The Reformed Wrongdoer Part 2 - Team Tinker

    Berry darted away with a startled cry - knowing enough to avoid being hit by attacks based in water at all costs - and managed to grip onto the stalagmite of hard bits of floor nearby.

   Opal hopped out of the way and onto a chunk of ice that was already melting from the solid surface it had been before. He wobbled slightly as he regained his footing then growled up at the opponent. This was the dividing line between full blown diva-explosion and calm-collected Vulpix. His fur frizzed as his skin prickled and muscles tensed.

    He was at a disadvantage but he could use his Aurora Beam, Icy Wind, Hex or Confuse Ray if there was an opening to do so. For now, he figured his best place would be near the ground. He’d keep creating icy platforms while he still had the energy to do so but that wouldn’t last forever.

    Nina’s tail was too small for Jaina to stand on comfortably with her there so she couldn’t transport her. But Berry was small enough that she could.

    Nina dodged the attack from Marcus and lowered herself toward Berry. “Zug, stop provoking him! How good of a digger are you? Maybe you can dig out a tunnel or trench to funnel this water out of here? That would be a big help!”

    Then, her voice lowered a bit so she could talk to Berry. She relayed the offer of a quick transport on Nina’s tail if she needed it. Nina wasn’t used to working with Berry or Jaina but having a plan was the best thing in this situation.

    Rayth continued to pretend he wasn’t there. His cloth body draped down Nina’s back like an ordinary piece of clothing. The only giveaway was, to a sharp-eyed observer, the fact beads of ordinary water being splashed up from attacks or movement went straight through him.

    Cotton squeaked out his usual descriptions but felt oddly … brave. He had his sister back and he was even in the middle of a battle with another bug type. Technically… he was in the best stance to win based on typing alone. … He thought.

    That small streak of bravery was quickly quelled. He hopped above Jaina’s head and sent an electric shock up toward the enemy, “LEAVE MY SISTER ALONE, YOU BIG MEANBUTT.” The less than intimidating insult aside, his tiny squeaks and weak attack did no damage to the toughened criminal. Cotton landed back down in Jaina’s soft fur and, in a split second, was back hiding below Jaina’s fur again. His mutterings of ‘I’m sorry, I’m sorry’ continued on for a while after.

    Jaina grinned and offered her little brother a quick reassurance - "You got him good, Cotton" - and then focused her attention on the smells in the room. using her Odor Sleuth she was able to pick out the enemy quickly enough, and with Cotton's precise directions she could close the distance between them. Although she wasn't used to working with any of the others in a hostile situation, she could at least do what she was good at and let them handle their own work. Her movement served as a distraction, making Marcus focus his attacks on her and away from the others.

    While Jaina limberly sprang from one foothold to the next, Zug and Berry briefly regarded the Raichu. Berry only needed to think for a second before climbing aboard, accepting Nina's offer. "Thank you, dear," she said, just as Zug's voice boomed out again.

   
    "I ain't gonna leave you ladies to fend for yourselves!" he argued. "Us big boys gotta defend the ladies, don't we?"

    Berry thought about that for a second. Technically, it was respectful for the man to protect the women in most situations. And she herself would definitely appreciate that sort of thing, but still...

    "Sometimes, dear, but remember that in the guilds we ladies have to be able to fight too. Remember, S-- a lady was able to fight you a while back, and our own leader is a lady. Besides, you would be keeping us safe by draining the water!" She smiled sweetly, proud of herself for correcting her mistake and also making a strong argument to keep Zug cooperating with them.

    The Diggersby scratched at his head. "...Huh. Yeah, you got a point," he admitted. "Okay, you leave this here to your boy Zug; I'll have that water outta the way faster than you can say 'swimming day'!"

    He turned and barreled toward the exit of the expansive building, only to be stopped as a thick, sticky web coated the entrance. "If you won't leave, then I'm not giving any of you the chance to call for help," Marcus growled. "You can either surrender or die."

    Jaina clamped down her teeth around one of the bug-type's spindly legs, dripping violet venom. She bit as hard as she could, trying to break through the tough exterior, and felt something crack. If she could get under it and make sure the poison hit his bloodstream...

    Another of the spider's long, hard legs slammed into her and knocked her loose. She wasn't able to recover properly and hit the water with a loud splash, but Cotton managed to keep himself dry and offered her instructions to a bit of flooring, which she quickly swam towards when she realized Marcus had slammed into the water behind her. He dove underneath, and from what information Cotton was giving her, it sounded like he was an incredible swimmer. Made sense for a water-type.

    Nina held her arms out to each side slightly in case Berry needed a bit of time to get used to the hovering. It was a tiny bit shaky anyway from Nina’s inexperience and mild fear.

    As Zug bolted for the exit, she yelled, “You got this, Zug!” Her words were followed by enemy defiance, however, and the exit was blocked. On one hand, Zug was just as much a member of their team as the Cinders and Nina wasn’t going to let him get hurt either. She kept one eye on him while she began to fly faster than she had before. She kept close to the water as she watched Jaina smash into it. With little effort at all, her tail stayed over the surface, regardless of the waves. The momentary thought occurred to her that it was kinda like… surfing.

    That thought was enough to help her quickly adapt. Before long, she could dart around obstacles in the water and on top of all that…

    Nina spotted Jaina and Cotton in the water. Cotton was clinging on for dear life and Jaina, being blind, was aiming for the closest spot to climb out of the water. Nina skidded across the water then made a beeline for the enemy's estimated location underwater in an attempt to distract him from Jaina. She slowed down when she neared his location and lifted away from the water’s surface.

    On instinct, a bright blue light engulfed Nina’s eye sockets and the same blue light outlined the threatening figure below the water. She was using her new move ‘Psychic’ to stall the enemy’s movements. She hadn’t practiced using it at all, this being her first time to use the move, so she was limited to only a few seconds of holding him. Hopefully it was enough time for Jaina and Cotton to get somewhere safer but she didn’t have time to look -

    The lapse in concentration caused by the use of Psychic while in midair caused them to drop from the air a few feet until Nina was able to correct herself and hover once more. Luckily, she had the presence of mind to grab Berry in the fall, preventing them from being separated.

    A sharp crack sounded behind them and the echoes sent chills down Nina’s spine. The frozen pipe, which Opal had clogged up earlier, was now overly pressurized and the ice was giving way. Nina glanced behind her at the pipe, which she now noticed was dangerously close to their new position in the air. However, before she could react, the harsh gush of water exploded from the ancient pipe and collided with Nina and her passenger.

    Both were sent toward the ground and water below, landing on the small amount of land mass available to them. It just so happened to also be where Jaina and Cotton appeared to be heading to.

    Nina, suffering from a slight headache from the psychic move and lapse, injured from the blast of water and subsequent crash on hard ground, was now knocked out cold momentarily. Her head was bruised from the landing and there were several cuts from the shards of ice-turned-projectiles but otherwise she was fine. Close observers could guess that she would wake again shortly once her mind recovered.

    Rayth, who had also been hit in the blast, did his best to continue his façade as a piece of clothing. He landed a foot or so away from Nina and silently watched the others to see what they would do. He was prepared to ‘jump’ in with a surprise attack if necessary.
Opal was left out of the fray for now, his eyes shot over to Zug. The main enemy was distracted by the main members of their teams but Zug was by himself. There were smaller enemies within the chamber but Zug couldn’t fight them AND dig a hole…

    Opal was going to have to get wet.

    He shuddered at the thought then hopped over the few pieces of dry land left toward Zug. Around this time, the pipe burst and caught Opal’s attention for a brief moment. The rushing water filled the room in a violent attempt to make up for its lost time. Much of the water headed toward Opal in a wave and knocked him off of his dry ground.

    The wave of water completely soaked both him and Zug. In a fit of rage, Opal jumped onto Zug’s head and spewed his icy wind all around behind Zug, freezing small enemies in their immediate vicinity. He popped off a few Confuse Rays in different locations as well. His once “perfect” fur was now matted everywhere. It hurt Opal’s vanity and pride more than anything.

    
    Berry herself had taken the crash-landing roughly - without any control over the situation herself, she had been left to brace for impact and was sent sliding along with her hindquarters thrown into the air and her chin smashed against the flooring. With a brief struggle she righted herself, groaning slightly from the pain of her contortion. She was less worried about herself, though, and more for the others, and justifiably so as she found Jaina shaking herself free of clinging water, Nina bruised and unconscious, and Rayth lying unmoving beside her.

    "Nina!" she gasped, and scurried over to the Raichu. With a quick check, she confirmed that Nina was all right, and it didn't look like she had suffered any serious injuries - in all likelihood, she had just hit her head.

    All the same, that left them with at least one Pokémon not only unable to fight with them, but also who needed protection. The other bugs around them seemed to be poking around cautiously, not totally on the offensive, but they were clearly not their allies. One, a Spinarak, crawled particularly close and shot a string of webbing at Jaina, catching one of her paws and getting it stuck to the floor. Berry leaped for it, swatting the thing out toward the water.

    Marcus erupted from below the surface like a Wailord from out of the ocean, spraying small jets of water in every direction as he looked down at his opposition. One of his legs hit the flying Spinarak as he lowered them to balance himself on the edge of the flooring, and the green insect was knocked against the wall, perfectly positioned for two others to catch it and help it recover.

    The water began to glow with a faint, shimmering light. "That was clever, poisoning me," Marcus growled. "But I've got enough water here to give me a good supply of healing. You can't beat me, I promise."

    Zug, meanwhile, groaned and clenched his fists, trembling with rage. "This sucks!" he grunted. "Them ladies need my help and I can't even do what they told me to-"

    Berry's voice carried over to him. "Zug! Those pipes still lead out of here!" she cried. "You can still dig a path out from inside!"

    Zug looked at the broken pipe, now spewing out water in a much thicker stream than before. Actually, she was right! All those pipes went somewhere; they weren't just part of one house. It was like a road, leading between all them houses! He'd just gotta clear out the blockage to let 'em travel through the road!

   
    He grinned fiercely, ready to give that wall the pounding of a lifetime! "Hey, little bud, your boy Zug's gotta wall to break out," he declared. "Better stand back."

    Cotton nervously glanced over at Nina and Rayth after shaking off the droplets of water sticking to his fuzzy body. They were all thoroughly soaked so a shock now would only hurt all of them. There was nothing he could do for them anyway, not how he was then.
But, in another quick spout of bravery, Cotton hopped out on top of Jaina’s head again. The instant thought of hopping toward the water bubble and shocking the enemy at what Cotton assumed was his most vulnerable point…

    Without thinking it through, Cotton jumped toward the enemy and as soon as he hit the bubble surrounding the enemy's head, he let out as much of a shock as his tiny body would allow.

    The downside of this plan was the lack of thought put into those few critical moments. His tiny furry body was now trapped in the water bubble and his air supply was cut off. Panic set in as he flailed in the water but every time he attempted to swim toward the edge, the water seemed to fight him back toward the center.

    Rayth watched quietly. Even with the tiny bug caught in a larger spider’s trap, he made no move to help. There was an opportunity coming soon, he thought. An opportunity to end it all. If he jumped out to help Cotton, he’d give up the element of surprise and leave Nina’s body vulnerable to whatever attack the smaller enemies would throw at them. Luckily, Cotton was one of two out of their group that was small enough to fit in that bubble so the odds of that happening to another so soon were slim. The other small member was Berry, but Jaina was there to make sure that didn’t happen.

    Opal stood his ground (that is to say, Zug’s head). “Onward.” Instead of jumping down like Zug suggested, he simply moved out of the way of his ears and continued popping attack shots out at enemies. It could have been that Opal did NOT want to get back in that water.

    Zug shrugged, offering only a "suit yourself" as he braced for a terrific jump, then leapt forward with enough strength to crack the floor as he kicked off. He leaned back as far as he could with both arms held together in a massive club as he drew closer to the wall, ready to deliver an earth-shattering blow. In another second he had closed the distance, and roared with the power of his mighty swing. His fists broke into the concrete, cracking it and caving in a bit of the structure. It didn't break all the way through, but with a few more hits he should be able to get back outside and make an escape!

    Unfortunately, the lug of a rabbit had forgotten to factor in that he had nowhere to land once the first hit landed. The water waited patiently below for him to drop in, creating a splash almost to rival Marcus's.

    Berry had no time to waste watching for Opal and Zug - with Marcus hovering over them, she had to make absolutely sure that the others were kept safe. She jabbed at one of the behemoth spider's legs with her horn, but the blows amounted to about the same as if she were attacking a metal-type. Frustrated, she backed up and focused on the spines along her backside, focusing on generating poisonous darts, and then turned to fire the pins off at Marcus. Poison Sting might not be a powerful attack, but if she could advance the poison that Jaina had inflicted, they might be able to whittle the arachnid's strength down faster than he could recover it. ...It was a long shot, but without any real offensive strength on their side, thinking tactically was their only option.

    Jaina wasn't about to back down either, and launched her own attacks on Marcus with her teeth. She howled a challenge to bolster her courage and leaped back at him, snapping at whatever she could find to get a grip on. She couldn't tell where Cotton had gone, but from the way things looked, he was probably using his size to his advantage to zap Marcus without giving him room to fight back. What a smart guy! She was so proud of him.

    Her teeth found lodging at the base of Marcus's front leg, and she snapped at it for all she was worth while growling defiantly, ignoring the fact that she was now hanging there without any footing below her. Water began to get in her eyes through her blindfold, irritating her, but she stubbornly squeezed them shut and kept clamping her jaws tighter and tighter, all while Marcus flailed his legs and began to assault her with water.

    "Jaina, Cotton is in that bubble! We have to get him out!" Berry cried.

    
    "Huh?" With one word, Jaina lost her grip on Marcus and dropped like a wet rag. Marcus took advantage of her vulnerability and lurched forward, slamming into her hard enough to get her wet body back on land and sliding along, leaving a thin trail of water behind her. Berry was caught just as unawares, giving him ample time to pelt her with water and wash her away. The current of his attack knocked her against a wall and nearly dragged her into the water; with her claws desperately scrambling for a hold, she managed to hold on with her lower half slipping under surface.

    Opal’s paws did their best to clasp Zug’s head and neck with the jump. Opal was prepared for the rapid ascent into the air but at the few seconds at the peak of the jump, Opal felt his body lift from Zug. That weightless moment was interrupted abruptly by the immediate halt as Zug slammed his hammer into the structure.

    The shockwave passing through their bodies tingled all over Opal’s flesh while simultaneously testing his grip strength as his tiny form crashed into the back of Zug’s head. If this had been enough to set Opal into another rage, their quick descent into the colder water below should have been enough to cool him down.

    Their plunge left him waterlogged and angry. His petite form seemed even tinier as he rose from the water once again. The wavy locks of puff adorning his skull and six tails were now matted and straightened. Oddly enough, he looked more feminine.

    No longer holding back his stronger moves, Opal fired his Aurora Beam at any who got close. Eventually, the smaller enemies were either being revived by their allies nearby or had effectively been scared away from the large destructive rabbit and his tiny diva fox girlfriend.

    Cotton dodged if Jaina’s attacks came close to the bubble but he was quickly losing what fight he had left. His vision was getting darker and he could practically feel the pulsing of his heart all over his body. His head felt like it would explode if he didn’t get a breath soon...!

    Nina slowly got up and shook her head. She rubbed her fur back into the proper place then got a grasp over what was happening around her. She was mildly disoriented and the smack to the head made her forget most of what was happening prior to her fall.
Muscle memory led to her jumping toward Berry and quickly grabbing one of Berry’s paws before she fully went into the water. She didn’t know if she was helping matters or making them worse but she couldn’t let Berry just wash away like that.

    Rayth, who noticed Marcus’ moment of weakness, dashed over. Without delay, Rayth wrapped his tendril-like cloth body around the enemy’s neck between the head and torso region of the body. Rayth didn’t know much about bug types but he knew he could take down anything with this sort of advantage. Once the general grip around the neck was secured, the cloth equivalent of Rayth’s hands moved further into the watery bubble to the compound eyes and gaping hole of a mouth. The goal was to blind and choke the lifeforce out of the bug… that is, unless he could make an attempt at surrendering. Rayth doubted he could with his mouth clogged with ghost cloth.

    Zug had taken slightly longer to surface than Opal, as he had suddenly gotten the bright idea to try and repeat his attack from underwater - maybe the wall would be weaker under the surface of the water! ...Sadly, he soon found out that his Hammer Arm was slowed down too much by the water surrounding him to be of any use, and he was forced to surface and get on land, just in time to see the gloriously fluffed-up fox blasting away wildly at the surrounding bugs. The sight inspired him to jump into the fray, and with a hearty laugh he heaved himself back to solid ground and lashed out at anyone who got close.

    "This is way too much like last time!" Jaina snarled from across the room. He turned his head and found them struggling to deal with Marcus, most if not all of the other squad dripping wet and slipping around while they dodged and attacked. Marcus had a strong advantage in both power and environment.

   
    He did his best to offer some reassurance, blurting out the first thing that came to mind. "Don't worry, your boy Zug is with ya this time!" he called out. "I promise nobody's gonna die this time!"

    His eyes settled on the crater where he had landed his last hit. One more should do it...

    Marcus had begun to suffocate in the same way that the Joltik floating around his head was. Though his Aqua Ring continued to heal his external wounds, there was nothing to fill his lungs, and he knew it. The only chance he had to escape was to force that Mismagius who had surprised him to let go, and judging from the fact that he had been playing dead this whole time by riding on the shoulders of the Raichu, she would be the best weak point to attack.

    He used Lunge, surging forward from the water with his legs outstretched to slam into her. Given her psychic typing, it should only take one or two solid hits to leave her completely vulnerable. His lungs began to burn; he had no time to come up with a new tactic!

    The Mightyena leaped forward, taking the hit in her stead. He guessed that, on top of the previous blows she had taken, the canine was weakened seriously enough to crumple from the hit, as she slipped and failed to get up. Frustrated, he reached out to deal a final blow; keep her from intervening again.

    Berry was barely able to offer Nina her thanks for the help in pulling her back from the water's edge before all of this took place - Jaina's outcry, reminding her of the danger they faced and what had happened to their leaders, and then Marcus felling her. As Marcus reached out toward Jaina, she envisioned the last time she had seen Seb and Darwin, floating over a cliff with the trees below waiting to swallow them.

    She shrieked and hurried forward, beyond hope of coming up with an appropriate plan to stop him. All she knew was that she couldn't bear to see someone be killed. Not again. "NO!!"

    She threw herself in front of Jaina, staring up at Marcus with eyes wide with fear, but also determination. She stubbornly glared up at him, her face twisted with an unshakable emotion. And with that, Marcus paused.

    
    He knew the look in her eyes; he had seen it once before. In a time long before he had been incarcerated.

    Opal had calmed down considerably since his last outburst. The water all over his body was weighing him down but as he glanced back toward his temporary battle companion, he noticed Zug was getting ready to strike again. One glance up at the damaged structure told Opal to move out of the way before that last hit. Not waiting for a second thought, Opal ramped up as much speed as he could muster and zipped out of Zug’s way and whatever falling debris that would follow the hit.

    Rayth noticed the direction the giant bug was heading and squeezed as hard as he could to discourage that action. His first plan had failed but at least Nina was awake enough to- “Nina, Shock hi-“

    Jaina was thrown away. Berry flung herself in the middle of the fray and, for a moment, there was absolute stillness.

    Neither party moved in what seemed like forever but it couldn’t have been more than a few seconds. Then, out of nowhere a light lit up the water bubble and what seemed like a small mass enlarged. The mass of yellow fur grew larger and popped out of the bubble soon after. It trembled and released webbing out of assumed fear. The webbing was electrified and was trapped within the water bubble surrounding the enemy's face.

    The mass gasped several times then ran over to Jaina, “Jaina, Jaina! Are-Are you okay?” The smaller mandible type arms combed through Jaina’s hair lightly in an odd way Cotton would do to help wake her up.  He was bigger now though. A lot bigger.

    Nina froze in place as she watched the scene in front of her. Her cheeks were sparking but with everyone else so close it could have hit them as well. A few of the members didn’t look fit for a fight and one hit from her could be all it took to knock them out. She took the moment to hop up on her tail again.

    “Rayth! We’re just trying to subdue him, not murder him!”

    Rayth scoffed and didn’t let his grip go. For once, he had an evil look in his eye. He looked no different than the criminal he was holding on to.

    Berry barely registered Cotton's escape. Every cell in her body demanded that she not look away from Marcus, lest he make another move. She couldn't tell for sure, but it seemed like he was in the same way fully invested in her.

    In spite of her desperate attempt to think of some way to force him to stop, to use her finite power to stop him, another thought tugged at the back of her mind. Zug had said that Marcus killed his entire family, that he kept to himself in prison. But there was something else going on here. Instead of ambushing them, Marcus gave them the chance to leave, announced his presence, even. Then he saved that Spinarak from falling in the water - at the time, it seemed like chance that he had swatted them away, but maybe it wasn't.

    Her features softened; though she did not move away from Jaina or relax her muscles, still prepared to leap, she tried to reason with the Araquinid. "...You don't want to kill anyone, do you?"

    The spider made a muffled grunt - all that he could do with Rayth suffocating him. He was very clearly unhappy with the situation he was in. The water was only barely beginning to surround his head again since Cotton had burst it, slowly but surely.

    
    Berry pressed the question. "I know what it's like, to be held to the standards of a killer. Whatever happened, you need to know that it doesn't define who you are now. You can be better than what everyone thinks you're supposed to be. I'm proof of that." She paused as Zug slammed into the wall and fell into the water again. That second blow broke through to the other side, and allowed the water spilling into the building to wash out. As it drained away, Marcus' restorative Aqua Ring was taken with it, leaving him to suffer both lack of oxygen and the toll of poisoning.

    "...Zug is proof of it too. Don't let others decide who you want to be," Berry urged. "If you surrender now, you'll have the chance to do the right thing. It all starts with what you decide for yourself."

    The building began to tremble, dropping small but harmful enough fragments from above. Marcus stared into Berry's eyes for a little longer, and then crumpled, lowering his head to the edge of the floor. He laid his two front and middle legs out on the ground, then spun a long string of webbing and used one of his hind legs to wrap it around them, effectively tying himself up.

    Little did Berry know, her speech hit Rayth hard too. He stared down at her and for a moment he had an identity crisis.  Of course, he didn’t remember who he was before he was a ghost, if he even WAS anything before turning into one. He joked and made passive remarks about it but in actuality, he didn’t understand it at all.

    There was an unknown drive within him that pushed him forward. Power was the ultimate goal no matter who got crushed obtaining it. He forced evolutions on others so they wouldn’t be a pain to him under the guise of ‘it’s better for you.’  His thoughts rushed back to the Murkrow they met on the way to Neve. Something similar happened to him but –

    Then it hit him.

    Cotton didn’t even realize how big he had gotten until he attempted to push Jaina. His push actually moved her a little. He gasped a little before lifting Jaina as easily as he could and putting her on his back. She was still a bit bigger than he was but he … was stronger now.

    Nina caught Rayth as he fell off the body of the criminal. He looked like he was in a daze. She didn’t understand why he had acted so harsh but she shrugged it off and placed him on her head like he always did. After a while, he regained voluntary movement and was heard snoozing away lightly between her ears.

    She still didn’t recall the last few minutes before she was knocked out but had a weird feeling of resolve. Her eyes emitted that same blue hue and the same color engulfed the secured body of the criminal they had been fighting.  Team Phantasms and Team Tinker would have to split ways soon. They both had a job to do, even if they were worn out from the fight.

    Nina carried the criminal’s body with her psychic move until she made it back over to Zug and Opal. Luckily the body of the criminal was only floating a few inches from the ground because as they approached, Nina burst out laughing, “Oh my Arc- OPAL. YOUR FU-“

    “SHUT IT,” Opal said with a brisk snap of the muzzle to the upper left. His straightened-out fur followed the motion, slapping against his thin neck with a small ‘smack.’ Water droplets continued to dribble.

    Nina continued to snicker with her paws over her mouth in an attempt to stop laughing at the sight but it was in vain.
Cotton walked out to join them, his older sister Jaina on his back. Now that the danger was gone, most of the little enemies surrendered and followed their bound leader to be taken back to the prison. He smiled lightly. That was his answer to the question that had been plaguing him the entire trip back from Neve. He decided to not join the guild and take up a more supportive role instead. He wasn’t good in a fight and his timid nature made confrontation a no-go but he could at least offer support with healing or maybe even patching uniforms. It was worth a shot!

   
    As they departed the broken building, Zug grinned down at his comrades. "I'm proud of all seven of ya!" he boomed. "You reds and blues fought hard and got the work done, the little lady in the bow even managed to make a bad guy good again - and speaking of that, nice to see ya come to your senses and join the good side, Marcus! My boy Pine'll fix you up into a fine Pokémon!"

    "Shut up, Zug." Marcus groaned. "You've always had a fat mouth but this is ridiculous."

    His smaller insect friends were quick to huddle close to him, apparently offering their share of reassurance.

    Berry breathed deep and then exhaled. With Rayth and Jaina asleep, she wasn't sure either of their teams were in the shape to move on and tackle another problem, but then again, Nina seemed to be accustomed to Rayth's sleeping habits. "Um, Zug, were there any other criminals who got away from the facility who were dangerous?"

    "Nah, Marcus here was the worst one, girl! And besides, with a silver tongue like that you'd be able to make any of 'em change their minds on bein' bad. Hey! You ever think about helping my boy Pine out with the rehab?"

    "I meant what I said," she grumbled in turn. Actually, helping to rehabilitate Pokémon who had lost their way did sound like a line of work she'd enjoy... but she still had a duty elsewhere. She owed it to Seb and Darwin.

    Now that she thought of them again, she couldn't continue to ignore the problem. "Nina?" she asked, drawing the Raichu's attention.

    Jaina spoke up from Cotton's back just as the Raichu turned to her. "Wha... where am I?"

    Ignoring her confusion, Berry made herself spill it before she could reconsider. "Seb and Darwin are gone," she spat out. "Until today, I felt like it was my fault. But as sad as it was to lose them, I can't afford to pity myself for what happened. I have to keep moving forward." She regarded Jaina. "...Both of us do."

    Jaina huffed, continuing to hang limp. "That you, Cotton?" she grumbled. "...Of course it is. I promise I'll explain what happened once we're finished here. Maybe at dinner? ...Assuming our homes are still standing after all this."

    Nina was floating along beside them. She had accepted Opal up to stand on her tail. Quickly flying around the city while looking for Pokémon to rescue seemed like the fastest way to get his fur dry. They needed to break away from Team Tinker anyway.

    Just as she was about to mention a goodbye, Berry called for her attention. She turned her head to look down at Berry, only glancing away at the sharp interruption by Jaina.

    The news of the two being gone made Nina go silent. She had a dark look on her face as she turned away. “Oh… I see.” Her mind was reeling about when and where it happened but with Jaina’s promise to explain it all later, Nina quietly nodded.

    “We’ll just have to keep on fighting for them. I know Seb would be upset if we did otherwise,” Nina said, not able to hide her sorrow well. “After all this guild stuff is done and we are all debriefed, I’ll show you two to the Team Tinker home.”

    Cotton squeaked and jumped lightly at Jaina’s sudden jerk but once she calmed down he nodded happily. “Yes!” His voice was still squeaky but it was louder than the ‘mite-sized’ voice it was earlier. It still had that tic of going into a higher pitch when he was nervous or startled.

    “Yeah, tell us all about it once we all get home. You can rest now.”

    Cotton looked over at Nina, his mandible-like arms twitched under his head; “I’m going to go with Berry. I can’t fight but I can at least carry Jaina for her. We’ll meet back up at the house, okay?”

    Nina nodded, “Yeah.” And with that, she sighed, “And the three of us will be heading off to do our own guild work. Throughout all that fighting, we didn’t rescue a single soul. We’re probably the worst Iceberg team ever. Haha.” She laughed off the sorrow and instead, looked to a goal to keep her going. “All of you better not get yourselves more hurt while we’re gone. ZUG, you better take care of them, you hear? Or Momma Nina’s gunna put you in a world of hurt.”

    Rayth was heard chuckling lightly and Opal just looked back with an unamused glare.

    With Cotton's offer to carry her, Jaina had to chuckle. "So we're switching roles now, are we, little brother?" The knowledge that, up until that day, she had been the one to carry him along was funny to her. "I guess this'll take some getting used to." In spite of that, she nestled into the hair along Cotton's abdomen and rested her head, only able to hope that her wet fur wasn't making him uncomfortable.

   
    Zug offered the Phantasms leader a high-five. "You can count on me, boss!" he said. "I ain't let 'em down yet, and I ain't about to start!"

    The two teams said their goodbyes as politely as possible - in light of what had happened, all of their reactions were completely understandable. Nina looked unhappy, but was doing her best to contain it. Cotton was eager to stay by his sister's side - or at least underneath her. Rayth had been as invested as he had been from the start in all of what had happened. And then Opal - well, he seemed to be simply frustrated with the condition of his fur. The poor dear - Berry only wished she could help.

    With that, the two teams split up and went to their work without further delay. Cotton continued to serve from the sidelines, offering a means of caring for Jaina if she were to get into trouble - which she certainly did, given the number of fights they had to get into.

    Zug continued to use his strength and his overwhelming presence as his weapons for justice.

    
    Berry did her best to do both. She wasn't a fighter; she wasn't meant to be. Only now was she fully able to realize that. She had finally seen the real wisdom in the words Nuri and Wren had said to her weeks ago.

-------

    In the aftermath of the kidnapping on Neve Mountain, Nuri had brought the remnants of Team Tinker to a private room where they could discuss the events that led to the loss of Darwin and Seb. The room was almost barren, only offering a few tables, seats, and a chalkboard that had been wiped clean.

    It reminded Berry of how blank her life had become in the span of a day.

    "...I see."

    Nuri had listened patiently, never speaking a word except here and there when a part of Jaina and Berry's story didn't make sense - not the least of which was that Granbull that had appeared during the fighting. As she put it, she had only known of Edge and Ilsa alone until recently, though it did make sense that they would have allies working with them.

    The Heatmor's claws unfolded slightly - she had placed them in her lap as she listened - and tapped her claws together gently. "So Darwin made the decision to destroy himself and his partner."

    The words stung harshly, but there was no denying the truth. Berry winced and bit out the words quickly. "Yes, ma'am."

    "And how did the rest of you escape?"

    Berry took a deep breath. "...After that, Edge and his team lost their composure. Randi and Ophelia went on the offensive and used their powers to freeze and hold back the three of them so we could all escape, but I think we really made it because Edge was more concerned with Darwin and Seb. He sent Skull and Ilsa to check where they fell, and then followed himself."

    "Hmm." Nuri closed her eyes and frowned, her arms folded around her chest as her thoughts internalized, probably deciding what would have to happen with the two guild members who had failed in their duties.

    
    Wren looked as concerned at Berry felt. "We'd better update our records as soon as possible," he suggested.

    "Indeed. It was foolish of us to believe that Edge and Ilsa were operating on their own. This 'Skull' will likely not be the only ally they are working with."

    "I'm sorry." Berry's ears had long since turned down, and her eyes trailed the wood floor of the library. "If I had been able to fight harder, they might still be alive."

    "It was my fault," Jaina intervened. "If I didn't break down, you wouldn't have had to stop me."

    "Enough!" Nuri's eyes snapped open; a tongue of flame flitted forth from her snout. "What happened to Seb and Darwin was not your fault. Darwin made the choice on his own. Or are you saying you put him up to it?"

    Berry was stunned. "No! I would never... I just wish they weren't gone!"

    "As do we all." Nuri's stare was no less harsh. "But I will not tolerate a pity party for them. We are a guild in service to the public, which means we have neither the time nor the resources to mourn the lost. All that we may do is move forward."

    Only then did her expression soften. "So what will the two of you do now? I am aware of what brought you here in the first place. Berry, you said that this was your chance to start a new, honest life with a family who loves you. And that now that opportunity has been taken from you a second time. I am not sure what the circumstances were between you, Seb and Darwin but I must remind you that I am only your leader. Not a mother."

    "I understand, ma'am."

    "And Jaina, you traveled to this country because you desire to serve in a guild; to help others. And now your concern is that if you cannot protect your teammates, you have no hope of protecting anyone else."

    "...Yes." Jaina nodded slowly.

    
    Nuri huffed. "Thinking this way is dangerous. I cannot change your minds for you, but I must ask that you think about what is truly a goal you can reach, and what is beyond reality. The Ardent Cinders are not perfect, nor are the Roaring Icebergs. We only work as hard as we can to prevent as much suffering as possible. Keep in mind-" she raised a claw. "-when we arrived in Neve Town, Berwyn's own apprentice had been kidnapped, and Glitch and Twitch-" she winced as the stereotypical names left her mouth, "-were in a broken-down state. If we were so able to prevent any and all harm, they and Konjac would never have been in those situations to begin with."

    She stood up. "I will not stay to lecture you. By the time we return to Rift City, I want you to decide if you choose to remain with the Ardent Cinders or to retire."

    "There's no need for that," Jaina spoke up. "At least, not from me. I have to do better, not just for myself, but for them too. And my family." Her voice was firm, insistent. "I'd be letting down too many Pokémon if I gave up now."

    Berry paused, unsure how to follow that up. But she had to think of something, to inspire Nuri that she was worth keeping around... and herself, too. "Yes," she began. "I need to stay, too. I let them down once already, and I can't live with myself if I did it a second time." She rubbed at her eyes, intent on refusing the tears from being allowed to form as she looked her guild leader in the eyes. "I'm sorry, ma'am, but I can't move past what happened to them. They deserve to be remembered for what they did."

    Nuri shook her head. "That was not what I meant, Berry."

    The Heatmor walked between her and Jaina, and pressed on out the door.

    Wren glanced between the two of them. "I understand wanting to honor them, but you're going about it the wrong way."

    "What other way is there?" Berry couldn't help but glare at him. "Seb and Darwin trusted us to serve by their sides and fight to protect the weak and needy, and we failed them so badly that the only choice left for them to save everyone was to die!"

   
    "That's really what you think?" Wren met her look with a fierce, narrow-eyed glare of his own. "It takes a special kind of stupid to go down that path. Darwin didn't do what he did because he lost faith in you. Think back to when they hired you two in the first place. Seb saw potential in you, Berry." He gestured to the blindfolded Mightyena next to her. "Darwin saw the same in Jaina. Now that the Gigas Hands have lost them, they have no reason to keep coming back looking for Team Tinker. Which leaves you two the freedom you need to continue serving the guild without a terrible enemy hounding you at every turn.

    "Darwin knew that there was still much more that the two of you could do, and he did what he could to make sure you had that chance."

    He scampered toward the door, hopped up, and turned the doorknob. Then, with one final glance, he said,

    "Don't make the mistake of thinking you have nothing to offer the guild. Everyone has a gift to be used."

    Berry sighed. He was wrong, of course, at least about her. Seb hadn't hired her on because she saw potential in her. She did it because she wanted to get revenge on Darwin for keeping his secret from her - the secret of the Gigas Hands. And now that terrible band of slimy miscreants had destroyed them both, all because she wasn't able to offer the strength that was needed to combat them.

    -------

    No. Seb really had seen potential in her, even with her judgment clouded by anger. She had said so herself, even after admitting her reasons over breakfast. And Darwin had seen it, too. What he did to Seb was wrong, and much as she loved him he still had a black mark on his soul that she hoped the gods might one day give him the chance to make up for.

    But he did it for the love of herself, and for Jaina. Indeed, she was not going to let them down. Not now that she knew that there were more ways to honor their legacy than by fighting.