>CHAPTER 5
Dark Night
Alphonse gently rubbed his eyes. Another night had come and gone, and luckily this one came without any strange dreams. Whereas it was not as restful as the conditions over at the inn with Lazlo, it would have to make do.
His body ached from the fruits of his labor. His punishment from the day before, dispensing the caches of loot from the expeditions, proved quite taxing on him. It was made even worse by the fact he had to do it all by himself, despite having four more-than-capable Pokemon to assist him with the burdens. But a punishment is a punishment, and Alphonse would be sure not to invoke the wrath of his new "friends" once more.
As his aching body forced him out of his makeshift bed, he looked over at Bethel, who had yet again beaten him up. The two locked eyes, experiencing an uncomfortable silence.
Alphonse was quick to recognize the awkwardness of the situation and decided to break the ice.
"Good morning, Bethel," he yawned. "How long have you been up?"
"Not long. I'm glad to see you took yesterday's lesson to heart." Bethel smiled slyly. After a quick stretch, she appended with, "It's going to be a big day today, as you already know."
"Right. The dungeon expedition..." Alphonse said, a glimmer of hopelessness in his response.
Bethel shot up from her bed and began sauntering around the room, grabbing her satchel and filling it with various goods. "Now that you've woken up on time, you'll be able to help yourself to Ephie's excellent cooking," she teased.
"We tend to eat whatever's closest to expiration in our rations first. Waste not, want not," Bethel advised. "But there's something about how Ephie prepares everything. You'd never even know you've been eating month-old food."
Alphonse was silent, but his stomach spoke for him with a grumble that showed his interest.
"I'll meet you in the dining room. It's the first room on the left, after the main chamber. You can't miss it." Bethel's voice trailed off as she approached through the curtain-covered entrance to the side room that Alphonse had noticed earlier.
Alphonse couldn't deny he was curious to see what lied behind the curtain in the secret room, but fearing further punishment, he decided it would be best to ignore the desire for now.
Leaving the room and wandering through the messy main hall, he noticed the room was totally void of any other Pokemon. After surveying around once more to see if the coast was clear, Al took a brief recess on a nearby seat to gather his thoughts.
Brushing himself off a bit, he sat back and began his descent into his thoughts.
"What have I gotten myself into?" Alphonse questioned himself internally.
"This is really what I'm doing now? Up until a few nights ago, I was perfectly content living out the rest of my life alone, in the middle of nowhere. Now I'm running into all these strange Pokemon, all of them having different perceptions of me."
Alphonse paused.
"I feel like I've worn so many masks over the years, and it's been so long that I've forgotten who I really am. At least, ever since back home..." Alphonse began to trail off. A fire rose within him, steering the course of his inner monologue back on track.
"Whatever. It's not important." Alphonse felt the tone of his dialogue change.
"It doesn't matter what these outlaw Pokemon think. Heck, it certainly doesn't matter what the Pokemon back in Arcade think either. None of them know me."
Alphonse clenched his fists in rage and furrowed his brows.
"I don't need Lazlo. And I don't need Bethel. I just need myself. I just have to keep up this charade until an opportunity to get out presents itself."
"...I don't know how long I can deal with all of this."
The next thing he knew, Alphonse found himself in the entryway to the dining hall.
"I must've got up and walked over while I was lost in my thoughts," he discerned.
He was no longer by himself. He saw Gattz and Del, both sitting at the farthest end of the table. Alphonse counted several seats that were unfilled. There were two for Ephie and Bethel, obviously, but he wondered who the other seats belonged to, besides himself temporarily.
"Are you going to stand and gawk, or are you gonna sit down?" Gattz's grating voice rammed into Alphonse's eardrums.
Without any hint of hesitation, Alphonse walked over to the seat closest to him and sat down. Del observed out of the corner of his eye.
"Another strong, silent type. Need more of you and less of Gattz," Del approved, the corner of his mouth twisting into a sly grin.
While his peripheral vision was focused on Alphonse, he focused the rest of his vision on Gattz, eagerly awaiting to see if he was successful in getting a rise out of the poor Reuniclus. Gattz obliged, stuck his tongue out in disapproval of the comment, but took no further action.
An uncomfortable silence, aside from the sound of Del and Gattz chowing down, choked out the ambience of the room. Alphonse stared blankly into space, still lost in thought. However, the stagnant air of the room was short-lived, as a burst of sweet scents rushed in alongside Ephie and three levitating bowls.
"Good morning, honey," Ephie directed at Alphonse, flashing an innocent smile.
"I hope you intend to eat and not just sit there staring into the ether."
Alphonse looked to his side as Ephie and the bowls of food floated next to her. Without a word, he graciously reached for a bowl and set it down on the table in front of him, not without giving a quick nod of gratitude.
"Did Bethel eat yet?" Ephie surveyed the room.
"Not yet," Del stated.
"That girl has been late to breakfast every day since she heard about that con-" Ephie started to say before stopping herself, her face ablush.
Alphonse looked in her direction, about to prepare a request for further elaboration, but remembered the discussion he had with himself moments ago, and decided not to pry. Ephie sat down next to Gattz, putting her and Bethel's bowls down gently on the table. She hovered a spoon towards herself and graciously began to eat, keeping her classy air about her. Alphonse was still mentally somewhere else but blinked himself back into action, realizing Ephie had been staring at him the entire time in anticipation. With more fear of the reaction from Del had he not accepted this gift of food than the fear of offending Ephie, he decided to pick up his utensil and eat from the bowl. For once, Alphonse wasn't hungry, for his nerves were crying out too loudly for him to feel any sensation in his gut.
After taking his first bite, his stoic visage receded into nothingness. The food was absolutely delicious, just as Bethel had mentioned. It was almost as good as the food Lou had prepared for him back in Arcade, which came as a shock. Alphonse, having now peaked his appetite, was barely restraining himself from slurping down the entire bowl in one gulp, instead opting to take several small spoonfuls every so often. At least the taste was more savorable that way.
It wasn't until Alphonse and the thieves were halfway done with breakfast that Bethel leisurely strolled into the dining hall. Looking at Alphonse without so much as a hello, she continued on her path and sat in her seat right next to Del.
"About time," Gattz chided. "I was about to help myself to your portion."
Bethel laughed at the empty threat.
"Don't kid yourself, Gattz. If you had tried that, Del would be scraping you off the walls right now."
Del smirked.
"Ephie's on cleaning duty this week, not me." Ephie gave a laugh in approval as Gattz grumbled to himself.
The gang continued to eat as they discussed amongst themselves, sans Alphonse. Alphonse paid no mind to their ravings, instead being more focused on himself. He was the first to finish his food, then excused himself to go clean his dishes. Ephie suddenly appeared in front of him, blocking his path to the kitchen.
"No, no, dear. I'll take care of it," she assured.
Alphonse handed her the bowl and began to head out of the dining hall and back to Bethel's room to resume his meditations. This time, Bethel would be the one to stop him.
"We'll start the morning address in a few minutes. Don't go wandering off or snooping around, and we'll see you in the main hall."
Alphonse gave another silent approval, and he continued on his way back.
Back in Bethel's room, Alphonse had begun to strike up another conversation with himself.
"Strength."
"They really think I'm some sort of tough guy, huh? I'll admit, it's not my favorite persona, but if that's what I have to do to stay in one piece here, I guess I don't really have a choice." The tone of voice was quite mocking now.
"I certainally have Bethel fooled, and the others seem to be falling in line as well. It shouldn't be too hard to keep it up for a little dungeon run, huh?"
"After all, I was able to fool my par-" Another surge of anger and guilt washed over his body. More baggage that wasn't worth unpacking right now, he decided. His attention began to shift back to reality and what surrounded him. As he observed before, Bethel's room was very neat and tidy. It seemed out of character for the wicked Litten. But nothing seemed stranger to him than the side room, safely tucked away behind two black curtains. It itched at him more than anything else. What happened to be behind there, and why was Bethel so eager to defend it? What sort of secrets could a Pokemon like Bethel have? What sort of skeletons loomed within her closet? She had seemed so open before, on the night of their meeting, telling Alphonse her coming-of-age stories and whimsical expeditions. So what else could she be hiding? The desire to know more was maddening.
As the questions ricocheted around his head, exponentially growing in number, he found himself on his feet, motioning towards the curtain in a trance-like sway.
"If she found out he was snooping, she'd surely kill me. Or worse?" Alphone shuddered.
"But I can't help myself; I just have to see."
Alphonse was now face-to-face with the curtains as he began to part them aside and peek at what lay beyond. Unfortunately, it was much too dark in the side room to make out anything that may be contained within it. As he took one foot and then the other, he crept into the room, hoping to get a better look.
"Al, what are you doing?" Bethel's voice screamed. Alphonse's heart nearly lept out of his chest as he fell over onto the floor, stunned by the sudden outburst.
"We're all ready to start the morning address. Get out here!"
Alphonse realized he hadn't been caught, but he was mere moments away from it. If he dallied any longer, it would surely be over for him. Scrambling to stand back up, he replied back with a shaky yell.
"Coming!" It was all he could manage to yell out, his voice crackling and shaking.
After returning to his feet, he sprinted out of the side room, through Bethel's quarters, and into the main hall.
"Nice hustle!" Bethel applauded. She was none the wiser.
"Take a seat anywhere in front of the podium."
Del, Bethel, Ephie, and Gattz had all assumed their positions from the night before. Gattz tinkering away in his corner, Ephie luxuriously sprawled along her corner, and Del and Bethel shared the podium. Alphonse jogged over to the center of the room and promptly sat down.
"Alright, to begin the morning address. Gattz, as usual, you're up first." Bethel commanded.
Gattz stood up from his position.
"I ain't got much new to report. The security system's been fixed here, and we have enough scrap materials to hold us over for the next several seasons. I am still looking for as many orbs and broken-down traps as you may find, so keep an eye out for those for me on today's dungeon run. That's all."
Bethel nodded.
"Ephie?"
"Our food and medicine stocks are good from what I've seen as well. We also have enough luxury goods for the next merchant that should happen to wander through, or if one of our fence merchants makes a local visit. Our Poke reserves are at an all-time high, and we don't seem to be lacking anything aside from a few non-essential care items."
Bethel closed her eyes and smiled.
"Good."
Ephie continued.
"As for our operations, the weather around and inside the dungeon should still be crystal clear. There won't be any more big storms for the next few weeks. Gattz, I trust you prepared the necessary supplies for today's mission."
Alphonse took his cue next
"Actually, Ephie, I took the liberty of assembling everything we need for today during my inventory management yesterday."
Ephie smiled.
"Well, aren't you a go-getter? We might have to punish you more often if you're going to be so proactive," she harped.
Bethel nodded with resounding confidence. Del then took his turn to speak.
"Nothing to report," Del boldly stated. Bethel smiled.
"Alright, you lot, we'll do the usual song and dance once more, and then get ready to head out. Ready?" Bethel barked. The group, sans Alphonse, nodded along and began to chant.
"Honor among thieves!"
"No low-hanging fruit!"
"Punish the wicked!"
The room erupted into a series of joyous roars, growls, and howls.
"Alright everyone! Let's move out!" Bethel yelled.
As the Pokemon rose from their seats and began to walk out from the inner sanctum to the labyrinthine halls ahead, Bethel took Alphonse aside from the crowd.
"By the way, Al, you owe me."
"Owe you?" Alphonse looked puzzled, and his inflection matched the bill as well.
"Yup. Del was planning on sparing with you before we headed out, but I assured him that wouldn't be necessary. Besides, we need everyone in tip-top shape, including you." Bethel whispered.
"None of us need you all beat up before the big heist," she assured.
"Ah, thanks," Alphonse replied back.
"Pardon me for asking, but I'm not entirely sure what this big heist is even going to be about. I could use a briefing," Alphonse meekly admitted.
Bethel broke her quiet tone with a vicious laugh, turned around, and began to follow the other Pokemon back to the surface.
"In time, Al. In time."
As the party made their way through the base's ever-spreading hallways and corridors, they eventually emerged back onto the surface. It was the first time Alphonse could observe the area, thanks to the light of day. There were even more ruins and broken building foundations than he had thought, all equally covered in moss and vines. Behind them loomed several steep cliffs, as the carefully concealed entrance to the thieves' underground hideout gradually faded from view. The hideout appeared to have been built partially out of the mountains that lie behind them, providing ample security and an easily defendable vantage point against any brave adventurers hoping to enact justice. Beyond the series of ruins was more overgrown forest, the tree line choking out any vision beyond.
Alphonse and his new "friends" were just about to exit the forest clearing when they heard a sharp rustling in a nearby bush. It was not the wind.
"We're not alone," Bethel growled. The thieves assumed battle stances. Alphonse darted his eyes around, hoping to find where the rustling had stemmed from. But before he could find the source, he noticed Bethel preparing to attack mere feet from where he stood.
"There!" she cried out, a gust of fire escaping from her mouth alongside it. A red hot flame emerged from her, barely missing Alphonse, as it impacted into a nearby thicket of shrubs and trees. The smell of charred wood filled the air. Gattz waved his right hand as a strange sensation passed around the area, rapidly extinguishing the fire before it could spread any further. With the flames extinguished, the group began to inspect the ashes before them.
Rummaging through the ash and soot, the group continued to observe the area, looking for any unwelcome guests.
Del extended a paw and waved it through the air. He began growling, barring his teeth and bristling the hairs on his back.
"I've lost their scent."
Bethel eased out of her aggressive stance, rapidly cooling back down to her usual sly appearance.
"Whatever, I'm sure we scared off whoever was lurking about anyway," she concluded.
Alphonse felt strange. He definitely felt the presence, even still in the moment after all was clear. But it was rapidly fading from his recognition. It was an oddly familiar presence as well, one he had not felt in quite a while but was scarcely recognizable all the same. Not wanting to explain further as to not hype up any of the thieves further, he kept his mouth shut and continued on with the rest of the group through the forest path.
It was almost as if night had fallen again, given how dark the surroundings were. The leaves of the great trees above had blocked out any and all sunlight to the forest floor below, creating a cover of acidic soil, dead plants, and various mushrooms. Alphonse had no idea where he was going and had no idea how to get back to Arcade, instead blindly following the thieves to the dungeon entrance beyond the forest. Even if he wanted to make a break for it, he knew he had next to no chance of escaping these woods on his own. Less time had passed than Alphonse had felt, as beams of light gradually stemmed down through the leaves. The forest was thinning out, and there were even some signs of plains and hills beyond that Alphonse could vaguely make out. The dungeon probably wasn't much farther away, he hoped.
And he was right. As the forest once again receded into rolling hills and meadows, he found himself at a strange peace with his surroundings. Various flowers and tall grass covered the earth they walked on, dazzling radiantly in all its natural beauty.
"Hard to believe a dungeon could be anywhere near a place as serene as this," Alphonse thought.
The group gradually came up with another ensemble of tall trees and wild natural fauna, slowing their pace and eventually stopping in their tracks.
"We're here," Del called out.
Alphonse looked around. He couldn't see any tall structures around that resembled an entrance to a dungeon. But then he came to the realization that it was likely underground.
Del, using his great figure, pushed aside various brushes and plants that were up to Alphose's neck to reveal a steady decline into the earth. A sprawling path appeared before them, sinking gradually into a recessed overhang below. Had Del not moved the foliage aside, Alphonse would've walked right off the edge.
"Ephie, you can go back home now. Gattz, stay put until we resurface," Del commanded.
"Good luck to you all," Ephie cackled, vanishing into thin air.
"Yeah, break a leg. Especially you, newbie," Gattz rasped, wrapping an arm around Alphonse.
Alphonse wiggled awkwardly out of his grasp.
"Let's waste no more time," Bethel sang, "and get on with the show."
She dove headfirst into the recessed entrance, with Del following behind.
Alphonse took one last look around, weighing his options. Either he could bail now and maybe find his way back to Arcade, explain the whole situation and be hit with only minor consequences for aiding a fugitive, pay his dues, and get back to his solitary journey through life. He looked Gattz up and down.
"I could probably take him. "He can't be that strong, right?" Alphonse thought to himself.
But it was still too much of an unknown to risk pursuing. So with his mind made up, he took one last breath of fresh morning air and followed Bethel and Del into the dungeon below.
The entire land warped around him. It had been quite a while since Alphonse last found himself in a dungeon, but he eerily found himself right at home in the wild and wicked nature of the area. All the peace and serenity that existed before are now totally gone. As he gained his composure, he met back up with Del and Bethel.
"As a reminder, the order will be Del, Alphonse, then me. Al, don't do anything too stupid or gutsy; just show us how you handle yourself, and we'll all walk out of here better off than before." Bethel instructed.
Del began to venture forward down a lone path, with Alphonse and Bethel following in close proximity. So far, the entrance has been largely unmet with any adversaries. It felt a bit too easy for Alphonse. Del walked proudly and with dilligence, occasionally going off on strange paths, which Alphonse assumed was to avoid any traps. After several steps, Del stopped in his tracks, motioning silently to look ahead while holding the others back.
In front of them lay several Pokemon, all asleep. An assortment of grass, bug, and poison types, they were all more massive and imposing than any of the towns Pokemon Alphonse had witnessed in prior days, even while asleep. Just as Alphonse calculated his next moves, Del sprang into action, charging towards the biggest Pokemon first. The giant Shrifty lied now inches in front of him, still fast asleep. Del cocked a fist into the air, pressing forward, and delivered a swift, heavy blow towards the Shrifty. Without so much as a fight, the Shrifty rose awake, flew back into a nearby wall, and collapsed, slowly beginning to fade from vision. Alphonse, taken aback by the display of force, was momentarily stunned. Looking over at the defeated Shrifty that was rapidly fading into nothing, he remembered to himself the inner workings of the dungeons that plagued the lands. The Pokemon were nothing more than dummies—twisted, feral visions of some greater evil than he could comprehend. There was no need to show any hestiation or mercy here, for these were nothing more than the wicked shadows of Pokemon that would surely terrorize the land above, had they been given the opportunity to escape from their dungeons.
After remembering this fact, Alphonse lunged forward next. He targeted what appeared to be an Arbok, now awake from the commotion. The Arbok barreled towards him, its fangs glistening like pointed daggers, ready to strike. Alphonse stopped, chanted to himself, and held his hands towards his temples, directing a great surge of psychic energy towards his foe.
Unfortunately for Alphonse, the attack wasn't very effective. The Arbok resumed its charge, unphased by Al's attack. Bracing for impact, Alphonse instead found an energy rise inside him, causing his body to dash out to the side and narrowly avoid the Arbok's attack. His dodge was a bit sloppy, however, as he had fallen off his feet and began to regain his balance. The Arbok was now preparing a second attack, whipping its gargantuan tail like a flail. Alphonse was not as quick to dodge this time, the Arbok's tail ramming into him and sending him back a bit, but not completely. As the Arbok's tail bared down on Alphonse, Alphonse began to calculate his next move. But once again, Del appeared from the sidelines, having just made short work of another Pokemon. Del lept into the air with great height, slamming an elbow down below square into the Arbok's head. The ground cracked below, leaving a small crater where Del's elbow had driven the Arbok into the dirt. The Arbok had fallen.
Meanwhile, Bethel took on two Pokemon at once, both bug types. A Dustox and a Beautifly began to form a double attack, planning on vicegripping Bethel between their bodies. Bethel's feline reflexes sprang into action as she let out another fireball from her mouth, disintegrating both Pokemon with a single blast. She drew her attention back to Alphonse, who had begun to recompose after taking a massive hit. Slightly disappointed, she exchanged glances with the wounded Abra.
Alphonse felt his blood boil and, in a moment eager to prove himself, directed himself towards another Pokemon, this time a wheezing. The Wheezing prepared a sturdy stance, bulking itself up. Alphonse realized that a direct attack would be fatal to both of them, as the Wheezing looked as if it would explode any second now. Alphonse knelt down on the ground, channeling more of his latent energy, until it unleashed a great beam from the center of his forehead. The beam pierced through the distant Wheezing, causing it to harmlessly collapse into the ground. Looking back at Bethel, he saw her disappointment flush into approval at the act of strength. Happy to have reclaimed himself in the Litten's eyes, Alphonse targeted the lone Pokemon left that Del nor Bethel had not occupied themselves with yet, a smaller Croagunk.
A Breloom aggressively sauntered over to Alphonse, unknown to him. Just as the Breloom was about to attack, the adept Abra snapped around into action, displaying a great counterattack in a series of dizzying lights and wicked colors. The Breloom flinched, taken aback by the attack. But as Alphonse prepared to finish off the Breloom, he felt himself struck in the back by a venomous jab. The Croagunk from before had made its way over to Al and rapidly delivered a series of dizzying punches, each one more intoxicating than the last. Feeling poison course through his veins, Alphonse had to make a snap decision. Did he deal with the wounded Breloom in order to guarantee a one-on-one with the Croagunk? Or did he target the greater Croagunk threat first, leaving only a cleanup job left? Before his mind could decide, his body once again acted, delivering a walloping blow towards the Croagunk. The Croagunk rolled away in the opposite direction, mortally wounded by the blow. Alphonse wasted no time in finishing off the Breloom with a psychic slash of energy. The Breloom sliced in two, disintegrating into nothing without making a single sound.
As Alphonse turned back around to finish off the Croagunk, he saw it instead hovering in the air, held up by Del's right hand. Del gripped tightly, then threw the Croagunk down into the hard dungeon floor beneath, shattering it into what could only be described as confetti. Alphonse, exhaling loudly, turned his attention to Bethel, who had also just finished fighting off her opponents. Around her was a circle of ash, the sole remains of the wicked dungeon Pokemon that had dared challenge her authority.
"Not bad, but not the best either," Bethel spoke towards Alphonse.
"You fumbled at the beginning, but something came alive in you towards the end there. It was great to see."
"Thanks," was all Alphonse could say, adrenaline still coursing through his veins alongside the poison. Not wanting to hold the party any further, he began to walk towards the descent further into the dungeon with Del. Bethel followed close behind.
What followed were several floors of more of the same: Del beating anything he could into a paste, Bethel charring any enemies into ash, and Alphonse rupturing the minds of anything foolish enough to stand against him. Alphonse found himself becoming more and more comfortable with combat as he descended deeper into the dungeon with his party, and Bethel was sure to take note of his growing hunger for battle.
After about thirteen floors, the party had reached the basement of the dungeon. After surveying the surroundings, they realized they could go no further at this time and prepared to review their expedition and head back outside.
"So if I counted it right, Alphonse, you defeated nineteen Pokemon, I defeated twenty-seven, and Del... as usual, you lapped everyone else with a solid one-fourteen."
Del smiled a grizzly smile.
"It's what I do best."
"We took minimal damage as well, save for Al's poisoning earlier on. And we were lucky enough to find a Pecha Berry to get him back functional. All in all, I'd say today was another success," Bethel cheered.
"So we're ready to head back?" Alphonse inquired.
"Yeah, but me and you will be taking the long route. Del will exit through the usual, benign shortcut." Bethel replied.
Alphonse was a bit nervous, but his desire to see more action outweighed his nerves in the moment.
"Let's make haste then," he said, determined.
"Excellent!" Bethel smiled deviously.
"Del, we'll see you on the other side."
Del nodded and headed off, confident that Bethel could contain herself.
Bethel and Alphonse began to walk back into the dungeon.
"This'll be something of an 'extra credit'," Bethel told Alphonse.
"I was surprised at how eager you were to fight, and I can tell you still have some energy in you. And I'm not one to deny you of such pleasure," Bethel cackled.
The two descended back into the dungeon, equally splitting off the remaining foes that dared to challenge them. They must've fought about thirty more Pokemon between the two of them. It certainly was a great day for battle, it seemed. But something bothered Al. The Pokemon were getting fewer and fewer in number and more desperate over time. What could be going on? It's almost as if the Pokemon in the dungeon were frightened by something... or someone.
Al knew he and Beth were capable fighters, but to instill such fear into the remaining sentries of this dungeon? It was unheard of. Alphonse was still confused, right up until he met the source of the fear as it stood before him.
There were three Pokemon that stood proudly before Bethel and Alphonse. Although they were not the usual caliber of dungeon Pokemon, instead, they were another group of dungeon delvers.
"Well, look what we've got here," one of them mocked. "Our favorite sticky-pawed pal."
Bethel arched her body up and hissed fiercely.
"Dunas," she spat.
A one-eyed Vigoroth emerged from the group. He growled playfully back at Litten, who had arched herself up even further.
"It looks like she's got a friend, Dunas," a second voice growled.
"Whatever, he's no concern to us," rasped a third.
Two more Pokemon stepped forward, an Annihilape and an Azumarill, menancing in their gaunt.
"Didn't we already tell you? These are our stomping grounds," spat the Annihilape.
The Vigiroth inched forward further.
"Now, Kane, we have to learn to share with the other Pokemon of this land, remember? Even if we're all a bunch of no-good thieves, isn't that right, Skyla?"
The Azumarill lurched forward.
"Right you are, Dunas. After all, being a good neighbor is of the utmost importance. Heh."
Bethel could hardly arch her back further.
"What do you deadbeats want? Besides a whooping, of course."
The three laughed a chilling laugh, one that shook Alphonse to the bone. Their laugh was even more virile than the poison he was inflicted with earlier.
"Word through the grapevine is that there's an ever bigger bounty on your heads, now." Dunas smirked.
"What a pickle you two must be in."
"And the only thing we believe in more than helping neighbors is helping out old friends," Kane the Annihilape hollered venomously.
"Meanwhile, I don't see your usual band of friends anywhere. What's up with that, Bethel?" Skyla the Azumarill mocked.
"Del's outside already, and so is Gattz. Unless you all plan on meeting your ends today, I suggest you move along." Bethel replied. Alphonse could make out a hint of shakiness in her voice, which seemed very out of character for the scrappy young Litten.
The three imposing Pokemon hooted and hollered, unphased by Bethel's threat.
"My, my... same old Bethel. It's enough to bring a tear to my eye," Skyla snickered.
"We didn't see any sign of that loser, Gattz. Lying will get you nowhere," hollered Kane.
Dunas was still laughing, but stopped abruptly. He shot a piercing gaze over to Alphonse, sizing him up. Alphonse stood perfectly still, as if he were made of stone.
"Who's this one?" Dunas barked, extending a claw in Alphonse's direction.
Alphonse could see the angry Vigiroth in front of him more clearly now. He had tangled, matted fur and a scar over his left eye. He looked even more dangerous than any of the feral dungeon Pokemon they had encountered. Still, this excited a part of Alphonse rather than scared him.
Alphonse, who had since turned a completely new leaf from his manic, anxious personality from before, stared back at Dunas, matching his threatening energy. Alphonse remained silent, but if looks could hurt, there would be a great fight going on right now.
"Don't worry about him. I'm sure messing with him would be an even graver mistake than you'd think," Bethel reprimanded.
The laughter doubled in velocity.
"He looks like he couldn't fight his way out of a sack," Skyla cackled.
"A box is generous; I'm surprised he even hatched from his egg," howled Kane.
Dunas, matching the imposing force that Alphonse eminated, remained silent. Looking back at Bethel for only a moment, he broke his silence.
"He has craziness in him; I'll give you that. But even then, we outnumber you kids."
"So how about you just save us all the trouble and come with us, so we can drop ya off and collect the reward?"
"Not a chance!" Bethel yelped, embers of fire emerging from her mouth.
"Besides, they'd never let creeps like you anywhere near that hick town!"
Just as the situation seemed as if it would escalate into an all-out battle royale, a sudden, strange precense reverberated throughout the room.
Dunas stepped back. He looked around, visibly shaken by the tonal shift. After a brief survey, he let out a great yawn.
"Hmph... you... punks..." Dunas trailed off.
He promptly fell asleep. Skyla and Kane already laid aside him, fast asleep.
Confused by the sudden change in events, Alphonse looked towards Bethel. She was shaking like a leaf. But before Alphonse could bring himself to check in with her, she collapsed.
Alphonse panicked. He feared that Bethel had been overcome with fear. It was the first time he had ever seen her scared, aside from maybe the time he had heard her voice calling out to him in the cave on the night of the great storm. He rushed to her side, clouded with worry. But before he could inspect her further, he also found himself letting out a great yawn. Groggily rubbing his eyes, he trudged towards the collapsed Bethel and promptly fell asleep.
And in an instant, he was once again awake. His surroundings had completely changed, however. Slowly opening both his eyes as far as an Abra could open their eyes, he looked around, realizing he was outside of the dungeon. But he wasn't out of the woods yet.
He was tied up with some sort of collection of roots and vines. He struggled to break free, but to no effect. Rustling around, he noticed Bethel was behind him, and the two were back to back, tied up, and totally helpless.
Alphonse had completely lost the composure he had moments before, retreating back into his anxiety. His next instinct was to cry out.
"Bethel, are you okay? Del?! Gattz?! ANYONE?"
Bethel was still passed out. Alphonse rapidly shook about, trying to stir her awake, but unfortunately could not wake the sleeping Litten. In his panic, he continued to cry out. Eventually, his cry was answered, albeit not by a voice he wanted to hear.
"You've got yourself in quite the situation, kid," a voice reprimanded him.
The tone was familiar, and in that moment, Alphonse realized who it belonged to, even though he could not directly see the owner of the voice. It was Lazlo.
"Lazlo!!" Alphonse cried.
"Hush now," Lazlo whispered.
"Can't have ya go makin' any more of a scene than you've already spun up."
Alphonse felt his skin flush. Millions of thoughts ran through his head at light speed. Stopping his struggle, he fell totally silent, unsure of what to do next.
"Settle down for now. But y' don't got much of choice now anyway, I got ya more twisted up than a Sproink's tail."
"You? You're the one who..." Alphonse shot back.
"Saved your hide, I reckon." Lazlo interrupted.
"Ya gonna finally trust me now?"
Alphonse, flustered by Lazlo's remark, began to prepare an equally witty retort.
But he was cut off by Lazlo again.
"Now, shut yer yap and listen good."
"Just what do you think yer doin', kid? Hangin' around with thieves? Scrappin' around with other outlaws? I thought I knew ya better. Ya shouldn't be doing this," Lazlo said sternly.
"You don't know me," Alphonse growled back, his anger acting for him once again.
"...Yer right. I don't. Ya never gave me the whole story, after all."
Alphonse raised his eyebrows.
"And I told ya I was gonna get it, no matter what. But here ain't the time or place for that." Lazlo choked.
"So why are you here then?" Alphonse yelped.
"I'm yer harbinger, kid."
The words chilled Alphonse to the bone. Lazlo prepared himself, as if ready to fight.
"Whole town's after ya now, and then some. All the adventurers brought in by that band, R.O.T., and even the band themselves. They all want a piece of ya, and the thieves too t' boot. Worst part, I'm not sure I can calm 'em all down enough to guarantee yer safety."
Lazlo drifted his gaze to Bethel, who was still asleep.
"And that's just for yerself. There's a whole 'nother mob hoping the bag that little lady there and her thief friends."
"I..." Alphonse began to pipe up.
Lazlo stopped.
"I won't let anyone hurt her." Alphonse assured.
"You can do what you want with me. But nobody's touching Bethel, so long as I have breath in my lungs." Alphonse exhaled, vibrating with determination.
He was shocked by his little outburst. What happened to the earlier plan of not caring about anyone else, and bailing at his earliest convenience? He had truly begun to feel an attachment to the thief? Was it not morbid curiosity or the desire to repay her for saving his life that kept him at her side this long? Was that the reality he had to finally come to face? Was it-
Lazlo sighed and shook his head, gaining back Alphonse's attention.
"I ain't here t' fight. I'd love to knock some sense int' ya right about now, but 'm afraid m' anger'd get the best a' me," Lazlo plainly stated.
"That's the thing about anger—that fire. It can hurt just as good as it can harm."
Alphonse sensed the sincerity in the old Smeargle's words. He knew that he didn't want to hurt, but to help. But Alphonse couldn't control himself.
"I'm not interested in any of your sermons, Lazlo."
Lazlo gave a side glance, struggling not to show that he'd been hurt by that comment.
"Look, I want t' help ya. I'd wan't to help this little lady here too, but 'm afraid that wouldn't go very smoothly either."
"Ya gotta get out of here."
"And go where!?" Alphonse cried back. "I have nowhere else to go... nothing else left..."
And then, that cruel voice again. It began speaking in Alphonse's head, intoxicating him and corrupting his emotions.
"You don't care about Bethel. You don't care about Lazlo. You only care about yourself," it mocked.
And before Alphonse could disagree, he was acting on autopilot again.
"...fine. What we're you thinking?" he asked Lazlo.
"Yer a mess, kid. Yer fightin' with everyone, even yerself."
Alphonse remained silent, demanding an answer.
Lazlo sighed.
"Very well." He tossed a map at Alphonse's feet.
"This'll take ya through the forest, out the valley. You'll be in wilderness again, but nobody from Arcade'll be able to reach ya. Heck, you probably won't come across another Pokemon for miles. Uncharted territory." Lazlo took a brief pause.
"If ya look inside, and find that's what ya truly want, go ahead. I won't stop ya."
After his brief moment of sorrow, he rose back to the occasion.
"But I'm warnin' ya. Stay away from Arcade, for your own sake. And break contact with them thieves. Nothin' good will come a' that."
Lazlo turned away, ready to depart into the forest. But before he departed, he stopped in his tracks.
"Ah, right. The vines."
Lazlo snapped his fingers, and suddenly the vines that had tied up Bethel and Alphonse receded back into the dirt below.
"And don't worry too much 'bout Bethel or the other outlaws. I hit 'em with a Spore, they'll be wakin' up soon enough though. Best get to steppin' before that, though." Lazlo warned.
"Farewell, kid."
Lazlo resumed his stroll back into the forest. But before he could step any further, Alphonse called back out to him.
"Lazlo, wait!"
Lazlo obeyed. Tension filled the air.
"...how did you know where I was? And how did you do that?"
Lazlo chuckled. "What, that little sleep trick? Just somethin' I picked up in my younger days. I'm surprised I still remembered it." Lazlo's tone was deceptively cheery, as if none of the previous tension had ever occurred.
Alphonse could've swore he saw a twinkle in the old Smeargle's eye.
"And I told ya I'd find ya."
Lazlo stared blankly, void of any thought at the moment.
"If ya decide ya need me, I'll be there. 'Til then." Lazlo tipped his cap.
Alphonse blinked, and before he knew it, Lazlo was gone again.
"Bethel? Al?!" Alphonse heard a voice cry out in the distance. It sounded an awful lot like Gattz's.
"Gattz! Is that you?" Alphonse called in response.
"The one and only!" Gattz replied. From a clearing came Gattz, followed by Del and Ephie.
"What in the world happened to you two?!" Gattz screamed.
Alphonse didn't know how to respond.
Del assumed his opportunity, already ready with a scolding for Gattz.
"What happened, Gattz, is that you stopped keeping a lookout. Now, c'mon, after we get these two back home, we'll have all the time in the world to discuss your punishment." Del growled.
"I was worried sick about you all! You didn't come home in time, and I could hardly keep myself from bouncing off the walls!" Ephie exclaimed.
Del looked towards the passed-out Bethel.
"Is she okay?" he asked in a low growl.
There was a surprising hint of concern in the burly Pangoro's voice.
"She's fine. We were ambushed by some Pokemon, and..."
Del growled.
"I see."
He smacked Gattz in the back of the head, sending the Reuniclus spiraling towards the ground. Gattz slowly picked himself back up.
"Alright, everyone," Gattz said, still suffering from the aftershock.
"Crowd around me, I'll bring us back home."
Del wasted no time picking Bethel up tenderly, and the group huddled together. Gattz pulled out a strange gadget, which emitted a grating tone and a flash of light, and suddenly everything went white.
Time had passed. It was now closer to midnight, as Alphonse, Del, and a slowly recovering Bethel sat in a circle around the great hall of the thieves' den.
"Here you go, you two. Freshly brewed Chesto Berry Tea," Ephie hummed softly as she walked in with two cups of the piping hot tea, handing them out to Alphonse and Bethel.
"Thanks, Ephie," Alphonse replied. Ephie smiled back, holding back her concern. She sat with the rest of the group.
"Where's Gattz?" Ephie pondered.
"He's on stocking duty for the next week," Del coldly answered.
"That Gattz... just what was he doing?" Ephie scolded.
"I found him several paces from the entrance, fiddling with some gadgets he brought along," Del replied.
"Figures," Bethel said. She was wrapped in a warm cotton blanket, not having fully come back to consciousness from Lazlo's Spore attack from earlier.
"Bethel, Alphonse, I need to know what happened in there," Del growled softly.
Alphonse looked carefully at the imposing Del and gave him the story.
"We were doing fine when suddenly we were ambushed by three Pokemon. A Vigiroth, an Azumarill, and an Annihilape. They called themselves..."
Del began to snarl.
"Dunas, Skyla, and Kane."
"Yeah." Alphonse replied anxiously.
"The code breakers," Bethel added groggily.
"I'm... surprised they're still around these parts."
Alphonse shuddered at the name. The code breakers. He thought back to the empty seats from earlier. They must have been former colleagues of the thieves who had gone rogue for one reason or another.
"Will... we still perform the heist tomorrow... Del...?" Bethel moaned.
Del looked over cautiously at Bethel and said, "Hush, Beth. You need to focus on recovering right now."
Ephie stood back up.
"I'll bring her to bed and see that she's taken care of accordingly," Ephie said tenderly.
With that, she levitated the sleepy Bethel up into the air and cradled her at her side as the two strolled into Bethel's room. It was just Alphonse, Del, and the flickering of the fire on the torches that provided light and heat for the cold, cold labyrinth below.
"We'll get more details about what happened tomorrow. You kept your wits about you and saw to it that Bethel wasn't hurt by those bandits. You did good, and you've earned our trust. Now get your rest. I made sure Gattz had your room ready for tonight."
It was the most Alphonse had ever heard Del speak at once. Alphonse thanked Del, as Del pointed in the direction towards Alphonse's new room.
Alphonse stood up and began to walk over to his room. But a force stopped him from opening the door. He looked back over at Del.
"Del," Alphonse started. He began to choose his next words internally, hoping to warn the thief of the impending threat of Lazlo, Team R.O.T., and the other Pokemon back at Arcade. But he found himself taking a detour, once again acting outside of his control.
"Just what will this big heist be, anyway?"
Del looked over at Alphonse, then back away.
"I'm surprised you don't already know. But I suppose you've earned the right to know now."
"We're sacking Arcade."