Chapter 32: Decisions, Decisions


Silva runs up a hill and turns around towards Vincent and Melissa. She bounces in anticipation as she excitedly calls them over. "I see it! It's just over there!"

Vincent scoffs quietly at the Chikorita's enthusiasm and looks at Melissa, who's trailing a short distance behind him. "You sure you wouldn't rather I carried you up there? You've been dragging along with those short, stubby legs for a while."

The Cyndaquill makes a loud huff as she scampers up to his side. "Shut it! I can handle myself."

He smirks at this and the two soon make it up to the top of the hill, where a large, jagged entrance can be seen in the side of a rocky cliff. It appears intimidating at first glance, but something has noticeably gotten Silva's spirit up in being here. She isn't even hesitant to go into the cavern despite knowing nothing of the dangers waiting inside.

Vincent gazes ahead at the cave which lies before them. The prospect of what could be waiting for them makes him cautious as the trio proceeds onward. They come to the entrance and look inside, the darkness of the cave in contrast to the bright sky over the fields they've been traveling for sometime making it difficult to see at first. But after their eyes adjust to the change in light, what they see is a long tunnel extending into the deep of the mountain. A place with the name Labyrinth Cave is certain to provide a challenge traversing, but knowing it is a mystery dungeon would make it only that much more difficult.

Vincent remains wary as they enter, keeping a sharp sense for anything and everything. The sense of danger keeps his anticipation high as he wanders through the tunnel. His rings begin to glow faintly in the increasing dark with their advancement further from the light of the outside world, giving the dull walls of rock and dirt a slight blue tint. It feels as though the cave could collapse at any point, despite obviously being here for a long time.

The group makes their way through a series of twists and turns of corridors and small rooms, seeming to lose their way in this clearly abnormal cave. With every corner they turn, the place seems to change without them knowing or understanding how or why. Try as they might to find their way, this dungeon proves difficult to navigate- something Vincent was little prepared for upon entering. As he explores, he begins to wonder about the state of this world, with these spatial distortions occuring all over the place, seeming only to grow worse over time.

The three wander for what seems like hours, occasionally surprising an inhabiting pokemon such as a Zubat or Nidoran, which they have to fend off. Along the way, Melissa appears to have endured harsher punishment from their travel, in part due to her fire typing. But Vincent can't help but wonder if something more is weighing down on her, a strain she's been trying to hide since they met at Mt. Bristle just a few days ago.

As they continue on, Vincent gets a sense of something threatening ahead. His pace slows, and he glances idly at Silva and Melissa, who are walking together next to him. Melissa is able to pick up on his tension, easily understanding why, as she has it too.

They proceed on with caution, glancing around the area as they walk. It's as though there is a great deal of tension here now. They would eventually pass by what looks like an exoskeleton of some sort of bug pokemon lying next to the wall. It appears to have been here for quite some time, and as they examine it closer, it seems to be that of a Heracross, but with two rather imposing holes in it, side by side.

Vincent is almost disgusted by the sight of the what remains of the downed pokemon, perhaps an unlucky explorer from before. He can't be sure without knowing what happened.

They continue on, knowing that this cave is definitely more dangerous now than they had initially thought. As they make their way deeper through ever-narrowing tunnels, they notice a dim light ahead of them. They proceed towards it eventually find themselves entering a particularly large room. They can see small pools of water in various places, as well as ledges and cliffs scaling walls dozens of feet high. It is a clear contrast to the almost overwhelmingly cramped spaces throughout the rest of the cave.

Vincent takes a moment to sit down now. He can feel a change in the air around him, as though it just became lighter and less tense. For a second, it feels as though they've left the mystery dungeon and made it into a completely different place. He glances around curiously, starting to wonder just how he can get a hold of one of these Gabite scales they've come for.

He ponders for a moment in the silence of the hollow space around them and Melissa and Silva stare at him in curiosity. They, too, are wondering the same thing. As far as they've come, they've never found any clues as to where they can get a hold of these things. After a time, they begin to consider that they might have to get one straight from the...

...source. Speak of the landshark.

Vincent's ears twitch as he glances up towards a nearby cliff. He can hear dull footsteps against the stone ground, and soon, a Gabite is seen standing atop the cliff, glaring down at them with pale, yellow eyes. Vincent gets to his feet and stares up at the larger dragon pokemon, and both Melissa and Silva clamber closer to him at the sight of it.

Vincent is the first to speak. "You're the Gabite who lives here, right?"

The shark-like pokemon doesn't say a word, but a low, quiet hiss can be faintly heard as it keeps its eyes locked on the trio, which informs Vincent he should tread carefully in his request.

"Listen... We need to ask you a favor of great importance. There's a young, sick pokemon at Treasure Town. She's in need of help and we were asked to come here. Would you be willing to-"

"Don't you dare," the dragon-type growls out harshly in a deep, raspy voice. Clearly, he's in no mood to negotiate, and Vincent just stares at him silently. He continues agressively.

"I came here to live in peace, and do you know why? Because of all these sobbing, whining pokemon coming to me, begging and pleading with no regard of my own comfort or well being, for my scales. I'm not here to offer my charity to those who don't appreciate it."

Vincent's ears splay somewhat, and he looks to the ground. Charity? That's what this is about? He stares at the rocky surface in thought for mere seconds, but it seems like minutes have passed since he was talked down by the Gabite. What he came to this world for- it could be considered to some as charity, the act of helping others and expecting nothing in return. But to him, it is a duty he has to undergo. He can't fail again like he did before. So many lives are at stake. Two realms, and possibly even more, are riding on this task.

But is it appreciated?

That remains to be seen. However, what's more important is the safety of those he has vowed to protect. Not only his family, but countless others as well. He turns his gaze back up to the dragon-type, now more confident in his approach.

"I understand your resentment. But are you certain your troubles go without gratitude? Surely, those who come to you are in true need of your help. They can only be thankful of your actions, whether they express it or not."

The Gabite growls at his words, as though they were but empty lies that clearly didn't falter his decision. "I won't hear any more of this nonsense."

Vincent is now the one to return the glare, offering the same gesture of perturbation he was initially given at the dragon-type's assertion.

"Are you so cold that you don't care anymore?"

"Fight me for it," the larger pokemon challenges. "If you want it so badly, prove you're worth it."

Vincent's eyes narrow. He braces himself as tension runs through his body at the dragon-type's demand. The tone of finality makes it clear this pokemon will not give him any other option, and while he'd rather not have to fight, it will probably be the only way to convince the Gabite to help.

He glances over at Melissa and Silva, who give a small nod in return and face the Gabite. The vents on Melissa's back glimmer with blue light as she stares at the land shark pokemon, and Silva's eyes burn with confidence despite the reserved stance she takes. She is mustering up the courage to face their opponent.

With only a brief time to wait, the Gabite jumps down from the cliff and swings out an arm, releasing a gust of wind and sand at the three. Immediately, Vincent stances himself as both Melissa and Silva crouch behind him out of instinct. Soon, the Gabite lunges at the Umbreon with an outstretched claw, and he spins around to counter it with a glowing tail. After the clash, the dragon-type leaps back and the sandstorm subsides.

Silva moves her head out from behind Vincent to look at the Gabite, then quickly swings her head leaf out, releasing several razer sharp leaves at him, which he blocks with one of his arm fins, taking minimal damage.

Vincent quickly runs towards him, fading several times through the shadows to reach him within seconds, before flipping over to land another Iron Tail on him. The Gabite, however, is quick to react after recovering from Silva's attack, and steps to the side to evade. He then does a leg sweep and kicks Vincent to the side, making him utter a grunt.

Melissa, seeing this, bursts flames from her back and releases a large, blue flamethrower at their assailant, catching him off guard and singing him with the unexpectedly powerful attack. Meanwhile, Silva ducks down at the sight and Vincent quickly turns his head away as the dragon-type is engulfed in the brilliant, lapis-colored flames.

Seconds later, the Gabite emerges from the inferno with a sharp glare at the little Cyndaquil. Despite the power of her attack, he suffered little damage, but he is showing small burns over his body, which only serves to enrage him.

Vincent turns back to the bipedal pokemon just in time to see him dash towards Melissa and release a blast of greenish flames at her. She yelps and curls up with her body surrounded in her own fire as the attack lands. But despite her being protected from the brunt of it, he takes advantage of her defensive stance and kicks her high into the air.

Just as he is about to fire another attack, his face is lashed by two vines, making him grunt out in aggrivation and turn to face Silva. Melissa then lands several yards away and rolls across the ground before coming to a stop with a hard thud. Vincent calls out to her and Silva gives the Gabite a fierce glare. The larger pokemon merely scoffs in amusement and annoyance at her expression, and she waves her leaf to release a purple powder at him.

He takes a sharp breath and covers himself to avoid taking poisoning from the attack, but this creates enough of a distraction for Vincent to get up and stamp his paw on the ground. Several lights burst from the ground and strike the dragon-type, just before the Umbreon appears next to him and unleases a black pulse of energy to blow him backwards at great force.

The Gabite tumbles down hard and grunts in pain from the barrage of attacks, as well as his burns, starting to prove too much for him. But to top it all off, Silva releases several multicolored leaves which appear to fly through the air in a winding path as though locked onto the dragon pokemon, before striking him hard and tearing across his body.

Vincent stares at him for a moment, and then turns his attention back to Melissa and runs over to her. Silva follows suit and comes to the side of her downed friend. The Cyndaquil is laid flat on her belly and groaning in pain, but appears to be more disoriented than injured. Vincent sighs and brushes his snout against hers and she looks up at him with a small whine.

"I-is it over...?"

His eyes shift to the Gabite, who seems to be slowly getting to his knees and gasping for air. The bipedal pokemon growls at the trio, but appears in no shape to get back up.

"I think it is. Are you okay?"

She nods a bit and rubs her slitted eyes with her stubby forelimbs. Silva then runs over in front of the Gabite and stares up at him, and he eyes her with a bewildered look that almost seems to ask, What do you want?

After a brief time, he snorts and utters a quiet scoff. "You've sure got spunk, kid."

The Chikorita blinks in curiosity at his statement, but is quickly pushed over by his arm, making her yelp out in protest.

"But you're still a small fry to me."

She glares up at him and huffs out, her cheeks puffed in frustration. He then tries to stand up, but grunts harshly and drops to one knee again, evidently having had a lot taken out of him by trying to cope with his burns.

Vincent goes over to him and looks him over. "Hey, relax already."

The Gabite grumbles and sticks his claw into the ground to support himself. "You're lucky it was three on one. I'd have taken any one of you out in a heartbeat."

The Umbreon sighs and shakes his head. "Maybe... But that doesn't mean you should bully someone for the sake of it. You have something great. You can put it to good use if you'll just stop running."

The dragon-type squints at him as he motions to Silva, who pulls a small oran berry from her pouch.

"What're you on about, brat?"

Vincent moves in front of him and looks directly up at him. "If you devote yourself to helping others, you'll get the recognition you deserve. That's the point of these exploration teams. The guild, and everyone who works for it does it to help those in need because no one else can. They gain a lot of respect for it."

Silva uses her vines to bring the blue berry up to the Gabite, who stares at it suspiciously, and she stares back at him intently. After a moment's hesitation, he mutters and takes it, shoving the whole thing in his mouth and swallowing it in one gulp. He then glances at Melissa, who's finally gotten to her feet and made her way over to them. He seems more wary of her than the others due to the burns she inflicted on him, but he only snorts and looks back at Vincent.

"You're helping a sick pokemon, right?"

He nods. "A young Shinx. I'm told one of your scales is needed to treat her."

The dragon-type grunts quietly. "Some heavy sickness she's got for something like this. It seems curious to me."

Vincent furrows his brows in suspicion at his statement, and he brushes one of his claws over his side, running along his scales and inspecting them.

"What do you think it is?" Vincent inquires, growing curious about what could've happened to the little pokemon.

"Sounds like something nasty attacked her. This is too serious to be an accident."

The Umbreon eyes him intently. The idea that someone could've attacked such a young pokemon makes him grow more tense by the moment. She could, in fact, be in danger this very moment, which sets him on edge.

As the Gabite brushes over a loose scale, he plucks it off with ease and turns back to Vincent. "I suggest you get this to her quickly. They work best when fresh."

Silva moves her vines to take the scale and drop it into her pouch, before receeding into herself, then she looks up at him, worried. "Will you be okay?"

He scoffs lightly in response. "I shed these all the time. They just grow back. But I'll need to rest from this fight. I'll be fine."

She nods with uncertainty, then looks back over at Vincent. "We should go now. I'm concerned about that Shinx."

"Yeah. We have to hurry back." He then turns back to the Garchomp, and bows his head to him. "Thank you for helping us."

He snorts quietly. "Get going already."

The three back up, then turn back to the tunnels. After making their way back into them, Silva pulls out her exploration badge and holds it up. The area shifts around them as space distorts, and soon, the winding tunnels move to form one long, straight path through the cave, where at the very end, they can see the bright light of the sun shining outside. They quickly make their way through and reach the outside fields in minutes.

Vincent glances back at the cave for a moment, then the trio heads out into the open plains and back towards Treasure Town, set on making it back to the Shinx siblings and helping them. However, Vincent has something more on his mind. The prospect of the young female having been attacked still bugs him, and he wants answers.

- - - - -

After returning from their task, Raven and Christina look around the guild and see that most of the other teams have already come back. Though Vincent, Melissa and Silva have yet to return.

They go to their room and set down their supplies, before wandering back out into the hall. They soon come across a Shinx sitting by a window and staring out over the ocean. He appears to be quite worried, and they go over to talk to him.

Christina speaks up, catching the feline's attention, and he jerks his head over to them in surprise. "Hey, are you okay?"

The Shinx sighs and looks to the ground. "Yeah... I'm just waiting on someone to come back. I asked for an exploration team to find an item for my sick sister."

"And they haven't come back yet?"

He shakes his head and his round ears lower. "I hope they make it back soon. I was told that Labyrinth Cave is a pretty rough place."

Christina folds her arms at the notion, wondering what could've happened. She grows curious to who the young pokemon asked to help him, starting to piece together the details.

"Which team did you go to, if I might ask?"

"It was Team Sylver, I think."

Raven's ears perk at this, and he and Christina look at each other, Raven having come to the conclusion already.

"It's them."

Christina nods slowly. "If the place really is that dangerous, they could've gotten into trouble."

The male Pikachu glances at the Shinx, then back at her. "You think something may have happened to them?"

She shakes her head. "We can't be sure. I mean, this is Vincent, we're talking about. He couldn't just be beaten that easily."

Raven looks down in thought. He is considering going after them, but has no idea what they could be getting themselves into, or if they'd even find them.

After a moment, he lifts his head back to Christina and is about to say something, before the Shinx suddenly runs off towards the exit ladder. Both Raven and Christina look in surprise, only to see Vincent, Melissa and Silva. The three appear to be somewhat worn out from their trip.

As the pair goes over, Vincent notices them and nods his head to them. The Shinx pads up to him with a questioning look, and he motions to Silva. "You still have it?"

The Chikorita nods and pulls a dark blue scale from her pouch, before handing it to the feline, who immediately looks excited and takes it in his mouth. He puts it down momentarily to speak.

"Thank you so much! I hope this works."

Christina runs over to Vincent's side. "Are you alright?"

He nods and smiles to her at her apparent concern. "Yeah. Just had a little bit of trouble. It wasn't anything too major."

She taps her paw on his forehead and he furrows a brow at her. "You had us worried. We were thinking of going out to find you."

He eyes her with mild surprise, but soon sighs softly. "Sorry. We're okay though, really."

Raven steps in and waves to them. "Hey, we should get that thing to this guy's sister."

They glance at him, then nod and look at the little Shinx. Vincent moves away from the ladder. "You ready then?"

The feline nods and makes his way up the ladder, and the others follow him outside. They make their way into the town and across the river, before reaching a small hut away from the main path.

The Shinx quickly runs inside and calls out to someone, and the group stops at the doorway. Soon, a Luxio steps over and looks out at them, then motions for them to come in. They do so cautiously and the older feline walks into another room. He takes the Gabite Scale from the Shinx and puts it on a small wooden table, looking over at a younger female Shinx lying on a bed of leaves.

"Thank you guys for helping my cousins. I don't know what we'd have done without this."

Vincent goes over to him and looks at the scale. "You're certain that'll help her?"

The Luxio nods and turns to a pot of water sitting over a small flame. After dropping the scale into it, he takes a wooden rod and starts stirring. He looks over at Melissa, who tilts her head, and he moves over. "Hey, could I ask you for something? See, I've been trying to keep this water hot in hopes that I could do this by the time you got here. But I've run out of wood and the fire's starting to go out."

She looks at the pot, then nods in understanding and walks over. She takes a deep breath and releases a steady stream of blue flame under the pot, and the Luxio moves around to the other side to keep stirring. Vincent watches with interest as they prepare the medicine, with Melissa keeping the fire alight and the elder feline occasionally stirring the water until the scale has disolved into it. He finds the blue fire oddly familiar, as though he'd seen something like it before.

And then he realizes, he has. Serenity controlled a flame similar to this, although lighter. Occasionally he'd see a little bit of white in it, which only added to its beauty- a beauty matching that of the Ninetales who used it. He begins to wonder if she's okay, back in Earthrealm. Everyone they'd left there is surely still waiting on them to return.

His thoughtful haze is broken when the Luxio asks Melissa to stop, and he looks back at them as the blue flames cease and the feline moves a bowl to the side of the pot. He takes the handle in his mouth and tilts the pot over to pour the tea they've made into the bowl, appearing as a pale, purplish-blue water. Christina goes over and picks up the bowl, then places it by the younger Shinx, who opens her eyes to look at it drowsily. She sniffs at it, the smell plain with something of a slight spice to it. She looks at her older brother and cousin for a moment, before lowering her head to lap at it slowly, trying not to drink too quickly due to how hot it is.

Eventually, once she finishes the tea, she lays her head back down on the bed and takes a deep breath. Her frail appearance, over time, has noticeably improved while drinking, but they know it'll still be some time before she recovers. The Luxio turns to the group with a grateful smile.

"Thanks again. You really helped us and we can't thank you enough for this."

A bright smile forms on Silva's face and her head leaf sways cheerfully. "Hey, it's nothing. We're just glad we could help!"

Vincent nods, but his expression remains one of concern, and he finally comes out with it. "Do you mind telling us how she got sick? The Gabite who gave us that scale said it'd have to be something pretty severe to require that. He doesn't believe this was some accident."

The Luxio's smile turns into a frown and he looks to the ground. "The truth is...we were attacked by a couple of thieves. They stopped us on the way home from the market and tried to steal something from us. We drove them off, but my younger cousin was badly poisoned. We had to rush her home and get help, and that's what led to this."

Vincent's eyes narrow at the story. Gabite was right, this wasn't just a normal sickness. And the notion that these pokemon were attacked and nearly robbed tells him that even this place isn't as safe as he'd hoped. Though many things run through his head and he wonders how such a thing could've happened.

The Luxio goes over to the table and takes one of two small objects which appear to be white fangs of some sort. He turns back to the group and holds it out in his four-pointed star-shaped tail end.

"This is what they were after. These Luxray Fangs were given to us by my parents before we moved in here. You see, we came from a place called Amp Plains. The colony we were a part of was attacked years ago and we had to get out and find a safer place. My parents, and theirs, didn't make it though... They left these with us hoping they'd protect us from danger. And so far, they did pretty well with that. They're supposed to make our electric attacks stronger. So I guess we couldn't have gotten away from those robbers without them."

Vincent stares at the small fang with interest, taking in the story and letting out a small sigh. "So your parents gave their lives to let you escape and left you with these."

The feline nods, then takes the fang in his tail again. "I'd be willing to part with one as a token for your help. It's the least we could do for all you've done for us."

Melissa looks at him with concern at his offer. "Won't you need these if someone else tries to hurt you?"

The Luxio looks over at the table, where the other fang is lying. "We still have one." He then looks back at them. "We're gonna get really strong so we can defend outselves next time. You'll see."

She nods slowly and takes the fang in her forelimbs, then looks back at Silva. The Chikorita comes over to look at the fang, then at the Luxio. "We'll take good care of it."

The feline smiles and nods to them, and Melissa puts the fang in Silva's pouch, then looks at the young female Shinx. "You be careful, okay? Try and get better soon."

She nods a little and speaks in a quiet, but high-pitched voice. "I'll try..."

Vincent looks between everyone and then nods to the family. "We should get going. It's getting dark soon."

"Yeah," the Luxio replies, and he leads them to the door with the older Shinx. "Take care, okay? I hope we can see you again someday."

Christina smiles to the two and waves her paw. "Hopefully for something less urgent."

The Shinx nods to them and they start back towards the guild, bidding farewell to them as they leave. After returning, they have their nightly meal which many of the guild members scarf down in a way similar to savages of the wild, something which mildly bothers Vincent, though he ignores it. Having eaten their fill, they return to their rooms for the night.

Vincent settles down on his bed and looks over at Melissa and Silva, who are both resting on theirs in exhaustion from the day's activities. He lets out a quiet yawn and lays his head down.

Soon, Silva starts to talk in a quiet voice. She appears to be holding the stone from before- the one which they'd prevented the Zubat and Koffing from taking before.

"You know, talking about those guys' parents got me thinking about mine... More, my mother. She always looked out for me before. Right up until I felt it was time for me to come here. I wanted so much to join the exploration guild, so when I was finally able to come out on my own, I left Mystifying Forest to travel here. I still wonder about her though. I hope she's okay."

Vincent looks over at her inquisitively. "What about your father?"

She puffs out her cheeks a bit. "That old oaf? He left when I was younger. I don't know where he went, or even what he was like. Mom says he was a stuck up fool who only cared about himself."

He eyes her quietly as she lets out a soft breath, then looks down at the stone between her forelegs, perking his curiosity. "But really, I do sometimes wonder how things could've been."

"You seem rather attached to that."

She stares at the object, holding onto it as though protecting it. "I know I said I found this before. But that was because I didn't know if I could trust you guys. Truthfully, this is something my mother gave me before I left. I still don't know what it is, but she says it's a really special treasure and to never let it go."

Vincent looks at the stone attentively, pondering just what it could be. He knows he's seen the pattern inscribed on it before, but the more he thinks about it, the more the answer slips away.

After a while, she takes the stone and slips it back into her pouch, then yawns sleepily. "We'd better get to sleep. We have another day ahead tomorrow."

He nods and looks at Melissa, who's already fallen asleep. He can't help but smile, and he lays his head back down. For now, it's best if he rested and thought more on things later. But the longer he stays here, the more he wonders if he's missing something. The time may come when he'll have to leave and search for his own answers. However, he is conflicted over just what he should be searching for. Still, many questions linger in his mind about himself, who he is and where he's from. And then, there's this task he's set on. He just hopes that he can get everything figured out soon, as he finally drifts off to sleep, awaiting the next day.