(Author's Note: Here it is! Chapter Three is here much later than expected. I'm sorry to keep everyone waiting so long. If things went to plan, you'd have had this for the Holidays. In other news, I intend to make Chapter Four a bit shorter so that it can get out within the month. Fingers crossed all goes to plan. As for the trigger warnings, be mindful of mentions of mental illness, violence, attempted murder and kidnapping, and cult activity. I hope everybody had a good Holiday season and here is chapter 3!))
I exit my Pokéball a few moments after the sounds of Papa's motorcycle stop. The scent of the forest fills the air, and the sky is a bright orange as the sun begins to set. Papa leans against the motorcycle while being partially slouched. Here we are, on our first real adventure in a long time. Other people travel alongside their Pokémon, talking, laughing, and exploring Parterre Way. He's watching them all under his helmet, I know he is.
"Papa, do you think we're ready to go find the amulet?" I curiously chirp. If I had to ask this question earlier today, there's no way I could get a response. He was silent for hours after he stormed out of the lab and cried about something I still don't get. But now I think he's calmed down enough to talk about this. We did come out here, after all.
"No Audi, I don't," Papa answers in a muffled voice. "We still need to wait for Malu to arrive."
I nod in response. "Will you feel ready to find the amulet then?"
"No Audi, I won't," Papa sighs as he shakes his head. "If she arrives, we'll have to discuss what our plan to handle this is."
"Didn't you work out our plan back at the lab?" I turn my head to the side as he begins to fiddle with a small machine I've never seen before. He reaches to take off his helmet, and I hear footsteps approaching us from my left. A large man with jeans and a hoodie glares at Papa before he can answer. I instinctively take a step backwards to give him space.
"What the fuck is your problem, dude?" He scolds Papa with raised shoulders.
"I'm sorry sir, but I don't recognize you. Have we met before?" Papa apologizes, leaving his helmet on his head. I don't recognize this man either, who is he and what does he want with us? No one else seems to be watching us. Hopefully it stays that way, because neither of us want to start a scene.
"Who I am doesn't matter. Do you not realize what you're doing?" The large man asks, looking back to me as he does.
"If this is about me having my motorcycle on the route, we're legally allowed to have motor vehicles here." Papa responds. That's a relief, we're allowed to be here . . . I think.
"Dude, look at the Pokémon you have and look at the vehicle you use," He points back to me before getting closer to Papa. "See the problem now?" I don't understand. What's the problem with the motorcycle and me?
"Sir, I've got a job to do. If you could kindly explain what the problem is so that I can fix it, I'd appreciate that." Papa says with a bit more confidence than I was expecting. Normally when people yell at Papa, he goes quiet.
"Are you that stupid, man? Noiverns have sensitive hearing and you're driving a loud vehicle around it! How bad of an owner can you be?!" The large man yells, drawing in the other Pokémon and people's attention. I don't care that we're being watched now, and I push away the pain in my ears from him yelling so closely. Everything makes sense to me now. All of Papa's apologizing for being a bad owner to me when he wasn't. You're the one who's been calling Papa a bad owner all this time! If we're battling, I'm ready for whatever he throws our way. Just tell me when we're doing it, Papa.
Papa sighs and puts his head in his free hand for a moment. "Sir, do you happen to be deaf?"
"What was that, punk?!" The large man cracks his knuckles. I'm already imagining what kinds of Pokémon he has with him. Maybe it's a fighting type to match his size. Maybe it's a Furfrou, like a lot of people around here have. Maybe it's another Noivern, like me. Whatever it is, I'm ready to face it to prove him wrong.
"I asked if you were deaf," Papa repeats. "My motorcycle's engine is off, so it won't bother him. Even if it was on, so long as I'm not revving it like an asshole, it won't bother my son. Noiverns have better noise tolerance than most people think they do. Sure, most batlike Pokémon don't like loud sounds. But in order to use moves like Screech and Supersonic, they have to be able to tolerate some noise without issues." That's true. When I knew supersonic as a Noibat, it didn't bother me at all.
"Ohh, I see!" The large man begins to laugh. Well, that went better than I expected. He's laughing, so he's calmed down again. Wait, why isn't Papa calming down too? I know he's scared of people, but he can see this man calming down too. Then, he gets so close to Papa that he forces Papa to trip over the motorcycle and scramble into the grass. "You're just a dick who likes to make excuses because you can't accept the truth. I should snatch your "son's" Pokéball from you and crush it!"
"Leave Papa alone!" I growl at the man and bear my fangs, jumping to get into the air. Are Pokémon allowed to battle with humans? Will the other people here stop me if I try? When the man looks back at me, Papa uses the chance to get on his feet quickly.
"Listen," Papa warns, holding out the device. "My bodycam has been recording this entire encounter and there are plenty of witnesses. If you want to take this to court, then let's do this. But know that you've just given yourself charges with your little stunt." The man stops for a moment, seeming to think about what is being said.
"Fine, have it your way. I was just trying to help you be a better owner." The large man shrugs, continuing down the route towards Lumiose City. We both watch the man for a while, before I go back to the ground and Papa lets out a held breath. People begin going back to what they were doing as well, but many of them begin to leave with the sun setting.
"Papa, are you okay?" I ask him nervously. He fell over the motorcycle, and that looked like it hurt.
"I thought I was dead, Audi!" Papa chuckles while shaking. He clutches the device, the bodycam, in his hand. "That wouldn't have worked if that guy wasn't an idiot."
"What wouldn't have worked? What did you do?" I tilt my head again in confusion.
"The bodycam was never actually recording," Papa whispers. "I never got a chance to turn it on since he interrupted me."
"What would recording have done for us?"
"We'd have been able to watch the entire thing back. He wouldn't have been able to lie his way out of a punishment," Papa goes silent for a moment before starting to take off his motorcycle gear and tossing it into the motorcycle's bag. I don't fully get what his point is, but I do understand that it would stop any lying. So I'd say that's a good thing. "Anyways, to answer your original question, we have a plan in place. But Malu wasn't there to hear it, so we'd have to talk it over ourselves to ensure it works for her too."
"Then will we be ready to go looking for the amulet?" I ask while wagging my tail. Papa looks at me for a few seconds before he takes off his helmet.
"I'm going to tell you a secret, Audi. But it is very important that you don't repeat this to anyone. Understand?" Papa asks as his tired blue eyes lock with mine.
"I do, Papa." My tail wags a bit more excitedly. Papa rarely tells me secrets, so this has to be good. He leans in close, looking around as if he is expecting someone to arrive. I'm certain there is no else here though.
"There never was an amulet out here, Audi." Papa whispers to me, and I stop wagging my tail.
"What do you mean there is no amulet? You told everyone that there is an amulet around here."
"That's because the writer did say there was an amulet being held out here, Audi," Papa continues in a hushed tone. "You all heard me right."
"I don't understand, Papa. You're saying there is an amulet out here and that there isn't an amulet out here."
"No, the WRITER is saying there's an amulet out here," Papa corrects, leaning back a bit and looking into the forest behind us. "I'm saying this is a trap."
"Huh? Why would it be a trap?" I still don't get where Papa is going with this, but it doesn't sound good. More importantly, why would the professor send us out here if this is a trap?
"I wouldn't expect you to know, Audi. I've spent the last thirteen years protecting you from the horrors of the world, so you wouldn't have to think about stuff like this. The professor received an unsigned letter from an unknown courier that says there's a powerful amulet deep in the woods. The writer used yellowed parchment and wrote in nearly unreadable scripture to make it look old. They also left no clues as to who they are. No name, no contact information, no recognizable markers." Papa explains, raising a finger for each thing he lists. That is a bit odd, but it isn't completely new to me.
"You don't like to give anyone information about yourself either, Papa. Every time I've brought that up, you say that they'll find you." I reply as a new kid with a Chespin begins to battle a wild Ledyba.
"The difference is that I don't want to be found. People are too much for me to deal with, Audi," Papa answers, watching the battle in the distance. "If the writer didn't want anyone to know about them or the amulet, they wouldn't have given the letter to the courier."
I take a moment to think about what Papa is telling me. What he's saying mostly makes sense to me, though I'm not sure what a courier is. But what if the courier delivered the letter without the writer's permission? That would be repeating other's secrets, and really mean.
"How can you prove the writer wanted the letter to be delivered?" I ask in a questioning bark. Papa's always looks for proof at work. He's said something about proof being the key to science. "Maybe it was stolen."
"Common sense," He sighs in disappointment. I droop my ears in shame until I realize I can't tell if he is disappointed in me or the battler. "It's just common sense, Audi. Think about it, venturing into a dense forest, looking for some mysterious object in a random house, one which we don't know if it is occupied, is a horrible idea. We don't even know if the amulet truly exists, or if this house exists. We just know vague locations and that could lead to us getting ambushed."
"Then who is the trap set for? If the c . . . cor . . . couri . . ."
"The mailman, Audi. The courier is just a fancy way of saying the mailman." Oh, that makes a lot more sense! Now I know why Papa is so suspicious of this. He hates the mailman.
"Right, if the mailman didn't give the letter to us and the writer didn't say who the letter was to, who is the letter meant to trap?"
"Who do you think?" Papa asks, still watching the battle. The Ledyba tackles the Chespin into the kid before flying away. Both of them remain there, groaning in defeat.
"Is the letter a trap for the kid?" I look back to Papa, and he finally looks back to me. He doesn't have an expression for a moment.
"Yeah Audi, it's for the kid." Papa answers after taking a deep breath. Why would someone want to trap a kid? It doesn't make any sense to me. The kid begins getting up as I think about it.
"We'll do better next time Chespin, I'm sure of it," The kid promises, pulling out a Pokéball. "Let's get you to the Pokémon Center." As she says this, Papa places his fingers in his mouth to produce a sharp whistle. I flinch a bit at the noise as the kid jumps.
"It's not safe to be out here with a Pokémon who is in no shape to fight," Papa pulls another Revive out of his pocket before tossing it to the kid. "Revive your Chespin with that and get to town."
"Thanks Mister!" The kid answers, crouching down to pick up the Revive, which landed at her feet, before using it on Chespin the same way Sammy used it on Vivillion.
"I feel better now! Thank you!" Chespin thanks us after quickly getting up. The two run off towards home and Papa gives them a silent thumbs up. He goes back to putting the bodycam on his chest. I watch the many stars above us since we don't get to do this much at home. According to Papa, we can't see the stars in Lumiose City because of light pollution. I'm not exactly sure how light can be used to pollute something, but Papa knows what he's talking about. Well, he was wrong about the professor and his assistants. Surely they don't hate him, and they don't want him gone. Now that I think about it, does Papa even like living in Kalos? He doesn't smile as much as he did back at Grandma and Grandpa's house. He doesn't eat as much food as he did when Grandma and Grandpa were alive. He spends more nights shaking, and more days crying when he thinks I can't hear him. Sometimes, I pretend not to hear him crying, even though I hear it every time.
But, I can't use his crying as my only proof. I remember back when we were both young, there was one time Papa cried while smiling. It was late in the evening of Fall, just like tonight. I was just waking up, some people I had never heard around Papa were shouting. I don't remember exactly what they were saying, but I remember hearing something about coming back and not letting someone get away. When Papa released me from my Pokéball, he was shaking, crying, and smelled like blood. We went somewhere into the forest, and whoever was shouting said something about him never going back into the woods. It went quiet soon after that, except for a few wild Pokémon who came closer to investigate. He scooped me into his arms and told me that the day I hatched was the happiest day of his life. It was the first time I had seen him smile and cry at the same time. But he was very happy in that strange moment, while we watched the stars for a while before going home. Maybe Papa was right about the light polluting things. It's at that moment when I pick up on the sound of footsteps coming our way.
"Alola! You must be Will and Audi, right?" An unfamiliar woman in pink trainer's gear with a flashlight in her hand calls over to us. She sounds very friendly, and her voice is soothing to my ears.
"We are. On behalf of the entirety of the Sycamore Pokémon Lab, thank you for assisting us in our investigations, Malu." Papa stands up straight and bows to her as he speaks. I do the same. Wait a minute . . . ONE OF THE CHAMPIONS KNOWS MY NAME?!
"Of course! Helping out the professors is the least I could do for all of the trainers they've united with their first Pokémon," Malu responds as she walks over to us. I notice that she has six different types of Pokèballs on her belt, surely containing her Pokèmon. She clasps her hands together in excitement. "So then, what's our mission? I was told something about investigating information in a letter."
"And you were told right. We need to scour the woods surrounding the route for an old house. The writer, who is a worshipper of Yveltal, claims there is an amulet inside." Papa explains, finishing his work with the bodycam. Then he takes out his headlight and puts it on his head. Unlike the bodycam, I remember Papa having this for a long time.
"Wait, why do you need me then? There aren't that many dangerous Pokémon in the area," Malu gets a little closer to me, looking me up and down. "And I can tell you've trained Audi well." I can't help but wag my tail. This day is really turning around for me. First I get to have a battle, then I meet the new champion of Kalos and find out she knows who I am, and now she's saying I'm well trained.
Papa turns the headlight on and off again. "Thank you, Malu. Even with our training, it would be hubristic to believe we could stand up to Yveltal alone, in the unlikely instance they lay dormant here. If you ask me, this will be the easiest money you'll ever make." Hubristic? I look at Malu to see if she understands what Papa said. Since she is nodding and lowering her clasped hands, I'm guessing she does.
"Yeah, that does sound like a challenge alright. It is a welcome one though, so you're safe with me." Malu promises as Papa gets out a container of Repel and sprays himself with it. The smell is terrible, it's enough to make me gag. Papa's vomit from earlier wasn't this bad. Even Malu pinches her nose at the smell.
"Right," Papa trails off with a hint of mistrust in his voice. "Sorry about spraying that suddenly, by the way. I'd rather not skimp on the precautions." He drops the empty container into the motorcycle bag.
"That's fine," Malu says with a nasally voice as she crouches down and takes off her backpack. "I'm going to start getting ready for the trek too. Though I do feel a bit underprepared with how you're getting ready."
"Audi, keep an ear on the forest to my back. Will you?" Papa asks. I nod before turning around to face the dark woods while the two get ready. So far, I don't hear anything except for a faint breeze and the leaves it is carrying with it. Then, I make a small click to echolocate into the woods. Many wild Pokémon hiding in the darkness begin running deeper into the woods. Maybe they can also smell the Repel Papa is wearing. There aren't any houses here though, so we'll need to go deeper into the woods to find it.
Today's been a weird day. It started really good by getting to battle again, even if it was short and Papa got into some arguments over it. Then it went really bad when Papa was reading the letter and that voice kept being mean to us. I still don't know why I heard that voice, but it doesn't matter. Whoever was speaking is gone now. Once we left the lab, we got some food. I'm pleasantly surprised Papa ate anything after vomiting, even though he didn't speak to me or watch TV. Now we're here, meeting the champion before going on an adventure.
Strangely, I'm hoping for something bad to happen on our adventure. If something bad happens, Malu will send out her Pokémon to protect us. And if that happens, I can meet them. It would be a dream come true to meet the Pokémon of a champion. I have so many questions I'd want to ask them. What is being a champion like? How do you train to get so strong? When did you end up with your trainer? Do you do normal things like everyone else or do you stop once you become champions? Is it fun to have other Pokémon around who you can call friends? I know what it's like to have friends. Professor Sycamore's Garchomp is nice to me and I'm nice to her. We don't see each other much because Papa rarely brings me with him to the lab. And she lives at the lab with everyone else, I go back home with Papa where I'm alone. I miss Grandma and Grandpa . . . I don't like being alone.
Before I know it, we're heading into the forest without the lights. Papa said something about being able to keep the element of surprise if we stay in the dark. Being a Noivern, I agree with Papa on that, especially since he's convinced this is a trap. It would probably work better if they didn't have to shuffle through the leaves on the ground, but maybe my hearing is just so sharp it is louder for me than it is for them. But most people go to sleep when it gets dark out, so we'll be fine. I haven't heard any signs of people being out here except for Malu and Papa.
The two of them talk in whispers, stopping every time there is a sound or smell. Malu assures Papa it is nothing, and he agrees after a few seconds before moving again. I hear him apologize, saying he is just trying to be cautious about this, and Malu understands Papa's reason for that. I think they make a good team. Every click I make gives me a more complete sonar map of the forest.
We travel for a while, walking in every direction and searching every possible place. The Pokèmon have grown very quiet as we've headed this way. Some have even run past us instead of away from us. As we are getting back on track after that, I click once more and I see a small house in our blind world. Papa quietly signals for me to descend to the forest floor once I tell him this.
"Alright, so this is probably the house the letter mentioned," Papa whispers, patting my head. "We need to be careful."
"Hang on, let me check the time. If someone's there and it's late, maybe it would be better if we knocked." Malu suggests. She taps her watch and it glows for a few moments.
"It doesn't really matter what time it is since the lights are out. If someone's in there, they either don't want visitors or are fast asleep," Papa answers. "The best outcome for us is that this house has been uninhabited for a long time."
"Maybe you're right, but we should still be prepared for someone to be here. It's only been an hour since we left after all." Malu calmly admits.
"Hang on, it's seven?!" Papa asks.
"More or less, Will," Malu responds with less concern. "Audi?" I turn my head in the direction Malu speaks in. For a moment, I don't know what to do or say since this catches me by surprise.
"Y-yes Malu?" I answer.
"Did you hear anything from inside the house when you found it?"
I think back to a moment ago, before Papa signaled for me to come down. There was nothing unusual around the house that I know about. "No, no I didn't hear anyone."
"Thank you, Audi!" Malu whispers in a praising manner that makes me feel fuzzy inside. It's the same tone Papa used a lot more when I was younger. "You might have been right after all. The house might be abandoned."
"Well then, now would be the perfect time to go knock." Papa reaches for the headlight and turns it on. I'm not sure why we would knock if no one is home, but before I have time to figure out why, the two are heading towards the door.
"So, do you plan to bring Audi back into his Pokèball now that we are turning our lights on?" Malu asks Papa while turning on her own flashlight.
Papa looks back at me for a moment before returning his attention to Malu. "Hmm? Oh hell no! This is still a bad place to be hanging around. Have you ever watched Wrong Direction before?"
"The original or the reboot?"
"Either. Both movies perfectly explain what I'm worried about, Malu."
"I haven't seen any of them, but you think Audi will be enough to protect us?"
"We don't need Audi to protect us. We just need him to hear anyone coming before we do." After Papa says this, I turn my full attention to the forest again. It's still awfully quiet since the Pokèmon ran off. The wind has stopped picking up the leaves too.
"I don't hear anyone coming, Papa." I respond, still keeping an ear on our hushed environment.
"Good. Let's search this house and get going before you hear something," Papa instructs as he starts creeping up to the house. "Cover me, will you?" Malu runs a finger along all the Pokéballs on her hip, taking the Quick Ball before nodding. I brace myself for anything to happen, and I can't help but wonder what Pokémon the champion plans to use. Once Papa arrives at the window of the house, his headlight gives us a quick glimpse inside. It's not like any house I've ever seen before, not that I've seen the inside of a lot of houses. A lot of the little things I'd expect to see in houses, like buttons and switches aren't here. The constant humming of human machines isn't here either. Then Papa takes slow steps to the door and turns the doorknob. It quietly clicks, and doesn't open.
"Is it locked?" Malu asks, tossing the Quick Ball up in the air before catching it. Papa sticks his thumb up. "Maybe we could try a window then."
"That would be too noisy, even if we had the proper tools to pry it open from outside." Papa kneels in front of the door.
"I'm assuming you wouldn't want us to try bashing the door down for the same reason either then. Especially because a locked door probably means someone's home." Malu reasons.
"Maybe we should go back then," I suggest, looking on the inside of the house with the light. From the light's new angle, I can see an Ursaring growling and standing still. "Because there's an angry Ursaring in the window!"
"Yeah, I saw it too. That's just a taxidermied Ursaring, Audi." Papa assures.
"A ta . . . tazi," I repeat with great difficulty.
"It's a dead body that still looks alive." Malu explains. Why would someone want to keep a dead body?
"Thank you, Malu," Papa replies while looking through his pockets. "And you're right about the door thing. Only unhinged people bash down doors on a whim. But don't worry, I came prepared for this situation."
"Have you been hanging out with Clemont recently?" Malu chuckles, causing Papa to tense before turning back to her with a serious look. She stops chuckling slowly. "You know because Clemont's catchphrase is basically what you just said and then, "The future is now, thanks to science!" before unveiling some invention?"
"Luckily, there's no need for us to reinvent the wheel." Papa answers while relaxing before pulling out two small metal things that don't look like wheels.
"First you bring a bodycam, then a headlight, then Repel, and now lockpicks. You really are one of the most prepared people I've ever met." Malu compliments.
"Thanks, I guess." Papa answers while shrugging his shoulders a bit. He puts the lockpicks in the lock and begins to move them around, causing me to hear tiny clicks by the door every few seconds.
I look at Malu with my tail wagging. Papa's actually getting along with her better than I thought he would. "You know, when Papa and I lived back at home, Papa used to be so prepared for bad things to happen that he turned every closet in Grandma and Grandpa's house into a place we could hide for d-,"
"Audi, listen!" Papa scolds before pointing to the dark forest. "You're the only one who will hear someone coming before they become a problem."
"Sorry Papa!" I apologize, using a lot of effort to stop my tail. Malu looks at us both with some worry on her face before I turn back to face the dark. The only thing I can hear is Papa's weird clicking sounds, then a gust of wind picks up to muffle a quiet sigh. Something from deep inside me tells me that I'll hear the voice again. It came from nowhere, but it followed us wherever we went. How did the voice do that? I know I couldn't have been dreaming since I was awake the second time it spoke. The voice must be real, right? Someone was trying to break down the door. Papa said only unhinged people break down doors. I don't know if this is a person, but it did try to break down a door. There must be something to this voice that makes it so I can't find it unless it wants me to. Maybe that's what Papa meant by unhinged.
"Is something out there, Audi?" Malu asks me softly, bringing me back to my senses. I shake my head after taking a moment to make sure there is nothing. "We should get going then, Will, err Papa, got the door unlocked." We walk through the door into the house which is a little warmer than outside. It stinks in here, not like blood or vomit, but like mold. Human objects lie against walls, on top of shelves, and beside the round table. I recognize some of them, but not all of them. The champion looks like she is about to say something before Papa puts a finger to his mouth.
"Echolocate," Papa orders while closing his hands. He steps to the side before looking at me with wide eyes. "Now." I obey him, sending a click into the unseen depths of the house. Everything bounces around in the smaller space, but I am still able to make sense of the echoes. There is no one in this one room house except us.
"I'm not finding anything, Papa."
Malu looks around the room from her spot as well, plugging her nose again. "What's wrong? Why did you tell Audi to echolocate?"
"Someone is here," Papa announces. "I know there is."
"But Audi didn't hear anything," Malu answers, clutching her Quick Ball tighter. "Besides, what about the mold and the overgrown plants out front?"
"What about the ashless fireplace? What about the floors that don't have a speck of dust on them?" Papa points to the fireplace and the floor as he speaks.
Malu goes quiet as she inspects both things for a moment before her eyes widen. She mouths something silently. "Good catch! I wouldn't have noticed that."
"Papa, what kind of house is this? I've never seen a house with one room before." I ask before he can respond to Malu, trying to put my unease away for a moment.
"It's a log cabin," Papa goes to the table and pulls out one of the chairs to take the long object covered with some rust on the seat. He lifts it up a bit, and pulls a piece back before looking into the empty space. "Probably belonged to a hunter or something from a long time ago Audi." A cabin, it sounds nice . . . but a bit creepy in our situation.
"Is that loaded?" Malu raises a finger to her chin after asking that. "Actually, I don't think I need to know."
"Did you really think we'd be THAT lucky? It's empty," Papa chuckles with no joy before putting the long human machine I don't recognize back where it was. "Be on guard, both of you. Let's just search for this amulet so we can skedaddle!" Both of them begin looking around separate parts of the cabin for the amulet. I move to help them find it, but then I realize I have no idea what an amulet is. Papa already explained amulets are to protect people, but that doesn't tell me what it looks like. For all I know, I've already found the amulet but don't know that I have. I click again to look at my sonar map of the cabin. There is something really bad about this place. It's like something deep inside me is telling me to leave. The other Pokémon who ran away must have felt this feeling too. But I'm not scared of whatever this is, I'm scared of whatever this is getting the amulet. Still, there is nothing in here that would give me an idea of where to look. While we search the cabin for signs of an amulet, Papa walks back to the door to close and lock it. He mumbles something about making sure no one ambushes us from outside before going back to looking. Malu asks me if I know what the amulet looks like. I shake my head again, then she tells me that she's guessing it will probably look something like her necklace. She points to the thin metal chain around her neck which has an orange stone in it.
"It's an ivory disk with needlelike openings in the circumference," Papa describes as he feels on top of a high shelf. "They should trace into the shape of a capital y with a hollowed out circular carving in the disk's center." He wipes a little bit of dust off of his fingers when he stops looking on top of the shelf.
Malu must see my confusion, because I have no idea what half of those words mean and she answers for me. "Thanks Will! It would be a small circle that looks like it's made of bone, Audi. Think you can find that?" I nod while chirping in contentment. We haven't found the amulet yet, but now I feel like we have a better chance to.
So, with this information in mind, we all go back to looking around the cabin for the amulet. Malu finds a small hammer and uses it to pry up loose parts of the floor. Papa checks behind any furniture, running his hand along the sides then the bottoms. I decide to look near the taxidermied Ursaring since it gives me a bad feeling. It must have been stuck in this cabin all alone for so long and the Ursaring deserves to feel safe too, even in death. Whoever is here, if anyone is, hasn't been doing much to help if they haven't come out. Surely Papa won't mind if we give them the amulet for protection, at least for a little while. When I get close enough to the giant Pokémon, I click one more time . . . and that's when I see the circle in my map!
"Papa! Papa! The amulet is here!" My call echoes a bit throughout the cabin.
"Back up you two," Papa shoos us away from the Ursaring. "If this thing does have powers, I don't want it to trigger on you accidentally. Can I have the time please, Malu?" He takes out a thick glove and puts it on.
Malu takes out her phone again quickly. "Quarter after seven."
"Notes for future reference, we have located an amulet matching the letter's description around the neck of a taxidermied Ursaring at 7:15 PM in Kalosian Standard Time or 19:15 by the 24 hour clock. There are signs that the cabin has humans occupying it recently. We have yet to encounter anyone except some Pokémon who fled. If the amulet can be removed safely and without an owner coming to claim it, we will be returning it to the lab for analysis. It is imperative to radiocarbon date this thing since the message is older than the paper. I'm also going to compare the conditions of our arrival to our return, just to rule out any potential environmental factors in advance. Let's see if you are safe to touch." Papa murmurs the last words after speaking everything else clearly. He approaches the amulet, slowly reaching up to take it off the Ursaring's neck, and Malu whispers for me to back up a little more. That's when I hear something shuffling behind us.
"I assure you, travelers, Yveltal's amulet is quite safe to grasp bare-handed," A low creepy voice echoes through the cabin. We all turn around to see a man in red and black robes with a hood that covers his face. In fact, nothing of his is visible except his chin with a little hair on it. "If anything, I would encourage it. All must feel the joys of the dark aura of Yveltal run through their meager mortal blood." Papa was right about someone being here, but how did someone who isn't the voice hide from me?
"We're terribly sorry for letting ourselves in and poking through your things, sir," Malu apologizes in the most friendly tone I've ever heard anyone use. "We thought that no one owned this place or the amulet."
The man takes a step closer, bowing as Papa did to Malu before. "You are forgiven, newly crowned Champion of Kalos. We are honored to be in the presence of one with your might, Madame!"
"I imagine you'll be wanting this back, which I fully intend on returning," Papa holds up the amulet in his gloved hand. I can feel the fear coming off of Papa, so I move over to his side, knowing he will call me to his side eventually. "Were you the one who penned the note to Professor Sycamore?"
"It was not for him in particular, but it is good to hear that the courier is getting our word as far as the learned peoples of Kalos." The man smiles under his hood.
"Did you intend for us to come looking for the amulet?" Papa takes a step forward as well, putting himself ahead of me.
"But of course!" The man begins to pace back and forth behind the table. His walking reminds me of a bird-like Pokémon. "All of Kalos must hear the word of the Destruction God. The end of life, and master of death." He raises his scarred hands to the ceiling slowly. This man, the more he talks . . . the more I get a bad feeling from him.
"So you're just trying to spread the word of Yveltal then," Malu nods her head as she reasons. She seems scared too, but much less than Papa is. "I can respect that. It's very admirable of you!"
"Thank you for being so open-minded to our practices." He also nods, lowering his hands and putting them back into his long sleeves.
"You're welcome, sir." Malu says, growing calmer by the second.
"Papa," I whisper to Papa. He's acting nice, but I have a bad feeling about him. Maybe Papa can explain it, he usually knows everything about weird things. "Something's weird about this man."
"Right, right. Well, we'll leave you to your proselytization and I'll leave you with your amulet." Papa answers, growing more nervous. Surely he heard me, since he gave me a little nod. Does he not understand why he's like this either?
"I must thank you, kind sage, for locking the door during your investigations. You and your Noivern will be remaining in this cabin for the foreseeable future!" He turns his head to look straight at us with a grin. I'm not sure if this would be scarier if we could see his eyes.
"What about me?" Malu asks, taking a step forward. "I'm with them."
"You're not asking the right questions, Malu. That threat implies we are going to die soon!" Papa pulls the amulet closer to his body, and I get in front of Papa. I don't know who this man is or what he wants. What I do know is if we need to battle to get out of here, I'm more than ready to.
"Indeed. Your souls will be an offering to the Destruction God as punishment for your hubris, your greed," The hooded man declares as he takes a step closer. There's that hubris word again! He rests his hands on the old table. "Before you die, you will realize the folly in trying to claim our sacred amulet. You will learn that all that glitters is not gold." I bear my fangs in defiance. My heart pounds in my chest as the truth comes out. All I need to understand is he wants us dead.
"So some nobodies are more valuable sacrifices than THE Kalos champion. Brilliant." Papa laughs as the hooded man snarls quietly. Papa thinks we're nobodies? We can't be nobodies! Papa is super smart and works with Professor Sycamore. That has to count for something . . . right?
"You insolent boy! Having the nerve to interrupt the Champion's question," He scolds. Papa flinches a little bit at his words. Then he turns to Malu with a soft smile. "She is welcome here because we will soon be officially allied." Malu has been nothing but good to us this entire time. She'd never work with someone who believes in killing others like you. Call out your Pokèmon, we've prepared for this! That's when I hear the deafening splintering of wood behind us.
"Will, wait!" Malu calls out. By the time I turn around, Papa has already run out into the darkness. Cold air from outside starts to brush against us all.
"A scholar with notable strength and speed. Impressive, but insignificant," The man chuckles. I can feel his covered eyes staring at me. "His Noivern will make a fine offering for now."
"I don't think so," Malu grips her Quick Ball tightly as she stands up to the hooded man. "I was hired to protect Audi and his owner and that's what I'm going to do."
"If it is truly fortune you seek, great Champion, the rewards we could grant you for your aid would be breathtaking in comparison to the boy's offering," The hooded man's voice becomes more like Malu's. It's softer . . . friendlier. Then he shows us a shiny ring after he steps back from the table. "Think of all the people you could help with such a fortune."
"Keep your wedding ring," She scoffs. "Charity means nothing if it is paid with the lives of people and Pokèmon!" Malu declares in disgust. He pulls the ring back into his robes.
"And what good are our lives if there is no death to make us appreciate them?" The hooded man asks with a new tone. It is still soft, but different. Even though I can't describe it, it makes Malu stop for a moment. "Would anyone be grateful for food and water if they could never starve or dehydrate? Would anyone be thankful to live in comfortable homes if they never froze or overheated? Would anyone feel blessed to have medicine if they never fell ill?" He pauses, with a cold stare deep at her as his lips form a simple grin. "Charity would be for naught if nobody suffered."
"If nobody in the world is suffering, then charity has done its job," Malu raises the Quick Ball and adjusts her hat. "And if you think that the only way to make the world better is by bringing it suffering, I'll be putting a stop to your plans right now."
The hooded man chuckles, takes his own Pokèball out, and pushes the table between us aside. I flinch from the sudden noise of wood scraping wood. "Fear clutches at your mortal hearts. It does not clutch at my faithful one. As such, I accept your challenge, great Champion." He gently tosses the ball forward and an Inkay comes out.
"You're dead you big-eared freak!" The Inkay taunts me while flashing the lights on her head. I'm not scared but is this really happening? Am I about to watch a Champion battle?!
Malu jumps back and tosses the Quick Ball with so much passion behind it. "Guide us to victory, Prophet!" Then, an Alakazam with closed eyes comes out of the Quick Ball. Much like the Inkay, he floats off the ground a bit. Something about this Pokèmon is different from any other I've met. For a moment, him being here makes me forget all about everything wrong with our situation. I don't think there is another Pokèmon I would trust to handle this more than him. Then, he opens his eyes and speaks to me directly.
"Your master is hysterical and will almost certainly make many injudicious choices if isolated for too long. Pursue him, and allow us to handle this trial by combat." He instructs before turning his attention back to the enemies.
"What does that m-?" I ask quickly.
"Find Will, we will cover you." Prophet interjects.
"We need to do our best!" Malu puts the Quick Ball back and taps the ring on her finger. "Mega Evolve!" Prophet's body glows with a rainbow light coming from his chest. The two spoons he holds float into the air and split from two into five spoons. He seems to grow older as his mustache grows into a thick white beard. A red dot appears in the center of his head as the transformation finishes. Wow! I've never seen a mega evolution before. It was so fast! That was so cool!
"Committing to using a psychic type against a dark type? How bold of you," The hooded man chuckles before pointing at Prophet. "Night Slash!" I watch the Inkay charge towards Prophet with her tentacles glowing purple. By the time I make it to the door and fly up, Prophet has easily dodged two attacks without waiting for Malu's instructions.
"Use Shadow Ball!" Malu orders before her voice is cut out by the rushing wind. My attention is on flying as fast as I can while echolocating through the many trees. It feels like there are more than when we started. I'm not picking up anything but trees. Wait a second, where is Papa's headlight? He had it on when we were in the cabin. There's no way he plans on running around in the forest without a light, right? With that thought in mind, I descend a bit lower into the forest.
"Papa!" I call out into the darkness. "Papa, where are you?!" Papa doesn't answer me. How far could he have gone so quickly? Even if he doesn't answer me, I should still be able to hear him out here. There are not a lot of Pokèmon out here to make extra noise.
"Your father never loved you. You were an accident." The calmly mean voice returns, whispering to me. It sounds so close that it might as well be in my ear. Where are they?!
I stop flying and send out fast clicks in every direction. "Who are you?!" This is starting to make me mad, but I have to focus. Once I close my eyes, I pay extra close attention to the clicks. Maybe I can find where the voice is coming from. At first, I was convinced this was another human. Now I'm wondering if a Pokèmon is playing a trick on me. All I get is the sound of two boys, one laughing and another crying. What does that mean? A few moments pass as I attempt to answer that question. There's something to this mystery I'm not understanding and I feel like I'm not smart enough to get this. Maybe Prophet might be able to help me understand this once we are safe. Then I hear a loud BOOM coming from the direction the cabin was in. What just happened?! I open my eyes to see a bright light and smoke coming from the way I came. Malu and her Pokèmon might be in trouble. Everything in me wants to go help them out but Prophet told me to go find Papa.
Forget it, Audi . . . just fly.
And so I fly like my life depends on it.
After a while of not finding anyone, I perch on one of the longer branches to catch my breath. It shakes a bit under my weight, but I know it will support me. But this isn't working. If I'm going to find Papa, I need a better plan than flying and echolocating though the entire woods. How do smart people and Pokèmon come up with good ideas? Surely they don't just come from nowhere. Then I start hearing the sound of quietly rustling leaves on the branch. But there's not much wind, and I can't hear any other leaves rustling. So, I turn down to click in the direction of the rustling to spot a shaking Burmy. His little eyes peak up at mine before widening.
"GAAAH! Please don't eat me!" He begs, shaking and hiding behind his leaf cocoon.
"I won't eat you, I promise," I assure, I hang upside down on the branch to look him in the eyes. "I'm looking for a human in these woods, have you seen any?"
"That depends on what kind of human. Plenty of humans come through here."
"Really?" That might be really good to know.
"Yeah, r-really." He stammers.
"What about recently? I'm looking for a human who was running around in the dark." I follow up by saying that.
"I . . . I probably shouldn't say that to you." The Burmy shrinks a bit while making that comment.
"Please, just say whatever you were going to say." I insist, getting a bad feeling from the new wave of fear coming from this Burmy.
"B-b-but you'll be mad at m-m-me if I-,"
"I'll be way more angry if something happens to my father!" I interrupt, causing the Burmy to shake even more before hiding. I'm not sure where that came from. "S-sorry, I didn't mean to get loud."
The Burmy peeks out from the cocoon again. "It's fine, Noivern. I was going to say I thought your kind were good at finding things in the dark."
"I thought so too. Ever since earlier tonight though, I'm not sure about that."
"Well, there was a human who hid by that tree over there." He points a few leaves in the direction I was flying in.
A huge wave of relief washes over me. "Did they come from behind us?"
"I think so? It was a little hard to tell because I just woke up," The Burmy admits with a yawn. "They ran off a bit ago though." Of course Papa did.
"Which way did the human run?"
"That way," The Burmy points in the direction towards Parterre Way. "Where the others say the humans live."
"Well, they live all over the place, but going that way is a good way to find humans in the daytime," I get ready to fly away, but I look back to him one more time. "Thanks for your help."
"You're welcome. Thanks for not eating me, Noivern."
"Try and get some sleep." I chuckle before taking to the air again, but this time towards Parterre Way. The Burmy hides up in his leaves again quietly before it is back to the wind in my ears.
Soon, I make it back to where we started our adventure, Parterre Way. At night, it is still a bunch of hedge mazes surrounding a fountain and flowers. Now it's just way quieter with nobody around. Papa is there, putting on the last pieces of his motorcycle gear in a hurry. The amulet is tied to his hip tightly. He grabs the keys for the motorcycle out of his bag and pushes the button. I begin to descend towards the ground, a little tired from flying through all of those trees like that.
"Come on come on come on," Papa whispers quickly before slamming his fist onto the front of the motorcycle. "FUCKING START!"
"Are you okay, Papa?" I ask in relief. Papa's head snaps towards mine, and I don't need to see his face under the helmet to know he is happy to see me too.
He puts the key in the keyhole and the motorcycle starts making noises. A few Pokèmon begin to run and hide as it roars. "There you are! I knew you'd make it out of there safely," Before I even get a chance to ask what knee and herthals are, he's already checking me over for any injuries. "And thank Shaymin those neanderthals didn't hurt you in the process!"
"They didn't Papa," I shake my head. "Did Malu and Prophet come back? I think the cabin exploded."
"Nope, fuck all of them too," Papa spits out. The sudden change in his tone catches me off guard. "We need to go before any of Mr. and Ms. Cultist's friends come looking for us!"
"Wait, there was another one of those hooded people out there? I thought there was only one at the cabin."
"Malu hasn't come back yet. So she probably betrayed us." Now I'm really worried. I know Malu didn't betray us. She was too nice to betray us! "Either way, we need to leave."
"But Papa, I watched her call out Prophet to battle the hooded man's Inkay. She didn't betray us." I continue to try and convince Papa to stay. He pulls away, looking back towards the motorcycle.
"Then she's probably dead, Audi. Whether she died or she defected to his side isn't my concern now."
"Papa, please!" I take a step towards him, desperately trying to convince him to wait a bit longer.
"We need to save ourselves while we still can," Papa pulls my Pokèball off his belt. "I'm sorry, Audi." Maybe Papa's right. Maybe we do need to go. Should I have gone back to help them while I still could have? What if Mr. Cultist's friends did come to help him? What if they knew we'd run away and are following us here? I don't know how Mr. Cultist avoided my echolocation to begin with, and maybe his friends can do the same somehow. Argh, I wish we found Yveltal out here! Papa said we'd be fine as long as Yveltal wasn't here. If Yveltal was here, Malu would have protected us all and everything would be okay. Instead, we find Mr. Cultist and now everyone could be gone . . . why was making easy money so important to Malu in the first place? It's just some fancy paper everyone keeps with them! Just as Papa aims the Pokèball at me and tells me to return, my thoughts are interrupted by a poofing sound. I look up to see Malu and Prophet standing there. Prophet isn't Mega Evolved anymore, but he seems alert. More importantly, neither of them are hurt!
"Malu. Prophet. You're alive!" I call over to them in relief. My tail wags back and forth. Everyone is okay!
"Will. Audi. Are you two okay?" Malu begins to ask us. Then I hear the sound of Papa picking up something quickly.
"STAY BACK!" Papa shouts while he holds a small rock. He's holding it the same way people hold Pokèballs to throw them. "I WILL DEFEND MYSELF!"
"As I stated earlier, your master is hysterical," Prophet says to me before closing his eyes. "However, this is an optimal outcome when compared to the alternatives."
"Woah, it's okay, Will," Malu assures with her hands up and that calm voice from before. "We aren't going to hurt you."
"Papa, please stop! She's a good guy!" I try to stop Papa from doing whatever he plans to do.
"Get behind me, Audi." Papa commands, never turning his head to look at me. But I can't bring myself to move from my spot.
"You two may not hurt me, but the cultist will. You led him here." Prophet whispers so quietly, he may be talking to himself. Papa then says the same thing to Malu, but way louder. How did he do that?
"Will and Audi, you both have my word I didn't lead him here," Malu promises, taking a small step closer. "The last time I saw him was when he ran deeper into the forest."
"Why should I trust you? All I've seen today is everyone wanting me dead." Prophet whispers again. Once again, Papa repeats what Prophet whispers, but much louder. Seriously, how does he know what Papa will say next?
"I'm a humanitarian and a pacifist, Will. Hurting you, or anyone for that matter, is the last thing I want to do. I'm sorry that you've found others today who haven't given you the same courtesy." Malu apologizes, taking another step closer.
"Don't come any-," Prophet stops whispering and opens his eyes suddenly, looking at me. "I sense my foresight is vexing you, Audible. I will cease my clairvoyant activities now." What does any of that mean? I'm just glad he stopped, if anything.
"DON'T COME ANY CLOSER TO US!" Papa shouts, gripping the rock much harder now. Come on Papa, stop this. You know she doesn't want to hurt us. She had so many chances to do that already and she never did.
"I won't," Malu takes a big slow step backwards. "Please put the rock down though. I know you don't want it to come to this."
"You don't know anything about me, Malu," Papa growls. "Everyone in Kalos who says they do is a liar."
Malu takes a deep breath. "I know you love Audi dearly, and would protect him with your life."
"Anyone with a shred of reason in them would protect their kid." Papa answers with a snort. He isn't yelling anymore, so that's good.
"I also know you're altruistic, Will." Malu follows up.
"I'd love to see you prove this one." Papa scoffs.
"You helped Camilla earlier today." Malu answers with a gentle smile.
"What?" Papa lowers the rock slightly. I don't know who Camilla is, but Malu's words must be working.
"Camilla. The little girl with the Chespin who was on Parterre Way," Malu explains. Oh yeah! I nearly forgot about her after all of this. "You gave her a Revive and warned her to get somewhere safe before it got too dark. No one asked you to do that. Or to give her one of your Revives. Or even to pay her any mind. But you did it anyway."
"That doesn't mean I'm altruistic," Papa responds defensively. "I could've done that for any number of reasons."
"Maybe, but being a good person is the only reason that happens when you think no one is watching," Malu gives Papa a gentle smile. He also loosens his grip on the rock. "I don't know why you're a guarded man. Truth be told, it isn't my place to press that issue. But it's clear you put up walls to protect others as much as you do to protect yourself. That is something I can use to prove you are a good person and that I can give you my respect for." With the helmet covering his face, it's hard for me to tell exactly what Papa is thinking.
"Papa? Can you please put the rock down now?" I ask Papa again while wrapping my wings around him in a hug. He is shaking, and I hear him miss a breath under the helmet. Then he looks at the rock and Pokèball in his hands before dropping the rock into the grass. It lands with a soft thud before Papa takes a deep breath.
"It's a little hard to not be on edge when you know you may be dealing with a cult praising Yveltal. Surely you can understand that." Papa says with a sigh. I let him go once I'm sure he's calm enough.
"After tonight's little adventure, yeah, we do." Malu chuckles. Papa chuckles along. Prophet and I also chuckle a bit. It's nice to all be laughing again instead of stressed.
"This is truly an optimal outcome. Is it not, Audible?" Prophet asks me.
"Yeah, it is," I respond once I stop chuckling. He is calling me Audible, which is a little strange. But I can live with strange right now. "Also, can I just say it is an honor to meet a champion's Pokèmon? Even if we didn't really get to say much."
"Indeed. And however you appraise this information, we have conversed more in this short span than 97.4% of others I encounter." I nod my head slowly as Prophet tells me this. Then, two devices start making a blaring noise. Papa and Malu both check their phones, the source of the painful sound.
"Are you also getting an-," Malu begins to say nervously.
"An abduction alert for one hundred people from Lumiose City? Yes. We need to skedaddle right now!" Henry interrupts, raising his Pokèball to me. "Audi, return."
"Prophet, break time." Malu calls right afterwards. We are both pulled into our Pokèballs, our dormant spaces. Normally, it is peaceful here. But after getting that alarm that scared them both, it isn't so calm. What just happened in Lumiose City? The last thing I hear is Papa inviting Malu to ride back to the city with us, and she accepts the offer. I get the feeling I should also rest, just in case things go wrong. Whatever Mr. Cultist was saying about "all that glitters is not gold" makes no sense to me.
But until I figure it out, I know one thing: I have good people and Pokèmon around me. That's better than anything I could have instead.
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