Pokémon Fledglings

[Arukona]

Hello again! Back here for another V-Wheel in which I was spun to read this fic again by the randomisers that be (that’s happened a bunch recently, I’ve noticed). I don’t mind, though - anything to get deeper into one of the juggernauts of PMD fanfiction length-wise. And it appears this time around, there’s a Special Chapter to get through. So this should prove quite an interesting leap into the past.

Just what lies in wait for us here? Let’s find out…

Special Chapter 2: Swinging the Lamp

Looks like we’re starting off with a bit of backstory for Anyilla where there’s quite a bit of truth in the changes to cities particularly in name. Most places founded by the Greco-Romans can probably attest to this in regards to name changes over time.

And it seems it’s back to a time when Lyn was still an up-and-coming rising star in the Company’s ranks. By the looks of it, this doesn’t look to be too far back from current events, just like how Auld Lang Syne took place not too long before Pleo hatched.

"Good morning. You're the new Commissioner, I presume," the Gyarados said. "Lyn, was it?"

Wow, things were nowhere near as tense between Zorn and Lyn as they are in the present day. Given that this is their first meeting, perhaps that’s to be expected, but it’s surprising to see our resident crafty Gyarados administrator be a lot more amicable when he’s not chasing down a certain little Lugia.

"There were a few details that were withheld in your briefing that the Board felt were on a need-to-know basis," the sea serpent answered.

Oh, never mind, he’s just as much of a snake as ever. Some things don’t change, do they?

Over to Kenobi, where we appear to be getting a POV from Pladur. And it appears he was a cook back then. I have a slight hunch that his cooking explains how he and Gwenith got together back in the day.

Oh hey, it’s Scian again! I did recall you saying he’d be back, and looks like he’s here as well. Although just who’s that Tyrantrum that’s emerged? Quite a towering figure among these smaller thieves, and clearly intimidating enough for Pladur to be quivering in his scales (even if Crom’s dad hasn’t exactly been known for his bravery in the story until now). I’m happy for this, though - another favourite species of mine to add to the cast.

"Wh-What- W-Why is Commander Tarquin here?!" the Dragon-Type squeaked. "I thought that we got rid of him!"

Seems like a case of ‘overthrown from glory and turned to piracy thereafter’ moment. Part of me wonders if Hess might be in a similar way, and I’m looking forward to seeing how his backstory plays out, if we get to see it. I wonder if Tarquin might’ve become dropped by the Company after his ousting from Tromba and that’s why he’s now a pirate.

Also if I had a nickel for every huge dinosaur pirate captain that showed up in this fic, I’d have two nickels. Not a lot, but it does seem to be a trend among the pirates of the Cradle thus far. Fingers crossed Cabot doesn’t go rogue and makes it three for three.

A conference of Kecleon - just the thing to strike fear into the heart of anyone.

Also Calino’s here and as much of a wet blanket as ever.

"We have a small parcel delivery to Giotto," Bruna explained. "Time sensitive."

Giotto - as in Cabot’s home? Will he get a cameo in this, I wonder?

I suppose in an oceanbound setting like this one, the Iron Fleet (if they’re around by the time this takes place) are hardly the only pirates doing the rounds.

I like the duality going on here, where both Pladur and Lyn have details about a mission being kept from them by the ones hiring them - it brings out parallels that prove interesting to compare and contrast.

"We need it in Tidemill City in two days at the crack of dawn," the chameleon continued. "We'll pay 200,000 Poké if it comes in, and not a single coin if it doesn't arrive in one piece."

Goddamn, that’s a lot of money. Enough that I’m surprised there’s no reaction as to how much money the crew are getting for this.

"So… you travel on ships much?" Pat asked.

"Nope!" he cheerily replied. "The trip to Kenobi today was the first time I've been on one!"

…He’s going to be an anchor to the whole mission, I can tell. This’ll be an escort mission with one annoying voice that'll be ungrateful to transport, and if this does turn out to be a failure, he’s going to be partly responsible.

Outside, the Tyrantrum they had bumped into earlier had been eavesdropping through a window covered with a damaged shutter, his subordinates close behind him.

Remarkable he was able to do that given how huge and not equipped for stealth Tyrantrum can be. Then again, the fact that he wasn’t spotted is maybe a testament to how he overcame this challenge as Commander and now pirate leader.

On the ship on the open sea now, and as expected, Calino’s no good at all at anything on here. Clearly being a merchant on land’s more his avenue.

Awww, Pladur misses his family. A sign to get back to them so the kids can spend time with their dear ol’ daddy.

Oh no, a Company galleon on the horizon.

This can only lead to good things, I’m sure. Although is it truly so dangerous that Calino feels the need to divert the ship into a Mystery Dungeon in the Dead Zone?

The trade secrets in that book must run hella deep if they’re willing to give a 200,000 Poké payout for delivering it safely to Giotto. Is it really just that it’s an old treasured heirloom? Or can the book tell us something more about the history of the Cradle?

"And of course they'd wind up making things difficult for me…" Lyn grumbled. The otter grit his teeth and lowered his scope from his eye, before giving a shake of his head and turning back to his crew on the deck.

"We're going in."

Of course it can’t be that simple, can it? Of course they’d have to chase the group down and hound them to get that journal.

And not just the Argent Aviso - Tarquin’s getting in this too. All this fuss over some pages in a book…

So Orleigh looks to be a pirate hangout, if Tarquin’s involved with there. I recall Orleigh was also mentioned in relation to Hess too, and I wonder if it’ll be the next place Team Traveller end up going to in the present day.

"Who knows? If this all goes smoothly enough, maybe I'll hang my colors from their ship and turn us into the ‘Strongjaw Fleet!'"

Oh right, I remember this name being mentioned back in Kenobi, when Alvise, Nori and Valatos were looking for a new crew to join. Nice to see it coming back here, and by the sounds of it, Tarquin did indeed get that promotion.

"Oh, you'll pay for that!"

"Bring it, snake!"

Tarquin turned his head as the sound of a commotion in the gathering broke out. The Tyrantrum looked up just in time to see the crowd scatter to avoid a Zangoose and Seviper locked in heated battle, the tangled pair coming to a rolling stop in front of the Dragon-Type.

Heh, nice to see the Zangoose-Seviper rivalry making its mark here too. Will these two ever get on, or will their bickering prove to scupper Tarquin’s goals in the end?

Tarquin certainly does a good job at being intimidating, although that no doubt comes with the territory of being a Tyrantrum, which in turn makes being a pirate captain all the easier when it comes to putting unruly subordinates in their place with sheer menace.

And looks like it’s not a moment too soon after which they launch their attacks on the Siglo Swellow gang. Here’s hoping whatever terrors lie in the Dead Zone will be able to scare off the Strongjaw Gang.

"Anyone tries any funny business, and the lot of you hicks will be getting swimming lessons right here and now!"

I see someone has a favourite insult to toss around. You could use a bit of variety in your jabs, Tarquin, just saying.

Huh, there was me thinking the meadow smell that Akane and the Raticate picked up on was a quirk of the Mystery Dungeon. Instead it appears to be a Sweet Scent, if I had to guess?

An Absol does make for a nifty addition to one’s crew with their warning senses guiding the way. If only Lyn was willing to listen to his crewmate’s warnings.

Lyn watched his first mate get struck by a blue blur, dissolving into light and getting sucked into an Apricorn that came to a tumbling stop on the deck.

Apricorns in action? Given what they’ve been proven to do, this could end very badly indeed for the unlucky ones captured within them.

Scian is all bark and no bite in the face of Lyn. As expected, it’s a trouncing by our resident Samurott.

I like the little duel between Lyn and Tarquin; a nice showcase of clashing villains, something that’s always a treat.

"Captain, hang in the- Argh!"

Akane felt a crushing blow at the back of her head and hit the deck stunned. As the Seviper attempted to regain her bearings, she saw a white, furry creature running off ahead for the squabbling captains.

"Butt out, péist!" Scian hissed. "I've got this!"

I had a feeling those two would be getting in the way of things. And what a time for their squabble to unfold, when their enemy’s in prime position to be targeted.

Both Lyn and Tarquin stared for a moment of stunned silence, jaws agape, as they watched the many pages of the journal float away on the sea breeze.

Welp, that’s a RIP for the 200,000 Poké promised for the Siglo Swellow gang. Guess they’re going home empty-handed.

Back to the Strongjaw Gang, where things are quite heated but understandably so. Scian’s in for a rough one, no doubt.

"Grab these three idiots and bring them to the railing!" the Tyrantrum snarled. "I want to see the lot of them walk the plank!"

And that’s about as rough a punishment as it gets. Yikes.

"This is all a bunch of useless clutter that some pencil-pusher wrote!" the Tyrantrum exclaimed, angrily crumpling up the pages. "Then... that means that the real journal's with-!"

Oh, it’s a forgery? Dang, Calino sure pulled a fast one on them. Good going.

"Oh really now, Calino, we just got lucky this time," the Illumise corrected. "That said, I think that if we stay careful, we should be in the clear here."

No, don’t say that! You’ll jinx yourselves!

Although it seems things do go smoothly for them in the end, and they arrive in Giotto without incident. They meet another older Kecleon named Walpole, and the mission seems to be accomplished. However…

"However, this isn't the right time to be discussing our little free-trade experiment here, and I believe you had something that was meant to accompany the Taloons' Chronicle…"

…That would be the transcriptions that Tarquin’s crew took, wouldn’t it be? Of course there had to be a snag somewhere.

Ah, so Calino being assigned to Tromba is effectively a punishment. No wonder he’s always been a bit of a sourpuss when an assignment to a backwater like Tromba seems to be the Merchantry’s equivalent of putting someone on the naughty step.

But at least the Siglo Swellow gang seems willing to give him a lift there. Tromban hospitality at its finest, and an attitude we’ve seen from the Bluewhorl folks as well as our protagonists. Here’s hoping Pleo will come to have that same attitude in time.

Conclusion
Well, this was a fun little detour from the main plot at hand. I quite liked this little sidestory from a few years before the main events are set into motion, and it’s cool seeing Pladur be one of the main players of this chapter. There’s some other points of interest, like the explanation as to how Calino became stationed at Tromba and why he’s always been something of a sourpuss. There’s also more elaboration on the briefly mentioned Strongjaw Fleet and seeing their leader in person this time, and the battle between the fleets was rather cool.

The only thing I’m kinda questioning is what purpose this Special Chapter serves to the grander scheme of things. I could say the same thing about Auld Lang Syne as well, and thinking back, that chapter did introduce us more properly to Hess and his fleet before they got more of a focus in the main story. Maybe that’s what we’ll see here too with Tarquin’s fleet? And possibly that journal as well - is there more to it than meets the eye? I guess we’ll wait and see in the upcoming chapters whether this unfolds.

A fun Special Chapter, and I’m looking forward to getting back to the main story to see if events from this have a bearing on matters there.

 

[Spiteful Murkrow]

@Namohysip

Spoiler

LONG overdue, sorry! But I hope this review blitz prize finds you well with some verrry deep chapters. Since I'm already so far along for Fledglings, I can give you some feedback for much more recent chapter. These were big chapters, and I wanted to spend some time polishing the review.

Nah, it’s good. We’re not exactly strangers to “[X] is done when it’s done” in our own writings, so we won’t begrudge you for having done that

Anyway, we are opening with Pleo trying to regain his ground with some of the remaining allies after, as I recall, a pretty big setback with many allies being captured and a town falling for the bait.

One thing that has me a bit curious is how lethal those blades seem to be when slashing someone as a threat. I recall the narrative made it a bit of a point that such things are very hard to do to non-substitute dolls and Pokémon are naturally quite scratch-proof. It's odd that it's so easy now, even with power differentials at play. I'm not sure what changed there since I recall the power differential early on was also pretty wide.

That’s more an artifact of said blade being leveled at that unfortunate Hakamo-o’s windpipe by a Pokémon that is way out of his league strength-wise, hence his panicked reaction. In general “unlucky crits” tend to have a leg up of getting into life-threatening territory, which a neck wound felt like a pretty reliable formula for pulling off.

Oh look, it's Bunsen! Quite a coincidence to randomly run into him at this point, but being able to find some sudden backup in the form of a Marked and a hidden militia is promising... There's a bit of hope after all if they can find a way to raid the place and distract the pirates enough to do a rescue. If they want Pleo, then if he flees, surely they'd leave the town alone…

This actually wasn’t quite a coincidence. We actually foreshadowed subtly earlier on that Bunsen wasn’t quite done in the Vollezee episode, along with there being a place where Marked hung out in Anyilla, so this was the moment where it finally came together onscreen. As for him being out and about, Bunsen is the new guy locally, meaning that he’d be first in line for less popular jobs like skulking around to forage in potentially hostile environments.

In the next chapter, it appears that Hess has gained a lot of extra crew from individuals returning to piracy or otherwise joining in exchange for freedom. So much for loyalty, I guess. This has probably been the lowest the team has been in a while.

Clever diversion while Pleo flees, but I do wonder why they left footprints when they have wings. I wonder if they'd be able to just have some split footprints and then fly the right way without leaving as much of a trace with that lightweight crew, even if it's low-altitude flying. Maybe that's just not sustainable right now?

It was mentioned after Pleo woke up in his cell, but his wings were clipped as part of standard operating procedure on Robbie and the gang’s part.

You know, it does occur to me, when it comes to stealth, I wonder how useful Apricorns could be for that sort of thing. Like yeah, you're helpless, but with someone trustworthy enough, or even if they cracked it a little so some resistance CAN let them out... I dunno. It seems like a neat concept that I don't recall being explored here.

It would be theoretically doable. Crazy risky if something goes wrong and likely requiring a healthy amount of desensitization to not make the carried ‘mon inside panic, but theoretically doable.

...But anyway, then they have Bunsen tied up. Which isn't really a good look for trying to get allies... Not sure what they were thinking, because then...! The welcoming committee is here! And Bunsen is still tied up. This'll go well.

: “I just want to say that we never asked for this and we don’t exactly trust him. He hurt our friends back home!”

Yeah, looks like that went badly, but to be honest, with how easily people just... have Petrify Orbs on command, it's kind of crazy how the team just doesn't do that in general to get past things. It really seems like a big win button for any of the scuffles that have happened in the last several chapters.

Well, there’s some limitations since Petrify Orbs are one of those orbs that has consistently been depicted as being noticeably less effective outside of Mystery Dungeons in this setting. Also, it “helps” that the gang got cleaned out before heading into the boonies, that the orbs still are relatively scarce, and that Robbie didn’t exactly have a robust armory to work with.

Ah, and the Hydreigon from way back is here. So that's where she went... Nostalgic to see.

Yup, another bit of long-term foreshadowing that finally had a chance to pay off in-story.

Hey, that Deino kid as well, of course. Speaking casually with Pleo and in a friendly way... and nobody seems to bat an eye or question whether or not Pleo is an exception or not, or something. With how superstitious the Marked are, seemingly universally as an instinctual trait, maybe that's why they keep ostracizing themselves…

I mean, it helps that “Legendaries are demons out to get us” is literally a part of their religion. So there’s a fair amount of resistance to going against that grain.

Blackmail for Grovyle, and it's a good deal assuming they're keeping to their word. I'm not really sure where this whole Darzin thing is going to be honest, especially with all this other stuff happening, so I'm just going to have faith that there's relevance in something in the finale, whatever that arc is. I kinda just wish all of these political scheming scenes—of which there are a LOT—were a bit more abridged. They blend a lot, like the extended combat.

I’m not sure if I would characterize this scene as “political scheming”, since we clearly seem to have different definitions of what that entails. I don’t know what your definition is, but yours is clearly a lot broader and open-ended, so it’s a bit hard to gauge specifics of what you’re referring to. I’m aware that authorial preferences will always differ from one writer to the next, but these scenes are a bit more load-bearing to current and later events in this story than you assumed here, which I suppose will also become apparent in time.

The Elders are more or less mimicking whatever the rest of all Marked society across the entire Cradle behave like, so that's not too much a surprise, though at least the Grand Elder is hearing them out. At least they've got representation! But for being supposedly wise Elders, they're very short-sighted to get news of pirates using a demon as a weapon and saying, "Okay good luck." Like, seriously, wouldn't that be a code red if they can prevent that?

It may be shortsighted, but their thought process is basically:

Which when you’re attempting to hole up in seclusion from an outside world with a history of being hostile, can sound pretty appealing at first.

Also, while I was reading this through, I noticed you put up some general trivia for this arc! Some of it was interesting, though one aspect in particular alarmed me, and it really speaks to the overall vibe I have with this. It seems like this arc was originally going to be much shorter, but then you added the pirates, and… I have to agree, it's a lot longer, but I think it became a hindrance.

The conflict was massively bloating this arc, and I was waaaay more interested in getting to the Marked lore instead of yet another conflict ball. I’m not sure what drove you to add to an already bloated storyline—especially after other critiques I’ve seen of the storying moving so slowly with too many moving parts with too much focus—but seeing the opportunity for something shorter, and pivoting by… making it your longest episode was a misstep, I feel.

I… am not fully sure how you managed that since said trivia is at the very end of the arc and intended to be read afterwards. That said, while this episode did turn out a bit longer than we had hoped for, that was not due to some last-minute change to the plot since the whole pirate focus in Gestirn had been settled on years in advance. Our length issues wound up arising after realizing that our existing shorter, initial plans had major plot holes we were building towards that needed additional content to smooth over.

I can’t tell from your review if the “conflict ball” characterization is meant to apply to the Marked or pirates’ end of the plot, but I can’t say I see eye to eye about it either way. Perhaps we would’ve trimmed some things down were we doing things again, but everything that happened was stuff we ultimately wanted to do. We certainly have kept length a bit more in mind with our present and future episodes, though Gestirn’s length was ultimately a matter between choosing the lesser of two evils, and we’d like to think that the plot ultimately turned out for the better because of it.

Fledglings has been spiraling in scope for a while now while not really picking and choosing what to summarize effectively. Less is more--beware of bloat! You're already so far into things that sometimes, certain beats happening are truly just a retread that did not necessarily need to be there in full, and could have been summarized some. That goes double for all the extended combat and political scheming scenes.

This is the point in the story where it’s good to streamline what we’ve already seen before so we can actually get to answers and the conflicts that matter. So much of what we have seen so far has just been… something already remixed several times over. We’re just now reaching some new lore with the Marked (maybe?) and it has been nearly a novel’s worth of words since that latest significant development. Don’t be afraid to slim down! It will not hurt.

I suspect that much of this “bloat” is ultimately a product of these scenes not clicking with you, since while a few could’ve been potentially condensed, everything in this episode happened for a reason. Fortunately, the inherent nature of the next couple episodes is such that we will be converging all these various plot threads that we have been setting up together. I admittedly think that the combat criticism may be veering a bit off into “different tastes” territory, but the episode after this one is a bit lighter on large-scale battles relative to Gestirn, yes.

I really hope that for these final episodes, you try to summarize things that just do not need to be shown onscreen for the umpteenth time, especially the constant strategizing and planning scenes, or the excessive combat scenes. "New" things, rather than retreads of the old genre beats, so the ending has something that can feel unique and snappy the way the earliest chapters were, which continue to be my favorite segments of the story. But where those early chapters introduced intrigue, small conflicts and rising action, I think this fic is long in need of answers, concluding conflicts, and a direction for where it will reach its climactic end. Hoping that one comes soon!

We’ll be getting there, since offsite, we are currently on the second-to-last island of the plot. Hopefully some of those things you’ve been looking for should be quite a bit clearer by the time its time in the plot is done.

@Arukona

Spoiler

Looks like we’re starting off with a bit of backstory for Anyilla where there’s quite a bit of truth in the changes to cities particularly in name. Most places founded by the Greco-Romans can probably attest to this in regards to name changes over time.

And it seems it’s back to a time when Lyn was still an up-and-coming rising star in the Company’s ranks. By the looks of it, this doesn’t look to be too far back from current events, just like how Auld Lang Syne took place not too long before Pleo hatched.

Yup. These events most likely occurred within 4-5 years before the events of the present day, so fairly recently in the grand scheme of things.

Wow, things were nowhere near as tense between Zorn and Lyn as they are in the present day. Given that this is their first meeting, perhaps that’s to be expected, but it’s surprising to see our resident crafty Gyarados administrator be a lot more amicable when he’s not chasing down a certain little Lugia.

[...]

Oh, never mind, he’s just as much of a snake as ever. Some things don’t change, do they?

Well, they certainly don’t. Even if Zorn would likely heavily insist that he’s a serpent. :V

Over to Kenobi, where we appear to be getting a POV from Pladur. And it appears he was a cook back then. I have a slight hunch that his cooking explains how he and Gwenith got together back in the day.

It certainly didn’t hurt for wooing Gwenith, no.

Oh hey, it’s Scian again! I did recall you saying he’d be back, and looks like he’s here as well. Although just who’s that Tyrantrum that’s emerged? Quite a towering figure among these smaller thieves, and clearly intimidating enough for Pladur to be quivering in his scales (even if Crom’s dad hasn’t exactly been known for his bravery in the story until now). I’m happy for this, though - another favourite species of mine to add to the cast.

Glad to hear, you’ll see a bit more of Tarquin from time to time later on in this story.

Seems like a case of ‘overthrown from glory and turned to piracy thereafter’ moment. Part of me wonders if Hess might be in a similar way, and I’m looking forward to seeing how his backstory plays out, if we get to see it. I wonder if Tarquin might’ve become dropped by the Company after his ousting from Tromba and that’s why he’s now a pirate.

Also if I had a nickel for every huge dinosaur pirate captain that showed up in this fic, I’d have two nickels. Not a lot, but it does seem to be a trend among the pirates of the Cradle thus far. Fingers crossed Cabot doesn’t go rogue and makes it three for three.

Tarquin: “Excuse me? That bumbling oaf of a lizard? A dinosaur?” >:|

Even if Hess definitely has the edge over Tarquin when it comes to getting around in the water.

A conference of Kecleon - just the thing to strike fear into the heart of anyone.

Also Calino’s here and as much of a wet blanket as ever.

I mean, at least Calino’s trying to be amiable here? o3o;

I suppose in an oceanbound setting like this one, the Iron Fleet (if they’re around by the time this takes place) are hardly the only pirates doing the rounds.

Indeed. You’ll get to see a few more of those pirates pretty soon in the story.

I like the duality going on here, where both Pladur and Lyn have details about a mission being kept from them by the ones hiring them - it brings out parallels that prove interesting to compare and contrast.

And Tarquin would technically be the third given that he reveals in passing that his own crew wasn’t privy to what the Kecleon really wanted from that raid they were hired to do.

Goddamn, that’s a lot of money. Enough that I’m surprised there’s no reaction as to how much money the crew are getting for this.

This is actually not that much money in the grand scheme of things when divided between 60-80 Pokémon, which is more “about a dozen Wonder Orbs per person”. Not a bad payday for 48 hours of work, but not exactly lottery winnings there.

…He’s going to be an anchor to the whole mission, I can tell. This’ll be an escort mission with one annoying voice that'll be ungrateful to transport, and if this does turn out to be a failure, he’s going to be partly responsible.

Though I suppose that this prediction wasn’t totally inaccurate.

Remarkable he was able to do that given how huge and not equipped for stealth Tyrantrum can be. Then again, the fact that he wasn’t spotted is maybe a testament to how he overcame this challenge as Commander and now pirate leader.

Also, being in the scummy neighborhood and being sufficiently sized and strong to make eavesdroppers hastily nope out probably helped.

On the ship on the open sea now, and as expected, Calino’s no good at all at anything on here. Clearly being a merchant on land’s more his avenue.

Awww, Pladur misses his family. A sign to get back to them so the kids can spend time with their dear ol’ daddy.

‘Kid’ singular at this point in time. The other one is still an egg at this time.

Oh no, a Company galleon on the horizon.

This can only lead to good things, I’m sure. Although is it truly so dangerous that Calino feels the need to divert the ship into a Mystery Dungeon in the Dead Zone?

I mean, you did remember the conditions the lizard cartel for bringing that book over, right?

The trade secrets in that book must run hella deep if they’re willing to give a 200,000 Poké payout for delivering it safely to Giotto. Is it really just that it’s an old treasured heirloom? Or can the book tell us something more about the history of the Cradle?

Of course it can’t be that simple, can it? Of course they’d have to chase the group down and hound them to get that journal.

I mean, Lyn wasn’t shown off earlier on just so he could sail up to the Siglo Swellow and give a pleasant “hello”. :p

And not just the Argent Aviso - Tarquin’s getting in this too. All this fuss over some pages in a book…

‘some pages in a book’, huh?

So Orleigh looks to be a pirate hangout, if Tarquin’s involved with there. I recall Orleigh was also mentioned in relation to Hess too, and I wonder if it’ll be the next place Team Traveller end up going to in the present day.

Oh right, I remember this name being mentioned back in Kenobi, when Alvise, Nori and Valatos were looking for a new crew to join. Nice to see it coming back here, and by the sounds of it, Tarquin did indeed get that promotion.

Well, nobody said he got said promotion here, but yeah. Tarquin made it into the big times between this Special Chapter and the present day, you’ll get an idea of how much he did so a bit later on.

Heh, nice to see the Zangoose-Seviper rivalry making its mark here too. Will these two ever get on, or will their bickering prove to scupper Tarquin’s goals in the end?

Tarquin certainly does a good job at being intimidating, although that no doubt comes with the territory of being a Tyrantrum, which in turn makes being a pirate captain all the easier when it comes to putting unruly subordinates in their place with sheer menace.

And boy does it ever.

I see someone has a favourite insult to toss around. You could use a bit of variety in your jabs, Tarquin, just saying.

We actually went and thinned out the “hick” count a bit. Hopefully it feels like there’s a bit more variety now.

Huh, there was me thinking the meadow smell that Akane and the Raticate picked up on was a quirk of the Mystery Dungeon. Instead it appears to be a Sweet Scent, if I had to guess?

It was a Sweet Scent, yes.

An Absol does make for a nifty addition to one’s crew with their warning senses guiding the way. If only Lyn was willing to listen to his crewmate’s warnings.

Would’ve been a pretty different story if Lyn had, but alas, our “favorite” Samurott commissioner has always been a bit hotheaded and impulsive.

Apricorns in action? Given what they’ve been proven to do, this could end very badly indeed for the unlucky ones captured within them.

I mean, fortunately they have buddies around who can bail them out, but yeah. It’s definitely raising the stakes in live-time there.

Scian is all bark and no bite in the face of Lyn. As expected, it’s a trouncing by our resident Samurott.

Scian: “It wasn’t a trouncing! I was just… uh… tactically lying down to strike again later!”

I like the little duel between Lyn and Tarquin; a nice showcase of clashing villains, something that’s always a treat.

I had a feeling those two would be getting in the way of things. And what a time for their squabble to unfold, when their enemy’s in prime position to be targeted.

Nothing like a good bout of villain-on-villain violence. Helps that their true objective isn’t the Siglo Swellow there.

Welp, that’s a RIP for the 200,000 Poké promised for the Siglo Swellow gang. Guess they’re going home empty-handed.

Once again:

Back to the Strongjaw Gang, where things are quite heated but understandably so. Scian’s in for a rough one, no doubt.

[...]


And that’s about as rough a punishment as it gets. Yikes.

Well, you know from the present day that he managed to get out of things well enough. But yeah, turns out that constantly being flippant and back-sassing your leadership on a pirate crew isn’t good for your life expectancy, who knew? [joltyshrug]

Oh, it’s a forgery? Dang, Calino sure pulled a fast one on them. Good going.

Calino: “I’ll just accept that apology for allegedly not doing anything useful there.” ^^

…That would be the transcriptions that Tarquin’s crew took, wouldn’t it be? Of course there had to be a snag somewhere.

Ah, so Calino being assigned to Tromba is effectively a punishment. No wonder he’s always been a bit of a sourpuss when an assignment to a backwater like Tromba seems to be the Merchantry’s equivalent of putting someone on the naughty step.

I mean, he has had some flashes of jovialness, but yeah, getting stuck in the equivalent of a dead-end posting has a way of wearing on one’s mood at times.

But at least the Siglo Swellow gang seems willing to give him a lift there. Tromban hospitality at its finest, and an attitude we’ve seen from the Bluewhorl folks as well as our protagonists. Here’s hoping Pleo will come to have that same attitude in time.

I mean, he’s getting there, at least. o<o

Conclusion
Well, this was a fun little detour from the main plot at hand. I quite liked this little sidestory from a few years before the main events are set into motion, and it’s cool seeing Pladur be one of the main players of this chapter. There’s some other points of interest, like the explanation as to how Calino became stationed at Tromba and why he’s always been something of a sourpuss. There’s also more elaboration on the briefly mentioned Strongjaw Fleet and seeing their leader in person this time, and the battle between the fleets was rather cool.

The only thing I’m kinda questioning is what purpose this Special Chapter serves to the grander scheme of things. I could say the same thing about Auld Lang Syne as well, and thinking back, that chapter did introduce us more properly to Hess and his fleet before they got more of a focus in the main story. Maybe that’s what we’ll see here too with Tarquin’s fleet? And possibly that journal as well - is there more to it than meets the eye? I guess we’ll wait and see in the upcoming chapters whether this unfolds.

Without giving things away too much, but as a general rule of thumb, Virgil and I use our Special Chapters to introduce characters or elements that will be leaned on by the story later on more directly. So this certainly won’t be the last time you see some of those characters that caught your eye here.

A fun Special Chapter, and I’m looking forward to getting back to the main story to see if events from this have a bearing on matters there.

And we’ll be looking forward to your feedback! Thanks for the review! ^^

Alright, it’s been a little while since we last bumped our syndicated versions, but with a recent release of a new chapter off-site, our work queue is a bit freer and we’re better positioned to continue the journey of bringing this version of Fledglings up to speed with its peers. Virgil will be doing the honors today, with a chapter in which Pleo and his gang get to experience storytime once again:

 

[Virgil134]

Tak tak tak!

Lyn pulled the flat of his blade back from tapping a set of metal plates in front of him and ran his paw over them, before looking up at a set of four masts with lavender sails towering overhead. It was definitely Darzin's ironclad, even if he'd hardly imagined that he'd already be captaining it.

The Samurott watched as the ship's deck and gangplanks hummed with activity, and then off at the surrounding piers which were filled with Pokémon going about. It was hard to believe that the military harbor had already been cleared up after that whole episode with the Siglo Swellow just a couple days ago. Even if a few docks were still unusable from damaged ships, it was already bustling and back to something approaching normalcy again.

Lyn climbed up one of the ship's gangplank, as Pokémon, many of whom he didn't recognize, went about tending to rigging or crates of supplies in a hurry. As they should, since the Director expected them to hit the high seas as soon as the ship was fully crewed and stocked. Everyone seemed to be doing something towards that end… well, except Ketu, who was leaning on his arm against the railing a few paces away from the frontmost gangplank, and idly watching Lyn as he passed by.

"Had to pinch yourself to make sure you weren't dreaming, huh?" the Weavile teased.

"Hrmph, the ship's not mine yet," Lyn reminded. "I just wanted to make sure that we knew the ins and outs of this 'Wyrmwind' before we took it out to sea."

Ketu tilted his head, before pinning his ears back with a quirk of his brow.

"'Wyrmwind'? You're seriously going with that?" he questioned. "You don't exactly scream 'dragony' to me as a captain."

"It's what the name on the hull says, doesn't it?" Lyn replied. "We have bigger issues to worry about right now than whether or not the ship's name suits me."

The Samurott's eyes took on a steely gaze, as he walked up and peered down with a stern frown at his Weavile first mate.

"Though that actually reminds me, Ketu," Lyn said. "There was something I needed to have a word with you about."

"Yeah?" the Weavile asked. "What's up?"

The otter's expression remained every bit as serious in reply. While Lyn had never been one for jokes, Ketu took it that there was something that'd been bothering him.

"You never did give me an explanation for why you weren't with the crew when we pushed off to intercept Lugia in the lagoon a few days ago," Lyn said. "Where were you?"

Ketu's face fell into a frown, before rolling his eyes with a quiet sigh.

"I thought that we already went over this, Captain," he answered. "I was with Sorge and the others and lost track of time when we ran into Lugia and Zygarde in the city. Things got out of control, Lugia escaped, and I wound up missing the boat because of it."

"Then why was Ellsberg there as well?" Lyn pressed, cocking a brow in reply. "You two haven't exactly been particularly close to each other, and I can't imagine he knows Team Sentinel himself."

The Samurott narrowed his eyes briefly, before continuing on in a low, wary tone.

"Is there something going on that I should know about, Ketu?"

Ketu blinked back wordlessly for a moment, before closing his eyes and answering with a dismissive shrug.

"Eh, you got me. I'm actually the spy you're looking for," the Weavile replied. "We all decided to get together and plan out the best way to stab you in the back."

A tense silence lingered in the air afterwards as a smug grin came over Ketu's face. Lyn's frown deepened, before Ketu burst out into laughter. Lyn let out an annoyed groan, and grit his teeth with a sharp growl.

"Ketu, can you take things seriously for once?!"

The Weavile wiped away a tear as he finished laughing. As he calmed down, his features quickly took on a more serious demeanor.

"Alright, alright… to answer your question for real: Ellsberg was there because he wanted to get to know Team Sentinel better," the Dark-Type explained. "They got along well on the trip back from Buyeom, especially him and Aldrich. We figured it'd be nice to try and spend some time together when we weren't worried about missions or getting our hull shot out from under us."

Ketu eyed Lyn carefully. He didn't think Lyn had gotten wise to his actual assignment on his crew, but with the way the Samurott kept asking questions about what he'd up to lately… maybe it was best to give him a bit more misdirection than just a "joke".

"Though you're definitely more high strung than normal," Ketu remarked. "What's gotten you so on edge?"

Lyn fell silent and lowered his head as his eyes drifted towards the deck's timbers. There was a brief pause, before the Samurott let out a low sigh.

"I… suppose that it's just work stress getting to me," he murmured. "It's my last chance to complete my mission for the Board, and just knowing that the spy on Buyeom is still lurking out there…"

Lyn trailed off briefly, before shaking his head and giving a low grunt to clear his thoughts.

"I'll just rest easier once we get the Guardian of the Seas back from those pirates," the Samurott said. "It'll be nice to finally put this saga behind us and start thinking about the future again."

Ketu raised a brow. 'Thinking about the future'? That was certainly new coming from Lyn. Knowing him, it'd probably just be lording over his new seat as an Administrator or something about buying back that place in Canalhouse City his family once owned, but…

What could he already be thinking ahead towards when he didn't even know yet what his first assignment as an Administrator was going to entail?

Ketu paused after feeling a heavy paw nudge at his shoulder, looking up to see Lyn looking at him from the corner of his eyes with a stern frown.

"Just make sure you're there this time when we go to collect Lugia," Lyn insisted. "There's not a lot of margin for error for our mission, so I can't afford to have you go missing again."

Ketu pinned back his ears and stifled a groan of his own. Right, he was still here because he hadn't managed to take Lyn out of the picture yet. At least it would surely be straightforward to snatch Lugia out from under him once Sorge and the others managed to talk their way aboard Lyn's expedition. They just needed to get Lyn's guard down first by finding his "spy" for him.

After they were done, he'd finally no longer have to play a fool in front of Lyn to preserve his cover, and it couldn't come a moment too soon. Just a couple more days, the Weavile reassured himself. And his role in this farce would finally be over.

"Yeah, I get it," Ketu grumbled. "I'll be there, don't worry."

The Weavile drifted off further down the deck while Lyn turned around and began to make his way towards the stern. Along the way, he spotted a pair of deckhands stumbling briefly with a crate and dropping it on the deck, the lid jostling off to reveal it was packed with Apricorns. The deckhands briefly bickered with one another over who was at fault, only to abruptly silence themselves and stiffen up at Lyn's approach.

"I see all the shot I asked for came on time," Lyn said. "Try and at least pretend that you're handling it carefully."

Lyn watched as the deckhands hastily saluted before gathering up the crate and drifting off into the crowd. The Samurott continued along with a satisfied huff as a knowing smirk came over his muzzle.

"After all, we'll need it."

---

The journey from the Elders' meeting chamber took Team Traveller down a hallway to a flight of stairs watched over by a pair of guards clad in segments of cloth and mail. Pleo blinked at the sight of the armored guards as Margi and the rest of their entourage shuffled them along down the steps that seemed to just keep going and going. Occasionally, there'd be heavy doors blocking the way with another pair of similarly armored guards standing watch. Every time, the guards would tense up at the sight of the young Protector, only for Nina to talk them down and have them open the door, before they'd continue on deeper into the earth.

"H-Huh?!"

Except this time, there were no further stairs, but a long hallway lined with torches. There were painted images on the walls, while off in the distance was some sort of dead-end. Pleo and his teammates stared blankly as Nina and Roderic made their way in, the Lugia blinking and gaping about as Margi and the other guards started to lead them down the strange hall.

"Where are we?" Pleo wondered.

"I'm… actually not sure," Margi replied. "I admittedly didn't know that this place even existed."

"Our town's Hall of Remembrance," Roderic answered. "It is a place where we remember the past and ensure this town's survival for the future."

Pleo and his companions traded confused glances with one another. Crom brought a claw up to his mouth uneasily, and he turned his attention back to Nina and Roderic.

"What… does that mean, exactly?" Crom asked. "How would any of this help you survive?"

"See for yourself."

Nina motioned down the hall at the strange door, prompting Pleo and his companions to squint and try and make it out. After studying it a bit, they realized that the door they were looking at looked almost like the one in the Vault, just with more rust coating its surface.

"It's… a door?" Pleo asked.

"It's a seal. Over the place where the egg of this island's demon rests," Roderic explained. "A lesser demon, called 'Jirachi' who maliciously tempts others with the promise of granting wishes."

The four froze and had their jaws fall agape at the Rotom's explanation. Even Margi and Ander seemed visibly taken aback as their eyes widened and they reflexively shrank away from the sealed door. Trizano stared at the door blankly for a moment, before he tried and failed to beat his wings out, spluttering in indignant protest as he fought against his ropes.

"B-But you can't do that!" Trizano squawked. "Whatever you think of Jirachi, no good could come from harming a Protector like this!"

"… We know that," Nina said. "That's why it remains sealed away."

The Typhlosion turned, and leveled a paw down at Pleo with a piercing scowl

"It's also why we brought you here," she continued. "So that way you could understand why there is no hope for us to make cause with you."

Pleo sucked in a sharp breath and began to backpedal nervously. Had Nina and Roderic had brought them down to push him behind that 'seal' as well? A brief shadow fell over him as he saw Ander in front of him, holding out a scythe between him and Nina as he seemed to be visibly weighing his words.

"High Elder, with all due respect, but these are unprecedented circumstances," the Scyther began. "I… know that it's a risk to accept the help of a being like Lugia, but he very genuinely doesn't seem to mean anyone harm. Just what exactly is this argument you have against him?"

Nina gave no reply to Ander and stepped forward, brushing his scythe aside with an unimpressed scowl.

"Hrmph, have you not read the Scripture of Truth, Scyther?" the Typhlosion scoffed. "Though if you are really so unversed in the dangers of such creatures in spite of being one who sees the truth, just take a look around you."

Nina raised a paw and motioned off at the walls of the chamber. Crom followed after her paw as it quickly became apparent that the colors and shapes along the walls were various pictures with lines of what looked like Unown just beneath them. They appeared to depict Pokémon of all shapes and sizes on them, many of them in the backdrop of chaotic-looking scenes.

The Druddigon tensed up at the sight of the pictures, before warily turning back at Nina and Roderic.

"What is all of this?" he murmured.

"The story of how Starbreak Square came to be," Roderic said.

The Rotom floated up towards the leftmost mural and settled on it as Nina pushed fire out of her body's vents for illumination. As Crom and his companions approached the painting, they noticed that it was a scene of a simple-looking village by a river. All sorts of Pokémon were present in it, intermixed alongside hazy figures with bodies that looked vaguely like a Machoke's. Why, it didn't feel that different from everyday life back in Bluewhorl Town. Everywhere he looked in the scene, there were Pokémon and those strange creatures just working together much as he and the townsfolk would back home.

"Long ago, our world had vast continents and seas which spanned the whole planet. A world where untold multitudes of Pokémon lived, one which they shared with creatures that didn't wield powers like we do," Roderic began. "Crafty creatures who thought in ways that you and I would find alien, and who were able to work miracles because of it. It was a world where even Pokémon who were weak and ones that didn't belong could make cause with those creatures and lift each other up."

Crom and his teammates carried along past the mural of the village, when the Druddigon stiffened up after seeing the next picture. It was a mural of a burning landscape showing a white, hooved quadruped with some sort of golden ring around its waist emerging from a rift pouring out pink mist in the background. Large creatures of various shapes could be seen in the foreground in front of it, laying waste to the surroundings. At the center of attention, there was a ruined village with those humanoid figures and Pokémon looking up in a panic as a black and red bird with sinister, dull blue eyes descended upon them.

Crom blinked at the sight of the creatures. He recognized the white figure as Arceus, but most of the others were unrecognizable. Or at least they were until the Druddigon noticed that there in the background, amongst lighting and stormclouds, one of the figures was a white, long-necked bird with blue spikes.

It dawned on him afterwards what the different figures were: they were the Old World's Protectors. Or at least, the way the Marked remembered them.

"But our ancestors' world had a fatal weakness. It had a weakened boundary with the Abyss, a place where thoughts and dreams become flesh and blood," Roderic continued. "And so it was that during a time of great turmoil, the Abyss spawned the great Archdemon, who came from that fell place and fashioned servants with which he subjugated our world."

Pleo shifted uncomfortably at the picture before Margi prodded him to continue on. He shuffled along and soon enough, he and his companions came to the next mural. It was a scene depicting a red and gold bird with green wingtips, standing in the midst of a shattered village. A throng of humans and Pokémon were gathered around the strange bird bowing and prostrating themselves. At the fore was a small group of humans and Pokémon, bearing offerings of food while visibly frightened, all while the creature sneered down at them with an almost predatory gaze.

… The Old Gods couldn't possibly have been like that, could they? He wasn't really some 'demon', was he? He certainly didn't feel like one…

And yet, after thinking back to their own experiences on Boisocean, it was clear that something had happened long ago to make the Marked think that.

"Yes… Margi told me a story like that," Pleo replied. "She said that humans discovered magic and that they discovered that Arceus and other Pokémon like me were demons. Then afterwards, they got into a fight where the Old Protectors destroyed the world while the humans tried to fight them off…"

The others turned and stared at the Hydreigon as she uneasily cleared her throat, before speaking up in an audibly flustered tone.

"I- I suppose that I did tell him that, yes," she said. "Though aren't we just seeing things that are already recorded in the Scripture of Truth? I was under the impression that this was the story of Starbreak Square in particular."

"Our history comes from that same history recorded in those scriptures, Hydreigon," Nina answered. "We'll get to the details that are more particular to us in time."

Margi fell quiet with an expression that looked much as if she'd just been scolded. For a brief moment, Pleo couldn't help but worry about whether or not he'd gotten her into trouble, only for them to start moving along again. He and his teammates continued down the hall until they reached another mural a little further down. In the center of it, high above everything, was a brilliant red star with a ray of light coming out of it amidst a burning landscape. When he and his companions followed the beam's path with their eyes, they noticed that it ended by running through a green and black serpent that looked much like Kline did back on Vollezee. One who appeared to be recoiling in stunned pain. There were other figures they didn't recognize that laid strewn about the ground, all in poses that suggested they'd been suddenly struck down.

Pleo stared at the picture uncomfortably for a moment, before turning back to Nina. He supposed that if Nina and the other villagers genuinely thought that he and the other Protectors were demons that this awful scene would be a good thing to them, but…

"I… don't know if I believe that the old Protectors were really awful like you say they were," the Lugia said. "But I know that you do and that Ander does. Though even if they were, I just don't understand why it means that we can't work with each other…"

"It's because of what came after," Nina remarked. "After what remained of life in the Old World retreated to the Cradle."

Nina raised a paw as another mural came into view: there was Arceus again, but this time reared up as pillars of light rained down from the heavens. All around, the surroundings seemed to be in disorder: mountains crumbled, the skies were choked with ash and storms, and the fog of Mystery Dungeons spilled out here and there. In the foreground, there were Pokémon fleeing a village, a few looking back as their surrounding world collapsed.

Pleo felt a chill run down his back at the mural, and was quietly thankful that Nina didn't stop to explain the picture before she and Roderic moved on.

The next mural depicted a group of weary-looking Pokémon at a beach with gray and dusty land behind them and towering storms in the background that stretched on across the horizon in a seeming wall. In the foreground, the Pokémon were shown gathering on the backs of swimmers and onto simple rafts pulled with tow cables. Pleo thought to ask what was going on in this scene, only for Nina to keep walking on to the next one, which depicted the same Pokémon from before warily looking out at their surroundings at sea under blue skies. Right next to it, there was another mural in which the rafts and swimmers had arrived at a beach with their passengers stepping off in awe. Other Pokémon were present in the background, who seemed to be at work putting together half-finished huts and piers.

Nina and Roderic paused briefly, before the Rotom of the pair motioned at the mural and began to speak up to explain it.

"After the Archdemon put an end to the presence of humans in our world, small bands of Pokémon braved their way through untold trials and hardship from the chaos the demons foisted on us in their dying rage," Roderic said. "It should've been a time when their true nature was laid bare for all to see."

Nina looked away, and let her eyes fall to the ground as her voice came out in a bitter, faltering murmur.

"And yet… so many didn't."

The next mural was a picture of an island with a towering mountain on it partly wreathed in snow. On it, Arceus stood on a bluff watching as ships gathered on the shore below where groups of Pokémon gathered around eggs, some of which were fairly large. A few of the eggs were being shown in the process of being brought aboard different ships, and one, with an egg on its deck, was even sailing off into the water. Like with the strange bird in the mural with the ruined village, the Pokémon seemed to cringe and shrink away when they were under Arceus' gaze. But elsewhere in the same mural, some of the Pokémon were paying reverence to the eggs with them.

Crom blinked at the scene. He vaguely remembered stories that some of the first ships that had been built in the Cradle were used to bring Protectors' eggs to the islands where they incubated, except… he didn't recognize this island in the mural at all.

"… Wait, what is this place?" Crom asked.

"Shennow Island. The island that is located in the center of the Cradle," Roderic answered. "It was said to have been formed from a throne of the Archdemon in the Old World, and it was the place where he created the eggs of all the demons that slumber in this world."

"And of the ones who have already awakened and currently walk in our midst," Nina growled, training a piercing scowl over at the young Lugia in the group.

Trizano blinked back at the Typhlosion and narrowed his eyes with a bewildered tilt of his head.

"Wait, but Shennow isn't even in Anyilla," the Skarmory protested. "What does this have to do with your situation here?"

"Because this place was founded in the wake of the Sigillating Wars," Ander explained, shifting his wings in place uneasily. "It affected all of the Cradle. Not just Anyilla."

"That's correct," Roderic remarked. "It was because at the time, the truth managed to endure and become known by a large body of Pokémon across this little sliver of the Old World which we live in."

Crom looked on as the murals seemed to change as they continued walking along. There was a mural depicting a banner being raised over the now-finished town with a design that looked similar to the ones on the scarves of Starbreak Square's guards. In the next one down, a Charizard stood up before a crowd of onlooking Pokémon in the town's square and seemed to be giving some sort of impassioned speech. The mural after that had Pokémon from the town boarding ships, some wearing armor bearing the same design from the banner, which also flew from their sails.

Crom blinked at the sight and turned towards Nina and Roderic as they stopped. They were at the 'seal' now, and the pair had serious expressions. He thought to ask what was going on, when Roderic raised a tendril and pointed off at the opposite side of the hallway.

"Despite the Archdemon's attempts at manipulating our civilization in infancy to mold meek and obedient servants, he was unable to fully smother the truth. In spite of it all, those among our forebears who remembered the truth of what happened during the end of the Old World recorded it and passed it along to their descendents," the historian explained. "It is their efforts that allowed us to understand just how much those demons who exalted themselves as 'gods' had wounded our world."

Team Traveller started to retrace their steps and noticed that the first murals on the return path from the door all carried a disquieting, oppressive air to them: masses of Pokémon locked in fierce battle, Pokémon being wounded and others laying strewn about limply on the ground on beaches. Others had scenes of burning fields, ruined towns, or ships in battle with each other at sea with Pokémon falling overboard and others struggling to cling to floating wreckage. The scenes grew troubling enough that Pleo wound up turning his head away from them entirely with a cold shiver. He peered up afterwards, and saw Roderic looking down at him with a small frown.

"Our ancestors were fiercely opposed by the Archdemon's acolytes, both Civilized and Feral," the Rotom explained. "And yet we prevailed, enduring and discovering that in his arrogance, the Archdemon sought to recreate the order he had in the Old World. An order in which he had inner circles of particularly high servants."

"One which if cut down, would leave him vulnerable and unable to exert his influence," Nina finished. "It was our last, best chance to finally be free of the Archdemon's influence. To destroy him and try and pick up the pieces of our world."

Nina trailed off, the Typhlosion's gaze drifting towards the ground as a tired, deflated mood seemed to settle over her.

"Was, anyways."

Crom wasn't sure what to make of Nina's reaction, when he noticed that they'd reached another mural set on a towering mountain. On it, two armies were locked in a fierce battle, one with that same sigil he saw in the earlier murals depicting that seaside village, while the other was made up of Pokémon with different colors or symbols that fought beneath Arceus' gaze. There were five others beside Arceus, all armored figures that had a sinister air about them, with one of whom Crom recognized to be a Staraptor.

… Was that supposed to be King Aquila?

"Shennow Island has a particularly treacherous Mystery Dungeon on it," Roderic said. "One where the Archdemon had formed and kept the eggs of a trio of particularly powerful demons."

The Rotom floated and turned his head over at the mural, before looking away with a buzzing sigh.

"Our ancestors marshaled a great force on that island to destroy them, and were opposed by the five Champions of Corruption that the Archdemon conjured from the sky. Including the one you call 'King Aquila'."

Crom didn't know what to say back to Roderic after that, only to stop after reaching the next mural. It was a painting of a ruined temple with white pillars surrounded by fog in all directions. The Charizard from the earlier murals was there again, breathing out fire onto a trio of eggs set out onto an altar, with King Aquila looking on in shock from the ground and raising a wing.

What… on earth were they looking at? The Druddigon turned over to Nina and Roderic and noticed the two were deathly quiet, and looked away with bitter frowns.

"In spite of it all, our heroes made it to the cusp of victory," Roderic said. "And against all odds, they found and destroyed the demon eggs they set out for."

Pleo, Crom, and Trizano's eyes all shrank to pins at the Rotom's words and they collectively turned to Ander with alarmed grimaces. The eggs had been destroyed? How was that not a disaster in and of itself?!

Strangely, Margi and Ander both seemed entirely unmoved. And something wasn't adding up. For the Marked, wouldn't slaying their 'demons' be something they were proud of? Shouldn't Nina and Roderic be gloating or rubbing things in right now? Crom looked over at Nina, who motioned ahead off at an upcoming mural and shook her head with a low murmur.

"Except… our ancestors didn't realize that for all of their strength and valor, they were badly outmatched."

Crom continued on to the mural Nina was pointing at, but froze up with a sharp gasp when he saw it. The painting depicted a calamitous scene of Arceus in the sky as pillars of light rained down from the heavens. In the foreground, the Pokémon flying the strange banners from the earlier murals were in a state of disorder. Their ships lay burning and sinking, some of them were being engulfed in light pillars, others were being set upon by their enemies, still others lay strewn about the ground. Those that remained on their feet were fleeing, with terror on their faces and in their gaits. In a few places of the mural, there were Pokémon who were trapped and vainly attempted to shield themselves and others as they braced for their ends.

Just looking at the painting made Crom's blood run cold and his stomach knot up in stress. He wouldn't have expected a fight with the gods to have ended well, but something about seeing its aftermath depicted like this was downright chilling.

Crom turned over to Roderic and Nina, and saw that the pair looked visibly defeated. The Rotom of the pair sighed, before motioning off at the mural with a low buzz.

"The Archdemon himself intervened and made war against our ancestors, felling most of our strongest warriors on that rock and scattering those who survived his onslaught," Roderic said. "Even so, he grew afraid, realizing that those who knew the truth in the Cradle were still great in number and strong enough to be dangerous to him."

When Pleo and the others reached the next mural, they found a peculiar scene. One that showed a village full of Marked who all seem bewildered. Some pointed off at each other, some stared into mirrors, while others pawed at their heads. In the foreground, an Oshawott could be seen stooping down beside a pool of water, looking down bewilderedly at her reflection as she examined what looked like a five-tailed comet on her forehead.

It was then that Pleo realized that up until now, none of the Pokémon in the earlier murals had had Marks, but they did now. He turned back to Roderic to ask what the meaning of the change was, only for the Rotom to seemingly anticipate his curiosity and let out a low sigh.

"And so, after the Sigillating Wars, the Archdemon changed the fabric of reality so that it would brand those who knew the truth. The truth that your kind are demons who have come to subjugate us," Roderic muttered. "Once a Pokémon in this world comes to know and understand that truth, the Mark manifests on him or her, so that way they can’t hide from those who remain trapped in ignorance."

Pleo stiffened up. Then… the Mark wasn't something that Pokémon were born with? He supposed it would explain the Chikorita that he saw earlier, but… why hadn't they ever run into any other Pokémon who'd become Marked without being born to Marked parents?

… Maybe they had. His mind turned back to Sibich and how his pirates would steal eggs from Pokémon, and how his crew had a curiously large number of Marked on it. Nida had told him that the Cofagrigus basically treated his Marked underlings as disposable tools…

Had… he had a role in making them in the first place?

Even so, if that was really what had happened, then something wasn't adding up…

"Wait, but then shouldn't it be possible for grown Pokémon to also become Marked, too?" the Lugia asked. "If that's really the case, how come these Marks only form when Pokémon are young children?"

"They don't just form when Pokémon are young children."

Pleo turned back and saw Margi pawing uneasily at her shoulder.

"I mean, I've never seen it for myself, but there's definitely records of the Mark forming on grown Pokémon," she insisted. "There just haven't been many events that have happened since the Sigillating Wars that can awaken grown Pokémon to the truth."

"Oh, it's happened a lot more recently than that," Nina replied. "This very town has witnessed it."

That one took Margi aback. She looked back stunned at the Typhlosion when Roderic bobbled in the air with what looked like a flash of discomfort, before cutting in with a sharp buzz.

"We saw it happen firsthand among the survivors from the Great Calamity," the Rotom said. "A number of them saw the truth after Conntow was laid to waste."

"And for their trouble, they were shunned by both the Empire and Company," Nina sighed. "There were no records surviving to prove their identities, so they were dismissed as charlatans with few willing to believe them and the horrors they'd witnessed. So, it fell to Pokémon like us to take them into our numbers."

Pleo stared blankly at the Typhlosion, when she let out a low scoff and looked away with a dismissive scowl.

"But really, what should we have expected from the descendants of Aquila and Adler?"

Pleo and his teammates paused and turned back to Nina in confusion. Trizano furrowed his brow, and turned his beak up with a defensive harrumph.

"And just what is that supposed to mean?"

"Come and see, Skarmory," Nina said.

Trizano trailed off as he and his group passed the next panel, coming to a scene depicting a Marked Tyranitar at a table reluctantly reaching out for a paper. On the other end of the table was a Staraptor with a crown, who leveled a cold, cruel stare in reply. There were other Pokémon on each end of the table. On the Tyranitar's side, there were other Marked who looked visibly defeated and frightened, and on the Staraptor's side, guards in indigo scarves and cerulean armor plates who shot back sneers and predatory looks.

Pleo lingered over the mural as he walked past it. It took him a moment to piece things together, but he realized that even if the details were a little different, that he'd seen a picture like this before.

"Wait, what is this picture?" Pleo asked. "I saw one like it back on Giotto, except the Staraptor and the other Pokémon with him didn't look so mean."

Nina raised a brow briefly at the Lugia's remark, as Roderic spoke up with a flat, emotionless tone.

"It's a mural of the day that our ancestors in Anyilla no longer had the strength to keep fighting after the Archdemon cut down their heroes," the Rotom explained. "The day that they were forced to yield to Aquila and become his vassals."

Pleo blinked uneasily and continued on with his companions onto the next mural, which showed a village with timbered buildings by the seaside and a tall mountain in the background. In it, there were Pokémon going about its lanes, both ones with and without Marks.

… Wait a minute, that shape of the mountain looked just like the one here on Gestirn. Was that village supposed to be Starpeak Square? Pleo would've never guessed that Marked once lived there from the way that they and the villagers talked about each other. Except, the Pokémon in the painting were already largely separate from each other, and the few places that they weren't and were interacting with each other didn't seem like particularly happy ones.

It all felt uncomfortably familiar for some reason. Probably because those interactions seemed a lot like the whole episode with Ander and the other Pokémon who wanted him to 'meet his maker.

From the way Ander and Margi were looking away, Pleo supposed that he must've been onto something.

"It was Aquila who left us to be humiliated and shut out afterwards," Roderic said bitterly. "Treating us as a conquered people to be trodden and spat on."

Pleo didn't need any prompting before he continued on and reached the next mural, of a younger Staraptor arriving to Starpeak Square with a menacing air about him. Ahead of him, Pokémon in Imperial garb amassed along the beach as smoke curled up from the town's fringes. There were more points where the Marked and other Pokémon met each other, but somehow those meetings were even worse than in the last mural. Marked being set upon by attacking Pokémon, Marked turning and fleeing from buildings that were being set aflame, cannons at the end of streets with puffs of smoke coming from their barrels and small dots in the air…

The Lugia felt an uncomfortable chill settle over his body. Cabot and his friends had spoken of Aquila like he was a great hero, and they certainly didn't say anything about him doing things like this.

"And it was his son who attempted to destroy us entirely, the one who drove our ancestors into this place to die."

Pleo turned his head and noticed the next mural over. It was a scene of Marked Pokémon frantically fleeing into an approach of a fog-shrouded mountain as pursuers in indigo garb and trails of smoke loomed in the background behind him. There had been a painting not all that different from this one in that library he'd been in in Tidemill City. Except, in that one, the Marked Pokémon had been further in the background, and he didn't remember them looking this hurt or scared in it.

He opened his mouth to ask what on earth was happening, only to realize that they were almost back at the entrance of the hallway. The last few murals seemed to go by quickly: one of a Glaceon speaking to a crowd of frightened and defeated-looking Marked in a cave chamber, another depicting tunnels being dug and earth and stone being cleared away, and still another showing the Glaceon watching as armored guards were putting together the rusted door at the end of the hallway, with an egg visible further on in the background.

Pleo's ears perked to attention as he noticed the sound of Nina's footsteps were different. He looked up and saw that she and Roderic had already climbed the first few steps and were looking down at them.

"But we defied the fate he intended for us, and made a haven out of this place which Adler intended to be our grave," Roderic said. "And so we endure to this day, and give shelter to those who also know the truth and come to us."

The Rotom trailed off and looked away with a wistful expression.

"… It's all that we can do at this point."

Pleo gave a puzzled tilt of his head at the pair. Nina sighed and shook her head, raising a paw as she spoke up again to explain.

"It is said that the Archdemon created another set of eggs to replace the one that our ancestors destroyed on Shennow Island," Nina said. "Just finding it once with a grand army required multiple strokes of fate in our favor. Ones which would be unlikely to repeat even if we had that sort of strength again."

A sharp frown came over Typhlosion's face as she turned away, and looked off up the stairwell with a bitter scoff.

"… That's why working with you is impossible, demon."

"B-But it's not!"

Nina looked back at the sound of squawking protest, turning to see Pleo craning his head up as Margi attempted to hold him back. The Typhlosion reflexively tensed up, as did Roderic and the other Marked present, only for them to ease after noticing that the young Lugia's face carried a pleading expression to it.

"None of us had anything to do with that! I didn't have anything to do with that!" Pleo protested. "I… don't know if your story about the Mark is really all true, but I wouldn't have just been okay with things if that was really what happened!"

Pleo trailed off and looked aside, as a few of the Marked guards traded surprised looks with one another. The young Protector paused and weighed his words, before turning back to Nina and speaking up with an uneasy murmur.

"I've seen how Pokémon use it as an excuse to be mean and awful to Pokémon like you," Pleo said. "However the Mark started, whatever it was supposed to do, it didn't turn out good in the end. And every Protector I know would feel the same about it!"

Nina and Roderic remained silent, leveling wordless stares back. Some of the guards seemed taken aback and began to wonder aloud to themselves with questions like "Is this some sort of trick?" and "Why on earth would a demon say such things?" Trizano turned his attention around at their guides, and sensing an opportunity to press their argument, he made his way out in front of Nina and Roderic with a visible frown.

"You also didn't need to bring up Aquila and Adler. We ourselves know that the Empire has been up to its share of dark deeds, ones a lot more recently than a few centuries ago," Trizano explained. "The Pokémon in Starpeak Square didn't know anything about it, and they were surprised to find out that the Empire was pursuing a Protector."

The pair didn't say anything back, when Trizano realized that Nina and Roderic's expressions were still unyielding. The Skarmory grimaced and flusteredly backed away, as he shot a pleading gaze over to the pair.

"I don't expect you to forgive the Pokémon that live there for everything you've had to endure, but we're facing a shared threat right now that threatens you almost as much as the Pokémon of Starpeak Square," he insisted. "Please, won't you help us?"

The other guards were visibly hesitant now, a couple seemed to be wavering and looking over at Nina and Roderic for guidance. Margi opened her mouth to speak, only to catch herself after seeing the Typhlosion and Rotom trade looks with one another. There was a lingering pause, before Nina turned back to face Pleo and his companions. The Typhlosion studied them over for a moment, when she broke the silence with a quiet sigh.

"… I'll think about it," Nina said. "It's not my choice alone to make."

"I tant," Roderic remarked. "But there's other matters we should take care of before then."

Team Traveller quirked their brows as Roderic went through a bag on Nina's shoulder. Much to their surprise, he pulled out the red volume of the Knights' Ledger and levitated it in the air just above one of his tendrils. He moved it slightly, before turning aside and eying the stairs back up.

"To start with, let me take a closer look at that 'Ledger' of yours."

---

Finding the southern entrance into Gestirn Island's Mystery Dungeon proved easier than expected for Guardia and Dimitri. The forests thinned out into a rocky and craggy rise as they went along, and the path they shadowed eventually reached a pass flanked by stony bluffs, leading into a veil of fog.

The pirates that they found there after first arriving left no room for doubt. Off at the entrance, they came across a party of Pokémon wearing the same red scarves as some of the pirates that attacked them in Starpeak Square. A Conkeldurr, a Toxapex, a Castorm, a Dipplin, and a bluish-white Sandslash with what looked like icy spikes on her back.

They had managed to keep themselves hidden in the minutes since then to observe them and prepare for a skirmish, half expecting them to make a move or have reinforcements come. Except, this entire time, they'd just been waiting. There was an impatient air that hung around the lot of them that'd gotten more noticeable as time had gone on, as the Toxapex parted the two legs in front of her face and turned her gaze up at her companions.

"Shouldn't we have heard more from the others by now?" the Toxapex asked.

"Tch, they've probably got their paws full with how big the forest is," the icy Sandslash scoffed. "I still don't understand why they're putting so much stock into that badge message. That search party was from the Iron Fleet. They honestly seem like the types who would have trouble with angry ferals, so would it be that impossible for some villagers to ambush them to cause a distraction?"

Guardia held her breath as she finished knotting up a linen bundle at the tip of Dimitri's scythe and the fluttering feeling in her stomach grew stronger. On the one hand, she supposed it was reassuring that the pirates took the bait. On the other… would they really be able to stay ahead of them the entire time?

It looked like they weren't going to be able to stay in hiding for much longer, which was as good a sign as any that it was time to prepare to charge into battle. She stepped back from the bushes and started up a frenetic dance, and briefly glimpsed past the bushes as she moved around. The Dipplin among the pirates was faltering now, and scanned his surroundings warily before speaking up with a worried murmur.

"Even so, are we sure we shouldn't be helping them?" the Dipplin asked. "I mean, we could always come back here once those ambushers are definitely taken care of…"

A loud thud rang out, as the pirates looked back to see the Conkeldurr pulling one of his pillars up from slamming the ground. The Fighting-Type narrowed his eyes, before raising his voice with an impatient huff.

"Enough, Mui is onto something," the Conkeldurr snapped, gesturing at the Sandslash. "We found our own lead earlier and there's no shortage of others dealing with those ambushers. I'm tired of waiting, so I say we investigate the dungeon in case that bird really is there."

The other pirates nodded to each other and started to form a line with each other to enter into the fog. Guardia's heart pounded in her chest as she did the final motions of her thrashing dance—Tsurugi no Mai, always helpful for getting energized for fights. As her dance wound down, she looked over towards Dimitri, who was holding a bundle of linen dangling from the tip of his right scythe.

She guessed that was a sign that the knot Dimitri guided her through tying had turned out well enough. Beneath the strips of linen holding everything together, there was a tan orb with a dark vortex swirling around in it that they'd taken from the earlier pirates' belongings… along with the Blast Seeds that they'd wedged around it at the sides. Dimitri pulled the bundled orb up, holding it carefully aloft with his scythe-tip as he snuck a quick peek out past the bushes.

Their breaths tightened as they spotted the pirates gathering together and starting to set off. It was now or never for them to make a move to stop them. There was a brief silence, as Dimitri glanced back at Guardia from the corner of his eyes.

"I sure hope this knot will hold…" he murmured. "Are you ready, Guardia?"

Guardia turned her own gaze out past the bushes towards the Conkeldurr and his fellow pirates as her thoughts turned back to her teammates. Pleo and the others didn't have the option to slink off to fight another day, so they either stopped these pirates here and now, or they and gods-knew-how-many of their friends would find their way to Pleo.

… With that in mind, there was only one answer to give back to Dimitri:

"As ready as I'll ever be."

Dimitri nodded back and tensed himself as he balanced the bundle resting between his scythes, when he stood up and flung it free. Before the pirates could register his presence, the bundle had already sailed off and struck the ground next to the Toxapex.

The bundled Orb and Blast Seeds erupted in a large explosion, flinging the Toxapex aside and throwing the others backwards with pained cries. Swirling winds laden with sand and grit erupted from the Sandy Orb and swept up the other pirates as they tried to regain their balance. The Castform among them attempted to blink sand out of her eyes, floating over the body of her singed and unconscious Toxapex comrade as she hacked and looked about wildly for her assailant.

"Agh! What the-?!"

The Castform was swiftly cut off by a watery tackle, sending her tumbling to the ground unconscious as Dimitri found his footing and reared up. Even with the reduced visibility, the other pirates were able to make out his profile, the nearby Dipplin attempting to attack the Kabutops by spitting up a glob of syrup, when a whirling sound rang out above the winds.

WHAP!

The Dipplin seized up as a white projectile struck him in the face. He stumbled in a daze as the missile arced around and struck him a second time from behind, knocking the Dragon-Type to the ground. The bone carried on on its way back to its thrower, as Guardia hopped up as her club neared and snagged it out of the air. She tightened her grip back around her club, and checked the Dipplin, seeing much to her relief that he wasn't getting back up.

Her satisfaction proved short-lived as a low growl rang out followed by heavy thumps. Dimitri and Guardia whirled around and brace themselves as they saw the Conkeldurr start to approach them with his pillars raised for a strike.

"You're gonna wish you never showed your ugly mug, crab," the Conkeldurr snarled. "Do you have any idea who I am?"

"Da! Someone who's running his mouth off and leaving himself wide open!"

The Kabutops lunged ahead at the Conkeldurr, his scythes drawn for a slash. Dimitri's right blade found its mark on the Conkeldurr's flank, but much to the Water-Type's alarm, the Conkeldurr took the hit without flinching and then brought a crushing blow down on him in return.

"Agh!"

Dimitri lost his footing and fell backwards, landing in the dirt with a breathless wheeze. The Conkeldurr noticed his position after a moment to squint against the Sandstorm, and raised his voice over the howl of the winds.

"Everyone who's still standing, get over here and help me crush this weakling!"

The Fighting-Type began to dart forward, raising his pillars as Dimitri tried to scrabble back onto his feet. The pirate leader readied another downward smash as he neared, when a sharp cry rang out from his right.

"Not so fast!"

A seed abruptly zipped in with a blur and struck near the top of Conkeldurr's pillar with an audible pop. The Seed's shell splintered to pieces, as a puff of dust shot out and enveloped the Fighting-Type's head. The Conkeldurr hurriedly attempted to fall back, but the seed's effects quickly overtook him. His eyes began to glaze over and he rubbed at them with an unsteady gait as the Sandstorm kept raging, as good a sign as any that the X-Eye Seed had done its job.

Guardia briefly caught a glimpse of a white blur from the corner of her eye and jumped aside with a sharp yelp as clawtips just missed her scales. She looked up, where the icy Sandslash was growling and drawing a claw back for a swipe.

"Lights out, bonehea-!"

Before the icy Sandslash could finish her words, she was cut off by one of the Conkeldurr's pillars slamming into her with an audible crunch. The Sandslash went flying off until she struck a tree trunk with a loud thud, the pirate sliding down before toppling forward limply. Guardia couldn't help but wince at the sight. Good thing that that Roubushin didn't have great aim right now, since a blow like that might have taken her out of this battle entirely.

Off to her left, Dimitri got back on his feet, panting from stress and exhaustion. A quick glance around revealed that the Sandstorm was slowly starting to thin out, but the Conkeldurr was still groping about from the effects of the X-Eye Seed. The Fighting-Type pirate would surely be a dangerous foe once his impediments subsided, so that meant they had to put him down for the count. Fast.

The Kabutops braced himself, seeing Guardia's silhouette amidst the swirling sands as he called out to her and planted his feet firmly into the ground.

"Quick!" Dimitri cried. "Follow my lead while he's open!"

The Kabutops took off running in a rough circle about the Conkeldurr as the pirate continued swinging about blindly. All the while, steaming water built up in Dimitri's throat, the Kabutops biding his time for the Conkeldurr to leave himself open. He waited for the Fighting-Type's latest swing to miss wide and spewed his Scald out before falling back for distance. The Conkeldurr winced as the scalding water washed over his arm, and reflexively grabbed it to nurse a growing burn on it. From the side, Guardia watched as the Fighting-Type reeled, and took the opening to lunge at him with her club drawn.

The Cubone sprang up as she approached, bringing her club down with an overhead smash onto the Conkeldurr's back. A satisfying thwack rang out, but before Guardia could hit the ground, gray abruptly filled her vision and she felt a crushing blow land all over her torso.

"Augh!"

The Conkeldurr's pillar launched Guardia and sent her flying towards a nearby tree trunk. She crashed into it headfirst, before falling to the ground as her club slipped from her grasp. The Cubone lay there briefly as her vision grew muddy, weakly righting herself as she grabbed for her club ahead of her.

A tan foot stomped it into the dirt and a shadow fell over her. Guardia turned her head up with shaky breaths as she saw the Conkeldurr looming above, his left pillar raised as a faint, red aura seemed to settle around it and his lower arm.

"Anything you wanna say before I crush you, brat?" the Conkeldurr snarled.

Guardia's mind went blank in a panic, when she suddenly noticed movement from the treeline. She glanced off at its direction, and much to the Conkeldurr's surprise her expression eased and her face screwed up into a determined smirk.

"Yes, actually. Stick around for a while."

A sharp crack and the sound of groaning wood rang out, Guardia hurriedly turning and darting to the side as the Conkeldurr looked up to see a tree falling overhead. The tree landed on him with a loud crash, with a glance at its trunk revealing deep, hacking cuts in its wood. Guardia scooted back as dust swirled to see the Conkeldurr's arms groping about weakly from underneath as he attempted to pull himself free, only to lose consciousness and them to go still.

The Cubone sat there panting as silence descended onto the forest path beyond the occasional faint whine or groan. She went and collected her club from the ground, when Dimitri emerged from the treeline, shaking some bark loose from the blade of his scythe.

"That ought to buy Pleo and the others some time," the Kabutops said.

Guardia breathed out a sigh of relief, before she turned her attention to the pirates laying sprawled out around them, all in no shape to do anything other than just lie in place… for now. She made her way over to the Sandslash against the tree, and after giving an exploratory poke with her club and discovering the pirate was still safely unconscious, turned her head back to Dimitri.

"… What are we supposed to do with all of them anyways?" Guardia asked.

"We could push them into the Distortion without their items or badges," Dimitri said. "But considering that these pirates went out prepared to try and catch someone, I don't think we'll need to do anything so drastic."

The Kabutops came over to her and lowered one of his scythes to tug at a bag around the Sandslash's shoulder. After fishing around in it, his eyes briefly lit up as he looped his scythe around something and pulled it out, revealing a set of ropes dangling from its tip.

"Assuming you can tie more knots, anyways."

… Right, these pirates were here to try and capture Pleo, so it was only natural that they'd have brought restraints of various sorts with them. She had to admit, there was a certain poetic justice in them being caught up in their own snares. It also made their lives easier.

The pair started off by binding up the Sandslash against the tree she struck, Dimitri helping to pin her arms behind her while instructing Guardia how to loop the ropes to form knots to hold them in place… even if it took a couple attempts. The pair then repeated the process on the other pirates with the Conkeldurr's pillars one after the other, until all that was left was the Conkeldurr still half-buried under the tree. The pair approached it uneasily, trading glances at the pinned Fighting-Type and then at each other.

"I… think that we can skip trying to pull him free, really," Dimitri said. "Let's just tie his arms to the tree trunk so he can't lift it off of him, and call it a day."

That… seemed more than reasonable to Guardia considering how the 'mon had tried to crush her in battle. She nodded back in affirmation, prompting Dimitri to go and start coiling the rope around the Conkeldurr's arms and the felled tree's trunk. Guardia went around the other side of the Conkeldurr's body and threw the loose end of the rope over, before stooping to grab at the remaining end by her feet, only to see Dimitri catch himself and pause briefly.

"I think we need him a bit further out so we can pull his arms back against the trunk," he said. "Help me pull him free a bit."

Guardia tugged at the Conkeldurr's body along with Dimitri as his head and shoulders gradually came back into view. She turned her attention back to the ropes afterwards and resumed coiling them around the Conkeldurr's arms and the tree trunk. Soon enough, she was at work tying the finishing knots, when she caught a glint from the side of the Conkeldurr's neck.

"Huh?"

Guardia and Dimitri traded glances with each other, before Dimitri turned the scarf inside out and revealed a glinting badge underneath.

"Another one of them," Dimitri murmured. "I suppose it only would make sense if even the Iron Fleet was using them."

Guardia eyed the badge carefully, before giving it an exploratory poke with her bone. At once, it crackled to life as a buzzing voice came through it.

"Oi, Reg! Give us a status report already! Just because you're high up on Crimson Corsairs doesn't mean you just get to ghost us! What on earth was that racket earlier-?"

Guardia hurriedly pulled her bone away from the badge as the voice cut out. She looked over to Dimitri as he sucked in a sharp breath. He backed away a couple paces from the Conkeldurr and quietly murmured to himself.

"Guess that would explain why that Conkeldurr hit us so hard," Dimitri murmured. "That crew sounds like they'd be significantly more dangerous opponents than the Iron Fleet. We should get going before his buddies catch up with us."

Dimitri reached out his scythes to cut the badge free and fling it off into the bushes, but before their tips could find their mark, he felt a tak against his right blade. The Kabutops looked down, seeing Guardia motioning for a stop, as she approached the badge and raised her free hand out to grab it.

"Wait just a moment, Dimitri," the Cubone insisted. "I wanna say something first."

The Kabutops shot an askew glance at the Cubone.

"Guardia, if you grab that for too long, the pirates on the other end will figure out our location."

"Maybe, but I don't think we have a choice, Dimitri," she said. "These pirates' friends are expecting them to say something. If we don't get them to think we headed back into the forest, they'll come here and find them, and then go straight into the Mystery Dungeon."

She hovered her hand over the badge and shook her head in reply.

"All the more reason to try and make them think we took Pleo somewhere else, even if it's just for a little bit."

---

Duke Franz's throne room was in a stony chamber in the keep of Gestirn's castle, with tall windows that let in light from outside, and rugs and tapestries that added color to its gray environs. Much to Ingela's dismay, the Council had overruled her and chosen to repurpose it as their meeting room while they were here on Gestirn, instead of a site closer to the water. The Primarina thumped her tail impatiently against the floor, as evening sunlight filtered through, and cast a glance off at the throne, where Dirk was idly amusing himself. The Bisharp sat sideways on the throne with his feet kicked up and his Eviolite necklace poking out from under his scarf, inspecting a black and gold orb.

"Remind me, why did we opt to hold our meetings so far from the water again?" Ingela scoffed. "You do realize that such a site would've made it easier to go to and from our ships?"

Dirk didn't bother adjusting his posture on the throne. He glanced at the Primarina from the corner of his eye, before balancing the black-and-gold orb on the tip of his blade, and idly spinning it on top of its tip.

"What can I say? I've always had a bit of a refined taste," the Bisharp said. "And the best things in life sometimes require a bit of a journey to get them."

Ingela folded her flippers over each other, and turned her snout up with a quiet frown.

"I sure hope that that Sheriff and those guards who weren't accounted for after the raid don't have similar ideas."

"Never heard of the value of picking your battles, Ingela?" Dirk questioned. "Our objective isn't related to them."

"I do pick my battles, Dirk. That's how I built my reputation carrying on my mate's fleet," Ingela huffed. "By putting the fear of the gods into those who took him from me."

Dirk stopped the orb and set it aside on the throne. He got up and approached Ingela from his seat, curling his mouth into a serious frown.

"You know what I mean. As long as they stay out of the way of that bird and our plunder, we have nothing to lose from letting them hide in their little holes until we're gone."

Ingela turned aside with a quiet harrumph and continued batting her tail back and forth with a series of agitated thumps against the floor.

"You sure could have fooled me with the amount of 'monpower you were sending to try and find those Pokémon that ambushed that scouting party from the Iron Fleet."

A noticeable pause followed between the two, as Dirk watched the Primarina narrow her eyes at him.

"How do you even know that those ambushers really have Lugia?" she asked. "One of your own crew's parties said that they found signs that Lugia entered the Mystery Dungeon. Shouldn't we be focusing some of our attention on the dungeon, as well?"

Was Ingela taking him for some sort of amateur like Hess? Even if they didn't see eye to eye as members of the Council all the time, the Primarina surely ought to have known better considering how he was the most senior member of the Council. The Bisharp hardened his features into a sharp scowl, before shaking his head in reply.

"No, because even if whoever ambushed them doesn't really have Lugia, they weren't content to hide away in their little hole and are going around actively sabotaging us," he explained. "We shouldn't assume that they're not already planning on making another move, or that it will stay in the realm of overpowering scouts. And that means not leaving it to just the Iron Fleet to get to the bottom of just who those Pokémon are. Especially if those ambushers do have Lugia or are friends of his."

Ingela let out an unamused huff and crossed her flippers at the explanation, a reaction that Dirk supposed shouldn't have surprised him. Ingela always had been one of the more combative members of the Council, after all.

"Oh come now, Dirk. Lugia and his companions couldn't have evaded capture this long without some degree of cleverness," Ingela said. "Am I really to assume that they'd have just given away his location without doing something to throw us off their-?"

"Hey! Captain! Are you there?"

The doors to the room creaked open, as Dirk and Ingela whirled around to see a Rabsca floating in in a hurry. Dirk stepped forward and stepped in front of the Rabsca's path, staring down with a fierce, overpowering glare.

"What is it now?" the Bisharp growled. "You do know that I don't need an update over every little thing you overhear!"

The Rabsca broke his pose with a startled buzz and jolted his limbs as his ball and badge wavered in the air briefly. After a moment to steady his psychic hold on his belongings and regain his composure, the Rabsca pushed the badge towards Dirk with an unseen force and gave an apologetic chitter.

"Uhh… sorry," the Rabsca said. "But you really want to hear this one. It's a message for you from those ambushers that picked off those Iron Fleet scouts."

Dirk paused and eased his expression as he and Ingela traded surprised stares with one another. After a moment's hesitation, he turned over to an Emboar by the room's entrance and motioned at the door with an impatient grunt.

"Go get Tarquin and Hess," the Bisharp barked. "Tell them that if they're planning on getting full shares of loot when we divide everything up, that they'll show up as soon as they can."

The Emboar hurriedly saluted in reply before darting out of the room. Dirk watched the Emboar drift off, before stepping forward and snatching the badge out of the air. The Bisharp made his way back to the throne and sat down on it. He kicked his legs up, and pressed down on the metal lump, raising it to his mouth to speak.

"This is Captain Dirk of the Crimson Corsairs. Who is this?"

"The Pokémon who just bested one of your stronger warriors, that's who!" a Cubone's voice crackled back. "For goons as tough as yours, they sure are dumb at fighting!"

Ingela tensed up, and reflexively opened her mouth to protest back, only for Dirk to cut her off by raising a hand and motioning for a stop. The Primarina quietly seethed, as the Bisharp cocked his brow at the voice's comments.

"'Warrior', huh? So you must be one of those guards that slipped away after the raid," Dirk said. "I was under the impression you Gestirners were more no-nonsense types and less… theatrical."

"Hrmph, you wish I was a guard!" the voice piped back. "Sounds like you're just mad that your underlings got their tails handed to them!"

The Bisharp's face fell in response. He tightened his grip around the badge and raised it to his mouth before he continued on.

"No, I'm more annoyed that you're wasting my time when I have business with a client to tend to," Dirk retorted. "Most Pokémon that annoy me wind up swiftly regretting it."

A moment of silence followed, one long enough that a flash of confusion came over Ingela's face and even the Bisharp himself couldn't help but raise a brow. Had something happened to the speaker? He wouldn't have expected a headstrong type to suddenly lose her nerve, but perhaps this 'mon of mystery had a better gauge for dangerous situations than he thought—

"Wait, 'business with a client'?" the voice asked. "But you're pirates. Since when did you do anything for anyone else?"

… Or not. Dirk narrowed his eyes, as he got up out of his throne and began walking off. He made his way along and passed one of the tapestries on the wall. He glanced at it briefly, before raising the badge back to his mouth to speak into it.

"That doesn't concern you," Dirk scoffed. "Though if you want to make things easier, put your bird friend on the line. I believe that we have some companions of his he'd be eager to hear from."

There was a long silence from the badge afterwards. When the voice came through again, Dirk couldn't help but notice that it sounded audibly flustered.

"He's… uh, not interested in negotiating! We'll free them ourselves! The hard way if we have to!"

Dirk paused, as a small smirk came over his face. He'd heard everything that he needed to. So Ingela was right and it really was a feint, and he was pretty sure he had a decent idea of what he was dealing with for a foe.

"You're obviously quite young and inexperienced," he said. "One of those overenthusiastic types that thinks they're prepared to take on the world after reading Hard to Kill a few too many times."

"Read what, now?"

Dirk quirked a brow. Hard to Kill was a tale at least as old as the Cradle itself and its many variations all had a fairly predictable formula… would the type of Pokémon that went around picking fights with pirates really never have heard of it?

"Story about a lone guard on Christmas that fights on his own through a crystal tower to rescue his mate?" the Bisharp asked. "Ring any bells?"

"Nope. Never heard of it."

Dirk frowned, before raising the badge back to his mouth with a sharp scoff.

"You're certainly full of surprises, but I'll cut to the chase. This isn't some old heroic fantasy, kid," Dirk said. "You're not going to magically save the day and free all these villagers on your own and waltz off into the sunrise with your sweetheart."

Dirk walked along as he neared one of the tapestries on the wall. He briefly flexed his right arm, before once again pressing down onto his badge and continuing to speak.

"And when Pokémon under such delusions cross paths with me, I have a tendency to snap them out of them."

THWIP!

The Bisharp summarily ran his blade along the tapestry and sliced through it from one end to the next. Its bottom fell to the ground with a thumping clatter, which made the Rabsca involuntarily flinch. Dirk raised the badge back up to his mouth and enunciated his words for the listener on the other end to hear him loud and clear.

"Permanently," he snarled. "I'm here along with the full force of Orleigh Island's Pirate Council and a good half of the crews that berth there. Just what do you think you can do against us?"

"Stop you from getting to Pleo, that's what!" the voice piped back.

'Pleo', huh? So then this scamp really was one of Lugia's companions. Though that sounded like something he could use to his advantage…

After all, there were several reasons presently sitting behind bars in the village garrison that he could give this Cubone to change her tune. Probably quite a few of them if they'd come in on an entire ship.

"Fat lot of good all that strength of yours will do if he's gone before you-!"

The voice abruptly cut itself off as the sound of rustling came through the badge and a sharp cry came from the other end.

"N-Nani?!" the Cubone's voice cried. "Who are-?!"

The Badge abruptly went silent midsentence. Her patience worn thin, Ingela grabbed at the badge and snatched it out of Dirk's hand, thrusting it in front of the Rabsca with a sharp bark.

"Who's holding that badge right now?!" the Primarina demanded.

The Rabsca paused and held onto the badge in focus. After a moment seemingly in a trance, the Bug-Type bobbled the ball levitating overhead as he turned to Ingela uneasily.

"Nobody," he explained. "I think the speaker just threw it aside."

Dirk and Ingela traded glances after the Rabsca's reply, the Primarina growling under her breath in frustration.

"Ugh, what a waste of time this all was," Ingela fumed. "They don't even have Lugia with them!

"Hardly," Dirk explained. "Even if it wasn't their intention, they've let us know exactly where we should be looking."

Ingela's face contorted in confusion as her mouth hung open for a moment in bewildered annoyance. The Primarina's expression eased as she let out a low, grudging sigh. Clearly she'd picked up on how Lugia's friends had been trying to throw them off the trail, and if they'd gone through the trouble of trying to interfere with his crew prying deeper into the Mystery Dungeon…

Well, he could think of some pretty straightforward reasons why they'd want that.

"What's going on here?"

The sound of loud, heavy footsteps coming from the hall prompted Dirk and Ingela to turn for the door as Hess and Tarquin made their way into the room. The pair entered and made their way up alongside Ingela, as Dirk walked up and pointed up at Hess with a sharp harrumph.

"Gather your crew, Hess," Dirk barked. "You're going dungeoneering."

Hess blinked incredulously as the Bisharp's words sank in a moment. At once, the Aggron's eyes shot wide in alarm, as he stammered in confusion back at the Crimson Corsairs' captain.

"H-Huh?! What's going on?!" Hess cried. "I thought that there was someone going around ambushing-!"

"Plans have changed, obviously," Dirk scoffed. "Some bigger priorities have come up."

"We've been able to confirm that Lugia is hiding in the Mystery Dungeon," Ingela added. "I'm sure that even an oaf like you can manage to comb a dungeon properly."

Tarquin stiffened up and held his head up as a brief flash of unease came over his eyes. The other pirate captains noticed the Tyrantrum's misgivings, before he shook his head with a low harrumph.

"I… think that's going to be a bit easier said than done, Ingela," the dinosaur said.

"And what's just what that supposed to mean?" the Primarina demanded.

"There's apparently some sort of settlement deep inside there called 'Starbreak Square," Tarquin said. "The Marked in our ranks have apparently been dragging their feet about going inland since they didn't want to get mixed up with it."

The Tyrantrum turned his head aside as his peers looked on. He narrowed his eyes before letting out a low harrumph and continuing on.

"I first thought it was another one of their fairy tales, but I overheard some of the townsfolk talking about the place themselves while making the rounds," Tarquin explained. "When was the last time you ever heard normal Pokémon agree with a Marked story?"

Dirk paused, when a moment of dawning realization came over his eyes. If there was an entire settlement of Marked in Gestirn's Mystery Dungeon, then it'd likely just be a matter of time before they came across Lugia.

And that meant, that with a bit of time, that if there was no sign of Lugia ever leaving the Mystery Dungeon, that the most logical place he would've wound up would be with the Marked. After all, they knew that dungeon better than anyone other than maybe some ferals that also lived inside. Once Lugia entered it, it would just be a matter of time before they ran into each other.

And once that happened, it was hardly believable that they'd just let a 'demon' roam loose. They'd want to keep him penned up someplace secure, and what place would they be more likely to choose than a cell in that settlement of theirs?

The Bisharp shook his head, before folding his arms and looking over at Hess with a sharp harrumph.

"Actually, scratch that. I'll be going with my crew alongside you, Hess. And Ingela will, too," Dirk said. "Tarquin and the other crews should be able to keep the peasants in line and checking the forests to mop up the rest of Lugia's friends while we're out, and you frankly need all the help you can get."

Ingela's face fell into an unamused frown with a quiet grumble. Hess stared blankly as his jaw flopped open in shock, as he raised a claw and began to stammer in protest.

"B-But you just asked me to-!"

"That was before I found out there was an entire town of Marked down there. One that will almost certainly get their claws on that 'demon' given enough time," Dirk harrumphed, folding his arms. "Really, you should be thanking me for lending you some help and not leaving you to get in over your head."

Hess spluttered in indignation and stomped his foot with a low growl, only for a pair of louder ones to ring out. The Aggron looked over at Tarquin and Ingela as the pair shot piercing glares at him, and abruptly flinched and shrank back much as if he'd been thrown into the middle of a mob of Marowak.

Dirk trailed off briefly, before turning his gaze up to his Tyrantrum counterpart.

"Though I'll need your crew to help out with a few things involving Lugia's friends, Tarquin," he mused. "After all, that bird will be more motivated to come quietly if he thinks he's got something to lose."

Tarquin gave a nodding grunt in reply as Dirk continued on, idly inspecting his blades as he made his way to the doors. When he reached them, he swung them wide with an audible creak, and looked back with a dangerous smirk.

"So let's do them all a favor and take that bird off their hands, huh?"

---

Author's Notes:

- I tant - Catalan: "Indeed"
- Tsurugi no Mai (つるぎのまい) - Japanese: "Swords Dance" (Official Romanization)
- Roubushin (ローブシン) - Japanese: "Conkeldurr" (Official Romanization)

 

[Spiteful Murkrow]

"Permanently. I'm here along with the full force of Orleigh Island's Pirate Council and a good half of the crews that berth there. Just what do you think you can do against us?"

Guardia held onto the badge and quietly bit her tongue. Had she been saying too much to Dirk? She glanced back at the forests surrounding the path, and while the pirates were still safely out cold, Dimitri was glancing down at her with an increasingly impatient frown.

Maybe it was a sign to wrap things up, though if so, she wanted to get in a last word. They needed to convince those pirates that they were taking Pleo deeper into the forest, and it was honestly kinda fun to hear the Pokémon on the other end of the badge huff and fume.

"Stop you from getting to Pleo, that's what!" Guardia taunted "Fat lot of good all that strength of yours will do if he's gone before you-!"

She froze mid-sentence after she heard rustling coming from the nearby brush and saw Dimitri tense up. The Cubone turned her head, just in time to see a long, red snout poking out from bushes along the path, prompting her to jump back with a startled yelp.

"N-Nani?! Who are you?!"

Guardia let the badge drop to the ground, clinging tightly to her club as a Krookodile and six other guards in Imperial scarves emerged from the brush. There was a brief moment of tension, when the Krookodile held a claw up and motioned for a stop.

"It's alright. They're allies," Robbie said. "Looks like they even took care of a few pirates for us."

The guards glanced off at the Conkeldurr pinned under the felled tree behind Dimitri and Guardia, and then off at the party of pirates scattered about unconscious along the lane. They eased out of their battle stances as Robbie began to approach Dimitri and Guardia. His eyes fell on the glinting badge on the ground as he neared, and he stooped down and threw it into his bag. Dimitri stared dumbfoundedly at the newcomers, until he realized that the Krookodile was the one and the same as the one from the courtroom.

"Wait a minute…" the Kabutops murmured. "You're that sheriff from earlier."

"And you're those Rüpel that threw me under the ship back in town," the Krookodile harrumphed. "But I'll avoid keeping score since we crossed paths with your friends earlier and have other things to worry about right now."

Robbie turned to his underlings with a low murmur that trailed off into barking words that Dimitri didn't understand. Probably some sort of order in Gestirner from how throaty it sounded. The guards nodded back and broke off into small groups as others emerged from the brush. A Makuhita and a Turtonator among them came and pried the Conkeldurr free and finished his bindings before they dragged him off into the brush, while the rest followed suit with the other pirates one after the other.

Dimitri and Guardia waited until the last of the pirates and their captors drifted off into the undergrowth, leaving behind just themselves, a small party that eyed them warily, and Robbie staring down at them with his arms folded over each other. The pair supposed that at the least, the sheriff wasn't an enemy of theirs right now, but even so something about his comment about 'their friends' felt a bit strange…

"Wait a minute," Guardia began. "If Pleo and the others already met you, why are they in the Mystery Dungeon right now?"

"They went out to Starbreak Square to try and get help dealing with those pirates," Robbie explained.

"Wait, but why would they go back to Starpeak-?" Guardia started, only for Robbie to sharply cut her off.

"Starbreak Square. It's a long story, but the gist of it is that it's a town of Marked inside the Mystery Dungeon," the Krookodile said. "I told them they were wasting their time, but the pirates heavily outnumber us right now and we don't really have the luxury of turning down help here."

Guardia paused, before looking away and pawing at the back of her bony helmet with her free hand. The Waruvial and his idea of trying to seek out other Pokémon to lend them strength wasn't a bad one, but…

"… Are you sure we're just dealing with pirates?"

Robbie and the other guards remained quiet for a moment, before the Krookodile shook his head with a small frown.

"No. It crossed my mind that the Company might be involved, but I don't exactly have proof of that," he sighed. "Why? Did you find something out, Tragosso?"

"I just talked with some pirate captain through that badge," Guardia explained. "A 'Captain Dirk of the Crimson Corsairs'. He said that they were doing this raid on behalf of a 'client'."

A few of the guards in Robbie's entourage stiffened up and stared back. Some traded dumbstruck looks with one another, while others began to murmur aloud at the Cubone's revelation.

"Huh? Just what sort of client would be able to hire this many pirates?" a Mabosstiff asked.

"Again, it's those square-necks, Friedrich. It has to be," a Heliolisk growled. "Who else would be able to foot the bill to put all those pirates up to this?"

Dimitri paused as the more he thought about it, the more the Heliolisk's remarks seemed to make sense. He turned towards the Krookodile sheriff, giving an uneasy tap of his scythes.

"I think that your Heliolisk friend is onto something, Sheriff," Dimitri said. "The Company's been chasing Pleo for over a month and he just fought his way out of their capital alongside us. Why wouldn't they turn to drastic measures to get him at this point?"

Robbie fell quiet and he clamped his jaws shut with a visible grimace. Dimitri and Guardia didn't know how much the sheriff trusted them, but clearly the idea of the Company getting ahold of a Protector was quite unnerving to him.

The Krookodile turned his eyes towards the ground and pinched his brow with a low sigh.

"… I suppose that it makes sense, especially if they also know that your friend's a Protector," he murmured. "If they hired the pirates to do their dirty work for them in Imperial waters, then as long as they are careful about it, there would be no one to point a finger towards. Even if it didn't work out for them, I don't know if Her Majesty could declare open war on the Company over a pirate raid without sparking riots in the capital again."

Guardia and Dimitri fell quiet, as the Cubone of the pair pawed uneasily at her bone. Gah, why on earth did 'Civilized' Pokémon always have to make things so complicated?

"So what do we do, then?" she asked.

"Stick with us, obviously," Robbie huffed back. "There's strength in numbers."

"Huh?!" Dimitri protested. "But Pleo and the others are in that Mystery Dungeon!"

"Yeah, I know."

Guardia and Dimitri turned their attention back to the Krookodile sheriff, who folded his arms with an impatient harrumph.

"When we sent your friends into the Mystery Dungeon, we gave them a badge for our teleporter to keep track of," he explained. "So that way we could get to them quickly if they called for help."

Guardia and Dimitri traded wary glances with each other after Robbie's reply. The sheriff seemed to pick up on their unease and shook his head.

"Look, I wasn't super optimistic about their plan myself, but whatever's going on in there, our teleporter has been having trouble getting a read on their location lately," the Krookodile insisted. "The last she sensed of them was them taking their own badges off, which the Pokémon in Starbreak Square most likely would've made them do as a precaution. We expected that that could happen as a part of them going there, and there's only so much we can do right now. Us finding an entrance into Starbreak Square would take a while even with a full search party. Time that we currently need to spend focusing on problems elsewhere."

Guardia and Dimitri turned and glanced down the path leading up to the Mystery Dungeon. If nothing else, it wasn't wise to just linger here, and it was hard to argue the sheriff's point.

A low grunt snapped them to attention, as the pair looked back and saw Robbie nearing the brush, motioning along with a claw for them to follow.

"Besides, we could use the extra monpower on our end. I doubt we've seen the last of those pirates around here."

"Right," Dimitri said. "That sounds like a good reason to stick together."

Dimitri and Guardia set off with Robbie and his underlings back into the brush. The forest gradually returned back to its earlier quiet, as Dimitri and Guardia and their newfound companions trudged along, when the Cubone pawed at Dimitri's leg.

"By the way, what is 'Hard to Kill'? That Dirk said it was some sort of story and I was curious what it was about."

Dimitri cocked a brow and stared at his teammate briefly, before turning away with a sigh. He supposed it was a good thing that they had a bit of time, since he had a feeling explaining this one was going to take a while.

---

About ten minutes after leaving the Hall of Remembrance, Pleo and his teammates found themselves in a stone-hewn office which had been outfitted with simple furniture and glowmoss lanterns for illumination, including a desk where Roderic had set their Ledger down for "transcribing". Much to their astonishment, after putting the tome on the desk, he dove into a small red housing that had been waiting for him on the desk and floated over the book in what looked like some sort of scratched, squarish slate with arms and feet. The Rotom floated over the book carefully, going page by page as he would occasionally curl in one of the arms and press down on the glass portion of the slate before a clicking noise would ring out.

They all stared as Roderic continued on with his strange ritual, which they weren't sure what it was doing or how it would help them. Pleo's attention drifted off towards the rest of the room after Roderic went through the first few dozen pages. He'd quickly realized after entering Roderic's office that the room was full of ancient artifacts, and curiosity couldn't help but get the better of him. Tattered books in mystic scripts, plastic objects, strange colored spheres. There was even a line of three strange metal containers that sat next to a wheeled contraption of some sort with a long handle, and some sort of pinwheel that rested against the wall.

The Lugia studied the five mysterious objects and wondered to himself what they might be. He perked up and turned his head back for Roderic's desk as he heard the sound of the Ledger being shut with an audible thud.

"There," Roderic said. "That should be everything."

Crom blinked. He looked at the Ledger on the table, and then back at the Rotom floating in the air, before he spoke up incredulously.

"Huh?! But you barely looked at any of the pages!" the Druddigon exclaimed.

"I didn't have to," Roderic explained. "This codex I'm indwelling is able to record images of objects in front of it."

The Rotom floated the strange slate closer to them, where amidst a pale glow, they saw an image of one of the Ledger's left pages, clear enough that Crom could read the page's runes. Roderic tapped an arm at a small circle towards the right side of the slate and the image abruptly changed to one of the Ledger's right pages. Another tap, and it was back on a left page, except it looked a little different, and as Crom studied it, he realized that Roderic had been going through the pages of the Ledger in order.

His jaw dropped. He didn't know how this little contraption had done it, but…

"Ah! You copied our Ledger!" the Druddigon cried.

"In a manner of speaking," Roderic said. "This codex was made by human magic ages ago and was specifically built for my kind to manipulate. It's a bit worse for wear, but it still does what it's supposed to."

The Ghost-Type laid the slate back down on the desk on its back, before the spike and arms on it withdrew, and his body emerged from its surface. He floated up, before turning to Crom with a crackling buzz.

"It's one of the treasures of Starbreak Square, and in all the long years since its founding, we've never found a second one in working condition."

Trizano and the others stared in awe at this 'codex' on the table. That little device could really make pictures that looked so life-like? Why, if it wasn't for scuffs on its glass, the pages would have looked real enough to try and touch!

The Skarmory opened his mouth to ask further about how this 'codex' worked, only to notice that Roderic's expression had taken a stern and grave turn. The Rotom went up to him and his companions, bobbling back and forth with a gaze that seemed visibly suspicious of them.

"… Did you know about what was in here?"

Trizano blinked at the Rotom's question, before giving a wary tilt of his head.

"What, about the Empire and Company working together to take Yveltal's egg from Nagrobek and bring it to Conntow?" the Skarmory asked. "We had an idea, yes."

"No, I was talking about the parts saying that Queen Erna specifically directed that Yveltal's egg be brought aside and put under experiments to try and accelerate its incubation," Roderic replied. "Ones that were conducted under supervision of the Royal Navy."

Trizano stared back in puzzled silence as something bothered him about the Rotom's reply.

He knew from the Ledger that the Empire and the Company had been looking for a Protector with 'the power to lay waste to Anylla's enemies'. But who on earth would those enemies be? Anyilla was supposed to have been at peace with other parts of the Cradle like Linglan or Garanza just before the Great Calamity, and the Empire and Company worked together at the time, so there would've been nothing for them to fight over…

Would there?

"… We didn't get to that part yet," Ander murmured. "We'd only made it through the earlier parts of the Ledger before we were forced on the run from Starpeak Square."

"I'm not sure what you're doing with a book like this, but perhaps it's for the best that I made a record of it, then," Roderic replied. "I'm sure there's quite a bit more this book will have to say once its contents are reviewed a bit more carefully."

"That shouldn't be a problem, Roderic."

Team Traveller turned their heads at the sound of the door to the room opening, where they saw Nina and the rest of Starbreak Square's Elders, flanked by a small party of guards. The Typhlosion walked up to the table and snatched the red ledger with a sharp huff.

"We'll be holding onto this for now," Nina said. "Between it and the records Roderic made of it, we should be able to go through its contents significantly faster."

Team Traveller's members' stiffened up at the Typhlosion's reply, as Crom reflexively darted forward raising a hand in protest.

"W-Wait, that's ours!" the Druddigon protested. "We need that to force the Company and the Empire to leave Pleo alone!"

Nina stepped back and narrowed her eyes as the nearby guards stepped forward and closed ranks around her. Pleo bit his tongue and quietly fretted to himself over whether or not they'd made things worse.

"I said we were holding onto it for now," Nina scoffed. "We have some secure chests that we put our relics in for safekeeping in a storeroom in this building. We'll be holding onto your Ledger in one of them, and no harm will come to it there."

The High Elder turned her face down into an icy frown, making a point of letting her gaze linger on Pleo for a moment before turning away.

"If we decide we can trust you, we'll return it to you afterwards."

Pleo grit his teeth and sucked in a quiet breath as his companions visibly faltered. He didn't like this at all. That Ledger was the only piece of three that they had to show for their efforts so far and now Nina was just going to walk off with it? How long would it take until she decided that she trusted them? What if she never did?

… Except, the Elders also wouldn't help them with Starpeak Square or rescuing their friends if things devolved into a fight between them, or even agree to let them go. With how intertwined everything was, maybe it didn't make sense to raise such a big fuss right now. Pleo hesitated for a moment, before letting his gaze drift down to the floor with a grudging sigh.

"If it's really the only way to convince you," the Lugia murmured. "I guess we can wait a little."

"Glad to hear," Nina harrumphed. "Though we have other matters to tend to. It's getting late enough that it's time we bring you to a place to pass the night."

Pleo and the others weren't sure what to make of what sort of 'place to pass the night' Nina had in mind, but followed along anyways. Before they knew it, Nina and the others brought them back through the building's hallways and retraced their steps to the entrance hall of the Elders' compound. Pleo came to a stop amidst the cool blues of glowmoss and looked around as his companions and their guards filled in. The Elders were off on the side, pointing at Pleo every now and then as they talked to each other in hushed voices. About what, he couldn't tell.

There was a nudge against his wing, as he looked up and saw one of Margi's side-heads, along with the Hydreigon craning her central head down with a hushed whisper.

"Are you doing alright, Pleo?"

Pleo hesitated at Margi's question, before looking away with a quiet sigh.

"Yeah, we're okay," he said. "It's just that… I wish it wasn't so hard to convince everyone that I'm really not this scary monster that they're so afraid of."

Margi looked away as they made it to the doors and exited the building. The Rillabloom and Alcremie guards were still there and eyeing Pleo carefully, only for them to turn their heads as the sound pattering feet rang out. Pleo looked over himself, and much to his surprise, a black-and-blue blur shot out. It was Daraen, bounding out in front of the group and wagging his tail expectantly.

"Oh! You're finally done!" the Deino cheered. "I'd been waiting for a chance to have a rematch with you at Substitute Battling! I even got the Substitutes together and everything!"

Margi blanched and her wingbeats quickened as her fellow guards traded flummoxed looks with one another, a Golbat giving a grumbling "Is this kid serious?" under her breath. The Marked Hydreigon stooped down and cracked an awkward, grimacing smile, as she nudged at her child and attempted to turn him away.

"Er… mon petit, you should go back home. It's getting a bit late right now," Margi insisted. "We were going to show Pleo and the others to their place to sleep tonight."

Daraen's head drooped in response. He nuzzled insistently back at his mother and let out a disappointed whine.

"Aww… so soon?" he asked. "But it's not even time for dinner yet!"

The Golbat from the group beat her wings a few times, before flying over with an impatient huff.

"Look, kid. They're going to be spending the night in a holding cell," she snapped. "They can keep themselves entertained by doodling on the walls or something."

Margi shot a low growl over at the Golbat which drew a stifled cry and quickly prompted her to back away. Even so, the damage had already been done, as Daraen sharply stiffened up and Team Traveller's eyes shrank to pins. Not least of all Crom's as the Druddigon's mouth flopped open with a startled stammer.

"Wait, what?! H-Hold on a minute! Nobody said anything about us getting locked up in a holding cell!" Crom protested. "I thought we were getting a place to spend the night!"

"Crom, you do remember that we're prisoners right now, right?" Ander asked. "Where did you think they'd keep us?"

Crom froze and set his teeth on edge. Right, they had surrendered themselves in order to come into Starbreak Square. He… just hadn't been expecting that the Pokémon here would really keep them behind lock and key again.

"B-But you don't need to do that!"

Daraen's voice cut through the air as he hurriedly stepped between Team Traveller and the other Marked. The Deino reared up on his hindlegs, piping up in sharp protest.

"You don't have to put them in some sort of awful cell if you need a place to keep them!" the little dragon insisted. "They can just stay with me and maman!"

Daraen perked up and wagged his tail happily, his diminished sight blinding him to the slackened jaws and incredulous scowls being leveled at him from the other Marked present. Nina and her fellow Elders leveled withering glares at Margi, who craned her necks around her child with a shushing hiss.

"Mon petit, that's quite enou-"

Much to her surprise, her child abruptly pulled back from her. Daraen shuffled back a few paces and stomped the ground with an insistent huff, raising his voice loud enough that Crom and his fellows briefly flinched at how forceful and loud it was.

"But I mean it!" the Deino cried. "If Pleo's really this big, scary demon, shouldn't we not be doing things that would make him upset?"

Crom grimaced, expecting to hear poor Daraen get an earful from Nina and the others, only to notice that she and the others were looking over at Pleo tensely. The other guards' mood had turned as well, as they began to grow uneasy, while a few like a Murkrow were visibly shrinking away.

"U-Um? Elders?" the Murkrow gulped. "Just who is going to be watching them tonight anyways?"

The other guards traded looks with one another as a few nervous laughs floated in the air, along with one of the guard's voices protesting that "Can't make it, the mate and the kids all came down with stomachaches this morning" in a bit too eager of a tone. Even here in a secluded village dug into a bunch of rock tunnels, some things really didn't change about Pokémon.

Margi briefly traded looks between her peers and Team Traveller, and noticed her child nosing up at her pleadingly. She hesitated for a moment, before sighing and clearing her throat as she turned back to the Elders and bowed her central head.

"Er… if I may, Elders," the Hydreigon began. "But even if it does sound a little strange, you do have it as practice to arrange alternative lodging for prisoners in the event that the holding cells are all occupied or otherwise unusable. And house arrest is one of those alternatives…"

A moment of blinking silence passed among the five, before the Spidops among them folded his arms and let out a growling harrumph.

"I'm sorry, why should we think that this is a good idea again?"

Margi uneasily exhaled before she glanced back at Team Traveller, and after a lingering pause, turned back to the Spidops and the other Elders.

"I have been at the demon's side for most of the day precisely because the others thought I was best able to handle him," she said. "If he were in my quarters, it would make it easier for me to watch over him, and it would also be less likely to antagonize him than trying to pen him up in a holding cell…"

Nina said nothing for a moment as her Spidops and Chatot companions in the background traded glances with each other and whispers of "Could that actually work?". Elder Siana's mood took a sharp turn for the worse, as the Espeon stomped forward with her eyes narrowed and her ears pinned back, pointing her snout up at Margi.

"Pah! That's the most ridiculous idea I've ever heard!" the Espeon spat. "There's no way we'd ever agree to that!"

---

"I can't believe you four! Why on earth would you agree to this?!"

About fifteen minutes later, Team Traveller stood unbound in one of the town's tunnels in front of a rock-hewn entrance with a cloth hung over it—Margi's house, they presumed. The guards around them were fidgeting uneasily as Siana shot a dirty glare up at her counterparts, especially Margi, who seemed to be on pins and needles during the entire trip over and through the whole process of them getting untied. The others reacted with a chorus of sighs, Nina not bothering to hide a roll of her eyes, before the Spidops of their number turned his attention over to Margi with a stern scowl.

"Margi, we are taking a significant leap of faith with your and your child's ability to tamp down that fiend's destructive tendencies," the Spidops reminded. "If he harms so much as a hair of anyone outside your house, there will be consequences for you."

Margi subconsciously gulped as the color drained from her face. Pleo noted the visibly anxious turn in the Hydreigon's demeanor, before turning his head back to the Spidops and narrowing his eyes into a sharp glare.

"I'm not going to do anything like that," Pleo huffed. "So you can stop being so mean to her."

The other guards traded looks with one another, as a few of them went up beside Margi to try and insist "it's not too late to change your mind". Crom opted not to press the matter and to try and think about something else. He poked his head in past the door and saw that Margi and Daraen's house looked downright barren: a low table in the center with a glowmoss lantern on it, some worn cushions around it, and what looked to be a beat-up chest in the corner… and precious little else.

He turned back out to his surroundings and tried to glimpse past the guards and the other houses down the lane. It was a bit difficult to get a good look from how they had ringed them and attempted to cut off the view from the outside world, but judging from how close the other entrances were to each other, space in Starbreak Square was a precious commodity.

Though that made him wonder…

"Actually, how do you and your mom already have a house, Daraen?" the Druddigon asked. "You've only been here for a couple weeks."

"It's… technically not ours. It got assigned to maman after she joined the guards here," Daraen explained, flusteredly turning his head away. "When we first came, we slept on a mat in a communal hall."

The young Dragon-Type visibly perked up, wagging his tail as he nosed ahead eagerly at the entrance to the stony dugout.

"But that's not to say it's bad!" he insisted. "Even if it's different from home, the other Pokémon here have been nice neighbors and nothing but friendly to us!"

Crom turned to steal further glances of his surroundings past the guards, and saw that the entire tunnel was vacant aside from the forms of Marked Pokémon poking their heads out from windows and entrances. Some stared worriedly and were tense, as if they'd been backed into a corner. Ander noticed that others were visibly trembling or in the case of some younger-looking Pokémon, cringing behind larger siblings or their parents to try and hide themselves. The Scyther quietly breathed in, before turning back to Daraen with a sighing shake of his head.

"Somehow I doubt they're going to treat us the same way," Ander remarked.

"A-Aah! What are you doing?!"

The sound of thumping footsteps hurrying in turned everyone's gaze to their right. There, lit up in the warm glow of startled fire, Bunsen approached with widened, frightened eyes. The Charizard pointed a claw shakily at Pleo and raised his voice in stammering protest.

"E-Elders?! Wh-What's the meaning of this?!" Bunsen cried. "Wh-Why would you bring the demon here?! My family and I live in this tunnel!"

Pleo and his companions blinked and looked about their surroundings. They hadn't noticed these tunnels looking familiar on their way over. Was it really that close to where Bunsen had darted back off for his family?

… They sure had a knack for running into this 'mon again even when they didn't want to. Pleo froze, half-expecting that the Elders would promptly shuffle them off for the Cells over the outburst, only to notice them staring back with sharp scowls. Nina in particular seemed particularly unimpressed, as she approached the Charizard with a piercing glare.

"He has been assigned to house arrest under the supervision of a guard particularly well-suited to reining him in," Nina answered. "That happens to be Margi here, and that's all there is to it."

Bunsen's jaw flopped open in startled shock, as the Charizard's tail-fire visibly flared up and he began to sputter in protest.

"B-But-"

Before Bunsen could get out another word, Nina stomped up and grabbed his scarf. The Charizard yelped as the Typhlosion yanked his head down to her eye level, and bared her fangs with a low snarl.

"Need I remind you, Charizard, that it was because of your cowardice that the demon found this haven in the first place?" Nina snapped. "Unless you're going to volunteer to help Margi keep watch over him tonight, kindly sit down and shut up."

Pleo and his companions watched as the color drained from Bunsen's face and he began to squirm, getting out little more than weak, defeated-sounding protests. Pleo sighed, when he felt a scaly, firm presence prod at his back. A glance up revealed Margi shaking her head with a low murmur under her breath, as she motioned off with her free arm-head for her home's open doorway.

"Come on, we should head in. It's getting late."

---

"A-Agh!"

Elty whined as he laid curled on the floor of his cell, spasming as the others inside looked on. From her place beside him, Nida quietly sucked in a breath and traded glances between him and the hallway outside their cell.

Just as they'd hoped, running footsteps came down the hall of the cellblock, the sign of pirates coming to check up on them. And soon enough, there was a green Vivillion, a Medicham, and a Toedscruel in pirate colors sizing them up through their cell door. The others in the cell traded worried looks as Nida looked up from Elty's body and flared her ears back with a piercing glare.

"Why are you just standing there?!" the Nidorina cried. "Our friend's seriously ill right now! He needs to see a medic!"

The pirates hesitated and traded glances with one another. The Vivillion from their lot fluttered his wings uneasily and shot a wary frown at his counterparts.

"Will the captains even let us take them out?" the Vivillion asked. "And is it really the end of the world if one prisoner keels over?"

Elty suddenly began to audibly gag and retch, as even the nearby Pokémon in the cell inched away just in case the Growlithe lost his battle with his stomach. The pirates flinched from the sight, as the Medicham recoiled in visible disgust.

"Yeah, no. I don't want to lose my lunch every time we have to come here," the Medicham said. "Carla, go get the medical supplies before he throws up."

The Toedscruel of the group headed off as Elty gulped and panted while Nida and her cellmates stayed next to him. The Nidorina tensed up and quietly flicked her ears as she stole a glance at the departing Toedscruel. So far, so good… the pirates had been buying their ruse like they'd hoped, even if for a moment she was worried that Elty really was about to throw up in earnest.

A moment later, the sound of the cell block's door opening rang out, as the Vivililion and Medicham's eyes drifted off down the hallway outside as the Toedscruel returned. All the while, Nida and Elty braced themselves as the Toedscruel approached, now holding a bag between her tendrils. A brief glimpse revealed the others in the cell were quietly moving towards the front, a few bracing their feet and limbs for the moment the pirates opened their cell's door.

The Medicham went up and slid the key into the lock, but, before she could twist it, she and the pirates around the cell door suddenly tensed up and backed away. Elty blinked in confusion, as he raised his head from the ground and began to stammer in protest.

"H-Hey, what are you doing?! I thought you were going to help-!"

The words abruptly died in his mouth when he saw a sudden glob fly in towards him from the hallway.

"Yipe!"

Elty hastily sprang back as the glob burst against the ground and Nida hurriedly pulled him from the cell's bars. Startled cries rang out as the two looked back at the cell door, where they quickly discovered a puddle of purple sludge pooled at the entrance. Off on the other side of the bars, the pirates were now wide-eyed and keeping their attention trained further down the cell block as a sharp hiss hung in the air.

"Well now, looks like your friend is feeling better already."

That was as good a sign as any that things weren't going well. Elty pinned his ears back and grimaced, Nida noting that the Growlithe seemed to recognize the voice. The sound of something sliding against the stone flooring carried along as the pirates from earlier hurriedly shuffled aside. A Seviper in the Strongjaw Gang's colors slithered in and stopped at the door, flicking her tongue in the air with an unamused harrumph. The serpent coiled around and reared up as she looked over the various Pokémon in the cell. Her gaze fell on Nida, as she narrowed her eyes and flashed her fangs menacingly.

"Did you really think that we'd fall for a ruse like that?" she spat. "Honestly, I'd have expected better from you, Marley."

Nida blinked as the Seviper glared down at her. The Nidorina hesitated briefly, before tilting her head with a puzzled frown.

"… Actually, it's 'Nida'. Marley's my mami."

The Seviper flicked her tongue and visibly paused as questions began to swirl in Nida's mind. How on earth did this pirate even know about mami? Had mami fought her off during a past raid?

Nida snapped back to attention after hearing the Seviper slithering back, and looked up to see the pirate turning away with a scornful huff.

"Hrmph, and here I was ready to give you an earful for winding up behind bars like this, but that would certainly explain a lot," she scoffed.

Nida looked back in her cell, and noticed that all of her cellmates from Tromba seemed to be on-edge from the Seviper, while everyone else was mystified. Even Elty, who had recognized the Seviper's voice, traded glances between her and Nida with his mouth hanging open in astonishment.

"I'm sorry, how do you two know each other again?" the Growlithe asked. "That's the first mate of the Strongjaw Gang right there!"

From towards the back of the cell, Pladur let out a startled cry. Now that Elty was looking at him, he saw that the Fraxure's eyes were shrunken to pins as he pointed a claw at the Seviper pirate.

"Sh-She's-!"

"Akane. Tromba's former Captain of the Guards," the Seviper sneered. "Good to see you still remember me, lizard."

Nida stared ahead with a dumbfounded expression as an unamused scoff rang out from the other end of the hall. There in his cell, Duke Franz turned up his beak with a disapproving scowl.

"Hrmph, I knew that the Company had low standards, but this is still quite the admission on your part, Vipitis," the Empoleon said. "I can only imagine how happy the Pokémon who used to put up with you were when you left to go and ply the seas as unwashed scum."

Akane whirled around briefly, hissing and brandishing her tail with a threatening wave.

"Shut up before I cut your throat, spear-head."

In her cell, Nida's mouth hung open as she tried to process the Seviper's words. Th-That wasn't right! After all, mami had told her stories of how she'd fought Darzin off with the town, and every time in those stories, she'd said…

"But you can't be the old Captain of the Guards! Mami had that job when Darzin ruled our island!" Nida said.

Akane turned back, her tail settling beyond a barely noticeable sway as she peered down with a dismissive scoff.

"Oh is that what she's saying about it these days?" the Seviper asked. "High talk from someone who lost her position for not doing her job and then stirred up a revolt over it!"

Nida raised her barbs in response. The entire revolt against Darzin, because mami didn't get her way? That didn't sound anything like her mother! Even if her temper made her a bit scary at times, she was la Cazadragones! Everyone else in Bluewhorl Town spoke of her as a hero!

Nida shot up and latched onto the bars, raising her voice in sharp protest.

"But that's not true! Mami always looked out for the town as the Captain of the Guards!" Nida insisted. "She drove Darzin off along with everyone else because he kept trying to force her to look the other way while his underlings bullied everyone around!"

"Tch, more like because she wasn't any good at her job and was mad about being sacked," Akane spat. "And do you really believe that drivel about her being some hero? Tarquin and I had her on the ropes before the rest of those stupid peasants got involved!"

Nida pinned her ears back as she stared up at Akane. This couldn't possibly be the full story… could it? The Seviper noticed her visibly wavering and cocked a smug smirk, leveling her eyes down with a contemptuous sneer.

"Though even so, I was expecting more than this from a child of hers," the serpent remarked. "Guess talent just doesn't run in the family."

Akane's smile then slid off her face, as she sized up the rest of the cell's occupants with a harsh glare.

"Though enough chit-chat. All of you blue-scarves in the cell, get up. You're being moved to solitary."

Nida tensed up at the mention of 'solitary' and saw Pladur and Elty's eyes visibly widen, with Pyry and Pekka looking similarly alarmed. She didn't think that Tromba had any solitary cells anymore, but she knew enough from the stories of when it did that it was a place that they really, really did not want to be in.

Though weirdly enough, the guards who had been crammed in the cell with them looked genuinely confused, with a Lairon among them raising her brow.

"Wait, we have solitary confinement cells here?" the Lairon asked.

"You do now," Akane retorted. "We didn't have to change up all that much to get it set up either."

Elty sucked in a sharp breath and braced himself. Why were the pirates suddenly worrying about them being mixed with the other Pokémon they captured? They hadn't cared to separate them the entire time since capturing the garrison…

Something had changed, and he wasn't sure if he was going to like finding out just what it was.

"And why are you doing this again?"

"To make sure your bird friend comes quietly," Akane answered. "Especially if he wants you to leave this town alive."

Elty felt the blood flush out of his face at the Seviper's answer and stood blankly, before he felt scales brush past him and saw Pyry and Pekka forcing their way before him and planting their feet for battle.

"As if we're just letting you drag our friends off!" the Gabite growled.

"Yeah! It's all of us against you four!" the Vibrava piped up. "Maybe you're stronger than us individually, but we've got numbers on our side!"

Nida and her companions joined in and braced for battle, and even the guards with them in the cell did much the same. The Toedscruel and Vivillon seemed visibly taken aback, and even the Medicham hesitated, yet Akane remained unfazed. Nida wasn't sure if that was a good sign, but the others didn't seem to pick up on it, least of all the Hakamo-o guard with them. The Dragon-Type went straight up to the bars with an audible jangle of his scales, baring his fangs and flashing his claws with a threatening snarl.

"Hah! Go ahead and open that door!" the Hakamo-o spat. "See what happens to you!"

"Carla, orb 'em."

Akane twisted the key with the tip of her tail and pulled the door open slightly as the Toedscruel lobbed a peach orb through the gap against the rear wall. At once the cell filled with mist as yelps and cries rang out. Shadows moved about frantically as the sound of coughing filled the air, followed by bodies slumping against the ground. The Hakamo-o was undeterred and growled and braced himself before he looked back and his jaw flopped open.

Everybody else in the cell had fallen victim to the Slumber Orb, and were sprawled out asleep on the floor.

"H-Hey! How is that fair?!" he stammered.

Akane opened the door the rest of the way and moved forward with a threatening hiss. The color drained from Lutz's face as he backpedaled, poison beginning to build up on Akane's tail as she readied to strike. The Hakamo-o hurriedly retreated into the far corner, shielding his head as the snake loomed over him, before she turned aside with a disgusted scoff.

"Hrmph, I thought so."

The Seviper turned her attention to Nida and dragged her along as the other pirates came in, carrying off Elty and Pladur. They left the cell and slammed the door shut behind them as cries of protest rang out from the other cells. Among them was a loud rattle as Duchess Augusta stormed up to the bars of her cell and shook them.

"Vipitis, set them down right now!" the Quaquaval demanded. "If so much as a plume is harmed on them-!"

Akane swiped her tail over the bars just above Augusta's hands, making her stumble back out of reflex with a yelping start. The Seviper hardened her gaze into a sharp glare, before turning her attention down the length of the cell block.

"All of you, sit down and shut up," she hissed. "If everything goes well, we'll be gone in a day or two and this won't be your problem. Get in our way, and we'll make you regret it."

Akane continued on for the door, briefly noting that some of the Pokémon were staring on with worried gazes while a few of others shot unimpressed frowns at Team Traveller's cell, including one of the other guards giving a grumbling 'Seriously, Lutz?' that she could just make out.

She paid them no mind. She'd gotten what she'd come here for, and cast a glance over at the slumbering Nidorina of the group as a knowing smile came over her face.

"Though really, I wouldn't mind them trying to fight back," she said. "It'd be a chance to settle some old scores."

---

After their house arrest began, Pleo and his teammates quickly discovered that there wasn't much to do during it. They could still walk around freely inside Margi's home, and they were able to have a normal (if modest) dinner at the table in the entrance room, but there weren't many things they could do to amuse themselves with.

One of the few exceptions was a tatty deck of picture cards that Daraen had, which they took out to amuse themselves at the table after dinner as Ander and Trizano helped Margi spread out additional bedding in her and Daraen's rooms for their arrival. Pleo and Crom were surprised at how well Daraen was able to play his game even with his shaky eyesight. Somehow, in spite of being practically blind, after being told what card had been drawn, he seemed to always reflexively know the strength and abilities of the Pokémon on the card in question and how much 'energy' needed to be used for them…

"Ah! I won! I won!"

Given how well he seemed to know how the game worked, it probably should've been less surprising that each match would also end with him winning by a large margin, including the one they just finished. Daraen bounced on his toes and wagged his tail, beaming triumphantly when he noticed a lack of sound from the other end of the table aside from Pleo and Crom boredly poking at their cards.

Even without being able to see their facial expressions, from their quiet and their lack of movement, the Deino gathered that the pair didn't seem to be enjoying themselves. He trailed off, before tilting his head with an uneasy murmur.

"… Are you not having fun?"

Crom and Pleo stiffened up, as a flustered reaction came over the Druddigon's face. He hurriedly cleared his throat, before forcing an awkward smile over his face in reply.

"Well, we're having more fun than sitting in a cell, but… is this all you do for fun?" Crom wondered. "Like don't you also have some other card game to play, or dice, or a board game, or something like that?"

"No, not really. Maman and I had to leave home in a hurry, remember?" the Deino replied. "Besides, I can't see well enough to be able to play most of those games and they don't work as well as this one if I'm told what happened."

Crom supposed that would explain a lot. Even as a Hydreigon, there would've only been so much that Margi could've carried with her before leaving Boisocéan, and toys and games surely wouldn't have given priority over food or other necessities.

… Or friends for that matter. Daraen mentioned back on Boisocéan that he normally played with other Marked in that 'Bastille' place that he lived in. For all any of them knew, he and Pleo had been Daraen's first real playmates in almost a month. A similar pang of worry came over Pleo's face, as he turned over the Deino.

"Don't you get lonely just sitting around like this, though?" Pleo asked. "Since card games usually need at least two players for them."

"Oh, I don't usually do this for fun," Daraen explained, shaking his head in reply. "Normally I play outside with the other kids in the neighborhood."

… Of course. Pleo let out a quiet sigh. While it was relieving to hear that Daraen wasn't as lonely as he'd feared, that didn't do much to stave off the general boredom and restlessness he felt here in this cramped home.

"I guess that'd make sense…" the Lugia sighed. "Not that it really helps us right no-"

Pleo caught himself after hearing a rustling sound coming from the doorway. The Lugia blinked uneasily, and got up from his seat along with his teammates.

"Huh? Who's there-?"

Pleo turned his head just in time to notice the cloth over the doorway had been pulled aside, and there at the bottom was a small gathering of younger Pokémon with Marks on their forehead with a trio of Charmander at the front. There was a moment's pause as the children's eyes widened and the smallest of the Charmander let out a startled squeak.

"A-Aah!"

The youngsters hurriedly scattered in all directions, two of the Charmander dragging their smaller counterpart along, only for him to lose his grip and trip forward onto the ground.

"Ow!"

The smaller Charmander rubbed at his knee and whined in pain. His brother and sister turned around and went back for him, only to freeze and go wide-eyed.

"Are you okay?"

The younger Charmander looked up, where there above him was the long-necked demon looking down at him. The Charmander curled up on himself and screwed his eyes shut with a low whimper, bracing for the end as his siblings rushed over.

Except, nothing happened. There was a pause between the three as Pleo stooped down and held out a wing to the fallen Charmander. His siblings glanced over as Crom and Daraen caught up and slowed as they approached. Their brother cracked his eyes open and saw the Lugia waiting and cracking a small, guarded smile.

"That fall looked like it hurt," Pleo said. "Here, let me help you up."

The Charmander warily grasped onto Pleo's wingtip and stumbled up. As soon as he got back onto his feet, he bolted behind the other Charmander, a passing "are you okay?" from his older brother confirming Crom and Pleo's suspicions that the three were related. The female Charmander warily stepped in front of her siblings, turning her head up with a skeptical frown.

"… Why are you being nice to us?" she asked. "You're a demon, aren't you?"

Pleo quietly winced at the Charmander's reply, before shaking his head with a low sigh.

"But I'm not a demon," the Lugia replied. "And besides, even if I really am one, it doesn't mean that I have to be a mean Pokémon."

The female Charmander blinked in reply as her younger siblings traded glances and the smaller Charmander whispered a "Is that even possible?" to his older brother. Some of the other Marked youngsters they saw earlier started to peek back from various hiding places up the street. Crom hesitated briefly, before giving a small frown at the gawkers.

"He doesn't bite, you know," Crom chided. "If he wanted to hurt you, would he really have gone out of his way to help one of you up first?"

"Yeah, he's a lot nicer than he seems!" Daraen insisted.

The other youngsters slowly began to creep back over, a Marked Smoochum giving a wary tilt of her head as she spoke up from a safe distance.

"Wait, but aren't you supposed to be in Daraen's house?" the Smoochum asked. "Mom said that you're supposed to be in trouble if you or those other Pokémon with you leave it."

Pleo turned back and looked at the open doorway to Margi's home. Right, he supposed that they had been warned to stay inside as part of this 'house arrest' thingy. Even if the elders didn't say that all of his body had to stay inside.

The Lugia waddled back over to the doorway and turned around just at the threshold. He sat down against the ground, poking his head out into the street with a cheeky grin.

"Well I'm in it now, aren't I?"

Crom ducked back into Daraen's house himself, just in case any of the guards came around the corner unannounced. Daraen stayed outside in front of the door as a few chuckles went about the Marked children and the Smoochum mused aloud that their solution had been "kinda clever".

The sound of footsteps came as Ander and Trizano hurried over from inside, only to pause as they saw the gathered Pokémon. The youngsters' earlier unease began to wear off as they began to approach curiously, some more slowly than others. As the other Marked settled in around the entrance, Daraen gave a puzzled tilt back at them.

"Why are you all just hanging around my house anyways?" Daraen murmured.

"We were worried about you!" a Pidgey cried, flapping his wings.

"Yeah, everyone was saying that the demon who came to town was being kept in your house!" a Toxel exclaimed.

Crom looked over at Daraen as he pawed uneasily at the ground. He supposed that Elty wasn't fully wrong about Marked being clannish types. They really did look out for each other. A quiet patter against the ground turned his attention over to the oldest of the Charmander, as he kicked at a pebble with a sheepish expression.

"And… well… we were all kinda getting a bit bored just waiting around at home," he admitted. "Dinner wasn't going to be ready for another half an hour, and we had to do something."

"Yeah, dad's escalivada takes time to make!" the youngest Charmander chimed in.

A metallic rustle filled the air as Trizano stepped forward and quirked a brow.

"'Escalivada'?"

"It's vegetables and berries that are roasted and served with salt and oil," the female Charmander explained. "We were going to eat it with bread tonight."

The four blinked in reply. Neither Pleo nor Crom remembered anyone on Tromba mentioning a dish by that name, but something about the name sounded like it would've come from there. And from the blank expressions Trizano and Ander were giving, they didn't seem to recognize the name either.

"Is that a common dish here?" Trizano asked. "I can't say I've heard the name before."

The three Charmander traded glances with each other, before the older brother of the lot pawed at his shoulder and spoke up.

"I mean, I know that there's at least some other Pokémon here that know how to make it," he murmured. "But dad says his mother taught him how to make it. He says it was common on the island that she came from."

Trizano gave a puzzled blink at the Charmander's answer. Bunsen's mother taught him that recipe? But since when did Pokémon from Vollezee make 'escalivada'? Why there wasn't an island in all of Anyilla that came to mind from the name of that dish…

Unless…

"A-AAH! GET AWAY FROM THEM!"

Team Traveller snapped to attention at the sound of a panicked shout when an orange blur swooped in and abruptly snatched the youngest Charmander off the ground. Pleo and the others recoiled as the Marked youngsters quickly fell back and Daraen let out a startled yelp. As the dust settled, Pleo and his companions looked up to see Bunsen cradling his youngest child with his eyes shrunk to pins and spreading his wings wide in an attempt to look threatening… which didn't particularly work well from how he was visibly trembling. His other children stared for a moment, before hurriedly going up and tugging at their father's scales with stammering protests.

"D-Dad! It's alright!" the oldest Charmander exclaimed.

"Y-Yeah! Nobody's hurt right now!" his sister insisted.

Bunsen froze briefly, craning his head down with his youngest child still clutched in his claws and staring wide-eyed at him. The Marked Charizard looked between his children and the other youngsters, and then at Pleo and his companions at the door, his words coming out with a disbelieving splutter.

"B-But you- A-And my kids- And-"

"Were just talking," Pleo said. "Why would I want to do anything bad to them?"

Bunsen paused as his breathing slowed and began to even out. Pleo briefly scowled over at the former Commissioner, only to see a flash of anxiety come over his children. … Right, they still thought he seemed scary. He'd forgotten about that.

The young Lugia felt Ander tug at him and try to shepherd him off further inside Margi's house.

"Come on, Pleo," Ander sighed. "Looks like the fun's over for-"

"Wait, I need to say something first."

Pleo waddled out past the doorway. He watched as Bunsen visibly shrank back and pulled his wings around him and his child, as the other two and the rest of the Marked stared worriedly at him.

"Look, I'm not happy about what you did to my island, but I'm not going to hurt you over it. Or your kids," Pleo insisted. "We're not fighting right now, so why should we have to be enemies?"

Bunsen stared back wordlessly as his oldest child turned to him and whispered an awed "Wait, you fought a demon?" to his father. The Charizard's gaze drifted towards the ground before he set youngest Charmander down and looked at his children with a firm frown.

"Come on," Bunsen insisted. "We're going."

"Huh?" his daughter asked. "But dad-"

"No buts! We're going home now," the Charizard harrumphed. "This isn't a place you need to be anyways."

The three Charmander paused, before lowering their heads with grudging affirmations and heading off. Their father followed closely behind them, only to stop briefly, and crane his head back at the other youngsters in front of Daraen's house with a piercing scowl.

"And the rest of you shouldn't be just standing around there either!" Bunsen snapped. "That demon and those other Pokémon are under house arrest right now! Go home before your parents catch you causing trouble like this!"

The other Marked kids stiffened up as Crom heard a couple audible gulps from them before they quickly scattered. Crom watched as the passage outside cleared of other Pokémon, and leaned against the doorpost with a low sigh.

"… Do we really have a chance at convincing the elders?" Crom murmured. "If we couldn't even convince the Pokémon that live here…"

Daraen shuffled his feet in reply, opening his mouth briefly to try and say something, only to trail off and think better of it. Pleo drooped and turned to see Bunsen and his children drifting off, their tail fires lighting them up as they made their way down the tunnel.

Just then, he briefly spotted the youngest Charmander looking back at him. He was too far off to make out his expression, but the young Lugia was able to spot him waving back. Pleo blinked and turned back to his teammates with a small smile, content that he'd gotten the answer he'd been looking for.

"Yes, we do, Crom. I know we do."

---

The morning sun poked through the trees near the southern entrance of Gestirn Island's Mystery Dungeon. The forests and crags were still there, as were the scars left behind by Guardia and Dimitri's battle from the day before. And yet, for all that had remained the same around the area, the atmosphere could not have been more different thanks to the veritable horde of pirates in both red and golden scarves who had massed there.

Hess and Dirk sized up the entrance as they neared, and somehow, even though Hess had rallied most of his expanded crew for the mission, Dirk's mere half of his Crimson Corsairs visibly outnumbered them. It was hard to escape the conclusion that this wasn't truly a joint mission, especially with the way that Dirk sauntered out to the front of his underlings before motioning back at the Mystery Dungeon's entrance.

"This is it," the Bisharp said. "Starfall Slopes. The place where that town full of Marked holding our payday is."

Dirk looked out at the gathered pirates with a steely scowl to silence some lingering chatter. He waited for it to grow suitably quiet, and then continued speaking.

"This should be old hat for everyone, but I'll repeat it again for those of you who were too hungover for the briefing in town," the pirate captain barked. "Everyone will be heading in through their assigned routes in teams of four to try and find the entrances into Starbreak Square's. When you do find one of them, let everyone know through your badges and we'll start staging where we can to make our way in."

The Bisharp paused and folded his arms, letting a devious smirk come over his face before he continued on in a nonchalant tone.

"And if you see anything you like along the way… well, what sort of captain would I be if I didn't encourage you to help yourselves?"

Raucous cheers and sneers about how their victims "won't know what hit 'em!" floated around the gathered pirates as they began to work themselves up over the prospect of loot and plunder. Dirk waited briefly for the crowd to simmer down, when he turned and pointed off at the fog swirling about in the entrance.

"Alright, get your assignments and start moving out," he ordered. "I want that bird back in town before the evening!"

The crowd obliged, Dirk's red-scarved underlings swiftly sorting themselves out while after a little prodding, the others in the Iron Fleet's gold-and-silvers followed suit. Dirk stepped aside from the approach to the Mystery Dungeon's entrance as the first party of Crimson Corsairs already started making their way. The Bisharp made his way towards Hess and Rodion as the Aggron looked between the massed pirates and the Mystery Dungeon, before turning to Dirk with a worried grimace.

"Dirk, are you sure this will work?" Hess asked.

"Tch, that bird and his buddies don't have many other places to run," the Bisharp captain replied. "The Torrent Tsars are handling the main exit and perimeter duty, and the Strongjaw Gang and the smaller crews are holding the fort down in town. As long as we take care of all the ways in and out from that Marked hamlet, we'll be able to keep that Protector penned up until we can capture him."

Rodion folded his arms and cocked a brow in reply. He wasn't one to doubt Dirk's competence—his position and reputation spoke for themselves. Even so, something about how smoothly the Bisharp had gathered all this information in just a day felt strange…

"Can we even trust that information you found out about this place, Captain Dirk?" Rodion asked. "How did you even get it this fast, anyways?"

The Bisharp scoffed and turned aside, idly brushing one of his arm's blades as he spoke without facing the Floatzel.

"I stopped by the local guild and pulled a few of their members aside," Dirk replied. "It turns out Hunters will give you some really detailed information if they're motivated enough."

A quiet pause followed as Hess and Rodion traded uneasy looks with each other. Dirk certainly had a reputation that preceded him as a pirate captain, one that made even many square-necks and Imps quake at his sight. Perhaps they were overthinking it, but hearing Dirk talk about those Hunters being 'motivated' couldn't help but worry them a bit.

"Did you bribe 'em?" Hess asked. "Or…?"

"What sort of amateur do you take me for?" Dirk retorted. "I told them I needed to know all the ways in and out of this dungeon and that if they steered me wrong or I found out later they were holding things back from me, I'd kill their families."

A tense silence followed as Hess and Rodion both grew visibly uncomfortable. Hess fidgeted with his claws, before giving a nervous laugh in reply.

"You were just saying that to scare 'em into playing along, right?"

Dirk folded his arms and narrowed his eyes in response.

"Hess, when do I say anything that I'm not willing to do?" the Bisharp scoffed.

Hess quietly set his teeth on edge with a worried grimace. His crew were thieves by trade, and he was always uneasy about getting his claws dirty like that. Pokémon captured from crews that didn't shy away from murder had to be tough enough to fend off being actively hunted, and they were more likely to see the business end of an Apricorn or Teleport Gem. Rodion had always felt the same way, and the Floatzel had a knack for putting those reservations into words better than he could. And with the way he was stepping ahead of him, it was probably for the best for him to handle making the objection…

"Captain Dirk, you didn't have to go that far to find out-"

"Sounds more like you're too soft to get what you want, Floatzel," Dirk sneered back. "Maybe it'd explain a thing or two about why your crew of gilded incompetents are a bunch of perpetual bottom feeders."

Rodion's eyes narrowed into a sharp glare, as liquid began to gather around his paws and coalesce into blades of pressurized water. Hess hurriedly stepped in between the two, looking over to Dirk with a nervous stammer as he nudged Rodion behind him.

"W-We're getting off topic here!" the Aggron insisted, waving his claws. "Look, you mentioned that there were some assignments that hadn't been filled yet. Maybe it's something Rodion and some of our deckclaws can handle?"

Dirk raised a brow and let his eyes drift over to the still-glaring Floatzel. He locked eyes, before turning aside with an idle wave of his hand.

"Hrmph, there's a shortcut that doesn't have a team assigned to it yet. It's supposed to overlap with the range of floors where Starbreak Square links up with the Mystery Dungeon," the Bisharp explained. "If that first mate of yours really has nothing better to do, he can lead a team to check it out."

Hess and Rodion blinked. For a moment, Rodion's hostility faded, as a puzzled reaction settled over his face and he gave a skeptical tilt of his head back at Dirk.

"… Wait, why are you not handling that yourself?" the Floatzel questioned. "You want to get that bird every bit as much as we do, so wouldn't being able to get to him faster be right up your alley?"

"Because it's a coinflip that you'll actually make it there and not overshoot it by half a dozen floors," Dirk replied. "If you don't, you'll wind up wasting time having to find a link going back up to make the trek to Starbreak Square the hard way."

Rodion's face fell into a sour frown. He couldn't shake the feeling that this assignment was in part meant to just not have to deal with him. Hess seemed to have gotten the same impression and paused briefly, before looking over at Rodion and giving a reassuring pat at his shoulder.

"Rodion, if you don't want to-"

"I'll do it."

The Floatzel sighed and took a few steps forward before looking back over his shoulder with a wary frown.

"Just watch your back in there, alright?"

Rodion turned his head and continued on, calling out and raising a paw to draw attention as a Quilava and some other members of the Iron Fleet approached him. Hess looked on as the Floatzel began to sort his team into different squads, when he suddenly felt a sharp jab at his side and jumped up with a yelp.

"Ah!"

Hess pawed at the tender spot, when his eyes met Dirk's. The Bisharp scowled impatiently up at the Aggron, before turning and motioning with his head off at the Mystery Dungeon's entrance.

"Come on, Hess. Let's get going."

Hess hesitated briefly, only to shake his head and press along. The pair each carried along with a set of underlings, Hess joining up with Kichiro and a few others before heading off into the foggy approach. Their numbers thinned rapidly afterwards, with red and gold-scarved pirates filing into the Mystery Dungeon while Rodion and a small mob of other pirates made their way off into the brush. Little by little, the clearing emptied out, until all that was left was the sound of the wind and a faint rustling.

"Verdammt, we certainly didn't need to deal with this bright and early in the day."

Robbie's voice broke the silence as he emerged from the treeline, followed by several of his fellow guards with Guardia and Dimitri joining at the fore. The Cubone and Kabutops grimaced quietly for a moment, as Guardia nervously adjusted her helmet and looked at the Mystery Dungeon with a low murmur.

"I really hope that Pleo has already left by now," she said. "Since those were a lot of sea-walkers that just went into that Mystery Dungeon."

Dimitri looked off at the entrance, before quietly scraping his scythes together.

"I… don't want to take that bet, Guardia."

Guardia bit her tongue and hesitated. The pirates must've really been convinced that Pleo and the others were still in there for them to come in such numbers, and Robbie still hadn't heard anything back through their badges. Wouldn't they have said something if they left Starbreak Square? The Cubone anxiously dragged the tip of her club against the ground, before looking up at her taller peers with an uneasy gaze.

"So what do we do, then?" she asked.

"Yeah, you're not seriously expecting us to fight our way through that many pirates, are you, Sheriff?" a Heliolisk demanded.

A moment of hesitation came over the group as the other guards traded worried murmurs with one another. Dimitri turned his head off towards the tracks that Rodion and his pirates left behind. He let his eyes linger over the disturbed brush as he thought back to the orders the Floatzel's group had left with…

"That Floatzel… let's follow after him. His party wouldn't outnumber us that badly if things come down to a fight, and if we shadow him, we'll be able to find that shortcut the Bisharp was talking about," the Kabutops insisted. "It might be our only chance to get a warning in to Pleo and the others before the rest of the pirates catch up."

There was a moment of silence, before Robbie sighed and shook his head.

"I'm still not sure how I feel about our odds if we have to fight that many pirates in the middle of a Mystery Dungeon, or if we wound up overshooting Starbreak Square ourselves and need to find a way back," the Krookodile sighed. "But I'll admit that we don't exactly have many better options right now."

It would have to do. Guardia turned and already began trudging off for Rodion's tracks, slinging her club over her shoulder at the ready.

"Then let's make the most of things. Come on, let's go."

---

Author's Notes:

- Rüpel - German: "lout(s)"
- Waruvial (ワルビアル) - Japanese: "Krookodile" (Official Romanization)
- Tragosso - German: "Cubone"
- Vipitis - German: "Seviper"
- Verdammt - German: "Damn", "Damn it" (interjection)

 

[Venia Silente]

Review for Ch. 76 (Jul 2025)

This is a review trade for Ch.76 “Pick a Card” which, oh dear, I wonder if it marks the soon and sudden return of the card game with the Shadow Realm!

Pick a Card

Five of Clovers. No cookie if you get the reference.

Last time we met some of our heroes they were splitting up after being discovered because, honestly? Pleo is too visible.

Also, Cardino. Once again making things harder for no good reason.

Beatrix: “Keep making that haze and keep those Protects up!”

Uuuuuh listen I know you captain a ship and all that, but in enclosed waters and under pursuit having both a haze and a Protect array can be dangerously counterintuitive - the pursuer can see what vectorial direction the haze is spawning up from as you move.

But hey if you are faster and impeding pursuer movement is not an option, I’ll take what we have I guess. Beats a Golduck passed out on the curb.

Still, the Siglo is not on the clear yet and they have to take the option of receding from the coast which, while on one hand makes sense, makes a further approach that much harder without help.

[Ship mast goes BOOM]
Vicente: “They’re catching up we gotta go!”
Beatrix: “Welp, that’s it, goodbye Haipheh.”
Nida: “What? No!”
Beatrix: “What’s now?”
Nida: “We can’t just leave Pleo and the others stranded!”
Beatrix: “Don’t worry, are not stranded. Pleo can fly.”
Nida: “…”
Nida: “Okay but listen.”
[Ship sails go BOOM]
Beatrix: “What? I can’t hear you over GET BACK TO WORK THEY’RE GAINING ON US!!!”

Like no seriously, our local Lugia hero can just zip off close to water, Cuban style. Would need the cover of night and he’d have no idea where to go, but! Sky is 3D and it’s much easier to avoid enemy fire with a range limit once there.

It’s just that our Pleo is still a baby.

Pleo: [proudly points to Staraptor statue]

One day, Pleo. One day.

“Please, just hold out a little longer for us…” she [Nida] pleaded.

Just enough for the chapter to last! :p

Speaking of Pleo, he and the others back on land do get the bad news, as things are going south for them both figuratively and literally (if I understood it right: they are moving from the chilly Whitepalm air to a tropical wind, so… where is this island, exactly???).

Pleo: “Moooooon, it’s been two paragraphs of walking already. Are we there yet?”
Elty: “This wasn’t funny the twenty-five other times you asked.”
Trizano: “We can’t go back to the city anyway. Place’s in search-for-fugitives mode. Come take a look.”

The look:

[image of vultures circling]

Pleo: “What do we do now? I’m open to options!”
Elty: “We could just go into the Mystery Dungeon.”
Dimitri: “…”
Kiran: “…”

I mean, yeah, because that always works! :p

Kiran: ['Nam flashbacks to Ketu]
Flashback!Ketu: “You rang? o3o”
Kiran: “…Anyone else?”
Trizano: “Listen listen, what if, we could just walk up aaaall the way around the world then come back into town from the other side when they aren’t looking.”
Elty: “…”
Pleo: “…”
Kiran: “…” [shuffles statistically]
Trizano: “…What? We did just discard his idea!” [points to Elty]
Elty: “Yeah but it sounds like a long walk and I won’t want to hear Pleo whine if are we there yet all that while.”

Not to mention, I’m not fully sure if the Fledglingsverse’s gotten THAT much fucked up that it overflows and the Wastes become magically nice for that kind of road trip, lol.

Pleo: “What if we just skimmed it over the waters? Cuban style.”
Trizano: “…What’s a Cuban?”
Kiran: “Pleo you are of age 0 it’s statistically impossible you’ve gotten that knowledge!”
Pleo: “But there’s a note on Cuban from Venia!”

Bad Pleo! Too meta!

Dimitri: “Tha’d require us to get to the coast cleanly in the first place.”
Kiran: “…While it’s being inspected for the Siglo, yeah…”
Dimitri: “At that point, Elty’s idea actually sounds better.”

Well yes they would only need to get into a Mystery Dungeon so they can stay ahead of the game for a while. So they’d need a map, or some help.

Random Rhydon: “You rang?” o3o

As it turns out, a random citizen not well-versed in the anti-piracy pursuits back at town, shows up and decides to freely offer mapping information and hosting!!!

Random Rhyhorn: “I mean, I’m willing to offer, so long as that weird deformed Wingull does not have something contagious or something…”

Well just because of that comment and the “you rang” I’m gonna call you Retu from now on.

Random Rhyhorn: “But I’m Neil.”

Well, Retu offers a hut and intel on the latest Mystery Dungeon in town… well, out of town. Out the hut comes a Greninja and they talk things over a bit because of surprise guests.

Chan-iu: “Welcome to our secret base.”
Pleo: “…But it’s not secret anymore.”
Neil: “Well it’s out little enterpreneur place.”
Pleo: “…It’s just a thing with a roof.”
Neil: “…Dude this is our home. It’s better than a hole in the ground!”
Pleo: [drags wing across the table] “Where’s the checkers board?”
Chan-iu: <_< “…What’s with the deformed Wingull?”
Kiran: “He’s used to more… royal accommodations, I guess.”
Cabot back at home: [waves hi]

Hey! Pleo totally deserves royal accommodations as a Protector! Even if maybe we’ll have to wait until,like, Ch. 150 to get it. Or Ch. 20 of Book Ⅱ, I don’t mind~

The five watched as Chan-iu headed into the back room, Pleo and his companions following along into an open, stony room with a few chests tucked in the corner […]

LOOT THE CHESTS!!! It might come useful!

Dimitri: “So, what was stage two?”
Elty: “We march into the Mystery Dungeon and wait there.”
Trizano: “…But we’d have to wait until the others are back!”
Kiran: “And if that’s your plan, the main issue is we don’t know when will that be.”
Pleo: “But we just have the badges! We just have to dial for help!”

Pleo dials for help and this is what he gets:

View: https://youtu.be/jE4cZpXXueM


Elty: “Well that settles it… wel’ll have to resort to snail mail!”
Dimitri: “Are you volunteering?”
Elty: “Over the ocean? No way!”
Dimitri: “Well how about I can under the ocean?”

Dimitri has a pretty good idea, so long as one member of the party can escape with information on exactly how to extract the rest of the team, things are doable. And where Pleo could not do it because he’s 1.- too visible and 2.- too baby, Dimitri has the advantage of enjoying a different 3D medium to mode through.

Pleo: “Awww, but I need more experience points!”
Dimitri: “No can do, unless we knew of a wide water course that you could hide under until we reach for the sea.”

Honestly if they knew of one that could have been a good idea. Everyone’s assuming Pleo would try to leave by air which is senseful but we know of the powers of an adult Lugia.

Pleo: [points to Staraptor statue]

sighg okay, not yet.

Elty: “I don’t think we can just ask Neil for one. We just said we’d be going the other way.”
Dimitri: “Well that’s it, my party needs me but now I must go.”

Dimitri: [https://i.kym-cdn.com/photos/images/newsfeed/001/102/822/616.jpg]

Retu Neil: “…What? Leaving already? We’re almost done with the tea!”

The “tea” in question:

Link: the evil!tea Pokémon

The tea: “Slurp me!” ^_^
Neil: “Made from an afghan!” ^_^
Kiran: “Uuuuh…”
Elty: “Don’t worry it’s just the Kabutops who had to leave.”
Chan-iu: “*sniff* Okay but please guys feel free to be comfortable around here. How about a card game?”

So, the team sans Dimitri decides to stay for a card game.

Elty: [eyeing the Sinistcha] “Just to check, this card game does not happen to involve things like, uh, say, a trip to the Shadow Realm doesn’t it?”
Chan-iu: “…A what?” [blinks]
Elty: “…Okay I think we’re safe to play.”

Hey, from what I recall the official Pokémon TCG does or did involve the “Lost Zone”, which is just about as Shadow Realm as you can get, but yay for Elty avoiding the punishment! :p

“I never understood how those games with the picture cards are supposed to work,” the Lugia murmured.

But the team can stay only for a while though; they still have to move the plot to try and get extracted from the island safely! So the card games can only last so long and they really need to settle on the prices; a boat or a submarine would be QUITE NICE RIGHT NOW!!!

Elty: “We should bet something.”
Kiran: “Says the dog who’s losing…”
Chan-iu: “How about information on that weird Wingull of yours?”

Uuuuh yeah maybe no, Elty, that’s a bad idea.

Neil: “Gotta admit, that Wingull friend of yours is quite interesting. Doesn’t even look that much like one, to begin with.”
Pleo: “I’m plot relevant!” ^_^
Kiran: “He uuuuh had a bad case of toxoplasmosis at hatch.”

Like, yeah, how do you explain that one? Elty’s approach was almost good with the Exeggutor-like neck but, honestly, Pleo needs a better disguise. Even more now that eg.: Flamigo exists.

The tea: “Let’s dissect him and see what’s up with him!” ^_^
Kiran: “Uh Maaaaaaybe we should like, be leaving, as well.”
Neil: [shuffles about] “A-are you sure guys? This is my first screentime ever and I really don’t want for my contract to be cancelled.”
Elty: “Eh don’t worry we’ll get out of your craw real sool.”
Neil: “B-but I’ve heard rumors that bad things happen to one-time NPCs in this story…”
???: “Say no more!”
[suddenly something blasts the door of the hut and two igures appear]
??? #1: “To increase stakes in scenes!”
??? #2: “To ward off the transition wipes!”
[Orcutt and Molina show up]
“Orcutt!”
“Molina!”
Orcutt: “In the darkness, we shall meet it!”
Molina: “We are the Sailor Guardians of Whitepalm!”
Kiran: [takes notes]
Together: “A force to protect screentimes! You won’t rid of us THAT easily!”
Chan-iu: “My heroes! My door! My hut!”
Pleo: [claps interestedly]
Molina: “In the name of the moon, I want to speak to the casting manager!”
Chalco: “Marshtomp! That’s right!”

@Virgil134 , @Spiteful Murkrow , your turn. ^_^

In any event, the three contractors who we left back at Darzin the Letrine Manager last time, now show up here with a motivation boost to scout in search of some sort of “Protector”.

What’s that? No idea. Carry on. ^_^

But Neil and Chan-iu have absolutely a good basis for getting at least a bit irked about that Molina and co would just want to barge about.

And while Team Traveler is getting their bearings together and preparing to flee (carrying with themselves the screentime!), Neil and Chan-iu, as dutiful homeowner enterpreneurs, ask to see some papers.

“Look, don’t you at least have a warrant or something to show us?” the Rhyhorn insisted.

Orcutt: [hisses] “What do you think this is? A democracy?”

https://i.imgflip.com/a0k499.jpg

Team Traveler tries to take a back exit, and one Pleo slip up later (baby, not adult!) our team gets noticed.

Chalco: “It’s them!”
Orcutt: “Molina! Pin the Lugia down!”

https://i.imgflip.com/a0kiv5.jpg

Aaaaand roll initiative!

Combat here is quite hectic as has to be given the circumstances. Kiran and Trizano are quick to protecc baby, but they quickly differ on what to tackle afterwards, leaving Kiran with a difficult bank and Trizano with incoming fire. Fortunately it’s all part of the plan and Trizano gets Orcutt and Molina to blast at each other.

Pleo: “B-but don’t forget about me!”

Silly Pleo you’re the McGuffin for this one.

Result: Orcutt is out.

Orcutt: “I did not audition for this.” @_@

Following Trizano’s lead, Elty also attempts to have the Sailor Guardians (of the island) hit at each other.

Pleo nodded and flapped off for Molina,

Okay but listen, given our little deformed Wingull with battle powers, what this mentally looks like to me is… more like this.

View: https://youtu.be/B1BhXvBxOPs

The Marshtomp gave a dismissive scoff back, before crouching and gritting her teeth back with a low growl.
“Tch, this’ll be fast.”

No no no, Elty be fast.

He be also a good doggo who rolls out of the way and that cues Pleo in for some bits of Lugia power – or just the ISO Standard “blow you away” power that birdmons have – and the plan goes just as keikaku, resulting in Chalco knocking Molina out.

Molina: “-…want to speak to the manager…” @_@
Chalco: “N-no! The screentime!”

That’s not the only thing going bad for these guys as Chalco is now the only one left.

Trizano and Kiran: “Blows to be you, doesn’t it?”

Aaaand together with Pleo they finish Chalco with some good use of wind powers.

With this, Team Traveler sans Dimitri are mostly in the clear, leaving only the current situation with their hosts.

Neil: “…Well so then you are a Protector?”
Pleo: “I’m a fugitive!” ^_^

Pleo that is NOT something to be proud about!

But yeah they should be leaving.

Pleo: “I have to go! My island needs me!”
Chan-iu: “So… that means, our screentime is over?”
Neil: “I don’t want to dieeeee!” ;_;
Kiran: “Now now, do not worry! There is still a solution!”
Neil and Chan-iu: “Ohhhhh?” o3o
Trizano: “Keep those three busy for a while. Maybe prisoner them a bit. That should get you a few paragraphs worth of screentime!”
Chan-iu: “Okay, we’ll try. But I’m not going to jail for you, we’d certainly not get screentime once there!”
Elty: “Don’t bet on it, but also don’t risk on it, yeah, totally understandable.”

And with that, Kiran and co part to lands unknown~ the Mystery Dungeon. All part of the quest to protecc baby.

Speaking of baby… we have one also back at Bluewhorl!

Cassie: “Mom? Mooom? MOOOOOOM?”
Sandra: *sighs* “Yes darling?”
Cassie: “Can I be an adventurer like dad?”
Sandra: *sighs* “No darling it is very dangerous the Company is after him right now, it is very sad.”
Cassie: “Oh I wish there was a way to help!”
Bunsen: “You rang?” o3o

No no no Bunsen leave baby alone. Like, sure, he’s doing the senseful thing trading for apathy rather than for violence, which is how usually you get blockade occupations to not be resisted (unlike raids and invasions). Plus, he does make a good argument!

Bunsen: “Being a Marked is Suffering™!”
Ander: [nods in the distance]
Bunsen: “And I just want to merrily buy some things.”
Sandra: “We charge by weight, so get going with your stuff.”
Bunsen: “Fine then, good thing I have a thumb to put on the scale.”

Bunsen offers Sandra a “deal you can’t refuse” kind of deal, but smartly avoid making a direct threat on the child. At first.

Bunsen: “All I want is some information.”
Cassie: “Well I know you are mean and ugly! And you get made into meat in another continuity!”
Bunsen: [gulps, recalls the Poison stings to his neck in a previous review]
Bunsen: “F-fine. Have it your way. But I will reciprocate if you have something useful to offer.”

With that, Bunsen leaves, so at least the Scythers are safe for the time being. Partly thanks to Cassie having an Attitude.

Cassie: “I’m legally a minor so I can’t get killed onscreen in this rating!” ^_^

…I’m not sure if it’s good if she can know that? And I’m worried that I’m not exactly sure that’d be true, either? o_o

Oh well. Things are stable, for now. Birb is on the run (as usual), Elty has good ideas, Molina got some screentime, Dimitri won’t be found so long as he is offscreen, Darzin is getting a doctorate in Latin latrining…

Nagant: “It HAD to be you!” [smacks Cardino]
Cardino: “Aaaah I didn’t mean to. You guys did not inform us properly of this op!”
Nagant: “Because this is not your op! It’s MY op!”
Darzin:

https://i.imgflip.com/a0lcjr.jpg

Nagant: “Oh great now I also have to deal with you again!”
Cardino: “Who’s this loser?”
Niilo: “Oh he’s the new latrine expert.”
Darzin: “You darn–” [readies an Ice Beam]

So, Darzin is getting some disrespect… [checks notes] yup, everyhting normal. So long as he does not screw things more! It’s important that Cabot and co. can get on the good side of birb!

So, I guess that covers everyone? Everyone’s fine?

Hess: [bumps on a coral reef]

…Oh, yeah. These idiots. :p

Hess: “WHY can’t anything go right for us! If there was at least a way we can get some experience and relevance!”
[suddenly things go BOOM]
Rodion: “Captain we are getting boarded!”
Hess: “-what the-” o_o
Lyn: [boards up ship and corners Hess]: “You rang?” o3o
Ketu from elsewhere: ¬¬

Oh noes! Lyn has a plan and it involves… using Hess to get an audience! Which… means… in-universe screentime??? Really it’s a weird combination.

But what matters is everyone is happy.

Ketu: [busy filing trademark complaints.]

Everyone, I said.

All in all pretty entertaining chapter, even though it was mostly one long Team Traveller setpiece with some elsewhere intermissions.

(Cassie really knows how to earn her screentime)

The idea that, for the bumbling idiots the Iron Fleet are they might be precisely what Lyn needs to further his agenda (and, let’s recall, regain footing against Ketu) means the story can afford to go in a different direction with its realpolitiks for a while. Keeping the situation in Tromba stable while the cast is forced away into endeavours varius and showing it I’m guessing it’s going to be of relevance later to pad for content a bit as it becomes clear that…

So, yeah, Tromba is going to have a bit of a hard-time without the narrative heavy-hitters around for the while.

Bunsen: [scoffs in Company] “I think I can handle.”
Marley: [schwings a Poison Sting to Bunsen’s yugular] “Oh, I think I can handle.”
Bunsen: “G-gah! Where is my agent!”

Guys! Guys! Don’t kill each other before the Tromba screentime! I need Osmund on the reel!

…

Phew.

And finally, as was commented in the response to my previous review, Molina and co. were capable of clawing back some of that valuable screentime! At least it lasted them a little, let’s see later what mess do they wake up to.

 

[Negrek]

Hey, Fobbie! I’m here for your Blitz review prize, and since three chapters would have ended sort of awkwardly on 39, I ended up adding one more and doing 37-40.

This section wraps up the Mengir arc and moves on to some undersea adventures for Team Traveler. I enjoyed the way things shook out on Mengir, and particularly Salvini’s small arc, as she ends up throwing away her position in order to help Team Traveler escape. She’s a character I’m guessing we’ll see later, most likely when the Siglo Swellow winds up in the area of Mengir itself. Unfortunately when that happens I’ll probably have forgotten who she is and what was going on with her. That’s partially a result of reading small chunks with a lot of time between them, but even if I powered straight through and read the next twenty chapters in a week, I think I would struggle. There are so many factions and groups of characters floating around within those factions that it’s difficult to keep track of them all, which definitely showed in this section, where we have scenes with members of the pirates, Company, and imperials, as well as both groups from Tromba. I do appreciate the relatively simple setup of Once a Thief by comparison, with its group of outlaws and the people chasing them. It’s easier to keep things moving along, and to keep track of every subplot, with a smaller cast.

I did enjoy the transition to the Subway and underwater villages towards the end of this section. It’s rare to see a story tackle an underwater environment, and this gives you an excellent opportunity to showcase pokemon that almost never appear in stories, like kingdra and sharpedo. As usual, your worldbuilding shines here, and the bubbleweed and the underwater infrastructure it enables feel appropriately magical and also a natural fit for the PMD world. I think it’ll be fun following the next arc through such a different sort of environment.

The reveal about the contents of Anders’ book was interesting, and I’m glad to see some movement on the topic of what the Marked believe and what it might mean for Pleo and the other awakening Protectors. I’m really looking forward to meeting some other legends (if Tizano isn’t one) and getting a better sense of whether they’re warlike or more benevolent in this incarnation.

As far as characters go, I think the secondary cast had the spotlight in this chapter. The Tromban pokemon seemed to be doing what they usually do during this run of chapters, although Nida does seem to be losing hope of ever getting home, and it’ll be interesting to see how that may develop in future chapters. Like I said, Salvini was a standout character for me in this section, and I was also excited to learn more about Trizano and see some evidence of his “immortality.” I’m a bit disappointed that he’s being left as a loose end, although peeking ahead I’m glad to see he does turn up in material that’s been published at least. Looks like a pretty brutal wait, though! All in all, this section was mostly about moving characters around rather than making progress on their personal arcs. I do look forward to Cabot and Berecian reappearing soon(?), given their brief mention here.

All in all this part of the fic seems more concerned with transition and setup than anything. As usual, when we’re checking in with a wide variety of characters it’s hard for any particular group to make much progress, although there’s plenty of text here. I’ll look forward to more undersea shenanigans in the next set of chapters, and hopefully a little more information about the Cradle’s history and culture. Until next time!

 

[Arukona]

Hello! Back again for another review exchange since the last one back in May or so, where I covered the second Special Chapter. This time it'll be back to the present day and a new arc, where we see just where Pleo and co. have ended up, and whether his pursuers, both his allies and enemies, will catch up to him.

So let's leap back in and see how short-lived our heroes' peace will be on this new island...

Chapter 44
Looks like Nagant's gang aren't the only one doing sneaking around, if the subterfuge Ketu and Ellsberg are pulling is anything to go by.

"That well, hm?"

I'm presuming Elilan said this, but I felt that could have been made clearer just a smidge, whether by a dialogue tag or some such.

Oh, I see. Elilan wants to convince Ellsberg to turn traitor on Lyn and shut him out. I had a feeling things might develop into this, although I did expect Lyn to outright get the boot at the Administrators' meeting a few chapters ago. In which case, what would the next step for Lyn be then?

Though if Lyn is Director Inler's pick, I do wonder if this little scheme of Elilan's won't backfire in the event that he is found out, or if Ketu and Ellsberg leak it to someone who then informs the Director.

When the topic of replacing Lyn comes up, my preferred candidate would be in a much better position to be selected."

...Why do I get the feeling his preferred candidate would make Lyn seem like the most amenable peace-seeker in comparison? And more to the point, just who are they? Are they someone we know?

"Anyhow, I'm aware that there is a good deal of risk to this mission, but there's also reward, which I will leave you to choose from, Ellsberg," Elilan answered. "Would you rather be known as Commissioner Ellsberg...?"

The usual ruse for a greedy 'mon like Ellsberg, to lure him in with the promises of titles and probably have the rug pulled from under him when he does achieve his goal. Elilan already doesn't strike me as a 'mon that'll keep his promises.

"Or Elmer, the notary whose name Pokémon can't even remember properly?"

Watch him still be called Elmer even if he does ascend to Commissioner status.

Everything would finally stay the way things were meant to, and he'd finally get the respect he'd worked so hard for in the Company's ranks.

Not if a certain little Lugia has anything to say about it.

As Ellsberg daydreamed about his future, the Company's quarry continued their arduous trek through the Mystery Dungeon they fell into.

I feel the first part here could be omitted since it's a scene change into events happening an island away.

Mystery Dungeons continue to be without rhyme or reason, judging by that odd floor Pleo and co. emerged on.

"Hey! Watch where you're going, you village runt!" the bird squawked.

I take it this island must not be that populated if a village is the first thing to come to these wild 'mons' minds.

"Ow! Oh, you're finished, laghairt!"

YES! The Irish island! Ohhhh, I can already tell I'm gonna love this arc.

I feel 'the bird' is used as an epithet a bit too often for the Spritzee which did give rise to confusion given the bird on our heroes' side (Pleo).

Back to Braveshoal Town, where it appears to be market day with all kinds of orders barked by Viktor.

"Irena, make sure the kids to put on their best doll-eyes for the buyers today!"

Lmao that'll do the trick, won't it? Calino ought to take notes from this.

Intriguing how quick Viktor is to worry about the state of Team Traveller when he was a bit more ambivalent about them in their initial visit. Maybe it's the presence of Imperials that has him on edge, and thus quick to wonder about Pleo and his gang?

"I mean, we all know what lies at the other end of that place…"

Ohhhh dear. Not a good sign.

And now up to the surface, where Nagant's crew appear to be having their beach episode. A pity that's all gonna be interrupted by the arrival of the captain herself.

"Some tact with your mouths would be appreciated," Nagant growled. "'Loose lips sink ships', and there will be a special place in the afterlife for the idiot whose lips sink mine."

I love that last line. Authoritative and firm, cementing Nagant as someone who knows their place and will not be messed with.

"We heard the name being thrown around, and there was apparently a Samurott that swam in from the outside today," the hornet explained.

Oh, that's actually Sevan, isn't it? Well, that's gonna make for an awkward misunderstanding later.

"I don't trust that Dragonite further than I can throw him

You'd need one strong 'mon to even attempt that with the chonk Darzin has.

And now the Imperials are looking to get into the Crystal Mangroves? There's gonna be one hell of a fight in that place if all the factions, be they Team Traveller or the Braveshoal folk, collide at once.

"Knowing that accursed island the dungeon's attached to, the more the better."

More worrying implications as to what this island is. Although if it's something that would make the Imperials worry...maybe it could be a boon for Team Traveler? A slim chance, but...it's there nonetheless.

Speaking of Team Traveler, back to them, where the labyrinthine nature of the Mystery Dungeon's getting to them. Ohhh dear.

Ah, looks they've found the hidden shop in this hideaway.

"And there's always one of those green lizards who will knock you into next week for taking something off their mat!"

I see someone has tried and failed to nick their wares before.

"Try talking with Bech. He's the Ribombee on the yellow mat with the red panel over there."

Oh, I see - it's a slight variation of beach, the Irish word for bee. Clever, clever!

"Conas atá sibh, young ones?" the Fairy-Type buzzed.

I actually have a silly grin on my face reading this because eeee it's Irish being actually spoken!

"Let's just follow the nice bee and replace my bone already."

Ah, getting an upgrade, is she? Maybe she'll be like Tetsuzui with their Lairon bone and end up with a stronger bone than her previous.

Back to the Siglo Swellow crew, where well-paying jobs appear to be hard to come by. An unfortunately relatable thing.

"I'd be willing to offer 4000 Poké if you can get the job done before I leave."

Crom, Kiran, and Pladur's eyes lit up at the mention of the reward. This Mienshao was offering so much just for a little construction work?

...There's a catch, isn't there? After all, with what that Dungeon was like when Team Traveller visited it, I can't imagine things will be much better here, even if Pladur and Kiran do have more experience.

Understandable that Ander would be reluctant to get involved with anything related to shrines and Protectors. But then again, maybe working in restoring the altar could prove to be more open to Protectors - and therefore Pleo - in future.

"You'll need it."

...I reckon they will. Hopefully they get it.

Back to Team Traveller, where the reveal is that they're on Orleigh, mentioned a few times. I did think the name sounded somewhat Gaelic-adjacent...and actually, come to think of it, wasn't it revealed that Hess was from here? In which case, I think love him even more now.

Though given that Elty speaks Polish, I'm guessing this isn't his place of birth. His home, maybe, but where he came from originally is probably a subject for another time. Maybe in another Special Chapter, perhaps?

"Yeah, and we take care of 'mons with our colors even better," his Meowstic partner added. "Join us, and you'll never have to worry about finding food again!"

Add this Meowstic to the list of 'possible favourite purely from their species alone'.

Well, maybe not, given that they engage in bribery and light coercion (also they appear to be unnamed). I wonder if that'll be the name of the game with this upcoming arc, where Nida, Pleo, Guardia and Elty will have to engage in skulduggery to get by. Although if so, I imagine the group's resident pupper might be rather enthusiastic about getting back to a life of crime.

An unusually active one for the time of day.

I presume the 'one' here is referring to the Juice Bar? (Might help to make that a smidge clearer in text.) If so, I fear for what it might be at nighttime if it's this busy during the day.

They were on a new island, knowing nothing about who controlled the place, and here Elty was even more comfortable and at ease than he'd been back in Bluewhorl!

I mean, he was effectively doing community service on Bluewhorl, and I can't imagine anyone would be happy or comfortable doing that, especially after living it up as a pirate.

where the sight of a seaside town at sunset caught their eye.

I can imagine this must be a pretty sight.

And now for the truth to dawn on Nida that all those ships are for pirates. I can already picture her horror and Pleo's cluelessness.

"This entire town is a pirates' den!"

Yyyyup. Knew that'd be the reaction. So now that begs the question; how does three quarters of the clearly-not-immoral-or-booty-seeking Team Traveller blend into a place like this?

Chapter 45
And now Elty's on the receiving end of hero Nida's fury. She certainly inherited that from her mother, that's for sure.

"It's- It's not like you can't find some other way back in town," he began begrudgingly. "You could join a crew, and-"

Oh hey, I remember making a quip in a previous review of Pleo rocking a pirate's cap and now it's funny that there's a non-zero chance this might actually happen.

Looks like we're not having that split as Elty wanted. Although I wonder if there'll be a split at some point down the line if Elty ever tries to get back together with the Iron Fleet again, or even becomes a trio with Pyry and Pekka back on Tromba. I guess that remains to be seen, given all the things that still haven't happened yet in the fic.

And now we pivot over to the Iron Fleet, where we see Hess again!

Oof, he got his favourite seat taken. Sadge.

Rodion is certainly one to try and look on the positive side of things in the event of Hess being downcast like he is now. I now see what Virgil meant about Rodion's loyalty to his captain and trying to buoy his spirits in his lowest moments like now.

Alas, it seems like things are gonna worse for our resident steel dino before they get better. Here's hoping the punishment won't be too brutal. :(

Over to the Siglo Swellow gang on Mengir, where Crom is in the process of possibly disturbing feral resting spots by leaping from branch to branch like that.

How dilapidated a shrine this is - definitely seen better days, alright. And in the meantime, ambush incoming in three, two, one-

Shhk-Shhk-Shhk

"… What was that?" Ander asked.

Flitting out of the trees nearby came a pack of Beautifly and a Dustox, looking to be in fairly poor shape. They flew in erratic, off-kilter patterns, and their chitinous bodies were scuffed-up and dirty.

"Huh?"

"Oh, it's just a bunch of fera-" Kiran began, only to be cut off by a slicing gust of wind.

-Now. Although the 'poor shape' of the Beautifly and Dustox here - I'm curious if the Siglo Swellow crew might be able to find some reconciliation with them and work together to fix up the shrine.

At least their experience proved to beat away the ambush rather than needing to rely on something like Pleo's power.

Back to Orleigh, where hostels appear to be in short supply. I suppose if this is a pirates' den where merchants wouldn't tend to visit, a hostel probably wouldn't be as necessary as in the other islands.

Oh hey, I think I remember this trio from Kenobi. And oh dear, I bet any money this'll no doubt alert the other pirates that Pleo's on the island.

Good thing that this Flygon appears to be friendly - or at the very least, not realising there's a series of big bounties in front of him. Let's just hope the Poké stays undropped, or that if it does, this guy'll be an ally in the face of leering pirates wanting their slice of the pie.

Over to the Imperials where they're all getting ready for their big mission. Watch that Slowbro tip the Braveshoal inhabitants off about the big purchases of items and there be a big standoff between both factions in the Crystal Mangroves. Because would Team Traveller really have cause to go back into that Dungeon?

They sure are talking big for this mission, but I do have to wonder how this all ends. Suppose I'll find out around Chapter 50 or so.

Over to Hess where he's been marched into the den of authority on an island of pirates...aka those who would fly in the face of authority. How does this lot do it?

Seated on the respective places were a Primarina, a Tyrantrum, a Cofagrigus, and a Bisharp, all waiting and chattering in indistinct, impatient-sounding voices.

Oh hey, I spot a familiar face.

There was Ingela, the cold-tempered and cold-hearted siren of a Primarina who had grown her mate's fleet after his abrupt passing into a scourge above and beneath the waves.

I like the idea of a Primarina with cold-hearted menace about her, as opposed to the performing diva status they normally are in PMD fics. (Also, does 'grown her mate's fleet' mean she expanded it or inherited it after her mate's death? Not quite sure what it means here.)

And of course, the Bisharp ringleader, Captain Dirk.

Does this Dirk have a penchant for keeping the heads of his victims?

In the face of this quartet, Hess's bravado sure crumbled in an instant. I guess pirate leaders of pirate leaders have that aura of ferocity about them that incite terror into even the most hardened of captains.

A loud crash rang out, followed by a yelp and pained whine as Hess nursed his toes from stubbing them into the door.

Ooooof, that's gotta smart. And what a place to do it in too, in front of the Orleigh leaders.

"I spent years on that island and that take sounds fishy even to me. What are the odds that story's real?"

Something something "the information is so outlandish and improbable that it loops back to sounding rather true."

Elsewhere in Orleigh, said Protector and his friends get their inn for the night, which is surprisingly more homely than I would've expected. Not exactly the Hilton Hotel, but hey, I expected a dump in this backwater of backwaters.

"That's what you get for trying to cheat! Don't think I didn't see that Fire energy you snuck in!"

As the three Pokémon continued their heated argument with each other, Nida, Pleo, Elty, and Guardia blinked and noticed that their three potential roommates seemed to be rough in looks and temperament.

On second thought, scratch that. Calling this place 'iffy' would be putting it mildly to say the least.

"But as things stand, there's not much Rosequartz can do until the Company and the Empire sort themselves out."

And as we've seen, good luck to things coming to that. At this rate, the only thing that'll unite them is the hunt for Pleo, and even then they'd probably fight over who gets him.

"I call the high bed," Guardia said.

Pleo, Elty, and Nida turned their eyes and followed the Cubone's claw as she pointed off… at the top of the dresser by the wall.

Hah, wild 'mon moment. If it's somewhere to lie down on, it's a bed. Watch her fall off in the middle of the night.

Seems there's a promise of food; here's hoping it's not like the rest of this place in terms of its quality.

Back to Braveshoal, where Sevan appears to have met up with his estranged brother once again.

And as expected, things get tense between our two Samurott. Worse still, Lyn's trying to pull the propaganda game and it alas appeared to have worked on Sevan, albeit with reluctance. And it does appear like Lyn won't be dipping deep into the Zorn playbook of playing rough to nab Pleo when the inevitable confrontation comes along.

Hm, this conversation does make me wonder if Lyn will do a Face Heel Turn on the Company and make his own fate, either protecting Pleo or switching allegiances to some place else? I wonder if the possibility of him doing a Tarquin and becoming a pirate is open at all; I suppose that depends on the next sequence of events.

"You won't escape me this time, Guardian."

So you say. But Fate has a wont to be unkind, especially to you, Lyn.

Conclusion
And that brings these two chapters to an end. I quite liked them, as it finally means we get to Orleigh, the Irish island! Always a great novelty seeing Irish be used, and interesting to know that I'm not the first to employ it among PMD fics. The usual POV rotation was fun, providing differing perspectives at different points and building intrigue that way, making the reader eagerly look forward to what's coming next. There's at least five different groups hunting for Team Traveller now (even if one is occupied in fixing up a shrine, one's licking their wounds of pride, and another is more in the 'making sure they're okay' business) and it could well come to one big standoff which could prove to be quite explosive.

I'm most intrigued about Lyn in that final scene, with a hint that he could turn away from the Company if his brother's words prove persuasive enough. Maybe in the event another Company member - perhaps that 'replacement' Elilan hinted at - harmed Pleo enough to the point that he would switch sides and defend him. Whether that comes to be, I'm almost certainly expecting a Heel Face Turn at some point, or at the very least carving out his own faction.

There's also the usual pondering of how Team Traveller will move onto the next island, especially when getting off the island doesn't appear to be easy with how many pirates are doing the rounds, and how 'friendly pirates' feels almost oxymoronic given all the ones the gang's encountered thus far. They could hope there are more souls like Rasp and Bech on Orleigh? Again, though - not putting a whole lot of confidence on that. And it's not like they can hope for an escape from the Siglo Swellow gang since their ship's banged up and they're occupied with cleaning up a shrine.

A lot of intriguing strands sent out, and I'm looking forward to seeing how they all become resolved in time. Looking forward to reading more in future, and hopefully we can do another review exchange in time.

 

[Spiteful Murkrow]

@Venia Silente

Spoiler

Last time we met some of our heroes they were splitting up after being discovered because, honestly? Pleo is too visible.

Also, Cardino. Once again making things harder for no good reason.

Cardino: “Hey! Hey! My job is a good reason, pal!” >_>;

Uuuuuh listen I know you captain a ship and all that, but in enclosed waters and under pursuit having both a haze and a Protect array can be dangerously counterintuitive - the pursuer can see what vectorial direction the haze is spawning up from as you move.

But hey if you are faster and impeding pursuer movement is not an option, I’ll take what we have I guess. Beats a Golduck passed out on the curb.

To be fair, the Haze would still hide where the vulnerable spots of the ship are exactly.

Though yes, “outspeed the enemy” certainly helps, and the Siglo Swellow is explicitly mentioned as being on the speedy side for ships.

Still, the Siglo is not on the clear yet and they have to take the option of receding from the coast which, while on one hand makes sense, makes a further approach that much harder without help.

[Ship mast goes BOOM]
Vicente: “They’re catching up we gotta go!”
Beatrix: “Welp, that’s it, goodbye Haipheh.”
Nida: “What? No!”
Beatrix: “What’s now?”
Nida: “We can’t just leave Pleo and the others stranded!”
Beatrix: “Don’t worry, are not stranded. Pleo can fly.”
Nida: “…”
Nida: “Okay but listen.”
[Ship sails go BOOM]
Beatrix: “What? I can’t hear you over GET BACK TO WORK THEY’RE GAINING ON US!!!”

I snerked at this. Fortunately, the Siglo Swellow got off a bit easier than that in the actual plot otherwise they’d have their work cut out for staying ahead.

Like no seriously, our local Lugia hero can just zip off close to water, Cuban style. Would need the cover of night and he’d have no idea where to go, but! Sky is 3D and it’s much easier to avoid enemy fire with a range limit once there.

You see, that would be a decent idea, but-

It’s just that our Pleo is still a baby.

Yeah, that.

Pleo: [proudly points to Staraptor statue]

One day, Pleo. One day.

I mean, even if it’ll take him some time to stop being fun sized, he’ll definitely get there in terms of power a bit faster.

Speaking of Pleo, he and the others back on land do get the bad news, as things are going south for them both figuratively and literally (if I understood it right: they are moving from the chilly Whitepalm air to a tropical wind, so… where is this island, exactly???).

On an island with a ton of Ice-types that are casually kicking up all sorts of localized microclimates. Thus how there’s palm trees in spite of there being snow and ice around town.

Pleo: “Moooooon, it’s been two paragraphs of walking already. Are we there yet?”
Elty: “This wasn’t funny the twenty-five other times you asked.”
Trizano: “We can’t go back to the city anyway. Place’s in search-for-fugitives mode. Come take a look.”

The look:

[image of vultures circling]

Pleo: “What do we do now? I’m open to options!”
Elty: “We could just go into the Mystery Dungeon.”
Dimitri: “…”
Kiran: “…”

I mean, yeah, because that always works! :p

Pleo: “Hey, we had some success in the past!”

Kiran: ['Nam flashbacks to Ketu]
Flashback!Ketu: “You rang? o3o”
Kiran: “…Anyone else?”
Trizano: “Listen listen, what if, we could just walk up aaaall the way around the world then come back into town from the other side when they aren’t looking.”
Elty: “…”
Pleo: “…”
Kiran: “…” [shuffles statistically]
Trizano: “…What? We did just discard his idea!” [points to Elty]
Elty: “Yeah but it sounds like a long walk and I won’t want to hear Pleo whine if are we there yet all that while.”

Not to mention, I’m not fully sure if the Fledglingsverse’s gotten THAT much fucked up that it overflows and the Wastes become magically nice for that kind of road trip, lol.

Kiran: “That’s not how any of this works, Trizano!” >v<

Pleo: “What if we just skimmed it over the waters? Cuban style.”
Trizano: “…What’s a Cuban?”
Kiran: “Pleo you are of age 0 it’s statistically impossible you’ve gotten that knowledge!”
Pleo: “But there’s a note on Cuban from Venia!”

Bad Pleo! Too meta!

I mean, these sorts of cutwaway gags were more or less made for fun with the fourth wall, so… o<o

Dimitri: “Tha’d require us to get to the coast cleanly in the first place.”
Kiran: “…While it’s being inspected for the Siglo, yeah…”
Dimitri: “At that point, Elty’s idea actually sounds better.”

Well yes they would only need to get into a Mystery Dungeon so they can stay ahead of the game for a while. So they’d need a map, or some help.

Elty: “Or some sort of guide to get us in there. Someone like…”

Random Rhydon: “You rang?” o3o

As it turns out, a random citizen not well-versed in the anti-piracy pursuits back at town, shows up and decides to freely offer mapping information and hosting!!!

Elty: “Yeah, that works.”

Random Rhyhorn: “I mean, I’m willing to offer, so long as that weird deformed Wingull does not have something contagious or something…”

Well just because of that comment and the “you rang” I’m gonna call you Retu from now on.

Random Rhyhorn: “But I’m Neil.”

Not “Rhetu” because “Rhyhorn”? /s

Well, Retu offers a hut and intel on the latest Mystery Dungeon in town… well, out of town. Out the hut comes a Greninja and they talk things over a bit because of surprise guests.

Chan-iu: “Welcome to our secret base.”
Pleo: “…But it’s not secret anymore.”
Neil: “Well it’s out little enterpreneur place.”
Pleo: “…It’s just a thing with a roof.”
Neil: “…Dude this is our home. It’s better than a hole in the ground!”
Pleo: [drags wing across the table] “Where’s the checkers board?”
Chan-iu: <_< “…What’s with the deformed Wingull?”
Kiran: “He’s used to more… royal accommodations, I guess.”
Cabot back at home: [waves hi]

Hey! Pleo totally deserves royal accommodations as a Protector! Even if maybe we’ll have to wait until,like, Ch. 150 to get it. Or Ch. 20 of Book Ⅱ, I don’t mind~

Well, never say never there since he is due for some new accommodations as of the most recent chapter on Serebii.

LOOT THE CHESTS!!! It might come useful!

Cue the theme song:

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=69AyYUJUBTg

Dimitri: “So, what was stage two?”
Elty: “We march into the Mystery Dungeon and wait there.”
Trizano: “…But we’d have to wait until the others are back!”
Kiran: “And if that’s your plan, the main issue is we don’t know when will that be.”
Pleo: “But we just have the badges! We just have to dial for help!”

Pleo dials for help and this is what he gets:

View: https://youtu.be/jE4cZpXXueM

Now I’m getting the lulzy mental image of the badges having a voicemail feature. :p

Elty: “Well that settles it… wel’ll have to resort to snail mail!”
Dimitri: “Are you volunteering?”
Elty: “Over the ocean? No way!”
Dimitri: “Well how about I can under the ocean?”

Elty: “Please no.”

Dimitri has a pretty good idea, so long as one member of the party can escape with information on exactly how to extract the rest of the team, things are doable. And where Pleo could not do it because he’s 1.- too visible and 2.- too baby, Dimitri has the advantage of enjoying a different 3D medium to mode through.

Pleo: “Awww, but I need more experience points!”
Dimitri: “No can do, unless we knew of a wide water course that you could hide under until we reach for the sea.”

Honestly if they knew of one that could have been a good idea. Everyone’s assuming Pleo would try to leave by air which is senseful but we know of the powers of an adult Lugia.

Yeah, alas. They might have had some trouble finding a deep enough body of water to do that all the way down to the sea even if they were intimately familiar with Haipheh and its geography.

Elty: “I don’t think we can just ask Neil for one. We just said we’d be going the other way.”
Dimitri: “Well that’s it, my party needs me but now I must go.”

Dimitri: [https://i.kym-cdn.com/photos/images/newsfeed/001/102/822/616.jpg]

Retu Neil: “…What? Leaving already? We’re almost done with the tea!”

The “tea” in question:

Link: the evil!tea Pokémon

The tea: “Slurp me!” ^_^
Neil: “Made from an afghan!” ^_^
Kiran: “Uuuuh…”
Elty: “Don’t worry it’s just the Kabutops who had to leave.”
Chan-iu: “*sniff* Okay but please guys feel free to be comfortable around here. How about a card game?”

Not pictured: at least half the team

-ing at the sight of the “tea” and the idea of drinking it.

So, the team sans Dimitri decides to stay for a card game.

Elty: [eyeing the Sinistcha] “Just to check, this card game does not happen to involve things like, uh, say, a trip to the Shadow Realm doesn’t it?”
Chan-iu: “…A what?” [blinks]
Elty: “…Okay I think we’re safe to play.”

Hey, from what I recall the official Pokémon TCG does or did involve the “Lost Zone”, which is just about as Shadow Realm as you can get, but yay for Elty avoiding the punishment! :p

Huh. I didn’t know that PTCG had something like this. TIL.

But the team can stay only for a while though; they still have to move the plot to try and get extracted from the island safely! So the card games can only last so long and they really need to settle on the prices; a boat or a submarine would be QUITE NICE RIGHT NOW!!!

Pleo: “I mean, I could’ve swum along with Dimitri and-”

Elty: “No thank you. And I thought we came to the conclusion that it was too much of a risk of getting ambushed.” >_>;

Elty: “We should bet something.”
Kiran: “Says the dog who’s losing…”
Chan-iu: “How about information on that weird Wingull of yours?”

Uuuuh yeah maybe no, Elty, that’s a bad idea.

Neil: “Gotta admit, that Wingull friend of yours is quite interesting. Doesn’t even look that much like one, to begin with.”
Pleo: “I’m plot relevant!” ^_^
Kiran: “He uuuuh had a bad case of toxoplasmosis at hatch.”

Neil: “A case of what now?”

Kiran: “Uh… he’s an evolution of a regional variant of Wingull?” ^v^;

The tea: “Let’s dissect him and see what’s up with him!” ^_^
Kiran: “Uh Maaaaaaybe we should like, be leaving, as well.”
Neil: [shuffles about] “A-are you sure guys? This is my first screentime ever and I really don’t want for my contract to be cancelled.”
Elty: “Eh don’t worry we’ll get out of your craw real sool.”
Neil: “B-but I’ve heard rumors that bad things happen to one-time NPCs in this story…”
???: “Say no more!”
[suddenly something blasts the door of the hut and two igures appear]
??? #1: “To increase stakes in scenes!”
??? #2: “To ward off the transition wipes!”
[Orcutt and Molina show up]
“Orcutt!”
“Molina!”
Orcutt: “In the darkness, we shall meet it!”
Molina: “We are the Sailor Guardians of Whitepalm!”
Kiran: [takes notes]
Together: “A force to protect screentimes! You won’t rid of us THAT easily!”
Chan-iu: “My heroes! My door! My hut!”
Pleo: [claps interestedly]
Molina: “In the name of the moon, I want to speak to the casting manager!”
Chalco: “Marshtomp! That’s right!”

I’m dying at the whole TR parody here. The best part is, that I can actually kinda see those three doing something like this.

In any event, the three contractors who we left back at Darzin the Letrine Manager last time, now show up here with a motivation boost to scout in search of some sort of “Protector”.

What’s that? No idea. Carry on. ^_^

But Neil and Chan-iu have absolutely a good basis for getting at least a bit irked about that Molina and co would just want to barge about.

And while Team Traveler is getting their bearings together and preparing to flee (carrying with themselves the screentime!), Neil and Chan-iu, as dutiful homeowner enterpreneurs, ask to see some papers.

As they should since “appeal to authority” scams are a dime a dozen even in our present day.

Team Traveler tries to take a back exit, and one Pleo slip up later (baby, not adult!) our team gets noticed.

Chalco: “It’s them!”
Orcutt: “Molina! Pin the Lugia down!”

https://i.imgflip.com/a0kiv5.jpg

Aaaaand roll initiative!

I can hear the dice clacking in live-time.

Combat here is quite hectic as has to be given the circumstances. Kiran and Trizano are quick to protecc baby, but they quickly differ on what to tackle afterwards, leaving Kiran with a difficult bank and Trizano with incoming fire. Fortunately it’s all part of the plan and Trizano gets Orcutt and Molina to blast at each other.

Pleo: “B-but don’t forget about me!”

Silly Pleo you’re the McGuffin for this one.

Result: Orcutt is out.

Orcutt: “I did not audition for this.” @_@

I mean, such is the fate of characters that take a swing at baby bird with less than an arc of presence, Orcutt. Yes, I know about Casting Off, that doesn’t count. :V

Okay but listen, given our little deformed Wingull with battle powers, what this mentally looks like to me is… more like this.

View: https://youtu.be/B1BhXvBxOPs

Surprised you didn’t pick Yian Kut Ku for the honors there. :p

No no no, Elty be fast.

And he is! I heard that he even has background music play behind him for it in some incarnations! :V

He be also a good doggo who rolls out of the way and that cues Pleo in for some bits of Lugia power – or just the ISO Standard “blow you away” power that birdmons have – and the plan goes just as keikaku, resulting in Chalco knocking Molina out.

Molina: “-…want to speak to the manager…” @_@
Chalco: “N-no! The screentime!”

Does “lying passed out on the ground” count towards screentime if you’re in-shot? ^^;

With this, Team Traveler sans Dimitri are mostly in the clear, leaving only the current situation with their hosts.

Neil: “…Well so then you are a Protector?”
Pleo: “I’m a fugitive!” ^_^

Pleo that is NOT something to be proud about!

Pleo: “In my defense, have you seen what passes for the authorities in this setting?”

Pleo: “I have to go! My island needs me!”
Chan-iu: “So… that means, our screentime is over?”
Neil: “I don’t want to dieeeee!” ;_;
Kiran: “Now now, do not worry! There is still a solution!”
Neil and Chan-iu: “Ohhhhh?” o3o
Trizano: “Keep those three busy for a while. Maybe prisoner them a bit. That should get you a few paragraphs worth of screentime!”
Chan-iu: “Okay, we’ll try. But I’m not going to jail for you, we’d certainly not get screentime once there!”
Elty: “Don’t bet on it, but also don’t risk on it, yeah, totally understandable.”

I snerked. Even if there is something we’re keeping in mind for these two and a few other “characters of the episode” figures down the line.

And with that, Kiran and co part to lands unknown~ the Mystery Dungeon. All part of the quest to protecc baby.

Speaking of baby… we have one also back at Bluewhorl!

Cassie: “Mom? Mooom? MOOOOOOM?”
Sandra: *sighs* “Yes darling?”
Cassie: “Can I be an adventurer like dad?”
Sandra: *sighs* “No darling it is very dangerous the Company is after him right now, it is very sad.”
Cassie: “Oh I wish there was a way to help!”
Bunsen: “You rang?” o3o

Cassie + Sandra:

No no no Bunsen leave baby alone. Like, sure, he’s doing the senseful thing trading for apathy rather than for violence, which is how usually you get blockade occupations to not be resisted (unlike raids and invasions). Plus, he does make a good argument!

Bunsen: “Being a Marked is Suffering™!”
Ander: [nods in the distance]
Bunsen: “And I just want to merrily buy some things.”
Sandra: “We charge by weight, so get going with your stuff.”
Bunsen: “Fine then, good thing I have a thumb to put on the scale.”

Bunsen offers Sandra a “deal you can’t refuse” kind of deal, but smartly avoid making a direct threat on the child. At first.

I mean, it helps that he comes from a background that would reflexively see Cassie and Sandra as potential allies unlike almost everyone else on Tromba.

Bunsen: “All I want is some information.”
Cassie: “Well I know you are mean and ugly! And you get made into meat in another continuity!”
Bunsen: [gulps, recalls the Poison stings to his neck in a previous review]
Bunsen: “F-fine. Have it your way. But I will reciprocate if you have something useful to offer.”

With that, Bunsen leaves, so at least the Scythers are safe for the time being. Partly thanks to Cassie having an Attitude.

Cassie: “I’m legally a minor so I can’t get killed onscreen in this rating!” ^_^

…I’m not sure if it’s good if she can know that? And I’m worried that I’m not exactly sure that’d be true, either? o_o

Not onscreen, anyways. But nah, she’ll be fine. Gotta keep everyone’s favorite aspiring artist around for her parents and baby to befriend.

Oh well. Things are stable, for now. Birb is on the run (as usual), Elty has good ideas, Molina got some screentime, Dimitri won’t be found so long as he is offscreen, Darzin is getting a doctorate in Latin latrining…

Nagant: “It HAD to be you!” [smacks Cardino]
Cardino: “Aaaah I didn’t mean to. You guys did not inform us properly of this op!”
Nagant: “Because this is not your op! It’s MY op!”
Darzin:

https://i.imgflip.com/a0lcjr.jpg

Nagant: “Oh, you’ve got to be freaking kidding me.”

Nagant: “Oh great now I also have to deal with you again!”
Cardino: “Who’s this loser?”
Niilo: “Oh he’s the new latrine expert.”
Darzin: “You darn–” [readies an Ice Beam]

So, Darzin is getting some disrespect… [checks notes] yup, everyhting normal. So long as he does not screw things more! It’s important that Cabot and co. can get on the good side of birb!

Famous last words there.

So, I guess that covers everyone? Everyone’s fine?

Hess: [bumps on a coral reef]

…Oh, yeah. These idiots. :p

Hess: “Hey! I resent that!”

Hess: “WHY can’t anything go right for us! If there was at least a way we can get some experience and relevance!”
[suddenly things go BOOM]
Rodion: “Captain we are getting boarded!”
Hess: “-what the-” o_o
Lyn: [boards up ship and corners Hess]: “You rang?” o3o
Ketu from elsewhere: ¬¬

Oh noes! Lyn has a plan and it involves… using Hess to get an audience! Which… means… in-universe screentime??? Really it’s a weird combination.

Hess: “Hey wait, d-don’t I get a say in this-?!”

But what matters is everyone is happy.

Ketu: [busy filing trademark complaints.]

Everyone, I said.

Hess: “I wasn’t exactly thrilled about how things turned out here, just saying.”

All in all pretty entertaining chapter, even though it was mostly one long Team Traveller setpiece with some elsewhere intermissions.

(Cassie really knows how to earn her screentime)

The idea that, for the bumbling idiots the Iron Fleet are they might be precisely what Lyn needs to further his agenda (and, let’s recall, regain footing against Ketu) means the story can afford to go in a different direction with its realpolitiks for a while. Keeping the situation in Tromba stable while the cast is forced away into endeavours varius and showing it I’m guessing it’s going to be of relevance later to pad for content a bit as it becomes clear that…

Well, you’re not wrong. Though we’ll be looking forward to seeing how you’ll react to those moments as they come. ^^

So, yeah, Tromba is going to have a bit of a hard-time without the narrative heavy-hitters around for the while.

Bunsen: [scoffs in Company] “I think I can handle.”
Marley: [schwings a Poison Sting to Bunsen’s yugular] “Oh, I think I can handle.”
Bunsen: “G-gah! Where is my agent!”

Guys! Guys! Don’t kill each other before the Tromba screentime! I need Osmund on the reel!

And we kiiiinda need Bunsen alive to show up in future chapters here, so let’s go and do that. ^^;

Phew.

And finally, as was commented in the response to my previous review, Molina and co. were capable of clawing back some of that valuable screentime! At least it lasted them a little, let’s see later what mess do they wake up to.

And we’ll be looking forward to it! Thanks again for the review, it was a lot of fun to read. ^^

@Negrek

Spoiler

Hey, Fobbie! I’m here for your Blitz review prize, and since three chapters would have ended sort of awkwardly on 39, I ended up adding one more and doing 37-40.

Teeeeechnically, I won a batch of 5 chapters as a prize, but I already mentioned it via DMs, so we’ll be eagerly awaiting you coming around again sometime soon. You might find it worthwhile to mention @Virgil134 for that one as well in case he’s the one writing the review response that time. ^^

This section wraps up the Mengir arc and moves on to some undersea adventures for Team Traveler. I enjoyed the way things shook out on Mengir, and particularly Salvini’s small arc, as she ends up throwing away her position in order to help Team Traveler escape. She’s a character I’m guessing we’ll see later, most likely when the Siglo Swellow winds up in the area of Mengir itself. Unfortunately when that happens I’ll probably have forgotten who she is and what was going on with her. That’s partially a result of reading small chunks with a lot of time between them, but even if I powered straight through and read the next twenty chapters in a week, I think I would struggle. There are so many factions and groups of characters floating around within those factions that it’s difficult to keep track of them all, which definitely showed in this section, where we have scenes with members of the pirates, Company, and imperials, as well as both groups from Tromba. I do appreciate the relatively simple setup of Once a Thief by comparison, with its group of outlaws and the people chasing them. It’s easier to keep things moving along, and to keep track of every subplot, with a smaller cast.

Hrm. A bit unfortunate to hear that, but in the end that’s just your preference. We do drop in reminders about these different characters every now and then in the story, so hopefully that helps out with things.

I did enjoy the transition to the Subway and underwater villages towards the end of this section. It’s rare to see a story tackle an underwater environment, and this gives you an excellent opportunity to showcase pokemon that almost never appear in stories, like kingdra and sharpedo. As usual, your worldbuilding shines here, and the bubbleweed and the underwater infrastructure it enables feel appropriately magical and also a natural fit for the PMD world. I think it’ll be fun following the next arc through such a different sort of environment.

Glad to hear that you liked it! In retrospect, had we been doing things over again, we might have opted to spend a bit more time following the underwater side of the Cradle in this story, but we’re glad to hear that this jaunt made a good first impression.

The reveal about the contents of Anders’ book was interesting, and I’m glad to see some movement on the topic of what the Marked believe and what it might mean for Pleo and the other awakening Protectors. I’m really looking forward to meeting some other legends (if Tizano isn’t one) and getting a better sense of whether they’re warlike or more benevolent in this incarnation.

But more seriously, that’s something that we’ll be touching on a bit more in later chapters of this story.

As far as characters go, I think the secondary cast had the spotlight in this chapter. The Tromban pokemon seemed to be doing what they usually do during this run of chapters, although Nida does seem to be losing hope of ever getting home, and it’ll be interesting to see how that may develop in future chapters. Like I said, Salvini was a standout character for me in this section, and I was also excited to learn more about Trizano and see some evidence of his “immortality.” I’m a bit disappointed that he’s being left as a loose end, although peeking ahead I’m glad to see he does turn up in material that’s been published at least. Looks like a pretty brutal wait, though! All in all, this section was mostly about moving characters around rather than making progress on their personal arcs. I do look forward to Cabot and Berecian reappearing soon(?), given their brief mention here.

Well, you won’t need to wait for long for Cabot and Berecien to pop up again. Glad to hear that even if the number of plot threads was a bit on the high side for you that you still seemed to enjoy seeing them play out.

All in all this part of the fic seems more concerned with transition and setup than anything. As usual, when we’re checking in with a wide variety of characters it’s hard for any particular group to make much progress, although there’s plenty of text here. I’ll look forward to more undersea shenanigans in the next set of chapters, and hopefully a little more information about the Cradle’s history and culture. Until next time!

And we’ll be looking forward to seeing your reaction! Thanks again for the review.

@Arukona

Spoiler

Chapter 44
Looks like Nagant's gang aren't the only one doing sneaking around, if the subterfuge Ketu and Ellsberg are pulling is anything to go by.

I'm presuming Elilan said this, but I felt that could have been made clearer just a smidge, whether by a dialogue tag or some such.

We went and added one to make things clearer.

Oh, I see. Elilan wants to convince Ellsberg to turn traitor on Lyn and shut him out. I had a feeling things might develop into this, although I did expect Lyn to outright get the boot at the Administrators' meeting a few chapters ago. In which case, what would the next step for Lyn be then?

Though if Lyn is Director Inler's pick, I do wonder if this little scheme of Elilan's won't backfire in the event that he is found out, or if Ketu and Ellsberg leak it to someone who then informs the Director.

Well, granted @Virgil134 and I know as writers, but that’s a story for another day for you.

...Why do I get the feeling his preferred candidate would make Lyn seem like the most amenable peace-seeker in comparison? And more to the point, just who are they? Are they someone we know?

Nah, but he is someone you’ll get to know come the next special chapter.

The usual ruse for a greedy 'mon like Ellsberg, to lure him in with the promises of titles and probably have the rug pulled from under him when he does achieve his goal. Elilan already doesn't strike me as a 'mon that'll keep his promises.

While Elilan’s definitely a pragmatist, he’s actually more of the sort of character to fulfill a promise to the exact letter.

YES! The Irish island! Ohhhh, I can already tell I'm gonna love this arc.

I was wondering how you were going to react. Though this is a good sign already.

I feel 'the bird' is used as an epithet a bit too often for the Spritzee which did give rise to confusion given the bird on our heroes' side (Pleo).

We went and tweaked these to be more unambiguous.

Lmao that'll do the trick, won't it? Calino ought to take notes from this.

Well, maybe for how to resist it, since one would think that the charms that would serve a buyer are a bit different from the ones that would serve a seller.

Intriguing how quick Viktor is to worry about the state of Team Traveller when he was a bit more ambivalent about them in their initial visit. Maybe it's the presence of Imperials that has him on edge, and thus quick to wonder about Pleo and his gang?

You’ll get an answer to this within the span of a couple chapters.

And now up to the surface, where Nagant's crew appear to be having their beach episode. A pity that's all gonna be interrupted by the arrival of the captain herself.

That obvious, huh?

I love that last line. Authoritative and firm, cementing Nagant as someone who knows their place and will not be messed with.

Yup, though being a bit trigger happy doesn’t hurt with that either. ^^;

Oh, that's actually Sevan, isn't it? Well, that's gonna make for an awkward misunderstanding later.

Recall what Samurott we saw swimming into Braveshoal Town in the past.

You'd need one strong 'mon to even attempt that with the chonk Darzin has.

Or have Psychic powers. Though I suppose that pulling a SM64 is also an option.

And now the Imperials are looking to get into the Crystal Mangroves? There's gonna be one hell of a fight in that place if all the factions, be they Team Traveller or the Braveshoal folk, collide at once.

And how.

More worrying implications as to what this island is. Although if it's something that would make the Imperials worry...maybe it could be a boon for Team Traveler? A slim chance, but...it's there nonetheless.

Elty: “I mean, I’m certainly feeling good about this island.”

I see someone has tried and failed to nick their wares before.

I mean, did you expect anything less? :p

Oh, I see - it's a slight variation of beach, the Irish word for bee. Clever, clever!

[...]

I actually have a silly grin on my face reading this because eeee it's Irish being actually spoken!

Glad to see you’re having fun with the Irish vibe here. Me and Virgil both had a feeling that you’d like it.

Ah, getting an upgrade, is she? Maybe she'll be like Tetsuzui with their Lairon bone and end up with a stronger bone than her previous.

Well, going from “nonexistent” to “existent” is certainly an upgrade, yes. Though hold onto that thought for a bit later down the line in this story.

...There's a catch, isn't there? After all, with what that Dungeon was like when Team Traveller visited it, I can't imagine things will be much better here, even if Pladur and Kiran do have more experience.

Understandable that Ander would be reluctant to get involved with anything related to shrines and Protectors. But then again, maybe working in restoring the altar could prove to be more open to Protectors - and therefore Pleo - in future.

Well, there’s already a couple catches upfront such as the tight deadline, but yeah. This certainly isn’t going to be an easy request to fulfill for Hertsog.

Back to Team Traveller, where the reveal is that they're on Orleigh, mentioned a few times. I did think the name sounded somewhat Gaelic-adjacent...and actually, come to think of it, wasn't it revealed that Hess was from here? In which case, I think love him even more now.

I mean, he lives here now. Though the full story about Hess’ origins is a tale for a bit later on in this story.

Though given that Elty speaks Polish, I'm guessing this isn't his place of birth. His home, maybe, but where he came from originally is probably a subject for another time. Maybe in another Special Chapter, perhaps?

I presume the 'one' here is referring to the Juice Bar? (Might help to make that a smidge clearer in text.) If so, I fear for what it might be at nighttime if it's this busy during the day.

Done.

I mean, he was effectively doing community service on Bluewhorl, and I can't imagine anyone would be happy or comfortable doing that, especially after living it up as a pirate.

Pleo: “He was getting used to it towards the end?” ^v^;

I can imagine this must be a pretty sight.

Elty: “Oh, you don’t know the half of it.”

And now for the truth to dawn on Nida that all those ships are for pirates. I can already picture her horror and Pleo's cluelessness.

Yyyyup. Knew that'd be the reaction. So now that begs the question; how does three quarters of the clearly-not-immoral-or-booty-seeking Team Traveller blend into a place like this?

Well, they could always try their luck with stereotypical pirate accents. o3o

Chapter 45
And now Elty's on the receiving end of hero Nida's fury. She certainly inherited that from her mother, that's for sure.

And boy did she ever. ^^;

Looks like we're not having that split as Elty wanted. Although I wonder if there'll be a split at some point down the line if Elty ever tries to get back together with the Iron Fleet again, or even becomes a trio with Pyry and Pekka back on Tromba. I guess that remains to be seen, given all the things that still haven't happened yet in the fic.

Hold onto those thoughts there…

And now we pivot over to the Iron Fleet, where we see Hess again!

See, I had a feeling that you’d like this episode here.

Rodion is certainly one to try and look on the positive side of things in the event of Hess being downcast like he is now. I now see what Virgil meant about Rodion's loyalty to his captain and trying to buoy his spirits in his lowest moments like now.

Yeah, he’s a trooper like that for his captain and his crew. It won’t be the last time you see him do that in this story, either.

Alas, it seems like things are gonna worse for our resident steel dino before they get better. Here's hoping the punishment won't be too brutal. :(

Well, I suppose that you’re not wrong there, though what that entails I’ll opt to let you discover as you get further along in this story.

-Now. Although the 'poor shape' of the Beautifly and Dustox here - I'm curious if the Siglo Swellow crew might be able to find some reconciliation with them and work together to fix up the shrine.

Another thought to hold onto for the future there.

Back to Orleigh, where hostels appear to be in short supply. I suppose if this is a pirates' den where merchants wouldn't tend to visit, a hostel probably wouldn't be as necessary as in the other islands.

Prooobably not, no. Though hey, there’s money to be made on pirates being loose with their money for particularly adventurous merchants.

Oh hey, I think I remember this trio from Kenobi. And oh dear, I bet any money this'll no doubt alert the other pirates that Pleo's on the island.

Well, fortunately for the gang, not quite.

Over to the Imperials where they're all getting ready for their big mission. Watch that Slowbro tip the Braveshoal inhabitants off about the big purchases of items and there be a big standoff between both factions in the Crystal Mangroves. Because would Team Traveller really have cause to go back into that Dungeon?

Well, would they?

Oh hey, I spot a familiar face.

Yup, that’s indeed Tarquin. Although he is not the only familiar face on the pirate council if you remember Casting Off.

I like the idea of a Primarina with cold-hearted menace about her, as opposed to the performing diva status they normally are in PMD fics. (Also, does 'grown her mate's fleet' mean she expanded it or inherited it after her mate's death? Not quite sure what it means here.)

Both. She first inherited it, and then expanded it afterwards. We went and edited that to make things clearer.

Does this Dirk have a penchant for keeping the heads of his victims?

Nah, this Dirk precedes that one you’re thinking of by years and it’s unlikely we could get away with that thematically in a Saturday Morning Cartoon-vibing story. While I wouldn’t be terribly shocked if Dirk has made some unlucky soul lose his head in the past, he’s not quite at the level of sociopathy of maintaining a trophy collection.

In the face of this quartet, Hess's bravado sure crumbled in an instant. I guess pirate leaders of pirate leaders have that aura of ferocity about them that incite terror into even the most hardened of captains.

Well, they do. Even if “Hess” and “hardened captain” probably aren’t quite a natural combination in the same sentence. ^^;

Ooooof, that's gotta smart. And what a place to do it in too, in front of the Orleigh leaders.

As evidenced by moments like that.

Something something "the information is so outlandish and improbable that it loops back to sounding rather true."

Another thought to hold onto for the future.

Elsewhere in Orleigh, said Protector and his friends get their inn for the night, which is surprisingly more homely than I would've expected. Not exactly the Hilton Hotel, but hey, I expected a dump in this backwater of backwaters.

[...]


On second thought, scratch that. Calling this place 'iffy' would be putting it mildly to say the least.

I mean, at least it’s mostly a “clientele” problem instead of an “accommodations” problem? ^^;

And as we've seen, good luck to things coming to that. At this rate, the only thing that'll unite them is the hunt for Pleo, and even then they'd probably fight over who gets him.

I mean, you know what they say about “the enemy of my enemy is my friend”...

Hah, wild 'mon moment. If it's somewhere to lie down on, it's a bed. Watch her fall off in the middle of the night.

“Fall off”, huh…?

Conclusion
And that brings these two chapters to an end. I quite liked them, as it finally means we get to Orleigh, the Irish island! Always a great novelty seeing Irish be used, and interesting to know that I'm not the first to employ it among PMD fics. The usual POV rotation was fun, providing differing perspectives at different points and building intrigue that way, making the reader eagerly look forward to what's coming next. There's at least five different groups hunting for Team Traveller now (even if one is occupied in fixing up a shrine, one's licking their wounds of pride, and another is more in the 'making sure they're okay' business) and it could well come to one big standoff which could prove to be quite explosive.

Well, it certainly would be quite a showdown. There’s just the logistics of everyone getting together first.

I'm most intrigued about Lyn in that final scene, with a hint that he could turn away from the Company if his brother's words prove persuasive enough. Maybe in the event another Company member - perhaps that 'replacement' Elilan hinted at - harmed Pleo enough to the point that he would switch sides and defend him. Whether that comes to be, I'm almost certainly expecting a Heel Face Turn at some point, or at the very least carving out his own faction.

Well, he has a looong ways to go before he gets into that territory given that he was depicted pushing his brother away. But I suppose that’s something to watch unfold. After all, there are some layers to Lyn that haven’t been explored by the plot just yet.

There's also the usual pondering of how Team Traveller will move onto the next island, especially when getting off the island doesn't appear to be easy with how many pirates are doing the rounds, and how 'friendly pirates' feels almost oxymoronic given all the ones the gang's encountered thus far. They could hope there are more souls like Rasp and Bech on Orleigh? Again, though - not putting a whole lot of confidence on that. And it's not like they can hope for an escape from the Siglo Swellow gang since their ship's banged up and they're occupied with cleaning up a shrine.

A lot of intriguing strands sent out, and I'm looking forward to seeing how they all become resolved in time. Looking forward to reading more in future, and hopefully we can do another review exchange in time.

I actually wouldn’t mind taking you up on that offer sometime SOON™. Though until then, thanks for the review, and we’ll be looking forward to whenever you come around again in this story.

Alright, this gap since the last chapter ran on a bit longer than I originally hoped thanks to being on vacation, but @Virgil134 and I are back for the first half of one of this episode’s particularly action packed two-parters with:

 

[Virgil134]

The walk up to Starbreak Square's main entrance from the floor of the surrounding Mystery Dungeon was similar to how Pleo and his teammates found it the other day. Once again, a rocky spit headed off into the fog from a ledge, with an abyss filled with thick mist far below. What had changed were the arrangement of the walls and corridors, such that the abyss now laid in the middle of the chamber with ledges ringing it in all directions.

But the biggest difference of all was the Pokémon that were in front of it.

"Nrgh…"

A pair of Pokémon in red scarves drug a bound and dazed Marked Orthworm along and threw him into a heap up against a stony wall along with a few other Marked—guards who'd been overpowered by the first wave of pirates who found the entrance. The chamber was now crowded with pirates, with Hess and Dirk of course being among their number. The pair made their way up to the front as Hess pawed at a few fresh marks in his hide and cast an uneasy glance back at the defeated Marked off at the other end of the chamber.

"Those guards put up more of a fight than I thought they would," the Aggron murmured. "Dirk, are we sure that this is a good-?"

"Shut it, Hess," the Bisharp snapped. "I didn't get as far as I did by turning tail at the first rogue wave at sea."

Dirk stepped out at the head of the formation of pirates closest to the entrance. He raised a hand for silence, and after quickly receiving it, looked over the gathering with a stern, serious frown.

"The scouts we sent in just got back to me a few minutes ago. They've found out what we needed to know," the Bisharp said. "Those Marked built up their town around a fortified core with a bunch of vaults. The holding cells they keep prisoners in are there, and knowing them, that's where the bird is right now."

Dirk's underlings nodded along, while the golden-scarved pirates in the group visibly hesitated. A few of their number began to murmur in hushed tones and grow noticeably uneasy, with a Litten raising his voice to speak up.

"Wait, we're really just going to storm the most fortified part of town?" the Litten asked. "Isn't that where all the guards would be too?"

The Bisharp shot a piercing glare at the Litten, making the Fire-Type hurriedly shrink back and break eye contact. Hess shot a sideways glance at Dirk as the rest of his underlings similarly stifled their protests. He set his teeth on edge and subconsciously lowered his head to flash his horns, only to catch himself. He didn't like the way that Bisharp was treating his crew right now, but at the same time… he wasn't sure there was anything he could do about it.

Hess quickly stood upright after Dirk's gaze fell on him and hurriedly pretended to brush some dust off his stony scales. After growing satisfied, the Bisharp let out a quiet harrumph, before turning back to the gathered pirates to continue his briefing.

"Normally, yes," Dirk replied. "That's why your captain here volunteered to have some of your ranks provide skirmishers to draw the guards' attention away from the center of town."

Hess stiffened up at Dirk's explanation, and shot him a bewildered glance.

"Wait, I did? Since when-?"

"We Crimson Corsairs will head in along with Hess and his tougher deckhands about five minutes after you head in. With the guards thinned in the town's center, it's just a matter of fighting past them to break into those holding cells, snagging the bird, and getting out," Dirk continued. "There shouldn't be any shortage of loot to nab along the way, either. After all, when was the last time anyone built up fortifications like that without having something good inside?"

That last sentence seemed to do the trick for dispelling the unease. At once, both the Crimson Corsairs and Iron Fleet alike broke out into cheers and laughter, as the pirates began to work themselves up over the promise of loot in their paws and spirits in their bellies. The Bisharp smirked at the turn of the gathering's mood. All that was really needed to smooth things over was just to give the gathered crews a bit of good old-fashioned motivation.

"Well then, I think it's about time we got this show on the road, huh?"

"W-Wait just a minute!"

Dirk trailed off when he noticed Hess raising a claw in protest from the side. The Bisharp turned over to face his Aggron peer into and let his face fall a sharp frown.

"What now, Hess?"

"We can't head in just yet!" the Aggron protested. "Rodion and his party haven't caught up with us yet!"

Dirk rolled his eyes with a grumbling sigh, before bringing a hand up to the badge on his scarf. He tugged it loose, before giving it a firm squeeze and raising it to his mouth.

"Rian, put the Iron Fleet's sea rat on the line."

Hess gave a scowl of his own at the Bisharp. He knew that Dirk didn't see him as an equal, but would it have killed him to pretend like he respected him, just this once?

"Hess?"

Hess snapped back to attention and breathed out a sigh of relief after hearing his first mate's voice. He supposed he should've known better to assume that Rodion would get in trouble from a Mystery Dungeon, but even so, he'd hoped that he wouldn't have fallen this far behind.

"Rodion? Where are you?"

"One of our squads found an entrance into the town and we're waiting for everyone in our group to converge on it. Though where are you? Those dispatchers from the Crimson Corsairs wouldn't give us a straight answer all this time!"

Hess turned his head over to Dirk as the Bisharp summarily stepped back from him. Dirk raised the badge back to his mouth, before giving a terse grunt back through the badge.

"We're on a different floor than you, just go in once everyone in your group's together. We'll fight our way to the center of the town and catch up there."

Dirk let go of the badge and silenced Rodion's voice. He pinned it back on his scarf, leaving Hess to splutter and stare with his mouth hanging open. Was Dirk trying to get Rodion lost? First Dirk made the two of them travel separately, then his crew's psychics gave Rodion the run-around, and now the Bisharp didn't even want to wait for Rodion to come and join forces with them!

"What are you doing?!" Hess protested. "We were all supposed to go in together for this raid!"

Dirk narrowed his eyes and began to turn for the entrance with an impatient huff.

"Your first mate already made it into position on his own. He'll be fine," the Bisharp insisted. "And since when did an Aggron like you need a little sea rat as a babysitter?"

Hess let out a low growl and pawed his feet against the ground, angrily flashing his teeth in reply.

"Look, you said that you wanted my tougher deckclaws to help take the town center, didn't you?" the Aggron snapped. "How do you expect me to do that without-?!"

The next thing Hess knew, there was a woosh and glint of gathered light along with something poking at his throat. He glanced down and fought back a frightened squeal after seeing the tip of one of Dirk's arm-blades pressed up against its hide, with its owner glaring daggers at him from the length of his arm.

"By improvising," Dirk snarled. "Just like how I'll improvise by leaving you crumpled in the dirt and going on without you if you don't shut up and start marching!"

Hess' mind went blank briefly as Dirk pulled the blade from his throat and returned his arm to his side. The Aggron reflexively grabbed at his throat, and after discovering his neck's hide wasn't broken and steadying his shaky breaths, Hess turned his head and looked out over the gathered pirates.

All around the gathering, the Crimson Corsairs were giving unamused and dismissive reactions to his display, while the pirates from his own crew were shrinking back visibly unnerved, as was to be expected after seeing their captain get cowed into submission right in front of them. Fighting Dirk right here and now was bound to end terribly, but pirates respected strength from their captains, so he'd have to try and project it some other way.

Hess turned his head away. Rodion wasn't a pushover, and even if there had been a couple scares along the way, they'd pulled through far dicier moments even when separated. Maybe he was just overthinking things. Rodion wasn't exactly a stranger to going through Mystery Dungeons when he had to, and it wasn't as if they were short on 'monpower at the moment…

He forced a determined scowl over his face and looked out over his underlings, before motioning off at Starbreak Square's entrance with a small grin.

"Head out and raise some hell. We'll all be back in town and getting sloshed before we know it."

He waited a bit as little by little, the Iron Fleet's Pokémon began to perk up, with a few even openly talking about how they were looking forward to their loot and rum once the dust settled. Dirk waved the first group of pirates from the Iron Fleet forward, and watched with a knowing smile as other skirmishers followed one after the other.

"It's showtime."

---

As humble as Margi's home in Starbreak Square was, the accommodations proved to be surprisingly comfortable. Before Pleo and his companions knew, it was morning again. Or at least Margi claimed that it was morning based on the number of distant bell-chimes echoing through the tunnels. According to her and Daraen, the bell-chimes were how the town marked the hours in the absence of sunlight. After rousing from their bedding, it was just a few paces over back to the low-slung table in the Hydreigon's living room, where the six shared a breakfast of simple Gummis.

At least the morning had been going well so far. Pleo discovered that Trizano's wing feathers had grown back, which the Skarmory insisted was due to his abilities as an Immortal. For a moment he'd hoped that his own had regrown, only to discover that much to his disappointment, they were still visibly cut short. The others traded chatter with each other, mostly about the Elders and the importance of making a good impression on them after being summoned, but he opted to focus on the food set out to eat.

Or at least he tried to. Pleo absentmindedly pawed at a Gummi in front of him, pushing it back and forth before hearing a burp across the table. The Lugia looked up, where there was Daraen, beaming and wagging his tail happily blissfully unaware of the silent, scolding look from his mother.

"Ahh, that hit the spot!" the Deino cheered. "Nothing like some Royal Gummis to get the day started!"

Pleo couldn't help but grin in reply and let out a quiet chuckle, only for his cheery mood to falter as he glanced out the stone window overlooking the tunnel connecting Margi's home and the others deeper down the shaft. Every now and then, there'd be a shape that went by it, which would pick up the pace when passing Margi's home. Right, this was around the time back in Bluewhorl when other Pokémon would rouse for the day, so it was only natural that they wouldn't be alone.

… Except, the Elders had mentioned they would make a decision about their request bright and early in the morning. If so, wouldn't they have wanted to do that before everyone started waking up? It felt a bit silly, but perhaps they'd gotten lost in the tunnels?

"So what do we do now?" Pleo asked.

"Just wait for the Elders to come by here," Margi insisted, taking a Gummi from her plate. "It's not that late in the morning right now, and much of the town's diurnal Pokémon are still waking up."

There was an uneasy quiet as Ander fidgeted uneasily and a visibly worried expression started to settle on his face. The Elders were palpably unenthused about the idea of working with a 'demon' yesterday, so just how good of a sign was it if they were running late on telling them what they'd decided?

"How long were we supposed to wait on the Elders, again?" the Scyther questioned.

"Not long," the Hydreigon answered. "The Elders aren't normally the type to keep others waiting."

A distant thump rang out in the distance, followed by a sharp crash and shouts coming from outside that made everyone around the table flinch. Trizano blinked and got up uneasily as the voices seemed to continue on.

"What the…?"

Margi beat her wings and got up from the table, going up to the stone window and poking her central head out. She paused for a moment and listened keenly as she seemed to pick out the noises more clearly, before hesitating and looking back towards the table.

"… Some of the neighbors probably got into a squabble," she said. "I guess it wouldn't be the first time I've seen that since being put on guard duty."

Trizano reflexively made his way over for the door with his teammates and Daraen, only for Margi to motion for them to stop.

"Stay here," the Hydreigon insisted. "You're under house arrest, remember? This shouldn't take long to sort out, just try and get things presentable before the Elders arrive."

Trizano and the others nodded back as Margi took her leave and hurried out of her home's doorway. The Skarmory briefly glimpsed after her as she made her way down the tunnel, before he headed back to clear the table along with his teammates. It was a simple enough process: they'd put the uneaten Gummis back into storage for later meals, and pick up their dishes to bring over to the washbasin in the back left corner. Except, the entire time, the noises from earlier kept growing louder. Noises which Trizano began to realize were the sounds of Pokémon battling. After placing his plate in the washbasin, the Skarmory paused, and gave a worried glance down at Daraen.

"That sounds like quite a fight out there," Trizano murmured. "I hope that isn't normal in this town…"

He noticed that Daraen seemed to be on edge himself, flinching after a set of louder crashes cut through the air. The Deino shrank back, quietly huddling up against the Skarmory.

"This is the first time I've ever heard something like this around here," Daraen said. "Normally, this street's really quiet."

"Maybe one of us should go outside and see what's going on," Ander suggested. "I know that it's not allowed, but as long as it's not Pleo who does it, it shouldn't be too hard to expl-"

The Scyther trailed off and his words died in his mouth as shouts rang out from right outside Margi's home, joined with frantic footsteps and wingbeats. A quick glance past the doorway revealed Pokémon outside taking shelter in their houses while others ran up the street visibly frightened, including a Marked Darumaka who went by flailing her arms and crying out in audible panic.

"Pirates! Pirates!"

Crom and his companions' eyes shrank to pins, as the Druddigon stumbled back with a startled cry.

"Wait, pirates-?!"

A purple beam of light suddenly struck the edge of the doorway just beside them, and the crunch of shattering stone rang out and dust swirled in the air. Pleo and his companions coughed and stumbled forward into the street as they saw shapes darting about in it. Much to their horror, as the dust settled, they saw that the shapes were Pokémon of various kinds charging under the direction of a Farigiraf…

All clad in sets of familiar-looking gold-and-silver scarves.

"A-Ah! Those are Pokémon from the Iron Fleet!" Pleo cried.

Pleo and his teammates stiffened up as they turned to see the Farigiraf approaching along with a Granbull and a few others. The Farigiraf from their numbers briefly paused as her eyes fell on Pleo, before they lit up and a malicious smirk settled over her face.

"Ah! That's that bird that the Captains were talking about!" the Farigiraf exclaimed.

"Heh heh heh! Talk about our lucky day!" the Granbull sneered. "If we nab him, just imagine the reward we'll get from it!"

"I don't think so!"

A silvery flash dove in as Trizano clipped the Granbull with a Steel Wing and pulled up. Pleo breathed in and out tensely as other pirates began to encroach on him from elsewhere on the street. A Litten, a Cherrim, and a Jigglypuff that looked curiously familiar…

His eyes suddenly widened. There was a reason why she looked so familiar:

"W-Wait, you were on the Siglo Swellow!" Pleo squawked. "You're supposed to be on our side now!"

"Times change, kid," the Jigglypuff harrumphed. "Though you look a bit tired, why don't you get some rest?"

The Jigglypuff opened her mouth as the air about it distorted into pinkish rings with a sleepy-sounding melody. Crom's eyes widened as he hurriedly darted aside, pulling Daraen to safety. He didn't feel any more tired, so then they'd probably avoided-

"Ngh…"

Crom looked back over his shoulder as a soft whump rang out and his jaw flopped open with a startled stammer:

"Ah! Pleo!"

Pleo was lying out asleep in the middle of the street from the Jigglypuff's song. A little further off, Ander turned his head and hurriedly tried to rush in to aid the stricken Lugia, when a pair of purple beams from the Farigiraf's eyes forced him back with a startled yelp. From his portion of the tunnel, Trizano beat his wings and tried to rush to Pleo's side himself, when the Granbull cut him off with a sudden lunge.

"Over here, you scaly runt!"

Crom flinched as he felt something strike his chest, and knock the wind out of him as his eyes filled with… pink hearts? Was that Disarming Voice? Since that sure didn't sound or feel remotely 'charming' to him!

The Druddigon panted for a moment, when much to his alarm, he saw the Jigglypuff prowling forward. He glimpsed over his shoulder, where he saw Daraen also reeling from the Jigglypuff's attack, as the pirate Litten and Cherrim were already upon Pleo and trying to drag him off.

"Daraen, help me out here!" the Druddigon cried. "We can't let those pirates take Pleo!"

"Right! Way ahead of you!"

The Deino hastily ducked back into the house much to Crom's surprise as the Jigglypuff briefly looked after and then narrowed her eyes with a mocking sneer.

"Hah, great friend you've got there, Druddigon."

The Jigglypuff attempted to throw another Disarming Voice forward, prompting Crom to hurriedly scrabble back. He ran back in the tunnel, briefly passing in front of the door in front of Margi's home when the Jigglypuff followed suit.

"You'll need to do better than tha-!"

The Fairy-Type's words were abruptly silenced by sharp blast followed by a fwoosh of fire, which caught the Jigglypuff from her side from past the doorway. The pirate yelped and pitched to the ground as Crom looked at the doorway of Margi's house and saw Daraen cracking a toothy grin.

"I knew that extra Blast Seed would come in handy!"

Crom briefly blinked before noticing the Jigglypuff was starting to recover. He lunged forward, hurriedly throwing his claws forward at the Jigglypuff's forehead as they took on a metallic sheen.

"Yah!"

They struck her with a sharp thwack as the Jigglypuff tumbled to the ground by the Litten and Cherrim, whose eyes instantly fell on Crom.

"Oi! That overgrown lizard got Jill!" the Cherrim cried.

"You'll pay for that!" the Litten hissed.

Crom charged ahead alongside Daraen, trading blows as the pair attempted to fight the pirates back from Pleo's body. After driving off the Litten with a gout of dragonfire, Daraen watched as Crom hurriedly dove at the Cherrim to force him away from Pleo, prompting the Deino to run over to Pleo with a frantic nudge.

"Pleo? Pleo! Wake up!"

Daraen tugged desperately at the Lugia, but beyond a few sleepy stirs, the young Protector didn't budge. The Litten and Cherrim came back and Daraen flinched and stumbled back from a spray of pointed leaves digging into his hide. He shook his head briefly, before lowering his head to Pleo's ears and letting out the loudest roar he could muster.

"PLEO! GET UP!"

The Roar finally startled him awake, and sent Pleo running blindly, right into the wall of the tunnel just next to Daraen's home. The Lugia tumbled back with a stunned squawk, before fighting to stay on his feet and steady his balance.

"Ack! I'm up! I'm up!"

Pleo steadied himself just in time to see Crom and Daraen still battling with the Cherrim and the Litten. He hurried over, readying a gust of wind with his wings, when all of a sudden, a set of pink jaws snapped shut and clamped onto his side.

"AGH!"

Pleo felt fangs dig into his wing and frantically wrestled himself free, only to trip and fall to the ground. He began to pick himself up when saw Trizano struggling onto his feet in the distance. A sharp snarl and paws grabbing him turned his attention leftward, as he looked up to see a Granbull in Iron Fleet colors looming over him with his fangs bared menacingly.

"Hah! That's really all it takes to put you down?" the Granbull sneered. "I can't believe that Aggron had trouble with-!"

GRAAAWR!

The section of tunnel just ahead erupted into a flash of light as a gout of fire sailed in and brushed over the Granbull's rump. At once, the Fairy-Type's eyes shot wide, as the pirate hopped around cradling a now-singed bum.

"Eyaaah! Hot! Hot! Hot!"

The pirate stumbled around frantically, trying to stay on his feet when Daraen lunged forward with a tackle that struck the Granbull hard in his gut. There was a sharp yelp, when the Fairy-Type bowled over, flopping to the ground limply as smoke continued to trail from his rear.

Pleo breathed in and out tensely, and turned his head towards Crom just in time to see him step back from the Cherrim and Litten, who were now sprawled-out on the ground. The Lugia glanced back towards the Faragarif as she stumbled back from a distant roar forceful enough to send shockwaves through the air, which felled a nearby black Oinkologne and left a brown one tottering. The other Oinkologne fought to keep her footing, before a Flamethrower enveloped her and sent her slumping over.

He looked over at the Flamethrower's source and found a Marked Charizard with fangs bared and smoke curling from his snout. That was—!

"B-Bunsen?!"

It wasn't just him either. Behind Bunsen, he could see a small crowd of various Marked. They all encroached on the Faragarif as she and the still-standing pirates looked back at them.

It was just the thing needed to make the Faragarif and her still-standing comrades lose their nerve, as the Psychic-Type's jaw dropped and she turned to flee.

"A-Ack! Retreat! Retreat!"

The Faragarif bolted, the other pirates hurriedly joining suit as a few threw attacks to mask their retreat. Pleo ducked into a doorway with his teammates, watching as much to their alarm, the pirates were reaching an intersection down the right end of the tunnel and starting to fall behind cover of their own.

"Going somewhere?!"

A black and blue blur abruptly lunged in and dragged the Faragarif to the ground by her throat. The other pirates froze and came to a skidding stop, as it quickly became apparent that the blur was a Marked Hydreigon with her left head's jaws clamped around the Farigiraf's neck.

Bunsen and the other Marked with him took their places beside Margi, glaring and growling while still more came from the other end of the tunnel blocking off the pirates' escape. There was a moment of stunned silence as a few of the pirates grimaced and others began to whimper in fear. The Faragarif panted and looked up from the ground as black orbs began to swirl in the mouth of Margi's right head, and she brought it towards the pinned Psychic-Type's forehead as her eyes shrank to pins.

"A-Ah…"

"Do you feel lucky, punk?" Margi snarled. "If not, I'd strongly suggest you tell your friends to stand down."

The Faragarif stared up as black orbs grew larger and closer to her face, when the Psychic-Type stammered out a squeaking cry.

"D-Do as she says!"

One by one, the other pirates began to raise their limbs in surrender, as the Marked, guard and townsfolk alike, began to pull the pirates aside while others started to bind them up. Pleo breathed a sigh of relief, fortunately these pirates weren't all that tough when cornered.

Off to the side, Bunsen shoved a golden-scarved pirate to the ground for another pair of Marked to deal with, before turning his attention over to Margi. He hurried up just as her colleagues began to drag off the Faragarif, when he raised his voice with an incredulous cry.

"What's going on?!" the Charizard demanded. "How would pirates make it all the way in here?!"

Margi looked up and down the length of the street, which was now pockmarked with damage from battle, and a steadily-thinning group of pirates who were being led off. Pleo for a moment expected her to take some satisfaction over the turn of events, except the whole time, the Hydreigon's expression remained serious as she answered with a shake of her head.

"We're still trying to figure that out right now, but they came from the eastern entrance and this has been happening all across town," Margi replied. "The only place that hasn't been reporting raids thus far are the west side of town and its center."

Trizano blinked in surprise. The pirates must have planned this attack out beforehand for them to be causing so much trouble at once. But if that was so, something wasn't adding up…

"… Wait, but why would they be avoiding the center all this time?" Trizano asked.

Before the Skarmory could answer, a tremor shook the tunnel and made the gathered Pokémon flinch. One that came from off in the very middle of the town. Crom turned his head as the tremor settled, as the Druddigon looked on with a nervous grimace.

"What was that?" Crom gulped.

"It's from the Elders' Hall! Those pirates must've been putting up a feint!" Margi exclaimed, her eyes shooting wide. "Anyone who's able, come quickly! If the Elders and the others there are struggling with these pirates, we'll need all the monpower we can get!"

The guards with Margi turned and hurried off towards the center of town, a few quickly passing instructions to bystanders for how to tie knots and handle their remaining prisoners before moving along. Some of the townsfolk began to join their ranks, including Bunsen, when a few of the Marked further ahead grimaced and stared past him. The Charizard craned his head back, only for his eyes to shoot wide as he jolted back with a startled yelp.

"A-Ah! Why are they coming with us?!"

Margi blinked her eyes, when she turned back and saw the rest of Team Traveller hurrying over to them, with Pleo at their head. The young Lugia ran up, batting his wings out and waving for attention.

"You need help, don't you?" Pleo asked. "We'll help you all fight, too!"

A few worried remarks went about the nearby Marked, as Margi remained silent, before narrowing her eyes back with a deepening frown.

"No."

Pleo and his teammates traded incredulous glances with one another. Starbreak Square was in trouble, and Margi was seriously telling them…

"What do you mean 'no'?" the Lugia protested.

"Yeah, Pleo and I are from a Rescue Team!" Crom cried. "Back home, this would be exactly the sort of situation where we'd be expected to help out!"

"Maman, I know they're supposed to be under house arrest, but they helped me fight these pirates earlier," Daraen said, nosing insistently at his mother. "Wouldn't they also-?"

The Deino was cut off by a sharp shush in reply. A few voices in the lingering crowd audibly worried aloud "Margi, you're not really gonna let that thing come?" before the Hydreigon turned her attention back to Team Traveller with a low sigh.

"Look, we appreciated your help, but you shouldn't even be outside of my house at the moment," Margi insisted. "And if there's one time when you should be staying put, it's now."

"But the pirates only came here in the first place because of me!"

The other Marked stopped and stared warily as a couple mused to themselves under their breaths that "the demon's not wrong". The Hydreigon studied Pleo carefully as he stepped forward and looked up pleadingly.

"Shouldn't I at least get a chance to help fix the mess I made?" the Lugia asked. "You all know as well as I do that I'm not weak. If my powers came to me while fighting these pirates, it could literally turn the tide of battle! It's happened before!"

Nervous titters went about the nearby Marked, a few including Bunsen visibly inching away from Pleo as he neared Margi. The Hydreigon remained in place and scowled down sharply, only to visibly waver. There was a moment of hesitation when Pleo thought to interject, only for Margi to sigh and turn away before motioning with her right head to follow.

"Alright, as long as you stay close and stay behind me," she said. "And don't use those powers of yours for this battle. Whatever your intentions may be, we can't afford for them to go out of control in a place like this."

Pleo wasn't sure what to make of Margi's condition, and his other teammates seemed hesitant themselves. That said, working together to fight off the pirates could convince the Elders to help free their friends in Starpeak Square. Even if they clearly didn't trust them still, Pleo supposed this was as good of a chance as they were going to get.

"Right, got it. Just lead the way."

---

Rodion hadn't expected to find a second entrance into Starbreak Square, but a short scuffle with a few Marked guards prowling about the floor his group exited onto roused his suspicion. Not long after, they found a path headed into a fog-shrouded entrance. A brief scouting afterwards by a few pirates confirmed that there was a small, poorly-guarded gate on the other side of the Distortion. Even moreso after they lured said guards through the Distortion for their comrades to ambush just outside.

Altogether, it was as good a sign as any that they'd found exactly what they were looking for.

They tied up and left the Marked they'd overpowered in a stable zone, and patched up their own wounded to continue on. Rodion hadn't decided whether or not it'd make sense to try and go back to take those guards for ransom after the dust settled, especially considering the Iron Fleet's less-than-successful past stints at the trade, but at the very least the 'mons would live for someone to get them out of there. That just left them all alone to trickle in in front of the entrance and prepare to march in to help raid this 'Starbreak Square'.

Except, it was hard to take any satisfaction from the moment after the way Dirk had just abruptly cut him off during his conversation with Hess. As if he was some inexperienced rookie from his crew and not the first mate of the crew contributing half the monpower of this raid. On top of it all, it'd been a full fifteen minutes since they discovered their entrance and they were still short two squads—eight 'mons who had yet to rejoin him and the fifteen compatriots with him.

Rodion's attention drifted for a moment, when he noticed the Quilava in his group seemed lost in his thoughts. It wasn't quite like Kenny to be this uneasy before a raid, but he supposed that the 'mon had been through a lot lately. The Floatzel sidled up and nudged at the Quilava's shoulder for attention. The stoat looked up with a curious blink, as Rodion looked down at him with a wary tilt of his head.

"You're sure you're up for this, Kenny?" Rodion asked. "If you need some time to ease back into life on the crew, I can have someone take you back to tow-"

"I'm fine, Rodion. Honestly," the Quilava replied with a firm nod. "It's just a Mystery Dungeon, and I'm not planning on wandering off on my own again."

Something about that tone almost felt like Kenny was trying to convince himself of his own words. Rodion opened his mouth to pry further, only for a Charmeleon to come up and sling an arm around Kenny's shoulder.

"Of course he's alright, Rodion!" the Charmeleon insisted. "Especially since he's got me to save his аss if he gets into trouble again!"

Kenny blinked, before giving a shove and playful smirk back.

"My аss?" the Quilava retorted. "More like you're happy I'm here to carry you again, Alfred!"

The two went back and forth a bit teasing each other much like old times, all as that uneasy mood Kenny had seemed to fade away. Whatever had been going on with him, it was probably nothing worth worrying about… especially not when a third of the broader force they'd marched out with was still missing and didn't have any sign of coming.

Rodion hesitated briefly, before grabbing the badge he'd been issued and raising it to speak into it.

"Hey, just checking, but do you have any sign of Pieter or Minhwa's groups?" he asked. "We found the entrance a while ago, but it seems like they've gotten lost."

Rodion waited for a response through the badge, only to be met with a lingering silence. The Floatzel frowned and wondered if the dispatchers were being weirdly uncooperative again. He was about to speak into the badge again, when it suddenly came back to life.

"We can't sense their badges right now. I'm not really sure what's going on, since Minhwa's group checked in with us not even five minutes ago."

Uneasy murmurs went about the gathered pirates, as a few wondered aloud what could've become of Minhwa's group when the Vileplume usually didn't struggle in fights. Perhaps an unexpected run-in with ferals? Or maybe they'd mistaken another place for the entrance into town? Various theories floated in the air, before a Sableye walked up to Rodion with a puzzled tilt of his head.

"… Should we go and look for them?" the Sableye asked.

Rodion paused for a moment, before crouching and planting his feet with a wary look about his surroundings.

"No, stay here and look alive," he insisted. "I don't think we're alone here."

A flash of unease went about the pirates as they began to settle into fighting stances and others reached for satchels to prepare items for these would-be attackers. All of a sudden, the sound of pebbles jostling came from a corridor to the left, which prompted the Sableye to turn and whirl off in the direction of the noise.

"Wait, what was tha-?"

Before the Sableye could finish his words, a Totter Orb flew down the corridor and smashed into shards against the ground. Yellow orbs of light spewed everywhere as most of the pirates recoiled, while some lurched about in a daze with their vision swimming from the Totter Orb's effects. Rodion and Kenny whirled around, seeing shapes start to emerge from the surrounding corridors: a Cubone, a Kabutops, and others in Imperial garb much to a Noibat's stammering alarm.

"Ack!" the Noibat cried. "It's an ambush!"

The Noibat was summarily met with a flurry of sharp stones, striking him and sending him plummeting limply to the ground as a Krookodile stormed in. Other Pokémon began to pour into the chamber as the gathering devolved into a chaotic brawl. Pirates all around stumbled in confusion, while those like Rodion who managed to avoid the Totter Orb's effect went on the attack. The Floatzel focused on the Krookodile as his Quilava partner followed suit, readying water and fire in their mouths for attacks when a sharp hiss suddenly rang out.

"Stoyat' na meste, pirat!"

Rodion jumped back as a gray blur filled his vision, and watched as Dimitri swung a scythe through empty air. Behind the Kabutops, Guardia caught up, tightening her grasp on her club. The din of battle rang out as Rodion locked eyes with the Kabutops and a determined smirk settled over his muzzle.

"So you speak Moreskiy too, huh?" the Floatzel asked. "You'll have to do better than that to surprise me, rak!"

Water began to form in Rodion's paws, as he tightened his grasp about two watery blades that he swung at his sides. He briefly looked back and saw his Quilava companion behind him, as Kenny bared his teeth and his vents came ablaze. Rodion gave his partner a determined nod, and turned back to face down Dimitri with a taunting grin.

"You're not the only 'mon of the sea here," the Floatzel remarked. "Let's see if that rod of yours taught you anything useful!"

Rodion lunged forward, forcing Dimitri to hastily raise a scythe to block an inbound strike as the pair bobbed and slashed in a dance between blades of shell and water, neither quite able to strike a decisive blow. From the side, Guardia lunged at the Quilava with a swing of her club, only for the stoat to roll just out of her grasp and jump back. The pair studied each other's movements, only for Guardia's eyes to briefly widen as she realized this pirate seemed a bit too familiar to her.

"… Wait a minute, I've seen you before!" the Cubone cried.

"Yeah? Well let's fix that by making you see stars!" Kenny spat back.

The Quilava abruptly jumped aside and spat up a spray of burning cinders that struck the Cubone in her chest. She yelped and briefly staggered back, digging her feet as the fire still danced against her scales. With clenched teeth she threw herself forward and brought her club forward with an upward smash. She briefly saw the Quilava's eyes shrink to pins, before her bone found purchase against his chin with an audible whack!

"Eyargh!"

Kenny tumbled up into the air, landing flat on his back in the dirt. He hurriedly rolled up and curled in defensively, looking back wide-eyed with a startled whine.

"Wh-What the-?! How on earth did you do that?!" he demanded. "You flung me into the air with that smack! Cubone aren't supposed to hit that hard!"

"Hah! That's Tsurugi no Mai for you!"

Before Guardia could close her mouth, Kenny suddenly spewed up a Smokescreen at her face. She coughed and hastily scurried away as the sounds of raging battle rang out all around her. After backing away a few paces, she made it out of the Quilava's Smokescreen, and she gripped her club tightly as she looked at the swirling haze left behind.

Guardia breathed in, tensely scanning the swirling smoke for any sign of the Quilava only to realize that she couldn't see any light in the haze. He must have been suppressing the fire from his vents to hide himself.

A sharp cry turned her head over towards Dimitri, just in time to catch him struggling to parry a Liquidation from Rodion with the Floatzel's back to her. Gah! Even without that Quilava, how on earth were they supposed to handle him?

She glanced over after hearing a weak groan, and saw a Noibat in pirate colors sprawled out beside a satchel spilling out onto the ground a few paces away. A couple berries, some coins, but most importantly, there at its mouth, she could just make out a seed poking past its fabric.

"Yeah, that'll work."

Guardia took off running for the seed, when she briefly heard a "get back here!" from the smoke cloud and felt fire just miss her tail. She must've chosen wisely, since the Quilava had clearly been expecting her to come after him. Guardia ran her free arm along the ground, scooping the seed up and quickly realizing it to be Stun Seed from its pattern. Everything just seemed to come by reflex afterwards, as she brought it forward for a throw, calling off ahead at the swashbuckling Floatzel just as the little seed left her grasp.

"Hey Floazel! Mind your back!"

Rodion turned around, but it was too late, as the little missile landed against his pelt with an audible pop. Crackling veins of electricity spread over his body, as the Floatzel's body locked up, much to his audible alarm.

"Ack!"

Guardia cracked a grin when a burning sensation broke out along her back and she lost her footing. She briefly glanced back over her shoulder as Kenny burst ahead with his body once again ablaze. Off to her side, Dimitri reflexively raised his scythes as he readied a swing at Rodion, when Guardia waved her club for attention and raised her voice.

"Dimitri, wait! The Floazel can't move until someone pushes him!" she cried. " Help me with this Magmarashi first!"

Kenny blinked and skidded to a stop, briefly looking up to see Dimitri standing and sizing him up. The Quilava went wide-eyed with a startled yelp, and attempted to flee back for his fellows, as a knowing grin came over the Kabutops' face.

"I like the way you think, Guardia!"

Kenny tore forward in a lunge that made his features blur to the eye, only for Dimitri to chase after him with a similar lunge which turned him into a watery blur. The Kabutops' Aqua Jet caught up with the Quilava and tackled him from behind, sending Kenny tumbling head over heels onto the ground. The Fire-Type got up dripping water as he tried to shake sense into his head, when he saw Guardia charging at him with bone raised. Kenny's eyes shrank to pins as his voice came out in a panicked squeal.

"A-Agh! Stay away from me!"

Fire poured out of the Quilava's vents and flames began to rapidly gather in his mouth, much more than normal. Guardia's eyes widened briefly as she hastily attempted to throw her bone forward, only for a huge column of fire to come spewing out and overtake her. She shrieked as burning pain flashed all over her body, and fell to the ground clutching her bone. As her cries rang out, Kenny bolted back for safety, before looking over his shoulder to try and check on the effects of his Overheat.

"D-Did I get her?" the Quilava murmured. "There's no way she could still be-"

Kenny's words were cut off mid-sentence as a bone sailed in, striking him in the face and sending him crumpling limply to the ground. The stoat lay there limply as the Bonemerang arced back around, Guardia throwing a hand up from the ground to catch it as Dimitri hurried over to her side and looked down.

"Nice recovery there," he said. "For a second I thought you were down for the count."

"Gah, what on earth was that?" Guardia whined. "I didn't know Magmarashi could use fire attacks like that!"

Dimitri took a moment to fish out an Oran Berry for his teammate to hurriedly scarf down. From his place in the chamber, Rodion desperately tried to trash against his petrified limbs as he stared at Kenny lying there motionless on the ground. Much to his frustration, he was unable to do anything beyond letting out a furious growl as his blood started running hot, something neither Guardia or Dimitri paid any mind to.

A sharp cry rang out as suddenly the Iron Fleet's Sableye slammed into Rodion's stomach. He flopped over to the ground as the Sableye laid facedown groaning. The Floatzel looked up, where he saw a Scolipede in an indigo scarf pawing at the ground with a sharp sneer.

"Hah! You sea rats can't fight to save your-!"

Rodion abruptly jumped onto his feet as pressurized blades of water formed in his paws. The Scolipede scarcely had a chance to react before the Floatzel shot forward and buried one of his blades deep in the Bug-Type's gut, and then brought his other Liquidation across the Scolipede's throat. A set of awful choking noises followed, before the Scolipede went limp and the guard slumped over onto his side.

Guardia yelped and stumbled back in shock, as for a moment she worried Rodion had just cut the guard's throat, only to notice that he didn't seem to be bleeding as she could faintly hear the Bug-Type letting out low, pained whimpers.

"You."

Which proved to be little comfort as Rodion paced forward with his Liquidation's blades still readied in his paws, glaring with such ferocity that even Dimitri visibly flinched from it.

"Whaling on my friends while my paws are tied is a surefire way to piss me off," the Floatzel snarled. "How about we even the score a bit?"

Guardia sucked in a sharp breath and tightened her grip on her club. She tried to put on a brave face in front of Rodion, only to be betrayed by a stammer from her throat.

"T-Tough talk from someone who's backed into a corner right now!" Guardia insisted. "Come on, Dimitri. We can take him!"

"You sure about that, Cubone?"

Rodion lunged forward, as Dimitri and Guardia quickly bore down on the Floatzel pirate with scythe and club. Guardia swung her club, only to feel it abruptly stop with a faint splash, as much to her alarm, Rodion parried her club with one of his watery swords.

"Huh?!"

No matter how much force she put behind her blow, it just wouldn't budge against the Floatzel's watery blade. Dimitri's scythe was doing little better as Rodion briefly eyed them when his face tightened up into a fierce scowl. The otter suddenly stepped back and pulled his Liquidation’s blades with him, followed by a wet thwip as Rodion did a crossing sweep of his blades to catch both her and Dimitri in their sides.

"Ack!"

A flash of pain shot through Guardia’s flank as she fell and tumbled onto her side, briefly seeing Dimitri stagger as she lay on the ground, breathing hoarsely as the world swirled around in her vision. A-Agh, Eltenios had said that this sea-walker was hard to fight, but this was well beyond what she'd expected. How on earth were they supposed to win against this?!

"Lousy pirate! I'll run you flat!"

A shout filled the air as a Donphan charged in, tackling Rodion from behind. Guardia lay there for a moment, her breaths coming tired and labored, when she felt something nudge her up from under her arm. She looked down, where there supporting her was the back of Dimitri's scythe, as the Kabutops looked down at her with a worried grimace.

"Guardia, are you alright?!"

Guardia latched onto Dimitri's scythe, running her free hand along a still-wet cut that ran along her side.

"Gah… not really, no," she replied.

"I know it's hard, but just hang in there just a bit longer," the Kabutops pleaded. "With the way that Floatzel's hitting, we're gonna need to drop him fast."

A pained bellow rang out from the direction of the Donphan, as Guardia and Dimitri watched as Rodion slashed a Liquidation along the side of the Donphan running past him mid-charge. The Donphan staggered and struggled to stay on his feet, before the Floatzel kicked him aside and sent the guard crumpling to the ground. Rodion panted briefly from battle fatigue, only for his attention to once again fall on Dimitri and Guardia, and his muzzle to curl into a sharp frown.

"You two are still standing?" the Floatzel scoffed. "Let me fix that."

Rodion spat up a jet of steaming water at Guardia, the Cubone freezing and flinching as she braced for the Scald's impact. A pained cry suddenly rang out, as she opened her eyes and saw Dimitri shielding her, digging his scythes into the ground before spitting up a glob of mud back in retaliation.

The Mud Shot hit the Floatzel pirate in the face, the otter hastily brushing the mud out of his eyes as Dimitri looked back down at Guardia.

"I'll hold him off!" he insisted. "Just use Swords Dance agai-!"

"Oh no you don't!"

With his eyes freshly cleared, Rodion lunged forward at the pair in a water-wreathed blur of orange and cream. He closed in on Guardia only for Dimitri to ram into the Floatzel with an Aqua Jet of his own. The pair glanced off each other, skidding back along the ground as Dimitri looked back, staring down Rodion with a flash of his scythes.

"You'll need to do better than that to get past me Floatzel," the Kabutops harrumphed, only for the Floatzel pirate to answer with a dangerous smirk.

"As you wish, then."

Rodion opened his left paw as a watery blade reformed in his grasp, the otter swinging a Liquidation's blade at Dimitri's head. The Kabutops hurriedly raised a scythe and blocked the blow, only for Rodion to duck and slide along the ground, before bringing the side of his right paw down against the Kabutops' knee.

"Augh!"

Dimitri hissed in pain as his right leg gave out under his weight. The Kabutops hit the ground, and desperately struggled to get back up as he looked up and saw Rodion leveling a Liquidation at his throat with an unimpressed scoff.

"Nice try, Kabutops. But you should've seen this coming."

"Yeah? And you should've seen this coming, too!"

From off just to the side, Guardia darted forward, jumping and clambering onto Dimitri's back as she planted her feet and then lunged at Rodion's head. The otter's eyes widened briefly as he hastily reformed a watery blade in his right paw, swinging at the Cubone as she approached. Time seemed to slow down for Guardia, as the blade passed close enough to her body to feel its water brush against her, before tightening her grip on her club, and swinging it down overhead as she returned to earth.

WHACK!

"Nrk!"

Guardia felt her club find purchase in her grip, and carried on to a tumbling stop on the ground. She looked back and saw the Floatzel stagger from her blow. The blades in his paws dissipated as he tottered back a few paces from Dimitri, before his legs gave out and he slumped to the ground. The Cubone stood there looking on in disbelief for a moment, trading glances between the felled pirate and Dimitri a little ways away as it sank in for her…

They had won.

"Gods that was close…"

"Argh!"

A loud crackle and a pained screech rang out as Guardia and Dimitri turned just in time to see a Pawniard flop over from a Heliolisk's bolt of electricity and crumple onto the ground. There were Pokémon of various garb littering the floor of the chamber all around, but a quick glance revealed that all but two of the ones still standing were wearing indigo scarves. A crushing bite from a Mabosstiff felled a Sandile, leaving behind just one of the pirates: a Charmeleon locked in fierce combat with Robbie.

The Charmeleon spewed out a Flamethrower, driving the Krookodile back with a sharp wince. A brief flash of satisfaction came over the pirate's eyes only for his mood to vanish almost as quickly as it came. He turned and glanced about the clearing, freezing up with a frightened grimace.

"Huh?! G-Guys?!" the Charmeleon stammered. "Why are you just lying aroun-?!"

Guardia didn't wait for Alfred to finish and hurriedly lobbed a Bonemerang that struck the Charmeleon in the head with an audible thwack. There was a yelp, before the Fire-Type fell over onto the ground, and beyond a few feeble moans, didn't offer any resistance as Guardia's club returned to her hand.

"Hrmph, I see that Lizardo didn't learn anything from last time."

Dimitri let out a quiet sigh of relief as they saw Robbie stepping forward, pawing at a patch of burned scales with a harrumphing shake of his head.

"Gah, little Nervensäge caught me off guard. But looks like that's the last of them," he said. "Good work, everyone."

The guards began to make their way around, going to their fallen comrades to try and rouse them with Reviver Seeds. Others turned their attention to the wounds of those who were still lucid, much as a Heliosk did as he came by and passed along an Oran Berry to Guardia and Dimitri. The Cubone and Kabutops split the Oran Berry between themselves, panting as they looked around at the fainted pirates strewn about. Guardia let her attention linger over them for a moment, before she turned her eyes back towards the Floatzel among them.

"I'm glad that Ander and Trizano fought that Floazel last time," Guardia wheezed. "I didn't realize that he was that strong."

"Well, even on Pioppo he wasn't a pushover, but maybe it had something to do with how angry he got after we defeated that Quilava?" Dimitri mused. "Though lesson learned not to underestimate him."

Guardia glanced around as Robbie's underlings began to go around, binding up felled pirates with spun silk and lengths of rope. She reflexively kept her grip tight on her club, but the whole time the pirates showed no sign of resistance beyond the occasional pained groan. The Mabosstiff guard drifted past, dragging the Quilava from earlier along when she remembered seeing him on the Siglo Swellow's crew.

The Cubone narrowed her eyes and turned away with a disgusted huff. She'd heard that town-dwellers sometimes spoke about there being "no honor among thieves". With moments like these, perhaps there was a reason they'd come up with a saying like that.

"Hrmph, so the sea-walkers from the ship turned against us," she scoffed. "Should've figured they'd be the sort to rejoin their old buddies."

Dimitri looked off as the Mabosstiff carried off Kenny, clicking his tongue and shaking his head with a sigh.

"Yeah, the others are going to love finding out about this…" Dimitri murmured, only to trail off absentmindedly as he looked off uneasily at the entrance into Starbreak Square.

"So what now?" he asked. "I doubt we’ll still make it to Starbreak Square before those pirates get there."

Robbie came over, stepping over a couple fainted pirates along the way, before he folded his arms with an impatient harrumph.

"We can at least try to help fight off whoever's already made it inside," he said. "Though first things first: let's finish dealing with these guys before they come to."

Robbie fished through a satchel slung over his shoulder, before pulling out a glinting badge from inside.The Krookodile raised it to his mouth and pressed down firmly, speaking into it with a low grunt.

"Karl, we've got another batch of pirates to be picked up."

He relaxed his grip on the badge as a flash of light and the sound of pebbles and dust swirling filled the air. Guardia and Dimitri looked over towards the center of the chamber, where there was now a Raichu with a yellow tail and ears. As the Raichu floated forward, he looked around blankly at the mob of fainted Pokémon all around the chamber.

"Yeah… I can't take all of these pirates at once, Robbie," the Raichu said. "Just getting our guys who need treatment out would be a handful."

A few hems and haws went about the rest of Robbie's subordinates, before a Mabosstiff shot a puzzled frown over at his Krookodile superior.

"So, do we just leave 'em here for the dungeon to blow them away then?" the Mabosstiff suggested. "I mean, it would be one way of dealing with them."

Guardia and Dimitri's eyes briefly widened. Was Robbie seriously considering just leaving these Pokémon to their fates? Dimitri hastily stepped forward and raised his voice in protest.

"That's more than a little harsh for a solution there," Dimitri insisted. "I suppose that I don't know everything that the Iron Fleet's been up to, but-"

"Tch, not that I really care about the well-being of some pirates, but we do have reasons to not just abandon them right now," Robbie interrupted. "The more of these guys we can get out, the better our odds are for turning up a lead in interrogation or forcing their buddies to do a prisoner exchange for our own guys back in Starpeak Square."

The sound of shuffling and groaning came from the far end of the chamber, as Guardia and Dimitri tensed up when they saw a golden-scarved Sableye staggering back onto his feet. Robbie's Heliolisk underling hastily stepped forward as sparks began to build up on his hide, prompting the Sableye to yelp while he quickly tried to back away. A flash of red filled the corner of the pirate's vision as Robbie snatched him by the knot in his scarf and lifted him off the ground with a toothy growl.

"Though since you're up right now, we might as well start with you," the Krookodile said. "Tell me, pirate. Where were you and your buddies planning on going into town?"

"W-Wha… I'm not telling you any-!"

Robbie brought the Sableye up to his jaws and bared his teeth in front of the imp's gemlike eyes. From the side, Guardia and Dimitri could've sworn that they saw the Ghost-Type turn visibly paler as his earlier defiance gave way to a shrill squeak.

"Th-The center of town! That's where the captains thought the bird was!" the Sableye squealed. "That's all I know, I swear!"

The Krookodile tossed the Sableye to the ground, leaving his Heliolisk subordinate to throw a weak spark that made the Ghost-Type's limbs lock up. Guardia shot an unimpressed frown over at the Sableye. She supposed that she should've known better than to expect that sea-walkers would be firm about their loyalties, but she'd have expected them to face the consequences of their choices with more dignity. Why this was almost as sorry of a display as Nori and his friends had on Pioppo!

Guardia looked up as Robbie made his way back, turning and nodding off to the floating Raichu in their midst.

"Take your time with these 'mons if you have to, Karl," the Krookodile instructed. "We'd probably need to leave some of our ranks behind to help tend to our own and process all these 'mons anyways."

There was a moment's pause, before the Raichu nodded back and saluted back while floating on his tail.

"Right," the Raichu said. "Good luck out there."

Robbie headed off for the distortion, as roughly half of the still-standing guards went after him through the fog. Guardia and Dimitri sharply inhaled, before following after the others' wake.

Pleo and the others were in that town on the other side somewhere, and while there was not much time left to get to them, perhaps it was still not too late.

---

Author's Notes:

- Stoyat' na meste, pirat! (Стоять на месте, пират!) - Russian: "Hold it right there, pirate!" (BGN/PCGN Romanization)
- Moreskiy (Мореский) - Russian: "Sea (Language). Play off of "maritime / nautical", morskoy (морской). (BGN/PCGN Romanization)
- rak (рак) - Russian: "crayfish" (BGN/PCGN Romanization)
- Floazel (フローゼル) - Japanese: "Floatzel" (Official Romanization)
- Magmarashi (マグマラシ) - Japanese: "Quilava" (Official Romanization)
- Lizardo (リザード) - Japanese: "Charmeleon" (Official Romanization)
- Nervensäge - German: "Pain in the neck", "Pain in the ass". lit. "nerve-saw"

 

[Spiteful Murkrow]

Starbreak Square's tunnels flew by in a blur for Pleo and his teammates. Some of them were being hastily blockaded by Pokémon in anticipation of arriving pirates, while others had their inhabitants hiding behind windows and doors or else running out towards the frontlines. A number of passages had been visibly scarred from battles that had already concluded, often with Pokémon still lying strewn about limply as the local Marked went about and tended to them.

The whole time, the distant roar and din of ongoing fighting grew louder and louder as their group started to splinter off into smaller teams that fanned out along different tunnels, especially after they received word of strange Pokémon being spotted entering the town from the west. Before they knew it, Team Traveller's group had whittled down to just them, Margi, and Bunsen. Pleo wasn't fully sure where they were going, but he'd promised to stay behind Margi and dutifully kept his word to the Hydreigon. Their odds of convincing the Elders could very well hinge on him doing so.

Suddenly, as they entered a tunnel leading into a large chamber, the Hydreigon came to an abrupt stop and left Pleo skidding just past her. The Lugia looked up, as his eyes widened at the sight ahead of him.

"Huh?!"

They were back at that broad tunnel from the day before that led up to the entrance of the Elders' Hall. All along the tunnel, there were teams of red-scarved Pokémon putting up Protects for cover as their comrades marched behind them. Pleo and his companions watched as an Arbok from the pirates slipped past the barriers and darted forward, only for the snake to start glowing blue and rise into the air from an unseen force. The Poison-Type had a moment of panicked realization and thrashed about desperately, when the force abruptly jerked the pirate up and slammed him into the ceiling of the tunnel. The glow abruptly faded, leaving Arbok to fall to the ground with a wince-worthy thud.

It was hard to tell where the Psychic had come from, but the other pirates' response made it easy enough to guess. Multiple beams and thrown objects sailed up to a spot on the balcony over the entrance, with the crunch of fracturing stone following as dust swirled in front of the Elders' Hall. Team Traveller and their allies watched as one of the other pirates quickly dragged the Arbok away to the back... while at least four others made it past the entrance without any sign of being stopped.

Ander just stared blankly at the unfolding chaos, when a stray Ice Beam quickly sent him and his teammates diving for cover as they all but tripped past the doorway of a ransacked shop off to the side. They hurried behind the walls and panted behind their cover as Bunsen tried to hide his tail flame's light behind a counter, while Ander went up to steal a look past the doorway. From the lack of further attacks, they probably hadn't been spotted, but that was cold comfort. Just from what they could see in front of the Elders' Hall, it was obvious that they weren't going to win this battle charging the pirates head-on.

"Boy do we have our work cut out for us right now," the Scyther gulped.

"Good thing I'm here to help too, huh?"

Ander and his companions whirled around at the sound of a young, familiar voice, as Margi's eyes shrank to pins. Everyone turned over to the doorway where much to their astonishment, there was Daraen, looking up at them from just outside the shop with his tail wagging much to his mother's spluttering exasperation.

"Daraen, what are you-?!"

The Deino jumped forward with a yelp when a bolt of electricity zipped in, prompting Margi to hurriedly spew back a spray of black orbs in retaliation before grabbing Daraen and pulling behind the wall of the shop. The Hydreigon breathed in and out slowly, before narrowing her eyes into a sharp scowl.

"You really should not have come here, ma petite," she fumed. "Just stay close to me and-!"

The lot flinched after hearing a loud crash coming from the Elders' Hall, followed by shouts and roars. A quick glance back towards the large chamber revealed that there were red-scarved Pokémon on the balcony now, while the pirates in front of the entrance to the Elders' Hall were charging ahead and freely making their way through its doorways. Crom's eyes widened, as a sinking realization came over him:

"Ah! Wait! We can't just let those pirates get in there like that!" Crom cried. "Nina said that they're keeping our part of the Ledger's inside a chest in there!"

Crom and his companions stared blankly, wondering how they would ever make it all the way to the Elder's Hall past a mob of pirates that outnumbered them at least five-to-one. Just then, the Druddigon felt a nudge at his shoulder, as he turned back and saw Margi pointing up the tunnel they'd come from.

"There's a service tunnel that provides entry to another part of the Elders' Hall just up the street," the Hydreigon insisted. " If we get in there and head right, the path should take us straight inside. We just need a bit of cover to get there!"

Bunsen nodded, before hurrying to the door of the shop and spewing a Smokescreen out leftwards. While the smoke still churned, Margi flew out of the shop as Pleo and his companions followed after. A few storefronts later, Margi pointed out a door to their right that had been forced open. The group hurried along, filing down the shaft until they got to a narrow, dimly lit stairwell that led into a featureless tunnel. Almost as soon as they got into the tunnel, they started hearing sounds of a scuffle echoing from up ahead. They wasted no time pressing forward, and soon enough they began to see Pokémon slumped over in the tunnel: some Marked, some Pokémon in pirate scarves.

The number of fallen Pokémon steadily grew along with signs of a struggle in the tunnel, and the seven of them soon reached a set of double doors that had been smashed open. Trizano reflexively stooped down to check on a slumped-over Marked Varoom and discovered the Pokémon was alive, but fainted, just as a sharp cry rang out from further inside.

"Eyaaaah!"

Margi and the others looked around the corner, where they saw a Marked Delibird tumbling over from a stream of scalding water in a hallway. The Ice-Type struggled to get up with the help of a Wartortle and a Dartrix, as a group of four red-scarved Pokémon led by a Simipour closed in, with steam curling up from her mouth.

"You blotch-heads just don't learn, do you?" the pirate sneered. "You'll regret getting in our way like this!"

Margi's jaws clenched as she suddenly shot forward down the hallway with strong wingbeats. A couple of the other pirates turned and cried out as bluish dragonfire formed in Margi's mouths. The Simipour had but brief moments to react, as her eyes visibly widened and the color drained from her face.

"Oh f-"

Rays of fiery blue light shot out from Margi's mouths and struck the Simipour in rapid succession, launching her down the hall into a limp heap. The other pirates attempted to dig in as Pleo and the others emerged, and one attack after the other fell on them: an X-Scissor, a Steel Wing, a Thunderbolt, a Dragon Breath, a Dragon Rage... by the time Bunsen's Air Slash flung the final pirate into the wall and left him crumpled on the floor, the hallway was silent save for the pirates' groans of pain.

Pleo breathed in and out slowly as his heart fluttered in his chest, when he looked up and saw Margi making her way over to the three Marked with a worried stare.

"Are you two all alright?" she asked.

The Marked guards panted and turned towards the Hydreigon to offer their thanks, only for their eyes to fall on the young Lugia in their midst. The Wartortle from their number grew particularly startled, as the unfortunate Water-Type reflexively pulled his head towards his shell and stumbled back with a start.

"A-Aah!"

Crom's face curled into an unamused frown, as he folded his arms with a low harrumph.

"Por todos los cielos," the Druddigon grumbled. "You're doing this now of all times?"

Trizano shook his head with a quiet sigh, before turning his attention to the Dartrix in the group.

"Did anyone make it past you here?" the Skarmory asked.

"I-I don't think so?" the Dartrix replied. "But don't worry about this place! The Elders are in trouble from-!"

A loud crash came from deeper inside the Elder's Hall, prompting Team Traveller and their companions to hurriedly continue on. Their surroundings flew by in a blur, until Pleo started noticing some of the walls around them looked familiar—why, this was one of the corridors near the lobby! As they made their way ahead, the sounds of battle grew louder and louder. Partway down the hall, Margi spotted a small door and pointed it out. They hurried up to it, as Daraen worriedly hesitated in front of it.

"Sounds like they're in trouble in there, maman," he said. "Is this really the best way in?"

"All of the other ways are just as risky," the Hydreigon replied. "Just try and remain out of sight when we go through the doors. We'll only have one chance at sneaking up on those pirates."

The Hydreigon went and tested the doors before finding they were unlocked. She pushed them open just enough for Pleo and the others to enter. One by one, they slipped into the lobby of the Elders' Hall as off towards their left were Marked Pokémon hiding behind a haphazard blockade of Protects while attacks rained down on them. Pleo and his teammates hurriedly snuck in along the wall and looked up and saw that there was a balcony that was similarly contested between the Marked and the pirates, with the Elders frantically trying to fend off various attackers. He noticed Nina just in time to see her spew fire to try and keep Dirk at bay, while Hess threw back a Marked Spidops with a hail of stones. All of a sudden, the Aggron paused and whirled his head around towards the young Lugia. Hess' mouth flopped open in shock, before he raised a claw and pointed down from the balcony.

"Ah! The bird's right there!"

Pleo's eyes widened as one by one, everyone's attention in the chamber fell on them, both Marked and pirate alike. From the balcony, Nina briefly stared at them before Dirk struck her in the stomach with a Brick Break. The Typhlosion tumbled away from him with a yelp, as the Bisharp pulled a badge on his scarf up to his mouth.

"Everyone! Lugia's down on the ground floor! He's by the hallway just left from the main entrance!"

Pleo looked up after hearing wingbeats as fliers from the balcony began to dive at them. A shot of silken webbing sailed out and just missed him as the next thing Pleo knew, Margi was dragging him off along with his teammates. They dove back out into the hall, and hurriedly pulled the door shut just as a loud thud came from the other side. The door jostled as Margi desperately held it shut with her side mouths, as Pleo and his companions traded grimaces with one another.

"Where are we supposed to go now?!" Pleo cried.

"There's a wing in the Elders' Hall set aside for storing relics just a little ways from here!" she replied. "It was designed to be a place for defenders to fall back to in times of trouble, and we'll last longer there than trying to hold out in this hallway!"

Margi yanked the door open and spewed out a blue ray of dragonfire at the pirates on the other side, with Bunsen similarly providing covering fire with a Flamethrower. Pleo and his companions hastily ran down the hall as Margi passed them and flew ahead to lead the way. All the while, the sounds of battle kept ringing out behind them, along with Dirk's voice sounding out above the fray.

"Keep those defenders busy!" the Bisharp's voice barked. "We're going after that bird!"

Pleo and his teammates tore along as Bunsen spat up a plume of smoke behind them that filled the hallway, hurriedly rounding a corner rightward after Margi as they came to a set of sturdy, wooden doors that had been left ajar. They quickly pushed past them and slammed them shut, before Margi grabbed a wooden plank propped up on the side and slid it into place as a brace. She did so not a moment too soon, as just afterwards, pounding and snarls rang out from the other end.

Pleo jumped back as the door lurched when it dawned on him that they were in a place filled with cool, blue light—the color of a room lit up by glowmoss. He looked off to his right to see another set of doors of similar construction that were already closed but not yet braced shut. Off to the left, there was a grate blocking off a hallway which headed further in towards a faintly visible wall, and a set of stairs on either side of it which went up to a second level that overlooked the entire chamber.

... This was really where they were supposed to hold out against the pirates?

Pleo and his teammates stared ahead blankly for a moment, when Bunsen's mouth flopped open and his tail flared to life as he turned to Margi with a startled stammer.

"Y-You said that this was a defensible position!" the Charizard cried. "This is a dead end!"

"This is a defensible position!" Margi insisted. "Just hurry and help barricade the other entrance! Once we get up these stairs, we can dig in from up the-!"

A loud crash rang out from behind them as Pleo and the others whirled around to see the doors they'd come through flying open. The wooden brace had been splintered into two, as Hess stumbled out with Kichiro and other Pokémon in pirate scarves storming in after him.

"Hess, when I told you to 'use your head', this is not what I meant by that," Kichiro grumbled.

The Aggron shook his head and brushed loose a few splinters and dust off his armored body, before answering the Ledian with a toothy grin.

"Well hey, it worked, didn't it?"

Pleo and his companions froze with frightened grimaces and backed away as the room began to fill with pirates. Daraen inched back towards his mother and even Margi and Bunsen seemed to be on-edge. This was bad. The pirates had already cornered them before they'd even had a chance to barricade themselves, so how on earth were they supposed to even begin holding out against them?

The crunch of footsteps against rubble snapped the young Lugia back to attention as a tall figure emerged through the dust. The shape revealed itself to be a Bisharp in a vivid red scarf, who took his place at Hess' side and brandished his blades with a cruel sneer.

"My, I hope we weren't interrupting anything important here," Dirk said.

For a fleeting moment, Hess seemed to warily eye Pleo. After briefly sizing him up, the Aggron visibly grew more confident, lowering his head with a stomp of the ground and a threatening snarl.

"... We'll cut to the chase," Hess said. "Hand over the bird, and nobody gets hurt."

Pleo's heart raced in his chest, as his teammates and Daraen braced themselves for battle. Beside them, Bunsen flared his wings out to try and make himself look bigger while Margi remained firm, baring her fangs as she tensed her heads to strike.

"Over my dead body."

Some of Hess' underlings briefly froze at the Hydreigon's threat, and even Hess himself seemed to waver a bit. Except, the entire time, Dirk and the Pokémon from his crew remained wholly unfazed. An unsettling smile settled over the Bisharp's face, one that made Pleo and his teammates' blood run cold with how malicious and predatory it looked.

"Oh really? Would you say the same about the dead bodies of Lugia's friends?"

Team Traveller blanched as their hearts collectively skipped a beat. Was this some sort of dirty trick? They studied the Bisharp's expression closely, as he brought a hand up to the glinting badge pinned to his scarf.

"Rian, put our special guests from Starpeak Square on the line."

Dirk took the badge off his scarf and held it out as the sounds of grunts and struggling came from the badge, followed by an uncomfortably familiar voice crying out.

"Hey! What are you-?!"

Team Traveller's eyes shrank to pins, as Pleo reflexively beat his wings out and Crom's mouth flopped open in shock. That was-!

"Nida!"

Pleo darted forward for the badge, only for Ander to hurriedly stop him by blocking his path with the flat of a scythe. A sharp shout came from Dirk's badge, as Nida's voice called out in frantic tones.

"Pleo! Whatever that pirate's telling you, don't-!"

Nida's voice abruptly cut off as Dirk pinned his badge back against his scarf and let go. Team Traveller, Daraen, and even Margi and Bunsen stared blankly as the pirates began pressing in tighter and tighter.

"Oh so that's that spike ball's name, huh? Don't worry, we've got that Growlithe and Fraxure, too," the Bisharp said. "They're all in one piece. For now."

"W-We won't let you get away with this!"

A low growl filled the air as Crom bared his teeth and flashed his claws, but in spite of it, his eyes were still visibly shrunken and his wings faintly trembled. Dirk noted Crom's expression briefly, before tightening his face into a dismissive sneer.

"You're a bit late for that, kiddo," the Bisharp said. "After all, it's a bit hard for you to rescue anyone from Starpeak Square at the moment."

The Bisharp flicked a blade out, allowing its edge to glint under the cool light of glowmoss in the chamber.

"And if you're planning on them still being alive by the time that I return there, you'll tell your bird friend to come along. Quietly."

Pleo's vision started to go wobbly as his breaths started to hitch and grow faster and faster. Th-These pirates were going to kill his friends? Would they do it the moment he told them he wouldn't come along? Would they make Nida and the others suffer? He began to hyperventilate as dark images crossed his mind, and he dropped his head with a stammering croak.

"I- I-"

In the crowd, some of the pirates gave dismissive scoffs at how soft the Lugia seemed to be, with a couple wondering aloud whether or not he was truly a Protector. Others, mostly golden-scarved ones, traded uncomfortable looks and murmurs, including Hess. The Aggron captain set his teeth on edge at the young Lugia's panic and quietly went over and pawed at Dirk's shoulder.

"Dirk, you really don't need to-"

"Shut up, Hess!"

Dirk raised a blade, making Hess recoil with a stifled yelp before he turned back to Pleo and his companions. The Bisharp scraped his blades against each other with a low, metallic grinding noise, as the end of his mouth curled up with a toothy smirk.

"So what's it going to be?" Dirk demanded. "Are you coming? Or am I going to need to make you hear your friends start getting taken apart-?"

"St-Stop!"

A sharp squawk filled the chamber as everyone's eyes fell on Pleo. His gaze remained firmly fixed towards the ground as the Lugia blinked slowly and deliberately. And then much to their astonishment, he stepped forward, before weakly raising his head as his voice came out in a low croak.

"I-I'll come-"

"And tell you to take a hike!"

Pleo barely had time to react as the other set of doors into the chamber suddenly flew open. A whirling noise turned Pleo's attention leftwards as a spinning white missile sailed in and struck Dirk in the face. The Bisharp reeled from the blow as Hess' mouth flopped open in shock, while many of the other pirates similarly grew visibly surprised as their attention turned towards the other door. Pleo followed after their gazes and saw Guardia and Dimitri were there... along with the Elders and a bunch of other Marked! Curiously, there were also Pokémon wearing indigo scarves with them, including a Krookodile who sauntered up to the fore...

"H-Huh?! Sheriff Robbie?!" Crom cried.

"Hah! You sure talk tough for a 'mon in for a world of hurt, Caesurio!" the Krookodile said, folding his arms over each other. "Give it up, pirate scum! Your crews have been cut off and surrounded!"

Pleo's breaths started to come in and out quicker as he started to feel lightheaded. Oh no no no, what were they doing?! He was happy that Guardia and Dimitri were alright, but if they went ahead and fought these pirates, then-!

"Guardia, wait!" Pleo pleaded. "He-!"

"You're bluffing," Dirk spat, narrowing his eyes at the newcomers. "I didn't make it to where I am getting cowed by-"

"Agh! They've cut us off from behind! They must've had other Pokémon hiding elsewhere in the Mystery Dunge-!"

A pained scream rang out before the unseen voice abruptly went silent. Alarmed looks started appearing on the gathered pirates as Nina made her way forward holding a badge in her grasp. The Marked Typhlosion raised it and let it fall to the ground with an audible clink against the ground. She narrowed her eyes at Dirk and Hess as fierce fire began to pour out of her vents.

"Here's our terms," she growled. "You let Lugia's friends go and you slink off back to Starpeak Square, or nobody from your crews lives to tell the tale about what happened here in this town."

A number of the pirates in the gathering visibly cringed hearing Nina's ultimatum, as even Hess himself seemed to have a flash of unease. And yet, for every one of their number, there were at least one or two others whose expressions only hardened as they began to dig in. Dirk was first and foremost among them, as the Bisharp brought his hands together with a slow clap and his expression took on an increasingly dark mood.

"Bold words, Typhlosion, let's see how well you back them up!"

Dirk scraped his arms' blades against each other as a harsh screeching noise came from them, creating a series of distorted rings in the air that swept up Nina. The Marked Typhlosion flinched, as Dirk charged forward and cried out to the pirates behind him.

"Get them!"

All of a sudden, the room came alive with attacks flying all around. Pleo frantically dove out of the way as a stray stone grazed his shoulder, when he felt a nip drag him up and saw Margi pulling him aside.

"Get to the top of the stairs!" she cried. "We can't let those pirates take over the high-!"

"Hah! Like we were going to ask you for permission!"

Margi turned back as a lumbering wall of stony and metallic grays barreled into her with a bellowing roar. The Hydreigon tumbled to the ground as Pleo looked up to see Hess in her place. He hurriedly jumped back and bolted for the stairs as the Aggron began to chase after him. Suddenly, the purple glimmer of a Light Screen formed in front of Hess and settled on his body, a brief glance back by the pirate captain revealing Kichiro flitting up from behind with a sharp buzz.

"Just try not to get blown away this time!"

Hess turned his attention back to Pleo and saw he was already at the stairs. The Aggron began to to call up stones to throw at the Lugia when a sharp blow across his side broke his focus and sent him staggering. Hess whirled and looked up, where there that Skarmory was circling overhead with a cawing taunt.

"I see that you're still as easy to fly circles around as ever, Hess!"

The Aggron's eyes narrowed in response. He bellowed and trained his stones upwards for Trizano. Meanwhile, Crom and Ander took advantage of Trizano's distraction to slip past Hess, and made their way up the stairs to try and help their teammates take over the vantage point at its top. They reached it just in time to see a golden-scarved Wimpod get pitched from the railing with a yelp and hit the floor with a loud thud. The hard work seemed to have already been done, since there were Pokémon in Imperial scarves putting up Protects to cut off the opposite stairwell and trying to hold off Pokémon who were snarling and growling from the other end.

Another bellowing roar rang out, as the pair briefly glimpsed Bunsen charging Dirk with a Flamethrower back on the ground floor. Their attempts to get a better view of what was happening were abruptly cut short by another large plume of fire suddenly flying up from below that sent them diving for cover.

"A-Ack! What was-?!"

Crom looked down, where he saw the grate at the bottom scattered across the floor in pieces as a pirate Emboar went in. Much to his horror, there were Pokémon in pirate colors carrying off chests from further inside towards the direction of the door Hess smashed through.

"A-Ah!" the Druddigon yelped. "They're stealing all the relics!"

Ander's mind turned back briefly to how Margi said that this place was normally used to store relics... and how Nina had mentioned that their Ledger would be kept with them. The pair set their teeth on edge as Ander looked over at a Marked Crocalor and Dunsparce dug in nearby. He hurried over with a sharp buzz and drew the pair's attention, before he frantically motioned off to the grated tunnel with a scythe.

"Over there, quick!" the Marked Scyther insisted. "We can't let those pirates steal the relics from that tunnel!"

The pair looked at each other briefly, before nodding and leaving their positions as Crom and Ander followed the guards to join the fight. Crom and Ander ducked attacks along the way back down to the ground floor amid a chaotic melee in which they lost track of Pleo and the others. The guards in front of them abruptly shouted when much to Crom's alarm, the Crocalor suddenly flopped over after being struck by a pressurized orb of water, while a Liepard leaped in and pounced on the Dunsparce. Crom hurriedly spat up a Dragon Rage to intervene when a sharp cry turned his head rightward, just in time to see Guardia tumble back just ahead of them. He hurriedly ran towards the Cubone to try and help her up, when a beam of purple light sailed in and struck him in his chest.

"Agh!"

Crom toppled over, a pained buzz revealing Ander had been similarly stopped in his tracks by a set of snapping jaws. The young Druddigon quickly scrambled onto his feet, where Guardia was holding her bone tensely. He turned his head up, and saw a black and purple flash bounce in, along with a tan and figure darting up alongside it. A Grumpig and a Krokorok wearing Iron Fleet scarves, both approaching glaring and readying themselves for attack.

"Crom! Guardia! Get behind me!"

Ander hurriedly stepped out in front of Crom and Guardia as their attackers neared. Crom didn't remember seeing the two before on Hess' crew, but at the same time something about them seemed familiar...

It then dawned on him as to why he'd felt that way: he'd seen the two on an entirely different ship's crew!

"Ah! You two!" the Druddigon cried. "You're from Lyn's crew!"

The Grumpig and Krokorok briefly stiffened up after Crom's exclamation. A flash of realization suddenly came over them, as their eyes narrowed into piercing glares.

"Wait a minute, you're that brat that I threw off our ship!" the Grumpig exclaimed.

"Grrr, and that Cubone was with those other brats with the bird who got our gear stuck in that Kangaskhan Rock," the Krokorok growled, baring his fangs. "Come on, Hooke! They won't get the drop on us a second time!"

The Krokorok shot forward at Ander and Guardia with his jaws bared, snapping them shut as the pair hastily dove out of the way. From the side, Crom ran at the Krokorok and pulled his arm back to ready a Power-Up Punch, when a violet flash suddenly filled his vision from the left. The next thing he knew, a heavy force struck the side of his head, along with a piercing pain that shot through it.

"A-Agh!"

Crom lost his footing and fell forward onto his belly in a daze. He laid there and struggled to get up when he felt a foot pinning him down on his back. He yelped and looked up, where there was the Grumpig standing over him and sneering down with a malicious smile.

"Should've stayed on your hick island, little runt-"

"Crom! Roll aside!"

Crom felt the Grumpig's weight let go and hurriedly rolled out of the way as Ander rushed in with a cross-shaped slash. His blades landed with an audible thwack, followed shortly afterwards by a pained squeal. Crom got up and looked over just in time to see the Grumpig skidding back and panting when Ander lunged forward, readying another slash of his blades.

Except, there was light gathering in front of the pearls on the Grumpig's head. Crom wasn't sure what to make of it, until he saw the light start to arrange into hexagonal shapes.

His eyes suddenly widened in realization.

"Ah! Ander!" he cried. "Wait! He's-!"

It was too late. The Power Gem sailed forward and caught Ander square in his chest, sending him crumpling to the ground in a wheezing daze. Hooke looked on briefly and shook his head, giving a low, fuming snort back at the struggling Bug-Type on the ground.

"Oh, so you wanna get down in the mud, Scyther?" the Grumpig snarled. "Well lemme show you how that'll end for you!"

Another Power Gem began to form in front of the Grumpig's head as Crom hurriedly ran forward. He opened his jaws by reflex as much to his surprise, dark wisps began to form around his jaws. His fangs sank deep into Hooke's right shoulder, the Gumpig's Power Gem abruptly dissipating as the Psychic-Type's eyes shrank to pins.

A bloodcurdling squeal filled the air, as the Grumpig thrashed against Crom's jaws. Hooke's eyes flashed blue as he frantically readied a Psychic, only for Crom to clamp down even harder. The Grumpig suddenly went limp and slumped forward, pulling Crom with him to the ground as the pair rolled to a stop. After the Grumpig stopped moving, Crom let go and got up, seeing the Psychic-Type breathing weakly with ruddy marks left behind where he'd bitten down.

"OW!"

Crom whirled around just in time to see Ken hopping and wincing from Guardia smashing his toes. The Druddigon hurriedly spat up a gout of dragonfire that made the Krokorok bellow in pain and sent the sailor flopping to the ground on his back.

For a second, Crom thought that was the end of things, except, much to his alarm, Ken suddenly rolled over and hurriedly scooted back. The Krokorok started to get up onto his feet as Ander rushed in and caught him with a scythe. Ken cried out in pain when another slash raked him, followed by one in the Krokorok's stomach that made his eyes shoot wide with a labored croak.

"N-Nrk!"

Ander pulled his blade back and let Ken slump forward, the Krokorok landing on his belly with a dull thud. Ander jumped back, keeping his blades at the ready as the sound of battle rang out around them, the lack of incoming attacks probably being a sign that their fighting had taken them away from the front lines. His teammates darted up to him, as Guardia gave a poke at the felled Krokorok with her bone.

"Tch, I remembered these two putting up more of a fight last time," she scoffed.

"I guess that means we must've gotten a bit stronger-"

"Agh! Get your filthy paws off that chest!"

Crom trailed off as a crackling buzz turned his attention back towards the mouth of the grated hallway and saw Roderic frantically zipping forward. Much to his alarm, the defenders on the ground floor were scattered in a state of confusion, some behind Protects or whatever cover they'd managed to whip up, while others lay limply on the ground. The pirates on the other hand were still holding their ground, with a few of their comrades already carrying off things from the tunnel behind them, including a red-scarved Emboar who was visibly lugging along a heavy chest.

Blue sparks danced around Roderic as he readied a Discharge, when a stream of fire caught him and sent him plummeting to the ground. Crom, Guardia, and Ander hurriedly ran over and helped him get to cover behind a small pile of upturned stones left behind from an earlier Rock Slide, as they looked down at the stricken elder.

"R-Roderic! Are you okay?!" the Druddigon cried.

"I'm fine, but we need to get that chest back!" the Rotom buzzed. "We put that Ledger you brought to us in it!"

The three turned their eyes to the Emboar up ahead. After a brief moment of stunned shock, Ander let out a sharp buzz and motioned for the others to follow.

"Then there's not a moment to lose! Come on!"

The three vaulted out from behind their cover as Ander strafed the Emboar and slashed one of his paws with his right scythe. Guardia rushed in with a swat with her club at the Emboar's leg, while Crom spat up a Dragon Rage, his blow landing just by the Emboar's feet and making the pirate stumble and drop the chest. The Emboar reared up with a growl and readied a punch, when blue bolts of electricity came in and made him freeze up with a pained bellow. The Fire-Type reeled before turning and falling back towards nearby comrades, a couple of them stepping forward as one tightened his grip around a Slow Wand.

Off towards the center of the room, Dirk was sent skidding back crouched along the ground from a fiery tackle. A loud roar followed afterwards, as a Marked Charizard rose up into the air and bared his fangs with a defiant snarl.

"Is that really the best you can do, Bisharp?!" Bunsen snapped. "I was a Company Commissioner! It'll take more than some cheap shots to get the better of me!"

Bunsen followed up his blow with a brilliant gout of fire, spewing his Flamethrower out at the Bisharp in a wide arc. The fire swept over Dirk's body as the purple flash of Kichiro's Light Screen came over it, all while the pirate braved the flames and lunged through them. Bunsen's eyes widened briefly as he attempted to crane his head down to adjust his target, only for Dirk to run a blade trailing shadowy flecks across the Charizard's belly.

"A-AUGH!"

Bunsen shot backwards and plummeted to the ground with a loud crash, leaving him wheezing on his back as smoke came from his throat. Bunsen started to get up when a sharp kick at his side knocked him onto his belly. A stomping pain shot through his wing and back, and soon he felt something hard and cold press against his throat from underneath. The Charizard's eyes drifted down, as saw Dirk holding one of his blades at his neck with a sharp sneer.

"Sounds like I picked the wrong island to raid if this is all it takes to throw a Company Commissioner off balance these days," the Bisharp taunted."I'm sure that I'll have stories to tell either way after this. After all, it's not every day that I get to take a Commissioner's head."

Bunsen let out a low whimper and screwed his eyes shut as Dirk drew his free blade back. A sharp cry rang out as Dirk's free blade reached its apex, the Bisharp turning his head just as a silvery-white blur wreathed in blue dragonfire struck him in his side.

"Ack!"

Dirk tumbled back, digging his bladed arms to the ground to steady himself, as Bunsen breathed in and out shakily. The Charizard hastily got up and pawed at his throat, where there, much to his astonishment, he saw Pleo standing in front of him, blue flecks of light still trailing off his feathers.

"H-Huh?! B-But you-!"

"Were in trouble!" Pleo squawked. "I couldn't just let that mean Bisharp hurt you like that! We're on the same side here!"

The Charizard stared dumbfounded for a moment, when a sharp hiss over the din of battle turned his and Pleo's attention off towards the pirates' end of the chamber. There, Dirk got back onto his feet and swung his bladed arms wide, Bunsen briefly faltering from his nerves before he cast a sidelong glance at his unexpected defender.

"R-Right, just be careful!" the Charizard insisted. "These pirate captains are tougher than they look!"

"And also not the types to just sit around while you run your mouths off!"

Dirk lunged forward at Pleo with a Night Slash, when he was hit by a brilliant wave-like light, and then a blazing tackle that left him struggling to keep his balance. Dirk briefly saw that Nina and Siana had joined at the pair's side as Nina breathed out a gout of fire that grazed him and made him lose his footing. Other attacks zipped by as Dirk quickly realized that he couldn't see underlings standing and fighting near him—he was completely out in the open.

The Bisharp captain clicked his tongue, before quickly falling back towards the light of Protects coming from the pirates' doorway, not bothering to look down at the Pokémon he stepped over. Once he made it behind the cover of the pirates' Protect formation, he took stock of his surroundings. Around him, the space behind the Protects was crammed with pirates tensely massed behind hastily formed cover and lobbing attacks and items deeper into the chamber while others tended to fainted comrades.

Dirk did a sweep of the chamber with his eyes and quietly set his teeth on edge. He hadn't realized just how far he'd fallen back, or how many Pokémon there were lying slumped over, with a worryingly large number of them being his own Crimson Corsairs. They were still keeping the defenders on the second level on their toes and holding the closer of the two stairways leading up to it, but the situation on the ground floor was another story. They were clearly losing ground as the Marked and their allies kept pushing deeper into the middle of the chamber. The sound of running footsteps behind him prompted him to look back, as he saw a few pirates deeper down the hallway turning and running off with their tails quite literally between their legs.

"Hey! Get back here!" Dirk snarled. "Nobody said you could-!"

"Gah!"

Dirk turned to see a Ledian sail back over the top of a nearby line of Protects, before hurriedly braking his fall in the air with his wings. The pirates just beside him cried out and hastily dispelled their Protects. Dirk raised a brow as they scattered, when the reason came crashing in not even a second later.

"Aaaah!"

It was Hess, who came to a tumbling stop in front of him. Because of course that useless oaf would literally get pushed around. Dirk pinched his brow briefly as the pirates hastily tried to reform the defensive line, the Bisharp scowling down at Hess while the Aggron wobbily got up from the ground.

"Seriously, Hess?"

"You better believe it!" a Kabutops' voice snapped.

Hess and Dirk looked up as Dimitri ran at them through the gap in the defensive line, with Margi and Trizano following just behind while other defenders skirmished with the nearby pirates. Hess hurriedly attempted to call up rocks, only for the Kabutops to break the Aggron's stance with a Brick Break at his belly, dashing the Light Screen about the Steel-Type. From the side, Dirk lowered his head and headbutted Dimitri onto his back with an Iron Head. The Bisharp raised a blade to strike again, when fire erupted along the side of his body. Dirk staggered back, as he caught a glimpse of Margi rising into the air with embers smoldering around her mouths.

"Now! Hit them while their Light Screen is down!" she cried.

Pleo and Bunsen caught up just as Margi called out to them. The Lugia struck first, throwing a bolt of electricity forward as the Charizard followed suit by spewing out a stream of fire. Their other teammates joined in, throwing attacks of their own at Hess and Dirk that quickly forced the pirate captains to fall back. Their assistance seemed to lift the spirits of the guards who fought alongside them as they let out sharp battlecries, with Margi and Daraen's dragonfire taking on new vigor, and Bunsen's flames burning brighter. All about the chamber, the pirates hastily abandoned the center of the chamber as their numbers were progressively chased back to their entrance. The pirates' positions kept shrinking behind an ever-tightening array of Protects in front of the breached doors, where they attempted to hold out against a hail of blows and Seeds sailing in. At the same time, some of the stronger pirates tried to regain ground by lunging forward in an attempt to catch their opponents off guard, including Dirk himself:

"AGH!"

A sharp cry rang out as Elder Siana's attempt to intervene with a Psybeam was abruptly snuffed out by a Night Slash from Dirk. The Espeon fell limply to the ground as Dirk kicked her aside and ducked back behind cover where Hess and Kichiro were waiting. The Aggron panted wide-eyed, looking out at the hail of attacks coming from deeper within the chamber, before turning to Dirk with an audible gulp.

"S-See?! This is why I wanted to wait until Rodion could catch up with us!"

Dirk shot a piercing glare back that made Hess stiffen up with a yelp, as the Bisharp's words came out with a venomous snarl.

"Just shut up and keep it together, Hess!" Dirk snapped. "We're not finished here yet!"

A loud yowl suddenly came from the top of the stairs up to the second level. The pirate captains turned their attention up, just in time to see a Perrserker in Dirk's colors get flung from the top of the balcony, hitting the ground in a crumpled heap not even twenty paces away.

The situation on the staircase was little better, as the pirates who were still standing on it broke rank and mounted a disorderly retreat back for the doorway. A few other pirates from deeper within the hallway rushed out to try and buy their comrades time to escape, but with how many were being overwhelmed, they were clearly fighting a losing battle. Hess and Kichiro traded grimacing stares at the sight, before the Ledian of the pair turned to Dirk with an irritated buzz.

"I'm sorry, but have you bothered to look around you?!" Kichiro yelled, throwing up his fists in exasperation. "We're going to get overrun if we try to stand our ground here!"

Dirk clenched his teeth and flashed his blades at the Ledian in response, only for the Bug-Type to remain unfazed. ... Was this the right place to dig in if their escape route out of Starbreak Square had been cut off? He ran a hand up to his badge and pressed down, before speaking into it.

"Whoever's listening on the other end, give me a status report. Now."

The badge suddenly crackled to life as a panting voice filled the surrounding air.

"Captain! We've opened up a path out of town, but we can't hold it for long! A bunch of us have already gotten chased here, so this is as good a chance as we're going to get to pull out!"

It took all of a couple seconds for it to become evident that it wasn't just the three of them who'd heard the message, as a growing number of their underlings turned and began to flee.

The Bisharp's mind went blank as he looked vacantly down at the floor. It was growing harder and harder not to conclude that there was nothing to be gained from staying here aside from mounting a last stand. But at the same time, he couldn't bring the Crimson Corsairs back to Starpeak Square defeated like this. Not with nothing to show for their efforts or how much of their ranks they'd have to leave behind.

"Ah! Just drop the chest already!"

Dirk looked out from behind his cover and noticed Crom, Guardia, and Ander breaking away from a line of Protects towards an Emboar attempting to carry off a chest. The Bisharp quirked a brow as the three set upon the Fire-Type: a gout of blue dragonfire, a bone whirling and arcing through the air, and finally a spread-wing tackle from Ander that knocked the Emboar flat. A Vanilluxe floated in and blew out an Icy Wind that swept up the trio, prompting the Emboar to get up and try to retreat to cover as he left the chest behind. Dirk stared at the chest briefly and narrowed his eyes with a puzzled tilt of his head. Why on earth were those three worried about a little bit of loot? It wasn't as if this was even their town anyways.

... Unless whatever was in there was something they were absolutely desperate not to lose.

Dirk slunk back behind cover and turned to Kichiro as a smirk came over his face.

"Actually, you're right, Ledian. We're better off forcing the bird and his friend to fight us on more favorable turf," the Bisharp captain said. "So let's grab whatever's in that chest there and get out of here. They wouldn't be fighting this hard over it if it weren't important to them."

Kichiro shot back a confused look as Dirk grabbed for his scarf and once again pressed down on his badge. He brought it up to his mouth, before speaking into it just loud enough for his voice to cut through the sounds of battle around them.

"Everyone, change of plans! Take whatever loot you've grabbed so far along with anyone you can carry and pull back by any means necessary," the Bisharp ordered. "Captain Hess and I will buy you time to retreat, but don't fall behind. We're not miracle workers here."

Hess' eyes shrank to pins, the Aggron whirling over to the Bisharp with a slack-jawed stammer.

"W-Wait, we are-?"

Hess yelped as he was cut off by a sharp jab at his stomach. The Aggron turned to Dirk as the Bisharp captain looked up at him with a sharp scowl.

"Look, lunkhead. I'm not losing a quarter of my crew to a rout and I doubt you want to either," the Bisharp growled. "So just do your job, tell your second mate to stop whining, and do whatever it takes to get that chest so we can get out of this Mystery Dungeon!"

A pained bellow came from the direction of the chest as Hess glanced over and saw the Emboar slump over next to the Vanilluxe lying toppled on the floor. Crom, Ander, and Guardia were there panting from battle, while the chest they were fighting over was left completely unguarded. The Aggron sized up the distance between the chest and his present cover, before nodding his head with a determined grunt.

"Right, I can do that!"

The Aggron jumped up, before driving his feet into the ground and sending out a heavy tremor that tore up the ground. In the blink of an eye, Hess' Earthquake overtook everyone in its path. Crom and Guardia were the first to be knocked down by the tremor while Ander hastily flew up to avoid the churning earth. The frontlines were the next to fall as the quake hit both the remaining pirates and the defenders, leaving dust and pained shouts swirling in the air. From above, Trizano weaved around stones and dust falling from the ceiling as the chamber devolved into chaos and he tried to make sense of his compatriots below them.

It took Trizano a moment to see past the clearing dust, where he discovered most of the Pokémon who'd been closest to Hess were lying strewn about fainted among rubble, while the exceptions like Crom and Guardia were visibly struggling to stay on their feet. Further away from Hess' position, their allies stumbled up, their ranks noticeably thinned as a number of the Marked and guards from Starpeak Square remained on the ground letting out weak groans of pain.

A low grunt rang out back from where the chest had been, and much to Trizano and his teammates' horror, Dirk was still standing behind a Protect while Hess was in the process of hefting the chest onto his shoulders. Margi noticed it too as she wheeled in the air, diving in as fiery blue light built in the back of her throat.

"Oh no you don't!"

"Oi, buzz off, Sazandora!"

Kichiro cut in as a series of rings in the air that swept Margi up, too late for her to pull away. The Hydreigon's eyes glazed over as her Dragon Pulse sailed off errantly into the walls, leaving her lurching about in a daze and fighting to stay airborne. Trizano grimaced, only for his eyes to shrink as Hess began to run for the doors he stormed through earlier. The Skarmory fanned his wings out, crying out to his teammates with a shrill start.

"Everyone focus on Hess first!" Trizano exclaimed. "We can't let him get away with the Ledger!"

Trizano hurriedly shot forward with a glinting spread-wing tackle, his blow barely making Hess flinch. The rest of Team Traveller hurried in after him, throwing their attacks forward as best as they could, but the Aggron seemed to largely power through them. The primary exceptions were a strafing Brick Break at his side from Dimitri, and a Bonemerang from Guardia that made him stumble just long enough for a plume of fire to strike him in his back.

"Gack!"

Hess reeled, struggling to stay on his feet as he looked up to see Bunsen flying past. A sharp buzz rang out in his ear as purple light settled over his body, where there just to his left, Kichiro scowled at him with an impatient huff.

"Hess! Pay more attention to what's going on!" the Ledian snapped.

"I am!" the Aggron shot back, shaking his head and steadying his grip on his chest. "That's why I was gonna do this!"

Hess stomped the ground and called down several large stones from the rock ceiling overhead onto Team Traveller's positions. On the ground, everyone quickly tried to fall back as the stones fell upon them. Ander frantically dodged a stone that just missed his wings, as cries of pain ran out from all around him. A pained bellow came from overhead, as the Scyther hurriedly ducked out of the way of an orange blur crashing to earth. It was Bunsen, lying barely lucid and sprawled out on the ground whining in pain.

Ander felt heavy footsteps running past, when he looked over and saw his teammates trying to get back onto their feet... while Hess was already halfway over to Dirk as the Bisharp fended off a small party of Marked led by a Chatot. Ander grit his teeth as he realized that Dirk wouldn't have stayed behind for no reason while his underlings retreated. Not unless he had some way of making sure Hess would be able to get away with their chest.

"Everyone, don't let Hess get to that Bisharp!"

Ander darted forward and flung a whitish shockwave ahead at Hess with all the force he could muster. His teammates quickly descended on the Aggron, throwing one attack after the other before they were forced back by a second Rock Slide that sent them diving for cover. Pleo stumbled back with a sharp squawk as one of the rocks struck his shoulder, while Nina hurriedly rushed past him and spewed a Flamethrower at the fleeing pirate. The young Lugia panted and fought to stay on his feet when he looked up in the direction of the entrance. There, Dirk was throwing aside the Chatot, the last of the squad that had tried to stop him. Back towards the middle of the chamber, Hess staggered and wobbled along the last stretch towards Dirk with Kichiro frantically pushing at his back—the chest now being held uneasily in his grasp.

No, he couldn't just let Hess get away! Now while they were this close! Pleo sucked in his breath and fought against his aching joints as his senses dulled and his mind focused, before calling out with a sharp cry.

"Stop!"

The young Lugia cracked his beak open as a ray of golden rings shot out, sailing along until they struck Hess' back and the Aggron tripped with a pained, choking cry.

"Hnrk!"

Hess tottered and pitched forward, landing onto his belly with enough force to stir up dust from fallen rubble. He lay there with his claws still wrapped around the chest, his strength depleted to the point where he could do nothing but let out feeble groans as the few pirates still at the entrance briefly held their fire out of startled shock. From the Aggron's side, Kichiro gave a worried buzz and flitted down beside the Steel-Type, desperately tugging at his captain.

"N-No, get up you stupid idiot!" the Ledian stammered. "We're so close here!"

Dirk briefly looked down at the pair a few paces away as the Marked guards and indigo-scarved Pokémon started to encroach on him. The last of the pirates in the hallway turned and retreated as a few guards attempted to give chase, but all the while, Dirk stubbornly stood his ground. There was a moment of tense unease, when Nina stepped forward as she and the remaining Elders stared down the Bisharp with fierce glares.

"You should know when you're beat, pirate," the Typhlosion snarled. "You and the Ledian can surrender peacefully, or you two can wake up in a few hours tied to a bed seeing stars in the medic's hut."

There was a moment of silence, before Dirk lowered his head and drew his arms in, letting out a low, derisive chuckle. Nina tensed up and shifted into a battle stance as Dirk looked up with a devilish smirk.

"Thanks for the offer, Typhlosion but I'll pass," Dirk replied. "We weren't planning on staying that much longer in this glorified Durant nest."

Dirk rubbed his blades together as a harsh screech rang out, loud enough to distort the air and make everyone nearby flinch. The Bisharp captain lunged ahead, shoving a Heliolisk out of the way as he shot an arm forward and swiped it against Kichiro's upper right arm and then the back of Hess' head. Trizano dove at Dirk from the air above, when he noticed the Bisharp was raising a black sphere up in the air. His eyes abruptly widened, as he realized what Bisharp was holding:

An Escape Orb pulsing with light.

"No, stop!"

Trizano spread his wings to tackle Dirk, only for the Bisharp to dash the black orb against the ground. The Skarmory sailed forward just as a flash of light to enveloped the three pirates, leaving him sailing through empty air. The light dissipated, with no sign of Hess, Kichiro, Dirk, or the chest to be seen. All that remained were themselves and the fainted pirates and defenders who were still strewn about the chamber. There was a moment of collective, shocked silence, as Team Traveller's minds went blank with a crushing realization that sank in on them.

They'd not only lost their volume of the Ledger, but also failed their friends when they needed them most. From the side, Pleo stared blankly at the spot where Hess and Dirk had been. His eyes began to well up as his voice started to hitch and whine.

"No no no! H-He wasn't supposed to get away!" Pleo cried. "W-We were supposed to-!"

Margi came over and placed a side-head on his shoulder, and lowered her body to meet his eyes.

"Pleo, I understand, but we did everything we could. We need to regroup before we can think about trying anything else."

"B-But he's going to kill my-!"

"No, he won't."

Everyone's attention fell on Nina as the Marked Typhlosion went over to a Emboar lying sprawled out on the floor. She stooped down and tore a glinting bauble off the Emboar's scarf, before bringing it up to her mouth and pressing down on it with a low huff.

"Whoever's listening, put me through to whoever's in charge of passing messages to your captains."

A moment of silence hung in the chamber, as the badge suddenly crackled to life with a chittering voice filling the air.

"Wait, who the hell is this?"

"The Pokémon who holds the fate of a good chunk of your comrades in her paws, so listen closely," Nina growled. "I don't know just how many of your deckhands you left behind here in Starbreak Square, but I know it's a big enough number that most pirate crews who suffered a loss like that would be interested in a change of leadership if their comrades weren't recovered somehow."

Dead silence followed from the badge as Pleo and his teammates looked on in stunned silence. The Lugia started to waddle over and opened his beak in protest, only for Nina to motion for a silence and raise the badge back to her mouth.

"Tell that Bisharp and Aggron that we're open to being convinced to care about their underlings' welfare, but it's contingent on the well-being of those Pokémon you're holding prisoner right now," she said. "The moment anything happens to them, regardless of anything you may have to offer or threaten us with, we will send every last pirate we're presently holding prisoner to the Wastes. Are we clear?"

Pleo stared up at Nina with his beak hanging open. It... was honestly scary to hear her so casually threaten to send Pokémon to die like that, but he was just surprised to see her worry so much about his teammates. It didn't seem like she was pretending or forcing herself to say any of those things, either.

A long pause followed, before the voice on the other end of the badge gave a nervous stammer back.

"I'll- I'll get back to you on that. Just hold onto that badge you've got!"

The voice cut out as Nina let her grip on it go. Pleo wasn't fully sure what to make of what just happened, but at least it sounded like there was a chance that their friends back in Starpeak Square would still be alright. Or at least for now.

Nina pinned the badge on her own scarf for safekeeping, before motioning to the other Elders and calling them over. They approached, some a bit slower than others, either from battle fatigue or from needing to be roused by Reviver Seeds. The Marked Typhlosion briefly paused to scan her surroundings, before she walked up to Robbie as he lingered in front of a few of his still-standing guards.

She folded her arms over each other and sized up the Krookodile and his scarf's pattern, before narrowing her eyes.

"And I presume that you're the Sheriff from that devil-worshipping village by the sea."

Robbie briefly bared his fangs as some of his nearby underlings let out growls and grumbles of their own. The Krookodile stepped forward, raising a fist with a low snarl.

"Look Tornupto, if you are trying to make me regret coming to help you-"

"I was going to say that I wanted you to brief us on what's going on out there," Nina said. "We likely only have a limited window to free your village, especially if we intend to rescue Lugia's companions as well."

There was a moment of confused silence as Robbie let his fist hang in the air for a moment before bringing it down with a low grumble.

"Hrmph, well you sure have a funny way of getting your point across," the Krookodile replied. "Though don't think that this suddenly means we're going to forget all the headaches you've caused us in the past!"

"I wouldn't dream of it," Nina scoffed. "But we have some shared interests at the moment, so at least for now, let's do what we can to work towards them together."

The Typhlosion and her fellow Elders set off as Robbie hesitated, before shaking his head and motioning at his underlings to follow.

"Everybody who's still standing, come along," he said. "Looks like we got that lucky break that we needed."

One by one, the indigo-scarved Pokémon made their way off. A few lingering behind to pass their fainted comrades off to be cared for, before also taking their leave. From the side, Pleo looked on, and fought against the aches in his body as he started to follow after Robbie when a voice interrupted him from the side.

"Stop."

Pleo looked up and saw Margi and Daraen approaching him, the Hydreigon of the pair staring down with a stern expression. The Lugia sputtered in protest, and motioned off after the departing guards.

"Wait, but we-"

"Need to go and see the medics!" Daraen insisted.

"You're hurt from a harsh and grueling battle," Margi said. "Tend to your own wounds first, and then we'll talk about where we should go from here."

Pleo hesitated and looked down at a deep bruise on his shoulder. It was hard to argue the two's point and he supposed that they could wait a little longer. Amidst all the hardships they'd went through, they'd finally gotten what seemed so out of reach just this morning:

Help, and a hope of getting their friends back. All because of Pokémon like Margi and Daraen who had trusted him and fought alongside him even if they were wary of him originally.

Pleo looked up, and nudged his beak against the Hydreigon's chest.

"Thank you," he said. "And... I guess we can do that first."

---

Author's Notes:

- Caesurio - German: "Bisharp"
- Sazandora (サザンドラ) - Japanese: "Hydreigon" (Official Romanization)
- Tornupto - German: "Typhlosion"

 

[Kiba Makuro]

Hiya Fobbie and Virgil I'm once again here for Fledglings with this V-Wheel.

I’m Covering Chapter 7- This Is Not A Drill

I didn't mention sometimes in the later half of the last chapter so I'll do so now as I feel they definitely relate to the chapter's opening and over-all themes.

Marked Pokémon lore, actually seeing multiple children and the assumed prejudices they face is pretty realistic and nice to witness in a story. Pleo finding his place among them and quickly learning that not everyone is nice is something that an action and adventure pmd fic protag definitely has to learn quickly. Also I enjoyed seeing Gwenith and Marley in action as mothers in pmd fics rarely exist (blame mainline pmd tropes) and rarely fight.

This ties beautifully into the next chapter, it's kinda like confronting responsibility in a way, not just for Pleo, but Nida, Crom, and Kiran. The older mon understand that they have to fight off the pirates at all costs, and alongside that, help any towns mon get to safety. I really enjoyed the entire pirate fight scene as it is the focal point. The three had their quirks and were a perfect set of foes for Nida, Crom, Kiran, and Pleo. Nice seeing the progression of Team Traveler’s teamwork, this time in a tense battle.

Now I will admit once again though, the epithets for the pirates did kinda clunk up some of the sentences and lessened the blow of a few moments for me, getting me to audibly groan in frustration. Perhaps trying to write dialogue and actions that flow well with this particular style, since I know you aren't going to leave it, wouldn't hurt.

The introduction of Hess is such a fun scene. I was actually wondering how a Saturday morning cartoon style fic was going to handle the first big bad, and the answer would be ‘surprisingly fast’. All of Team Traveler except Pleo falling, leaving Marley to tangle with the big old pirate captain was certainly something I wasn't expecting. Though that lets our little Protector figure out his purpose without his Team. The Iron Fleet did quite the damage on the town but definitely took off more than they could chew. After seeing his friends and the island of Bluewhorl under attack, Pleo awakened his powers. Lugia is a Legendary after all, and wasn't called Protector for nothing.

I wonder what’ll happen in the aftermath? Bluewhorl is definitely gonna have to rebuild a few buildings, and those pirates are bound to mention that Lugia is finally up… who else will come knocking? Nice chapter here, that’s all I have for now.

 

[Spiteful Murkrow]

@Kiba Makuro

Spoiler

Marked Pokémon lore, actually seeing multiple children and the assumed prejudices they face is pretty realistic and nice to witness in a story. Pleo finding his place among them and quickly learning that not everyone is nice is something that an action and adventure pmd fic protag definitely has to learn quickly. Also I enjoyed seeing Gwenith and Marley in action as mothers in pmd fics rarely exist (blame mainline pmd tropes) and rarely fight.

This ties beautifully into the next chapter, it's kinda like confronting responsibility in a way, not just for Pleo, but Nida, Crom, and Kiran. The older mon understand that they have to fight off the pirates at all costs, and alongside that, help any towns mon get to safety. I really enjoyed the entire pirate fight scene as it is the focal point. The three had their quirks and were a perfect set of foes for Nida, Crom, Kiran, and Pleo. Nice seeing the progression of Team Traveler’s teamwork, this time in a tense battle.

Glad that you liked it. While the story does aim for a Saturday Morning Cartoon vibe in general, it’s of a darker-than-normal flavoring precisely to leave room for playing around with more “like real life” dynamics that are a bit harsher. Sounds like it worked out pretty well for you.

Now I will admit once again though, the epithets for the pirates did kinda clunk up some of the sentences and lessened the blow of a few moments for me, getting me to audibly groan in frustration. Perhaps trying to write dialogue and actions that flow well with this particular style, since I know you aren't going to leave it, wouldn't hurt.

If there are particular moments that stuck out to you as being particularly noticeable offenders, feel free to point them out via DM. And in your actual reviews in the future. We admittedly won’t be sinking a whole lot of time into major overhauls given how the latest and greatest chapters are already quite a bit of work to manage, but culling epithets with a little bit of helpful pointing out is something that we can do.

The introduction of Hess is such a fun scene. I was actually wondering how a Saturday morning cartoon style fic was going to handle the first big bad, and the answer would be ‘surprisingly fast’. All of Team Traveler except Pleo falling, leaving Marley to tangle with the big old pirate captain was certainly something I wasn't expecting. Though that lets our little Protector figure out his purpose without his Team. The Iron Fleet did quite the damage on the town but definitely took off more than they could chew. After seeing his friends and the island of Bluewhorl under attack, Pleo awakened his powers. Lugia is a Legendary after all, and wasn't called Protector for nothing.

Yeah, Hess is a bit of a breakout character in this story. Though glad to hear that the first major skirmish in this story was fun for you to read, it won’t be the last you’ll see of pirates in this story, or of Pleo playing around with the powers that make him a Protector.

I wonder what’ll happen in the aftermath? Bluewhorl is definitely gonna have to rebuild a few buildings, and those pirates are bound to mention that Lugia is finally up… who else will come knocking? Nice chapter here, that’s all I have for now.

Well, that sounds like a reason to come back to this story sometime, huh? :V

Though thanks for the review, and Virgil and I will be looking forward to whenever you poke your head in again.

Alright, that was… a bit of a gap since our last syndicated release, since Virgil and I had our hands full with the most recent new release that launched last week. For your patience, we’ve updated the onsite art gallery a bit, and these last handful of chapters left before the story gets current with its other releases should go by pretty smoothly. So let’s just go ahead and start out with the last chapter before the big two-parter finale to this Episode:

 

[Virgil134]

Pleo hadn't realized how worn down he was as he shambled into the local infirmary, which was busy with Pokémon running about. He and his teammates were led along by a medic, who brought them to a stone chamber lined with piles of straw bedding that had already been mostly claimed by other Pokémon—including one by Bunsen much to their surprise.

They were briefly treated with berries, while bandages were applied to more stubborn wounds that still lingered. The medics told them to rest afterwards and focus on recovering, especially if they were going to visit the Elders later on.

Pleo and his companions tried, but it was hard to get much of any rest. Surprisingly it wasn't the groans of the wounded Pokémon around them that bothered them the most, but the lingering memories of their encounter with Dirk.

The Bisharp told them point-blank that he was holding their friends who'd been stranded in Starpeak Square hostage… and now those pirates had the Knights' Ledger on top of it?

It was hard to shake the lingering feeling of dread from the whole episode, which weighed especially hard on Crom as he hung his head with a worried gulp.

"I- I just don't know what we're supposed to do now," the Druddigon murmured. "Those pirates are all the way in Starpeak Square with our friends and the Knights' Ledger! How are we supposed to get any of them back if we have no idea where they are?"

Crom put a hand to his brow and looked down with a blank stare. Pleo hesitated briefly, before going over and patting at his shoulder and giving a reassuring smile.

"At least we don't have to do this alone anymore," Pleo insisted. "Roderic also took those pictures of the Ledger, and we know it and our friends are all in places around Starpeak Square. That's why we came here to ask for help, right?"

It was cold comfort, but the Lugia's insistence seemed to lift Crom's mood a bit. From the side, Trizano paused and brought a wingtip to his beak.

Something about the raid wasn't adding up. The pirates who attacked Starbreak Square came storming in and ready to tear the village up looking for Pleo, and had gotten quite a few of themselves caught in the process. If the pirates had known about the Knights' Ledger all this time, why didn't they ever show an interest in it earlier?

Unless…

"I… don't think that those pirates knew that the Knights' Ledger was in there or how important it is," Trizano said. "If they had, how come Hess and Dirk didn't try to snatch it right away? They only went for it after they saw how much we were trying to get it back."

Guardia blinked at the Skarmory's reply. She supposed that if Hess and Dirk didn't know what they were dealing with, it'd explain their behavior… but she wasn't sure what the point Trizano was trying to make was.

"How does that help us at all?"

"Well, it means that the pirates aren't likely to pass the part of the Knights' Ledger we had back to the Company and that they probably aren't taking any precautions to keep it safe," Trizano explained. "As long as we can get to the chest they stole from us, we should still have a chance at getting our volume back."

Right. So there was at least a chance that they could turn things around, even if Pleo wasn't sure where on earth they would even start. Even if they could take it for granted that they'd free their friends, any attempt at getting the red volume back would mean going through an entire town that was currently full of pirates.

The young Lugia drifted in his thoughts for a moment when he heard a sharp wince and pained groan from deeper in the room. He looked along the piles of bedding set out on the other side, where a number of Pokémon, including Bunsen, were laying at rest with wounds. The young Protector blinked as he noticed that the Marked Charizard was pawing at a set of bandages on his belly and seemed visibly uncomfortable in his straw pile… not that taking a slash square to his underbelly and then getting hit with a Rock Slide would've felt good for anyone.

Pleo got up and waddled over to Bunsen's bedding, a few nearby Marked quietly shrinking away as he passed. He tilted his head down at Bunsen, making the Charizard abruptly freeze up. The pair stared at each other wordlessly, before Pleo raised a wing out to him with a worried murmur.

"Are you okay?" the Lugia asked. "You look really hurt."

Bunsen reflexively shrank back from Pleo's outstretched wing, and pulled his limbs in close and nervously lowered his head.

"I-I'll live, really," the Marked Charizard stammered. "J-Just got a bit more cut up than I was expecting."

… So Bunsen was still afraid of him. Pleo couldn't help but feel a twinge of disappointment and lowered his wing before backing away.

He wanted Bunsen to stop seeing him as a demon… but if Bunsen still saw him this way after he came to his help, how would the Charizard ever change?

"If you say so," he sighed.

Pleo turned and began to walk back to his friends, who'd continued talking with each other in his absence. Probably about what on earth they were going to do now with the whole mess with the pirates. As he made his way back, he tried to give more space from the other beds this time, lest he draw any more unwelcome reactions.

"Wait!"

Bunsen's voice suddenly called out from behind. Pleo turned his head and looked to see that Bunsen was shuffling and sitting up in his bedding. The Charziard still looked visibly on-edge, but he seemed to be fighting with himself to get words out, and after a moment to suck in a breath, he began to speak.

"It feels a bit weird for me to be saying this… but I just wanted to say thanks for looking out for me back there," the Fire-Type said. "I'm not sure if I'd be going back to my mate and children again if you hadn't."

Pleo fell quiet at the Charizard's reply, and noticed a couple Marked from the other beds giving strange looks off at Bunsen. The young Lugia gave a small smile in reply. Maybe neither of them were ready to be friends with each other, but at least they seemed ready to stop being enemies.

"I don't think I really did anything all that special, but I'm glad I could help," Pleo replied. "No matter what I really am as a Pokémon, I was told that I was supposed to be a Protector. And… I want to be one that anyone can count on."

The Charizard blinked and seemed to be at a loss for how to respond as Pleo turned and left. The Lugia went back over to his friends, who trailed off as he approached as footsteps and wingbeats rang out. He raised his head and looked towards the door, where Margi and Daraen were re-entering from the hallway outside.

"Hey, are you all doing alright?" the Deino asked.

"We're fine," Pleo reassured. "Though how come you're back so soon? Is something going on?"

"It's about the Elders. They wanted to have that audience with you, assuming you're well enough to walk," Margi explained. "They said that time is of the essence, so I don't think that it's wise to keep them waiting."

Pleo and his teammates traded incredulous looks with one another. Nina and the others wanted an audience already? It hadn't even been two hours since they fought off Hess and Dirk in the Elder's Hall… wouldn't Starbreak Square still be a mess from their raid?

The Lugia decided not to question it. After a day as long and chaotic as today, they could afford to have a break for once.

"Right, I think that we're feeling well enough," Pleo said. "Let's get going."

Team Traveller got up and headed after Margi and Daraen, making their way out of the crowded infirmary past Pokémon being treated in the hallway until they exited out onto the street. It was a bit hard at times to tell that there'd been a pirate raid since the entire town had been built into tunnels dug into the side of a mountain and there weren't wooden buildings like in Bluewhorl Town, but the scars were still there:

Scorch marks, gouges in the tunnel walls, stray rubble… Pleo supposed the burned out doorways and shopfronts weren't all that different from the raid he remembered either. Along the way, he noticed the tunnel up ahead of them was unusually crowded and had a strange number of guards milling about.

He and his companions weren't really sure what to make of it, until they saw a group of Pokémon in red and gold scarves being herded along in bindings. They hesitated briefly, only to realize as they neared that most of the Pokémon were pirates who'd already been tied up and grouped together. Pleo and the others continued on past the captured pirates and saw a mix of reactions as they moved along: some sullen, some defiant, others visibly fearful. The young Protector shifted his wings uncomfortably, before turning his head back to his guides.

"… What's going to happen to the pirates that got caught anyways?" he asked.

"I mean, they're pirates," Daraen replied. "Wouldn't they get punished like-?"

"Get off of me, you stupid blotch-heads!"

Daraen stiffened up and recoiled as up ahead, a Perrserker thrashing against a pair of guards pinning him down. The Perrserker let out a low growl and glared up at his captors, before turning his attention over to Pleo with a piercing glare.

"Enjoy sitting pretty while you can! Since when the captain comes back, he's gonna-"

The pirate abruptly trailed off as the color drained from his face, and a few nearby pirates' eyes visibly widened. After following the pirate's gaze, the reason was clear: there was a Marked Rillaboom carrying a thick sack over his shoulder, with a heavy glove wrapped around a Red Apricorn.

"Go ahead, Perrserker," the Rillaboom said. "Make my day."

The pirate's defiance abruptly faded as he pulled his tail between his legs and the guards shoved him aside against the tunnel wall. Pleo and the others carried along as Margi shot an unamused scowl off at the Perrserker as they passed, before turning back to Pleo with a scoff.

"We haven't figured that out yet, since we don't have enough holding cells to keep all of these Pokémon for the long-term even if we wanted to," she said. "But it doesn't make sense to worry about doling out punishments for them while their friends are still prowling around this island. There will be plenty of time for us to sort them out later."

Guardia nodded along, but wondered just what sort of space they were even supposed to use to keep all these pirates. Taking over a gathering place like those hut-dwellers on Tromba did for that trial in their 'town square'? Using dens to hold them like these Marked had apparently done to Pleo?

She shook her head. It sounded like the sort of problem best solved by digging a pit on their outskirts and keeping those Pokémon there, but she supposed that 'Civilized' Pokémon were a bit strange in their workings. As they began to continue on, Guardia's eyes drifted leftwards, where she chanced to catch a Grumpig and Krokorok with their arms tied behind their backs, visibly squirming away from the Marked Rillaboom as he passed.

She jerked her head back as a flash of realization came over her and tightened her grip on her club. Those two were the same Krokorok and Grumpig from Sormus. Why on earth were they even here right now?

"Wait, you!"

The Grumpig and Krokorok stiffened up as Guardia stomped up to them, Ken trying to scoot back with a quiet wince.

"Wh-Wha-?"

"You're not pirates at all!" she cried, pointing at the pair with her club. "You're those two Company grunts who ambushed us back on Sormus!"

Pleo almost pinched himself to make sure he wasn't seeing things, but sure enough, those two really were the same Pokémon from Lyn's crew that tried to trick them on Sormus! A few other pirates nearby the pair turned and stared, as a couple others grit their teeth with low growls. The Grumpig and Krokorok both seemed to freeze and grimace briefly as Pleo spluttered in dawning realization.

"Wait, so Lyn really is working with these pirates?!" he squawked. "But why?!"

The two's eyes both widened in alarm for a moment, when suddenly something came over them. Ken and Hooke abruptly clamped their mouths shut, and narrowed their eyes back with defiant huffs.

"Hrmph, sod off," Ken grunted. "I'm not telling you anything."

"Yeah," Hooke spat. "If you think we're just going to roll over because you caught us, you've got another thing-!"

Hooke's words abruptly choked off as Margi clamped her right side-head down on his throat. The Grumpig's eyes shrank to pins as his Krokorok companion reacted similarly and stumbled back in shock. Hooke looked up, as Margi brought her central head in and bared her fangs with a low snarl.

"I don't think you two understand the gravity of your present situation," she said. "You're not under Imperial custody right now, you're under Starbreak Square's. We don't have to worry about 'political considerations' regarding your fates, or about keeping your welfare with your allies of convenience in mind."

Margi tightened her grip on the Grumpig's throat as he let out choking whines and the color drained from his face. She briefly noticed Ken squirming and trying to scoot away, before giving a sharp nip at the scruff of the Krokorok's neck with her left side-head to hold him in place and narrowing her eyes.

"So unless the two of you would like to get lumped in with the worse offenders as part of sentencing, or get left alone in a locked room with your 'allies' overnight, I'd suggest you start talking and give us reasons to reconsider," the Hydreigon spat.

The fight at once seemed to leave the pair, and they visibly began to quail in Margi's grasp. After a moment of gibbering panic, Hooke's nerves failed him, as he let out a stammering squeak.

"L-Look, the captain cut a deal with these pirates to get Lugia!" the Grumpig insisted. "We were just there to help make sure that everything went to plan!"

"Wait, what deal?" Crom pressed. "How on earth was Lyn planning on getting Pleo from these pirates after they caught him?"

"Th-They were supposed to meet at the edge of Company waters after the pirates got the bird!" Ken cried. "The Company was going to pay them off with money and privateer positions in return!"

Margi let go of the pair, leaving them to flop to the ground. She backed away with a disgusted growl under her breath, leaving Team Traveller to look on blankly as uneasy grimaces settled over their faces.

"So Guardia and Dimitri were right, the Company really is behind all this," Ander said.

"This is something that could escalate quickly once the Empire learns about it," Trizano insisted. "It could easily get them and the Company back into open war like in the early years after they broke apart from each other."

Travellers above, what a mess this was all becoming. Pleo wasn't sure what on earth they were supposed to do at this point. First they had their friends to worry about, and now the Ledger, and now Anyilla potentially spiraling into a war… it just felt like there was no end to all the problems they were facing on this island!

The Lugia let his eyes fall towards the ground, when he felt a prod at his right wing. He looked up, where Daraen was nosing at him worriedly.

"This sounds like something you should bring up with the Elders," Daraen said. "Starbreak Square is supposed to be a refuge for Pokémon like us, and I don't know how it's supposed to stay one if there's a war going on right outside of it."

"It's worth trying at least," Margi sighed. "It already sounded like the Elders were ready to help out, though I'm not sure how they would react to knowing the Company also had a hand in today's raid…."

Pleo paused and shuffled his wings. He knew that Nina said that they'd help, but would finding out about the involvement of the Company scare her off? Or would it make them more determined to help them free Starpeak Square?

Pleo wasn't sure one way or the other, though he supposed there was only one way to find out:

"Right, let's go and check up on them."

Team Traveller continued on after Margi through the battle-scarred tunnels, and before they knew it, they were back in front of the Elder's Hall where locals were already attempting to clean up the mess left behind by the pirates. The entire approach was riddled with rubble and pockmarks from the earlier fighting, to the point where they had to step around fallen chunks of the balcony over the entrance to make it into the lobby. After briefly asking a few Pokémon present where Nina and the others were, they were directed towards the audience chamber where they'd first met the Elders.

On their way over, Pleo and the others noticed the doors were left ajar. Before they even reached them, they could already hear voices arguing loudly on the other side.

"No, absolutely not," an Espeon's voice snapped. "We have enough problems to deal with and you dumping more pirates into our paws isn't one of them!"

"Oh sod off, blotch head!" a Krookodile's voice snarled back. "This is the thanks you give us for helping to save your glorified Fermicula nest?!"

Team Traveller carried on past the doors and into the meeting room, where sure enough, Robbie and his guards were arguing with the Elders. Because of course they were. A series of exhausted frowns came over Pleo and his companions' faces, when they saw Daraen turning his head up at them with a sheepish shuffle of his forelegs.

"I suppose that's one way for us to find the Elders," Daraen said.

It was probably a sign that they needed to hurry up and intervene before the two sides came to blows. Pleo and the others darted over as Robbie and Siana stared each other down, with their fellows on either side growling and looking about ready to lunge at each other. Elder Ernest cut in, accusingly pointing a wing over at the Krookodile with a sharp harrumph.

"You not being bound and thrown into holding cells alongside those pirates is already thanks enough, devil worshipper," the Marked Chatot scoffed. "Don't push your luck."

"Tch, with an attitude like that we should've just extracted the Protector and left you all to sort things out with those-!"

"Everyone, just stop fighting for a moment!"

The arguing abruptly died down as Pleo stepped forward, walking straight in between Robbie and the Elders and beating his wings for attention. The young Protector narrowed his eyes with an impatient scowl, before piping up.

"Look, I know that you all don't like each other, and maybe there's even good reasons why you don't," the Lugia began. "But the only reason why we're all here even able to talk like this is because we worked together earlier to fight those pirates off!"

The gathering fell quiet with a few scattered grumbles as everyone turned and stared at Pleo. His scowl faded as he set his beak on edge and hesitated. Whatever he said here could potentially mean the difference between these Pokémon helping them free their friends, or running them out of town entirely.

He faltered briefly, unsure where to even start, when he looked at Ander and then the rest of his teammates and saw they were all looking on worriedly.

Right… even if they were all different, everyone here was still Pokémon. They all had things they were worried or nervous about regardless of if they had a Mark on their heads or not.

Maybe they just needed to be reminded of that.

"Everyone can see now what those pirates can do if they're just left alone in Starpeak Square," Pleo insisted. "But we need the strength to fight them off. Strength we don't have right now and have no idea when the Empire will be able to send it in. That's why you offered to help us, wasn't it?"

There was a lingering silence as both the Elders and Robbie's group maintained hardened expressions towards each other. Pleo shuffled his wings, before turning towards Nina as a pleading look came over his eyes.

"I'm… not asking you all to forgive each other, and maybe you really can't do that," he said. "But we need each other at the moment, and none of us will succeed if we keep fighting with each other like this. You two were ready to work together just a little while ago in spite of that, so can't we go back to that?"

Nina didn't say anything back as Robbie hesitated, before he hung his head with a low sigh.

"… We wouldn't have come here if we weren't short on options," the Krookodile admitted. "This really isn't a fight either of us are able to take on alone."

A few of the Elders like Roderic and Ramon began to murmur amongst each other. Nina flicked her ears, before motioning to the others to draw near. They gathered in a tight circle as other Marked stepped in to block them from view. Pleo and his companions gave puzzled tilts of their heads as they tried to tease out snatches of their conversation, when the Typhlosion and her circle suddenly fell silent.

The guards flanking the Elders stepped aside as Nina and the others turned their attention back towards Robbie and his underlings. The Typhlosion stepped forward, carefully sizing the Krookodile up before she pinned her ears back with a low sigh.

"Even if I can't say much about this attitude of yours, we did say that we'd help free your village," the Typhlosion said. "After all, the best way of keeping Lugia at paw's length without risking causing a greater disaster would be to allow him to leave this island safely. And that requires pushing those pirates out."

Pleo fidgeted uncomfortably at Nina's reply. While he supposed he should be happy about getting help, he wasn't sure how he felt about Nina not fully trusting him. He looked up, and noticed her staring at him with a serious expression.

"Though if we're going to succeed at driving those pirates out, it'll require some sort of workable strategy," she said. "Let's talk more about this behind closed doors"

---

It took Nida, Elty, and Pladur a while to come to after falling asleep from the Slumber Orb. When they woke up, they found themselves gummed up with silk against the stone wall of a windowless room, firmly enough that they could barely budge. There was only a solitary torch for lighting, and nothing but a heavy metal door and a scowling Galvantula and Raticate for company.

Or at least that had been the case until a little over an hour ago. Akane came in and the mood in the room seemed to take a dark turn. Aside from a brief moment where one of the pirates shoved a badge in Nida's face and she briefly got to talk to Pleo, most of the time went by with the pirates intimidating them as they hovered around them menacingly. The Galvantula encroached on Pladur, letting static crackle along his pelt as the Fraxure's eyes shrank to pins. Over on his end, Elty had fared little better with the Raticate, who would periodically gnash her fangs in front of him.

And then there was Nida, who held her breath as she looked down at a red-edged blade held at her throat: Akane's tail, which was currently not even a paw's length away from her, much to the Seviper's sneering satisfaction. These pirates had been doing this routine of intimidating them a few times, but it was hard to tell whether or not it was going to remain idle threats. Even the Galvantula seemed a bit confused about it.

"Shouldn't the captains have told us what they want us to do with these three by now?" the Galvantula asked. "Just how long are we supposed to keep waiting on them?"

"What's there to rush over?" Akane replied. "After all, it's fun watching these little worms squirm."

The Seviper pressed her tail up against Nida's throat, making the Nidorina's eyes widen as her mind suddenly went blank. Was she even going to make it out of this room alive? After everything they'd been through to try and bring Pleo home, would things really end this way?

The metal door at the end suddenly flung open with a loud crash as Akane looked back along with her fellow pirates. Much to everyone's surprise, Tarquin came storming in, his eyes visibly glowering as he stomped the ground for attention.

"All of you, stop messing around with those three," the Tyrantrum barked. "Akane, get one of the guards from outside to fill in for you and let's get going. We need to help the other crews set up defensive lines around the town."

Akane lowered her bladed tail, leaving Nida to pant hoarsely for air. There was a moment of confusion between the Seviper and the other pirates as they moved back from the webbing along the wall, staring blankly at their captain.

"Nani kore? Why?" Akane asked. "The others caught that bird, didn't they?"

"No. The raid on Starbreak Square was a complete disaster and the only bright spot is that Ingela's crew didn't get swept up in it," Tarquin grumbled. "Dirk and Hess are still doing a headcount to try and figure out how badly things went, but the Crimson Corsairs alone had half of the ‘mons that set out captured or otherwise incapacitated. Probably more at this rate with that mood that Dirk's been in at the castle. I wouldn't want to be the unfortunate sod who offended him right now with a temper like that…"

There was a moment of quiet shock in the room as Nida and her companions' jaws dropped. 'Starbreak Square'? Was that another town on this island? Even with Pleo's powers, it was hard to imagine just the six of their missing teammates capturing as many pirates as Tarquin seemed to imply. Had Pleo and the others managed to find help after all?

The pirates for their part looked similarly stunned, though more out of dismay than any feelings of hope. The Seviper from their number glanced out the corner of her eye at their prisoners, before turning back towards Tarquin with a puzzled frown.

"Isn't that all the more reason to kill them now?" she asked. "Dirk was the one who used that threat to try and get the bird in line, and it's not like him to go around spouting threats he doesn't make good on."

"Yeah, well I suppose he's just full of surprises," Tarquin scoffed. "It sounds like the two want to try and do a prisoner exchange with that Marked village, especially Hess, since he wouldn't shut up about getting his first mate back."

Nida and the others traded excited glances with one another. Did this mean that the Pokémon that helped Pleo and the others were Marked? How on earth had they managed to talk them into that?

Tarquin briefly looked over to Nida and the others and noticed their excited expressions, before shaking his head and turning aside.

"I'm not sure if they're also trying to figure out a way to snatch that bird in the process, but the point is that we need these three alive for now," he said. "Dirk was insistent that this was the safest place to keep them for the time being."

Their… Their friends were trying to rescue them. Nida wasn't sure whether she was more excited or worried for her teammates, but if Pleo and the others managed to get help, maybe they still had a chance of escaping.

"Wouldn't it be safer to keep them aboard one of the ships?" Akane asked. "They'd be easier to defend, and if one of the pirates they caught told them about these cells, those Marked or whoever's helping them wouldn't know where we moved these three. What are they going to do? Try and check every ship in port while they're under fire?"

"Tch, I told them that, but Dirk and Hess both wouldn't hear it and said they'd sooner burn my ships than risk these three keeling over from something stupid like them drowning in a brig if the ship holding them was sunk," Tarquin scoffed. "If it was just Hess and his golden-scarved dweebs I'd have told them to go ahead and try, but I'm not risking a confrontation with Dirk."

There was a moment's silence as the Galvantula and Raticate with them traded worried looks, while Akane glanced aside with an idle swish of her tail.

"Sounds like they're both on thin ice with their crews at the moment," she said. "That's no surprise coming from Hess, but I would have expected better from Dirk."

"I'll say," Tarquin harrumphed. "Dirk's calling everyone on the Council to try and plan out a response by the morning at the latest. He thinks either those Marked or the locals might try something."

The Seviper sighed and began to slither off for the door, when a sharp scoff suddenly came from behind her.

"I'm sorry, but why are you just saying this in front of us? We can hear all of this, you know!"

Akane glanced over and saw Elty narrowing his eyes back with an unamused frown. It didn't last particularly long as Tarquin turned his attention over to him, and brought his jaws down in front of the Growlithe's head. Elty's ears pinned back and his teeth set on edge with a frightened whine as the Tyrantrum bared his fangs, flashing them just in front of the Fire-type's snout as a low, menacing growl came from his throat.

"Because, this doesn't change anything for you, you yippy little mutt," the Tyrantrum said. "The moment we don't need you three anymore, you're dead. And if we do have to pull out while holding onto you, we can get you onto one of our ships anytime we feel like it."

Tarquin lingered a bit to let Elty squirm further, before looking back to the Galvantula and the Raticate. He reached for a glinting badge on his scarf that he passed over to the Raticate with a quiet grunt.

"Hold onto that badge. It's linked up with Uri on the Tramontane Tyrant. Just say the word, and he'll come over to take you all to the main deck," Tarquin said. "For now, just keep an eye on these three. I'll have someone come and fill in for Akane."

The Raticate saluted back, before she and the Galvantula took positions on opposite sides of the chamber beside lanterns filled with glowmoss. Tarquin and Akane made their way for the door, and when they reached the threshold, Nida suddenly raised her voice with a huff.

"They're not going to give up, you know."

Tarquin and Akane turned back with a pair of sharp frowns, but Nida remained unswayed. The Nidorina fought against her bindings and narrowed her eyes back in a determined scowl.

"If they beat you once, they can beat you again. And you know it!"

Tarquin rolled his eyes in reply before continuing on, Akane seemed to take more umbrage at Nida's defiance, as she motioned off at the Galvantula and Raticate.

"Just make them choke down some Sleep Seeds if they don't shut up," she said. "There's no reason for you to listen to this all day."

She made her way through the doorway as Tarquin pulled the door shut behind them with a loud, flinchworthy slam. The light dimmed as things were reduced back to the glowmoss lanterns with the two pirates standing guard, but at the same time, Nida still held her head high.

At last, they knew that their friends were still okay. And maybe, just maybe, they'd all see each other again free from this place.

"Good luck out there, everybody."

---

Bright light from a noontime sun filtered through the windows of the Board's meeting chamber on Vollezee while a tense silence hung in the air. The room was more crowded than it normally was, with the Company's Nidoking Director and all four Administrators having been summoned on short notice. Short enough that Zorn had apparently been turned back at the sea wall right before he was about to take a swim around the island. Lyn was there as well, who had been pulled fresh from his new ironclad not even half an hour ago.

The sudden summons wasn't what surprised Lyn, it was the others who were present with them. Olivia, the island's Inteleon Commander and the Pokémon in charge of the Intelligence Division, stood at the end of the table closest to the door, with Zelle alongside her. Lyn looked on from beside Farn, trading glances between the Inteleon and the other Administrators at the table, before impatience got the better of him and he stepped forward with a sharp harrumph.

"With all due respect, Administrators, but I was expecting to issue sail orders at any moment," Lyn began. "Could this have not waited until after I came back with—?"

"No."

Lyn reflexively stiffened up and bit his tongue, turning to see Director Inler had narrowed his eyes with a piercing scowl. The Nidoking let his gaze linger for a moment, before settling back into his seat with a twitch of his ears. His expression eased, if by degrees, as he looked over his subordinates gathered about the table.

"My apologies for the abrupt summons, but there was an urgent matter that Olivia and the Intelligence Division brought to my attention," Inler said. "It required everyone's attention. Including yours, Commissioner Lyn."

"It involves the identity of the spy that's been sabotaging your mission," Olivia added.

All four of the Administrators widened their eyes in response, with Darzin seeming particularly surprised amidst the growing hubbub around the table. Lyn blinked in shock as he stared about the gathering for a moment, before turning his attention back to the Inteleon Commander.

"It… does?" the Samurott asked. "Commander Olivia, is the spy someone from my crew? If so, I'll see to it that they're dealt with right aw-"

"Oh, I assure you, Commissioner Lyn, we won't need any help with taking care of the matter," Olivia interrupted. "Especially since the Imperial spy in question managed to penetrate the upper levels of Company leadership."

At once, a wave of shock came over the Board as they trained stunned stares at the Inteleon—Darzin being the sole exception. The Dragonite had seemed to clam up as soon as the words left Olivia's mouth, and his expression looked much as if someone had just struck him with a Petrify Wand. Lyn quietly raised a brow, only for a sharp snarl from Farn to turn his attention towards her.

"'Penetrated upper levels of Company leadership'?" Farn demanded, stomping a paw against the table. "As in they've been directly spying on our activities?"

Zorn shifted back in the water from the table, before leaning forward and grinding his fangs against each other.

"Commander Olivia, is it one of the honor guards?" Zorn asked. "Give me five minutes alone with him and I'll sort him out for good!"

The Inteleon glanced from the side of her eye towards Zelle, who stepped forward and seemed to have a strangely self-satisfied air about her. The Sylveon brushed at her shoulder with a feeler, before shaking her head.

"Well, that would be hardly fair to those poor guards, Administrator Zorn," she replied. "I can't imagine it would help their colleagues' morale. Especially since the culprit is sitting right here among us."

Zelle turned her gaze over towards Darzin's end of the table, before bringing her feeler out and gesturing with an icy stare.

"Isn't that right, Darzin?"

Darzin's mouth briefly fell open from shock as the Dragon-Type recoiled in his seat. After a moment to collect himself, he got up and slammed his claws against the table, pointing at the Sylveon with a toothy snarl.

"Director, you summoned us all here for this nonsense?!" the Dragonite spat. "Have her colors stripped and thrown out at-!"

Elilan motioned for silence, before glancing at Zelle with a puzzled stare. He let his gaze linger on her briefly, before turning towards Olivia and bringing a set of claws under his chin with a skeptical click of his tongue.

"Commander Olivia, you do realize how improbable this all sounds, right?" the Zoroark remarked. "I'm frankly not sure if I can believe these accusations. Darzin has always struck me as a bit too simple-minded to engage in plotting of that sort."

Lyn turned his head as the sound of a stone seat jostling and a low growl ringing out. Darzin seemed to sink his claws into the table, if that were even physically possible, and seemed to be fighting every bone in his body to keep himself from throwing himself at his Zoroark colleague. Elilan for his part did little more than to briefly turn his head and quietly scoff, before returning his attention back to the Inteleon with a serious frown.

"You do have evidence to back up these accusations, don't you?"

"Of course, I wouldn't dream of wasting the Board's time otherwise," Olivia insisted, gesturing over at Zelle.

"Agent Zelle, please present the evidence you and the rest of Sorge's team found."

The Sylveon sauntered up to the table with a smug smirk spread over her face. She stopped and glanced at the seated figures, letting her attention briefly linger on Darzin before speaking up.

"I know this may be hard to believe," Zelle began. "Me and my teammates also didn't think that Darzin would be capable of such a thing. Or at least, until we followed up with the Harbormaster."

Zelle fished through a satchel on her shoulder before pulling out an indigo-colored lump. She unfurled it and set it on the table, revealing it to be an Imperial scarf with a single white leaf pattern. Darzin narrowed his eyes from his seat and bared his fangs with an irritated growl.

"Sylveon, is this some sort of joke?! That was the scarf the Harbormaster's guards said they found in your teammate's bag!"

The rest of the room fell silent, and from her place at the table, Farn carefully batted her tail back and forth in thought. She pivoted on her seat and turned towards Zelle, narrowing her ruddy eyes.

"I thought that your Noivern teammate told us that Darzin had been misled, Sylveon," the Luxray said. "Why is your story changing all of a sudden?"

"We didn't want to throw out accusations that we couldn't prove. We're obviously comfortable making them now thanks to our investigation," Zelle explained. "When we checked in with the Harbormaster to try and learn if anyone might have manipulated Darzin when he called in that raid on us, we retraced Darzin's steps and discovered that he had spent a curious amount of time around the Academy. Specifically at times that Lugia was present there."

The Sylveon went through her bag and put out a set of envelopes onto the table that she started passing out. The gathered Pokémon began to open them and pulled out statements from various Pokémon who worked at the Academy, each confirming the Fairy-Type's account. They fell dead silent afterwards as one by one, the other Board members began to turn icy stares at the Dragonite. Zelle paused and waited for the weight of her words to sink in, before shaking her head and continuing on.

"Once we confirmed those reports, it got us a bit curious as to what he had been up to. Which coincidentally helped us solve a few other recent mysteries," she added. "Such as how on earth Commissioner Bunsen was ever dispatched to Tromba. It felt most unlike Administrator Farn to simply approve such a deployment in spite of the obvious risk of… complications that would arise from his background as a Marked. Based on our investigations, we believe that Darzin is the responsible party for that."

Zelle took out an additional trio of envelopes from her bag and put them on the table. She slid them out towards the center, before turning back to Darzin with a sharp frown.

"We have sworn depositions from multiple Pokémon that you had approached Commissioner Bunsen the day before he and his crew sailed off for Tromba," the Sylveon said. "Two from members of Commissioner Lyn's crew who Bunsen had just recovered from being held prisoner on Boisocéan, and one that Sorge obtained from Officer Sicula herself."

Darzin visibly grimaced as Farn took one of the envelopes and pulled out a piece of paper, her eyes going back and forth. The Luxray set it down and passed it around, before taking another as Zelle locked eyes with Darzin. Farn briefly watched the first letter from the corner of her vision as it made its way to Inler, when Zelle broke her gaze and turned to address the rest of the table.

"It would appear that Darzin coerced Sicula into perjuring herself before you earlier this week," the Sylveon said. "She gave a very different version of events when we followed up with her, with everyone that escaped from the fleet dispatched to Tromba we've questioned thus far confirming her version of events."

A sharp thump rang out as Farn threw her forepaws onto the table and let out a sharp snarl at Darzin, static visibly crackling in her fur. As everyone turned their attention back to the Dragonite, something snapped inside of him, as he shot up from his seat and leveled a piercing glare at Zelle.

"A cute story, Sylveon, but you should stick to telling fairy tales," he growled. "What nonsense! Even if I were working with Imperials, do you expect that I'd agree to something as foolhardy as directly interfering with Commissioner Lyn's mission? That's the sort of thing to be handled by a spy embedded among his crew!"

"Yes, and you did, through that Ditto that impersonated Lugia in front of Lyn's crew," Zelle shot back. "Incidentally, at exactly the same time that he was sabotaging Lyn's mission, you were on record as being absent from your post."

The Dragonite seemed to tense up for a brief moment, but it was enough for Lyn to pick up on. The Samurott reflexively brought his right paw up to his left seamitar's scabbard and tightened his grip around his blade's hilt. Zelle briefly acknowledged Lyn's reaction, before turning back to the others and continuing on.

"We might have been more convinced to believe it was a coincidence were it not for our earlier findings and the fact that you were absent from your post again just later that week. Along with there being a request from you to the Procurement Department for a new Administrator's scarf, just after you returned. You don't exactly do much in your present state tending to the records, so it beggars the question… what were you doing that would require a new scarf?"

The Dragonite visibly froze with his teeth set on edge as the rest of the Board's stares grew ever more piercing. There was a moment of incredulous silence as a predatory smirk formed on Zelle's face.

"As for why you would interfere with Commissioner Lyn's mission, Darzin: you had both the motive and the opportunity," Zelle remarked. "Your position as Administrator has been tenuous for some years now, and you'd naturally want to try and line up an alternative for yourself. Even with reduced privileges, as an Administrator you would've been able to get into whatever facilities were being used to hold Lugia without drawing the suspicion of the lower ranks. And as it so happens, we turned up a witness who caught you in the act attempting to do just that."

Zelle looked over at Olivia as the Inteleon motioned at the honor guards at the door. They suddenly stood at attention as they opened the doors to the chamber's entrance with an audible creak, just in time for a Kommo-o to enter, leading along a Grovyle in a First-Rank scarf. The Grass-Type seemed visibly on edge, and her eyes darted around as the Board's members studied her, not least of all Zorn as his eyes narrowed in recognition.

"You again!" the Gyarados growled. "I thought that I had you reassigned three weeks ago!"

Salvini visibly froze up at the sight of the glowering Gyarados and began to backpedal, only for Sorge to step in and block her off from behind with a claw firmly clamped onto her shoulder.

"Yes, and based on what she had to tell us, it appears that you owe her an apology, Administrator Zorn," Sorge replied. "Our understanding was that she was gagged and never had a chance to properly testify at her trial. As such, there were some pertinent details about what happened on the night of her arrest that she wasn't able to tell."

Everyone's attention fell on Salvini, which seemed to visibly worsen her anxious mood. She tensed up as Sorge nudged her forward, prompting her to move towards the table. Olivia stepped aside as Salvini neared and took her place besides Zelle. The Sylveon briefly glanced at the newly-arrived witness before motioning out to the others present.

"Go on, Salvini," Zelle insisted. "Tell everyone what really happened on your last night as a guard on Mengir, when you were posted to keep watch over those prisoners in the Medic's Hut."

Salvini breathed in and out tensely, pawing at her arm nervously as she closed her eyes and sucked in a sharp breath.

"Well… it all started when Darzin came by the Medic's Hut earlier that day. He was pestering the Captain of the Guards over the prisoners we'd taken," Salvini began. "He was very pushy and demanded to be let in, but when my superior asked why Administrator Zorn hadn't briefed him about them, he suddenly left."

She carefully studied the others' reactions around the table, and aside from Darzin visibly looking stiff and tense, everything seemed to be reacting as expected.

"At the time, my teammates and I just shrugged it off, since we assumed Administrator Zorn had his reasons for not briefing Darzin," Salvini explained. "Later that night, there was a commotion inside Lugia's room. I went in to check up on the prisoners, when Darzin suddenly entered the room after me. He said that he planned to take Lugia into custody, and when I refused to hand him over, he immediately attacked me."

From his stone seat, Darzin tightened his claws up into each other and flashed the fangs in his mouth, when he abruptly stood up and shot Inler a scowl.

"Inler, this is a bunch of nonsense," he said. "We're not hear to listen to some random First-Rank make up stories-"

"We'll be the judge of that, Darzin," the Nidoking harrumphed. "Please, do go on, Grovyle."

Salvini briefly noted the Dragonite's bared teeth and began to shrink back, before glancing at Sorge and Zelle, and continuing on shakily.

"That wasn't the worst of it, either," the Grovyle said. "I didn't think anything of it at the time, but I remembered seeing him the day before that near the harbor. He was talking with a suspicious-looking Clawitzer, and-"

"Oh, that does it!"

Before Salvini could finish her words, she saw a brilliant, blue pulse of dragonfire sailing towards her head. She yelped and dove out of the way, narrowly dodging the attack. The Grovyle looked up to see the rest of the Board staring incredulously at Darzin as he got up and flew from his seat towards her, his face contorted in rage as fire wreathed his right arm.

"You miserable, lying-!"

A sudden icy ray came in and struck the carpal joint of Darzin's right wing, sending him crashing to the ground as his Fire Punch sputtered out. Salvini panted as the Dragonite tried to right himself and locked eyes with her, when she noticed Inler had gotten up from his seat. The Nidoking charged in with his head held low, with orange light wreathing the Nidoking's horn as he closed the gap with Darzin.

SPLUTCH!

Darzin bellowed in pain as the Nidoking drove his horn into the Dragon-Type's back and the light around it spun in a spiraling swirl. Inler pulled his horn back as the light dissipated, leaving Darzin to slump over as blood oozed out onto the floor. Inler looked down as Darzin lay on the floor whimpering in pain, before turning his head aside with a disgusted huff.

"I've seen enough," he spat. "Guards! Arrest this traitorous wretch at once!"

The doors suddenly flew open as a group of honor guards led by an Empoleon rushed in, their cloth and mail rattling as they descended on the Dragonite. In what seemed like the twinkling of an eye, they pulled Darzin's arms behind his back and bound them before hastily muzzling his snout with rope. Salvini couldn't help but wince at the guards' handling as they began to drag off the Dragonite, and Zelle idly waved a feeler after him.

"Have fun on Nagrobek," she jeered. "If you live past the night, that is."

Salvini quietly flinched at the Sylveon's remark when halfway to the door, Darzin suddenly came to. Darzin thrashed in a panic and broke free of his captors as he turned and fell back into the Board's meeting chamber onto his belly with wide, frantic eyes.

"W-Wait! I admit that I did try to capture Lugia!" he cried. "But I really didn't have anything to do with Lyn's-!"

"Shut up!"

A sharp bellow filled the room as an Ice Beam sailed along and struck Darzin between his eyes. The Dragonite slumped over and crumpled to the floor. Lyn glared at the unconscious Dragonite with seething breaths as Salvini looked on from the ground, watching as the guards returned and dragged Darzin off, this time without any resistance.

Salvini trembled and shakily breathed in and out. She started to get back onto her feet, when she heard footsteps and saw a violet, clawed hand suddenly fill her vision. Salvini froze and glanced up, where there was Director Inler looking down at her.

"That was certainly brave of you, Grovyle. Thank you for coming forward."

The Grovyle blinked in disbelief, before accepting the Nidoking's hand as he helped her onto her feet. Inler waited for her to regain her footing, before turning and looking over towards Zorn with an unamused frown.

"And I believe that you have some work to do smoothing this over, Administrator Zorn."

The Gyarados cringed and seemed to all but sink into the water with a visibly flustered expression. He glanced off at Salvini, and then back at his Nidoking superior before lowering his head with a rumbling sigh.

"I… will see what I can do there, Director," he replied. "Though my sincerest apologies for all the trouble you've been through, Grovyle."

Salvini tried to steady her breaths as Zelle walked up alongside her and placed a feeler on her shoulder, before giving a wave at Zorn.

"I'm sure that it's nothing that you two can't put behind you with a bit of time," the Sylveon insisted. "Though, I'll see Salvini out right now, since I imagine that you'll want to discuss how to best handle these developments."

Zelle shepherded Salvini off for exit, where the honor guards posted inside opened the doors for them to leave. They creaked shut with a loud thump as silence returned to the Board's table. Farn was the first to speak up after staring back at Darzin's now-emptied seat, before she put a paw over her face and let out a muttering sigh.

"Well this is going to be fun to explain to the public," the Luxray grumbled. "Though what are we supposed to do with a full vacancy at the moment?"

"Nothing for now," Inler replied. "We will be delaying the vote to fill Darzin's seat for a couple days. It's my understanding that we may have a uniquely qualified candidate to fill it by then."

The Nidoking turned over towards Lyn with a knowing look. The Samurott gave a quiet nod back in reply, as a determined smile spread at the ends of his muzzle.

"Understood, Director," Lyn said. "I don't intend to disappoint you."

"Good. Then this meeting is adjourned."

One after the other, the remaining Administrators left their seats and began to drift off. Zorn made his way for the aqueduct that connected with the Boardroom, while Farn and Elilan made their way for the door. Along the way, Elilan traded glances with Sorge, prompting the Kommo-o to make his way over towards Lyn as the Samurott also headed for the exit. Sorge remained quiet as he walked past, when Lyn perked his head up and called out to him.

"Sorge."

Sorge stopped and turned as Lyn drew forward, the Samurott lowering his head with a grateful bow.

"Thank you for your help with that investigation of yours," he said. "I don't know what I'd have done if Darzin were there to just sabotage me the moment I came back into port."

There was a small pause, when a small smile came over the Kommo-o's face as he tugged and adjusted his scarf.

"We just did what we hoped anyone in the Company would after coming across something like that, really," he said. "Though glad we could help you, Lyn."

Sorge studied Lyn carefully to gauge his reaction, as the Samurott extended a paw towards his Dragon-Type peer.

"If there's anything that I can do to repay the favor, just let me know."

Sorge's smile widened slightly, before taking Lyn's paw and shaking it.

"I really appreciate that, Lyn. Even if for now you should just focus on your mission. The Company's future depends on it, after all," the Dragon-Type insisted. "If you need any extra help with it, just let me know. My team and I have plenty of time to help out now that-"

"As kind of an offer as that is of you, Head Agent Sorge, I'm afraid I can't allow you onto Commissioner Lyn's mission."

Sorge caught himself as Inler's voice cut in. He turned and saw Inler approaching him alongside Olivia, with a stern frown etched over his face. Lyn blinked and gave a befuddled tilt of his head back, as Sorge and even Olivia seemed to be surprised by the Nidoking's intervention.

"Director Inler? What's the matter?" Lyn asked. "Sorge and I happen to be old friends. I certainly don't have any doubts as to his ability to-"

"I understand that, but I'm afraid that the Intelligence Division has need of Head Agent Sorge's skills closer to home," Inler insisted. "After all, spies rarely operate alone, and there will need to be additional work put into investigating whether Darzin was part of a broader network and what other parts of the Company they may have penetrated."

Sorge stared at Inler as the Nidoking replied in kind. There was a moment of tense silence between the two that started to drag on, long enough that Lyn thought of speaking up to interject… only for Sorge to break the silence with a grudging sigh.

"I'm afraid he's right there, Lyn," Sorge said. "Sorry I can't help you out this time, though best of luck out there with the Protector."

Lyn nodded back at Sorge, before the Kommo-o turned and took his leave. Lyn watched as the Dragon-Type exited the chamber, before a quiet thump turned his attention back to Inler, whose serious expression softened ever-so-slightly.

"I should hope that 'luck' won't be the decisive factor for you," the Nidoking said. "After all, your seat on the Board is waiting for you, Administrator Lyn."

Lyn briefly perked up as a smirk spread over his muzzle, before leaving the room himself. As the Samurott drifted out into the hallway, Inler and Olivia lingered by the table, the Nidoking of the pair turning and glancing out the window as he drifted off in thought.

Everything had played out much as Olivia had informed him, but even so, something about it felt amiss. He wasn't terribly shocked that Darzin would be plotting against the Company, but all the evidence and testimony came together rather quickly. Much quicker than what he'd have expected for a spy embedded in his own circle of Administrators.

And there was something about Darzin's desperate attempt at the end to speak up that didn't seem quite right. It was strange, but something about it just felt strangely earnest. And then there were of course the briefings Olivia had given him after he'd asked her to watch over the other Board members. In particular the one that mentioned that Sorge's team had been visiting Elilan's house.

Perhaps he was just overthinking things, but…

"… Director, is something the matter?"

Inler glanced back to see Olivia looking at him with a worried tilt of her head. The Nidoking paused for a moment, before shaking his head.

"No, it's nothing," Inler said, waving the matter off. "I'm just a bit surprised by everything that we've learned today."

---

Salvini had hoped that the churning feeling in her stomach would pass after Zelle took her out of the Board's meeting room and into the hallway around the corner, but it stubbornly remained gnawing at her. Every second that passed felt like a small eternity, and when she attempted to slink away, the Sylveon cut her off and prevented her from leaving.

She didn't know why on earth Zelle still wanted her around, but she was starting to get a bad feeling about it.

"Look, you already got what you wanted from me," Salvini insisted. "So shouldn't it be fine for me to-?"

Salvini trailed off after feeling a sharp tug at her arm. She glanced over, and saw Zelle was holding onto her firmly with a feeler and quirking her brow.

"Why are you in such a rush?" the Sylveon scoffed. "Just be patient for a little bit. This will all be over before you know it."

Salvini's breaths came short and tense as her heart pounded in her chest. She didn't like the way that Zelle had mentioned things would be "over before you know it". Had she stopped being useful to her and the rest of the Intelligence Division? Wh-What was Zelle going to do with her?

They'd gotten her involved in serious crimes to get Darzin arrested. Would they really just let her go after everything?

Salvini all but jumped up in place after heavy footsteps rounded the corner. A quick glance up revealed it to be Sorge, whose face was fixed into a sharp frown as he turned his attention over to Zelle.

"We didn't get the spot," he said.

A flash of disappointment came over the Sylveon's face, one which couldn't help but make Salvini hesitate. 'Get the spot'? What on earth was that all about?

"But it's fine, we can still work with this outcome," the Kommo-o insisted. "We'll talk more about it later."

"… Fair enough," the Sylveon sighed. "After all, it wouldn't do any good to keep our little companion here waiting."

… She was in trouble, Salvini already knew it. The Grovyle quietly began to back away before turning around, only to feel a strong claw firmly clamping down on her shoulder. Salvini cringed and pulled her tails in tight against her body as she looked up and saw Sorge sharply scowling down from behind her.

"We're going," he grunted. "Come on."

Salvini gulped and tried to shrink away as the Kommo-o pushed her along. The hallways went by in a blur as Sorge and Zelle led her down a flight of stairs while Salvini's mind raced in a panic. Why did the two look so displeased? Hadn't they gotten Darzin arrested like they wanted? What on earth could they still need her for at the moment?

… Unless Sorge and Zelle's lack of use for her was the entire reason why they were still keeping her around.

The Grovyle snapped back to attention after seeing sunlight filter into her eyes, and noticed they were approaching a skyway towards the outer ring of offices. She needed to get away from these two, but how? It was a bit desperate, but they weren't that high up right now, and if there was a window that opened up above one of the canals-

"Something wrong? I'd have expected you two to be in a better mood right now."

Sorge and Zelle looked down the hallway and saw the form of a Noivern walking up to them, the one and the same that Salvini had seen chasing Kiran and the others near the Academy last week. Her mouth flopped open in fright and the color drained from her face as she pointed at Aldrich, her words coming out in a shaken stammer.

"H-Huh?! You're from the Intelligence Division, too?!"

Aldrich turned his head and met his eyes with Salvini's. They narrowed with a brief flash of annoyance, before the Noivern scoffed and spoke up.

"You're still here?" he asked. "I'm surprised that Sorge and Zelle haven't gotten rid of you yet."

Salvini's breaths came quicker and quicker as it dawned on her that Zelle and the others surely had no intention of letting her leave alive. The leaves on her arms folded in on each other into blades and she hopped back, flashing them as she fought against her nerves to brace for battle.

"L-Like hell you're getting rid of me!" Salvini spat. "You stay away from-!"

Before the Grovyle could finish her words, Zelle suddenly lunged at her and knocked Salvini onto her side. A weight suddenly pinned her to the ground on her stomach and the next thing she knew, she felt her arms getting wrenched behind her back and a feeler clamp down over her snout.

Zelle was there standing on her back, scowling down at her from above.

Salvini thrashed desperately and tried to scream for help, only to feel the feelers tighten to the point where she started to hear the bones in her arms creak. Both Sorge and Aldrich approached with claws drawn, only to stop and hesitate as Zelle glanced up at them.

"I think she can be dealt with quietly. Give me a moment to settle things with her," she insisted. "I'll catch up with you two later."

The Kommo-o and Noivern paused before turning and heading off. Salvini panted, as she felt her body get dragged along towards a door in the hallway. All the while, she frantically kicked and tried to dig her feet against the ground, only to see the door's threshold pass and suddenly get shoved to the ground.

Salvini lay there panting and pawing at her snout as the door slammed shut and the light abruptly darkened. She looked up and briefly saw that she was in an empty meeting room with a table and a set of chairs left ajar, when she turned just in time to see Zelle facing her. The Grovyle frantically tried to ready a Leaf Blade, only to strike her arm against one of the chairs and pull it back as a sharp pain shot through it. She flinched and screwed her eyes shut, bracing for the blow that would claim her life.

"Not sure what's gotten into you all of a sudden," Zelle said. "You did well in there."

Salvini cracked her eyes open and saw Zelle had stopped a few paces away and was seated with a calm, innocent smile. The Grovyle sucked in hoarse breaths and frantically stumbled back onto her feet, backing away as she held her Leaf Blades out at the ready and stared the Fairy-Type down.

"Who- Who are you really?" Salvini demanded.

"As I told you earlier, someone who's looking out for the Company's best interests," Zelle answered, her fangs briefly poking out past her smile. "That includes keeping tabs on what becomes of that Protector you torched your old job over."

Salvini's eyes widened at the Sylveon's reply. 'That Protector you torched your old job over'? Then, that meant…

"Y-You're trying to get him too, aren't you?!"

"Of course. It'd be such a shame for a useful tool like him to wind up in the wrong paws," Zelle tsked. "Thanks to you, you've helped make our lives easier in ensuring that scenario doesn't come to pass."

Salvini lunged ahead and swung a blade at the Sylveon's head, when the tip of her blade suddenly stopped and an unseen force abruptly pulled her back. She tried to thrash and break free as the force tugged at her body and lifted her into the air wreathed in blue light. She looked down and saw Zelle's eyes were aglow, narrowed into a sharp glare.

"Seriously, knock that off, Grovyle," she growled. "It was cute the first time you thought you stood a chance fighting against me, but this is getting annoying."

The force abruptly cut out, leaving Salvini to hit the ground on her belly with a thump. She panted and got back up as a sinking realization came over her: Zelle was toying with her. She grit her teeth in reply, and tried to fight back the tremors in her body with a glare of her own.

"Why don't you just go and finish me off, then?!" Salvini hissed. "What's the point of dragging me around and messing with me like this?!"

"To make sure you don't do anything stupid," Zelle said. "Getting rid of you would be more inconvenient for us, so I'd rather avoid that if possible."

Salvini stared back blankly as Zelle turned aside, idly brushing a feeler against her own chest as a knowing smirk came over her face.

"After all, what would others think if the witness who helped capture a Company Administrator spying on behalf of the Imps just mysteriously vanished within days afterwards?" the Sylveon asked. "I doubt the Director or Administrators will disclose too much about what happened in that room to the public, but it would certainly raise questions internally."

There was a moment of silence between the two as Salvini balled up her claws. She wanted to say that this wasn't the end of things, that Zelle and the others wouldn't get away with whatever they were up to, but it all just felt hollow. Even if she told anyone that she'd been coerced into giving her testimony, she didn't have any proof that would incriminate Zelle or the others. And if Zelle let them know what really happened on Mengir, she'd be imprisoned at best as a result. There was nothing to keep Zelle and her teammates from making good on their threats to her or her friends, and nothing she could do to stop whatever they were planning for Pleo. Why, she couldn't even land a solid hit on the 'mon just a moment ago!

She felt like she was tied up in front of Administrator Zorn all over again. Small, alone, and completely helpless to change anything.

"So then, are you really going to go and admit to perjuring yourself in front of the Board? Or are you going to do the smart thing and stay quiet?"

Salvini snapped to attention after hearing Zelle's voice. She looked up and saw the Sylveon staring at her. The Grovyle lowered her eyes—she hated giving this creep the satisfaction of getting her way, but the more she thought about it, for her and her own friends' sake, it seemed like there was really only one option for her to choose right now…

"I'll stay quiet," she muttered.

"Good. The new positions for you and your friends on Mengir have already been lined up, by the way," Zelle added. "You should expect to receive a summons for them within a day or so."

Zelle got up and stepped out of the meeting room, passing its threshold when she turned her head back with an outwardly friendly smile, as if nothing had happened.

"Pleasure doing business with you," she said. "And do try to put this whole mess behind you after returning to Mengir. It'll be better for everyone involved."

The Sylveon's fake smile lingered briefly, before she narrowed her eyes and flashed her teeth with a quiet hiss.

"Especially for your friends."

Zelle turned away and walked off. All the while, Salvini hung back as she continued to tremble and stare ahead blankly. H-How on earth had this all happened? She got her old life back on Mengir like she wanted, but at what cost? She'd never meant to put Pleo and the others in danger again!

As the enormity of the situation sank in for her, she raised her claws, clutching her head as her eyes drifted towards the floor.

"What- What have I done?"

---

After re-entering the audience chamber of the Elders' Hall, Nina and the rest of the Elders made their way back to their raised table at the far end of the room. Much to Team Traveller's surprise, the table in spite of its solid construction could be moved around, as the Elders pulled it back and rearranged the seats before beckoning everyone to gather around.

Pleo and his teammates weren't sure what to make of the gathering until they saw Robbie unfurling papers onto the table with lines and square-like shapes on them. As the Krookodile lined them up with each other, it suddenly dawned on them that they were looking at different maps of Starpeak Square and the surrounding parts of Gestirn Island. Crom looked on with an incredulous blink as Robbie went around and craned down to inspect the maps, occasionally stopping to add a marking here or there with a quill and inkpot. They looked quite detailed, much more than the Druddigon had been expecting for something Robbie barely would have had a day to work on.

"I'm surprised that Robbie already has a plan," Crom murmured.

"He has been camping out in the hinterlands with his guards for the past day," Dimitri said. "I don't know how good his strategy is, but he at least had time to think it over."

Robbie made a few final marks with his quill on the maps before stepping away. Nina and the other Elders drew near and glanced down at them and the various lines and circles on it briefly, when the Marked Typhlosion turned her head up and folded her arms with a skeptical frown.

"So, what exactly is your strategy for driving these pirates out?" Nina demanded. "And why should we trust it instead of trying to come up with one of our own?"

"Because I'm Starpeak Square's Sheriff," the Krookodile scoffed back. "It's part of my job to know the town inside-out along with the best places to defend it. Are you really telling me that you can do a better job when you've been hiding inside a Mystery Dungeon all this time?"

The Elders quietly frowned but otherwise held their tongues, only for Ander to hesitate and warily speak up.

"Are we even in a position to start planning, though?" he asked. "Since the Elders don't know the full story about what's going on yet."

"What do you mean by that, Scyther?" Roderic asked.

"We found out earlier that the Company organized this raid after interrogating a pair of Company underlings among the pirates," Ander explained. "These pirates specifically came because of them."

The gathering suddenly fell deathly silent as flashes of surprise crossed the Elders' faces. Siana furrowed her brow, before shooting Robbie a skeptical glance.

"Is this true?" the Espeon demanded. "If so, how can we be so sure that we'll just be facing pirates out there?"

"I had a feeling that they were involved, but it doesn't change anything. From the way the raid played out, the Company clearly wants to be able to maintain plausible deniability about their involvement," the Krookodile insisted. "If they didn't, wouldn't they have sent more than two of their Pokémon to try and capture the Protector they're after?"

The Elders remained silent in reply, and now that Crom thought about it, Robbie did raise a good point. It wasn't the first time they'd seen Lyn abandon underlings that were inconvenient for him, but it was a lot easier to dismiss a couple getting captured than entire squads. And if Lyn didn't trust the pirates to do the hard work of catching Pleo, there were surely better fighters on his crew than those two.

The others seemed to piece together the same realization, as Robbie shook his head and turned his attention back to the map.

"That's what makes me confident we're just going to face pirates out there," the Krookodile explained. "And I've got a pretty good idea of how we can deal with them."

Robbie craned down and traced a claw along the map, before stopping it at a long, block-like structure a little ways in from the harbor.

"In Starpeak Square there's two main positions that our defenses are normally anchored around," the Krookodile began. "The first is the local garrison, which has obviously been overrun since those pirates control the entire town right now…"

Robbie moved his claw inland towards a sketch of the walls of some sort of fort. He briefly traced around the lines of the outer wall, before raising his claw and bringing it down on a central building with a firm poke.

"And the other is the Duke's castle. We know based on conversations we overheard from some of those captured pirates' badges that their comrades are using it as a working headquarters," he concluded. "As such, both structures, along with the pirates' ships, will be our primary targets."

There was a moment of quiet contemplation as Nina and the other Elders crowded around the map and studied the markings closely. Ramon eyed the drawing of the castle and its fortifications closely, before tilting his head with a quirk of his brow.

"… Why their ships?" the Spidops asked. "If the pirates are trapped here, they'll have to be fought to be subdued. Wouldn't it be easier and less risky to chase them off the island?"

"It would, but that's unfortunately not an option for us," Ander said, shaking his head. "We need the Ledger back, remember? If the pirates get away with it, it'll be almost as bad as us losing outright."

"And after the last two days of humiliation, I'm frankly not interested in just letting those filthy raiders turn tail. Never was the type to let a Backpfeifengesicht go without a smack if I could help it," Robbie scoffed. "Besides, if we can bog them down and keep them penned up, time will be on our side. The Royal Navy should eventually be able to catch up with us and help finish off anyone who's still standing."

Crom and his teammates sucked in a breath with a quiet grimace. That definitely wasn't going to make their lives any easier. Why, if this battle drug on too long, the navy might arrive before they got the Ledger back!

The Druddigon quietly pinched his brow when he noticed Robbie was staring at them with a suspicious glint in his eyes.

"Though what on earth is in that ledger of yours, anyways?" the Krookodile asked. "You're acting like that book's some sort of state secret."

The Elders fell dead silent and gave stony expressions in reply, with Nina glancing off at Crom and his teammates from the corner of her eyes. It… wasn't exactly the smartest idea to just blurt out loud what was in the Ledger, and from their expressions, the Elders knew it. Still, they had to tell Robbie something…

"We don't fully know ourselves," Crom explained. "Just that the Company is treating whatever's inside of it as something that's dangerous to them."

It technically wasn't a lie, but much to Crom's unease, it didn't seem to dislodge that suspicious look on Robbie's face. Nina noticed it herself and briefly let fire flicker from her vents, turning the Krookodile's attention towards her with a sharp harrumph.

"… Alright, you've made a decent enough argument, but even with our help, there will be three targets to deal with at once," Nina said. "The amount of fighters we can muster isn't that large, so how do you propose that we pull this off?"

"By knocking those pirates off-balance before they know what hit 'em, and keeping them trapped in places where we can take our time mopping them up," Robbie insisted. "One team will hit the garrison, since if we break through there, we'd also solve some of your 'monpower worries. I'm sure the Pokémon the pirates are keeping locked up in there won't need a lot of pep talking to help us take the town back. With a bit of luck, we might even get some supplies if the pirates haven't already stripped the armory bare."

Crom paused and glanced down uneasily at the sketch of the garrison. He knew that in the grand scheme of things, the garrison wasn't all that big since there were only three floors, but just from what he could see on the sketch, there were a lot of rooms inside that would need to be checked. What would keep the pirates from moving Nida and the others around?

… Or even from going outside entirely? A disquieting realization came over the Druddigon, before he warily glanced back at Robbie and Nina.

"I wouldn't hold your breath on getting those supplies, Krookodile," Nina explained. "One of the pirates our defenders interrogated revealed that they were holding Lugia's companions captive inside of that armory."

Robbie briefly stiffened up before giving a puzzled blink

"I mean, I suppose I can see how it could be used as a cell, even if I'm not sure how much stock we should be putting into pirates' words," the Krookodile murmured. "But at the very least, it won't be hard to find the armory and see how true that lead is. It's on the second floor over here: close to the center of the garrison."

Robbie moved his claw over to a set of sketches of the garrison's floors and hovered over a prominent chamber near the center. Aside from it being on the floor above, it didn't look that far away from where the cell block was, except if there were pirates inside, they'd likely have to fight for every step forward. Pleo looked back up at the Krookodile Sheriff as he uneasily shifted his wings.

"O… kay, so we obviously need to free our friends and the Pokémon in the other cells at about the same time," he said. "But how do we deal with all the pirates that would be in there?"

"By trying to lure them outside and sneaking you in afterwards," Robbie replied. "The pirates can't bog you down inside the garrison if they're busy fighting outside."

Pleo tilted his head. He supposed that that made sense, except this was just one location. And Starpeak Square was an entire village.

"Wait, but won't the pirates be all over town right now?" he asked. "What do we do about them?"

"Take them out when they're scattered, or better yet, get them to come to us on our own terms. After taking the garrison, the pirates will be forced to try and deal with us in a place where we're dug in with reinforcements," Robbie explained. "It's a lot easier to mop up small bands of pirates trying to hide in shops or alleyways from there, especially if the villagers start rallying to us. If we can cut them off from their supplies and their own reinforcements, fighting in the village proper becomes a game of numbers on disadvantageous territory that those pirates can't win."

The Krookodile turned his attention back to the map and moved his claw off to a patch of blue hemming the town in from the north with lines jutting off into it: the piers of the town's harbor.

"That's why we also want to hit the harbor at the same time. We were able to raise some swimmers to help, so while the teams dispatched to the garrison are doing their thing, those of us who are more aquatic work with them to go after those pirates' ships," he insisted. "The hard part will simply be getting close enough to line up shots on their hulls and sails, but those pirates being spread thin should make that a bit easier. It's also close enough that if the garrison is taken before it, that the teams there can come over as reinforcements while we rally the villagers to help us."

Uneasy murmurings started to go about the gathering, with a couple Pokémon audibly musing to themselves about how the strategy seemed to make sense. Both the guards with Robbie and the local Marked, much to Guardia's surprise. Even so, Guardia just couldn't help but notice that even though the castle was closer to them on the map, that Robbie had avoided talking about it so far…

The Cubone tugged at her helmet briefly, before glancing up with a wary tilt of her head.

"Didn't you mention earlier that the Duke's castle also needed to be attacked?" Guardia asked. "It's the closest of your three targets to us, how come you didn't talk about it before these other two?"

"Because it's the hardest of the three that we need to worry about."

A grave expression came over the Krookodile's face as he moved his claw back to the castle, carefully tracing it from one sketch to the next as he spoke in a low, serious tone.

"There's a moat, two curtain walls deliberately smoothed out to prevent easy scaling, and enough cannons placed around it to sink a fleet of ships. The place is our town's citadel, so it's built to be a pain to overrun."

"… Wait, but then how'd the pirates capture it in the first place anyways?" Guardia asked.

Robbie brought his arm back to his side, and let his eyes drift towards the ground with a tired sigh.

"Its defenders surrendered," he murmured. "After the Duke and Dutchess were captured in town after leaving the Courthouse, the pirates demanded their surrender in return for their lives."

A quiet chill came over Team Traveller's members before Trizano gave an uncomfortable ruffle of his wings. Even if it must've surely been disappointing for the defenders to just yield like that, he wasn't sure if he could blame them…

"Well, they certainly upheld their duty to the Duke and Duchess as guards, at least," the Skarmory said.

"Maybe, but it's a moot point since we're going to have to deal with the pirates they surrendered to," Robbie grunted. "The castle's all but guaranteed to be the best-defended of the positions among the pirates if it's their working headquarters, and it's almost certainly where they'd keep that Ledger if it's anywhere as important as you're making it out to be."

Trizano stiffened up at Robbie's reply, and so did just about everyone else in the room. Nervous whispers started floating about over the idea of having to fight their way past a castle of all places, and even some of Robbie's underlings couldn't hide visible flashes of anxiety on their faces. Ander tapped his scythes briefly, before turning back to the Krookodile with a wary frown.

"Wait, but then how are we supposed to take over the castle if it's so well defended?" Ander pressed.

"We aren't. Especially not with how well-built it is," Robbie clarified. "But that was never my plan."

Robbie moved his claw towards the castle's outmost wall and stopped it in front of one of its gates, before he lifted his claw and repeated the process on a second gate on the opposite side.

"It was to set up chokepoints right outside the gates so that way we could just keep those pirates bottled up inside the castle and ambush anyone that tried to leave it," he explained. "If we do that, it'll keep them from sending reinforcements to town or fleeing Gestirn. From there, it's just a matter of running the clock out on them until the navy arrives and those pirates are forced to choose between surrendering or being bulldozed by superior numbers and armaments."

Pleo grimaced and visibly set his teeth on edge. This strategy wouldn't work for them at all! The moment that the navy arrived, they would surely try to capture him and they'd be in no position to fight all of them off!

Their plan to get the Company and Empire to stop chasing after him and the other Protectors of Anyilla hinged on the volumes of the Knights' Ledger, including the one inside the castle. Even if they had some way of sneaking away after the Imperials came, what good would it do if they lost the Ledger in the process?

"B-But we can't risk the Ledger getting damaged like that!" Pleo protested. "If it's inside while the castle's getting stormed, all it'd take is a stray attack to destroy it forever!"

The Lugia glanced at his teammates who looked about as on-edge as him while Robbie appeared to be at a loss for words. Dimitri stopped and brought the back of his wrist up to his mouth for a moment, before turning to the Krookodile with a worried glance.

"Don't we have any way of getting the Ledger out before the castle gets stormed?" the Kabutops asked.

Robbie crossed his arms and turned his gaze to the ground, visibly pondering for a moment, before turning his head back to the Kabutops.

"… It'd be risky, but we could try dropping in a small team that you could tag along with to get in and get out," he offered. "We do have teleporters to work with…"

… It was something at least, even if Dimitri wasn't sure how on earth that was going to work out. Robbie didn't look like he was fully sure how he'd manage himself, and shook his head in reply with a low grunt.

"But it doesn't make sense to be getting ahead of ourselves like that," the Krookodile said. "If we can't pin the pirates in Duke Franz's castle down to begin with, we won't be in any position to consider mounting hit-and-run raids of any sort."

It was hard to argue Robbie's point, even if it didn't make Dimitri or anyone else from Team Traveller feel any better about it. Travellers above, they were going to be cutting things close even if everything went to plan. Why, by the time they got ahold of the Ledger, they'd likely need Kelly's help to teleport to safety again.

Dimitri sucked in a breath and quietly grit his teeth. He supposed it really didn't make sense to worry about getting the Knights' Ledger and escaping too much just yet. A lot depended on how those earlier fights they had to get through would turn out, so it probably didn't make sense to make plans that could be swept out from underneath them.

Though even so, there were still some lingering questions that he couldn't shake. And judging from Margi's expression a little ways down the table, he likely wasn't the only one who had them…

"And how are we supposed to pull this off without getting spotted again?" the Hydreigon demanded. "The garrison and harbor aren't exactly at the edges of Starpeak Square. How would any of us get all the way there without immediately alerting all of the pirates in town?"

"Simple," Robbie replied. "Every defense has its weak points, and we'd be turning them to our advantage."

The Krookodile stooped and rooted through the bag by his foot and took out a folded-up piece of paper. He unfurled it and revealed that it was a roughly sketched map of the town, just in more detail with the streets and different landmarks noted more clearly. There were sketched arrows on the map at the outskirts of Starpeak Square that marked several lanes leading into town, which Robbie pointed out to his audience.

"Normally, those weak points are the places that me and my peers would try and cover with extra patrols. A bunch of pirates that just sailed in yesterday wouldn't know how to deal with them as well as we do," he explained. "Even if they found out about them, they've likely spread themselves thin even before the losses they took today if they've been sending teams to go prowling the hinterlands looking for your Protector friend there."

Robbie pointed off at Pleo as everyone looked at him… and then back at the Krookodile. Ander shuffled in place with a dubious murmur. It wasn't that Robbie's train of thought didn't make sense, but…

"That… feels rather presumptuous given how badly these pirates already caught you and your underlings off guard," Ander muttered. "Since even if there aren't many pirates at those specific approaches to get in, nothing keeps more from coming as reinforcements."

"And we still don't have a solid idea of just how strong those remaining pirates are," Siana harrumphed. "Krookodile, you can't expect us to risk our fighters' hides just marching in blindly."

Robbie folded his arms in reply to the Marked Espeon and let out an unimpressed huff in reply.

"That's why we'll be sending scouts to get a feel for what's coming at us as we make our way in," Robbie retorted. "Naturally, we'd also be striking at a time when said reinforcements are least likely to respond: tonight, during witching hour."

Nina paused and blinked, as she and her fellow Elders traded skeptical looks with one another.

"Wait, you're expecting us to support you with less than half a day to prepare?" Roderic asked.

"Yes, because the longer we wait, the harder things will get for dealing with those pirates."

Robbie batted his tail back and forth impatiently, before shooting a stern frown back across the table.

"Every hour we wait is another hour that those pirates will have time to recover," the Krookodile Sheriff explained. "I feel confident in taking a gamble on them still being off-balance enough for us to have the upper claw tonight, but they certainly won't be after a night to rest and prepare for our arrival."

"Also, the hour would be the most advantageous for us," Dimitri chimed in. "The pirates who'd still be awake and standing guard would be a skeleton crew made up of nocturnal Pokémon and anyone else they need to fill the gaps. Most crews don't have that many nocturnal underlings, so most of the pirates that would still be up at that hour will be groggy and not as alert as they'd normally be."

"Or drunk," Trizano added. "Considering the sorts of habits pirates tend to get into, I wouldn't be shocked if many of their numbers who aren't awake would wind up stumbling to their feet hungover. Hardly a state in which they'd be at their best while fighting."

Murmurs of agreement went around the table, as Crom brought a claw up to his mouth in thought. The more he thought about it, the more Robbie's idea of attacking the pirates tonight made sense. After all, they were in a race against time to get off the island along with Pleo, and the sooner they made their move, the better their odds were of successfully escaping from Gestirn with the Ledger before the Empire caught up with them. The Druddigon cast a glance off at Nina who brought a paw to her chin in thought, before nodding back at the Krookodile.

"I think that we've heard everything that we need to in that case. We'll see to it that word goes out to the local guards."

Crom looked on in quiet disbelief when he looked over at Robbie's end of the table. The Krookodile was glancing over the gathered group, with the ends of his mouth curled up in a small smile.

"Glad to hear," the Krookodile said. "I suggest you all rest up, then. We'll need our strength tonight."

Crom had to fight the urge to pinch himself to make sure he wasn't dreaming. They'd actually managed to convince everyone to work together, and they actually had a chance of making things right. Nina and the others headed off and the crowd around the table began to thin before the Druddigon let out a sigh of relief.

After everything that seemed to go wrong in the past few days, it was nice for things to finally be looking up.

---

Author's Notes:

- Fermicula - German: "Durant"
- Nani kore? (何これ?) - Japanese: Informal multiuse expression that can be rendered as "What's this?", "What's going on?", or "What the hell?". Can be considered impolite depending on context of use. (Hepburn Romanization)
- Backpfeifengesicht - German: Expression equivalent to "punchable face" or referring to someone with such a face.

 

[Spiteful Murkrow]

Much to Guardia's astonishment, the Marked that lived in these maze-like tunnels seemed to pass word onto each other almost as quickly as the Pokémon back in her colony did. Not even two hours later, she and Trizano were at the square Pleo and the others had first entered after coming through Starbreak Square's gates. The shops had been thoroughly ransacked and charred by the pirates, but even so, it was still crowded with Pokémon. They were all in lines to receive items being handed out by Marked, with theirs headed by a yellow Florges who stood in front of a small batch of chests—preparations for their counterattack on Starpeak Square later that night.

Guardia followed along after Trizano, and when their turn came, the Florges passed them a few berries, a Slumber Orb, a Petrify Wand, and a Sleep Seed, before ushering them out of the way of the next Pokémon in line. The Cubone and Skarmory moved on and stopped after finding a relatively quiet corner. Guardia slipped her items into a bag Trizano had been assigned, and drifted off in her thoughts amidst the flurry of activity in the background.

"Are you ready, Guardia?"

Guardia turned her head up and saw Trizano looking down at her. She hesitated and tightened her grip on her club, pawing at her shoulder as she averted her gaze.

"Not really, honestly. Even if I'm not usually one to slink away from a battle, I'll admit that part of me is worried that we're rushing into this since just fighting some of the pirates earlier was really hard," the Cubone admitted. "At least going and fighting the rest of them with a whole colony's worth of Pokémon helping us can't possibly be worse than having to fight them alone with just Dimitri…"

Guardia trailed off a moment when she realized that something about Trizano's demeanor felt… off. Usually he was eager and bombastic about getting a chance to be 'Trizano the Immortal', but he had been oddly quiet this whole time.

She turned her attention back up to him and noticed that he seemed tense and guarded. Was there something going on that she didn't know about?

"What about you, Trizano?"

The Skarmory paused, before turning his head away and visibly drooping.

"… I'm not sure myself, actually."

Guardia tilted her head and motioned up at the Skamory's head with her bone.

"Is it your eyes?" Guardia asked. "They're not still hurt are they?"

"No, no, they're fine," Trizano insisted. "Sharp as they were before Aldrich burned them…"

And now it was Trizano's turn to trail off and look visibly uneasy. Guardia blinked and walked up to the bird, tugging at his metallic feathers for attention.

"Trizano, is something wrong?" she asked. "You're acting differently from how you normally do."

The Skarmory remained silent for a moment, before shaking his head with a low sigh.

"It's just that… back on Vollezee, Kiran told me that I tend to take needless risks by charging off on my own during battle," he said. "And when I think about it… maybe he had a point. After all, if I hadn't stayed to fight Aldrich when we initially ran into him on Vollezee, then I'd never have gotten my eyes burned in the first place."

Trizano trailed off for a moment, before bringing a set of wingtips to his beak with a quiet murmur.

"I don't know, it just makes me wonder if I'm being too reckless and causing more problems than I'm solving…"

Guardia blinked and stared back at the Skarmory. She just expected Trizano to say something like that he was worried about the battle, but she certainly hadn't been expecting this sort of lack of confidence from him.

The Cubone shook her head. She didn't know whether or not she could really get to the root of his problems, but maybe there was something that she could do to knock some sense into him…

"I suppose Kiran wasn't wrong if he really told you that. But I think you're taking things a bit far, Trizano," Guardia insisted.

Trizano blinked and stared down at her incredulously, before he too, held his head at a puzzled tilt.

"What do you mean by that?"

"In order to get Pleo home, we all have to take risks from time to time," she explained. "Including ones that seem scary and daunting… like when I jumped from you to club that big Bossgodora back on Pioppo."

The Cubone trailed off and looked aside, pawing at her shoulder with her free hand.

"I didn't want to do it at first, and it was honestly pretty terrifying falling like that… but it helped us win, didn't it? And I wouldn't have been able to do that without you telling me that it'd be possible."

There was a brief moment of silence as the two each waited for the other to say something. Guardia fidgeted briefly, and seemed to audibly weigh the words in her mouth before she continued on.

"When I was living in my colony, the Pokémon we celebrated as heroes the most were the ones who were there for others when they were needed," the Cubone said. "Like in fights with fiends and invaders, or when someone was hurt or sick… kinda like how you were for me back on Pioppo."

She turned her head up, meeting Trizano's eyes as their cross-shaped pupils reflected in hers.

"Maybe Kiran's onto something about going and doing things off on your own, but you don't have to. By taking those risks together, we'll be able to better judge how we should handle things as they come, and help each other whenever things aren't going well," she said. "I don't know what it was you were taught being a hero was like, but sometimes, being one is just being there for others when they need you."

The Skarmory hesitated and drifted in his thoughts briefly. He supposed that Guardia's words had a certain logic to them. Their own friends were still being held captive by the pirates, and their hope of Pleo being able to live at peace back on his home island hinged on the parts of the Knights' Ledger that'd been stolen from them. Risky or not, it was hard to argue that they had a choice over whether or not to face down the pirates back in Starpeak Square…

He shook his head, before giving a faint smile back in reply.

"No, that's about the same as what I was taught, too."

A sharp cry snapped the pair to attention, as they saw Robbie standing in the center of the square. They noticed Pleo and Crom hurry over as Pokémon from the lines began to gather together in groups. A Raichu floating on his tail suddenly blipped in in a flash of light just afterwards: a sign that it was already time to set out for Starpeak Square.

"Right, we should get going ourselves," the Skarmory said. "Though, thanks for the talk, Guardia. It helped a bit."

She nodded back, before slinging her club across her shoulder with a small smile.

"Glad to hear. Let's just keep an eye out for each other out there."

---

Pleo looked up at the night sky just in time to spot a Traveller going behind the moon, as the gentle sound of wind gusting and nearby buildings settling made him stiffen up. A quick glance left and right reminded him that he was presently in a back alleyway close to the center of Starpeak Square, the product of a few hours spent creeping along from the forests. They'd split up into smaller groups as they neared the village, with Trizano having taken the lead of his group, who inched up to the mouth of their alleyway before motioning for a stop.

"Aspetta," the Skarmory said. "Up here should be good."

Pleo looked back at Crom and Guardia as they all gathered near Trizano's position. The young Lugia snuck a peek around the corner, where he saw a group of four pirates making their way down in a patrol: a Morgrem and a Tangela, along with a Drilbur and a Koffing.

Crom tugged at Pleo, prompting him to fall back behind a large wooden bin with his teammates. It didn't look like any of the four pirates had suspected anything, but even so, things had been eerily silent.

"Remind me, what's our sign to go again, Trizano?" Pleo asked.

Trizano peeked his head back around the corner, prompting Pleo to look after him, just in time to see a shadow emerge from an alley further down the street and drag the Tangela from the rear of the group into the dark. Pleo's heart skipped a beat, expecting the pirates to whirl around and notice their missing teammate, only for them to continue on unaware as Ander quietly darted across the street. The Lugia felt a prod at his wing and turned his head, where Trizano was motioning at him to stay low.

"That was it," Trizano whispered. "Just keep quiet while the pirates come by."

Pleo and the others nodded and followed suit, as Ander crept down the street after the pirates with his scythes tensed. The four held their breaths as the pirates trudged along past their alleyway's mouth. First the Koffing passed, then the Drilbur, but when the Morgrem tried to do the same Ander lunged out from behind him and threw the flat of one of his scythes over the Morgrem's mouth and the blade of the other under his throat.

"Nrk!"

The Mogrem thrashed as Ander pulled the pirate into their alley, before shoving the Fairy-Type to the ground on his stomach and pinning him down with a foot. Guardia rushed in and smashed her club down on the Mogrem's head, while Crom raked his claws against his upper back. Pleo readied yellowish rings in front of his beak, only to swiftly dispel them as Dimitri finished the pirate off with a hacking blow across the back of his head. There was a sharp yelp as the pirate went limp and Ander pulled his foot back. Everyone's breaths collectively stopped, prompting them to steal a glance beyond the corner, where the Koffing and Drilbur had paused and whirled around with a start.

"… Hey what the-? Where are the others?!" the Drilbur exclaimed. "They were right behind us a second ago!"

Pleo watched quietly as the Koffing looked around warily for a moment, when his breath froze. The Koffing bobbled forward, pointing straight at their alley's entrance.

"They must've noticed something in one of the alleyways," the Koffing answered. "Come on."

Guardia motioned at the others to hide as everyone dove behind whatever cover they could, the Cubone helping Crom drag the unconscious Morgrem along behind the dumpster. She brushed up against the side of the trash bin and froze as it made a soft thump. At once, the Drilbur and Koffing stood up at attention. The Drillbur sniffed at the air, only to narrow his eyes and flash his claws.

"Wait a minute! Someone's here!" the Drillbur growled. "I smell them-!"

A sudden shock of black feathers dove in with a fiery pulse of blue light, sending the Koffing crumpling to the ground. The Drilbur sprang back with a startled yelp and turned to flee, right as a flash of red and white scales cut him off. The Drilbur looked up just in time to see a Krookodile's jaws close in on his head and then snap shut. They lifted the pirate from the ground, the Drilbur thrashing and letting out muffled cries in the crocodile's grasp before fading and going limp. There was a moment of silence, before Robbie threw the Drilbur aside in a groaning heap, and entered the alleyway with an unamused frown.

"Tch, you and your friends should be more careful, Tragosso," the Krookodile harrumphed. "They could've alerted their buddies if we weren't there to deal with them."

The black figure got up from the fainted Koffing and revealed herself to be Margi, right as a Heliolisk and a Cetoddle popped around the corner, hurriedly dragging the Drilbur into the alleyway as the three set about binding and gagging the pirates they'd overpowered by a dumpster. Pleo couldn't help but be morbidly impressed at how fast the others were able to defeat the pirates and then tie them up afterwards. Pleo turned his attention back towards Robbie after hearing approaching footsteps, where the Krookodile had his arms folded with his face still set into an impatient frown.

"Remember that the plan is to pick off the pirates we come across quietly," Robbie chided. "Just because we're not far from the garrison right now doesn't mean that I want to fight the rest of the way over to it."

Guardia blinked and briefly hemmed and hawed, before giving a sheepish tug at her helmet.

"Right, sorry about that."

Pleo's ears pricked at the sound of a quiet thud, where the Cetoddle from Robbie's group was shoving the Koffing down into the dumpster, while Crom propped up the Mogrem along the edge before unceremoniously pushing the Fairy-Type over the edge. A little ways over, the Heliolisk was busy with the Tangela and drug him along, when the Grass-Type's eyes flickered and opened. At once, the Tangela thrashed, pulling the Heliolisk to the ground as the Tangela struggled to get up, only to be swiftly cut off by Margi swooping in and clamping down on the Grass-Type just below his eyes.

"Mrrk!"

Margi lifted the Tangela from the ground, making him freeze up as the Hydreigon leaned in and bared her fangs in his face.

"You either shut up, or I make you," Margi snarled. "Pick your poison, pirate."

The Tangela flinched and screwed his eyes shut, trembling in Margi's grasp with low whimpers. Margi shook her head with a low scoff, carrying the Grass-Type over to the dumpster before shoving him down on top of the other fainted pirates and looking down with a piercing glare.

"You chose wisely," the Hydreigon harrumphed. "Now, stay put."

Margi slammed the lid down on the dumpster before tipping it up against the wall. The Hydreigon dusted herself off as Crom heard muffled cries and pounding from inside.

He almost felt sorry for those pirates who were trapped inside. Almost.

"Come on, we should get going."

Crom turned and saw Ander motioning for him and the others to follow. Robbie and his group quickly headed off, leaving him and the rest of his teammates to follow after them in the street for a couple blocks, before reaching the shelter of a nearby alleyway. Crom leaned up against a wall and breathed in and out, when the sound of pattering footsteps rang out. The Druddigon froze briefly and looked further down the alleyway, where he saw other Pokémon sneaking past. Friendlies from their scarf patterns, thankfully.

"Things are going smoothly, at least," Crom murmured.

"Don't jinx it, Shardrago."

Crom blinked and looked up, where there was Robbie looking down at him sternly.

"Things won't stay this easy for long," the Sheriff said. "Remember that we're here to lure those pirates out of the garrison so that way you can get in. We're almost certainly going to wind up fighting them pretty soon."

A wave of quiet gulps went around Team Traveller's members, as Crom nervously pawed at the back of his neck. He knew that this moment was coming and that it was needed to free their friends, but even so, it was a bit hard to keep his nerves under control. What if their plans had gotten things wrong? What if the pirates were expecting them to sneak into the garrison? They'd beaten the pirates once, but that was against fewer of them and in a place where they had the advantage as defenders. Would the same really hold true now?

A sharp grunt snapped him back to attention as Robbie hurriedly went down to the other end of the alley and motioned for them to come near. Crom and his teammates hurried over as the Krookodile poked his head around the corner, before pulling it back and speaking up in a low voice.

"We should split up here to reduce our odds of getting spotted in a large group. Just stay on alert and try to get as close to the garrison as possible," Robbie insisted. "The more we catch the pirates that are holed up in there off-guard, the better our shot is at getting our friends out."

With that, the Krookodile and his underlings headed off out into the street while Margi and the others retraced their steps and went down the same direction from the other end. Team Traveller lingered in the alley briefly and glanced at both sides, Pleo and Dimitri traded uneasy looks with one another, as the little Lugia gave a worried tilt of his head.

"… Where are we supposed to go right now?" he asked.

"I think we should still be in the clear to head down this street a little further," Dimitri replied. "It's not well-lit and it looks like there's plenty of places to hide around it. We can move to the next street over on the right to try and spread ourselves out a bit more."

Pleo nodded back and set off along with his teammates as they took Robbie's exit out into the street, before ducking down another alley and heading further right. Their trek ahead went by smoothly, as the six crept along quietly under the glow of night sky.

… Too quietly.

The whole time, they hadn't overheard any other pirates patrolling. Or any dozing off, or drinking and gambling with one another for that matter. Pleo supposed that Robbie had said that this was the time when most of them were most likely to be asleep, but with so many pirates that had come to Starpeak Square, shouldn't they be seeing more of a sign of their presence still?

Pleo felt the flat of Dimitri's scythe press up against his chest as they rounded the corner and looked up. There was the garrison, just a couple blocks up ahead, with figures distantly visible moving around its base and lights winking in and out of its windows. Was that where all the pirates were…?

BOOM!

The entire group jolted up with a start at a deafening blast as shutters from nearby windows rattled. Pleo's eyes shrank to pins, as he sprang back and looked off towards where the noise had come from.

"A-Ah!"

There was a brief flash of fire, followed by a plume of smoke from the direction of the sea, which curled up into the night sky against the moon and stars. The Lugia breathed in and out tensely when he realized that something was wrong.

The blast had come from the harbor. Before any of them had managed to make it to the garrison.

"Wait! Th-That wasn't supposed to-!"

Crom swiftly threw a hand over Pleo's mouth and held it shut, and the reason why immediately became apparent. All along the street, voices crying out and footsteps hurrying onto the street filled the air, as figures came from the direction of the garrison and others roused themselves from nearby buildings such as a tavern down the street. After hearing voices directly behind them, Crom and his teammates quickly ducked back into the alleyway they'd come.

"Travellers above, what on earth was that?!"

"Someone must be attacking the ships!"

Pleo grimaced and turned back just in time to spot a Diggersby and Purugly hurrying down the street, who came to a skidding stop when their eyes met. There was a moment of brief confusion as the pirates looked them over, when the Purugly's eyes widened at the sight of Pleo, and she flashed her fangs with a low snarl.

"That damn bird is right here!" the Purugly shouted. "Get 'em!"

The Purugly fell back as the Diggersby jumped up and stomped on the ground, sending a shockwave crackling along through the earth that Pleo hopped over just as it reached them. He heard his teammates yelp and tried to stabilize himself as he landed back on his feet, only to let out a sharp squawk as he saw the Purugly diving at him. He hurriedly rolled out of the way along with his teammates as the girthy cat just barely missed him with a Body Slam. Crom and Guardia ran in to try and bog the Normal-Type down, as a glance back at the Diggersby revealed the pirate grasping a glinting bauble on his scarf with an ear and raising it to his mouth.

"Everyone, they're out here just west of the garrison!" the Diggersby barked into his badge. "You can't miss-!"

Ander cut the Diggersby off with a sudden, whitish shockwave that knocked the badge out of the Ground-Type's grasp, with Trizano following up with a glinting, spread-wing tackle. The pirate tumbled back and tried to prop himself up with his ears, prompting Pleo to hastily ready an Extrasensory, when Dimitri spat up a scalding jet of water that struck the pirate in the face and sprawled him out. The Lugia sighed in relief and turned back for Crom and Guardia as the sounds of them still scuffling with the Purugly rang out.

"They're over there!"

Pleo froze after looking up and seeing a white Squawkabilly point them out from a rooftop over to their right. All the while, various Pokémon, some drowsy and others questionably sober, began to stumble out of doorways and alleyways everywhere he looked.

"Gyaah!"

He glanced over towards the Purugly as she toppled over from a Power-Up Punch from Crom, when Guardia suddenly tugged at his arm and motioned off at the encroaching pirates. Much to their alarm, their shock and disorientation were now starting to give way to snarls as a few began to visibly ready attacks with their limbs and mouths.

"Dai, andiamo! We need to get out of here!" Trizano cried.

Pleo yelped and took off running as Crom hurriedly threw Guardia onto his shoulders, charging ahead for dear life as he saw Dimitri clear a path ahead with a Surf. Ander and Trizano flung cutting gusts behind them that drew cries from Pokémon they couldn't see, when the rest of the alley suddenly lit up behind them. Pleo briefly saw a flash of panic come over his teammates eyes as they rounded a corner. He fought with his clipped wings to leap after them, right as a Hyper Beam just missed him and tore down the length of the alley they were in.

"This way, hurry!"

A sharp crash turned their attention over to Dimitri pulling his leg back from kicking in a door to a nearby building and hurrying in. Crom all but pulled Pleo and Guardia in, as Ander and Trizano swiftly followed after them. They ducked past the doorway right before Dimitri slammed the door shut and shoved a chest in the way, just in time from the way the door behind them suddenly jostled from pounding on the other end. Pleo and his teammates backed away uneasily, as they looked around and saw they were in a backroom with lengths of cloth hung up all around. They fell back for a door on the other side that took them behind the counter of what they quickly gathered to be a tailor's shop.

"How long do you think that door will hold them?" Pleo asked.

"Not very, so we shouldn't hang around here for long," Dimitri said. "Let's try going out from the-"

As Dimitri started making his way to the front of the store, he abruptly froze. At once, Pleo noticed the shouts and sounds of Pokémon were coming very loudly from the front of the shop as well.

How on earth did they catch up so quickly?! Pleo and his companions took up fighting positions, as the little Lugia built up glowing rings of light around his beak when Crom's eyes suddenly went wide.

"Pleo! Get down!"

The Druddigon yanked him down to the floor as something sailed overhead. Just then a flash of heat and a deafening blast came from behind and flung him forward against the counter. Pleo's ears rang and his vision wobbled as smoke filled the air around him. He coughed and poked his head up in a daze when he saw a black-and-white Linoone enter the shop and charge forward with dark flecks gathering around his claws.

Pleo froze in a panic as the pirate ran at him, frantically readying a Whirlwind as the Linoone bore down.

"Oh no you don't!"

A cutting gust of wind suddenly sailed in and flung the pirate aside, followed by green blur running in and pouncing on him with a loud thwack. There was a sharp yelp as the Linoone went limp, with the sound of bellows mixed with pained cries rang out along the street. Pleo and the others peeked past the counter and saw a Marked Kecleon shoving the Linoone aside before looking up at them with a nod.

"Come and help us out here, there's more where they came from out on the street."

The Kecleon ducked out the front of the shop, where a Marked Golbat joined her before hurrying off. Pleo blinked in surprise, when he felt Crom pull him onto his feet and saw Guardia motioning out with her club.

"Look!"

The street was now full of Pokémon facing each other down from a pair of defensive lines formed of Protects and makeshift heaps of rubble. Off towards the right were the pirates from earlier, while towards the left were Pokémon they'd seen from Margi's group. The space in between them was hotly contested in battles that seemed to blur in with one another, as attacks overlapped with each other and Pokémon in pirate and friendly colors alike were tossed aside or crumpled to the ground by incoming blows.

Team Traveller hastily slunk out the front of the shop and tried to avoid going out into the open as much as they could, when Crom looked off in the direction of the garrison. It was only separated by a few streets, but in between them was a wall of Protects and snarling fangs and claws that were being joined by reinforcements coming from deeper in the rear.

"So much for sneaking into the garrison!" Guardia shouted.

A pained scream suddenly rang out as a white blur hit the ground in front of them with a flinchworthy thud. Guardia jumped back with a start, when she saw that it was the pirate Squawkabilly from earlier laying in a groaning heap. Heavy wingbeats followed, turning her attention upwards to see it was Margi flying in visibly panting, with visible scrapes and damaged scales.

"Don't be so sure about that!" the Marked Hydreigon exclaimed.

Margi raised her right head and craned it off at the roof of the garrison. Guardia stared ahead at it with a confused blink, before turning to Margi with a puzzled frown.

"Huh?" the Cubone asked. "What do you mean-?"

Guardia felt a nip at her back and yelped as Margi lifted her into the air and threw her onto her back. Pleo, Crom, and Dimitri quickly followed suit and clambered aboard as the Hydreigon beat her wings and took off from the ground, with Trizano and Ander following in her wake.

Guardia clung tight as a rainbow-colored beam that left a tangible chill in the air zipped by, forcing Margi to hurriedly swerve out of the way. For a brief moment, the Cubone peeked down and felt lightheaded from fright as she saw the streets below, with attacks and thrown objects sailing back and forth between the shattered entrances of buildings and hastily-created barricades and walls of Protects. Guardia quickly turned her attention back to Margi's central head to calm her nerves and breathed in and out sharply.

Her calm proved short-lived as a brilliant beam of light hit Margi from below and made her stagger in the air. After a brief, yelping moment to tighten their grip on Margi's back, Pleo and Dimitri hurriedly spewed an Extrasensory and Scald back down to try and provide cover, while Crom turned back with a startled pant.

"Margi! How are we supposed to get into the garrison like this?!" the Druddigon cried.

"From above!" she answered. "I'm just trying to get you to a place where you can get in easily!"

'Get in easily'…? Crom wasn't sure what that was going to look like. All of a sudden, the Hydreigon banked, prompting him and his teammates to cling tight as Margi dove down, pulling up just above the roof's shingles. She abruptly braked and came to an unsteady stop, letting her passengers all but tumble off of her as she flapped her wings in place. The Hydreigon scanned the roof around her briefly, only to stop after her eyes fell on a small patch of torn-up shingles.

"Here!" Margi shouted. "This should be a good place!"

Margi spat up a Dragon Pulse, which shot forward and punched through the damaged patch of shingles with an audible crunch. As the smoke cleared, Team Traveller noticed that there was a smoldering hole left behind where damaged wooden beams could be seen blocking the way.

"Widen that hole and get in there!" the Hydreigon cried.

Nobody on Team Traveller needed further convincing. At once, Guardia brought her club down on the damaged wood and shingles, with Crom throwing in a Dragon Rage after her. The wooden beams creaked and groaned as Dimitri lunged forward with a hacking strike that found its mark a loud crack. One of the wooden beams fell away along with a patch of shingles, leaving a hole just big enough for Guardia and Pleo to drop down into as Margi flew over and peered down after them.

"The armory should be the next floor down and on the center of the floor!" the Hydreigon reminded them. "We'll try and get more teams in to help, but you're going to need to hang in there for a while!"

"Keep dreaming!"

Margi whirled around, her eyes widening just as a Moonblast sailed in and struck her in her flank. She tumbled back from the blow, and rolled off the roof with a startled bellow. Crom hurriedly went after her, when he was forced back by a hail of falling rocks. He briefly caught a glimpse of Margi pulling up a little above the ground, as she hastily flew off pursued by a group of fliers led by a Noctowl, with a Toucannon and Bombirdier turning back and locking eyes with him and his teammates.

Travellers above, did they really have to fight those two right now?! Crom grimaced and darted back for the hole to try and widen it with another Dragon Rage. He made it only a few paces forward, when he was knocked off his feet by a spinning peck from the Toucannon. He tumbled against the roof's shingles, coming to an unsteady stop right as the two pirates swooped down with a pair of low snarls.

"You're mine!" the Bombirdier cried.

The Bombirdier dove at Crom, prompting the Druddigon to lunge out of the way as he felt air woosh past him. The Bombirdier glanced back after overshooting and began to wheel around when Trizano cut in with a Steel Wing that slashed the pirate's right wing. The Bombirdier stalled in the air, when a hail of stones from Dimitri abruptly sailed in and sent her plummeting off the roof and into the chaotic battle in the street. That'd probably keep her busy for a while. Trizano turned his attention back to Crom and Dimitri, while a quick glance at Ander looked like he was succeeding at keeping the Toucannon distracted.

"Let's hurry up and widen that hole!" Trizano cried.

Crom and Dimitri hurried back and began hacking away at the fringes of the damaged roof, while Guardia and Pleo did the same from below. Little by little, the shingles and wooden beams around the hole began to crack and fall away, when up above, the Toucannon noticed the hole growing wider with a sharp squawk.

"Gah! So you're trying to stall me, huh?!"

The Toucannon dove past Ander, swooping down at the hole while his beak started to glow red and the air visibly sizzled around it. Halfway down, the Toucannon felt a slicing pain across his back and looked over to see Ander pulling a scythe back, prompting the pirate to pull up into the air with a frustrated snarl.

"Get off of me, you lousy bug!"

In the flash of an eye, the Toucannon disgorged blast of burning air square onto Ander, sending the Marked Scyther tumbling back screeching in pain along towards the edge of the roof. Ander briefly saw open air and the street below, when he felt claws latching onto him and looked up to see Trizano holding him back with his talons.

"I've got you! That hole should be just about done!"

The Skarmory pulled up as Ander beat his wings and scrabbled up over the eave and back onto his feet just as a loud crash rang out. Everyone's eyes turned back to the hole in the roof, which was now visibly large enough for Dimitri and Crom to drop down into it. Trizano and Ander took off for the hole as their teammates already made it in, with the pair all but diving in as a squawking voice cried out from above.

"Where do you think you're going?!"

It was the Toucannon, who was diving down and readying a second Beak Blast. Ander hurriedly threw Vacuum Wave forward, prompting Pleo and Crom to do the same with a Thunderbolt, and Dragon Rage respectively. The Toucannon reeled and staggered under each blow, when Dimitri suddenly flung a hail of rocks up from below, launching the pirate out of the hole and out of view with a loud crash. The six looked on panting, bracing themselves for the pirate's return, only to fail to make out his voice amidst the sound of ongoing battle further outside.

They took that as a sign that the pirate was down for the count and slunk away into the shadows. Dimitri steadied his breaths, briefly noticing Crom dressing a burn on Ander with a Rawst Berry, before clearing his head and going further down the attic with a wave of a scythe.

"We shouldn't assume they were the only ones who saw us make that hole," Dimitri insisted. "Let's get a bit further away."

Nobody needed further encouragement and followed after Dimitri as the sounds of raging battle rang out through the roof's shingles in seemingly all directions. The six hurried along, weaving around boxes and crates that had been piled up when Pleo spotted a trapdoor with a protruding latch just off to their right. At once, the Lugia darted over and crouched down to grab at the latch, only for Trizano to suddenly bat out a wing and reach for him.

"Pleo, wait."

Pleo hesitated and turned towards the Skarmory as he set his bag down and pulled out a Slumber Orb. Trizano hurriedly passed it along to his teammates, before turning his eyes back towards the trapdoor.

"Be sure to give that Orb a good rub," he said. "We'll likely have company waiting for us on the other end."

As if on cue, muffled voices and the sound of running footfalls passed from the other side of the trapdoor. Right. This garrison was a place that had been fortified to hold off outside attackers, and the pirates were surely putting it to use themselves. Pleo waited for the Orb to go around his friends as each one took a moment to give it a vigorous rub. It eventually came his way, and he passed it back to Trizano, who in turn gave it to Guardia to hold onto. Pleo stepped forward, putting his wings back on the latch, as Trizano sucked in a sharp breath before speaking up in a hushed tone.

"We'll go on the count of three."

Pleo held his breath as Trizano counted upwards, just in for the voices from below to return. The Lugia felt his heart flutter in his chest, when Trizano's voice pricked his ears.

"Three!"

Pleo yanked the trapdoor open as Guardia tossed the Slumber Orb through the opening. In a flash, the sound of shattering glass rang out and the hallway filled with peach-colored mist. He heard coughing and shouting ring out below, making him hastily slam the trapdoor shut.

"Ack! Someone's here!"

"Call in… backup…"

Pleo and his teammates reflexively moved back from the trapdoor, bracing themselves for snarling pirates to come storming up through it. Except, much to the Lugia's relief, the voices on the other end died down and were followed by faint thuds. Silence came afterwards as Trizano motioned to the trapdoor with a hushed cry.

"Go! Go! Go!"

Pleo all but dove down the trapdoor and onto a stone hallway, where all around were pirates slumped over asleep. The Lugia took off running as fast as he could, with his teammates following suit as they reached an intersection of corridors. He briefly checked each one, before swinging left along a set of windows facing out of the garrison.

"Margi said the cell block was at the center of the floor below us!" Pleo insisted. "So it has to be somewhere over this way!"

His teammates nodded and grunted back as they flew around the corner, with Crom tearing along as shouts and cries rang out in the distance along with the booms of attacks and buildings shuddering under their blows.

Except… for all of the chaos that they could hear outside, the corridor had been eerily empty aside from the place where they'd broken in.

"Are there supposed to be this few pirates to deal with right now?" the Druddigon asked. "Where are they, anyways?"

A crash suddenly rang out as a window just a few paces ahead suddenly exploded after a shadowy ball struck the window frame. The Druddigon stumbled back as splinters and rubble flew about and a cloud of dust filled the hallway. Crom and his companions coughed and peeked ahead out of the window's frame, where figures could be seen scurrying to and from the street as a group of indigo-scarved Pokémon led by Robbie charged a hastily formed barricade of Protects held by massed pirates. The wall of light barriers abruptly gave way as the two sides intermingled with one another in battle, the colliding masses quickly devolving into a confusing melee where it became hard to distinguish friend from foe from each other.

"Looks like they're a bit busy right now!" Trizano exclaimed. "Come on, before they get wise to us being here!"

The others murmured their agreements, before taking a moment to study their surroundings. After realizing the hallway ahead was headed towards the middle of the garrison like they needed, Trizano flew ahead while his teammates stepped around the glass shards by the window and took off running. All the while, the roar of raging battle outside leaked in through the windows. While it perhaps wasn't accurate to say that it wasn't worrisome for the Skarmory, the sounds that kept him on edge the most were the voices and footfalls coming from elsewhere within the building.

Trizano suddenly heard pattering footsteps from up ahead, many more than he was expecting. He quickly landed as his teammates caught up, and he motioned for quiet. The sound's culprit came darting up a set of stairs just ahead, as figures followed by a trailing Falinks ran past. Everyone held their breaths as the running footsteps faded off, when Guardia went up and peeked around the corner, before motioning to the others to follow.

"Looks like the coast is clear," Guardia said. "Robbie said that those 'solitary cells' in the armory would be near the center of the garrison, so we should be just above them."

Nobody raised any objections as they hurried along and made their way down the stairs and out onto the floor below. Guardia peered up at the surrounding walls as they moved in towards the center and swore she saw metal reinforcements on the walls. She heard murmuring coming from down the hall, and saw shadows moving around just past an oncoming corner. The Cubone tightened her grip on her club, creeping forward to steal a glance.

There was a large, heavy door right around the bend, just as Robbie had said. Surprisingly, all the pirates had for defenders in front of it were a tense-looking Meowstic and Cacturne who stood guard at opposite sides of its threshold.

"Hmph, those pirates must be putting a lot of faith in that door to leave it guarded by just those two," she said. "This will be quick."

She pulled her club back for an arcing throw, when all of a sudden, she felt something tug on it and yank it back.

"Guardia, wait."

Guardia turned her attention back to Ander, who'd blocked the free end of her club with a scythe. She yanked it away and shot an annoyed scowl back.

"What? There's only two of them!"

"Yes, but we don't know how many of their friends are nearby," the Scyther explained. "We should take them out as quietly as we can."

… Right. She supposed that that made sense, and they had been in a similar situation when they'd freed Pleo back on Giotto. Everyone's attention drifted over to Crom as the Druddigon fished through his satchel only to suddenly freeze. The Dragon-Type's eyes widened briefly as he looked down into his satchel, before looking back at his teammates with a quiet grimace.

"… Right, I used that One-Shot Orb while sneaking in from the fringes earlier," Crom said. "I don't suppose anyone else brought a second one?"

"No, but we do have these," Guardia said.

The Cubone ran her free paw into a small satchel on Trizano's shoulder, before pulling out a pink seed and a branch with glassy nubs at its tips that seemed to have electricity crackling inside them—a Sleep Seed and a Petrify Wand. Trizano briefly traded glances between them and the pirates, before giving a quiet nod.

"That'll do," Trizano said. "Just wait for my signal. We'll only have one shot at surprising those guards."

Crom took the Sleep Seed while Guardia held onto the Petrify Wand, as Trizano crept forward and snuck a glance around the corner before raising a wing. He scraped his wingtips against the wall, which pricked the Meowstic's ears and prompted the pirate to start pacing over.

"Huh? What the-?"

Trizano dropped his wing, prompting Crom to hurl the Sleep Seed at the Meowstic. The Meowstic had all but a brief moment for his eyes to widen as the seed popped and peach mist overtook him, making the pirate stagger and cough. The Cacturne suddenly shot to attention, bracing himself with a sharp growl

"Hey! Who's-?!"

Guardia didn't wait for the pirate to finish, and flicked the Petrify Wand, sending an orb of light that struck the Cacturne and locked his limbs up with crackling static. Pleo dove ahead, hurriedly pulling the pirate's scarf over his mouth, before Dimitri ran in and struck the Cacturne's stomach with a Brick Break as Ander followed up with a cross-shaped slash.

There was a quiet yelp as the Cacturne went limp and Pleo caught the pirate's body and quietly set it on the ground with his wings. A little ways over, the Meowstic was sprawled over on the floor asleep as the rest of Team Traveller stepped around the dozing pirate and made their way up to the entrance to the armory.

"That solves the guards," Guardia murmured. "But how do we get in there?"

"These ought to help," Crom said.

Guardia looked up after the sound of metallic jingling and saw Crom pulling a keyring from the Meowstic and raising it up. That was simple enough… except, there was only one lock on the door and there had to be at least a dozen keys on that ring. The Cubone looked at the keyhole, and then at keys in Crom's hand, before giving a worried tilt of her head.

"… How do we know which one will open the door?" she asked.

"Trial and error," Crom replied. "There's not that many of them here."

Crom went up and began to try and fit the keys into the hole. Most of them didn't even make it in all the way and could be quickly moved on from, but much to the Druddigon's annoyance, the first key that fit into the lock didn't budge when he twisted it. Neither did the second or third. Crom moved onto the fourth key he found and began to slide it in, when a stranger's voice suddenly rang out and the sound of nearby footsteps pricked his ears.

"Whiskers? What on earth are you doing out there?"

Crom and his teammates all but leapt away from the door as they looked around to try and see from what direction they were being approached. There wasn't any sign of another Pokémon coming towards them, and if there were footsteps going around, Pleo couldn't hear them over the battle outside. But he could clearly hear someone moving around, and quite close, too. But how was that possible when there was no other place where the pirates could be this close to them?!

Pleo paused as he heard footsteps again and looked back at the armory's door. The Lugia's eyes widened, as he suddenly realized there was a place that pirates could be nearby that they'd overlooked this entire time…

"Why are there pirates inside?!" Pleo whispered.

"Ya ne znayu," Dimitri hushed back. "Maybe the pirates were worried about something like this happening."

Pleo and Dimitri stiffened up after a series of sharp taps rang out through the metal. They traded glances, when the earlier voice spoke up again.

"Whiskers, you said that there was fighting outside," the voice said. "Have things settled down out there or what?"

Crom went back to the key in the keyhole and wiggled it, noticing that unlike the last ones, this one seemed to move around with the lock. The Druddigon hesitated and tightened his claws on the key, before looking back at his teammates.

"On the count of three, I open the door and we rush it," Crom whispered. "Get ready to attack whoever's inside."

The others nodded back and braced themselves as the Druddigon silently counted down with his free hand.

"Two… One…"

Crom wrenched the key right with an audible click, and at once Ander charged the door and rammed it with shoulder. The door swung wide and a sharp yelp followed, as there on the other end, was a Shiinotic who'd jumped just out of the path of the door's edge. The Shiinotic pirate looked up at them, his eyes shooting wide with alarm

"Ack! Who are-?!"

Ander swiftly cut the pirate off with a spread-wing tackle, knocking him out of the way. Pleo charged ahead after the Scyther, briefly seeing a Raticate and a Galvantula whirling around as he flung a Whirlwind ahead that knocked the former into the wall. The lantern from the ceiling fell from the impact and hit the ground, spreading glowmoss onto the floor as the chamber dimmed and things quickly devolved into chaos.

The Galvantula hurriedly balled up electricity between his pedipalps and flung them forward in a web, only for its charges to sputter out and arc towards Guardia. The Cubone shrugged the electricity off and lunged ahead for the spider along with Crom, while Dimitri ran in to join them. As his eyes adjusted Pleo briefly saw Trizano heading towards Ander, when a glint from the corner of his eyes caught his attention. Much to his horror, the Raticate had gotten back up and was grabbing at a badge on her scarf.

"Uri! Come and-!"

The Raticate's voice suddenly caught in her throat as she felt something sharp poke at the base of her neck. The Raticate looked down and at once flushed pale after seeing a light gray scythe at her throat, with Dimitri glaring daggers down its length as a loud yelp came from the background. A glance over revealed the Galvantula keeling over from a smash from Guardia's club, while the Shiinotic was lying facedown closer to the door with Ander and Trizano standing over him.

"Tell them it's a false alarm," Dimitri hissed.

The Kabutops dug the tip of his blade into the Raticate's throat as the pirate stared up wide-eyed. The Raticate reached for the badge shakily, before bringing it up to her mouth and stammering into it.

"N-Nevermind, I was just hearing things."

Dimitri suddenly brought the flat of his other scythe against the Raticate's hand and knocked the badge up into the air, before it clattered to the floor. The pirate recoiled and cringed, when Dimitri struck the top of her head with a Brick Break using the edge of his scythe, sending her crumpling to the floor.

Pleo couldn't help but flinch a bit from the attack. While he wasn't sorry that Dimitri had stopped that pirate from calling for help, that Brick Break looked a lot more painful than he'd expected.

"Pleo?"

Pleo turned his head and looked further down into the chamber from the light of the shattered glowmoss lantern. Off at the far end, there were three figures stuck up against the wall—Nida, Elty, and Pladur. The three all stared incredulously, when the young Lugia noticed that they were all tied up with silken webbing.

"A-Ah!"

Pleo hurried over and went up to the three. He couldn't tell whether or not they were hurt or not with all the silk webbing in the way. He frantically looked around and tried to see where the bindings began and ended, as his voice came out in startled squawks.

"Are you okay?!" he cried. "I heard you through that mean pirate's badge and I was so scared, and-"

"W-We're fine!" Pladur insisted. "Just a bit stiff from being tied up all day!"

The rest of Team Traveller made their way over as they gathered in front of the three to try and make sense of the mass of silk themselves. Pleo watched as the others tested parts of the webbing or went to check the hallway outside, as Crom tugged at the webbing around Nida and managed to get one of her forepaws free.

Pleo looked away and hung his head. His friends had almost died, all because he wasn't there for them when they needed him to escape. Was there something wrong with him as a Protector? It'd taken him two days just to make it back to them…

"I'm sorry I took so long," he murmured.

The Lugia was answered by a warm nuzzle, as he looked down and saw Nida's head looking up at his, as she ran her free paw along his cheek.

"It's alright, Pleo" the Nidorina replied. "I knew that you'd come for us."

Pleo blinked and in that moment, all his worries ebbed away. He brought his beak up to Nida and nuzzled back at her, happy that at least when it counted, he was still able to be there for-

"Hey!"

He suddenly stopped and turned over to his right where Elty was still there flailing against his bindings, his ears pinned back with an impatient scowl

"Just saying, untying us any day now would be nice!" Elty snapped.

There was a moment of blinking silence, before Guardia glimpsed back at the hallway just in time to see the Meowstic faintly stirring past the door.

"Right," the Cubone said. "We should probably also do something about those pirates outside before they wake up or else someone finds them."

"Let's try and speed this up, then," Ander said. "Everyone, tell us exactly where your limbs are under that silk, since we're going to need to cut to the chase here."

One after the other, Nida, Elty, and Pladur answered Ander's question as best as they could, before he, Trizano, and Dimitri hacked through the silk. Nida, Elty, and Pladur fell to the floor as their teammates hurriedly undid any lingering knots. The three shambled to their feet, all while Dimitri and Ander went out into the hallway and pulled the Meowstic and Cacturne inside. Nida's limbs were still stiff as she stumbled past the door with the last of her teammates, when Crom pulled it shut and hurriedly locked it up. Just in time, judging from the groggy moaning coming from the other end.

Crom turned over to Pladur and pulled him into a tight embrace. Crom stayed there briefly, as a worrisome thought crossed his mind, prompting him to look down into the father's eyes

"Did the pirates separate anyone else like this?" Crom asked.

"I don't think so?" Pladur replied. "Before the pirates took us here, we were all in that same cellblock that the guards dumped us in."

"Guess that's where we're going next, then," Elty said, as he picked up the keyring from the floor with an audible jangle. "Wiff diff many keyth, oneth gotta open it."

Nobody contested the Growlithe's idea and nodded back, as Crom took the keys for himself. One after the other, the group hurriedly went down the hallway with their newly freed companions. Ander studied his surroundings as they carried on, as his thoughts turned back to Robbie's instructions and relayed them turn by turn to his teammates. All the while, the racket from the fighting from outside seemed to have only grown louder and louder. All of a sudden, a dull boom rang out and the entire hallway briefly shook. Ander and his companions froze, trading worried stares as they glanced up at the ceiling.

"… What on earth was that?" the marked Scyther gulped. "Did someone use Earthquake?"

"It wouldn't have made a loud boom like that if someone had," Trizano murmured. "But whatever that was, it felt close."

Indistinct shouts suddenly rang out from outside, prompting Pleo to hurry over towards a window and peer out. While small, the window was still big enough to see embers swirling about in the air and various rooftops across the street on fire. More worrisome still, the cries were growing more frantic as pirates and defenders alike were hurriedly bolting away in all directions.

"Incoming!"

A sharp cry came, followed by a whistling noise, when Pladur noticed that it was growing louder and louder. Pladur hurriedly pulled the Lugia away from the window when a deafening blast and a flash of heat suddenly knocked them to the ground. The sound of splintering wood and crumbling stone rang out, while the air filled with smoke and dust. Pladur woozily stumbled back up as the haze settled and he saw Nida, Pleo, Elty, and Guardia had all been flung about and were struggling to get back onto their feet.

There was a hole where the window and surrounding walls had once been, and through the gap left behind, they could now see the rest of the wall was now lying shattered in the street. When they turned their heads back for their other companions, they froze, seeing that there was a mound of rubble where the rest of the hallway had been.

"A-Aah! Crom!"

Pladur ran up to the pile of rubble in a panic, desperately digging his ruddy claws against the stone and dust. They turned up nothing but more rubble, as his breath began to hitch and his voice started to crack.

"No. No. No-!"

A faint cough rang out as some of the debris shifted. Pladur couldn't see any sign of movement from the rubble, but he could tell it was definitely Crom's voice.

"W-We're alright!" the Druddigon cried out. "Some of us are a bit scuffed up, but we're mostly fine! What about you?"

Thank the gods. Beyond sounding a bit shaken up, his child at least didn't sound hurt. Pladur quickly looked over the others in their midst. Nida, Pleo, Elty, Guardia… none of them looked seriously injured, which was all they could really ask for at this point, really.

"We're also okay!" the Fraxure answered. "But what on earth just happened?!"

"The pirates must be bombarding the garrison from their ships!" Dimitri's voice replied.

Pleo quietly set his teeth on edge at Dimitri's explanation. 'Bombarding'? Like what Kiran said Hatteras had planned to do with that fireworks shell when Lyn first sailed off with him?

Except, he didn't see any pretty colors when whatever just exploded destroyed the wall. Looking at the mess around them, he could already tell they didn't want to get hit by whatever shells those pirates were shooting towards them.

"Hang on, we'll get this rubble out of the way!"

Pleo darted up to the rubble pile and pressed up against a wooden beam, only for it to remain wedged in place. The Lugia stepped back and tried to tug at it instead, but no matter what he tried, the beam just simply wouldn't budge. He moved on to trying to brush aside some of the stones, but only a few were small enough to move.

"Agh! I can't get through!"

There was a moment of uneasy silence, before another whistling noise rang out along with a loud blast that made Pleo and his teammates flinch. The Lugia looked about worriedly, when Trizano's voice called out from beyond the pile of rubble.

"We'll go on ahead," the Skarmory's voice called out. "We've got the keys to the cellblock. You get out of here and regroup outside with our allies. We'll need to get going and get the Ledger as soon as we're done here."

Pleo grimaced and glanced back at the pile of rubble blocking off the hallway. He didn't know anything about how strong shells used by ships were, but they were probably fortunate that the shell had blown up while there was a wall between them. If one had landed on them while they were still on the roof earlier…

The Lugia shook his head. It wouldn't do any good dwelling on that, especially while they were just sitting Ducklett here in this blocked-off hallway.

"Right, we'll try and find a way out!"

Pleo and the others turned and made their way down the hallway as they tried to think back to the diagram of the garrison Robbie showed them during their planning. The main entrance to the building had been on the east side of the building, so then that meant that their current course ought to take them-

BOOM!

The Lugia stumbled and flinched as a deafening blast rang out and the building shook. After a brief moment to regain their bearings, he and his teammates realized that they were hearing the sounds of shouting and fighting coming from downstairs. A quick glimpse out a nearby window confirmed their fears, as the entire space in front of the main entrance was taken up by lines of Protect barriers flickering in and out, with smoldering wreckage and hazy figures darting about.

The five paused and traded uneasy looks with one another, when Pleo nervously ruffled his feathers.

"You didn’t happen to notice a side exit while the pirates were moving you around, did you?" Pleo asked. "Since I don't think we're getting out the front door right now."

"I was kinda hoping that you saw one, actually." Elty replied.

Pleo's mind went blank. What on earth were they supposed to do right now when the one exit they knew about would take them straight into the middle of the battle outside?! Could they still catch up with the others? But he didn't have the faintest idea how Crom and the others would find their way back from here, and-

"… What about that hole over there?"

Pleo looked up to see Guardia had snuck off to an intersecting hallway and was pointing off around the corner with her club. He followed her over, where he saw part of the floor above had collapsed down into the hallway, with a hole partly blocked by wooden timbers punched into the outer wall.

Pladur went up and tugged at the timbers, discovering that they could be moved out of the way enough to form a hole just big enough to pass through. The Fraxure hesitated, before pointing off ahead of him.

"I think Guardia's onto something," he said. "Mira allí!."

Pleo made his way over and looked down, where all below, shattered stone and wood had heaped up into a crude ramp that made its way down to the ground, still shrouded with smoke and dust.

"Looks like we can climb down from here," Pladur said. "Just watch your step, since it sounds like there's fighting going on nearby."

Pleo and the others nodded to one another, before making their way down the ramp one by one. All the while, they looked out at the burning buildings across the street as the roar of battle continued to ring out nearby, thankfully from one of the other sides of the building.

And then they reached the bottom and froze. In what looked almost like a ring around a shallow crater, there were Pokémon wearing various colors strewn about limply. Some were hanging slumped over broken-down windows and walls, while others had burns that covered large parts of their bodies. Nida came across a Slurpuff with an indigo scarf whose only sign of life was a weakly rising and falling chest, and stepped around the Fairy-Type with a quiet shudder.

"Gods, the local Medic's Hut is going to be busy after this," Nida murmured. "Some of those Pokémon look really hurt."

"Where do we go now, though?" Elty asked.

Guardia briefly scanned the ruined surroundings, before turning off towards the south.

"Crom and the others would've had to go southwards to leave the cell block," she said. "Maybe there's another way into the garrison there."

It would have to do, and it wasn't wise to assume that they'd be left alone in this place for long. The five hurried along down the street, rounding the corner when they realized that the sounds of fighting were growing louder. An icy beam zipped by, as a Rufflet in pirate colors fell out of the air and slumped over just before them. A quick glance from right to left revealed village guards and Marked hurriedly fleeing from a barricade that had just been overrun by what seemed like an entire horde of Pokémon swarming over it.

Team Traveller began to backpedal, as a little further down, a Houndstone jumped over a tail swipe trailing dragonfire from an all too familiar Tyrantrum. The Houndstone came to a crouching stop, giving a ghostly-sounding snarl back at the hulking dinosaur.

"Hah, is that the worst you can do, you overgrown Salandit?!" the Houndstone jeered. "I'm quaking in my tracks right no-!"

The Houndstone was abruptly cut off by Tarquin lunging forward and biting down on her from above. Agonized screams rang out as the Tyrantrum lifted the Houndstone into the air and shook her between his jaws in front of her companions, who stood frozen in place from fright.

Their shock did not last for long. With a piercing hiss, a Seviper lunged forward and struck an Arboliva with a poison-slicked slash that sent the Grass-Type falling to the ground. A Tranquill slammed to the ground just afterwards while a Medicham drug him out of the air with an unseen force, and a Spinda fell to the ground from a glob of mud shot out by a Toedscruel. The Spinda hastily got up and fled, the remaining defenders at the barricade mounting a disorganized retreat as beams and missiles picked off stragglers.

Tarquin flung the now-limp and silent Houndstone to the ground as Crom and his teammates looked on in shock, inching back as their hearts pounded in their chest. The Druddigon felt a frantic tug at his arm, and looked over to see his father's face screwed up into a frightened grimace.

"M-Mijo let's find a different way out of-"

"Captain Tarquin! Over there by the garrison's wall!"

The Tyrantrum reared and turned his head as Pladur's mind went blank in a panic. The Fraxure reflexively grabbed Crom and took off running for the right after where the other defenders had been fleeing, when a violet glob suddenly sailed in.

"A-Aaah!"

Pladur jumped back as the Sludge Bomb splattered over the ground where he'd just been standing, when Akane suddenly lunged in. The Seviper raised her head as she blocked the way with her body, with other pirates quickly closing in in every direction. The Fraxure felt faint tremors from behind, as he turned around with his teammates and gulped to see it was from Tarquin approaching them.

"Oh, there you are," he said. "For a moment, I thought we were going to have to flush your sorry tail out of the Mystery Dungeon."

Team Traveller froze, their blood turning to ice in their veins as the Tyrantrum drew near, baring his fangs with a toothy, predatory sneer.

"You didn't think you were just going to walk out of town, did you? Though glad to see that your bird friend managed to stop by after all."

Elty felt his heart pound in his chest as Tarquin's teeth gleamed amid the glow of fires in the background. A sharp hiss along with a startled squeal from Pladur turned his attention leftwards, where Akane slithering ahead with her bladed tail swishing back and forth.

The Growlithe grimaced as his ears and tail pinned firmly against his body, backpedaling as it seemed increasingly clear to him that this was a fight that they weren't going to win.

"L-Looks like we made a wrong turn!" the Fire-Type squeaked. "We'll just get out of your fur right now-!"

Elty turned to run back for the garrison with Pleo, only for Akane to abruptly spit up a Flamethrower to cut them off. The Lugia jumped back as Elty rolled out of the way and then sprang back onto his feet, when the Growlithe abruptly froze.

Pleo quickly saw why after turning around: the side of the street that the defenders had fled down was now blocked off by other pirates encroaching on them, and there weren't any other obvious routes for escape. None of them knew quite what to do just then, as the sound of mocking laughter hung in the air while pirates mostly clad in orange scarves seemed to press in on them from all directions.

Akane seemed to take particular satisfaction in their predicament, and flicked her tongue with a taunting sneer.

"What's the rush?" the Seviper asked. "We have some catching up to do…"

Akane curled her body around, leveling her tail at Nida as a malicious smirk came over her face.

"After all, I've got a score to settle with you and your family, Nidorina."

"As if we're just going to just sit back and let you do that!"

Akane turned and hurriedly slithered out of the way of a Marked Stonjourner's attempt to pen her in with a barrage of large stones, the snake letting out an angry hiss as she spat back a Sludge Bomb. Everyone collectively looked behind Tarquin, where a number of Marked and Pokémon clad in indigo scarves came charging from a street near the western end of the square. The group that retreated earlier must've come back for a second assault!

Before anyone knew it, the western side of the garrison once again broke out into a confused mass of skirmishes, with Nida briefly catching Tarquin briefly stumbling from a hail of flechette-like leaves from an Ivysaur. The Tyrantrum struck back with a swipe of his tail trailing dragonfire that launched the Ivysaur back with a yelp, before he threw his head up and bellowed out to the other pirates in the square.

"Get these pests out of our way!" he shouted. "Akane and I will handle the bird and his friends!"

Pleo and his companions collectively flinched as a Surf swept across the plaza in the background and shoved their allies further away. There was a brief moment of stunned shock, as Tarquin whirled around towards Team Traveller and a dangerous smirk spread over his maw.

"Now, where were we…?" the Tyrantrum began. "Oh yeah, this part."

Rocks tore out of the ground as Tarquin swiped a claw through the air, sending the stones flying up in an arc ahead of him. Nida's eyes widened as she frantically bolted, only for one of the stones to catch her from behind and knock her to the ground. The others fared little better as Elty and Pladur were hit hard and fought to keep their balance. She struggled to get back onto her feet herself, just as a sharp hiss cut through the air.

"Kurae!"

Nida turned her head and screamed as she saw Akane lunging for her, jaws opened wide. The Nidorina threw herself aside, the Seviper's fangs just missing her face. She felt the pirate's scales brush up against her body, and promptly dashed away. Akane turned and coiled around, slithering ahead to give chase when a sharp squawk rang out.

"Nida!"

Nida looked over just in time to see blue sparks pass between Elty and Pleo as they ran over. The little Lugia gave a flapping jump into the air as much as his clipped wings would let him, spitting up a ray of golden rings that sailed in and knocked Akane onto her side. Nida turned back to see the Seviper tumbling away as her teammates caught up with her, with Pleo looking over at Nida with wide, frightened eyes.

"A-Are you okay?!"

Nida tripped over her words and tried to steady her breathing,when a low wince reached their ears. They saw Elty briefly flinch and nose at his shoulder, before shaking his head.

"It's alright, it's probably just a bruise," the Growlithe insisted. "I'll patch myself the next time I get a chance-"

"Elty! Look out!"

Elty barely had time after Pleo's cry to turn and see the Blast Seed sailing in the air towards them. The Growlithe sprang back as the Seed blew up and bolted as a Sludge Bomb flew in shortly afterwards. He ran ahead with his head held low, hurriedly diving behind the remains of a shattered wooden stand where Pladur and Guardia were already hiding. He panted and stole a peek back, where Akane was harrying Nida and Pleo with a Flamethrower. He would've hoped that Pleo's Extrasensory would've worn her down after boosting it with Helping Hand, but she didn't look anywhere near as worse for wear as he was expecting.

"A-Aaaaaah!"

A bloodcurdling scream came from the other end of the rubble pile as Guardia and Pladur visibly tensed up. The Growlithe looked over alongside them and promptly blanched:

The scream had come from an orb-headed Eiscue in Tarquin's jaws, who the Tyrantrum promptly threw aside. The guard crashed limply into a shattered storefront, before the pirate captain turned his head towards their general direction.

"I know you're out there!" he snarled. "Show your faces so we can get this over with!"

Elty pinned his ears back as his breaths grew quick and shallow. Tarquin was barely worn down from their efforts just like his first mate. The Growlithe knew that they were fighting an uphill battle, but they weren't going to make it if Tarquin kept hitting this hard over and over again!

"Gah! We need to turn this around, fast!"

"B-But that's Commander Tarquin!" Pladur exclaimed. "It took an entire revolt to deal with him back on Tromba! W-What are we supposed to do?!"

Guardia panted, before tightening her club in her grasp. She briefly glanced past their cover, before turning back to her teammates with a determined nod.

"The same thing we did to that Gyarados on the last island!" she exclaimed. "We'll pull through this by fighting together! We just need to throw some more strength behind our attacks!"

Pladur peeked past the wreckage and visibly faltered, before looking back at his companions and nodding back.

"R-Right! Elty, cover us!"

Guardia entered into a thrashing set of movements, with Pladur doing much the same as flecks of dragonfire began to dance on his hide. Elty darted ahead and tried to hug the remains of the ruined stand as he saw Tarquin's eyes shift past the wreckage, only for them to suddenly narrow as he saw Guardia and Pladur from behind their cover.

"Nice try, little runts!" the Tyrantrum snarled. "Don't think I can't see your little tricks there!"

He lunged ahead with his jaws opened wide, when Elty suddenly popped out from behind cover. The Growlithe barked at Tarquin to draw his attention, briefly stopping the Tyrantrum's pace as the pirate turned and Elty spat up a cone of bluish embers in his face. The Tyrantrum bellowed and cradled a fresh burn along his snout, before setting his teeth on edge and catching a glimpse of the Growlithe trying to duck back behind the stand.

"Why you-!"

Tarquin swiped his tail through the corner of the stand, knocking Elty away from it with a small spray of splintered wood. The Growlithe tumbled to a stop on the ground, when he looked up and saw the Tyrantrum descending on him from above. The pirate bit down with an audible crunch, pained screams filling the air as Tarquin buried his fangs into Elty's flanks and lifted him off the ground. Tarquin pulled his head back to shake the Growlithe's body in his grasp, when a silvery-white blur wreathed in dragonfire sailed in. It caught him in his stomach, making him crack his jaws open by reflex.

"Ack!"

It was Pleo, plowing headfirst into the Tyrantrum with a Dragon Rush. The force of the blow sent Tarquin staggering and fighting to keep his balance as the young Lugia frantically ran off, leaving Elty to flop limply to the ground. The Growlithe weakly stumbled up, before pulling his tail and ears in tight against his body and limping for the storefronts on the edge of the square. At the other end of the square, Nida gathered that Elty must've been doing worse than she initially thought from the attack, and changed her direction mid-stride to try to come to his aid.

"Pay attention, Nidorina!"

Except, she never made it past the first few steps before her back erupted into fiery agony. Nida shrieked and rolled wildly, seeing a blur of black-and-yellow that she panickedly spat an Ice Beam at, but missed entirely. By the time she rolled back onto her feet, Akane was no longer there. A taunting hiss made her look behind, where she saw that the Seviper was circling around her.

"So you did learn a move or two from your mother," the Poison-Type scoffed. "Shame she didn't teach you how to use them properly!"

Nida set her teeth on edge and let out a seething huff. She planted her feet, and lunged ahead with a set of furious swipes, prompting Akane to hastily slither out of the way. Further off in the background, Elty limped off behind a storefront's doorway and flopped down as bodies and attacks flew around near the western end of the square. He took a moment to steady himself, turning his head back to see ruddy marks all along both of his flanks. The Growlithe shakily nosed at his bag and gobbled up an Oran Berry, breathing heavily as he chewed when he suddenly heard battle cries from off in the square.

He looked around, just in time to see Pladur raking Tarquin's leg with a claw swipe trailing dragonfire. The Tyrantrum winced and stumbled back briefly, dropping a Lum Berry from his claws that Pladur hurriedly kicked away. Tarquin's gait evened out, as the pirate corrected his balance and dug his claws in with a menacing snarl.

"Let's see you try that again, Fraxure!"

Tarquin at Pladur with a Dragon Claw, which just barely missed his head. The Fraxure yelped, before running away with his head held low. Off with Nida and Pleo, poison began to slick Akane's bladed tail, when a whirling white missile suddenly sailed in. It struck the side of her head and made her seize up with a pained hiss, before the Bonemerang came back around and knocked her to the ground as Guarda hurried in and her club whirled back into her grasp. The Seviper raised her head in a daze as Guardia swung her club wide, and looked back at Nida and Pleo as they joined her side.

"Everyone!" the Cubone cried. "While she's stunned!"

Pleo focused as his eyes flashed yellow and he spewed a ray of golden rings at Akane. They struck her head-on, leaving her writhing as Nida lunged ahead and raked her flank with a Fury Swipe. It landed and drew a pained hiss, prompting Nida to bring her other paw down with another slash against the pirate's hide, before readying a third.

Swish!

Nida yelped as Akane's tail suddenly swung at her head, making her hastily spring back as it carried on and the tail's bladed edge grazed the side of her head. The Nidorina landed on the ground and panted, pawing a fresh scrape dribbling blood on the side of her cheek as she looked back at Akane. The Seviper was slithering away, panting from exertion herself. Akane seemed to sway slightly while staying upright, but she didn't look unnerved at all, and more worrying still, the Seviper flicked her tongue out with a knowing smirk.

"Hah, you think that's all it takes to get the best of me?"

Akane turned her head down to the satchel tied along the nape of her neck. The Seviper pulled the bag open and with a swift flick, sent a yellow, speckled fruit spilling out.

Pleo eyes widened as he realized it was a Sitrus Berry. He hopped forward at once, hurriedly batting his wings out to try and blow the berry away.

"Ah! No!"

Akane threw her head forward as Pleo flung his Whirlwind forward and swept her up in it. The Seviper tumbled back clumsily to a stop, only for her to loudly gulp and a lump to go down her throat.

In spite of everything, she'd managed to eat her berry. Pleo and his companions watched blankly as the Sitrus Berry's effects seemed to settle over her in a flash. The Seviper's movements grew more and more lively, as she swished her tail back and forth with a mocking sneer.

"Seriously, if that's all it takes to throw you off balance, I'd like to see you deal with this!"

Pleo watched as Akane lunged ahead and tried to hop out of the way. Except, halfway over, there was a deafening belch along with a blast of air smelling of Sitrus Berries that swept him up. He lost his footing, sailing into the air and plummeting to the ground as he skidded along the ground. He weakly twitched as his ears rang and his vision spun in his head, stars dancing in his eyes.

"N-Ngah…"

Pleo rolled onto his stomach and tried to push himself off the ground. Off to his side, Akane gave a satisfied smirk and began to slither forward, when a piercing cry cut through the air.

"Pleo!"

A whirling bone suddenly sailed in and struck Akane's neck as it carried on into the air. Nida didn't wait for the Seviper to recover from the blow and ran ahead, shooting an icy ray forward from her mouth that struck the snake head-on.

"Little brat!" Akane hissed. "Let me show you how it's done!"

The Seviper suddenly shot forward and sank her fangs into Nida with an audible crunch. The Nidorina cried in pain and reeled as the Seviper pulled her head back, coiling for another strike. Nida hurriedly fell back, while further behind her, Guardia caught her club from the air and ran in as Akane chased after her teammate. The Cubone pulled her club back, only for a piercing cry to split the air.

"Eyaaah!"

Guardia whirled around to see Pladur flying back from a swipe from Tarquin's tail wreathed with dragonfire, watching as the Fraxure crashed into a nearby wall with a sharp thud. She wavered and looked between Pladur and Nida, when she saw Pleo running in for the Nidorina.

She supposed that made the decision easier for her. At once, Guardia changed course and darted over to Pladur, going over and tugging at him as the Dragon-Type let out woozy groans, when she noticed a cone of cinders flying out from a pile of rubble out in the street to cover them.

It was Elty. The Growlithe stumbled out, gait still shaky, when Tarquin's eyes turned towards him. The Tyrantrum briefly winced from the burns on his snout before his eyes narrowed, and a low growl filled the air over the sounds of battle in the background.

"Oh, it's you again," Tarquin spat. "Let me finish paying you back for that burn you gave me!"

The Tyrantrum lowered his head and charged as blue sparks began to gather around the top of his head, prompting Elty to yelp and bolt. The Growlithe scarcely made it a few paces before an errant series of bullet-like seeds zipped in from pirates and defenders fighting in the background, grazing his right foreleg with a set of sharp stings. He lost his footing and tumbled forward to the ground, laying there in a daze until he realized the ground was shaking. He turned back, looking on in frozen terror as Tarquin bore down on him with his Head Smash.

"Eltenios!"

Elty briefly heard Guardia's voice cry out as scaly hands shoved him out of the way. Everything seemed to go by in a crawl afterwards as he heard a pained cry and then looked up to see Guardia sailing in the air, her bone flying from her grasp. She hit the ground in a limp heap and tumbled to a stop, laying motionless with a visible crack running the length of her helmet. The Growlithe stared blankly, as his voice came out in a frantic cry.

"G-Guardia!"

Elty heard a low snarl and saw Tarquin turning and looking down at him. He started to back away in petrified fright, fire hastily gathering in his mouth when suddenly blinding light came from Guardia's direction.

They both stopped and looked over and saw Guardia starting to stagger up, her body glowing with white light as it began to lose its form. It took all of a moment for things to register for Tarquin, as the Tyrantrum grit his teeth and called out towards Akane in the background.

"Akane! Leave that bird alone for a second and don't let that Cubone-!"

Tarquin briefly trailed off after seeing Elty duck behind him with blue sparks building on his paws. The Tyrantrum whirled around, just in time to see Pladur lunging at him and suddenly raking his flank with a Dragon Claw. Tarquin bellowed in pain, as off at Guardia's end, her still-glowing body started to grow visibly larger, with prominent horns and an elongated tail taking shape, prompting Akane to build up sludge in her mouth.

"Get away from her!"

A swirling Whirlwind struck the Seviper and forced her back with a startled hiss as the light cleared and Guardia stumbled forward, now a Marowak. She panted for air as she briefly looked up and saw Tarquin still fighting with Pladur and Elty, when her eyes fell on her bone lying on the ground just off to her right.

She ran over and scooped it up, turning her attention back to Akane with a sharp growl.

"Nameru na!"

Guardia tightened her grasp around her club, briefly realizing that it felt strangely small in her hand, only for her to grit her teeth and charge forward. The Marowak swung at Akane's throat, only for her club to fall short from where she expected it to go. The Seviper jerked back as Guardia swung again, leaving the Marowak to just barely miss her head. Akane opened her jaws and lunged forward, only this time, Guardia swung her club downwards and struck the top of the snake's head from above with a satisfying thwack.

"Gah!"

Akane crumpled to the ground and sharply slunk back as Guardia panted to catch her breath, partly from her fatigue from Tarquin's earlier blow, partly from her fraying nerves. It suddenly dawned on her that the Seviper was visibly lurching in a daze. Guardia looked over and saw Nida staring at her in awe, before motioning ahead with a sharp cry.

"Quick, finish her off before she can heal up again!"

Nida dashed forward as the Seviper's body swayed in a weary daze. The Nidorina hopped up, pulling a paw back for a furious swipe when Akane suddenly cut it off with the flat of her tail-blade and knocked Nida's blow aside.

The Nidorina's eyes widened, when she suddenly saw Akane bringing her fangs in for a strike. She barely had a moment to react before Akane's teeth sank deep into her shoulder, leaving her to cry out as she desperately struck blindly with her paw and thrashed to break free. A Bonemerang sailed in and forced Akane to duck back, loosening her grip as Nida slipped away and slumped to her knees. Her paws wavered as her breaths came in and out raggedly, all while an awful hiss lingered in the air.

"Hah, look at you. Trying so hard to be like your mother," Akane sneered. "Pathetic."

Nida breathed in and out as her blood started to boil. All this time, this Seviper kept putting her down over and over as someone who'd never match up to her mother, as if she'd gotten this far because of some fluke.

She grit her teeth and tensed her paws. No, it was her who'd come all this way with her friends. And she'd either make this Seviper see it or go down swinging.

"I don't need to be my mother!" Nida shouted.

She lunged forward and flung a paw forward with a heavy swipe, Akane's eyes briefly widening in alarm as the Nidorina brought her Fury Swipe down across her face.

"I'm Nida! I'm myself!"

Akane jolted back and moved her tail to try and counter with a jab. Nida ducked, just missing the blade as she swiped again and struck the Seviper in the side of her neck. The snake stumbled back that time, as Nida flared her ears and grit her teeth with a seething bellow.

"And I can beat you just fine!"

She threw her paw forward again, catching Akane in the throat. The Seviper seized up with a choking noise, before her eyes fluttered and she slumped to the ground. A few cries rang out as about the square, various pirates turned from their battles and looked on in shock, along with even Tarquin, who reared up from pursuing Elty and Pleo with an alarmed shout.

"Akane!"

Pleo and Elty briefly looked back as Tarquin started to head over. The Lugia reflexively went after the pirate, only to feel his wing getting tugged back and saw blue sparks settling around Elty's fur.

"Hit him with everything you've got, Pleo!

The Growlithe hurriedly tapped the Lugia's wing as Pleo felt a surge of energy run through his body. He took off afterwards, lunging ahead as best as his clipped wings would let him while fiery blue light sprouted along his body.

"Nida!"

Pleo barreled ahead, striking Tarquin in his back hard enough to make the pirate stumble and struggle to keep his footing. The Tyrantrum panted hot, frustrated breaths, when all of a sudden, a whirling sound reached his ears and something hard struck the back of his head.

"Gack!"

He staggered forward and reflexively reached his claws to try to cradle his head, when he saw Pladur running up as dragonfire danced on his tusks. The Fraxure threw his tusks forward with a pair of sharp chops, the first hitting Tarquin's shin and drawing a roaring bellow as he stumbled forward onto his knee, before Pladur flanked around him and another sharp hack landed in his gut. The Tyrantrum struggled up with labored breaths as he heard the same whirling noise and looked up…

… just in time to see Guardia's Bonemerang sailing directly for his face.

THWACK!

"H-Hrnk!"

Tarquin seized up and tottered in place briefly, before slumping over and hitting the ground with a loud crash. The fighting about the square died down as everyone, pirate and defender alike, looked on in shock. The local Pokémon stared in stunned awe, while the pirates in the square began to visibly lose their nerves.

"Th-They got Captain Tarquin!" a Honedge cried.

"Oh screw this," a Grimer whined. "I'm outta here!"

"Over there!"

Just then, a Furfrou approached from another alley, one who wasn't wearing an indigo scarf or had a Mark on his forehead. Was that one of the villagers? There was a crowd of Pokémon all behind the Furfrou, as others emerged from damaged buildings and started to press in on the pirates. A wave of panic seemed to settle in over the pirates, as an orange-clad Golem with black outgrowths turned around and cried out to the others.

"Retreat! Retreat!"

The other pirates briefly looked back at the Golem as he hurriedly fled, before general disorder broke out among the rest of their ranks. The pirates took off running one after the other, most not even bothering to carry along fallen comrades from the square, or even attempt to make parting attacks as they fled from battle. One of the exceptions was a Zangoose in a red scarf, who lingered behind to briefly pull an eyelid down and stick a tongue out off in Akane's direction.

"Feel free to send a letter sometime, péist! I'll be sure not to read it!"

A Flareon and Banette hastily yanked him along right as a bolt of electricity hit the place where the Zangoose was standing and the defenders gave chase after the fleeing pirates. Team Traveller looked on in disbelief as the pirates fled further and further away, and the din of battle settled down into the sound of crackling fires and pained groans. They briefly tensed up after hearing movement coming from the garrison, only to turn and see Robbie rounding the corner alongside an Empoleon, a Quaquaval, and a number of guards. A few of the villagers noticed and looked over, before they began to make their way up to greet them.

There was a moment's hesitation, as a dawning realization came over them:

"W-We won?" Pladur murmured. "I-I mean, we won! We sent those stinking pirates running!"

Elty and his companions breathed in and out tiredly as somehow, against all odds, they'd actually pulled through in their battle with Tarquin and his underlings. Robbie's plan to rally the villagers to them even seemed to be panning out, too. Elty wobbled on his feet briefly and winced from his wounded flanks, before turning his attention over to Guardia, who was squatting on the remains of the stand and looking down blankly at her arms. He went over, and worriedly prodded at her side with a forepaw.

"Feels weird suddenly being so much taller, doesn't it?" he asked. "Though are you alright? That Head Smash back there looked like it really hurt."

"I'm fine," the Marowak said, before pausing and catching herself.

"Well, mostly."

Guardia idly swung her club in front of her, and at once, Elty saw the problem. In the past, Guardia's club would reach out a full additional arm's length for her. Now, it barely went half the length of her present arm's length. She pulled it back to her side, and shook her head with a low sigh.

"I think that I'm going to need a new club after this," she said. "I'm not a stranger to fighting in close quarters, but I can't get used to the way mine feels now."

… Right, Guardia's club didn't exactly grow alongside her, and it looked downright small in her grasp now. Even if the Marowak's general bodyplan didn't seem all that different from what it was like as a Cubone, things must've changed more for her than he realized.

But they could sort that all out later. He was just happy that she was still alright.

"Hey! Everyone still alright out there?!"

Elty and his teammates turned to see Crom hurrying over along with the rest of their teammates. The Druddigon's eyes lit up after seeing them, as he all but pounced on Nida and he pulled her into a tight embrace.

"Oh Travellers Above, you're alright!" the Druddigon cried. "You really scared me there!"

Nida raised her paws and cradled Crom back, nosing at him with a tired smile.

"Yeah. You did, too."

Nida and Crom let each other go as they saw their teammates starting to crowd around Guardia and Elty. The Druddigon looked over and blinked and rubbed at his eyes briefly, only for it to sink in that his little Cubone teammate was now no longer little and just as big as he was.

"Oh! Guardia! You evolved!"

They made their way over to congratulate her, as other Pokémon went about tending to the wounded Pokémon in the square or capturing pirates who'd been left behind. All of a sudden, Nida's ears pricked at the sound of footsteps approaching. She turned and saw Robbie leading Franz and Augusta over to them. She heard wingbeats joining in and looked upwards, where there, much to her surprise was Margi tiredly flying in—what on earth was she doing here? Nida supposed that there was quite a story behind Margi being here that she'd need to ask about once things were calmer, only for Robbie to stop in front of them, a self-satisfied smirk spread over his jaws.

"Hah, I told you that we Gestirners don't give up easily in a fight!" the Krookodile said. "One stronghold down, two to go!"

Robbie let out a satisfied huff, before Franz shot a sidelong glance at him.

"Didn't you mention that things were going awry in the harbor right now, Sheriff?" the Empoleon said.

"I mean, the pirates stopped shelling us, so it can't be going that badly," he said. "Though we might as well check and see how the other front's holding before heading over."

The Krookodile reached for the badge pinned on his scarf and moved his head to speak into it.

"Karl, how's the castle looking right now?"

"The lines didn't hold! The pirates mounted a breakout after that blast from the harbor and a bunch of them got away from us!"

The celebratory atmosphere abruptly evaporated as one after the other, Team Traveller's eyes widened and their faces screwed up into grimaces. Even Robbie was taken aback, as he tightened his grip on his badge and raised it back to his mouth.

"Give me details, Karl," he insisted. "Who got past you and how many pirates are still in there?"

"Their captains broke out in the earlier group!" the voice cried. "At least half of them are still inside from how fast these attacks are coming, so-!"

The sound of a loud blast came through the badge and then nothing. Pleo and his teammates grimaced, as Robbie looked down at his badge, and clamped down on it.

"Karl? Karl, are you still there?"

The Krookodile shook the badge in his grasp, but no response came as a sinking feeling came over Pleo and his companions. Their plan had been to pin the pirates' captains down in the castle so that way they wouldn't be able to escape or direct their underlings in town, but…

"Wait, but if those pirate captains aren't in the castle, then where are they now?" Crom asked.

"Sheriff!"

Everyone turned as a Heliolisk and Mabosstiff ran over from Tarquin as he was getting tied up and dragged off, with the Heliolisk clinging tight to a badge glinting in his grasp.

"We pulled this off that Tyrantrum," the Heliolisk said. "You're gonna want to hear this."

The Electric-Type clenched the badge as a voice came crackling through. Pleo flinched for a moment at the sound, realizing that it belonged to…

"A-Ah! That's Captain Dirk!"

"Everyone, we're pulling out! I'm about twenty minutes out from the ships with Captain Ingela! Get aboard before then or it's your funeral!"

The audio from the badge abruptly cut off, leaving the Heliolisk to fidget with the bauble as Franz and Robbie traded looks with one another.

"It doesn't sound like things are going well there either, Sheriff."

Pleo sucked in a tense breath. Did Dirk still have the chest with the Ledger inside of it? Where was he right now? And how were they supposed to get it back?

"W-What do we do?" Pleo asked.

Nida grimaced and set her teeth on edge. What on earth had happened for Dirk to have their part of the Knights' Ledger? Did he understand how important it was? If he did, then they had to go after him! They couldn't afford to let Dirk get away with the only part of the Ledger they still had, but just how were they supposed to explain this?! She looked over at Franz and Augusta, and paused in indecision before shaking her head.

"Franz, Augusta, that 'mon might have something really important of ours," the Nidorina said. "I know that there's still a battle to be fought here, but we really can't risk him just sailing off with it!"

"Then go."

Everyone's attention turned to Augusta, as the Duchess kept her eyes trained on them with a grateful nod.

"You all have already done more than we could've ever asked for after the way we first greeted you," the Quaquaval said. "It sounds like we'll need to focus on the harbor anyways to keep those pirates from escaping, so we'll be there to give whatever help you need."

Franz raised a flipper to his beak in thought, before turning off the center of the square where Tarquin and Akane's unconscious bodies were being dragged along. The Empoleon let out a quiet harrumph, before glancing back at Nida and her companions.

"Just tell us what you need."

Nida hesitated a moment. Once they got their part of the Knights' Ledger back, they'd need to sail off with the Siglo Swellow as soon as they could. That meant there was a good chance this would be the last time they'd see Franz and Augusta, or at least until they got the other two ledgers to force the Company and the Empire into letting Pleo go.

If they got them successfully.

No, they couldn't start doubting themselves now. They would pull through. They had to. But just what did it make sense to ask for when the entire town was busy with these pirates?

She thought it over, when her eyes turned over to Margi, and then off to the Pokémon heading off from the square in groups.

"I… might have a few ideas, but I need to talk it over with my teammates first."

---

Author's Notes:

- Dai, andiamo! - Italian: "Come on, let's go!"
- Mira allí - Spanish: "Look (over) there"
- Kurae! (食らえ!) - Japanese: lit. "Eat (this)!" Comparable undertones when used as an interjection to "Behold!" or "Take this!" (Hepburn Romanization)
- Nameru na! (なめるな!) - Japanese: "Don't underestimate me!" (Hepburn Romanization)

 

[Arukona]

Hello again! It’s been a bit, but back for another review exchange where I’ll be reviewing the next four chapters of this fic, getting to the end of the Orleigh arc which I’ve been enjoying so far thanks to the Irishness of the island. And I’m definitely looking forward to delving deeper into this arc and seeing what it has to offer.

So let’s pick up where we let off and leap into the fray once against.

Chapter 46

Is that cry a snivelling child? Or could it be a far off ghost? (I’m still awaiting a ghost ship arc at some point, on that note.)

"Yeah, bonehead had the right idea," Elty grunted. "I haven't heard her all this time, so she must be out like a rock on her little drawer."

…Or wait, is it Guardia crying? Maybe she’s homesick after all the unfamiliar surroundings she’s been through?

Betting any money Crom is not getting better sleep than they are.

Speaking of our resident Druddigon, over to the Siglo Swellow gang, where the ship’s mends are getting going, though it’ll still be a while before it’s seaworthy again.

Oh hey, Trizano wants to help out! It’ll be good to see him again - he’s one of my favourites in the fic thus far. Him teaming up with the Siglo Swellow gang would be nice to see.

Back to Orleigh where the gang clearly didn’t get a better sleep. Least of all Guardia, who’s almost certainly the source of that crying. Poor her.

He gave a few more beats of his wings, relishing in the feeling of wind beneath his wounded wing, and gave one last push off the ground...

"Ow, owowow!"

…only for a sudden cramp in his injured wing to throw him off-balance as he clutched it to his body, flopping facefirst into the floor with a defeated groan.

"Ow..."

Oof, pity. Pleo can’t seem to catch a break when it comes to broken wings, it would seem.

Hopefully he’ll become less pervious to them along the course of his journey.

"Eh?! We can't just fly off without replacing my bone! I've already had enough close shaves since I lost it!" Guardia protested.

Get TMs for Fire and Thunder Punch, which Marowak can at least learn. Problem solved - you won’t need a bone to use those, surely?

"Just who are we supposed to trust?"

"What about Rasp?" Pleo offered. "He seemed nice enough… Why don't we ask him?"

Don’t jinx it, Pleo. At this rate that’ll almost certainly lead to Rasp actually betraying them and outing them to Hess or one of the Orleigh higher-ups.

"The Empire claims it was a pirate crew who did it, but a lot of folks around here say the Empire burned down the village themselves after they tried to break away."

Ah, a dubious cover-up with a crowd easy to blame in the form of pirates. I wonder if there would’ve been an official blame given out, and if so, to which crew? Would they still be around today?

"I know it's on Pioppo Island, and as for getting there… you can still find it on maps easily enough, though I can't imagine why you would want to," he said. "The place is supposed to be cursed."

Welp, that’s definitely a place to keep away from, but knowing how our gang operates, they’ll almost certainly be paying that place a visit in their endless running from the authorities. I wonder what spoooooooky beings dwell there. 👻

Back to Bluewhorl, where we get a view on Elty’s old companions. Still banking on them reuniting at some point - it’s just a question of how it’ll all come together.

Man, some help Bluewhorl’s getting with this lot. It is useful having an extra pair of hands/paws/claws/jaws to help, but the constant complaining must be hella annoying for those that take them on.

where they saw a Kangaskhan and her child looking up with a scowl in between cleaning cups.

I can just imagine the lulzy image of Mirlia and her kid looking over at Orlov with identical matching expressions. Like mother, like daughter, eh?

The Kangaskhan and her child buried their faces into open paws,

Oh wow, they are doing it identically. That’s both funny and cute.

"I can see your captain didn't bring you aboard for your smarts…" the little Kangaskhan sighed.

Probably because he couldn’t find anyone else. Alas, Hess's handsome mug is not enough an attraction to join the pirate life under his banner.

First word of their crew in a while, yet the ex-pirates don’t seem all that enthused or supportive. Maybe they almost know in their hearts Hess will have moved on?

Over to the Siglo Swellow gang, and now Salvini looks to be joining up with them for now. Nice to have little alliances like this one. I wonder if this might possibly last for longer than just here on Mengir? I suppose we’ll have to wait and see on that one. Nice to see Trizano being a subtle nudger of alliances and helping our heroes out in this way.

Back to Orleigh, where Elty’s slowly nudging Nida and Pleo towards theft. How could this possibly end well? Somehow I get the feeling they’re not going to be quick enough to avail of the ‘nipper’s discounts’...

Interesting that Orleigh too had a protective shrine in spite of its current status as a piracy haven. I wonder if some pirates ever made use of it.

"Beats me, they never came back," the Water-Type replied. "After that, we spent the night camping out in Blackmoon Village's ruins and that's when the wraiths came."

A rather casual way of saying that, when your crewmates never returned. I can imagine some friends of theirs wouldn’t be too pleased about that. Could that be the reason why he’s not helming a ship anymore - mutiny, perchance?

"Wraiths?" the Nidoran murmured.

If I had a nickel for every 1m+ word PMD fic that had Wraiths in them, that’d be at least two nickels. Curious to see what the Wraiths of the Cradle would look like.

And yep, looks like the gang really are headed to Pioppo Island. Somehow I’m willing to bet they’ll still get ambushed by either the Empire or Company on there, depending on how much guts either of those two have.

Noooo, Pleo’s being corrupted by learning how to shoplift!

Down below to Otvaga, where Cyanea and Katyusha don’t look to be having any chance towards getting their tendrils on Pleo, especially now that he’s out of the water. But then that would be the same for the Braveshoal Town folk that are also hunting him down. I wonder if there’ll be a clash?

Awww, Dimitri cares about the kids. That’s kinda endearing of him.

Off the search continues for Pleo, but whether or not Nagant’s gang will snag him remains to be seen.

Chapter 47

Do I take that title to mean our heroes are going to take the plunge and don the skull and crossbones hat? (Granted, one of them already has, but two others in the team probably wouldn’t take to it. Guardia would probably be indifferent.)

But first over to our resident haughty moth. A fitting punishment for him to get splashed.

"I understand the urge to light a fire under Elmer's butt here,

Does Ellsberg even have one? Given that he is a Mothim and all.

Lyn’s going on about catching Pleo and co. at Sormus, yet they’re still on Orleigh…Is it a matter of lying in wait and pouncing at the right time? Obviously, they don’t know yet that Team Traveller’s in Orleigh, so if there is a confrontation between these two, I’m presuming it won’t be for another bit, unless plans end up changing midway through.

Back to our heroes, where they seem to have evaded their mark without much of a hitch. If only Team Pathfinder could be that lucky with their thieving.

I do wonder what Guardia’s bone will end up being. The fact it’s been mentioned a few times makes me wonder if she’ll end up getting a bone more powerful than before. And if so, from which Pokémon? Or maybe it’ll be an artificial bone? (Somehow I feel the most feral of the Team Traveller quartet wouldn’t take to that at all.)

How fitting that the town butcher’s run by a Doublade. Perfectly apt for the job, even if a sword isn’t quite a butcher’s knife.

I feel it’s not made clear enough that Guardia got her bone in the end. You’d think she’d be clutching it victoriously, now that she has a bone to fight with again.

One by one, the members of Team Traveller crept over, where they saw a vaguely familiar-looking group consisting of a Zangoose, a Flareon, and a Banette seated around a crude table, playing a game of cards with flowery designs on them.

Oh hey, this lot again. Let’s see what info our heroes can glean from them.

And transition to a mission to rescue Scout, where Nida’s heroism could well land the group in bigger trouble than they entered with.

"Hey! What do you brats think you're doing?!"

Aaaaaaaaand called it. I guess we’ll see how well Guardia fares with her new bone in combat.

Reflexively, Scian stepped forward and parried the Ground-Type's blow with one of his claws, knocking her back and sending her tumbling back along the floor.

Not very well, alas. Seems our Cubone needs to learn more in the ways of subtlety when it comes to attacking.

Damn, the ante sure got turned up even more when the room went on fire and when that blast seed was thrown. Creating chaos to slip out from - I see both Team Traveller and Team Pathfinder are alike in that regard for getting out of situations like this one.

Oh dear, Elty didn’t escape with the rest of the gang? I hope that doesn’t bode ill for his current allegiances, that he won’t take this opportunity to throw his lot back in with Hess’s crew or something like that.

Back to Otvaga, where the undersea crew are worn out and whatever the equivalent of hot and bothered is for these guys who mostly don’t see sunlight contact.

And it looks like invasion’s next on the agenda for this lot. But at least in spite of their disagreements, Dimitri and Kuda still have each other’s backs when push comes to shove.

Content with his comrade's quiet rapprochement, the Kabutops parted ways to grab supplies of his own and prepare for what would surely be the most important mission of his life.

What, this particular mission? Give it a couple more tens of chapters and this mission’s importance might well seem puny compared to what’s coming up.

Over to Captain Nugget Nagant’s crew, where it seems she likes a bit of the bottle. Jun might have a point though - this could incite a fiery temper into our resident Clawitzer and the crew would suffer for it.

Welp, looks like she’s cooked up a plan to get our heroes in. Some mercenaries, huh? Just who does she have in mind, I wonder?

Looks like we’re seeing how Elty gets out of things. And just as I predicted, he did a runner to get back to his old crew.

"Well, well, well… What do we have here?"

Elty's fur bristled on end as he recognized the chittering voice from Kenobi. The dog turned to run, only for Valatos to dart out in front of him from above, the Yanmega's Marowak and Manectric teammates quickly closing in from behind with low snarls.

Alas, little does he realise, developments have happened, and getting back in won’t be so easy. I predicted something like this might happen. Although I suppose the question is…what would Hess think? Is Elty disposable to him?

"Wow!" the Hoppip exclaimed. "There's new recruits for our crew everywhere!"

"Shut up Wilhelm, nobody asked you," the Ledian buzzed annoyedly.

Man, why’s Wilhelm getting all the heat here? He’s just excited to reunite with Elty again :(

Hess appears again!

And now the lowdown. I wonder if Elty might leave out any crucial details.

"Of course!" the captain insisted. "This is the Iron Fleet, after all we look out for our own!"

"Uh…" a Noibat murmured. "But what about all the 'mons that we left behi-"

THWAM

Don’t contradict a mighty Aggron lest they do this to you. And now that Noibat’s seeing stars on the floor.

Life had been a whirlwind since that fateful day in Tromba; but in that moment, everything seemed to melt away as the Fire-Type once again began to feel at home.

Even in spite of the fact that Elty’s done a (potentially brief) Face-Heel Turn here, this reads as a nice cosy line, showing a ‘home again’ side to it and that he does feel at ease with his fellow crewmates. Here’s hoping that sense of homeliness won’t be shattered in short order, whether by Hess or the trio of Alvise, Valatos and Nori. (Of those two, I’d sooner bet the latter trio given their previous enmity.)

Over to the Siglo Swellow crew, and what’s meant by ‘withering sun’ in the first line here? A blazing sun or a setting sun?

they'd have better odds of finding a Red Gyarados than finishing in time to collect their reward from Hertsog!

A pity harnessing electromagnetic waves to forcibly evolve a Magikarp seems to be beyond the Cradle’s current technology level. Not to mention the ethics, or lack thereof, involved with that.

Crom doing as a kid does, asking the delicate questions out loud. But good thing he did, because now they have a lead on Pleo’s location. If only Salvini wouldn’t be as tight-lipped as she is - girl, if your life’s already ruined by this, you might as well keep digging and spill the beans entirely, right?

If they weren't able to finish tomorrow, they wouldn't be paid by Hertsog, and the Siglo Swellow would be stuck in port for at least another a few days, perhaps longer. But… with everything that was left to be done, how on earth could they overcome this obstacle?

You just gotta lock in, as the young’uns of today say.

Back to Orleigh, where our intrepid heroes still haven’t figured out where the crying’s coming from. Hopefully the Poké drops for them soon.

It’s nice to see that Team Traveller still care for Elty in spite of his desertion. It’s just a question of how much our fire doggo will return the favour when push comes to shove. In the event that the Iron Fleet make their move on Pleo, we might well see him change sides again, and that could be very interesting indeed.

These hopes of getting off the island tomorrow might well end up unfulfilled, won’t they? Because there’s almost certainly going to be someone gunning for him, whether it’s the Iron Fleet or Nagant’s crew.

Chapter 48
Ah, I presume that title’s referring to our resident Growlithe. So which side will he end up picking…?

But before we can get to that, some time with the Siglo Swellow gang, where alas, it appears they did not lock in. It’ll probably have to be through Hertsog’s good graces that they’ll be paid in the end.

Luckily, even he knows that, and so the whole of his contingent comes out to help. There’s even a little moment of recognition between Phyllis and Ander as fellow Marked, and I wonder if it might result in a ‘bro moment’ later.

I’m betting any money that Pleo’s gonna have his wing broken again in short order. I suppose we’ll see how the day’s events go first and how successful the gang will be in getting out of Orleigh before making any judgements.

At least Rasp’s a family ‘mon, knowing to look out for his loved ones on a rough island like Orleigh.

Might want to brush up on your lying game, Elty. If your story was a ship, it would sink with how many holes there are in it.

The now-reunited group carried on following the heels of their canine guide, none the wiser that he once again led them along with a knowing smirk.

Ohhhh dear. Looks like relating to the ‘friend or foe’ question, it’s the latter for Elty.

Crom nodded and wandered off to check on his coworkers.

The way this is worded, it almost sounds like he’s the foremon of this operation when in reality he’s just a kid.

Good to see Crom manage to convince Payak and Phyllis to give Salvini a second chance.

A pity there wasn’t a Smeargle to assist with the drawing of Hertsog’s blueprints. That would’ve made things a smidge easier. Not to mention, where’s the paint coming from?

Back to Orleigh, where Team Traveller’s being led like a Mothim to flame. (That idiom made me wonder if Ellsberg has some sort of eager reaction to lights.)

"A not-so little bird told him," a low, rumbling voice answered.

Nida and Pleo froze and felt their blood run cold at the voice. Just then, a flurry of activity broke out as one after the other, Pokémon in golden scarves emerged from alleys and behind boxes, casting predatory sneers.

Welp, time to cue the music:

It’s funny seeing Hess struggle to pluck up courage in the wake of his doubting crew. It’ll almost certainly be the chinks in the Iron Fleet (heh, like armour) that’ll be what Team Traveller will exploit to escape. If they escape, that is.

"What did you do, Elty?!" Kichiro hissed.

I see that Kichiro’s gonna get his own back on the nicknaming front going forward.

And lo and behold, a chase sequence in which most of Orleigh’s gonna be battered. No doubt Hess’ll get an earful from the higher-ups for this when the dust settles.

"Wait, that overgrown Wingull is a Protector?!"

"So those sea yarns the Iron Fleet were telling are real?!"

"Let's go get him!"

Oh right. In a town of pirates, they would all be attracted to the sight of Pleo like a Murkrow with jewels, wouldn’t they?

He was finally back where he belonged, but for whatever reason seeing Team Traveller chased around like this didn't sit well with him.

Looks like those doubts are setting in, just as I predicted~

Over to the Otvagans, where they’re a bit behind in the race to get Pleo back, with the Imperials shooting ahead of them and now they’re getting bogged down by Jellicent and other ferals. I guess they’ll be a late arrival to the scuffle on Orleigh. But…that would put them in a prime position for a Big Damn Heroes moment if they arrive on time.

Chapter 49

Hmmm, what could that title imply? Side effects of…what, exactly? Elty’s sudden betrayal? That would certainly sour his standing, alright. I almost wonder if he’ll become an awkward inbetweener if he doesn’t fully get on board with Hess’s orders.

But over to Mengir first, where they got the shrine fixed up and the wild Pokémon there are happy! So that’s that loose end tied up.

And now the Siglo Swellow gang have their cash. There’s thanks and off they go. It’s a nice scene to open up with.

But now over to an environment less comfortable, where the other half of Team Traveller are being chased by a horde of marauding pirates. Yeah, good luck getting out of this one, guys. 💦

As they grew nearer, the sound of the pirates' footsteps added to the chaotic uproar, but their hiding spot was left miraculously undisturbed.

Hah! Bunch of idiots.

Meanwhile, Scian, Cerny and Kai at least played the long game and seized the opportunity rather than wasting it like the rest of them. If not for Nida’s Slow Orb, they might well have made do on their revenge plans.

But now they have to deal with literally every other pirate dwelling in Rosequartz that wants a slice of the Pleo-shaped pie. Suppose that should’ve been obvious, given the sorts of people that live in these parts.

"But I, Captain Sibich of the Shadow Brigade, am a reasonable Pokémon. Everyone here understands just what an asset you'd be to our little haven after you've learned how to use your power," the Ghost-Type offered. "So come along now, and don't make a fuss."

The Cofagrigus bobbed slowly through the air towards the three Pokémon, one spectral hand extended towards each and the fourth crossed over his lower body as if preparing to bow. The context of their situation aside, his demeanor was further betrayed by the unblinking glare of his bright, crimson eyes, along with the way each of his arms swayed and twisted erratically, as if he would reach out and snatch one of them at any moment.

Pleo blanched and started to feel wobbly, unsure what to do. He heard a voice wishing that something could be done about "that Sibich" and "those pirates", and another, and another. The Protector couldn't see them... but if he didn't know better, he'd have thought these were watching townsfolk. Then perhaps it was best to stand up, and not go easily along with whatever this ghoul had in mind for him...

"... No."

Wow, Pleo really did just did a Rohan Kishibe with Sibich here. Good on him, showing bravery like that.

…Just a pity the ensuing destruction had to happen, and now our little Protector’s confidence is going to be shattered again, especially when there was a good chance for innocents (debatable given this is Orleigh with all its pirates, but then…) like Rasp and Bech to get hurt. There’s going to have to be quite the apology later on to make up for this.

The invasion of the Jellicent really sells the panic of the moment, capitalising on the chaos of the current scene where Pleo caused destruction in the square and upping the ante even more. Now the Imperials are honing in, and suddenly the Company’s looking like small fry compared to something like this.

"Forty years. Forty years I've been waiting for this moment. Through the end of Conntow, through the Company's sedition and treason, through watching everything I grew up in burn to the ground," she murmured. "All of that ends now through you, Lugia, the catalyst who will undo all of this. But first I shall tell you the tragic tale of my family's fate after the Great Collapse. It all started ages ago… No, you know what, screw it!"

Someone has a backstory, I see. Though it appears someone’s not willing to be caught monologuing while her prize is literally right in front of her. Good call, if reluctant on the basis that she’s the antagonist here.

That is, until Hess shows up! Good distraction on his part, even if he’s also in the Pleo catching brigade - just a different one, and the qualms between enemies turn out to be to our heroes’ benefit.

Nagant hopped up with a start as she felt a burning pain on her shoulder, prompting her to look side to side for the attack's culprit.

"Hey, brzydula," a yipping voice jeered. "You're not getting out of this fight so easily!"

The Water-Type whirled around to see a Growlithe sticking his tongue out at her.

Doing the

right there. Good on you, Elty, for being distraction fodder in this moment.

Hess’s crew is being taken prisoner?

Well, that doesn’t bode well at all for them - and will probably dictate the arc of our resident steel dino captain in the next few chapters. Guess this chapter really does begin the pivot from the Company to the Imperials in regards to being the biggest of the Big Bads, and what a chapter to do it on.

The two other members of Team Traveller who remained conscious merely thanked their lucky stars that they were finally able to leave this nightmare behind them...

Mmmmm. But I get this feeling they’re not gonna be out of the woods for a good while yet. They’ve had their first encounter with the Imperials, but it’s almost definitely not going to be the last, that’s for sure.

Over to the Siglo Swellow gang, where there’s a much happier and more tranquil fare awaiting them with thanks for mending the shrine. Even Ander sees the good in it!

Awww, and Hertsog reassigned Salvini so she wouldn’t be split up from her crew! How nice of him.

And now they have a lead to Pleo’s location, although once again it’s an outdated one. Looks like it’ll be another while before the two halves of Team Traveller reunite. Still, by that clue, it seems they might be headed to Otvaga…

So a deep sea dive it is for the Siglo Swellow crew? I suppose that’s where they might well team up with Viktor and Dimitri and Kuda and the rest of the Otvagan gang. Touch wood that if they keep at this island hopping, that eventually they’ll find the Protector they’ve been chasing for so long.

Conclusion

And tying that arc up in a bow. These were a fun set of chapters, and especially tension-filled near the end, with the Imperials finally making landfall in attacking a town to get Pleo, thus embarking fully on the villain arc with a bang and pivoting their antagonism firmly in the spotlight. Even if they didn’t succeed this time, they’ll almost certainly be back and more fierce than ever. They didn’t baulk like Lyn did in their first assault, and they’ll no doubt up the ante in their next encounter.

In other things I liked, it was nice having the arc of the shrine being built by the Siglo Swellow quartet and Hertsog’s contingent, and upon its completion, thanks given to both of them by the locals, be they wild or civil. I liked that arc of doing good things for a local populace.

Over on Orleigh, it was also fun seeing Elty go on a brief traitor arc, one that he’ll probably receive more than a few bonks from Guardia for, and just like he was originally brought into the fold, he’ll probably be thinking of his old pirate gang. …Who are all now being carted off to the Wastes. In which case, that could prove an interesting development, in terms of where his focus might be directed in the next few arcs.

Also it was great seeing Hess again. But you know my thoughts on him. He’s an Aggron. ‘Nough said. And ditto what I said above with Elty reflecting on him too, especially given he’s the captain of the Iron Fleet and most of his crew, including Rodion, was taken away. So that’ll be fascinating to see too, how he reacts once the dust settles and he finds most of his men have been carted off by the Imperials.

Notably the Company, or at least Lyn, never caught up to Pleo in that time before the Imperials struck. So could we be expecting an encounter next arc? Or will they get caught up with either the Siglo Swellow or the Imperials? Either way, they could well be looking to be yesterday’s news now that the Imperials are on the horizon and have staked their claim in the chase for Pleo.

Looking forward to seeing where the next arc kicks off with the threads left from this one. Good work, I quite enjoyed these chapters and am eager to see what the next arc has in store.

 

[Spiteful Murkrow]

@Arukona

Spoiler

Hello again! It’s been a bit, but back for another review exchange where I’ll be reviewing the next four chapters of this fic, getting to the end of the Orleigh arc which I’ve been enjoying so far thanks to the Irishness of the island. And I’m definitely looking forward to delving deeper into this arc and seeing what it has to offer.

See, I knew that you would like this arc. o<o

Is that cry a snivelling child? Or could it be a far off ghost? (I’m still awaiting a ghost ship arc at some point, on that note.)

Alas, we didn’t cook up a ghost ship arc in this story, even if in retrospect it’d have been very cool to do. There is one that should scratch a similar itch down the pipe, though, as hinted in the episode you just read.

…Or wait, is it Guardia crying? Maybe she’s homesick after all the unfamiliar surroundings she’s been through?

Hold onto that thought there…

Betting any money Crom is not getting better sleep than they are.

Speaking of our resident Druddigon, over to the Siglo Swellow gang, where the ship’s mends are getting going, though it’ll still be a while before it’s seaworthy again.

Well, in the grand scheme of things, they’ll get moving again pretty quickly, but yeah, they weren’t quite ready to keep sailing off after their little birdie for a few chapters.

Oh hey, Trizano wants to help out! It’ll be good to see him again - he’s one of my favourites in the fic thus far. Him teaming up with the Siglo Swellow gang would be nice to see.

Assuming you haven’t already done a text search of this story’s content, also hold onto that thought there…

Oof, pity. Pleo can’t seem to catch a break when it comes to broken wings, it would seem.

Hopefully he’ll become less pervious to them along the course of his journey.

Technically, his is sprained, otherwise he’d be stuck on the ground significantly longer than what he is in this arc.

Get TMs for Fire and Thunder Punch, which Marowak can at least learn. Problem solved - you won’t need a bone to use those, surely?

A part of that is psychological, it’s based off an interpretation of the Yellow and Sun Pokédex entries about Marowak taking a fiercer turn after gitting gud with their clubs.

Don’t jinx it, Pleo. At this rate that’ll almost certainly lead to Rasp actually betraying them and outing them to Hess or one of the Orleigh higher-ups.

As I’m sure you saw later on, it was more than Rasp that Pleo should’ve been worried about there.

Ah, a dubious cover-up with a crowd easy to blame in the form of pirates. I wonder if there would’ve been an official blame given out, and if so, to which crew? Would they still be around today?

Highly unlikely since whoever would’ve been fingered as a “fall guy” culprit there would almost certainly be a huge target to blow out of the water to keep up the story of “oh yeah, these guys completely destroyed a village”

Welp, that’s definitely a place to keep away from, but knowing how our gang operates, they’ll almost certainly be paying that place a visit in their endless running from the authorities. I wonder what spoooooooky beings dwell there. 👻

That’s a story for another day when you get there. :V

Back to Bluewhorl, where we get a view on Elty’s old companions. Still banking on them reuniting at some point - it’s just a question of how it’ll all come together.

Man, some help Bluewhorl’s getting with this lot. It is useful having an extra pair of hands/paws/claws/jaws to help, but the constant complaining must be hella annoying for those that take them on.

Yeah, they have some work to do on their work ethic there. Even if “whining about being punished” is probably decently common among people in general.

Probably because he couldn’t find anyone else. Alas, Hess's handsome mug is not enough an attraction to join the pirate life under his banner.

First word of their crew in a while, yet the ex-pirates don’t seem all that enthused or supportive. Maybe they almost know in their hearts Hess will have moved on?

I mean, that is part and parcel of piracy in this setting. Very few crews would have the means to go and pick a fight to free captured crewmembers, least of all one that gets into as many embarrassing faceplants as the Iron Fleet does.

Over to the Siglo Swellow gang, and now Salvini looks to be joining up with them for now. Nice to have little alliances like this one. I wonder if this might possibly last for longer than just here on Mengir? I suppose we’ll have to wait and see on that one. Nice to see Trizano being a subtle nudger of alliances and helping our heroes out in this way.

Glad to hear that you’re enjoying that subplot. It was something that we felt was needed to help give a bit more closure to Salvini’s appearance on Mengir.

Interesting that Orleigh too had a protective shrine in spite of its current status as a piracy haven. I wonder if some pirates ever made use of it.

I would presume so, since if nothing else, it’s not exactly unheard of for people to suddenly find religion in a “just in case I need this luck” capacity when they think they’re in peril.

A rather casual way of saying that, when your crewmates never returned. I can imagine some friends of theirs wouldn’t be too pleased about that. Could that be the reason why he’s not helming a ship anymore - mutiny, perchance?

I mean, I can’t imagine that it helped with crew cohesion, though we actually saw Laurens as having disbanded his crew on more peaceable terms. Granted, it was likely a pretty diminished rump after factoring in all the “screw this, I’m outta here”s beforehand.

If I had a nickel for every 1m+ word PMD fic that had Wraiths in them, that’d be at least two nickels. Curious to see what the Wraiths of the Cradle would look like.

And yep, looks like the gang really are headed to Pioppo Island. Somehow I’m willing to bet they’ll still get ambushed by either the Empire or Company on there, depending on how much guts either of those two have.

Well, I suppose you’ll just have to wait and see what that looks like, huh?

Noooo, Pleo’s being corrupted by learning how to shoplift!

He’s just channeling his inner seagull:

Awww, Dimitri cares about the kids. That’s kinda endearing of him.

Hold onto that thought there…

Chapter 47

Do I take that title to mean our heroes are going to take the plunge and don the skull and crossbones hat? (Granted, one of them already has, but two others in the team probably wouldn’t take to it. Guardia would probably be indifferent.)

Well, one of them certainly was.

Does Ellsberg even have one? Given that he is a Mothim and all.

Yes by virtue of the fact that we’ve seen him eating. If he didn’t, he’d likely have keeled over a long time ago since moth species without digestive systems IRL tend to have their lifespans measured in days.

Lyn’s going on about catching Pleo and co. at Sormus, yet they’re still on Orleigh…Is it a matter of lying in wait and pouncing at the right time? Obviously, they don’t know yet that Team Traveller’s in Orleigh, so if there is a confrontation between these two, I’m presuming it won’t be for another bit, unless plans end up changing midway through.

Well, that’s their plan for what they want to do, yes.

Back to our heroes, where they seem to have evaded their mark without much of a hitch. If only Team Pathfinder could be that lucky with their thieving.

I think Team Pathfinder would likely be very cranky about the accusation that they’re thieves. Team Forager almost certainly would want some of that luck right about now, though.

I feel it’s not made clear enough that Guardia got her bone in the end. You’d think she’d be clutching it victoriously, now that she has a bone to fight with again.

We slipped in a brief addition to this effect once she gets it.

Aaaaaaaaand called it. I guess we’ll see how well Guardia fares with her new bone in combat.

Not very well, alas. Seems our Cubone needs to learn more in the ways of subtlety when it comes to attacking.

Yeeeeah, she has a ways to go for dispelling that youthful inexperience there.

Damn, the ante sure got turned up even more when the room went on fire and when that blast seed was thrown. Creating chaos to slip out from - I see both Team Traveller and Team Pathfinder are alike in that regard for getting out of situations like this one.

I mean, you’re almost certainly thinking of a different team right now in Once a Thief, but Team Pathfinder was indeed mentioned in passing as having some improbable escaping skills.

Oh dear, Elty didn’t escape with the rest of the gang? I hope that doesn’t bode ill for his current allegiances, that he won’t take this opportunity to throw his lot back in with Hess’s crew or something like that.

Elty: “Hmm… let’s see here, I can go back to the spike ball who literally blackmailed me to keep me with her on the first island we got to, or I can go back to my actual friends who are here on this island… tough choice, really.”

Back to Otvaga, where the undersea crew are worn out and whatever the equivalent of hot and bothered is for these guys who mostly don’t see sunlight contact.

And it looks like invasion’s next on the agenda for this lot. But at least in spite of their disagreements, Dimitri and Kuda still have each other’s backs when push comes to shove.

They’re most likely aiming for a small team insertion / hit-and-run, since they almost certainly don’t have the numbers to solo Rosequartz Town on their own.

What, this particular mission? Give it a couple more tens of chapters and this mission’s importance might well seem puny compared to what’s coming up.

I mean… you’re not wrong there.

Over to Captain Nugget Nagant’s crew, where it seems she likes a bit of the bottle. Jun might have a point though - this could incite a fiery temper into our resident Clawitzer and the crew would suffer for it.

What, you’ve never heard of drunken shrimp before? /s

Alas, little does he realise, developments have happened, and getting back in won’t be so easy. I predicted something like this might happen. Although I suppose the question is…what would Hess think? Is Elty disposable to him?

Technically, everyone is disposable on a pirate crew by virtue of needing to go on if you lose them. Elty’s loss most likely affected him a bit more than the average underling’s for reasons you’ll find out a little later down the road.

Hess appears again!

Hess: “I like this reviewer!"

Don’t contradict a mighty Aggron lest they do this to you. And now that Noibat’s seeing stars on the floor.

Hess: “... He’ll get better?” ^^;

Even in spite of the fact that Elty’s done a (potentially brief) Face-Heel Turn here, this reads as a nice cosy line, showing a ‘home again’ side to it and that he does feel at ease with his fellow crewmates. Here’s hoping that sense of homeliness won’t be shattered in short order, whether by Hess or the trio of Alvise, Valatos and Nori. (Of those two, I’d sooner bet the latter trio given their previous enmity.)

Well, as you saw, things were indeed on borrowed time, if not quite the way you anticipated here.

Over to the Siglo Swellow crew, and what’s meant by ‘withering sun’ in the first line here? A blazing sun or a setting sun?

It was closer to “blazing”, but we realized that it probably wasn’t that warm since it was spring and Mengir has a relatively moderate climate, so we cut things down.

A pity harnessing electromagnetic waves to forcibly evolve a Magikarp seems to be beyond the Cradle’s current technology level. Not to mention the ethics, or lack thereof, involved with that.

Don’t worry, they have Mystery Dungeons to do that for them instead. As you might recall if you remember some details mentioned in passing about Hertsog last episode.

Crom doing as a kid does, asking the delicate questions out loud. But good thing he did, because now they have a lead on Pleo’s location. If only Salvini wouldn’t be as tight-lipped as she is - girl, if your life’s already ruined by this, you might as well keep digging and spill the beans entirely, right?

Salvini:

Back to Orleigh, where our intrepid heroes still haven’t figured out where the crying’s coming from. Hopefully the Poké drops for them soon.

It does, if not in this episode.

It’s nice to see that Team Traveller still care for Elty in spite of his desertion. It’s just a question of how much our fire doggo will return the favour when push comes to shove. In the event that the Iron Fleet make their move on Pleo, we might well see him change sides again, and that could be very interesting indeed.

Which it was, as I’m sure you saw in at the end of this episode.

These hopes of getting off the island tomorrow might well end up unfulfilled, won’t they? Because there’s almost certainly going to be someone gunning for him, whether it’s the Iron Fleet or Nagant’s crew.

But before we can get to that, some time with the Siglo Swellow gang, where alas, it appears they did not lock in. It’ll probably have to be through Hertsog’s good graces that they’ll be paid in the end.

Luckily, even he knows that, and so the whole of his contingent comes out to help. There’s even a little moment of recognition between Phyllis and Ander as fellow Marked, and I wonder if it might result in a ‘bro moment’ later.

Hold onto that thought…

I’m betting any money that Pleo’s gonna have his wing broken again in short order. I suppose we’ll see how the day’s events go first and how successful the gang will be in getting out of Orleigh before making any judgements.

Darn, could’ve made easy money that way.

Ohhhh dear. Looks like relating to the ‘friend or foe’ question, it’s the latter for Elty.

Bold of you to assume that we’d be letting Elty exit the plot that easily.

A pity there wasn’t a Smeargle to assist with the drawing of Hertsog’s blueprints. That would’ve made things a smidge easier. Not to mention, where’s the paint coming from?

Most likely some combination of natural dyes and crushed up emeras, like what Guardia’s colony used to make their own paintings.

Back to Orleigh, where Team Traveller’s being led like a Mothim to flame. (That idiom made me wonder if Ellsberg has some sort of eager reaction to lights.)

I could see it, honestly.

Welp, time to cue the music:

It’s funny seeing Hess struggle to pluck up courage in the wake of his doubting crew. It’ll almost certainly be the chinks in the Iron Fleet (heh, like armour) that’ll be what Team Traveller will exploit to escape. If they escape, that is.

I mean, considering what they saw Pleo do to Hess last time, can you really blame him?

And lo and behold, a chase sequence in which most of Orleigh’s gonna be battered. No doubt Hess’ll get an earful from the higher-ups for this when the dust settles.

[..]

Oh right. In a town of pirates, they would all be attracted to the sight of Pleo like a Murkrow with jewels, wouldn’t they?

And how!

Over to the Otvagans, where they’re a bit behind in the race to get Pleo back, with the Imperials shooting ahead of them and now they’re getting bogged down by Jellicent and other ferals. I guess they’ll be a late arrival to the scuffle on Orleigh. But…that would put them in a prime position for a Big Damn Heroes moment if they arrive on time.

“Heroes”, huh?

But over to Mengir first, where they got the shrine fixed up and the wild Pokémon there are happy! So that’s that loose end tied up.

And now the Siglo Swellow gang have their cash. There’s thanks and off they go. It’s a nice scene to open up with.

Which is just as well since it was the happiest point of the entire chapter. ^^;

But now over to an environment less comfortable, where the other half of Team Traveller are being chased by a horde of marauding pirates. Yeah, good luck getting out of this one, guys. 💦

Yeah, they’ll certainly need quite the distraction there, huh?

Meanwhile, Scian, Cerny and Kai at least played the long game and seized the opportunity rather than wasting it like the rest of them. If not for Nida’s Slow Orb, they might well have made do on their revenge plans.

But now they have to deal with literally every other pirate dwelling in Rosequartz that wants a slice of the Pleo-shaped pie. Suppose that should’ve been obvious, given the sorts of people that live in these parts.

Pleo: “Yeah, in retrospect, even if my wing was hurt, maybe we shouldn’t have stayed here after the first night.”

Wow, Pleo really did just did a Rohan Kishibe with Sibich here. Good on him, showing bravery like that.

…Just a pity the ensuing destruction had to happen, and now our little Protector’s confidence is going to be shattered again, especially when there was a good chance for innocents (debatable given this is Orleigh with all its pirates, but then…) like Rasp and Bech to get hurt. There’s going to have to be quite the apology later on to make up for this.

Hold onto that thought there.

The invasion of the Jellicent really sells the panic of the moment, capitalising on the chaos of the current scene where Pleo caused destruction in the square and upping the ante even more. Now the Imperials are honing in, and suddenly the Company’s looking like small fry compared to something like this.

I think you’ll find that the Company’s not quite as outclassed as you think by the Empire, but I suppose it’s hard to keep things in perspective when they’re not the immediate threat you have to worry about.

Someone has a backstory, I see. Though it appears someone’s not willing to be caught monologuing while her prize is literally right in front of her. Good call, if reluctant on the basis that she’s the antagonist here.

It helps that the character she was vibing after in that moment wasn’t the type to monologue while her prize was in front of her other.

That is, until Hess shows up! Good distraction on his part, even if he’s also in the Pleo catching brigade - just a different one, and the qualms between enemies turn out to be to our heroes’ benefit.

And there’s the gang’s distraction.

Hess’s crew is being taken prisoner?

Well, that doesn’t bode well at all for them - and will probably dictate the arc of our resident steel dino captain in the next few chapters. Guess this chapter really does begin the pivot from the Company to the Imperials in regards to being the biggest of the Big Bads, and what a chapter to do it on.

Well, some of them anyways. But that’s something to deal with once the dust settles.

Mmmmm. But I get this feeling they’re not gonna be out of the woods for a good while yet. They’ve had their first encounter with the Imperials, but it’s almost definitely not going to be the last, that’s for sure.

Over to the Siglo Swellow gang, where there’s a much happier and more tranquil fare awaiting them with thanks for mending the shrine. Even Ander sees the good in it!

Awww, and Hertsog reassigned Salvini so she wouldn’t be split up from her crew! How nice of him.

- Meanwhile over the skies outside of Orleigh -
Pleo: “Um… excuse me? We’d like some of that ‘happy moment’ energy here too, you know!”

And now they have a lead to Pleo’s location, although once again it’s an outdated one. Looks like it’ll be another while before the two halves of Team Traveller reunite. Still, by that clue, it seems they might be headed to Otvaga…

So a deep sea dive it is for the Siglo Swellow crew? I suppose that’s where they might well team up with Viktor and Dimitri and Kuda and the rest of the Otvagan gang. Touch wood that if they keep at this island hopping, that eventually they’ll find the Protector they’ve been chasing for so long.

I’ll leave that to you to see how that unfolds in the episode you’re currently on. Though you are correct to intuit that Crom and the Siglo Swellow’s days of constantly being just late for Pleo are numbered.

Conclusion

And tying that arc up in a bow. These were a fun set of chapters, and especially tension-filled near the end, with the Imperials finally making landfall in attacking a town to get Pleo, thus embarking fully on the villain arc with a bang and pivoting their antagonism firmly in the spotlight. Even if they didn’t succeed this time, they’ll almost certainly be back and more fierce than ever. They didn’t baulk like Lyn did in their first assault, and they’ll no doubt up the ante in their next encounter.

I mean, you’re not wrong there…

Over on Orleigh, it was also fun seeing Elty go on a brief traitor arc, one that he’ll probably receive more than a few bonks from Guardia for, and just like he was originally brought into the fold, he’ll probably be thinking of his old pirate gang. …Who are all now being carted off to the Wastes. In which case, that could prove an interesting development, in terms of where his focus might be directed in the next few arcs.

Also it was great seeing Hess again. But you know my thoughts on him. He’s an Aggron. ‘Nough said. And ditto what I said above with Elty reflecting on him too, especially given he’s the captain of the Iron Fleet and most of his crew, including Rodion, was taken away. So that’ll be fascinating to see too, how he reacts once the dust settles and he finds most of his men have been carted off by the Imperials.

Fortunately for those pirates, they’re not quite in the Wastes yet. You’ll see what happens to them in the chapter you’re currently working your way through.

Notably the Company, or at least Lyn, never caught up to Pleo in that time before the Imperials struck. So could we be expecting an encounter next arc? Or will they get caught up with either the Siglo Swellow or the Imperials? Either way, they could well be looking to be yesterday’s news now that the Imperials are on the horizon and have staked their claim in the chase for Pleo.

You’ll get an answer to that quite soon.

Looking forward to seeing where the next arc kicks off with the threads left from this one. Good work, I quite enjoyed these chapters and am eager to see what the next arc has in store.

And thanks for the review! It was a lot of fun to read, and we’ll be looking forward to reading what you have to say whenever you come around again next time. ^^

Anyhow, onto today’s chapter:

 

[Virgil134]

Hess panted in and out from behind a makeshift barricade of tables and Protects as attacks flew in and out of the now-trashed tavern he and his crew were hiding in. That Lum Berry he'd eaten was still working its way through his system to cure his hangover, even if the shock of things had been helping him sober up quicker than expected.

When Dirk said that the town needed to be held down, Hess had hoped he'd at least get a quiet night to try and calm things down with his remaining crew back at the tavern they'd taken over…

BOOM!

Unfortunately, everything had fallen apart so fast: one moment, he was rubbing his eyes and coming down from the inn upstairs after hearing a loud blast from the harbor and sending a few fliers to check things out. The next thing he knew, he and the portion of his crew that were staying here were being pinned down by a bunch of Imps surrounding the building.

Hess and the nearby pirates flinched as a thrown seed suddenly exploded next to them and the tavern filled with smoke and swirling embers. The Aggron stumbled back and coughed from the haze, looking out to see the party of Pokémon in indigo scarves outside had gotten closer. A Klang among them threw a crackling beam of electricity forward, while an Annihilape right behind her stopped to bark into a glinting badge.

"We're just outside the harbor, on the western side! We've got the captain of those golden-scarved pirates pinned down right now!"

A gout of fire zipped into the tavern and struck a Hoppip, sending the pirate pitching to the ground shrieking in pain. Some of his crewmates grimaced when the guards followed up with a hail of flechette-like leaves and a pressurized jet of water. A few of their other comrades crumpled to the floor while others stopped attacking and frantically retreated behind their cover. Hess held his ground and dug in his feet, spitting up a watery orb that fanned out into a Surf at the doorway. Except, just barely after he'd kicked up the growing wave, shadows pooled at his feet and a fist-like blur shot out from it and hit him in his gut.

The Aggron bowled over and wheezed, hurriedly crawling back for cover beside Kichiro and breathing in and out as the Ledian let out a sharp buzz and sent a stream of rings sailing through the air at the door. There was a startled cry from the other end, before Kichiro gave him a worried look. The Aggron could see the Annihilape and the other Imps at the doorway now, as it dawned on him that their attackers were about to try and breach and clear the room.

"Gah! If that stupid rock of yours actually works, now would be a good time for it to pass on some of that luck it's got!" Kichiro snapped.

Hess' breaths came out ragged and tired as he clutched at his lucky charm under his scarf. Travellers above, everything had just been going wrong today, especially when Rodion wasn't among the Pokémon who came back from Starbreak Square. If he were here, he'd surely have been able to think of a way out of this mess…

He'd always worried that the Iron Fleet would fall apart without his first mate, and with the way things were going, he was starting to think that there just wasn't any chance of getting off this miserable rock.

A high-pitched tone filled the air, as a spray of bubbles suddenly swept over the tavern's entrance from the right. Pained cries rang out from past the doorway, as Hess peeked back from behind his cover and saw a few Pokémon outside were now lying limply and drenched in water on the ground. The other attackers were shakily getting up, as the Annihilape and a small handful of companions looked around in a panic.

"H-Huh?! Who's-?!"

The Annihilape was abruptly cut off by a blur of red and gray as Dirk lunged in and slashed the Annihilape across his face with a scythe-like blade of pink light. A sharp yelp followed, as the Fighting-Type slumped to the ground. A Dazzling Gleam and a few other attacks followed just afterwards and picked off most of the others, save for a solitary Victreebel who visibly froze.

The Grass-Type stammered and turned to flee as Dirk caught up. The Victreebel suddenly screamed in fright, as the Bisharp lunged ahead with his blades drawn back.

SHUNK!

Hess flinched at the sound, and when he looked back, he saw the Victreebel staggering and lurching back from the blow. The Bisharp summarily threw her aside, leaving her to hit the ground, weakly curling up with low whimpers but otherwise remaining unmoving as the front of the bar past the doorway went silent beyond the occasional weak groan.

Hess and his underlings warily got up and began to file out the tavern, where they saw fainted Pokémon strewn all about the entrance. Off by the Victreebel, Dirk got up and flicked some fluid off his blade before making his way over. To the right, the culprit of the bubbles and Dazzling Gleam became apparent as Ingela drew forward alongside some of her lackeys, her face curled up in a fierce, impatient scowl.

"Hess, get yourself together already!"

Hess shakily tried to calm his nerves as Dirk kicked the Annihilape out of his way. The felled Annihilape let out a wince-worthy groan as Hess shook his head with a startled sputter.

"Wh-What on earth is going on here?!" he demanded.

"What does it look like, Hess?" Dirk spat. "Those Marked and the guards we didn't round up made a counterattack. As you can see, things aren't exactly going well."

Hess set his teeth on edge and looked back at a number of wide-eyed underlings lingering deeper within the bar. He hesitated a moment, before shaking his head and motioning for them to follow along.

"Come on, go ahead and get back to the ships," he insisted. "It's time to go."

The golden-scarved Pokémon hurriedly ran off one after the other, a few larger ones dragging fainted teammates along with them. Hess went over to the fainted Hoppip laying on the ground a few paces over, where Kichiro was already trying to tug him up, and hurriedly helped sling the Hoppip over the Ledian's shoulder. The pair started heading off, when a sharp huff turned the Aggron's attention over to Dirk, who was lingering with Ingela at the bar's exit.

"Hrmph, I should've made one of that bird's friends walk the plank and told him the rest would follow if he didn't surrender instead of raiding that glorified Durant nest," the Bisharp growled. "That definitely would have gotten him to show his face. My whole crew would still be here, too."

"Or it would have gotten us all killed," Hess thought to himself. His mind turned back to how the young Lugia's plumes had come alight with silvery light in Tromba, and how he'd been sent pinwheeling head over heels through the air from… whatever that gust was. The Aggron fought back a shudder at the memory, and tried not to think too hard about how Lugia would react if he had to avenge his friends instead.

He shook his head and trudged along, only to hear an annoyed buzz and see Kichiro hovering behind him. The Ledian leveled a piercing glare at Dirk, his lower arms folded against each other.

"Yeah, yeah, boo hoo for you," Kichiro spat. "How are you not more worried about what's going on right now?! In case you haven't noticed, but we're never getting that bird if we get chased off this island!"

Dirk narrowed his eyes and flashed his blades. Hess hurriedly pulled Kichiro behind him, stepping in front of his second mate as the Aggron hastily waved his free claw with an audible stammer.

"H-He didn't mean that!" Hess insisted. "Everyone's just stressed at the moment and we should really get going if we don't want to get captured."

Dirk kept his glare firmly fixed on Hess as blasts and the din of battle in the distance lingered, when a sharp scoff rang out. Hess looked over at Ingela, who rolled her eyes and started to scoot off for the direction of the water, only for her to abruptly pause and shoot a wary side-eye at Dirk.

"Wait, Dirk. What was in that chest from earlier?" the Primarina asked. "The one that you said that Lugia and his friends seemed so hung up over?"

"Tch, nothing of value now," the Bisharp harrumphed, shaking his head. "I had my underlings clear it out earlier. But I assume that they're after this."

Dirk rifled through his satchel, before pulling out a weathered red tome. Hess, Kichiro, and Ingela gaped at it puzzledly, as Hess warily quirked a brow.

"A book?" Hess murmured. "What's so special about that?"

"I haven't gotten a chance to read through it properly, but it's about some sort of project the Company and the Empire worked on together before they split," the Bisharp explained.

"Fantastic," Ingela harrumphed, folding her flippers. "So why do you still have that?"

"Because Lugia and the others almost certainly want it back," Dirk insisted. "Before all of this happened, I was planning on getting them to come after it, so that way I could get the drop on them."

Dirk turned his attention to the Annihilape laying crumpled on the ground, when a brief glint caught his eyes. The Bisharp tugged at the Annihilape's scarf and noticed that there was a badge pinned to it. He looked down at it for a moment as a flash of realization came over his eyes, and his mouth settled into a knowing smirk.

"… Actually, we still can use it to lure them out."

Ingela shot back a dubious frown as Hess and Kichiro traded bewildered stares with one another, before looking back blankly at the Bisharp captain.

"Huh?" Hess asked. "But how will they know where to find it?"

Dirk all but thrust the Knights' Ledger into Hess' free claw as the Bisharp stooped and unpinned the badge. He lifted it up to his mouth and clamped down on it, his voice coming through his teeth in a low, guttural growl.

"Listen up, you little brats. I know that you and your friends are hearing this," he spat. "If you're looking for that red book you want so badly, it's aboard the Iron Fleet's Starfall Shogun right now. I'd like to see you try to get it back."

Hess and Kichiro's jaws flopped open at the Bisharp's words. Kichiro nearly dropped the Hoppip on his shoulder out of shock, while Hess' eyes briefly shrank to pins before he stomped up in spluttering protest.

"D-Dirk! That's my ship!" the Aggron complained. "Why would you draw everyone's attention to it?!"

"Because your crew's the one those brats know the best and they'll be able to identify your ships the easiest. Besides, Ingela and the Torrent Tsars will be there to help you, so you shouldn't have any trouble holding out," the Bisharp retorted, prompting Ingela to raise a brow. "When the time is right, me and the rest of the Crimson Corsairs will step in to throw these landlubbers off-balance and mop up Lugia and his friends."

"I… suppose I don't have any objections to this plan," Ingela grunted. "Just make sure you're there when we need you, Dirk."

Ingela began to head off along with the party of teal-scarved Pokémon with her, leaving Hess with Dirk as his stomach began to knot up and a sinking feeling came over it.

"B-But-!"

Hess felt something dig into his throat and looked down to see a glinting point going past the top of his scarf. He struggled to fight back a frightened squeak as Dirk glared daggers up at him, pressing the tip of his blade down under the Aggron's chin.

"Look, are you the captain of a Council Crew or not?" Dirk snarled. "If you are, then you can handle being the center of attention for a little bit!"

"Alright! Alright!"

Hess hastily jerked himself back as Kichiro looked on, before hurriedly flying off with the Hoppip still in his grasp. The Aggron hung his head and began to leave himself. There was nothing left to be said between him and Dirk, nothing good would come of it.

"Oh, and Hess? One more thing."

Hess looked back as Dirk started setting off for an intersecting alley after a group of red-scarved pirates. The Bisharp gave a hardened scowl, before turning away with a sharp huff.

"Try not to keel over while you're fighting with that bird. It'll take a bit before my crew and I can help you."

The Aggron overeagerly nodded back and hurried along, staring off at the approaching masts in the harbor as lights flew about the sky.

He subconsciously pawed at the lucky charm around his neck. It had never failed him so far, and gotten him out of some seemingly dire moments in the past.

He just knew he was going to need all the help he could get from it.

---

Guardia glanced around the corner of the shopfront alcove she'd taken cover behind as a pained yelp rang out, just in time to see a Clefairy crumple to the ground from a glinting tackle by a set of steely-looking wings. She looked over and saw Trizano hurriedly pulling back up past the surrounding rooftops. Back along the ground, her other teammates threw attacks and items of their own ahead as they pressed forward. As good a sign as any it was time to press her advantage.

She darted around the corner, pulling her club back for a heavy smash, only for a stream of scalding bubbles to suddenly hit her torso and send her tripping to the ground.

"Hah! Is that the best you hicks can do?!"

Guardia staggered onto her feet, where there was a Flaafy and a red Oricorio led by a Marked Kingler prowling towards her. The Kingler snapped his claws menacingly, and leveled the larger of the two at her with a sneering hiss.

"If you thought you were just going to walk over us, you've got another thing-!"

"Guardia!"

The Kingler looked further down the lane and froze as Pleo came charging in from the rear. Almost at once, the Water-Type's fighting spirit left him, as he flushed pale and shakily scuttled back.

"A-Aah…"

The Kingler turned and began to run when Pleo shot out a Thunderbolt that made the pirate seize up and fall with his legs sprawled out. The Flaaffy and Oricorio similarly barely had a moment to react before a Rock Slide from Dimitri overtook them. The Oricorio crashed to the ground as the Flaaffy reeled, an Ice Beam from Nida suddenly picking the pirate off from down the alley. Guardia got up onto her feet panting when Elty ran up to her and pawed at her as bluish sparks settled on her hide. A jolt of energy shot through her body as she looked down on the alleyway, seeing the Marked Kingler wide-eyed and desperately trying to scrabble back onto his feet. She narrowed her eyes, lunging ahead as she brought her club down with a sharp swing at the top of the Kingler's head.

THWACK!

The Kingler crumpled to the ground and stayed there as Guardia braced herself. She heard voices and footsteps further up of other Pokémon hurriedly fleeing, but beyond the sound of distant fighting, all that remained were the woozy groans of the pirates around them. She slumped up against a wall, as she spotted Pyry and Pekka going over for Elty, while she saw Crom and the other half of Team Traveller coming in from the other end of the alley. She felt aches wrack her body and pawed at her chest as Dimitri scanned their surroundings.

"Looks like that's the last of them," he said. "Let's heal up quickly before we make our way into the harbor."

Guardia panted at her place along the wall as Trizano came over, lowering a Leppa Berry in front of her.

"Here. You looked like you were getting worn down out there, so this ought to help."

Guardia took the berry and bit down on it, as her other teammates tended to their wounds and Nida reached for a badge on her scarf to try and communicate with their nearby allies. They'd gathered on the way over that the Pokémon that went to the harbor had been spotted early while trying to sneak up on the pirates and started things off on the back foot. While things weren't as bad as when they started out, it sounded like they needed all the help they could get.

Guardia knew that Robbie not being able to come along from being busy with helping to mop up around the garrison ultimately wasn't a bad thing: they needed to grab the Knights' Ledger from the pirates before they fled without anyone else understanding why it was important and then sail off as soon as they could. They'd still have plenty of help, since they'd talked the local leaders into sending a bunch of warriors to fight alongside them, with the recently freed crew of the Siglo Swellow joining in. Even if they'd broken up into smaller squads and fanned out, at the very least, they wouldn't be short on help making it to the Ledger if they could figure out where they could go.

The Marowak looked down at her club and gave it an uneasy bat in the air. Even if she had been managing with it so far and could feel more force behind her swings, she just couldn't land her hits as solidly as she used to as a Cubone. She doubted she'd get a chance to dig up another bone in the hinterlands on this island, so it was probably a sign to talk her teammates into stopping at one of those 'scavenger' shops later so she could get a replacement more appropriately sized for her present body.

"Veikka, can you see how things are looking out there?"

She saw Pyry pull Pekka aside before the Vibrava flitted up above the rooftops. As Pekka flew off, her attention went back towards the ground as she briefly counted up the fainted pirates in the alley, all as the sounds of other battles and blasts continued on in the distance…

Guardia quietly set her teeth on edge as it dawned on her that there was still so much for them left to do. They had to figure out which of Dirk's ships had the Knights' Ledger, and then sabotage it to keep it from getting away. On top of that, Beatrix and her crew would have to fight their way back to the Siglo Swellow and get it back out into the water. They couldn't prepare the Siglo Swellow to leave if they couldn't get to it, but that meant finding it in the harbor… assuming that it was even in any shape to sail off.

The Marowak heard movement coming from the mouth of the alley in the harbor's direction and made her way over to poke her head out. There was a slope running down to the seaside, which she saw Beatrix and Vicente hurrying along with other allies they set out with from the garrison along with skirmishes further downhill—a sign that they were keeping those pirates on the run. Up above, there were ship masts already poking up over the nearby rooftops.

They were practically on the edge of the harbor right now. Though with all those ships in the harbor, would they really be able to narrow down what ship Dirk had taken that chest to in time?

"Hey, are you all doing okay?"

Guardia looked up after hearing wingbeats descending, and saw Margi coming to a stop behind them just above the ground. Trizano went up to her and began to talk a little ways over, as Elty came up and briefly shook out his fur.

"You know, all things considered, things are going pretty smoothly," Elty said. "I would've thought we'd run into more pirates on our way over."

Guardia gave a sharp jab at Elty with her club, prompting him to whirl around as she gave an unamused scowl.

"Eltenios, don't jinx us like that," the Marowak huffed. "At this rate, we'll run into an entire colony's worth of them!"

Nida couldn't help but roll her eyes at Elty's comment herself, only to suddenly pause. Even if they'd fought their way through a decent number of pirates on the way here, they had always been in small parties they usually outnumbered, even without the help of the others they'd gone with. So far, they hadn't run into any big and dug-in ones like back at the garrison, and the harbor was right down the hill from them right now!

The Nidorina and her teammates flinched and ducked as a large group of fliers in pirate colors flew along in a wedge-shaped formation overhead. Bigger than any that they'd seen before, except, something was wrong. Beyond occasionally spitting an attack here or there below, the airborne party seemed focused on flying ahead. Straight to where all the ship masts were.

Nida grimaced. Her mind turned back to the call to pull out that they'd overheard Dirk barking out through the badge, as it occurred to her there was only one reason why pirates would prioritize moving along at all costs:

"Guys, I think we're running out of time," she said. "It looks like they're about to sail off."

A sinking sensation came over her gathered teammates as they set their teeth on edge and shot worried glances off into the distance. Crom held a blank look for a moment, before shaking his head and turning to the others uneasily.

"How are we supposed to find out what ship the Ledger's on in time?" he asked. "There must be dozens of them in the harbor right now!"

Nobody really had an answer to the Druddigon's question. Crom assumed that Dirk would've kept the Knights' Ledger to himself and put it on one of his own ships… but was that really a safe assumption? The pirates had all worked together to raid Starpeak Square, so what would've kept him from putting it on the ship of one of the other Council Crews? Or on the ship of some smaller pirate crew they'd never even heard of?

Maybe one of the other teams on the badge line would have an idea of what was going on. He reached for the badge on his scarf and squeezed it, only to be startled by a sharp voice coming through it.

"-f you're looking for that red book you want so badly, it's aboard the Iron Fleet's Starfall Shogun right now. I'd like to see you try to get it back.

Crom's eyes briefly widened as he realized the voice was Dirk's, when the sound abruptly cut out. The Druddigon shook the badge briefly, only for the bauble to remain silent beyond other startled voices coming through it, as Margi and the rest of his teammates hurried over with alarmed looks.

"Wh-What on earth just happened?!" Pleo cried. "That was Captain Dirk! Why are we hearing him through our badges?!"

"He must've gotten onto the line somehow!" another voice through the badge replied. "Don't use them for a bit, we're trying to figure out who he grabbed it from and if this line's been compromised!"

Crom hesitated and traded glances with his teammates, and noticed Elty furrowing his brow with a puzzled flick of his ears.

"… 'Starfall Shogun'? That one's certainly new, since the Iron Fleet's always just had the Mistral Marauder," Elty murmured. "Though how on earth did Hess ever let Kichiro name his ship? Since just from the name, it sounds like something Kichiro would've come up with."

Whatever the story behind that one was, it didn't help them with their current predicament. Even if they now knew what color sails they should be looking for, if Hess had an actual fleet he sailed around with now…

"Wait, but if the Iron Fleet has more than one ship at the moment, how do we know which one's the Starfall Shogun?" Crom asked.

"I don't think it'll be that hard to figure out, actually."

Trizano flew down from the rooftops and motioned for the others to follow around the corner of the alley. One by one they crept along, before coming out onto a battle-scarred street that ran down the hill, where amidst the glint of Protect arrays and attacks zipping about, they could see some of the ships in the harbor. Much to the Druddigon's surprise, there were just two ships which were flying the Iron Fleet's gold-and-silver colors. One was the same caravel that they always had, while the other, a few ships down, was a three-masted ship that was visibly bigger.

"I don't know how on earth Hess got his claws on a three-masted ship," Trizano said. "But I'd bet anything that's that 'Starfall Shogun' Dirk was talking about."

Crom stared at this 'Starfall Shogun' off in the distance and couldn't help but feel a twinge of discomfort. Like he'd seen this ship before somewhere… but where? He tried to study the ship's shape more closely, when a low grumble turned his attention to Elty as the Growlithe shook his head with a sharp frown.

"… We're not seriously just going there, are we?" he asked. "That was Captain Dirk we heard through the badge earlier. There's no way that this isn't all a giant trap of some sort with an entire crew just waiting on us to show up."

"Maybe, but nobody said we actually have to beat all of them," Nida insisted. "We just need to grab the Ledger and then get off Hess' ship. If the others knew what ship we were on, they could help bog those pirates down to keep us from getting ganged up on."

Everyone flinched as a loud blast rang out, and peered out to see smoke rising from a ship which was visibly listing along the docks. Dimitri looked out at the sea of ships and saw that here and there there, he spotted others that looked visibly damaged: ones with ruined sails and masts, ones that were partially sunk, while a couple were on fire.

Even if they weren't on as good of a footing as they'd hoped, the local defenders were still managing to do noticeable damage without reinforcements reaching them yet. Surely it wasn't a bad sign for their chances, was it?

Dimitri turned back to his teammates and shook his head back in reply.

"Actually, I think Nida's onto something," Dimitri said. "While stealth may not be an option with the amount of pirates on those ships, Dirk and the others don't know that Guardia evolved, or that everyone escaped from the garrison, for that matter. Also, while the captain might know who to look out for, would all of their underlings? It might be good enough for at least some of us to get up close without immediately being recognized."

Margi quirked a brow at the Kabutops' reply, before turning back to Nida.

"Where are you going with this?" the Hydreigon asked. "Even if they don't recognize you specifically, wouldn't they obviously be able to tell that you're not part of any of their crews?"

"Well, maybe," the Nidorina said. "But if we could trick them into thinking that we were pirates, then maybe we'd have a way to sneak aboard that ship."

Elty furrowed his brow and his mouth hung open in reply. His expression lingered briefly, and for a moment Nida could've sworn she saw a bead of sweat on the side of his head.

"Alright, now I definitely know you've lost it," Elty harrumphed. "Look, it's not like I haven't taken risks for the sake of a payday in the past, but how in the world do you expect us to pull that off?!"

A weak groan came from back in the alleyway as Team Traveller and the others turned back and saw the Flaaffy from the pirates they fought earlier weakly stirring. Nida walked over and gave a firm kick at the pirate's head, just in case the sheep was more lucid than she looked. The Electric-Type stopped stirring after that, when Nida's eyes turned to the Flaaffy's teal scarf.

A brief flash of realization crossed her mind. Hess' crew was already big enough that he surely had trouble keeping track of his own underlings at times, but what about those from other crews? If they blended a part of their team in with a bigger set of guards that walked up in someone else's colors, would anyone from the Iron Fleet really notice them right away?

Yes, stealing scarves was a bit dirty of a tactic and if he were here, Nida was sure that Kiran would never let her hear the end of it, but it wasn't as if without scarves these pirates would be in more danger than they already were in: overpowered and trapped in an enemy town.

More importantly, Dirk probably didn't know that she, Pladur, and Elty had escaped just yet, much less what Guardia looked like right now. There was a way right here where they could disguise their identities. Even if there was a risk that Elty would get recognized, if he stayed towards the back of the group, their disguises should at least last long enough to make it aboard the Starfall Shogun.

"With a lot of help, obviously," Nida said. "We'd need a couple minutes to let our allies know about our plan, get a few extra helping paws to go with us, and prepare a few items beforehand…"

Nida reached for the knot of the Flaaffy's scarf and undid it. She pulled the cloth off, before turning and holding it up in front of her teammates.

"Oh, and we'll need some new scarves, too."

---

Nida ran along panting and wrinkled her nose at the teal scarf around her neck, which smelled like it hadn't been washed in a long time. She stole a glance at Crom as they ran along together with his claws tied behind his back, with Elty, Guardia, and Pladur leading Pleo along in much the same condition. Joining them was a party of five local guards led by a Hakamo-o, all donned in scarves that had been similarly pilfered from overpowered pirates.

"Remember, no names from here on out," Elty whispered.

"Ha, don't worry about it! As long as you, the Nidorina and the Fraxure stay in the back of the group, they won't recognize any of you before it's too late," the Hakamo-o insisted. "Just let me handle that pirate captain! I can punch up an Aggron with ease."

Nida sighed and gave a sidelong glance at the Hakamo-o as the Dragon-Type puffed his chest out while the other guards visibly struggled not to roll their eyes. She didn't know how much help he was going to be after everything she'd seen of him while they'd been stuck in that cell together, but he at least volunteered to come along and Robbie trusted him enough to help them, so maybe he'd actually be helpful in battle?

… Or at least the others with him might be, anyways.

The sound of shouting and fighting still lingered in the background, mostly from the other side of the harbor. It didn't sound too close, but it was still loud enough that the Nidorina was a little worried that the other defenders waiting on them wouldn't be enough for their plan to work. She knew that Trizano, Ander, and Dimitri had opted to linger with the defenders since they stood out too much, but she was starting to think she'd be more confident if they were around.

The tang of salt water hung in the air and Nida saw Pokémon running along the harbor and its water choked full of ships. She looked up and saw a golden-scarved galleon down the dock, only to hear the clatter of shifting wood ringing out ahead. She looked up and saw a Drapion in a gold-and-silver scarf turning to face her from a makeshift barricade of wood and rubble, his eyes darting over to Pleo and the others.

"Hey, wait a minute, that's-"

"That bird plus his friends that we caught," Guardia said. "Our captain said that he had to go onto your crew's main ship, so get out of the way before those Gestirners pick us off!"

The Drapion glanced over as Team Traveller blew past with their 'captives' and ran down the dock. As they passed, Guardia quietly sucked in a breath and hoped that they wouldn't examine Pleo and the others' bindings too closely—lest they see that the knots were loose enough to come apart with a stiff tug. It seemed to work, as the Drapion barked out a "time to get going" to his nearby counterparts as they hastily withdrew. A bolt of electricity zipped in and arced in midair to strike her. Guardia briefly recoiled, as she shook off the bolt and kept running down the pier, quietly grumbling to herself about how not all of the defenders seemed to have gotten the memo about holding their fire.

She felt the back of her scarf chafe against her neck as something hard in its knot brushed her scales, when she looked up and saw a Barbaracle suddenly stop and level a skeptical stare at her. She reflexively reached for the back of her scarf, only to stop herself:

No, things had been going well so far and they'd only have the element of surprise once. They just needed to hang in there a bit longer.

Thankfully, the Barbaracle carried on and passed her by, running further down the pier to hurriedly undo a set of ropes. The Starfall Shogun was just past it, with its gangplanks riddled with pirates hastily making their way up it, while others clambered up netting hung along the hull. She lowered her head and charged along with her companions, shoving past anyone in their way as cries of protest and a couple yelps followed by loud splashes rang out. At least they wouldn't have to worry about fighting those pirates until they dragged themselves back up onto dry land.

Before she knew it, they'd made it up onto the deck which was in a state of disorder with pirates darting about, while Hess was standing by the central mast and looking off inland at the rest of the harbor. She quietly nodded at Pleo before tugging him along, stepping ahead and stopping impatiently in front of the pirate captain alongside her companion.

"Oi! We caught that bird and some of his friends on top of it!" Guardia snapped. "Let's get out of here already!"

Hess turned his head to face them when his eyes abruptly shrank to pins. He recoiled, stumbling back to put a healthy distance between him and the Marowak before him.

"A-Ack! Don't surprise me like that!" the Aggron cried.

Guardia had to fight back a smirk at the Steel-Type's reaction. Such a big and strong Bossgodora reacting to her like a scared little Eneco. Why, if this was really who Dirk was trusting to ambush them over that Ledger, this was going to be an easier fight than she thought!

"Hess, grow a spine already."

Guardia and her companions froze as they turned behind them and saw Ingela clambering up from the water with a red tome in a waterproof sleeve poking out from a bag. Pirates in teal scarves began to come over from and from elsewhere on the deck to see what was going on, while some of them bowed and made way for the Primarina, as Hess seemed to visibly flinch at her presence.

Guardia saw her teammates' eyes widen, while that Jyarango from the guards went stiff as a board and almost looked like he was fighting back a scream from his throat. Guardia set her teeth on edge as it sank in that this really had been a trap waiting for them. Fortunately, beyond a brief moment where the Primarina shot a sidelong frown at the Hakamo-o, Hess and Ingela hadn't seen through their identities as 'pirates' just yet. There was a brief moment where that Ledian from Hess' crew stared at them from above, before flying down for Hess and tugging at him for attention, but Guardia turned her head as Ingela scooted towards them. The Primarina sized Pleo up, before folding her flippers with a satisfied harrumph.

"Looks like our plan to lure Lugia worked out better than expected. And here I thought that after everything we'd heard about you, you'd actually give us trouble," the Primarina said, as she turned back to Hess. "Tell your crew to cast off. We're done-"

"Wait a moment, Ingela."

Hess suddenly lumbered over and motioned for a stop, training his eyes square on Nida as a deep frown settled over his face.

"Something's wrong here," he insisted. "I don't think these 'mons are actually from your crew."

Pladur quietly tensed up as the Aggron turned his gaze over them, and other pirates who'd gathered around similarly began to size them up. Many of them were ones that the Fraxure hadn't seen before, ones that looked noticeably stronger than he'd remembered Hess' underlings being. More worrisome still were the ones whose expressions started to grow increasingly skeptical and wary as they took closer looks at them.

"Wait, the Torrent Tsars have a Fraxure on their crew?" a Haxorus asked. "I never knew that."

"Yeah," a Sealeo murmured. "And that Growlithe towards the back looks just like…"

The Sealeo trailed off as Hess turned his head to see Elty for himself. Almost immediately, a flash of recognition came over his face. The Aggron captain grit his teeth afterwards and lowered his head, pawing at the ground with a low, threatening snarl.

"You're no pirates!" the Steel-Type shouted. "You're the rest of Lugia's annoying friends!"

Hess' mood quickly spread to the ringing pirates as they began to encroach on them growling and shifted into battling stances. Guardia and her teammates braced themselves as the pirates drew in tighter and tighter on them. Instead of appearing nervous or frightened, she tightened her grip on her club, as a knowing smirk came over her face.

"Took you that long to see through things!" the Marowak said. "Here's something else you didn't see coming!"

Guardia reached behind the knot of her scarf, and in one swift motion, yanked out a swirl-patterned seed that she threw towards Hess. The nearby pirates' eyes briefly widened as the Totter Seed popped against Hess' torso. At once, the Aggron staggered back in a daze, prompting Crom to spit a Dragon Rage into the air above, before grabbing the badge pinned to his scarf.

"Everyone! Hit our position now!"

Almost as soon as the words left her mouth, a hail of attacks and thrown items sailed in from the sea as cries and the thuds of Pokémon falling to the deck rang out from all around them. There was suddenly a brief pause in the attacks—their signal to get out of the line of fire when they could, prompting Nida to grasp an orb with sparks crackling under its surface.

"Go!"

Nida dashed a Petrify Orb against the deck in a hail of sparks. A few nearby pirates were overtaken by its effects and visibly started to freeze up from petrification, which prompted Crom to lunge forward for the port side of the ship. He slipped past the reeling pirates in front of him, taking his place at the port side's railing alongside Marked and indigo-clad Pokémon who were storming aboard. He briefly caught a glimpse of Dimitri, Pyry, and Ander clambering up and hiding behind a Protect as battlecries rang out all around them. The sky above and the water below similarly teemed with defenders swooping in, while others behind them stormed their way aboard up nets and ropes that had been thrown over the side of the hull.

"Down there! Take out whatever sails you can!"

Crom looked up to see Trizano, Margi, and Pekka coming in with a group of flying Pokémon swooping down for the sails, only for others clad in pirate scarves to hurriedly zip in and cut them off. The air above quickly grew thick with skirmishes, as a few of the Pokémon in the air already spiraled out of it. Among the fliers, Kichiro ducked out of the way of a jet of water, glancing up at a Pellipper barreling towards one of the sails.

"Ack! Seriously?!"

He threw a punch wreathed with electricity back, sending the bird tumbling out of the air. He let out an annoyed hiss, before calling out to the deck below.

"All of you, hold down the fort down there!" the Ledian shouted. "We've got our hands full up here right now!"

"Music to my ears!" Elty shot back. "Everyone, like we planned!"

Right, that meant helping Pladur and Guardia get to cover and prepare for battle. Crom glanced over at an array of Protects their allies had conjured and noticed pirates running in to cut them off from it. He hurriedly threw a Power-Up Punch at a Snorunt at the head to buy Pladur and Guardia time to reach it, and just barely after they made it past the cover, the two began to whip up their fighting spirits with frenetic dances. A little ways over, Elty and Ander ran in to push the rest of the pirates away from the Protects, throwing fire and hacking slashes forward. Meanwhile, a few skirmishes away, Nida, Pleo, and Dimitri pushed ahead, darting in between ongoing battle all around them. Dimitri sent a Boldore tumbling back with a Scald, when he heard a sharp yelp and saw a flash of pink light. He turned his head and saw Ingela spitting up an Ice Beam that struck a Marked Golbat's square between her eyes, sending her plummeting into the water with a loud splash.

She was that pirate captain that had the Knights' Ledger earlier! While things had been a chaotic blur since the raid began, she was still the most likely Pokémon to have it at the moment, and thus their most natural target. The Kabutops turned to Nida and Pleo, as he raised his voice above the din to call out to them.

"Nida! Pleo! Let's go for the Primarina first!"

They didn't need to be told a second time, as one after the other, Dimitri, Nida, and Pleo tore along. The Lugia threw a Thunderbolt forward at the Primarina as they drew near, while Dimitri rushed forward with a running slash while Nida followed up with a jab from a poison-slicked paw. Ingela recoiled under the hail of attacks and tumbled against the deck, but righted herself almost as soon as she fell. She stamped her flippers down and steadied her body, before raising her head with a piercing glare.

"Annoying little pests!" the Primarina hissed. "Let's see you deal with this!"

Ingela raised her voice with an almost musical tone as water began to pool above her head, which she then flung out in a spray of large bubbles all over the deck. The bubbles swept up everyone near Ingela before they could react, striking Dimitri, Pleo and Nida and sending them pitching to the deck. Pleo tumbled and the world spun about him as shouts and cries rang out while the Sparkling Aria's bubbles kept coming, including a pained bellow from Hess. The Lugia shakily got back onto his feet when he felt his tail brush wet fur, and saw that he was passing a soaked Houndour lying groaning on the timbers as Nida stole a glance back at him.

"Yeesh, I guess that's one way to tell these pirates aren't above hitting their own underlings," Nida said.

Pleo turned his head up and saw Hess, still lurching in a daze from Guardia's Totter Seed, as a metallic glint formed along his tail. He braced himself as the Aggron lumbered over and attempted to swing his tail forward… straight at Ingela.

The Primarina noticed Hess' Iron tail too late when it smashed across her chest. She let out a sharp cry and staggered back, reeling from the blow as she fought to keep her balance. She tightened her eyes into an angry glare, before suddenly spitting a small burst of water right in Hess' face. The Aggron recoiled and brushed water off his now-dripping face, suddenly looking a lot more lucid as Ingela pointed at Pleo and the others with one of her flippers.

"Focus on hitting them, you dumb metal oaf!"

"Not if I have anything to say about it!" a cawing voice cut in.

A flash of steely gray swooped down and slashed across Hess' back. The Aggron stumbled forward and shook his head to regain his bearings, when he looked up to see Trizano circling above him. His mouth fell open, before he raised a claw and pointed up with a furious bellow.

"You!" Hess cried. "Of course you'd come to try and wreck my new ship!"

The Aggron launched a large rock towards Trizano in an attempt to smack him out of the air, prompting the Skarmory to hurriedly roll out of the way as the stony projectile sailed off into the distance. Trizano looked back down towards his teammates on the deck, and caught a glimpse of a red book in Ingela's satchel. He briefly hesitated, before raising his voice with a sharp cry.

"Everyone! Get the Ledger away from that Primarina and let's get out of here!" Trizano exclaimed. "I'll keep Hess busy!"

The Skarmory saw a few heads turn in the midst of the mass of battles around them. First came Ander as he lunged in with a slash trailing white flecks of light, then Pekka as the Vibrava lobbed a Blast Seed at Ingela before making himself scarce. The Primarina reeled and audibly seethed as a ball of pinkish light began to gather in her mouth, when Guardia's club suddenly sailed in and struck Ingela in the side of her head.

THWACK!

"Gah!"

Ingela stumbled back in pain and clutched the side of her head as her satchel slid off her shoulder. Crom watched it land on the deck, as sure enough, the Knights' Ledger flopped out. He hurriedly darted over, scooping it up as a stray Night Shade zipped past. The Druddigon turned and bolted for the port side's railing as he raised his voice over the raging battle all around them.

"I've got it!" Crom shouted. "Let's get-"

"Not so fast!"

A series of surprisingly painful swipes suddenly hit Crom from behind. He cried out and tripped as the Knights' Ledger slipped from his grasp and he hit the deck.

Crom winced and looked up to see the red tome lying just ahead of him. He quickly attempted to grab it, when an Azumarill with pink dust still trailing his paws charged in and kicked it out of the way. The Druddigon stared in surprise and tried to get back onto his feet, only for the Azumarill to spew a freezing wind at him.

Amidst the flurry of incoming Pokémon and their attacks, Elty saw Crom recoiling from the Icy Wind and tried to go and help him. He made it a few paces ahead when a bellowing roar came from just ahead. He stiffened up and glanced up, his eyes widening as he saw a Haxorus in Iron Fleet colors running at him with dragonfire built up on her tail. Elty hurriedly jumped back as the pirate's tail just missed his head, and he hastily spat back a spray of whitish embers. The Will-O-Wisp found its mark on the dragon's hide, but much to the Growlithe's horror, it barely slowed her down, as the Haxrorus swiftly followed up her blow with an uppercutting Dragon Claw.

"A-Agh!"

Elty shot up into the air before tumbling against the deck, coming to a flopping stop against its timbers. The Growlithe tried to get up, when he suddenly felt a heavy weight from above pressing him down. He looked up and let out a startled yelp, seeing the Haxorus pinning him to the deck with her foot. Dragonfire began to gather on her claws, as a malicious sneer came over her tusked face.

"Lights out, Growlithe-"

"Hey! Get your filthy claws off our friend!"

An orange seed abruptly sailed in and struck the Haxorus' face. A fiery blast followed, leaving the Haxorus to bellow in pain, cradling her face and staggering back in alarm.

"Argh! What was-?!"

A blur of blue scales shot in as Pyry spat up a Dragon Rage that knocked the Haxorus further and left her audibly wincing, with Pekka charging in just afterwards. Elty felt himself get tugged up from the back of his neck and saw that Pyry and Pekka were there looking down at him when hoarse panting reached his ears. It was the Haxorus, woozily starting to get up near the railing, which prompted Elty to cast a sidelong glance to Pyry.

"Here, make the most of things!"

Blue sparks gathered along his paws, as he hurriedly tagged and passed them along to Pyry's hide. The Gabite took off running, roaring as he bore down on the Haxorus and dragonfire gathered on both his claws. The pirate briefly snapped to attention as she tried to cut him off with a Dragon Claw, only for his strike to land deep in her gut. At once, the Haxorus seized up and she tottered on her feet, as Pyry wound up his other claw and aimed for the Haxorus' chin.

WHAP!

Her body jerked around as she lost her footing, tumbling backwards and slumping over against the railing. She laid there, offering no further resistance beyond a weak groan as the sounds of ongoing battle continued to rage behind them. Pyry and Pekka breathed in and out as Elty shook his head and screwed his muzzle into a determined smirk.

"Heh, I don't know what I'd do without you two," the Growlithe said. "Though come on, let's not leave her lying around. She didn't hit as hard as I was expecting, but Haxorus still aren't weak opponents."

The Gabite and Vibrava gave grins back, before they hoisted the Haxorus pirate onto the railing and shoved her into the water. Without wasting any time, they turned back and ran towards where they'd remembered seeing Crom, just in time to see the Azumarill from earlier crumpling up from a Poison Jab from Nida. A glance around revealed it wasn't just the Azumarill, either: their surroundings were now much more open and the deck all around them was strewn with slumped-over Pokémon, while the other pirates were increasingly fighting off towards the stern. The three hurried over to Nida and Crom as one after the other, their teammates gathered with them, prompting the Nidorina to raise her voice.

"Stay close to each other!" Nida cried. "The Azumarill just had the Ledger, so it's gotta be nearb-!"

GRAAAAAAAWR!

The ship's deck abruptly trembled and Nida and her companions barely had a chance to turn around when a hail of large rocks flew in. They swept her and her teammates up, knocking them off their feet. As they uneasily righted themselves, they looked over to see Hess nearing them flecked with fresh scrapes, stomping the deck with a fuming huff and puff.

"I've had it up to here with you little brats! If you think that after everything I've been through that I'm going to let you humiliate me on my own ship, you've got another thing coming!"

"Oh really, Bossgodora?"

Thumping noises ran against the deck, as Guardia rushed at Hess, swinging her club out wide with a sharp glare. At once, Hess' eyes shrank to pins and he stumbled away from her, as his voice came from his throat in an audible stammer.

"N-No! Stay away from me!"

The Aggron hastily flung a Surf at Guardia and forced her to dive out of the way as the wave carried on into the Pokémon around her, both ally and pirate alike. The Marowak ignored the cries in the background and hastily sprang back onto her feet, when she looked over and saw Hess turning and hurriedly retreating.

"Come over here and fight, coward!"

Guardia grit her teeth and gave chase, as Nida briefly considered joining to cover her, only to notice Dimitri already running after her. The Nidorina shook her head, before her mind turned back to the Ledger. She looked around the deck, but didn't see any sign of it. Where on earth had that Azumarril kicked it off to…?

Nida suddenly heard panicked shouts coming from her right. There, near the central mast, running for dear life, was that Hakamo-o from her group. Right behind him, Ingela was flopping after him, seemingly recovered from their earlier blows, although curiously not attacking. The reason why became apparent after a glance at the dragon's claws revealed a red tome held tightly in his grasp. Their eyes briefly met, when the Hakamo-o frantically cried out.

"N-Nidorina, I got that book you were looking for!" he exclaimed. "Just come and help get this pirate off my-!"

A Moonblast suddenly sailed in and struck the back of the Hakamo-o's head, sending him crumpling to the deck near the starboard railing. Nida tried to rush over, but was forced to duck from an errant jet of water. By the time she got back up, it was already too late. There, the Primarina captain shoved the Knights' Ledger back into her satchel with one paw, while she dragged the Hakamo-o off the deck by the knot of his scarf.

"Irritating little Imp…"

She threw the Hakamo-o aside, sending him pitching over the railing with a sharp splash. Nida started to run off for Ingela when she heard a shrill cry and hastily hopped back from an errand stone just missing her ears. Off by the starboard railing, she glimpsed Hess jumping back from a swing from Guardia's club as the Aggron bolted, knocking a few unfortunate pirates in his way overboard with a series of splashes when he saw the Primarina down the deck from him.

"I-Ingela! Help me out here and get this 'mon off my tail!"

Much to Nida's alarm, it took all of a brief moment for the pirate captains to close the gap, as Ingela chased off Guardia with a spray of water that just missed her shoulder. For a brief moment, Nida stared ahead blankly at the scene, before looking back at the rest of her teammates.

"Gah! How are we supposed to get the Ledger back when there's two of these pirate captains we need to deal with?!" the Nidorina complained. "It's already hard enough to fight one of them!"

Elty looked inside his bag for any items, but saw that beyond a Blowback Orb it was completely empty. He grimaced for a moment, only for his eyes to widen as a sudden idea came to mind. The Growlithe looked over towards Pleo, then back at Blowback Orb, before turning to the rest of his teammates.

"We just need to separate them briefly and stop from joining up with each other!" the Growlithe insisted. "Pleo, use Whirlwind to blow Hess away from Ingela! Me, Guardia, and whoever can help will handle Hess and keep him away! The rest of you go for Ingela and the Ledger"

Pleo stepped in and whipped up a whirling wind that caught up Hess and sent him tumbling along the deck with a startled bellow, a sharp yelp following after he came to a stop after striking some unfortunate soul. Without a moment to lose, the Growlithe lunged ahead along the deck, tearing for the Aggron as a sharp shout rang out from above:

"Not so fast, Elty!"

He briefly looked up and his fur stood on end from Kichiro winding up a flurry of punches, however, before the Ledian could close the distance, a black blur suddenly knocked him into the rigging. The Ledian tumbled, and hastily righted himself before falling back, revealing Margi up in the air above them, spewing dragonfire at figures passing her in the air.

"Hurry! I can't hold them off here forever!"

Elty complied as the Marked Hydreigon sent a pirate spiraling out of the sky. A little further away, Nida saw Pleo whirlwinding a pirate back into the crowd. Ander flitted up to gather Trizano, as Nida turned her attention back for Ingela. She tore ahead and ran on all fours, Pleo flinging a second Whirlwind ahead of her to clear the way. Partway over, Ingela noticed Nida from the corner of her eye and turned around just as the Nidorina lunged forward, poison slicking over her right forepaw.

"Take this!"

Nida threw her Poison Jab forward, with Ander and Trizano following up with sets of raking slashes that sent the Primarina hurriedly sliding for cover. Pleo lowered his head and attempted to gather electricity along his body, only for a brilliant pink wave-like light to suddenly overtake him.

"Argh!"

Pleo staggered and skidded back from the Dazzling Gleam, just barely keeping his footing as his breaths came in and out in ragged pants. More Pokémon were now lying splayed out on the deck, pirate and defender alike, while Ander looked similarly worn down from the attack. A sharp cry turned his attention up at the Primarina, when his heart skipped a beat:

There in her mouth, ice and frigid air gathered from a readying Ice Beam. She aimed it square at the little Lugia, when suddenly a woosh rang out along with a sharp gust of wind and a chorus of sharp cries punctuated by an Aggron's bellow.

"A-Agh!"

A blur of dark and light grays flew in as Hess abruptly sailed into Ingela from the side, knocking them both to the deck. Nida looked aside, where she saw Elty and the others coming in, stepping over the shards of a broken orb with pirates stumbling up from being blown about every which way from it in a rough circle. The Nidorina frowned, and exasperatedly threw her arms up in reply.

"Elty, whatever happened to fighting them separately?!" Nida demanded.

"We tried!" the Growlithe insisted. "Just hit those two before they get back up!"

Everyone ran in and desperately threw whatever attacks they could muster at the two pirate captains: Pleo sent a thick bolt of lightning at Ingela that made her body freeze up as Dimitri bowled Hess over with a Brick Break at his stomach. Before either could regain their balance, Nida threw in a Poison Jab at the Primarina while even Pyry and Pekka joined in from the surrounding fray with a joint Sand Tomb on the Aggron, sending the two toppling to the deck.

All of a sudden, the pair snapped to attention, and much to Team Traveller's alarm, neither Hess nor Ingela stayed down on the deck. One after the other, Team Traveller's members braced themselves as Hess woozily fought to stay on his feet amidst the grit swirling around him, and lowered his head with a frustrated snarl.

"Grr… I'm not losing to you runts again!" the Aggron bellowed. "Boneheaded monster or not!"

Hess suddenly called up a hail of rocks that tore out of the water and sailed past him. Pleo's eyes widened as he hurriedly tried to duck out of the way, only for one of the rocks to strike him in his wing. The Lugia hit the deck as he heard his teammates cry out in pain. He tried to get back up onto his feet, when he heard Ingela's voice cry out.

"Stay down, Lugia!"

Pleo raised his head and saw water gathering in the Primarina's mouth. He froze as she spewed out a large torrent, only for a yellow-and-green blur to fly in and hurriedly shove him out of the way. He squawked and rolled along the deck as the Hydro Pump grazed his shoulder. The young Lugia steadied himself with a choking cough amid the sounds of raging battle, when he looked back at the place where he was shoved from.

There, much to his horror, was Pekka, lying drenched and face-down on the deck.

"A-Aah! Pekka!"

Pleo hurriedly ran over to the Vibrava and frantically tried to tug him up to no avail. In the background, Crom shambled back onto his feet as the Druddigon glimpsed at his teammates. All of them were worn down, and if the rest of the pirates weren't busy fighting the other Pokémon who had come to help them, they'd likely have been wiped out right there. The Druddigon set his teeth on edge, as he looked at his teammates wide-eyed.

"Argh! We can't deal with the two of them like this!" Crom insisted.

Ander panted as he tried to think of an answer, when he looked back at Ingela and Hess. The Scyther noticed Ingela stumble and wince as she moved forward, and Hess himself was stopping to pant for air.

Both of them looked like they just needed a final push to be put down for the count… if they could just push through, maybe they'd still have a chance to force things into a one-on-one fight after all.

"Don't be so sure of that!" the Scyther insisted. "I'll keep Hess on his toes! Make this opening count with that Primarina!"

Ander brought his scythes together and flung a whitish shockwave forward at Hess. The Aggron noticed the blow too late, which caught him square in his stomach and left him wheezing for air. The rest of Team Traveller turned their attention to Ingela while Hess reeled, with Guardia being the first to attack as she threw her bone forward. The Bonemerang struck the Primarina's snout with an audible thwack, only for a number of pirates to notice them about to mob their captains, prompting some like a Gumshoos in a teal scarf to hurriedly rush in to intervene.

"That's enough, you little-!"

A black blur suddenly swooped down and plucked the Gumshoos from the deck, pulling him up with a startled shriek. Just as quick as it came, the figure pulled up and sent the pirate pitching through the air head over heels into the sea. A band of Marked and indigo-clad Pokémon stopped the other pirates from getting closer, before the group glimpsed up to see Margi hastily weaving out of the way of a gout of blue dragonfire.

"Go!" she shouted. "We'll try and hold off the rest!"

Team Traveller didn't waste another moment, throwing down one blow after the other: Pleo flung forward a bolt of electricity, while Dimitri joined in with a running slash which left a long cut on the Primarina's stomach. Ingela tried to gather water above her head for a Sparkling Aria, but kept getting cut off with each blow as she struggled to keep her focus. Nida got ready to join in as the watery orb grew visibly larger, poison building up on her paw, when a sharp bark reached her ears.

"Wait!"

Nida glanced to her right as Elty ran up and patted her with a paw, when a bluish aura passed onto her body. The Nidorina felt her heart quicken and a shot of energy flowing through her tired limbs, before looking back at Elty as he nosed ahead.

"Now!" the Growlithe yipped. "Hit her with everything you've got!"

Nida turned and watched as Ingela finally sang and flung her Sparkling Aria out over the battlefield, sending her teammates closer by tumbling back with sharp yelps. Nida's mind raced as her teammates struggled up, her focus turning to the Primarina She bounded forward, poison dripping from her paw, as Ingela spotted her from the corner of her eye and whirled around.

"You'll have to do better than that, Nidorina!" she snarled.

The Primarina spewed forth a giant column of water at her, as Nida hurriedly slid along the deck to let it pass overhead. The Nidorina felt the Hydro Pump brush her eartips, and when the air cleared, she sprang up and swung her paw square on the cut along Ingela's stomach. The Poison Jab landed with a wince-worthy squelching noise, making the pirate captain seize up with widened eyes.

"Nrk!"

The Primarina staggered and her body visibly locked up briefly, before it went limp. She flopped over onto her side and hit the deck with an audible thud, leaving Nida standing there, panting in disbelief.

"Hey!" Hess suddenly snapped. "Don't you forget about-!"

Margi spat up a spray of black orbs from behind, sending Hess flopping onto his belly and sliding headfirst into a small cluster of crates. He laid on the ground panting and woozily tried to get up, when a white, hard object tapped against the tip of his steely head with an audible tak. He glanced up, and saw Guardia holding her bone and glaring down at him as other Pokémon encroached on him from just out of his vision with low growls.

"I believe this is the part where you yield if you know what's good for you, Bossgodora," the Marowak harrumphed.

The Aggron flinched with a low whine, his will to fight drained. Crom quickly looked off in the background further down along the deck, where the other pirates were busy fleeing towards the stern under a hail of incoming fire.

"Guys! The Ledger!" Nida cried. "Grab it from Ingela and let's get out of here!"

Crom looked back towards the Primarina captain, where the satchel she'd been wearing was lying on the deck with its contents spilling out, and the familiar red cover of the Company's part of the Knights' Ledger among them. The Druddigon hurried over and reached out for the satchel as he neared, when a sudden, sharp pain caught him from the side.

Crom fell and tumbled onto his side with a yelp, panting as his vision ran muddy. He looked down to see a cut in his scales dribbling blood. He looked up, where there was Dirk standing up with his blades held out at the ready.

"Ack! D-Dirk?! Where did-?!"

Crom noticed a red-and-blue blur swooping down from the corner of his eye, and turned to see a Braviary in a red scarf snatching the Knights' Ledger from the deck. The Braviary flew up, coming to a perch up on one of the masts high above. Crom's eyes shrank at the sight of the bird holding the book in his grasp.

No! They'd come so far! They couldn't be undone by some pirate like this!

"A-Aah! That Braviary!"

Crom tried to spit up a Dragon Rage, only to abruptly gag after an Iron Thorn struck him in his stomach. All around, the surrounding deck and air suddenly devolved back into chaos. Crom briefly looked up and saw Margi being mobbed by red-scarved pirates, before Kichiro lobbed a Sleep Seed at her and sent her plummeting into the sea. Back on the deck, some of their allies slumped over while others hurriedly fell back for the port side's railing. The Druddigon attempted to go after them, when he noticed the ship had grown much louder with new voices, and saw a mob of red-scarved pirates swooping in from the starboard side.

Before he knew it, they'd already caught up with them and cut them off. The Druddigon felt his heart sink as he frantically looked about his surroundings, when he saw Dirk shooting an unamused frown over at Ingela's unconscious body.

"Really, Ingela?" the Bisharp scoffed. "I had expected that you at least would've lasted longer than Hess."

Dirk pulled out a Tiny Reviver Seed and thrust it into the Primarina's mouth, when everyone's eyes turned skyward at the sound of departing wingbeats. Much to their horror, the Braviary had taken flight and was starting to head off towards a red-sailed ship, the Ledger still held within his talons. Trizano let out a sharp squawk of protest, as the Skarmory beat his wings and attempted to give chase.

"Wait! Come back!"

Trizano tore after the Braviary, slamming into the Braviary's wing with a Steel Wing that left cut feathers swirling in the air. The pirate's talons slackened and dropped the Ledger while he spiraled and fell out of the sky, Trizano catching it as his foe fell into the sea with a scream.

The Skarmory pulled up just over the water and returned over the deck, when a series of rings in the air struck his head. His flight grew jerky and erratic as it was his turn to lose his grip on the red tome, with Kichiro flying by and grabbing it out from under him as it dropped.

Trizano dazedly tried to give chase when a Thunder Wave abruptly caught him from below, sending the Skarmory plummeting to the deck with a loud thud. Loud booms rang out from the direction of other ships in the harbor. Team Traveller watched as their allies' eyes visibly widened in panic and they began to retreat, all as hails of attacks and baying Pokémon in red scarves chased them off.

Pleo stared frozen with his mind running blank, when he suddenly felt the ship lurch underfoot. He snapped to attention from footsteps heading straight for him, as Dirk approached with his blades drawn with a sneering smile.

"I knew that I could count on you to come."

Pleo glanced off past the railing and saw much to his horror that the ship was turning around and moving along out for the mouth of the harbor. A wincing groan turned his attention off towards Ingela. The Primarina was clutching her head and spitting up a spent Tiny Reviver Seed onto the deck, when Pleo also noticed that Hess was finishing up a Sitrus Berry. The scene from the bow was little better, as what Pleo could see of their allies was that they were fleeing in a disorganized rout, with some jumping from the railing or getting thrown overboard by pirates.

Elty's eyes shrank to pins and his breaths came quick and shallow as everywhere he looked, more and more pirates seemed to be circling in on them, with their numbers diminishing by the second.

"C-Come on!" the Growlithe yipped. "We need to get out of here!"

Elty hastily spat up a Smokescreen out and took off running. His teammates hurriedly followed suit, as the Growlithe beelined for the bow where their allies were abandoning ship, lowering his head to try and charge ahead faster.

"Here! Take this, you traitorous mutt!"

Elty's eyes widened as he saw a Drednaw whirling around with dragonfire wreathing his tail, which caught the Growlithe in his side. There was a wince-worthy shriek and Pleo watched in horror as the Fire-Type launched into the air limply, before falling over the railing.

"E-Elty!"

He and his teammates attempted to go after the Growlithe, only for several pirates to cut them off, while others descended on them from above and behind. Pleo briefly watched as Crom collapsed against the deck from an almost gem-like ray of light, only to promptly lose sight of him as the Druddigon got mobbed, with Nida meeting much the same fate. The Lugia panickedly jumped up as much as his clipped wings would allow and threw a Whirlwind ahead to clear the way, but there were just too many of them. He stumbled back, running out of the way of a shadowy ball as he retreated towards an open-looking patch of deck.

Pleo skidded to a stop after seeing Pyry slump over with Pekka still on his shoulders, with Pladur similarly having fallen a little ways away near Crom. Ander, Guardia, and Dimitri darted up to his side and closed ranks around him. They looked about as once again, everywhere around them, there were pirates in various colors, drawing ever closer with a chorus of jeers and shouts. A few parted the way for Hess, as the Aggron made his way to the front.

"H-Hah! Know when to quit, brats!" Hess sneered, hastily composing himself. "The only way you're getting off this ship is by walking the plank!"

Pleo felt a frightened quiver run down his body and looked around. How were they supposed to get off the ship? He didn't see any way they could escape, and there was no way that they could beat all these pirates on their own! There were just too many of them and they were just too strong…

But… hadn't that also been the case on that night aboard Lyn's ship? Everything had looked hopeless there, and in spite of it, they'd dug their feet in and kept fighting on. Even when they were sure they were going to lose, his powers had come through for them then.

Then, maybe… just maybe, if they could hold out long enough, it'd come back to help them here, too. Pleo batted his wings out, and coiled his head back with a defiant squawk.

"No!" Pleo cried. "We'll never give in to a bunch of thieving bullies like you!"

Pleo noticed a few pirates had a flash of alarm come over them at his response, with some visibly backing away. Except, Dirk wasn't one of them. The Bisharp narrowed his eyes briefly, before reaching into his bag with a terse scoff in response.

"I had a feeling you wouldn't."

Dirk threw his hand forward. Pleo and his companions briefly flinched and braced themselves, when they looked up and saw that much to their alarm that there was a Slumber Orb sailing through the air.

"Ack!" Dimitri cried. "That's a-!"

It was too late. The orb dashed against the deck as cream mist swallowed them up. One by one, they slumped over and hit the deck asleep along with a few nearby pirates in golden scarves as Dirk looked down with a satisfied harrumph. The fighting in the background gradually grew quieter as the Starfall Shogun sailed further and further out from the harbor, with a much-diminished fleet around them and the sound of stragglers attempting to fight their way out of port. The crowd around Dirk thinned out as the pirates increasingly went to help the Starfall Shogun's crew defend the ship, while a few lingered to try and steal glimpses at the felled Protector.

Dirk could already tell just from a casual glance around that everyone who'd made it off of Gestirn had lost a good chunk of their crews. But that wasn't necessarily a bad thing since he no longer had to navigate such losses on his own.

For now, all that was left to step forward and claim his prize.

"And that's a wrap," the Bisharp said, before reaching for his badge. "Rian, get him aboard my ship-"

"W-Wait just a moment!"

Hess interjected and hastily darted ahead, the Aggron waving his claws as he audibly sputtered in protest.

"This is my ship and it's my mission to turn Lugia over!"

Dirk whirled around and leveled a blade square at Hess' throat, his words coming out in an irritated, metallic hiss.

"Yeah, and whose Slumber Orb put them down for the count?" the Bisharp demanded. "Yours? No? Then shut the hell up!"

Hess tried and mostly failed to suppress a squeak from his throat as Dirk pressed the blade closer to Hess' throat. Just then, a sharp buzz rang out, as Kichiro flew in with a piercing frown.

"Dirk, Lyn's specifically tasked us to bring him the bird," the Ledian said. "Do you think that as a square-neck, he's not going to take the first excuse he can to back out of our deal?"

Dirk briefly opened his mouth only to swallow his words. No, even if he didn't want Lyn to have Lugia, there was no reason why Hess or his lackeys needed to know about it. Ingela studied him from the side carefully, before shaking her head with a low sigh.

"… The Ledian's got a point, Dirk."

Dirk furrowed his brow back at the Primarina as she scooted forward. She briefly winced from the cut on her side, before folding her flippers with a serious frown.

"That Samurott's surely heard about the raid on Gestirn by now and is expecting to get his prisoner," she insisted. "If we do have to back out of our deal with him, we should do what we can to get his guard down. Wouldn't the most likely way for us to do that be to play along with whatever he's expecting from us?"

Dirk paused for a moment, before moving his blade away from Hess' throat. The Aggron pawed at, gasping for air. Dirk narrowed his eyes, before turning aside with an impatient scoff.

"… Fine, get the bird below deck before he comes to, Hess. Do whatever you want with the rest," he grunted. "But Ingela and I will stay aboard to supervise you. Our deckhands are stuck onboard here until we reach safer waters anyways. Besides, we didn't get where we were on the Council by blindly trusting bottom feeders."

Hess panted and narrowed his eyes back as a small tremor ran down his body and his face seemed to betray a pent-up frustration. He shook his head, before turning aside with a sullen grunt.

"Come on Kichiro, go and get some of our deckclaws who are still standing and tell the others to patch up whoever's left," he said. "There should be spaces for the bird's friends and the two turncoats in the brig on this ship. Push the rest overboard and let those 'mons on land fish 'em out."

The Ledian reflexively opened his mouth to protest over his name being mangled yet again, only to bite his words back. They had enough to worry about for now. He sighed and flew off, leaving Hess to go over and take Pleo into his grasp and lumber along off below deck. Dirk and Ingela watched as Kichiro returned and other Iron Fleet pirates came to seize the others from Team Traveller, along with Pyry and Pekka, and started heading off for below deck. All the while, booms and cries rang out as the escorts pushed the ship out further and further towards the open sea.

Dirk made his way off to the stern, and glanced over the railing after hearing a set of splashes over the sounds of skirmishing. He looked over and sharply frowned as he watched Hess' flunkies push groaning Marked and Imperials overboard. He'd heard that Hess was leery of getting involved in taking Pokémon for ransom from what the Aggron insisted was past experience. He'd normally have more to say about the sort of chaotic ship Hess was running, but he supposed it didn't matter right now. They had bigger concerns at the moment.

Dirk felt a prod at his shoulder and looked over, only to see Ingela staring at him with a serious frown.

"Where were you earlier?!" the Primarina hissed. "You said you'd step in to help us!"

"Which I did, when the time was right. Just as I'd told you," Dirk said. "I naturally had to change my plans when they brought a whole swarm of their friends along, but I'd expected you and your Torrent Tsars to hold out longer."

"Oh, that's rich coming from you after what happened in that Mystery Dungeon," the Water-Type spat. "And just what were you doing, exactly?"

"Doing what I could to manage our retreat, of course," he replied. "Naturally, there were bound to be some uneven outcomes when one captain has to carry the others. Word has a way of best spreading within one's own crew, after all."

The Primarina leveled an icy glare in reply. Dirk didn't say anything about how part of 'managing expectations' was making sure that it wasn't him alone who came off Gestirn with the stench of losses taken on the mission, but she didn't press the matter. She briefly glanced at the cut on her body and looked out to sea with a terse harrumph.

"Just don't give me any more unexpected surprises today. My crew and I won't be as inclined to forgive them," Ingela huffed. "Though are we still making our move on these golden-scarved incompetents out at sea? Many of the smaller crews didn't make it out of port, and none of Tarquin's ships look like they've budged from the docks."

"Of course we are," Dirk said. "Are you telling me that you really want to sit at the same table with that buffoon once we're back on Orleigh?

"And does your crew already know what to expect? Your whole crew?" Ingela insisted. "Including after taking stock of any losses that might have changed our plans?"

Dirk paused and looked out over the harbor as attacks and items continued to fly about. It was a bit hard to make things out for certain in the chaos, but just from a glance, at least a third of their ships that came for the initial storming of Starpeak Square had to have been left behind: he saw Tarquin's galleon drifting with its sails ablaze… a caravel in Hess' colors with a severed rudder teeming with Imps on the deck as Pokémon from its crew tumbled over the railing and into the water in front of his eyes… along with a ship in his colors he'd had to abandon due to a lack of 'monpower, which was listing half-sunk wedged up against a dock.

Dirk let out an agitated sigh at the sight. It would be annoying to replace, but he supposed losing one out of five ships was still better off than what the others would have to sort out. An impatient thump turned his attention back to the deck, when he saw Ingela folding her flippers. She winced and briefly eyed a long ruddy streak on her body, before turning her attention back and narrowing her eyes into a sharp scowl.

"I thought so," she scoffed. "Mine doesn't know what to expect either, and I still need to conduct a headcount to see what portion of them made it off Gestirn."

The Bisharp paused, before shaking his head with a quiet sigh.

"Fine, you've made your point. My lieutenants would need a bit more time to get the rest of my crew ready," Dirk replied. "Perhaps it's best to wait a little before making our move, anyways. It'll give us a chance to take Hess and that Samurott off the board at once."

An errant Hyper Beam suddenly sailed in and reduced a nearby set of barrels to splinters. Ingela hastily retaliated with a Hydro Pump back in its direction, which sent a flier near the shoreline falling out of the air and into the sea. The Bisharp paused briefly, before he trained a stern frown over at his Primarina counterpart.

"We'll continue this later. Just get those affairs of yours sorted as soon as you can," the Bisharp insisted. "And get that cut of yours looked at, too."

Dirk fell back and began to make his way back down to the main deck as the Starfall Shogun headed out deeper and deeper into the open water, as a small smile crept over his face.

He'd paid a high price to get this far, but in the end, he was coming out of this whole episode the best off of anyone on the Council, especially compared to Tarquin. Even if he'd now have to do without the Tyrantrum's help, his plans to deal with Hess and that Company interloper were still in a position to proceed for the ultimate prize of all:

A Protector that would answer to him.

---

The first thing Elty noticed after when he woke up was the smell of salt water and that he felt damp. Damp and miserable, with just about every part of his body he could think of aching. He tried to open his eyes, but what little he could see after trying to do so was hazy. In the background, indistinct voices swirled in the air, only for a barking call from right behind to fill his ears.

"Over there, that's another one of those pirates."

Elty tried to lift his head, when he felt breaths against his pelt and teeth nip him and lift him by the back of his neck. He blurrily saw his feet leave beach sand as water dripped off of him, before he heard approaching wingbeats right in front of him.

"Let him go. He's one of ours."

The Growlithe's eyes suddenly shot wide and he coughed up water, as he kicked and thrashed in his captor's grasp in a panic.

"Easy! Easy! You're alright right now!"

Elty suddenly realized that that was Margi's voice he was hearing and felt his captor set him back down on the sand. He wearily looked over his shoulder to see a Mabosstiff in an indigo scarf drifting off, as Margi settled down in front of him and held out an Oran Berry. The Growlithe's breaths slowed along with his racing heart as he realized that he currently wasn't in any danger.

"Are you hurt, Elty?"

Elty looked back at the Hydreigon and noticed that she looked tense and on-edge. He supposed that the fact that she wasn't already dragging him over to a Medic's Hut meant that he didn't look obviously hurt, but…

"I feel like a Snorlax just rolled over onto me, so probably."

Elty weakly took the Oran Berry and started to eat it as he looked around to try and regain his bearings. He was on a beach with curious pits in the sand pockmarking it, and Starpeak Square's timbered buildings visible at the end. The harbor was just off to the right, with smoke still curling up and its water choked with ships, some of which were sunk or listing at precarious angles.

"Du da! Los jetzt!"

He looked up and saw a group of Pokémon in pirate colors being marched off along the beach with their limbs raised up in surrender, some dripping seawater, while others were curiously coated in sand. He wasn't sure what to make of that until he saw the Mabosstiff briefly stop while passing one of the pits, before dragging up a yelping Buneary who was shoved into the marching column.

Elty blinked as the procession went past, before warily turning back to Margi.

"So… we won, then?"

Margi didn't say anything back but averted her gaze, as there seemed to be a visible look of dread on her face. A little ways off, a Heliolisk and Robbie were passing by and stopped, before the Heliolisk turned and uneasily pawed at his shoulder in reply.

"Well, we drove the pirates off," the Electric-Type said. "So in that sense we won-"

Robbie swiftly cut the Heliolisk off with a biff at his shoulder before giving a sharp glare.

"Read the room, Hans," the Krookodile harrumphed, before turning to Elty and trailing off uneasily. "I… think it's better if Margi tells you what happened. With all these remaining pirates, we've got our claws full at the moment."

The pair hurried off in the direction the pirates were being marched off to, as Elty began to look around him. He abruptly froze as a dawning realization came over him.

None of his other teammates were there with him right now.

"… Where's everyone else?" he asked.

A long silence followed, before Margi hung her heads, and answered with a low, deflated murmur.

"I'm sorry, none of them came off the ship after you did."

Elty's eyes widened and he pinned back his ears. If Margi was right, then that meant everybody else had been captured. There were a number of things that could possibly happen to them from there, but the most likely would be that the pirates would hand everyone off to Lyn.

Who would take Pleo back to Vollezee with him, to do gods-knew-what with him.

"B-Bogowie… We have to go after them!" Elty yipped. "Those are ships, they couldn't have gotten-!"

"Elty, all of that happened over two hours ago."

Elty just stared up blankly as the words kept repeating in his head. The Marked Hydreigon sucked in a breath and set her teeth on edge, before she continued on in a deflated tone.

"None of the relief forces we sent were able to get past their escorts or their cannons," Margi explained. "And they whipped up whirlpools and harsh weather to mask their retreat."

The Hydreigon fell quiet, before looking away with a low murmur.

"There weren't enough swimmers and fliers left still who were well enough to give chase and try to fight their way past all those pirates," she explained. "Sheriff Robbie, the local Duke, and the Elders are trying to see if there's anything else that can be done, but…"

She trailed off and averted her gaze as Elty grimaced and a sinking feeling of dread came over the pit of his stomach. Even unspoken, the meaning was clear: they'd lost, and Pleo was on his way to Lyn… along with everyone else.

His head drifted down towards the beach's sand, as tears began to well up in his eyes and his voice hitched.

"N-no… Dammit. D-Dammit!"

---

Author's Notes:

- Eneco (エネコ) - Japanese: "Skitty" (Official Romanization)
- Jyarango (ジャランゴ) - Japanese: "Hakamo-o" (Official Romanization)
- Du da! Los jetzt! - German: "You there! Go now!"

 

[Spiteful Murkrow]

Author’s Note: This trivia section was originally posted alongside Chapter 103 on Serebii after its thread received 150,000 views. Annotations and revised commentary not originally in this trivia section are noted in bolded text.

How did you come up with Gestirn?

Spoiler: Answer

Gestirn is one of those islands that has existed for a long time in this story’s planning, going back to almost the very beginning of the story, with the working name of “Marked Island”, or simply “Marked”. The island was largely undefined for a few years beyond a working name and a meta decision that there would be a haven for Marked on it, which in spite of plans changing around considerably for this episode, was retained as a major component of the island and its identity.

Gestirn was one of those islands whose development process started with its Protector first, who we decided would be Jirachi as a deliberate ironic parallel to the comet motif that the Mark in this story has. As the premise for what Gestirn’s episode would be about evolved, we began to get a firmer idea of what we wanted the island to look like. We decided to make the island mountainous in nature due to it being an environment that hadn’t been used much in the story up to that point, and it happened to match up with series fluff about Jirachi sometimes appearing in mountains. The decision to make it the host of the tallest mountain in Anyilla and its name ‘Mount Starfall’ were developed at the same time that Casting Off was being drafted out, which was decided to make the island stand out a bit more in-setting.

As for why Gestirn wound up becoming a “German” themed island, that one is simple: it was the last main localization language that hadn’t been assigned in the story at the time and mountainous environments fit decently well thematically with German culture. It also helped zero in on a final name of “Gestirn” fairly quickly: as a word in German for a star or celestial bodies in general, which felt more than a little fitting for an island that was home to a Jirachi

How did you come up with Starpeak Square?

Spoiler: Answer

Starpeak Square’s name was settled on after Mount Starfall was named, with the decision to make its name a direct reference to the mountain being settled on not long afterwards. Since the island was decided to be a mountainous environment with a particularly tall and snow-capped mountain, we opted to play to type and model Starpeak Square after German alpine villages. As such, there is quite a bit of timbered architecture, and the local shrine is based on a style of countryside shrine common to such areas called a Bildstock.

Unlike the island, Starpeak Square, while being settled on being a “Square” fairly early on, went through a number of candidate names before it was settled on. Names that didn’t make the cut included ‘Starcave’, ‘Starspire’, and ‘Starmount’, before we ultimately settled on the final name.

How did you come up with Starbreak Square?

Spoiler: Answer

Starbreak Square existed as a concept for almost as long as Fledglings’ creation, since from the earliest drafts outlines for this story, we wanted a settlement that was entirely populated by Marked, which had the oh-so-creative working names of “Marked Town” and “Marked Haven”. This settlement was first referenced as far back as the Kenobi episode when Margi remarks about fleeing to a haven for Marked when questioned where she is bringing Daraen to.

The concept for Starbreak Square evolved along with the story as it went along. The original concept was for some sort of settlement in Mystery Dungeon, with local Marked having held onto local Jirachi egg as an effective hostage to ensure their own safety, which remained even as the episode’s premise became less Marked-centric. This was the rationale behind places like the vault and chamber with paintings, which were developed as an avenue to show off Marked mythos. How Starbreak Square was laid out was settled fairly late, with a decision being made early on in the Gestirn Episode to make the town an enclosed environment and built around caves and tunnels to differentiate it from Darkwood Square. The name, while developed late, ironically was fairly straightforward to come up with. We wanted the settlement to have some manner of “spite name” to telegraph that it didn’t get along well with the more normal settlement on Gestirn, while also alluding to the Marked’s history of slaying Legendaries, thus ‘Starbreak Square’.

How did you come up with Sheriff Robbie?

Spoiler: Answer

Sheriff Robbie is one of those characters who wound up growing a bit along with plans for the Episode, but from very early on, we wanted some manner of “rough-and-tumble” vibing Pokémon that would be outwardly intimidating to fit the role. Robbie’s as a character was developed species-first, with the decision being made to use Krookodile as a reroll of a scrapped species casting for Captain Amaro from The Deepest Wounds.

As for Robbie’s name, it was one of those elements that fell into place fairly quickly: it’s a play off of the German localization name for “Krookodile”, “Rabigator”, and pronounced very similarly.

How did you come up with Duke Franz and the rest of the supporting cast on Gestirn?

Spoiler: Answer

Franz and Augusta were characters that we developed from deciding that we wanted a pair of nobles who would get more directly involved in the plot, with Franz being the first of the two to be developed. We went with Empoleon for Franz’s role due to its more royal-esque visual motifs, with the decision to pair a Quaquaval as his spouse since another water-themed bird with ostentatious feathers seemed to complement him well for noble vibes. Franz’s name fell into place very quickly since we were looking for a very stock German name that would roll off the tongue easily. Augusta surprisingly enough gave us a bit of trouble settling on a name, with “Emma” and “Heidi” both briefly being considered as alternatives. “Augusta” ultimately wound up winning out due to its more “dignified” vibe, the fact that it’s a historical title for Empresses didn’t hurt either.

Robbie’s guards similarly wound up growing in role along with the plot, though unlike most of the other characters dealt with in this trivia, the first details settled on them were their names, which were chosen to be very “archetypical” German names as “Hans” and “Friedrich”. Heliolisk was rolled for Hans’ species since Spiteful Murkrow had his writings for Once a Thief on his mind, and felt like being cute with references. Friedrich’s casting as a Mabostiff was settled on to make use of then-new Paldean Pokémon and to act as a contrast to Robbie and Hans in terms of his bodyplan.

And rounding things out, Lutz as a comic relief character wound up growing past his original one-shot role of being an unfortunate guard that would be bullied and publicly humiliated by Dirk, with the general premise being used for initial internal development being a character that was “Alvise, but a guard”, with all the huffing and puffing and embarrassing faceplants that would entail. Lutz’s species being settled on as a Hakamo-o was decided almost immediately due to it being a Pokémon that was then-unused by the plot that Virgil happened to like, which led to his working name of ‘Hacopemo-o’. Ironically enough, Lutz is the character from this episode who went through the most considered names, with Willi, Baldwin, Wolfhart, and Ewald being the ones that survived into the final round of candidate names.

How did you come up with the Elders?

Spoiler: Answer

We spent a bit of time waffling on what exactly we wanted to do for Starbreak Square’s leadership, other than that we knew that whatever shape it took, that it’d need to be able to relay the backstory of the Marked as a faction, while not feeling too samey with the portrayed leadership of other factions from earlier on in the story. In the end, we decided to have Starbreak Square not have a singular leader to differentiate it from Darkwood Square as another village built inside a Mystery Dungeon. At the same time, we made it a point to try and avoid retreading Orleigh’s pirate council, hence the different name and different number of members that were cast for Starbreak Square’s leadership.

Nina and Roderic were the first two of Starbreak Square’s Elders that were created. Nina was developed from her species first since we wanted a stronger starter to fit a general trend of Marked Pokémon disproportionately being ones close to humans. To that end, we decided to use Typhlosion since it’d only been used as a background role beforehand. Nina’s name was one that came together fairly quickly, and it was chosen primarily because it sounded good and rolled off the tongue. It also happens to semantically mean ‘fire’ in some Quechan languages, which helped tilt us towards it. Once we said it out loud and wrote it out a few times, it stuck and the rest was history.

Roderic as a character was built first around a desired meta role, and as the town historian, he was always intended to be the main character that would communicate the Marked’s backstory to Pleo and his companions. We ultimately decided to make him a Rotom to get in some fun with manipulating ‘ancient artifacts’ via possession to help his duties. There was briefly some consideration of giving him a Rotom Phone as his device to manipulate as part of his duties as a historian, but we wound up opting for a Rotomdex instead since it was more visually distinctive. Roderick’s name happened to fall in place after searching for names by semantic meaning, with his being chosen as a Catalan variant of ‘Roderick’, with the meaning of ‘famous ruler’.

The remaining members of the Council were primarily chosen to help round out the group in terms of bodyplan and abilities, which reflects a bit in how as characters, they are not delved into as much as their peers. In all three cases, their species were settled prior to their names:

- Ernest was chosen as a reference to the Chatot from the Explorers games. His name was chosen due to its semantic meaning of "serious, earnest", which is exactly what his meta role among Starbreak Square’s elders is.
- Siana was chosen because we wanted an Eeveelution represented among the Marked Elders, who we decided would double as the primary skeptic character among the Elders. We ultimately went with Espeon since it had more of a ‘bookish’ vibe, which felt fitting as a character meant to exercise wisdom gained from years of experience. Her name is similar to Robbie’s in origin: it is a clipping of “Psiana”, the German localization name for Espeon.
- Ramon was chosen since we wanted a Gen 9 Pokémon and Spidops felt like an offbeat choice to contrast the more popular species that were rolled for the Elders. He is the only character from their ranks who had an alternate name considered for him, which was “Raymond”.

How did you come up with Guardia?

Spoiler: Answer

This is admittedly a question that we simply forgot to answer in the past since we thought we addressed Guardia’s character origins in the Cubone colony question from the 10k views trivia update. We technically did, but only briefly talked about her as she was presented in her initial debut as a feral. That said, now that Guardia having undergone a major life change, we figured it was as good a time as any to finally answer this one:

Guardia is a character that was hashed out early on in Fledglings’ initial drafts, back when we prioritized casting less commonly used Pokémon for roles in the story. This also extended towards casting less prominent starters from the PMD series, with Cubone being a one-off from the Rescue Team games. From the very beginning, Guardia was intended to be a hot-headed character that would be tasked to find out more about the world outside her colony on Kenobi and act as the team’s introduction to what recruiting a feral would be like, along as a lens through which to show off how civilization might look through the eyes of a Pokémon that grew up outside of it.

Guardia is another one of the characters that didn’t have a beta name since ‘Guardia’ was settled very early on for her. Much as Nida explained in Chapter 30, her name she gets given upon joining Team Traveller is a Spanish term for ‘guardian’. It also is a direct lift of Marowak’s beta name for the English localization, which she’s finally grown into in this episode, which helped put the name over the top back in early planning.

How did you come up with Akane?

Spoiler: Answer

Akane originated as a throwaway casting for someone to get into a hostile encounter with Scian all the way back in Chapter 27, which with Scian being a Zangoose, more or less wrote itself as a Seviper to complete the joke. We wound up reusing her for later chapters as the pirate cast of Fledglings started to fill out a bit, especially as we started sketching out the Strongjaw Gang in greater detail.

As part of building out the Strongjaw Gang for Swinging the Lamp, we decided that Tarquin would be Darzin’s former Commander on Tromba. One thing led to another, and it gave us the idea to make it so that his crew as a whole originated from former Company Pokémon that used to work on Tromba under Darzin’s rule that Bluewhorl Town’s villagers revolted against, who wound up turning to piracy after facing a loss of prestige that they blamed on Darzin’s incompetence. To that end, we quickly settled on the idea of Tarquin having had a ‘right-hand man’ figure who could act as a face for that portion of Tarquin’s crew, and once Scian was rolled again as comic relief for that Special Chapter, the idea of making Akane that figure quickly fell into place. The fact that she comes with pointy bits automatically attached to menace others didn’t hurt, either.

The angle of Akane having an axe to grind with Nida came as a result of realizing that as someone who figured particularly prominently in the revolt and was remembered for fighting Darzin, that Marley would very likely have crossed paths with Akane. By that time, Marley was established as having a former Company background, so it gave us the idea to have the two have an unresolved rivalry, which helped inspire the subplot of this episode to bounce her and Nida off each other.

As for her name, Akane’s name was finalized as part of Swinging the Lamp and based on a Japanese that semantically means ‘red’, the color of her fangs and the blade of her sword-tail. A bit on the nose, but it clicked decently well when we played around with it.

Where did the idea of turning the Argent Aviso into the "Starfall Shogun" come from?

Spoiler: Answer

It was decided fairly early on in planning out this episode that this would be the point in the story where the pirates’ Council would be the most direct threat that they’d be to the main cast in the entire story. Since Hess was going to be a part of the Council during the episode, we decided that it made sense to expand his crew a bit and help him keep up with the other crew on it… to an extent. There’s only so much Hess’ good fortune can carry him, and we still wanted to make it clear that he was very much under Lyn’s thumb, thus how he had minders assigned to him and his new ship was merely a repurposed Argent Aviso. His new crewmembers cast in this episode were also created with this dynamic in mind, and as such they were portrayed as being markedly less “comic relief” in nature and given more thuggish and mercenary vibes than the typical Iron Fleet Pokémon that had been depicted up to this point.

Naturally, Hess wouldn’t have wanted to sail around with his new-to-him ship still being called the ‘Argent Aviso’. We reasoned that whatever Hess renamed the Argent Aviso, that he’d have mountains on his mind, which gave us the idea of using a prominent mountain for the basis of the name. Originally started with mountain names from the Pokémon franchise in general similar to the origin of Mistral Marauder’s relation to Mt. Mistral, which briefly led to ‘Coronet Corsair’ being considered as an option. After growing dissatisfied with the outcome, we decided to settle specifically having the name reference a mountain that was mentioned in-setting. That further narrowed down the options to something built around ‘Diadem’ or ‘Starfall’ as the names of the Cradle’s and Anyilla’s tallest mountains respectively, as mentioned in Yesterday is Gone, with ‘Diadem Drifter’ and ‘Diadem Despot’ being considered in that round of consideration.

Our train of thought eventually took us towards ‘Starfall’ as an alternative, and while playing around with names, we decided that Kichiro should suggest part of the name during a gag. Thus entered the ‘Shogun’ part of the name, referring to a type of historical warrior in Japanese culture. The other name we had been considering, ‘Starfall Striker’ was reused as a fakeout name in the story.

Still, it’s quite a big step up for our favorite bumbling pirate… for as long as he manages to hold onto his newfound fleet, anyways.

Did any plans change as part of this episode?

Spoiler: Answer

Quite a bit, actually, which came in a few waves during the course of development. The biggest change of this Episode was that in its original drafts six years prior to posting this trivia, it was much more Marked-centric. Back then, Gestirn’s arc was not fleshed out beyond the main objective of getting information about Yveltal and then moving on. That objective wound up being handled by Kline earlier on in the story, which in conjunction with Lyn’s encounter with Hess and arm-twisting him into joining forces, gave us the idea of making this the Episode of the story where the Pirate Council would get their turn as the driving antagonist force of the plot, and wound up being the main note things focused on in the final product.

While working on the Vollezee episode, there was another change that we made, namely to have Guardia evolve while on Gestirn. Originally, we wanted to evolve her an episode later, but our planning for that episode was already getting kinda crowded and we figured it would stand out more in this episode.

Some bigger changes also happened in the middle of writing this Episode, which may have reflected a bit in how this episode took a while to get through. This Episode was originally intended to only be five chapters similar in size to Haipheh’s episode, only for us to quickly realize that there was too much going on to fit an episode of that size. The entire hostage gambit subplot was also not in original planning and was introduced about 3 months after the episode started after realizing that Team Traveller would’ve attracted notoriety from their exploits and that the pirates would’ve quickly gathered Nida, Pladur, and Elty’s significance among the prisoners stuck in the local garrison and attempt to use them as a means to capture Pleo. Last 4 chapters in particular underwent heavy retooling as a result of the hostage gambit subplot, which contributed to them taking longer than normal to get out of the door.

Though hey, better late than never. Even if it wound up taking a bit longer than planned and taught us a thing or two about practical limits of plot structure, we’re still happy with how this Episode turned out.

 

[Spiteful Murkrow]

When Pleo woke up, the first thing he felt was something cold clamping his wings in place along with a musky smell in the air. The Lugia tried to get up, only to hear a rattling noise whenever he tried to shift his wings.

"H-Huh?!"

Pleo looked around amid dim blue laternlight and saw that his wings and feet were chained down. He was in some sort of wooden chamber without any obvious features beyond a sturdy-looking door.

"Are you alright, Pleo?"

Pleo turned his head and saw Nida along with Guardia beside him. Dimitri was a little ways over and seated upright at attention while Crom was still slumped over from the battle they'd lost. Nida fell quiet a moment, before turning her head away with a low murmur.

"It sure feels like we've been seeing the inside of cells like these a lot lately."

Pleo looked down at the chains on his body and saw they were linked to hoops on the floor. This place felt… familiar. Uncomfortably so. But why?

His eyes drifted down to the floor when between the planks' layout and the shape of the door, his eyes suddenly widened in realization. Aside from the glowmoss lantern hanging from a hook on the doorpost, he really did remember being in a place just like this—down to the very timbers:

"Ack! Wait a minute!" Pleo cried. "This cell looks just like the one on Lyn's-!"

Pleo jolted upright at a rattling sound coming from the door. There was a quiet, but noticeable click before it opened and a towering, horned silhouette blocked the way. Heavy footfalls against the wood rang out as it quickly became apparent that the figure was an Aggron in a gold-and-silver scarf. Hess entered a few paces and looked down, as his eyes narrowed into a firm scowl.

"Oh, you're finally up."

Everyone's attention went to Hess as Crom stirred and cracked his eyes open, before freezing at the sight of the chamber and the Aggron at the doorway. A sneer crept up over the pirate captain's steely maw, except something felt off about it to Nida, even if she couldn't quite place it.

"I warned you last time," Hess growled. "Nobody makes the Iron Fleet look like a fool and gets away with it!"

There was a moment's hesitation after the Aggron's gloating. Something about his voice sounded flat and tired, and his eyes felt like they were visibly missing that determined spark he'd had in past run-ins. Almost as if Hess were trying to convince himself that he ought to be happy right now.

"You… literally never said that to us," Nida huffed. "So I'm not sure what you're going on about."

"Yeah, and your attempts to gloat aren't impressing anyone right now," Guardia scoffed. "What's the matter? Is that Floazel that I beat up on your mi—?"

Hess swung his tail around and caught Guardia in her stomach, launching her into the back wall of the cell. She crumpled to the ground wheezing for air as Dimitri rushed over and braced himself over her body, expecting Hess to storm over with another blow. Except beyond a brief glare, the Aggron didn't do anything aside from glumly looking aside, as if he'd suddenly lost his will to fight.

… Maybe he really was more shaken up by losing that Floatzel partner of his than he let on.

"Tch, well aren't you all a sorry sight right now."

More creaks against the wood came from past the doorway. Just past Hess, Dirk and Ingela entered the cell and took their places at the Aggron captain's side—the Primarina of the pair arriving a little more slowly with a large bandage over her stomach. The Bisharp and the Primarina's gaze fell over Pleo and his other companions in the room, as the Lugia squirmed and set his beak on edge.

"Why are you doing this?" Pleo asked. "I'm not just going to do whatever you want just because you kidnapped me! You can't make me!"

"Oh, I'm sure we could, but you're not going to be our problem for long," Ingela said. "Your Aggron friend here blundered into an arrangement with the Company to turn you over. The rest of us simply joined in because it was advantageous for us."

Guardia turned her gaze up at Hess and narrowed her eyes into a piercing glare.

"So all of this… All those Pokémon you hurt and stole from…" she growled. "It was all so that way you could be a lackey for Lyn?"

Hess grit his teeth, before turning his gaze away. He folded his arms, as his voice came out in a low, sullen rumble.

"Shut your mouth, Marowak," he harrumphed. "Like you'd know anything about having to get by as a pirate."

Dirk and Ingela both shot sideways glances at Hess, before the Bisharp of the pair turned to him and motioned off at Pleo's place in the cell.

"Hess, take the bird and get up there," Dirk ordered. "It's almost time for our rendezvous."

Hess hesitated before making his way over to Pleo as the Lugia frantically tried to get away, only to be held in place by his bindings. The Aggron stooped down and undid the chains holding him against the floor, before dragging the young Protector along by the ones remaining on his body.

"No! Let me go! Let me go!"

Pleo flailed and squawked in protest as the Aggron carried off down the brig's hallway. Dirk and Ingela followed suit, leaving Team Traveller to stare after them stunned and raise scattered cries of protest. The two lingered in the cell's doorway for a moment, before turning and looking down at their gathered captives.

"Simmer down and make yourself at home," Dirk sneered. "Until your buddies back on your island pay up to ransom you, you're probably going to be seeing quite a bit of the Iron Fleet."

There was a moment of grimacing silence, before Dirk slammed the cell door shut behind them and carried down the brig's hallway. He lingered there a moment, waiting for Pleo's cries to fade off into the distance as Hess slipped out of earshot, when he felt a prod at his shoulder and looked back to see Ingela giving a serious frown at him.

"Well? What's the decision, Dirk?"

"Nothing's changed," the Bisharp answered. "Between our remaining deckhands and those other crews who made it out of port with us, we should have enough strength to pick off Hess and that Commissioner and sail off with Lugia."

Dirk paused, folding his arms with a skeptical frown.

"And what about you? Will you be able to keep up despite that stomach wound?"

"I'll be fine. All I still need to do is pass things along to those smaller crews and make sure they all know what's going on," the Primarina replied. "I already told my lieutenants to get ready to put Hess and that Samurott in their places. Me and the rest of the Torrent Tsars are ready for this if you are, Dirk."

The Bisharp looked down at his arm and let its blade slip in and out of its natural sheath. All the while, the corner of his mouth curled up in a dangerous smile.

"I was ready the moment we cast off from Orleigh," he replied. "The rest of my crew should be as well now, so let's do this."

Dirk and Ingela made their way down the hall of the brig, while back inside her cell, Guardia was pressed up against the wall trying to listen in, only to hear nothing but muddled words and departing footsteps. The Marowak pulled her head back in disappointment and turned to her teammates, where Nida was worriedly pinning her ears back.

"… What on earth were they talking about?" Nida asked.

"I don't know. I couldn't hear what they were saying," Guardia sighed.

The Marowak listlessly turned her gaze up towards the ceiling. How were they supposed to get Pleo back? And how on earth were they supposed to escape this time?

---

About fifteen minutes later, Pleo stood on the deck of the Starfall Shogun with his wings and beak still bound and pirates all around him, including quite a few who weren't wearing gold-and-silver like he was expecting. The strangers aboard the Iron Fleet's ship were mostly gathered with Dirk and Ingela, who hung towards the back with them. The entire time, Hess had kept a claw firmly clamped onto his chains as Kichiro watched him from behind. With his free claw, Hess held his spyglass and lowered it, as the shapes the Aggron had been watching had come close enough to be visible with their naked eyes. Pleo caught his breath and quietly chewed the inside of his cheek at the sight: four ships in Company Lavenders, arrayed around one in the center with metal cladding all along its hull.

Pleo felt Hess freeze up as the Aggron visibly grimaced. The pirate captain's grip loosened a bit, and at once Pleo tried to break free. He was barely able to get a pace away, when Hess quickly tightened his grip about his chains and scowled down at the bound Lugia beside him.

"Hey, stop fidgeting like that!"

There was a brief silence as the pair stared each other down, but in spite of his huffing and puffing and attempts to be mean and scary, something about Hess' mood didn't seem like he had his heart in things. Was this all because of how he had to leave his first mate behind on Gestirn? Or was there something else going on? Since from the antsy twitch of Kichiro's antennae, it wasn't just Hess who was on-edge at the moment…

"… That's more ships than I was expecting Lyn to show up with," the Ledian murmured. "Are we sure this is a good idea, Hess?"

The Aggron studied the ships and visibly hesitated, before looking back towards Dirk and Ingela waiting further back towards the stern. Even if it weren't for the five ships, he doubted that he could back out now with those two and all those underlings they'd brought along already gathered for the handover. Just another miserable feeling to pile onto that sinking sensation in his stomach since he'd found out that Rodion didn't make it out of Starbreak Square…

The Aggron thought back to his first mate. He'd already gotten Rodion back after being captured once in the past couple weeks, and once Lyn got this Protector he wanted so badly, the Iron Fleet would be a proper fleet, as well as a Council Crew. Why, if he could just spin things the right way, he could take the ships back to Gestirn to try and bust Rodion out before it was too late!

… Assuming that Lyn made good on his deal, anyways.

The ships were closing in now, and close enough that the shapes moving about on their decks could now be discerned as specific Pokémon.

Hess shook his head and tried to force a determined scowl over his face. Even if these square-necks had an ironclad with them, it was just five ships… few enough that even he and the diminished fleet pirate fleet around them ought to be able to fight them off, or at least for long enough to slip away.

"Let that sea rat try anything if he dares," he said. "Sure his ships are better-armed, but there's only so much he can do with five ships. We've got numbers on our side!"

The Aggron motioned off to Dirk and Ingela to come over. All the while, Pleo's breaths started to quicken as he looked out at the approaching ships. There wasn't anything he could do to fight out of his situation with his wings stuck like this, and no matter how he concentrated or tried to will them into being, his powers just weren't coming to him. He turned his eyes up, and fought against the bindings over his beak to raise his voice with a hitching whine.

"Please, don't do this! You're making a mistake!"

There was a fleeting moment when Pleo and Hess' eyes met. This time, Hess seemed to have a twinge of visible discomfort come over his face. For a second, the young Lugia thought that he might have gotten through to Hess, when the Aggron turned his head and averted his gaze.

"That's where you're wrong, kid," the Steel-Type grunted. "I'm fixing a mistake. And the sooner it's taken care of by you getting out of my scales, the better."

Pleo's mind went blank, as his heart began to pound in his chest and he struggled against Hess' grip.

"No, you don't understand! Lyn wants to use me as a weapon!"

Hess hesitated and glanced at the Lugia, before turning away and setting his teeth on edge. He shook his head, turned his attention to the gold-and-silver scarved Pokémon about him with a stomp against the deck.

"Look alive and get ready for that Samurott to come aboard!"

The deck at once hummed to life as the escorts in the air and water began to shunt the ship around. Dirk and Ingela's ships crept ahead to flank the Starfall Shogun, with one of Ingela's pulling up along the port side. Up ahead, the lavender-sailed ships in the Company flotilla slowed down and let the ironclad in their midst sail ahead of them. It drifted forward, pulling up to the starboard side of Hess' ship.

There was a brief moment of slack-jawed awe among everyone present as the ironclad came to a stop beside them. Four masts, metal plates all along the hull, and cannons trained from the decks and two rows of gunports beneath…

Though 'Wyrmwind'? Hess had heard that some captains considered it bad luck to change the name of a ship, but that name definitely didn't fit a Samurott at all.

Then again, with all its sails and the cannons already drawn on deck and at its gunports, perhaps 'Wyrmwind' wasn't that unfitting by whoever named this thing. With its sheer might and destructive potential, it was a veritable Salamence of ships. He couldn't believe that he was now thankful that Lyn had roped in the rest of the Council. If it'd been just him and the crew of the Starfall Shogun facing Lyn down, the Samurott would've been more than capable of just sinking them on the spot and taking Pleo for himself.

"Hess."

Kichiro pointed ahead as he and Hess watched lavender-scarved Pokémon along the Wyrmwind move a plank into place along the railing. They left it standing upright for a moment, before letting it fall and bridge the gap to the Starfall Shogun with a loud clatter that made both Hess and Pleo flinch.

By the time their eyes opened, Lyn was already at the other end of the gangplank and making his way over with an entourage of underlings. Hess braced himself and tightened his grip on Pleo as the other pirates backed away and Dirk and Ingela took their places by him, if still hanging back at a curious distance.

Kichiro briefly glimpsed back at the two, only to stop as Lyn and his party neared. The Samurott's piercing red eyes looked over the gathered pirates briefly, before turning to Pleo and settling on him.

They lingered on the young Protector for a moment, before Lyn turned his attention up to Hess and shook his whiskers with a growling harrumph.

"So we meet again, Hess," he said. "I see that you've managed to keep your end of the bargain. Somehow."

Hess stiffened up and hurriedly attempted to put on a brave face. With how the Samurott had so easily twisted his paw originally, it was probably for the best to try and make him think that the encounter had been a lucky fluke and that the Commissioner had just gotten the drop on him.

"I-I mean, of course I did! I'm the captain of the Iron Fleet!" the Steel-Type insisted. "Protector or not, I can handle a little kid! I even caught his buddies to boot!"

The Aggron puffed his chest out and tried to strike a determined pose as he tugged Pleo ahead, except the whole time, Lyn's expression didn't budge. From the rear, Dirk briefly frowned, before making his way forward with a shake of his head.

"Hrmph, your lackey having help certainly didn't hurt matters," the Bisharp said. "Though really, even a snivelling weakling could've managed to catch the bird with us doing most of the work."

From Hess' side, Pleo briefly noticed a brief flash of frustration come over Hess' face, which the Aggron quickly fought back. Whether it was because Hess was afraid of Dirk or Lyn, he couldn't tell. Maybe it was both. All the while, Ingela quietly made her way forward and joined Hess from his opposite flank. Like Dirk, the Primarina's face was locked with a serious expression, when she briefly stole a glance back at Dirk that prompted the Bisharp to narrow his eyes.

"Naturally, we'll be demanding our share of compensation before turning the bird over."

Dirk held an arm out towards Lyn, but Pleo couldn't help but feel that something was amiss. He understood why Hess wouldn't be in a good mood, but from what he saw of Dirk since being dragged along from the brig, the Bisharp had seemed strangely tense and guarded the entire time. So did Ingela, for that matter.

It was that same sort of tension that Pokémon would have right before a fight, and after looking back at Lyn, Pleo couldn't help but get a similar feeling from the Samurott. Same for his lavender-scarved underlings as their paws and feet seemed to all but dig into the deck's timbers.

"Hrmph, I'm not parting with so much as a Thaler before I see the results of your work," the Company Commissioner scoffed. "Bring Lugia closer to me."

Pleo briefly set his beak on edge and expected to be tugged forward, except Hess remained firmly planted in place. Kichiro was giving a puzzled tilt of his head at the Aggron, while the pirate captain was visibly taken aback and blinking uneasily.

"Huh? But he's obviously here and fine," Hess said. "I mean, I'm not going to untie his wings to let him beat those around, but-"

"I said, bring him closer," Lyn growled.

Hess briefly stiffened up as the Samurott glared daggers at him, with the otter's paw moving towards the hilt of one of his seamitars. The Aggron gulped, before he reluctantly approached as Pleo struggled against his grasp.

"No! Stop! Let me go! Let me-!"

There was a rattle as Lyn pulled out his seamitar, making Pleo's eyes widen when Lyn stared him down with a scrutinizing gaze. The Lugia's breath suddenly tightened as Lyn brought the tip down at his breast and hesitated. The Samurott's face betrayed a brief moment of unease, when suddenly, Pleo felt a sharp prick under his feathers. He yelped and stumbled back, as Hess tightened his grip on him, his own eyes widened in confusion as the other pirates seemed to be on edge.

The Samurott pulled his blade back, where there at the very tip of it, was a small splotch of red. Lyn eyed it briefly, before sheathing his blade and training his attention back over at Hess.

"It looks like our business together is done," he grunted. "We'll take things over from here."

A flash of surprise came over the pirates, with even Dirk and Ingela seeming visibly caught off-guard. A sharp buzz filled the air, as Kichiro flew up in front of Lyn and waved for a stop.

"Hey, not so fast! You're supposed to pay us here," the Ledian snapped. "And shouldn't you want our help bringing the bird over? If his powers came to him right now, just how well do you think things would turn out with his wings free to blow things around?"

The Samurott shoved the Bug-Type aside, forcing him to fight to keep his body airborne. Pleo's breath tightened in his throat as Lyn suddenly snatched his chains and pulled them from Hess' grasp.

"I'll take my chances," the Commissioner scoffed. "You delivered your end of the bargain, so all that's left is to be rid of-"

A metallic glint followed by a dark contrail zipped in, as a sudden slash sent Lyn staggering back with a sharp cry. For a fleeting second, Pleo saw Dirk ahead of him with shadowy flecks dissipating off his right arm's blade's while Hess' mouth hung open in shock.

"Dirk?! What are you-?!"

Ingela abruptly cut Hess off with a large torrent of water that struck the Aggron in his chest, sending him tumbling to the deck. Pleo tried to back away, when he suddenly felt someone latch onto his chains and saw Dirk grabbing onto him and looking back towards the port side of the deck.

"Everyone! Open fire on those square-necks and their lapdogs!" he barked. "Cover me and Ingela until we make it back to our ships!"

Deafening blasts and cries rang out as Dirk yanked Pleo along. The little Protector briefly saw attacks and even sprays of Apricorn shot from cannons flying out from the various pirate ships around them. Lyn's eyes widened as a Sludge Wave barreled in, knocking him and his underlings down. Back towards the stern, things were in a similar state of confusion as red and teal-scarved pirates brawled with pirates from the Iron Fleet. Others attempted to make their way for the gangplank to the Wyrmwind as it'd grown fiercely contested between Company Pokémon and pirates.

Amidst the chaos, Lyn staggered up, throwing sludge off his hide, when he saw a Mawile charging at him. The Samurott deflected the Mawile's jaws with one of his seamitars and sidestepped him. In a swift motion, Lyn threw his other paw forward, grabbed the pirate by the base of his jaws and flung him from the deck.

"Aaaaaaah!"

Lyn briefly looked on as the Mawile flailed helplessly and sailed over the railing. He turned his attention ahead and spat an orb of water down onto the deck that fanned out into a wave and cleared the space in front of him. He growled and set his teeth on edge as his underlings behind him hurried back to try and dig in at the gangplank, leaving him to hold the space ahead. His Surf had barely bought a moment's quiet: the red and teal-scarved pirates were falling back to regroup, while reinforcements surged forward to come and take their place.

"Hey, you overgrown sea rat!"

Lyn looked up, just in time to see a trio consisting of a Banette, a Flareon, and a Zangoose. The Normal-Type of the three was at the head, sauntering forward with his claws extended with a strangely determined air about him.

"Remember me from that battle outside the Dead Zone?!"

The Samurott frowned, narrowing his eyes back in reply.

"No."

Lyn swung his seamitar forward with an uppercutting slash across the Zangoose's body, leaving him yowling and reflexively fighting to stay on his feet. The pirate hurriedly steadied himself, before retaliating with a Slash. His claws raked Lyn's shoulder, only for the Samurott to bring down the hilt of his other blade, catching the top of the Zangoose's skull and smashing him into the deck.

Upon seeing their teammate taken out so quickly, the Flareon and Banette hastily turned to flee. Lyn stepped over the prone Zangoose and spat up a ball of water, sending a second Surf crashing forward into the two pirates. He hurriedly dove behind the forward mast and grit his teeth as he fought to avoid the stray fire slipping past his cover, before raising his badge to his mouth.

"Everyone, like we drilled!" Lyn barked. "Blow them out of the water!"

Another series of loud blasts rang out followed by a hail of elemental beams and rays split the air, this time coming from the direction of the Company ships. The ongoing chaos on the deck between bands of pirates and Company sailors were much the same in the air above and the water below: groups of fliers pursuing and strafing each other as errant attacks tore larger and larger holes into Hess' sails, while the water frothed with swimmers trading blows with one another.

It was difficult for Lyn to make heads or tails of the bedlam as he hacked and slashed his way forward in search of Pleo. In between the battlecries, shouts, and screams, he could hear his underlings clambering across the gangplank along the Starfall Shogun's starboard, and the tak of another gangplank being lowered. Ahead of him, the different pirate factions and Company sailors had already thrown up their Protects and dug in. He briefly saw the telltale lights of Pokémon being sucked into Apricorns from the deck of the ship next to them, with other Pokémon falling to the deck, and others over the railings. A piercing pain from behind made him look over his shoulder, where he saw a red-scarved Dudunsparce pulling a still-spinning tail-tip back, before coiling and thrusting it at him for a second blow.

The Samurott's retaliation was fierce, as he parried the Dundunsparce's tail-tip with a blade, and brought the hilt of the other down between the pirate's eyes. A sickening crack followed, as the serpent slumped to the deck before him and remained motionless. Lyn stepped forward onto the Dudunsparce's back, but the Dudunsparce offered no resistance aside from some feeble breathing.

"A-Aah! Get off of me!"

Lyn turned his head up at the sound of Pleo's squawks of protest, and saw him flailing and struggling as Dirk tried to hold him in place just in front of the port side's railing. The Bisharp was briefly interrupted by a golden-scarved Miltank trying to intervene, who was promptly thrown aside to the deck by a Brick Break for her trouble. A Venomoth wearing Dirk's colors suddenly broke from the defensive line just afterwards, as Dirk reached out and grasped the Poison-type, who closed his eyes in focus.

Lyn instantly recognized what the bug was trying to do. He grit his teeth and quickly threw a paw out, grabbing the Dudunsparce pirate by his tail before flinging him at the pair to interrupt the Teleport. He briefly saw the Dudunsparce strike the Venomoth as they both fell over the railing, while Dirk briefly jerked back with Pleo still in his grasp. The Samurott broke out into a run, shoving aside a teal-scarved pirate that came up to try and stop him as he neared the Bisharp and pulled his blades back for a swing.

"You!"

"Not so fast, square-neck!"

The Samurott barely had time to turn around, as a pink ball of light suddenly smashed into the side of his head. The Samurott tumbled and skidded back along the deck and dug his nails into the wood for traction. As he came to a stop, he shook his head and saw Ingela staring him down. In spite of the prominent bandage over her stomach, she seemed barely fazed, giving an idle bat of her tail against the deck as a sneering smile came over her muzzle.

"Let's see if you're less predictable than your underlings," the Primarina spat.

Ingela readied a second Moonblast as Lyn snarled back and sprang forward, blades drawn. He threw a seamitar forward as he and Ingela attempted to strafe each other with parting blows amid the ongoing melee. Their attacks blurred together with those being traded between opposing groups of pirates and Company sailors in scattered battles that ran all along the length of the ship.

"Eyaaaaah!"

Which included Hess behind a pile of upended crates at the front mast, as he Iron Tailed a red-scarved Arbok and flung the snake aside into a limp heap. From his side, Kichiro hurriedly threw a Thunder Punch that sent a Noctowl slumping to the deck as the pair hurriedly took cover behind the crates.

Hess panted and hung his head, clinging to the lucky charm hidden under his scarf for dear life.

He was such an idiot, he knew that that Samurott couldn't be trusted, but he didn't think that Dirk and the rest of the Council would also try and betray him on top of it all!

… Maybe he should've just taken his chances trying to sail someplace far away and hoped that Samurott wouldn't have been able to hunt him down. It didn't help that he didn't know what to do right now, either. If Rodion were here, maybe they'd be able to clear the deck together with a combined Surf, or maybe he'd work up the crew to rouse their spirits and keep a united front, or-

"Hess! Over there!"

Kichiro raised a fist and pointed off, prompting Hess to turn his head and see Pleo stumbling along from a quieter patch of railing by a line of Protects held up by mainly teal and red-scarved pirates. Just then, a flash of red and glinting gray swooped in, pinning Pleo to the deck as he thrashed and squawked in protest. At once, Hess got up and grinded his teeth together, only to freeze after he realized just who it was that was stealing Lugia out from under him:

It was Dirk, who aside from a few scuffs, looked hardly any worse for wear from the ongoing battle.

Hess stared on blankly for a moment, when a sharp pain shot through his shoulder. He looked over and saw Kichiro pulling a fist back from a punch and staring at him exasperatedly.

"Don't just stand there!" the Ledian snapped. "That's our Protector we worked so hard to catch!"

"B-But that's Dirk the-!"

"Who cares?!" Kichiro hissed. "Are we seriously just going to roll over for that metal kusotare?! Or are we going to stand and fight?!"

Hess fumbled for words, only for a blue light to cut him off, as he looked down and saw the sheen of a Reflect settle all along his hide before disappearing. He turned back to Kichiro, who tightened his eyes into an impatient scowl.

"We'll take on Dirk together and throw him overboard. After that, we grab Lugia, take back control of the stern, and turn the ship around to get out of here," Kichiro insisted. The Ledian faltered a moment, but quickly shook his head. "It'll probably fail, but if we're going down, I say we go down swinging."

Hess looked off at the Bisharp as he gave a sharp jab at Pleo that drew a loud, pained cry. His mind turned back to the way Dirk threatened and humiliated him repeatedly in the Council chambers. Or when the Bisharp kept bullying and belittling him in front of his own crew. Or the way he refused to wait on Rodion before entering Starbreak Square and gotten him captured because of it.

With every thought, his blood ran hotter and hotter and his vision ran red. A part of him hadn't felt good about handing that bird over from the start, but now he wasn't even getting a chance to decide for himself!

No. No longer. He didn't know if he and Kichiro could really win this fight, but it'd be a snowy day on Sormus before he would sit back and let Dirk steal Lugia out from his claws.

Everything seemed to come naturally afterwards. He lowered his head and planted his feet, before starting to run ahead faster and faster as a bellowing cry filled his throat.

"Dirk, you backstabbing bilge rat!"

Hess trampled over a Company sailor in his way as heat built up along his fist. He pulled it back as he bore down on Dirk and Pleo, briefly seeing the Bisharp's eyes widen as he barreled at him, his fist now wholly wreathed in flames

"That's my Protector I worked to capture!" the Aggron shouted.

Hess threw his fist forward, his Fire Punch clocking the Bisharp square in his face and launching him into the ship's railing. A frightened squawk turned his attention down to the deck, where Pleo had rolled out of the way and was looking up at him wide-eyed, before stumbling to his feet and turning to flee. Hess hurriedly stomped on a loose end of Pleo's chains, sending him pitching forward with a squawk. The Aggron turned back for Dirk, only for a sharp blow to suddenly catch him in his stomach.

"Gah!"

Hess flopped back, landing on his back with a heavy thud. He uneasily righted himself, and saw Dirk steadying himself and flashing his blades with a low hiss.

"You really are an idiot, Hess."

"At least he's better than the arrogant blowhard that stops to run his mouth off!"

Dirk turned his head up just in time to see Kichiro flying in and letting out a high-pitched pulse that formed distorted rings in the surrounding air. Dirk sprung aside from the incoming Supersonic at the last moment, before turning his glance back off at Hess on the deck.

"Pathetic," the Bisharp scoffed. "No wonder why your crew's a bunch of incompetent dregs when that's the best your second mate can do."

The red in Hess' vision all but filled his field of view as he stomped the deck. A tremor rang through the timbers that briefly drew the attention of other pirates nearby from their battles as Hess let out a bellowing roar.

"GET OFF MY SHIP!"

The Aggron captain spat up an orb of water that fanned out into a wave and swept over the deck. The water caught up everyone in its path: friend and foe alike. Dirk and Pleo were hardly spared as the wave overtook them both, sending Dirk tumbling up against the railing as it knocked Pleo to the ground. When the wave subsided, Dirk had come to a stop on top of a fainted Company grunt stuck headfirst through a gap in the railing, prompting him to quickly shuffle off his impromptu cushion with a low growl.

"Ack! Let me go! Let me go!"

Up ahead, Dirk saw Pleo flailing against his bindings and trying to peck at Kichiro, who was fighting to tug the Lugia along with his chains. Hess' attention was similarly distracted, prompting Dirk to lunge ahead, bringing an arm down into a sharp chop.

It landed with a satisfying thwack against Hess' back, the Aggron reeling under his blow as what looked like a layer of light broke into shards and dissipated. Dirk growled and held his blades out at the ready, when he suddenly felt a pop against the back of his head and his limbs froze up.

"What the-?!"

He found that he couldn't move his head, and glanced aside to see that Ledian sticking his tongue out and the husk of a Stun Seed on the deck. The Bisharp sharply hissed and tried to pull his limbs free, when a deafening bellow split the air in front of him.

GRAWWWWWWR!

The Bisharp looked ahead just in time to see a steely wall bear down on him. Before Dirk could react, Hess rammed into him with a crushing headbutt and flung him into the air with his horns.

"Aaagh!"

The Bisharp launched back and fell over the railing, leaving Hess to hurry over and grab Pleo as he tried to slink away. The Aggron panted for a moment, a flash of self-satisfaction spreading over his steely maw as a sharp buzz rang out from behind.

"Hess! Dirk's still holding onto the hull!"

Hess turned and saw Kichiro motioning off past the railing. He hurried over, where sure enough, there below Dirk really was clinging to the hull with one of his blades jammed into the wood. The Aggron let out a growl as Dirk attempted to climb back up, prompting Hess to poise himself to call up a hail of rocks to hurl at the Bisharp below.

A sharp cry suddenly came from behind, making Hess lose his concentration as he whirled around. He saw Kichiro lying sprawled out on the ground with ice caked onto his elytra, and behind him, a black-and-red blur settling into a Weavile, crouched with his claws flashed out at the ready. Ketu rose to his feet, idly brushing some ice off his claws as a smug smile settled on his face.

"You know, while I normally wouldn't mind hanging back and letting an embarrassing failure play out, letting a bottom feeder like you get away with Lugia is a step too far even for me."

Hess lowered his head, baring his maw with a low snarl.

"Yeah, and just who do you think you are, buddy?" he spat. "And you'll pay for hurting my friend like that!"

The Aggron swung his tail forward as a steely glint came over it, only for the Ketu to shoot forward and jump over it. The Weavile twisted his body in mid-air and landed to Hess' right. The pirate captain had barely a moment to react when much to his alarm, Ketu threw his paw forward with a stiff chop.

Crack!

Ketu brought his Brick Break down on Hess' ribs. There was a sharp cry, as the Aggron fought to stay on his feet, before the Weavile drove a second chop deep into his gut. Hess bowled over after the second blow, hitting the deck with a loud thud. He lay unmoving beyond a woozy groan as Ketu shook his paw with a terse scoff.

"Someone way out of your league, obviously."

The Weavile turned his head and saw Pleo trying to slip away, before the young Lugia's eyes widened and he screamed out of fright.

"A-AAAAAH!"

Pleo whirled around and attempted to run off towards the starboard side of the ship, only for Ketu to spit an Ice Beam at the Lugia's feet. It trapped one of them against the deck, leaving the little Protector to thrash and desperately pull himself free.

Ketu smirked and began to pace forward as the fighting raged in the background, when he heard a clattering noise on the railing. He turned back and caught a steely glint in his eye, before jumping out of the way of a Bisharp's slash as he and Dirk locked eyes with each other.

"You should turn tail while you can, Weavile," the Bisharp snarled, brandishing his blades. "Do you even know who you're facing down right now?"

Ketu failed to stifle a derisive laugh as his mouth curled up into a small, wry grin.

"Do you?"

Dirk suddenly lunged ahead and attempted to slash Ketu with the blade on his right arm, only for the Weavile to slide underneath and strike Dirk's knee with a Brick Break. Pleo didn't wait to see the results, and desperately tried to jerk his foot free. He wasn't sure how they were going to get out of this, but his friends were still in that brig below deck, and it was hard to imagine how he'd get off this ship without their help.

He finally managed to free his foot with a crunch and turned and saw stairs heading below deck towards the stern, which aside from a couple fainted Pokémon laying beside it, looked empty. His friends were down there somewhere. If he could just get to them and free them, maybe they could still escape.

Pleo lurched along as much as his chains would allow him and tried to make his way forward, when a sharp thump suddenly rang out and a blue figure tumbled just in front of the entrance. It was Lyn, panting and covered in visible bruises and lacerations as he spat something reddish out of his mouth and glared back along the deck. Pleo backed away and followed Lyn's gaze, where he saw Ingela standing her ground on the deck. The Primarina's hide was flecked with cuts, and both her and Lyn's underlings were either busy fighting each other along the starboard side of the ship or else lying strewn about unconscious on the deck.

And yet, the whole time, the Primarina didn't even seem fazed by the encounter.

CRAAACK!

Lyn turned his head leftward where he saw a mast of one of the lavender-sailed ships in the background visibly collapsing into the sea, with the sound of distant cries carrying along the wind. The Samurott set his teeth on edge and looked back at his own ship, where he saw that a few of the plates on his ironclad had been dislodged from the raging battle and fallen into the sea. Ingela glanced over herself, as a visible sneer came over her face.

"Hah! Looks like you square-necks bit off more than you could chew!" the Primarina taunted, turning her snout up. "Did you really think you were going to get the better of us with just five ships?!"

BOOM!

The sound of shouts and cries came again, this time from much closer as a creaking noise rang out. Lyn and Ingela looked past the stern in time to see a pirate ship in teal sails two ships down from them listing, before it keeled over and its masts crashed into a green-sailed ship from a smaller pirate crew beside it. The Primarina stared in stunned shock as the water next to the capsized ship teemed with Pokémon, both with pirates who'd been thrown overboard, along with a much larger number of swimmers in Company lavenders than she remembered seeing initially.

The defensive lines along the hull of the ship next to them wavered as Company swimmers suddenly surfaced from below and battles broke out all around in the water nearby. The sound of blows landing against the hull and the deck rocking below along all but confirmed that the Starfall Shogun had met a similar fate. Pleo watched as Ingela turned her head back towards Lyn, who was still every bit as injured and worn down as earlier, but now had his face curled up into a sneer of his own.

"Good thing then that we came with reserves, Primarina," the Samurott retorted. "Looks like you need to re-evaluate your odds!"

Ingela answered with an Energy Ball that struck Lyn in his chest and sent him stumbling back. For a brief moment, the Commissioner seemed to visibly totter, as Ingela bared her teeth back with a snarl.

"That's all you Company rats are good for, isn't it? Hiding behind the strength of others up and down your chain of command!" the Primarina spat. "Why don't you go crawling back to your mother while you're at it?!"

Lyn froze and tightened his knuckles, as his left eye briefly twitched.

"What did you say?"

Ingela cackled back at her Samurott foe, as a dangerous, unsettled smile spread over her face.

"Oh, so I hit a nerve, huh? Good," she taunted. "She must be so disappointed to have such a failure of a son!"

Lyn bellowed out in rage, which for a brief moment, stunned the nearby Pokémon into looking up from their battles. The Samurott drew his seamitars and lunged ahead into an Aqua Jet, prompting Ingela to hurriedly fling a Moonblast at him. The Samurott threw up the flat of his right blade to deflect her counterattack, as his moment carried him forward. He came to a stop just to her right, the Primarina's eyes widening as she saw Lyn thrust his left seamitar forward.

"Wha-?!"

The Samurott drove his blade's tip square through the bandage on Ingela's stomach with a sickening splutch. The Primarina's mouth shot open as her voice came out in a choked gurgle.

Pleo stared as Ingela tried to grab at the blade with her flippers and briefly saw the bladetip protruding from Ingela's back, before he jerked his head away and closed his eyes with a shudder. The sound of the battle dulled as Lyn wrenched his blade free and Ingela fell to the deck, leaving the nearby pirates to stare on in shock.

"H-He got the Captain!" a teal-scarved Azumarill cried. "Everyone, retrea-!"

The quiet ended almost as soon as it started as Lyn spat up another Surf, which fanned out into the nearby pirates. From the side, Dirk still stood dumbstruck as he looked over at Ingela laying motionless while blood pooled around her.

A sharp chop suddenly struck the Bisharp in the side of his head and sent him pitching to the deck. He tumbled and rolled onto his hands, panting as he saw Ketu approaching him. The Weavile flashed his claws, as he shot back a dangerous smirk.

"You still think you're gonna win this? Or leave here alive for that matter?"

The Weavile got ready to lunge ahead, only for Dirk to hastily scrape his blades together forcefully enough to distort the air in front of him with a horrid screech. Ketu recoiled from the Metal Sound, as Dirk woozily got up from the timbers and crawled onto the railing. He looked back at Ingela's body before shaking his head, his earlier confidence and determination now having fully drained away.

"Everyone, abandon ship!" he shouted. "We're getting out of here!"

The Bisharp vaulted over the railing, hitting the water before surfacing and noticing a blue Jellicent from his crew that he hurriedly swam over to. The sight of Dirk's retreat seemed to trigger a wave of panic amongst the pirates on-deck, as their defensive lines dissipated into disorganized mobs. Pirates of all colors turned and broke away in a hurry anywhere and everywhere they could: the fliers up into the air, the swimmers deeper below the water, while others frantically attempted to clamber down netting to the water or else dive overboard.

Pleo turned to run himself when a Staravia plummeted and hit the deck right in front of him. From the corner of his eye, he could see lavender-scarved figures surging forward and picking off different pirates left and right. Off to the side, a group of teal-scarved pirates tried to make their way across a gangplank off the port side to a ship in their colors, only for the teal-sailed ship to list and pull the gangplank loose from under their feet and send them falling into the sea.

"Going somewhere?"

Pleo's eyes shrank to pins as he turned around and saw Ketu approaching him from behind. The young Lugia froze in terror, only to snap back to attention as Ketu threw an icy flechette just past his head. He whirled around and desperately tried to get away as other figures ran past and bumped into him. Ketu kept pace the entire time, briefly looking over the deck and when he noticed a hole in the grate over the cargo hold.

"Yeah, that will do."

The Weavile threw a second Ice Shard in the Lugia's path, forcing him to change direction. Much as Ketu had planned, Pleo darted straight for the grate. The Weavile ran after him, but right as the Lugia reached the edge of the grate, a flash of blue cut in and pinned the young Protector to the deck with a sharp squawk. Ketu smelled seawater and saw Lyn peering down at Pleo, blood still dripping off one of his seamitars.

"Gotcha."

Lyn tightened his grip and pulled Pleo up by the back of his neck. The Lugia panted and shivered as he looked over to see Ketu approaching from the corner of his eye. Lyn noticed it himself, as he shot his first mate a satisfied smirk.

"Good work there, Ketu," he said. "Imagine if after all this, he'd just slipped away from us again."

Ketu quietly clicked his tongue and let out a small sigh. It took every ounce of willpower to hide his disappointment over not being able to get Pleo below deck. Thirty seconds alone in the dark and he'd have conveniently "been carried off by a pirate teleporter" with Lyn none the wiser.

"N-No wait! Come back!"

Ketu and Pleo both looked back towards the ship's stern where the still-floating pirate ships were hurriedly sailing away and a group of mostly golden-scarved pirates were frantically trying to hail them. Their attention wavered briefly, as the pirates turned back and lavender-scarved Pokémon began to close in on them.

A Discharge arced out over the stern and struck the pirates at the front of the group. By the time their compatriots hit the deck, the Pokémon behind them scattered, some desperately leaping into the water while others threw limbs up in surrender. Ones which went unheeded by the approaching Company sailors.

The Lugia watched the sailors descend on the pirates, and turned his head away from the sight just the first blows landed. As the pirates' screams and cries for help continued ringing out, his mind went blank as a crushing realization came over him:

He'd failed. And there was nothing he could do about it.

"N-No…"

Pleo's vision started to grow misty as the din from the stern gradually started to grow quiet and the screams and cries gave way to whimpers and groans. He felt a paw under his chin tugging his beak up and his head followed. There was Lyn, staring down at him with the ends of his muzzle turning up into a knowing smile.

"Don't worry. I'm sure we'll have plenty of time to get to know each other more," the Samurott said. "Though I believe some thanks are in order first…"

Lyn turned his attention off towards the port side of the ship, where Hess and Kichiro were still slumped over. The Aggron groaned and weakly stirred in place on his belly as Lyn dragged Pleo along. He reached his free paw down and lifted the pirate captain's head up by one of his horns. Hess weakly opened his eyes and panted, woozily looking ahead as Lyn brought his head down with a predatory sneer.

"I knew that I could count on you, Hess. Now… where's the rest of them?"

---

Crom wasn't sure what he was expecting after Hess and the other pirates took Pleo away, but it wasn't this. Somewhere on the decks above, a fierce battle had broken out, with battlecries and worrying blasts carrying through the timbers above them. The sounds had started to die down and grow quieter after the first five minutes, but here and there the sounds of shouting and fighting would continue.

He just wasn't sure whether or not that was a good sign for them or not. The Druddigon stared up worriedly at the ceiling and set his teeth on edge.

"Sounds like whatever deal Lyn and those pirates had didn't work out," Crom said.

"No kidding," Guardia murmured. "But how are we supposed to get out of here?"

Dimitri looked around the room for any sign of a defect in the wood. There was nothing on the floor or ceiling, and the walls looked solid, too. He didn't bother checking the side towards the hull, since even if there was something, they wouldn't be able to swim away chained up like this.

His attention turned to the door as he shuffled over and inspected the lock in the dim light. He eyed the keyhole, when he noticed scorch marks on it, probably from some unfortunate soul's earlier attempt to escape. After examining it closer, he noticed there was something else he'd overlooked: a thin crack in the metal that crept downwards from the keyhole.

He paused for a moment, before throwing a glance over at Nida.

"Nida, can you still use Ice Beam right now?" the Kabutops asked.

"I should be able to? Why?"

"Metal grows brittle when it's heated and cooled quickly. It looks like someone tried doing that to this lock in the past and damaged it," Dimitri explained. "Crom and I have attacks that can heat things up, so if you freeze it over afterwards and we cycle through things a couple times, we might be able to make it brittle enough to break it open."

Everyone nodded back in agreement at the idea and took their places in front of the door. Crom started off by spitting up a Dragon Rage on the lock, the dragonfire singing its metal and the surrounding wood which Dimitri followed up with a Scald. Nida waited a few moments for the Druddigon and Kabutops' attacks to dissipate before spewing out an Ice Beam, which caked the lock over in frost with a sizzling noise.

The four briefly shielded their eyes from the steam curling off the door, and as it cleared, they saw amidst the water dripping off the lock, that the crack in the metal had grown visibly longer. So the lock really was weakening right now!

Could it already have been enough? Guardia grunted and lowered her head, before running forward and headbutting the lock with a sharp crash.

She bounced back off of it and hit the floor. There was a tense silence as Guardia and the others waited for the sound of approaching guards, only for none to come. Satisfied, she shook her head, before looking up and seeing much to her dismay that the door was still firmly shut.

"Shimatta! It didn't budge!" the Marowak cried.

"We'll try it again," Dimitri said. "Come o-"

A sharp, muffled clatter suddenly came from somewhere beyond the door. Startled cries followed, clearer and closer than the earlier ones had been, when a loud, bloodcurdling bellow rang out—one that chilled Nida's blood after hearing it.

"No… it can't be…"

The sound of shouting and fighting broke out again, punctuated by cries of pain. A final thump rang out, before the voices all fell silent. Crom cringed and shrank back from the door along with his teammates, pinning his wings back as his voice came out in a worried stammer.

"Wh-What was that?"

The Druddigon wasn't sure if he really wanted to know, but he doubted that they'd be lucky enough to stay ignorant about what racket was for long. A heavy door slammed open in the hallway outside as footsteps came from its direction and drew closer and closer. Crom took another step back from the door as the sound of other cells opening and muffled yelps came from further down the hall, all as the footsteps' owners drew nearer and nearer.

The footfalls suddenly stopped in front of their door. There were some words exchanged that they couldn't hear through the wood, when the sound of keys rattling and then the lock clicking reached their ears. The door swung open afterwards, leaving Crom and his teammates' blood running cold at the sight of the Pokémon standing on the other end:

It was Lyn, alongside a small band of snarling Pokémon in Company lavenders behind him.

"I had a feeling that we'd meet again. Call it a captain's intuition," the Samurott sneered. "Now… are you all going to come quietly or not?"

Crom's mind went blank at the sight. Just what were they supposed to do like this?! A sharp hiss snapped him to attention, as he turned and saw Dimitri crouching and glaring back at the Samurott captain.

"As if we'd just give in to the likes of you!"

Water wreathed Dimitri's shell as he shot forward at Lyn, barrelling headfirst into the Samurott's face. Lyn briefly recoiled, before bringing a paw down with a firm punch at the top of Dimitri's head. There was a loud smack, and then Dimitri pitched to the floor. Before he could do anything, the Company Commissioner threw a paw out and stepped down onto the Kabutops' back, letting him thrash underfoot against his chains as the otter turned to the others in the cell with a self-satisfied smirk.

"Are you all done?" Lyn asked. "Or am I going to need to beat you all into submission? I don't need you conscious to drag you out of this cell, so choose wisely."

Crom looked as Dimitri pinned beneath Lyn's grasp, before averting his gaze. There was nothing that they could do right now. They were all chained up, and even if Lyn didn't have those other lackeys with him, they'd never be able to beat him like this. Nida grudgingly lowered her head and yielded, as one after the other, Crom and the others joined her while a sinking feeling came over their stomachs.

From his self-satisfied expression, Lyn must've realized how they were feeling. He waited until they all surrendered, before turning aside to the other Company Pokémon behind him with a sharp grunt.

"Take them and the others in the brig up to the deck for sorting," the Commissioner barked. "I don't plan on bringing that many prisoners with me to Vollezee and I'd prefer to keep a closer eye on the exceptions."

The Pokémon grunted back affirmations of their own, a few towards the edges slipping off deeper down the cell block. They could faintly hear keys rattling and doors creaking open, followed by the startled cries that Crom recognized as belonging to his friends. It was hard to see much of what was going on, but the Druddigon could already see their other teammates getting dragged off down the hall flailing.

A Hitmonchan grabbed Guardia before dragging her along. Dimitri was the next to be taken, then Crom. Before long, a Crawdaunt made his way over to Nida and roughly dragged her up and past the door. The Nidorina briefly saw Lyn waiting just past the doorway to their cell watching them get marched up the hallway. She dug her heels in and pushed back against the Crawdaunt's grip, meeting the Samurott's eyes with a sharp glare.

"This isn't over," Nida insisted. "We still have friends who are ready and willing to fight you!"

"Oh but it is," Lyn retorted. "We're in the middle of the sea right now, the pirate fleet that caught you in the first place scattered to save their own hides, and the scum that couldn't get away are presently being taken prisoner or being buried at sea."

Nida grimaced and fell silent at the explanation, as no matter what she tried, she just couldn't think of anything to say in reply. She wanted to say that the friends they'd made would come for them, but would they even be in any position to help?

The Samurott leaned in, and turned his head down towards hers with an unimpressed growl.

"So good luck with your 'friends' making a difference."

Nida narrowed her eyes back, where even while visibly trembling, she still held her head up and piped up with all the defiance her voice could muster.

"I-It doesn't matter! We've gotten out of corners that you've put us in before!" Nida insisted. "This time won't be any-!"

Lyn abruptly cut the Nidorina off with a Razor Shell across her chest. She cried out and fell to the floor, leaving Crom to wrench his head back wide-eyed from further up the hall.

"Nida!"

The Druddigon was dragged along before he could protest further, while the Crawdaunt pulled Nida up from the ground. The Nidorina gasped for air and looked down at the timbers, her vision wavering, as Lyn sheathed his blade and turned aside with a dismissive scoff.

"Save your breath and sit tight," he said. "Even if you won't be seeing many of its sights, Vollezee's not that far of a journey from here."

Lyn headed off down the brig's hallway as his underlings continued to drag off Team Traveller and the others in the cells, their cries of protest falling on deaf ears. He continued down the cells one by one and tested the cell doors with his paw until he found the next one that was locked, stopping to slip the master key into the lock and open it.

There inside, the cell had been packed from top to bottom with barrels smelling of alcohol and sacks that had a sweet scent about them. He didn't know about the wisdom of stealing that many spirits, but he supposed the sacks of sugar present were a sign someone on Hess' crew of golden-scarved incompetents was practically minded for loot that could be easily resold.

"Hrmph, so this is what they were using as their storeroom."

He made his way in when he noticed a few chests lying about intermixed, with a small pile of bags in a corner had a bone club and a King's Rock poking out from it—the belongings of Lugia's friends, he presumed. He moved along, briefly quirking a brow at the presence of a particularly sturdy-looking chest that had obviously been forced open. He propped open the lid to see that it was full of carefully wrapped and boxed objects, including a strange red and white orb. One that felt like it was made of some sort of hardened resin and looked downright ancient. Human relics, from the looks of it. One of the pirates must've realized their value and figured this was the most secure place to keep such treasures.

And then he saw it tucked among them. Over at the side near the chest's hinge, there was a red tome with a large glyph that looked like a two-branched wand. He paused briefly, as it dawned on him what he was looking at…

"So they really did steal the Knights' Ledger from the Vault."

Lyn briefly looked behind him, before hurriedly scooping the Ledger into his satchel. He turned his gaze back down to scan over the contents of the rest of the chest. Perhaps it was just wishful thinking of his, but if the Guardian of the Seas and his companions had that with them since Vollezee, then maybe they also had other things worth—

"Captain."

Lyn paused and glanced back over his shoulder. Ketu was now there at the cell's doorway and walking up towards him, showing initiative the one time when he didn't need him to. The Weavile paused and eyed the surrounding loot, before tilting his head puzzledly.

"Didn't peg you as the type to paw through ill-gotten gains," Ketu remarked. "Though have you found anything down here?"

"Prisoners, obviously. Along with a part of those pirates' loot," Lyn answered, giving a dismissive wave of his paw.

"Anything else, I meant," Ketu insisted. "You know, anything that stood out at all?"

The Weavile frowned and folded his arms. The Samurott studied the Dark-Type's reaction closely, before warily raising a brow in reply.

"… What are you getting at, Ketu?" he asked.

"The Board said that Lugia and his friends raided the Archive just before leaving Vollezee," the Weavile reminded. "Did anything that looked like it'd have come from there turn up? Since the Board would obviously like to get their stuff back."

There was a moment of silence between the two, before Lyn shook his head back with a terse harrumph.

"Hrmph, mostly some battle items and sentimental garbage," he said. "There wasn't anything that was reported missing from the Archive."

Ketu narrowed his eyes slightly and tilted his head. There was another moment of awkward silence between the two, before Ketu suddenly shrugged his shoulders and turned away.

"Eh, fine," the Dark-Type sighed. "I'll try searching around and ask to see if anyone else has turned up anything from the Vault."

The Weavile drifted off as Lyn waited for him to slip past the door. The Samurott turned his eyes down to his bag briefly and patted at the Knights' Ledger inside, before making his way forward as a knowing smile crossed his face.

"It's about time things finally started looking up."

---

The morning went by agonizingly slowly for Elty. After finding him on the beach, Margi had brought him to the local Medic's Hut, where he'd spent a brief moment being tended to before getting pushed away to make room for other, more injured Pokémon. The Hydreigon had stuck with him all the while and advised him to get some rest after the whole ordeal.

He'd had trouble making good on the advice. After going back to the Siglo Swellow and discovering it was still afloat, he just couldn't fall asleep despite having been awake all night. When he finally gave up and got out of bed, he found that Margi was still there waiting on him. After a bit of insistence that he needed some air, they left the ship and drifted about the town, milling from one trashed street to the next as the locals took stock of the damage and made tentative steps at clearing the rubble beneath the morning sun. Before he knew it, he was back in the square next to the garrison and had happened to spot Captain Beatrix and a few members of her crew trying to make sense of their present predicament.

As he walked up to them, the general mood among everybody was tired and glum, and even after eating a Chesto Berry to deal with the lack of sleep, it was hard for Elty to hold his head up in front of the Illumise and her sailors.

"Oh, Elty, there you are," the Illumise said. "You're already up from resting?"

"Couldn't sleep, honestly," he murmured. "Though what should we do next? Is the ship even able to sail right now?"

There was a flash of unease among Beatrix and the others, as a few sailors traded blank glances with one another. After a noticeable pause, Beatrix shook her head with a buzzing sigh.

"No, but the ship's repairable at least," the Illumise said. "That said, even after the damage is repaired, our options are limited at the moment. If we pushed off like this, we'd be sailing blind."

"Wait, how would we be sailing blind?" Elty questioned, giving a puzzled tilt of his head. "The weather is fine, so we're obviously not literally sailing blind, and we also know where we need to go to. The pirates are gonna deliver Pleo to Lyn, who will then take him to Vollezee, so that's where we should sail to."

"We don't know what happened to everyone aside from Pleo, though," Vicente retorted. "For all we know, Lyn didn't want them and the pirates opted to make them walk the plank instead of ransoming them."

Elty cringed and pinned his ears against his head. Hess wouldn't be the sort of pirate to do something like that, would he? … Then again, the Hess he remembered serving under also wouldn't have done jobs for the Company.

The Growlithe felt a sinking pit in his stomach as he realized that he just didn't know for sure what Hess would do anymore. All he had was past precedent of how he remembered Hess being as a captain… at a time when Hess had been acting more and more different from the way he'd usually been. Elty looked back at Vicente and noticed Beatrix shooting a sideways glance at the Hitmontop as she flitted in place above the ground.

"Let's… try to think more positively. Although I'm afraid he does have a point, Elty," the Bug-Type sighed. "Even if Lyn did take everyone along with Pleo, there's no guarantee that they're all together right now. He could've dumped them on whatever Company island was closest by for a labor sentence, or maybe punted them off to Mengir since they were wanted there. He even could've opted to send them to a prison, there's certainly one of those on Vollezee, or worse, Nagrobek."

Elty stared blankly at the Illumise. Gods, those were some miserable options for potential fates. And the worst part was that all of the ones that the Illumise had brought up were frighteningly plausible. Lyn had put up bounties for the lot of them as pirates as far back as when they'd been on Kenobi, and it wasn't as if the Samurott would be the type to just let them go afterwards like Nagant had done on Giotto. It was only logical that he would deal with everyone as if they were just another group of pirates…

"That's why I was saying we would be sailing blind," Beatrix sighed, shaking her head. "Even before worrying about how we'd get everyone back, we don't know where to look for them. Until that changes, there's not exactly much we can do."

"You there! March!"

Elty turned his head and saw Robbie and that Heliolisk and Mabosstiff from earlier herding along a muzzled and scowling Tarquin out of the entrance of the village's garrison. He blinked as the four made their way around the building's corner and briefly followed after them. The moment he rounded the corner, he saw that there was a whole mob of pirates in various colors who'd been similarly bound up and herded up along the garrison wall with local guards watching over them.

Tarquin stumbled after getting shoved along as Elty noticed some pirates had the same glowering mood as the Tyrantrum, while others seemed resigned and beaten down or even visibly squirming with fright. He briefly spotted a familiar-looking Quilava in Iron Fleet colors who was staring ahead blankly, while right beside him was Rodion saying something to the Quilava that Elty couldn't hear.

"… Rodion?"

Elty began to pace forward as the Floatzel happened to turn his head and their eyes met. It lasted only for a moment, before Rodion hardened his expression and turned away with a frown. The Growlithe's ears drooped and he looked towards the ground, shaking his head with a low murmur as Margi caught up with him.

"Sure feels like this has been happening a lot lately," he said. "Even if I'm glad not to be on the side tied up with ropes for once."

Elty stiffened up at the sound of a sharp hiss and sound of a scuffle, and whirled around to see that Seviper from the Strongjaw Gang he and his friends had fought earlier. She'd had her body forcibly held into a coil by ropes, and was being dragged along by that Hakamo-o guard they had as a cellmate. He shoved her into the group of pirates, and seemed to be relishing the Seviper's turn in fortunes a bit too much from the way he attempted to menace and loom over her.

"Hah! Not so tough now, are you, Vipitis?" the Hakamo-o sneered. "That's right, go on and squirm! You'll be getting what a dirty pirate like you deserv-!"

The Seviper suddenly lunged at the Hakamo-o's face, fangs opened wide. The Dragon-Type screamed and reflexively shielded his face as a Mabosstiff barreled in and tackled her to the ground just in time. The Hakamo-o warily cracked his eyes open as other guards descended on the Seviper to better tie her up, as he looked over at a visibly facepalming Robbie and seemed to flush red through his scales.

Elty flattened his ears and narrowed his eyes with an unamused mutter.

"Pyry and Pekka were probably onto something about how that 'mon would fare fighting against Dirk…"

"Oh! Elty! Is that you?"

Elty turned his head just as a blue and black figure walked up to him. It was a Deino, sniffing at the air and looking over in his direction. Elty stared at him blankly, as much to his surprise, the Deino carried a prominent Mark on his head, and was none other than…

"Daraen?" the Growlithe asked. He glanced over at Margi and saw that she looked similarly stunned at her child's presence. Elty looked between the two for a brief moment, as he found himself unable to do anything other than just blink in surprise.

"How did you get here?"

"Well, I kinda tagged along with some other villagers since a lot of them were headed back for this town," the Deino replied, sheepishly pawing at the ground.

"Hey! What do you think you're doing?! You can't just bring those Piraten here!"

The three turned their heads off towards the far end of the gathered pirates where there were even more Pokémon being marched in, including a Grumpig and Krokorok that Elty swore looked just like the two from Lyn's crew they fought back on Sormus. Off at the side of the incoming procession, there were a group of Marked and local guards who were staring each other down with voices that came out in harsh growls and barks.

"Hrmph, you were perfectly content leaving us to deal with your trash while your town was overrun," a Marked Golbat harrumphed. "Did you expect us to accept that forever?"

"We're willing to hold onto the Marked from their ranks, but these Pokémon raided your town first!" a Marked Kecleon protested. "Why shouldn't you be the ones to deal with them?"

"In case you haven't noticed, but we've got our own paws full here since we're running out of cells to keep prisoners in," a Torracat hissed back. "So take them and get out of here!"

"Well if you're going to have an attitude that, maybe we should just release these 'mons out in the forest!" the Golbat spat.

The two sides just kept going at it in their argument, as Elty turned his head away with a low sigh. Guess that was one way to tell that the Marked and the locals in Starpeak Square were done with helping each other out. He shot a sidelong glance back at Daraen, before flattening his ears with a low grumble.

"Not really sure if walking out here was worth it considering how well that's going right now."

"I mean, that wasn't the only reason I came," the Deino explained. "I wanted to see how maman was doing since it was a big fight and she hadn't come home. And you and your friends, too. After all, now that everything's done with, we can play games together again!"

Daraen stood there wagging his tail with beaming expectation, his eyesight mercifully too poor to make out the visible grimace spreading over his mother's face. Elty bit his tongue and looked away, his head and tail drooping as his voice came out in a deflated murmur.

"I don't know when that's going to happen, or even if we'll get a chance again," he said. "The rest of my teammates were captured by the pirates as they retreated. I'm the only one left."

Daraen jolted up as his mouth hung open in blank shock. He tripped over his words briefly, before he piped up with a panicked stammer.

"H-Huh?! B-But you won against those pirates!" he insisted. "So how on earth could-?!"

"It's a long story, ma petite."

Daraen turned his head up as Margi craned a head down and gently nosed at him. She started to say something, only to think twice of it before she shook her central head with a low sigh.

"We're doing what we can right now, but please try to worry about yourself for now," she insisted. "After all, did you even eat breakfast before you left Starbreak Square?"

Almost as soon as the words left her mouth, a low growl came from Daraen's stomach. The Growlithe faltered as a growl from his own stomach followed shortly afterwards. Elty didn't know what on earth had been going on at that 'Starbreak Square', but he certainly hadn't been eating good in the past couple days as a prisoner getting dragged around from one cell to the next. Maybe it really was a good idea to stop and take a break.

Margi cleared her throat, prompting Elty to look up at the Hydreigon.

"Your captain said that if you needed something to eat, that there were still provisions on the ship," she said. "I'm a bit hungry myself at the moment, so why don't we have breakfast and try to clear our heads a bit?"

"… I suppose that it couldn't hurt, at least," the Growlithe replied.

"How about you go together with Daraen to the harbor?" she insisted. "I'll go ahead of you two and help prepare things so that way you won't have to wait for long after you arrive."

Elty nodded in reply, before the pair headed off down the path to the harbor as Margi beat her wings and flew off. The walk wasn't particularly long, even if it was certainly different from the journey Elty took the night before. Without the dark of night or a horde of pirates fighting tooth and claw to slow them down, it was a lot harder to overlook the trail of destruction and ransacked buildings all along the path. For a hurried and disorganized retreat, those pirates had cleared things out better than he remembered doing with the Iron Fleet even during their more successful raids.

The harbor was busy with shouts and Pokémon going about when they arrived, if obviously still off-kilter. The docks were a mess of shattered crates and barrels and holes punched into the piers. The water was choked with activity, with some Pokémon being herded along and pulled out of the water in nets which Elty assumed to be pirate swimmers who hadn't gotten away, while others went about inspecting the ships in the water. A few of the vessels were resting on the floor of the harbor, with their hulls and decks poking above the surface to varying extents. Another a couple piers down was capsized onto its side in the way of the entrance, while others had run aground or gotten stuck into piers—including the Iron Fleet's Mistral Marauder. Even most of the ships still floating properly looked like they might as well be piles of driftwood from the damage they'd sustained: shredded sails, snapped masts, missing rudders, charred timbers…

It made it all the more surprising to find that the Siglo Swellow was one of the few ships that looked like it was still seaworthy… aside from some prominent holes now punched into the sails and a replacement rudder that was still being attached to the back of the ship.

Elty lowered his head as he continued trudging forward. Gods, this place was a mess, and it was hard to even start with figuring out how to begin fixing things…

Kinda like the mess they had ahead of them trying to figure out how to save their teammates.

"You'll get them back, I know you will."

Elty felt a nudge at his shoulder and turned his head to see Daraen nosing at him. Something about the 'mon's gait seemed uneasy and unsure, but he still stamped the pier insistently and spoke up in an insistent tone.

"You've all come all this way being chased by both the Empire and the Company, haven't you?" the Deino asked. "If you've made it this far, I just know you all will be tough enough to get Pleo and everyone else back!"

Elty stared back quietly as he heard Daraen's almost pleading tinge to his voice. He just didn't have the heart to tell the Deino that the odds of them succeeding were about as good as running into a red Gyarados at sea.

… But at the same time, Daraen wasn't wrong. His entire life had been a matter of defying the odds even before he got roped into being a part of Team Traveller. Sure the odds of freeing the others weren't good, but when were they ever for him?

He didn't know how things would work out, but he still managed a weak smile over his face.

"Heh… yeah, I suppose we will," Elty replied.

Daraen perked up and wagged his tail. On one level, Elty was happy that he'd managed to lift the Deino's mood, but he couldn't help but worry he'd given him false hope.

After all, even if he and his teammates managed to get out of bad spots in the past, he just couldn't shake the feeling that this time was different.

"Huh? Elty, someone's coming from the water!"

The Growlithe jolted his head up and turned towards the docks, where Daraen was raising a forepaw off at the sea. Elty made his way over as he began to see shapes in the water swimming at them. As they got closer, he made out a Dragalge wearing a blue-and-red belt leading a group of other swimmers in similar garb. Above them, there was a Talonflame and a Gliscor in the air, with a Sneasel riding on the former's back—why that was the Khranitel Rod and Team Zephyr!

Percy and Calidus flew over to the docks, prompting Alice to dismount onto the pier while Kline peeked out from Percy's bag. Nerea clambered up the pier afterwards as blue-and-red belted swimmers began to crowd around in the water near her.

Judging from everyone's grim expressions, Elty guessed that Kline must've seen everybody get captured and told them about it. As Percy made his way over, Kline hopped out of his bag balanced on his tail, before looking over at Elty with a tired shake of his head.

"I'm… sorry, we couldn't make it in time," the Zygarde murmured. "The journey over was a lot harder than it normally was."

"We could've made it if we'd taken the route I suggested," Viktor grumbled, prompting Kline to whirl around and narrow his eye into a sharp scowl.

"Like I've said before, there were Company ships in those waters," he huffed. "Unless you were fine losing even more members from your clan, this was the fastest route."

Elty wasn't sure what that was all about, but he supposed that it was too late to do anything about it. He pinned his ears back, and brushed his forepaws against each other with a low sigh.

"… I'm guessing you got ambushed like as well?"

"Not by pirates if that's what you mean," Nerea said. "We'd likely have made it here sooner if that was what we were up against."

"We had square-necks nipping our tails the whole way out of Vollezee," Alice explained. "It took a full day just to shake them and find a place in the deeps to lie low."

Elty supposed that would explain why none of them arrived in time to help, even if a part of him couldn't help but wonder if things would've been different if Kline, Nerea, and everyone else had made it even just the night before. He heard soft plodding along the dock's timbers and saw Daraen walking up, giving a curious tilt of his head at him.

"Elty, who are these Pokémon?" he asked. "Are they friends of yours?"

"They are, yeah," Elty replied. "The Gliscor's Percy, the Sneasel's Alice, and the Talonflame's Calidus."

"What about the blue Pokémon in the water and the little green one?"

Elty paused and saw Kline and Nerea visibly hesitate as his eyes turned to the Mark on Daraen's head. Right, even if Daraen had come around to Pleo not quite being the fearsome 'demon' he'd been brought up to believe, he didn't know how the Deino would react to knowing that there were two others right in front of him.

… Maybe it was best to break it to him later. For now, he should probably just describe the two Protectors in terms that didn't give their true natures away

"… The fish thing's Nerea," he explained. "The other one's Kline, who's been pretty effective at helping us find others in the past."

Kline and Nerea both blinked for a moment, the Manaphy briefly frowning at the 'fish thing' remark, before warily greeting Daraen in turn. The Deino gave a puzzled reaction and seemed to sense that something was up, but thankfully didn't press the matter. Elty quietly breathed out a sigh of relief, before turning his attention over to Kline.

"I don't suppose you know where the rest of the team is at right now, do you?"

"I'm afraid not," Kline answered, shaking his head in reply. "The last my cells saw of them was them heading towards one of Hess' ships as part of a feint, and I haven't seen them sense."

Elty quietly grimaced and set his teeth on edge, and noticed that Daraen also looked uneasy. So everyone else was somewhere out there at sea and not even the 'mon who literally had eyes everywhere had any idea of where they could've gone to.

"Of course. Why did I expect that something would go right for once?"

The Growlithe looked away and hung his head, before feeling a nudge at his leg. Much to his surprise, this time it was Kline who'd come up to him, and for once, his expression didn't look stiff and serious, but had a softer tinge to it.

"Eltenios, don't lose hope so quickly. Whoever has them right now has to come dock eventually," the Zygarde insisted. "I'll try and use my cells to keep an eye on as many docks as possible. I'm sure that something will turn up."

Right. He'd been named for never giving up. And even if things were looking bad, it'd only been a couple of hours. With Team Zephyr back together with them at the moment, maybe they could work out an idea of how to rescue everybody…

Even if he had no idea of where to start.

"What are we supposed to do now, then?"

"Wait and evaluate our options," Percy answered. "A lot has happened overnight, so it'd make sense to try and take a step back to breathe."

Calidus suddenly turned his head back towards the sea and froze. The Talonflame visibly hesitated, before raising a wing and pointing off at the horizon.

"Yeah… that's going to be a bit easier said than done, Percy."

Elty and the others turned after Calidus' wing as his tail and hackles raised. There, coming over the horizon, he could hazily two larger ships, along with two smaller ones flanking them—all flying the indigo sails of the Royal Navy.

He quietly gulped and pulled his tail between his legs.

"Great. As if we didn't have enough to deal with right now."

---

When Crom and the rest of Team Traveller made it onto the deck of the Starfall Shogun, Lyn revealed why everything felt so familiar to Pleo: the ship had been the Argent Aviso all along. The state of affairs around them changed in front of their eyes with surprising speed as the Argent Aviso's deck quickly grew crowded with Pokémon in Company lavenders who came from an ironclad docked on the starboard side. Some of their ranks took over the sails and rigging, with others setting about clearing the deck and pushing wreckage overboard. There was a ruddy smear where according to some talk Crom had overheard, Ingela's body had apparently been dragged off from where she collapsed. Judging from a few similar stains elsewhere on-deck, hers had not been the only one dealt with in such a fashion.

Crom turned his head away with a quiet shudder. Lyn had apparently brought Pleo aboard his ship before they'd made it above deck. He sure hoped that the Lugia hadn't been there to see any of that, and a part of him was glad that he hadn't been.

"March!"

That was about the only consolation that they had. The entire time, the deck had been filled with captured pirates, bound and gathered up in groups, much like the Zangoose currently getting drug off past Crom and his companions' view for a teal-sailed barque that had been Ingela's flagship. One of the ships from the pirate fleet that Lyn and his underlings had captured and converted into a makeshift prison.

From the number of Pokémon who matched past them still-dripping, a lot of the pirates pulled from the water or from crippled ships about them must've been brought to their ship. In spite of similar scenes playing out on other ships in the background, Ingela's flagship had been the third ship to pull up along the Argent Aviso to take on a cargo of unfortunates, this time of prisoners primarily wearing gold-and-silver scarves. Some of the pirates marched on defiantly and fought against their captors as much as they could, while others went on with their heads held low in silent defeat. Still others were dragged forward by their captors visibly trembling in terror, including Hess himself.

"I-I did everything we agreed to!" the Aggron cried. "W-We had a deal!"

"And its terms have obviously changed since the last time we met," the Samurott harrumphed. "Pray that I don't change its terms any further."

Hess thrashed against his bindings and attempted to break free, when the rattle of Lyn's blade scraping its natural scabbard rang out followed by a faint woosh in the air. The Aggron froze after feeling something settle against his throat, and looked down to see Lyn holding the edge of his seamitar up against his windpipe.

"My present deal is that I make space for you to be transported to face justice," he snarled. "If you have an objection to it, I'll summarily try you here at sea and cast you to your fate in an Apricorn."

Hess' eyes widened and he shallowly gasped for air, before the sailors posted to him shoved him along. He stumbled forward over the gangplank, as one Pokémon after another in gold-and-silver scarves followed in his wake, visibly beaten down.

Crom turned his head away from the pirates as they passed. It felt strange to be so bothered by seeing Pokémon who had robbed others and attacked him in the past in this state, but something about the scene just made him feel sorry for them.

"Ahh! No! Lemme go! Lemme go!!"

Crom looked back at the sound of a frightened cry and saw Pyry and Pekka getting dragged along as well, and even from this distance, he could see their eyes were visibly shrunken in fright. Pekka managed to break free briefly, only for the surrounding guards to summarily pile on him and knock him to the deck with a sickening thud.

He winced and turned away as the pair were brought over the gangplank still crying out in protest, fighting back a lump in his throat.

It just hurt to see those two like this. Even back on Tromba when facing down Bunsen and his underlings, the two hadn't been utterly terrified like this. The Druddigon turned his head up towards Lyn, hardening his eyes into a sharp scowl.

"Why are you separating us from the rest of our friends?" Crom demanded. "They're not pirates!"

"Hrmph, your bounties beg otherwise. Though to answer your question, those scum will be going to Nagrobek," Lyn answered. "It has a prison where Pokémon that other islands don't have space or a means to keep in line get sent to… particularly those that need to be made an example of."

Crom visibly grimaced as the rest of his teammates stiffened up in shock. To… Nagrobek? The island that his father and the other sailors from the Siglo Swellow kept speaking of in tones that made it sound like some place in the Dead Zone? The same island that Kline said was ruled by Elilan? Crom's mind went blank at the prospect of Pyry and Pekka winding up there of all places. Was that where they were going, too?

A sharp huff turned their attention upwards, as Lyn narrowed his eyes and leveled his still-free seamitar down at them.

"Though you all will be staying with me," he said. "While I don't have any use for the rest of these scum at the moment, I do for you."

A chill ran down Crom's back as he turned and saw his teammates similarly grow unnerved. He understood Lyn having a use for Pleo, but for them?

Just what was he planning?

The Samurott didn't elaborate further and turned his attention over to a group of sailors with a Hitmonchan at the fore. He stamped the deck for their attention, before raising his blade and motioning off at the ironclad along the starboard side.

"Bring them aboard my ship," he ordered.

The Hitmonchan grunted and nodded in reply before coming over and roughly grabbing Crom. The Fighting-Type dragged him up, prompting the Druddigon to try and dig his feet's claws into the deck.

"A-Agh! Let go of me!"

It was no use, the Hitmonchan started tugging him along over his cries of protest as the other sailors began to do much the same to his teammates. Crom stumbled as the gangplank and Lyn's ironclad drew ever closer, when all of a sudden, a Weavile's voice spoke up.

"Wait a minute, Captain."

Lyn turned over his shoulder, where he saw Ketu walking up to him.

"Don't send them off just yet."

Lyn blinked in response, before motioning at the sailors with Team Traveller to stop. The Samurott stepped aside along with Ketu before twitching his whiskers and curling his mouth into a skeptical frown.

"Ketu? What's going on here?" he demanded.

"Well, I was just thinking…" the Weavile began. "Does it really make sense not to ship those brats off to Nagrobek with the rest of the pirates?"

"And why would I want to do that instead of keeping them under my direct supervision?" the Samurott asked, raising a brow. "You know why I want them around, Ketu."

"To cover your bases, really. Lugia and those kids have already escaped from one of our ships once in the past. And that's not getting into how they managed to slip away on Vollezee in spite of Administrator Zorn being there with you to help trap them," Ketu explained. "You're already on thin ice with the Board right now, so do you really want to take a chance that they won't cook something up and escape again?"

Lyn stiffened up and hesitated. Yes, the possibility of Lugia or his companions escaping now seemed… remote, but hadn't his troubles from the past month and a half come from moments that were seemingly remote possibilities to begin with? Ketu studied Lyn's reaction before shaking his head in reply.

"If you're planning on trying to twist Lugia's wing through his friends, you don't necessarily have to do so by keeping them around in person," the Weavile insisted. "It's not that hard to pass along a request to the prison on Nagrobek to put them under strict supervision and deal with them as needed to keep Lugia in line. Same idea as what you've got, just without the risk of them breaking free and somehow getting to the Protector under your nose."

Lyn cast an aside glance back at Team Traveller, who hadn't seemed to overhear his conversation with Ketu. He paused and stroked his whiskers in thought, weighing the options in his mind to himself.

After a moment, Lyn shook his head and turned to his underlings with a low harrumph, his decision now firmly set:

"Change of plans," the Samurott said. "Bring them aboard that Primarina's ship along with the rest of the scum."

There was a moment of blank confusion, before the Hitmonchan and the other Company sailors started shoving Team Traveller towards the opposite side of the ship. Nida traded glances between them and Lyn, before raising her barbs with a sharp huff.

"Whatever happened to staying with you?" the Nidorina demanded.

"I decided that you weren't worth the trouble," Lyn replied. "Besides, I figured you'd enjoy a change of scenery."

Crom's attempt to keep a brave face faltered as he saw that his teammates had similarly been taken aback. 'Change of scenery'? Was Lyn seriously suggesting that he'd—?

"Stop beating around the bush," Trizano said. "Where are you taking us?"

"Where do you think?" the Samurott sneered. "In the eyes of the Company, you're all pirates. I already told you where pirates who need to be made examples of wind up in Company waters: Nagrobek."

Nida's breath caught in her throat as she noticed her teammates freezing up and their eyes visibly shrinking. They were in deep trouble right now, and for the life of her, Nida just couldn't see how they had a way out.

Lyn turned away and stole a glance over his shoulder, narrowing his red eyes with a dismissive harrumph.

"Do behave yourselves out there," the Commissioner said. "My understanding is that Nagrobek's one of the closer islands to the Wastes. It doesn't take a whole lot to make you wish for the guards to send you there instead."

She briefly heard a couple pirates from the direction of Ingela's ship piping up with desperate pleas for mercy. All the while, Nida's mind went blank as she was marched across the gangplank and a crushing realization let in:

They'd failed.

They'd done everything they could to get Pleo home without having to worry about the Company, but in the end, they hadn't been strong enough to stop them.

No. It couldn't end like this. There was a part of Lyn that had to know that what he was doing was wrong, otherwise he wouldn't have hesitated to cut Pleo's feathers the first time he caught him.

If they had any hope at all right now, it was stirring that part of him, however deeply it slumbered inside.

Nida looked past the railing and back at the Argent Aviso, just as Lyn was starting to make his way to the gangplank to his ironclad. With nothing to lose, she raised her voice and cried out.

"L-Lyn, wait! Please! You don't have to do this!"

The Samurott didn't acknowledge her. He marched across the gangplank, and then turned back with a sharp bark to the Pokémon on the Argent Aviso.

"Pull up the anchor and set sail! Pass word along to the other ships!"

The Nidorina watched blankly as Lyn turned away and his underlings pulled both of the gangplanks up. The Argent Aviso's deck burst into activity after that as its sails billowed out as the ship began to sail off, with Lyn's ironclad and the other lavender-sailed ships in his fleet that were still sailworthy doing likewise.

Nida briefly caught a glimpse of Lyn making his way to the stern of his ironclad before the Argent Aviso sailed in the way and cut him off from view.

"Get up, you."

Nida briefly turned up and saw the Company Pokémon on their ship going around the deck and grabbing Pokémon, with a Kangaskhan stopping and glaring down at her. The Kangaskhan reached out and dragged her along, the Nidorina trying to catch one final glimpse of Lyn's ironclad sailing off as the Kangaskhan pulled her below deck and into darkness.

---

Author's Notes:

- kusotare 糞垂れ) - Japanese: (vulgar) "asshole", lit. "dingleberry" (Hepburn Romanization)
- Shimatta! (しまった!) - Japanese: Interjection translated depending on context as "shoot", "darn", "damn it", etc. (Hepburn Romanization)
- Piraten - German: "pirates"