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teshamerkel · 1 year

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Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Seekers of Soul

[Chapter 42] (37 Pages)

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The investigation into the earthquakes begins.

It’s fully dark by time their cart pulls into Fort Asra. Their path is lit by the full moon overhead, helped by the soft golden glow of lantern light spilling from the town’s windows.

The town is…rustic. Long dirt roads crisscross through squat buildings made of wood, clay and stone. Wagons and carts much like their own are parked on the sides of the road. The sky overhead is vast and glittering with stars. From up ahead, the muted babble of voices and music filter outside from a larger building with the shutters on its windows cracked open.

It’s like a town out of one of the old western shows Nia used to watch with her mom and brother. Her chest pangs as she thinks of how much they would have loved to be here with her. It’s like stepping into the television, but even better because of how real it all is. The breeze nips cool and playful at her fur, and with it comes a surprisingly fresh, earthy scent.

When the two ponyta slow to a stop, it’s in front of a larger building. A sign over the front door labels it as both an inn and a saloon, and voices float out from the rowdy crowd inside. As Nia climbs out of the cart and stretches her legs, she’s surprised to feel the dirt underfoot isn’t as dry as she expects.

“This’ll be where we part ways,” The rapidash says, not unkindly. “You have enough poké to book a room at the inn?“

Tobias nods. “We’ll be fine. Thanks for the ride.”

“Thank you for saving our hides,” the rapidash returns with a dip of his head. “And good luck with your mission. Be careful. Come on, kids.”

The two ponyta give a parting flick of their fiery tails and trot after the rapidash, off to their next stop.

Nia crosses her arms with a shiver. “Yeah, we’d better book a room. Deserts can get below freezing at night and I do not want to sleep outside again.”

Tobias, mouth open to respond, stops to blink at her. “Wait. What?”

Nia stares back. “What?”

“The—the thing about deserts. Deserts are hot. I figured it was so cold thanks to the natural disaster uh…” he waves his hand vaguely around. “Stuff.”

“Oh!” Nia shakes her head, excited to share a tidbit of knowledge from her human life. “No, we learned this in biology class! Deserts naturally get really cold at night. Something about them not being able to absorb heat from the sun and hold it after dark.”

Tobias looks mildly impressed. “Huh. Random thing to know.”

Nia barks a laugh. “American school system at work. God forbid I have to figure out taxes or make a resume, but I’ve got a whole treasure trove of random science facts ready to go.”

Tobias snorts, turning to enter the inn. “I understood maybe half of that sentence.”

Nia laughs, eagerly following him into the ruckus and light of the inn. “Doesn’t matter. Just know that deserts are wild.”

Speaking of wild, the large open room that awaits them inside is full of Pokemon. There’s a small, makeshift band playing something like old country music in a far-off corner, but everyone else is socializing. Chatting and eating and drinking. One or two tables are playing some kind of betting game, if the stacks of poké on the table are anything to gauge by. It’s like walking into a warm wall of sound and hearty scents.

Nia’s stomach growls, and she lifts her nose to take a deep breath. She doesn’t know what that is, but it smells delicious.

“Food, then sleep?” Nia asks Tobias.

After surviving off packed lunches for the past couple of days, Tobias agrees a little too quickly. They nudge their way into the room and up to the bartender, a tall, fluffy rabbit Pokemon who’s busy cleaning a glass. She’s brown and cream, with striking pink eyes, but she seems almost distracted as she gazes out at the small crowd of patrons.

Nia clears her throat, and the rabbit startles. Then she smiles. “Pardon me, strangers. Passin’ through?”

Tobias is looking a bit irritable and overwhelmed by the crowd right behind them, so Nia picks up the conversation.

“Actually, we’ll probably be here for a few days for a mission. Granite called us in. Do you know who we could talk to about ordering some food and booking a room for the night?”

“You’re talkin’ to her,” the rabbit says with a wink. “I’ll get you taken care of, kiddos.”

The rabbit—a lopunny named Deidra, apparently—quickly takes their orders and sends word off with a passing Pokemon. Then, she pulls a key out from under the bar and presses it into Nia’s palm with instructions to head upstairs to the left, to the first door on the right. They’ll send their food up for them.

If Nia weren’t exhausted from the trip over, she might be tempted to stay downstairs and socialize with the townsfolk. Maybe learn how to play that game, even. As it is, though, she follows Tobias upstairs and to their room, flopping facedown into the first nest she sees.

“We’re waiting until tomorrow to go find Granite, right?” She asks into the bedding.

Tobias slumps into the nest beside her, groaning. “Definitely.”

Their food is delicious when a little round shrew Pokemon, gold and almost armored, brings it up to them. Smaller portions than she expects, but Nia barely makes it through the whole thing anyways before letting sleep take her.

——————————————————————————————————

She grumbles when Tobias shakes her awake the next morning, even if she feels leagues more rested than she did the night before.

“C’mon, I even let you sleep in,” Tobias says, nudging her in the ribs with his foot.

She whines and bats him away, trying to bury her face and return to sleep. “Your version of sleeping in doesn’t count.”

Tobias snorts. “Too bad, it’s the only one you’re getting. We’ve got a Pokemon to find and suspicious earthquakes to investigate.”

By time Tobias drags her outside, it’s still early morning but admittedly not as early as it could’ve been. The sun is just starting to rise above the horizon line. Long, cool shadows stretch across the dirt roads, and the air is still chilly, snapping Nia awake like a slap to the face.

She shivers, feeling the ruff of fur around her neck fluff with the cold. “O-Okay. Do we have any idea where to find this Granite guy?”

To her surprise, Tobias confidently points to their left. “I asked Deidra this morning. Apparently Granite’s a donphan who runs the general store closer to the edge of town.”

“Oh. Well, that makes it easier than I was expecting.”

The two of them stay to the side of the main dirt road and walk through town to their destination. Nia curiously eyes the townsfolk they pass. Most of them seem to be heading out for the day, a whole group—some of them holding what look like pickaxes—hopping into the back of a cart that’s setting off. A couple of kids run past a few moments later, giggling and chasing a ball—one of them looks like a tiny version of Deidra, and another is a little green plant Pokemon with a trio of leaves atop its head.

“Pretty lively place,” Nia comments, impressed.

“Pokemon gotta live, threat of earthquakes or not.”

Nia nods, frowning as they skirt around a bulky group of Pokemon arranging a palette of lumber and building materials. Behind them, a half-destroyed building is sunk into the earth, its foundations pulled out from under it.

Nia and Tobias carefully hop over a large crack still dissecting the dirt.

Nia sees less of the joviality of the townsfolk as they continue on, too distracted by evidence of injury and caution left by the earthquakes. Two Pokemon cross in front of them to enter a bank, chatting. Bandages wrap around one Pokemon’s head. Her companion walks with a slight limp.

Nia and Tobias finally reach their destination. The door opens with a jingle, and they steps into a quaint, quiet little shop. The wood creaks under her feet, and the air smells like stale air and old books.

Despite that, the store itself looks well-stocked with cooking supplies and odds and ends one might need around the house. There are familiar goods like maps and water flasks, as well as more foreign objects she’s unsure of the purpose of. Most everything is a warm shade of desert sand, tan or brown or a dusty gold.

Nia drifts towards the small section of books set up in the corner, thumbing through the frayed tomes. One of them looks particularly promising, and Nia spends a few moments flipping through it, considering the price tag.

It’s when the silence of the shop registers in Nia’s ears that she reluctantly puts it back, padding through the few shelves until she spots Tobias’ bright orange coloring.

He’s in front of a shelf of random knick-knacks, hand lying on the sleek wooden surface of…a small guitar? A ukelele, maybe? Something stringed.

Tobias’ face is soft and distant, lost in thought.

Faintly, Nia remembers Tobias doing something similar in Ghatha, among the instruments at a merchant’s stall. She’d almost forgotten.

She moves closer, murmuring, “Going to get one?”

Tobias shakes his head. “On our pay? Nah.”

Nia hums. Could she swing getting him something like this for Christmas? Do they even celebrate Christmas? Probably not. Birthday, maybe? When is Tobias’ birthday?

Heavy, slow footsteps come from the back room before Nia can ask, and the curtain is pulled aside by an elephant-like trunk. A sturdy, squat creature—a familiar-looking Pokemon, with a dark gray hide on his back like tire treads—steps out. What did Tobias say those were called in Ghatha? Donphan?

The Pokemon nods to Nia in greeting. Then he looks to her partner.

“Caught your eye, eh?”

Tobias jolts, pulling his hand away like the wood had burned him.

The donphan rumbles a quiet laugh, stepping closer. “S’all right to touch, boy. C’n tell you’ve got an appreciation for music.”

Tobias looks away, shrugging. His eyes flick back to the instrument, as if drawn to it.

Nia turns to the older Pokemon with a polite smile. “Hello! Are you Granite?”

“That I am,” the donphan gruffs, straightening a compass sitting on a shelf. “You two passing through? Can’t imagine what business you’d have here, let alone with me.”

Tobias tears himself away from the instrument to pull out and unfurl the letter from Rosalind. Granite immediately straightens to attention when he sees the looping scrawl, brow lowering.

“Rosa sent you two?”

“We’re stronger than we look,” Tobias grumbles.

Granite snorts. “Wasn’t worried ‘bout strength. Don’t know if strength is what we need. You’re just…younger than I expected. Sure hope you lot don’t owe Rosa much.”

“No debts. Just working for some information.”

Granite nods. “Good, good. Means you still have your head on your shoulders. Well, if Rosa sent you then that means she thinks you can help, one way or another.”

Nia blinks, surprised by the supposed show of…faith? “Really?”

Granite laughs like cracking stone, gravelly and sharp. “Don’t show that lack of confidence to her. She’ll eat you alive.”

“Pretty sure we can’t hide anything from her anyways,” Tobias mumbles.

Granite gestures at Tobias with his tusks. “See? Smart. Well, I reckon smart might be what we need anyways. If you’re here to help, let me fill you in.”

The donphan gestures for them to follow him to the back room. After a moment of hesitation and a shared look, they do.

The room is a small kitchen area, with a low, square table just big enough to fit all three of them around it. Granite clears off a few dishes that look like they were leftover from breakfast, two sets of glasses and plates.

“So you’re here to figure out our little earthquake problem.”

Tobias nods. “What can you tell us? Rosalind’s letter just said that there was unusual earthquake activity and you wanted help looking into it.”

“‘S about the gist of it,” Granite sighs. “Earthquakes have been more common the past few years, just like natural disasters everywhere else. But the past few months have been…something’ else entirely. Earthquakes at least twice a week.”

“Whoa,” Nia breathes. “That sounds awful.”

“Just had one yesterday morning. We should be good for a day or two, but it’s still happening more often than we can keep up with.”

“We saw some construction ‘mon working on a building on the way over,” Tobias says.

“One of many,” Granite grumbles. “Ed’s crew has been busy day in and day out trying to keep up with all o’ the damages.”

“Pokemon are getting hurt too, aren’t they?” Nia asks softly.

“We’ve had a few deaths.”

Nia and Tobias exchange a grave look.

“One nearly killed my partner,” Granite gruffs, something dark in his gaze despite his casual words. “That was the last straw ‘fore I contacted Rosa.”

“Is there anything strange about them aside from the frequency?” Nia asks.

“The quakes…” Granite pauses, gesturing in a circle with his trunk. “They’re too localized to the town. I’ve talked to other travelers and merchants. Got a cousin a bit to the west o’ here. There’s the occasional quake outside of this radius, but nothing like the quakes we get every other night in Asra.”

“Could be the location,” Tobias murmurs.

“Since we’re down in a canyon?” Nia asks. “Would that make a difference?”

Granite makes a doubtful noise. “Possible, but something in my gut’s saying things just ain’t right. And my gut’s rarely wrong.”

“Do you think someone’s behind this?” Nia asks, surprised. “Like…intentionally causing the earthquakes?”

“I’m sure of it.”

“Wouldn’t some of the ground or rock types around here be able to tell if the earthquakes were unnatural?” Tobias asks. “I thought you were usually pretty in tune with stuff like that.”

Granite shakes his head. “If it’s being caused by a Pokemon, we can’t sense any move energy from it. And we’ve all been blamed for this enough—the remaining grounders and rock types are too scared to go digging for fear of being ran out of town or triggering something worse.”

Tobias slowly nods, taking that information in. “All right. Do you have any leads? Suspects?”

“If you ask the townsfolk, me ‘n all the other grounders,” the donphan scoffs, flicking his ears irritably. “I get it—the Pokemon causing this likely has to know some heavy ground moves. They need someone to blame, so it’s either us or the humans.”

Nia’s head snaps up to blink at Granite. Tobias clears his throat, but keeps his poker face much better as he speaks.

“The humans?”

Granite nods. “Had a few livin’ here before the quakes got real bad. They were gettin’ accused even before the grounders were. All that nonsense about the humans causing natural disasters or something. Couple o’ fights broke out and most of ‘em have left at this point.”

With each word, Nia’s stomach sinks further. There were humans here getting blamed for the earthquakes? With so much aggression thrown towards them that they felt forced to leave?

“That doesn’t sound very fair,” Nia whispers, voice breaking. Tobias sends her a warning look out of the corner of his eye.

Granite just snorts. “‘S not. None of this is.”

“What do you think?” Tobias asks him, cautiously.

If Granite notices their change in demeanor, he doesn’t comment on it. “I don’t want to go pointing tusks at anyone on a hunch.”

“But?” Tobias presses.

Granite sighs. “I…have a few suspects myself, but I can’t be sure those aren’t my own grudges talkin’. If you want somewhere to start, talk to Calder first. Only inteleon in all of Faren—tall, blue, wears a brown cloak. Can’t miss him. He’s the sheriff here and will want to know why you’re pokin’ around anyways. He might have somewhere for you to start.“

“So you want us to see what we can find first as an unbiased party.”

Granite nods. “Go poke around a bit and see what you come up with. You can stay here with me ‘n Keo while you’re investigatin’.”

“Thank you,” Nia says, grateful for the hospitality despite her sudden caution towards the town. She’d rather not have to pay for a hotel room the whole time they’re here.

“Thanks,” Tobias echoes, frowning down at the map. “Have no other Seekers looked into this? I thought there was a guild kind of close to here.”

“The closest one is the Pyrite Guild to the southwest,” Granite says, gesturing vaguely to his left. He sounds bitter as he adds, “‘Parently they’re spread too thin trying to cover such a wide area, so they’ve only sent one or two Seekers out to help with repairs and injuries.”

“So there’s already a Seeker team here?” Nia asks. “We could trade notes with them.”

Granite hesitates, then gestures vaguely at the wall in the direction of town. “We’ve only got one right now, been here a while. Kid named Samir. A skiddo. They’re tryin’ to help where they can, but they’re only one ‘mon. Plus, they’re having some difficulties communicating with the locals.”

At that, Nia frowns, tilting her head. “What do you mean?”

“Doesn’t speak,” Granite clarifies, lifting his head and using his trunk to touch at his throat. “Don’t know if it’s a physical thing or what, but haven’t heard a word from ‘em since they got here a few weeks ago. Seems frustrated when the locals don’t get what they’re trying to say, though, so I’d say it’s more than just them being quiet.”

Nia blinks. That…would be hard to navigate. “You said they’re a Seeker though, right? What about their partner?”

“Doesn’t seem to have one,” Granite says with a shrug of his broad shoulders. “Showed up one day with a note from the guild master and their badge and has been staying in town bunking with Leila and her kid ever since.”

Nia’s frown deepens, and she glances at Tobias, seeing the same thought on his face. He’d tried to become a Seeker on his own, and was promptly shut down. Why would this someone be sent out here all on their own for weeks on end? Yeah, the guild is spread thin, but even then it seems a bit dangerous to not have at least one more Pokemon with them.

“Anyway,” Granite sighs. “‘m hoping you two can give this whole situation a look with fresh eyes. Maybe figure out the cause of all this rather than just patching up the damage.”

Nia nods, straightening up. “We’ll do our best.”

“Grant?”

Nia startles as a new voice speaks from the next room over. A thin, bug-like arm pushes back the tapestry acting as a doorway, and something like a green and brown spider limps in from the back room. His limbs are strangely rounded, and reminds Nia of a creature from a video game.

“A spidops?” Tobias murmurs under his breath.

“Keo, I’m gonna tie you to that bed with your own silk if you don’t stop getting up with those injuries,” Granite scolds, moving to the bug type’s side.

“Like you could,” Takeo snorts, urging Granite to help him to the table. Reluctantly, the donphan does.

The spidops gives Nia and Tobias a cursory glance, his moustache-like mandibles twitching. “You the Seekers Rosa sent? Better bundle up, Charmander. Another bout of rain is rolling in.”

Nia glances at the window, surprised. “I didn’t think you’d get much rain out here.”

“We don’t, usually. Been a wet season for us,” Granite grunts. He’s still looking at Keo, something in his rough countenance wrinkled with worry. “If you two head out now you can get some talkin’ in before it hits.”

Nia recognizes a dismissal when she hears one, and her and Tobias rise to head out.

“Guess I’ll be using my cloak after all,” Tobias grumbles.

Granite gets Keo settled at the table before following Nia and Tobias to the front door of the shop. On the way, Nia’s eyes skim over the goods lining the shop shelves once more. Everything is intriguing, but expected.

Until a bright flash of blue and black catches her eye, and then red joins the mix—

A mirror.

Nia stops in her tracks, blinking back at her reflection with surprised ruby eyes. A small part of her mind whispers, Hope Giratina can’t fit through that.

Mostly, though, she’s just…caught off-guard. Aside from seeing her faint reflection in pools of water, she hasn’t really looked at herself much. And never this clearly. She’s somewhat used to being in the body of a riolu by now, but when she pictures herself she still thinks of herself as a human. Seeing her head tilt along with the crystal-clear creature in the reflection is…strange.

Granite chuckles, making her jump. “Ah, probably haven’t seen your reflection so clearly before, eh?”

Tobias has trailed back to her side, and scowls before turning the mirror away from them just slightly.

Nia looks to Granite, curious. “I’ve…never actually seen a mirror before.” Not since coming to the Pokemon world, at least.

“Doesn’t surprise me,” Granite says. “Mirrorstone is a bit harder to find nowadays. Asra used to be one of the largest sources for it, a few decades ago.”

“Mirrorstone?” Nia echoes. She doesn’t know exactly how mirrors are made in the human world, but she knows it’s not with something like that.

Granite taps the mirror’s surface with his trunk. “It’s a reflective mineral that used to be found in the mines around this town. Cleaned ‘em out decades ago, though. Miners have to head farther out to get anything good now.”

Nia files that info away as her and Tobias step outside, stopping on the edge of the dirt street. Granite waves them off and shuts the door behind them.

“So…where do we even start with something like this?” Nia asks, squinting up at the sky. It’s still bright and blue for now, but the horizon is darkening with clouds. The air is warming up as the sun rises, but it’s heavy with moisture, too.

“I guess where Granite suggested,” Tobias says, following her gaze to the sky. “We find the sheriff.”

“What does an inteleon look like?” Nia asks as they set off in a random direction.

“Beats me,” Tobias says, glancing into the open doors of the shops they pass.

Nia looks to him, surprised. It’s happened once or twice before, but she’s still caught off guard every time he doesn’t know what a specific Pokemon species is.

“I’m only 18 and I’ve spent my whole life in two places,” Tobias growls, giving her a sour look. “I can’t have seen every Pokemon that’s out there.”

“N-No, I know. Not blaming you. Just…How do we find him, then? Ask around?”

“Guess we have to,” Tobias grumbles. Nia, on the other hand, perks up at the chance to meet some new faces.

Luckily for Tobias, the first Pokemon they bump into—a sweet, quiet flower lady with a bandage around one leafy arm—says that Calder is likely checking in with the town doctor right now. Advantages of a small town where everyone knows each other and their routines, Nia supposes.

Sure enough, when they follow the lady’s directions to the local town doctor, they find someone who is just leaving, gently shutting the door behind them.

“That must be him,” Tobias whispers.

The sheriff is a tall, lanky blue lizard Pokemon with weirdly human proportions. A brown cloak sits on his shoulders, with a golden emblem similar to their Seeker badges clasping it closed. He does have an air of authority to him, in the way he walks. All solid, confident steps and straightened shoulders.

He notices the two of them immediately, long tail swishing. “Morning. Seekers passing through?”

“We’re here to look into the earthquakes, actually,” Tobias says, craning his head to look up at the much taller lizard. “Granite called us in.”

“Hm.” The sheriff’s eyes narrow, and Nia wonders if they maybe weren’t supposed to say that. But then the lizard nods, gesturing them off to the side of the building’s wooden porch. “Name’s Calder.”

“Nice to meet you! I’m Nia.”

Calder settles against the wooden railing, eyeing them silently for a few moments. Nia shifts uncomfortably, suddenly feeling small. Tobias stares back at the sheriff, as if daring him to do something.

“I respect Granite,” Calder starts. “He’s normally a very sensible ‘mon.”

“But?” Tobias prompts.

Calder looks off to the side, into town. “I think the close call with Takeo might have made him…a bit more paranoid than usual.”

“So you don’t believe him,” Tobias says flatly.

Calder looks down at his cloak. Or his badge, maybe. Brow furrowed.

“The earthquakes are…unusual. At their current rate,” Calder finally says. “But I have no evidence pointing to Pokemon interference.”

“Have you even looked into it?” Tobias asks.

Calder shakes his head. “It’s a poor excuse, but I haven’t had time to spare on something that…might just be a misled hunch. It’s been hard enough keeping up with the town and damages as is. Our doctor and construction crew are already working overtime.”

“That’s why we’re here,” Nia says with a smile. ”Granite wanted us to investigate.”

“Not a problem as long as you don’t cause trouble,” Calder retorts. “In fact, we could use some helping hands. Samir’s the only Seeker that Pyrite’s sent us, and I lost my deputy in a quake about a month back.”

“Oh,” Nia says softly, ears pinning back. “I…I’m so sorry.”

Calder takes a bracing breath, eyes closed, but when he responds his voice is steady. “Thank you. I’m trying to keep up with everything on my own, but there’s only so much I can do. Granite’s suspicions are unfortunately low on the list.”

“So you don’t have anywhere for us to start,” Tobias guesses.

“I don’t. You can ask around town if anyone’s noticed anything odd about the quakes. But—“ Calder’s gaze hardens. “Be careful what you say. Don’t accuse anyone. We’ve had enough issues with that as is.”

“The humans, you mean,” Tobias guesses, voice hard and almost accusing towards the inteleon.

“Tobias,” Nia mumbles, elbowing him. She looks back to Calder. “Got it. We’ll be careful. We don’t want anyone to get blamed.”

Calder nods. “See that you are. And let me know if you find anything you think is important.”

And with that, Calder pushes off the railing and walks past them, cloak billowing out behind him.

Tobias and Nia watch him go.

“Well he was no help,” Tobias says.

“Looks like we’re playing detective on our own,” Nia agrees. “I guess we just…look around town? Ask the locals if they’ve noticed anything strange about the quakes?”

Tobias shrugs, clearly reluctant to spend the day talking to a bunch of strangers. “I don’t have any better ideas.”

Nia takes the lead, and they try casually chatting up whoever they see milling about the town. Unfortunately, most Pokemon don’t seem to have any new information regarding the quakes, or anything odd they’ve noticed about them.

“Well, they’ve been destroying my crops more than I would’ve hoped,” The plant lady they’d spoken with before—a lilligant, according to Tobias—says when they ask, lifting her uninjured arm to her mouth in thought.

Nia blinks at her, surprised more by the fact that the delicate Pokemon is apparently a farmer. Huh. “Really?”

The lilligant nods. “Earthquakes don’t play well with all this rain. Makes everything a muddy mess. Not to mention most of our seeds are meant for the usual desert weather. Really putting a dent in the town’s food stores this month.”

The second Pokemon they talk to, a few buildings down, is a long fire centipede with a flame moustache. He clicks his mandibles in thought before speaking.

“There’s no rhyme or reason to ‘em, I’m afraid. And the grounders can’t seem to sense ‘em coming, either. One minute things are fine, the next the whole canyon’s a shakin.’ Scary stuff.”

By their sixth chat, Nia is starting to lose hope for an easy break in the case.

“They’re ussssually fairly short, thankfully,” The sand cobra in front of them says. Her friend, a round little cactus with arms, nods his whole body in agreement. “But they’re sssstrong, too. Enough to make the buildingssss and rockssss unstable.”

Tobias gives Nia an exasperated look that she pointedly ignores when she approaches their next potential informant.

“Oh! One of them happened right after I sneezed,” the little bunny child tells them, giggling. “So I thought maybe I did it, but It only happened that one time so prob’ly not.”

“Plus you’re not a ground type,” their friend, a little grass Pokemon, points out. Looking at them up close, they bear a resemblance to the lilligant they talked to earlier.

“Oh. Right.”

The twelfth Pokemon they interview is an elderly golem-like creature that looks to be made of blocks of…salt? His low, gravelly voice claims that the town’s misfortune is thanks to the anger of the gods.

“They have slept, and the world has forgotten them,” the Pokemon says, throwing out an angry hand. “And they do not take kindly to such irreverence.”

Thunder booms in the distance.

“Okay!” Nia says, voice just a notch too high as she claps her hands together. “On that note, we’ve uh—gotta go. Thankyoubye!”

“Ready for a different approach yet?” Tobias drawls as soon as they’re away from the salt block Pokemon.

“No, I’ve seen so many crime shows. I think. Interrogating people is a big step! Do you even have any other ideas?”

“Aside from not interrogating literal children? No.”

“Well, you never know—“

Nia stops as she spots her next victim. He’s a large orange creature that looks like a mix between a camel and a cow, with two rocky humps like small volcanoes atop his back. He’s unpacking large sacks of rice and beans from the back of a wooden cart much like the one Nia and Tobias rode in on. A harness is still attached to him from the journey.

“Pyre! That my grain?” A Pokemon calls from the upper floor of a building, leaning out the window. “We really need that this month.”

The camel-cow, Pyre apparently, calls an an affirmative, asking about the other Pokemon’s wife. The exchange is short but amiable.

“He looks pretty well-connected with the town,” Nia murmurs. “Let’s try him next.”

Tobias gives her a bored go ahead gesture, so Nia takes the lead in approaching the large Pokemon.

“‘Scuse me, sir, could we ask you about the—“

“No.”

Nia stops short, blinking. The camel-cow continues to unload sacks from the cart in silence. She…wasn’t expecting that brush-off after the considerably more friendly conversation she’d just witnessed.

“We were hoping to—“

“Don’t care.” Pyre shoots them both a glare. “Now leave me be and get out of here.” His short tail flicks, as if they’re flies to be shooed away.

Tobias steps up beside her, hands balled into fists. Uh-oh. “We’re trying to help, if you would—“

“Look,” the Pokemon says. He finally turns to them, nostrils flaring. “I don’t know why you’re poking your noses around, but you need to shut your mouths and move on.”

Okay, well that’s a bit aggressive. Nia puts a hand on Tobias’ arm to hopefully keep him from jumping this guy. Eyeing the muscles in Pyre’s thick legs and neck, she’s not convinced they could win.

“S-Sorry, I know we’re interrupting your work,” Nia says, trying to keep her voice light. Her heart is hammering in her throat, but she has a feeling starting a brawl wouldn’t be in their best interest, for a number of reasons. “But we’re trying to help—“

“We don’t want your help,” Pyre grunts, taking a threatening step forward that almost feels like it shakes the ground beneath them. The volcanoes on his back smoke and simmer loudly with heat. “We have enough to deal with without two know-nothing kids stirring up trouble!”

Okay, this is not a good situation. The townspeople who were chatting happily nearby just a minute before are deathly silent.

Pyre snorts, turning back to the sacks of grain. “If you’ve got any brains in those skulls you’ll leave before the next quake hits.”

“Is that a threat?” Tobias asks, burning hot enough beside Nia for her to feel it radiating off his skin.

Pyre’s ear flicks. “It’s an inevitability, boy. Keep talkin’ and you’ll wish all you two had to worry about was a quake.”

A low growl builds in Tobias’ chest, and Nia hurries to grab his arm, dragging him back with her a few steps.

“G-Got it. Sorry, sir!”

Nia takes off, dragging Tobias protesting and stumbling behind her until they’re hidden in the shade of a nearby building, next to some barrels.

Tobias yanks his arm free, his tail flame bright. “Why’d you do that?! I was going to give that stupid lump of coal a piece of my mind!”

“And that’s why I got us out of there,” Nia says dryly, stepping back to escape the heat pouring off Tobias in waves. “It’d be bad for us to get caught up in a fight, Tobias! We’re supposed to be on good terms with these people so we can gather info! Plus, he looked like he could literally crush us.”

Tobias scowls and jerks his head to the side, a trail of smoke following the movement. But he doesn’t argue.

“Let’s just…take a moment to cool off before moving on,” Nia suggests. She slides to the damp, cool dirt, sighing.

Tobias follows her lead, glaring ahead into nothingness. “I hope he’s our culprit so I get to kick his butt.”

Nia gives Tobias an amused look before sobering again. “He…was acting pretty aggressive. But do you think if he was causing the quakes he’d be so open about his animosity towards us trying to investigate?”

“Why else would he get so ticked off?”

Nia hums a wordless reply. She isn’t really sure. “I guess we might as well call him our first real suspect. See what Granite thinks.”

“Whatever,” Tobias says, clearly still stewing.

Tobias’ mood hasn’t improved much by time Nia drags them to the next Pokemon, a pair of large, olive green lizards—or dragons?—with weirdly tire-like dewlaps at their throats.

Or to the next, a chatty cream panther with a red jewel on her head who takes full advantage of a willing audience.

“—and I told Martha, because she is always withdrawing funds for her grandkids out near Pyrite, and I told her, next time you go into the bank take a good look at Aurum’s face and tell me she isn’t enjoying all the cash flowing through her business from these quakes, and she said—“

Nia is nodding along and trying to figure out how to politely extract herself from the conversation when that last part registers in her head.

“W-Wait, go back.”

“Hm? To what, dear?”

“That part about the, uh, the bank. Aurum?”

At Nia’s interest, Tobias visibly checks back into the conversation.

The panther’s eyes gleam as she leans forward, the rubies looped around her neck clicking together. “Oh, yes, that part is very interesting, isn’t it? I always thought that Aurum was an odd character, but she is clearly just delighted by all of the poké being withdrawn and invested into her bank to fund the damages the quakes cause. Doesn’t even try to hide it!”

Tobias, thank God, cuts in before the panther can get onto another tangent. “Thanks for the help.”

He pulls Nia away, the riolu giving the pouty panther an apologetic wave over her shoulder.

“I thought she’d never stop talking,” Nia breathes. Then she brightens. “But she gave us a lead!”

“The bank, right?”

Nia nods, letting Tobias take the lead. Chances are his sense of direction will actually get them where they want to go.

“You actually think that persian said anything useful among all the blabbering?” Tobias asks as they wait for a mudsdale-drawn cart to pass them.

“A banker who’s just a little too happy about all of the funds moving through her establishment due to the quakes? Definitely a red flag. Might as well check it out, right?”

Tobias doesn’t answer, but he leads them to the bank all the same. It’s a notably more secure building than the rest of the town, metal bars over the windows and more stone than wood making up its walls and floor. When they step inside, the small lobby area is quiet and surprisingly cozy, with a few potted cacti in the corners and a cushion or two offering seating for waiting customers.

A dragon is sitting behind the counter, accepting a pouch of what sounds like coins from a tall, white crane-like Pokemon. Sure enough, the dragon’s face lights up as she gets the coins in hand, quickly writing something down on the sheet of paper in front of her.

“I’ll get this to Eddy’s crew right away, Ranzi!” The dragon says, all cheer.

The crane Pokemon gives her a strained smile and a quiet word of thanks before walking to the door, passing Nia and Tobias along the way.

The dragon chirps, “One moment please!” before darting to the back of the building with the bag of coins. When she returns, she gives Nia and Tobias a toothy smile. She’s gray, with sharp fangs and a large golden crest atop her head. More golden plates guard her shoulders and wrists like armor.

“H’llo there! Can I help you two? Need to set up an account?”

Nia and Tobias exchange a look.

“Um, we were actually hoping to ask you about the recent earthquakes?” Nia says. “I’m Nia.”

“Aurum,” the dragon says in return, tilting her head. “What about the earthquakes?”

“Just if you’ve noticed anything weird about them?”

“Any patterns, anything you wouldn’t expect to see when they happen,” Tobias adds.

Aurum hums, tapping her long claws on the counter. “No, I don’t believe so! It’s strange how often they’re occurring, but otherwise they seem like regular old earthquakes to me.”

Tobias glances over his shoulder, towards the door. “Lots of customers due to them?”

“Oh, yes, lots!” Aurum says, brightening and puffing out her chest. “I’m making sure the transactions all go off without a hitch.”

“Uh…huh,” Nia says slowly, a little thrown off by the dragon Pokemon. She seems incredibly chipper about Pokemon losing money to terrible circumstances, but at the same time she seems almost…proud to be helping, rather than exalting in all of her riches.

Tobias squints at Aurum. “You seem…pretty happy about that.”

Well all right then, just come out and say it, Tobias.

Aurum nods happily. “Mhm! I’ve always loved my job because I get to see everyone’s beautiful, shiny money. But now I feel like I’m actually helping, too! Keeping everything running smoothly while the quakes are causing so much trouble, you know?”

It’s nothing more than a gut feeling, but Nia suddenly believes this dragon is nothing but genuine. She almost feels bad for coming in here determined to make her a suspect.

“That’s…a nice way to look at it,” Nia says, deflating and giving Aurum a weak smile. “Thanks for talking to us, Aurum.”

“Of course! Let me know if you do want to open an account. I’d be glad to help!”

Tobias gives Nia a perplexed look, but follows her back outside without a word. The wind blows hard, and Nia finally thinks she feels a cool raindrop hit her fur. Tobias must feel the same, because he reaches into their satchel to pull out the green rain poncho he’d stuffed in there earlier, tugging it on over his head.

“So. Thoughts,” Tobias says.

“Aurum is…interesting.”

Tobias snorts. “One way to phrase it. Do you think she has a hand in the quakes? You wanted to leave pretty quickly.”

Nia sighs. “The opposite. I don’t think she has anything to do with it. She seems too…genuine.”

Tobias gives her a look. “You? Trust someone based off of nothing at all? No.”

Nia’s mouth twists. “I mean…we can keep her on the suspects list, just in case. But…”

“It’s gotta be that stupid camerupt,” Tobias grumbles.

Nia laughs. “Pyre? Maybe. Are you still mad about him?”

Tobias gives her an incredulous look. “Are you not?”

Nia shrugs. “I mean, I definitely don’t want to talk to him again, but there’s not really any point in me staying mad about it.”

Tobias rolls his eyes. “You’re too nice.”

Nia gives him a playful nudge. “I think you’re just getting hangry. It’s way past lunch time.”

Tobias opens his mouth to retort, then shuts it again. “…Hangry?”

“Yeah, angry because you’re hungry.”

“Okay, that’s—“

There’s a distinct tap tap on the porch behind them, catching their attention.

It’s a goat. A little taller than Nia and Tobias, with a mane of leaves wreathing their neck. Small, curving horns sit atop their head, framing a serious brown and white face.

“…Yeah?” Tobias says, clearly wary.

The goat tilts their head, flicking their gaze from Nia to Tobias and back. Questioning.

Nia catches sight of the darker green scarf tied around their neck, half-buried in leaves. A familiar badge gleams out at them, nearly identical to her and Tobias’ own.

“Oh! You must be Samir. Granite mentioned you,” Nia says, smiling warmly. “I’m Nia. This is Tobias. We’re Seekers too, brought in to help with the earthquakes.”

The skiddo nods back. Curt and professional.

There’s an awkward beat of silence. One of the Pokemon down the road—part of the construction crew working on the damaged building they’d passed this morning—yells something about finishing up what they’re working on before the rain comes in.

“Do you have any info?” Tobias finally asks, jumping straight to the point. He hesitates. “I mean—not sure how you would share it, but…I know finger-sign. I don’t know how well that translates when you don’t, y’know…have fingers, but. Yeah. Info?”

Samir tilts their head again, brow furrowing in clear confusion.

“Info about what might be causing the earthquakes,” Nia clarifies. “We were brought here to investigate.”

The skiddo blinks, clearly bewildered. They shake their head.

Tobias squints. “You…don’t have any info?”

Samir huffs at him, then shakes their head again with an insistent click of their hoof. Nia stares at them, hopelessly lost.

“I’m sorry, I don’t know—“

Nia cuts off as the skiddo nimbly hops off the porch and makes quick, sharp strokes in the dirt with the tip of their orange hoof. Nia exchanges a look with Tobias and follows them down to read the words they’ve spelled out.

NO CAUSE

DISASTERS EVERYWHERE

WHY THINK CAUSE?

Nia falters. Right. Most of the town seems to believe that the quakes are natural. “W-Well…Granite thinks there’s something strange going on. He’s the one who called us in.”

“He pointed out how localized they are. Nowhere else in the Faren Desert are there this many earthquakes happening in such a short period of time,” Tobias adds.

Nia nods, pointing at her partner as if to say, Yeah, that too.

Samir makes a doubtful noise in their throat, looking at the two of them as if trying to figure them out. Finally, they shake their head and write again.

HERE TO HELP

NEED HELP

“We’ll do that too, of course!” Nia says.

“But if something IS causing the quakes, the most helpful thing to do would be to stop it at the source,” Tobias finishes.

Samir is clearly frustrated with that answer. They scuff a hoof through their previous words, then write again.

NO CAUSE

EVIDENCE?

“We’re working on it,” Tobias grumbles. “We just got here last night.”

“We were hoping you might have some idea of where to start?” Nia asks. “We’ve been asking around about anything weird, but—“

Samir shakes their head immediately.

BUSY

REPAIRS

INJURIES

“Right,” Nia murmurs, reading the goat’s words. “You’ve been the only one here trying to help out for weeks, huh?”

For just a moment, the skiddo’s shoulders seem to slump. They scrape away the words with a swipe of their hoof, gazing down at the little ruts left in the dirt with tired, unhappy eyes.

“If you help us look into this, we might be able to fix all of that,” Nia says.

Samir takes a moment to look at Nia, dark eyes intense. She gives them a smile, hoping they can tell how sincere she is.

Finally, they sigh and write something new with quick, messy jabs of their hoof.

FIND EVIDENCE

Nia brightens. “Sure! That’s what we’re working on right now anyways. We’ll let you know when we find it.”

The skiddo looks much less optimistic than Nia, but simply shakes their head and wipes away the words.

Then, they stand and give both Nia and Tobias a firm nod, before trotting past them further into town. Nia blinks after them, a bit surprised by the sudden departure. It didn’t feel angry, necessarily, but just…exasperated. As if they were children wasting valuable time.

“Again. So helpful,” Tobias drawls.

“They…seemed stressed,” Nia defends weakly. “It makes sense they don’t want to waste time on what might be a dead end when the town is barely holding itself together.”

“I guess,” Tobias grumbles. “Back to it?”

“I wanted to talk to that construction crew working down the road,” Nia says, pointing. “Let’s try them next.”

Tobias nods, leading the way. “Think they might have noticed something about the quakes that everyone else missed? Since they work on repairs every day.”

“That’s what I’m hoping for!”

They approach the building that was shaken right off its foundations, half of it sunk into the dirt. The construction crew looks to be packing it in for the day, collecting their tools and casting glances at the heavy gray clouds covering the sky like a thick blanket.

Nia hesitates as she tries to decide who to get the attention of. There’s a blue otter Pokemon nearby, but he’s barking orders to the other Pokemon, so he’s probably the one in charge.

“The dewott looks too busy. Let’s try the aggron,” Tobias murmurs, pointing out a large Pokemon who looks to be loading all of the crew’s tools back into a cart.

He’s all thick black plating and silver armor, with a sturdy tail and two sharp horns jutting from his helmet-like head. His icy blue eyes are focused on his work.

Nia gulps, intimidated by the sheer strength in the Pokemon’s movements. Tobias gives her an unimpressed look and pads forward first.

“Hey. Got time for a quick question?”

“Hm?” The aggron glances down at the two of them. His voice is deep, but casual. “Sure, little Seekers. What’s up?”

“Has your crew noticed anything weird about the earthquakes that have been happening?” Tobias asks.

The aggron pauses to frown at them. “Weird?”

“Like, um…strange patterns for when they happen?” Nia asks. “Anything that just feels…not natural?”

The aggron’s heavy tail sweeps across the dirt, scattering pebbles and dirt with it. His eyes narrow at Nia. “If you’re tryin’ to imply something just because I can use ground type moves—“

“N-No!” Nia hurries to say, waving her hands in front of her. “We just thought since you guys do construction, you might’ve noticed something?”

“You were the only ‘mon not moving around or giving directions,” Tobias adds. “So we thought we’d ask you.”

The aggron sighs, his breath nearly a gust of wind. “Sorry. Been a rough couple o’ months. I mean, good pay. Bad…everything else.”

“I’m sure,” Nia murmurs.

“Anyways,” the aggron says, tossing a toolbox into the cart before reaching for a palette of wood. He lifts the giant stack of lumber with a single arm. “No, haven’t noticed anything too weird. Nothing that no one else hasn’t, at least.”

He grunts as he throws the palette into the cart as well. “Lots of quakes. Lots of rain. The whole world is dealing with this kind of stuff more and more, so I guess this is just our lot. S’ a pain to deal with, though.”

“Least we aren’t stuck in the mines when all these quakes are happening,” a primeape adds as he drops a bundle of rope into the cart in passing. “I’d be terrified of a cave-in.”

The aggron huffs. “True.”

“Granite mentioned that this used to be a mining town,” Nia says, watching the primeape move back to the building to help secure the temporary supports.

“Sure was,” the aggron says, taking a moment to lean against the cart and look down at them. “My dad was a miner before we wiped the minerals out of this canyon. A lot of the town still mines, but they have to head out into the desert to do so.”

Ah. That would explain the group of Pokemon with pickaxes that she’d seen head out earlier in the day.

“What—“

“Cody. Need you on the west side of the building.”

The aggron—his name is Cody?—jolts, looking behind Nia and Tobias. “Right. Sorry, Eddy. On it.”

Cody hurries off to help the other construction ‘mon, heavy steps shaking the earth beneath him.

Nia turns to the newcomer—Eddy. It’s the dewott she’d seen shouting orders before. He has two seashells hooked into the fur on each hip, his black-tipped paws planted right over them.

“Can I help you?” He asks. “We’re trying to wrap up here.”

As if to accentuate his point, a raindrop falls between them, making a dark circle in the dirt. Then another. Tobias crinkles his nose and flips his hood up over his head.

“Sorry to interrupt,” Nia says apologetically. “We’re Seekers looking into the earthquakes. Have you noticed anything strange about them? Anything off?”

“Not this again,” Eddy grumbles, pinching at the area between his eyes. “Is this about Cody? Look, you can’t just go around blaming every Pokemon who can use earthquake. I’ve got a lot of good ‘mon on my crew who are just trying to live their lives and help the town.”

“We’re not trying to blame anyone!” Nia insists. “J-Just wondering if you’ve noticed anything weird that might help us figure more out about the quakes.”

The otter shakes his head, whiskers whipping. “They’re quakes. Nature. Nothing predictable about it. Look, we’ve gotta wrap this up. Talk to Calder if you want the scoop on the town.”

With that, Eddy turns and heads back to his crew. Nia sags. She’d really been hoping they’d get a lead here. As if to match her mood, the rain starts sprinkling in earnest, dotting the dirt with quiet little plips.

Tobias shuffles closer to the half-destroyed building, glaring up at the sky. Nia sighs. It’d probably be best if they went inside, at least for now. Maybe they need to take a break anyways.

“Want to head to the saloon?” Nia asks.

“I can handle a little rain,” Tobias scoffs, despite the fact that he is quite literally hiding from it.

“You’re hungry too, right?” Nia asks, waiting for Tobias’ agreement. “We could try waiting out the rain while we get some food. Maybe talk to Deidra and see if she has anything to share since we haven’t been there yet.”

Thunder rolls in the distance, and Tobias reluctantly steps away from the shelter of the building. “Fine. Let’s go.”

Nia follows his brisk pace across town, trying to keep the optimism she’d started with. There has to be a lead somewhere, right? Even if everyone in town seems convinced that it’s just nature breaking down, Granite’s conviction sticks in her mind.

Something has to be going on. And Nia’s going to find out what.

#pmd #pokemon mystery dungeon #skiddo #pokemon #pmd seekers of soul #tesha draws #tesha writes

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