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After Professor Cinnamon regaled them with tales of Castform’s escapades with the various former house plants of his abode, Jack and Xiura were finally released to complete the remainder of their mission.
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“It’s so cold out here!” Xiura said, glancing over at Jack’s rugged features, already reddened by the morning chill. She was sure her own face was going to be windburned by the cold by the end of the day. In her hands, she held a creased paper map, peering at it every so often. The Professor had kindly traced the trail on there for them, but there weren’t very many landmarks to draw from. She hoped they wouldn’t get lost.
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The Castform floated ahead of them, apparently sure of where it was going, heading in one direction down the trail. Incineroar shot Boltund an analytical glance, then jogged ahead, trying to race both him and the Castform.
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“How have you been, lately?” Xiura said, smiling up at Jack. “Anything exciting you’ve seen on your travels?”

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Xiura looked down at the Dream Ball she held in her hands, her Shadow Ninetales safely resting inside. Her shadowy tails swayed behind her, marking her choice to deny her Pokemon purification. Guilt weighed on her heart, and she wondered if she had made the right decision.
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She headed towards a nearby dungeon in the forest, marked on the map. Her Dream Ball rocked slightly as her Ninetales stirred restlessly, wishing to be released. A howling noise came from the depths of the dungeon’s cavernous entrance. Xiura shivered, knowing that whatever might attack her would most certainly be able to overcome her unless her Ninetales was on her side. But seeing her aggressive reaction to her made Xiura feel wary and uncertain.
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Just then, another person approached the dungeon from the opposite direction.
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“Hello,” he said. “I’m Don.” He seemed to be a friendly face, with a mop of green hair framing his handsome, angular features. At his side, a Shadow Chansey glared impassively at Xiura.
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“It’s nice to meet you, Don,” Xiura said, introducing herself in turn. “I’m Xiura. Or, I guess my gamer tag is 'matchamaker.'” She laughed.
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“You can just call me Don,” the player said, self-effacingly. “My nickname is too embarrassing.”
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Xiura wondered briefly what it could be; there were too many possibilities, but she decided not to press. “It happens,” she said, reassuringly. “I’m sure it’s not that bad.”
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“Would you like to form a dungeon party with me?” he asked, saving her the trouble of asking.
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Xiura nodded immediately. “I would really appreciate that.” She flashed him a bright smile and they went into the dungeon.
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As soon as they passed the threshold from darkness to light, Xiura stopped stock-still upon seeing the dungeon’s inside for the first time.
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“Is this… my house?” she said uncertainly, looking around. It was certainly a much larger version of her house, as though she were seeing it from the perspective of a five-year-old, and laid out differently; but it still gave the impression of her own childhood home in Ecruteak City.
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Just then, a Shadow Hattrem came out, growling and swiping at Xiura’s legs. She jumped back with a small yelp of surprise and fright.
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Don commanded, “Shadow Rush, Chansey!” and the Hattrem was quickly taken down.
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“It may look like your home, but it’s still a dungeon,” Don cautioned. Xiura nodded, still feeling unsettled. As they proceeded to the next room across tatami mats and through papered sliding doors, a group of Clefairy turned to consider them, their eyes gleaming with distrust and aggression.
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Before Xiura could speak, her Shadow Ninetales came out, her tails whipping to and fro in disgust towards the Shadow Pokemon that were in their way. The Clefairy started preparing their attacks, shadowy globes appearing between their hands. There wasn’t any time to waste. “Shizuka!” Xiura said, “Shadow Storm!” Xiura understood, as the Clefairy fainted, that she was helpless without her Ninetales’ aid. It was for the best that she had made the decision she did.
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And on they traversed through the dungeon’s rooms, each room leading them deeper into the dungeon and closer to the end. The Pokemon were all easily defeated between Don’s Chansey and Xiura’s Ninetales, their Shadow attacks overwhelming each group of opposing Pokemon.
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The final door between them and the last room glowed with a strange red light, as though fire burned behind it.
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“This is it,” Don said, turning to her with a gentle smile. It was eerily familiar, but Xiura had only met him an hour ago, before they had entered the dungeon.
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“Where are you from, in Hoenn?” Xiura asked.
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“Hoenn?” the man said, tilting his head. “I don’t know of Hoenn. I am here as a guide and a help, as you did not have other companions to join you in the dungeon.”
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Ah, he's an NPC, Xiura thought. No wonder his appearance at the front of the dungeon was so timely.
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Taking in a deep breath, Xiura slid open the door, only to see a Dynamax Incineroar, bellowing with thunderous might at the high-domed ceiling. It shouldn’t have surprised her, seeing as how the other Pokemon in the dungeon had been such familiar figures from when she was growing up.
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Xiura recognized the next move the Incineroar leveled against them: Darkest Lariat. “Dodge, Shizuka!” Her Ninetales dodged, but only barely. The Incineroar’s moves were already incredibly powerful, and the overly-large Incineroar seemed to be able to perceive all of their moves from a glance.
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Just then, an item card appeared before her from her inventory:

lilac tablecloth / A light purple tablecloth. It’s smooth and pleasant to the touch, and dishes can be placed on it with hardly a sound.

She winced, unsure how this was going to help, but tossed it into the air. Incineroar growled, using a Fire Blast to set he cloth aflame; it fell to the ground in a heap of charring purple cloth. The Incineroar, distracted, did not notice as Shizuka aimed Shadow Storm at it. It wavered beneath the force of the attack, its head lolling back. Then the Incineroar growled, casting Fire Blast at their party again. Don and Xiura leapt out of the way, but their Pokemon who were standing in the way to block the attack were not as fortunate. Ninetales was hurt, but it was Chansey that sustained raw-looking burns, its fur singed away by the flames. If Chansey fainted now, they would never defeat the Dynamax Incineroar. The Incineroar sneered at them, roaring again as it sensed its imminent triumph.
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In desperation, Xiura looked through her last two item cards. One caught her eye:

fresh water / Restores 30 HP.

“Here!” Xiura said, quickly giving the water to Chansey. The Shadow Chansey grumbled but did not resist, drinking down the water. After the treatment, it looked much better, and angry, besides.
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“Shadow Rush!” Don directed, and the Chansey attacked once more.
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"Shadow Storm!” Xiura said, and her Alolan Ninetales attacked again in sync with the Chansey.
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Already weakened by the duration of the battle and overwhelmed by their combined attacks, the Incineroar shrunk down to normal size and fainted. Xiura panted, the adrenaline from the fight starting to wear off. She was exhausted. Don looked pristine and just as energetic as at the beginning of their journey.
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“Don, do you know how to get out of here?” Xiura asked, her Shadow Ninetales retreating into its ball.
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“I know the general direction of the exit, but since the dungeon was a maze, I can’t say exactly how to get out,” Don said.
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Xiura sighed, when the last item card came to mind.

escape rope / A long and durable rope. Use it to escape instantly from locations like caves or dungeons.

Xiura activated the card, and with it, they left the dungeon. Don smiled and waved, disappearing into the forest. Xiura supposed it added to the immersion of the environment, rather than having the NPC dissolving into thin air.
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She looked back at the dungeon’s entrance, then started on her journey back to the castle. During the walk back, she noticed something in her pocket kept thudding against her leg. She reached in and pulled out a small token that had apparently appeared after the Dynamax fight: a small planner, much like the one she had when dreaming up her cafe.

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Traveling to Route 116, Xiura had expected a swarm of Lokix, but didn't expect that they would be so aggressive. More than once, she found herself ducking below an errant flying kick from one of the bug-type Pokemon.
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Running around the bend of the route and hiding behind some trees, she came across some more peaceful Lokix, who seemed to be practicing some martial arts forms, similar to Tae Kwon Do.
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Cracking his knuckles, Incineroar charged at the Lokix, happy to meet new challengers.
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Just as Incineroar was readying to follow up Kathy’s Brutal Swing with an attack of his own, Xiura and her Pokemon felt a jolt and a tug, strange and disorienting. Xiura looked around in bafflement at the glass ceiling above them, somehow magically repaired. The Orthworm was gone too.
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“I’m... afraid I do not know what happened either,” Xiura said slowly, still taking in the surroundings. “It’s like the Orthworm never came and attacked. I... Was it all a hallucination?” Perhaps they were too terribly dehydrated from their journey through the desert, under the bright sun.
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In the corner, some runes shimmered. Xiura looked towards them, and it seemed to lead to a staircase leading upwards. “Maybe this is the way out,” she said, waiting for Frank to join her before they headed towards the presumed exit. “I have some extra water bottles in my pack if you’d like some.”
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“Sounds like that’s our cue to disappear,” Xiura said to her Poliwrath, who burbled in agreement. She hugged him briefly as he hauled her onto the shore and retreated inside his Pokeball, only to be replaced by Gardevoir.
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“Teleport, Gardevoir,” Xiura said quickly, grabbing Gardevoir’s hand. Her Pokemon hummed and they disappeared together into the forest in a bright purple flash of psychic energy, leaving Melody and her Lapras in the water.
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Surrounded now by the forestal landscape of the island, a little further inland, Xiura would take this loss and learn from it. The next step was to find a landmark so that she re-orient herself and find a Rocket base where she could return and rest. And after that… report to her superiors the failure of her mission. She bit her lip against a groan of disappointment in herself. She would have to be stronger next time. This probably wouldn't be the last time she met Melody Miro on the battlefield.

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Xiura nodded at Troy. “Ready.” It was immensely clever of Troy to create an alibi, a red herring for the League to pursue rather than realize that misinformation had been planted.
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She recalled her Sableye into his Pokeball and called forth her Gardevoir instead. Gathering Troy and his Pokemon close, she asked Gardevoir, “Teleport us out of here.”
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With a flash of psychic energy, they appeared outside the warehouse, several meters away, but a sudden shout from back inside the building meant that the League had been alerted to their presence.
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With the dark of night to cover their tracks and Gardevoir’s occasional Teleports to throw pursuers off their trail, Troy and Xiura disappeared into the night, undiscovered.

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Xiura gave Elisabeth a grateful look at her compliment but re-focused on the match before them. It would be better to get rid of the League agent before he could cause more damage. And before the camp turned into a site of desolation and ruined plant life from Wo-chien’s attacks.
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The trainer’s Clodsire wailed in misery and pain from the Ruination attack, its health halved easily. Hatterene readied herself to finish the Clodsire off, but the trainer withdrew their Pokemon and called forth Alakazam. “Teleport, Alakazam! This isn’t over!” they called out as they disappeared in a burst of psychic energy.
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It was only a matter of time before they returned, but in the meantime, there was peace. Xiura ushered Elisa back into the tent and had her sit down on a cot once more, Hatterene performing another Heal Pulse on her wound. “You’ll be better in no time,” Xiura said, thoughts racing beneath her placid demeanor. Perhaps jack wainwright had gotten away last time with the grace of his skillset and powerful Pokemon. She had to have faith that he would be able to do it again, as she tended to the wounds of his enemy—her ally, Elisabeth Fiorelli.

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“Oh, Clefairy can certainly do offense!” Xiura said, grinning. “Clefairy, use Meteor Mash!”
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Clefairy trotted away from the Meganium, shook its pompoms happily, and then rushed back to punch the Meganium with the steely force of a meteor. The Meganium wobbled on its feet, then stumbled to the ground, the combined force of Wo-chien’s terrain change and Clefairy’s attack too much for it to handle.
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“It’s not over,” the League agent spit out, before tossing out another Pokeball, a Clodsire this time. The Clodsire growled, then whipped a Toxic attack at Clefairy, who shuddered and fainted beneath the powerful Poison attack.
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“Clefairy!” Xiura exclaimed unhappily. She winced, recalling the Pokemon into its ball to rest. She looked up at Elisa, then called her Hatterene to the fore, adding another barrier between the League agent and the healing tent.

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The Orthworm kept banging across the glass ceiling, rainbows rippling across its surface with each dull thud. “That doesn’t sound good,” Xiura said. A crack appeared in the glass, spidering across the surface. Suddenly, the Orthworm fell through, mountains of sand starting to pour into the room with it.
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Incineroar bellowed at the Orthworm, eager to meet a strong challenger. He strutted about, flexing, before rushing at the Orthworm. From the way that the Orthworm had easily broken through the glass, Xiura knew this wouldn’t be an easy fight. It would make sense to weaken the aggressive Pokemon first with a strong attack, and hopefully deter it from attacking further. “Incineroar, use Malicious Moonsault!”
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Incineroar growled, a gleeful fire in his eyes. Flames licked up from his belt up to his shoulders, covering his torso with a raging blaze. He leapt into the air, crashing into the Orthworm’s face and igniting an explosion at the same time.
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The Orthworm wobbled in place, then roared in pain and outrage, shaking the entire chamber and causing the sand to pour in faster.

🗺️ utilize a z-move in an advantageous way.

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