#team act

whoever decided to give me the power to draw has made a horrible mistake

I've had this idea stuck in my head for months now, and now I'm making it everyone's problem.

~~~

Alakazam hadn't expected to hear such alarming news.

He and Charizard were informed as soon as they made it to the outskirts of Pokémon Square that night. He knew that Tyranitar wouldn't have minded the two of them taking a few extra days to return from their mission (if anything he undoubtedly enjoyed the extended break), but still felt the need to apologize regardless. Old habits die hard, he supposed.

To his surprise, however, it was not the armor Pokémon that greeted them, but Lombre, looking more unsettled than either rescuer had ever seen him.

Lombre didn't even need to be prompted to tell the duo what had happened: that several days ago, Tyranitar came running back to the Square like a madman, carrying a big green Pokémon that was covered in injuries and missing an arm. Everyone in the Square was shaken by the sight, worried that whatever maimed the stranger was still around, waiting to finish the job.

Charizard looked ready to start a monhunt right then and there, his tail flaring up in anger. It was only when Alakazam mentioned speaking to Tyranitar first that he stopped, clearly wanting to see his friend as much as Alakazam did.

Thankfully, they didn't have to look very far, as Tyranitar could be seen leaving Miss Patch's home, looking crestfallen. The kaiju in question was so lost in his thoughts that he nearly walked right past them, only stopping at the last second when Charizard waved a claw in front of his face. Tyranitar's replies to Charizard's line of questions were stiff and short, and all Alakazam could sense from him was exhaustion and scared uncertainty.

It was plain as day that any and all investigations would have to wait until morning. Right now Tyranitar- no, Titanite-needed long-overdue support from his friends. After assuring Lombre that he would personally look into the situation first thing tomorrow, the reunited trio made their way to their own home, Titanite glancing back at Miss Patch's house as they left.

They slept in a pile that night, something the three of them hadn't done since their rookie days. Alakazam could sense a small hint of relief coming from Titanite, and that was enough for now.

~ About two hours later, all three of them were woken by a frantic pounding on their door. Recognizing Miss Patch's voice, Titanite rose up first, already at the door while Alakazam and Charizard were still getting their bearings.

The good news was, the "big green Pokémon" Lombre mentioned had woken up.

The bad news was that said Pokémon had fled the Square in a confused panic. Miss Patch had tried to calm them down, even tried to follow them once they left her home, to no avail. The Pokémon, a Sceptile, was just too fast, and it was too dark for Miss Patch to continue without getting hurt by who knows what.

The Sceptile's actions were rather... surprising, given how badly they were said to be wounded. Alakazam could only chalk it up to adrenaline spiking up once they regained consciousness and realized they were in an unfamiliar place. Adrenaline that would soon wear off, and their injuries would slow Sceptile down once more, maybe even make them pass out. If that happened while Sceptile was out in the wilderness, or stars forbid, inside a mystery dungeon...

Alakazam shook his head and grabbed his spoons. They could catch up to Sceptile if they hurried.

~

"Any sign of them?" Alakazam called to the sky.

"Nothin' yet!" Came Charizard's reply. 

Alakazam cursed under his breath. Of all Pokémon... why did it have to be one as green as the jungle they hail from? They'd have no problem blending in with this forest. And considering that it was also the middle of the night, Sceptile would surely see the light of Charizard's tail before the group could even come close to reaching them.

Charizard being the eye in the sky under these conditions... wasn't one of Alakazam's best plans. He'll admit that. But you're low on strategy when you're low on proper rest.

"...Dammit! Her footprints end here!" Titanite growled, though there wasn't any anger behind it. Only worry. Alakazam couldn't blame him.

"They do?" Sure enough, they did, near the base of a tree with low branches. Very low branches. Low enough for someone to...

...Of course. To be expected from one known as "The Jungle Pokémon."

Alakazam snapped his fingers, making Titanite jump. He held a finger to his forehead, mind reaching out to the still flying Charizard.

"Crimson, come back down for a moment."

"What?" Crimson paused, "Why?"

"I believe she's hiding in the trees. The tops of which provide too much cover. You won't be able to see her from above, but she'll still see you. Please, come down."

Crimson clearly hesitated, not wanting to miss the chance to see her jump to another tree. But Al always knew best, so with a sigh he made his descent. Maybe they'll be lucky and the damn mon'll stay put for a second.

"How the hell would she get up a tree?" Crimson asked as he landed. "Didn't Lombre say she lost an arm?"

"She still has both her legs, Crimson."

Both Crimson and Titanite blinked at their leader, their faces best described as a silent 'What the fuck.'

"You... You're tellin' me she jumped up there?!" Crimson shook his head at the absurdity of it. "That's crazy!!"

"There's no where else she could've gone, Crimson. Her footprints stop right here," Alakazam pointed to the ground, "and the branches of these trees are low enough for someone to reach if they were tall enough or had strong legs. Sceptile is a Pokémon whose home is in the jungle. It would be child's play for someone like her to simply jump from branch to branch and reach higher ground."

"So... how're we supposed to find her now?" Titanite's voice was tense, eyes now trained to the branches high above them. Crimson would scare her off the second she saw his tail, and Titanite's own movements would be too loud as he blindly navigated the forest, alerting Sceptile in record time.

It was just like Al said; Sceptile was in her element. If she wasn't in such a critical condition, he'd commend her for her stealth...

"Can't you just... I dunno, hunt down her mind or something?" Crimson offered, tail flicking in irritation.

Alakazam sighed, "If there weren't other Pokémon in these woods, I would gladly do so, Crimson. But the thoughts of the locals would surely drown out Sceptile's. And even then, you know what happens when I read too many minds at once, even by accident."

Crimson winced. He wasn't about to leave Al to suffer weeks' worth of headsplitting migraines like that again...

Titanite gulped. He knew that his friends wouldn't dare give up so easily, but... the thought that either of them would was still there. Even if it was as simple calling off the search until daybreak, that would undoubtedly be too long. Sceptile might already be... already be-

His thoughts were cut off by the sound of leaves rustling, a flock of what he could only assume to be Murkrow flying away from one particular tree further ahead.

"What was th-" Crimson was cut off by Alakazam raising a finger.

"Shh..."

Alakazam crept forward, steps so light that neither of his friends could hear him.

"Crimson, try to cover your tail. Hide the light." He didn't turn around, but could hear Crimson and Titanite move as they did as he asked.

The tree in question was taller than most of the others... but its lowest branches were still in jumping distance between one another. Like he said before, child's play.

He didn't see anything at first. Eyes moving from branch to branch up the tree, hoping to find something, anything that stood out. As he moved forward, he could see the moon through a gap in the larger branches.

...Wait. Those leaves... those almost looked like fir leaves, didn't they? But that can't be right, there aren't any fir trees in this part of the-

He froze as he saw the 'leaves' move. The way they swished, almost like a tail. What he thought was the trunk moved ever so slightly, and he could swear he saw a faint yellow glow. Eyes, maybe?

Alakazam's own eyes shined. Found you.

He confirmed as much to Crimson and Titanite before leaping skyward, body already glowing with psychic power.

~

Sceptile was... in pretty bad shape, to put it lightly. Alakazam had to stop himself from wincing once he finally got a good look at her.

There were bandages and bruises all over the poor mon. On the way here, Titanite had mention she'd suffered some nasty burns, and the black edges of her wrist leaves made it clear that she'd been scorched by something. The bandages were all stained, and she was shaking from head to toe, panting as if she'd just sprinted a mile (which she may as well have).

He couldn't stop himself from looking down at her arm, or rather what was left of it, feeling a chill run down his spine. What in the gods' names happened to her...?

Her mind was full of fearfearconfusedwhereisheimscaredwhereismybrowhathappenedithurtsithurts-

Alakazam shook his head, pulling away from her panic. He heard Sceptile's breath hitch as she crouched, looking ready to jump to who knows where again.

He raised his hand as if reaching out. "Wait, don't run! I just want to talk!"

"St-Stay... Stay back...!" Her voice sounded weak, likely from her wounds and the energy she'd already spent to get here. But her face remained a glare, like she was trying to stay strong in spite of that.

"I'm not going to hurt you." Alakazam promised. She clearly didn't buy it.

"Don't... don't come any... c-closer...!"

"...Alright. I won't." Alakazam held up both hands in surrender, floating backwards a little. "I just want to talk to you, Sceptile. That's all."

"Did..." Sceptile panted, "Did my... Trainer... send you...?"

Alakazam blinked. Trainer...?

His hesitation must've sent the wrong message, as Sceptile's eyes turned to slits. "He... he didn't... did he...?" She started to growl.

Not good. "Sceptile, listen, you-"

"Shut it!!" Sceptile yelled, seemingly reignited by anger. "Who-Whoever the hell you are, stay away from me!! Go back to your human and leave me alone!!"

That word. Human. A word that a Pokémon in this day and age would know nothing about unless they were a dedicated historian. And the other word, Trainer. Using it in that context meant...

...No. No, it couldn't be...

"Didn't ya hear me? I said beat it!!"

"Sceptile, you're hurt. You shouldn't be-"

"Who cares if I'm hurt?! My Trainer might still be in trouble, dammit!!" Sceptile frantically looked back and forth across the treetops, panic filling her eyes as she seemed unable to find what she was looking for. Under her breath, she muttered, "Where the hell... where's the cave...?"

"Cave? There aren't any caves near here." The closest was Thunderwave Cave, but even that was a fair distance away...

"Don't lie to me!! I-" Sceptile cut herself off with a pained growl, tightening her grip on her arm. "I can't... leave him there..."

A memory was repeating itself in Sceptile's mind. One so loud, so overwhelming, Alakazam couldn't help but look at it. He felt himself freeze at the visions that appeared, one by one.

It was hot. So very hot. The heat was suffocating.

Rocks falling everywhere. Fire everywhere. Ground shaking.

Can't move. Trapped. Arm hurts.

Had she been caught in a cave-in? All that fire... it had to have been a volcano. Or a magma cavern. Didn't explain what she was doing there, though...

Deafening roar. So loud. Couldn't fight it. Couldn't hurt it. Too strong.

...No. No, that couldn't be. Groudon, the creator of the continents? Alakazam had only seen illustrations of the god, and that was enough to render him speechless.

And... she actually saw it? Tried to fight it?! Was she insane?!

Little bro scared. Little bro crying. Please don't cry...

What Alakazam saw next shook him to his very core.

A Human. A genuine Human, with purple hair, purple eyes, and a face streaked with tears. A young boy, who looked terrified beyond belief. He was saying something, but Alakazam couldn't hear it. It looked like the boy was trying to pull Sceptile free, only for his efforts to prove fruitless.

The earth shook more, throwing the Human off balance, but he still held on to Sceptile, determined to get her free.

The Human's eyes widened suddenly, as if he heard something. Both he and Sceptile looked upward, seeing yet another rock falling directly overhead. And before Sceptile could react, the Human moved to shield her with his body.

Before the rock made impact, a white glow filled the area, ending the vision.

Alakazam held his head, feeling a headache come on. 

What... what did he just see...?

He looked back at Sceptile, who was now shedding her own tears. Her face was full of fear and... guilt?

"I can't... be the only one who got out... what if he's still...?" She was muttering to herself. She sounded like a mother fearing the safety of her child. And if that Human was her 'little bro' like her memories claimed, then...

...He'd have to look into this later. Right now, he needed to calm her down.

"Sceptile." He ignored her attempt at another glare. "Listen to me. I know you're scared and confused. I know you're worried about your... your Human."

Sceptile sniffled.

"But you won't find him if you keep going the way you're going. There aren't many places that can help you around here."

As much as he wanted to tell her that there weren't any humans to be seen in this day and age, he couldn't work up the nerve. She was upset enough already; he'd rip that band-aid off later.

"I... I can't... I can't leave him all alone..." Sceptile held back a sob.

"I know. You sound like a truly loyal friend."

She sniffled again.

"But as loyal as you are, you need to let your wounds heal, lest you drive yourself into an early grave. If not for your own sake, then for your Human's."

She shut her eyes tight, in both pain and frustration.

"I..." Alakazam took a deep breath, readying himself for his next words. "I have an idea on what may be going on here. What happened to you, and what happened to your Human."

That got her attention. Her breath hitched, and her eyes locked on to his.

"As I said before, you won't find him. Not like this. But I can help you. I... For now, let's just say I have... experience with this type of situation."

"Wh... What are you... talking about...?" Her voice began to sound tired.

"Wherever you were before, you're not there anymore. And neither is your Human. Finding him in this place will be hard without help, and I'm more than willing to help you."

"Why would you? You barely know me..."

"It's my duty to help Pokémon in need, Sceptile. That includes you." He floated closer to her, holding out his hand. "Let me take you back to town, and we can talk this through after some more rest. Okay?"

Sceptile hesitated, eyeing his hand like she was waiting for some kind of attack. An attack that never came.

Just as Alakazam was about to put his hand away, Sceptile raised her own. It was shaking, and stopping every few seconds, but it eventually met his.

"Here, I'll bring you back dow- Woah!!" Alakazam was nearly thrown off balance as Sceptile collapsed onto him. He nudged her, but she didn't respond aside from a faint groan.

...She'd passed out.

Alakazam sighed. At least she agreed to come back before that...

He floated back down to the base of the tree, where Crimson and Titanite were waiting. Titanite's spikes bristled upon seeing Sceptile unconscious.

"Is she-"

"She'll be fine." At least, he hoped. "...Let's go home."

~~~

Why do I keep forcing myself to write out tense, awkward conversations??? It's hard af and I worry that I drag it on too much every gosh diddly dang time :'D