Pokémon Mystery Dungeon

Shadows of Ganderosa

Chapter 48

Stones Unturned

(Palando Mountain Range)

It had been a day since the ex-guildmembers had started out on their search of Team Armageddon's Titus and Ignitus Blaine. Since then, they had arrived in the mountains, following a beaten path that looked as though no one had used it in years. Perhaps it was because of the Palando Mountain Pass Hazel had been through during the first few weeks of her old instatement as a pawn to King Judah. It was probably faster and cozier than the climb, seeing as it cut straight through and onto Kerroshia Castle.

Hazel looked on at the inclined road which stretched between the mountains, leading higher and deeper as they went. It was getting colder by each passing second, but it didn't bother a fire-type like her. There were walls along the side of the path, as though it had been carved out with a massive stick by some gigantic child. That, or it use to be some river that had long been eroded. They did manage to keep any wind that may have blown by at a minimum, though it also meant low visibility. Patches of grass edged the pathway before ending at the brown-and-red-layered dirt.

Hailey – who was currently walking behind the charmeleon – seemed to be doing much worse than Hazel, not that she would admit it to the others for even a second. Ever since the drop in temperature, she had taken to the ground next to Hazel's flame. She was actually the reason they stayed between the walls. Though as a result, she would occasionally fly above the walls to survey the land for a possible Armageddon hide-out. If she found nothing, Hailey would fly back to Hazel in a shivering wreck before huddling close to her flame. The charmeleon decided she would expend a bit more energy than normal to keep her flame warm for Hailey's sake.

Tracey was a complete opposite when compared to the staraptor. In fact, she seemed to be enjoying the cold. She took up the front of the group, leading them all with a liveliness about her. It may not have inspired Hailey, but Bob looked happier as a result. The little purple jelly-pile squished up the path close behind Tracey, following her closely like a child to its mother.

"You sure you're doing fine?" Hazel asked the staraptor in a hushed tone. She had to admit, it was very odd being friendly to the staraptor once more after being cold for over a year. But she tried her best, knowing she couldn't blame Hailey for the fears she had.

"It's t-too damn cold…" Hailey finally whispered with a chattering beak.

Hazel nodded. "Do you want to take a quick break?" she asked.

"No," Hailey said. "The s-sooner we find this Team Armageddon hideout-t, the sooner w-we can get off of this mountain…"

Hazel nodded before looking ahead at the glaceon. "Hey, Tracey. Are you sure you don't know where this place is?"

"No clue," Tracey said from ahead, bounding over a sizeable stone in the middle of the path. "I only heard rumors about this place. It was never confirmed.

"By the way, it's been a while since the last aerial look." She stopped in her tracks and looked back towards Hailey. "Would you mind-"

Before Tracey could finish her words, Hazel felt a gust of wind rock her forwards and shake her flame. She brought her arm up to shield her eyes before glancing back, seeing Hailey had already taken off.

Tracey pursed her lips together in a worried manner. "I kinda feel bad for her," she sighed. "Being a flying-type probably doesn't help with the cold atmosphere."

"I'm actually more surprised that she's taking it so poorly," Hazel admitted.

Tracey cocked her head to the side and looked at Hazel with confusion. "Why do you say that?" she asked.

"Flying pokemon are exposed to higher altitudes all the time," Hazel stated. "Take the pokemon of Avis Village for instance: most of the pokemon there are flying-types, and they live in a pretty high-up place, but you never see anyone from there complaining about the cold."

"Hailey's probably just accustomed to the milder climates," Tracey suggested. "I mean, Palando is practically at sea level."

"How's the town doing, by the way?" Hazel asked. "Last I heard, Garth was leaving to be Guild Master of the Alkan Islands. I assume you guys have a new Guild Leader by now."

"Had," Tracey said bitterly. "We're not in the Guild anymore, remember?"

Hazel looked towards the glaceon with a bit of confusion. She was a bit confused as to why she sounded angry. She saw a cold expression on Tracey's face as she looked above, watching Hailey survey the land.

"I didn't really know Garth at all," Tracey said. "But I know he couldn't have been worse than this new one." Tracey stuck her tongue out and shook her head forcefully. "Her name's Athil, and she sucks more than a smoochum."

"That bad?" Hazel asked with a raised eyebrow.

"She was mean and strict, and punished anyone harshly if they talked back to her. She even placed a curfew on the guild."

"Ms. Athil was mean," Bob said with a pouting expression. "She didn't like me…"

"Just because you're mentally challenged doesn't give her the right to hate you!" Tracey said defiantly.

Hazel was shocked to hear Tracey say something like that. It was a little too on the nose for the charmeleon, not to mention a bad way of putting it. Although Bob didn't seem to mind at all. Instead, he smiled at the glaceon as if he appreciated the words, knowing she didn't mean anything by it.

Tracey looked up once more towards the blue sky as Hailey's shadow passed over them. "She seemed more concerned with the guild itself than the actual pokemon who came looking for help."

Bob nodded as if agreeing with Tracey, though he had a look as blank as paper.

"Athil called us into the Guild room like Garth had before he left to give an announcement and to take the pledge: that sort of crap. But instead of telling us to help pokemon, she told us we'd be scrubbing the Guild from top to bottom for the next three days."

"Soap tastes funny," Bob said.

Tracey rolled her eyes at the ditto. "Anyways, she was bad news."

"Sounds like a pain," Hazel said.

"It wouldn't have been that bad if she actually wanted to help pokemon." She gave a groan of annoyance as she grimaced. "Instead, it was almost like she wanted to-"

Tracey was cut off as a gust of wind blew through the valley-like path. Hazel covered her eyes instinctually as her tail-flame along with Tracey's ears flapped with the wind. Hailey had landed near them abruptly whilst wearing a deep scowl.

"What's wrong?" Hazel asked, knowing that her fast landing and current expression couldn't have meant something good. She was worried about something.

"Bob," Hailey said quickly, shooting quick glances back the way they came. "Transform into a graveler."

"Okay," Bob said as his body began to glow.

"What's going on?" Hazel urged.

"Hide behind Bob and shut up," Hailey said sternly as she scowled at Hazel.

"Do you plan on answering the question f-" Tracey said before Hailey's scowl cut her off.

"Something's coming," she spat as Bob finished turning into a massive pile of mud with multiple rocks littering its skin. Hailey turned towards Bob and said, "Just lean your head against that wall and don't make a sound.

"Right," Bob said as he planted his face into the wall.

"The rest of you hide behind him," Hailey demanded as she opened her wings. "Hurry!"

The staraptor flapped her wings against the ground and took off into the sky, racing towards the clouds.

"What was that about?" Tracey said as though she was more confused than worried.

"Get behind Bob," Hazel said as she darted behind the ditto-turned-mud-pile.

"She's screwing with you," Tracey said. "There's no way the Enemy could have followed us up here so quickly, and there's no reason for them to be up- HEY!"

Hazel grabbed Tracey forcefully by the shoulder and began yanking her behind Bob. After about a second of resistance, Tracey followed the charmeleon.

"Easy," Tracey said through a grimace, rubbing her shoulder as she observed their tight, shadowed area.

"Quiet," Hazel shushed quietly as she began listening to the world around them.

She listened to the whistling of the wind as it blew through the valley. She watched as the shadows across Bobs body seemed stagnant and unmoving. The chill of the atmosphere was as normal as could be. All in all, there was nothing wrong.

The pokemon sat in unmoving silence for what felt like minutes. Hazel's heart plastered her ribs with forceful poundings. Her breath stuttered with anticipation of the worst. Yet nothing seemed to come.

A few more minutes passed without so much as a sound. The wind seemed to stop blowing through the passage, making it all that much quieter. Hazel began to wonder if the pokemon Hailey was referring to had already passed them by, and they just didn't know it.

"Is he gone?" Tracey whispered at a barely audible volume.

"Shut up," a cold voice said from the other side of Bob.

Both Hazel and Tracey looked at each other with wide eyes and held breaths. They both watched the other with horror, pleading with their eyes an admittance that they had spoken. But it didn't come.

Hazel began to feel a sort of darkness fill in her chest. Her breath became unsteady as her sight began to flash between a shadowy time she once knew and the one she was in right now. The darkness inside her grew, strangling her lungs themselves. She recognized this feeling al too well. There was a ghost near.

"I know they're here," the voice stated. "They're listening to us: waiting for us to leave."

Tracey mouthed a few swear words as she watched Bob's mud-like body as if she could see through him to the pokemon on the other side.

Hazel, however, felt her head grow heavy. Her sight flashed to a single, red eye which stared at her with murderous intent. No… Why now? Hazel asked herself as she began drifting back to that night in the basement.

Her vision flashed backwards in time. She found herself looking up at a shadowy figure with a single, red eye. It began reaching out to her with a white, glove-like hand. Hazel was forced to watch the pokemon through fear. Her life seemed as though it was about to end in that single moment. She opened her mouth to scream as loud as she could for her father. He would be the only one to save her.

Hazel then felt a furry paw being shoved over her muzzle. Her sight came back to her as she was once again pulled back to the present.

Tracey was pressing both paws over Hazel's face as she looked at her with complete fear. Her eyes began darting to the charmeleon and the small holes on either side of their muddy hiding place.

I was… I was about to scream… Hazel thought. It's a ghost… It has to be… Which… means… It has to be…

"I don't appreciate spies," the pokemon growled. "And neither do my companions."

There was a scraping sound from behind Bob. It sounded as though it was getting louder with the passing seconds. He was getting closer.

Hazel's vision flashed once more to the dusclopse in the basement. Hazel racked her brain with her paw, digging her claws into her scales just enough to cause pain. Stay focused…

Then, the scraping stopped. "I just want to play with you," the voice said.

Unbearable silence followed. Hazel continued to have flashed of that night through her brain. The need to scream continued to grow, yet she kept digging her claws deeper to control herself. Blood began trickling down the side of her face as she struggled to keep control. It was enough to drive her crazy.

"I know," the voice stated with annoyance. "Shut up!" it roared. "I know what he wants! But I was promised blood! And now…" the voice trailed off. "Well, then what do you suggest?"

Minutes of silence passed once more. Yet all they could do was keep silent and wait.

"Alright, fine!" the voice snapped. "But next time, I kill them! Deal?"

The scraping noise was back, echoing through Hazel's brain like a rock being dragged against glass. It grew ever more distant as the wind picked up once more. The flashed began to fade with the feeling in Hazel's chest. Pretty soon, everything turned back to normal.

Yet none of them made even a hint of moving. Tracey continued to cover Hazel's muzzle, forcing her to breathe through the corners of her lips. Their hearts were beating together unsteadily, and their fear didn't decrease.

"You can come out, now," Hailey's voice said.

Tracey winced and tensed from the staraptor's voice. Her grip grew tight around Hazel's muzzle, sending her nerves in a frenzy. The charmeleon yipped from the pinching feeling. She removed the claws from her head and pried Tracey off her.

"Too tight!" Hazel complained as she rubbed her muzzle.

"What the hell was that…?" Tracey asked fearfully.

A flash of white light covered the two pokemon as their hiding place morphed back into the purple blob. Bob at once tacked Tracey in a hug. His entire body was shaking from fear.

"I've never seen a pokemon like it before," Hailey said. "But it had a rock attached to the end of it and its face was a sort of purple disk, kind of like the pokemon you were describing back at Harley's Diner."

"Akuji," Hazel said as she shut her eyes tightly. Even though she stopped flashing back to that night, images of the dusclopse continued to bombard her brain. "It had to be him."

"So, it was the Enemy?" Tracey said.

"You didn't believe me?" Hailey questioned with a raised eyebrow.

"Well, I didn't think the Enemy would be up here!" Tracey snapped defensively.

"I told you that Akuji was looking for Ignitus!" Hazel shouted.

Tracey looked at Hazel for a few seconds before opening her mouth to speak, yet she merely made stuttering noises as if she was flustered.

"Why would I lie?" Hailey said.

"I don't know!" Tracey said defensively. "I thought you were screwing with us!"

"I never screw with anyone," Hailey said, scowling at Tracey.

"Alright!" Hazel said, jumping in between the group. "We're safe, now, and that's what matters." She looked towards Tracey and shot a warning glance. "For now, we need to trust each other. Keep in mind that each of us only want to finish he mission."

"Obviously," Tracey said half-heartedly, knowing by Hazel's look that she didn't really mean it.

Hazel looked down the passageway to her left. A pit of anxiety and fear began to fill her chest, creating an uncomfortable unrest within her. "At least it means we're on the right track," she said. "But it also means Akuji is ahead of us on this one."

"I don't want to see him again," Bob said.

"Me neither," Tracey said, taking a hard gulp. "But we'll probably have to fight him."

"I don't think so," Hailey said with a neutral scowl.

Hazel looked to Hailey for answers, hoping she knew something that they didn't. Tracey, on the other hand, seemed annoyed with the staraptor.

"Guess what, genius," Tracey began harshly, rolling her eyes at Hailey's comment. "Akuji's ahead. We're behind. That means we'll have to fight him to get to-"

"There's a building north of here," Hailey said, cutting Tracey off. She turned to Tracey, looking at her with a simple glance. "Meaning Akuji is going the wrong way."

Hazel smiled brightly at Hailey. "Then we're almost there."

"Keep in mind who we're looking for," Hailey said without happiness. "We still need to be weary, and make sure that we aren't attacked."

"Plus, Ignitus knows you," Tracey said to Hazel.

"Titus knows me," Hazel corrected. "I've never met Ignitus before. But besides that, I'm just… happy we have a win for once." She stood up proudly and looked towards the sun, identifying north was above the wall. "For the past few weeks, I've felt like all I've been doing is constantly fighting without any real progress. I'm just happy that we're getting somewhere."

"Just be weary," Hailey warned. "We still haven't finished our mission. And if Ignitus finds out we're guildmembers – even ex-guildmembers – we're guaranteed to have a fight before we can explain."

Hazel took Hailey's words into consideration and nodded. "Alright," she said. "In that case, we'll watch our backs and be careful."

Hailey nodded in agreement, and the group got to work.

Getting up and off the path – to Hazel at least – was the hard part, and even that was simple. Bob merely transformed into a tangrowth – a pokemon with what seemed to be living vines – before he lifted both Tracey and Hazel over the path (in that very order) with ease. The wind picked up the moment they touched the unshielded dirt, blowing through Hazel's flame. She shivered from the cold for a second before attempting to hoist Bob out of the pit. Thankfully, all they needed to do was hold his vines before Bob turned white, morphing himself up the mountain to the group whilst also becoming his usual, purple self.

From there, it was a straight walk on the mountainside in the direction Hailey had told them this building was. And after a minute or so of walking, the group found what they were looking for.

Sitting a little further down the mountain on a level-looking area, sat a small, box-like building that had long grass stretching over the walls. Layers of dirt piled on its flat roof like it was an ancient building from long ago. Other than the desolate landscape, there was nothing around the building,

As the group got to the building, they circled it for a few seconds before Tracey pointed out a doorless frame which led inside. The group promptly walked in, Hailey seeming to usher them inside at a quicker pace, yet she tried not to be obvious about it.

Upon entering the building, Hazel was astounded. It was just like the outside of the building, if not worse. Grass had grown through cracks in the tiles which lined the floors. Dirt plastered the walls, floor, and even ceiling. Moss (or maybe mold. Hazel couldn't tell) seemed to be especially happy living in the building, covering almost every inch of the place. The smell of dirt and mold plagued the air, making it difficult for Hazel to breath. And yet with all the overgrowth and overpowering smell, there were shelves which remained intact. They were all lined across the floors in neat rows, each shelf containing vials and tubes which each came in different shapes and sizes. Each one was filled with a different colored liquid. Some vials seemed to have layers of different liquids which had settled over time. Some vials even contained some moss which seemed to take a liking to their respective liquids. It was almost as if this building was a library of liquids.

"Wow…" Hazel said as she observed the room.

"That's one word for it," Tracey said while she held her nose with a free paw. "Another is, 'Yuck'."

"This is the Team Armageddon Hideout?" Hailey asked.

"It has to be," Tracey said. "This is the only building we've found here."

"Regardless, it could still be a different building," Hazel said. "I mean, look at this place. Why would Ignitus make this a base?"

Tracey shrugged. "Why not?" she asked.

"We're wasting time," Hailey said. "If this is the base and Akuji decides to come back…" She didn't finish her sentence: she didn't need to.

"Alright," Hazel said in response to the staraptor. "In that case, split up and look around for a staircase or something. If you don't find that, then look for a secret passageway."

Hailey sighed at Hazel's comment. Obviously, the 'secret-passageway' bit wasn't convincing in the slightest.

"I wouldn't put it passed Ignitus," Tracey said, seemingly excited and happy with the idea of a secret lying in wait. Nevertheless, the three girls – and Bob who followed Tracey – split up and went in opposite directions to scour the place.

Hazel watched the vials as she went, observing them like a scientist would look at something new and unexpected. She viewed each vial, seeing they were all labeled with three words in what appeared to be unown script. Hazel couldn't decipher what the words meant, but she could very well read them: experimentum, perditus, and umbra.

She looked up at the ceiling, seeing the moss and mold was there, as well. It began to make her wonder. This place must be really old. And all these vials… She reached towards one of the triangular vials and grasped the top only for a moment before removing her claws. An impression was left in the layers of dust which covered the vial. These vials haven't been used for a long time… Which means this can't be Ignitus' work. So, what is this place? And why would Ignitus choose this place as a hideout instead of somewhere more spacious and grander?

The more Hazel thought about it, the more it felt like Ignitus might not be here, after all. If he was a leader when they picked Team Armageddon's secret hideout, wouldn't it have been more accommodating to the group? Why would they choose a place like this?

"I think I found something," Tracey's voice called out a few rows over from Hazel's current position.

"What is it?" Hazel asked.

"A notebook," Tracey said. "It's talking about…"

"About what?" Hazel called out.

"Well, I don't know," Tracey said. "Something about tests being run… And then it talks about needing to finish something… A war, I think."

"Hold on," Hazel said. "I'll come to you."

"Alright," Tracey said.

Hazel walked to the end of her hallway before looking down each one to her right. After a few walls of vials, she found a wide hallway with a table at the end of it. Tracey was currently observing an open book on the table.

The book was of a sort of leather covering, but the corners were ragged, showing signs of wear. The pages seemed to have water marks all over them, making it a little harder to read, but not impossibly so.

"Anything of interest?" Hazel asked as she reached the glaceon.

"I don't know," Tracey admitted. "I can't understand what it's talking about, anyways."

"Let me take a look," Hazel said before pulling the book to her. She looked down at the pages and began reading to herself.

Year 60, Day 236

It's been twenty days since the last shipment of substances. Tim is optimistic that, this time, we will have what we need to finally leave this bloody mountain. I am not as confident. Component X seems to still have the same result when exposed to just about everything we introduce: base, acid, and compound. And yet even when bringing what findings – or lack of findings – we have before the King, he refuses to cut funding and relocate us, stating this "project" is more useful than anything we could do. I am starting to wonder if he actually has our best interests at heart.

There is no telling what will occur in the future for this project and whether it will even help win the war. It frustrates me that I cannot say whether we will ever find the neutralizing agent we need to stop Component X, let alone recreate the component into a useable weapon. But even if there is a minute chance given all the resources we have been given, I seriously doubt we have as much time as we think; especially since the "Poison Queen" is pushing against our borders more vigorously with each passing day. It will probably take a miracle to finish the project, now.

Hoping with what little confidence I still have that there's an end to this godless war,

Joseph Bartholemule of Project Imperium

Hazel watched the pages with a bit of confusion, only understanding part of what it said. It was too vague to grasp everything it entailed. But the thing that seemed to stand out most to Hazel was the name "Bartholemule".

"What?" Tracey said.

"I'm not sure," Hazel admitted. "This was obviously some sort of testing lab, but I'm not entirely sure what they were testing. It says they wanted to stop something this guy called 'Component X'. It also sounds like they wanted to make it into a weapon to win a war."

Hazel carefully grasped a pretty hefty number of brittle pages in her claws and flipped through the worn book to the end. As she reached the end, a small, open envelope rested between the book's cover and final page. Pages had been torn from the book, leaving enough room for the envelope without creating an obvious gap. It also made sure the last page was one with writing on it.

Hazel picked up the envelope, looking at the emblem stamped into the back. The emblem was obviously the Arvaine symbol of the dragonite skull and crossed spears. She placed the letter to the side and began reading the journal once more.

Year 61, Day 5

It's all over. I can't believe this is what ends us when we're so close to recreating Project Imperium, but we have no funding or resources to continue. Bartholemule's already gone by now: back to his family. He's afraid of what our "new King" is going to do to anyone who had been affiliated with the Armadines during the war, regardless of whether they fought against him. Frankly, I'm as terrified as he is. So, this is going to be my final report before I return to Kerroshia.

Project Imperium worked in our favor once: once. Only once were we able to replicate the weapon that the Arvaines had backing them during the course of the war. And it was a complete fluke: one we were never able to replicate. If we had more time, we might be able to. But as for now, it is an impossibility. There is no way in hell Gunter Arvaine is going to let this base stand if it is ever found, let alone supply the resources needed to-

Hazel reached the end of the page, surprised to find it hanging on that note. It was too abrupt. There had to be more pages: one at the least. Yet they were all gone.

"Anything more?" Tracey asked.

"Well," Hazel began. "I think this base was supposed to be used to make a weapon. And this says they did it, but only once."

"What makes you say, 'A weapon'?" Hailey asked, turning the corner before joining the group.

"This was clearly written during the Great War," Hazel stated. "This letter proves it."

"No way," Tracey said.

"Take a look for yourself," Hazel said as she opened the letter and spread it out across the table.

Tracey peered over the table and began reading the letter aloud.

"'Castle Jarondai; Year 61, Day 1

Dear citizens of the world,

I am King Gunter Arvaine the First, one of the last living descendants of Maxamillian Armadine. I inform you with pride that we have decimated the forces of Hardemlite Armadine.'

"Definitely the Great War," Tracey stated, only needing to read the name of the king from that time period.

"Anyways," Hazel said. "This place was supposed to be developing a weapon to help win the Great War, and they succeeded once. But they didn't know how they did it, so they spent the last moments they had here to try and recreate it. This journal says they weren't able to do it by the time the Arvaines came into power."

"So, this isn't a Team Armageddon base," Hailey said grimly.

"If I'm being honest," Hazel said, shaking her head. "There's too much overgrowth and dust for this place to have been recently used. I seriously doubt this is the base."

"They're here," Tracey said defiantly as she pulled the book towards her.

"Hazel's right," Hailey said, calling the charmeleon Hazel once more. It occurred to her that Hailey had been calling Hazel by her second name ever since their departure from Palando, not that it bothered her. In fact, it felt to Hazel more as a new step in whatever platonic relationship her and Hailey were currently rebuilding.

"There's no evidence of Team Armageddon being here," the staraptor finished.

"And what makes you an expert on tracking, hmm?" Tracey retorted.

Hailey didn't answer Tracey, merely scowling her normal, uncaring gaze.

"I'm telling you; this is the perfect place for Team Armageddon to make camp."

"And why's that?" Hailey asked, finally showing a bit of her annoyance show in her tone.

"This place was here to develop a weapon, r-" Tracey turned towards Hailey and stopped talking. She grimaced and fell to all fours, crouching as if ready to pounce.

Hazel had only a second to turn towards where Tracey was facing before a set of white claws wrapped themselves around her neck, lifting her upwards in its choking grasp. Hazel looked down the black, scaly arm as her horrified gaze set upon red eyes. The three scars across her chest began aching as though watching the charizard caused them to reopen.

"Ms. Phimpledink," Titus said with a cruel gaze.

"Let her go!" Hailey demanded as she spread her wings.

Titus didn't take his eyes from Hazel to face Hailey, as if he considered her nothing more than an inconvenience to be ignored. It reminded Hazel of the brutality he showed in the Alkan Guild. She wrapped her own claws around Titus', feebly trying to pry herself from his grip.

"Get back!" Hazel managed to get out. "Stay… away from him!"

"Let her go!" Tracey roared as she shot herself through the air towards the black dragon. Her tail began seeping water, covering it entirely as though it were some sort of bubble. She flipped through the air, about to hit her mark.

Titus made no move at avoiding Tracey's attack. He moved his arm quickly, placing Hazel in the way of Tracey's attack.

Tracey's jaw clenched with horror as she realized she was about to hit Hazel. The water around her tail exploded, sending the particles every which way. Yet even so, she couldn't stop herself from attacking.

Titus spun on his feet, clutching Tracey's tail with his free hand. The charizard then pried his eyes from hazel for a second before facing Tracey with an open jaw. The glaceon saw down Titus' jowl, noticing a light erupting from his throat. She grimaced and turned, flailing at Titus with her paws, but she didn't have enough reach to do anything to the charizard. Titus sent a stream of fire towards Tracey's face.

Before the heat could even touch the glaceon, a set of red, fiery wings slammed into Titus' face, redirecting his scorching breath towards a set of vials. With the sudden exposure to the heat, the vials either melted, covering the shelves with their contents – solid and liquid –or exploded, spraying the room with glass shards.

Hailey turned around instantly, throwing her white, glowing wings onto Titus' wrist. The attack managed to loosen the charizard's grasp, allowing Tracey to slip free. She dropped to the floor, landing on her head. Before she had time to recover, Titus punted her away from him into the rack of vials. A few fell to the ground, shattering around her.

"This is getting tiresome," Titus growled as he finally set his eyes on Hailey. He bared his teeth for the pokemon to see.

"Stop!" Hazel shouted as she dug her claws into Titus' arm. Yet as she struggled, Titus' grasp tightened around her neck. She opened her mouth as wide as she could, trying to draw in air. But the dragon's grasp was too strong.

Hazel's eyes shot left towards the shelf filled with vials and reached for one filled with a purple liquid, grasping it in her claws. She drove the vial into Titus' face, and with a crash, the dragon let out a roar of pain and anger. Glass and purple liquid were splashed across the dragon's face as he released Hazel to grab at the shards imbedded in his scales. He began dragging his claws across the glass, managing to dislodge the shards from his face, but not before hazel scurried away from the dragon towards her friends.

"Move!" she roared at the others as they tore around the building towards the exit.

"You don't have to tell me twice!" Tracey shouted as she darted towards the exit.

"What about the mission?!" Hailey shouted frantically.

"We'll come back later, but he's going to kill you if we don't leave now!" Hazel shouted as she pushed Hailey towards Tracey. The staraptor didn't need any more convincing, taking the initiative to run instead of resist Hazel's shoves.

The three of them ran through multiple shelves, trying to find the exit. Just then, Hazel heard a growl from where they came

"Girl!" Titus roared.

Multiple shattering noises sounded from Titus' direction. Hazel chanced a look between the shelves just in time to see the vials that were crashing down onto the group.

"Watch out!" Hazel cried as the vials fell onto the group of three. Hazel managed to cover her face from the liquids and glass that splashed across her body, littering the floor with multiple colors of chaos. She winced, peering around her at what befell her friends. Tracey and Hailey had managed to clear the shelves, leaving Hazel as the lone victim to the falling chemicals.

She attempted to stand but felt resistance on her ankle. Looking down, she noticed the shelf which had previously held the vials was now pinning her foot to the floor.

"Hazel!" Hailey shouted.

"I can't move!" Hazel shouted at her friends.

"Come on!" Tracey shouted as she leapt towards the charmeleon. As she soared in the air, a black blur moved towards Tracey, grabbing her by the neck, and tossing her towards the glass-covered floor.

Tracey's back slammed into the stone. She gave a wide-eyed cough as the air was forced from her body, but Titus wasn't done. He dove straight onto her – not even hindered by the low space of the room – and pinned her to the glass with a single foot. A scream of pain encompassed the room.

"Tracey!" Hazel and Hailey both shouted. The charmeleon tried lifting the shelf from her body, but it was no good: the other shelves added to its weight, making it almost impossible to move.

Hailey flapped her wings behind her in one, solid, swift movement before rushing towards Titus. She bellowed a warrior's cry before her entire body became bathed in what appeared to be blue fire. The dragon didn't even have to look.

Titus took a step backwards, off Tracey and out of Hailey's attack, before shooting his arm at her neck, pulling her out of the "Brave Bird" attack. Hailey began hanging from Titus' grip like a rag doll gasping for her next breath.

Before Tracey had a chance at getting up, Titus slammed his foot onto her neck, forcing her to cough and writhe in pain. Titus then raised his free hand and clenched it into a fist before bashing Hailey in the side of the head. The staraptor's eyes curled upwards into her head and she fell limp.

"Hailey!" Hazel cried in fear. Her scars began pulsating on her chest as if they were just as afraid of Titus as Hazel was.

She tried moving her leg once more, but she was stuck. Titus' eyes narrowed in on her trapped body. A smile curled in the corners of his lips, sending Hazel's heart into convulsions. Her breath became staggered as she watched Titus pitch Hailey's body like a ball into a nearby shelf. A massive crash erupted as vials exploded from Hailey's body. Even the shelves bent from the force.

All the adrenaline escaped Hazel's body. Feelings and emotions from her childhood came rushing back to her as she watched this monster obliterate her entire team in the most unnatural way possible.

"Now that they're out of the way," Titus began forcefully, "I'm going to ask some questions. You're going to answer them. If you refuse, your friends die. Do I make myself clear?"

Hazel made no attempt at responding – not out of defiance, but because she was petrified.

Titus stood up straight, staring down Hazel as if she were little more than a child who interfered in business that wasn't hers to begin with.

"What brought you here?" he asked.

Hazel made no answer. Titus waited for a few seconds before shifting his weight under Tracey. She opened her mouth as if she were in agony, yet she only let a whimper escape. Upon seeing her friend in pain, hazel managed to find her voice.

"W-we came looking for y-you!" Hazel stuttered in fear.

"Why?" Titus asked coldly.

"It's the Shadow Matter," Hazel said.

Titus smiled at that comment as if it entertained him. "Let me guess," he began. "You feel it in your chest, don't you? And you're afraid of it?"

Hazel opened her mouth, but hesitated: instincts telling her not to give the enemy information. Titus pressed on Tracey once more, eliciting a cry of pain.

"Yes!" Hazel shouted in desperation. "Yes, I'm terrified!"

He smiled even deeper at that comment in almost an evil, calculating way. "Then you've learned more about it," he said.

"Yes," Hazel admitted.

"Do you know how you got it?" he asked.

"N-no," Hazel stuttered.

"Lying gets your friend nowhere," Titus said. "Tell me the truth, or I'll make sure to give her a matching scar."

"Hazel…!" Tracey said in a strained voice. "Don't- Gak!"

Titus pressed even harder on her, forcing Tracey into silence.

"Alright!" Hazel shouted. "Let my friends go and I'll tell you everything!"

"I'm not an idiot!" Titus snarled. "So, talk!"

Just then, an arch of yellow light erupted from Titus' body. He grimaced, shouting through clenched teeth. Tracey was also lit up with what appeared to be electricity. She began shouting in pain, each second that passed growing even worse for her.

Then, it all stopped. Titus fell backwards, catching himself in a kneeling position as his body sparked from the electricity's paralysis. Having stumbled backwards, his foot came up from Tracey's neck allowing the girl to start a coughing fit.

"Peterson!" Titus growled.

Hazel looked towards the exit with shock, seeing a small plusle come bounding into the room towards Titus. He wore a snarl on his face as he darted towards the dragon.

"Damn it, maggot!" Peterson roared.

Hazel looked back towards the sparking dragon as he growled himself. He attempted to stand; yet more sparks flew from his body as he winced from the paralyzing pain.

"Wait!" Hazel shouted as she held her claws up for Peterson to stop. "Peterson, stop!"

Peterson's eyes widened before putting on the brakes, coming to a halt on one of the toppled shelves. He looked at Hazel with shock. "What the hell do you mean, stop?!" he shouted in confusion.

Hazel turned to Titus – who was currently attempting once more to stand whilst bearing his claws – putting on the most confident look she could muster. "We just came to talk!" she shouted.

Titus' lower lip twitched at the words before a smile crawled across his face. "What?" he asked.

"We didn't come here looking for trouble!" Hazel elaborated. "We just wanted to talk."

"That the hell do you mean, maggot?!" Peterson began. "You came all the way up here on the side of a freaking mountain for a cup of tea?!"

"Just hear me out," Hazel began. She looked to Titus with a furrowed brow before saying, "You're after Shadow Matter, right?"

Silence seemed to take a hold of the room. Peterson's face changed from one of anger and adrenaline to a pensive glare while Titus' smile grew even wider with the mention of Shadow Matter as if the topic brought him the utmost joy. "You have my attention," he said.

"Well, I'm the complete opposite," she said. "I have Shadow Matter, but I didn't ask for it, and I'm worried it's putting my friends at risk. Someone told me that you can tell if I'll lose control of it. Is that true?"

"And who said that?" Titus asked curiously.

"Dialga and Palkia," Hazel said, not pulling any punches.

Peterson's face went back to a snarl. "What the hell do you think you're doing?!" he asked Hazel.

"You've met them?" Titus asked calmly.

Peterson's face changed once more at Titus' response into a confused stare as if his emotions pummeled one another, fighting for dominance.

"They said if anyone could tell whether I'm a danger, you could," Hazel explained.

Titus smiled at Hazel, eyeing her like a cat does a mouse right before it strikes.

"You're scared of it?" Titus asked.

Hazel eyed Titus, knowing that was information he didn't need to know. Although, the charizard's eyes seemed to penetrate her chest as if searching for the truth within the scars.

"So, am I dangerous?" she asked.

Titus looked at her for a few more seconds before scoffing. "You're serious," he stated.

"Am I dangerous?" Hazel asked once again.

"You're foolish," Titus said. "What you have is a gift that makes you stronger than most pokemon in Ganderosa. You don't need me to tell you it makes you a living weapon, and yet you would rather fear it instead of let it mold you."

Titus made another attempt at standing, this time succeeding with only tiny sparks flying from the tips of his blood-red wings. Hazel felt her heart shrink at the charizard's ability to recover so quickly, yet she had a feeling there was no use in even considering the possibility of running.

"Do you feel it, then?" Titus asked. "In your heart?"

Hazel's stone-hard expression faltered into worry for a few seconds as she asked, "Feel it?"

"Does it scare you?" Titus asked.

"What the hell are you two babbling about?!" Peterson roared, obviously frustrated with the topic.

"None of this matters," Hazel said, forcefully shaking her head. "Am I dangerous or not?"

Titus raised his head, only glancing towards Hazel. He stood there, contemplating what Hazel said. He obviously seemed cautious about the notion, though he continued to smile maliciously.

"You've met Dialga and Palkia, then," Titus said. He nodded before crossing his arms. "In that case, I propose a trade."

"What kind of trade?" Tracey asked, standing up slowly infront of Titus before limping to Hazel's side. Her voice was very hoarse, and she had bits of glass in her fur, yet obviously none of it didn't stop her from standing.

"Take me to Dialga and Palkia," Titus said. "Once I meet them, I'll tell you what I can about the Shadow Matter. Deal?"

Hazel nodded in agreement, recalling Dialga had instructed her to take Titus to see the two legendary pokemon in the first place. This worked out for her as much as it did for Titus.

Peterson continued to eye Titus as if expecting him to make a move. Titus walked towards Hazel and knelt down next to her, eliciting sparks from Peterson's cheeks: a warning. However, the dragon merely picked up the shelf which rested on Hazel's foot, allowing her to get free. Hazel quickly stood up before Titus dropped the shelf. The dragon then made his way for the door.

"Take me to Dialga," he said. "Then we'll talk about your Shadow Matter."

Peterson relaxed his shoulders as he stood up straight. Titus stopped at the little pokemon, expecting him to move. Peterson obliged, unwilling to perpetuate the fight that had gone on minutes ago.

"Don't get in my way again," Titus warned. "And after what I did for you the Alkan Islands, you owe me. Got it?"

"Keep telling yourself that, maggot," Peterson said. He watched Titus walk towards the exit of the building, not taking his eyes off him until the charizard was gone.

As soon as Titus was outside of the room, Hazel looked towards the shelf Titus tossed Hailey at to find the staraptor was conscious, standing, and scowling at them. She cradled her left wing in the right, panting in pain.

"Are you alright?" Hazel asked as she walked to Hailey.

"She can wait!" Peterson shouted at Hazel. He stormed right up to Hazel and shoved her leg. "Why the hell are you here?!"

"Hi to you, too," Tracey retorted sorely, sitting backwards to rub her neck with her front paws.

"Shut it, maggot!" Peterson snapped at Tracey who didn't take his comment into much consideration as she was more focused on her neckline. Peterson stomped on the floor at Hazel as if it were supposed to be intimidating regardless of his size. "Titus would have killed you last time! What makes you think he'll cooperate?!"

"He will," Hazel said to Peterson. "I have something he wants."

"Do you know who Titus is?!" Peterson snapped. "No! You're just playing at a game that you have no business being in!"

"I know a lot more than you're giving me credit for," Hazel said. "I bet it's more than you, so why do you think I don't belong here?"

"I'm giving you as much credit as you deserve!" Peterson growled.

Hazel looked towards him with a disbelieving scowl. There was no way he actually knew what she and Titus were talking about before.

"Dialga and Palkia brought your human friend to fight a being called Giratina," Peterson stated coldly. "Giratina created a second world that's twisting our own and creating an essence called Shadow Matter: a substance that's mutating anyone who encounters it. You came here because you were exposed to the stuff and want Titus to evaluate you. Am I close?"

Hazel's jaw hung open at what the plusle said. "How did you-"

"Why the hell do you think Team Armageddon was so insistent on destroying the guild?"

"You all knew about the Guild all along?" Hailey asked, moving towards the plusle. "You knew what Giratina was up to?"

"Ignitus knew from the start because he worked closely with Giratina! He told other pokemon – namely Molan, Titus, and me – just enough information on what the hell's going on in the world so we would help.

"But if you're working with Dialga and Palkia, I guess you know everything!" The plusle swung his arms skyward at the last word in a sarcastic manner.

"If you know what we're up against," Hailey began. "Why stop here? Why are you hiding instead of fighting like Team Armageddon did in the past? Do you just not trust Dialga and Palkia?"

"Trust is the reason we didn't work with them before," Peterson stated whilst scowling. "They keep secrets – important, life-changing secrets – from everyone they work with for no damn reason! You can't trust them!"

"We don't have a choice!" Hazel snapped. "I don't have a choice!"

"You think just because you got mutated that you can pull your friends through the mud?"

"We chose to be here for her," Tracey snapped.

"Well, then you're all maggots, after all!" Peterson snapped. He began walking to the exit, mumbling as he went. But Hazel wasn't done yet. She still had one final question.

"Where's Ignitus?" Hazel shouted.

Peterson stopped at the doorway. His paw rolled up into a fist as he stood, breathing slowly. "He's not here," he said.

"He's not with you guys?" Tracey asked.

"As good as his goal was, I wasn't about to sacrifice pokemon to stop Giratina," Peterson said. "So, I stabbed him in the back, toppling Team Armageddon. That was me.

"I have no clue where Ignitus would be, and I don't give a damn. We only came here because it was used to study Shadow Matter during the Great War and Titus wanted the stuff. Other than that, we have no clue."

"What about the rumor that floated around Team Armageddon?" Tracey asked. "The one about if the Guild were ever to defeat Team Armageddon, there was a safe place to hide up in the mountains?"

"It was a lie," Peterson said. "There was no backup plan incase the Guild tried to kill us all. At the very least, Ignitus planned on making anyone who died a martyr to rally more pokemon behind. That's all."

Peterson turned around to look at Hazel, still scowling at her. "You're searching for him, too?" he asked.

"We need him," Hazel said.

"I wouldn't push your luck," Peterson said. "If you can and do find him – and that's a pretty big 'if' to begin with – he'll kill you for convincing me that Team Armageddon was making too many sacrifices. He. Will. Kill. You."

The plusle turned around once more. "By the way, your ditto friend is gone."

"What?!" Tracey shouted. She began looking around frantically for the purple blob.

"Apparently, when Titus showed up, he ran for the hills where he found me. He kept asking about Molan, so my guess is he's out looking for him. And – knowing that little blob – when he does, he's not coming back."

"He left without us?" Tracey questioned.

"Why not?" Hailey asked. "He really doesn't need us to begin with. If he wanted to leave, then I guess he had the right to."

"Fine," Hazel said. She couldn't say that she wasn't a little bummed by the idea of Bob leaving, but at the same time the guy worked for Ignitus before all of this and she didn't know him to begin with. If he left, she was satisfied to believe it was his choice.

"We'll leave when you say so," Peterson said. "But let me make this clear: Titus will kill you when he gets the chance. As much as he wants Shadow Matter, he only left you alive last time to see what it would do to you: use you as an experiment. Once that crap inside of you can't grow any longer, he'll kill you just to see what happens next.

"That's your only warning."

With that, Peterson left the building.

"Dang it…" Hailey moaned as she fell backwards, landing on her feathery behind.

"Hey!" Hazel said in worry as she fell to the staraptor's side.

"What's wrong?" Tracey said, her voice still being a little hoarse, but that seemed to be the extent of the damage.

"He broke my wing," Hailey said.

"That's not good," Hazel said as she reached to her side to pull some bandages from her bag. As she reached down, she found liquids splashed all over her bag, covering it in a foul odor she had been too hyped up on adrenaline to notice until now.

"Dang it," she said as she pulled the lip open, reaching inside to find the bandages. To her relief, the bottom of her bag was still relatively dry, meaning so were the bandages she removed. She then began wrapping them around the staraptor as a make-shift sling.

"We should have been more careful," Hailey said.

Hazel's heart stung at those words. This was her fault, wasn't it? She led them into what now appeared to be a trap laid out for them, hadn't she?

"I'm sorry, guys," Hazel said.

"For what?" Tracey said.

"For leading you all into a trap."

"It's fine," Tracey said. "We couldn't have known it was a trap."

"We'll be more careful, next time," Hailey said.

Hazel smiled at the two. "Alright," she said, finishing off Hailey's bandages. "How does it feel?"

"It won't move as much," Hailey began. "So not as painful."

"What now?" Tracey said. "Is Titus with us or not?"

"Now, we'll wait for Bolt, I guess," Hazel said. "We told him we'd wait for a few days for his family to get situated somewhere else. If he doesn't show up by then, we'll leave."

"And Titus?" Hailey reiterated on Tracey's behalf. "What are we going to do about him? We can trust him to not try and kill us."

"Well," Hazel said as a chilly breeze came in through the doorway, taking her attention towards the exit. "I think one of them know where Ignitus is, regardless of what Peterson says. Keeping Titus for that reason is reason enough.

"On top of that, we need him to clear me…" She felt guilt wash over her body. It was her fault they came here: her fault that Hailey got hurt, and what she said reinforced the idea.

"Then we'll watch him," Tracey suggested. "Take shifts."

"That won't help," Hailey said. "He's strong enough to kill us if he wants to. If he makes a move against us, then we're dead regardless."

"Then we'll just have to be careful about him," Hazel said. "Always be ready for an attack."

"I guess that'll have to do," Tracey said. "And we don't really need to be around him for now, seeing as we're just waiting."

"Agreed," Hailey said.

"Then it's settled," Hazel said. "We'll stay on guard around Titus, wait for Bolt, and if he doesn't show up, then we'll head out for Dialga and Palkia."

"Right," Tracey and Hailey agreed.

"Now that that's settled, I'm going to look for Bob," Tracey said. "I can't believe he just up and left us without saying bye first."

"Don't go too far," Hailey warned. "And if you need help, give us a shout."

"Yes, mom," Tracey said, rolling her eyes.

Hailey scowled at Tracey but continued to remain silent at her retorts. And with a swish of the glaceon's tail, she left the building.

"I'm going to watch Titus," Hailey said as she stood back up.

"Hey," Hazel said, taking Hailey's attention. "Are… we good? You're not mad at me?"

Hailey opened her beak but hesitated. "I'm… not mad at you, no… but I think coming in here like we did was a mistake, and I think it was a bad call on all of our parts."

"Yeah…" Hazel said slowly.

"But we're alive thanks to you," she said.

Hazel looked at Hailey with a raised eyebrow. "Yeah?" she asked.

"Give yourself some credit, sometimes," Hailey said. "You did talk him out of it, didn't you? I mean, he was dead-set on killing us, but now he's agreed to get to Dialga."

Hazel smiled at Hailey. She didn't know how much of that was accurate or how much of a role she actually played in that part, but it felt good to be valued.

"And we all make mistakes," Hailey continued. She smiled lightly. "I mean, last week Dean burned dinner and left the whole guild starving. Bolt nearly challenged him to a fight to blow off some steam while Jess talked about cannibalizing him."

"Dean? Cooking?" Hazel asked with a smile, imagining the machoke in an apron with a wooden spoon.

Hailey's smile began fading, replaced with her neutral stare. "So, stay positive. As the leader of this group, you need to be, so you don't repeat mistakes you've already made. Got it?"

Hazel felt a few tears come to her eyes. She almost felt like crying.

"This takes me back," Hazel said, recalling her childhood days. "We used to have pep talks like this one, too: back when we were kids."

"I remember," Hailey said, staring off towards the doorway, as well.

Hazel knew that was a simpler time: simpler than the crazy world she was in, now.

She began thinking about what lied ahead, considering whether it would get even more confusing and scary. It probably would, what with life-shattering events seemingly everywhere now more than ever. She wondered whether their plan would succeed. Would Dillan be able to find the Amber Amulet? And what then?

Hazel yearned for the simpler times. She wanted more than anything for things to go back to the way they use to be before Giratina and Team Armageddon: back when pokemon helped each other grow and live in the world.

My dream… Can I ever go back to fulfilling it? Would I ever go back, knowing the system was there to manipulate Ganderosa? ...Could I?

(Author's Notes)

Hey guys! What's up?

I'll make this short for you guys seeing as I ramble a little below. ;)

Shout-out to, "emotheextremo", "Skarmory21", "soulkiller10000", "Akira The Typhlosion", "ChunkyMnky1103", "PatkaticiFatih", "EpicTurtwig", "master guy dude", "RyChu0130", "Zorstaus", and "mgsforlifezzz" for following/favoriting the story! Even in an absence, people like it! Good to know. XD

Anyways, I'm going to say it outright right here. I'm not going to be posting regularly any longer. I went at it for a year, then slumped back due to a workload, and now I'm not doing it at all. To be honest, things have changed in my life over the past few months and dealing with it has been increasingly more difficult. It's why I haven't posted a chapter in four months. Hopefully I'm back to writing, but no promises seeing as I'm still trying to adjust.

To everyone who has waited, I'm sorry it took so long, and I'm sorry I'm not going to have a clear set of dates laid out as to when my next chapter will be released, but the story has fallen some bars in importance to my life, meaning I'm not putting all of my free time into this any longer. It's just what it'll be.

Anyways, thanks to everyone who has continued to stick around for the ex-members of Team Rapture and their fight against the evils of Ganderosa!

I'll see all of you in the next chapter!