Watching from above the trees, Renee sighed in relief when she noticed that they were about to get out of the forest. During the whole morning, they had walked through it at a slower pace than what Matt had actually expected. He told them that they were about to arrive to the city he had been talking about. The misdreavus was glad to hear that, mainly because of the whole ambiance that surrounded the group. She was certain that arriving there would most certainly warm their heart.
The enthusiasm she had seen in some of them seemed to have been completely sapped by Chen's death. She noticed that Aiden was the one who had been affected the most. Nonetheless, she decided not to intervene when Matt gave out the news about their journey, as she thought it would be disrespectful for her to do so.
She still looked over Matt from time to time, trying to figure out where he was going with all that had happened lately. At first, she had no idea that he had planned to join the rangers. When Matt was at home, he remained quiet most of the time, keeping things to himself. However, she had still wondered what he up to at that time. Some time before they left, she was told by his father that they had an argument, and she had been ordered to watch over him, which she did. It was at that moment that he decided to bring her along with him. Going over the few possibilities for Matthew's behavior in her head, she thought that this had probably something to do with a disagreement he had with his father.
On the other hand, the misdreavus could see why he would behave in such a way. From what she garnered from Matt's father, the man was always behaving like a teenager, rebelling without rhyme or reason. However, she had a growing uncertainty inside her on that regard. To her, it would make no sense for him to go on such a dangerous journey only to disobey his father. But from what she had seen, young people are prone to make that sort of decision.
That's so confusing, she concluded. I'm probably putting too much thought into this. Matt has always been quite a closed book, and this is something that hasn't changed about him. I can still see ten-years-old Matt going out of the house and coming back four hours later without even telling us what he had done during that time. I just hope he knows what he's doing.
“We're finally coming to the end of this journey,” the man announced from below. “We should be close to our destination now. We'll simply follow this river which will lead us to the city.”
She followed them towards the river, where only a few trees were scattered alongside the river's border. Once they arrived there, Renee looked far ahead in the direction, and she couldn't see any sign of a nearby city.
“Matt, are you sure we're going in the right direction?” she asked, still scanning the land for any cue as to where they were supposed to go.
“According to the map, we're still on the right track. The city should be on the side of the river, so we should be able to find it soon enough.”
“Alright,” she said, sighing. I really hope Matt knows what he's doing.
After a while, she finally came to the conclusion that they were nowhere near their destination, as there were nothing in the horizon to show otherwise. Renee decided to look down at them, taking another look at their present state. She wanted to make sure that walking another full day would not exhaust them unnecessarily. What she saw took her off guard, and her eyes widened. A lucario was walking alongside Matt, and it seemed like they haven't noticed it.
“Look out!” she yelled out of panic, trying to get their attention on the intruder.
Matt reacted immediately. He turned around, drawing his knife after hearing her warning. Looking around him, it seemed like he wasn't aware of the lucario right in front of him. He looked up to the misdreavus, wondering what she was up to.
“What is it, Renee?” he inquired insistently.
The lucario stopped, now looking up at Renee. He held a finger in front of his own mouth, which meant that he didn't want her to reveal his presence. Not knowing what to answer to Matt's question, she glanced at the horizon, looking for something to say. When she went back to them, the lucario had disappeared, and she still had no idea what she was supposed to say.
“Well... false alert,” she said, blushing. “Sorry.”
Gazing at her for a few seconds, Matt shrugged and continued on his way, putting his knife back in his pocket. Kira didn't seem to mind it, while Aiden looked at her several times.
He probably knows that I've lied, she guessed. I hope he won't tell Matt about it. I wonder who that lucario was. It seems to me like I had already seem him before. It's that same feeling I had when I saw that infernape yesterday. How come I'm the only one to see them? Maybe zoroark followed us all the way here. Could that be the reason why I see them? Who would be behind that? Am I simply going crazy?
Quickly finding out that she would go nowhere with that, she snapped out of her pondering. Renee decided to look for any sign of a city again, remaining hopeful that they would find something soon. After the reaction she got out of Matt, the misdreavus knew that his patience was about to go away, and that their current situation didn't please him in the slightest. At the same time, she could totally empathize with him. She still wondered how affected he had been by Chen's death, since he wasn't too keen on showing his emotion. He was probably also thinking about Guts who was still in his poké ball, waiting for someone to take care of him. Before they began the day, Matthew got him out of his poké ball to heal him using the medical equipment he had, but it still wasn't enough to heal his deep wounds. On the other hand, it must have been a while since Matt first started this whole journey. She wondered if his human body wasn't about to go down on him. The misdreavus hadn't seen him eat much during the morning. It also seemed like he had gotten a bruise during his travels which hadn't healed, and she wondered if that had something to do with his impatience and his willingness to push his body to his limit. Matt and Renee both knew that his body was particularly frail for a human, but she seemed to be the only one to worry about it.
Suddenly, she noticed a buizel laying on a branch of a nearby tree. With his whole body stretched, he looked like he was simply there to take a sunbath. She noticed that he held some sort of stick with his right hand. As the group was about to reach the tree, the buizel woke up, crouching on his spot and examining them from above.
Is he an illusion? What if I make the same mistake? Did the lucario meant for me not to warn them about this pokémon? What should I do?
Before she could make her mind, the buizel jumped from his branch down to the ground, surprising them. Matt and Aiden took a step back, and Kira looked at the pokémon in front of her, ready to strike. Upon taking a closer look at the man, the buizel looked at them in a much friendlier manner.
“Hey, what's up?” he asked nonchalantly.
The man stayed alert, focusing on the pokémon in front of him, “Who are you?” he questioned back.
Finding out he wasn't an illusion, Renee went to Matt, hoping the buizel wasn't an enemy. Once she came a bit closer, she noticed the tattoos he had on his arms. The misdreavus figured out that it represented some sort of pokémon, but she couldn't identify the particular species.
“You can call me Zack, buddy.”
“That's not what I meant,” he clarified, slowly losing his patience. “Where are you from?”
“My hometown is so far away from here that you probably have never heard of it. Now, could you tell me who you guys are?”
“We are a group of travellers,” Matt explained, hiding some information. “We're looking for a human city that is supposed to be in this region. Have you seen any sign of it?”
The buizel cracked a smile, looking at each one of them. Crouching, he took a while to examine the travellers. It slowly made the group uncomfortable, wondering what Zack was up to. Matt glanced at Aiden, who glared at the grinning buizel.
“Sadly, I think you've been lied to, buddy. There's no human city in this area. However, I could probably lead you to a pokémon city, if you so please.”
Why is he smiling? This is getting really weird.
“That sounds like a good idea,” the man responded, returning the smile.
“What is wrong with you, Matthew?” the fennekin exclaimed, taking everyone off guard. “He's clearly part of the PLF!”
The man turned back to Aiden, who had taken a step back, not understanding what Matt's intentions were. Taking a look at him, he crossed his arms.
“I was sarcastic,” he explained.
“Well, how was I supposed to know?” he replied, getting defensive. “Your tone of voice didn't change at all, and I wouldn't trust this buizel anyway. What if his stick was some sort of fighting tool?”
The buizel pointed at the stick with his finger and interjected, “That's a flute, you paranoid idiot. What do you think I'll use it for, play you a song to put you to sleep?”
“Well, yeah,” the fennekin said. “Why not?”
“I've never heard of someone capable of doing such a feat. It would be much easier for someone to simply throw a slumber orb at them, don't you think? That's not mentioning the fact that anyone would be able to hear it and run away before it even affects them.”
“You sure learned a lot out of your books, Aiden,” Kira commented. “Do you have any other extraordinary stories like these? Next thing you know, you'll tell us a human became a pokémon.”
“Kira, please,” Renee pleaded. “Don't make it any worse.”
“He's the one making it worse by always being on Matt's case. Why hasn't he left our group already? I mean, Chen-”
“Could y'all shut up?” Matt interrupted them. “If you have nothing constructive to say, keep your mouth shut. I don't wanna hear any chatter until we arrive at the city. Is that clear?”
They all turned their head towards Matt. Renee noticed that he seemed particularly irritated by their little debates, but it was clear to her that bringing up Chen in the conversation had been the moment which made him snap. When she glanced at the two others, it was clear that they also got the message, as they both nodded at him. Once they did that, the man turned his attention back to the buizel.
“So, as I've said to Aiden,” he continued, “we won't follow you to the pokémon city. It would be too risky for me to do so, especially after the recent events involving the PLF.”
“I can totally understand this. That said, there's something I want to clarify before we part ways. I've heard this fennekin calling you Matthew. Is that correct?”
“Yes, my name is Matthew. Why is that important?”
The buizel smiled again, “You see, I'd like to know which family you belong to. I've learned so much about human culture from discovering about the different families and their past. That said, if that bothers you, we can end the conversation right there.”
“It does bother me greatly,” he said firmly. “It is none of your concern.”
That's something I've never understood about his family. Why do they make such a big deal out of hiding their name? Nathan told me their family name, yet he made it clear that he didn't want me to tell anyone.
“I see. Could you give me a second? I would like to give you something that could come in handy in your travel.”
Not seeing anything wrong with it, he nodded in response to Zack. After that, he looked back at Kira, who took that as a signal to fly above their group. Renee wondered if Matt really knew what he was getting himself into, but she remained silent. The buizel surrounded himself with water and lunged back at the branch he had previously been on. Grabbing his bag, Zack jumped back down, and started searching for something inside. Once he finally found it, he pulled out a card out of his bag. Matt's eyes widened in surprise, which was something that surprised Renee. She had rarely seen the aloof man sparked by interest in such a way.
“That's a ranger's license, isn't it?” Matt asked, dumbfounded.
Picking up on Matt's findings, the buizel's attitude changed; he became more relaxed and gave a much warmer smile to the man.
“That's right, buddy,” he said, waving his card in front of him. “I'm a ranger, and I've heard about you before. You're that kid who got told to go from Tradesburg to the Narrows. I'm sure a freak like you will do just fine as a ranger.”
“I've never heard of pokémon becoming rangers,” he admitted.
“That's common practice outside of human cities,” he said before looking around him. “Anyway, I've lied about the human city. We're actually pretty close to the entrance, so I could lead you there. I was on patrol, but it's not like the Fronters will come here anytime soon.”
“The Fronters?”
“That's the nickname we give to PLF's sympathizers. Isn't that a lovely name?”
“Sounds like you've got some good interactions with them.”
“Yeah, let's put it that way,” the buizel told Matt, reluctant to give any details. “Now, we might as well go to the city right now. Follow me.”
The buizel went towards the forest, and Matthew followed him in this path. Soon, the pokémon did the same. They left the sound of the streaming water to enter in the peaceful silence of the woods once again. Despite this, Zack remained vigilant of his surroundings, looking around for anyone who might have followed them. Renee decided not to go above the trees, thinking that this would give them out. Instead, she scouted from above their companions along with Kira, helping the buizel at his duty. After a while, their guide raised one of his arms, gesturing for them to stop. They stood there, waiting for him to make his decision.
He looked up to the two pokémon above them, “Have you seen anyone?”
They both shook their heads, making it clear they hadn't.
“Great. We're close to the city now. Just keep following me.”
Why are we delving so far into the forest? According to Matt's device, the city was on the side of the river. Is this buizel lying to us? It seemed like Matt had never heard of pokémon being rangers, and I also haven't heard of such a thing. He must be lying. How come Matt is trusting him?
They walked for a few other minutes. As Renee started worrying about Matt's inaction, they discovered a rocky entrance. To her, it seemed like any other cave they had encountered thus far, but the buizel decided to stop there.
“So, this is where we part ways. This is the ranger's unofficial entrance to the city. You should be able to carry on without any problem. There's only one thing I must tell you before you enter this cave: all of your pokémon should be inside their poké ball before you go along. Take care!”
After he gave his final piece of advice, the buizel walked away, leaving the others behind. They all looked at each other, wondering what they had gotten themselves into.
“Why is he telling us to be inside of our poké ball?” Kira asked them, wondering if anyone had a clue.
“I have no idea,” Aiden said, “but this whole thing sounds shady. It sounded like he had something to hide.”
To their surprise, Matt dropped his backpack on the ground, “I'll go look for what's inside. You guys can stay outside.”
“Matt, are you sure this is a good idea?” the yanma asked, wondering if he had made a hasty decision.
“He told me to put you inside your poké balls, so I'm guessing I shouldn't bring you with me. I'll simply go see if there's anything to worry about. I should be back in a moment.”
So Matt knows what he's getting himself into. If we stay here, we'll be able to watch for anyone that would take him from behind. There's nothing to worry about here.
The cave was pitch black; the man tried his best not to walk off any rocks. After walking a few steps inside, he turned back, facing the pokémon.
“Something's wrong here,” he remarked. “I'm pretty sure the buizel wasn't trying to help us.”
Renee, who was scouting the area, turned around once she heard Matt's voice. She saw that Aiden had opened his bag and used his paw to roll the man's flashlight up to him.
“I'm pretty sure you'll need that,” the fennekin said.
After looking at the source of light going into the grotto and stopping at his shoulder, he picked it up and pointed it into the darkness, “Thanks.”
So now, all we have to do is-
They heard an agonizing scream coming from inside the cave. Terrified by this abrupt change in atmosphere, they all remained there, paralyzed by fear and left to wonder what had happened to Matt inside of this cave. After the initial terror faded away, they waited there, asking themselves what they should do.
Oh, no. I can't believe it... This can't be… He can't be dead. What is there inside of this cavern? A pokémon?
“Well, it sounds like this buizel got us,” Kira concluded. “I'm gonna guess that he got attacked by some pokémon. Maybe-”
“He didn't die!” the misdreavus babbled, on the edge of bursting down into tears. “He probably just fell off some rock… He's still fine, you hear me? He's still fine!”
“Well then, who will go there and find out?” Aiden inquired, looking at both of them.
“I will!” she affirmed without reservation.
She went into the cave, not looking behind. Looking around her, she managed to see a glimpse of light from far away; she guessed that it was Matt's flashlight. Going deeper into the grotto, she finally noticed Matt. Lying on the ground, he didn't seem to have any trace of injury on his body. She began to wonder what might have attacked him, and feared for this thing to come sooner. As she was about to go back to tell them about it, she saw that a pokémon's shadow was projected by the flashlight on the cavern's wall. Before she went back to tell the others about Matt's condition, she heard a voice which she picked up to be that pokémon's voice.
“Wait,” it said. “I won't hurt you.”
Turning back to see who that pokémon was, she gasped. It was the same lucario from earlier, now wearing a black cloak on his whole body. He walked up to the man and crouched to his side, touching him with his paws.
“This man here is wounded,” he spoke. “You must get him out of this cave. Bring back one of your friends; they should be able to carry him back outside.”
“Who are you?” she inquired.
“My name would mean nothing to you, but I'm sure we'll see each other soon enough. As long as you keep you mouth shut about me, I'll come back to you.”
She nodded, understanding that this would have to be a secret. Renee still wasn't sure about the lucario's intentions, but he had given her good advices for now, so she had no problem following them. Hurrying herself, she went out of the cavern, where Aiden and Kira were patiently waiting; it seemed as if they hadn't heard the conversation she had inside.
“He's alive, but injured. We need to bring him back outside, and then we'll see what we can do.”
“Alright then,” the yanma started. “Let me take care of that. I'll bring him back here in a moment.”
She flew into the cave, and the two pokémon remained outside, waiting for her to come back. Suddenly, a white light bathed the entire grotto, making it possible for them to see yanma coming back with Matt in her paws. When they arrived, she simply dropped him on the ground.
“So, what are we going to do now?” Aiden asked them. “It's not like we have any idea what attacked him inside of this cavern.”
I have no idea what we should do at this point. Matthew was the one making the decisions, but in his current state, we're screwed. Going to pick a fight with the buizel won't help Matt in any way, and I'm not even sure we could even beat him.
She looked into the darkness of the cavern for a second.
Was this lucario the one who did something to him? It doesn't even seem like they could see it, so that might be why he hasn't been harmed. Maybe he's a ghost, or an illusion. It's really weird.
“Who are you?” a voice questioned them with an authoritative voice. “Identify yourselves.”
They all glanced at the source of the voice, where they saw a young woman looking at them with her blue eyes, impatiently waiting for an answer. The sword she had remained in its sheath, but the woman held her right hand on the grip. She wore a pair of blue jeans and a black shirt, which matched with the color of her long hair.
“We are Matt's pokémon,” Renee replied. “We've been led here by a buizel named Zack, and Matt seems to have been attacked by something in the cave.”
She looked down to him, who was still lying on the ground. She walked up to him to examine him a bit more. After a bit, she stood back up and gave the misdreavus a worried look, as if something was wrong with Matt.
“I'm sorry for this. It seems like he hasn't been trained to become a ranger. That explains why he can't go through this grotto. He should be alright, but there's still something I need to verify. According to the rules, I can't bring someone into our headquarters like that. He needs to give his team's password.”
“His password?” she inquired.
“Yes. Anyone who becomes a ranger must give out his team's name and a password. Only a select few people can enter inside without going through such procedures, and I'm not one of them. So we'll have to wait for him to wake up.”
“We can't really manage to wait much longer,” Renee argued. “One of his pokémon is in a critical state, and he might not make it in time. We must-”
The man opened his eyes and coughed, slowly regaining his senses. After the first few seconds, he stood up, his legs betraying his weakened body. Once he did that, he glanced at the woman.
“Who are you?” he asked out of the blue.
“My name is Elise Acheson,” she answered. “And I suppose you're Matt, correct?”
Suddenly, the man lowered his head, “Yes, it is the case. I'm sorry for being so sudden, milady.”
That's what I thought. She comes from a noble family, and it has always surprised me how Matt would speak differently depending on who he's talking to. When he's in our company, he never talked like that, but I guess this is different.
“It's alright. I've seen that you've had problems with the cavern, and I must tell you I'm really sorry to hear what had happened to you. It seems like Zack thought that you had already mastered your aura, and I'll personally make sure that you do so.”
“I can't thank you enough, milady.”
“Let's get going. Just stay close to me.”
Now prepared, they all went into the cavern. Kira used one of her attacks, giving light to the whole area around them. Delving deeper, they arrived to where Matt had left off, and the man took back the flashlight he had left behind. They continued on their way without any problem up until they arrived to a gate. At that point, Elise turned back to face Matt.
“Now, all you have to do is knock on the door. Once they answer back, you have to give your team's name and the password. You should've no problem doing that.”
The man walked up to the door and gulped; it was his moment of truth. He gave it a gentle knock, and he waited for a few seconds until he heard a voice coming from the other side of the gate.
“Name?”
“Palette.”
“Password?”
“The monster never rests.”
The misdreavus' eyes widened as she started having an odd feeling she couldn't describe. It was as if she had already heard these words before. And then she remembered where she had heard them for the first time.
Isn't that his family's motto?