Lost Cause

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Each step was made with hesitance, but he was fairly certain that this path was the safest. The only problem was that it was a guaranteed safety. His eyes darted about to and fro with a growing sense of dread and anxiety. He was alone, out in the open, in the place he'd last seen Voix. For all he knew the damned Zoroark lived here and yet he was coming back. It made his skin crawl and fur stand. He honestly looked adorably fluffy more so than terrifying. He swallowed his fears as he stepped along, uncertainty kept him from making much progress.

He came with the intent of collecting some items, a sack strapped around his side. The light crystal blue necklace dangled from his neck as he walked on all four legs. It was much more comfortable this way. It kept his stomach less exposed, far easier to run from danger as well. Zadira needed more items though. Not only for his own protection, but to hopefully sell them to the local merchant back at Grassveil, maybe an explorer or two. The debt he needed to pay was big and the lawyer made it perfectly clear what would happen if he couldn't keep on his payments.

It was understandable, considering the pachirisu saved what was essentially the rest of his life, but the lawyer's expectations were brutal. He could either pay up or he was going right back to where he was found.

Mocha: [Energy: 4 + 1 (Page) = 5]
Maxie: [Energy: 3 + 1 (Page) = 4]
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Mocha was pulled from her thoughts by the question. What did she do for fun? It occurred to her that she herself didn’t actually play many games or participate in many activities that would be quintessentially fun. Even as a cub back in the tribe she rarely played with her peers—their games were generally more violent than she’d like—not that she was adverse to a bit of roughhousing on occasion.

”Honestly? Lately? Not much,” she finally admitted. ”But I’m working to change that. Or, at least, I’m trying to work to change that.” She looked around her, taking in the mountainous environment surrounding her. ”I have what I’d like to think is—and pardon my arrogance—heroic ambitions. I want to grow stronger, do good, fight evil, explore never-before-seen places, discover amazing things; learn about the forgotten past and become a part of remembered history.” It was clear by her tone that she was very passionate about these ideas.

”So, I guess any time I’m doing anything that gets me closer to that; that’s my fun.”

…

She definitely shouldn’t have been reading this. She suddenly clapped the blook shut and turned to Voix. ”Okay, so,” she started, seeming to have forgotten entirely what the zorua had responded to her with. ”I have a plan to get rid of the aerodactyl.”

She put the journal back into Roi’s bag and withdrew two seeds. It wasn’t until now that she noticed how they looked so strange, yet so familiar. She was certain they were Warp Seeds, but they were difficult to look at in detail—not unlike the pages of the book. ”These are Warp Seeds—they’ll get rid of the aerodactyl.” Or, at least she hoped they would. They should.

”But I’m going to need your help. I could try and explain the details to you but I assure you it won’t help. The gist of it is this: I can’t see one of the aerodactyl, but I have reason to believe it’s still a threat. But you can see both. So I’m going to draw their attention, and we are going to feed them these seeds.”

The zorua looked on at the two warp seeds in the mawile's hands as she laid out her carefully thought out plan. She was right, he could see both of them. He was needed in order to get rid of the other. All he had to do was chuck one at it, and to do that, the mawile was going to lure them close. He'd have to get near the Aerodactyl, but it would ultimately get rid of it...

'Yeah, no," he spoke bluntly without much thought or time put into his response, "We could also just wait them out here, not risk our lives, and if Z'Dummy and "Mocha" are still there when you get back then you can bring them over when the big-dumb-heads are gone. So you are free to try to feed them both, but I'm going to stay here. Where it's safe."

---

"You know, that's actually a lot like what most of the books I read on different places people saw started." It was also the same kind of attitude he had going into being an explorer. It all sounded so amazing and awe-inspiring! He was quick to learn, however, that he wasn't meant for that kind of greatness. Hell, probably wasn't meant for any kind of greatness.

"Maybe you should write things down once you get started, maybe someone'll want to write all about you someday if you're gonna be so successful." He managed a smile, a half smile, but a smile. He wasn't sure about this. Exploring was a dangerous job-especially in the rescue business. He didn't know if she was going to prioritize exploring or if she was going to join the guild, but his assumption ran off of her...well, joining the guild. It seemed like to most logical thing to do-though he supposed there was those scouts he'd been hearing so much about...

...Or maybe she was just going to be her own legend?

"Did...did you ever say if you were going to join the guild or...?" Why not ask?

Mocha: [Energy: 5]
Maxie: [Energy: 4]
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She looked down at the ground between them. ”I’m not sure,” she said after a brief pause. ”When I met Maxie I was all for it. I thought I was going to have to do something big and important to prove I deserved to be a guild member. Turns out you can just sign up. But now I’m not so sure I want to join the guild—at least not yet.”

She hadn’t met many guild members yet. She wanted to get a good idea of the kinds of people who were part of the guild before she really considered joining it. ”I’m not opposed to joining an organization—being a part of some bigger thing. But I need to get a good idea of the people that I’d be working for and with. Not just my potential team, but everyone involved.”

Roi was a guild member, and from what she knew about him, she hoped not all guild members turned out to be like him. Something about him just rubbed her the wrong way—and it wasn’t just the fact that his being here didn’t make sense.

”For now, I think I’ll explore alongside Maxie, but I’m not yet ready to join the guild myself.”

…

”Ya know, I’m not even sure the one I can’t see is even real. And if it is, I’m not sure it can see me—or interact with me in any way. And if that’s true, then it’s not really my problem, it’s yours.” She tossed one of the Warp Seeds in his direction and turned toward the mouth of the cave. A column of stone divided the passageway—one of the stone spines from earlier. She clamped her iron-crushing jaws around it, applying pressure until it inevitably crumbled.

”Just a reminder, before you get too comfortable; we still don’t know if the cave is empty.” Without a further word, she stepped out of the cave to take in the situation outside.

She still only saw on aerodactyl flying above. It had been watching the cave, and immediately dove toward her. She readied the seed. It opened it mouth—presumably to roar at her, though the sound never came, as well as to deliver a devastating bite. It wasn’t given the chance. She flicked the seed right into its mouth as soon as it came within a few yards, and it vanished from sight before it ever reached her.

She turned around to look back at Voix in the cave, radiating confidence. She was actually quite relieved, since she wasn’t entirely certain it would even work. ”See? Easy. You’re worried about nothing.” Except, maybe, the other aerodactyl. The one she couldn’t see.

Voix was honestly surprised that the mawile went through with the plan. The seed was thrown at his paws. The zorua looked down at it then up at the mawile. It was very clear to him that she'd gotten rid of one of the aerodactyl entirely on her own. What she didn't see, however, was the one coming in right behind her. He looked back at the darkness of the cave, then to the mawile, then to the seed. Cave. Mawile. Aerodactyl. Seed.

His whole body shook. He couldn't keep a steady breath. He lowered his head down and gently picked up the warp seed between his teeth. His eyes were focused on the form of the oncoming Aerodactyl just behind her. An uncertain whine escaped him as just a moment as his mind struggled to run through his options. Choice A, try to help the mawile and chuck the seed at the Aerodactyl, risking things going completely wrong, becoming a snack, or continuing along with this absolute crazy mawile who just might get him killed. Choice B, letting the mawile be the Aerodactyl's snack and risk whatever it was in the cave behind him.

His eyes widened. He saw it. He saw what he needed to do. Choice C. He could just pick Choice C! The zorua's ears fell back as his fear melted into a sly grin. "...Buh-Bye!" His teeth snapped down onto the seed. The zorua was gone.

The sounds of the aerodactyl's screech suddenly tore through the air as the oncoming invisible foe came in for the attack.

---

She was her own thing, at least for now. In a way, that relieved him. It meant she likely wouldn't be out and after any dangerous outlaws or anything of the sort. Still, it was nice to have a guild behind a pokemon's back-in case something bad did happen.

"Ah, alright..." Well, it was basically being a guild member if he recalled. The only real difference to Mocha's situation was that she wasn't officially affiliated. Doing explorations with a guild member was just...the same thing. His claws suddenly stopped their odd soft scrapes against each other.

"...Maxie and-...she's been gone a while...again...hasn't she?" he wondered aloud.

Mocha: [Energy: 5]
Maxie: [Energy: 4]
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Yes. She had been gone for a while. Long enough that she had probably reached the cave by now. Long enough that she might have even made it back by now. ”I’m sure she’s fine,” Mocha responded. ”Maxie’s competent, and strong to boot. And smart. She can handle herself.”

…

”VOIX YOU LITTLE—” She was cut off by the sensation of being struck in the back—or rather, the horns, as they were covering her flank as always—and being launched deeper into the cave as the other aerodactyl crashed into her and the cave entrance. She picked herself up off the stone floor and turned to see the aerodactyl—visible yet flickering—taking up the entirety of the cave entrance. The roof had partially collapsed, seemingly trapping the thing in place.

And trapping her in the cave with it. It screeched in anger. She screamed in frustration.

…

”That said,” Mocha added after a pause. ”It might not hurt if we start making our way in the same direction…” She made her way up to her feet. It was getting a bit easier each time. She offered a paw to Zadira—not that he’d need it.

He wasn't so sure about it. Every time they all split up, all hell seemed to break loose-typically for them. If it weren't happening for them, was it happening to Maxie? He took her paw, but he didn't really use her assistance to help himself up-too scared of hurting Mocha again to really do it. He had an easier time standing up, but the pains of being battered and beaten about were still fresh. He couldn't imagine how difficult it probably was for Mocha.

"Y-Yeah...especially if..." He trailed off, the disturbing thought that Maxie was now alone with Voix-child or not-was fresh in his mind. "W-We need to go, now." He urged before he started to lead the way. He kept an extra eye on keeping his paw on Mocha's, fearful of letting it go again. All the while he couldn't help but reflect on just how much of a bad idea this whole trip was. He definitely owed these two a whole lot more than just a lunch...but how could he possibly pay reparations?

Mocha: [Energy: 5]
Maxie: [Energy: 4]
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”I guess I was kind of asking for this. But I didn’t think he’d go and use the seed on himself! Did he even think it through? Like, what exactly was going through the brat’s head at that moment? What if he ends up in the same place your friend did?”

The aerodactyl didn’t answer. It was far too busy trying to wriggle free of the rubble. For all Maxie knew, it didn’t even understand a word she was saying. That didn’t stop her from ranting to it like it was a friend.

”And where did you even come from? And Voix and Roi, for that matter? What is making you? Are you part of Zadira’s past too?” She doubted it. ”And this journal,” she withdrew the small book from Roi’s bag again.

”Roi seems to—” She stopped suddenly. ”Seemed to think” she corrected herself; Roi was dead. ”That Zadira was a threat to this Caritas. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t exactly like or even necessarily trust Roi, but he seems legitimately concerned. I knew I shouldn’t have left Mocha with him!”

She was pacing back and forth in front of the trapped fossil Pokemon. It watched her intently. It would occasionally snap its fierce jaws at her when she came close to it, but this didn’t seem to faze her in the slightest.

”Okay, there’s a lot going on right now. Way too much. Let’s go over it all real quick.” She herself wasn't sure who she was talking to: herself, Gilbert, or the aerodactyl. She took a deep breath. ”Mocha and I go hiking. I’m relatively confident that we can handle this mountain—I was perhaps overconfident. We meet Zadira. He seems extremely nervous and in retrospect that probably should have been more of a warning that something was up with him. He tells us about his time as an explorer. We run into the steelix. Mocha gets attacked. Zadira freezes on us. The tyranitar shows up and makes a great distraction—I’ll have to thank them if I ever see them again, assuming they don’t try to kill me on sight.”

She paused for a second—she was rambling so quickly she had to catch her breath for a moment. She turned toward the aerodactyl and continued. ”We go further forward—my decision, probably a mistake. I scout ahead, leaving Zadira with Mocha—definitely a mistake. I meet Roi. We get attacked by a dusknoir. Presumably around the same time, Mocha and Zadira and getting attacked by some zoroark. Roi and I finish our fight, show up to help Mocha and Zadira—definitely too late. Roi tries to take charge. Zadira causes problems. Mocha doesn’t help. Eventually we move ahead. Roi lets himself get lured into a trap. I try to save him. We fight off some super weird beasts—I have no idea what they were. Roi dies for presumably the second time. I ran. I come back to the two zangoose to find they’ve acquired Zadira’s brother as a kid?”

The trapped fossil Pokemon seemed almost exasperated—either from being unable to escape the entrance cave in, or from the rambling mawile that seemed to be taunting it with its insistent pacing.

”I decide the best course of action for everyone is to lure the brat away from the group—leaving Mocha with Zadira for the third time. We come to this cave hoping it’d be safe. You and your friend” she pointed accusing at the aerodactyl, ”Have to make things difficult. The kid abandons me—because duh, of course he would. Now I’m stuck in this stupid cave!”

She kicked a small rock. It bounced off the cave wall and hit the aerodactyl in the side of the head. It roared in anger. It was suddenly silenced—and surprising—by Maxie’s horns clamping around it’s snout, a light blue glow causing ice to form around it. ”Shut it, you overgrown archen.”

The aerodactyl made a pitiful sound in response. It was not having a good time.

…

Mocha did not protest. She didn’t like the idea of Maxie being on her own with Voix either. Seeing as the zorua was on his mind once again anyway, she decided asking about him couldn’t do much harm. ”... The real Voix is a zoroark, right? If this one is what I think—a version of him from the past—how dangerous do you think he could really be? I mean, he’s just a kid…”

She still wasn’t sure what Zadira believed the zorua actually was. He seemed reassured that she was real, at least. That was comforting, at least.

He hated Voix. There was no denying that. There was no hiding that. Even as a kid, Voix was an ass. He hesitated in his answer as he formulated what exactly to say. How to put his feelings and experiences with Voix to words. One thing at a time, Z. Was the real Voix a Zoroark?

"Yes, he's a zoroark," he affirmed, "He's a-uh, a really bad pokemon." Well, that much was obvious considering he murdered Roi, Voler, Couper, and Caritas, but there was more to him than just that. "H-He wasn't that strong when he was a kid, but he's...mean, manipulative, a-and well...he'll prioritize himself before anyone else...even if it means pushing them into the fire."

"And this is just assuming it isn't Voix-Voix pretending to be a younger version of him just to throw us off and mess with me...like he always does." Tension raised in his voice until it wavered and silenced him. He kept one paw on Mocha while the other was moved along the rocky wall beside them-back to the entrance where Maxie disappeared off to. He made sure to keep his paws along it, just in case, while each step was made with caution.

You know...on the off chance that the floor wasn't actually there and he was about to walk off a cliff.

Mocha: [Energy: 5]
Maxie: [Energy: 4]
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Once she was relatively sure it wouldn’t be able to attack her, Maxie climbed her way over the aerodactyl and atop the rubble. She began rolling the rocks out of the pile, trying to clear the passage—and unburring the Fossil Pokemon in the process. When the rocks where too big and heavy for her to move, she utilized her second jaws to break them.

”Now, I’m going to get us both out of this mess, and you’re going to leave me and my friend alone once you’re free.” She specifically said friend, not friends. She wasn’t sure she could trust Zadira, just as sure was sure he didn’t trust her.

”And if you try anything I’m going to make you regret it.” She still wasn’t sure it understood her, but that didn’t stop her from threatening it. She really hoped it could understand her.

…

She was pretty sure this wasn’t just Voix pretending to be younger, but she wasn’t going to waste time trying to convince him otherwise. It’s not like it would make a difference either which way Zadira believed. He hated Voix, that much was obvious. She didn’t blame him for it, either. She probably hated him, too.

”Why does he hate you?” She asked without thinking about it. We looked to him, to see how he reacted to the question. She wondered if he even knew the answer, but she was certain in her assumption that Voix hated Zadira as much as he hated Voix. If this was what having siblings was like, she was glad she was an only child—not that she had a particularly close family anyway.

Certain that the floor wasn't about to disappear from under him, he started to move along. Maxie...wait...where did Maxie go again? He was sure that she went down this way, but he didn't exactly recall where she intended to go. There was a cave...but what cave? There could have been hundreds of caves. Immediately, he began to regret not paying closer attention to the mawile's words earlier. He stopped. Instead of admitting that he had no idea where to go from here, he answered Mocha.

"I'm not sure, it's kind of always been like this," his dad hated him, was it because of that? Mom didn't really care...He was always the training dummy for Voix, even though he was the younger sibling. Did Voix just use him as a test subject for different plans and illusions because he knew him so well...? He did ask him why Voix didn't just leave him alone once, back on the mountain top of Blackmist. The answer, well, it wasn't much of answer. "I asked him once, but I don't think he gave me an honest answer. He just said it was "Fun" to do."

----

The aerodactyl grumbled, but its voice went mute once more. It glared at the mawile with a ravenous glint, the hunger in its stomach begged for a meal, but it needed to prioritize. It would starve if it continued to harass the mawile. Even if it managed to grab her for a snack, the flying type would still be stuck. It just had to wait...then perhaps it could rethink its decision on its lunch.

Mocha: [Energy: 5]
Maxie: [Energy: 4]
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Stone by stone, Maxie lessened the weight on the aerodactyl and progressed to revealing the outside. It wasn’t completely pitch dark in the cave—the entrance had not been totally covered with debris, and gaps between rocks allowed tiny rays of light to trickle in. It was no reading light, but it was enough to see one rock from another.

”Ya know,” she started as she tossed a particularly large rock out of her way. ”If you were to just fly off and find your friend, and, I dunno, hunt down that little brat…” She trusted the aerodactyl about as far as she could throw it—which was not at all. She hoped that, if it did understand her, she could persuade it not to attack the moment it was loose. ”Well, I think it’d be mutually beneficial to everyone.”

She didn’t feel bad at all for suggesting that the aerodactyl hunt down and, presumably, eat Voix. For one, he wasn’t real. For another, he probably deserved it.

…

”I don’t like that answer,” she responded, clearly bothered by it. ”Something’s seriously not right about the guy.” She looked around, now that they were stopped. She recognized where they were, and it wasn’t the cave.

”Come on,” she pulled at him to encourage him to follow, a newfound urgency overtaking her—not that it would make her move any faster. ”Let’s go save her from the little menace.” She knew were the cave was—she was the one who had spotted it, after all.

He hesitated, but he wasn't permitted to do so for long as Mocha pulled him along. He didn't resist, going with her. He had to agree, he didn't like the answer either. It answered...well, just about nothing. The shining zangoose followed her along, but didn't really make any further comment on the matter. The fact that she mentioned that they should save Maxie from the menace unsettled him. He did what he could to swallow his fear, but it would just build right back up.

It took them a moment, but they would arrive just in time to see a rather odd sight. The cavern that Mocha spotted was there, but it appeared to be covered in boulders with the rear of an aerodactyl sticking out of it. The tail lashed about wildly as it struggled to pull itself out. It tugged once...twice...then, suddenly the boulders moved. Maxie'd loosened the boulders just enough for the prehistoric pokemon to pull itself free. A victorious screech ripped through the mountain as the rocks rumbled and fell down hill, off to threaten whatever unfortunate passerby there may or may not be down the mountain.

Zadira's eyes widened at the sight of the large creature, but things didn't seem entirely that bad. The aerodactyl, while it had spotted them, decidedly turned and launched itself into the air. Its wings flapped clumisly as it took to the skies once more, though it didn't seem to have a particular interest in messing with the mawile that it had in front of it. It had a much weaker and more vulnerable snack to hunt elsewhere after all!

"Uh..." Zadira started up, "Is...is that "fine?"" he questioned.

Mocha: [Energy: 5]
Maxie: [Energy: 4]
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Maxie picked herself up off the ground, rocky grit and pebbles falling off of her. She coughed from the dust in the air as she made her way out of the field of debris. ”You’re welcome! You ungrateful flying rock.”

”Maxie?” Mocha asked, somewhat stunned by the spectacle that just took place before her.

Maxie turned to the sound of her name, seeming only then to notice the two zangoose. ”Oh, good, you two found your way here. Great. Got us a nice cave here,” she gestured behind her. Her tone was calm, if not a bit snarky; it didn’t seem very fitting, given the situation.

”... Where’s—”

”Gone.”

”...Where?”

”Don’t know. Don’t care. Maybe my new friend will find him.” She nodded toward the sky, clearly indicating the aerodactyl that just took off.

Mocha seemed a bit taken aback by the snappiness of the mawile’s tone. ”Are… You okay?”

”Swell.” She was not. ”Come on, into the cave, it’s lovely, really. Full of rocks.”

Maxie turned to Zadira, clearly concerned. ”I think this trip might be wearing on her a bit.”

Zadira wasn't quite sure what to make of the situation either. He shrank behind Mocha as Maxie spoke, a little fearful of the mawile now. Not only her attitude, but the sudden disappearance of Voix. He looked to Mocha as she looked to him, her explanation of the mawile's behavior only served to frighten him further.

He looked into the cave, still not so sure about anything anymore. What he did know was that they needed to get out of here. They needed to rest up and then try to get back down the mountain. Roi's plan was entirely ignored by Zadira, seeing as he didn't trust the Roi that appeared for a second.

If Mocha stepped into the cave, then so would he. He wasn't sure if he should stay quiet or not, but ultimately decided to speak, "so, the plan is to rest up here and then go back down the mountain, right?"

Mocha: [Energy: 5]
Maxie: [Energy: 4]
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”I believe so,” Mocha replied. A bit hesitantly, she made her way into the cave, Zadira in tow. Maxie had already went in. The mawile sat with her back facing the cave wall, a book in hand.

”That’s the plan, right Maxie? We rest here, leave as soon as we can?” She repeated Zadira’s question to her.

”Yep.” She never looked away from her book.

Mocha almost asked what it was she was reading, but she stopped herself. There was a strange air of hostility coming from the mawile, but Mocha couldn’t seem to tell who it was toward. Voix? Zadira? Herself? All of the above? Regardless, it made her feel uneasy—it was clear Zadira wasn’t particularly comfortable with the situation either.

After a long period of awkward silence, Mocha found herself unable to ignore it any longer. ”Okay, I’m getting the feeling that you're upset with one of us…”

”Bit of both, actually.”

The mawile’s sharp tone stung. ”C-can we talk about it?” Mocha stumbled on the words a bit, uncertain as to how she was supposed to approach the situation. She had only known Maxie for a relatively short time, but thus far she had never seen her like this. This side of the mawile was unprecedented.

The mawile looked up from the book. She gave Zadira a cold glare before turning her attention to Mocha. ”I don’t think I trust him.”

”Maxie—”

”I don’t think Roi really did, either.”

Mocha suddenly tensed. ”Yeah, well, I’m not sure you should trust Roi, either.” It was clear by her tone that she was becoming defensive, and she wasn’t trying to hide it.

”Mocha you barely even know Roi—”

”Neither do you!”

”I know him better than you.” she held up the book, as if it would emphasis her point somehow. ”And while we’re talking about how long we’ve known people, I’ll remind you that you’ve only just mut him. Roi has known him for a lot longer than either of us.”

Mocha sat silent for a second. She glanced at Zadira—it was out of concern, not uncertainty. She squeezed his paw tighter, as if to reassure him.