FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

The range of towering sandstone crags was silent except for the rumble of a motor that echoed between the stone towers. The source being the engine propelling a dirigible that hovered just overhead. To one below who might look up to witness the queer contraption that flew above, they would see the keel of a vessel appearing to be a common sailing ship taken far from the waters, carried through the sky by unknown powers and flatter on the bottom than ocean-faring ships.

If one were up high enough to see it, they would find that the ship had not a sail -not even a mast, but was attached to a huge, inflated bag of gas more massive than the vessel itself. A pair of propellers, part of a mechanical mayhem that ran amok on the stern of the ship, carried it forward. A nose plate protected the front of the inflated dirigible, with vents visible in its sides that expelled regular air as the ship turned to maneuver around one of the taller stone spires.

Upon the deck of this marvel of engineering, only two Pokémon would be found. At the helm, an ordinary white-furred Meowth, wearing a suede coat to protect himself from the passing winds and goggles to protect his eyes, guided the vessel. Humming to the beat of a record player playing classical music behind him.

But even with the merry tune from the player seemingly meant to lighten the mood, his foot was soon tapping with impatience, and he called out across the deck. "Lashanne, are you sure this is the right place?" He yelled over the wind. "I could swear we've passed this way before!"

Across the ship, at the bow, stood a female Delphox, scanning the crags below through the lens of a telescope, did not answer the Meowth immediately. Occasionally she would lower the spyglass to reference a map pinned to the table next to her, seemingly only to register his question a moment after he asked it. The Meowth wasn't bothered by this though -he was used to this objective focus by his partner -Lashanne was her name, her drive to reach her goals paramount above all else.

"We have!" The Delphox called back. "The entrance is hidden, but it's here somewhere, Toby! Just hang in there -we'll find it!"

"I sure hope so! We're pressing our luck flying this low!" The Meowth -Toby, replied.

Putting the spyglass to her eye, she took in her surroundings. She then referred to the map, in which was included a sketch of conspicuous rock formation -which didn't look anything like the countless stone mesas all around them, but it was her landmark and compass to reaching her goal. So, she was left to survey the crags, searching for anything that stood out.

Disgruntled, she resorted to walking over to the opposite side of the ship and bringing her telescope to her eye again. She made a slow, deliberate sweep from right-to-left, until she found a stone formation that gave her pause. She lowered the telescope and checked the map for reference, and then beamed as she found it matched.

"Slow to starboard, Toby!" She called to the meowth, and braced herself as the ship began to turn.

The formation she had spotted drew closer as she held the rail, watching as it approached and motioning for Toby to slow down as they slowly began to pass over it, bringing the ship to a stop directly above the giant, sandstone ridge below. Unlike the many mesas around it, this rock formation was large, rounded off by centuries of erosion and opened at the top with the entrance to a massive cave. Once more she referenced her map and grinned like a kit in a candy shop as she found the ridge matched the one on her map.

"This is it!" She called. "We found the entrance!"

"You're sure?" Toby called.

"Positive!" She replied. "Bring us a little lower!"

Toby reached for a lever at his side, and when he pulled it, the sound of the envelope above drawing in air could be heard. He watched the green liquid of the level jutting out beside him as the ship's ballonets filled with air and decreased the buoyancy of the vessel, allowing it to descend slowly. When Lashanne gave the word, he shut off the pumps, and the ship ceased its descent. The liquid in the level quivered, and by use of the maneuvering vents, he made sure the ship was levelled off.

As Toby got the ship into position, Lashanne was already gathering her tools for exploration into the cave below. Once she was sure she had everything she needed, she slipped on the backpack and hopped onto the rail. "Back soon!" She called before she leapt over the side of the ship, much to the horror of the Meowth.

"Lashanne!!" He shouted, scampering over to the rail and looking over, only to find his comrade slowly descending towards the rock, her branch wand in hand and emitting a pale, blue glow -a glow that was also enveloping her, as she slowly levitated towards the cave mouth.

Toby fumed, eye twitching. "I hate it when she does that!" He grumbled, before he walked over to the mounted harpoon gun on the railing. "Can she just once..." He began as he grasped the launcher, aiming it towards a nearby mesa. "ONCE!" He bellowed as he fired the harpoon at the stone pillar, embedding itself deeply in the sandstone. "Warn me, before she gives me a heart attack?!"

His grumbling continued for some time as he got back to work, checking the airship's mechanical systems to ensure everything was in running order while he waited for his partner to return.

~~~~~

An hour earlier...

The only light to guide their way through the tunnel was the fire emanating from Volcan's outstretched arm as they slowly made their way through the passage that they hoped would lead them to a way out. Luke was at his side, gripping the Blaziken's other hand firmly in his paw and keeping his senses trained for any disturbance or threat that might come their way. However, despite having rested up earlier, the Lucario still felt weary and tired, not to mention he was starting to grow hungry. Though if there was any silver lining to this, at least the sun wasn't beating down on his body like it did when they first arrived in this Arceus forsaken desert.

"If I had to make a guess," Volcan began. "I'd say we're probably right under the heart of the range of mesas we were walking around on our way back to the outpost. It might be a stretch... but wherever this tunnel comes out, we might not be too far from Princeport."

Luke knew Volcan was trying to be optimistic, for both their sakes, and while he didn't exactly share in his optimism, he still smiled and nodded back to Volcan gently. "Let's hope so." He answered. "The sooner we get there, the sooner we can actually relax before we start making our way home. I've just about had enough of this desert, really."

"You and me both," returned Volcan. "The heat may not bother me, but I'm finding I'm not fond of the sand." He shook himself, though nothing came off him. "I swear I still feel those granules everywhere! First thing we're doing in Princeport, we're renting a proper bed. Preferably in a room, with a lockable door."

"Agreed." The Lucario agreed. "For now though, let's keep pushing forward."

"I just hope we find something soon. Every part of this tunnel looks th-buuuu..." He stopped mid-word and halted so abruptly that he lurched forward, snapping back to an upright position and outstretching his arm to stop Luke as he kept his gaze fixed on the floor.

Or at least, where there should have been a floor. The middle of the tunnel right in front of them seemed to drop away into a hole in the floor. Had they taken one more step, they'd have plummeted into the blackness, and who knew how far a drop it would have been.

"...We almost walked right into that." Volcan remarked flatly.

Luke looked over the edge of the hole, trying to see if he could see any sign of a bottom from where they stood, but to no avail. Grimacing, he looked back to Volcan. "Can you toss a fireball down and see how far it goes?"

"Sure," he replied. Volcan's cheeks puffed out slightly as he conjured an ember, and then spat the tiny fireball into the hole, illuminating the inside as it fell. They watched as it fell approximately ten feet before it struck solid ground and fizzled out of existence.

"Not too far," said Volcan. "And did you see it flare on the way down? There's fresh air coming in down there."

"Which means there's an exit out of here!" Luke added, his face alit with renewed hope as he beamed at Volcan. "Think you can withstand the drop down, love?"

"No problem," he replied, letting go of Luke's hand and dousing the fires on his wrist. He took in a breath before hopping into the hole, dropping into the darkness.

Luke heard him landing, but then heard rocks skidding followed by an "Ow!" from him. "Oof... there are some loose rocks down here -watch your step."

"Alright." Luke called back, taking a small breath himself before he hopped off of the ledge and into the hole himself. He waved his arms a little as he fell, tensing up in preparation for the hard landing he was about to experience when he hit the bottom.

His feet finally hit solid ground, then he tucked himself forward and rolled once before stopping in a crouch. He grit his teeth as he felt pain run up his legs, making him shudder a bit before he willed himself up to his feet again. "...Ow." He hissed gently. "You weren't kidding. I think I hit some of those rocks on my landing..."

"Yeah, my foot landed on one," Volcan remarked. Luke looked over to find Volcan standing up, rubbing his backside where he'd fallen. "This hole must be from a collapse in the tunnel we just came from. Hope no one was standing on it when it happened."

"Yea, me too." Luke agreed.

Igniting his fist again, Volcan began to follow Luke further up the tunnel, pausing as he seemed to notice something on the wall. "...That's curious..." He whispered, lifting a hand to touch the wall.

"What is it?" Luke asked, looking back at Volcan.

"This tunnel's... different," he said, running his fingers over the stone. "There's marks in the stone -grooves, like from tools." He looked back towards the hole they had dropped through to enter the tunnel. "But that tunnel back there and the cavern we landed in were both natural enough. Maybe that hole we just went through wasn't a collapse at all - I think someone dug this tunnel."

"You think so?" Luke asked, staring at the wall himself and finding the marks Volcan had mentioned.

"I can't be positive about it, but this tunnel's just way too straight to be natural," replied Volcan. "So, yeah I'm pretty sure."

Luke faced forward once again, feeling the draft of fresh air that flew down the corridor, reaching his nose and letting him breath it in. "Either way, it seems to lead out. Come on, let's move! I think we're near the exit." He stated urgently, eager to get out of the tunnel and back into daylight -even if it meant facing the heat of the desert again.

Hearing Luke's excitement, Volcan righted himself and ran at Luke's side down the tunnel, keeping his head low as it was not very tall and he didn't want to smack his head on any low spots of the ceiling as they followed the tunnel towards the fresh air, which seemed to be taking them towards a dim light ahead.

They emerged from an open tunnel mouth, into an enormous cavern. Nothing could have prepared them for what they found beyond, though.

As they stepped out of the cavern, they found themselves standing upon a ledge, overlooking a collection of buildings. Actual buildings, hewn from the stone of the cave itself and arranged into a tightly packed collection of structures of all shapes and sizes, stretching out before them. They could see across the cavern, from one end to the other, with at least a hundred small houses counted among the number -many of which had multiple floors, or became progressively larger.

At the far end, opposite to where they were, they saw the houses part into a large open square, and beyond that a magnificent structure that they could only believe was a temple stood. Or, rather not 'stood', as it was not a standalone structure. It too was hewn from the stone, but this time it was done right into the walls of the cavern itself. Stone columns supported its front, a massive door standing between them. Above the door appeared to be a large balcony -large enough for even the biggest of flying Pokémon to rest upon.

The cave was illuminated, and it was easy for them to see from where. Just off to their left, in the roof of the cavern, a massive opening revealed the sky outside and allowed daylight into the city. Below the opening, a lake filled by centuries of rain water sat glistening in the sunlight from above. Open grooves in the stone filled with soil appeared to have once been the place of gardens -or maybe a small farm- encircled the entirety of the rain water lake, but whatever plants had grown in them were long gone, leaving no indication of what had once lived there.

The two stood in complete awe at what they had found. To say they were shocked would have been an understatement, as they never could have imagined finding an entire city when they had emerged from the tunnel.

"...I expected to see a lot of things at the end of this cavern..." Luke began, blinking a bit and rubbing his eyes, still trying to process what he was seeing. "...This was not one of them."

"Same," Volcan agreed. He reached over with one hand to pinch his other arm, but once he was certain he wasn't dreaming, he went on. "I'm no archaeologist, but this place looks ancient just by the architecture alone -it must date back a thousand years at least! And that temple..." He trailed off.

Suddenly, Luke noticed Volcan stiffen out of the corner of his eye, and looked over to see the blaziken's eyes had glazed over, wide and staring unseeingly to the city ahead. He had not seen that look on Volcan's face since they had been at the ruins of Arc Island, but he remembered what it meant. The Blaziken was having a flashback to his past -the life he still only remembered pieces of and would recollect as situations related to his past unfolded.

Why was he having one here in this ancient city?

Luke eyed his lover with mild concern, stepping in front of him and grasping his hips, shaking him a little to try and break him out of his trance. "Love?" He asked. "Hey, what's wrong?"

Volcan blinked, his pupils returning to their proper size before he shook his head, raising a talon to rest against it. "What..." He looked at Luke. "Oh, sorry Luke." He rubbed his eyes, sighing irritably. "Damn flashback came out of nowhere." He took his hand from his eyes as he looked up, facing the temple again. "The architecture of that place. It looks... really similar to the Arceus shrine back on Arc Island."

"Well at least you didn't have a panic attack like the last one." Luke said back, sighing a bit in relief.

"Yeah... that's a plus," Volcan admitted, before his gaze drifted to the opening in the ceiling of the cavern. "But now we have a different problem. That's clearly where the air was coming in from, but that opening is really high."

"Neither of us can jump that high on our own," Luke added, sighing in disappointment and lowering his gaze. "Dammit...We're so close to getting out of this place, and then we get this thrown at our faces. Just for once, can't we catch a break?"

"Maybe..." Volcan began. "Maybe if I mega evolved and got a running start?" He offered, but Luke knew he was grasping at straws with that suggestion.

"The plan is sound, but...let's be honest Volcan. You can jump great lengths and heights, but with my added weight, I seriously doubt you'd make it." He answered realistically. His ears wilted to their sides as he let himself lean back against a nearby stone wall, giving a disappointed sigh.

"Maybe there's another way out we're not seeing," Volcan offered, waving his hand to the cavern. "That opening can't be the only way in or out -the people here needed a way to get in, right?"

"True..." Luke replied, though at this point he was starting to rapidly lose hope in their chances of getting out of this cave system. "Well, we won't know just standing here. Let's see if we can find a way down."

"That's the easy part," Volcan said. Luke looked over, expecting the Blaziken to suggest they jump down, but he saw Volcan was pointing past him, and he followed the Blaziken's outstretched finger to a stairwell just a short walk away, leading down into the city.

"Oh. Well then...that's convenient." Luke commented, scratching the back of his head as he pushed himself off the wall he was leaning on. "Lead on, Volcan."

The two were soon exploring the city streets as they descended into the heart of it. Though they hadn't expected to find anyone living there any longer, they were impressed with how well-preserved the buildings were, as though the city's abandonment was recent, though the accumulated dust proved otherwise. Being in a cavern had preserved the city from the harshness of nature.

Upon closer inspection they found many of the houses lacked stairwells of their own -despite having found some when they first arrived. But the taller houses all appeared to only be accessible from their windows, with no doors or access stairs or ladders visible. Before long, curiosity got the better of Volcan and he jumped up to one of the windows to take a peek into the house. When he came back down, he had a theory that these inaccessible upper floors might have been home to flying-type Pokémon once as only they could have reached it.

The maze of houses kept them wandering for some time, until they eventually emerged into the open square they had seen from the ledge. They were startled by a massive statue -previously hidden by the taller houses before- that bore the likeness of a very rugged looking winged Pokémon. The pose of the statue made it seem like it was angled to lunge at them for an attack, and both were sent immediately to their defensive postures until they realized the strange Pokémonwasn't real -though was carved with such intricate detail it almost seemed lifelike.

"Never seen anything like this," Volcan commented as he studied the statue. "It... looks like an Aerodactyl, but what's with all these stones jutting out of it?"

"Your guess is as good as mine." Luke answered, crossing his arms as he studied the statue himself. "Perhaps it's some kind of ancient form of Aerodactyl that lived thousands of years ago, and the Aerodactyl we know of today are a result of genetic evolution; possibly to adapt to a new environment."

"This statue couldn't be older than a few hundred years," Volcan pointed out. "If this is how they looked in prehistoric times, how'd the people here know what they looked like?" He studied the body until something on the right leg caught his eye. "Hey wait... what's that?" He asked, approaching the base of the statue.

Brushing aside some dust, he uncovered what appear to be the carved likeness of a ring on the toe of the statue, but it wasn't an ordinary piece of jewelry as Luke also found when he approached to look at it. Imbedded in the top was a carved stone in the likeness of what was clearly a Mega Stone, with the round shape and DNA-strand like shape within it.

Luke stared at the stone in mild surprise, then quickly tugged his scarf to look at his own Lucarionite, seeing that the stone embedded on the statue was indeed similar to his own. "Without a doubt, that's _definitely_a mega stone." Luke commented. "So...then this must be what a Mega Aerodactyl looks like."

"I had no idea Aerodactyl could Mega Evolve," Volcan remarked. "Unlike with us though, it looks like it reverts them to some kind of primal state of Rock-typing -which would make sense since Aerodactyl is_a Rock-type." He grimaced as he regarded the large teeth. "Yeesh. Certainly wouldn't want to be the guy _those take a bite out of."

"Agreed. They look powerful enough to break through an Aggron's hide." Luke commented, shuddering at the thought.

"Best not say that to Tristan," Volcan remarked with a chuckle as he turned and began to walk around the statue, only to stop in his tracks as something caught his eye. "Uh... Luke?" He asked.

"Yea? What's up?" Luke asked, glancing over to Volcan.

Slowly, the Blaziken raised his arm to point up to the opening in the cavern ceiling, where Luke could see a shadow being cast through the opening as something descended into the cavern from outside. Or rather, some_one_ descended. He could make out the faint outline of a bipedal figure descending slowly through they air -they weren't a bird Pokémonof any kind, but they were falling slowly.

Luke had to squint to see the figure falling from the sky, as the sun above was a bit blinding. Nevertheless, when he got a better look at the figure falling from the sky toward the city they were in, he could make out a fox-like outline, lithe and agile-looking. At first it seemed like it could have been a Zoroark but they lacked the mane of fur from the back of the head that all members of the species had. Besides that, they could not levitate, as this Pokémon was clearly doing.

"What...in the hell is that?" Luke would finally ask, lowering his paw away from his face.

"I have no idea, I can't tell from here..." He rubbed his eyes. "Might be able to if my vision was clearer..."

"The poison still hasn't fully left your system yet, love?" Luke asked, looking to Volcan.

"It has, but my eyes still haven't recovered yet -there's still some irritation," he replied. "They got hit pretty badly by that Toxic spew."

"Well hopefully it goes away soon." Luke returned before his gaze returned to the approaching figure. "What should we do? Hide? Approach it?" He asked.

"Let's get out of sight for the moment and find out who or what we're dealing with first," replied Volcan. "We'll decide from there."

"Alright." Luke agreed with a nod, then scouted around for a potential hiding space for them to hide in and get a better idea on who this new stranger was. He saw one of the old ruined houses nearby and quickly poked Volcan to get his attention. "Over there. We can hide in that house." He urged the Blaziken before he trotted ahead. "C'mon."

The two of them into the house, taking cover on either side of the door where they could see outside when the stranger arrived. Luke tuned to his Aura Sense to monitor the newcomer from afar so that he could keep track of where they were at all times. They still did not know whether this was friend or foe, and could not afford to be caught off guard...

The stranger was coming closer. Within moments, they were only meters away, just about to step out into the open. Volcan watched vigilantly, until the figure emerged, revealing a fox-like Pokémon he didn't recognize. But Luke did, though he had to take a second look, identifying the being from the colour of their fur and eyes. It was a Delphox, though they were nothing like one he had ever seen before. Much of their fur was cut away -most Delphox had fur grown out to resemble a robe, as they were a very wizard-like people, but this one did not have that look. Were it not for their height, this Delphox might have been mistakable for a Braixen -the pre-evolved form of Delphox.

The Delphox was lithe-figured, with the fur of their legs shaved down to reveal the black skin underneath from foot to knee, where they retained the fur in an almost skirt or kilt-like appearance. Their arms had been given a similar treatment, the fur having been shaved down from the skin from the wrist to the elbow, and the usually large tufts of fur from their ears had been cut away. They wore a leather jerkin around their torso, with a knapsack slung over their back.

The signature branch wand of a Delphox was gripped firmly in their right paw; each one was unique to its carrier, and this one was long and had a slight flare increasing weight towards the tip, more like a club than a mere stick. Volcan noted the notches in the weapon, certain it had seen its share of fights.

"I see them," he whispered to Luke.

"I sense them." Luke whispered back, already tuned to his aura sense to get a read on the Delphox as they passed by. "Not what I was expecting... but judging by the way she's holding her wand, she looks ready for a scrap..."

"Do you think they're friendly?" Volcan asked.

"I can't be certain...but I suppose it's worth trying to earn some good favour." Luke answered, tuning out of his aura sense and looking to the Blaziken for his opinion.

"Okay," replied Volcan, slowly stepping out into the doorway. "Hello?" He called.

The Delphox turned sharply in their direction, brandishing their wand towards them. The tip of the branch ignited with a red-hot flame, and the feminine face bore a stern look as they glared in his direction. "Who's there?!"

"Whoa, don't shoot!" Luke exclaimed back at the Delphox, raising his arms up in front of him. "We're not here to hurt you, miss. We just want to talk.."

"Then talk," she demanded with a warning tone in her voice. "Who are you, and what're you doing here?"

Luke cautiously took a step forward toward the fox, keeping his paws in front of him. "My name is Luke. I represent Rescue Team Valiant of Port Azure." He said as he slowly dug into his scarf and pulled out his team's medal as proof of his claim. "We got... stranded here in the West after taking part in a dangerous mission, and are trying to make our way back home..."

Suddenly, Luke felt his entire body seized in a Psychic grip, immediately immobilizing him before he was yanked off of his feet and pulled towards the Delphox. Volcan made a grab for him, shouting in protest at the Delphox before Luke was brought before her, the wand inches from his face as she looked him in the eye, her own red-orange orbs peering studiously at him. She bumped his medal with her wand, her studious gaze shifting to it, until it shot past Luke. To Volcan, he was sure.

Luke, already picturing Volcan about to charge the Delphox, held up his paw, hearing his talons skidding on the floor as he stopped. "Volcan, relax." He said. "It's okay."

The Delphox studied Luke's face a moment longer before the psychic hold lessened and he was lowered to his feet gently. "I don't get a sense of deception from you," she stated. "But you better explain to me how a 'rescue team' got out here. There's only one on this whole continent and they aren't called 'Valiant'."

Now back on his feet, Luke found he had to look up to meet the Delphox's gaze. She stood much taller than him, nearly to Volcan's height, and now standing so close he could see the athletic form through her fur and the form-fitting vest around her torso -definitely not the body of a studious bookworm as he had come to know most Delphox. In fact, she looked fit enough that she might be quite a scrapper.

"A-As I said, we were partaking in a dangerous mission, consisting of four other teams. Kama, Warmachine, Phobia and the Red Talons. We were assaulting a fortress that we believed to be holding prisoners from islands that have been attacked by a group of renegade Pokémon..." He explained to the Delphox. "They had an ace in the hole...They'd captured Mewtwo and bent him to their will, and after a fierce battle, we were transported here."

The Delphox put her free hand to her chin, rubbing it as she considered Luke's words. "Renegade Pokémon certainly does fit those rumors I heard last time I was in Gladiator," she remarked before looking at Luke again. "As unlikely as your story sounds -especially regarding Mewtwo- I get the sense you are being truthful..." The flame on her branch went out and she tucked it into a holster on her lower back. "But you can't be saying Mewtwo sent you here," she waved her hand at the ruined city around them.

"No. We ended somewhere else, far from here. We've been travelling ever since, trying to find a way back home." Luke explained. "We um... recently had a bit of a spelunking trip through a dry sinkhole, which brought us to these caves. We only just literally arrived at this city not long ago."

Volcan stepped up to stand beside look, his intense gaze still upon the Delphox. "We were hoping to find another way out, since there is no way," he jerked his thumb to the hole in the cavern ceiling, "we're getting out through there."

The Delphox glanced towards the hole, and then at Volcan. "Yeah; not even a Blaziken could reach that," she said in agreement. "But I can honestly tell you that's the only way out."

"How do you know?" Volcan asked.

"I've been searching for this city for weeks," replied the Delphox. "It was built almost eight centuries ago, by a civilization that consisted mostly of Archeops and Aerodactyl." She motioned to the statue of the Mega Aerodactyl they saw before. "Any land-walking types who wanted to visit had to be brought here by the inhabitants, otherwise there was no way in, or out."

"...You're joking." Luke returned incredulously, before he sighed and lowered his head to the ground. "So there really is no way out aside from up. Damnit all." He growled, feeling that hopelessness start to well up in him again...at least for a moment, before he suddenly realized something. "Wait... If up there's the only way in or out, then how do you plan to leave this place?"

"Same way I got in," she replied in a tone that suggested the answer should have been obvious. "Soon as I find the artifact I came here for, and any other goodies left behind."

"You're a treasure hunter?" Volcan asked.

"Sure am. My name's Lashanne -ask just about anyone from Princeport to Gladiator City, if it's out there I'll find it," she stated with a smug grin, which shortly turned sour. "Until some asshole with a big mustache started poking his nose around my business and started sending thugs to try and swipe my findings from me."

"That explains why you were so jumpy when we showed up," Volcan remarked.

Lashanne gave him a dirty look. "I'm not jumpy. I'm alert. If I had been jumpy, you'd have had a Psybeam to the chest when you spoke out."

"...She does have a point, love" Luke commented to Volcan, who rubbed his chest absently, cringing at the thought of a Psybeam hitting him.

Lashanne chuckled, and then turned to Luke again, humming in thought. "So, I guess you guys need help, then." She smiled. "Well, I suppose I can't just leave you here even if I do find the treasure. So, I'll cut you a deal. Help me find the idol I'm looking for and any other treasure that might be here, and I'll get you two out of here -I'll even throw in a flight to Princeport. Do we have a deal?"

Luke considered the proposal, turning to Volcan meeting his look. Neither one spoke. Neither needed to -they shared the same thought, that they were not in a position to refuse the Delphox's offer. Taking a slow breath, he turned to Lashanne.

"Alright, it's a deal," he said, offering a paw to Lashanne, who shook it in turn, sealing the agreement.

"Then consider us partners," she said. "By the way, what were your names again?" She asked.

"My name's Luke." Luke answered, then gently took Volcan's hand in his paw and smiled. "And this is Volcan, Captain of Team Phalanx..and as of recently...my betrothed." He added, and smiled as Volcan squeezed his paw.

Lashanne looked between them curiously. "Huh. At first, I thought he might've been your bodyguard or something," she said. "He sure looks like one."

"Bodyguard?" Volcan asked, curiously. "What gives you that idea?"

"Besides your obvious level of fitness," she began, her eyes scanning over him for a moment before meeting his own. "You have an acute awareness to your surroundings, noticing slight changes or discrepancies you didn't see before -which is why you have looked me over twice already -probably because I look nothing like a typical Delphox. You have also gauged how quickly I can draw my branch versus how fast you could land a strike on me if we were to suddenly fight." She smiled when she saw his expression. "Did I get everything right?"

Volcan was utterly floored, gawking at the Delphox. "How... could you possibly know all that with just a look?"

"I am very good at reading people," she remarked with a sly wink. "That's why I know your frie-" She paused. "Pardon, betrothed here," she gestured to Luke, "isn't lying to me -he doesn't give away any hints of dishonesty and most people do. And before you ask, no -I'm not using Mind Reader."

Luke blinked, struggling to process how much this Delphox knew about him when it had only been minutes since she laid eyes on him. "That's...quite a useful, yet scary ability you have there," he admitted. "Well in any case, shall we get started?"

"We shall," said Lashanne, turning and pointing to the temple. "That's where we'll be heading first. When looking for something of value in ancient cities, always start with the most ornate structures." She looked back at them. "But be careful. In the documents that helped me find this place, they made mention of a guardian protecting the most sacred of their treasures."

"Wouldn't happen to be _that_guy, would it?" Volcan asked, pointing at the statue of the Mega Aerodactyl.

Lashanne followed his finger, seeing the statue. "Him? No. That's Windfang," explained Lashanne. "He was a protector of this city -a hero to the people who lived here. But he wasn't the guardian of the temple and he's surely been dead for at least two hundred years."

"The documents mention him?" Luke asked as they began to walk with Lashanne towards the temple, looking up at the statue in reverence as they walked around it.

"There's an entire story about him and everything he accomplished," replied Lashanne. "Among his achievements, it's said that he battled a horde of Kabutops that were invading the city for the same treasures we're here looking for today."

"Wait, I thought you said there was no way in here," Volcan reminded, quick to spot the hole in the logic. "How would a horde of Kabutops get into the city?"

"The same way you did, I imagine," replied Lashanne. "Details about the invasion are sketchy but there was mention of a tunnel that they dug to reach the city -a tunnel which was sealed off once the invasion was over, and then hidden again by the sandstorms in the desert."

Luke stopped mid-step, a thought occurring to him. "Then... that hole we were pulled through," he said. "An opening, in the middle of the desert..." He looked up at Volcan.

Catching his meaning, Volcan continued. "The cave... the collapse, the tunnel we came down." The Blaziken shook his head. "A one in a fucking _BILLION_chance... and we just happened to walk on the right spot, triggering a cave-in that nearly drowned us in sand, and lead us to an ancient city.

"Not sure what kind of luck I'd chalk that up to," remarked Lashanne.

"Considering it nearly cost me my boyfriend, I'd say bad," Volcan returned, sourly.

At Lashanne's curious glance, Luke tightened his paw around Volcan's hand and explained. "As we sank, I... nearly suffocated during our descent. Volcan managed to resuscitate me, but it was still a very close shave- too close for both our likings."

Lashanne grimaced. "Yikes," she said. "That must've been scary."

"Damn right," Volcan returned, letting out a sigh and tightening his hold on Luke's paw, afraid to let go.

The Lucario lifted his other paw and gently rubbed Volcan's chest to try and ease his discomfort, then glanced back to Lashanne and shook his head. "Let's not focus on that." He said firmly. "It's all in the past now. All we can do from this point on is move forward, so let's do just that."

Volcan nodded in agreement, though made no reply and did not lessen his grip as they followed Lashanne towards the temple. Despite Luke's insistence, the Lucario could tell that his beloved Blaziken was still being haunted by past events -aside from the temple reminding him of a building on his home island, nearly losing Luke had deeply disturbed him. And who could blame him? As far as Volcan knew, his family was gone forever -they had found no sign of his relatives at Arc or during the attack on the fortress. For all they knew, Luke was all he had left in his life besides his friends and his team, and that led Luke to suspect that any further loss in his life would break him...

The Lucario slipped his paw out of Volcan's grasp and gently wrapped his arm around the Blaziken's waist, leaning slightly against him as they followed after Lashanne. "Hey," he whispered up to Volcan, putting on a reassuring smile for him. "Try not to think about it, love. Try thinking about the future we'll be sharing together when we get home." He suggested.

"I am trying," Volcan whispered back to him. "Just... so much has happened so fast." He rubbed his eyes tiredly. "It feels like it's been a month since I slept... I'd give just about anything to collapse into a plush bed, with you wrapped in my arms, and welcome a dreamless sleep until next season." He looked at Luke with a half-lidded gaze, and it was then the Lucario could see just how tired he was -both inside and out.

The Lucario's expression soured a little as he got a better look at his lover's condition. "I... think that would be a bit much, but I see your point." He admitted. "Frankly I'd give about anything for somewhere comfortable myself, with only you there with me to keep me warm."

Volcan put his arm around Luke, holding him firmly as they continued to follow the Delphox, who had remained silent to their exchange thus far. She led the way through the open entrance of the temple, reaching for her branch and lighting the tip to serve as a torch as they ventured inside.

"Keep an eye out," she bade them as she proceeded into the corridor beyond, beginning the search.

"Will do." Luke returned as they ventured deeper into the temple. He tried to tune to his aura sense to better scope out their surroundings, but as soon as he did, he suddenly felt very fatigued and stumbled forward a little. "W-whoa!" He groaned out as he tried to catch himself.

"Careful!" Volcan exclaimed, catching him before he could fall. "Are you okay?" He asked, concerned.

Luke shook his head a bit and rubbed his eyes with his paw. "Ugh...I think the fatigue and hunger are finally catching up to me..."

"Do we have any rations left?" Volcan asked, dipping into the pockets of his cloak to search.

"Hey, everything alright back there?" Lashanne called to them, having already made it ten steps ahead before she saw their plight.

"Yea! Just...gotta refuel a bit." Luke called back rummaging about his cloak for those rations he picked up back at Redfang's base. However, his heart sank when he couldn't feel any of the dried food in his cloak pockets -Redfang's tooth, still wrapped in the handkerchief, was nestled at the bottom of his cloak pocket, covered in sand, but that was all he found. "...Uh oh." He muttered. "My rations are gone."

"Mine are gone too," Volcan added. "We must've lost them in the storm, or in the sand pit."

"Damnit...even after we escape certain death, life STILL finds a way to screw us over." Luke growled in irritation.

"Wait, we didn't lose Redfang's tooth, did we?" Volcan asked in a low voice.

"No, I still have it," replied Luke, briefly pulling out the item to show him.

Lashanne rolled her eyes and swung her satchel over to her front, lifting open the flap and reaching inside. She turned and started back over to them as she produced two paper-wrapped items, which she offered to them as she reached them. "With that level of carelessness it's a wonder you two have survived a day here," she remarked. "Lucky for you I'm always prepared."

Luke looked over to Lashanne, frowning slightly and was about to make a comment back at her until he saw the items. He closed his mouth and slowly took the items from her, passing one to Volcan and eying his item inquisitively, before pulling off the paper and revealing what was wrapped inside. A loaf of rye bread.

Volcan was digging into the bread the moment he saw it, an audible crunch following his first bite as Luke followed his example. Halfway through the loaf, Volcan turned to Lashanne, nodding gratefully to her. "Thank you," he said.

"Can't really help me if you're starving, can you?" she asked, waving dismissively. "Now. Soon as you're finished, we can get to work." She said before turning and walking ahead again, examining the side rooms of the hallway while she waited for them.

Luke continued to practically scarf down his loaf ravenously, though once to twice he had to slow down to avoid eating his food too face, or risk it coming back up again. He looked to Volcan as they ate and sighed in bliss. "Never thought I'd live to see the day where just a loaf of bread by itself tasted so good..." He commented.

"With how ravenous I was I'd probably even have eaten that sushi we tried a while back," the Blaziken returned jokingly.

Luke laughed slightly. "I can't believe you still remember that." He commented with a nudge.

"Perfect muscle memory, remember?" He returned the nudge.

"Of course. How could I forget." Luke joked, finishing his loaf and patting his stomach gently. "Ahh...that will do."

"Now we're ready for whatever surprises await us in the gloom of this place," said Volcan confidently after swallowing his last piece of the bread loaf. Now with full stomachs, the two hurried to catch up to Lashanne further down the corridor.

The Delphox was very thorough with her search. For every item she picked up, she'd examine it very carefully, studying every detail and, depending on what it turned out to be, she'd either put it back where she found it or place it into her satchel, which had already filled with a few items. As Volcan and Luke knew nothing about appraising these items they found, they didn't know what was valuable or was a mere trinket of no worth, and so she instructed them to bring her the items they found for her to see.

As she started to drop an amulet Luke had picked up into her satchel, he caught the glint of something in the side pocket that held his attention. In the moment, his mind flashed back to an item of similar design in the possession of Sickle the Grovyle, whom he had faced at Team Warmachine's tournament.

"Excuse me, Lashanne -was that a Looplet I saw in your bag?" Luke asked, peering a bit into the bag. "How'd you find one of those?"

Lashanne flipped open her satchel and reached inside, lifting out the item. "You mean this?" She asked. "It's my Academy issued Looplet," She noticed the confusion on his face, and huffed. "The Arcanus Academy way up north -it's where I'm from. They gave it to me while I was a student there and let me keep it after I left," she answered, before giving him a curious look. "But I'm surprised you even know about Looplets. To my knowledge, they aren't found out east."

"A friend of ours has one as well," Volcan put in. "A Grovyle named Sickle. I think he mentioned his was imported, or something."

"That would explain it, then," Lashanne returned, nodding. "Though it still begs the question where he got it -they don't sell these in jewelry stores."

"What are they, exactly?" Volcan asked.

Lashanne put a paw to her chin as she considered how to answer the question. "Well..." She said. "They're hard to explain. I'm guessing you saw your friend use Emeras with them, right?" At their nods of confirmation, she continued. "While we still don't know how they do it, Looplets were created for the purpose of harnessing the power contained in Emeras, which are unfortunately also still a mystery -there are many theories about how they form but they're very common, as opposed to Mega Stones."

Luke then looked down at his scarf for a moment, gently tugging it down and looking at his Lucarionite as a thought entered his mind. "...I wonder." He muttered a bit. "Do you think Emeras might have been someone's attempt at recreating Mega Stones, but ended up failing to contain that power?"

"An interesting theory, but unlikely," replied Lashanne with a shake of her head. "The two are very different. For example, a Mega Stone can be used endlessly, needing only time to recharge between uses, but each one can only be used by certain Pokémon." She pointed at Luke's stone, and then at Volcan's. "As long as the right Pokémon is holding the right kind of stone, they can draw on its power, but only that specific species can. If you give a Blazikenite to an Infernape, even though they have the same typing, the stone would do nothing."

She turned over the looplet in her hand, showing the three stones currently housed in the accessory, two of them different shades of red while the third was yellow. "These, however, can be used by any Pokémon, so long as they have a looplet to draw out their power unlike a Mega Stone which doesn't require such a device. Also unlike them, these stones can only be used once and are much more easier to find." She grimaced. "And, have a few side effects, which I won't get into now."

"I see." Luke returned with a slight nod, rubbing his chin. "If Looplets were made here, in order to harness the energy in Emeras, are Looplets also very rare?"

Lashanne shrugged. "Not really. I've found some in nearly every city I've visited -I have some spares on my ship, even, and the academy has a mountain of them. We may not know how they were made but it doesn't take an archaeologist to know they were produced enmasse. Hell, there are enough at the academy to equip a whole army with them and I still find more."

"Yet your professors don't know how to reverse engineer them?" Volcan asked, "or have any idea how they were made?"

"The ones with that knowledge died hundreds of years ago, and they guarded their secrets very closely," replied Lashanne. "But that's what Archaeology is for -to uncover those secrets. The truth is out there somewhere." She smiled warmly as she spoke. "The world is a big place, full of mysteries waiting to be uncovered."

Volcan cast her a wry smile. "You know Lashanne, I get the sense that treasure hunting wasn't your first passion," he said.

"Maybe. Stick around long enough, perhaps you'll find out," she returned with a wink before she slung her satchel over her shoulder, and resumed the trek into the temple. Volcan and Luke shared a knowing smile and followed her deeper into the temple.

Further exploration of the temple eventually brought them to a stairwell leading down to a lower level, surprising them as they had seen from outside the temple possessed a second floor. Surmising the upper level must have been forbidden for anyone not of the city, Lashanne led the way down, anxious to see what mysteries might be hidden in the depths below the temple.

Drawing out her branch wand, she conjured a flame to hover at the tip, providing the three with light as they descended further into darkness, further into the underground until they were certain they had descended at least fifty feet, until finally the floor began to level off. Ahead of them, a hallway stretched out before them, the floor carrying a peculiar design of having Pokémon images painted upon the large, stone slabs, each one so wide across that even Volcan with his long legs would have to stride to cross them.

"Well this doesn't look ominous at all," Volcan remarked.

"I may not be a cave explorer, but even I can tell this area stinks of a trap." Luke commented.

"Very perceptive," Lashanne returned. "It's quite likely this hall is booby-trapped. We just need to find some indicator to give it away."

"What makes you think there's something like that?" Volcan asked.

"The people who lived here needed a safe way to navigate, didn't they?" Lashanne returned. "We just need to find out what that was."

"If a boulder falls on me, I'm blaming you," Volcan commented as he walked the rear of the group, keeping his eyes peeled for anything that stood out to him.

He would not have to wait long, though, as his foot landed on a panel bearing one of the unusual symbols, which sank into the floor. There was the sound of gears turning, and out of the corner of his eye he saw a slot open in the wall. He didn't wait to see what was coming out before he jumped backward with a yelp. Luke and Lashanne both felt the wind of something passing behind them at breakneck speed, followed by an object embedding itself in the wall to their right. They saw the wooden shaft of a harpoon rattling violently from its position in the stone.

"...Well that would've been nasty," Lashanne remarked flatly, though her expression betrayed how startled she really was.

Luke stared at the harpoon, gulping nervously as he rubbed his head a little from where he felt the wind of the harpoon brush him. "...And I thought dropping into this cavern was a close shave." He commented with a nervous chuckle.

"I'll take that over being made into a spicy meat skewer," Volcan chimed, standing up and checking himself over.

"...Yea let's not go there." Luke commented, looking back at Volcan with an unamused look in his eyes. "Better add to the lighting in this place love, so we can better see our surroundings."

"How will I do that? There nothing in here I can light," Volcan replied.

"I got it," Lashanne replied, raising her wand higher as the flame at the tip grew larger and brighter, increasing the illumination around them and casting light on the panels as their feet. "Okay, Volcan -which one did you step on?" Lashanne asked.

"This one here," Volcan returned, pointing to the panel in question which was still sunk until the floor, making it easier to indicate. The symbol engraved into the stone appeared to be of an eye, but the body in which it was housed had a distinctive 'A' shape to it.

"Hm... fascinating," Lashanne commented. "That's an Unown on that panel. But they're referenced in more modern dialect, not in the language of the people who lived here."

"What do you suppose that means?" Volcan asked.

"Not sure," Lashanne admitted, before turning to look further up the hallway. "But there are Unown on a lot of these tiles. Not all of them have the 'A' shape like that first one though..." She waved her torch to the side to illuminate more tiles. "And the rest are of Aerodactyl and Archeops -who were the majority populace here."

"I think I can make out the pattern." Luke returned, rubbing his chin. "Basically any panel that has something to do with either an Archeops or Aerodactyl is safe. Am I right?" He asked.

"Let's find out," said Lashanne, angling her wand towards the panels ahead. "Step back a bit."

A blue glow enveloped the panels, and they rattled, but only one began to sink -a tile bearing the Unown resembling the letter 'K'. Following its descent into the ground, another harpoon fired out of the wall to the right, embedding itself into the opposite wall as the first one had.

Curiously, Lashanne pressed another Unown tile, and as the others had, it sank and triggered another trap, another harpoon being fired from a hidden socket in the walls ahead, flitting across their vision before shattering against the opposite wall.. This one bore the letter 'O'.

Lastly, she took a step forward, placing her pawed foot upon an Aerodactyl tile. Nothing happened. "So that's it," she said. "All of the Unown tiles are the trapped tiles, but they used various letter combinations to make it seem like there's no pattern, to throw off intruders." She looked back at Luke. "Nice work," she complimented.

He smiled and nodded back to the Delphox. "Thanks." He returned. "So basically stay away from the Unown tiles...seems simple enough." He said as he took a step forward, watching where he was stepping as he stepped on a tile with an Archeops on it.

Following a path of safe tiles, they made it halfway down the corridor, until Lashanne stopped, noticing that the floor tiles had changed. The symbols had disappeared altogether, leaving only blank slates, but each of the tiles looked as they they could still be moved, though no clear path could be seen. Lashanne eyed the walls to the left and right, noting many visible holes in the stone.

"Another trap," she said. "No pattern on this one, though."

"Any indicators or something?" Volcan asked.

"None that I can see," replied Lashanne.

"Well we can't just haphazardly step forward." Luke commented. "There's got to be some measure of a hint." He added, already looking around their immediate environment.

"Wait a minute," Volcan began. "This city was inhabited mostly by flying Pokémon, right?"

"Yes, why?" Lashanne asked.

"Well given the size of this hallway maybe it was never meant to be walked across," Volcan returned. "The traps back there were made somewhat obvious, but here -anyone not familiar with this place would never see them coming. Perhaps from this point on, the temple's protectors always flew over this part."

"Hmm...that could be the answer." Luke admitted, rubbing his chin a little. "Though if that's the case, how can we get across? We can't exactly fly ourselves, and even with Extreme Speed, I wouldn't be able to make it without setting something off."

"And with the force those harpoons shoot out, I wouldn't bet your life you can dodge them all," added Lashanne.

"Wait," Volcan piped up. "Lashanne, can you get some more light to the other side of these tiles?" He asked, pointing ahead.

Lashanne held up her branch, projecting a flamethrower from the tip to fill the hallway with light up to where Volcan was pointing, illuminating beyond the blank slates, a rusted, metal lever protruding from the wall.

"Good eye, big guy," Lashanne remarked.

"Should see me when my eyes haven't been burned by Toxic," Volcan remarked, with a hint of pride.

"So, that looks like a lock," Lashanne stated. "If we can get to it, it should shut off this trap." She looked at Volcan. "Think you can manage it?"

"Piece of cake," replied Volcan, backing up slightly for a running start.

"Be careful Volcan..." Luke cautioned the Blaziken as he backed up.

With three long steps and a leap, Volcan launched himself through the air, soaring in an arc over the trapped tiles. He somersaulted, angling his feet to land first, and upon touching down dropped to his belly, eyeing the holes in the walls warily as if expecting them to shoot more harpoons at him.

Nothing happened.

Slowly, he pushed himself up on his hands, turning to the lever as he rose fully to his feet. He grasped it, and began to try and pull it down, grunting with some effort but making no progress. "Wow. This is rusted tight!"

"Should I come over and try to help?" Luke called over, already taking a few steps back himself in case Volcan needed the assistance.

"You can't jump that far," Volcan pointed out.

"I could levitate him over," Lashanne offered.

Luke glanced over to Lashanne at her offer, considering the suggestion. He remembered how easily she had been able to levitate him before, and saw no flaw in the idea. "That...could work. Alright then, let's do it."

"Okay, here we go," she said, holding up her hand towards him as she concentrated. He became enveloped in Psychic energy, feeling it pressing in around him gently before he was slowly lifted off the floor and carried through the air, hovering over the trapped floor tiles below.

"Whoooa..." Luke muttered shakily as he was levitated off the ground, fighting the urge to scramble against the invisible grasp as he moved over the trapped tiles. "I swear, I'll never get used to this..."

Within a moment, he was brought over to Volcan's position, the Blaziken reaching up to take the Lucario in his arms allowing Lashanne to let him go. Volcan gently placed Luke down on his feet, and then turned to the lever again. "Let's try this one more time."

"Okay. On three." Luke replied, placing his paws firmly on the lever. "One...two...three!"

With a loud grunt from both, they pulled hard on the lever, attempting to move it. The ancient, rusted gears creaked loudly with protest as it moved ever so slightly. Without letting up, the two kept pulling, the creaking intensifying as the lever began to shift. Then, with a sharp jolt, it finally yielded to their combined strength and slammed into place, throwing both off their feet as the ancient lock snapped into place.

"Oof... we got it," Volcan said, shaking his head to clear it.

Luke wiped his forehead a little with his arm. "Yea...whew. This place is long overdue for some maintenance though." He pointed out, then turned to the Delphox waiting on the other side. "The lever's down! You can proceed!"

"On my way," replied Lashanne, lighting her wand again and proceeding cautiously across the tiles, casting a Reflect around herself just to be certain but smiling with satisfaction as they remained untriggered and she rejoined the two. "Nice job. Couldn't have done it better myself," she complimented, and then eyed the lever with a grimace. "Though, if I'm being honest, I couldn't have done it at all -not when it took _both_of you to move that."

With a shrug, she pointed ahead with her wand. "Looks like more stairs up ahead. We must be getting close to something by now."

"Indeed, but that can only mean the traps we encounter will only get more dangerous." Luke cautioned the Delphox. "Let's not let our guard down yet."

"I'm the one who should be saying that, but you're right," returned Lashanne, taking the lead again and approaching the stairs, the fire at the tip of her branch lighting their way...

'Almost there...' Luke thought to himself as he followed Lashanne, paws tightening at his sides as they began their ascent, keeping his senses keen and sharp for whatever might come their way.

They descended deeper into the temple, another stairwell leading them further underground as they cleared the trapped room. This stairwell seemed longer than the first and led to what at first seemed to be a dead end as they came to a wall covered in marble slabs bearing images.

Lashanne raised her wand to illuminate one of them, revealing that the slab bore the carved likeness a quadruped with a rough, jagged form. It was the likeness of Dialga, the lord of Time. She raised her branch aloft, adding more light to the slabs and they found that all of them bore the likeness of Legendary Pokémon, consisting mostly of the Deity class -from Arceus to Giratina alike.

Volcan, however, was aghast at the seemingly disappointing end to their dungeon delving. "This is it? This is all that's down here -a stupid wall?!" He demanded, irritated.

"It's a door, dummy," Lashanne corrected, rolling her eyes. "One protected by a riddle, based on this writing here." She ran her hand over a row of hieroglyphic writing resting between the slabs, humming in thought. "This writing is ancient. Like older than the city, even, and it's not the same dialect we've seen so far either."

Luke took a step closer to the door, eying it curiously as he looked over the pictures of the tablets, taking note of how each resembled Deity class Legendary Pokémon. He hummed in thought, slowly lifting one of his paws to touch the slab closest to him, bearing the depiction of Groudon. "...I wonder."

"What're you thinking, Luke?" Volcan asked.

He glanced back to Volcan for a moment. "All of these tiles depict different Legendary Pokémon of the Deity level." He began. "Except this one," he pointed his paw at the smallest tile in the middle of them all, depicting a more cat-like figure upon its face. "That looks like Mew, and it is the only one here that is not a god. It must have something to do with opening this door."

"I suppose to figure that out, we'd need to know the riddle," remarked Volcan. "Lashanne, can you read the message?"

"Some of it," she replied. "I have seen this language before -in tomes at the academy. But it's been a while, and I didn't read up on it before I came here." She fell silent as her eyes darted back and forth, studying the hieroglyphics thoroughly for several moments, until, "let's try... 'Among these higher forms, one stands out. Seek the first born, and the way shall become clear. Beware the Titan.' That's the best translation I can come up with."

"Seek the first born...?" Luke asked, looking back to the door and studying the tablets again. His eyes fell upon the one that depicted Arceus himself, but rather than reaching to touch it, he frowned slightly. "...No...That's too easy." He stated softly. "It can't be that simple."

"Arceus is the 'creator' but, first born seems to imply someone who came after him. The father of all Pokémon created each of these Legendary beings -each one was 'born'," Volcan stated. "So... what Pokémon was his first creation -the first born?"

"Well the gods created the world, but if life itself was his first creation," began Lashanne, raising her wand to illuminate a stag-like portrait on the stone. "I'd say Xerneas, probably -the god of life, would be the most likely candidate."

Luke continued to ponder the thought quietly, taking long looks at each of the Pokémon that were etched into each stone slab. "...Among these higher forms, one stands out...Seek the first born, and the way shall become clear..." He muttered to himself, his eyes drifting to the image of Xerneas. "Xerneas was created to embody life... but I don't think he was the first one to receive the gift of life, if the world itself didn't even exist yet."

"Why not?" Lashanne asked.

"Think about it. If Xerneas was the firstborn, and the embodiment of life itself, what lives would there have been for him to provide for?" Luke asked. "The only other Pokémon would've been Arceus himself. Plus, his counterpart is Yveltal," he pointed to a slab adjacent to Xerneas'. "The god of death -who also would not need to exist without other Pokémon to watch over. We're looking for the first Pokémon ever born, therefore the one with whom life itself began, and other than Arceus himself I don't know who that could be."

"Wait a minute," Volcan piped up. "I think I got it!" He pointed to one of the slabs, depicting Kyogre, the god of the seas. "Many scientists believe all life began in the ocean, right? Maybe the first born is Kyogre." He approached the slab, looking back at Lashanne, who seemed to agree -but at the same time she showed some skepticism.

Taking this as his cue to continue, Volcan reached for the slab, ready to touch it...

"Wait!" Luke would shout to Volcan before he could touch it. "Time out, Volcan. I think we're overthinking this." He added as he scanned the door quickly once more. "...Seek the first born..." He muttered softly as he looked at each depicted Legendary on the door. "Common theory suggests Kyogre and Groudon were born at the same time, and following their creation the world itself was formed. Even if all life began in the ocean and eventually evolved to rest on land as it became hospitable, that still means Kyogre is not the firstborn."

"Luke's right," agreed Lashanne. "We're looking for the Pokemon who Arceus birth first, the very first. The gods created the world, but Arceus needed something to live upon that world first, else he'd have no reason to create it, right?"

Luke's eyes once more settled upon the depiction of Mew, the only one among the slabs that was not one of the gods. The only one who did not create the world itself... and suddenly, it clicked with him. "That's it!" He exclaimed, reaching out with his paw to touch the panel bearing Mew's picture, and pressing into it.

"Wait are you...?!" Volcan began to say, but it was too late -Luke pressed the slab, and it slid into the wall with a thunk.

The wall shuddered. The three stepped back, expecting a trap to be triggered -Volcan watched the ceiling as if he expected something to fall on them, but Lashanne and Luke never took their eyes off the shuddering wall before them. And then, with a groan of ancient machinery being moved for the first time in centuries... the wall began to sink into the floor, opening the way forward to the three.

"How did you...?" Volcan began to ask, baffled by how his lover knew the answer to the riddle.

Luke smiled back at Volcan. "Like I said, we were overthinking it. The Riddle was asking for the first Pokémon Arceus ever conceived. It was not Xerneas, the embodiment of life, not Yveltal of death, not even Groudon or Kyogre who formed the world. We were looking for the Pokémon of which all Pokémon are related to. The answer is, of all the Pokémon depicted on that wall, only one is said to have descendants."

Lashanne snapped her fingers. "Of course! Mew -the common ancestor all species share! It has been proven that all Pokemon varities today carry a tiny percentage of genetic material that directly link them to Mew. From a tiny Bulbasaur, all the way to a Dragonite, Mew is our common ancestor, the first link in the chain of life across the world!"

"So then Mew is the First Born," Volcan said, looking at Luke and nodding. "Nice work, Luke."

He chuckled softly. "Thanks. C'mon. The door's open now; may as well continue onward."

"Right. No way they'd protect this chamber so much if there wasn't something here," said Lashanne. "Payday is imminent."

She stepped forth, leading the way into the chamber with her branch held high, intensifying the flame at the tip to fill the room with light, though even that large flame could not illuminate the whole chamber. It was a huge, round chamber, with a ceiling so high it could not be seen. The floor was covered by stone tiles that covered wall-to-wall, and the walls were smooth and devoid of ornaments -save the long burnt-out torches that lined them.

But even as they stood in sight of the opposite wall from the door, they found no other access in sight. The only door to the room was the one through which they had come, with no other entrances or exits to be seen...

Luke glanced back to Lashanne, raising an eyebrow at her. "...Payday is imminent, eh?" He asked. "I'm not so sure about that. This place seems like nothing more than a dead end."

"But... that doesn't make sense!" She protested. "There's supposed to be something here -this can't be all there is!" She looked around the room, wandering about the walls looking for anything that stood out. "Why the hell would you go to all the trouble of making those traps and building this chamber just to house nothing at all?"

"Your guess is as good as mine." Luke answered with a shrug. "Maybe there's something your texts missed out on."

"Damn it, if I come out of here empty-handed, Toby is never going to let me hear the end of it," she went on, furious. "I spent weeks looking for this place and I'm expected to believe there's nothing here?! Screw that!"

Volcan rolled his eyes at Lashanne's behavior, never having expected her to take the lack of discoveries so personally. But as his eyes peered up towards the ceiling, they caught something. A series of blinking lights coming from above, like a neatly-arranged column of light bulbs flickering on and off at random intervals, which formed an unusual 'H' shape to them. A large form shifted in the shadows, and then the lights seemed to be diving towards them.

Realizing where the creature was falling, Volcan did not waste a second to react. He burst forward with a Flame Charge, startling Luke as a seemingly spontaneous fireball appeared at his side before he was seized by Volcan. The Blaziken repeated the maneuver, rushing over to Lashanne and tackling her out of the way as the massive form hit the floor with a deafening boom.

The three of them fell to the floor in an awkward heap, momentarily dazed by the combined fall with the crash that left a ringing in their ears. Lashanne, buried under the two males, recovered quickly pushing Volcan off her and rolling onto her back to look back where she had been before, seeing a massive stone figure beginning to turn towards them. A behemoth of stone stood before them, flashing yellow lights serving in place of eyes on its face which flashed in a seemingly random sequence as it 'stared' at them, its massive boulder fists raised in readiness to launch its next strike. It stood more than twenty feet tall, utterly dwarfing the three companions.

"A Regirock!" Lashanne cried in shock.

Luke instinctively got into his fighting stance. "How the hell did that get in here??"

"I think that's why the halls and doors were so huge!" Volcan exclaimed. "This thing must be the titan that last door warned about!"

"This is the stone _guardian?!"_Lashanne demanded. "Geez, these people didn't mess around!"

"Here it comes!" Volcan cried out in warning as the thundering steps of the stone giant closed in on them. "Scatter!" He shouted as it brought its massive stone fist down on them from above, forcing them to flee or be crushed.

Luke used Extreme Speed right at the last minute, darting forward and sliding between its legs and standing up on the other side. He then retaliated by firing a trio of Aura Spheres at its exposed back, each shot homing in on the same spot and exploding with great force. The stone behemoth stumbled from the impact, before turning to face the Lucario and bringing its fist down towards him. As Luke began to move, the floor where he had been a second before exploded, launching him skyward as a chunk of tile catapulted him into the air. He yelped out in surprise as he was sent airborne, flipping about a few times with his arms flailing about before he would land on his back with a thud.

"Hey!" Volcan yelled at the Regirock, jumping high into the air -clearing even the stone giant before he fell towards it with a High Jump Kick, his foot landing upon the back of its head.

It jerked forward, clearly feeling the kick, but was barely fazed by it before swinging its arm back towards him. With the Blaziken left airborne, he had no means to avoid the swing, and was caught upon the Regirock's fist until he was thrown off and soaring out of sight into the shadows of the room. The room became filled with a brilliant explosion of colour as Lashanne fired a concentrated Psybeam at the Regirock from the tip of her branch, throwing every ounce of power she had into her attack and causing it visible harm. It turned on her and brought its fist down towards her -she ran out of its trajectory, though was also thrown into the air as Luke was -though managed to catch herself with her psychic powers levitating safely back to the floor.

Luke groaned painfully as he pushed himself up onto his feet again, feeling stunned until he shook his head to clear the feeling and glance over to the Regirock. "...The hell was that? We dodge his attacks, only to get thrown airborne a second after?" He muttered, trying to make heads or tails of whatever ability the Regirock was using to fling them airborne in such a way.

"It's the floor!" Lashanne called. "The tiling under our feet is loose!"

Volcan reappeared from where he had fallen, rubbing his head. "And it's practically impervious to physical attacks; my High Jump Kick did nothing to it."

"So that means we'll need to stay at a distance and watch our footing as we fight." Luke surmised.

Volcan grimaced at that, a worried look crossing his features. He had always been a master of close-range combat, with his only distance attack being Flamethrower. He knew nothing else that could help them against this Regirock. But he didn't get to voice his concerns, as the Regirock moved to attack again. Lashanne was its target -she avoided the punch and levitated herself off the ground in the nick of time as the fist struck the floor, causing the loose tiles underneath to tilt up. Lashanne was correct -they were not cemented, or had given way to the passage of time.

The Regirock pursued her, but was interrupted by a flurry of Aura Spheres shot by Luke, causing it to teeter to the side a little. "Over here, you overgrown lump of granite!" He called to the Regirock, beckoning it with his paw to approach him.

It fell for his taunt, turning in his direction and raising its arms into the air. Boulders materialized at the ends of its fists, which it then hurled towards Luke, creating a shower of countless large stones with a powerful Rock Throw.

Luke quickly weaved from side to side as the boulders came his way, continuing to discharge Aura Spheres from his left paw while holding his right behind his back. "That's it...just a little closer." He muttered as a small brown ball of energy began to form in the paw he was hiding.

Using Luke's distraction as an opportunity, Lashanne made her way behind the Regirock, firing another Psybeam at it, aiming high for the back of its head. It lurched forward, its weight shifting, and then came Volcan, who charged at the titan's leg, kicking it hard and finally ruining its balance completely as it fell towards Luke -though would land just shy of him.

The Lucario then ran forward, revealing the Focus Blast he'd been conjuring while distracting the beast as he approached the rock titan. With a loud roar, he slammed the Focus Blast at point blank range right into its head, the explosion from the attack nailing its mark dead on being enough to send them both hurtling back from one another. Luke had anticipated the kickback and was already flipping a bit to re-align himself with the ground before he landed in a crouch, unlike the Regirock who crashed into the ground with bone jarring force and causing the whole room to shake from the impact.

The room fell silent as the dust from the battle settled. The Regirock did not move, yet the three Pokémon who had fought it remained vigilant, waiting to see if the mighty stone guardian would rise again. But it didn't. The point-blank Focus Blast had finished it off -mighty as the body of Regirock was, energy-based attacks were its weakness.

The three regrouped, with Volcan pulling Luke into a one-armed embrace, beaming at him. "Nice shot, love."

He smiled back at Volcan, returning the embrace. "Couldn't have done it without you or Lashanne." He replied, looking over to the Delphox. "Thank you for the assist."

"Don't mention it," she returned. "I'm still shocked to find such a being guarding this old ruin..."

"Especially when there seems to be nothing in here to protect," Volcan added, waving his hand around the room. "I mean, this is-" He stopped mid-sentence, something catching his attention on the far wall -opposite the door through which they had come through when they had first entered the room.

Luke noticed Volcan staring at the far wall, tilting his head slightly in confusion. "What is it, love?" He asked.

"Something's over there," he replied, pointing at the wall. "There's an opening behind that crack in the wall there."

Luke looked over to where Volcan was pointing at, squinting a bit until he did indeed see the crack on the wall that Volcan was talking about. "Hey yea, I see it too." He agreed, looking up to the Blaziken. "Think we should investigate it further?"

He nodded, looking to Lashanne, who also appeared curious, and so they crossed the room towards the crack in the wall -still casting wary looks at Regirock in case it were to rise again, as they approached the crack in the wall, the Delphox shining a light towards it as they approached. Through the crack, the light from Lashanne's branch shone into what appeared to be another room, previously unseen by the wall that had sealed it off.

"May I?" Volcan offered.

"Be my guest," Lashanne returned.

The Blaziken stepped up to the wall, raising his leg and delivering a powerful kick to the wall to smash away the stone barrier. Lashanne cast a psychic bubble beyond the wall to prevent the flying stones from damaging anything of value that might lay within, the light of her branch flooding the room as the stones fell away.

Once the stones were cast aside, Luke would be the first to enter the room, taking careful steps just in case there might be another trap waiting for them. The lighting in the room was dim, only allowing him to see just inches in front of him. "Could use a bit more lighting in here." The Lucario commented in jest before he stubbed his toe on something solid, prompting him to back up and hiss in pain. "Ow!"

"Case in point," Lashanne remarked, adding more light to her branch to illuminate the room more as she stepped in.

"Ugh, thanks..." Luke said as the light filled the room from her branch.

The chamber they had entered was small, measuring only a few meters in, and only one meter wide. The ceiling was barely high enough for Volcan to stand upright in the alcove, and it filled by a large stone casket in the middle of the room -large enough to almost fill the entire alcove itself. Atop the closed casket rested a done in the likeness of the Mega Aerodactyl they had seen out front.

The statue was solid gold with ivory inlays for the teeth, claws and spikes. The likeness to the much larger statue on the upper levels was uncanny. Imbedded in the statue's base was a round gemstone, purple in colour with the twisting, DNA stand-like shape inside of it just like the stones on Volcan's harness and around Luke's neck, reflecting the light of Lashanne's torch to catch their eye.

Lashanne shone her torch at the foot of the casket, revealing writing on the front of the stone, carved in the language of the citizens. "'Here lies Windfang, hero and protector of the city of Skyhallow'," she said.

"It's Windfang's crypt? This is what the Regirock was protecting?"

"And this beautiful treasure right here," Lashanne added, eyeing the statue. "Pure gold and ivory -the value of this statue alone is impressive, but as a relic of a lost city it'll go for thousands to a collector or the Academy. Didn't I say payday was imminent?" She asked, checking around the statue for traps.

Luke however, didn't share in her enthusiasm. He looked on at the casket and the gold statue with it, feeling that those traps and that guardian were set for a reason. Clearly this treasure meant something to the one resting in the casket, or at the very least, those that Windfang protected. To take something from this city with that much weight on it made him cringe.

Volcan shared his sentiments it seemed, as the Blaziken stepped forward and grasped Lashanne's hand before she could pick up the statue. "We can't take this," he said.

The Delphox looked at him as though the Blaziken had just robbed her, her brow contorting into a deep, harsh scowl. "Are you kidding me?!" Lashanne demanded, ripping her arm from Volcan's grasp. "This is what we came down here for! You want to just walk away from a relic like this after everything we went through?!"

"Windfang was a hero to the people of this city -they clearly made this to commemorate everything he did for them," Volcan stated. "We should leave it alone, and find something else."

"He's gone Volcan, and so are the people who made it," Lashanne pointed out. "Who's going to get upset about the idol being taken?

"That's not the point!" Luke blurted sharply, glaring daggers at Lashanne. "They made this idol in honour and remembrance of his efforts to keep this city safe. By taking this idol, we're desecrating this city and disrespecting Windfang's wish to rest peacefully."

"Of all the stupid..." Lashanne began to say grabbing at her head in frustration. "Two billion Pokémon on this whole continent and I had end up with a pair of sentimental slobs." She turned to them. "So, after evading traps, solving riddles, fighting a Regirock -a Rock-type Titan, we are standing here in front of a valuable treasure -one you two could not only get home with but buy your hometown with, you're just going to leave it? Is that what I'm hearing -all this work for nothing?"

Luke stared at Lashanne with unwavering determination after she finished her statement. "Look...we'll help you find other items that you can use to cash in on in exchange for us leaving this artifact behind...would that help to ease your frustration?" He asked with a shrug. "All I'm saying, Lashanne, is that this statue was left here in his honour, and I feel it's best it remains here to continue honouring all he did for his people." He explained.

"And if someone else comes along and snatches it?" She asked, matter-of-factly.

At that comment, Luke didn't really have anything to counter with. He hated to admit it, but Lashanne had a point there. If Lashanne didn't take it, someone else would, and they'd be the ones desecrating the tomb. He slowly lowered his gaze a bit and kept his mouth closed after that.

"Look, Lashanne," began Volcan. "Not too long ago, I feel like I probably wouldn't have cared much about this either. But, recent events have taught me that disrespecting the dead is a disservice to those they leave behind. Maybe the people of the city are gone, but their memories live on in that idol," Volcan pointed at the statue of Windfang. "Do you really think something like that deserves to just sit on some collector's shelf, rather than down here with the one to whom it belongs?"

Lashanne rolled her eyes in annoyance, shaking her head. "Fine, have it your way," she said. "We'll leave the idol here for the moment -BUT!" She pointed her wand at them. "We're going to scour the rest of this city for more stuff of value, and if we don't find enough to make it worth leaving it here, I'm coming right back for this idol, got it?"

Luke nodded back in agreement. "Alright. I can agree to that." He said softly. "Let's see what we can find here in this city."

"Let's see if we can reseal this wall, too," Volcan stated. "Unless the guardian over there will do it for us, it'll keep out other potential graverobbers."

"Yea, good idea." Luke returned, already scanning the chamber behind them for anything they could use; a pile of boulders, another large slab, anything really. He then had a thought as he scanned the loose tiles, rubbing his chin a little. "What about the tiles on the floor? There should be enough to cover up this chamber's entrance."

"That could work. We'll have to weld them together though," Volcan added.

"Well we do have two fire types here." Luke commented. "I could gather them up while you and Lashanne work on sealing them together."

"Gather them how?" Lashanne asked, curiously. "You're not a Psychic-type -how are you going to arrange them against the wall so we can melt them together?"

He paused at that. "Okay, fair point." Luke admitted. "Well...how about this then. While you two are building up the wall, I'll head back outside and see if there's anything of value we can take back with us." He offered.

"That works too," Volcan agreed.

"You sure you can generate a fire hot enough?" Lashanne asked Volcan.

"Won't know until I try."

"Oh, c'mon love, of course you can." Luke added with confidence. "Anyway, I'll meet you two outside." He added before he turned to the way they came in and was off, sprinting down the hallway to head back outside and begin his hunt for anything he deemed valuable.

It took some time, but after a few attempts, Volcan managed to generate a Flamethrower hot enough to melt the rocks together -at least enough that Lashanne could stop using Psychic to hold them up and assist him with her own fire powers, until the wall was completed, and the red-hot rocks began to cool.

"I still think it's a waste, leaving the idol in there. If we can't find anything else, I hope you're ready to knock it back down again," stated Lashanne.

"I agreed to, so yes," Volcan returned. Suddenly, there was the sound of stone grinding against stone, and they spun around to see the Regirock stirring, its massive body starting to shift. "And not a moment too soon -time to go!"

"Way ahead of you!" Lashanne returned, making a beeline for the door.

"In your dreams, foxy!" Volcan returned as he strode past her, displaying his superior running speed.

"Hey! Showoff!" Lashanne called as they cleared the door, turning and waving her branch at the lowered door, using her psychic powers to activate the mechanisms and raise the door again, sealing the chamber off once more with the guardian inside, letting it resume its task of guarding the idol as it had for centuries.

~~~~~

Outside the underground city...

Hidden in the shadows of the crags, below the anchored airship belonging to Lashanne, a figure watched from out of visual range of the Meowth caretaker aboard, who would every so often peer over the side to search for any sign of trouble, while oblivious to the prying eyes directly below. A Machamp stared up at the vessel, spotting the Meowth and grunting with disapproval as he pulled back behind the stone pillar, scowling.

"It's definitely her ship," Zann the Machamp stated as he stared up at the anchored airship high above their current position. "That damned fox got here first again."

The Noivern chuckled maniacally, bouncing around like one standing on hot coals as he boasts to the Machamp. "I told you it was hers! I told ya, told ya!" He said, flapping his large bat-like wings frantically. "I never forget a ship -Never forget! Especially not that ship! That ship too familiar. Too many memories." He drew out the last word, baring a toothy grin. "Told you it was her ship!"

"I heard you, you dingbat!" Zann shouted at the Noivern, grabbing him by the neck with one of his four arms, shaking him angrily. "Shut your yap, already!" He shouted before tossing the Noivern aside.

Karth landed against the face of one of the buttes, a wild look crossing his features as he faced Zann. "Never could admit when you were wrong~ could you?" He asked.

"I wasn't wrong about anything -I never said it wasn't her ship!" Zann retorted. "Get your head out from under your tail, will ya?!"

"Enough," a deep, cold voice intervened on the two as a Cacturne stepped past them. "Finding Lashanne here gives us a chance to kill two Pidgey with one stone." He elevated his gaze, his deep yellow eyes staring murderously up at the airship as he peered out from under the brim of the wide growth atop of his head. "We'll not only get the relic for our employer, but we have a chance to finally be rid of a thorn in our side, and a recurring nuisance for him as well. Wouldn't you agree?"

A wide grin crossed Zann's features. "I see what you're getting at, Crane." He said, chuckling. "A big bonus is comin' our way, ain't it?"

"Bonus? I like bonus," Karth chattered, climbing down from the rock face and skittering over to Zann's side. "...What's a bonus again?" He asked, tilting his head. "It's a good thing, right?"

Machamp facepalmed. "If we didn't need you for air support, I swear I'd throw you into the nearest pit..." He was about to explain, when Karth spontaneously jumped up and flared open his wings, smacking the Machamp in the face with the back of one wing while bearing a look of realization.

"Oh wait, now I remember! It means more money than we were originally getting, right!"

"You little Troglodyte!" A red-faced Zann growled, grabbing the Noivern by the back of his neck, lifting him and rearing back one of his many hands to strike.

"I told you two to knock it off," Crane warned, still bearing that cold tone as he glared over his shoulder at them. That look alone was enough to give pause to both the Machamp and the Noivern, who stood at attention and in silence.

"Now, we need a way in," Crane stated. "I will provide Zann and I the means to climb the wall and lower ourselves into the city. Karth."

"Yes?" The Noivern asked.

"Fly up to the airship and ensure that cat sidekick cannot send a warning to his partner," Crane instructed. "Ensure his silence, and then regroup with us at the top of the ridge. Do not enter the city until we get up there."

"Aye aye, captain," Karth returned, doing a salute with his wing before he opened both and took to the air, ascending out of the shadows and making his way up to the airship while Crane approached the ridge to get to work.

Loud classic music filled the air as Toby was hard at work mopping the deck, passing time until Lashanne gave him the signal that she was ready for extraction. He hummed to the pleasant music, half-dancing to it as he worked. All the while oblivious to the winged form that approached the ship, landing against the side of the vessel and slowly climbing over so as not to cast shadows that might give away his approach.

Karth crept up on the Meowth from behind, suppressing excited laughter as he drew close, waiting for Toby to turn around to make another pass with his mop only to come face-to-face with the Noivern.

"Boo!" Karth shouted with teeth bared and wings open, the sun at his back casting him in shadow causing him to look truly horrifying.

Toby's fur bristled as he let out a scream of terror, which was shortly drowned out when Karth unleashed a shriek of his own, slamming the Meowth with a powerful Boomburst and launching him across the deck. He struck his mopping bucket, dousing him in water, barely missed colliding with the mainmast before slamming into the railing at the bow, causing stars to explode across his eyes as his head connected with the rail.

Darkness fell over the Meowth, barely hearing the laughter of his assailant as he faded from the world...