FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

It was still early in the day, not exactly morning, but not quite lunch time either. Atty was making preparations for his journey to the pokemon village Xerneas had mentioned during their brief meeting. It seemed simple enough, but there was one problem. He had no idea how to find it. The village, as Xerneas explained to him, was hidden by the mystic power of ghost and psychic types. How was he supposed to know where it was? It was in the west, and supposedly only pokemon could find it. He sat alone on the couch pondering. Only pokemon, the goddess said... He decided to call a meeting with his team. Luna was the first to respond to the call, as she usually was. The lycanroc was loyal and trustworthy, and always ready to do what needs to be done. The others soon followed. Atty was a little shy when Val came around. The ninetales just smiled and winked. Jewel noticed and caught a whiff of a familiar scent coming from Atty. She approached him and sniffed about, which made the umbreon nervous. The espeon frowned.

"Had a nice time with Val last night? Guess that explains where you've been yesterday," she said with a bit of disdain in her voice.

"I don't know what you're talking about, Jewel." Atty did his best not to look her in the eye.

"Don't play dumb. I can smell her all over you." She huffed and pouted for a moment. "What does she have that I don't?"

"Well, let's see," Val jumped in, shoving the espeon away from Atty, staring her down, but not really showing much aggression. "I have patience, self control, and dignity. Besides, it's none of your business anyway. You might be open to kiss and tell, but I'm not."

"Val, chill." Atty finally spoke up. He wasn't used to seeing his ninetales companion so heated. She was usually more of a peacekeeper.

The kitsune lowered her head at the sound of his voice. "Sorry, Atty. I was only making a point. Can I just say one thing, though?" The umbreon nodded. Val looked to the crowd and took a deep breath before speaking. "Listen here, all of you. What happened between me and Atty is no one else's business but our own. And if you don't like it... well then I guess I'll just have to find a way to live with that." The others just stared in shock. Juniper's ears hung low, and she looked down steadily. Luna took note of this. Jewel was taken aback by the vixen's reaction, then just gave a shrug and a smile, looking at the umbreon with what could only be described as bedroom eyes.

"Well, if that's the case, then I'll just have to try even harder. Isn't that right, Atty?" she said with a purr. She felt a shove at her side. Luna was glaring at her.

"Cut it out, Jewel. I'm sure Atty didn't call us here to talk about his personal life. Or to be hit on."

"Thank you, Luna," the umbreon replied. "Yes, I would like to move on to business, if that's okay. Xerneas has reached out to me very recently, and wants me to travel to a pokemon village due west of here. I don't fancy the idea of going alone, and I need help finding it. I need two volunteers. Anyone interested?" The others stood silent, and glanced at one another.

"Why don't we all go?" asked Valentine.

"Because a large group would draw too much attention. I'd rather keep a low profile when we're out and about." The fox pokemon nodded at Atty's response.

"I'll go," Jewel spoke, "I know of this village. Especially it's leader. Been a while since I've seen Vynnie." She giggled. Atty rolled his eyes.

"Slut," Tess whispered from behind. Jewel gave her an annoyed glance, and a huff.

"As I was saying, I can get you where you need to go, no problem."

"Sounds good." Atty responded. "Anyone else?"

The lycanroc stepped forward, "I think I should accompany you as well. My keen senses may come in handy if something goes down."

"Sounds good. I still need to make some preparations. I'll meet you two in about an hour." The umbreon looked to the rest of the group. "The rest of you, go on about your business. I'll see you again in perhaps a day or so." As the team dispersed, Luna rushed over to Val's side and nudged her.

"Val, can I speak with you in private?" The fox nodded. The girls went into another room, isolating themselves from the others. "Ok, so do you mind telling me what the hell you're doing screwing around with Atty?"

The ninetales gave a huff and a glare, "Didn't I tell you all before that it's no one else's business but our own?"

"I know, and I respect that. But there's something you should know." Luna sighed deeply. "It's about Juniper. She... likes Atty."

"Of course she does. We all do."

"No, I mean she really likes him. As a mate would," Luna continued. Val didn't respond right away. It took a moment for the information to register with her before her eyes widened in a startled realization.

"You mean...?" Luna nodded. "I'm... I'm sorry. I didn't know."

"Of course you didn't. Nobody knows but me and her, and now you. June is in a vulnerable state, and Arceus knows what she's thinking right now because of this."

"I never meant to hurt her, Luna, I was just.."

"Save it. What's done is done. It's bad enough I have to keep Jewel off of Atty. I don't want to worry about you on top of it." Luna gave a depressed sigh. "I suppose I should be getting ready to go as well. Try to stay out of trouble while I'm gone, okay?" Before Val could respond, Luna was already heading out the door, leaving the vixen to think to herself.

---

It had been at least an hour since the meeting. Atty had prepared a few small satchels full of berries, mostly oran, leppa, and lum, fresh from his berry farm. They had a lace that went around the neck, making them super easy to carry. He waited outside for his teammates to show up, which they did just a few minutes later. "Are you girls ready to go?" Luna and Jewel nodded. Atty handed them each a sack of berries. "Keep these on you. Use them sparingly."

"Sure thing, Atty," said the lycanroc.

"Well then," the espeon added, "Shall we get going? It's quite a trip."

Atty nodded, "Lead the way." And so began the trio's journey to the pokemon village. They traveled west through the forest. Aside from a few passive encounters with some wild pokemon, the trip was relatively quiet. The three remained silent for a few miles, until Atty finally spoke up. "So this village... what's it like?"

"It's friendly enough," answered Jewel, "They have a pretty simple way of life. There's hunters, gatherers, traders, and some other essentials. Some of the pokemon are outcasts, some ex domestic, and others just your average wild ones. Everybody has a role to play, and as long as they're done right, life goes on."

"What about Vyn? You seem to know him well enough."

"Ah yes, Vynnie. He keeps everyone in line. A little rough around the edges. He's a big sweet heart deep down, but he doesn't like showing it. Oh and..." the espeon paused for a brief moment, "he dislikes humans. Strongly."

"Why?"

"Vyn was part of a pack when he was just a pup. Life was good for him. Then one day, a group of human hunters came along and... well, it didn't end well. Vyn's the only one who managed to escape. Since then, he's been completely distrustful of humans. Who can blame him?"

"So how did he feel when he found out you were a domestic?" asked Luna.

"He wasn't happy about it. Vyn tried to convince me to run away because he feels I'm just being used and that I'm nothing more than a tool for the greed of mankind. Of course, I never listened." She stared at the umbreon for a moment. "Atty... it would probably be best if you didn't mention that you're... well, human. That'll just be our little secret." He nodded in agreement.

They continued their journey to the village. About an hour later, they came across a large open field surrounded by the forest, and a river dividing it at the center. "Here we are," Jewel stated.

"There's nothing here, Jewel," Luna proclaimed.

"That's what they want you to think." The espeon giggled. "Watch closely." She took a few steps forward, and as she did, her body began to fade and slowly disappear from sight. Luna was left baffled. "Come on, now, don't keep me waiting." Atty looked at the lycanroc and nodded. They stood side by side and took a step together into the mysterious void. They began to vanish from the outside world as well, and soon, an entire new one appeared before them. A simple log bridge came into view that crossed the river, and a few small buildings showed up as well, including some residential buildings, an infirmary, a trader's tent, and more. There were quite a few pokemon wandering about, even some that Atty had never seen before.

"This is amazing," Atty said simply. One of the pokemon took note of their arrival and began his approach. He was a canine-like pokemon that was mostly black with a reddish orange snout and underbelly, one red eye, the other scarred and likely blind, and a black nose. Around his neck was a natural white band with a small skull shaped pendant on his throat. There were two bands on each of his four ankles, and three rib-like ridges on his back. He had a long, skinny tail with a triangular tip, and three clawed toes on each paw. On top of his head were a pair of long, curved grey horns. If someone were to describe this pokemon at first glance, the first thing to come to mind would likely be a hellhound. This must've been the houndoom Jewel had spoken of. He had quite an intimidating appearance to him.

"Hey, Vynnie," the espeon said with a playful, seductive tone.

"Hello, Jewel." he greeted. "Brought some friends this time, I see."

"Yes. This is Atemis and Luna."

"I assume they are domestic as well?" He caught their scent, twitching his nose. He shuddered when got a whiff of Atty. "The umbreon smells a bit... off." Atty's heart skipped a couple of beats. Was his scent a dead giveaway? "Or maybe it's just my imagination. Now tell me, what brings you to our village?"

The umbreon stepped forward, and cleared his throat before speaking, "We're looking for a dusclops named Okumura. Where can we find him?"

Vyn cocked an eyebrow. "What business do you have with him?"

"We received word of a missing ralts. We were told he could help us."

"Sorry, but I don't make a habit of letting strangers in on our business." Vyn huffed. The espeon looked at Atty and Luna and gave a reassuring wink.

"We're not strangers, Vynnie," she stated in a sweet, melodial tone as she began to brush up against the houndoom and purr, "Please? I'll make it worth your while."

Vyn blushed and chuckled nervously at the espeon's caressing touch and soothing voice. "Well, I suppose there's no harm in telling you." He pointed at a dark purple tent that sat isolated near the corner of the village. "You can find him there. It's where Oku spends most of his time."

"Thank you, Vynnie." The espeon gave him a kiss on the nose, making the houndoom blush hard as she stepped away from him. "Catch you later." She turned to her team, who just stared in disbelief and annoyance. "Come on now, don't we have work to do?"

The trio made their way towards the tent that sat at the edge of the village. It was a bit chillier around this area than the rest of the village, perhaps having something to do with Okumura's ghost typing. Atty approached the entrance slowly, nudging at the flaps of the entrance. "Hello? Anyone home?" The inside of the tent was even colder. Atty could see his own breath. He felt a little nervous and looked at the duo standing behind him. "Wait here." They nodded as the umbreon went inside the structure. It was dimly lit by some candles. At the center sat a small round table with a decorative cloth and a crystal ball at the center. It was difficult to tell if it's intention was for fortune telling or for holding a seance. There were two plush, purple pillow-like chairs, one at either side of the table. At the back of the tent was a small pedestal with a statue of Darkrai sitting upon it. To be honest, he was expecting something bigger. He could feel a presence close by, but couldn't really see anyone around.

"Welcome, Atemis," a voice said, "I've been expecting you." A figure slowly began to form in front of him. He jumped back in surprise and almost fell over. It was a pokemon with a roundish grey body with two stubby legs, a single red eye, and three tooth-like projections, as well as a pair of wispy growths coming out of it's shoulders and one on top of it's head. The figure also had a pair of large, light grey hands that were directly attached to the body. This was, without a doubt, the dusclops Atty was seeking out. "My apologies. I didn't mean to startle you."

"A-are you Okumura?"

"I am," the ghost replied with a stare of his singular eye.

"And you know who I am?"

"I know many things." The dusclops chuckled. "You are... human, yes?" Atty nodded, "And you were sent to me by one of the divines, if I'm not mistaken. Tell me, Atemis," he said in a calm voice, "why have you come here? What can an old dusclops like me do to help you?"

"I was told you could help me locate a ralts. It was apparently taken by some cave dwellers."

"A ralts, you say? Oh yes, you must be referring to Faith."

"You know this pokemon?"

"Faith is the daughter of our village healer, Hope. Such a sweet and innocent little thing. It's a shame she's been put into this situation."

"Why hasn't anyone done anything about it?" Atty asked.

"Because everyone's too afraid to stand up to the leader. They call themselves the Iron Marauders, and they're led by an aggron named Ikari."

"Even Vyn?"

"In a manner of speaking. Vyn has a type disadvantage against most of Ikari's crew, so it wouldn't be ideal. Vyn's team is normally our only defense against such things, but they were wiped out when they tried to go up against the Iron Marauders."

"What do they hope to gain from kidnapping a child?"

"Food and money mostly. But we can't spare any. We're already spread thin as it is." Atty thought to himself for a moment about the situation, and how best to approach it. "If you're serious about helping Faith and putting Ikari in his place, I can indeed point you in the right direction. You'll need to cross the river and follow the dirt path to a hidden cave. Ariel can get you there."

"Ariel? Who might that be?" Atty cocked his head.

"A vaporeon who lives in the river. She knows a few water types who can get you across."

The umbreon nodded, "So cross the river and follow the path to find the Iron Marauder hideout? Sounds easy enough."

"Getting there is the easy part, yes," the dusclops stated, "Ikari's the real challenge. Good luck. And be careful."

"I will be. Thanks Okumura."

---

Atty emerged from the tent and was greeted by Luna and Jewel who waited patiently for his return as instructed.

"So, how'd it go?" said Jewel with a smile.

"Pretty well. Okumura is pretty friendly."

"Learn anything new?" Luna asked. Atty turned his attention to the espeon.

"Does the name 'Iron Marauders' mean anything to you?"

Her ears folded back and she shuddered a bit at the mere mention of the name. "Not a group you want to engage with unless you're looking for trouble. Ikari's gang consists of pokemon with really tough hides, so attacking them head on won't do much good."

"Your special attacks will help out, though, won't they?"

"Yes." Jewel answered, "Hopefully it'll be enough."

"Where to, then?" added Luna.

"We need to cross the river and follow a path leading to their hideout. There's a vaporeon named Ariel who can help us get across the water safely."

"Another female? Great," the espeon said irritably.

"What's the matter, Jewel?" the wolf pokemon chuckled, "Afraid of a little competition?

"Shut up, Luna." the espeon huffed.

The trio followed along the riverbank for a bit until they had their sights on a cave entrance. Surely that was where they needed to go. The gap between them was pretty wide though. Luna paced back and forth anxiously. Being a rock type, she was likely nervous just by the thought of being near water.

"Don't worry, Luna. If this works out, you'll never have to set foot in it," Atty tried to reassure the lycanroc and calm her down. It helped, if only a little. The umbreon stared into the blue, looking for any signs of life. He could faintly see a few fish pokemon swimming by. "Hello? We're looking for Ariel." Something suddenly popped up from the surface a little further out in the water. It was a little difficult to make out completely until it came closer and rose further, revealing it's true form as it leered in towards Atty and stepped on the surface, leaving half its body in the water. It was a pokemon that shared traits with both aquatic and land animals. It's body was light blue with a dark blue marking around it's head and a spiky ridge down its spine. Its eyes were black, and it had a tiny black nose, There was a white fin encircling its neck and three fins with cream-colored webbing on its head, on one either side the made them seem like ears, and one directly on top of its head that was similar to a dorsal fin. It was a quadruped with three small toes on each foot and dark blue paw pads on its hind feet. Its split tail fin was similar to that of an aquatic mammal. You could tell by looking in its eyes and its slender form that it was a female, and she was staring at Atemis in particular with keen interest. She must've been the vaporeon Okumura spoke of.

"Looking for me, cutie?" she said with a slight pur. Atty blushed a little.

"Are you Ariel?" The aquatic pokemon nodded. "I'm Atemis, and this is Jewel and Luna."

"Pleased to meet you. So, what can I do for you, handsome?"

Atty's cheeks stayed rosey as the vaporeon sweet talked to him. He could feel a cold stare coming from Jewel, and heard a chuckle from Luna. "We need passage across the river. Would you be willing to help us?"

"I may consider it, for a price." She giggled and winked. Atty gulped and chuckled nervously.

"And the price would be?"

"Well it would be nice if a certain someone would come out in the water and play with me." The vaporeon said in a seductive tone as she gently brushed the umbreon's chin with a paw. Atty's heart skipped several beats from her suggestion, and his face was practically glowing red as she caressed him.

"I uh.. I don't know about that." Jewel was fuming behind him out of anger and jealousy, but mostly jealousy.

"Too much? Then perhaps a kiss will suffice." Ariel licked her lips as she gazed into his golden eyes. Atty seemed to settle down a little from the offer.

"I.. suppose that's okay." He sheepishly approached her, leaned in, and gave her a gentle peck on the nose. She gave a disappointing huff.

"Now, you can do better than that."

"What do you.." he was cut off when he was suddenly grabbed by a tuft of fur on his chest and almost pulled into the water as the vaporeon dragged him into a liplock, moaning into his mouth as she kissed him deeply. He struggled to break free while at the same time tried not to slip and fall into the water. He was finally released and gasped for breath as he tottered a bit, a little dazed by the sudden make out session.

"Mmm, that's good stuff," she giggled.

"Shameless." Jewel stuttered. Luna overheard her comment.

"You're one to talk." The espeon gave her a cold stare.

"As promised, I'll get you across the river. Give me one moment, please." Ariel dived into the body of water, and was gone for a moment or two. Eventually she reemerged. "I'd like you to meet a close friend of mine. Oh, Katrina.~" Suddenly, a large serpentine pokemon emerged from the deep. This pokemon had a primarily cream-colored body, with red eyes and long, pinkish antennae above them. It had long, hair-like fins above its eyes, which began thin and thickened towards the tips. These eyebrows extended to almost half of the body length. On top of its relatively small head was a straight spike. Running down either side of its neck were three black dots, similar to gills. Its lower body was patterned blue and pink, diamond-shaped scales outlined in black. The tail consisted of four large, blue fins with pink ovals in their centers. Each of the tail fins overlaps the next slightly, making it resemble a fan somewhat. From head to tail, it was at least twenty feet in length. Ariel's friend was apparently a milotic, a very rare aquatic species, and considered by many to be the most beautiful pokemon in the world. Atty couldn't believe a pokemon like this lived so close to home.

"Wow," was the only word that came to his mind.

"If you need some form of transport across the river, Katrina is the pokemon you want. She'll get you there safely, no problem," Ariel stated. The sea serpent came towards the edge and lowered herself to them. "Hop on and hold on tight." The trio did as instructed, jumping and holding on to the milotic's neck. Luna was shaking as she tried her best not to touch the water. Katrina followed Ariel across the river and within moments, they were on the other side. She lowered her head and allowed them to hop off. "So are you here to deal with the marauders?" The vaporeon asked.

"Yes. They're holding a child for ransom, and it's up to us to stop them."

"I wish you the best of luck then. That Ikari fellow is a really nasty piece of work."

"Any chance you'd be willing to join us, Ariel?" asked Atty, "Your water typing could come in really handy."

"I would, but I'm afraid not. I'm a lover, not a fighter."

"Obviously," Jewel snarked. The aquatic pokemon seemed unfazed by her comment.

"Anyway, if you need passage again, you know where to find me. See you around, handsome." She winked and dove into the river with her friend Katrina, and in an instant, were nowhere to be seen. The trio continued forward towards the dirt path that soon enough led them to their final destination. A cave entrance, but no guards it seemed.

"Okay, girls, this is it," Atty implied. "We don't know what Ikari has planned for any visitors, so stay sharp." Jewel and Luna nodded and followed his lead into the cave.

---

The cave's interior was dimly lit. The trio ventured somewhat deep into it, but so far it had been quiet. The marauder pokemon were either unaware of the existence of Atty's team, or they were lying in wait for an ambush. Whatever the case, Atty, Luna, and Jewel had to remain vigilant. Roughly a few minutes later, they started to hear some scuttering footsteps, and saw a silhouette dash by in front of them.

"What was that?" said Luna. Atty listened for a moment. His ears twitched as he heard something incoming.

"Move!" The trio jumped out of the way just in time to dodge a barrage of glowing needles as they sprayed across the ground.

"Who's there? Show yourself coward!" The ground suddenly began to rumble, and a large, round boulder rolled towards them at high speed. They jumped away once more at the last second, just barely scratching Jewel as she flinched a bit. The boulder rolled up the wall like a half pipe and lobbed itself over them, crashing down between the trio and knocking them back. As they recovered, they noticed this was no ordinary rock. It was covered by shell plating, green in color. Suddenly, something protruded from it. A head with a flat snout and two pointed teeth in the lower jaw, and red eyes, short arms with three claws and two legs with four claws on the front and one in the back, all light brown in color.

"A golem," Atty muttered to himself.

"Leave this place, outsiders," it said aggressively, "Ikari isn't taking visitors."

"Not without the ralts," the umbreon stood his ground and stared the golem down. The rock type huffed.

"Fine. Have it your way. Let's get 'em boys." He called out to two figures standing behind him. To his left, a pokemon that resembled a combination of an armadillo and a porcupine or hedgehog. Most of its underside was light yellow with a white underbelly. It had a narrow muzzle, almond-shaped blue eyes, and a thick tail. It's back was mostly covered in sharp, brown quills, and it had large claws on its paws and feet. This was a sandslash, and judging by the earlier needle barrage, it was likely a poison sting attack from this pokemon. They would have to be careful about going head on with this one, especially if it decides to roll up into a ball. Those spikes looked like they could do some damage. To the golem's right was a much larger, bipedal and grey pokemon that resembled both a dinosaur and rhinoceros. It had narrow, red eyes and two fangs in its upper jaw. On the tip of its snout sat a cream-colored horn. It had several other spikes and projections on its head. On top, a spike that curved forward, two triangular points resembling ears on the sides, a wide, wavy crest under each ear, and spiky ridges on each cheek. It had a cream-colored abdomen divided into strips by thin divots. A rocky plate on its chest slightly overlaps its abdomen, and there was a row of spikes down its back. It had a long tail with thin, black strips. This was a rhydon. These are usually big but slow creatures. Atty's biggest concern was the horn.

"This could be a problem," Atty uttered. Suddenly, the golem curled up and began rolling towards them again, aiming for the umbreon. The sandslash used its claws to quickly shovel and burrow itself underground, and the rhydon's horn began to spin rapidly like a drill as it charged towards the group, but he seemed to be targeting Jewel specifically. "Split up! Divide their attention!" the umbreon ordered. They each went a different direction as instructed. Atty had the golem's attention, Jewel had the rhydon's. The sandslash wasn't visible to them at the moment, but Atty assumed he was going after Luna, who was expecting a surprise at any moment. He stood his ground and waited for the rolling pokemon to get close before finally jumping out of the way and letting the golem crash into the wall. The rock pokemon, however, was unphased and wedged himself out of the crater he had left. Before he could react, Atty suddenly vanished, leaving his opponent confused as he looked around for the umbreon, only to be struck out of nowhere from the side multiple times. Atty reappeared, rubbing his head and feeling like he just ran into a brick wall. The golem chuckled.

"You'll have to do better than that, pup," he mocked.

Jewel waited patiently for her foe, the rhydon, showing no fear whatsoever as he charged at her head on, and as he was just about to make contact, he was stopped in his tracks as a glowing light surrounded him. The gem on the espeon's head shined brightly as she glared at her helpless opponent. She had him ensnared in psychic energy and was now at her mercy. "Better luck next time," she said with a whip of her head, tossing the rhino pokemon across the cave. He was about to hit the golem, who saw the incoming body and curled up into his ball form. The rhydon hit him hard and rolled him a short distance as his ally ragdolled over him. His head protruded as he looked over to his fallen friend. Down for the count from a single psychic blast. The golem growled with frustration.

Luna was waiting anxiously for a strike, listening to the vibrations of the earth beneath her for any signs of movement. She could feel the sandslash moving about underneath her, but couldn't pinpoint his exact location. Suddenly, she was struck from below on the belly as a claw shot out from underground, knocking her in the air and back a few feet. The ground type finally emerged from the ground and sprang in the air, spinning rapidly as more needles shot from his body. The lycanroc cringed from the pain but managed to regain composure and jump away from the spikes, and charged forward, fangs bared and glowing red as she closed in and grabbed her opponent by the arm, clamping down as flames escaped from her teeth and singed the tough hide, causing the sandslash to scream in pain as he tried to smack her off with his free claw. She winced, but held firm, showing no signs of letting go as she took a beating in the face. Finally she gave in and released him, and took two hard hits from the mouse pokemon's large claws, flinging her across the room and into a rock formation. She struggled to stand back up and breathed heavily as the sandslash came at her, swiping his claws at her as she did her best to avoid them. She finally saw an opening and bit down on his other arm, causing another screech to escape from the ground type. He started pounding on her again with his weaker arm, but it didn't do him much good. She suddenly whipped around and tossed him across the room and suddenly picked up speed after him, dust kicking up as she rushed towards her foe and gave a full body tackle in the exposed chest area, sending him flying further and into the downed rhydon. The sandslash went limp and passed out by his fallen comrade. The golem took note of this and groaned irritably, now all alone three against one.

He curled up and rolled once more towards Atty. The umbreon misinterpreted the timing and took a hit, almost getting steamrolled by the rock type. He rolled up the wall and lobbed himself, set on slamming down on his opponent with his entire body weight. Luna saw what was happening and managed to muster enough strength to spring into the air and tackle the golem, knocking him away from Atty and towards Jewel, who stood her ground and gave off a bright, flashing beam from her forehead, blasting the rock type in a glimmering light that sent him flying towards his fallen allies. When he slammed into the ground, he stood up and tottered, clearly left dazed and confused by the espeon's previous attack. Atty seized the opportunity and quickly dashed forward, giving the golem a full body tackle and knocking him back off his feet. The umbreon once again rubbed his head as he watched his foe collapse from the final blow.

The trio gathered together once more and peered over their fallen foes, proud of their accomplishment. "Good work, everyone," said Atty. He noticed the lycanroc struggling to stand. "Are you okay, Luna?"

"I'm fine. Just a scratch," she claimed, covered in scratches and dirt.

"Doesn't look like it," added Jewel, "You took a pretty hard hit from that dig and crush claw attack."

"I'm fine guys. Really," the lycanroc tried to argue. "It's just been a while since I've battled a real opponent."

"Well, just to be on the safe side, you should rest a moment and eat some of the oran berries I packed. It'll make you feel better," Atty stated. Luna nodded and laid down to catch her breath.

---

After a few berries and a bit of rest, the trio continued their journey into the depths of the cavern. With the blockade neutralized, getting to Ikari shouldn't be much of a problem anymore. Dealing with him, however, was an entirely different story. It got a bit darker as they went deeper. Eventually they hit a dead end. They could hear a weeping sound, and saw a figure underneath what looked like a rib cage being used as... well, a cage. It barely stood a foot tall and was humanoid in shape. It was mostly white with thin arms and legs that widened towards the feet, with wispy extensions trailing off the back of its feet, creating an overall impression of a nightgown or oversized dress. Most of its face was covered by green hair that resembled a bowl cut, though a pair of pinkish-red eyes were somewhat visible. It also had two flat, red horns on top of its head, one large one in the front and a smaller one in the back. This must be the ralts they were looking for. It sounded like she was crying. It was clear she was sad and frightened. Atty approached the cage cautiously. "Faith?" said the umbreon, grabbing the ralts' attention. "Don't worry, we're getting you out of here." Her eyes glimmered as she grabbed and looked through the ribs with her stubby hands. As Atty was about to move the rib cage, he felt something crash down behind him intensely, making him jump and the fur on his back stand on end.

"I don't think so, shrimp." He turned around slowly. Before him was a bipedal figure nearly seven feet tall. It was primarily gray with plates of silver armor. The armor on its head had two pairs of holes with horns protruding from the foremost ones. Its forehead plating extended past its upper jaw in a small point. It had sky-blue eyes, and two nostril-like holes on the tip of its upper jaw. On the rim of its mouth were several pointed, fang-like protrusions and the nape of its neck and back had gray-silver armor sections. It had wide, blunt spikes on its shoulders, and gray-silver bands on its arms and legs. Its hands and feet each had three claws, and it had a thick, long, black tail. At first glance, this pokemon looks like a metal dragon. This was without a doubt Ikari, the aggron they had been warned about. Aggron are infamous for their superior defensive abilities, and for physical attackers, it would take a monumental effort to bring this beast down. Without warning, Atty was struck in the face by an iron fist. Pain rushed through him as his skull was struck and sent flying away from the cage. He tumbled as he landed. Something triggered in Luna when this happened, something that spiked rage in her. She dashed and lunged for the dragon-like pokemon, and tried to bite down on its unprotected shoulder, but even that proved difficult to pierce, as this pokemon's body was half rock, half steel. The aggron didn't even flinch, chuckling at the lycanroc's attempt. "You really think a bite is gonna phase me?" He suddenly grabbed her by the back of the neck, and smashed her down into the solid rock floor beneath them. She was dazed, and suddenly felt a heavy foot slam down on her. Atty watched in horror as his wolf friend was stomped into the earth. He knew the average weight of an aggron was roughly eight hundred pounds, some can even be as heavy as one thousand. Roughly any attack from this pokemon will pack a serious punch. He gathered his energy and stood up, though a bit shaken from the previous attack, face hurting as he tried to come up with a plan of attack. He looked at Jewel, who returned his stare. Both nodded in unison, as though they read each other's mind. Atty suddenly charged for his opponent. Ikari watched as he approached, and his tail suddenly began to glow as he did a quick spin. Atty vanished suddenly and managed to dodge the incoming tail swipe, reappearing behind the steel pokemon and tackle the back of his iron head. Ikari almost lost his balance, but managed to keep himself from falling over. It was then that he was suddenly struck by an unseen force. Jewel's eyes and gem were glowing brightly, blasting Ikari with constant psychic blasts, eventually knocking him into a wall. The aggron gathered his strength and dug his feet into the ground, letting him stand his ground and resist the attacks. He suddenly charged forward, practically ignoring the blasts as he attempted to strike at the espeon. She watched fearfully as he came at her full force. Atty suddenly appeared in front of her with a charged, glowing ball of light in front of him, launching it at the dragon. Ikari couldn't stop himself, and took the hit directly in the chest. It didn't appear to do anything, until his eyes turned red. The aggron became hysterical, thrashing about all over the place.

"He's confused! Keep hitting him!" Atty commanded. Jewel responded by continuously blasting the aggron with more psychic blasts as he flailed about, hitting the walls and other rock formations, and started getting a little too close to the ralts, who was completely helpless in this situation. She curled up in a fetal position and braced for impact. Atty took note and jumped in front of her just in time to take another iron fist to the face, knocking him hard against the wall and causing a few small rocks to collapse on top of him. Jewel watched in terror. The aggron's eyes began turning back to normal, and he seemed to calm down. He looked around and saw the umbreon out cold, and grinned menacingly.

"Pathetic. Why do you even try?" He turned his attention to the espeon, who trembled in fear. "And then there was one." He dug his feet into the earth again and suddenly charged, head lowered and horns extended. Jewel dodged the incoming blow, but couldn't respond in time to a heavy, glowing tail smacking her entire body. She went flying and almost hit the wall. She struggled to stand. Jewel knew she couldn't afford to fail, and looked around for a solution to stop this mad beast. She looked up and saw some stalactites on the ceiling. This may be her only chance. The aggron made another charge for her. Jewel began using her psychic powers again, but instead of using them on her opponent, she aimed for a stalactite directly above her. She dislodged it, and carefully aimed it at her foe. Once she acquired her target, she launched the pointed rock. Ikari's eyes widened as he was impaled and sent back in the direction he came from. The stalactite shattered as he hit the wall. Rocks began falling all around him, burying him in a lot of rubble. Jewel finally collapsed from exhaustion, thinking it was over, until she heard some rumbling from the rock pile. Ikari emerged, looking beaten, body armor covered in dust and debris. He had one eye closed. And limped forward, snarling. "You think..a rock to the face is gonna stop me? I'm the Iron Marauder!" As he attempted to take another step forward, he lost his footing. The metal dragon collapsed and fainted from exhaustion. Jewel breathed a sigh of relief.

"Thank Arceus that's over." She stood up and rushed up to Atty, taking a oran berry from her pouch and feeding it to him. He chewed and swallowed a bite of it, and woke up.

"D-did we do it?" He asked. The espeon nodded. She then went up to Luna, and gave her a bite of oran as well, reviving her from exhaustion.

"Ugh.. that really smarts," she stated. "Ikari... Is he?"

"He's dealt with, don't worry," Jewel assured. The trio came together and approached the ralts, removing the cage and setting her free.

"Th-thank you," she stuttered. "I was so scared."

"Did they hurt you, sweetie?" Jewel asked. Faith shook her head.

"They said they would hurt my friends if I didn't do as they asked. Ikari was so big and scary. You're all so brave for standing up to him. I would've too, if I wasn't such a coward." She sobbed.

"You're not a coward, Faith," Atty stated, "If anything, Ikari is, for abducting, scaring, and using a child the way he did."

"We can dwell on that later though," Luna interrupted, "Let's just get out of here before he wakes up." Atty and Jewel nodded in agreement, and with the ralts in hand, they fled the scene, leaving Ikari, who remained out cold and covered in rubble.

---

With Ikari defeated and the young ralts now free of his grasp, the team carefully made their way out of the hideout. At last, they reached daylight. Their eyes stung a bit from the light.

"Ah, the light," the ralts spoke, "How I've missed it." They approached the river and noticed a couple of familiar figures waiting for them at the edge. It was Ariel and Katrina. The vaporeon smiled as they approached, noting the dirt, scratches, and bruises covering them.

"So how'd it go?" Ariel asked, tail swaying gently behind her.

"You tell us," the umbreon answered, gesturing to Faith, who waved and smiled.

"Hi, Ariel!" she cheered.

The vaporeon was shocked. "You... actually pulled it off. And Ikari... You defeated that brute?"

"Nothing we couldn't handle," Luna added.

"That's quite an impressive feat. To be honest I didn't expect to see you three again. Especially you, Atty." She stared at the umbreon with bedroom eyes and a flick of her tail, purring softly. Jewel stepped in between them, clearing her throat to speak as she stared at the water type coldly.

"If you're about done making goo goo eyes at the man candy, we'd like to get across the river now."

"Of course," the blue pokemon just smiled, and seemed completely oblivious to Jewel's comment about Atty. "All aboard the Katrina express." The serpent pokemon lowered her head for them and allowed the group to hop on, except for Faith. Ariel stood by her. "You can ride with me." The ralts complied, and seemed pretty excited, but whether it was because of the ride or the fact that she was going home, no one could say but her. They all held on tight as they crossed the water, Luna, once again nervous about the cool, crisp river beneath her. Faith on the other hand was the opposite. She let one of her stubby little hands ski across the water, cheering happily. It warmed Atty's heart to see her carefree spirit, and shuddered to think what would've become of her if they hadn't come to her rescue. They were all relieved when they finally made it to the other side of the river and climbed down from the milotic, along with faith hopping off the vaporeon.

"That was fun," the little psychic type said, "Can we do that again sometime?"

"Of course. But for now," Ariel nudged her in the back, "you need to run along home. Your mother has been sick with worry since you disappeared." She turned her attention to the trio as they came to shore, mostly paying attention to Atty. "I'll be looking forward to seeing more of you sometime, Atty. You make sure you come and visit sometime." She blew a kiss at him and gave a wink as she suddenly did a backflip into the water, making a splash as she disappeared. Atty couldn't help but blush hard at the comment. Jewel only rolled her eyes while Luna chuckled.

They made their way back to the village. Faith got a little tired, so she hitched a ride on Luna's back. A familiar canine pokemon seemed to have been waiting for them to return. It was the houndoom, Vyn. "When I first heard you were planning to take on Ikari's gang, I thought you were insane. At least you made it back in one piece." He noticed the ralts with them. "And you've managed to defeat the Iron Marauders? Impressive. You'll have earned yourselves a lot of respect once word gets around." The ralts stood idly behind them with one of its stubby hands covering its mouth, looking around aimlessly for something. She eventually found what she was looking for and suddenly sprinted as fast as her little feet could carry her. The child approached a bipedal figure that looked a lot like herself with some obvious differences. It was a humanoid pokemon who's body resembled a flowing gown. Most of its body was white, but its hair, arms, and the underside of its gown were green. Its hair curled over its face and down the sides of its head. Behind its red eyes were short spikes, resembling a masquerade mask. It had long arms with three fingers on each hand and slender white legs. A red, fin-like horn extended from its chest, and a shorter, more rounded one out from the back. A band of green on its chest extended to the center of the front of the horn and connected to its sleeve-like arms. This pokemon was a gardevoir, and very obviously the ralts' parent. She suddenly noticed her child approaching and began to tear up as she crouched and reached out to her child with open arms, picked her up and held her close.

"Momma," the ralts cheered and hugged back.

"Faith, my little angel. You've come home." The mother began inspecting her offspring carefully. "Did those thugs harm you? Did they feed you?"

"I was scared, but I'm fine now, thanks to Mr. Atemis and his friends." She pointed to the umbreon and company. The gardevoir approached them, holding the ralts close.

"Atemis, is it? Thank you so much for bringing my child back. I'm Hope, the village doctor. Tell me, are you a rescue team by chance?"

"No, just your average pokemon out to help others in need, is all," answered Atty, "When we first heard about Faith, we couldn't just sit by and do nothing."

"You and your friends are truly pure of heart. I owe you a great debt, one that I can probably never repay. If there's anything I can do for you in the future, You need only ask." Faith suddenly leaped out of Hope's arms and ran to the umbreon, giving him a warm hug.

"Thank you again, Mr. Atemis," the ralts added, "You're my hero." Atty's heart fluttered a bit, and he smiled sheepishly as the little one let go and ran back to her mother. The two left shortly after.

"So what now, hero?" Luna smirked.

"We go home, get some rest, and wait for further orders from Xerneas.

"Sounds good to me," replied Jewel, "I'm about half starved after all that."