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Manipulation

“And you can feel her madness See right through her smile Don’t you turn your back and You’ll soon figure out”

—“Manipulation” from Passover by The Black Angels

Every inch of Max was bloody, bruised, or both. This definitely wasn’t the Expedition Society she’d left behind. She doubted she’d ever forget that gauntlet if she wanted to. Somehow, this fledgling new group had multiple members of every typing in prime fighting condition, and they expected new members to fight one of each.

Consecutively.

Max didn’t know if she’d done well enough. She didn’t really have a good concept of pacing herself, and she still didn’t know typings well enough to take advantage of them. Like monsters, they saved the pokémon with a type advantage against her until the end. She didn’t know shocking the dragonite was a waste of effort until they called that match a tie, and he had a laugh about it.

She’d almost completely spent her electricity right before her last match. It’s not like she’d use it against a ground, but it left her way too exhausted to put up a good fight. The quagsire at least made it quick for her.

She’d ended it with ten wins, three ties, and four losses, and all they’d told her on scoring before or after was, “Winning every fight isn’t required, but it’s encouraged.” They let her rest a whole five minutes before sending her off to the oral examination. She got to wonder what the hell that was on her painful walk over.

Even on all fours, she grunted out an, “Ow,” with every step. She hadn’t walked on all fours out of exhaustion since coming here (easier access to Ithos when upright helped, of course). Ash had tried to get them to train at least this hard leading up, but even Max hadn’t quite seen the point.

In hindsight, Ash had underestimated the hell this organization could put you through.

All the halls had an eerie similarity to them. Even however far in the past this place was, she recognized the general layout and style from when she’d gone to see Goon. Every offshoot she hadn’t gone through then felt frustratingly familiar. She’d never known that building was so ancient. At least it was smaller.

It was so empty, though. The Expedition Society had people in it basically twenty-four-seven, but this one was closer to a ghost town. Brand new walls with fresh-dried paint sat pristine and abandoned. Whoever started this either had high hopes, high ambition, or both. It seemed like a lot of effort to put into a redundant organization to her, but she was too exhausted to think about it.

“Well, looks like somebody finally knows how to follow directions,” an aegislash remarked as she rounded a corner. He sounded familiar, and sure enough, he was the one she’d fought early on (her win, but barely). Her tail covered the bruised cut he’d sliced into her on instinct.

Aegislash held his shield in front of him to do some kind of bow for her, paying no mind to her reaction. “Our fight was a pleasure, Lady…?” he looked up in wait.

Max was too busy remembering Eleos for a second to realize he was asking her name. “Oh, Max,” she said. If he wanted a bow in return, she would have to disappoint. She barely managed a strained smile for him. Luckily, he didn’t seem to mind.

“And mine is Peregrine,” Peregrine said. As he straightened out of his bow, he had an impish look in his eye. “Most call me Parry, though.” He gave a gleeful glance to the slice he’d given her that made her chuckle.

“No wonder,” Max said. He was nice, at least, if a bit eccentric. Others might not like being referred to as lady, but Max was a bit partial to the practice, personally. She started to get a bit more comfortable and let her tail stop guarding the wound. “I was surprised I could keep going. I thought I was gonna need stitches after that hit.”

“Hm, similar to your fight with Kair?” Parry asked. Max raised a brow, so he clarified. “The dragonite.”

“Oh,” Max said with another wince. She pulled a paw up to massage her cheek. “Yeah, I guess.” She gave him a curious look after. It hadn’t been word traveling, she hadn’t seen anyone else on her way there. “Did you stay to watch?”

“But of course,” Parry said, that gleam in his eye returning. “That stance of yours, it’s as if watching a kindred spirit.” For extra emphasis, he shook his shield a bit. Max felt her ears start to burn, for some reason worrying if she’d been insensitive until he chuckled. “Suffice to say, you’ve interested me.” Again, her ears started to burn, but for a different reason.

“Well, thanks,” Max said, looking away. “But isn’t there an oral-” she felt a bit of panic rising up, “—shit, did it already start?” She wasn’t expecting an interview to be so casual.

Luckily, Parry waved the notion away. “No, fret not,” he said. “Merely making conversation while we wait for your friend.” Max let out a breath of relief. Even on all fours, her paws started feeling sore. She went over to sit against the wall. “It seems someone’s taken an interest in your friend, as well.” He looked up to the clock. “I’ve not seen Fara take so long with a recruit before.”

“Is that good?” Max asked. Ithos’ extra time in interview didn’t spark the most confidence in her. He was kind, but he didn’t necessarily know when to shut up. She at least trusted him not to slip that she was human, but she was worried he might let his own excitement get the best of him.

With another breath, she tried to let go of the worry. Ithos deserved a bit more faith than that. He was still remarkably capable, despite also being an idiot. Most of his worst decisions came from naivety rather than mental insufficiency. It was a bit ironic, considering he had more life to remember, that Max felt like the more world weary one.

A knob turned before the loud creak of an ancient hinge accompanied the sight of a gargantuan door coming to block half the hallway. “Thanks!” Ithos said. The little lizard looked absolutely puny next to the door, yet his sheer joy filled the space. Once he caught sight of Max, she could clearly see his eyes pop open from all the way down the hall, and he sprinted over.

“Save your energy!” Max shouted in vain. He wouldn’t stop to question his excitement for the world. It made her heart throb, against her better judgment.

“Max!” Ithos said with a grin. With no regard for her obvious injuries, he snatched up both of her paws to yank her up. “How’d you do?” Once her hindpaws hit the ground, her stance faltered. She stared at him while she leaned against the wall, waiting for the sight to register. “Oh, wow.” He finally looked her over, cheeks flushing. “Sorry.” Max could see his tail’s erratic flame in the reflection of Parry’s edge.

“Well, I had to get up, anyway,” Max said. She managed a smile while she looked into his eyes. He hadn’t let go of her paws yet. “I don’t know if I did well enough.” She worried how he’d take the news, but his exuberance didn’t falter. “Apparently I earned an admirer, though.” She nodded behind Ithos to Parry.

“Ad-what?” Ithos asked with sudden panic that made Max giddy. He let her paws fall while jumping around to see Parry behind him for the first time (and also putting his tail mere inches away from Max). “Oh, hey!” Max sidled out of range of the flame and watched it flicker.

“Ithos, hello,” Parry said with a bow. “I’m sure our fight will be just as exhilarating.” He waved Ithos to follow. “Come! And Max,” he turned to her one last time, “best of luck.”

“Y-yeah!” Ithos said, quickly hopping around. Max could see his tail growing in defensive frustration behind him. “Good luck!” He tossed her a thumbs up and a wink before patting her on the shoulder. “You’ll do great. Don’t worry! She’s really nice.”

“Thanks,” Max said with genuine relief. At least the interviewer wouldn’t be a hard-ass. “Do your best.” She pat him on the shoulder, struggling to let her paw fall from there. “See ya.”

“See ya!” Ithos said. The grin he gave her made up for the required distance in an instant. She didn’t mind seeing him go when she got to see that excitement on his face again. Of course, it helped that watching him leave was always fun, too. She just had to be a bit more subtle about that one.

Before they turned their first corner, Max dropped down to all fours and started over to the head office. Her pawsteps echoed throughout the place with every step, and she could hear Ithos’ claws clacking against the tiles fading off in the distance. She couldn’t get the strange hugeness of this place out of her mind. It was supposed to be new, but the building felt ancient, even more ancient then the last time she saw it.

Max found her first obstacle in the interview earlier than she’d hoped: the doorknobs on either side of the door were too high. She got up to her hindpaws and remained a good half-foot short. She grumbled out a swear and hopped up to grab hold of it and turned, kicking off the other door.

The door was deceptively light. Her little kick sent it swinging open, and she went right along with it. The momentum of the arc pulled her hindpaws out from under her until it suddenly stopped at the hinge’s limit. She lost her grip and flew a few feet before miraculously landing on all fours. It bounced off its own hinge and closed halfway before she started scampering in.

It creaked shut with a clunk, missing her tail by less than an inch only because she yanked it forward at the last second. Her brief instant of relief ended when she saw an ampharos on the opposite side of the room holding back laughter with a paw. Max was glad she was too exhausted for her cheeks to spark much.

“You must be Max. I’m Fara,” Fara chuckled. “Please, come take a seat.” She waved a paw to the two chairs on the opposite side of her desk. Max headed over with a barely kept smile that only got harder to maintain when she saw the office. “Sorry about the door. I should’ve given it a little bit more thought.” Fara held her paws together to leer over them at her. “I’ll have that fixed soon.”

Intricate tapestries lined walls that led gut churningly high. Max couldn’t turn her head high enough to see the ceiling without standing upright. A vibrant violet carpet with swirls of gold sat in the middle of a dark oak floor. As it approached the desk, it tapered partially before growing into a dark circle that consumed the desk and its chairs.

“It’s all right,” Max squeaked. Fara’s casual stare bore into her soul. Max could feel judgment looming over her every slightest movement as she walked across the carpet. The relaxed smile made Max feel like she had to hurry despite her injuries. She picked up the pace and hopped up on the left chair.

“Impressive,” Fara mused as Max sank into the massive seat. “Most recruits don’t have so much energy after combat testing.” She let one paw down and reached under her desk without taking her eyes off Max. She pulled up a cup and slid it over to Max. “That should help with the pain.” It slid so fast in its approach that Max hopped up to stop it from sliding off, but it stopped just short of the edge.

“Thanks,” Max said, eyeing the cup as she grabbed it. Once she saw that shade of amber, she struggled to hide her excitement. She hadn’t had apple juice in a while, though she had no idea how it was meant to help with pain. Once she sucked in a mouthful, though, the ripe burn of an aged whiskey made everything clear.

Again, Fara hid a chuckle behind her paw with the sudden surprise in Max’s eyes. After that, though, she watched with intrigue. Max barely flinched at the taste despite having an entire mouthful. She set the cup down without spitting any out and swallowed the spirit.

“Sorry,” Max mumbled, wiping her mouth. A shiver wriggled up her spine as the spirit went down her throat. “Wasn’t expecting whiskey.” She forced a smile. “At least it was smooth.”

“Incredible,” Fara said. “Should I be impressed or worried?” She stared down with open amusement, resting her chin on her paws again. Up close, her modest smile looked even more incisive. It looked exact, pristine. Each side of her lips met the same part of her cheeks with the slightest bit upturned more on her left than her right. It looked perfectly off in a way that made Max squirm.

“What?” Max asked. She tried to shake off the odd sensation and force a chuckle. “Did I do something?”

“Not exactly,” Fara said. “Just awfully well versed in liquor for your age.” Max flinched at that and instantly regretted the involuntary motion. Fara quickly swiped at the air as if dismissing the worry. “Please, relax. I just have a few simple questions I ask any prospective initiates.”

“All right,” Max said with a forced sigh. Hopefully the whiskey would help her calm down soon. “So, uh.” She glanced around and sat back. “Questions?” The plush chair threatened to consume her under her own weight, but she was more concerned with how the hell Ithos thought this woman was friendly. This ampharos was the first prey animal Max was worried might eat her.

Fara smiled down with some unreadable shadow behind her eyes as she lowered her paws to the desk. “Well, I believe it’s best to start with your combat performance,” she said. “Ten wins is nothing to be ashamed of.”

“You already know?” Max asked. She didn’t see anyone else leave with her. When she left, the judges were still writing. Had someone teleported the results to the office after Ithos left? Max couldn’t see any papers on Fara’s desk, either.

“Of course,” Fara said with a grin. “I want this organization to succeed, so I keep my eyes everywhere.” The answer felt like a challenge; Max could feel Fara watching her reaction closely. Within the second, the scrutiny lightened, and Fara went on. “In most auditions I’ve seen, the initiates either fight careful and reserved the whole way through, or put their all into the fights they know they’ll win and give up on the last.”

“You were an interesting case.” Her eyes stayed on Max, but it didn’t feel like she saw her. “You just refused to stop trying. I’d expected you to collapse from your own efforts after the sixth.” She spoke as if she’d been there to see the fights.

“Well, thanks?” Max said. Despite her need to force a smile, she couldn’t help squirming in her seat. “I couldn’t really give up, could I?”

“That hasn’t stopped people before,” Fara said. Her grin grew wider, and Max squirmed more. “Your will truly was something else.” She spat ‘will’ like it was a dirty word. “Though, to my eyes, it seemed more like you were afraid to lose.”

“Oh?” Max asked. Fara had seen the matches, and she expected Max to simply accept that as fact. The impossibility wouldn’t fade from Max’s head, though. She couldn’t help looking curiously at Fara, and Fara’s grin turned as she did. “Well, a lot was riding on it, I guess.” Max grabbed hold of her tail to rip her eyes away from Fara’s.

“This was no mere spirit of competition,” Fara said. “It was in your eyes.” Max flinched before she could stop herself, and she expected the chair to swallow her whole for the sin. “Each time the fight began to turn against you, you looked at your opponent with the desperate terror of prey.” She gave odd reverence to the sight of prey. “Then, you fought with that desperation. It was an extravagant sight to behold.”

“Th-thanks,” Max stuttered. Her ears twitched at the slip, and her heart leapt in terror. Before she could correct herself, Fara’s eyes gleamed like she’d just smelled blood.

“Ah, so you do it outside of fights, too?” Fara almost sang. She looked deep into Max’s eyes, and Max desperately wished she could hide them behind her tail. Ithos had never heard of Dungeon Sickness, but Fara seemed infatuated with it. “Oh, that beautiful black in your eyes. You’re terrified.”

“Stop!” Max shouted, squeezing her eyes shut. She clenched her paws tight to force in a breath. Her fur felt damp with sweat. She shook as she let herself look up again.

“So sorry,” Fara said. She put a paw to her chest and pulled herself back. “I didn’t realize it was a sensitive subject for you.” Her posture fell back ever so slightly, and Max felt some of the fear and anger fade. Had the whiskey started hitting her already? “What is this condition of yours? Have you always been this way?”

“Sort of,” Max said. She couldn’t even explain how it happened. The Dungeons were completely different from the ones she knew. “I just have more instincts than most pokémon. I don’t know.” She crumpled down further until she realized she’d started holding her tail in her arms.

“What about when you were younger?” Fara asked. Her eyes still had that predatory stare, but it wasn’t filling Max with dread anymore. She felt the same impact, but none of the fear lingered. “How old were you when this started?”

“I don’t know,” Max said. She shrugged and forced herself to let go of her tail while the worries weren’t quite so oppressive. It must have been some effective whiskey.

“Where did you say you grew up?” Fara asked. Max’s ear flicked a bit. “It was here, wasn’t it? Lively Town?” Max nodded. She and Ithos had agreed on that story ever since Ithos improvised it to his dad. “Odd that I’ve never heard of you. That condition seems like it would attract attention.”

“I don’t really go around telling people about it,” Max said. Her tail started to flick, but the frustration had gone before it finished. “It’s embarrassing.”

“When did you leave for Serene Village?” Fara asked.

“I don’t know,” Max grumbled. She snapped her mouth shut, but the words were already out. Sitting still, Fara looked ready to pounce. “Or, not exactly, anyway.”

“This condition,” Fara said. “Is it anything to do with your lapses in memory?” She watched Max with intrigue of a shark watching a fish. “If it’s serious, I’d like to know. Background is an important consideration to me. I want to know of any problems that might grow from it ahead of time.”

Max could feel the opportunity slipping out of her nubbins. She didn’t have a background to discuss. She’d been around for a bit over a month. With Fara so intent on every detail, she wouldn’t let Max get away with the little half-answers she gave everyone else. Fara already seemed doubtful Max had ever lived in Lively Town. No doubt, she had connections in this place to build an organization like the Expedition Society.

“Sort of,” Max mumbled. The easiest route would be admitting she used to be a human, but she’d rather face ten vicious garchomps hungry for her flesh than tell Fara that. She grabbed her tail to hold against her chest again, keeping her eyes on the chair. “I… don’t really remember much.”

Half truths were always better than full lies. “Anything earlier than a few weeks ago is really hazy for me,” she said, letting her ears fall. “I just woke up with a headache and these weird instincts.”

She shrank away further with a tighter squeeze to her tail. Keeping her eyes down, she started probing her awareness out to gauge Fara’s reaction. Fara had a sympathetic frown and a paw holding a heart that beat in precise thumps. Her chest rose for three beats, held for one, then fell for four. Again and again, it beat in perfect time with her breath.

“I’m so sorry,” Fara said. “That must be so hard for you.” She shook her head and leaned against her desk. “Yet here you are, trying so hard to help others. You poor soul.” For some reason, the way she spoke reminded Max of Ash hitting on her.

“Is that why you do this?” Fara asked. “It must help you find purpose, doesn’t it?”

“Kinda,” Max said. She could barely listen to a word she said, stuck listening to the exact beat of Fara’s heart. “Plus, y’know.” She looked up with a forced chuckle. “I’m good at it, so that helps.”

“Do you enjoy this work?” Fara asked. The way she tilted her head made Max feel like she’d said something wrong.

“Well, yeah?” Max said. “I’m good at it.”

Fara raised a brow, but let the wording slide. She pushed her chair back from her desk and got up. “Do you know why I’ve started this Society?” she asked. As she spoke, she walked to the tapestry on Max’s left. The top had a ball of fire plummeting to the Earth above Rayquaza. At the very bottom stood an odd, blue zangoose with a hoodied pikachu on his shoulder.

“We have become sick,” Fara said. Max craned her neck and saw Fara leering at the zangoose in disgust. “So pathetic that we needed a human to save us.” Max quickly turned back to the tapestry as Fara turned to glance at her. “Sorry, your memory. Do you remember the tale?”

“Well,” Max said. “I think I can get the gist.” She might’ve obsessed about the games, but she didn’t have the attention span to finish them.

Regardless, Fara nodded and turned back to the tapestry. Her disgust only grew as she saw it. “Humans,” she spat. It was a good call to lie to her about that, then. “Despicable. We hold them up as legends when they are monuments to our weakness.” She pulled a paw forward to deignfully flick it to the image of the zangoose. “Look at the mockery he made of us.”

Max took another look, and she sort of understood what Fara meant. That zangoose looked visibly more like a human, even from behind. Seeing Goon on all fours had surprised her, but this guy would just look goofy. She assumed it was artistic choice or incompetence, not an accurate portrayal. Max was glad she was just a normal pikachu.

“They fall to a world they don’t understand, don’t respect, then call themselves saviors,” Fara went on. The more she glared at the tapestry, the more she sneered. Considering how she felt, it was an odd decoration for her office.

“They?” Max asked. She’d confirmed with Ithos soon after landing that only one human had ever come before. That was the reason he’d been more willing to believe she was an alien. Fara turned halfway around to raise a brow. “How many times has this happened?”

“Once,” Fara said. She twisted back around and walked over with one last sneer at the tapestry. Max almost thought she heard a snarl. “But there will be more soon.” She stood on the opposite side of the desk without taking her seat, staring off in the distance. “I can feel it in the air. Darkness is coming. We cannot rely on another fool for salvation, but look at everyone.”

She looked down to consider Max a moment before going on. “I’m sure you can see it as well,” Fara said. “We are a different breed. I can see it in your eyes. I saw it in the way you fight. Ambition.” Even as she complimented Max, disdain hung off her face, and she looked back to the far off distance.

“That condition of yours,” Fara went on. “It sounds terrible. To lose all that you know, to have your very mind fight against your judgment. It would drive others to madness, yet here you are.” Max’s mouth began to twist into a snarl. This wasn’t empathy, and she didn’t want to hear how Fara would twist it. She forced herself to suffer through it, though, for Ithos’ sake.

“This is why I’ve seen fit to form the Expedition Society,” Fara said. “The Rescue Society has bent over backwards to allow anyone who wants to join. How will a force like that stand any chance against what’s to come?” She shook her head in disgust and turned to Max. “No. We must find something more to put our faith in.”

Max dug her teeth into her cheek to keep herself from yelling. Fara’s open disdain for the people she wanted to save made Max’s skin crawl. She’d only survived as long as she had thanks to the kindness of Neb, Cori, Eleos, everyone. She could keep herself quiet, but she couldn’t stop her rage creeping onto her expression. The sight made Fara smile.

“You disagree,” Fara said. “Don’t hold your tongue. I expect competency, not fealty.”

Max forced herself to take a breath, if only to avoid a response purely in words of the four letter variety. “I’ve needed help before,” she said. Every word needed careful consideration both so they’d come out in English, and to keep herself from yelling. “I don’t do this because I’m better than others. I do it to help people.”

“And you said that you enjoy it because you’re good at it,” Fara said. The sudden flash of anger on Max’s face made Fara’s grin light up. “But perhaps you have a point.” She crossed her arms and sat back in her chair. “After all, even the weak have their place.”

“People aren’t strong or weak,” Max growled. “There’s more to living than fighting for power.” She couldn’t hold herself back, but Fara just chuckled.

“Oh, I like you,” Fara cooed. Suddenly, Max felt her rage dissipate. It hadn’t faded, but left. “You know, I wasn’t sure about your little team talking to Ithos, but you’re an interesting one.” Even the dig at Ithos couldn’t stoke her anger. “I’d be a fool to let you go.” Max felt like she was being offered cheese on a spring-loaded metal platter. “After all, a leader needs someone at her throat to keep her at her best.”

“Wait, we’re in?” Max asked. She’d been seconds away from fighting despite her injuries. Now, she couldn’t feel so much as minor annoyance.

“Don’t tell anyone I’ve told you,” Fara said with a wave of her paw. “Can’t have people accusing me of favoritism.” Max let herself calm down with her fading rage. Fara was up to something, but Max would happily play the fool. “I trust you’ll be able to act flattered and surprised.” Fara hid a chuckle behind her paw, but Max tilted her head.

“You do?” Max asked, raising a brow.

“Well, yes,” Fara said, raising her own brow in turn. She glanced behind Max as a hint, but it clearly didn’t help. “It’s a skill any girl needs to master for her safety.”

“Oh, right,” Max said, shaking her head. For as much as she loved this new body, being a girl usually escaped her mind until it came up explicitly. “Forgot about that.”

“Being a girl?” Fara said, brow raising higher. She quickly relaxed it and chuckled, shaking her head. “Oh, it must be all that time you’ve spent with your teammates.” Even her perfectly casual tone felt calculated. “You need a break from boys, I’ll bet.” Max shrank a bit, electricity finally rejuvenated to bounce sparks down her cheeks. “Girls need time to be themselves, after all.”

“Right,” Max said. She scratched at the back of her neck while her tail nervously flicked behind her. Smiling took effort, but she managed a small one. “Thanks.”

“Of course,” Fara said, savoring each word. She put her paw out over the desk for Max to take with subtle menace that made Max’s skin crawl. Max had to hop around the drink she’d neglected and stand on the desk to have a chance at taking it. When she did, though, it felt like a normal shake. Grip, up, down, release, and it was done.

“Welcome, Team Plasma,” Fara said. Max let her paw fall to the side, resisting the urge to examine it post-shake. “Tomorrow, at least.” She waved Max off and sat back in her chair.

“Thank you,” Max said. She hopped off the desk and headed out. Walking across the carpet again, she desperately wanted to sprint out. Despite her best efforts, she still picked up the pace towards the end. She didn’t trust Fara for a second; she wouldn’t let Fara out of her sight.

“Pale blue was the color of her eyes, Manipulation Yellow yellow was her hair, Orange sunburst red hot glare, manipulation, Manipulation”

Max scanned the Dungeon around them. She’d spent months exploring them at this point, but the deeper floors still never ceased to amaze her. Every inch had burgeoning life with rich backdrops of foliage and flora. They’d made it to the fifth floor of Peewee Meadow, and it was lush with bushes and saplings heavy with bright berries that smelled so sweet they burned her nose.

“Don’t,” Ithos said, gently pulling her back. It snapped Max halfway out of herself, and she realized she’d been walking over to them. “Here, are you hungry?” He pulled out an apple and held it in front of her. It smelled delicious, but her eyes still lingered on the bountiful harvest in front of her.

“Glad we kept an eye on you now?” Ash asked. He walked up to her other side with a glint in his eye. Max tried to shake her mind free of the fruit and took a bite of the apple.

“Thanks,” Max said between bites. As she ate more of it, the spell started to break. Ash and Ithos started gently tugging her away, and her mind cleared up the further she was from the crop. Even without the spell, though, it was a beautiful sight to behold. Flowers stuck up with rich bouquets of petals all around, exposing their bright yellow prizes to the air. Each petal started faded on one end before blossoming into deep blues, purples, and pinks on their furthest edges.

“You’ve gotta work on that Lotus Addiction, Max,” Ash said. Ithos hissed at him with a glare, but that didn’t deter him. “What?” Max pulled herself back out of their grips, chomping through the rest of the apple.

“I’ve already told you,” Max said. She put a disarming paw to Ithos’ shoulder while she explained. It was frustrating to rehash this for her, but Ithos looked about ready to kill in her honor. “I’ve never had the fruit of the Lotus, all right? It’s not that.” Ash’s glare didn’t let up, and he crossed his arms. “It’s complicated.”

“How do you know that, though?” Ash asked. “You keep saying that, but what about your memory? How do you know you didn’t just forget?”

“It’s complicated,” Max repeated. She must have said exactly that to Ash already a hundred times. She didn’t blame him for being annoyed about it, but she couldn’t let anyone else know about her humanity. Not after that encounter with Fara.

“Max,” Ithos said. He took hold of her paw, and she could feel him giving her that same look he always did when this came up. He respected that it wasn’t his secret to tell, but even he’d stopped seeing the utility of hiding it from Ash at this point. The only reason Max could trust him not to tell was good will.

Forcing a smile, Max turned to Ash to say, “Can you give us a minute?”

“Again?” Ash asked in faux-frustration. “All right, I’ll scout out the next room.” He gave a dorky little salute and ducked into the nearest path.

“Come on, Max,” Ithos said. He reached for her other paw to force her to face him, but she tugged both away. “He’s been in the team for, like four months? Five?” He held his paw out, open and ready for an explanation. “Why can’t you trust him yet?”

“I do!” Max shouted. Ithos threw his paw up to wave her down, so she came in closer to whisper. “It’s not about trust!” She rubbed her paw along the bridge of her snout. Every time they had this conversation, she remembered that conversation with Fara, but she didn’t have it in her heart to tell Ithos. He’d been so excited they made it in, and it was far too late now.

“Max,” Ithos whispered. He brought a paw up to knead tension out of her shoulder. She almost pulled away, but his touch was more tempting than the Lotus of a Dungeon. The warmth of his firm presses softened her tight muscles, and his claws followed up by creeping up her neck to scritch along the path.

He’d gotten very good at relaxing her with his touch.

“Doesn’t he deserve to know?” he asked. His paw snuck around to her back, stopping her before she could interrupt. “If Fara’s right, whatever you’re here for is coming soon. Ash signed up for an Expedition Team, not saving the world.”

He was already plying her with pets; it wasn’t fair for him to have a good point, too. He might not think Fara was connected to the doomsday she preached about like Max did, but Max was here for a reason. The prospect had terrified Ithos when he first found out. Even after so many months, Max still caught him looking at her with terror behind his eyes.

Well, a few among the many the times she’d caught him looking at her, at least.

“What aren’t you telling me?” Ithos asked. He stopped his scratching and yanked her back into his eyes. In an instant, she lost herself in that pristine, piercing blue. Without thinking, she pulled a half a step closer. “If it’s not about trust, why are you worried? You always look like you’re holding something back.”

Max opened her mouth to speak, but lost her nerve. His worry stuck an oppressive darkness over the gorgeous blue. She wanted to protect him from her own paranoia, wanted to eventually find that she had completely misjudged Fara, but it only put a rift between them. It cut off a part of her soul while forcing her to suffer sleepless nights of worry alone.

She’d had to hide everything from him for so long, she didn’t know if she could still let him in. She couldn’t tell him where she came from, couldn’t tell him why she trusted him so much more than anyone else, why she knew his favorite food before he’d eaten it, his favorite drink before he’d had it, or any of the long, long list of impossibilities she’d accrued. She couldn’t tell him the truth.

She couldn’t tell him that, all this time, she’d known exactly what she needed to do. She’d known exactly how to make him happy, and she’d used that knowledge all this time. She couldn’t tell him the truth, because he’d hate her for it.

“Max, please,” Ithos said. He rested both paws on her shoulders to pull her in closer. His warmth emanated from his chest and soaked into her fur. “You don’t have to do this alone. We’re a team.” She stared into the piercing blue that she’d lost herself in so many times before. “I care about you. I want to help you. Whatever it is, I promise. I’m here for you.”

Max felt her breath hitch. Despite not knowing her for as long as she’d known him, Ithos could play to the pleading of her soul better than she ever could. He always seemed to know what she needed before she did. Already bursting at the seams, she didn’t have a choice in the matter anymore. She needed him.

“Fara,” Max whimpered. Ithos brought his left up to scratch right beneath her right ear. “I don’t trust her.”

“Why not?” Ithos asked. He tilted his head slightly, but stayed attentive.

“Do you remember those interviews?” Max asked. Without a word, Ithos nodded. “During mine, she talked about people with disgust. She hates humans. I know you said she was nice, but during that whole conversation.” Max shivered thinking back to it. Sitting in that chair, Fara staring down at her like dinner. Ithos squeezed her tight to pull her back. “She doesn’t want to help people. She wants to control them.”

“Really?” Ithos asked. Max started to shrink away, but he held her tight. He was surprised, but he didn’t doubt her. “Why?” One of his eyes shut halfway, and he looked away with a confused shake of his head. “What did that have to do with recruitment?”

“I don’t know,” Max said. She brought one paw up to feel his arm. Thanks to the training Ash put them through, it was noticeably more defined. It just so happened that it made Ithos look that little bit more irresistible. A happy coincidence. “What did she talk about with you?”

“Nothing, really,” Ithos said. He tilted his head back with his eyes screwed half shut in concentration. “Asked me why I wanted to join, what skills I could bring to the table, I don’t know.” He shook his head, starting to give up before his eyes lit up. “Well, a lot of it was about you, actually.”

“What?” Max asked.

“Not too much,” Ithos said. He nodded along as the memory came back to him. “Just about how long we’d known each other, when we met, why we formed a Rescue Team together.” A chill started to crawl up Max’s spine, but Ithos didn’t let it go far. Right before a shiver manifested, he pulled her into a quick hug that ended too soon.

“I told her the same story I told Dad,” he said; Max felt the empty air between them. “Bandits, that you didn’t have anyone else, but,” he looked up to her again, “w-what if she figured it out?” The slightest doubt started to creep into his expression before he steeled himself against it. “It doesn’t matter, hey.”

Kneeling down, he guided her gaze into his with a paw to her chin. “We’ve got this.” Max was terrified. She had no idea who she could even trust, if they even had a chance. Yet, looking at Ithos’ fate defying confidence, she felt her terror fade. “I’ve got you.”

Max jerked out of Ithos’ hold to wrap her arms around him, whispering, “Thank you.” She heard her slip, but she didn’t care.

Ithos didn’t hesitate to reciprocate. He wrapped his arms around her, holding a bit of her weight for her as he ran his paws down her back. “Of course,” he said. Max’s ear flicked up, and she turned her head to look at him a bit more. She’d slipped, but he responded like he knew what she said. Could he understand—

“Are you two done kissing yet?” Ash called from the corridor he’d left into.

“Ash!” Ithos shouted—directly into Max’s ear. Max jerked away to cover her ear with a paw, and he instantly turned to whisper a panicked, “Sorry!” before turning back to Ash. “Would you stop saying stuff like that?”

“Bro,” Ash chuckled. He spun around the corner to reveal himself and came over. Ithos looked ready to deck him, yet Ash walked right past. “You gotta know how obvious you are, right?” He tilted his head in playful confusion while the grass under Ithos’ paws charred. “If you don’t want her, at least let me have another shot. I mean,” he turned to smirk at Max, “we’ve known each other for a while, now.”

“Ash!” Ithos hissed. “Can you believe him?” He turned to Max for support and found her failing to conceal giggles behind her paw. His eyes shot open and his mouth fell open in betrayal. “Max, really?”

“I don’t know, Ithos,” Max chuckled. With a shrug, she sauntered over to Ash. “He has a point, doesn’t he?” Ash grinned as she put one arm on his back while a paw went for his chest. “You wouldn’t mind, would you?” She winked in thanks with the eye Ithos couldn’t see before leaning in to nuzzle her cheek against his.

“N-no!” Ithos stammered, curiously, not in the tone of one who didn’t mind. Max and Ash both immediately collapsed into giggles, and Ithos’ tail flashed blue for an instant behind him. It quickly smoldered with the grass it lit into a flickering yellow, and then a deep red when he crossed his arms. He snapped his head to the side with rage, and Max laughed so hard she fell over, bag flopping off.

“Really?” Ithos whined. “We have a mission to do.” In deference to their mission, Max brought a paw up to wipe a tear away. She sat up with an arm to her belly and tugged her bag back over her shoulder. “Okay, I get it.”

“Sorry, sorry,” Ash chuckled. He shook his head and went over to pull Max up. “Just team bonding. You understand.”

“Ash, c’mon,” Max said, bringing up a paw to stifle her giggles again. “That’s enough.” She gave him a stern glare and a pat to his shoulder, and he stood down. She felt a bit bad baiting Ithos like that, but how could she possibly help herself? Unfortunately, Ithos still looked mad. He refused to look at either of them, arms still firmly crossed. That little nugget of guilt stabbed a touch sharper.

Max went over to yank Ithos into a hug he couldn’t resist. Literally: she had spent much more time strength training than he had (she liked how the definition looked against her otherwise soft form). After recovering his balance, though, he didn’t try to pull away. Reluctantly, he brought his arms up to pat her back.

“Sorry,” Max said as they pulled away. A few sparks bounced down her cheeks as she looked away. “Was that too far?”

Ithos took a breath, then turned away to scratch the back of his head. “No,” he eventually sighed. He still didn’t look happy, but he looked less furious. At the very least, Max no longer had to worry about him burning down a Mystery Dungeon. Max yanked him into another quick hug, this time hopping off before he could reciprocate.

“Well?” Ash asked. He had his paws relaxed and sat back on his haunches. “What’s my sentence?”

“Death,” Ithos grumbled.

“No,” Max chuckled, bapping his arm. They hadn’t actually come to a conclusion about Ash. With another quick look at Ithos, though, she felt a little bit safer. She let the rest of her laughs leave as she went over to rest a paw on Ashton’s shoulder. “I’m sorry.” She looked up with a nervous smile, then quickly looked away. “I’ve been nervous about a lot, but I trust you.”

Ash opened his mouth to quip out a retort, but Max dug her nubbins into a pressure point on his neck before he could. After a squeak of pain, he chuckled and smacked her paw off to rub the spot. “Fair,” he grumbled.

“I’ll tell you, I promise,” Max said. “Just,” she looked away while nervous sparks bounced down her cheeks, “later, all right?” Ash needled her with a glare that stoked a chuckle out of her. It had been a long time, though, so he’d earned a bit of impatience. “Today, all right? Later today.”

“Woo!” Ash cheered. He hopped up with a wide grin. “Later today, I’ll officially be trustworthy!” Max rolled her eyes and caught Ithos stifling a chuckle. How the tables had turned.

“All right, buddy,” Max said. She shot a quick glare at Ithos, and he put his arms up while looking up in a play of innocence, so she looked back over to Ash. “What’s out there? Anything good?” Back to the task at hand.

“Eh,” Ash said with a shrug. “There’s a few, but they’re all preoccupied.” He nodded his head towards the patch of flowers and fruit that tempted Max earlier. She barely glanced at it, and Ithos took hold of her paw to gently coax her eyes away.

“Come on,” Max growled, yanking her paw away. Ithos shrank back, holding his paw, and Max felt her anger smolder somewhere deeper. “Sorry.” She rubbed at her right arm with her left paw and took a breath. “Look, I appreciate y’all looking out for me, but I’m fine.” The scent tickled her nose, but she didn’t let herself think about it. “I can handle glancing at it.”

“All right, sorry,” Ithos said. Max risked a glance up, relieved to see him smiling again. “I just want to keep you safe.” Max squeaked in appreciation with a nervous smile, then a sound off to the side distracted both of them.

Turning around, Ash had wrapped his arms around himself and rubbed them up and down while making obnoxious kissing noises. He’d ruined the moment. Max rolled her eyes and caught Ithos doing the same. She raised an ear up at him, and he nodded in assent. Max went up behind Ash, tugged a nascent charge into her paw, and jammed her nubbins into the same pressure points she’d hit earlier.

“Fuck!” Ash yelped. He hopped up and away with a new jitter stirring in him even when he stood still. “Come on, I thought you were cool with it.”

“Time and place,” Max said, digging through her bag. She very neatly organized her bag by having things she might need inside it, and things she might not need outside it. Beyond that, though, she had some trouble with specifics. She grabbed a cheri in time, though, and held it up to Ash’s maw.

“All right,” Ithos said, forcing a serious tone. Max caught sight of the chuckle on the edge of his lips, but she let him off easy. “Let’s go.”

“Gotcha,” Max said. She pat Ash on the back and scurried around to Ithos’ left. Ash took a slight lead on his right and lead them through the passage he’d scouted. “What’s the mission, again?”

Ithos tilted his head back in exasperation and looked over his shoulder to chuckle down at her. “The same mission we had the last four times you asked,” he said. Max tried to smile back while Ash giggled, and sparks bounced down her cheeks. Ithos eventually showed mercy, rolling his eyes and facing forward. “We need to get some crop from the sixth and seventh floors.”

Max nodded, almost managing to remember the last four times he’d said that. As it turned out, her memory was bad even without blacking out for months. She had a feeling it always had been.

“Right,” she mumbled. Tentatively glancing around, she wondered who would need that and why, but she didn’t know if she’d already asked that. Ithos caught sight of her nervous glances up at him and smirked down. She quickly looked away again while her cheeks sparked. “D-did I already ask why?”

“Nope,” Ithos said. A claw scratched at her neck while she wasn’t looking, and Ithos started tugging her closer for a proper pat to her back. His paw fell, but she wished it wouldn’t. “I think it was something about growing them outside Dungeons?”

“What?” Max asked. Her eyes shot to him, but he was watching Ash. They’d made it to the mouth of the next room already. Trying to grow this stuff outside of a Dungeon sounded like a recipe for disaster, but she swallowed her objections and ducked in line behind.

Like Ash said, several pokémon were in the room, but most lounged in patches of Lotus, eating or sleeping. Each looked content in the face, and soft everywhere else. A deino lay on its back under its own weight with a foreleg at its belly while a pair of swablu napped in each other’s wings. The weight on all the pokémon was subtle, but they were illusions. It was strange to see any fat on them at all.

Not all of them were happy and content, though. Two scraggy bumbled around looking drunk or nauseous while clutching their stomachs as well as their shorts. They looked dazed enough to miss the team passing entirely, but there was a palpitoad prowling the premises with visible frustration. If the scraggy were looking for more, the palpitoad was looking for any.

“Shit,” Ash grumbled, waving them both back. They ducked back into cover while Ash shook his head. “The toad wasn’t there earlier.”

“Well, it’s a water, right?” Max asked. “I shouldn’t have any trouble with it.” She felt a bit insulted Ash would just forget her like that. Then, he shared a look with Ithos, a look they’d shared so many times before that Max’s ears fell at the sight. “What’s the other type?” As long as it wasn’t ground, she’d at least be neutral.

“Ground,” Ithos said. “And it doesn’t look like it’s had any Lotus.” He shared a worried glance with Ash, and Max nodded along. She’d more or less gotten the hang of these new Dungeons. All she knew in this case was ferals are usually less irritable when engrossed in their Dungeon’s activity. This Dungeon was all about eating, so hungry meant grouchy. “Is there a route around this one?”

“No,” Ash sighed. “And it’s not leaving until it gets what it’s looking for, I’ll bet.” A dense realization fell over the three of them. Another worst case scenario to face. “It doesn’t look fast.”

“Is running really the best idea?” Ithos asked. He brought a paw to his chin and eyed Max’s bag. The bags the Expedition Society had were better, but still not perfect. They accommodated quadrupedal stances, but barely. Mostly, they were just easier for Max to balance on her back.

“There is one way to get it to leave,” Ash said. Max already didn’t love his tone, and she liked the way he was eyeing her even less. “It wouldn’t be hard to get on your tail.”

Max expected Ithos to tell him exactly where to stuff it, but he was strangely silent. Usually, she could trust him to protect her against the worst of Ash’s schemes. The fur on the back of her neck started to rise for every second he remained silent. When she finally let herself look up, she groaned at his reticent consideration.

“I hate you two,” she grumbled. She brought her paws to knead under her eyes, tail flagging behind her. Just thinking about this, her instincts roused. Before he had a chance to see them, she looked down to hide her eyes from Ithos.

“Hey, it’s all right,” Ithos whispered. He knelt and put a paw to her shoulder, but Max couldn’t bring herself to meet his eyes. “You’ll still have your badge.” She pulled her right paw into her left and started feeling its pads. Another perk of the Expedition Society: one badge each member instead of each team. “Look, we can find another way if it’s too much.”

There went her last chance to say no. Ithos meant what he said, she knew that every single time he said it. Unfortunately, she also knew she had no chance of actually saying no when he said it. Any time she knew he was relying on her, or even considering as much, she couldn’t help herself.

With a deep sigh of regret, Max pulled her bag’s strap over her head and said, “I’ll do it.” She pushed the bag into his paws before Ithos had a chance to ask if she was sure. His face served as a convenient spot to hold the flap while she pulled the clasps loose and tossed it up. Her paw found the badge with practiced ease before gravity brought the flap back down.

Ithos still looked worried when it fell. Her plan hadn’t exactly worked; she’d hoped he’d be too exasperated about the flap in his face to worry, but he never ceased to amaze her. He seemed to know she’d made up her mind, though, because he slowly nodded and pulled the bag over his shoulder.

“We’ll meet up in the first room on the other side, all right?” Ash said. Ithos nodded, but they looked at Max for an answer.

“Why does the mouse share the house with Ith-ouse,” Max hummed as she tugged the strap out and up her left arm (had it gotten tighter?). “They won’t say, but they feel their feelings.” She barely knew she was singing at all until she saw Ithos and Ash staring down at her. “Yep. Sounds good.” What she wouldn’t give to have that record player back. Her life was empty without music. Well, almost empty.

“Hey,” Ithos whispered. He ran his paw down the back of her head, scratching his claws into the crook of her neck. “You’ll be all right. You’ve got this.” She looked up at his smile, and her worries melted away. For a brief second, he was right. She knew for a fact that she’d be all right.

“All right,” Max said before Ash could kill the moment. She rolled her shoulders and dropped to all fours. “Here comes the fun.” Her instincts were already complaining, so she dashed out before they had a chance to stop her.

She immediately identified the palpitoad on the left of the clearing, and after only five leaps, it had seen her. The two scraggy had collapsed in the middle of it all, so she darted around them. Two exits sat on the same side of the palpitoad, and she started to go for them to make sure it would come after her. That, it turned out, was redundant, because she had to jump off course to dodge a high pressure stream.

Her paws hit the ground running to the wall opposite her entrance, and she listened for it to follow. Since its every booming step shook the ground beneath it, she didn’t have to listen hard. The real challenge came from not immediately running full speed. Her heart was already racing, and it wasn’t from exertion.

A massive tremor ripped through the ground beneath her, knocking her off balance. After a few stumbling steps, she had it back, but even a miss had instincts racing through her mind. The scent of earth she barely picked up from the palpitoad turned into a stench that flooded the air around her. One attack made it feel like she was stuck in a ground’s territory instead of running away from one.

Her legs launched her to the left, and she didn’t know why until she heard mud splat where she’d been. She hadn’t noticed, but her instincts were already worming their way into her movements. She had to fight them to keep her pace down already, and she realized she barely needed to focus on her legs at all.

Instincts were already running for her.

She shook her head and tried to put her mind back into running. It was easier to coax control back than just yank it over. She put more thought into the movement in her legs, but she couldn’t tell if she had any more control. It would have to do, though, because another jet of water came, this time clipping her tail. It stung, but the damage was minor.

Frustratingly, it had her thoughts flooded with a desperate need to run faster. The minuscule damage didn’t matter. It hit her, and it was a ground. As she hopped off the trees to round a corner, she basically had to acquiesce some. She already had it out of there, anyway. Ithos and Ash would be fine, even if it lost interest in her and went back, and she was almost certain that wouldn’t happen.

Already, she could feel past the next corner; her awareness was coming out on its own, too. She hadn’t had this much trouble before. Then again, she hadn’t had to deal with playing bait for a ground type before, either.

There was no point fighting it while she ran, though. She let her senses build a bit without growing out much further. As the corner approached, though, she didn’t get any good information. She only got about an extra second of terror until she turned the corner to confirm. This path didn’t lead anywhere, at least not for her. A few yards after the turn, the path dipped into a stream.

She skid to a stop as quick as she could; ground types scared her, but water terrified her. However deep it was, she knew it was too deep. She couldn’t get another inch closer, but the palpitoad wasn’t slowing down.

She jerked up to glance behind her, then right back ahead of her again. The stream didn’t take over the path completely, just the next ten yards—way farther than she could jump—the palpitoad was rounding the first corner. It was one turn away.

Terror started to tug her out of her surroundings, the fear growing distant with the environment. She flicked her tail against the ground and tried to claw a grip before it got worse. The palpitoad was almost to the next turn, and her instincts wouldn’t even consider letting her turn around. With a whimper, she dropped back to all fours and darted for the water.

She couldn’t make it ten yards in one jump, but maybe she didn’t have to. She’d gotten good enough at leaping off the walls to round out corners that she didn’t even think about it anymore. If she could keep enough momentum with each leap, she might be able to make it.

With every step that brought the water closer, it got harder and harder to keep her grip strong. The fear made every bit of control of her limbs slippery. She could go along with the motion, but the slightest attempt at deviation slid right off, and she felt her cognition following suit. Instead of coaxing control from her instincts, they were coaxing it away from her.

Palpitoad slammed into a tree on the corner and ripped a tremor through the ground. Her paws barely managed to keep pace, keep balance, but the shake scared her into jumping too early. She hadn’t built to her full speed, but her paws already kicked off the first tree. No second chances.

At least she could feel the trees without looking. Her legs pushed off the bark for her while her own influence barely felt like a suggestion. Each jump happened by itself, each one bringing her a little closer to the water. She didn’t have to glance down to feel its approach. Every inch closer she felt as the sound of the stream got louder in her ears. Her paw slipped once, and a shock of mud smacked into her back.

She tried to reach for the other side, but she wasn’t even close. The sight distorted against instincts in her mind too much for her to even know how far away she was, just that she’d fallen short. She knew she had an emergency out, but with the panic pulling her mind into an abyss, she couldn’t remember it.

Some massive beast smashed into her back, launching her forward. For a brief instant, she felt grass, then nothing. She only knew she had to run. It felt familiar, so terrifyingly familiar, yet she couldn’t remember when. Its memory served only as a looming shadow of terror, more fodder to run from. Some relief came as she put some distance between herself and whatever attacked her.

It was gone; two more appeared. She didn’t give them a second glance before darting away. They shrieked at her; she ran faster until a scent stole her attention. Peace, however brief, forced her to lunge for whatever it was. It brought relief, relief so sweet, and she felt fine.

But she felt so, so hungry. Her stomach wrenched itself into knots, desperate for anything to fill it. Paws forced whatever they could down her throat before she could even notice they were her own. Each bite only made it worse. Each delicious fruit or flower she shoved down her throat forced her into bliss while only feeding her hunger. Already, the food strained her stomach tighter, but she couldn’t stop.

Only once her paws had no more food to reach for could she stop. They rested against the taut mound of her belly while it creaked in pain. She clutched it tight, not sure if it hurt from hunger or fullness.

A warm paw took hold of her, yanking her into its hold. She felt a spike of fear, but she hurt too much to resist. Its sharp claws dug into her legs as it dragged her away. She’d fed herself fat like a good prey, and now she had to finish her role in the life cycle with only a whimper of regret.

She didn’t get quite the warm embrace she’d expected. Instead of suffocating, humid tightness kneading her into a digested lump of bones and ooze, the scales cradled her. She groaned in a mix of pain and fear and felt it hold her tighter.

In that hold, she started to hear him speaking, cooing something. Whatever it was, the soft tone comforted her. She felt secure, safe, and the world slowly came back into focus. Water dripped through her fur everywhere the scales didn’t touch, bringing a slight chill that he guarded her against.

“Max?” Ithos asked. “I think she’s coming to.”

Max leaned into his hold a little bit more. She wanted to figure out where she was, but a painful pulse of ache pulled all of her attention. It felt so full that even her esophagus was a bit stuffed. “What the hell did I eat?” she groaned.

“A lot,” Ithos said. He ran his paw down her head, and she leaned into his touch. “What happened?” His other paw went to her belly to scratch it, and that seemed to make it worse. She winced with a whimper, eyes screwed shut. At least her period finished up a week ago. This was already hell. The worst part, though, was she couldn’t tell if she still felt hungry. Ithos rocked her to remind her he’d asked a question.

“Ka?” Max mumbled. The pain had stabilized enough that she could peek one eye open. “I don’t know. Where are we?”

“That’s okay,” Ithos said. He gave her a light squeeze while Ash shot a confused look at him. “We’re in a Dungeon, remember?” He looked away, cheeks flushing a touch red. “Last time you saw me, you were about to lead a palpitoad away so we could get through. I think your condition got to you, though.”

“I figured that part,” Max grumbled. She already knew she’d blacked out. This didn’t happen to her randomly. All the dread that came from that sat comfortably with the rest of the torment in her stomach, but Ithos’ soft smile made it not seem so bad.

Ithos winced a bit, mumbling, “Sorry, yeah. That was probably obvious,” while Ash shot him another confused look.

“Ithos, are you talking to yourself?” Ash asked. He got two confused glares back, but his own confusion stood strong against skepticism. “Bro, she’s just babbling. Are you guessing?”

“Ka—piii,” Max growled. Of course, that usually came, too. Noticing always turned into the hardest part, too. Usually, she could figure it out when nobody understood what she was saying, or even knew she was talking. “Ka, Pika?” she asked, joining Ash in looking confused at Ithos. Sure enough, he turned like she’d said his name. As she watched, though, she saw a prideful smirk beaming out from under forced nonchalance.

“Yeah, Max?” Ithos said. When Max flinched in surprise, he couldn’t hold back his giggles anymore. “C’mon, don’t you remember?” He pulled her into a tighter hug. “I love decoding this kinda thing!”

“Decoding?” Ash asked. A paw came up to rub at his temple, and he shook his head.

Neither Max or Ithos acknowledged his question, though, too respectively baffled and excited to notice. Perhaps part of it came through, though, because Max shook her head while whispering the same thing, “Chupika?” This time, though, Ithos thought for a second before shaking his head.

“That one’s new,” Ithos sheepishly mumbled. Ash threw his paws up in defeat and plopped down since no one was acknowledging him for now. “I know how it works, but it’s not like I can memorize every word.”

“Chu pi ka ka chuu?” Max breathlessly asked. Neb had worked with Dungeon Sickness for years at this point, and she couldn’t understand a word. Ithos had to just be guessing really well. Even Max only understood it—it didn’t make sense to her.

“Mostly, yeah!” Ithos cheered. Every little victory had Max’s eyes open wider, and his grin grow larger. “Here, it’s actually really simple!” He was shaking so much at this point from excitement that he had to put her down for her own safety. Max worried he might explode if she didn’t let him go on, so she didn’t stop it. Of course, she was intensely curious herself.

“Okay! So,” Ithos started to say, when he froze in place. He scrunched up his brow in thought before looking up to scratch at the back of his neck. “How do I explain this?” After a second, the light flashed in his eyes again (and his tail made Max have to squint her own with a flash).

“Pikachu!” Ithos declared. Max raised one ear, starting to wonder if he really was just getting really lucky with guesses. “It’s those syllables, right?” Max gave him the courtesy of a nod while doubt started creeping in. “Right! Can you say, ‘me’?”

“You?” Max mumbled, but Ithos shook his head.

“No, I mean the word,” he said with a chuckle. “Say the word ‘me’ in pikaspeak.”

Max raised a brow, but obliged anyway. “Pi,” she said.

“Right!” Ithos cheered, eyes lighting up. “Okay!” He bounced in his seat while Ash started to snicker (Max didn’t blame him). “Now, same thing, but say, ‘you’!”

“Chu,” Max said. Ithos stared at her like he’d just revealed the puzzle’s solution, but she didn’t see it. He’d figured out two words that made different sounds. It wasn’t all that impressive a feat. Whatever he was trying to explain, she needed a bit more information; Ithos seemed to understand as much when he started bouncing some more.

“Okay, fine,” Ithos chuckled. Looking up with a paw to his chin, he said, “Now, say… near, now, here, close, yes, in, and… is?” He thought for a second before nodding. He looked expectantly with the suggestion of a challenge in his eyes.

Max had to stifle a chuckle. He was so cute like this, she just had to humor him. “Pi,” she started. “Piii, pii pi, pi. Pi. Pi.” It started to barely make sense, all of those words only varying in pitch.

“See?!” Ithos cheered, moving on before she could answer. “Okay, now say, ‘far, later, there, far, no, out, and not.” Max did exactly that, with every one coming out as a ‘chu’ of varying pitch. “Great! Now, what, where, that, the, why, and how.” Once again, Max did it, each of these being ‘ka’ with, of course, variations in pitch.

“See?! Pikachu!” Ithos whisper-shouted. They were still in a Dungeon, after all. “Each of the syllables has their own meaning, and it’s all relative.” Max started to smile along. He actually seemed like he’d figured some parts of it out, but he clearly couldn’t wait to explain the rest. “Okay, I bet you can figure the pitch out! Here this one will make it obvious. Say ‘high’ and ‘low’, okay?”

“Chu, chu,” Max said. She nearly slapped herself. ‘High’ was high in pitch, and ‘low’ was low. At this point, even Ash was starting to follow along with his own nods and bafflement.

“See what I mean about relativity?” Ithos asked. Max had forgotten he ever said that word, though, so she shook her head. “Right, okay.” He looked away to scratch the back of his head again. “Maybe I’m getting ahead of myself again.” The cute little chuckle of nerves probably would’ve made Max tackle him if she wasn’t still worried her stomach might explode.

“Hold on,” Ash said. Ithos had just about started explaining more, so he stopped in place with effort that looked like it could kill him. “We’re in the middle of a mission, dude. Can you, like, abridge the rest?”

“Oh,” Ithos whimpered. In an instant, he was back up. “Right, right! Okay.” He turned back to Max with that same fire in his eyes. “Long story short, somehow, it’s like an aural cipher. The syllables always match what you would say, and pitch is used to distinguish between them and convey degr-”

“Dork,” Max chuckled, shaking her head.

Ithos snapped out of his trance a bit, turning to tilt his head at Max. “Huh? I don’t think I’ve heard that one before,” he said.

Max chuckled, shaking her head without being able to take her eyes off him for a second. Talking to Eleos had always been a relief for her. She didn’t have to worry about it understanding her, which was a Godsend when, so often, she had to hide her slips entirely. It made it so much easier on her. That feeling of really being understood warmed her heart then, and it warmed her heart now.

This time, though, felt even more special. Eleos just knew as a natural extension of itself. Her vision started to blur a bit. Ithos spent so much time, so much effort, just for her. No one else they’d ever met had this.

“Max?” Ithos said. He laid a paw on her shoulder. “Sorry, I got too excited. Did I-”

“I love you,” Max sobbed, throwing herself around him. He toppled back while she squeezed his chest so hard his rib cage creaked. Giggles squeaked out between sobs that pressed tears out her eyes and down her cheeks, right into Ithos’ chest. Time and time again and again, she’d done this. The slight sulfur scent of her tears dripping and steaming off his scales had been familiar even before. She’d always known why, but now, she’d lived that knowledge.