where this new train of thought was coming from. "Well, there's plenty of other rescuers out here who can do all of that. We live on the continent where rescue teams are most common, so I'm sure we can afford to take the day off for you." Kyan tried to assure her.

Terack was particularly happy to see how Flutter was sharing in his own long held dream of bringing back peace to everyone, even to the point of shelving chances to figure out what force brought her into this world. "I'm glad to see you wanting to set our trip aside so we can help out, but it's like Kyan just said, this will be ok in their hands. After what we've been told from Alakazam about Xatu's knowledge, well... I'd rather help my dear friend finally get her answers. I think you're a good sort who doesn't deserve to be left in the dark for any length of time." he softly spoke to her. "Yes, you've felt comfortable enough to tell us both and we want to pitch in on uncovering this." Kyan added on. "Terack and I have put it above everything else so far because it's really important to the two of us. We care about what's going on with your life."

Flutter honestly, truly, didn't know if she could ever manage to express how touched and valued she felt upon hearing their heartfelt statements. If they really held her personal problems and issues that highly, she knew that there was very little she could do about it. "Alright, you win. Rest and then Great Canyon." Flutter yielded with a touched smile.

She and the team soon split for now to get themselves better rested up for their trip, but the discussion had been overhead by a face they'd first met just two days ago. The Clefable called Androma, also known as Ann for short, approached the crossroads from the square's direction and looked at the team base which Flutter returned into. "I see, I see, she's off to the Great Canyon later today? He'll want to hear that." Androma quietly murmured.

Throughout Team Celeste's talk, one other statement was particularly striking for her, which went against everything she had been taught about Flutter's species. "Flutter, you really care that much about our world? I was never told that a compassionate and selfless human could exist."

~​

Several hours later, on their arrival, Flutter stared quietly at the imposing sheer rock walls standing in front of them. "Whew..." she finally managed to force out. "I'd imagine that the Pokémon in this dungeon would be quite tough and rugged."

"Possibly so..." Kyan pondered in response. Terack looked at the entrance running between the walls. He found the sight imposing too but managed to swallow this down. "If we're fortunate enough, Flutter's answers could be waiting for us at the very top of this dungeon. At the Hill of the Ancients place Alakazam spoke of." Terack said to the group. "All the way up there? Ok, let's get a move on." she said, eagerness audible in her tone of voice as she went in, Terack and Kyan following behind her.

The dungeon itself was a long one, more so than the initial part of Mt. Thunder. Terack learned Dig early on in place of Sand Tomb which gave the team a boost in momentum, most apparent when it allowed him to systematically defeat a pack of Houndoom accosting them. "Here, Rawst Berry!" he called out to Kyan, one of their orange Ember fireballs having burned his metallic body. Flutter went in to cover for the two of them while Terack was busy, lowering the accuracy of an approaching Ariados with her pink glowing Secret Power tackle and causing the deep crimson beam of their Night Shade to totally miss.

Kyan was able to defeat it with Confusion after his recovery and later returned the favor near the very end of the dungeon by taking down a stampeding Tauros with Telekinesis chained into his metallic silver coloured Metal Claw. Terack collected a Brick Break TM afterwards before following them.

Emerging to the scene of a sunset backdropped by a powerful orange sky, Flutter couldn't help but be absolutely spellbound by it. "Wow... I didn't know that a sunset could look so... pretty." she whispered. "Oof, that's a really overwhelming sight. It makes me feel so massively humbled." Terack simply replied, though he and Kyan were both a little more focused on the ground they were standing upon. "We're finally here, at the Hill of the Ancients!" Kyan exhilaratingly declared before catching sight of a Pokémon just a short distance across from them, staying stationary near the edge of the cliff. "Hey, gang. Do you think that Pokémon over there might be Xatu?" he asked the Togepi and Trapinch.

"Could be, y'know. Let's find out." Terack answered him as they approached this Pokémon, who wasn't moving an inch. "Hello? Do you happen to be Xatu?" Flutter asked out loud. A few quiet moments passed the four of them by. "I'm looking for Xatu. I've been told of his wisdom and I'd like to ask him something." she clarified curiously, wondering why they were being shut out. There was still no answer. Now she was beginning to feel desperate and very antsy. "Guys, what now? This is the Hill of the Ancients and there's nobody around except for our silent sunset watcher. I don't know where to go from here." she weakly said. Flutter believed that the burning disappointment would likely keep her up all night should their efforts today prove fruitless.

"Maybe they're one of those slow yet wise types?" Kyan threw up as a possibility. Before Terack could articulate his own perspective on this individual, his thoughts were interrupted and dashed by the Xatu. "Yes... Witness it... The sinking of the sun until tomorrow's day... Just as it should be." they suddenly said before turning around. "Indeed, young ones. I am Xatu. And you?" Xatu asked, despite having foreseen their arrival at this moment and thus knowing their names already. "Us?" Flutter asked back for clarification. "I'm Flutter, my friends here are Terack and Kyan. We've been looking for you."

"I see. And you would even discern my identity in the process? You must be quite an exceptional being to have located my whereabouts, child." he spoke, watching her expressions closely. Flutter, feeling awkward and uncomfortable at this sudden praise. felt the need to come clean. "It's nothing too impressive, Alakazam told us about you and where to find you. He said that you could perhaps help with a problem I've been having." she meekly admitted.

"You've met Alakazam, eh? He too, once walked the path here alongside companionship to seek wisdom from me at this very spot, this same sunset observing us then... Regardless of the methods used by yourself and your friends to scale the Great Canyon, your exceptionality isn't lessened. I know... You were human, yes?" Xatu spoke. "Oh? Well, I had a strange thought that you might already know." Terack admitted. "Yes, Flutter here was once human."

"Terack here found me one day in this form, a Togepi." Flutter carried on from him. "I don't remember anything about that life though. All memories of it are gone and I've been wanting to discover what happened to cause this. Why do I not remember anything, how I ended up here, and for what reason?" she laid out her questions bare to him. "Can you help me?"

Xatu merely continued to look at Flutter, seeing in her a lost soul who truly sought with all of her being to have this help. "Watching the sun gives me sight for all things. Everything. Past, present, future. Come, join me and I'll see what your past contains." Xatu decided, turning back around to stare at the gradually sinking sun with Flutter drawing nearer. This was the moment she'd been waiting for.

Within this sunset, Xatu could see back through the events his guest had experienced before her arrival. Facing Zapdos at Mt. Thunder, rescuing Jumpluff in the Silent Chasm, angrily clashing with Team Meanies within Sinister Woods, battling Skarmory atop Mt. Steel, the fight against and rescue of their future teammate Kyan in Thunderwave Cave, bringing Caterpie back to his mother in the Tiny Woods, and then finally waking up to Terack's call, Flutter's very first memory and the moment where it all began for her. He tried to glance even further backwards within times gone by but all he could see were numerous visions of natural disasters wrecking havoc upon the world.

One conclusion could be gleaned from what he was witnessing, but he knew that his guest and her friends wouldn't appreciate the clear implications it wrought. "I only see these calamities of nature in her lost past... In recent times, there have been too many of them... The very balance of the world itself being upset is why they're taking shape in such frightening magnitudes... And you, Flutter. I could infer that your very existence upon this world, somehow, has some form of intrinsic and innate link to them. Both cases are inseparably intertwined together..." Xatu hypothesized, sounding much more nervous now than before this sequence.

As Xatu anticipated, this didn't go down too well with the group. "S-so... you're actually trying to say that she's got something to do with all those disasters? Can you clarify this better? At least so we're not left hanging?" Kyan eventually asked. Flutter had nothing more to say, an uncomfortable feeling quietly weighing her down, while Terack absolutely couldn't believe what he was hearing. "What do you even mean?! Where exactly does she fit into all this?!" he almost demanded in an anxious and concerned tone, none too thrilled with what this discovery could mean for her. Flutter was frightened by this vague conclusion and he knew it absolutely.

"I'm afraid I cannot see any more than I have now, and the case of the world's disturbed balance is a far bigger problem at this point." Xatu firmly said, to Flutter's mix of indignation and distress. If she had known that meeting Xatu here would produce... this, then she would have chosen to live in ignorance and never seek out his wisdom at all. "You see... If it isn't repaired soon enough... then the unthinkable shall fall upon us all." he grimly predicted.

Things were beginning to take a quick turn for the terrifying. "T-the unthinkable? The world will be destroyed?" Kyan asked in a fearful voice. He and Terack, like practically everyone else, worried about this discussed doomsday event. "Indeed... No matter how often I look into the future, I always see it... Always... I fear it... I dread it... The unthinkable... This world's destruction..." By now he was visibly shivering out of that fear and in no condition to continue their conversation further. Team Celeste's three members backed off and looked amongst themselves, mostly at Flutter. She despised this sudden spotlight.

Another Pokémon was watching her too, this one with a mix of surprise and somehow, glee. Gengar of Team Meanies had been observing the entire discussion. "Keh... When I followed them out to see if I could find some way to pay them back, I never would have expected this. Flutter... She was human once upon a time... and is somehow related to the world's problems?" he said to himself. He was shivering just like Xatu, but this was more out of raw anticipation as he began formulating a most horrible scheme.

"This is going to be very useful. In just a few short days, I'm going to make sure that you pay very dearly for standing up to Team Meanies. Mark my words..."

However, he too was being watched. Concealed behind a rock were Rubix the Golduck and a Typhlosion. "Just as Androma said, the human girl is here. It appears that she's been seeking advice from my old acquaintance Xatu about her clouded past." he quietly noted. "The Gengar spying upon them though, he just mentioned Team Meanies... C-could that be?" Rubix said in a slight gasp. The pair of discoveries were smashing into him with staggering force, like nothing he'd yet experienced.

The Typhlosion cast a curious eye at him. "Something on your mind, doctor?" the Typhlosion asked of him. "Indeed there is, Ignephra... I've just pieced something together." Rubix replied, masterfully keeping his voice steady. "I remember first encountering Androma as an injured Cleffa, tearfully claiming how a Gengar had mercilessly bullied her new rescue team into disbanding." the Golduck informed his somewhat less intellectually gifted compatriot. Ignephra immediately caught on to what Rubix had discovered. "He's that crook?! The very same one who tormented Ann?!" the Typhlosion caught on, his temper beginning to rise.

"Not only that, it appears that he's also a human." Rubix crucially revealed, which caused Ignephra's furious grudge to ascend to new heights. "So... A human did that to her; my precious friend. Yet more proof that the entire disgusting race deserves to burn." he viciously spoke in a low and dangerous growl. If there weren't any potential eyewitnesses present, Ignephra knew he would have emerged from cover and immolated Gengar on the spot with his full powered Eruption.

In stark contrast, Rubix was using his cooler head to come up with an idea in light of what he'd learned today, instead of emotionally flying off the handle. He could be pretty good at restraining himself when the moment called for it. "I understand that you're close to my pupil Androma, but we can't reveal ourselves in front of Xatu or anyone." he reminded Ignephra firmly. "These two humans evidently aren't on good terms, we may be better served to let Gengar take care of the girl for us before we step up to eliminate him. This is an opportunity to remove both human infiltrators from our world at once." the Golduck planned on his webbed feet.

Ignephra wanted to exact retribution, oh how he wanted to make Gengar pay for what he did to Androma, but he knew it couldn't be done here or now. "Grrh... Very well, but I demand that his upcoming destruction be by my hands. This one is different. This one is personal." Ignephra deeply grumbled as he clenched his paws in barely abating anger.

Rubix merely nodded, respecting his frustration at letting this target live for now. "Once Mistress Zeninthia is informed of this development here, I'm certain you'll get this greatest of privileges in due time. Until then, we wait and watch as usual."

 

[Gengarzilla]

Chapter 8: Lies and loyalties​

"You've got Flutter on your mind as well, haven't you?" Kyan rhetorically asked the Trapinch at his side with one look at his teammate, not even needing Terack to verify it. He may not be a mind reader, but Kyan knew his hunch to be certain.

As usual, these two Pokémon were beating the dirt trail which led to Pokémon Square, and by extension, the base of Team Celeste, where Flutter resided. Trees were flanking the duo on both sides and the blue sky was clear and mostly free of clouds; one could never guess that the preceding night was another quake filled one, even if it was lighter than the night before. "Yeah, you got me. I'm really worried about how Flutter's been handling the news we got yesterday. She was awfully quiet on the way back." Terack recalled.

Indeed, Flutter hadn't spoke at all in the time it took the three of them to leave the Hill of the Ancients, nor was she particularly talkative when they all returned to the base and split up at the end of the day. This deeply unsettled Terack; he knew how vocal she could usually become when faced with real problems. After she'd established a mutual dislike towards Gengar of Team Meanies and talked back to Zapdos so forcefully, her silence was unnerving and off-putting. "I'm sure she's got a lot on her mind to process too, after how frustratingly roundabout Xatu was with his words." Kyan inserted.

It was a feeling he and Terack shared, both of them finished the day unsatisfied and upset over what they'd learned. "He said Flutter has some link to our natural disasters problem, but what is that link? I really hope she'll be ok. However Flutter's coping with this in private, I want to help her through it." Terack declared before they both arrived outside her house on the crossroads.

Terack's fears soon seemed to be justified when Flutter wasn't coming out to see them as usual. Concerned, he left the mailbox to Kyan and took the initiative, going indoors himself to see her standing up and looking very lost in thought. "Um, hey, are you ok there?" he gently asked her. Terack intended to approach this very carefully in light of yesterday evening's events; he also remembered with clarity how concerned she had been about the earthquakes before then, so he knew she wouldn't enjoy supposedly having something to do with them. "Oh? Hi, good morning. I didn't see you come in." Flutter spoke up.

Her uneasy face really bothered him. "I see... Do you need to talk to me about something? I'm here for you, you know it would be better than keeping everything to yourself." Terack responded, setting himself down right next to her. Flutter simply looked at him, at how ever willing he was to be her shoulder and rock, before deciding to confess to him what worried her most of all... on one condition. "Please don't panic when I tell you this, ok?" she quietly implored.

Terack's nod and expectant gaze gave her the all clear, though she continued to keep an eye on his expression to gauge his reactions. "Xatu's vague description of my connection with the disasters makes me worry that I'm causing them by just living here. I'm really scared, I like this world and I don't want to be the one behind everyone's problems..." she revealed with a quavering voice. As promised, Terack didn't lose his head, for he knew with full confidence that this wasn't true. "Don't worry, it's ok, just relax, I'm sure you aren't any danger to us..." he spoke in a soft and reassuring tone, brushing his body against hers.

"There's a lot I still don't know about you, pal, but I do know that you shouldn't blame yourself for anything bad here. These disasters have been happening a long while before I met you, so I don't think that's the connection he meant." Terack went on, attempting to reassure her. It also served double duty as an attempt to remedy his own shock, as he didn't expect his best friend to reach that self-destructive conclusion. For his credit, however, his words seemed to work. "Really?! Oh thank goodness, that's such a relief! Thanks for trying to cheer me up." she responded, feeling rather heartened by his deduction. "I'm ready to start the day." Flutter said after a set of deep breaths to calm herself down.

She and Terack then left the base and met with Kyan by the mailbox, who looked equally relieved to see her feeling better now. Plans were shortly made to collect a few jobs at the Pelipper Post Office and so the three of them began walking towards Pokémon Square. Seeing the small town and its shopkeepers bustling with life under the pleasant sky as per usual; green and pink Kecleon Brothers advertising their wares to a passing Androma; Wigglytuff selling a dungeon treasure map to Shiftry; Persian and Kangaskhan both helping some first-time customers whom Terack very vaguely recognized from his day in the Makuhita Dojo... it was all deeply therapeutic for the human-turned-Togepi after her mild bout of panic earlier.

If it weren't for a discussion taking place outside the post office between three residents, Lombre, Snubbull, and Bellsprout, Flutter might even have come to forget about her worries altogether...

"I tell you, I'm really surprised too..." Lombre spoke.

"I'd always thought that the Ninetales legend was exactly that. A legend." Snubbull replied.

"Of course, I wouldn't take stock in a single rumor..." Bellsprout noted.

Interested in this, Terack approached the three Pokémon. "Ninetales legend? What is that?" he asked, it being new on him. "You haven't heard? That old fable? My grandpa used to tell me it all the time." Snubbull told him. Following a few moments, some distant, relevant memories came to the fore within the team's third member. "Ohh, you mean that legend about how you'll be cursed for a thousand years if you ever grab one of Ninetales's tails?" Kyan recalled, to the surprise of his teammates. "I haven't heard it in a long while so I don't remember the whole story behind it. Why are you all discussing this?" he asked.

"Well, get this. There's been someone claiming that its events really did happen once upon a time. It's been making the rounds in the area." Snubbull revealed. Out of the three, Bellsprout looked and sounded the most skeptical. "I personally don't believe it, but this has made for some really interesting discussion... If you're wanting to hear the whole story then you should go and pay Whiscash, the square elder, a visit at his pond. You just go back to the square and he'll be to your right." Bellsprout told Kyan.

The directions weren't needed as Kyan already knew Whiscash from his Beldum days before joining Team Celeste, but he graciously thanked Bellsprout nonetheless, picked some jobs, and then led Flutter and Terack straight towards Whiscash's pond once they displayed their willingness to hear the tale, giving Caterpie and Metapod a warm greeting along the way. "Good morning, Whiscash, It's been a while. These are my friends Flutter and Terack." Kyan said, introducing them both to the old Pokémon. "We've been told about that recent rumor regarding the Ninetales legend and they'd like to hear the story." he went on.

Though this was their first time meeting the elder of Pokémon Square, Whiscash was no stranger to two of their rescues. "Hoho, good to finally meet you both. Caterpie and Metapod have told me about the times in the Tiny Woods and Sinister Woods. It's rather late but I must thank you for saving both children. Gather round and I shall recount the story." Whiscash replied. The three of them got comfortable upon the rock in the middle of the pond. A light breeze passed over the area, adding to its tranquility.

There once lived a powerful and vengeful Pokémon, known by all as Ninetales.

Ninetales had many tails, nine in all. They were covered, as is the rest of this Pokémon's body, in a golden fur. Furthermore, all nine of these tails were imbued with unspeakably powerful psychic energies.

However, Ninetales was a vindictive Pokémon, it is said that anyone foolish enough to dare set hand or paw on a tail would be cursed for a thousand years. Yet, someone was foolish enough to touch a tail. It was a human.

"A human? No way..." Kyan asked, briefly looking at Flutter. Had he remembered earlier that the Ninetales legend involved one of her former species, he never would have gone here. "Indeed so, a human." Whiscash answered, completely misinterpreting the cause of his surprised remark.

As one might expect, this human's folly resulted in a thousand year curse being unleashed upon them. However... The human's partner, a Pokémon called Gardevoir, quick and sudden, shielded this human from the curse, selflessly sacrificing herself for her partner...

"Oh no, Gardevoir..." Flutter said in a hushed voice. "She'd sacrifice herself like that to save a human?" she asked, immediately feeling sorry for the poor Pokémon who'd so freely take the curse for them. "Of course she would, youngster. Pokémon and humans, strong bonds can exist between the two, even in the case of a human with less desirable intentions." Whiscash replied, which really did get Flutter's attention. She herself felt a strong bond between herself and the two Pokémon sitting at either side.

She looked like a Pokémon now, but Flutter was still a human inside and saw herself that way.

Taking pity upon the Pokémon that took the curse intended for the human, Ninetales turned to address the human, asking them only this... "Do you wish to save Gardevoir, your loyal partner?"

The human then did something unthinkable that contrasted greatly with their partner... They abandoned Gardevoir and fled...

"That's absolutely horrible. Gardevoir threw her life away for the human and they just run?" Terack almost whispered in shock. He was glad to have found another human who he knew wouldn't run out on him like this.

Disenchanted and disillusioned with this human, Ninetales had but one prediction to make. "One day... That human... shall be reborn in the form of a Pokémon...-

Abject terror crashed into Flutter, one who was 'reborn in the form of a Pokémon', like a raging typhoon, threatening to consume her where she sat. As Terack and Kyan made fleeting glances towards her, it was a wonder that she managed to stay calm on the outside... for now, obviously.

-and when that time comes... the balance of the world shall be upset..."

As if to make things even worse for her, this was Xatu's exact terminology for the reason behind the many natural disasters... of which he perceived a link to Flutter. She now deeply regretted getting out of bed today.

"That's the end of the legend." Whiscash finished, looking over his horrified audience. "At a loss for words, I take it? Of course there's the rumor claiming of the tale's validity within our past but it is still today's ancient folklore. Hohoho..." Without any words, the three made it off of Whiscash's rock and wandered back towards the square.

While Terack and Kyan were disturbed by what this could mean for their already troubled friend, said troubled friend was walking as though under a trance of some sort, her face and eyes completely wiped of emotion. None of them spoke until they were back at the crossroads outside the base, when Flutter couldn't hold herself back any longer. "Guys...? Would it be ok if you do the rescue work by yourselves today? I want to go back to sleep, I'm just not feeling up to heading out now..." she asked, sounding so brittle and airy. The Ninetales legend had effectively ruined the reassurance she got from Terack earlier, putting them right back at level one.

That much, he did understand, but even he couldn't have immediately known the magnitude of what this had just done to her, because he'd yet to see how low she could get. As someone not afraid to stand up to adversity, Flutter could hide a lot of sadder emotions even when she didn't need to. "Ok, but you can tell us whatever, rememb-" Terack started, only to be stunned to the core by what he heard from her next.

"Yes, I know!" Flutter suddenly snapped, completely on her wits end right now and wanting some alone time so desperately. It took a couple of seconds before she fully comprehended who she briefly talked back to, upon which she turned her back on him... just to hide the tears that were welling up and dangerously close to streaming down in droves. This may well be the worst part of today; Flutter couldn't believe she spoke to her two best friends like that. "I'm... sorry. Terack, Kyan, you're both the greatest, but I-I need to be alone right now..." she choked shamefully, the moment of weakness having shattered her guard. With that, she ran back inside and closed the door, but Terack could distinctly hear the sound of sobbing behind it.

Neither of them could believe this. "Is she really crying back there? That's not like her at all..." Kyan wondered, while Terack still looked stunned. After the way she snapped him out of his terror from that winged monster legend and later talk back to this creature, he'd thought he would never see her get even more messed up than him with another story, nor did he expect to hear her cry over anything. "When you and I are done with today, we should definitely talk about things together. I don't care what that Ninetales legend says, I refuse to believe badly in her." Terack assured himself and Kyan.

The conversation in its entirety had been heard by a nearby Androma, whom also felt heavyhearted at what just went down between the three. She knew about the Ninetales legend; Rubix strongly suspected that it would be used as part of the other human's scheme to bring Flutter down, so she waited until Terack and Kyan reluctantly left to do their jobs before hiding herself within the trees behind the team base and sending a call to the Golduck. "It's Androma here. Looks like you were right; someone is making claims that the Ninetales legend is real. It can only be Gengar's doing." she stated. The Clefable didn't envy Flutter her predicament in the least.

Rubix's voice came through crisp and clear. "Good, good, now we wait for him to make his predictable move against our target. You make sure to inform me immediately when that happens, my girl. I'm entrusting you with this." he ordered, but not demanded. He would never talk to Androma in the same manner he'd used in his earlier dealings with Derkomai and Ignephra, as she was more than a colleague or ally. "Understood, I won't fail you." she assured him.

Now that he was talking with her, Rubix had something to address. "I'm glad for your commitment. On another tangent, I appreciate Gengar's timing, as my new communication device is very nearly ready for launch tonight. I will be sending Derkomai to meet you at a secure location shortly, in the Dragon Cave north of your present area. We must reconvene so I can distribute one for everyone, understood?" he summarized. Androma hated Gengar, but she had to agree with Rubix's quip on timing; this was good news. "Understood, I shall see you soon." she replied, upon which the call ended.

Before she began the trip to this designated meeting place however, Androma looked over at the base, from which her sensitive hearing could pick up a dry hiccough. "Dearie, if I could go in there and hug you and make it all better, then I would. Terack and Kyan should be able to cover for my lack of moral support." she decided.

Meanwhile, the Golduck on the other side of their ended call at an unknown location, in a spacious workshop filled with various gadgets and projects of his making, was booting up the new model of his communication device at last. It was in the shape of a small and handheld rectangular tablet, with small wings on the two longer sides in the style of a rescue team's badge. This was his magnum opus; he hoped that his work would benefit the group greatly. "Now, to see how it works..." he muttered.

With a call being sent to another Pokémon, Rubix began the final experiment. "Testing, testing. This is Dr. Rubix, Deuvide's inventor. Do you read me?" he spoke as a blue light came from the screen. Once the light managed to project a holographic visage of the Umbreon at the other end, Rubix grinned. The test was complete.

"This is Zeninthia, Deuvide's second-in-command, reading you loud and clear." she spoke to the Golduck projection emerging from her device, appearing equally triumphant.

~​

As they'd decided upon earlier, Terack and Kyan were holding their own impromptu meeting within an abandoned mine shaft in the Magnetic Quarry, where Kyan lived after hours. On a normal day, both of them would have been very happy with their hard work; Kyan had learned Brick Break over Confusion from that TM Terack found in the Great Canyon yesterday; Terack's Superpower and Dig were really opening doors for him; Team Celeste had advanced from Bronze Rank to Silver Rank, but the Ninetales legend baggage was still weighing them down.

"What do you think of all this? A human who became a Pokémon, whose rebirth has a connection to our world's upset balance... I hate to say it, but our Flutter does seem to be checking all the boxes so far." Kyan mused, which granted him a steely glare from Terack. "I respect that it does add up, but I refuse to believe Flutter would ever ditch Gardevoir. The Flutter I've come to know wouldn't do that. Besides, I told her earlier that the disasters have been going on before I met her." he stubbornly replied, clinging to this one ray of hope. "If Flutter really was that human and her transformation has affected our world so badly, then it wouldn't make sense for the signs to precede her being here." Terack theorized.

Though he understood Terack's point and cared for Flutter just as much, the Metang was struggling to dispel his feelings of unease. "Yeah, that does make sense. I just can't help but worry since we have so much signs. Flutter was right all along, we should have concentrated on our rescue missions instead of chasing down her lost past. Look what it's done to her. Maybe we should have left it buried and tried to build her a happy future instead." Kyan spoke.

"You might be right, but I know she wanted to learn where she came from. I don't believe she'd want to abandon it." Terack attempted to console him. "We don't know anything for certain about the kind of human Flutter was, but I know she would have been a good and caring one. No matter what happens next, no matter what we learn, I am going to stay by her side throughout it all!" the Trapinch declared powerfully, his resolve overflowing.

"Then that makes two of us! Let's make a pledge on it!" Kyan piped up, feeling reinvigorated at the very sight of Terack. He held out one of his clawed arms and Terack raised one of his four stubby feet as they both shook on it. "Whatever happens, the three of us will walk this path together. It's all for one and one for all." Kyan spoke, drawing up some memories of another legend he heard a while ago involving three swordsmen Pokémon.

Sometimes, the oldest of the team believed, he had enough memories to make up the difference for Flutter not having any at all.

At this point in the night, after finally managing to force herself into a restless slumber, the former human they'd just sworn to protect had awoken to a rippling green glow that she wasn't even aware she'd been missing. This was the lesser of two evils when compared to the earthquakes. "That dream... It's been a while..." Flutter sleepily murmured.

The same figure came into view again, but oddly enough without the accompanying mist. Flutter could thus pick out a lot more details she couldn't see in previous visits. They had green hair with green arms, seemed to be wearing a white dress, and bore a red protrusion in their chest which resembled a horn. This being attempted to telepathically communicate with her again... and this time they came through as clear as a whistle.

"At last... at last... We finally meet again..."

Flutter was astonished. She hadn't expected this much progress. "What do you mean, again? Who are you?" she asked, wanting to get to the bottom of that long-standing mystery once and for all.

"I am... Gardevoir..."

"What... What?!" Flutter exclaimed, shocked to the very core of her being. "You're Gardevoir? That Gardevoir from the Ninetales legend? Why are you here?" she questioned; this entire sequence was making her feel nauseous and frightened.

"I'm here because I am your-"

Gardevoir then vanished without a trace, to Flutter's absolute dismay. Though they could now talk candidly towards each other, their mental communications were still fragile and prone to disruption. "No! No, come back here! What were you saying?!" she cried out as much as she could before she felt herself losing consciousness, right when a heartbreaking and devastating thought pierced its way into her mind.

"Were you... my partner?"

~​

"Hey, Flutter... Wake up, it's past noon, you can't sleep all day."

Flutter was woken up, much later than usual, by a very concerned sounding Terack. "Uh, I hear you..." she simply responded before getting up, feeling absolutely horrendous after that dream with Gardevoir and the many later nightmares about sets of nine golden tails whispering for her to grab them. There was no longer any way of convincing her otherwise; Flutter was now certain beyond any doubt that she was the human depicted within the Ninetales legend, a conclusion which absolutely destroyed her sense of self worth.

"You look really pale, y'know, are you feeling alright?" Terack asked quietly. She nodded, not feeling up for discussion or even talking. Flutter had to wonder, what conclusions were Terack and Kyan drawing up about her now? Was Terack's concern genuine, or did he now privately abhor her for what she did? Deep down, in this pitiable pool of guilt and self loathing, Flutter believed it would be poetic justice if he and Kyan were planning to walk out today. "If you say so... Anyway, Kyan went on ahead to the square and he says there's some big commotion going on there. I think we should get going too." he simply said, not buying Flutter's silent gesture in the slightest but heading off anyway. With extreme reluctance, she followed him, having preferred to spend another day indoors and away from the eyes of others.

The atmosphere in the square was definitely... different today, she noticed. All of the comfort from yesterday was now gone, as none of the shopkeepers were present in their usual locations and the weather was somewhat questionable with the clouds obscuring the sun, in much the same way that the Ninetales legend was obscuring her happiness. Flutter and Terack joined Kyan at the gathering next to Caterpie. "Kyan, what's going on here?" Terack asked him in concern.

It was a large gathering, as everyone from the square appeared to be surrounding someone in the middle. Flutter could pick out Caterpie, Metapod the Beldum duo, Diglett, Bellsprout, Lombre, Snubbull, the Jumpluff duo, the Kecleon Brothers, Kangaskhan, Wigglytuff, Persian, Team A.C.T.'s trio, even Androma and Ice. "You're not going to like this... It looks like we weren't the only ones visiting the Hill of the Ancients for information that day..." Kyan quietly replied to them in an annoyed voice.

There, animatedly sharing a story to the entire square, was Gengar. Flutter could only glare furiously at him, her day was already going disastrously wrong without that guy getting involved...

"So, I was there, at the Hill of the Ancients. See? And that! That's where I saw it! I'm telling you, it completely blew me away!" Gengar continued speaking to his audience with the intent of grabbing their attention in a chokehold.

"What did?" Snubbull asked him. "I saw this! This certain Pokémon was seeking out Xatu for his sage advice... but this Pokémon wasn't an ordinary Pokémon, no, no..." Gengar said. Team Celeste's members were getting the impression that he'd spent all night rehearsing a dramatic script. "You see, everyone... this Pokémon was originally a human!"

"It... really exists? A human becoming a Pokémon? That can really happen?" one of the Kecleon asked. "Of course, but there's more! I heard Xatu telling this human that their transformation is the reason for this world's upset balance!"

"You're saying you willfully eavesdropped on this Pokémon?" Ice coolly wondered, not entirely convinced thanks to the nature of his last encounter with Gengar. He alone of the initial audience knew what this 'rescuer' did for a living, but his skepticism was unfortunately drowned out by the resident who'd been the most uncertain about a similar topic yesterday. "That's exactly like this Ninetales legend! It was true after all?!" Bellsprout called in utter shock.

"Kekeh, apparently so!" Gengar stated. He was delighted that his planted rumor of its validity had kept the legend fresh in the minds of the square's residents, as it was necessary for them to remember it if his plan was to get off the ground. "But there's more! Xatu also said that the world's upset balance is the direct cause of all these terrible, terrible natural disasters... Aaand if balance isn't restored soon then Xatu has forecasted that the unthinkable shall befall this world!" he called. Gengar truly was hamming and hyping this up, drawing upon every iota of Team Meanies's good name.

"Oh my goodness, I feel like I'm at a rowdy all night party in Spinda's Café overseas. This is a complete waste of my time." Ice exasperatedly muttered to himself over Gengar's dramatics. Almost everyone else was roused into a state of panic and Terack was absolutely beside himself with anger. "He's... deliberately... working... everyone... up...!" the Trapinch could barely manage. Meanwhile, Flutter deeply wished that she could melt into the ground and never be seen again.

Gengar looked around at the sheer chaos he had created, a delighted grin on his face briefly sprouting once he finally caught sight of Flutter in his audience. "Keh? Now, now, everyone. No reason to lose your heads with me, Gengar of the Gold Ranked Team Meanies, on the case! I've juuust come up with an foolproof solution to all our problems!" he revealed with a faux reassuring grin.

"What do you have in mind?" Lombre questioned him. "Well, if the world's balance has been upset by this human becoming a Pokémon living in this world, then things will surely return to normal if we reverse this! What should we do? Find this human and get rid of them! It's their fault we're in this mess!" Gengar decided.

A general murmur of acceptance swept across the crowd. Androma had heard enough. Although it truly pained her to admit it, Gengar was helping her and the rest with this plot. She slipped into a dark corner and activated Rubix's new communication device. "It's going exactly as you expected... Gengar is on the verge of having her branded as the responsible human and chased out of the square..." the Clefable reported with a tremor in her voice.

"Good, this will give us the best opportunity yet to be done with the girl." Rubix replied on the other end through the hologram, but she wasn't done with him yet. "P-please, I'm begging you, get me away from this place right now. I understand our objectives and the group's need to have someone within the square, but I can't bear to watch this anymore!" she pleaded, clearly trying hard to not flake out on him now. "Don't be upset with me. I've kept seeing my younger self in her during Gengar's meeting." Androma confessed.

Though Rubix was a cold and calculating sort of Pokémon, Androma's feelings were always of paramount importance to him. "I have already arranged for you to return here while Reishi takes over your role during this event. Derkomai will meet you outside the Echo Cave shortly." he quickly revealed, which surprised her. "Don't think I've forgotten what this... monster has already put you through. I would never force you into the same room as that horrible degenerate if I could avoid it in any way." Rubix stated firmly with a rather tender touch to his voice.

Though Androma was stunned to hear Rubix describing Gengar with words that sounded as though they came from Ignephra's own playbook, it was moments like these which made the Clefable know how much her teacher valued her. "Thank you, doctor. I'll see you soon." she spoke before ending the call.

Meanwhile, back at the square, Gengar's big moment had been continuing. "And that human? What would they think of this if they were here riiight now?!" he remarked, which made Flutter's whole body feel cold inside. She knew full well by now what he was building up to. "Keh, they should have thought about that before abandoning Gardevoir as fast as their legs could carry them! Their pudgy little legs."

Incidentally, she wanted to run right now, but her feet had long since gone numb before Gengar's eyes finally rested upon Flutter. Both of them had a moment of silent eye contact as he savoured this instant. He enjoyed the absence of that defiance she displayed last time they met. "...Isn't that right, Flutter? You despicable little coward." he finally stated. Gengar had made his move and placed her in check.

Now being aware of this Pokémon's intentions today, Ice threw Gengar a dirty look of pure and unfiltered hatred. As far as he was concerned, he was done attending this sham of a meeting. The cloaked and hooded solo rescuer slinked away from the crowd, towards the Makuhita Dojo, and then sped wordlessly through the trees on his left until the land gave way to an out of the way cliff, this quieter location giving him the chance to finally express how supremely disgusted he felt over that scene. "You... You piece of scum!! This is low, even for you!!" he practically roared, throwing a bright red glowing Dynamic Punch at the closest sturdy tree and actually felling it through the massive force put into his punch and knocking it into the waters below.

"Gengar... Now you've crossed the line, you vile... heinous... revolting...! I have never seen such a sickeningly loathsome act of revenge! Don't think I'll let you get away with this!" Ice growled, he himself having never been this furious before. After what he witnessed in the Sinister Woods, believing Gengar's public persecution of Flutter was the very last thing he was going to do.

Unfortunately, it was the first thing on the minds of almost everyone else back at the square. Disbelieving looks abound all fell upon Flutter, who had pretty much frozen up on the spot. "W-wha...? Wait, hold up now... There's a p-perfectly good explanation..." Terack started feebly before Gengar cut him off. "We don't need her accomplices to say anything. Flutter, you might think this is unfair-" he said with an evil glare. "-but you've got the chance to challenge my accusation here. I've said my piece. The stage is all yours, my dear." he went on, using this moment to belittle her further. "So, Flutter... Are you really the wretched human from the Ninetales legend? Or is it myself who's wrong?" Gengar posed the all important question to her.

"G-go on, tell him he's wrong... Kyan and I both know it's not you, this can't be true..." Terack nervously prompted her, expecting her to once again give him what for, but Flutter barely registered her friend at all throughout her consuming terror. After some moments of being paralyzed with fear, a set of crucial words finally came to her dry mouth. She voiced them out as though they were the absolute truth, since she really couldn't see it any other way now.

"No, Terack... I'm afraid he's right..." Flutter hollowly confessed on the spot, truly defeated and destroyed. It was checkmate time for her.

Terack looked at her in abject shock whilst her other supporters, Kyan, Caterpie, Metapod, Diglett, Beldum, and Jumpluff alike, all wore sympathetic looks. "There we have it! Straight from the perpetrator's mouth! Now, let's all be rid of her and take back our peace! Kekekekeh!" Gengar finished up before most of the crowd advanced upon the team. "Uh... Ahaha, she's totally not in her right mind, everyone. You don't need to do this..." Terack weakly begged to them all.

Lombre was the first to make a move, apologising before lunging out with the white glowing claws of Fury Swipes. Kyan immediately rushed in to block that move, shielding Flutter with his own body and making his allegiance perfectly clear to those involved. With Flutter completely crushed and Terack still unable to comprehend her actions, he believed it was all on him to get them out of this mess. "If you all want her, you'll need to go through Terack and I, understand!" he forcefully stated before he scooped both of them up in his arms and carried them away from the highly volatile scene.

"Ugh... That was scary." Terack panted after Kyan hid the three of them beside the bushes surrounding their base. "I-I never thought we'd actually get attacked by someone there. Flutter... What were you playing at? Why did you admit to it!? " he snapped, the stress suddenly overtaking him in a moment he instantly regretted once he saw her reaction.

"Please don't get angry at me..." she whimpered, close to her limit. What happened in the square just now was horrible, but Terack of all Pokémon losing it with her was the worst part of the day. "She's right, it's not helping." Kyan agreed, his comparatively more level head serving him very well in today's events. "Just take a deep breath. Tell us why you said it was you." he asked her. "...Ok, I'll tell you both. I had another one of those dreams again last night, and Gardevoir appeared in it. She's the figure who keeps visiting me." she explained. Terack couldn't believe what he'd heard. "You saw her?" he asked in surprise.

"She said that she'd met me before... I'm a former human whom this Gardevoir is familiar with. G-Gengar might be a horrible Pokémon who's doing this to get me back for standing up to him but he's actually right, because I really am that human who abandoned her!" Flutter confessed to their stunned faces, but the girl wasn't finished with her tangent of self hate. "I don't deserve you, Terack; I don't deserve you, Kyan; I don't deserve the kind support you've given me; I don't deserve to be a part of this team. Not when I'm... going to ruin this world!" she finished by sobbing and openly crying in front of them for the very first time.

By this point, she wasn't even thinking straight anymore, the only thing on her mind was to get away before she brought even more misery to these two. "Forget about me, I'm no good for you! Find someone else!" Flutter called out desperately before running off. She didn't know where she would be running off to, and she didn't have any plan, the only thing which mattered to her was getting as far away as possible from the two Pokémon who she believed could do so much better than the human from the Ninetales legend. Only after a few seconds of running at the crossroads did she notice that the horizon wasn't moving ever closer.

"You're not going anywhere without us, hear me? It's not up to you to decide your worth. That's our job!"

Kyan had seen and heard just about enough of this nonsense from her. He'd taken action and caught Flutter in the middle of her fleeing act with his Telekinesis, a green outline now surrounding her body as she stopped running to take in this new voice. "Come on, get it together! If you're really the human from the legend, then you should be proud! Proud of how much you've grown and developed since you arrived here!" the Metang called out, these powerfully cast words slicing straight whatever argument Flutter could have dished out. She looked back at them, feeling her demolished sense of worth starting to rise from its grave like a spectre from the past, better and stronger than before. "The Flutter I've come to care for and admire is the bravest, most kindhearted creature I've had the pleasure of knowing! You can't let this undo everything you've worked towards!" Kyan demanded. It was tough yet inciting, fierce yet motivational, and it managed to get through to her. As it turned out, she needed this raised voice.

While Kyan was verbally beating some sense back into Flutter, Terack had been watching this scene while recalling what his best friend claimed to have learned in her dream. It occurred to him at last; this surely must have been why she was so downcast earlier and what she'd declined to tell him. He now perfectly understood why she didn't deny it when someone confronted her, and it greatly upset him once he realized that his earlier angry reaction was possibly why she didn't tell him earlier. "Oh my goodness... Flutter, I'm so sorry. I failed to understand what had been going on in your head..." he muttered once the Telekinesis had worn off and they had joined Flutter on the path. "Well, no more. It doesn't matter to us if you're the human. Kyan and I both made a pledge last night that whatever happens, we would stay by your side." Terack spoke solemnly.

Flutter was struck deeply by the weight of their proclamations, such that they still reverberated within her mind and soul even after they left her ears. "I'm sorry too. I nearly threw away my two greatest friends and supporters..." she sniffled, sounding as though she had a head cold. "Alright, no more crying from me. I can tell you don't like that. I said it yesterday, but you two really are the greatest. Thank you for your continuing support." Flutter concluded, somewhat cheered even if she still hated what she did to Gardevoir.

It was in this position when Alakazam of Team A.C.T. approached them. "I thought I might find you three here." he started, getting their collective attention. "After that... scene in Pokémon Square... we held a meeting to have a discussion on what we should do next." Alakazam said to the group. All three of Team Celeste's members turned to face him, where he saw Flutter's tear stained face. "It came to a quick and decisive consensus... I'm afraid we must be rid of you, Flutter." he concluded.

"You can't be serious? Even you want her out now?!" Terack quickly retorted in shock, quite fed up with the anti-Flutter sentiments that burst out today now that he understood her inner turmoil. "Come on now, Gengar's had it out for her and us since the day we started our team! You can't possibly believe what he's just said, right?!"

Though Alakazam took this on board, under the present circumstances... "I disapproved of this conclusion, but he's the one offering everyone a quick solution out of our problems. These Pokémon want the unthinkable to vanish... and the only foreseeable way to do is to strike her down. If you have another way that doesn't involve this continent's rescuers turning on one of their own, Terack, then I'm all ears." he replied, almost as though it were a challenge in and of itself.

Though he would have loved to tell Alakazam that he did have an idea, the young Trapinch knew it would be futile to invent another solution on the fly. Terack saw no other option besides taking the long haul... together. "I don't have any other way... but...! Let us go! Let us run away from here and I promise that we can try to find another way out of this! Please give us some time to escape! he pleaded desperately, understanding Alakazam's stance in the debacle.

Their loyalties towards one another, even in these most trying of circumstances, were a wonder for him to behold. "Very well, you will have the rest of the day." Alakazam decided, to the relief and gratitude of Flutter's team. "Pack all of your supplies, run, and don't look back. Get out of here while you still can. First thing tomorrow, rescuers from all over, including my team, will be part of a hunting party with the express aim of removing her from this world. I implore you, don't concern yourself with any individual faces; each and every one of us are hungry for peace. I'm afraid they won't spare her companions." Alakazam explained, the last part doused in deep regret. If he'd had his way earlier, Terack and Kyan would have been allowed to live.

"I understand." Kyan spoke. "Alakazam, although I have great respect for you and your rescue work, I'll defend Flutter against anyone while we're out there looking for another solution. Should it really come down to this, should worst come to worst, I'll even defend her from you. That's a promise." he unflinchingly declared, with no signs of hesitation or fear whatsoever.

It was that bold and loyal statement that became deeply ingrained within Flutter's head, as she recognized that Kyan was saying all of it to his rescuer idol. This also got her thinking... what about the Black Ice, her own rescuer idol? Would he believe her, she wondered? Though Flutter knew she and the others were told to pay no attention to faces; Ice had no clear face to not pay attention to...

~​

"Oh man, what a mad day... I still can't believe it came to this barbaric end..." a cool voice spoke, words tipped with uncertainty.

Much later on, at his secret hideaway concealed within a nearby mountain range, the Black Ice was putting the finishing touches upon his own preparations for tomorrow. He had calmed down significantly by now but was still highly affronted by Gengar's accusations and also deeply concerned by a sudden spike in negative sentiments for Flutter, however unwilling or regretful, that he witnessed in the subsequent meeting.

Like Alakazam, he too had been against the idea of going after the entire team, but the many Pokémon who attended this event, rescuers or otherwise, had overruled them both. There would be two innocents running for their lives, but for his own reason, Ice preferred to see it as two more innocents. Another thing was also weighing heavily on his mind too... "Flutter, you... I wouldn't have guessed that you were apparently human. Talk about a real shocker, that came right out of nowhere." he thought to himself.

For the first time in a long, long while, Ice was at a complete loss of what to do. He didn't know how best to handle this delicate situation without it erupting even further. "Perhaps..." he started to wonder, retrieving the map he intended to anonymously place in Flutter's hands tomorrow via one of her scant few supporters and smoothing it out over his desk to scan it by candlelight. "Yes, perhaps... Going east from the square would give Flutter's team the most room to run, significantly more than would be offered by the other cardinal directions... and then they could either bide their time the Frozen Reaches or book it towards the Southwestern Peninsula and safety in that southern continent beyond..." Ice mused as he visualized which route these fugitives would take. If he were seriously wanting them out, his keen tracking abilities and know-how regarding the lay of the land would have been their undoing.

More and more, this plan of his was looking to be feasible. "I see, no matter whichever way they go on that split path from the Lapis Cave, following the hunt up to this dungeon would get me that much closer to my old mentor and her advice without arousing anyone's suspicions... Yes, I'll do that!" he finally decided before getting some paper. He had just one more thing to do tonight, and that would be to ensure Team Celeste's runaways knew they had his unconditional support.

As he wrote out a message, Ice prayed that this would all somehow work out for the newly titled fugitive and the two travelling companions who would share her strife. "Flutter, I just know you're innocent. Please persevere and prove me right..."

No matter what 'evidence' came his way, no matter how many Pokémon thought otherwise, Ice knew that Flutter wasn't the human who encountered Ninetales.

 

[Gengarzilla]

Chapter 9: The seedy technician​

It was late at night when the Golduck known as Dr. Rubix, located deep within a secret base far away from the square at which a disturbing event had recently unfolded, received the incoming message on his upgraded communication device that he'd been awaiting ever since this operative left for their most crucial mission yet. "Reishi. Please tell me you've had no trouble slipping in with the masses at Pokémon Square." Rubix spoke dourly to the holographic Breloom emerging from the screen.

"You need not worry about that, as I've successfully joined the huntin' party at the square as commanded." the Breloom explained to him proudly, rather pleased to have seemingly exceeded the inventor's expectations... which wasn't exactly saying that much when Rubix had such low expectations for him to begin with. "Public sentiments for the kid are lookin' so low there that infiltratin' this mob of peace-seekers was easy. They're acceptin' most anyone who volunteers for the chase." he continued reporting.

Rubix merely nodded; things were indeed going off without a hitch so far, but he wanted to make sure this guy understood one thing with the clearest of clarity. "Though the human girl may have been completely ostracized from society; though she will be on the run as a wanted fugitive, the first rule still stands: Deuvide. Must. Not. Be. Discovered." he stated, punctuating each word for emphasis to try and hammer the point into his head, as Rubix knew Reishi to be, to put it in the nicest possible way, slightly stupid. "If anyone were to find out our ultimate aim or learn about we have done to our past targets, the heat on this young runaway would be nothing compared to what we will subsequently be forced to endure. Do I make myself clear?"

"Agh, yes, yes, I know. Don't sweat it, doc, things are goin' as peachy as a Pecha Berry 'round here." Reishi replied without a change to his neutral expression. "Oh! Speakin' of heat, I also have something to add in relation to my earlier concerns involvin' that cool crusader, the Black Ice..." he added. Reishi had seen something, nay, someone that made this a relevant point again.

Rubix remembered being told of this subject by Zeninthia shortly after Reishi reported it; seeing Ice assisting Flutter. "What of that Pokémon? Do you believe he may end up complicating matters?" Rubix queried. He'd never met this Pokémon in person, but the Golduck had heard of his talent. However, Reishi appeared surprisingly content.

"Please dismiss them. I thought he'd side with Flutter and end up standin' in our way, but it turns out he's part of the hunt too. Appears I was worried over nothin' after all." the Breloom lightly explained to him, which did much to clear the air. "Without that guy holdin' her hand, Flutter is as good as sunk. I'll report back eventually with further news." he said before the conversation ended. The image of Reishi sunk back into the screen, upon which Rubix went further into the cave.

"You sound confident in yourself, Reishi. We'll just have to hope you don't let it go to your head and slip up somewhere..." Rubix spoke to himself in a wary undertone as he walked down a pathway. The Breloom wouldn't have been his first choice for the upcoming task, he reviewed, but he had to make do with this one. Soon enough, the Pokémon known by her advisor Rubix and her subordinates as 'mistress' was receiving him in her room, a spacious one with little to note, as Zeninthia wasn't a very materialistic individual. "I bring news. Reishi has just reported in to me. He has joined the hunt without any troubles." he told her. "In addition, the Black Ice is in the hunt, so it appears that our unknown element won't be a hindrance after all."

"Ah, very good! The plan is underway then." Zeninthia responded with delicate eagerness, which didn't in the least diminish the respect commanded by this Umbreon's very voice. "He is aware of and shall remember his orders should he encounter this human girl and her friends? I shan't deny that I've questioned his capabilities from time to time..." she carried on in a highly blunt mutter. Reishi was, after all, Zeninthia's most recent recruit.

Rubix understood her stance on this and felt he had to explain his own. "The obvious first choice for this, Ignephra, is effective but lacks the subtlety required for this operation. He simply hates her too much to not stick out amidst the mob, much of whom Androma and I believe to be regretful towards what must be done." Rubix calmly countered, on which she had to agree. "Trust me on this one, mistress. Whether she really is that human from the Ninetales legend or not, the child won't live to discover. Another human will soon be no more..."

~​

"Come on, Flutter! Come on, wake up...!"

This wasn't coming from Terack or Kyan, but from Flutter herself, as she'd yet again woken up feeling distinctly unrested and resorting to a splash of water from a pail for the very purpose of pushing herself awake. "This is the worse time to feel sleepy... she chided herself, on which she saw another worn Togepi looking back up at her from the water's surface. A furious flush of a beetroot colour appeared on Flutter's face as the sudden reminder of her Pokémon form prompted a partial recollection of the Ninetales legend; specifically the part which destroyed her life as she knew it...

"One day... That human... shall be reborn in the form of a Pokémon... and when that time comes... the balance of the world shall be upset..."

"You! How could you?!" she suddenly cried out in torment at her own reflection as part of a futile effort to squeeze out some of her guilt, not entirely in her right mind after enduring a living nightmare yesterday. When the Togepi reflection didn't make any independent response, Flutter more or less lost her cool at last and actually tackled the pail over with her glowing pink Secret Power.

"Flutter? What's all this about?"

This time the voice came from Terack, who had arrived just in time with Kyan to hear her flipping out. The Metang at Terack's side looked from her, to the pail, then to the spilled water, then back to her before quickly understanding what just happened. "With the fact that you're this upset about what you've allegedly done; there's no denying that you had a firm sense of right and wrong as a human. I really do respect that." Kyan stated, following which he wrapped his arms around Flutter for a hug. She could have sobbed and let out all of her anguish again, but Flutter had promised herself that she would do none of this from now on. No matter how bad things became, there would be no crying.

"Well... this is it. We're all wanted Pokémon until further notice." Terack spoke up while leading the two outside once Flutter had calmed down and retrieved their team's bag. "I know it's going to be a rough and potentially long journey, no matter what's ahead of us. The three of us need to support and be there for each other all the way." he stated, looking firmly at Flutter and Kyan as he did so.

"Oh, very well said!" a voice called, which came from one of Kyan's two Beldum friends, who weren't the only early morning visitors in store for the team today; behind them were Caterpie, Metapod, Diglett, and the two Jumpluff. "I'm glad we made it in time, everyone here wanted to send you three off." the other Beldum stated. Flutter and the others didn't even get the chance to express how grateful they were before a delivery Pelipper joined the gathering with a letter held in his bill.

This surprised Flutter, as she definitely wasn't expecting any mail today. "All the Pelipper in the post office are in on this too, and it looks like this is from the last Pokémon in our group; he wanted to send you off by letter instead. I know you'll like it, Flutter." Caterpie explained cheerfully. Now officially curious as to the identity of this sender, Flutter took the letter from Pelipper and opened it up. It took only a moment for tears of relief to form once the answer became apparent.

To Team Celeste.

I must apologise profusely for the clearly distressing events of yesterday. There was very little I could have done to deconstruct Gengar's story and it frustrates me immensely to know that. Hopefully this message reaches you in better spirits, however slight those may be.

Although I will be part of the hunt, I want you three to know here and now that I truly believe in Flutter's innocence. I am only using their gathering to slip out from this area and hopefully meet my old mentor without any watching eyes, where she will advise me on a further course of action.

Stay safe and persevere; I wish you all the very best on this journey. Perhaps we will meet again in a more peaceful time.

Ever yours, the Black Ice.

"He... he really does believe me after all? Oh thank goodness, I was so scared...!" Flutter openly wailed before managing to restrain herself. "No, no crying. I promised myself that I wouldn't cry during any of this." the Togepi muttered in a quieter tone. It was for this reason; the desire to avoid ending up in the same sorry state as yesterday, that she opted not to take the letter with her. She would instead keep the thought of her idol's support in her head. In truth, Ice was unaware of just how much of an impression he had left on this young, novice rescuer during that day in the Sinister Woods.

Seeing this reaction, the two Jumpluff decided to break from their game plan for her sake. "Um... He also wanted us to give you this map. Ice wanted it to be anonymous, but I think you really ought to know who this was from if Flutter likes that Pokémon." the female of the two explained while the male handed the map to Kyan, who used Telekinesis to hold and unfurl it in front of the team.

"I see, I see... There's a whole lot of land to the east, maybe we can shake loose most of the band if we use all that vast space to our advantage? It might not be best to just take a straightforward path for the time being." Kyan decided, intent upon using his head alongside this new map to keep the team out of harm's way while on the run as their self appointed navigator. Terack agreed to this motion, though Flutter was still caught by the shock of Ice giving them his map. "All right, no more sense in holding this off. Let's hit the road before everyone wakes up. We've got to hold strong; the three of us, together!" he continued in a rousing motion, which finally got Flutter's attention.

"I don't know how long it might take, but we'll be back eventually." Flutter suddenly spoke up, the sight of their supporters making her feel much more confident than she'd ever felt throughout these past few days.

~​

Following an entire week of meandering around in the most nonlinear eastern path Kyan could direct them in, which took the team through many ravaged landscapes, including but not limited to a path with cracks from an earthquake and the charred remains of the forest fire that Ice and Team Hydro had put out, Flutter was beginning to wish that she had brought along Ice's letter of support after all; something had happened within their first night in the open wilds which brought about a marked change for the worse in her.

She'd had yet another dream and gotten a visit from Gardevoir once more; this one was very brief but it was the last straw, the one which sent her beyond the end of her tether. As a result, Flutter was now absolutely terrified by the very idea of going to sleep; she didn't want to see this figure from her missing past ever again. The former human desperately hoped that eschewing slumber entirely would keep out Gardevoir and any more horrible things she may have done beyond running away from this partner.

By the time they finally reached the entrance of a cave studded by blue rocks, the effects of her bad habit were beginning to show. Flutter was feeling extremely tired and even had some bags under her eyes. "Alright... Seems that this place is the Lapis Cave. We've covered a whole lot of ground." Terack said as he and Kyan looked at their map. The cave in front of them was huge, serving as both a connection to and a natural wall between the far eastern landscapes and the rest of the continent. From what Kyan had heard about this place, there was a split in the path somewhere with both ends leading out to an exit.

Flutter, feeling so sluggish by now, let out a yawn and shiver without taking in what her two teammates were saying. Though she was run completely ragged and in desperate need of some shut eye, this new phobia of hers made doing so an impossibility.

"I'm pretty certain I heard somethin' over there, come on." Flutter did hear someone mumbling however, which struck her with a sort of panic. Kyan's whole plan rested upon outlasting everyone after them, which didn't appear to have worked out completely. Suddenly feeling beyond terrified and not thinking her actions through any longer, ran straight into the cave before Terack and Kyan were ready. "What? Hey, hold on! Calm down!" Terack called into the cave entrance, now left with little choice but to follow her in.

On a normal day, this dungeon really wouldn't have been all that scary, but today wasn't a normal day. Flutter was completely on edge throughout much of this venture through this combination of exhaustion and fear until Terack finally put his foot down and decided to lead the way instead once he and Kyan caught up to her. More composed and less worn than her by this point, the team started to proceed smoothly and more efficiently from herein, an observation that worried him. This was never necessary before, not even when Flutter's judgement was being clouded by Gengar's challenge during the Sinister Woods mission.

After some time in the cave, which was studded with blue gems and crystals all over the walls, the group arrived in a big room and finally came across that branch in the path, where the way ahead split into two. They quickly approached this point with the plan to actually make a plan here. "Now... Um, the path north leads to a volcano and lots of snow beyond it, and the path south takes us to lots of plains. I-I don't like f-fire, but... we've got to take whichever one's the most dangerous route if we're still being chased down-" Kyan started before being cut off by the sound of a foot stomping upon the ground.

"Hah, you bet you're still bein' chased! Did you seriously think I'd fold?!" Reishi the Breloom shouted out from in front of the hall while peppering them with a constant stream of small energy projectiles in a green hue. Though the individual power behind just one of these Bullet Seed shots wasn't very powerful, their velocity and Reishi's Technician ability were strengthening them enough to cause some heavy damage, particularly to Terack, who was already struggling to stand up after taking the blows from this Grass type move.

Flutter held up better through her shell and Defense Scarf while Kyan's Steel typing granted him a resistance to Reishi's move, but it was the increasingly rash Togepi who was first to go on the offensive, pulling up a Bullet Punch from her Metronome. In response, Reishi just stood there and took this silver glowing, super speedy punch to the face without so much as flinching, solely to prove a point. "Big mistake you made just now, squirt. You ought to have ran when you had the chance." he remarked, and in order to hammer said point home, the Breloom used one of his extendable arms to deliver a much stronger punch; an orange glowing, Technician-empowered Power-Up Punch, down upon her head. Even resisting the move, this one had hurt her quite badly.

"Not good, she needs help!" Kyan exclaimed as he began rushing in with Take Down while white streaks surrounded his body, but Reishi's reaction time was superior today; he slugged the downed Flutter in an upwards Power-Up Punch before pulling off a well timed twirl to smash the end of his metallic silver looking Iron Tail powerfully into her as she fell. This super effective strike was not only fuelled by power boosts from Reishi's two Power-Up Punch hits, but it also pitched her hard and directly into the Take Down of her own Metang friend, sending them both sprawling and knocking her out cold. Terack looked on in horror, too hurt by his Bullet Seed to do much at the moment.

Pushed onwards by the sight of the fallen former human, Reishi moved in for the finale. This is it, Flutter! I'm endin' your danger to this world!" he yelled before swinging one more Iron Tail poised to smash her against the wall... which met resistance. Kyan was not going to let this guy off the hook now; he'd hurled himself right in between these two and crossed his arms in front of him to block this with his silver Metal Claw. "What?! Get out of my way, you!" Reishi angrily demanded.

Kyan was already visibly struggling to keep his ground in this prolonged clash of moves as the injured Terack watched on; it was just so painfully clear whom the stronger battler was. "No, you get away from her! Flutter is not a danger to this world! Leave my friend alone!" he cried in a heartfelt and impassioned to his opponent, though he knew it likely wouldn't do much good.

Naturally, Reishi disregarded him, as merely being a human made her a target for elimination by Deuvide; the Ninetales legend events of recent days were just their window to do so in a more... open fashion. "Friend? You and the Trapinch are both idiots for ever sidin' with her! You're fools! How do you know she won't ditch you somewhere down the line, eh?!" Reishi unflinchingly remarked, abusing his public privilege as a member of the mob all while pushing his attack harder and harder against Kyan's flagging defense. Terack had used this moment well, he'd picked himself up and was ready to continue.

"I know that's n-never going to happen... because Flutter saved me once." Kyan recounted. "I know... I know she won't abandon us, and that's why I will never, ever abandon her!" he exclaimed, quickly approaching his limit. Greatly moved by him defending her from their attacker in both sight and words, Terack used Focus Energy and took on a blue, full body outline before rushing at Reishi and fiercely tackling him in the chest with the red rippling Superpower, breaking the clash.

Recognising that the drawback of Terack's move would leave him weakened and even more vulnerable to their opponent than he already was, Kyan then grabbed Reishi with Telekinesis and ragdolled him around a bit to stop his Bullet Seed aim before flinging him straight back down the corridor from whence he came, colliding in a heap with a group of Pokémon in the room behind them. "Now, run before that he comes back! Whoever that guy is, we can't take him!" Kyan commanded, holding Flutter's body in Telekinesis now.

He and Terack sped through the north path and the rest of the cave like lunatics, eventually emerging from the exit into the evening breeze, quite the worse for wear overall. "That was far too close... Come on Flutter, please wake up..." Terack begged her before stumbling. "Ow, ow, I'm still in some serious pain too!" he yelped; each individual Bullet Seed projectile had felt like a white hot needle being jabbed into his body. The altercation with Reishi had clearly taken a lot out of their lead.

"Over there! Go! Go! Let's finish 'em off!" the said Breloom called out, having continued to trail them. Terack and Kyan kept fleeing as hard as they could, eventually deciding together in silence to head for the nearby volcano in the hopes of scaring off this most persistent of pursuers. Apparently it was a reckless move, according to some of these voices, and this was what they'd wanted to hear.

"Are they seriously running for Mt. Blaze?! That's suicidal!"

"There's absolutely no chance of me going in there!"

"I can't do that. I'll just have to turn back."

"Fire doesn't agree with me at all, this is impossible..."

"Well I'm still goin'! I almost had her, it'll just take a little more!"

"Hmph. Count me in too..."

 

[Gengarzilla]

Chapter 10: Fire and Ice reunite​

"Well I'm still goin'! I almost had her, it'll just take a little more!" Reishi called out as he and the rest of the group chasing down Team Celeste's members watched them run towards Mt. Blaze. Much of the Pokémon present weren't too keen with the idea of pursuing them in, but the Breloom wasn't one of them. He'd earlier knocked Flutter completely out cold in the Lapis Cave and was now highly eager to finish the assigned job.

Amongst the group was the Black Ice, one of Flutter's most quiet supporters and a guy who also had an ulterior intention behind his participation here. He'd used the gathering to his own needs just fine so far, but his mask immediately became more difficult to maintain at Reishi's words. He'd attacked her? Ice was immediately filled with a strangled mix of both dislike for this Breloom and a new blend of concern for Flutter that he hadn't felt for any other Pokémon he'd rescued so far; the latter coming from a deep seated motivation which he was unlikely to ever made known in this current collective mood.

"Hmph. Count me in too..." he replied after sealing this all up for the sake of appearances. After managing to help her team in the Sinister Woods, he was greatly saddened by his inability to do so here without spoiling everything. In addition, he was concerned about how Flutter and company would even manage to endure that volcano's dungeon, as Ice actually had some mild familiarity regarding the place.

Reishi was pleased to see Ice of all Pokémon volunteering, as it dispelled his worries of a friendship between him and Flutter even further. "Good to see some company. The two of us should pair up for this place. They're all hurt so there won't be much more runnin' out of them now, I don't think." the eager Breloom believed. Ice so dearly wanted to club Reishi over the head with an Icicle Crash for his statement, but that too would give him away.

"An acceptable plan. We'll soon have peace." he played along. The planted agent of a mysterious anti-human group then went off after his quarry with a secret supporter of the vilified former human at his side. They truly were a mismatched pair of almost comical proportions.

~​

"Mmmmh..." Flutter moaned as she awoke groggily to the dry taste and texture of a Reviver Seed going down her mouth, feeling as though she'd been hit by a truck. "Ohhh... My head hurts, what just happened?" she asked before looking around at her surroundings. Terack had dug a small hole into the side of the volcano for them to hide in while she was out cold, and Kyan's Telekinesis had moved a nearby boulder in the way of the entrance. Just by these sights, the Togepi could tell that her two teammates weren't taking this journey lightly, which brought her a white hot feeling of shame.

Terack was delighted to see her come to, having gotten through most of his own pains from that Bullet Seed earlier. "It's good to have you back up. That Pokémon knocked you right into Kyan's move back in Lapis Cave. Kyan threw himself in there afterwards and shielded you from him before helping us escape, but we've lost so much of our lead now..." he explained.

"I see... Thanks, Kyan. I really owe you one." Flutter murmured as she began to recall just how loose, careless, and utterly reckless she had been throughout that last dungeon. "I'm sorry for being such a pain before then. I think I lost my head when I heard that voice outside the Lapis Cave, but it's no excuse to go and make things harder for you guys, not after you've put your lives on hold to stay with me." she spoke regretfully.

"Wha?" Terack started, honestly not expecting to hear her launch into an apology here. "H-hey, don't worry about it! I totally understand if you're feeling a bit jumpy and tense at a time like this. Believe me, I knew from the start that you weren't going to be your usual self." he assured her as Kyan took out their map and laid it down in front of them. "Let's just set it behind us and get back on the move. Kyan and I heard some of the Pokémon back there say that this place is Mt. Blaze, and a lot of them sounded really worried. If we get through this, I reckon we'll finally have a chance to breathe." Terack planned out.

"That's exactly why we took the north path before, but... there's just one little problem: fire is my all time worst fear." Kyan acknowledged. "Terack, I'm still up for this plan but I'll be depending on your help here. Lead us on, buddy!" he spoke, being aware of how much better the Trapinch could handle Fire types compared to himself.

With this encouragement, Terack turned his back to them and began tunneling further onwards to create a shortcut into the dungeon proper, immediately bringing Team Celeste into a wide open room with pools of lava everywhere. Kyan knew that he wasn't going to have it easy here. "Don't worry about the fire, I'm going to look after the both of you." Terack exclaimed with a sudden burst of newfound confidence.

With the significant amount of Fire type Pokémon inhabiting the volcano dungeon, the Metang was glad to have let Terack continue leading the team onwards. The Trapinch was truly throwing everything he had into this one, defending him and Flutter from any of the Magby, Numel, and Slugma that they encountered. Flutter mostly took a back seat to Terack here, though she did add in her own contributions with Shock Wave's blue electrical jolts when the local Pidgeot attempted to hinder Terack's vision with Sand Attack. Seeing him confidently take charge of this dungeon was really inspiring for her, enough to make her further understand how much of an inefficient team leader she'd been earlier. Next time, she swore to perform the role better.

Kyan's moment later arrived when a particularly stubborn Shuckle was starting to wear Terack down. Heading in there and intercepting a spinning Rollout with his sideways Brick Break chop, he then went on to throw a rapid flurry of silver glowing punches to defeat it. In place of Metal Claw, he had just learned Bullet Punch, which Flutter recognised as the move her Metronome previously called out back in the last dungeon. "Thanks for the help, that Pokémon wasn't going down..." Terack said as he picked himself back up. The safe halfway point located directly ahead triggered a sigh of relief from him, and he was all up for a short rest break before they moved onwards.

Meanwhile, Ice and Reishi were both fighting their way through a rocky pathway inside the mountain. Ice beat his way through a Zubat with his Icicle Crash while Reishi took care of an approaching Numel with Bullet Seed. A Whirlpool from Ice then swept away the Nidorino and Nidorina blocking the way out. "Heh, not far off now..." he exclaimed with Ice following him. The dungeon's end then led them... back to the entrance of Mt. Blaze. They had taken the Rock Path, a trail near the outside of the volcano that loops back to where it started.

Naturally, Reishi was pretty annoyed at this. "Are you kiddin' me!? That path puts us back where we were!? This is gonna cost us so much valuable time!" he yelled in frustration, wanting to punch the volcano to the ground. Ice could only fold his arms as he watched this tantrum. "Gah... If they've taken the other path straight off, then that's very bad news for us. Let's get a move on here! We cannot afford to lose those three!" the Breloom declared before rushing headlong into the next entrance.

Ice merely watched him speed off. "Oh man... and I told that blockhead not to take the Rock Path earlier. Hopefully I can drop this utter fool before my patience gives way." he muttered in a fed up hush before following the guy in. Partnering with Reishi was now ranked up amongst some of the most tiresome and tedious things he'd ever done.

~​

At the top of the volcano, Flutter and company stood in a transfixed and terrified awe at the boiling hot lava bubbling away in the crater in front of them, to Kyan's massive discomfort. "Gyah, this place is way too hot! Let's get out of here now!" Kyan rightfully cried out, with Flutter and Terack were both in agreement. "We're nearly out of this place, please just hold on for a little longer..." Above the group was a crescent moon, the evening had transformed into night.

All three of them were running towards the way down from this locale when a powerful and angry voice soon called for this trio to halt. "What? Who is that, who's there...?" Flutter asked aloud, the anticipation already starting to make her feel highly uncomfortable inside.

"This... this volcano... It's in abject pain, untold misery... Mt. Blaze is suffering. It calls for divine intervention... and I shall deliver!" the voice boomed as its bearer, the Legendary Pokémon Moltres, landed in front of them in all his flame sheathed glory to block their path.

Terack was outright dumbfounded. "Wha...? Who are you and what did you mean by all of that stuff? We're just passing through here, that's all..." he weakly claimed.

Moltres was quick on the reply. "I am Moltres, the guardian of this mighty volcano. I see no reason to elaborate on what I meant. For defiling this place with your very presence... your fate now rests with me!" Quick on the beat too, Moltres waved a wing to send out an Air Slash, the large, clear crescent blade of air formed from the tip of his moving wing striking three for three and sending the team tumbling backwards.

"Whoa, that looked tougher than Air Cutter. It's certainly larger..." Kyan observed, recalling Zapdos. He began to desperately think up some sort of plan as the team scrambled away from a billowing Flamethrower stream, the orange fire threatening to roast all of them where they stood. Moltres was indeed showing these trespassers no mercy. The said plan then took shape in the Metang's dual brains. "I have an idea. Terack, hide underground, Flutter, get on me." he said. Both of them complied and Kyan was soon bearing the Togepi into a dogfight against Moltres.

As he hoped, Flutter started to whittle their opponent down with repeated shots of the unavoidable Shock Wave while Kyan operated their movements, strafing away from the Flamethrower and Air Slash attacks of their foe. An aspect he didn't count on which played well into the plan was that several of Flutter's super-effective hits turned out to be of the critical variety through her Super Luck ability, which made her moves more prone to finding and hitting the weak points of their targets.

It was all going very well until Flutter started to have troubles forming her move as a result of Moltres's own ability: Pressure. An Air Slash finally struck her with a glancing blow afterwards and knocked her off of Kyan, but falling through the air had suddenly given her a hugely spontaneous idea. "Send me at Moltres!" she quickly called out, not just to avoid hitting the ground hard.

Kyan obliged, suspecting what she had in mind. He grabbed her with Telekinesis and moved her quickly towards the surprised Moltres while she used Secret Power for a flying tackle. The attack induced a dazed confusion in Moltres and caused him to plummet instead as she was placed back upon Kyan. "Excellent! Terack, now!" Kyan then yelled; Flutter's improvisation had delivered them a great opportunity. The Trapinch then burst out from the ground, Focus Energy ready, for critical strikes with Dig on their grounded opposition and a subsequent ramming with Superpower before Moltres could gather his bearings.

Despite this, he collected himself afterwards and shook loose the confusion, charging up a Solar Beam for this new foe. "If Moltres was holding that move back for so long, it must be tough. Go pick him up, I'll take the ground this time!" Flutter decided. She got down from Kyan while he swooped down to rescue Terack from the Grass type move that now resulted in a miss.

Moltres was beginning to feel mildly frustrated by the Metang's actions in their battle; he was proving to be their most valuable asset in spite of being a liability in terms of typing. He broke off this thought when Flutter began running towards him with Secret Power. Recognizing the danger of its chosen secondary effect in their location. Moltres took to the air to avoid her attack and focus on taking Kyan out. Though she had no other way to reach Moltres now due to his Pressure shutting out her Shock Wave, Foresight's effect being of no use, and the unreliability of Metronome, him ignoring her was exactly what she had been going for. The Togepi trusted that her teammates would make this end in their favour.

"Alright..." Kyan braced himself as Moltres resumed the airborne portion of the fight. "Terack, use Rock Slide in front of us. I've got an idea to finish this off." Very narrowly ducking underneath an Air Slash that he could feel brushing atop his head, Terack did so and was rather surprised and impressed, as was Flutter, to see Kyan strike each rock precisely at Moltres's trajectory with his Bullet Punch and careful scrutiny. After several strikes from this variation on a mildly strong Rock type move, his greatest type weakness, their foe was starting to flag somewhat.

He landed a little while off and Flutter's teammates landed next to her, but Moltres soon managed to get up and furiously stretch his fiery wings aloft with a screech, set to commence round two. "Wait, hold on! We haven't come here to cause you any trouble, really! We've been chased all the way up here!" Flutter exclaimed out loud, unwilling to spend any more time being wasted in a fight. "Please hear me out on this, it's not just Mt. Blaze that's suffering. Natural disasters are rife with startling abundance everywhere. The whole world is in untold misery." she went on, using Moltres's same words to try and generate some familiarity with him. She understood his actions now that there was time for her to think; he was just another Pokémon upset by this turmoil, like Skarmory and Zapdos before him.

Moltres folded back his wings and stared at her intensely, quietly judging her. "All over the world? I was unaware of the scope. ...Do you truly say that with sincerity, young one?" he asked, wanting to know if she and her friends were not only strong, but also trustworthy Pokémon.

"Yes, I do. We're a rescue team currently on the run. There's been plenty of moments on this trip where I'd have... given absolutely anything to help the Pokémon in the affected areas we've passed by..." Flutter said as she stepped forward, bearing her heart and feelings about this, willing Moltres to buy it as the truth. "Why, if you doubt me and still think that we mean to bring harm to the volcano under your protection, then look into my eyes..." she continued, staring unflinchingly and unblinkingly at him. Moltres did as she suggested, both of them staying deathly silent. Terack and Kyan watched, trusting her fully. When things really came down to it, the two of them saw Flutter as the heart of their team, the one most likely to succeed in a matter like this.

Mt. Blaze's guardian saw an interesting sight where he looked. There was the tired look in her face from earlier, true, but he couldn't at all find any malice that would justify further attacking them. These were the eyes of someone both scared yet resolute. After what felt like years, Moltres finally spoke. "Very well. Flutter, you have my trust on this matter..." Flutter took a deep sigh of relief, she had been unknowingly holding her breath throughout this frightful couple of moments. "You and your team may pass through here, but promise me something. Promise that you will find the cause of these calamities you've spoken of and prevent them from inflicting further pain upon the world."

Now that she had gained Moltres's trust, Flutter felt that it was best to be entirely honest towards him in return for this. "While it's impossible right now thanks to a malicious foe of ours trying to get revenge by blaming me for those disasters... I p-promise. I'm sorry that it can't be done right away, but I promise! We'll find out what's going on with the world at the first chance we have! We'll make sure we get to the bottom of all this. You have our word." Flutter almost pledged.

Moltres gave an understanding nod, he could quite easily surmise that something had gone disastrously wrong in their own lives through his silent moment with Flutter. "So be it. When your unavoidable personal issues are resolved, I shall hold you to that word. It was the courage and teamwork you three displayed that convinced me to hear you out." Moltres admitted. "Don't lose that further along the road." he finished before flying off.

"...Aaagh, if only we could just go back home and get this fugitive mess over with! Running away makes me feel so useless! I want to be looking into this problem right now!" Flutter suddenly cried out loud, enduring a frustrated breakdown even with a sudden bout of lightheadedness and exhaustion weighing her down. Moltres's words were the starkest reminder yet of what they could have been doing throughout this flight.

It didn't help matters either that the new sleep aversion on top of her general stress were also making her a bit ill.

~​

Without Pokémon to battle and with Flutter calmed down, Team Celeste were soon able to regather much of their previously lost ground as they walked across a rocky trail with a slight chill to it. Mt. Blaze was still a visible natural landmark. "Oh, I'm so tired... Mt. Blaze was ready hard to go through, and Moltres was some kinda powerful. You think... maybe we've actually lost all our pursuers at last? Even our attacker from the Lapis Cave?" Terack reflectively and optimistically asked Flutter and Kyan as he looked back at the volcano. "I hope this means we can rest now."

Flutter didn't immediately answer, as it had finally occurred to her that she'd heard the name Moltres before, from Alakazam when he told them about Zapdos. This thought immediately segued into one about Team A.C.T. themselves, whom the former human recalled to be one of the teams chasing them. "N-no, there's still Alakazam and his team. They're all really tough, I'm not convinced that we've shaken them off yet." she finally answered him.

"Agh, y-you're right...! I suppose we were so concerned about getting you to safety that we completely forgot about them." Kyan admitted, appearing rather startled and surprised at having overlooked this. "Then I'm afraid there's no time for rest, Terack, we've got to keep up the pace!" he declared ruefully. With him leading them, the three continued along this trail until coming across a vast path covered by snow. "Here it is, the start of the Frozen Reaches. A lot of the land from this point is uncharted territory so there could be many places to seek refuge in." Kyan said as he addressed the map once again.

"You think so? We can't risk leaving footprints for Team A.C.T. to follow, but I've got an idea for how we can avoid that." Terack said to them with a triumphant tone.

~​

Moving past an Arcanine that Reishi had buried underneath the rocks of his Technician Rock Tomb. Ice had finally reached Mt. Blaze's peak with the Breloom. "I don't see them around here, they must have already cleared this dungeon..." Ice observed. In his head, he commended them for this achievement. As far as he was aware, only himself, Reishi, and likely Team A.C.T. remained of the original pursuit group.

"Then let's keep on goin'. That stupid side trip's set us behind." Reishi replied, rushing at the exit before Moltres landed in front of him. "Move aside, bird!" he foolishly yelled, in no mood for any further obstructions from anyone tonight. Ice had to intervene before Moltres tore Reishi to pieces with an Air Slash for his rudeness. As much as he disliked this Breloom, Ice needed to keep up this façade for as long as it took.

"Wait! We're just passing through on very urgent business, Moltres. Please overlook his mouth, neither of us mean to do anything atop your volcano!" he quickly called. Something about this disguised figure was familiar to Moltres...

It soon struck him like the Rock Slide/Bullet Punch combination from earlier. "You... You're...?" he stared in surprise. "Her former protégé, I see? It's been much too long since I last saw that cloak and hood. You may pass." Moltres decided as he left them both be, to Reishi's complete bewilderment.

"Ehh... I have absolutely no clue what just happened here, but... hey, this works out better than I hoped! The less time spent here, the better!" Reishi decided after a moment of uncertainty, intending to press Ice about his apparent acquaintance with Moltres and the identity of his own mistress at a more appropriate time. He had a task of phenomenally greater importance at present.

This duo also faced no further roadblocks along the path as they soon ran headlong across the rocky trail and arrived at the snow cloaked path, whereupon Reishi bore witness to a most unusual sight. "No footprints? But there's no other way they could have gone! How could that be possible?!" Reishi yelled in frustration at what he saw, cursing Team Celeste's resourcefulness. When it came to a pursuit in the Frozen Reaches, the Breloom had been counting on having a visual way to follow these runaway Pokémon. Officially out of ideas and faced with a trail that had both literally and figuratively gone cold, he turned to Ice for a plan... only to see that the cloaked vigilante had vanished, similarly without a trace. "Oi, where'd you go!?" he called.

Ice had finally made his play. He'd used Reishi's complaining to swiftly jump into a nearby tree without notice and was now athletically leaping through this frozen forest from branch to branch. "I am so, so glad to be shot of both him and that mob..." he said, delighted beyond measure by the chance to finally speak his true thoughts at long last. He'd only been planning to play along up until the Lapis Cave at the earliest point. "Team Celeste... Your preservation tactic for this place is worthy of some applause. Whatever you're doing, please do keep it up." He now had someone else to find in this icebound patch of land.

This unidentified vigilante knew better than anyone else just how much his old teacher cherished the nearby Frosty Forest. Indeed, that dungeon also became the very place where the Black Ice was born. It was his home away from home.

 

[lucarioknight56]

Time for another review by your friendly neighborhood Knight56!

Grammar/Structure:
The main thing that got me before with your structure was dialogue of multiple characters within the same paragraph. In the last few chapters you've practically eliminated the issue, so now the story's a bit easier to read. Now the main issue is the paragraph size.

Alright, it's entirely subjective, I know, but the size of paragraphs can really affect someone's interest in reading, or their focus on details. Most of your paragraphs are at least five lines long, which is fine for descriptions of an environment or character, but not necessarily for thoughts or action...all the time that is. It can sort of drag on, and your eye can wander or jump lines while you're reading the insight into a character's thoughts. It's nice to see, as it makes them more believable, but given how often it occurs, it can almost be a hindrance.

I like seeing the character thoughts, so I don't say you should get rid of them entirely. I just think you can afford to separate your lines into more paragraphs. Maybe consider splitting them into two smaller paragraphs instead of one large one.

On another subject, I notice that you use words like 'sudden' or 'a bit' to emphasize the level of a certain adjective or verb. It can be good to use that every so often, but in your case, it happens a lot. In the actual narrative, you shouldn't use them very often, as it interrupts the flow of reading. If you could get rid of most of those amplifiers, this would make PMDAR a whole lot easier to read.

Characters:
The description of your character's thoughts really lets us see into them, in particular with Flutter. Given all the events that happened recently in her life, it is important to know what 's going on in her head. They are all distinct in their traits, so its always nice to see them in thought.

Setting:
You go into a little more detail here, but the lack of setting proves to still be an issue. What I notice is that you have the environment all ready in your head, making the perfect backdrop for your characters, but it unfortunately doesn't make it to paper. So while you have the perfect picture of the action, we unfortunately don't.

This chapter focused on Mt. Blaze, and the next will be about the Frosty Forest. Let's talk about what you could do in the future chapter:

Several inches of powdery snow scrunches underneath their feet, making their feet more cold and numb with each step. Frost and snow has collected on the boughs of pine trees, weighing down the branches and shining in the bright sunlight. A chilling wind blows through and nips Pokemon at their core, all the while bringing in a fresh fall of snow. Pine resin permeates through the air, complemented by the sharp chill of winter air down their throats.

Something like that at the beginning would do wonders in setting the scene, as well as mentioning the environment when the action is all happening. When a character is say, shoved back by a severe hit, mention the snow and how it collects behind them, or how it they pound into a tree, the snow and frost falls on top of them. Action doesn't happen in a vacuum after all; the characters interact with each other, yes, but the environment is always an underlying factor.

Style:
Your focus on the characters' minds makes for intriguing internal narrative, giving us clearer insight into their workings. Your action is also pretty detailed, if brief in terms of how long it lasts. I notice that you avoid the actual journey through the dungeon which I can understand; they are rather bland to write for, and can be unnecessary given how long they can be. Believe me, I know thanks to my own PMD stories.

Overall:
I really want to read this, as I know this has an interesting story within it, but the format of the paragraphs makes it hard for someone like me to read. The lack of setting also makes it difficult, as people generally want to have the setting laid out for them instead of having to think of it on their own. You do perfectly well in the character department however, at least in my opinion, so keep it up!

Notes:
If this came off as overly critical, sorry. I do like reading it, but if you fixed those areas I mentioned, it'd make it feel like less of a slog.

 

[Gengarzilla]

Chapter 11: Melting the Black Ice​

"Terack... You really are a genius, you know that?" Flutter marveled in an almost silent tone at her Trapinch companion, in what most might consider a complete overreaction. Though, bearing in mind the ordeal this Togepi and her companions were presently embroiled within, there was a boon to quick and simple solutions.

Both she and he were riding upon Kyan as they progressed onwards throughout the frigid forest path flanked by rows of trees on both sides, leaving absolutely no footprints in the snow covered trail below them. "I have to hand it to you; this is really working out. We're leaving no trail for any pursuers to follow." their Metang ride complimented him heartily.

Though this praise made him feel aglow in delight, the warmth was worthless; this place was still too cold for him. "W-well, I'm just glad it's not snowing or windy right now..." he shivered, snuggling close to a drowsy Flutter for some warmth. "How are you feeling there, Flutter?" Terack then spontaneously asked her. Throughout this lengthy flight, even if things got better, he was always going to worry about her.

"I think I'm... alright." Flutter soon responded; the chilling temperature of their surroundings making itself ever more prevalent in her chest with each intake of breath. Her response was a lie; she absolutely wasn't alright. Her recently acquired fear of sleeping, put together by the long journey and the stresses of running away; all of these were making her feel unwell before any bitterly cold blizzards could have a say in the matter.

Flutter didn't really know why she wasn't being truthful with them in regards to her wellbeing. There were several reasons behind that; ranging from the desire to not compromise their lead, to merely wanting to rebuild her usual 'strong' front after crying in front of these two earlier. Either way, the human in Pokémon form had stopped thinking straight for some time now.

Even exhausted, however, Flutter was somewhat certain that she had picked up on a sort of rustling noise within the white cloaked pine trees to their left, but wearily passed it off as a figment of her imagination. The source of that break in the area's deathly silence was another cloaked thing; this one being in black, who was taking it upon himself to keep vigil over Team Celeste's travels as they continued edging closer to the next dungeon.

This was mildly worrisome for him, as the Frosty Forest's own vigil took little liberties when it came to expelling intruders. Ice hoped that they wouldn't encounter that Pokémon before he did.

~​

Meanwhile, a significant distance away from Team Celeste's location, a cold, numb, frustrated, and annoyed Reishi was trudging his way through the snow. He had completely lost all signs of Flutter's team and soon decided to call it quits on his role in the hunt. The Breloom was beyond caring what would be in store for him in the aftermath of this failure, as his patience had finally dried up.

Thinking back now on the events that transpired during his confrontation of the human, he saw one big flaw in the plan. "That... that single minded fool! To think he has the g-gall to treat me like a-an idiot!" he managed to say through the cold and his anger. The Breloom got out his communication device and set it to project straight to the group's meeting room, a specific location in the hideout for long-distance reports of greater importance. He had a bone to pick with Rubix, the guy who sent him here, and he intended to pick it good.

His holographic visage appeared in the wide open room to another member, a Steelix who was undoubtedly his best mate within Deuvide. "Hebyacel, buddy, it's me. Get Rubix here along with whoever else you can, I've got a big update to give on the hunt." Reishi spoke, glad to at least see this Pokémon.

As told, Hebyacel the Steelix simply left and returned shortly after with Rubix, followed by Derkomai, Androma, and Ignephra. "Hebyacel tells us you're bringing an update on the pursuit, what's come up?" Rubix asked of him.

Reishi readied himself. "How else can I put this? Things started off very well at first. I encountered Flutter in the Lapis Cave and overpowered her with little effort but she ended up escapin' into Mt. Blaze. I teamed up with the Black Ice to clear that dungeon and I'm now at this frozen wasteland beyond it. She's onto me and has somehow left no footprints in the snowy path. I've now lost her entirely." he gave them as a rundown. "This escapade has failed; I'll be returning to base."

"What!?" Rubix asked in astonishment. "Giving up while she's still out there? Is there nothing I could suggest to-" he went on before Reishi furiously cut him off. This upcoming rant was exactly why the Breloom wanted everyone else here to the update.

"There's somethin' I'd like to suggest to you, fool!" he yelled. "You're sellin' her companions short! If those two pals of hers hadn't interfered in the cave, then she wouldn't be wanderin' around as we speak! I'm also startin' to suspect that she's ridin' on that Metang friend of hers to throw me off their track!" All his pent up frustrations were being unleased in an explosion.

"The huntin' party has the right idea and you could learn from 'em! Her teammates are just as bad; stop ignorin' those guys for once! Focus on her whole team next time!" he finished before ending the call, absolutely seething. Rubix was quiet for a long moment afterwards while everyone watched him silently.

Derkomai watched the scene with a hint of amusement in his eyes and was the first to speak up. "I'm afraid the lunkhead's got a very good point, doctor; you have been overlooking Terack and Kyan. Those Pokémon both displayed incredible loyalty to Flutter by joining her as fugitives; of course they wouldn't step aside when Reishi attacked. Shall I pick him up?" he asked Rubix after this awkward silence. Riding upon an airborne friend to avoid leaving tracks... Although Flutter and her team were their foes, the Salamence was quietly impressed by their ingenuity.

"Ok, ok, go and bring him here..." the bitterly humiliated Rubix finally spoke up before turning to face Androma with a tough request. "Dear, it p-pains me much to ask this of you now, but you'll need to return to Pokémon Square immediately. If Reishi's giving up, we'll require you back there to monitor things... I'm deeply sorry." the Golduck said coolly and regretfully before he left the room without another word, needing to be alone right now. Derkomai readied himself for takeoff as he silently gestured for the Clefable to get on him.

Ignephra and Hebyacel were already stating their agreement with Reishi, which promptly gave Androma something to say in defense of Rubix. She alone out of the gathering still had much confidence in his scheme. "Don't forget that Team A.C.T. should still be on the hunt. Dr. Rubix's plan may yet come to fruition, even after this setback." she quickly reminded them before climbing aboard the Salamence and leaving.

Ignephra watched her go, appreciating and understanding her thoughts just now. "Yes, Ann's right. The girl is tricky but she can't run forever." Ignephra declared with a growl. "Not while she's got a Diamond Rank team chasing her down like the repulsive piece of human scum that she is. Oh, how I envy Alakazam and his chums right now..." the deeply hateful Typhlosion wistfully spoke, outright scaring the much larger colleague with his words.

~​

Following a period of progression with little to note throughout a dungeon identified by her team's map as the Frosty Forest, Flutter and Terack began to follow Kyan up an ascending trail, leading towards a rocky, sunbathed plateau above the forest's treetops. "Wow, we can see so much of the forest from this spot! It's all white as far as the eye can see!" Terack observed in surprise.

This level of height was more or less what Kyan wanted to get out of his plan. "Yeah, maybe now we can stop being lost and find a way out of here?" their leader for this dungeon wondered, surveying the area furtively. A spray of deep blue bubbles then struck the ground in front of him as a cold wind quickly enveloped them all. "W-what's this? Who's there?" Kyan called out into the chilled air.

His answer came with the arrival of the Legendary Pokémon Articuno landing near the end of the platform. "My name is Articuno. I am the protector of and the law within this beautiful Frosty Forest... and I cannot allow trespassers such as yourselves to do as you please..." she said with a strange form of tranquil fury.

"H-huh, you're Articuno?" Flutter asked her, quickly recognizing the name from Alakazam this time and immediately getting worried. "We don't want to bring any trouble to this place, we're just passing through." she explained calmly, her tone completely nonindicative of how nervous this Pokémon's presence made her feel inside.

Flutter knew that this Articuno would be no pushover if Zapdos and Moltres were enough of an example; as such, she was dead set on outright avoiding a conflict this time. Fate served to mess with her yet again. "Child, you truly haven't been here before..." Articuno replied back. "You would have known otherwise that the frigid sting of my winter chill... is the last thing you unfortunate intruders will feel!" Suddenly rising to a startling shriek, she flew up to divebomb the three of them.

They all avoided this, but that was the only thing Team Celeste had going right for them in the battle Articuno strafed aside from the downpour of Terack's Rock Slide and broke through Flutter's Shock Wave with a Bubble Beam jet that soared towards them all and took Terack out straight away; this one motion allowing Flutter's true feelings an avenue to escape. "In a single move?! No way, Articuno's that strong?!" Flutter pushed out as she and Kyan picked themselves up. It appeared as though they had finally hit the wall.

Becoming desperate, Kyan flew in for a string of back to back Bullet Punch jabs that Articuno dodged time and time again until the Pressure ability once more took effect on their moves. A single gust of her crystal blue Powder Snow then swept him back, where he narrowly avoided a collision with Flutter for the second time on the fugitive flight.

Somewhere within the dungeon, in the middle of a short rest, Ice felt some sort of nostalgic chill in his body that could have only come from one Pokémon... "Oh no. No. No." he gaped in horror, unwilling to believe this.

Flutter tried Shock Wave once more but Articuno caught and tore apart the blue electricity in a Hurricane, the powerfully rotating clear winds soon enveloping the two opponents for major damage. A Powder Snow was added in to create a combination that froze Kyan solid and shattered yet more of Flutter's resolve. The situation was becoming worse by the minute.

Ice was rushing pell nell through the forest and past the waypoint at a startling speed, certain that Articuno had found Team Celeste before he found her. If he so much as tripped now, Ice thought frantically...

"This is it for you!!" Articuno yelled as she dropped all pretense and tranquility, firing a thick blue beam of an unthinkably cold temperature, her finishing Sheer Cold. Losing hope at the sight of this, Flutter succumbed and awaited the worst.

Except the worst never seemed to come. The déjà vu was not lost on her

Arriving at the scene, Ice managed to let out a genuinely frightened "No!!" as he leapt in front of Flutter with a large Whirlpool in hand and held it in front of them like a shield, tip pointed towards him, to try and block this definite K.O. move. Flutter couldn't believe what she was seeing, while Articuno couldn't see who was behind the already frozen whirlpool.

Even if almost all of Ice's training came from Articuno herself, he was completely unprepared for taking this attack; it was obviously not one that she would use against him. Before he could even react further, this prolonged collision of powers had caused an explosion which obliterated the frozen shield... and blew his hood off. Underneath it was a bluish-black skinned face with a yellow oval marking on the forehead and a large red feather by his left ear.

Articuno recognized this Pokémon even with the disguise, however. Not just by his species, but by the name she herself had christened him with. "M-my goodness... Szaeracier?!"

It didn't even matter to him that Flutter had now seen his face; the Sneasel had a more important matter to attend. "Hold your attacks, Articuno; Flutter and her friends are not at fault for the warming of this forest. I happen to know these three Pokémon so I'll vouch for their innocence in this matter. Please hear them out." Szaeracier explained and asked of Articuno.

She considered this for a few seconds before turning her gaze upon Flutter. "Alright. Since you've earned the backing of my old pupil, I'll give you the benefit of the doubt. My apologies for the hasty assumptions." Articuno concluded, to Flutter's great relief. The Togepi gave her a happy little nod and went to help her two teammates get back on their feet, bringing both of them up to speed on what they'd missed.

"So, you said that this forest was warming up?" Terack asked Szaeracier, quite startled by this particular piece of news. "I never would have guessed that on my own. It still feels so cold..." he said.

"Indeed." Articuno replied for him. "Something has disrupted the very flow of frigid air within this forest. Snow that has never melted before is starting to melt." she explained to them. "I have always loved this forest and I thus gave myself the sole duty to protect it long ago. I've been trying to fix this matter myself but to no avail..."

"I understand now." Kyan responded, his thoughts now upon what they'd left behind. Specifically, the last dungeon and its avian guardian. "Natural disasters like this are taking place all over the continent. We encountered Moltres earlier and he was also pretty upset about how they were affecting his home." he told her.

Articuno was astonished and then highly disturbed by what she heard. "You met Moltres... and there are more disasters besides the one gripping this forest?! Szaeracier, is that true?" she quickly asked him. If this were real, then she had been gravely underestimating the situation.

"I'm afraid so, we're facing a regional problem." Szaeracier confirmed. "I've witnessed many of them since I left your wing. Team Celeste here is one of the rescue teams established in response to these tragedies but a persistent foe of theirs has blamed them for all of this as part of some sick vengeful stunt, so they've had to flee from everyone they know." the Sneasel recounted. "There was a large group of Pokémon chasing them but none could reach this spot; these three have done well to shake off the pursuers and cover their own tracks."

"I see... Articuno concluded before she prepared to take off, at least glad that the rescue team hadn't been followed here. "Szaeracier. Team Celeste. I'm trusting you Pokémon to get to the root cause of this problem and end it before more turmoil engulfs us all. Good luck to you four." she said, flying off afterwards.

Flutter was relieved beyond measure for his intervention. "Thanks for clearing that up, Ice... um, Szaer... Uh... I'm just gonna call you Szaer." she decided, finding herself unable to manage saying his real name even after hearing Articuno say it thrice over throughout their time here.

"Sure, if that's preferable to you." he responded quickly, approving of his new shorthand name. "As you saw, Articuno is quite distraught by the impact these problems are having here so I suggest that you head off quickly and find some way to resolve things." Szaer said to her in a serious tone. "So long as we both work towards this same goal, I'm certain we'll meet again."

As he spoke, however, an idea wedged itself inside his head. Privately, Szaer wondered if this had been Articuno's intention all along when she grouped him with Flutter and company for the task of resolving the catastrophe. He was usually adverse to long-term partnerships... but another glance at Team Celeste's trio; of which two of them were ultimately here by choice, finally prompted him to step out from his comfort zone.

"Actually, scratch that. Perhaps this is the moment when I join hands with another at long last..." Szaer muttered with a smirk on his face; the three rescuers were surprised to see such an expression out of someone who usually didn't show said face. "Let's make your trio a quartet. I'd like to join Team Celeste."

Terack and Kyan were both astounded by this turn of events, while Flutter... was trying so hard to not weep in joy. "You... you know, you've been my rescuer idol ever since that time we first met." she finally confessed to his face, which deeply flattered him. "Now you're wanting to join us?! Please say you're serious, because I haven't been this happy in what's felt like years!"

It truly delighted him to see how her face spontaneously lit up. "I couldn't be more serious." he spoke with a glance at a mountain on the horizon. "Not only have I been won over by your incredulous team loyalty on this journey, but the Frozen Reaches only get harsher and more vicious from herein. You'll need all the help you can get and I know this area better than most." he said.

~​

Indeed, it appeared to Flutter and her original company as though Szaer knew his way around these icy territories like the back of his paw; their newest member had already started guiding them towards a set of small caves close to a mountain called Mt. Freeze, which the Sneasel hoped would grant them a place to hide for an indefinite length of time.

Further down their treacherous path, however, the quartet were assaulted by a ferocious howling blizzard blowing down upon them, the likes of which even he hadn't witnessed. "I know it must be very cold, but we can't stop moving! You can't collapse here!" Szaer had to call out at them through the winds, which were swallowing up a lot of sound. For this reason, his hood was staying down, as the winds wouldn't let it be any other way.

Still riding upon Kyan alongside Terack, all of this bitterly cold wind and frigid snow were pushing an already tired and strained Flutter ever closer towards her limits. "I'm so cold and scared... Guys, what if we don't find shelter?" she mewled fearfully, shaking off the gathering bits of snow from her numb body all the while.

Even though he was also freezing cold; even if he understood why she was so fearful; the last thing Terack wanted to hear from his best friend was doubt. "We'll be fine, don't worry so much. There's no way we won't find shelter soon if Szaer's leading the way. Please be strong for us." the Trapinch implored of her.

She gave him a light smile in response. "Thank you. You're right, I can't lose my-" There was more to say but a powerful and inexplicable dizzy sensation suddenly struck her and broke the words off. She gave an uncomfortable gasp as her head started to throb.

Szaer noticed this and approached her before that same sensation caught him too, bringing him to his knees. "What is this...?" he asked in his befuddlement. "W-why are we both feeling dizzy all of a sudden...? It can't be someone's Confusion; that move won't affect a Dark type like me..." Terack and Kyan both bore looks of concern and confusion; they somehow weren't affected.

"Flutter... Finally, you're here... and... My goodness, you're with...?!"

"That voice...? No, not this! Leave me alone!!" Flutter cried out while covering her eyes. Throughout all of her attempts to avoid sleeping throughout their time on the run, it never once occurred to her that this Gardevoir could reach her while she was awake. She had honestly, truly hoped to never hear from her supposed Pokémon partner again after that last dream.

Szaer jaw quickly dropped as he looked at the Togepi and her 'freak out' session, as it not only confirmed Gengar's claim of Flutter being human, but it also revealed to him that she had also been hearing that same Pokémon's call. "G-Gardevoir?! You?!" he spoke, which caught Terack and Kyan way off guard.

"Szaeracier... I'm so glad you're alive, and by Flutter's side in her time of need. This discovery brings me much jubilation."

A transparent image of Gardevoir appeared in front of them both, barely visible to the two with the blizzard present. "I don't understand what's going on... You two know each other? W-what's going on here?!" Flutter asked, almost demanding and tearful. This was way too stunning for the frazzled girl to process.

"Much will be explained later. Only you two can perceive me, I cannot be seen by your two friends. A little farther ahead from here is one of the tallest mountains in this world. Mt. Freeze. At its peak lives the very same Ninetales..."

"Wah, the one of the legend? That Ninetales is actually at Mt. Freeze?!" Flutter cried out in terror. She felt cold to her very core and it had nothing to do with the blizzard. Her previous worries about the alleged role played by her in the legend; suppressed for a while now, soon came rushing back with full force, which she seriously couldn't be dealing with in her present condition. Gardevoir might mean well but this was an awful time to approach the Ninetales subject.

"I'm afraid so, and they've been expecting your arrival..."

The Gardevoir visage then vanished, as did the dizziness. Szaer was on all fours but the exhausted and downright scared Flutter came out out it far worse, falling off of Kyan and landing face first in the snow, to the great concern of the three witnesses.

"Oh no... No, Gardevoir, this undue pressure is so clearly the last thing she needs right now!" Szaer called out in a burst of anger while he removed his disguise entirely and stepped in to bundle her in it like a blanket, anything to try and keep her warm. Throughout this, he could see her fervently muttering something to herself. "This is bad; she's gone delirious! We need to reach that shelter right now!!"

Though Terack and Kyan were both rightfully concerned over her wellbeing, the Metang in their group wasn't deaf to the familiarity Szaer displayed, nor was he sure that Szaer somehow saw her when he shouldn't have. This left one mind blowing possibility that he didn't dare believe. "Bad timing, yes, but were you hu-"

"Yes! Yes! I was a human too!!" he shouted, completely cutting Kyan off in his haste and panic. "We'll discuss that once we reach safe shelter! Move, move, move!!" he commanded with ferocity befitting the surroundings.

Keeping the swaddled Flutter close to his chest to protect from the savage elements at play as best as he could, Szaer ran off with tremendous haste. Kyan followed him with Terack on top, both of them having what felt like an infinite amount of questions to ask.

In comparison, there was only one thing on Szaer's mind. "This is just wrong, how the good must endure so much while the bad get free passes. You don't deserve to go through any of this, Flutter... You shouldn't be persecuted for my horrible deed..." he thought desperately to himself as he led the way through the winds and snow. "Well... it's time! Time for me to own up!"

This was it. This was Szaer's one big, unspoken reason for believing so adamantly in Flutter's innocence within the Ninetales subject.

 

[lucarioknight56]

Alright, things have gotten interesting!

Plot/Story:
I like the liberties you've taken in making PMDAR different from the Rescue Team games, and I think that's well appreciated around here; getting copy and paste stories with more character details aren't all that interesting to read. Regardless, there's absolutely no issues here.

Grammar/Structure:
You've done better in making the paragraphs easier to read, while still keeping your character monologues intact as well. Now that the chapter's easier to read, however, there are some other issues I've noticed.

The first is word choice. I notice that you use plenty of adjectives, mostly to emphasize the action directly after it, when it's really unnecessary. You also tend to add another action with a conjunction, which, while useful in breaking a repetitive sentence structure, can make reading a bit choppy.

"Don't forget that Team A.C.T. should still be on the hunt. Dr. Rubix's plan may yet come to fruition, even after this setback." she quickly reminded them before climbing aboard the Salamence and leaving.

The adjective isn't really needed, even if you might feel the need to use them. It's especially noticeable in the paragraphs before the first transition; 'presently', 'complete', and 'absolutely', along with others, are totally unnecessary. We can gather an accurate picture with just the source words, so adding these adds choppy fluff.

On the conjunction, you could describe the even in another sentence, maybe going into greater detail as to what's happening. For this example, tell us how they leave. The Salamence would fly upwards, rushing past trees below it, or something else, depending on the location. The key voice for any writer should be the active one, only devolving into the passive for character dialogue and certain moments where you really do have to go through it quickly.

One other error I notice that's rather consistent through the chapter is your use of periods at the end of character dialogue. Let's take the sentence from before to show you what I mean:

"Don't forget that Team A.C.T. should still be on the hunt. Dr. Rubix's plan may yet come to fruition, even after this setback." she quickly reminded them before climbing aboard the Salamence and leaving.

That period should really be a comma, as you're not ending the sentence with the character's dialogue; you go straight into their tag, making this flow choppy in the process.

There's also other things, like your use of ellipses:

"I'm so cold and scared... Guys, what if we don't find shelter?"

The ellipses indicates a pause in a character's speech, but with the space after and the capitalization, it makes it look...weird, to say the least. It really should look like this:

"I'm so cold and scared...guys, what if we don't find shelter?"

This makes it look like a pause rather than a trailing-off.

I know this is a lot, but if these were fixed, it'd do you a lot of good. The biggest issue you've had in your chapters so far was the sluggish reading, and if you fix these, I think you could keep readers' interests for longer!

Characters:
The characters are right now the strongest part of the story, but I feel that with the odd use of adjectives, it makes their dialogue seem a bit stiff and formal. I'd suggest working on this, that way they seem more natural.

In character interaction, I think I'll focus on Flutter, Terack and Kyan. They work together cohesively, and their personalities make them seem more natural. At times, however, I almost confuse Kyan and Terack's dialogue; they're pretty similar, actually, and if it weren't for their difference in species, I'd confuse them for each other. Since they will most likely be together for the rest of the story, you should probably work on making them seem unique from each other. Not entirely sure what you should do there though...

Don't worry about Flutter's personality; her thoughts have made her perfectly natural to us.

Setting:
I feel like you do a little better here, but I still feel like there could be more. I've already mentioned this in my previous review, so I'll leave you to consult that for my advice.

Style:
Good as always. I like the internal monologues, but it can often overshadow what's happening in the external world, especially if it goes on for a while. More action is needed out there to keep things moving. It's nice to go deep into a character's thoughts, but that makes the world seem like it's slowing down, or that there's a pause in what's happening.

I don't like suggesting this, but I think it's best if you tone down on the monologues. Character development should come first, but if it comes at the hindrance of making them talking heads, I think its best to at least tone it down slightly.

Overall:
You do well in the content of the story, but in organization and description it could be stronger. I now you can do it! These are all mistakes that can be easily fixed, prevented, and forgotten!

 

[TRNatalie]

I apologize for not reviewing earlier. Now that I have, I have to say the story is excellent.

Chapter 7

This chapter does an excellent job in setting up future events and creating suspense for the next chapter.

Chapter 8

From Flutter's dread after what was learnt in the last chapter to Team Celeste's reactions to the Ninetales legend to Flutter's breakdown afterwards to the harsh, uncomfortable tone of Gengar's deed to Team Celeste's emotional moment outside of the square to the threatening yet slightly hopeful tone at the end, the emotion captured in this chapter is done spectacularly. I haven't felt the way I felt during the exile scene in a story since How to Train Your Dragon Book 9. I also love what you did with Androma in this chapter and I'm excited to see what you do with her in future chapters. Seriously, I can't praise this chapter enough!

Chapter 9

I love how once Team Celeste leave, the tension never lessens. If anything it only grows as the chapter progresses. I love how threatening Reishi is during his attack, especially given how most of the time when a henchman of a villain is established to not be the brightest bulb in the drawer, they're treated more as comic relief and a less dangerous foe. Here however Reishi is completely credible and the battle between him and Team Celeste is very tense and well executed. One minor criticism I do have is that every so often the action seems to lose it's speed but it doesn't happen enough to take me out of the scene and you fix this in the later chapters.

Chapter 10

Much like the last chapter, the tension continues from last chapter and it grows here effectively. As with the last chapter, the action is well executed and maintains a constant speed and urgency. I found the battle with Moltres to be really creative. Towards the end, I like how the tension slightly unravels and allows the characters and the reader to slow down and catch their breath but still have an urgent atmosphere alongside an internal threat to Flutter.

Chapter 11

I enjoy how while a few of the previous threats seem to lessen during this chapter, the tension is still effective with new threats being introduced from Articuno to the harsh conditions of the Frosty Forest. The two reveals of the Black Ice are executed very well. I had a feeling Black Ice might have been a human turned into a Pokemon but the way you revealed it was effectively done. I did not see his identity as a Sneasel coming but after looking back at previous chapters, you definitely foreshadowed it and the way you revealed it is just...wow. Again, the battle with Articuno and the dire hopeless tone surrounding it is well executed.

Overall

One element I left out of my general reviews of the chapters is the friendship between Flutter, Terach, and Kyan because it's so widespread throughout all of the chapters. This element is the highlight of the narrative! Whether it be Terach and Kyan's dedication to Flutter in chapters 7, 8, and 9 or the three working together to survive and protect each other in chapters 9, 10, and 11, their friendship and chemistry is so sweet and effective. I also really enjoy the names of the new characters like Szaeracier and Ignephra. It helps that they're all really interesting characters.
So far I'm enjoying this story and I know if anyone asks for recommendations, this will be mine. Keep up the good work.