Chapter 56: Off To New Adventures

  Velia sat alone at the edge of the training grounds, close enough to hear the others practicing, far enough that no one had to stand near her. The dust beneath her paws was warm, but she felt cold anyway. The whole place buzzed with the usual late-morning noise of the other kids darting across the place, practicing stances or moves in their own free time. The tension that was palpable everywhere in Newleaf Villae had done wonders for everyones motivation, with even Ayra showing up far more often for training now.

  And Velia... Well, she knew she wasn't welcome here. Not after everything she'd done. Whenever she tried to step closer, everyone suddenly remembered that they had something else to do. Or they drifted away to get water. Or a myriad other excuses just to avoid her.

  So she sat there now, alone in a place meant for teamwork, her knees hugged tightly to her chest and her eyes fixed on nothing in particular. Her gut twisted with a mess of emotions she couldn’t untangle. She'd had reasons for everything she’d done. Good reasons. Rational ones even. It was just that no one seemed to believe her that what she'd done hadn't happened out of spite. That she had truly just wanted to keep the village safe.

  But intentions didn’t matter to the others. Only the eventual fallout did. And said fallout, while proving that she'd been right, had also squarely shifted the blame to her for everyone who still liked Auri. They didn't understand her reasons and they never would. And then there was Karo.

  Her throat tightened at the thought. Her friend was also more or less avoiding her, just like everyone else. It almost would’ve been easier if he were furious. But he kept his distance with a kind of awkward, too-quiet guilt. Like he didn’t know how to face her now that the plan she’d built had blown up in their faces. He either didn’t want to talk to her anymore, or he didn't know how to do so.

  Velia clenched her jaw. She wanted to be mad at him for that. He’d been right there with her after all, from the very start! He’d been the one reminding her how much Auri humiliated them, how suspicious he was, how Yuki deserved better than following that weird Pikachu around. It wasn't like she had forced him to go along with her plan, he'd done so willingly from the very beginning.

  But in th end she had been the planner. The voice and the final spark as well. So when everything blew up, instead of sharing the blame, the other kids squarely pointed at her. And why wouldn't they, for Karo had done his very best in the following days to shift the blame away from himself as well.

  Footsteps crunched behind her. Velia stiffened. She didn’t turn around. She knew exactly whose rhythm that was.

  Karo hesitated at her back for three whole seconds before finally sitting down beside her. While he still kept a certain distance, but came close enough that she felt the warmth radiate from him in that familiar, comforting way she’d missed so much these last days.

  Neither of them spoke at first. Karo stared straight ahead, watching Mina demonstrate some deflection maneuver to Neku. His paws hung over the ledge, tail flicking with small, restless motions. "You’re avoiding me," she muttered.

  Karo clicked his tongue softly. "That might be true. But you hiding out here certainly isn't helping."

  "I’m not hiding."

  Karo sighed. "If thinking so makes you feel better. Still, I didn’t want things to turn out like this."

  "Do you think I did?" Velia replied, some heat creeping into her downtrodden voice.

  Again silence settled over the two of them, heavier this time, both of them trying to find the right words for such an extremely complicated situation. Finally, Karo exhaled. "We really messed up, didn't we?" he said quietly.

  Velia flinched and looked away sharply. "I didn’t think Elder Seori would go that far. Or everything else that happened from that point onwards. I just…" She swallowed, breaking her sentence. "I never wanted Yuki to get as involved as she did. I wanted her to still be here."

  Karo’s expression tightened in shame at that. "I know," he muttered. "Even though it was your plan, I'm just as much at fault for everything that went down, even if the others don't see it that way. With what we implied at the trial without any actual evidence... we went too far."

  With a frustrated scoff Karo punched one of his pincers into the sand. "And not just that. It was me that egged you on, wanting revenge at Auri at all cost, no matter how stupid that was. I just... saw Yuki defending Auri over and over again, standing up for him even with the two of them having barely known each other. And it made me do stupid things."

  Velia blinked. "You? Admitting that?"

  He shot her a glare. "Don’t push it. It was still your scheme that saw everything go wrong.

  Karo let his stinger drop next to him. "Look… I did blame Auri. A lot. Before any of this even started I didn’t like him being here and you know that. I didn’t like Yuki choosing him over-" He cut himself off with a scowl. "Whatever. It doesn’t matter anymore."

  "Did you really think I didn’t notice?" Velia asked softly while staring up into the sky. Karo froze at her words.

  "About how you feel for Yuki," she clarified. "Of course I knew. While she truly didn't deserve to be involved in all of this, I mainly tried to keep her out pf everything for you." Her ears pressed back. "It even worked! If Yuki just hadn't run after him again... And I really believed at some point she would wake up and see fim for the danger he is."

  Karo didn’t answer at first. He just stared down at his pincers and let the breeze ruffle the fur on his cheeks. But the tremble in his jaw said enough. "…I know," he whispered eventually. "And maybe that’s why I’m so messed up about all of this."

  Velia frowned. "What do you mean?"

  Karo lifted his head and really looked at her for the first time in days. "Because I still think that you and Elder Seori weren’t wrong. Auri is dangerous," Karo said, voice barely above a breath. We both know that he still freed the Storm Menace. He still is Noah and did horrible things in the past. But we crossed a line. It's not our place to protect the village or to judge Auri. Especially with us not understanding nearly everything that went down. I understand that now."

  Velia nodded slowly and looked down. The guilt wighed down on her once more. Because she agreed with her friend there. With what she'd done... she had overstepped. And while she still wasn't convinced that she was in the wrong, her actions had many other consequences that she hadn't expected and definitely not wanted.

  Karo nudged a pebble with his stinger. "Back at the trial... When I saw how Yuki cried… I understood that I had done something wrong. That we only made everything worse." He grimaced. "I don’t get to act like I was innocent. And I feel sick thinking about how we unknowingly helped Elder Seori advance her truly atrocious agenda. Shattering one's type energy reserve..." Karo visibly shuddered at the thought. "That goes too far."

  Velia’s throat tightened. "Then why were you avoiding me?"

  Karo winced. "Because everything keeps spinning in my head. Because I don’t know if I’m mad at myself or Auri or you or just… the whole mess. And because when everyone started looking at you like that, I panicked. I didn’t want them turning on me too."

  There it was. The truth. Velia let out a breath she didn’t realize she’d been holding.

  "I messed up," she whispered. "I know I did. But I was scared. Of Auri. Of what you overheard. Of everything really."

  Karo twitched. "Velia..."

  She wrapped her arms tighter around her knees. "I thought I did the right thing and I still think so! But when everything blew up, and everyone that liked Auri looked at me like I had betrayed them after the trial… I realized that even if my reasons made sense, the way I acted didn’t." Velia swallowed hard. "I need to at least try to fix this."

  "Yeah," Karo said quietly. "We both do."

  Velia blinked at him and Karo took a deep breath. "Look… you’re the one who takes the lead. You always have. And I followed. That’s on me." His voice dipped. "But I’m not going to let you stand alone in this just because I theoretically could."

  Velia felt her eyes sting. "Still," she whispered, "I have to apologize to everyone. Properly. To Yuki and Auri as well should they one day come back."

  Karo winced. "That’s gonna be rough."

  "I know," Velia admitted, straightening a little. "But I deserve whatever they say. I’ll do better next time," she whispered. "When I see them again… I won’t be the same girl. And I will maybe even need to reevaluate my opinion of Auri when that day comes."

  Karo nudged her again, softer this time. "Good. They deserve better versions of us. We should strive to be better, so that we don't make such a mistake again."

  Velia looked toward the village, toward the kids who’d turned away from her. Then she stood up, Karo right next to her. Time to make things right.

  With a deep breath she took the first step.

  Myra had flown high enough that the roofs of Newleaf Village shrank into a patchwork of tiny brown squares, and the river cut through the land like a thin strip of glass. Up here, the air was cold and clean, stripped of all the noise and breath and fear below. This height was where she did her best thinking, where emotion froze off her feathers and logic stayed sharp.

  It was also a great place to relax as long as she kept close to the village. Not many roaming Dungeon Pokemon dared to come close to where the guards lived, for it would mean a quick end for them. Still, today she simply felt tense.

  She had seen everything with her sharp eyes. The arrival of the two Mythicals, how Captain Kaen had rushed to the broken gate to meet them, how the situation turned more and more tense, escalating when Elder Seori arrived.

  To be truthful, while Myra had expected Sia to lash out once she found out what happened with Auri and Yuki, she was still shaken by just how quickly the Mythical had disassembled the Ancient. Elder Seori was more than an ordinary Elder and the strongest person in the village after all. Not counting the Mythicals of course, as Sia had just proven.

  After Sia had been done with Elder Seori, Myra had expected the Divine Laws to strike her down instantly. But for some reason that hadn't happened, so Myra could only theorise that Sia had offered up compensation of some kind.

  Either way, Sia hadn't stayed much longer, instantly vanishing back into the shadows and leaving Nayru behind to pick up the pieces. It wasn't hard to guess that Sia planned on following Auri and Yuki. Luckily Myra had wings. And while Sia's speed by jumping from shadow by shadow was impressive, she was still weakened and slower than a literal flying-type Pokemon.

  Myra had silently wheeled higher, banking wide to slightly overtake her, and then waited for Sia to take a break from her permanent shadow jumping. Once the Mythical finally stopped for a moment, Myra folded herself into a dive that ripped through the air at incredible speeds. She hit Sia with an unexpected [Brave Bird] just as the Mythical was about to vanish into shadows again.

  The Mythical reacted near-instantly, snapping up a [Protect] instead that caught the move. Still the impact of the shockwave pushed both of them back and, most importantly, Sia out of any shadows except her owns. Myra steadied her wings, holding a hovering stance directly in Sia’s path.

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  Sia’s body crackled in response, both with raw power and the simple, primal anger to be denied her path.

  "Move," Sia growled. "I do not have time and energy for you right now liar. And after what you just did I could simply take you out here and now without consequence."

  Myra somehow managed to keep her voice steady. "No."

  Sia’s expression twisted, shock, fury and grief all tangled into one sharp fracture. "I said move!"

  "And I heard you. But I won't." Myra’s talons tightened instinctively. "I' not your enemy and I'm not here to fight you. But I want you to hear me out. It's concerning both Auri and Yuki."

  Sia’s voice trembled with fury, but beneath it there was something rawer. "They’re out there. They’re alone. They could be hurt and I... I should have been there!"

  Myra pressed forward a fraction, closing the gap between them a little. "They aren’t here anymore, Sia."

  Sia’s type energy flared. "Exactly! And that’s why-!"

  "No!" Myra cut in. "Listen to me!" Sia’s lips curled. But she halted, if only by a hair.

  Myra exhaled once, then spoke with calm, deliberate clarity. "Auri and Yuki will have left the Umbral Abyss by now. It will still take hours if not an entire day for you to reach Velari's territory. You will not catch them anymore unless you are willing to break into Velari's territory, make an enemy out of her once the battle with the Stom Menace ends and she learns of what you did, and follow both Auri and Yuki out of the Umbral Abyss entirely, leaving everyone else behind."

  Sia’s type energy faltered for a moment, the Mythical clearly acknowledging the truth in her wordy. Myra continued quickly, before Sia let her emotions take over her actions again. "And even if you could reach them, which you can’t, you have something more urgent to deal with!"

  Sia’s eyes narrowed. "Nothing is more important than making sure my friends and mentors are okay!"

  "If you leave now," Myra said softly, "you will risk the lives of everyone in the Umbral Abyss. Nearly 2.000 Pokemon that depend on the protection you and the other Mythicals offer, especially now that the Storm Menace is back."

  Sia’s hands curled. A crack of shadow peeled off her fingertips, dissolving into the wind like smoke. "I should still be there. I should protect them. They shouldn’t have gone alone-"

  "And yet they did," Myra cut in gently. "If they wanted to they could've just remained in Velari's territory. But we both know they will have left. Because they trust themselves and each other. They trust that they can achieve their dreams. And these dreams don't lie within the Umbral Abyss where you can permanently protect them."

  Sia’s jaw clenched. "They’re children."

  "Yes," Myra said. "Strong children. Brave children. Children who made a choice that we should respect if we believe in them."

  Sia closed her eyes. Her breathing slowed. "I hate this," she muttered to herself. Then, without another word, she turned around and left towards Newleaf Village.

  Myra continued to sit there, even long after the Mythical had disappeared between the trees. Her entire body couldn't stop trembling. Standing between an enraged Mythical and their goal was... something else. And mentally she couldn't stop berating herself for what she'd done. She'd even sacrificed the protection the Divine Laws would've given her after all!

  With a sigh she shook herself once and shot back into the sky. She still had a village to guard. Just because two Mythicals now did the same didn't mean she was free to stop. Though she did hope she could return into the village soon as well. It was quite uncomfortable and dangerous to sleep out in the wilds after all.

  Auri woke slowly, light filtered down from the gemstone ceiling above, soft pinks and blues mixing like dawn through water.

  The bedding beneath him felt soft. Too soft, actually. His senses had grown used to cold stone, dripping caverns, and generally much less comfortable sleeping spots. A week in Velari's settlement with proper bedding wouldn't change that.

  But to be truthful, it would be a lie if he claimed it didn't feel good. This was the first time in weeks he'd woken up without an ache or injury or something else destroying the moment.

  A rustling sound snapped him from his thoughts. Yuki was, of course, already awake. She was hopping around the room like she had five cups of Chesto-berry tea sitting in her bloodstream. Her talons clicked on the smooth stone floor as she darted from one side of the room to the other, stuffing items into her satchel. Something she had without a doubt already done for quite some time.

  "You’re awake!" Yuki chirped, wings flaring as she jumped up. "Finally! You slept forever! I thought you might start growing moss soon!"

  Auri pushed himself up with an eyeroll. "I didn’t even sleep that long. Ten hours give or take?"

  "See, that's hald an eternity!" Yuki puffed her chest. "It was long enough for me to pack, repack, un-pack because I panicked about packing wrong, and then re-pack the stachel twice! And I still managed to get a restful sleep on the side! But, don't worry, I can now guarantee that we have everything we need!"

  Auri managed a small smile. "Thanks for having an eye on our supllies Yuki."

  Her face lit up with that fiery pride she always carried when she managed to get something done. "Well yeah! We’re finally leaving today after all! We’ve been waiting forever!" She bounced once, feathers fluffing.

  He huffed a soft laugh. "I must admit, I feel better. Good enough for our next adventure to begin."

  "Good!" She beamed. "Took you long enough!" Then her voice softened. "But I'm glad you finally feel better. You really worried me quite a bit these last few weeks."

  Before Auri could say anything, the clinking of crystals echoed down the corridor. Yuki just groaned uunder her breath. "Oh great. Royality incoming," she said with mild exasperation, but clearly having expected the visit just as much as he had.

  Lyra entered with her usual stage-ready presence, the Diancie's diamond facets shimmering in soft pink light. Behind her came a scrowling bipedal Lycanroc carrying a bag far too small to justify the metallic clinks and shifting echoes inside.

  Yuki straightened a little despite herself. "Wait, is that-!?"

  Lyra performed a tiny flourish with her hand. "A Treasure Bag," she declared, as if unveiling a royal artifact which, now that Auri thought about it and seeing Yuki's reaction, it probably was. "From the royal vault," Lyra continued, confirming Auri's theory in the process. "I believe you will require it on your journey, so Auri shall have it."

  Auri looked at the bag, confused. Yuki let out a low whistle. Lyra noticed his expression and sighed as if personally offended by his lack of knowledge. "Treasure Bags," she lectured, "are a special type of Dungeon artifact. They are spatially enhanced and therefore able to store far more than their dimensions should allow."

  Yuki added, more animated now, "Dungeon artifacts are crazy rare! You can go years exploring Dungeons and never see one! I only ever found one during my Dungeon expeditions and the guards took it because, y’know, protocol and stuff." She shrugged. "Treasure bags however are far more rare than just some random Duingeon artifact!"

  Auri stared at the bag in shock. "This is… really okay to give us?"

  Lyra bristled. "Of course it is! I am not giving you a relic I cannot spare!"

  "I'm pretty sure she absolutely can’t spare something like that, but okay," Yuki muttered under her breath, barely loud enough for Auri to her. And the Lycanroc apparently, who looked at Yuki and gave the barest of nods while Lyra was occupied. Auri had to fight the treacherous smile that tried to reach his face.

  Lyra, meanwhile, continued speaking as if this were all perfectly routine. "Inside the Treasure Bag you will find supplies. All necessary provisions, naturally. Luminous stones, preserved food, purified water, coil-rope, binding thread, medical salves, and assorted tools for traversal. Everything you will require for your journey ahead."

  Auri blinked. That was… more than generous. That was a full expedition kit after all, additionaly to the apparently invaluable Treasure Bag itself! But Lyra wasn't done.

  "And in addition, inside you will find another specific assortment of Dungeon treasures," she said, her voice heavy with gravitas.

  Yuki jolted upright. "There’s more!?"

  Lyra gave her a crisp, proud nod. "Naturally. And therefore you will take them."

  The Lycanroc guard stepped forward and opened the Treasure Bag. A soft radiant glow spilled out, not from the ordinary supplies, but from five orbs nestled within, shimmering in bluish light. Lyra pointed to each one in turn.

  "First we have the Escape Orb, your final resort. It will transport you out of a Dungeon if activated quickly enough. But it does not work in Boss Rooms and if you use it before being halfway through the Dungeon, it will just send you back here instead of out of the Dungeon. Then we have the Cleanse Orb which purges a Dungeon's type energy in the surroundings, making it temporarely neutral again. Here you can also see the Petrify Orb which immobilizes hostile creatures temporarily. There is also a Foe-Hold Orb which will bind the movements of stronger enemies such as Dungeon Bosses. And last but not least there is the Luminous Orb. Think of as a far stronger version of Luminous Stones, able to temporarely pierce any darkness surrounding you, no matter its origin," she explained, obviously taking pride in just how powerful and expensive her gifts for them were.

  Auri felt his throat tighten. These weren’t just some simple tools. These were essentially little miracles, if not impossibilities, that could safe their lives ten times over! "Lyra, we… we can’t accept all this. They’re too-"

  Lyra’s eyes widened, then narrowed sharply. "Do not insult me like that."

  Auri frowned at her words. "I didn’t-"

  "These were chosen for the express purpose of aiding you," Lyra cut him off with a glare. "Refusing them would be… extremely rude."

  Auri tried again. "It’s just that these Dungeon treasures could help your settlement far more. We have no right to just come in and claim them."

  Lyra's glare only deepened. "In Velari's absence it is I who decides what my people need. And right now? We need you two to survive. So take them."

  Auri stared at her, unsure what to say. Lyra huffed and lifted her chin higher. "Besides… offering them is my duty as heir. And I would be a disgrace if I withheld aid from you now after everything I already did to support you."

  Yuki crossed her arms, nodding approvingly. "She’s right, Auri. In the grand scheme of things we're still incredibly weak and about to go into an extremely dangerous Dungeon. It would be careless to refuse."

  Lyra threw Yuki a suspicious glance, as if surprised to find agreement, then returned her attention to Auri. "Take them. Please."

  Auri exhaled, overwhelmed, but bowed his head. "Thank you. Truly. We won’t waste them."

  Lyra looked away quickly, muttering something about 'gratitude being acceptable when delivered sincerely'. But then her posture shifted and became more regal. "There is something else you must understand."

  Auri straightened instinctively and Yuki's excitement visibly dimmed.Of course there had to be something else...

  "As you know there is only a singl exit to the Umbral Abyss that is not blocked by Lord Noctem's Domain. And that exit is a Dungeon," Lyra started with both Auri and Yuki nodding along. That was nothing new to them after all.

  "What you however don't know," Lyra continued, "is that the exit of the Umbral Abyss isn't some simple if dangerous Dungeon. No, it is an icredibly anomalous merged Dungeon."

  Auri frowned. "A merged Dungeon?"

  "That's what it's officially called when two Dungeons connect to each other!" Yuki chiped in. "Like that one in Miu's territory that was harmless until it connected into a much more dangerous one!"

  "Yes. Two Dungeons fused together." Lyra’s voice grew tight, almost strained. "But this one is unlike any on these." Her next words were so soft the air itself seemed to lean in. "There are two Dungeon Cores in the same Core room."

  Auri’s heart stopped, intantly understanding what Lyra implied. "Does that also mean two… Dungeon Bosses in the same Core room?

  Lyra nodded. "They are practically trapped together. But instead of fighting they coexist, having long since combined their powers into one incredibly dangerous Dungeon." Lyra closed her eyes briefly. "If you attempt to fight, you will die. If you hesitate, you will die. If you loose sight of each other…" She shrugged. "Well, at least Auri will make it out thanks to all the orbs."

  Auri swallowed while Yuki pressed close to him.

  Lyra’s voice hardened. "You must run. Use the Orbs. There is no victory to gain there. Only escape. Without Velari around to pacify the Dungeon like she usually does every six months, it's extremely dangerous."

  Auri shook himself and then nodded resolutely. "Understood."

  Yuki nodded fiercely. "We’ll do it!"

  Lyra’s gaze softened for the first time. Then she floated forward. "I will escort you to the threshold."

  Auri blinked. "Lyra, no-"

  "Or," she corrected awkwardly, "my guards will. Either option is acceptable, obviously."

  Yuki shook her head immediately. "No way! We can’t drag your people into a merged Dungeon four our sake! That’s insane!"

  Auri nodded along. "No one should risk themselves for us. And we've got this, thanks to all the Dungeon treasures you've given us. And everyone you send with us would have to survive by themselves outside of the Umbral Abyss for months. That's not reasonable."

  Yuki stood taller beside him. "This is our start! Our first real step! We need to walk it on our own!"

  Seeing the conviction of the two, the young Diancie swallowed her pride and nodded once. "Very well. If that is what you desire." The words were stiff and soft all at once.

  Yuki bowed dramatically. "We’ll visit again! I promise! And next time maybe with stories that are better than what we got this time!"

  Lyra snorted. "One would hope so."

  When they stepped outside, quite a few people of Velari's settlement had gathered. Families, workers, guards, younglings hiding shyly behind crystalline structures. Soft murmurs passed through the crowd.

  Auri’s heart clenched. He didn’t like attention, especially knowing that he was little more than an outsider to them. Entertainment maybe.

  Lyra quickly led them past the gathering and deeper into the settlement. They walked for easily a quarter an hour before reaching a gigantic heavily fortified gate made out of diamond, rock and steel. A totel of 20 guards patrolled around it, all of them saluting Lyra as they passed by.

  "Open the gate," Lyra commanded with a wave of her hand and the guards complied quickly. Slowly it opened up into a long, dark tunnel. Even from here Auri could see the dark currents swirling inside the tunnel, they dark-type energy extremely dense in the air. It was easily recogniseable that they stood directly on the threshold into a Dungeon.

  Yuki took a deep breath, wings tucked tight. "You ready?" she whispered.

  Auri looked at the tunnel and the swirling darkness that awaited them. Then he nodded resolutely while grabbing the Treasure Back the Lycanroc guard silently held towards him. In one smooth motion he slung it over his shoulder before nodding resolutely. "I'm reay."

  Yuki smiled, small and brave. "Then let’s go."

  Together they waved at Lyra one last time before stepping into the dark tunnel. The moment they were inside, the gate behind them started closing again.

  Auri took a deep breath. This was it. There was no going back.

  He shared a last determined nod with Yuki, both of them igniting their Luminous Stones at once. And together, side by side, they walked deeper into the Dungeon that would be their last challenge to overcome if they wanted to leave the Umbral Abyss behind. Finally, they were off towards the future and off towards new adventures.

  Important characters in the chapter:

  To Be Added Later