Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: On the Edge of Infinity - InkyMoth (InkyMoth_art) (2024)

Chapter 1: A Field of Flowers

Chapter Text

Chapter 2: Welcome to the Syndicate

Chapter Text

Colors and voices flitted through Mona's mind like a fairy. Disoriented, she stood up and opened her eyes to a white void. Completely and utterly empty. Her claws clicked on what felt like a marble or stone floor, echoing out into oblivion.

Finally.

Mona whirled around to face the voice only to confront a blue hovering mist. It moved as if it struggled to hold itself together, bits and parts condensing before leaking out into the air again. Spikes and what she assumed to be paws and ears sometimes peeked out of the mist, before either fading away or retreating. She simply looked on in fear.

What fresh hell am I in now?

The mist chuckled, as if it could hear her thoughts. What looked like a grin split across its front before disappearing.

You can hide nothing from me human.

It spat out the last word as if it were an insult. Mona grimaced at the remark, and backed up away from the hostile mist. Human or not, she wanted nothing to do with this creature. The very air around it felt heavy with hatred and cold disgust. She needed to wake up, die, anything to get away. This couldn't be real. In a moment of pure bravery, Mona reared her head back and brought the blade on her head down on her own paws. The mist lurched forward with an angry yowl, but before it could reach her, she woke up.

X

Mona awoke with a gasp to familiar and new faces standing over her in a small room. She lay on a blanket covering a pile of straw with a cold wet cloth wrapped around her forehead. All of the faces were focused on her now. Val, Daxus, and Sidus were among them, along with a large fluffy bird looking creature and a small blue dinosaur. Sidus bounded over to sit next to her.

"You're awake Mona! How do you feel? You've been out almost a full day!" he said.

Mona merely held her paws to her head and buried her face back into the blanket, growing uncomfortable being the middle of attention and scrambling to remember what had happened. Her stomach churned at the memory of the Tyranitar and its blood all over her. She opened her eyes to see Val, the ninetales from before, pushing her crestfallen looking son out of the way.

"Hush Sidus! Give the poor girl some space."

She sat down, almost in the exact same spot Sidus had and simply looked at the absol.

"You've certainly caused quite the stir around town. Not many can so easily fell a dragon, not to mention while having a type disadvantage." She stopped as if considering her next words carefully. She continued, "Sidus has told me and my mate a lot about you. From what we heard, you didn't quite act like the timid absol you've led us to believe you are when you mega evolved to kill the tyranitar. Is this true?"

Mona's eyes grew wide, scared to respond. It was Val's turn to be pushed aside as the large bird thing forced its way forward.

"Val dear, she has just woken up. You aren't going to get anything out of her till I say so." The bird turned to Mona, and she finally recognized it as an Aromatisse. The Aromatisse shuffled close enough to Mona that her feathers almost suffocated her in their bulk and overbearingly sweet smell. "Reach me that scarf darling. It should help hold off any nausea for now."

Mona merely heard movement and felt something being tied around her neck with the clinging wet towel disappearing into the fluff surrounding her. When the Aromatisse finally stepped back, Mona took a deep breath of fresh regular air, only to find that the scarf from Sidus once again wrapped around her neck. It looked spotless, free of dragon blood and smelling just as sweet as before. She mumbled a thank you and glanced over at Sidus and the Aromatisse happily grinning in the corner of the room. Val huffed before sweeping out the doorway, her massive tails almost knocking things off the walls. The little dinosaur hurried after her, sending a startlingly cold chill towards Mona's direction.

Finally fully to her senses, Mona could take in the little room. It looked charming, walls covered in flowers and plants. Large stone cauldrons lined one wall, with every color of the rainbow billowing out of them in big puffs. She shuddered remembering the dream she had in a particularly blue mist and focused instead on the window. Stained glass forming the image of a large white creature shined into the room, casting everything in it in a colorfully dappled light. Several other straw beds littered the floor, different colors of blankets covering them. The room was chaotic but comforting. Mona could see herself happily working and living in such a place.

Daxus walked over to her, along with Sidus, who still had a grin across his muzzle.

"Please forgive my mate, little one. She tends to forget her manners when she is intimidated." Daxus flashed her a toothy grin, almost exactly the same as Sidus', before saying, "Get on up, we both have a lot to show you! The Syndicate wants to meet the little pokemon that so easily killed a Tyranitar."

Sidus helped Mona stand on her feet, before leading her out of the room and into the new world waiting for her.

X

The Syndicate, as Sidus called it, lived in the towering cliffs of a mountain range. Stone littered every direction she looked, and small buildings climbed up their intimidating heights. The buildings looked handbuilt, rough but sturdy. Almost every single one had stilts to support their weight. Flying pokemon circled at the very tips of the mountains, barely the size of ants. Filri, who Mona learned was the Aromatisse, lived at the very base of operations. Not only did she struggle climbing, but it benefited struggling wounded pokemon who needed her help. Those who couldn't fly used a wide array of ladders and ropes connecting the buildings together, with what looked like a net laced just over their heads. Mona's mouth dropped in the sunlight.
Sidus practically shook in excitement at Mona's response.

"What do you think! It's awesome isn't it? It'd take a whole day to show everything, but I can run around the place before the sun even reaches the mountains!"

Before Sidus could properly bask in his own glory, Daxus spoke over him.

"This whole place is one of a pair, matching with its twin in the far north. We are the Southern Syndicate, helping everyday Pokémon with whatever troubles them." Daxus grinned to match his son. "Most of the buildings are rooms for our members, but the two to know are the mess hall," he pointed with a huge paw to the largest building hallway up the mountain, "and our offices." He walked ahead to stand in front of a smaller building sitting in the middle.

Sidus bounded forward to stand next to his father and the trio entered inside. The small place consisted of a large central area and a smaller offshoot room hidden by a curtain decorated in carefully painted leaves. A desk took up much of the room, covered in scrolls and inky paw prints. Daxus rifled through several piles before dropping a large one in front of Mona and Sidus, who was close enough to her she could feel his fur vibrating like grass in a storm of anticipation. Daxus then placed a large bowl of ink between them, careful not to break the delicate dish with his huge teeth. Mona couldn't help but stare at his jaws. She'd never noticed how large they were before, but now she realized the Mightyena could bite her entire head off if he wanted to. That gruesome thought fell back to reality as he made eye contact with, the teeth forming a smile warmer than the teeth would suggest. Mona jerked her head to the ground, ashamed for staring and instead focused on the scroll. Inked paw prints littered it, in no order she understood.

"What is that?"

Both Sidus and Daxus looked at her with crinkled eyebrows. "Can't you read?" Sidus said bluntly. Mona quickly shook her head, again feeling ashamed.

Sidus quickly recovered and said, "I can just read it for you then! It says,

'I hereby vow that I will work diligently to help further the peace across the region in the name of the Syndicate, along with my team. I as a Syndicate member promise to uphold the name I now bear and will do so until the day I am either honorably discharged or die.
...'"

The scroll continued on detailing the life of a member and what was expected of each one. Mona looked on in apprehension, scared of what this meant for her.A syndicate member? I practically wet myself in that single dungeon, why the hell do they want me to work for them? They don't even know me! I just got here.When Sidus finished reading the look of pride and hope on his face twisted her heart to pieces. She knew exactly what he hoped of her.

"We usually don't offer such things to young pokemon such as yourself,"Daxus said, "but it's clear there is more to you than meets the eye Mona. Sidus has requested that he join you in forming a team under our leadership. We will provide a place to live, food, supplies, and a cut of whatever you receive as payment from clients. I know you have just woken up from an intense fight, but I can promise you that we as the Syndicate can both protect you and help you grow stronger. Our valley is one of the most protected areas in Nedal, along with having the wonderful Sika Town just across the mountain edge."

"You can find nowhere better!" Sidus chimed in. "And besides we can go on so many adventures together! Please?" He said that last word with puppy dog eyes able to rival even the smallest and most innocent animal.

Mona silently considered her options. She had no where to go, and frankly, no idea how she had even got here. A human turned Pokémon couldn't be common, but maybe, in their adventures, there was a chance to find some answers. Mona held unto that thought like a lifeline and nodded confidently at Sidus. He barked in glee and leaned into her affectionately.

"YES! Thank you Mona! We'll be awesome!"

With force that sent ink spilling into the already stained wood floor, he inked his paw like a stamp and slammed it into the bottom of the scroll. Mona followed his lead, albeit far more slowly, and the two looked up at Daxus with an iron resolve. Daxus swelled in pride at his son and the little Absol that, just moments ago, looked like she would faint at the thought.

"Very well! Welcome to Syndicate Sidus and Mona! We'll need a team name to properly file your induction in our records. Sidus I am marking you down as the leader, but it's up to both of you to think up something."

Sidus turned to Mona expectantly, his huge red eyes wide with excitement. "What do you think? I think it's your turn to name something!"

Mona balked under the pressure.

"I'm no good at names, you'd think up something far more creative anyway. Making a team isn't something I've ever dreamed about."

"No no no! You are just as important and besides, I'm the leader, you need a say in this!"

Mona chewed at her cheek in thought, looking around to find something to spark her interest. The sun shined a warm red glaze into the room through the small windows. More decorative glass sent the light fracturing into millions of color, more than she could count. The sight latched onto her mind with a clawed grip.

"Team Sunbreak" she said quietly, still looking at the striking colors.

"I like it! We are riding into a new age of adventure! We'll be the daylight into the lives of struggling Pokémon!"

Mona giggled at his sudden poetic outburst. She liked this little Vulpix.

Daxus laughed goodnaturedly, "I expect nothing less of my son's team!"

The Mightyena turned and stuck his head through one of the several curtains separating the rooms of the small place. A Morgrem carrying several long needles and the dinosaur from before entered the room along with the return of Daxus. Mona finally recognized the small blue creature as an Amaura, but she had to reach the edges of her largely empty memory to recall the name. She didn't have time to consider how she knew such small facts, before the Amaura pushed herself right into Mona's face. She backed into Sidus, almost pushing him over, in her attempt to get away from the cold emitting from the figure in front of her.

"Are you sure Daxus? This one still seems skiddish. You can say what you want about your son, but I'm with Val on this one." The cute dinosaur had a deadly glare and edge to her voice that matched that of a sharp vicious glacier. Daxus opened his mouth to respond, but before he could, she continued. "This little one shouldn't even be in this room, send her back to town and lets find someone else to aid your son."

Mona stared in shock at the Amaura, who continued to stare relentlessly at her, eyes never blinking, and looking like a ice sculpture amongst all the color in the room. Sidus bared his teeth in the start of a growl, but Mona gave him a sharp jab with her stiff tail. She needed to prove herself, she wanted to.

The only things she remembered of being human, bounced around her head in the form of emotions and unformed ideals. The emotion that stood out the most was fear. Fear of abandonment and being looked down on. Her resolve hardened again, both for herself and for the vulpix who had stuck by her side at her moment of weakness. With a glare of her own, Mona stepped forward again and faced the Amaura. Her claws grew a fraction, glowing with a dark light unconsciously. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw both father and son looking at her with faces full of pride.

"I am going no where."

The Morgrem broke the staring bout before it could escalate. "Chill Thesia. You sure know how to make a good first impression. Your face will 'freeze' that way if you aren't careful," the Morgrem said with a long lethargic sounding voice. Thesia turned with a huff and returned next to the Morgrem's side.

With the chill leaving the room, Daxus said, "This is Thesia and Clave, Mona, members of my team here at the Syndicate." He moved to stand behind them dwarfing them with his bulk. "Team, this is the little absol you've been hearing so much about. If my son trusts her, then so do I." The last statement aimed at Thesia like an arrow. She shifted slightly, but showed no other sign of continuing her attack.

"A large part of joining the syndicate is being recognized as one out in the field." With that, Daxus folded his ears back to reveal a ring in it she hadn't noticed before. Upon closer look, she noticed similar rings on Clave and Thesia; one in his nose and one stuck to her sails. Mona's eyes opened wide, followed by a gasp at the realization of what the needles meant. She grimaced and looked to Sidus for aid only to find him once again grinning from ear to ear.

"I want to match you and Ma, Da! I've been deciding where to get mine since you first showed them off to me!"
Mona suddenly wasn't so brave. The very air around Clave made her squirm in her skin; she preferred to not let the little imp anywhere near her head. Noticing her discomfort, Sidus hopped forward instead and sat before Clave, bending his head down.
Thesia leaned forward and breathed a steady stream of icy air onto a part of Sidus's ear. He didn't even flinch at the cold, with his tails instead wagging violently behind him. In one quick motion, Morgrem pierced his ear and hooked a loop inside the wound. Less than a second and not even a drop of blood. He pranced back over to Mona, turning his head so she could clearly see the ring now permanently attached to his ear. Tiny markings like that on the scroll etched into the fine gold ring, most likely marking his allegiance to the Syndicate. The look of pure joy on his face help calm her fluttering heart, along with the constant sweet smell wafting up from her scarf. Choking on her own courage she stepped forward to the two piercing specialists.

"What do you think Thesia? Daxus? I've never done an absol before."

The three Pokémon looked her up and down, silently contemplating where to put her ring.

"Arceus, Clave I thought you were the 'great artist' out of us," Thesia said, with the tiniest bit of warmth behind her words.

He looked hard at her face before smirking in triumph. "The nose! You have no large ears to pierce or even soft extremities, so it's the only place!"

Mona gritted her teeth.My nose? I guess I have no choice...

Thesia stepped forward and blew a stream towards her snout. Mona could have sworn that the breath looked colder than the one aimed at Sidus. Before she could react, she had a ring in her stinging nose. She jumped back and shook her head at the odd feeling. It didn't interfere with her breathing, or even have a scent, but the sudden change felt otherworldly.

"Here you go partner! It'll help the healing!"

Sidus offered her the other half of the Oran berry he was chewing on with a goofy grin. Daxus must have given it to him. Careful not to get the juices on her nose, she chomped into it. Her mouth flooded with what felt like hundreds of flavors. The new addition to her face dulled from stinging into nothing thanks to the berry's effect.

"And with that you are official members! Welcome aboard!"

Clave and Daxus both clapped (Daxus struggled to get his paws together) while Thesia simple huffed and disappeared into the adjoining room again. A small seed of accomplishment swelled in Mona's chest, and she smiled back, fur still dripping with the blue Oran berry's juice.

X

Their room hung precariously halfway up mountain. Mona felt her empty stomach lurch every time she looked down, and every time Sidus took a particularly large jump. Daxus left them with two large apples, promising that they would be walked through their new reality in the morning, after morning call whatever that was. The room was small, devoid of any decoration on the walls except for several empty shelves and hooks, presumably for treasures and trinkets they may pick up on their adventures. The only pop of color in the room took up most of the floor: a large green rug with tiny delicate patterns like leaves covering it. The room smelled oddly fresh and cozy, like that feeling when you walk into a familiar place. Mona happily discovered that the rug was impossibly soft, her paws sinking into the fibers.

She flopped down onto it, allowing her body to go limp. Her body still yearned for a chance to keep resting after her encounter with the Tyranitar, and she didn't want to keep it waiting. Sidus sat down next to her, his mouth already full of apple.

"Well, what do you think? You feeling blazed up for tomorrow?" he said.

Mona closed her eyes in thought. She actually hadn't gotten much chance to consider her situation much. Her first few days as an absol had been filled to the brim with stimulates. Upon opening her eyes, she noticed her new partner staring at her.

"I don't know, I guess I'm a bit overwhelmed. This all happened so quickly, and I don't..." She stopped herself there. Despite desperately wanting to confide in someone, she didn't like the idea of scaring off her new friend. Despite his forwardness and headstrong personality, she liked the vulpix. She didn't want to seem insane to him and telling him she was actually a human would do the trick.

"I'm excited for tomorrow though, there is a lot in this world I'd like to see." This wasn't a lie, but also gave her time to consider her own problems.

Sidus crunched on the rest of the apple before sweeping the second over to her with his tails. She clumsily ate the apple, still learning how to function in her body. They ate in silence, and by the time they finished the moon took the sun's place over the mountains.

She curled up on the rug and struggled to find a spot that she preferred. With a heavy sigh she finally closed her eyes to try and sleep. Mona jolted when another body curled up next to her. Sidus didn't seem to notice her reaction, and was already drifting into sleep, head resting on her back.

Pokémon are strange. So readily trusting and sleeping next to a stranger.

She laid her head back on her paws. The stars shined through the wide open window. None of the patterns they made clicked in her fractured memory, despite the moon that they seemed to share. Small tears started to form before she sniffed them back. Alone in a strange new world, next to a vulpix who treated her like his best friend already, Mona closed her eyes and started to drift.

Chapter 3: Life as we Know it

Chapter Text

Mona woke up before Sidus. The sunlight managed to leak through the gaping window, despite the mountains surrounding them. Sidus snored too which didn't help matters. Not wanting to wake him up she decided to just watch the morning unfold through their window. Pokémon of all species and sizes pulled themselves from their rooms, mumbling good mornings and stretching. Mona marveled at the sheer number of them. There were at least a hundred or more, all clambering to start the day and get breakfast. The lively noise seeped into their room, somehow not waking up Sidus. Mona felt a well of excitement start to overflow in her chest. A part of her mind, what she assumed to be her lost memories, leapt at the sight of all the Pokémon. Not knowing why, she smiled at the sight of all of them bustling and living together. She suddenly didn't care about waiting on Sidus.

"Hey, wake up!" She said, somehow managing a yelling whisper. "Come on Sidus, the day has already started without us!"

She poked him with her tail and tried shifting under his dead weight.

"Huh...wha...mat?" Sidus said with his eyes still closed. "What's the matter?"

Mona stifled a laugh. "It's morning! Aren't you ready to start today!"

"HUH?"

Sidus jumped up off of her, grogginess suddenly nonexistent. His eyes widened at the sight of her, before his tails started violently wagging and his signature toothy grin split across his face.

"Flaming Enteis! It is today! Mona, we get to go on an adventure today!"

He practically vibrated off of the floor.

"Isn't your father going to come get us? Or should we go to his office?"

"Neither!" Sidus said, "We gotta go to the morning gathering! All the Pokémon head there first thing to hear Ma and Da give out the daily news and any big job postings."

"Job postings?"

"He'll explain it better than I can later, don't worry about it! Our only concern is making it there on time and getting some breakfast!"

With swishing excited tails, he led her out of the room and down the precarious ropes to the dining hall. Mona finally got a good look at all of the Pokémon living at the Syndicate. Several teams towered over them, fully evolved and powerful. She spotted a Pupitar riding on the back of Gogoat, her stomach clenching at the thought of the dragon yet again. Several teams ran between the legs of the larger ones. She spotted a Seviper and Dunsparce lacing their way through the crowds to make it to the food, happily chatting about the day ahead.

The dining hall was heartily filled. Pokémon took up every table corner and edge, some even hanging from the rafters, every single one of them happily munching on berries and some on unidentified meat. Sidus left Mona marveling at the whole site near a small flat rock to go get food for the two of them. She absentmindedly pulled at the scarf around her neck, noticing that a lot of the Pokémon around them also wore some. Before she could consider why, Sidus came back with a small wooden tray clenched carefully in his mouth.

"How did you manage to carry all that on your own?!"

"I'm just too good of course!" Sidus made a face at her full of mock pride.

The tray overflowed with both fruit and meat. Blood pounded up into her head at the sight of the meat, the wires in her skull suddenly clicking together in realization. Mona poked at one of the red slabs with a single shaking claw.

"What is that? It's not Pokémon meat is it..." she said, half scared to even ask.

"Well of course it is! It's from wild Pokémon, specifically ones from the mystery dungeon nearby." If he could have seen, her skin would be as pale as her fur. "They aren't like you and me" he said hurriedly. "Wild Pokémon are largely mindless. They congregate around the dungeons, making them perfect to hunt and train on!"

"I think I'll stick to the berries and apples..."

"Suit yourself! I won't force you!"

Sidus devoured the meat, the blood leaving a slight stain on the lighter fur around his maw. Still feeling a bit queasy, Mona tried the apple. It shined redder than any apple she had ever seen before. The skin glinted in the sunlight, moisture still clinging to it from what she assumed was morning dew. It was huge compared to the apple from the night before. Holding the large fruit between her awkward claws she took a bite. The flesh dissolved in her mouth with a semi sweet and sour tang. It exploded with juice, filling her mouth and flooding her taste buds with flavor. She could get used to having breakfast like that every day. She continued to lick her sticky claws long after she finished, alongside Sidus who was licking the plate unceremoniously. Most of the Pokémon had filed out by then.

"Come on now Mona! We don't have much more time before Ma and Da start!"

Snatching a hold of the tray, which he then dropped off with a grinning Whooper, Sidus led Mona back outside and to a small dias she hadn't noticed before. It raised up just enough that a taller Pokémon would still need to clamber up the steps around it. Pokémon crowded around its base, so the two perched on a net of ropes a bit aways. Mona could just make out Val and Daxus climbing up into view. Sidus almost knocked her from the ropes as he jumped up to try and catch their attention.

"Good mornin'!" he yelled as loud as he could, waving as much as he could with awkward paws. His parents both waved back, amongst laughter that broke out in the crowd of Pokémon.

Regardless of how cold Val had acted to Mona that first day, she smiled at the way the Ninetales so enthusiastically returned her son's energy. It must be nice having such strong parents to back you up. Emotions she couldn't place welled up in her heart at the sight, only to be interrupted by Daxus' booming voice.

"As my son so fittingly yelled, good morning!" The Pokémon around them immediately snapped into attention, several murmuring pleasantries back. "Today we have the honor of introducing a new team to the Syndicate, led by my own flesh and blood, Team Sunbreak!"

The Pokémon suddenly started roaring and calling wildly, several of the larger ones stamping their feet and shaking the very earth. Sidus barked up a couple sparking flames in pride, while Mona shrank back behind him, startled by the sudden noise. She quickly realized they were cheering, though of course not the kind she was used to, but that thought still pushed her further into Sidus' shadow. Benevolent or not, Mona still didn't want all that attention.

"As usual, today I task you all with filling out any requests placed on the job board by the lovely Shim and Lepi." Daxus gestured towards a pair of Pokémon, a Delibird and Riolu, who both smiled at their names. "Disappearances have been on the rise, as you all know, so be careful while out exploring. I do ask that you all take a flier with the missing Pokémon's faces on it. Many families and loved ones are anxiously awaiting news of their friends and partners. Let's not let them down."

"On that note, keep your ears open for intel on the culprits." Val said, her voice harsher than Daxus'. "Do not engage with known suspects unless you have a golden rank. Do not be a hero. Those of the lower ranks are just as important to our cause and it would do no good for anyone to lose you to those monsters." She paused to glare at a couple Pokémon in front of her, who shifted uncomfortably under her eyes, before adopting a wicked smirk. "As for the higher ranks, have no mercy." The Pokémon around her roared in approval. Sidus whooped along with their calls.

Mona watched on in awe. All kinds and types of Pokémon locked together in a common goal, with no apprehension about saving a complete stranger. Not a care in the world for their own safety, all ready to dive into a rescue. Water, Grass, and Fire types all standing side by side, locking arms against the future ahead. It was inspiring, though a bit intimidating. Their voices were deafening, an immovable force that she suddenly belonged to. She broke out of her trance when Val suddenly boomed over the noise to continue.

Mona poked Sidus with her claws, jerking his attention from the voices.

"What are ranks?" she said.

"They measure how good a team is! The highest is Ace, like Ma and Da, and we are a Rookie rank, just starting out. Here, take a look at my earring." He twisted his head to show it to her, and she leaned close to look. She spotted a single almost invisible line carved into the hoop, glistening in the orange sun.

"We'll get a new line every time we rank up, until we are the best there is!" He gave her a light slap with his tails, almost like a pat on the back.

The jerked back to attention at Val's voice booming louder again.

"With that get your lousy tails in gear, we have a busy day ahead! Sharpen your claws..."

"And toughen your souls..." Daxus chimed in.

"THE SYNDICATE WILL NEVER FALL!"

The last words boomed out of ever mouth in the vicinity, including Sidas's. All the Pokémon around them suddenly disbanded and went about their days, some going for breakfast for the first time, and some taking to the air to leave the headquarters. Sidas excitedly nudged Mona to get her moving, leading her to the dais where his parents were talking with Clave and Thesia. Clave looked only slightly more awake than the day before, still dragging along sluggishly, even his words still slurred together. Thesia on the other hand was rapidly whispering to Val about something before she suddenly stopped at the sight of Team Sunbreak approaching them. She sneered at Mona as they approached and hopped up to stand on the dais next to Val. Clave and Daxus both greeted the two happily, while Val was a bit more reserved in her enthusiasm. Thesia didn't say a word to either of them.

"Ready to set out today my little spark?" Val said, laying down on the dais so she could give a Sidas a playful pat on the head.

"Of course Ma! I've been waiting my whole life for this! We're gonna show you all just how strong we are!"

Daxus joined next to his mate to be more on eye level with the two.

"You don't look as excited Mona. Feeling some nerves?" he said. Mona shuffled a bit on her feet, to which he chuckled at. "Don't worry yourself over it. You and that feisty child of mine will be taking on a pretty simple task today. Clave has volunteered to help the two of you with your first day. If things go wrong, you have my most trusted partner to help." He nodded his head towards the Morgrem who looked like he was hungover. His half closed eyes and slow movement didn't help the effect.

Mona felt less than thrilled. Val and Thesia still carefully kept their eyes on her, with the latter having a stare that practically froze her blood in its veins.

"Really?! We get to work with Clave?! I can't wait to see you in real action. I've only ever seen you at training!" Sidus barked.

Clave chuckled. "You won't be seeing too much little fox. Our goal is a pretty tame one. No killing dragons, you hear me?" He pointed a long sharp finger at Mona with a smile.

She forced out a weak smile that quickly dissipated when he gave her a playful punch to the arm. It was light, barely brushing her fur, but a chill she couldn't place went up her spine and to her face, making her instinctively flinch. He gave her an odd look, but said nothing of it, instead waving at them to follow him. They said their goodbyes to the trio on the dais (Thesia didn't respond to Mona) and followed Clave to the office at the center. Clave was just as sluggish as he walked, tottering slightly with each step. His hair drug behind him, flicking just slightly at the end, and his claws left a small trail behind him.

Mona struggled to focus on much else as they walked; the very air around Clave made her shiver. If Sidus felt it, he did a good job of covering it up. He pranced and grinned just as wide as before, walking just slightly ahead of her. She made a point to put her friend between Clave and herself as they went.

Clave stopped the small group on the backside of the main office and waved his hands flamboyantly at a well-kept board covered in papers and pictures. Mona scanned the papers confused and looked to Sidus for guidance. He had his paws on the edge of the board, pulling himself onto his hind legs to get a better look. He practically flogged her with his tails, and she had to move back a way to avoid them.

"What is this?" Mona asked when no one said anything.

Clave again raised an eyebrow, but Sidus answered for him.

"The job board Mona! This is where we will pick out our assignments for the day." He strained his neck to be able to see her behind him. "There's all kinds of different kinds up here! Look at this one!"

He rested his paw on one just above his head. The paper was faded, but she could just make out the picture taking up most of the page. Two shrouded faces looked back. They were a Zweilous, the black of their fur cracking and bleeding into the page from years in the sun and elements. An almost too wide smile cut across their face, needle-like teeth poking out from under pulled back lips. Their wings faded into wisps on the paper, like wraiths. What she assumed were numbers bordered the image. Clave shooed Sidus away from the board, flattening the paper back into place from his paws and brushing away the sand and dirt from his paws.

"We aren't hunting down enemy number one on our first day, children," he chuckled, "Your mother wants to have a private word with this particular Pokemon anyway, and I think it's better if we leave it up to her."

Mona shot a questioning look at Sidus, who was now standing next to her.

"That's the main suspect behind all these kidnappings! No one knows who they are, or even a name, only that they appear just before a kidnapping," Sidus said.

"Surely you have heard of them Mona, the mystery around this Zweilous has plagued the whole continent for the past year!" Clave looked at her incredulously, confusion evident on his face. He stared unashamedly into her eyes.

"She's from overseas, how could she have!" Sidus said with a small laugh.

A rush of warmth flooded her chest. Sidus must have kept her amnesia from his parents and their team. Mona smiled and nodded, playing along with his bluff.

"Huh, that's a hell of a journey to have made on your own. No wonder the little fox was so insistent on having you join us with him. He spoke very highly of your performance in the dungeon before you passed out and it is no small feat to slay a dragon." Clave stopped to rip a paper off the board before brandishing it in front of them. He read, "'Lost scarf deep in Celestial Woods. Suggested rank: Normal' We'll be seeing your prowess firsthand very soon, little darkling. This place should be perfect to amplify both of your powers! It's nice and dark, even in the middle of the day. I can't wait to see you both 'shine!'" He laughed at his own pun and ruffled the longer fur on Mona's head before waving at them to follow him.

She felt like Thesia had just blown in her face, freezing her. Sidus did well protecting her image. A little too well. She didn't know how to fight, let alone use her powers. She had hoped to be taught how to fight, not just thrown in. What would happen when they found out she was defenseless?

She didn't realize they had moved on without her until Sidus called back.

"Come on Mona! We can't do our first mission from here!" He was smiling, oblivious to the stress she suddenly staggered under.

Putting on a weak attempt at a smile, she called back, "Sorry, I'm coming!"

She bounded forward to catch up.

Chapter 4: The Town in the Mountain

Chapter Text

Mona jogged to join her friend and Clave. The Morgrem was leading them to a small tunnel directly across from the job board, decorated with wooden shapes and letters.

"Before we go anywhere, we'll need to stock up on supplies. I suggest you do this the night before any excursions, but we'll make an exception today." Clave said as they breached the tunnel. "Sidus, I know you've met the Kecleons, so how about you do the honors? It's good practice for you as leader."

"Sure! Do we get a team bag like the other members?"

"Sure will, the Kecleons should have a Rookie bag that'll do the job." He looked across Sidus at Mona (she was still carefully keeping him between her and Clave), "You'll get a new bag every time your team grows in power, think of it as a present for getting stronger."

Mona simply nodded, stomach too twisted to speak. Sidus bounded ahead and burst from the end of the tunnel into an incredible sight. A huge cavern stretched out in front of her. Small wooden houses, similar in style to the Syndicate rooms, lined carefully laid out streets. Every house exploded with color. Every panel and shingle painted a bright hue that battled the gloom of living in a cave. Several chasms in the cavern ceiling spilled light onto the town, allowing sparse plant life to thrive. A huge tree stretched up from town square, an underground stream snaking around it.

"Welcome to Sika Town, darkling. You'll find any service or shop you need here. We'll give you a tour when we get back but for now we need to get to the market up ahead."

Clave walked next to Mona as Sidus jumped up ahead, his upright tails leading them through other busy Pokémon. She shivered again. Clave looked at her, with slightly knitted eyebrows.

"Are you okay? You've been shaking and jittering ever since we left the morning roll-call."

She didn't know what to say. You can't exactly tell someone you hate the very air around them in your first one on one conversation. She stammered for something to say.

"Just feeling a bit nervous, I don't want to let anyone down," she finally said.

"Oh you won't. We aren't doing anything fantastic today. Recovering a scarf is hardly anything to 'tie yourself in a knot' over." He chuckled.

He studied her for a moment, as she failed to react at all. She didn't notice her fur bristling slightly instinctively.

"Have you ever met a fairy type before?" he finally asked, head slightly co*cked at her.

"I don't believe so? Why?"

He laughed again. "That explains it! You have been shaking like a Whismur every time I get next to you. Are you scared of me little darkling?"

Mona stopped, mortified. She took a couple steps back, embarrassed and as he said, scared.

Clave immediately stopped laughing and adopted a gentler tone. "Please don't be, it's completely natural for your kind to feel that way, come along I think I have a solution for you." He followed after Sidus, who hadn't noticed their exchange.

Clave carefully kept a distance from Mona, until they reached a street full of small tents and chattering Pokémon going about their business. She spotted a slightly irritated Vaporeon buying a thunderstone with a giddy Eevee, and a Miltank precariously carrying several bags full to the brim with milk filled bottles. It was controlled chaos, every Pokémon beelining for their destination and walking away loaded with goods. Sidus stopped them in from of a green and purple tent run by two Kecleon, one purple and one green to match their shop. The two immediately greeted Sidus and Clave.

"About time you got a membership at the Syndicate Sidus! Now you can stop gawking at our wares and actually buy them!" the green one said elbowing the purple one. "Look at his earring Vi!"

The purple one cupped Sidus face in their hands, inspecting his face like a doting grandparent. "By Arceus, look how much you've grown up! I'm surprised your mother finally let you in."

Clave laughed as Sidus squeezed out of VI's grasp. "It took me and his old pa to convince her. It helped that we had a new recruit to go with him," he shot a thumb over his shoulder at Mona, nervously standing behind him.

Vi shot around both Clave and Sidus at startling speeds despite her short legs to stand in front of Mona. She also cupped Mona's face, looking her over.

"You're deathly scrawny dear. You better be feeding these two youngsters enough in that dining hall of yours," she shot at Clave.

"Oh leave her alone Vi, we feed her enough and she's fine just as she is," Clave said, waving a hand dismissively at her. He turned his attention to Sidus. "Do you know what we'll need for your first job?"

"Of course I do, Clave!"

Sidus hopped up to the green Kecleon still leaning against her stall of goods.

"We need a Rookie set and a couple extra Oran berries, Gi! Oh and could we get an escape orb as well?" He gave Clave a look over his shoulder and said sheepishly, "Just in case we need one in the future, you know?"

Mona watched intently as Gi the Kecleon gathered their items together. She gathered several small seeds in one hand, the bag in the other, and a scoop of oran berries in her tail. Mona wondered what it was like to basically have an extra limb. The items perfectly fit in the bag, with plenty of room to spare. Vi joined her sister, riffling through a pile of perfectly spherical blue orbs. She plopped a single one into the bag Gi still held.

"Of course dearie. Is there anything else you'd like?" She said the question with the air of a mother trying to remind her child about a chore they had forgotten.

Sidus pondered for a moment, one paw pressed to his lip. He suddenly jolted up. "Apples! We need three apples!"

"It'd be a shame to miss out on lunch wouldn't it, but we do need one more thing Sidus," Clave said, "The Celestial Woods are notorious for their powerful bugs, even more so for the poison they have. You'll need to learn to prepare for the specific dungeon ahead, and in this case, we'll need Pecha Berries."

Gi scooped several pink heart-shaped berries into the bag, and a couple apples, before holding it out to Sidus. He excitedly grabbed it up in his mouth, looking at Mona with wide eyes. Filled to the brim with enthusiasm.

"One more little thing, Gi. Could I have a couple Roseli berry leaves? For the new kid," Clave said, pointing at Mona over his shoulder.

"Here, just have a full berry on the house. We have plenty more if ever you need another. The Kecleon Sisters are happy to gain a new customer," Gi said, the edges of her scales turning a happy yellow.

Clave paid for their supplies, while Sidus tried to help Mona put on the bag. He was too prone to excited flames to be trusted with it. They ended up having to wrap it multiple times around her waist and left leg to stay put. The sisters waved them off as another team stopped to buy supplies. Clave pulled them both to the side, out of the way of the morning traffic.

"Alright darkling, let's see if I can help you like me a bit more."

He pulled out the berry, much to Mona's discomfort. His claws brushed against her skin as he searched the bag. He picked the oddly bright blue leaves from it and smashed them in his claws, before smearing the paste into the fabric of her scarf.

"How do you feel now?" The berry almost overwhelmed her with its initial bitter and overwhelmingly sweet smell, burning her nostrils. It faded and Clave ruffled her fur. No usual chill went down her spine, and she giggled getting out from under his hand.

"That's much better!" Clave laughed. "Take note Sidus, certain berries can help reduce the effect of opposing types, specifically this Roseli Berry." He stuffed it back in the adventuring bag. "It lowers fairies' powers, but used sparingly can help avoid any awkwardness if you aren't used to being in close proximity to them. Keep that berry close to you Mona, there are many fairies like me across this continent and few are as nearly charismatic as me." He narrowed his eyes slightly at Mona. "Eat it if ever you are in an emergency and are facing a mad fairy."

Mona nodded. She didn't dwell on such a situation, instead glad she had a mentor like Clave. His mannerisms suddenly went from concerningly sluggish, to more palatable. His claw's seemed to lose an edge under the effect of the berry.

"Why don't I need one?" Sidus piped up.

"You aren't even full dark Sidus," Clave said. "You got most of your mother's genes, including her fire. Hybrids tend to not have strong, if any, extra typing. You are just a little fire fox. Besides, you and your father are used to opposing types. Seems like Mona is once again the source of mystery." He said the last bit with his long fingers rubbing his chin in intrigue. "You'll get used to it one way or another, we are going to a forest full of bugs after all, you'll be feeling even more discomfort there." He lowered himself slightly to look Mona right in the eyes. "Consider it a test. You'll have to face them but at least you can rely on your partner and now me without worry."

Sidus pressed himself up against Mona. "Yeah, nothing to worry about! I can cook any bug in our path!"

A passing Beautifly and Dustox gave Sidus a dirty look, somehow picking up his words over the din of the market. He grimaced, obviously embarrassed.

"Come on now you two. We need to get to the post office in town square; the morning rush is probably already there. We can talk along the way."

Clave led them forward, and deeper into the town. The light leaking through the cave ceiling cast everything in a slightly dappled light. There were no harsh edges or shadows, almost like the town was swallowed in never-ending twilight. Mona enjoyed the mood it gave the place. Her eyes took in the buildings and their inhabitants, marveling again at the massive variety in both. Some homes sat on stilts to bring them closer to the peaking sky while others continued underground, with large round doors covering their entrance. She particularly enjoyed the homes overflowing with plants and bioluminescent mushrooms, thriving in the damp and dark terrain. She pointed one such house out to Sidus, who immediately tried to steal and eat a mushroom. Mona smacked it out of his teeth with her tail before he could even think of biting down. Every new hour as a Absol felt more and more natural. Her claws still stung from her clumsily stubbing them, but she kept up with her new friends far more easily than before. She hoped that learning to fight would be just as natural.

The thought of fighting yanked her back and away from the dreamlike town.

"Sidus?" she whispered, scared that Clave would hear her.

"Huh?" Sidus whipped his head towards her and away from a huge Charizard working their way through other Pokémon."

"How am I supposed to fight? Did you tell your parents what really happened back in the dungeon?"

Sidus looked down at his feet as he walked. "Well, I told them you killed the Tyranitar."

"Sidus!" she hissed. "We almost died! And I passed out immediately afterwards! I have no clue how I did any of that!" She took a deep and rattling breath. "Do I look like I know what I'm doing?"

He looked slightly ashamed before responding. "Neither do I! Mona, I may not have told them the whole story, but they don't need to know it! We'll show them what you can do today, and we'll go from there." He wagged his tails with those last words.

Mona tried her best not to lose herself like she had in the dungeon. "Sidus, I don't know how to use any of my powers. How am I supposed to show anyone anything today?"

"What?" He slowed down a bit, pulling them further from Clave who was still leading them up ahead and lowering his voice. "But all Pokémon know how to at least defend themselves. Where are you from that you've never had to? You killed the dragon..."

"I know I did!" She immediately regretted snapping at him. His ears fell and do did his usual smile. She quickly looked up to make sure Clave was still ahead and oblivious to their conversation. "I'm sorry, I just don't know what I am supposed to do. I didn't know I would be fighting for my life every day. I didn't know that my performance was going to be judged! I'm not even meant to be here. I'm human how the he..." She snapped her mouth shut.

Her rapid and worried words slipped out more than she wished, but the damage was already done. Sidus' eyes widened in surprise. He stared at her, confusion and shock spinning in his eyes. Before he could open his mouth, Clave called from up ahead.

"Finally! Get up here little ones, we arrived just in time, the line is barely there."

Mona looked up to get a good look at their destination: the huge tree she saw earlier. Now under it, she could see that there were several holes in the side of it, lined with lights and glowing orbs hanging from strings. She spotted Wingull and Pelipper roosting in several, with others filled by other flying beasts of various sizes. A small desk sat before them, with a Gogoat and Abra sat behind it, talking to a very disgruntled Snubul. Sidus gave Mona one last look before they walked up to stand in line behind the small pink Pokémon and caught the last chunk of their conversation.

"We are very sorry, but all of the Drifblim are already out for the day. You'll have to wait until past midday or take one of the other carriers," the Abra said timidly, her voice barely above a whisper. Mona had to strain to hear her.

"But I just saw one come back! I can't stomach the others; their wings jostle me around too much and I get sick! What can't you just have that one take me over to the orchard? It's not that far away!" the Snubul angrily responded, pointing his tiny hand at a Drifblim coming in from the ceiling. The balloon's odd eyes widened slightly seeing the exchange and quickly retreated into the tree, covering the hole behind them with a dark curtain.

"All of our carriers need at least a short break, and that one already has an appointment soon to rest up for. May we suggest a Flygon or one..." the Gogoat started, before he was cut off.

"No! I've already tried one of them and they still get me sick! The last one was very rude to me as well!"

The Abra started rapidly rubbing her hands together, entirely unsure of what to do under the Snubul's angry eyes. The Gogoat looked like he was holding onto the last threads of his professional front. Clave took a step forward and coughed. All three turned to look at him. The Abra looked at him like he was her savior. The Gogoat smiled and the Snubul looked terrified.

"If I may, I'd like to back up my dear friend Tred, the Flygon are incredibly helpful and kind. You must have gotten one who was tired from working all day. Surely you'd be tired too from carrying little Pokémon like yourself back and forth every day," Clave said.

"But..." The Snubul stopped when Clave raised an eyebrow at him. "Fine! I'll take one of the Flygon, but you better let them know to keep it easy with my sensitive stomach."

"Of course, they are trained to keep the flight as smooth as possible."

The Abra disappeared and reappeared in an instant, and before the Snubul could complain anymore, a Flygon swooped down and snatched him into the air, disappearing into the sky.

"Welcome to the Post Office, Mona. They do just a bit more than deliver your everyday packages and letters," Clave said with a wink, turning back around to her. "You'll be flying today!"

Chapter 5: Celestial Woods

Chapter Text

Her thoughts jerked away from Sidus to focus on the thought of flying.

"Is that how we get to our missions?" Mona asked, looking up at all of the Pokémon poking out of the tree.

Sidus started talking before Clave could answer her question. "Can we ride a Charizard or another dragon Clave?"

He too was easily distracted from the bombshell Mona almost dropped, and followed her gaze up to the tree as they got closer to the little desk. The Abra took a deep breath and put on a tired smile.

"We are terribly sorry, but that Flygon was our last one," she said quietly, as if she was scared of another confrontation.

"You'll get one another day, the early bird gets the worm or in this case the dragon," Clave laughed. "Besides, I believe we have a reservation for today, with a couple Pigeot?"

Tred the Gogoat nodded and smirked, "Always on top of it as usual Clave. Got some rookies with you today?"

"A couple of troublemakers." He elbowed Sidus who hopped away with a laugh.

"Lucky for you young'uns, your lot gets free fares to anywhere south of the chasm. So keep that in mind when you take jobs." Tred turned to his coworker who was still wringing her hands together. "Yem, go get them for me while I mark off the reservation."

Yem the Abra again disappeared and reappeared in an instant as Tred scratched off a list in front of him. Three huge birds descended to stand in front of the small team. Their heads moved and twisted to get good looks at them, looking almost unnerving. Mona squealed when one suddenly spread its wings, and she backed into Sidus. They were far larger than she thought they were supposed to be, or maybe it was her new point of view messing with her. The birds all chuckled at her reaction, one raising its wing to cover its face. Mona felt her face grow slightly warm, but only for an instant before one of the birds spoke.

"No need to be afraid. I did not mean to startle you. Our wings tend to be a bit stiff after resting," the one who had spread her wings said, her voice tinted with a whistling chirp. The others rolled their shoulders and stretched slightly with her words as she turned to face the Morgrem. "Mr. Clave, where do you have us going today? Surely no where dangerous with these children."

"The Celestial Woods," Clave said before Sidus could open his mouth indignantly. "Putting the rookies to the test today. Can't have them 'winging' it in a more risky place can we." This elicited another chuckle from the other birds, making Clave widen his already large smile.

"Anything for our most prized passenger."

The three Pigeot spun around and lowered themselves to the ground as far as they could go. Clave climbed onto the bird who had spoken and Sidus climbed onto the one on his right, albeit far more clumsily. Mona carefully climbed onto the remaining bird, and just as she got a good grip on their long feathers, all three birds took off, stealing her breath and pulling out another squeal from her chest.

X

The birds flew fast and smooth, their wing beats carefully timed and methodical, catching any wind current they could find. Mona clung desperately to the feathers, unable to tear her eyes from the ground rapidly passing by underneath them. She didn't even notice that she pulled a couple feathers.

"Hey! Take it easy back there, you're plucking all the good feathers!" the Pigeot she rode squawked, turning his head slightly to look at her with one large black eye. "I promise I won't drop you. We deal with nervous Pokémon like yourself everyday, and I've never dropped a one." Mona slightly loosened her grip, to the amusem*nt of the Pigeot. "Just lay down and relax. Look at you partner over there, he's having the time of his life," the Pigeot nodded towards Sidas on their right and turned his head back forward.

Sidus was in fact having the time of his life. His tongue lolled out his grinning mouth, his eyes watering from being buffeted by the wind. She loosened her grip further and sank into the deep soft feathers, obscuring the view of the open skies and ground below. Her stomach lurched into her rib cage when the birds suddenly descended, and she was the first to jump off of them. Never had soft soil felt so comforting in between her claws.

"We shouldn't be terribly long my friends," Clave said, directed to the Pigeot group. The one who carried Mona furiously preened the feathers on his back, while his fellows simply nodded.

"We will wait for you in the skies," the lead Pigeot said, before directing the others to follow her into the skies, leaving the three alone.

Finally feeling the vertigo leave her, like it was leaking into the ground she so happily stood on, Mona took a good look around her. They stood on the edge of a dark wood, inexplicably just in the middle of an otherwise empty field. The trees were tight, roots and foliage blocking any entrance, except for a small opening before them. The light seemed to snuff out the second it reached the branches. They may as well have been looking into an abyss for how dark it was. More than anything, it was cold. The very air was charged with a chill that battled the sun high in the sky. She instinctively stepped towards Sidus. He gave her a small look, full of excitement but also apprehension. She wasn't going to get away with her slip up in town.

"Hope you are ready little ones," Clave said with a smirk. His eyes twinkled in the sunlight, full of mischief. "Mona, I'd like to let you lead the way. Sidus may be the team leader, but you could use the experience more."

"No no no, I think Sidus would do much better. He led us last time and..."

"Don't try and get out of it darkling," Clave said, holding up a large finger to cut her off. "You are the least experienced in this group and you'll need to be able to lead and defend yourself if for some reason you get separated in the future." He leaned forward slightly to look Mona in the face. "I will not always be here, and neither will Sidus. If you can kill a Tyranitar, then you can lead us into the woods. "

Sidus nuzzled into her side and gave her a weak smile. A facade of confidence covered his face. He didn't have faith in her, she knew it, but at least he was trying to put on a face that did. Clave didn't notice.

"Into the dark we go my children of the night," Clave said with a toothy smile. He nudged Mona forward and three disappeared into the trees.

X

Celestial Woods F1

The woods swallowed them up immediately. The roots and trees cracked and twisted to cover the entrance, plunging them into the dark. Mona caught a glance of them moving just moments before they snuffed out the light. Their roots moved in lurches and sounded like corpses with creaking and popping joints. The sudden lack of light initially took Mona off guard before she realized her eyes quickly adjusted. Whether from her dark typing or simply her species, she didn't know, but her eyes could see clearly in the woods. That was comforting for only a moment as she considered the implications of seemingly sentient plants. The gloom over the woods crackled with life, smothering everything from the trees to the many calls and growls echoing in the distance. Stifling the urge to ask a multitude of questions to Sidus or Clave, she led them to the only path ahead.

The paths twisted and turned through countless trees. Multiple times, she swore she saw eyes glinting just outside her field of view. It was oppressing, the feeling of being watched. Clave took the rear of their group, with the paths being increasingly narrow, and he too seemed to feel the eyes following their every step. Even brave Sidus walked close to Mona; he periodically brushed against her tail. Trusting her gut, she led them to a particularly dark area and onto the next section of the dungeon.

X

Celestial Woods F2

Still no wild Pokémon approached them. Clave quizzed Sidus as they walked, testing his knowledge of type advantage, something he claimed, 'was important to remember and keep in mind.' Mona only partially listened, focusing on the path and trees around them. The trees somehow managed to grow ever closer to each other. It'd be impossible to explore anything further from the path with such foliage, she noted. Hopefully that meant Pokémon wouldn't be able to drop down from them as well.

She glanced up at the overgrowth at that thought, half expecting to see a massive spider or something staring back. She couldn't remember off the top of her head what kind of bug Pokémon there were and frankly she was glad not to. Just the thought of bugs made her fur bristle. She did notice how the leaves glistened in the shade with what looked like webs, shining like miniature constellations. They stopped for a moment to eat lunch before trekking on further. The trees watched their every step.

X

Celestial Woods F3

"We should be getting closer to it, intrepid leader," Clave called up to her. She jumped at his sudden voice, making Sidus laugh.

"Relax Mona! This is a rookie dungeon after all, we shouldn't be so on edge!"

"On the contrary, it's always good to have apprehension Sidus!" Clave chided. "Keeping on your 'claws' if you'd like." He smirked at a grinning Sidus. They continued to chat while Mona kept going forward.

She stopped just steps ahead of them, Sidus running head on into her.

"Hey! Why'd you..."

"Shush!" Mona interrupted him.

She could see something moving in the distance. Something red. The other two peered around her to look, their eyes squinting to make it out.

"Ohoho! Looks like we have company!" Clave reached around Sidus to prod Mona forward. "Go on now! It's finally time for us to see you in action!"

Mona's heart stopped. She shakily looked over her shoulder to see her two friends smiling and egging her on. Sidus somehow managed to put on a convincingly supportive face, and Clave shooed her on with his hands.

She continued forward, with the others hanging back slightly, and entered a small clearing. She got a good look of the wild Pokémon and felt her skin crawl in disgust.

An Ariados.

It's back was to her, the legs working furiously on something in front of it. She took a sharp inhale, and the thing froze before turning to face her. It was her size, huge with eight powerful legs and eight glowing red eyes. It hissed at her and dropped its cargo which landed in the grass with a crunchy thump. She squeaked recognizing the small mound; a half eaten, wrapped Zigzagoon. She backed up slowly, feeling slightly sick at the blood pooling in the grass, her mind reeling at the memory of the beheaded dragon. The spider hissed again, clicking its long pincers, and considering the shaking Pokémon in front of it. Before she could consider running back to her friends standing just outside of the clearing, it rushed her.

She managed to jump just out of its reach. It continued clicking its pincers, the sound bouncing all around her in the trees. It was maddening. She gritted her teeth as the thing turned to face her again. It started to circle her, the long legs never letting it turn its back to her. She had a breath to think. Absolutely terrified, but she could think. The whole area reeked of bugs, and she shuddered while staring down the Ariados. Remembering what Clave had said about type differences and their overwhelming aura, she tried, with little success, to steady her breathing and think of a plan. She had no chance trying to summon whatever powers she may have, but she did have her claws and horns. She of course had her fangs but the thought of biting into the bug made her stomach lurch again.

She braced herself just as it charged again. She swung her head wildly, eyes tightly shut. She felt her horn connect, and the spider screeched. She opened her eyes to one of its legs rolling away. The Ariados backed up a step before it jumped on her again. She vaguely heard Sidus cheering her on amongst the noise. She hesitated a moment, and it slipped under her swinging horn. It crashed into her and pinned her down on her back. She could barely move under the bulk of it, all seven remaining limbs holding her in place. The pincers were disgustingly close to her neck. She froze.

Flames pushed the spider off of her and into a nearby tree. The whole area lit up for a moment before they died out again. The Ariados screamed and twisted as the remaining flames ate its shell. The slight glow cast everything in red along with the smell of burning bugs. Mona gagged on the smell as she rolled over and practically crawled away from the flaming mess.

"Well I must say I did expect a bit more 'flare.'" Clave gave her a pat on the back. The joke sounded half hearted and no smile spread across his face. "How in the great fairy's name did you kill a Tyranitar like that?"

She looked up with her nose covered by her scarf to look at him. Clave's face was unreadable. Sidus looked mortified. Mona didn't respond.

Clave continued to stare the both of them down before saying, "Maybe I should lead us the rest of the way."

He continued on, waving the two of them along after him. Sidus fell into stride next to Mona. They shared a nervous glance. He opened his mouth to speak, before glancing forward at Clave. He mouthed, 'Talk to you later.' She nodded and the three walked in silence.

X

Celestial Woods F4

Clave didn't have much to say as they walked, besides the odd comment that they should be getting close.

"This is the floor the client said they lost their scarf on, keep your eyes peeled."

The overbearing gloom laced around their party the more they dove into the woods. Mona noticed the increased darkness, but somehow her eyes still saw perfectly. She grinned despite the situation. It felt natural and new at the same time. Regardless of her lost human memories, a sense of ease spread across her mind. She didn't know who she was and had most likely tarnished both her and Sidus' reputations with Clave, but she could see in the dark. She clung onto the small things.

Sidus seemed to have a bit more trouble than she did. He started walking closer still to her, regularly stepping on her paws when he got too close. His eyes were blared open to take in everything he could, looking around wildly to not miss a single thing. Clave moved methodically up ahead. He was the better leader than Mona, carefully following paths and never once retracing their steps in their search.

When they entered a new clearing, Mona was the first to see the scarf.

"Look!"

The little blue scarf shined out of the black trees, hooked on what she assumed was a low hanging branch.

"I'll get it!" Sidus darted forward just as Clave called after him to wait.

Sidus just barely made it to the scarf when all hell broke loose. The low hanging branch lurched down and hissed at him, making him backpedal. Clave rushed forward but a moment too late, as the attacker shot several dark needles towards Sidas. He yelled as they hit him, bringing him down in pain. Clave scooped him up in his arms, with a bit of difficulty, and started to run back towards Mona who was still standing frozen in shock.

"Get moving if you want to prove to me you aren't useless in a fight!"

She flinched at his suddenly harsh words. The Morgrem didn't even blink as he looked towards her. He dropped Sidus on the ground and turned away to look back at the assailant pulling itself out of the trees. A huge Scolipede reared its head and roared, the scarf around one of its horns. It turned to charge them down, but Sidus shot off small wisps of flame in its path, hindering its movement.

"Go on Mona! I can help from back here!" Sidus said, pushing her on.

Clave gave her a firm push forward and darted around her to engage the Scolipede. He shot several dark pulses of energy at the bug, making it rear up. Mona stumbled and ran to try and help it, with Sidas' flames still circling around. She hesitated, unsure of how to approach before jumping over the fire. She tentatively scratched at its belly, only for it to completely ignore her. The Scolipede followed Clave as he hopped around it.

"Mona! You've got to start hitting harder, I know you can!" He dodged a blast of needles and scrambled up the tree to have a better vantage point.

Mona reared back and slashed at its belly with her horn. It barely left a scratch, jarring her head, but got the bugs attention. Shaking off the hard hit, she looked up to see the thing's head inches from her own. It opened its mouth, about to shoot more needles right in her face. She heard Clave scream her name. Terrified, she jerked her head away. Somehow, probably saving her a face full of needles, her scythe horn managed to slash across the bug's gaping jaw. It jerked away screaming and hissing in pain as its jaw fell down further than it should have. Mona stumbled back surprised at her close call and watched as Clave jumped down to finish it off. She closed her eyes at the last moment.

She crumpled to the ground overwhelmed and covered her eyes with her paws. Sidus, she could tell by the heat radiating off his fur, tapped her gently on the shoulder.

"You did it Mona! You'll get better the more we train..."

"Please, not right now Sidus."

She felt him sit down on the grass next to her breathing heavily. She snuck a look at him to see his shoulders and chest heaving.

"Mona."

She looked up to see Clave standing over both of them, his claws drenched in a dark gooey liquid. He licked them clean, not even perturbed at what he had done. The scarf was tucked under his arm, somehow spotless.

"You carry the bag so you are responsible for distributing any medical supplies. Do you know what is good for poison?" He smiled slightly, and his slow speech was gentle.

She nodded, feeling a familiar worm of fear crawl into her brain. She may have the Roseli berry helping her, but Clave still scared her. She struggled to get into the bag, with her shaking paws and Sidas watching carefully. The bright pink Pecha berry shined brightly next to the Roseli berry in the bottom of the bag. She passed the berry to Sidus, who bite down greedily into it.

"Hey! Save me some! I think the cursed thing got me too," Clave laughed.

Sidus giggled too, holding out the berry to him. They sat in silence.

"You have never fought anything before have you Mona? We have heard Sidus' side of the story, so now I ask you, what happened to the Tyranitar? With the skills you obviously lack, I refuse to believe that you of all Pokemon killed it." He rested a hand on her back. "Please tell me, Mona."

Mona did in fact not want to tell him. Telling someone you've known for only a couple hours that you heard a voice in your head and you couldn't control your rapidly changing body when you killed another living thing didn't sound incredibly pleasant. She chewed her cheek considering what to say, looking away from Clave who hadn't broken his gaze. She winced when she accidently bit too hard. Her teeth felt far sharper than she enjoyed. She locked eyes with Sidus for a moment.

"We were lucky," she said carefully, thinking hard about each word she said. "Sidus managed to stagger it a bit and I only accidently managed to reach its neck."

The lie was poorly made, she knew it was, but Sidas ashamedly looked down at his paws trying to sell it. Clave looked between the two of them, both shifting uncomfortably on their paws.

"An accident? You managed to kill something that big on a whim?"

Mona didn't even blink and Sidus nodded furiously. Clave sighed, his shoulders dropping further than they usually did.

"I think we have had enough surprises for one job. Mona, lead us out, we have the scarf and the Pigeot are waiting."

He held a hand to his temple and waved the two forward, muttering to himself. Mona and Sidus exchanged a second knowing glance before she took the lead again. His tails weren't wagging like they had when they entered.

Chapter 6: Discovering the Truth

Chapter Text

The trip out of Celestial Woods was thankfully quick and painless. No Pokémon jumped out for the rest of the way, except some mildly angry Metapod that Sidus dispatched quickly. Mona felt slightly faint. The whole day had been an avalanche of new information to take in, a whole new world to explore, and now she may have ruined her place in it. Sidus wouldn't even look at her.

Taking the Pigeot back, Mona attempted to enjoy the flight a bit more. She didn't know if she'd even be in the Syndicate this time tomorrow, so she wanted to enjoy the view while she could. The land stretching out below them basked in the light of the sun, who started to sink into sleep just over the horizon. Sporadic stretches of water below them glistened like gems decorating a green lush robe. Any Pokémon that may be down there were reduced to specks, mites covering a pristine landscape.
Mona dug her face into the Pigeot's soft downy feathers. They enveloped her, covering her in a comforting warmth. The bird smelled like nature, like the peace after a storm or the trees after their first bloom. She wished that they never had to land.

X

They dropped them off back inside the Syndicate walls. Mona and her team thanked them as they took to the skies again to return to the post office, waving back with their huge wings.

Clave led them to the main office before leaving them at the door, signaling them to stay put. Sidus shuffled on his paws. His shoulders were tensed up, along with a look on his face that made him appear like he was going to cry.

"Mona," he looked up at Mona, "I'm sorry I drug you into this. I shouldn't have pressured Ma and Pa into letting you join, just so that I could as well. It put a lot of pressure on you to be perfect. I don't blame you if you want to leave."

Mona looked down at the Vulpix she had known for less than two days, her only friend, and gave him a light shove with a small smile.

"It's ok, Sidus. I haven't exactly been honest to you either. Besides, we'll get better!"

They smiled at each other, Sidus wiping his eyes with his paws.

"Thank you, Mona."

They leaned into each other and waited. Voices floated out of the office, some louder than others. Sidus flinched, when they heard what sounded like Val raise her voice.

"What do you mean they didn't meet your expectations?! My child didn't meet YOUR standards?"

Clave poked his head out the office and waved them inside, his face unreadable.

Val and Daxus sat behind the desk from the day before. Mona now noticed how the desk perfectly fit both of them sitting side by side. She refused to make eye contact with Val, who looked furious with both paws up on the desk to raise herself to her full height. Daxus had a paw on top of hers as if to calm her down. Thesia was standing smugly next to a tired looking Clave.

"Sidus, did you tell us the truth about your friend here?" Daxus said, his voice level and calm.

Sidus gave Mona a sad glance before saying, "No." He looked down at his paws.

Daxus sighed deeply, his head drooping, while Val seemed to glow with anger.

"Sidus! Why in the great Entei's name would you lie about something like that? Clave has already told us the truth about this so-called friend. Did she tell you to lie to us?" Val snapped. Daxus whispered 'breathe' in her ear.

Mona dropped her head onto her chest, feeling slightly scared. Sidus didn't notice her begin to shake when he responded.

"No! It was all my idea and fault; Mona had no idea what I had told you." He raised his head high in defiance. "Don't blame her for my lie!"

He and his mother stared each other down before Daxus interrupted their standoff.

"Mona, is this true?"

She nodded rapidly, her shaking making it hard. The two leaders of the Syndicate looked them both down hard, a slight frown on Daxus' face.

"What are we going to do with you two?" Daxus said, raising paw to his forehead as if to stave off a headache.

"May I offer my opinion?" Clave said, breaking the silence. Both Val and Daxus turned their eyes to the Morgrem. "I would like your permission to personally train these two."

Both Sidus and Mona held their breath. The whole room was now looking at Clave. Thesia fumed as much as she could as an ice type.

"Let me train them for just a week, and then we can send them on another job as a final test. If they fail, they both lose their status as members and the problem is solved," he said calmly, his hands on his chest. "While they were a bit sloppy today, I do believe that the two of them could do great things together if properly trained together."

Sidus took in a sharp gulp of breath and looked over to his parents, eyes wide and hopeful. Val looked like the fire had been snuffed out. She relaxed back behind the desk, her chest still heaving from her anger.

"Train them? After they've both lied to us?" Val said, confused.

"Oh believe me, I will make sure it isn't a joy ride," Clave said with his usual mischievous grin. "I'll put them through fire to rival your own, my dear chief."

He bowed towards her, sweeping his long claws out in an extravagant fashion. Mona felt Sidus stifle a chuckle next to her, and she hid her own grin in her long chest fur.

"My daisy." Val whipped her head to look at Daxus. "This could be just what Sidus needs. Clave is an incredible teacher, and the both of them would benefit from it."

"But..."

"He'll be just fine. Our son can handle anything Clave will throw at him. Besides, this way, we can officially put Mona through the gauntlet to make sure she can take care of our son and herself." Daxus smiled. "Would that ease your worries?"

Val glared at him, until the hard shell melted to a calmer one.

"Very well Clave, have it your way. Your training will have to be punishment enough for these two." She shot Mona a sharp glare as well. "The two of you will start tomorrow. We'll see if you keep those rings."

"Thank you Clave, Ma, and Pa! We won't let you down!"

His parents cracked a smile as Sidus jumped to his feet with a huge smile. He elbowed Mona, giggling at their success, but a familiar lump formed in her chest.

I hope we don't.

X

The sun had disappeared by the time Mona and Sidus returned to their room. Clave left them after the exchange in the office to go return the scarf to the waiting client. He warned them that a good night's sleep would be needed if they wanted to make it through tomorrow, before walking away with a cackle.

Dinner consisted of apples and leftover berries from the dining hall. They were one of the last teams to eat there, and they received a fair amount of interested looks from the cooks giving out food. Only once they were back in their room did either of them speak.

"Well, I guess we managed to squeak out of that situation, didn't we?" Sidus said with a slightly crooked grin. He rolled onto his back in the middle of the rug.

"Yeah, I guess so."

He looked at her upside down, the smile melting away.

"Mona, I've been wanting to ask you about what you said in town."

They locked eyes. Red to red.

"I want to know the truth about you Mona, especially if we are going to be together in the long run." He rolled over to his stomach, his eyes never leaving her face. "Who are you?"

Looking into his sincere face, Mona hesitated. Her only friend. She felt that same stress creep through her veins as she considered what she said next.

"I am not a Pokémon Sidus. I don't know why but I don't belong here." She expected him to call her insane, or laugh, but he merely looked intently at her. "The only thing I know about myself is that I woke up in the field you and your parents found me in, and that I am now an Absol named Mona."

She tried to break out a smile at those last words, but her face wouldn't respond. Sidus only saw a pained look on his partner. She sniffed deeply and tail instinctively pulling in close under her paws.

"All I remember is a bright light and then nothing."

Sidus crept over to sit next to her.

"I'll help you get your memories back!"

Mona snapped to look at him, unshod tears glistening in her eyes.

"Why? You barely know me, Sidus. You shouldn't be concerning yourself with an amnesiac Pokémon that you barely know.

"And why not?" He whacked her with his tails. "You have been nothing but patient and nice to me! And you got me here to where I am! I'd still be 'training' with Ma if not for you! She doesn't even let me do anything on my own, all my fights have to be with her holding back on me." He bared his teeth in his grin. "Now we'll be training with the best. I owe all of this to you whether you like it or not."

He wrapped her in a hug before she could react. She stumbled and almost fell under his weight. He leaned into her face, opposite her huge scythe horn.

"We are in this together. We'll go on adventures and find out the truth about you. Like I said when we met, you aren't alone anymore."

She froze before her emotions overwhelmed her. For the first time since waking up as an Absol, she cried freely into the arms of someone she could trust.

X

Mona once again found herself in the white void. Her own breaths echoing into oblivion. She immediately recognized the place and reared her head to cut herself again to escape.

WAIT!

She stopped just inches from her paws. The blue mist was back. It floated just feet from her, the air around it crackling with energy.

"What do you want from me? Don't you think I'm dealing with enough when I'm awake?" Mona snapped. She still didn't know what to think of the thing. She did her best to stifle thoughts of it in her waking hours.

You have it rough? Ha! I had it far harder than you when I started my journey here.

A black paw escaped from the mist to make a large gesture around itself.

You have it easy, human.

"My name is Mona!"

She didn't feel any of the anxiety she usually felt talking around this rude puff of smoke. She glared at it as it laughed at her.

Mona? I'm sorry but your 'friend' is pretty sh*tty at coming up with names.

It sneered at the mention of Sidus and laughed some more.

"I'm not going to put up with you."

She reared her head again, preparing to end the dream when it darted forward and grabbed her horn. It forcefully pulled her face to face at its center. She squirmed to no avail. A deep guttural growl echoed all around her.

I am no dream that you can't just brush away you idiot.

She stiffened.

See how well that 'friend' will help you. They always betray us in the end. You'll see.

It pulled her closer to reveal two blood red eyes glaring out of the blue.

And I can't wait to be there to see it.

She screamed as a pair of jaws materialized under the eyes and ripped her throat out.

X

Mona awoke to the moon shining out of the pitch-black sky above and through their window. It was full that night. She watched it as her body slowly stopped shaking. Sidus hadn't noticed her violent awakening and still snored practically on top of her shoulders. He wasn't tiny by any means, but he was small enough to use her as a pillow. She smiled at him, pushing the mist's words out of her head. She may have told him about her amnesia, but this secret was best kept to herself. She settled her head on her paws and tried and failed to drift off quickly.

She looked back to the stars like she had the night before and tried to find patterns in them. She imagined starry Pokémon flying above them as they slept. She finally drifted off to the thought of a starry dragon sleeping on the moon.

Chapter 7: The Arena Master

Chapter Text

The next morning, Mona did all she could to push the thought of the nightmare out of her head. She couldn't afford to be even slightly distracted with the day she had ahead. Sidus already bounced with every step as they descended to the mess hall for breakfast.

Sidus chattered as they walked, excitedly trying to guess what Clave could possibly have in store for them.

"You think he'll have us fighting today? Or maybe test out agility? I bet I can run circles around you Mona!" He teased over a mouthful of overcooked meat.

"Well of course you will!" Mona said, rolling her eyes as obnoxiously as she could. "I still stub my claws Sidus."

The two giggled and watched the other teams walking past to their seats. Mona had her face buried in some fruit when someone loudly cleared their throat next to their table. Sidus almost choked on his mouthful and Mona jumped. They looked up to see a Serperior and Dunsparce smiling at them.

"You guys are fresh recruits aren't you! Glad to see you finally get to join us Sidus!" the Serperior said, her tongue shooting out of her mouth with almost every word. "Mind if we share this table with you?"

"Go for it! We don't mind!" Sidus said with a full mouth, promptly the two to set their food down.

Mona internally wretched at the sight of the piles of meat the snake Pokémon carried. Not a drop of fruit or berries was on their slab. The Serperior curled up next to Mona, with the Dunsparce next to Sidus.

"We all know Sidus, but you must be the new Pokémon in the Syndicate! I don't believe I've seen you before!" the Serperior said. A long vine emerged from her yellow collar, like a snake itself, and gave her a poke on the shoulder. "I'm Rega! And this is my partner Dun. Nice to meet you!"

Mona shuffled slightly on her feet. Rega towered over her, and she could help but feel a bit of unease bubble in her voice. She really needed to get used to seeing new Pokémon, no matter how intimidating they were.

"Mona. It's a pleasure."

Her words came out forced and flat, but the two snakes paid no mind and happily greeted her. Dun could barely see over the slab of rock they used as a table, but she saw his face light up at meeting someone new.

"We don't get new recruits all that often anymore. It's always a joy when such young ones get in the rough of it with us!" Dun said, his little fake wings fluttering happily. "Hope you are enjoying your time here so far?"

Sidus and Mona nodded over their full mouths. "Yup!" Sidus said after a full swallow. New table mates or not, he still ate like it was his last meal, shoveling bite after bite in. "Had a long day yesterday, so the chiefs have us training today."

"Training? Back when we joined, we just got thrown in, sink or swim so to say," the Rega said after swallowing a piece of meat whole. "What did you all do to deserve training?"

Mona snuck Sidus a look when his face blanked dumbfounded. His mouth hung open for a moment with dead eyes before he recovered.

"Um, they thought we were still too young and want to put us through the paces first." He put on an exaggerated look of exasperation with a big sigh, like a child not getting his way.

Mona looked at him sharply, thinking he'd over done it, but the two snakes chuckled.

"Oh then you'll be back in no time! We need all the help we can get here anyway, with our numbers depleted," Dun laughed.

"Depleted?" Mona asked, setting down the last berry she was about to finish.

"I guess you didn't know if you're new to this branch of the Syndicate. There have been a fair few Syndicate Pokémon falling victim to the recent kidnappings." Rega said this without even hesitating to eat her food, but the berry suddenly tasted foul in Mona's mouth.

"Really? I didn't know that we were even getting picked off." She looked at Sidus who didn't seem to react to the news. "How many have gone missing?"

"Total? Around 100. About 30 are Syndicate members."

"100!?" Mona yelped, making a couple passing Pokémon jump at her voice.

Rega coughed on her food as she flinched as well. "I'm sorry I thought you were aware of the situation." Another vine emerged to pat Mona on the back. "Don't worry about it too much though, almost all of them were too reckless for their own good and sought out the culprit." She shook her head and looked down at her half-eaten breakfast. "You two better be careful until you get a bit stronger. Go extra hard in your training for us today!" The two snakes laughed along with Sidus.

Mona considered her last berry, a Cheri Berry, as Sidus chowed down on the scraps of his meal unperturbed. She prodded its skin with her claws, feeling the soft flesh rupture under the pressure, the juice dripping down her paws like blood. She shuddered and ate it in one bite before she could think about it further.

The two said their goodbyes to the snakes and made their way out of the mess hall, heading towards the Syndicate's main area. Mona again had anxiety threatening to overtake her mind as they walked and then climbed up into the ropes from the day before. Sidus squashed himself next to Mona.

"I can't wait to see you get a hold of your powers Mona! Absols have loads of cool powers and skills and I want to see them all! You'll feel so much better here once you get used to them." He elbowed her in glee. "And I can show off all my cool fire tricks to you! You didn't get to see them properly in Celestial Woods."

"You knocked a huge spider off of me with it, I think I saw just enough."

Sidus pouted slightly before he saw her grinning at him. "You can't have seen that much with an Ariados in the way! You need a better perspective to really see the power of it!"

They jabbed back and forth until Val's voice silenced them all for the morning call. Nothing much new was said, but at the end, Mona joined in with the final chant.

"THE SYNDICATE WILL NEVER FALL!" Mona and Sidus both called out.

She actually felt a sense of pride in those words, among the Pokémon who had so quickly taken her in and gave her a home. Sidus looked over at her with a big toothy grin.

"Let's get down there Mona!"

Somehow, he showed just as much excitement for training as he had for taking a job yesterday. She admired his constant happiness, she needed it. He kept her mind from wandering into the broken parts of her memory, flooded with doubt and fear.

They jumped down, with Mona having just a slight bit more confidence in her balance, and ran up to the dais, looking almost exactly the same as it had the day before. Val, Daxus, Clave, and Thesia all speaking in hushed tones that abruptly stopped when they got close.

The look on Thesia's face was scarier than any ghost Pokémon Mona could think of. She scowled as the two drew near, with little flecks of ice festering around the ground at her feet like a disease. She didn't hop up next to join Val and Daxus as she had the day before, instead standing firmly next to Clave. The Morgrem shuffled slightly away from her as the air dropped around her scales. He waved merrily at the two to hide his discomfort.

"Get a good night's sleep and some good breakfast my darklings?" He yawned as he spoke.

"Yep! And we are ready to take whatever you throw at us!"

Val laid down on the dais to look at Sidus.

"You show him what you can do today Sidus! Don't let anyone hold you back!" She glanced slightly at Mona standing right next to him. He didn't seem to notice and nodded furiously, almost knocking over Mona with his tails.

"We can't wait to train with Clave! It's the chance of a lifetime!" He smiled over at Clave.

"Well it won't just be us three today. I can't train both of you at the same time after all!" He gave Thesia a pat on the back. "My partner in crime here is going to help us too!"

Mona's heart froze. Sidus faltered for only a second.

"Really! We get two of the best to help us?" He looked up at his parents. "I thought everyone on your team was busy."

"We currently have a pretty big lead at the moment, so we can spare a few members," Daxus said with a wink.

"What kind of lead!"

"Nothing for your ears my spark," Val interrupted as Daxus opened his mouth to respond. She shot him a glare and spared another glance at Mona. "The rest of us will manage just fine."

Clave spoke before it became awkward. "Come on you two, we have a long day ahead." He gestured for them to follow with his long claws.

Thesia huffed and walked beside him up ahead, and the two jumped after them.

X

Much to Mona's surprise, the four left the Syndicate and headed into Sika Town. The town churned with early day traffic, teams heading off to assignments and regular Pokémon going about their business. She stuck close to Sidus as they walked. His fur counteracted the frost trailing behind Thesia. A small circle formed around Thesia and Clave, with others carefully avoiding the cold. A Levanny shielded their Sewaddle as they passed, an annoyed look on their face as they brushed the frost off of their child.

They attracted a fair bit of attention with both Clave and Thesia. Pokémon of all kinds waved and shouted greetings at the two as they passed, which were returned happily (at least on Clave's part). It struck Mona how important the Syndicate must be in the lives of the Pokémon in town. Doing their errands and even rescuing them, the Syndicate most likely had touched every life there. Even she, who had only been there for a couple days had has her life changed by them. The group came to a stop. Laying on the edge of town rose a large stone building. Few Pokémon frequented around it, the crowds had fizzled out after they passed most of the shops.

Mona looked up at it with awe, the structure loomed over the rest of the town. If the sun could reach it, the shadow from it would have blanketed most of the town. She wondered how she hadn't seen it yesterday. It bore no decorations, or even windows helping it blend into the cavern walls. Thesia and Clave had already disappeared into its gaping maw of an entrance, with Sidus tugging her along.

"Come on! Stop gawking Mona, there's more to see inside!"

Running in after Sidus, she plunged into firelight. Torches lined the edges of what appeared to be a massive sand filled arena. There were even carved notches in the sloped walls for spectators to sit in, of which a few were filled with hyper children. Clave and Thesia stood in the very middle next to a gruff looking Gallade. Lean muscle covered his body, culminating in huge wickedly sharp blades on his arms. They were pristine and shining outside of several decently sized notches, scars from past battles. Scars too covered his arms, with a large one stretching across his chest. His eyes narrowed as Sidus and Mona approached. A wave of familiarity and excitement washed over her that she could not place as Gallade's face softened and broke into a smile.

"Looks like you'll be having a good time with these two Clave. Will you be able to keep up with these children, old friend?" the Gallade said. His voice scraped at her ears. It cracked and crumbled like old stone being moved for the first time in a millennium.

Clave gave the Gallade a punch on the arm. "Old? I'm far younger than you, oh ancient one." Clave bowed extravagantly. "But I am sure they would love to get a shot at fighting you as well Sen. In fact..." Clave considered Mona and Sidus standing awkwardly apart from them. "How about we start there? Up for it?"

Sen the Gallade smiled at the group as a whole. "Of course. It is my duty as master of the arena to accept any challengers."

Master of the Arena?Mona balked at that title.Challengers? I don't need to make a fool of myself in front of everyone here! Out in the open like this? She looked over at Sidus for help, but he literally fired up at the suggestion. Little flames dripped from his mouth like drool in front of a gourmet meal.

"I'm ready to go Clave!" He leaned in to whisper in Mona's ear rapidly as Clave turned back to Sen. "We'll be just fine; this will be the perfect starting point for you to see how fighting really is here at the Syndicate!"

His insistence gave her a bit of comfort and she nodded.

X

Sen faced them from the other side of the arena. Clave and Thesia sat in the ledges along the edges, next to a small group of children, who happily chittered away to them about the Syndicate. Their high-pitched voices buzzed like flies just out of Mona's reach. They couldn't be much younger than she and Sidus were. She considered them for a moment, their excited tones at being able to see a fight. It occurred to her she didn't know how old she actually was, but the thought was killed before it could even crawl into her brain as Sen spoke.

"Your start children. I promise to not harm you, at least not mortally."

Some relief that is, she thought bitterly.

Sidus rushed forward across the arena before she could begin to plan what to do. Flames formed in his open mouth, billowing and growing in size until they burst out towards Sen in a rope-like stream. They writhed and slithered through the air to surround the patiently waiting Gallade. He didn't even flinch as the flames got dangerously close to his body. In a fluid motion, he sliced his blades through the ring of fire, shattering its form into mere glowing embers. Sparks burst into the air, glinting against his pale shining skin, as he twisted to shoot his own attack back.

A sharp blade of pure purple energy detached itself from his arms and arced through the air aimed at Sidus. He hadn't recovered from his own full throttle attack, smoke and kicked up sand obscuring his vision. He didn't see it coming, but Mona did. She reached him just before the blade did. Like she had against the Ventipede, she slashed her horn through the air to try and stop it from hitting her friend, but this time with far more confidence knowing she faced a friendly foe. For a split second she thought she had blocked it, and grinned in primal glee, only to feel it go right through her horn and slam hard into her chest. It knocked her backwards and into Sidus, who yelped at the impact. Her chest seized up for a moment, yanking the very air out her chest and leaving her gasping for breath, but the pain rapidly passed, leaving her simply winded.

Sidus wormed himself from under her and jumped up to stand over her. Rearing back on his hind legs, he screamed. The sound cut through the air like a knife, tunneled towards Sen, but affecting everyone in its immediate radius. It hurt, but she could manage it, and rose to stand next to him. She could vaguely see pulses of dark energy coming out of Sidus' mouth, in even waves along with his voice. Sen flinched at the snarling attack, raising one of his arms to rub at his head, but other than that it barely seemed to affect him. His form flickered before clipping out of view. Sidus snapped his mouth shut, looking around eyes wide, before Sen materialized on his back.

Sidus spun to try and intercept him, baring his teeth, but Sen was already upon him. Sen slashed one his blades across Sidus' side and down his leg, drawing blood and bringing Sidus down hard with a whine. With one foot holding Sidus down on the ground, Sen raised his other arm to Mona, who had staggered back at his sudden appearance. She felt something deep inside her chest stir at the sight of her wounded and pinned friend, and she opened her mouth to roar like Sidus had. Instead of a scream, dark energy poured out in pulsing waves. Sen slashed her across the face before it could reach him, slamming her to the ground with the blunt edge of his blade.

Lights flashed before her eyes, and somewhere in the recesses of her mind, she swore she heard laughter. She shakily tried to stand up, only to come face to blade with Sen's still outstretched arm. His sharp eyes bored into her, expressionless. A flare of stubbornness prodded to life in her and she growled at him, baring her teeth.

Clave roared with excitement from the sidelines. "There's that spark I wanted out of you yesterday darkling!" She heard him clapping.

Mona hesitated as Sen reached his hand down to help her up, the smile back on his grizzled face. He helped Sidus up as well, who staggered on his feat but was smiling as well. Sen held both of his hands up in the air, before bringing them down to his side in a large arc. Tiny droplets of crystalline water showered out from him and landed all over them. The dull pain in her chest and cheek faded, and before her shocked eyes, Sidus stopped bleeding and stood up tall and fit as could be.

Sen kneeled down to Mona's level and gestured to her scythe horn.

"May I?"

Mona nodded nervously and turned her head slightly so he could see it better. He ran a claw along its length and clicked his tongue slightly.

"You must be careful with that horn of yours. Absol horns do not grow back, and taking even a psychic attack head on like you did, with no energy protecting it could be dangerous." He smiled as she turned back to face him. "Brave but reckless. You remind me of me and my team when I was your age." He patted her on the head, stood up, and turned to Sidus. "As for you, I expect nothing less from the son of Val. You, son, are just as fiery as she was as a Vulpix."

He laughed as Sidus puffed up in pride.

"Well, that's certainly marginally better than how you did yesterday, Mona." Clave and Thesia had left the jittering children to approach them in the arena. "You are still clumsy and don't seem to know how to control yourself and your powers, but you almost landed a hit." He slapped her on the back in his signature sluggish motion. "This might not be as hard as we thought it would be, right Thesia."

Thesia scoffed, "I don't doubt Sidus will be fine, Clave. I don't even know why he needs to be here. This one is the problem who needs to be trained to the ground." She glared at Mona.

"We'll both get through your training!" Sidus said, jumping to Mona's side as she looked down at her claws downcast. "Just you watch!"

Clave grinned at the both of them.

"That's the spirit. You won't recognize these two at the end of the week Thesia," Clave said, poking Thesia with one of his claws. Mona could have sworn she saw Clave whisper, "Cool it," in her ear.

Thesia rolled her eyes and wormed her way through the churned sand back to the notched seats.

"Come on you two, let's get a snack and we can discuss what you'll be up to today." Clave smirked at them and followed Sen as he followed after Thesia.

Mona and Sidus shared an excited look before following. In that moment, Mona surged with hope. Maybe she wouldn't mess this up for Sidus a second time after all.

Chapter 8: Into the Sands

Chapter Text

Thesia watched Mona and Sidus carefully as Clave and Sen discussed the day ahead of them.

"Sidus just needs to be honed, Clave. His powers are impressive for his age, despite being predictable. I ask that you allow me to help him myself this week," Sen said, nodding his head to a still jittering and adrenaline filled Vulpix.

"I agree, and I am sure he'd be honored to. Am I correct, Sidus?"

Sidus nodded furiously, a wide grin splitting across his face.

"Then all we need to figure out is you, Mona. You need to learn control and fighting skills, only a bit harder." Clave smiled too.

"Leave the boy to me. You and your partner can figure out this little one." Sen stood and motioned for Sidus to follow him. "We will leave the arena to them, son, and take to the smaller training rooms. You need to work on precision and strategy, not pure fire power."

Mona crumpled from the inside out seeing Sidus leave her to learn on her own.

"Well then, let's get moving little one." Clave and Thesia were already returning to the middle of the sand pit. Clave laughed at her horrified face. "You'll be just fine. Sidus will learn at his pace and now we can focus entirely on you!" He rested a claw on Thesia who snorted out frost.

"Learning to fight is one of the most important things about being a Pokémon. Nedal and the other continents have plenty of dangerous wild Pokémon and mystery dungeons filling every inch of their borders, not to mention the odd criminal that may jump out at you. The fact you don't know how to is odd, I admit, but not unheard of." Clave walked ahead of her slightly and turned to face her. "Hit me with your best shot Mona!" He held out his hands inviting her in.

"I don't want to hurt you Clave!" she balked, shaking her head.

He and Thesia both laughed, the only happy thing she had ever heard come out of the Amaura's mouth.

"Mona you won't even scratch me. Come on now, we don't have all day!"

He waved her on.

Crouching slightly on her from paws, she considered him. Trying to muster the energy from her fight with Sen, she opened her mouth to roar at him. What emitted would have made even a mouse flush in embarrassment. Thesia giggled through her sneer and Clave cracked a grin again. Her face burning, she pounced on the still laughing Morgrem and tried to cut him with her horn. He grabbed her by the blade and held her in place as she seethed and struggled. Thesia's voice grew to a cackle behind her. Clave's face had fallen to a calm when she attacked him, and he looked her full in the face.

"Try and escape. You can't always use your horn."

She yanked wildly, trying to get a grip on the sinking a sand to pull herself free, but nothing worked, much to Thesia's amusem*nt. Like she weighed nothing, Clave threw her onto her back and took away the little leverage she had. She could hear Thesia still and even fainter, the children from the stands still watching. The sounded poked and prodded at her on her back, like they were dissecting her. Pointing out the wrongness and failings. Anger and embarrassment filled her like a venom, making even her tail and paws tremble with it. Hatred followed, for the dinosaur barely her size treating her like garbage in front of a crowd she didn't even know.

Out of instinct or anger (the two were finely blended in that moment), she opened her mouth to roar, releasing all the emotion piling up rapidly. It manifested in a pulsating beam of energy that hit Clave full in the face, ending the laughter in the same stroke.

Clave buckled slightly and released her in order to shield his face. She snapped her jaws shut as he reeled, the darkness snuffing out similar to how Sidus' did when he breathed fire, and jumped to her feet. She kept her head lowered in case he retaliated but instead he came up smiling. No mark even nicked his face.

"That's what I want to see. Channel your emotions and anger. Do it again." He spread his arms out just like he had before, mischief crawling across his face as the smile widened.

Gasping slightly for breath, shocked at her own attack, Mona tried again.

X

Minutes turned into hours full of hundreds of attempts to even scratch Clave. Periodically, he would switch with Thesia, making Mona adjust to a new opponent with new techniques, but the day focused entirely on learning to wield her scythe and newfound power. Thesia especially enjoyed watching her struggle against limbs frozen to the ground and icy sand that seemed to spread under her every step, making it hard to even stand. More than once, she choked on sand filling her nostrils and mouth from face planting into the sand. Even sitting next to an excited Sidus outside of the arena, she could still taste the grit on her tongue and feel the unpleasant grit of it when her teeth grinded against it.

Sidus, Mona, and their instructors sat in a circle just outside the entrance to the sand arena. Her muscles ached from the constant exertion and the harder stone floor of the cave. She kept shifting slightly as they groaned in pain. After every few bouts of fighting, Clave had made her take a bite of an Oran Berry. The berry helped heal the nicks and bruises that she received, mainly from Thesia, but did nothing to help her exhaustion. She yawned as the others worked over their progress.

She largely tuned out of the conversation, enjoying the cool evening air wafting through the skylight over Sika Town. She just started to catch a hint of sweet-smelling food in the air when Sen turned to her.

"Mona, tomorrow you and I will be training one on one."

She jerked to attention to see the whole group looking at her.

"You look awful out of it Mona, did they work you too hard today," Sidus gave her a slight head butt. "You'll be worse off tomorrow. Sen is way worse than even Clave."

"Hey!" Clave gave him a playful cuff on the back of his head.

Sen chuckled, his gravelly voice grinding worse than the sand in her teeth.

"I will not hurt your friend. She will have no problem with my powers." Sen turned and smiled at Mona, the scars on his face making the gesture far more aggressive.

She tried her best to return an enthusiastic smile. She felt the complete opposite. She mentally groaned thinking about how sore she would feel tomorrow. Sidus didn't seem to care. He shook her shoulder excitedly and chittered about how much fun she would have. Clave interrupted him before he could get on a rhythm to chatter for longer.

"We need to get back before the dining hall closes for the night. Would you two care to join me and Thesia for some food?" Clave said.

"Let's go! I hope they still have some steaks left!" Sidus was already up and moving before Mona could say otherwise.

She didn't quite like the idea of sitting next to a still heckling Thesia. The smirk on her face from their training still hadn't quite faded entirely. With slightly shaking legs, she stood to follow the others as they left behind Sen still standing next to his arena. She spared a look back as they disappeared into the sleepy town. He stood, a lonely white statue against the rapidly sinking light. Something stirred in her mind, again that sense of familiarity that left her heart feeling heavy. She lagged behind and gave him a short wave. He stopped mid turn and waved back. The familiarity faded, leaving confusion when she too turned to follow her group.

X

The mess hall was practically empty by the time they made it there. The Wooper and Quagsire duo that worked with the food eyed them when they walked in. The Wooper let slip a sigh that was quickly silenced by the Quagsire, who in turn tried in vain to happily greet them. They both looked tired after what she assumed was a long day of serving rushing Pokémon. Even Thesia put on a smile to try and lighten their mood.

Sidus and Clave luckily managed to snag some slightly cold meat while Mona and Thesia enjoyed the last of the berries. The only berries left were the bitter ones, making Mona's face scrunch up with every bite. Thesia seemed to love them.

Of course she likes the bitter ones.

She gave Thesia a look, which was quickly returned. Every bite of a berry the small dino took make a horrible crunching sound that made Mona want to scream. The berries froze at Thesia's touch, little shards of ice crystallizing on their surface. Sidus, on the complete other side of the spectrum, burned every bite he took. She jerked her attention away from Sidus when a waft of freezing air slapped the side of her body closest to Thesia. Thesia had reached across to grab another berry, freezing the rest of the batch in the process.

Mona held in a sigh and settled for giving Thesia another dirty look that she ignored. Clave, forever observant and sensing the tension, broke they silence they had been eating in.

"Mona, is today the first time you managed to control any of your powers?"

She nodded mid chew of a frozen berry. The bitterness felt heightened with the cold flesh.

"You did well with them for a first time, though I should properly explain how they are used and where they come from."

Mona sat up a bit straighter, interested. Sidus didn't even skip a beat and continued eating. It must have been common knowledge for him.

"Pokémon of our type, specifically the darkness, draw our power from less than savory places in our minds and souls." He gestured to Sidus. "Pokémon like Sidus and Thesia have a core of elemental power residing in their bodies, they are able to call upon until it is exhausted for a short period of time. The rest of us, like you, me, and Daxus, rely on a different core of power. We draw from our own anger and dark thoughts to propel our power."

Mona co*cked her head slightly in confusion. "Bad thoughts give us energy?"

Clave chuckled. "Well, you could put it like that. All of our kind owes our power to Darkrai, a being made of pure darkness. Legend says that the great Darkrai fashioned the first dark Pokémon out of the very shadows that followed its wake, giving us all the power to draw upon the anger and despair that it unknowingly sows wherever it goes. Our power grows around strong negative emotions, unfortunately giving us all a bit of a bad reputation."

Clave made a large crooked smile for emphasis.

"But our kind is also highly sought after as mental aids to Pokémon who have suffered more than anyone should. Who better to pour your darkest secrets too than someone who can understand it?"

She couldn't help but think about Sidus at those words. He had so easily listened to her pour her stressed soul out the other night. Could he channel dark thoughts into his power as well?

"Sidus? Do you use any of that stuff with your fighting? Since your dad is a Mightyena?"

He swallowed hard to choke down a large piece of meat.

"Kinda. I can't channel it as well as Pa can, but he's taught me some stuff!"

"You'll get better at it the more you do it! Really makes fighting cathartic when any negative thoughts that may be plague int you can be channeled into a strong attack. You seemed like you were getting there towards the end of our training. Getting a bit aggravated were we Mona?" Clave said, ending off with a laugh.

Mona grinned trying to play it off. The hatred she had for Thesia, still noisily eating beside her would have easily made an attack far stronger than she had managed in training.

Weaponized hatred, what a world I am in now.

They finished eating and retreated to their respective rooms. Clave and Thesia both returned to the main office, with Clave waving them goodnight.

Sidus bounded up the ropes slightly ahead of her, far more confident in his balance than she could ever dream of being. He reached the room before she did, smiling down at her.

"We did great today, Mona!" He whispered slightly, as the moon and darkness had already begun to descend on the silent Syndicate.

"I guess so. I don't know Sidus, I barely managed to land anything today. I'm having some doubts."

"Oh, that's nothing to worry about," he said helping her get into the room. Her legs still shook slightly. "We'll both get some good rest and pick off where we left off! You'll be able to wipe that smirk off Thesia's face when you face her again. Sen will really help you get to a good place with your fighting! He showed me all kinds of cool techniques. I can't wait to show you them next time we fight together!"

His excitement was contagious, making her grin back. Despite wanting to talk to her friend, the drowsiness overwhelmed her, and she collapsed onto the rug this second she reached it. Sidus laughed at her before joining.

"Guess we REALLY need that good rest. Goodnight Mona!"

"Goodni..." she responded, her eyes closing before she could finish.

X

When Mona came to the moon was still proudly in the sky. She felt like she hadn't even slept, merely blinking and finding herself hours in the future. She groaned quietly to herself.

"Are you awake too Mona?"

She jumped into the air at Sidus' sudden voice.

"Sorry I didn't mean to scare you," he giggled. "I haven't been able to stay asleep. Have you?"

"I mean I was until a second ago, but I'm not so sure now."

"Wanna go see something cool? We can steal some warm drinks on our way back."

He looked so sincere and begging with his huge warm eyes, that she couldn't say no.

"Fine, I guess it could help me sleep when we come back."

Sidus was already on his feet and next to the room entrance by the time she stumbled up.

"We gotta stay quiet, technically there is a curfew for lower ranked Syndicate members, but we won't get caught. Promise!" he added when Mona looked at him exasperated.

She carefully followed him out of the room and took her time descending the ropes. The Syndicate looked odd at night. Empty and dark everywhere she looked. Sidus held a small flame in his mouth to guide their way. It was eerie. Not a sound except for their own breathing and footsteps broke the overbearing silence. The moon looked down at them from the mountain tops, watching disapprovingly at their small journey. Sidus looked back at her with a flaming smile and led her to Filri's place, the Aromatisse that had nursed her back to health. Much to her surprise, he walked right into the little hut.

Small flames of every color and size littered every corner and edge of the room, casting a living and breathing light on every surface. Once again, Mona marveled at the place. The flame light bounced and filtered through stained glass and colored smoke, fracturing into hundreds of colors she couldn't even begin to name. Filri herself huddled over a small slab of stone held up precariously by what looked like glass she hadn't noticed in her first visit. No patients slept in the several hay beds set up.

She looked up when Sidus' light intruded on the moody lighting. She seemed to have been working on drawing upon a scarf, making tiny intricate details.

"Sidus! It's been a few nights since I last saw you here. Need some more fragrance to put in your scarf?"

"Well now that you say it, I wouldn't say no to it! I'm sure Mona would like some as well, we have been having trouble sleeping tonight."

"Oh hello dear, I didn't see you hiding behind him. I hope those Pokémon haven't been overworking you after they drug you into all this."

"Oh of course not," Mona said with a bit of a laugh. She liked the Aromatisse. The motherly air she gave off put her at ease.

"Good, then follow me, I can refresh those scarves of yours. Don't tell your mother Sidus, but I'm gonna let you guys try a new scent we have been working on." She winked and pulled back a tapestry hanging up behind her that revealed an opening to a small tunnel and led them inside.

"This is what I really wanted to show you Mona. Filri lets me come in here whenever I sneak out in the night."

"Can't say I had much choice," Filri joked from up ahead. "That first night you snuck out as a wee child left me no other option. Oh how you begged me not to tell your mother. The only way I could get you to stop crying was to let you look at all our flowers."

"Hey!"

The tunnel opened into a large but short cave. Small orbs of light floated above a sea of flowers. Every kind and color Mona could think of and more covered the ground in waves. The stone floor have way into soil that her claws sank into. The small orbs of light gave off a pleasant heat that combated any cold chill that would follow the stone walls. The lingering darkness around the edges of the garden gave the impression that the place stretched out into infinity. Sidus walked out amongst the flowers, extinguishing the flame in his mouth finally, and careful to not step on any. His tails brushed along the tops of the bulbs, causing a ripple of petals to follow him as he walked. The air smelled sweet and calming, and Mona took in a deep breath, feeling some of the stress of the past day leaving her and falling into the growing cave floor.

"Here let me take your scarf dearie. I can put a little something in it so you can take a bit of the garden with you." Filri carefully untied the scarf from Mona and took it to a small workbench that she had looked over in her awe of the expanse. Sidus walked back to drop of his scarf as well, and tugged Mona along to follow him.

"Come on! It's a better view in the center!"

Following carefully behind him (she went far slower, terrified to even brush against one of the pristine plants) he led her to a small clearing in the middle of the cave. A small circle devoid of flowers gave them just enough room to sit side by side.

"What do you think? Pretty cool huh!"

She nodded. "I didn't know your mother did something like this."

"Oh she may not seem it but she's a lot softer than she puts on. She loves these flowers almost as much as she does me and Pa!" He picked a small flower, carefully with his big paws, and held it out to her. "And she'll grow to like you too! She can just be a bit overprotective sometimes! She'd kill me if she knew I showed you this. She likes putting on a rough and gritty front to the new people."

He made an over exaggerated grumpy face, making her giggle.

"Thanks Sidus. I really appreciate this." Mona held the delicate flower in her claws. It looked like lavender or something similar, with many small petals running along its stem.

"That's what friends are for! And then we can get some of Filri's famous tea before we leave! It always puts me right to sleep."

She looked at him as he smiled across the mini field of flowers. A friend. Her friend.

She pushed any worry out of her thoughts and breathed in the flowers, enjoying the subtle heat radiating out from Sidus' fur.

Chapter 9: Sen's Blades

Chapter Text

Waking up the next morning, Mona's bones felt like they were rusty. They creaked and protested when she stood up and stretched. Sidus was bounding out the door by the time her joints finally stopped popping. She almost tripped over small hollowed out gourds next to their rug. The tea from Filri the night before still stained her tastebuds, and she almost wanted to lick the gourds in hope of getting just a single extra drop. She whisked by to keep up with the disappearing Vulpix, and tried to keep pace on the rope ladders.

The smell of Filri's fresh flowers lingered heavy behind Sidus. She caught a whiff periodically and could almost imagine the fragrance floating along behind him, whirling around his tails as they bounced in the air. She smelled it strong in her own scarf. She stuck her nose down to her chest as they walked, enjoying the comfort and memory it brought. The image of the flowers and feeling of sitting next to Sidus in the warmth bolstered her spirit for the day ahead. She dreaded seeing Sen.

"Mona! Want to try some meat today?" Sidus slowed down slightly to look her in the eye when he spoke. "I promise its tastier than the berries and it will give you energy!"

She scoffed, "I'll try meat when you learn how to breath underwater."

Sidus rolled his eyes, begrudgingly helping her get a stone tray of fruit. They bolted down the meal, with Mona slightly thankful they didn't have to share the table with anyone. She liked the Pokémon there at the Syndicate, but they scared her. All of them were huge, something Sidus didn't seem to mind like usual, and many had huge teeth or claws. She felt miniscule, despite being bigger than Sidus and having a large blade on her head. Even the smaller Pokémon looked rough and muscular under their fur or feathers. She felt soft and clumsy. She almost dropped her tray taking it back to the Wooper for them to clean, tripping over her talons. The claws on her feet aggravated her to no end. Sidus had paw pads and defined toes to help him along. Mona barely had dexterity with her huge feet, something she loathed about her body. She was getting numb to the pain of stubbing them every few minutes.

She nursed a particularly hard stub as she and Sidus listened to the morning call. she zoned out slightly only to be jerked out of it when Val raised her voice with an edge she didn't recognize, drowning out the laughter that had rippled around just a moment before.

"On a more serious note, we have received intel on the suspected kidnapper."

The surrounding Pokémon hushed with a single breath. All stood alert to look up at their leaders. Sidus stiffened next to Mona, his eyes wide with anticipation.

"We are unable to share the full extent of it for hope of catching them off guard, as Daxus and Dree will be pursuing the lead on their own for the next several days."

The crowd whispered amongst itself in the moment it took Val to take a steady breath.

"All business you would usually take to them should be brought to me and Thesia. Keep them in your thoughts and ask the great Arceus for swift claws and safe travels."

They all murmured in agreement, several shaking their heads in solemn approval. The mood over the members coated the morning chant in a dark air before they all dispersed. Sidus jumped straight down the second the ground cleared and rushed to the dais, where the usual four were waiting for them. A new Pokémon, a huge Goodra, towered over all of them. It was so large that the dais only brought Daxus up to it shoulder. It had to lean its head down to speak with him.

"Pa! Why didn't you tell me you were leaving?" Sidus sounded genuinely hurt, his tails hanging lower than usual. Mona's guts squirmed like snakes wondering if it was because they didn't trust him to not tell her about it.

"We didn't want to worry you." Val leaned down to him.

"Besides, I'll be back before you are done with your training." Daxus grinned with his huge teeth. "And we wanted to surprise you with a going away dinner."

"We got your favorite Sidus, roasted Skiddo for tonight, we plan to join you in the dining hall for dinner!" Val smiled to match her mate.

Sidus wasn't impressed.

"I mean that sounds great, but..." he took a deep breath before continuing in a smaller voice, "isn't the suspect like really dangerous?"

Val's smile wavered, but Daxus hopped down to nuzzle his cheek. The red eyes he shared with his son softened to a warm comforting fire.

"I promise I'll come back little spark. Make sure your mother doesn't burn the place down before I get back."

Sidus let slip a smile as Val barked a laugh.

"As if, sounds like Sen has been helping them train. Who knows what chaos he can cause now."

Sidus giggled as his parents smiled down at him.

"Just make sure you come back in time to see us go on our next mission!" Sidus smirked up at his father, the similarities in their faces becoming strikingly apparent.

Mona strained a smile at the family, feeling slightly out of place. The Goodra considered her silently watching the entire exchange play out. It leaned down to speak as close as possible to Sidus' height as it could, revealing a really deep slow voice.

"I promise to bring your father back," he said, the voice scratching Mona's ears. It was deep enough to make her head rumble. "And you little one, I hope to meet you properly when we return." He grinned wide to reveal a remarkably sweet smile despite being such a huge dragon. He was practically laying on the floor to look her in the face.

"Good luck today!" Val called after as they left for Sika town. The Ninetales, Mightyena, and Goodra all watched them go. "To both of you," she added on after an awkward pause. Daxus gave her a slightly disgruntled look at her hesitation.

Clave and Thesia hurried up ahead, leading the way back to the arena. Mona walked beside Sidus, studying his expression.

"You okay?"

He started at her words. He put on a smile and looked over at her.

"I'm fine Mona, they've done stuff like this before!"

She didn't respond, instead just looking at him with a raised eyebrow. She bumped into him lightly as they walked.

"I guess I'm just a bit worried," he relented his smile fading.

She kept up the look.

"Well maybe a lot," he said sheepishly. "No one knows what the culprit actually does to the Pokémon it catches. There haven't been any witnesses to a kidnapping. The closest to one is the remains they find immediately after. The earth looks almost burnt without fire, and then nothing. No body, no prints. We even had a Stoutland try and sniff 'em out but they said there was no scent."

He stared ahead, mind elsewhere. He almost ran over an Eevee running through the streets away from its growling mother. Mona followed his far-off gaze and spotted the Post Office rising high into the roof of the cavern and towering over the rest of the town. The dappled morning sunlight left plenty of shimmering spots for a wandering mind to rest.

"They wouldn't go if they didn't think they could handle it!" Mona said, trying to lighten his spirit. "Your pa wouldn't want you to worry, Sidus."

He looked to her, eye intently searching for her next words.

"He wants you to get stronger while he's gone! So that we can take on the monster next!"

Sidus smiled weakly at her attempt. He didn't speak for the rest of their walk, not even enjoying the massive variety of Pokémon like he usually did. A yawning Charizard, spurting out flames as it stretched for the morning barely squeezed a glance out of him.

The arena loomed ahead of them, the darker edge of town matching their mood. The sun struggled to reach it on the edge of Sika Town. The little sun that did reflected of off several red homes nearby, giving the exterior a slightly burning edge. Mona didn't even want to go inside. One on one with Sen scared her. She didn't think he would hurt her in anyway, but she remained nervous, nonetheless. Frankly, he scared her. Something about him unnerved her to the point her very mind throbbed at the sight of him. She shuddered as she lagged behind the others walking in. She'd rather have Thesia again.

Sen again stood in the middle of the arena. The children were back as well, sitting in the same spot from the day before. This must be their favorite morning haunt.They'll have a far more interesting show with Sidus today, she thought with a tinge of jealousy that was quickly snuffed out at the look on her friend's face. He looked miserable. She wished she could switch places for him now. At least he wouldn't have an audience with Sen.

"Mona."

Mona looked up with a jolt to Sen who was looking at her expectantly.

"You are with me today. I hope you got plenty of rest in preparation. I don't plan to go easy on you."

The look of pure dread she gave Sidus managed to make him let slip a small grin.

"Tell me all about it afterwards Mona!" He forced a less genuine smile after her as she followed Sen out of the arena and into a offshoot room.

The room must have been carved into the mountain itself. The walls were slick with moisture and the air felt stagnant from lack of airflow. It was at least pleasantly cool from the natural chill of the rock. Sen dropped a small tapestry across the entrance to muffle the training beginning to happen outside. He struck his blade against the wall, scattering sparks over a ring of oil that roared to life. They were now surrounded by a small flickering ring of fire. The room was revealed to be decently large, about half the size of the arena. Enough to fine tune moves and do smaller fights. He strode to the center of the room and smiled at her.

"I have heard you only recently learned the extent of your powers my child. I would like to see what you can do before we begin. Hit me as hard as you can with it now!" He braced himself for emphasis and spread his arms wide to take the attack.

Mona hesitated at how blunt he was, trying to muster some anger to focus into a move. She remembered what Clave had said last night and tried to stir up something in her mind. She thought immediately of Thesia, but then turned to remember the blue mist from her dreams and its painful jabs. She seethed remembering its words aimed at Sidus, and after seeing him in his present state, it gave her the fuel she needed. She dwelled on it as much as she could, imagining the anger bubbling up from her stomach and into her jaw.

Baring her teeth in a growl, she snapped her jaw open to release the pent-up emotion. At such close range, the blast of energy almost made Sen stumble, just barely. He parted the blast with a slash of his arm, and she cut off the pulse.

"Not bad! Definitely needs refining, but that's powerful. Would most likely incapacitate weaker Pokémon."

She deflated slightly at the final remark. She didn't want to 'maybe' knock out a weaker foe. He stepped forward and crouched to look at her.

"We'll be frying Pidgey out of the air by the time I'm done with you, don't worry."

She perked up slightly as he stepped back and spread his arms again, beckoning her to try again. She again tried to conjure up the mist in her fuzzy mind's eye. The 'sight' of its stupidly mysterious form made her face scrunch up in concentration and displeasure. She fired off another pulse that hit Sen almost exactly the same. He parted its flow easily.

"There is room for improvement, but such improvement will come naturally. Keeping a mental source of anger on hand proves useful for your kind. This is the only instance I endorse holding grudges, as long as you only channel it into fighting for a greater good, like you Syndicate members do," he said, arms crossed in thought. "Your kind is unfortunately much harder for me to help improve the powers of. My power comes from less raw emotions as anger and strong negative feeling. I was trained and raised to clear my mind of all thought to channel psychic power, something that will only hinder you." He struck his blades together, again making small shimmering sparks. "Instead, I shall train your physical prowess. We share natural blades, and they are your most dependable weapon. Your mind may fail you in a moment of fear or stress, but a blade is constant."

He crouched into a battle-ready pose, his arms crossed in front of him like a shield.

"Show me how you usually fight with your scythe. I need to know where to start you."

He nodded her on as she lowered head slightly. She lunged forward in what she hoped was a powerful swing only to be redirected by Sen into the ground, in an small burst of sand.

"Too straightforward Mona. I can easily snap or grab your horn when you swing it so wide and recklessly." He waited for her to get back up from the ground, sputtering on sand. "With the kind you have, your best bet is to get in close. You have to swing your whole body to attack, making your movements easy to read, but up close there is little chance your opponent will be able to react in time, especially if they rely on ranged attacks. This will also serve well to give you the clearest chance at a killing blow. Your vision is obscured when you attack like you just did."

He turned and swung his head in mimicry of her attack.

"You can't aim for a target when both your head and the enemy are moving at once, especially in such an extreme way and going for an end all attack right off the bat will make you an easy meal to a wild Pokémon." He returned to his previous crouch. "Hit me again, but this time try and get closer before winding back from an attack. Try whatever you think could work to your advantage."

Mona spat out the last of the sand and considered him standing in front of her. A wild glee manifested in the recesses of her mind, tickling her lost memories of a scene that felt very similar to this. She considered using her dark powers to offset him but thought better of it. It wasn't reliable enough yet. Feeling bold, she tried rushing him, not brandishing her head this time, and keeping both eyes firmly locked on him. She waited until she was right in front of him before jumping to the side and trying to slash him on her way. It felt clunkier than she would have liked, but by the look on Sen's face, it was better. He blocked it easily, fluidly following her movement and carefully deflecting her blade without even knocking her off balance. Their blades glanced off one another in midair. She landed and turned to hear what he thought only to find his blade at her throat.

"Never stop in the middle of a battle or turn your back on an enemy Mona. Always be prepared for a counterattack regardless of how strong you think your move was. The battle isn't over until you or your opponent flees, begs for mercy, or falls, do you understand?"

She gulped and nodded slightly with wide eyes. The blade was cold under her chin, not menacingly, but there, nonetheless.

"I have seen too many good Pokémon fall from being co*cky in their certainty. Nothing is certain. Believe only when you see the end with your own eyes." Sen looked deadly serious, no hint of a smile or the previous good-natured tint in his face.

He removed his blade and smiled at her.

"Let us try again, this time don't stop after the first attack. Clave and Thesia taught you that you cannot touch them after a single attempt before resetting. I want to show you how to actually spar with a companion. "

He crossed his blades and sank into a crouch again, the smile on his face genuine, like he was training his own child. Mona could tell why Sidus liked him so much. Maybe she could wipe the smile off Thesia's face tomorrow after all.

Chapter 10: A Final Meal

Chapter Text

Mona charged Sen as she had before, relentless and keeping her eyes locked on Sen. She ducked below his arms and jerked her head in a short slash, feeling bone clash against bone as his blades still expertly parried hers to the ground. She gagged as sand filled her mouth, but tried to keep moving, getting out of Sen's reach as he reared his arm back. She lunged back in again the second she had breath, only to immediately trip in the sand as Sen swung his blade towards her. He chuckled slightly at her fumble.

"Get up Mona, you cannot trip in the middle of a fight. When your opponent attacks, you have two options: avoid it or be prepared to face it." He slid his arm blades against each other for emphasis. "If you find yourself at a disadvantage, as you are now, you are forced to take a hit, but with the right technique you can parry it with your blade, reducing damage and leaving your opponent vulnerable."

Sen took several steps back, and gestured for Mona to do the same. Her muscles tensed instinctively when he dropped into an offensive stance, blades at the ready and his body leaned forward.

"Try and deflect my attack. Do not attempt to overpower it like you did in our first spar. Divert it, as I have done to you."

He rushed forward, far slower than his usual speed, arms raised. Mona barely got her blade up to match him, an audible clang piercing the sound tight room. She pushed him to the side, and managed to slide his blade away from herself. She felt a moment of pride before his other arm came up to face her. In an even sloppier display, she had to strain to get it away from.

"You shouldn't be straining to get me away from you that much. Use my power against me. Let my blade glide along yours and divert it away from you. Don't push against me."

He towered over her and aimed another strike at her head. This time she managed to get his blade to slice by her body, practically cutting her fur on the way down, but missing. He smiled proudly and pushed harder, aiming blow after blow, slowly increasing in speed. To Mona's shock, no two hits were the same. They forced her to move her entire body to retaliate and each one forced her back closer to the edge of the ring. She could feel the heat of the fire against her back, getting dangerously close.

Sen raised his arm triumphantly, a seemingly final blow, and slashed down, faster than he had yet. Mona raised her head to meet him, barely managing to deflect him. Something roared maniacally in her consciousness, spurring her to push back. Turning his blade into the ground cleaner than she ever had, she sliced her head back violently.

Sen stumbled back, surprised, but quickly followed by a fiercely wide smile. A small trail of blood hit the sand, dripping from his arm. He roared with laughter, not mockingly, but full of joy.

"That's it Mona! You got in a hit, and a pretty deep one at that. In a true fight, I want you to push that advantage. Fight you enemy into a corner they can't escape and do not relent." He waved his arms in the air, a soft drizzle coming down from the stone ceiling. Mona gasped for air as she remembered to breath. She had been holding her breath in the last turns of their fight. The blood and wound washed away in the water, and her muscles relaxed for a moment.

"I am proud of you Mona. It has been a long time since I taught someone who had no experience fighting."

Her face fell slightly, the same embarrassment from the day before coming back to the surface.

"Do not be ashamed little one. Simply think of how strong you will be when I'm done with you. You have strength already and simply must be sharpened to a point even Clave and Thesia can't dull."

He winked knowingly at her. She smiled back up at him, but it faded when he stood to fight again.

"We must keep going. By the end of the day, you will know how to spar and deflect anything that comes your way. Are you ready to take on ranged attacks?"

Mona nodded silently, a resolve to impress him bubbling in her chest, and stood to face him.

X

Mona shook as they walked out to meet the others in the main arena. Exhaustion and excitement filled her entire being. She had not managed to hit Sen at all the rest of their session, but she felt powerful. She knew it was simply a placebo from working so hard for so long but the affect was intoxicating. They had taken few breaks throughout the day, Sen insisting they keep going. During the few breaks they had, he critiqued her form, her movement, everything he could to help her improve. She left the room far more empowered than when she had left the day before. Sen struggled to hit her, a fact that made him push her even harder but never reaching his top speed, upping the difficulty of every blow he sent her way. She may not be able to take on Thesia or Clave on one on one, but at least Thesia couldn't bully her too much anymore.

The same could not be said for Sidus. He looked like he wasn't even trying. The spark and life he had the day before was gone, his mind visibly elsewhere with what looked like tears building in his red eyes. Thesia melted with anger when he didn't even resist getting frozen to the ground, only half heartedly trying to step put of the way. Clave hovered on the edge of the ring unsure what to do. The children usually there had long since left, unable to watch it unfold.

"Why aren't you even trying Sidus, this is pathetic!" Thesia spat violently enough that small shards of ice erupted from her mouth. "Hit me!"

Sidus didn't respond, instead just slowly melting the ice on his paws with a deep shaking breath. He spotted Mona and Sen as he turned to free his hind legs, smiling slightly at them. Thesia reared for another attack while his back was turned, her temper at its limit.

"Oh cut it out Thesia! He's had enough and we can't train someone who doesn't want to," Clave snapped, his voice full of exasperation and his arms falling defeated back to his sides.

Thesia snorted and turned sharply away, heading towards the arena entrance. Clave sighed, loud enough Mona could hear him across the arena. She rushed up to Sidus helping him the rest of the way out of the ice, and trying and failing to not slip on it.

"Are you okay Sidus? What happened?" Mona said after spitting out a mixture of ice and sand from face planting.

He looked away from her, his tails curled close to him.

"Thesia can just be a lot sometimes, I'm fine."

His voice betrayed him, a slight tremor slipping out with each breath. Life giving rain covered the arena, healing the small cuts and scratches peeking through his sand matted fur. He shook out the sand, and smiled at Mona.

"Let's just go get dinner, Ma and Pa are waiting for us!"

The false enthusiasm unnerved her, but she returned a quick smile.

"Sounds like you weren't really feeling it today little fox. We'll make up for tomorrow. Not every day must be full throttle," Sen called.

Sen and Clave carefully stood outside the ring of ice surrounding Sidus. Clave opened his mouth, eyes furrowed, but closed it at a sharp look from Sen. Sen sounded calm, but his eyes looked deadly aimed at Clave. Clave shifted under his gaze, before opening his mouth again.

"Let's go get some dinner you two. The chiefs are waiting and Val does not like to wait."

He waved them to follow him, joining Thesia, who seethed at the gate. A ring of ice was rapidly growing at her feet. Sen rested a huge palm on Sidus' back.

"I can tell when my pupils are struggling Sidus, even if they are a dark creature, and you reek of anger and sadness. You do not need to tell me why, but there will be no tolerance for hesitation out in a real dungeon or a real fight. We do not have the luxury of time to wait for a better day, so get some sleep tonight and come back tomorrow ready to learn. I will never force a fight on you but we will train regardless."

His stern voice kept an air of kindness, and Sidus nodded up at him, a more genuine smile on his face.

"Thank you Sen."

The two followed after their mentors. Thesia started walking the moment they got closer, Clave waiting until they were at the gate before going after her. He sighed at the look on Sidus face, still lost in thought, but put on a smile that made his eyes crinkle up at the edges. He patted them both on the back and led them back to the Syndicate headquarters through the quiet town.

X

Val and Daxus already had slabs of food in front of them, and food set out for each of them at one of the larger tables in the dining hall. Sidus lit up at the sight of his parents and the food, and excitedly sat next to his father, with Mona filing in next to him. Thesia took the seat next to Val sharing a cold look with her, and Clave took the final seat, whacking Mona on the back as he sat down. The chill that always came when she made contact with the Morgrem felt warmer.

Mona kept an eye on Sidus as they ate. He smiled and chatted excitedly with his parents, wanting to hear about their day. It scared her. He looked nothing like he had through out the day.

"How was your training today Sidus, Mona?" Daxus said, "He living up to your expectations?" He looked up at Clave and Thesia.

Sidus faltered for a moment, eyes darting slightly to Thesia. Thesia glowered, opening her mouth. Clave hurriedly spoke first.

"They are performing well, the day went smoothly and we are excited to continue tomorrow." Clave pointed a long claw at Sidus and Mona. "We are going to train you both at once tomorrow, sound good?"

Sidus nodded, visibly taken aback. Mona looked down at her fruit, thinking about facing Thesia again and how it would probably play out. She looked up to see the dinosaur looking at her and Sidus, crystals of ice forming around the berry she held.

"I can't wait," Mona said biting into her berry and bumping good naturedly into Sidus. "We'll do great."

Thesia scowled crunching down on her own berry. Clave and Daxus chuckled.

"Your confidence sure has grown Mona. I am excited to hear how you do when I get back from my trip," Daxus said over a bite of meat.

Sidus deflated next to her. He looked down at his half eaten Skiddo.

"Pa... do you really need to be the one to go after the fugitive?"

Daxus sighed, sharing a glance with Val. He looked at Sidus, who refused to look up at him. He rested a paw on his back.

"Sidus."

Sidus looked up finally at him, eyes rimmed with pent up tears.

"I don't want you to go! What if you don't come back? What if you disappear like all the others?" His words quickened, unable to keep it in any longer. "Why can't someone else go? It doesn't have to be you!"

"It does have to be me. I cannot risk anyone else's life my spark." He spoke gently, voice even and face lowered to his level. "This is something far more important than any one Pokémon, and I cannot place that burden on someone else's shoulders."

"But what about us? We matter! You are leaving us!" Sidus's voice raised angrily. He stood up staring at his father.

The table was silent. The Whooper and Quagsire stared from behind the counter, the clatter of cleaning came to an eager silence. Daxus sat up straight again, looking at his son.

"Don't you yell at your father!" Val stood up, matching Sidus. "You don't understand..."

"And you're letting him go!" Sidus interrupted. "YOU don't understand how unfair this is to me! YOU decided without even telling me!"

"Sidus..." Daxus started.

"How dare you!" Val moved to stand next to Daxus. "We had to plan and think about this for weeks, do you think he just decided to leave? This is far more important than you Sidus. Lives are at stake every moment that monster is out there. Do you want us to do nothing?"

Sidus locked eyes with Val, her face softening as his scrunched up with more tears.

"Sidus, I'm sorry..." Val started, but Sidus was already running.

Mona ran after him, leaving Val and Daxus sitting next to each other.

"Wait!"

He didn't even look behind him.

"Sidus please! I can't keep up!"

She could only see his tails clearly in the fading light. His feet kicked up dust and dirt in her face as he ran. His claws left deep scars in the ground; the earth kicked up against Mona's fur like blood splatters. His breath was ragged, not from exertion like Mona's were, but full of pain.

"I want to help Sidus, can we just talk?" She coughed on her own exhaustion and the dirt in her face. "You can talk to me! I'm your friend!"

"You don't understand Mona, just leave me alone!" he choked out.

"I understand you are scared!"

"You don't understand losing a dad! You don't even have one! Don’t act like you know me Mona!"

She stumbled at his words, with him shooting ahead of her.

She lost him at the entrance to Sika Town, tripping and sliding into town as his tails disappeared around the corner of a house. The town looked cloaked in shadow. The moon shined through the holes above her instead of the sun, making a soft dapple across the map. Sidus' red tails were nowhere in sight, the dark homes hiding him and smothering his steps in their maze. She tried to catch her breath, feeling her lungs struggle to keep up with the sprint and shouting. She collapsed into a sitting position after trying to run again. Her head fell onto her chest, trying not to cry. She shook her head and rubbed her eyes roughly on her arm before following him, at a snail's pace in comparison to his sprint.

Why am I trying to be therapist for someone I still barely know…

’Friends are fickle things aren’t they? You should have listened to me.”

Mona stiffened recognizing the voice. She whirled around on the spot, still out of breath and feeling her chest seize up with dread.

’Calm down… did you really think I was only in your dreams darling?’

What are you? How did you…

’Shh… that is a lot of thinking for such a small head. You’ll give yourself a headache.’

The voice dripped with mocking laughter.

’You are so reliant on your little friend. He does almost all of the talking and decision making. It’s pathetic. Try thinking for yourself for once. It’s nice not thinking about how someone else sees you for two seconds.’

Mona suspended her disbelief for a moment at its words.

Get out of my head. I have one person here I can trust and talk to, and I just ran after him like some idiot trying to play peacemaker. What would you suggest I do oh wise blue stink cloud?

She could hear it laughing in her brain echoing against her skull.

’Ohoho, seems I’ve hit a nerve. I had but one friend on my journey and he killed me, so I must say I hope the same happens to you.’

Did you talk to him like you do to me?

’He had a lot more backbone than you did dear if that’s what you mean.’

Sounds like I shouldn’t be asking you for relationship advice.

She winced at the chuckling. It was like a hammer.

‘Look at that she has her own voice. Try and use it sometime.’

She hit the side of her head with her paw to try and drown out the noise, sitting in the middle of the road with her eyes tightly shut.

”Deary?”

”SHUT UP!” Mona snapped out loud.

She opened her eyes to see Vi and Gi standing in front of her quite confused. Her mouth dropped in horror.

”I am so sorry! I thought you were someone else…”

Mona dropped down to her stomach, completely overwhelmed with emotion and thought. The Kecleon sisters looked at her incredulously, walking up to stand next to her.

“What on earth is wrong? We haven’t seen you or Sidus since you stopped by our shop. Is everything okay?” Gi said, crouching down next to her. Vi was patting her head, laying down the disoriented fur.

Mona didn’t know what to say. She couldn’t possibly explain why Sidus had run off, let alone explain her own emotions without telling them what she was. Everything had been moving a Mach speed during her short time as a Pokémon, she can’t just explain that. She took a deep shaking breath and looked up at Gi.

”We didn’t do well on our first mission, which was my fault. We’ve been undergoing training for the past few days, because of me. Now Sidus had an argument with his parents and ran off, and I’m out here trying to help him but he’s barely known me for a week, so now I feel like an idiot even trying.” She looked up at Vi who was still patting her, a confused look on her face as Mona continued speaking as fast as she could. “I don’t know where he is, and I don’t know what I would even do if I did. I’m stupid even…”

Gi gave her a poke on the nose interrupting her.

”Stop talking about yourself like that.”

Vi rested her hand on Mona’s rapidly rising and falling back. She was still panting to get in enough air.

”Could we help you?” Vi said, giving her a gentle squeeze.

”Why? You barely even know me either. I’m just another stranger to you too.”

“Because we want to!” Gi said looking at her hard, like a mother looks a her misbehaving child. “You obviously need the help, and Arceus you could use someone to talk to if you are yelling at the first person you see at night to shut up.”

Mona looked at her feet.

”Come on, let’s go find him. New friend or not it sounds like he could use someone,” Vi said.

They stood up and waited for Mona to follow suit. They led her down the road, with Vi keeping a hand on her back, a reminder they were there.

”Where did you see him go?”

”I don’t even know to be honest. He turned around a house and I lost him.”

”Then we’ll just walk and talk. We’ll find him somewhere,” Gi said, smiling at her.

”Why do you think so lowly of yourself deary? It’s not a safe trait to have as an adventurer, is it Gi? Remember that one little guy?”

“Oh don’t remind me of such things. We don’t need to talk about such dark things around her Vi.”

”One has to be sure of themself when on the road and in a dungeon. Don’t forget that.”

”I won’t,” Mona said, looking down at her claws as they walked.

”If you don’t mind me asking, don’t you have other companions? Family? Someone else to turn to? You can’t just let these emotions build up without someone to talk to.”

Mona shook her head, not looking up. Vi and Gi both stopped.

“I am so sorry, I didn’t mean to pry,” Vi said, covering her mouth.

”If I may pry slightly, how in Arceus name did you get here with no one to help you?” Gi said carefully.

”I don’t remember.”

”Oh my gods,” Gi said, crouching to look at Mona who was still staring at the ground. “I am so so sorry deary.”

”I think I have been a bad friend to Sidus. I drug him down during our first mission, forcing him into a week of hard training, and now I think I overstepped myself trying to talk to him while he was trying to run away to be in his own.” She sat down. “I don’t want to lose my only friend.”

“Do not worry about Sidus, I am sure he is not cross with you. The excitement and ease he had with you at the market when we met you was something we have never seen before. You aren’t going to be on your own, he just needs to get through whatever is bothering him.”

”And besides,” Vi piped up, “he absolutely adores training and fighting. I doubt he was too disappointed. Did he tell you he was mad at you for the mission and training?”

”No, but he probably just didn’t want to hurt my feelings.”

Gi giggled, “That child wears his heart on his sleeve, he would tell you. And it does no one any favors over thinking it. Just try and improve and do it together, that’s how a good friendship strengthens! He needs a good friend. Sidus has always been on the move too much to build too many relationships, not that he can when all he does is run after his parents and train. You are his best one for just trying.”

”And we are here Mona! If the Syndicate ever throws you out, we would snap you up in an instant. We could always use a delivery girl. Our shop is always open to our friends in need.” Vi’s scales turned yellow as she spoke.

Despite it all, Mona smiled up at them both. She suddenly threw herself on Gi with a hug.

”Now let’s keep looking,” Gi said after giving Mona a squeeze back. “I think Sidus could use a hug himself, especially from a friend.”

X

They looked for what felt like an hour for Sidus and found him nestled under a small tree, pawing at a fallen fruit in front of him.

His face was streaked with tears, the fur matted down under his eyes and nose from where he had wiped at them. He rolled over and turned his back to them when he spotted them, not saying a word. Mona walked up to him and paused right next him. She laid down next to him under the tree, Gi and Vi patiently waiting a bit away among the houses, giving them some privacy as they talked.

”Can we go back to our room?” she said after a moment.

”Huh?”

”I’m just really tired from the day, and can’t sleep without you there.”

He didn’t say anything for a moment.

”Did you come all the way out here just to ask me that?”

There was a hint of amusem*nt in his voice, like he was shocked at her insistence. He rolled over a bit to be able to see her.

”I don’t want to force you to talk about how you feel if you don’t want to. I’m sorry I tried to earlier.”

”I’m sorry for what I said to you. You were just trying to help. You didn’t deserve that.” His voice hung up in his throat again.

”You were right, it’s okay. I don’t know all of what you are feeling right now Sidus, but I would like to.” She laid her head next to his on the ground. “You know pretty much everything about me after all,” she said with a little laugh. “I’m not that hard to understand.”

That got a laugh out of him.

”Mona you are the most weird Pokémon I know. No one has ever told me they were a human before. I could never completely know you.” He rolled his head away. “I am scared Mona. Pa has never went on something as dangerous as this. What if he never comes home?”

Mona shifted a bit closer when she heard his breathing grow labored under fresh tears.

”I don’t know. But worrying about it isn’t going to make it better.”

He grunted at her, sniffing hard.

”And I don’t want you to be on your own Sidus. That’s why I hunted you down out here.” She snuggled closer. “No one should be scared on their own.”

He pushed closer to her as he continued sniffing.

”Can we go home Sidus?”

”Yeah.”

X

They managed their way back through town with the help of Gi and Vi, who didn’t say a word about the situation to Sidus. They smiled at the two of them, and gave them a hug back at the Syndicate tunnel, leaving them to return on their own.

“Let’s just go to bed Mona. I don’t want to talk to Ma and Pa right now. They are probably asleep anyway.”

”Sidus, I’m sure…”

He was already climbing the ropes to their room. She clambered after him. She made it into the room shortly after him.

They piled up as they always did, comfortable on the plush rug and in each other’s presence. Sidus fell asleep almost instantly, flopped across Mona. His breath finally evened out from all the crying. Mona looked out at the moon fully in the sky, trying to force herself asleep when something broke her concentration.

Someone was coming into their room.

It was Daxus and Val. Val’s face was as tear stained as Sidus’, it finally finding relief at seeing her son safe and at home. She smiled (slightly at Mona but mostly at her son) and came to lay next to them, her head resting next to Sidus. Her tails laid across them protectively, her breathe also stabilizing from a long time of crying.

Daxus joined them, smiling at Mona and whispering a gentle “thank you.” He laid on her other side, surrounding the children in warmth and protection, resting his head on Sidus.

Sidus shifted slightly on her back. She could feel him move ever so slightly to snuggle into his parents. The four fell asleep, in a moment that could have lasted an eternity.