One did not need to be a paranoid criminal to know when to heed the word of a stranger, but it sure did mean that Tavish reacted faster than any chump ever could. He put one step forward and turned around the next instant, his knife drawn and ready to… cut…

His heart was rather conflicted here. If that Fluttermane had gotten hold of him, then that would’ve been that. He’d see them do absolutely nasty things to other Pokémon. Other people. Thus, he didn’t exactly mind the call out, nor the way it was blasted back with a frosty Ice Beam.

But his conviction didn’t hold the same reservations: the move was vile. Evil. Whoever gave the command should be gutted like a Magikarp and left to be scavenged by the wild Pokémon. Cut down where they stand like the sinner they were.

“Easy, easy!” Tavish called out. Obstagoon held onto the sack of dangerous crystals with a tight grip, unable to fight back. “No need to get so–”

“Fuck,” he dodged to the side as the Fluttermane went for a second attempt. Its hair barely missed his skull, and he felt the icy chill of death leave a trail on his skin. Pinpricks erupted everywhere the connected as if an omen of what could’ve been. “Obstagoon, help!”

“Obstagoon!” She pulled one leg back and swiftly raised it into the bottom of the Paradox Pokémon. Unfortunately, that wasn’t an actual move that could hit it, and she instead fell backwards from the sudden change in balance.

“Okay, nevermind,” Tavish dashed over to Obstagoon and tried to pull her back, “distract the Fluttermane!”

It got ever closer, and its smile got only wider…

---

nikkari hect

It… stopped?

Tavish momentarily ignored the order and peered around the Fluttermane. He can see how much it struggles against the temporary paralysis. Even in this limited state, its desire to attack them is still powerful. The twitches do not get less sporadic, and maybe even stronger of the slowed course of time.

But he quickly backed off, towards the stranger. It was weird to be helped rather than attacked on sight. If the roles had been reversed, this man would’ve been left to die without a second’s hesitation.

Most of the people in Hoenn deserved it.

Just as he and Obstagoon reached the person, he heard the flutter of the ghost’s hair strands in the wind. He spared a glance backward, only to see it chuckle softly and fade from view.

“Looks like we’re haunted,” he said as he continued to stride forward in earnest. “Forget harmin’ it– we’re better off running.”

“Obstagoon.”

“Huh?”

She’d stopped. Even if she couldn’t harm the ghost, she’d at least try to help the stranger who helped them. It was only right. One way or another, she’d help them out until they were free of this simple yet powerful menace. Her head swung around and her nose twitched.

“Obsta!” She pointed towards the thin air on their left. It did not remain that way for long, and the Fluttermane rematerialized as soon as its location was pointed out. It lunged forward, straight for the small group.

“Obstagoon!” Tavish cried out. He retraced his steps, but intuition told him he’d never make it in time. If the Fluttermane went for her… she’d be ruined. “Drive it back! Today!”

---

nikkari hect

“...”

Tavish examined the fight scene. He wasn’t going to contribute anything, and neither was Obstagoon. Bloke wouldn’t be much use either, and Sonny wouldn’t be fast enough to fight back. There was indeed a glowing rocky outcrop high above, and the odds of it being just bad enough for the Fluttermane to incapacitate it were… good.

But it hurt his heart. The mere thought of it put a tear in his eye, and he shared a look with Obstagoon. She nodded swiftly and grunted. He followed suit.

The odds of this creature causing more pain and suffering were too high. How many other Pokémon would it hurt if they let it roam free? It’d shown malicious intent not even a minute prior. Unfortunately, he had to take the matter of life or death in a numerical sense. And the numbers agreed with Nikkari.

“... Fine. Follow me, ya relic of the past!” Tavish waved his arms and locked eyes with the Fluttermane. He uselessly swiped at it as he ran towards the invisible X on the floor. Obstagoon followed suit as she once again sent her leg through the body of the creature.

It wasted no time and followed suit. Why wouldn’t it? They ran further into the cave, and that was its home turf. If they wanted to die tired, they were more than welcome to. The Fluttermane giggled insanely as it floated towards its unknown doom.

“Don’t hesitate, ya only got the one shot!”

---

nikkari hect

The combination of elements rumbled the cavern up above. It started with a sprinkle of dust, which caught all involved parties off guard. Tavish and Obstagoon glanced up at the cracks in the crystals. They flickered in the relative darkness of the cave and started to crumble in their place. Looked like the attack worked.

Maybe a little too well. While the Fluttermane was still almost entirely focused on its prey, said prey had much bigger concerns. The first few rocked tell down and smashed into the ground. One nearly brained Tavish, who held his hands above his head. “Obstagoon, we need to scatter, fast!”

“Obsta!” She said. Fluttermane extended its feelers straight for the Galarian Pokémon, but she dodged to the side just as the first proper chunk of crystal fell. It smacked it straight down, and the Paradoxical Pokémon gasped in both surprise and pain. Another large piece followed, and then another. Soon enough, the Fluttermane was buried.

But they weren’t in the clear yet. The main crystalline structure had broken into two massive pieces. One of them had taken out their problem; the other broke much more audibly. Tavish looked up to see it start to fall straight down.

“Go, go!” He pushed Obstagoon forward, Even with their swift action and even swifter dive out out of the way, the impact of the main structure rattled his teeth thoroughly. The impact was deafening. Dust billowed out from the point of impact and filled his lungs. He coughed violently as he stood up and the debris settled.

“Is- do you see any movement?” He asked Nikkari.

---

nikkari hect

“Don’t be. It’s for the best,” Tavish craned his head backward. Even if it was for the best, it didn’t mean he had to be happy with it. A sigh escaped his lips, and he bowed his head. “Arceus, please grant this one safe passage into your domain.”

Obstagoon nodded, but otherwise kept her posture the same. After all, there was still some good to be had here. She jingled the bag still slung behind her, which sounded off rather normally. A big ol’ bag of crystals, all of which sounded intact. Enough to still make a pretty penny off of.

After a few moments of silence, Tavish returned to the land of the living and got off the dusted cavern floor. “Thanks for yer help, stranger. Perhaps, if we meet again… I could return the favor.”

“Safe travels,” he waved Obstagoon forward, and together they returned to their original purpose: to get out of these blasted tunnels. But now they had a few nice mouthfuls of tera-crystal dust in their lungs.

He REALLY hoped this stuff wasn’t just asbestos two. That’d be mighty detrimental to the cause.

---

nikkari hect