Chapter 50: Together At Last

  The next morning Auri woke slowly. For the first time since he'd met Zuko, he felt at least somewhat acceptable again. The ache in his limbs lingered, and his type energy reserve was still seale, but he didn't feel like collapsing at any moment anymore.

  Light filtered in through the crystalline slits of the guest room, scattering faint blue across the stone floor. With a quick look he confirmed that no one else was there before pushing himself upright and standing up. His legs slightly trembled, but it wasn't enough to actually unsteady him.

  That was when a knock landed against the door, which opened before he even got a chance to answer. Lira stepped inside, the Diancie carrying herself in what he already suspected was her usual posture, chin high, eyes bored, and trying to look like royality in person. Which she was, but she rarely actually looked the part even if she tried.

  Lira's eyes swept their gaze over him, seemingly analysing his state. Her voice came out clipped and formal, if somewhat bored. "So you're already awake, that's good. Follow me. You’re coming with me, I suppose."

  Auri blinked at her surprising abruptness. "…Good morning to you too?"

  "It’s nearly midday," she corrected, though her eyes never quite left the way he planted his paw against the wall for balance. "You can walk, right?"

  He nodded before following her out of the room. The moment he crossed the doorway he found, just as Lira had told him yesterday, two guards waiting. Both were standing rigidly, and both were watching him with Hawlucha-like gazes that send a cold shiver down his spine.

  Lira gestured towards the two of them with a lazy wave without stopping at all. "You two, accompany us," she ordered, which the guards did without a second of hesitation.

  The corridor opened into a network of crystalline passages, each carved into the mountainside and lit by glowing veins of minerals. Echoes lingered everywhere, faint steps, distant voices, clear evidence for how bustling the settlement was. From time to time they ran into other Pokemon who stared at him with inscrutable expression. He kept his ears low, the entire situation feeling way too much like when he first entered Newleaf Village.

  Lira floated ahead with brisk confidence, but she still kept an eye on him to check if he could keep up. In truth, it was harder than he wanted to admit, and he nearly failed more than once. His paws wobbled on the uneven stone, muscles complaining in long pulses. But he forced himself to keep the pace, unwilling to show any further weakness here.

  "You should have stayed in bed," she muttered while critically eyeing him.

  "I’m fine," he replied flatly, but determined. Lira just snorted and ignored him once more.

  They passed through a narrow archway into a wider hall. Crystals jutted from the walls in layered formations, glowing with soft purples that shifted when they walked past them. They moved deeper into the settlement, the crystalline tunnels branching into small plateaus built into the mountain interior. The deeper they went, the more the air changed, becoming cooler and steadier.

  At around the same time Auri's steps started to drag slightly, which Lira of course instantly noticed. She stopped, turned, and fixed him with a look that dared him to refuse her. "How much longer can you actually walk without overexerting yourself?"

  Auri opened his mouth to refute her, then stopped himself. There was nothing to gain from trying to look overly tough here. "I can continue," he said honestly. "We just have to slow down quite a bit."

  Lira studied him for a long moment, then gave a curt nod. "Fine. Then slow it is. Honestly all that extra time I'm wasting..."

  Soon after their group steppen on open mountain terraces, and Auri slowed even more without meaning to, awed. The sight before him felt carved from another world entirely.

  Suspended bridges stretched across the chasms, narrow arcs of pale stone, reinforced with threaded crystal that glimmered like frost under the cavern light. Pokemon walked along them with the same confidence others might have on flat ground. Clusters of homes and shops had been carved directly into the walls, hollowed chambers lined with mineral veins pulsing faint blue or rose gold, depending on their purpose. Some were warm with voices and movement, others quiet as if holding old secrets.

  And everywhere, he saw Pokémon he had never encountered in such numbers before, a cluster of Bronzor drifting lazily overhead. He also noticed a pair of Klefki jingling along patrol routes. Steel-types and fairy-types living in total harmony within this great settlement. Yesterday he hadn't really noticed, but this place must've had double if not even triple the population of Newleaf Village. Auri’s ears stayed low. As awed as he was by the impressive sight, he felt painfully small in comparison.

  Lira floated at his side, stiff posture betraying her attempt at “guide mode.” She flicked her hand sharply towards the terrace ahead. "This," she declared, "is the market. If you must speak to anyone, do not interrupt their transactions. And refrain from touching anything. Or staring too long."

  Auri hesitated. "I’ll… try?"

  "Good."

  The market terrace buzzed with activity, shopfronts carved into alcoves, banners woven from mineral dust, Pokemon bartering gemstones for rations or swapping crafted tools. Crystals embedded in the railings pulsed a faint warning red, and Auri noticed how many glances flicked towards the border-facing tunnel.

  Lira noticed too, and scoffed. "Don't worry about that, just a small border skirmish with a few Dungeon Pokemon apparently. The situation is contained," she announced loudly, as if daring anyone to disagree. "There is no cause for panic."

  Several Pokémon pretended they hadn’t been whispering at all. Lira just shook her head and marched him onward before the attention could start clinging to him again. They climbed a set of natural stairs leading to a series of ledges carved into the rock face. Here, steel-type Pokemon practiced forms and drills under the instruction of stern-looking officers. Swords glinted and the sound of metallic claws clashing rang through the air. Everything screamed preparedness and controlled violence.

  "This," Lira said, "is our training sector. It is mandatory for everyone living in our territory, for we can not always just depend on Velari's protection. You, however, will not enter without permission. You will not spar and you will not-"

  "Don’t worry," Auri cut her off. "I’m not planning to pick a fight up here. Not without my type energy and while still injured."

  Lira's eye twitched at the interruption but she let it slide. "See that you don't." Then she continued onward.

  Lira led him to a wide balcony carved right into the cliffside. One step forward and the world seemed to fall away beneath them, a sheer drop vanishing into mist. The wind carried a tonal hum as it brushed through crystal outcroppings below, creating natural chimes. Auri stepped back instinctively, paws close together.

  Lira didn’t miss that.

  "I would advise you," Lira said dryly, clearly having seen his subcouncios reaction, "not to lean over the edge seeing how unlike me you cannot even float."

  "I wasn’t planning to."

  "Excellent. Continue not planning to. However-"

  Auri interrupted softly, "Lira." He dipped his head. "Thank you. For… all of this. For guiding me and giving me your protection."

  Her mouth opened. Closed. Opened again. Lira almost looked personally insulted by gratitude. "I-!" she sputtered, suddenly sounding much younger and much less in control than she cared to show. "I am simply carrying out my duty. I have to protect my reputation after all! Do not thank me!"

  Auri blinked at her. "Right," he murmured, warmth creeping into his voice despite himself. "Your reputation. That's definitely it."

  "Precisely," Lira said before turning sharply away, definitely not flustured. Definitely not. "Just follow me, there's something else I want to show you," she muttered before continuing to float ahead.

  Lira led him through a narrower tunnel, one lined with smooth walls that shimmered with faint crystal dust. The settlement’s noise faded behind them until only their footsteps remained. The corridor ended in a circular stone door engraved with a motif of spiraling diamond wings and geometric shapes. Lira tapped a crystalline sigil with practiced precision. The symbols along the edges lit up, soft and pale like moonglow.

  The door slid aside and she floated in. Auri stepped in after her, before coming to a sudden stop as he took in his surroundings.

  The chamber he had entered felt like a sanctuary carved out of time itself. The ceiling arched high overhead, was etched with ancient patterns. Luminous Stones set in alcoves flickered with a gentle, warm pulse. Shelves carved directly into the stone walls held tablets, rolls of parchment, and engraved slates. Between them, murals depicted the history of this settlement, the history of Velari, and the history of how a small Rocara colony created this wonderful kingdom. Everything felt old. Loved. And carefully maintained for future visitors.

  Lira stood a little straighter. "This," she announced, "is the Inner Archive Chamber. A space reserved for historical study, royal records, and," she jabbed a hand at him, "instruction to those who clearly lack foundational knowledge of proper mountain etiquette."

  Auri blinked. "You brought me here to learn etiquette?"

  The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.

  "Yes. Your mannerisms are… terrestrial. And occasionally offensive." She glared at him as if daring him to contradict her. "Thus, you will learn. Consider it part of your recovery."

  Auri looked around again. "This is a really important place."

  "Obviously."

  “And you brought me here anyways even as stranger and outsider."

  She stiffened. "Because your ignorance reflects poorly on me."

  Auri raised a brow. "And not because it’s your favorite room and you wanted to show someone?"

  Lira scoffed as if the very idea was offending her. "I do not have a 'favorite room' or something of the like. That would be childish and unnecessarily sentimental."

  Auri smiled faintly. "Right."

  She marched forward before he could say anything else, stopping beneath a mural showing a stylized mountain with radiant crystal veins. "This depicts Velari after she became a Lesser Legendary and unleashed her Domain to shape our new home," she explained, voice softening in what could only be called awe. "No one knows when and how she mutated from a Rocara into a Diancie. Or why she turned out with blue diamonds instead of pink ones as is normal for our mutation. We only know that one day she was a Mythical Rocara, the last protector of our colony, and the next day she was a Lesser Legendary and Queen of all rock-types and fairy-types living in the surrounding lands."

  Auri stepped closer, tracing the carved lines with his eyes. “It’s beautiful.”

  Lira inhaled sharply, not insulted, but startled that he meant it so plainly. "I suppose," she said, too casual to be sincere. "The artisans were competent."

  "When you start reading," she added begrudgingly, "choose materials from the lower shelves. The upper archives are restricted."

  Auri padded toward an alcove, hesitant but curious. The warm glow of the lantern made the runes dance with life. He didn’t touch anything, instead just letting himself absorb the sense of safety the room offered. Lira watched him, expression caught between appraisal and mild panic at having brought him somewhere so meaningful.

  He looked back at her. "Thank you for trusting me with this."

  Lira nearly choked. "I did not say that."

  Auri just shook his head at that. "You didn’t have to."

  Carefully he grabbed a book from the shelves and opened it only to realise... he couldn't actually read, could he?

  Yuki had spent her night in the small alvoce where she had been safe from the Dungeon Boss. On the next morning she had continued her journey deeper into Velari's territory towards where she knew the only other settlement in the entirety of the Umbral Abyss was. And it was the most likely place for Auri to be at as well.

  Guards had become more regular the closer she came to the settlement, but inside their own presumably safe territory they were much less attentive than on the borders, so Yuki managed to slip past them relatively easily. Still, at some point she had been forced into crawling throught ight crevices and other hard to overcome obstacles. Due to that she got somewhat lost in the endless maze of tunnels in Velari's territory off the main tracks.

  She was consequently quite surprised when the tunnel she crawled through opened abruptly into a lower terrace, seeing her freeze. Without a doubt she had just stumbled into the middle of Velari's settlement. And while it was obviously beautiful, though she had already known that from the last time she had been here, it was also crawling with guards and locals.

  Yuki tucked herself behind a cluster of stalactite-like crystal growths and peered around the edge. Two guards, a sturdy Aron and a floating Morelull carrying a lanternlike blossom, walked past seemingly on patrol. Their voices echoed slightly through the canyon-like acoustics of the settlement.

  "Did you hear about the outbreak? That whole Dungeon went wild."

  "Yeah, it has been years since we last had something like that, right?" the Morelull replied.

  "Yeah and we were lucky it was such a weak one. But really, the Newleaf Pokemon should keep their territory better in check or have their Mythical do so if we get to be the ones being hit by the consequences otherwise," the Aron complained.

  Yuki tightened her grip on the satchel. She had known she'd made quite the ruckus even if it hadn't been actually dangerous. The Dungeon had been to weak for that. And while she would make the very same decision again in a heartbeat, she definitely hadn't liked doing something like that.

  She slipped from her hiding spot and moved deeper into the settlement, sticking close to recessed alcoves and shadowed walls. The crystals everywhere however made stealth a nightmare. Every sound echoed, talons on stone, breath against crystal, even the faint rustling inside her satchel. She adjusted her movement carefully, keeping her steps soft, her feathers pressed tightly against her body to reduce any stray rustles.

  She made it maybe 100 meters before the next patrol nearly caught her. A group of two Aron, a petite Floette with a shimmering blue flower, and a Kirlia whose aura crackled with alertness rounded a corner ahead of her. Yuki darted sideways, scrambling up onto a narrow support beam made of interwoven crystal strands. The beam vibrated under her weight, threatening to hum like a tuning fork. She froze and held her breath as the Kirlia paused, its head tilted sharply toward the vibrating crystal.

  Yuki clung to the beam, pressing her weight downward, forcing the strands to settle before the resonance grew loud enough to betray her. The moment stretched into something painful, her talons slipping a fraction, the satchel bumping against her chest, the Core inside softly pulsing against her sternum. The Kirlia’s eyes narrowed.

  Then someone further down the terrace shouted about a storage crate needing inspection, and the patrol moved on.

  Yuki exhaled shakily and slid down from the beam, landing in a crouch. The mountain wind brushed past her feathers, cool and sharp. "Focus, Yuki," she whispered to herself. "You really cannot risk any mistakes this time."

  She moved again, heading upward where the settlement grew more refined, smoother stone, more symmetrical architecture, and crystals arranged in deliberate patterns rather than grown naturally. She had no map and little familiarity with settlements layout, but she trusted one thing, and that were her own senses. And she trusted herself to detect what was most likely the only electric-type signature inside the entire settlement. One that could only belong to Auri.

  His scent was faint and essentially nonexistent compared to the mineral-heavy air of rock and steel types, but it was there. A light, static-like tingle in her senses. A warmth she knew better than her own heartbeat. She followed it the way she had followed him through forests, storms, and dark tunnels before, instinctively, tethered by something deeper than smell or memory.

  The trail led her through a tunnel carved into a gentle spiral, winding upward past small balconies and hollowed-out alcoves. Once, she had to flatten herself beneath a set of hanging wind chimes as a pair of Carbink drifted past. Their crystalline bodies made the chimes ring softly with each movement, masking her breath just long enough for the danger to pass.

  She nearly stumbled into a lower courtyard where a group of Clefairy children splashed around a shallow fountain shaped like a crescent moon. For a terrifying moment the scent of sugary pastries and mineral water overwhelmed Auri’s electric trace, and Yuki hesitated, torn between going around and risking detection.

  One of the Clefairy squealed as a splash soaked her, sending droplets everywhere. One drop landed right at Yuki’s feet. At that she backed up quickly, heart hammering, and ducked behind a stack of supply crates until the children’s laughter faded. That had been too close, far too close!

  She kept moving, faster now, becoming more and more certain of the correct path, even if she had been forced tp backtrack a few times, especially the one time she did find out that there was another electric-type living here. A Dedenne that she had mixed with Auri's type energy signature with how diluted it was under all the stone-type and fairy-type energy.

  But then, after almost an hour of searching, she saw it. A raised stone platform at the end of the walkway, followed by a sealed chamber door with intricate sigils glowing faintly in a lavender pattern. And she could tell, Auri, and this time it was definitely him, had been here not all that long ago!

  Yuki stepped closer, one trembling talon resting on the cold stone surface. Her heart squeezed, the pressure almost painful. He was right there. Alive. Save for now as well. And she had managed to find him again, a single small Pikachu in an area as big as the entirety of the Umbral Abyss.

  She pressed her forehead to the stone for half a second, not long enough to lose her focus, but long enough to steady herself, to anchor the sharp swirl of relief and dread inside her. Then she backed up a step and prepared herself.

  Because if Auri was here and based on how they had done their best to keep her away from him... whoever held authority here right now wasn't going to let her meet him quietly. And she was so done being all quiet and sneaky!

  So she lunged for the narrow maintenance breach she’d spotted beside the sigil-carved door, shoved her beak and then her whole head through before her nerves could catch up, and wriggled into the tight crystal seam with all the stubborn determination of someone who had exactly one priority left in life.

  The stone scraped her sides. Her satchel nearly got stuck twice. At one point she was fairly certain her left wing had folded into a shape that violated at least three biological principles, but she kept going, inch by inch, gritting her teeth as her heart pounded loud enough she was sure someone outside would hear it.

  A few minutes later she saw a faint light glowing ahead, telling her that she was close. Honestly, by now she was close enought hat she could already feel the [Imprison] seal that was on Auri, telling her that yes, she was definitely and entirely in the right location.

  She swallowed hard, shoved the last fragment of doubt out of her chest, and forced her body through the final narrow opening and practically exploded into the chamber in a flurry of feathers, dust, and old stone shards.

  A sharp yelp snapped through the room. Auri jerked back so fast his paws skidded on the polished floor, fur bristling in all directions as if someone had just set off a [Flamethrower] under him.

  A Diancie standing next to him reacted like Yuki had just launched an assassination attempt. One second she had been talking, the next she was in front of Auri type energy rolling agressively out of her type energy reserve and through her body. Curiously enough for a Diancie she was quite weak? Stronger than she was, sure, but not on a level where she wouldn't give herself acceptable odds at beating that Diancie.

  Absentmindly she sidestepped a [Rock Throw] with a [Detect] and opened her beak to speak as two guards thundered in. Crystal spears and glowing blades pointed right at her chest. Yuki froze mid-movement, instantly dropping all her type energy. She loved [Detect] but she knew exactly where her own limits lay. "…Hi?" she tried, voice squeaking at the end.

  The Diancie’s eye twitched like she was personally offended by the concept of Yuki existing. But before anyone else could attack Auri pushed forward and determinedly stepped between her und everyone else. "You're not going to touch her," he said, breathless but firm. "She's not an intruder, she's with me. Lira, that's my partner that I talked about," he said to the Diancie apparently called Lira.

  The guards hesitated just long enough for Yuki to breathe again. Lira also looked painfully aware that he was right and even more painfully aware she hated this.

  Auri turned towards her and managed a small relieved smie. That alone nearly made Yuki forget the line of spears aimed at both of them. "You actually came," he murmured.

  She puffed out a weak laugh. "Of course I did." Her chest felt too tight, and she hated how shaky she sounded, but seeing him upright and breathing made her feel like the world clicked back into the right shape.

  Behind him, Lira tried to regain her dignity. "This Torchic entered through an unauthorized route and-"

  Auri shot her a tired look. "Does it really matter Lira? Just give me that moment."

  Lira went silent, though she kept glaring at the both of them, clearly unhappy with the situation.

  Auri turned back to Yuki, eyes narrowing just a little. "How did you even get in trouble? There were specific orders to let you come to me without trouble. And how did you even manage to sneak here?"

  Yuki coughed into her wing. "About that… how about we’ll talk about that later?" she asked hopefully and slightly awkward.

  Auri just stared at her, completely unimpressed. "…Yuki," he said very softly, "what did you do."

  She simply smiled ruefully. And very guiltily.

  Auri sighed the way someone sighs when they already know the answer but really wish they didn’t. "You caused the Dungeon Outbreak, didn’t you," he said and it was more of a statement than a question."

  Yuki very slightly nodded at that. The guards finally lowered their weapons and shuffled like maybe they had heard the rumors and now realized the tiny Torchic in front of them was in fact a walking chaos-event.

  Lira just stared at Yuki like she was deciding which form of punishment was most 'befitting a royal nuisance' or something equally ridiculous.

  Yuki however simply inched closer to Auri, heart pounding, feathers warm, relieved down to her core. She’d found him. He was okay. And okay, yes, she may have caused a small border incident on her way here but he was safe. That was all that mattered to her in that moment.

  Important characters in the chapter:

  Pikachu (Auri) – Level 16

  Ability: Lightning Rod

  Battle Nature: Lonely

  Stats:

  TE Pool (Health/AP): 75

  Attack: 49

  Ranged Attack: 44

  Defense: 52

  Speed: 58

  Total: 278 (Strength Level: Teenager)

  Moves:

  Close Combat Moves: [Nuzzle], [Tail Whip], [Quick Attack], [Brick Break], [Thunder Wave], [Feint]

  Ranged Combat Moves: [Thunder Shock], [Electro Ball], [Swift], [Thunderbolt], [Discharge]

  Utility Moves: [Nasty Plot], [Charm], [Double Team], [Growl], [Agility], [Dig]

  Torchic (Yuki) – Level 18 (Evolution Requirements Not Met, Stat Boost Applied)

  Ability: Speed Boost

  Battle Nature: Hasty

  Stats:

  TE Pool (Health/AP): 88

  Attack: 52

  Ranged Attack: 52

  Defense: 60

  Speed: 45

  Total: 297 (Strength Level: Teenager)

  Moves:

  Close Combat Moves: [Scratch], [Quick Attack], [Feint], [Fire Spin], [Flame Charge], [Aerial Ace], [Counter], [Slash]

  Ranged Combat Moves: [Ember], [Sand Attack], [Overheat]

  Utility Moves: [Growl], [Detect], [Dig]