[attr="class","juliaw"]

Perhaps Spot relied too much on his well-honed aura vision. He didn't notice the trail left by the retreating thugs nearly as well as Ettie and Duchess did, and though he could hear them if he focused, he didn't really process the individual sounds of their feet, the foliage beneath them, and their hushed voices. Though he was able to track their general direction, it was really the others' honed tracking and hunting instincts that made it possible to find the runaway ruffians. But Spot could ponder the gaps in his own abilities after they'd apprehended these two.

[break][break]With Spot's attack as a distraction, Duchess ran in with a Quick Attack and knocked the woman off balance. Ettie was right behind her, charging forward to help wrestle the woman to the ground. The girl may have been small, growth stunted by her upbringing, but she was deceptively strong. Fortunately, there wasn't any biting this time.

[break][break]The last thug was getting nervous, hands hovering over his Poké Balls. Julia grinned triumphantly, but it was short-lived when the Liepard duo burst onto the scene. The male lunged at Ettie and Duchess, having no qualms about attacking a human to get the upper hand! Ettie was able to dive out of the way, but Duchess wasn't so lucky. It looked like the poison was starting to take its toll on the Electrike, too...

[break][break]"Spot, help them out!" Julia called.

[break][break]Spot broke his embarrassed gaze from the female Liepard and barked, but before he could get to his allies, the Zoroark darted forward and struck with a Brick Break. Spot staggered back, growling and panting. All this running, fighting, and tracking (and dealing with a Liepard's wily tricks, but he tried to forget about that) was starting to wear him out, but he had to hang on just a little longer...!

[break][break]Silver scales flew past Spot and clung to the Zoroark, making her hiss. Spot turned his head just long enough to see Ribbon flying up to him, buzzing determinedly. She stole a quick glance at the Lucario to make sure his head was in the game and not on that Liepard again. Luckily, he seemed to have shaken that infatuation off. It helped that the cause was now unconscious on the ground.

[break][break]"Now, Spot, Aura Sphere!" Julia shouted.

[break][break]Spot shot the aura attack at the Zoroark while Ribbon hovered nearby, looking between the two remaining battles to see where she'd be needed most.

[attr="class","juliaw"]

Julia giggled. "At least they let me do other exercises, too." Actually doing the same rail walk a hundred times might have actually driven her insane. "But I was an expert at those rails by the time I was done."

[break][break]Seeing Isaac focus, at least partially, on setting up his tent again had Julia feeling a bit restless. She crouched down and gave Momo a quick scratch behind the ear before digging through her supplies to finish setting up the campsite. Plastic clinked against metal as she pulled out a camping chair and a lantern.

[break][break]The words "heinous amount of shit I've been through" were concerning, but Julia chose to focus on the rest of what Isaac had said: "You should! Not many people can lose a whole eye and then go out camping with a friend..." She thought for a moment. "When did that happen, anyway?" It was an innocent question meant to fill out her compliment, but maybe she'd accidentally knocked on the gates of a traumatic memory.

[attr="class","juliaw"]

"Well, then you've gotta show them," Julia said. "Even if this place is dangerous, they'd have us to protect them!"

[break][break]The smile that she gave Shalin wasn't her usual light, good-natured one. It was determined, urging Shalin to trust her. "I will, promise. Just be sure to take slow, careful steps, but I'll tell you exactly where to go."

[break][break]Admittedly, that was easier said than done. "Okay, start by walking forward about five steps... Wait, hang on, smaller steps! Okay, you're good! Now turn to the left. Liiiiittle more. Nope, too far. Okay, perfect! Now walk forward slowly... Yep, you're still good! You've got plenty of room!" It was a bit of a trial-and-error process, but Julia was quick to stop Shalin before any of those errors got dangerous. After a while, though, she started to get the hang of how Shalin moved and how to direct her.

[break][break]The first ice block slid through a gap in the floor and vanished beneath them. Julia waited for something to happen, but all was silent... until a full thirty seconds later, when an explosion boomed from below. Julia yelped and clung tight to Chester as he wobbled beneath her.

[break][break]"Shalin?!" Julia shouted. When she saw that Shalin was still all right, Julia sighed out the stab of fear in her chest. Everything was okay! She and Shalin were both fine. "Jeez, that was loud... Gotta remember that for next time." She tried to sound nonchalant about it, but her heart was still pounding. She suddenly really didn't like being in this enclosed space. Chester let out a low, worried squawk, then reached back to nuzzle Julia with his middle head. The feeling of his feathers brushing against her skin helped calm her, and she petted him appreciatively.

[break][break]Right. Shalin needed her to navigate, so she'd have to push through. Julia took a deep breath through her nose, then let out through her mouth. "Okay! Next one's to the right. Not that far right, though!"

[break][break]This was going to take a while.

[break][break]Even when she braced herself for the explosions that followed the remaining three ice blocks' being pushed through the floor, they still made her tense up and check to make sure that the dome was still in one piece. It's fine, she thought. Even if something happens, I'll be okay. I can get out. It won't be as bad as a bunch of rocks. I've gotta keep going so Shalin doesn't fall.

[break][break]After the third one, though, she was really starting to wish that she and Shalin had traded places. Walking on an invisible ice floor seemed a lot less scary than being in an enclosed space while loud booms shook the earth. Chester reached back to reassure her again.

[break][break]You're here to help your friend and conquer your fear. You can do this, Julia. Just one to go, and then we can get Shalin out of there and leave.

[break][break]As soon as Shalin was back on safe, visible ground, Julia left the dome, breathing surprisingly hard for someone who hadn't actually been out on the ice. "Yeah, let's get outta here," she said.

[break][break]A ledge that led to nothing? Sounded like a job for the Lazuli Lens. But... "Let's hope not. I don't wanna do that again." Chester's middle head reached back to give her another quick, reassuring nuzzle.

[break][break]They returned to the kitchen to see what state the courtyard was in now. It was definitely a lot more exploded than before, but surprisingly, it was now safe to cross. Dang, maybe Julia should have been paying more attention in science class; she didn't know that could happen with lava and ice! As they crossed, she kept her focus on the relics within the blown-open treasure chests to keep her mind off the explosions of earlier. It was hard, though, given they were smack-dab in the middle of where they'd gone off. At least it was a lot more open out here.

[break][break]Once they reached the large, ornate door, Julia followed Shalin's lead and listened closely. She could hear two Pokémon beyond, and according to Shalin, they were Ninetales—likely a standard and an Alolan, given the Mirage Palace's fire-and-ice theme. They were also apparently anything but your standard Pokémon.

[break][break]"You ready to go, Chester?" Julia asked. His left head turned to look at her, concern in its eyes. Julia smiled and petted it. "I'm okay, buddy. I promise. Those explosions just startled me." That was a lie, but Julia didn't want to dwell on them any longer. "Come on, we're almost at the end. You ready for a fight?"

[break][break]He still looked a bit worried, but it was hard to stay that way when he saw that determined gleam in his trainer's eye. The left head turned back toward the door, while the middle squawked an affirmative. Julia grinned and looked at Shalin.

[break][break]"Let's do this."

[attr="class","juliaw"]

Marina grinned around her mouthful of Liepard fur as she felt her prey's labored breathing beneath her. This was no picnic for her, either, forcing her to swim and whip her long body around to avoid getting caught and keep her hold, but with the Liepard already worn down from her battle, Marina was confident she had the upper fin here.

[break][break]Unfortunately, the couple had more dirty tricks under their coats. Marina didn't understand why the female had stopped until she saw her partner darting toward her, claws coated in Dark-type energy. The Night Slash struck, forcing Marina to let go and fall back. She wasn't going to give up so easily, though. She swam around in circles, her body gleaming with her Iron Defense.

[break][break]Ribbon squeaked an affirmation and kept her aura sight on the Zoroark, buzzing out further warnings when it was about to strike again. Even without being able to see the source of these attacks, Marina knew what direction they were coming from thanks to Ribbon's warnings. Dodging them while also helping Anne against the Liepard couple wouldn't be easy, but at least it'd be possible now.[break][break]

---

[break]The man's nasally voice may have been funny, but seeing Ettie with blood on her nails and mouth wasn't. In fact, it was kind of terrifying, especially when combined with her warning snarl toward the other thugs. It was a reminder of Ettie's origins and the things she must have done to survive in the wild. She may have seemed like just a sweet, innocent girl, but she was a wild child in the truest sense.

[break][break]Said wild child gave the order for her pack to chase, then skirted around the edge of the Smog cloud to chase after them. Duchess followed, opting to rush boldly through the poison. Julia looked to the fallen thug to see Princess taking a seat right on his chest and using her Scary Face to keep him where he was. Not that he planned on getting up anytime soon, too busy clutching his nose and groaning in pain. Feeling confident that he wouldn't cause any trouble under Princess's supervision, Julia hurried after Ettie.[break][break]

---

[break]The distant howl made Ribbon and Marina perk up. Were there more coming? No, wait, the two Liepard were falling back! And so was the Zoroark, but not before picking up her fallen companion. Julia's Pokémon looked at each other, confused. Anne nudged Ruffian toward Marina, who nodded her understanding and curled around the unconscious Lillipup to carry her to safety. Ribbon, meanwhile, followed Annie, eyes darting back and forth for anything out of the ordinary. She couldn't use her aura sight on the move, but at least her regular sight still worked fine![break][break]

---

[break]The thugs tore across the grass as fast as their legs could carry them, taking a bit of a roundabout route to their truck to try to throw their pursuers off. Spot may have only been able to track their auras for a moment, but that was enough time for him to clear the Smog cloud and get a general idea of where they were going.

[break][break]Ah-ha, there they were! Spot barked to get his companions' attention, then heard the telltale footsteps of his trainer as she sprinted toward him.

[break][break]"Stop them!" she called. "Cut them off with an attack!"

[break][break]An Aura Sphere wouldn't work here—its homing nature meant it would actually hit the humans, and that was something he tried to avoid unless absolutely necessary—so instead, Spot gathered Ghost-type energy between his paws and shot it toward the dastardly duo. It whooshed by them, startling them into turning their heads and slowing down a bit. Perfect!

[attr="class","juliaw"]

Julia laughed right along with him. Awesome, her combination of silliness and motivation was working! "Seriously! You can only walk between the same rails so many times before you start going cuckoo!"

[break][break]Of course, as Julia knew well, it wasn't a painless process. Her smile became more strained. "Yeah, turns out losing part of your body is really painful!" She'd been lucky that the initial shock had numbed some of the pain, but once that had worn off... hoo boy. Thank goodness for IV painkillers and anesthetics. "At least it's getting better. Makes recovery a lot easier when you're not dealing with pain on top of all that."

[break][break]So Isaac's eye was totally gone, not just damaged. That answered that unspoken question, but there wasn't much Julia could actually do with that knowledge, so she just filed it away for later. Or maybe never! Who knew?

[break][break]Sitting on the ground was starting to make her restless now that the atmosphere had lightened up, so she sprang to her feet with practiced ease. By now, Momo and Snuffles had finished with the firepit and wandered back over to the duo.

[break][break]"What's the difference?" Julia asked earnestly. "Either way, you don't give up just 'cause things are hard."

[attr="class","juliaw"]

"Oh, you can still totally gripe," Julia said. "You should have heard me when I was doing PT. 'We're going so slooooow! Why do I gotta do these stretches? I wanna ruuuuun!'" She pitched up her voice even higher than it normally was, making sure it sounded extra-whiny for added effect. She normally didn't like showing that side of herself, even if it was from the past, but if it helped cheer her friend up, it was worth it.

[break][break]At the time, she hadn't understood just how important the recovery process was. It hadn't helped that so many of the doctors had been so clinical about everything, like Julia hadn't just lost part of herself and had her entire life seemingly ruined. Sure, some of them had been more sympathetic, but Julia had still asked herself, What do they know? They still have both their legs. They get to get up and walk and run and do everything I can't do anymore. Sheesh, looking back on it, she really had been whiny, hadn't she?

[break][break]But that was the past. It had taken a lot to get to where she was now, but she was proud of the person she'd become. She would never, ever let herself fall back into those pits of despair again. And she wouldn't let anyone else, either.

[break][break]Her voice grew a touch more solemn as she continued: "I dunno what it's gonna be like for you. I won't say there's no secrets or tricks, 'cause there are definitely a lot of things you have to do different when you've got a disability. But mine's totally different from yours. I know how to take care of my leg and navigate with a prosthetic and everything, but I dunno how to 'give something a good measure' or anything like that." She smiled up at Isaac. "But I do think you'll figure things out. You're tough like that."

[break][break]Of course, she knew there was more to it. Julia had been able to replace her lost limb with something new, even if it wasn't quite the same and had taken a lot of getting used to. Was the same possible with Isaac's eye? That wasn't a question she wanted to ask out loud, lest she bring down the mood.

[attr="class","juliaw"]

Ribbon squeaked in alarm when the Liepard struck at her, wind whipping around her in an Aerial Ace. Not even she was fast enough to dart out of the way of that, and she went tumbling back in mid-air with a pained, unsteady squeal. But what was this? Ruffian had emerged victorious from his duel with the Umbreon and was leaping to the rescue!

[break][break]Wait, no, he was flopping face-first onto the ground. Well... at least he tried?

[break][break]Suddenly, Marina launched herself forward and Clamped down on the female Liepard with her sharp teeth! She yowled and spun around, trying to bat at the Deep Sea Pokémon, but Marina kept moving her long body just out of reach of her opponent's claws.

[break][break]Unfortunately, Marina's save meant that the Zoroark, finally released from the whirlpool, was free to act as she pleased. With everyone else's attention away from her, she slunk back into the shadows of the surrounding woodland, a feat made easier by her illusions. Ribbon noticed her absence too late and looked around frantically, eyes glowing blue with her aura sight.

[break][break]There! She squeaked out a warning once she'd found where the Zoroark was hiding, but that didn't stop a pitch-black shockwave from slicing through the air: Night Daze. Ribbon was able to dart to the side to avoid it, but would her allies be so lucky if the onslaught continued?[break][break]

---

[break]Ettie's howl, joining that of her Snubbull, had the two still-standing sheep stealers looking at each other, perplexed. Spot, however, let the energy of that cheer flow through him; even if it didn't physically affect him like Duchess's Howl, it bolstered his determination even further. He joined the chorus with a howl of his own as Dark-type energy flowed through his body. The move may have been called Nasty Plot, but here, the boost was fueled by the team's combined fighting spirit.

[break][break]"Attaboy, Spot!" Julia cheered. "Keep it up with an Aura Sphere!" Spot barked, then gathered aura energy in his fists and charged at his opponent with it.

[break][break]Hang on, something's off, Julia realized. She'd been expecting the third thief to send out a Pokémon of his own, but... where was he? Julia looked left and right but saw no sign of him. Shoot, had he gotten away?

[break][break]Ettie let out another howl, but this one wasn't empowering; it was downright feral. Julia turned and saw the wild child throw herself at her would-be assailant, scratching and biting his... Julia couldn't help herself. She let out a laugh at the way the man sounded with his nostrils forcibly pinched shut and the sheer absurdity of this small girl chomping down on a grown man's nose. She slapped a hand over her mouth and took a brief moment to collect herself.

[break][break]"Don't bite off his nose!" she shouted to Ettie, voice still pitched up with her amusement. "We need him in one piece!"

[break][break]The other two thieves looked at each other. Even the Houndoom's trainer, who had been all confidence and swagger just moments ago, was starting to look scared. "These chicks are crazy!" he exclaimed. "Forget this! Hellion, Smog us outta here!" Despite his clear exhaustion from battling, the Houndoom jumped back from Spot and opened his mouth to unleash a stream of filthy air. Beams of red light shot from behind the smokescreen it created, recalling the Houndoom and Seviper back to their Balls.

[break][break]Julia coughed as the poisoned air tickled her nose. "Don't let them get away!" she called before covering her mouth and nose with her arm.

[break][break]Spot, completely unaffected by the Poison-type attack, activated his aura sight and ran after the two retreating thieves.

[attr="class","juliaw"]

Julia beamed at Shalin's praise. Normally, she wasn't the type to look closely and notice things like this, but this palace of mirages was teaching her a thing or two about keeping her eyes peeled and her mind open!

[break][break]She dismounted Chester and left him standing guard at the door to the kitchen. There weren't any of the usual kitchen smells, which was probably a good thing with how old it was. Rotten food was bad enough, but a whole kitchen full of it? No, thanks. What the kitchen did have, however, was antique sets of flatware with... something engraved on them. Julia had never seen the language before, but maybe they were names? They were short enough for that, anyway. Shalin took a set and carefully stored them away in her pack like a true adventurer would.

[break][break]"Even if I strike it rich here, there's no way I'm retiring from being a Ranger this early on," Julia said with a laugh. It was about much, much more than the money for her, after all. After a bit of internal debate, she decided to take a set of the flatware, too. Maybe an archeologist could read the engravings or something.

[break][break]Julia tugged on the collar of her shirt as she realized just how warm it was in here. It didn't look like there were any of those lava tubes in here, so what was the deal? Looking out the north windows gave her her answer: Beyond was a stately courtyard surrounded by more magma, making the air waver and bend with the heat it gave off. There were stairs leading down to it, but going down there right now seemed like a bad idea, to put it mildly.

[break][break]"Maybe there's a way to drain the magma?" Julia suggested. "Like there was with those other rooms." It was hard to tell from here, but maybe there was a drain somewhere? Jeez, who the heck filled a courtyard like that with lava? This place was so weird.

[break][break]Julia looked around the kitchen for any valves or levers or buttons or something, but she didn't see anything of the sort, even with the Lazuli Lens. She did notice the Polteageist sitting dormant on top of a counter in the corner, though. They didn't seem like they'd attack or anything, but Julia pointed them out to Shalin, anyway, just so she'd know they were there.

[break][break]With the kitchen picked over, all that was left was the staircase to the east. She nodded at Shalin's suggestion and sent out Momo, whom she sat on her lap while astride Chester. The Simisear was getting so spoiled after this for all his hard work. With his tufts alight with embers, Julia took a deep breath and guided Chester up the stairs.

[break][break]"What the heck...?" Julia whispered as she took in the room beyond the locked door. She wasn't particularly afraid of heights, but looking down still made her gulp down a lump in her throat. Falling from this massive ice pillar would be really, really bad. Julia focused back on the room itself, looking through the Lazuli Lens for any clues. "I don't see anything, but... hmm..." Something about that cubic dome of ice was weird. It was like when she'd looked at the ice blocks and seen something almost more real through the Lens. Lenses... layered lenses...

[break][break]Could it be? Without a word, Julia guided Chester into the hollow dome and looked through the Lens again. "I knew it!" Julia exclaimed. "It's like those pictures that change when you look at them from different angles. I can't see anything through the Lens from outside here, but when I'm in here, I can seeeee... a bunch of walls, so we can't just fly over this. It looks like the ground's invisible, and there's one, two, three, four big holes in it. It looks like they're about the size of those big ice blocks, so maybe you're supposed to put the blocks in the holes? But you can't see the floor without being in here..." She lowered the Lens and looked at Shalin. "I think I'm gonna have to guide you on where to go from here." Talk about one heck of a trust exercise.

[attr="class","juliaw"]

A gift from a friend, huh? "That was nice of them!" It didn't help Julia with figuring out where to find one herself, but oh, well! It wouldn't be too hard to find a spot where they were more common, right?

[break][break]Isaac didn't speak up again until Julia was in her tent. She paused, thinking of poking her head back out so she could listen better, but she realized that Isaac had probably waited for this moment for a reason. Instead, she kept working as he spoke.

[break][break]"Hey, that's what friends are for!" she said. "And, I mean... I get it."

[break][break]For once, she took a bit of time to think about what she was going to say next. Sure, Julia was the kind of girl to wear her heart on her sleeve, but even she covered it up from time to time. She didn't like thinking back to those hard times when she wasn't sure she'd ever be able to truly live her life again. She didn't want to go back to that dark, depressing place. It was better to just keep moving forward and living life one day at a time. But now, she needed to reach back there and dig through the muck of those memories to help her friend.

[break][break]"You can probably guess I was an active kid," she finally said, crawling out of the tent and sitting to face Isaac. "I was always out running around somewhere, exploring and playing games and just letting all my energy run loose. And then one day, I lost my leg." It was better to rip off that metaphorical Band-Aid than to dance around it, even if it made the pain reflect in her eyes. "It sucked. I thought I'd never be able to walk again, let alone run and climb and explore and all that stuff. 'Course, I was totally wrong, obviously, but past me didn't know that. I had to do a lot of recovering and physical therapy, and it felt like it was taking forever just to start walking again. Heh, my doctor would get mad at me when I pushed myself too hard 'cause I was so impatient."

[break][break]She was getting a bit off track. "Anyway, look at me now! I'm a full-fledged Ranger who gets to go out and have all kinds of adventures!"

[attr="class","juliaw"]

Ribbon buzzed angrily at the Liepard's silent taunting. Spot, however, didn't understand why his teammate was so upset. He was being a good guardian, after all, protecting the innocent from this brawl! Ribbon's buzz this time was unimpressed.

[break][break]Fortunately, the Lucario was returned to his Ball, breaking him out of the spell, but Ribbon's triumph was short-lived when the Liepard's Screech made her flinch. Ow, jeez, that was loud, and it made her body vibrate in a way that she didn't like! There was movement in her peripheral vision. The Liepard's mate had returned, and it was aiming right at Ribbon with a Slash! She squeaked in alarm, wings beating overtime to try to get out of the way.

[break][break]Anne to the rescue! The Lycanroc sent a Stone Edge toward the male Liepard, slowing him down enough for Ribbon to make a clean getaway. That had been close! She squeaked her gratitude to Anne, then narrowed her eyes in determination. She began to buzz and dart around the female Liepard, stirring up a Fairy Wind.[break][break]

---

[break]The barn doors were wide open, revealing the herd of Wooloo huddled together in the back. More importantly, though, were the three figures blocking the exit. Julia grit her teeth, pushing herself to run even faster. Dang it, why did her running blade have to get ruined in that explosion? It was so much easier to run with it than with her regular prosthesis!

[break][break]Despite her frustrations, Julia cheered when Wooloo leading them threw itself forward and tackle-rolled right into one of the intruder's legs, knocking him right over. The Wooloo he had grabbed ran for freedom, dragging a catching pole with it. If there had been any doubt that these were their Wooloo thieves, it was way out the window now. Especially when the non-toppled man cracked his knuckles, pulled out a Poké Ball, and tried to threaten Julia and Ettie to leave.

[break][break]"No way!" Julia shot right back. "We're not gonna let you get away with this! Spot, let's go!" She tossed the Lucario's Poké Ball onto the battlefield.

[break][break]Julia didn't like being underestimated. She'd spent way too long trying to prove that having a prosthetic leg didn't make her weak or helpless or anything like that. And though none of these thieves had addressed it, Julia was already frustrated by the limitations of her current prosthesis, so it made sense that those nerves were a bit raw right now. But rather than let that upset her, she was going to channel her feelings into this battle to take down these bad guys and prove her strength.

[break][break]The ruffian barked out a laugh. "'Spot'? Cute name for your little doggy. Hellion, let's show 'em what a real Pokémon can do!"

[break][break]Hellion, it turned out, was a particularly large and mean-looking Houndoom. Behind him, the woman sent out a Seviper, which hissed and launched herself right at Princess.

[break][break]"Spot, quick!" Julia called, but Hellion was faster, shooting a Fire Blast to stop Spot in his tracks. Spot crossed his arms in front of his face to defend himself, but it wasn't enough; the force of the attack sent him skidding back in the dirt. He growled in a combination of pain and frustration.

[break][break]"You've got this, Spot!" Julia cheered. "Vacuum Wave!"

[break][break]His trainer's cheer fueling his determination, Spot launched the swift attack at the Houndoom. He'd already humiliated himself against the Liepard's wiles; he would not let that happen again!

[attr="class","juliaw"]

"Yeah, definitely," Julia said to Shalin's suggestion. She handed one of the berries to the explorer, then pondered on what to do with her own. Half of her team was resistant to Fire-type moves, and the other half was neutral. She ultimately decided to pocket it for a future encounter.

[break][break]When Shalin suggested that the League was trying to hide this place from the general public, Julia looked confused. "Why would they do that?" she asked. "I think they just don't want people wandering around a dangerous place like this with all kinds of weird machinery and illusions and stuff. Wilderness rescue is one thing, but this place is just... different, you know?"

[break][break]Julia waited at the bottom of the stairs while Shalin checked out what was beyond the next... portal? Julia guessed that's what they were. Some sort of teleportation thing, anyway. When her fellow adventurer returned, she asked Julia to turn one of the valves controlling the lava flow again.

[break][break]"Yeah, sure! One sec," Julia said. She checked the room to make sure there weren't any pipes that would drop the lave on them before crawling back through the tunnel. Partway through, she remembered how the last valve she'd helped turn had gotten really hot and sent out Momo. The Simisear looked a bit confused about the tight quarters.

[break][break]"Sorry to keep sending you out, buddy," Julia said. "There's a valve ahead that I'm gonna need help turning. It might get really hot; think you can handle it?"

[break][break]Momo nodded. Julia smiled gratefully and led the way down the tunnel. Once they'd turned the valve, the magma flow reverted back to how it had been before. Luckily, they were on the other side of the first lava room they'd encountered, so there would be no extra-crispy explorers today! Julia once again returned Momo to his Poké Ball and crawled back out. Shalin peeked above the teleporting light, then reported that their path was clear now.

[break][break]"Awesome!" Julia exclaimed as she mounted Chester. She followed Shalin up the stairs, which led them to a room above one of the lava tubes, which had melted the ice into pools of boiling water. "Man, this is one heck of a security system. Hmm... Think you can jump over those, Chester?"

[break][break]The Dodrio's three heads all scanned the room, calculating the distance between each pool, the amount of space they'd have to land and move, the risks and consequences of falling in... Finally, his middle head squawked confidently.

[break][break]"All right! Then let's do this!" Normally, Julia would have been fine hitching a ride on Sandy with Shalin, but after that Beedrill run... yeah, it was safe to say she needed a bit before hopping on another vibrating mount.

[break][break]Chester ran the mental calculations again, then took a running start to leap over the first pool. He dug his talons into what remained of the ice to keep himself from slipping; Julia had to hold on extra tight to keep from lurching too hard and falling off. Having to be cautious meant it took them a bit longer to get across than Shalin and Sandy, but they made it, and that was what mattered most!

[break][break]On the other side was a long hallway with paintings lining the walls. Julia recognized them as the ghosts from the dining hall, presumably back in their heyday. Except, hold on, one of them didn't look familiar at all! Had he already passed on or something. Julia stopped and squinted at the painting. Was it... wiggling?

[break][break]"Oh!" No, that wasn't wiggling! It was that same wavering that she'd seen from the other illusions! She held up the Lazuli Lens to check, and sure enough, there was no painting at all, just an indent in the wall with a hook holding a key. "Bingo," she said as she snatched the key.

[break][break]There were two ways forward now. To the east was another staircase cut off by more teleporting light. Even from here, Julia could feel the chill radiating from it. To the west was a simple locked door. Not eager to face another drastic temperature change, Julia approached the door. She placed the back of her hand on it to make sure it wasn't hot first. If it wasn't, she'd try the key she'd just found.

[attr="class","juliaw"]

Julia grinned cheekily back. "Hey, speak for yourself! You're the one who's got one on his shoulder." Teasing aside, Ralts really did sound like a good Pokémon for Julia. "How'd you two meet?"

[break][break]Luckily, Isaac rolled with Julia's optimism about avoiding the town itself. "Yeah! And it's aaaaalll the way over there." She gestured vaguely in Lavaridge's direction.

[break][break]Momo chittered at Isaac's praise, while Snuffles let out a more subdued oink. The pride welling within Julia made her beam. "Thanks. I couldn't have done it without these guys, though." She ruffled the warm tuft on Momo's head.

[break][break]When Isaac froze in place, so did the jovial atmosphere, like a gale of winter chill had pierced their warm little sanctuary. "I'm fine," Isaac said almost automatically. Julia's eyes rounded for the briefest moment. He sounded defensive. It was...

[break][break]"Daaaaad, I've got this! I'm fine, I don't need any help!"

[break][break]familiar.

[break][break]Any hurt Julia might have felt at being rebuked like that was immediately washed away by that wave of recollection. Isaac's tone melted a bit, and warmth began to return to the campsite. Julia decided to help it along by offering a smile. Smiles weren't unusual for her, but this one came with a gleam of understanding.

[break][break]"Okay. I've gotta finish setting up my tent, too, so lemme know if you need anything. Oh, right, Momo, you can set the wood over there where Snuffles dug out a pit."

[break][break]Momo chittered in understanding and followed where Julia had pointed. Then, like nothing in the world was wrong, Julia crawled into her tent to get her sleeping arrangements were, well, arranged.