“Well, I still think Sword would be safer here with Team Gyro,”
”And if we find Shield, maybe we can bring him to you instead,”
"Sure, we can keep her protected," Pita offered. "Mew can Teleport us around to random spots on the Water Continent for a while. It'll tire her out, but--"
"Mewtwo can also Teleport, and there's no telling if we might have trouble contacting you before he does," Maple dismissed. "Leaving just you alone with Sword is... risky."
"Maybe I can turn into Sword?" Mew asked.
"A form as strange as that... No time," Maple concluded, watching as Mew tried, unsuccessfully, to properly emulate Sword's chaotic form.
"If you're sticking with Darkwhite, then I'm sticking with you," Nate said to Soda.
"Fine by me," Soda replied, nodding. "You're one of the ones that's talking sense, and you helped saved Sword last time, too. I doubt you'd be the spy, if we've got one with us."
Maple eyed Soda carefully.
"What?"
"Put her in somebody's bag and go deal with the shit in the village. Then she won't get hit, and if we all stick together, Giovanni'd have to fight all of us to get at her. He don't seem like he wants to do that, for whatever fucking reason."
"...I can do that," Maple said, approaching Sword. "Nobody but I and the recipient will know who got Sword."
"Wait, why you, huh?" Cal said. "What if
you're the spy?"
"Then I'd kill you all here," Maple replied flatly. "None of you are stronger than me."
"That's... I mean..."
"Sword, how about I bring Shield to you? We gotta get him outta house arrest first. I promise, I'll get the two of you back together."
"Is the village in trouble...?"
Sword stays here, in her core if possible, with Team Gyro to protect her. Team Spectrum and the God Squad heads straight to Destiny, now, and sort whatever shit's going down. And, ah. Free Shield, I figure."
"But..."
"Okay, okay, fuck. You're fuckin' right, Nate. Fine. Sword? Yer comin' with us."
Sword nodded, though she still seemed uncertain.
"Everyone on Team Spectrum was aware of our stealth mission ahead of time, no? That means that the only way one of us could be the turntail is if Giovanni let us free everyone but Ho-Oh without a fight. I would say the odds are in favour of those who were not aware of that plan being the only ones who we have to worry about."
"That's true," Maple acknowledged. "Everyone with us could have sabotaged the rescue, but it had gone off extremely well. Still... and regardless, we can't be too careful. I'm going to now give Sword to a random person. Sword, can you withdraw into your Ultra Stone, now that you have it?"
"I'm... I've been trying to hang on... but it's getting hard."
"Let go. You will be fine. We will alert you if we think otherwise."
Sword looked fearful, but finally nodded. She took a slow breath; her body faded more, but it looked like it was drawing inward instead of scattering. And then... there was, briefly, a flash of relief in her eyes. She made sure to look at Brisa and Saltriv in particular, nodding--and then she was gone.
In Maple's hand was an Ultra Stone like all the others, maybe smaller than average. It glowed a dim, ominous, bright violet.
"Shake twice if you're okay," Maple said softly.
One... two.
"Then let's go," Maple said, raising her free hand skyward.
"Hey, what the--" Soda abruptly fell into the floor, disappearing from sight. The bushes far, far away rustled violently, like someone had suddenly landed there.
"Darkness," Maple mumbled to herself.
And suddenly, everything had gone pitch dark. Owen yelped in surprise, a primal fear awakening in him, and even Nutmeg seemed a little shaken when she said, "Hey, what's the bright idea?!"
"You mean dark idea?" Mew quipped.
"Fucking, really? Now?" Nutmeg snarled.
"Oop! That's another hundred in the swear jar!"
Some time passed in tense, buzzing murmurs. Maple seemed to be walking quickly around the team, passing by several members a few times, before the darkness faded and light returned.
"I have given Sword to one of us," Maple announced. "We go, now."
"Okay, seriously?" Soda called from far, far away from the team, pulling out several twigs and leaves from his mane. "What the hell?"
"Precautions, Soda," Maple said simply. "If you were the spy..."
Soda snarled. "You
can't be serious. After--"
"Precautions." She turned. "Let's go. We've wasted enough time as it is."
She ran into the portal.
