“Do you think…?”

Vli prodded the Snorlax in the chest, while Gareda had kneeled by his head, pressing the side of a talon against his neck. A symbolic measure. Her sensors were sharp enough to recognise death when faced with it.

“Not a chance. Whoever is responsible knew exactly what they were doing.”

Gareda’s voice was grave, and her scowl sharp enough to send someone to theirs. Nevertheless, Vli’s questions continued.

“Do you think the Othersider did this?”

“Not in a thousand years,” said Gareda, her voice descending into a snarl as she directed the Toucannon towards the rocks scattered by her legs. “Oshawott do not attack with giant boulders. Least of all one that used to be human. But he was here.”

“Are we certain of that?” Vli asked. “The testimony we have gotten so far is rather scarce, isn’t it? Only one or two people have said they saw an Oshawott with a Charmeleon. One was a Soldier, and I believe the other was a civilian. If the civilian even said that was what they saw.”

The Garchomp rose off her knee. “Good enough for me. With all the Pokemon in the world, what are the odds that an identical pairing would show themselves in this portion of Eravate, right when intelligence confirms that damned boy would be here?” She turned, leaving Vli unable to see more than a darkened section of her face. “Do you really believe this is all merely a coincidence?”

“It could be true.”

“In a time where coincidences do not matter.”

Gareda wandered down the dirt track running through Flamehollow. The main road… or only road. The burrows not connected to it were surrounded by grass and vegetable gardens on all sides. A miserable hamlet, made sadder by the upturned dirt and scars of attacks all over the place.

“This is only the beginning, Vli. Mark my words. The Alliance is making moves here.”

Vli kicked his stubby feet at a loose speck of dirt. “Certainly. A storm is brewing on the horizon, and not a small one. Now, I’m no expert on what’s been happening around here in the past few years, but either this is the biggest attack by the Alliance around here period, or Cerben has been lying to us-”

“Forget about it,” Gareda retorted. Whether or not Vli wasn’t done yet didn’t matter; she had heard enough. “That mad dog does not have it in himself to lie. Least of all to me. He only lied to Patrina to save his own hide, that is all”

She shot a scowl towards the hills just outside of the city. “But they overestimate themselves. We will find them scurried in those hills. Footsteps do not lie.” ‘Neither do my sensors. Finely honed specifically for this…’

“Apparently they’ve already caught one,” Vli squawked out. “I look forward to using them as target practice after interrogation. Bastards have got to learn after committing murder.”

Gareda rolled his eyes while looking away. ‘And yet he struggled with my approach some time ago. Funny how minds change with a firm dose of reality. In claw form.’

The Toucannon suddenly fluttered his wings. “Actually… I have poked around here for long enough. I’ll make sure these godsforsaken terror spreaders will get what they deserve!” he squawked out, before spreading his wings and taking to the sky. Gareda’s frown deepened.

“HEY! If you find the Othersider and his partner, do NOT harm them! They are my responsibility, is that CLEAR?”

“Understood, my lord!”

Gareda’ didn’t have the idea Vli heard her properly. The force he put into his wingbeats and grimness in his eyes revealed more than words could. Hawkish was his devotion to the task at hand. With little standing in his way beside a single hill, he flew off towards the horizon without a glance back. Gareda shook her head.

‘That fool is bound to get himself killed one day…’

With a growl, she adjusted her scarf to get any folds out, then wandered across Flamehollow. She said nothing to the civilians watching her from the sides. Most were children who seemed scared to even be alive. One Fuecoco was covering behind a barrel, terrified after catching a mere glimpse of Gareda, She looked away, once again to hide the scowl on her face.

‘This is precisely what we are trying to solve… damned monsters.’

A quiet had settled by the time Gareda reached the tent camp. Spare groans and Soldiers trying to comfort those groaning with medicine, the winds were empty. The fire types that lived here were like cowering Mausholds. Their flamelight shone through their tents, and their smell was as potent as ever, but not a word was said. At best, the sound of a local peeking out of their tent was all they showed of themselves.

One tent stood apart, however. Around twice the size of the others with a small flag sticking out on top, and painted with a red dye over the brown of the rest. Voices were coming from the inside as Gareda approached.

“Mayor Lon, we really need your help with catching these people. I swear, that’s all we’re asking for, you have to have something to spare here.”

“I can’t do that… not at all. We’re a poor bunch, ma’am. We ain’t got nothin’ to spare for ye that ye haven’t already taken with taxes. It’s a destitute situation we got here. Yer on yer own for this one.”

“But this is an actual atrocity that happened here! You can’t just ignore this, your people were raided! Put in danger by actual brigands!”

“She’s right! She really is! This is terrible, we gotta do something!”

“Lissen… this ain’t something we can help with! How are we supposed to help out when we got driven out of our own homes by a dungeon suddenly poppin’ up? We asked for help with it numerous times, yet did we get any? Nope.”

“It’s gone now, though!”

“Not because of ye, is it?”

Gareda growled as she listened to the three voices argue among themselves. One belonged to Luffy, the other two had to have been locals.

‘Another lavatory fire in the making, ugh. I have to help her out.’

Without reservations, Gareda barged into the tent. One poor Charcadet attempted to stop her. The Garchomp simply knocked her over before heading into the main part of the tent. She was met with Luffy, a multicolored Muk right next to her, and an Incineroar at the other end of the table they were standing at, all looking at her in shock.

“Right… allow me to put a word in.”

The Incineroar turned his head. “Who are ye?” he asked, to which Gareda tilted her head.

“Gareda Steelhide of the Vined Crest.”

“Never heard of ye,” the Inceneroar stated. “Yer some rookie shot caller or somethin’?”

She shrugged while suppressing a scowl. ‘Blegh. Bad enough to say Vined Crest.’ “Something like that. I was transferred over here from a different part of the Ruby Province. Routine matters, nothing more important than that.” ‘No need to put that mad dog into deeper trouble if I can help it. Puts me in a worse position as well, ugh.’

Incineroar studied Gareda from afar, leaning forward over the table. His eyes traced from head to talon, from talon to the spikes on her leg, then the fin on her other arm before returning back to meet the eyes.

“Right then… Name’s Lon. Mayor Lon. I run this town. Now what do ye want? Same thing as these others here, I take it?”

Gareda held her chin up high. “Not exactly. There’s a banditry problem around these parts, as you can tell. All we want is to solve the trouble. I heard you voice grievances about taxes, correct? It is only fair that we help with those problems. All we need now are answers to a few questions.”

Lon’s eyes narrowed. “Really? ‘Cause yer bud here’s been talkin’ ‘bout needin’ help. Like, actual help kind of help. Pokemon with ye to help catch people. Ye think we can do that? See all the tents outside? We got people to take care of. Lost their homes. Known ‘em for years, ask for help from the city and the Crest, ain’t gettin’ anythin’ from ‘em except requests to catch up on damned taxes. ‘Cause the city needs more supplies for the Festival soon. Guess we can’t celebrate it ourselves…”

The Incineroar turned his head away. His throat vibrated from a growl stirring inside, before he pressed his unsheathed claws back against the table, tail whipping fiercely behind him.

“Do ye know how difficult it is, lookin’ people ye’ve known fer years in their eyes… people that trust ye with their trouble, n’ watchin’ ‘em cry ‘cause they’ve lost their home to a dungeon poppin’ up in their backyard outta nowhere? ‘S locals in the area who got the same problem! I’m in charge of ‘em too… I got nothing for ‘em except tents.”

Gareda acknowledged the mayor’s rant with a slight nod. ‘Like we’re living in luxury.’ “A nightmare. Trust me, it is a struggle for us as well. But rest be assured that we are doing our best. After the brigands had been chased out, I sent some troops to investigate the dungeon. It has been dealt with.”

“Really?” Lon interrupted. Gareda bit her tongue.

‘Making it real tempting to rip the mask off, pussycat.’ “Yes, really. There is no dungeon anymore. People can move back into their homes.”

“And what of the others nearby? Ain’t the only dungeon we’re dealing with, here.”

“We’ll deal with them along with the brigands running amok, don’t worry. Two Pidgeys with one stone, as they say in the Agate Province,” Gareda said. The Incineroar raised one eye, his ears flat against his head.

“Thought ye were from these parts… what do ye know about the Agate folks, huh?”

‘Damnit.’ Gareda folded her arms. “Military had me moving around in more peaceful times. This is commonplace for anyone wanting to lead.”

“Right then...” Lon’s ears perked back up. “So, what’s this yer asking? Ye want me to answer questions, that’s all? Can do that, but I ain’t sending people on a wild Quaxly chase with ye.”

“Most certainly,” Gareda deadpanned, elbowing Luffy. She had been ignoring her for the conversation so far, but the tension in the room had only strengthened from the moment she had walked in. She didn’t want her to feel any stress, especially for a task as simple as getting a mayor to cooperate. Luffy wasn’t one to keep her cool when dealing with social situations; Arceus knew it took long enough for her to grow warmer to Gareda, after all. Still, she had a long way to go.

The music continued. Gareda cleared her throat, then looked Lon straight in the eye. “Right then. First question. How many of them were here?”

Lon shrugged. “Dunno. Ask-”

“About a dozen! About a dozen!” the thus far silent Muk said. “It was awful! They utterly overwhelmed your troops here, even destroyed homes!”

Gareda turned to the Muk, tail swaying from side to side. “Thank you,” she said with a heavy dose of sarcasm, glaring at the now groaning mayor from the corner of her eye. ‘Looks like someone isn’t quite as aloof as they make themselves out to be…’

“...Yes. A dozen or so. If yer right, anyway.”

“Might even be more, to be honest… I didn’t see too well, it was pure chaos.”

Gareda cleared her throat once more. “Enough of that, next question. What direction did the bandits attack from? Did some come from inside of the village?”

“Hmm…” Lon licked his lips. “Think they came from the hills. From the village, though? Nah. Ain’t no shady people here in Flamehollow. Would’ve thrown ‘em out myself if there were,” he said. Gareda rolled her eyes.

‘I can think of one.’ “Right, right… One final question. Where did the bandits run off to?”

“Probably into the hills. ‘S what I would do. Wouldn’t go runnin’ towards the big city where there’s a good ten thousand of ye. Somethin’ like that.”

“Right then…” ‘Doesn’t know the real number.’ “In that case, we are finished here. Thank you for your cooperation. We have our work cut out for us.”

Lon groaned out a sigh. “Ergh. Ye go do yer thing, just leave us common folks out of it, ya hear?”

Luffy reassured the mayor on the way out, while the Muk local in the meeting with them timidly followed Gareda out of the tent. Gareda was done asking questions. Not a moment too soon for her own liking. There was a chill in the air, one had taken her… companions into its grip.

It wouldn’t be until they were back out of the tent city that Gareda wanted to speak with either Muk or Luffy. They were back on the main road; Someone had dragged the fallen Snorlax off the road.

“So then. I take it you are both thinking what I am thinking?”

“Whuh, me?” the Muk asked.

Gareda scowled. “Yes, you. Do you see anyone else who was present back there?”

“Whoa, whoa, whoa…!” Muk shook his hands, the goo his body was made out of shaking in a similar fashion. “D-don’t make me out for the bad guy here, I’m just as worried about all of this as you are!”

Gareda lowered her arms. Her sensors could tell she had pushed too hard.

“Easy now. When the situation is serious, I am equally serious,” she said, to the timid nods of the Muk. “Question for you, and for her as well. Your mayor appears suspicious, doesn’t he?”

Muk shoved his arms inside his mouth. They detached from the rest of the body, vanishing into the back of his throat before they reemerged in the exact same spot.

“I, uh, don’t know about that. Aloof, yes, but he’s been like that for a while.”

Gareda blinked at a glacial speed. “Aloof when the village is sacked? What a miserable excuse for a mayor. Take one good look at this town. Would you call this a good job?” She stretched her arm out towards the damaged structures and holes in the ground. A little Fuecoco was pushing the dirt back to where it had been before the raid. His cheeks were shiny, and he looked dirty and miserable.

“N-no.”

“Not a chance, my Lord,” Luffy said. She looked Gareda in the eye, her tail flame sparking, while Muk seemed as if he wanted to crawl out of his own body. His goo was producing a smell akin to fermented Oran.

“Very good. This is a travesty… unless of course, that is what the point was,” Gareda growled.

Muk was taken aback. “You’re… you’re not implying he asked for this, did he?”

“Why no, I simply believe that he was too busy stuffing his face the entire time, even as half this village shambles and rots away in their tents.” Gareda readied her talons for a fight. “Of course I am suspicious. These problems are not new in the Ruby Province. And you know that yourself, unless those giant eyes of yours function as well as his ears do.”

“N-no ma’am…” Muk’s eyes disappeared into his body. Gareda shuffled a foot through the dirt, which produced a sound resembling one of the hovels collapsing in on itself.

“No indeed. Now, time’s up. You get busy fixing this wretched little burg up. All three of us know your mayor is preoccupied coming up with excuses for why he can’t. Move.”

Gareda watched with an unamused frown as the Muk slimed away, Luffy at her side disturbed by it all. Before the Magmar even opened her mouth, the Garchomp felt how conflicted she was about the whole ordeal.

“Okay… Thank you for bailing me out there, Gareda, I didn’t know what to say anymore.”

A rumble passed through Gareda’s throat as she lowered her arms. “Don’t sweat it. Some fools in this world are no different than brick walls. A Gigalith isn’t as dense as that pussycat is.”

Luffy sucked in a breath. “True. Very true, however…” ‘Here it comes.’ “This isn’t surprising to me anymore, but… I’m not so sure if you’re right in your suspicions. That kind of uh, aloofness as you say, it’s not uncommon for us Rubyfolk to have that attitude.”

Gareda slowly dragged her eyes towards Luffy. “Do we have a choice here?”

“Well-”

“Do we. Have a choice here?” Gareda’s eyes had narrowed.

“Uh… we do?” Luffy mumbled, much to Gareda’s disappointment. ‘Just when I thought she had started to get it, we’re right back to square zero.’

The Garchomp crouched down. “To the contrary, we don’t. We have anything but a choice here, Luffy. Just take a long, hard look around you…” Her focus was on the spot where the Snorlax had fallen. “Eventually, it will start to sink in. A town taken over, even if only temporary? Crest Soldiers killed? This is no time for games. This is war.”

Luffy shuddered in defeat. “R-right, right. But we’re not just going to move and take him, right? The locals here seem to like him. Remember what I said about the Rubyfolk and trust? Or even what Cerben said.”

Gareda shook her head. “Of course we’re not going to just arrest him. And no, we won’t kill him, either. But we are going to keep an eye on him. Let’s see if this beloved little mayor is anywhere near as honest as everyone here proclaims him to be, shall we?”

“Understood,” Luffy said. “As long as this will turn out successful. Just don’t drown my home country in this.”

“Hm.” Gareda had but a smile to give. “We won’t.”