”And you…What, take pictures of Unown to spell them or something? Like one of those AR games?” Locke asked with a skeptical look. A collaborative crossword didn’t seem it’d be as popular as del Mar had made it out to be.

…It was weird though. The charm, the soiree, and now some mysterious app…

[attr="class","wizzcred"]❤ wizz

”If you can get up and down before it’s dark, Mati-Mati will be my next Delibird,” Locke promised.

Birdie-Birdie joined the yet-unnamed Delibird (it seemed a little clumsy…Fura-Fura? Lefty-Lefty?), taking the appropriate letters and stuffing them in his tail.

”We should be alright. S’mostly the climb I was worried ’bout.” It was just two or three houses. He could do that. He could definitely do that! Snow, rain, heat, nor head of ache. Or something.

---

[attr="class","wizzcred"]❤ wizz

Between the blatant under-preparedness and Kila’s chatty nature, there was a stark difference between Locke’s last spelunking adventure with a ranger and this one. Raziel Beckett, she was not.

”Ah, well, I was sort of just hired to do it. A-Apparently there’s some kinda artifacts or somethin’ down at the bottom?” Locke replied shakily as he slid behind the ranger, hugging the wall for support like a kid in an ice rink. ”I’m actually just a mailman, but I’ve done weird pick-ups like this before. Though usually they at least tell me what to look for…” He muttered the last part under his breath, but the acoustics of the cavern carried it all around them.

”What about you? Do you go spelunking often?” They hoped the answer was yes, but given how she’d arrived…

[attr="class","wizzcred"]❤ wizz

Locke jumped back as the beam instantly flashed over a pair of bright blue eyes, the pounding of their heart louder than even the rushing waterfalls around them.

Stupid. Of course the light would attract wild Pokémon. That had been the point.

Still, he wished he’d chosen to play investigator where he could actually see.

The Gothorita only seemed interested in finding the source of the light however, and, curiosity satisfied, moved along without incident. Locke allowed their heart a few moments to settle back down, the pounding in their ears louder than even the rushing waterfalls around them, then pressed on.

---

[attr="class","wizzcred"]❤ wizz

It was a rare thing for Locke to actively search for a Pokémon. Especially one they already had a few of.

Martín del Mar’s reveal of his Unown Report had unnerved them, however, particularly after the events at the soiree in Mossdeep. They seemed to have a certain knack for running into the letters as well, one of them hovering behind as they ventured deeper into Meteor Falls’ interior, though maybe they were just more common these days?

The thought didn’t ease the prickling feeling in the back of his mind, as he followed the glow of his Volbeat into the largest portion of the cave. He took a deep breath, pulled out his own flashlight, and looked around.

---

[attr="class","wizzcred"]❤ wizz

The Delibird seemed satisfied by the arrangement, or at the very least tolerant of it. The stranger seemed less so, though it couldn’t be helped. If the old bird did run into trouble, Locke wasn’t all that confident they could actually do anything on their own, and with no one else around...

Well, may as well get to know each other, as best they could at least.

He stood back up, patting the dirt off his pants before extending a hand out to the other person. ”I’m Locke by the way!” He kept himself facing the other man as he introduced himself, unsure yet if he could actually hear him, or was just exceptionally good at reading lips. It seemed a bit forward, but it was probably better to just ask, right? ”Er, if you don’t mind, are you deaf? Or can you just not speak?”

[attr="class","wizzcred"]❤ wizz

Locke suppressed a chuckle at the other boy’s expense, hiding small puffs of laughter behind a closed fist while they followed Conrad into the break room. They placed the donuts on the table as directed, picking out a simple glazed one for themselves and breaking it in half to share with De-De as they continued the conversation.

”I dunno how much help I’ll be with all the sciency junk,” he admitted apologetically. ”But I did bring all the stuff we gathered, plus a couple of the Pokémon I caught there too!” He dropped his bag next to the snacks and pulled out two capsules; one with a little bow and arrow sticker on it, the other bearing a set of antlers.

[attr="class","wizzcred"]❤ wizz

They spun around, and for the next few moments Locke’s world was a dizzying blur of sound and color. Virizion stopped just as suddenly, causing his stomach to skyrocket into his throat and his brain to rattle around in his skull like a…like a…

Well he’d think of a clever enough comparison when everything stopped spinning.

”Um…” They squinted at the GPS on their phone, which also seemed to be struggling to keep pace with the speed they’d been moving at. Eventually the little dot caught up with their current location, sounding off with an affirmative ding. ”Yeah, this is it. First couple stops’re at the base of the mountain, then the last one is…”

Locke looked up into the mountain proper. The problem area. There was no chance they would’ve made the entire hike before nightfall with their head pounding the way it was. The thought alone made them want to scream in agony.

”If you and Virizion can get to one up top, I think me and Birdie-Birdie can manage the ones down here.”

---

[attr="class","wizzcred"]❤ wizz

The book fell to the ground as Locke’s hand rose to cover their mouth, before reaching out to John Sullivan and pressing against the self-inflicted wound. They were thankful now that the teenager had apparently lost the gun he’d had previously, but no less alarmed by the knife that dropped from his hand instead; their panic only increasing as even Eris Halla turned her newfound power against herself.



”No, no! There’s got to be something else!” This couldn’t be the answer. Killing each other. Killing themselves.

But that’s what this was, wasn’t it? The tombs they’d passed on the way here, they weren’t just priests. They were sacrifices. Centuries of blood spilled to keep the monster at bay. And for what? The acolytes were gone, but the Beast remained.

It would always remain.

They looked down at the marks on their free hand. What was the point of an augur? To see a future they couldn’t change? To hold a key without knowing how to use it? It was frustrating. It was useless. It was-

…It kind of looked a Pokéball on its side.



The rocks scattered along the edge of their little island were spotted with blood and ichor. Locke picked up a suitably clean one and raced to Eris’ side, dropping to his knees beside the younger girl.

The heat was almost unbearable this close to her, but adrenaline pushed him forward as he took her burning hand into his own. He couldn’t stop the hiss of pain, though, as he held their hands together for just a few heartbeats, before letting go again to quickly press blistering palm against stone, branding the Rubedo onto it with blood and fire.

He stared at the mark for a beat, then stood, raising the stone outwards and letting the constant pull beneath his skin guide his hand until it pointed directly at the Beast, even hidden beneath the waves. Then, he spoke, addressing the monster directly this time:

”Enter Beast, Shadow of humanity, Evil among evils. Let all darkness of the world witness thy fate and see their own.”

---

[attr="class","wizzcred"]❤ wizz

Locke jumped at the voice, whipping around to see the other man. He immediately regretted it, struck mute with fear again even with the extra distance between them. Something in his gut told him those handful of feet would mean very little if the Rocket were so inclined.

They realized belatedly that they’d just been asked a question and quickly shook their head in response, stepping back a little and searching for exits as they did. They should’ve. Coward.

[attr="class","wizzcred"]❤ wizz