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Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Investigators of Soul/Heart/Spirit

a fanmade story

Two days later, Aileen and I woke up, got ourselves out of bed, ate, and were off to the firm. I had given ourselves five more days to prepare for the raid.
When we walked in, Stacia waved to us and we waved back, then turned to Lurantis.
"I tried sending a letter to the PHEW," our boss told us her progress, "but apparently it never left the mailbox. Something must've happened to Pelliper."
"I wouldn't be surprised," Stacia reasoned. "Last I checked, P.A.I.G.E. was taking shots at crippling our resources to weaken our capabilities before finishing us off."
"Well, if we can't reach them indirectly," I reasoned, "let's go pay them a little visit."
"Huh?"
"You had me meet Solgaleo at Daybreak Ridge," I motioned to Stacia. "Let's drop on by again."
"Oh, I see what you're trying to do," she figured it out. "Use him as a messenger to the whole organization."
"I mean, it's worth a shot," Lurantis shrugged. "We're really just grabbing at scraps at this point, but we can try that."
"Which is why we need to take whatever we can get," Aileen nodded. "Let's go."
(Gabriel: 32 [+1]
Aileen: 34 [+1, evolved into Primarina!]
Stacia: 49 [+1]
Lurantis: 65)
Once the four of us were back at the Daybreak Ridge Cliffside, I looked up in the sky for the same Ultra Wormhole as before. It was there, and sure enough, shortly thereafter Solgaleo dropped down out of the portal and appeared before us.
"Back so soon?" he asked Stacia and I. "What brings you here this time?"
"Business again," the Marshadow said, "but on a bigger scale."
"How so?"
"We need direct collaboration with the whole PHEW now," Stacia explained. "We're running out of time, and are making preparations to storm Team Perial Base in five days, and to do that, we're going to need as much force as we can assemble."
"I tried sending a letter," Lurantis noted, "but it seems Pelliper never picked it up. We suspect P.A.I.G.E. has attacked the mail system…"
"Even our means of communications…" Solgaleo pondered.
"Which is why we didn't have much else of a choice than to come to you," I summed it up. "Think you can relay the message for us?"
"I will see what I can do," he assured us. "But you all be careful. If it is true that P.A.I.G.E. has captured Pelliper, then there is no telling what she may attack next.
"You especially, Gabriel."
"You think I don't know that?" I replied.
"Do not let your desire to act leave you open in battle," he warned anyway. "It is a difficult urge to suppress, but you must wait for your chance."
I dropped my arms and sighed. "Yeah…"
Aileen and Lurantis gave me confused, "is-there-something-you're-not-telling-us" looks.
"I shall waste no more time," Solgaleo nodded. "You should not, either."
And with that, he jumped, roared, and disappeared into an Ultra Wormhole toward the sun, high in the sky.
"He's right," Lurantis ignored her suspicions for the time being. "There's no more time to spare. Let's head back, quickly. If we hurry, maybe we can get some appeal in Crossroad City."
Having seemingly obtained what we came for, we turned home and made our way with haste.
All four of us made the full trip to Crossroad City as quickly as we could…
But we were too late.
"Ah!!" I actually jumped back.
"Wh-wha-" Aileen lost her voice upon seeing what I saw now.
Lurantis was also speechless, covering where her mouth would be in her shock.
"Wha…bu…no!" Stacia formed her thoughts. "How? I-it's…!"
Crossroad City was in ruins.
I looked around. The pavement was shattered in spots, broken apart like an ice cube taken a hammer to. The buildings were nearly unrecognizable, recolored by many traces of elemental damage and broken into rubble, exposing the carnage even inside them. Some survivors were beginning to come out of their hiding places and under the demolition, but there were much less than there were this morning.
In just the time we had been away today, the closest thing we could call to home had been completely destroyed.
Our group split up, helping those trapped underneath the rubble to safety. I dashed over to get Honchkrow out of his shop.
"What the heck happened?!" I asked.
"Some crazy Pokémon showed up and trashed the entire city!" he sputtered. "My key collection is safe, but heck if that matters…"
I pulled him out of what was once his roof with great effort, and ran over to help others and hear their stories.
They were all different, shaken by the sudden turn in events, but most of it was the same; a Pokémon, described among them as "tall", "unlike anything I've ever seen before", "colorful and shiny", and "insane" had waltzed in and suddenly opened fire. A lot of them recalled seeing bursts of light shortly after they threw something, and when the light subsided, the townsperson in that area wasn't there any more.
It was a vague description overall, but after discussing it with Stacia and Lurantis, we knew there was only one thing that could have and would have done this.
P.A.I.G.E.
"She actually came here…" I barely made myself believe.
I scanned the remaining townsfolk, talking amongst themselves, shaking in fear. Bounsweet, Snorlax, Kecleon, Golem, Cofagrigus, Hypno, Honchkrow, Togedemaru, Purugly, Chansey, Malamar…
Everyone else had been captured.
That included Minccino, Electabuzz, Tsareena, Misdreavus, Araquanid, Shiinotic…
Even Shiinotic…
P.A.I.G.E. had done this…
I had done this…
Aileen was trembling, all of a sudden lost.
"A-Aileen?" Lurantis noticed the Primarina's discomfort.
She couldn't speak. Aileen couldn't formulate what she was thinking as tens of emotions went against each other in her mind.
But I knew the basics.
This one was too close to home. Literally and figuratively.
First the investigation team falling apart…now this?
I don't know how much more she or anyone else can take…
Something inside me rose up. Something…new. I suddenly felt…guilty, depressed, and outraged at the same time. But above any of those…
determined.
Is this…passion?
I turned to the survivors. "Does anyone know where the attacker went?"
That got everyone's attention. And I mean EVERYONE'S.
"I think they said something about Cavern of Ashes or something," Togedemaru remembered. "Gumshoos and Golisopod went after it."
That made me flinch. "They PURSUED them?!"
"I saw them run off after it when it left," he was sure. "They seemed pretty intent."
"That's just putting them in danger!" Aileen cried.
I turned back to everyone else. "Cavern of Ashes, right?"
Nods all around.
"Okay, we're on it!"
That stunned everyone again.
And I mean EVERYONE.
"Wait!" Lurantis held it. "Don't tell me you're going off to confront her now!"
I turned with a smirk. "Yes, we are!"
"But what about the city?!" she insisted. "If they're remembering wrong and she comes back to finish up, there'll be nothing left at all!"
"I know," I assured her. "That's why Aileen, Stacia, and I are going, and you gotta get someone to get on repair duties."
"Whoa, whoa, whoa!" Stacia interrupted me. "Solgaleo warned you, I warned you, you know what she's capable of…we're just going to go fight P.A.I.G.E. anyway and disregard all that?!"
"Yeah, maybe," I said, "but…if we're gonna go help Gumshoos and Golisopod anyway, it's not like we can avoid battle with her."
I had everyone there.
I looked at Aileen, and then at Stacia.
"Let's go!"
They both nodded, and went with me as I ran off toward Cavern of Ashes.
"Good luck!!" Lurantis called after us.
I looked back and gave everyone still there a thumbs-up. "Hang in there, folks! WE'LL get this straightened out!"
The entrance to the cave, assembled of dark igneous rock, was a foreboding presence as we came up to it.
"We've been through worse places in weaker states," I was sure.
"Are you sure you're ready for this?" Stacia made sure. "In more ways than one?"
"I'll be fine," I smirked. "The three of us can take her. She actually was built for one-on-one combat, not necessarily waves of strong Pokémon."
Aileen heard that, and snapped out of her internal conflict to ask: "How do you know this?"
"…I've got a bit more of explaining to do at some point…" I figured. "What I should be asking is will YOU be all right."
"I-I'll…fight through it," she assured me. "I'm scared out of my skin, but…I have to help them while I st-still can…"
I patted her shoulder. "It'll be alright. If we go now, we can make it in time."
"THEN LET'S GO ALREADY!" she outbursted.
I motioned for Stacia, who nodded, and we all dashed into the Cavern of Ashes.
(Cavern of Ashes
B12F
Many Fire types, with an occasional Rock or Ground Pokémon
Gabriel: 33 [+1]
Aileen: 34 [no change]
Stacia: 49 [no change])
We reached a clearing in the dungeon, in which it was becoming progressively hotter, and stopped for a moment to catch our breath and attempt to cool down.
"We've come quite a ways in…" I deduced, sweating, "but still no sign of P.A.I.G.E. or anyone…"
"Ugh…" Stacia panted. "WHY does it have to be so frickin' HOT…"
"C'mon kid, pick it up!" we barely heard. "We're almost there!"
The voice was distant, but there, and I knew whose it was.
"That's Gumshoos' voice!" Aileen realized and said for me.
I got up off of my knees. "C'mon! It sounds like they've nearly caught up with P.A.I.G.E.! We have to beat them to her!"
"Who knows what'll happen if they try to fight her," Stacia agreed. "You say she's not built for multiple foes, but I'm pretty sure she can easily curbstomp two Pokémon without breaking a sweat!"
"WHAT are you talking about?!" Aileen demanded to know, getting frustrated. "Stop leaving me out of the loop!"
"Focus on the task at hand, please!" I defended myself and went on.
(Cavern of Ashes
B13F-B25F
Same as before, but stronger, evolved enemies
Gabriel: 34 [+1]
Aileen: 35 [+1]
Stacia: 50 [+1])
"Are we getting close yet?" Aileen asked me, as the heat only became more intense, really feeling the extent of it.
"Yeah," I was sure. "Their voices are becoming clearer…"
"…once upon a time, I used to care," P.A.I.G.E. was saying. "But those days were long gone long ago."
"So you just ADMITTED to being heartless," Gumshoos snapped.
"So what?!" P.A.I.G.E. was equally angry. "You'd never understand, you and your weakhearted selves!"
"Better to have a weak heart than none at all," Golisopod argued, "you mechanical meanie!"
"THAT'S IT!" P.A.I.G.E. was done. "You want to be with your relatives so bad? Then I'll take you to them!"
"HOLD IT!" I called out.
Aileen, Stacia, and I arrived on the scene just in time to split up the opposing parties.
"Wha-" Gumshoos didn't expect to see us.
"Gabriel?! Aileen?!" Golisopod recognized us from the orphanage.
"UGH!!" P.A.I.G.E. moaned. "You two just don't qui-
"Wait a…"
She turned and recognized Stacia.
"AND the Marshadow, too? Oh, I think I know where this is going…"
"Do you?" she questioned.
"Heh," P.A.I.G.E. smirked at us. "With the PHEW now, are you? Like I hadn't already told you way too much as is…"
"Hey!" I whispered back to Gumshoos and Golisopod. "This is your cue to get out of here!"
"Grrr…" the old man wasn't too thrilled about it, but reluctantly they went the opposite way, and I turned my attention back to my monstrosity.
"Do you even realize the extent of what you do?!" Aileen lashed out, not holding her emotions back any longer. "Just going out and attacking poor Pokémon, brainwashing them into your team's mindless obedience?! As bad enough as that already is, do you have ANY IDEA how it impacts families and friends?!"
"Yeah, I just got a taste of that from them," P.A.I.G.E. mentioned. "Not that it matters."
"NOT THAT IT MATTERS?!" Aileen was furious now. "You really are heartless! Then again, you're a machine, what else should I expect?"
Those words cut deeper into me than they did into P.A.I.G.E., who just shrugged. "I don't know. What else SHOULD you expect? I can't give sympathy."
"Rrrrr…"
She was running out of patience.
I couldn't blame her, to be honest. I can't bring myself to say it now…
"Whatever," P.A.I.G.E. figured. "If I bag you three, then that's yet another score on the resistance. Gee, I'm actually surprised at how well I'm doing today, and I'm only at 43% battery life still."
Shoot! I missed my chance…
Remain calm…I'll get another one soon enough, probably after this battle.
"Ha!" she laughed, and got ready to fight. "This'll be fun. Come on! Try me!"
And so the battle began.
I got the first hit with Shadow Sneak, and unlike our first encounter, it seemed that I could actually do significant damage now, through the strength I had gained this whole time.
Aileen unleashed her fury upon the robot with Bubble Beam, slowing her down with a hit, as Stacia Dodged over to P.A.I.G.E. and attacked with Spectral Thief. It hit, but P.A.I.G.E. countered her coming close and got a grip on Stacia's head, releasing sleeping gas from her hand and sending the Marshadow to dream land.
I stayed where I was and used Shadow Sneak again, and Aileen kept her strategy up with another Bubble Beam.
P.A.I.G.E. Dodged over to her and swung her arm, connecting with the upper arm for a supereffective Grass-type attack.
I walked over there to help Aileen, who was keeping P.A.I.G.E. at bay with Disarming Voice, but my monstrosity noticed me and elbowed me with all her might.
Not only did the move hurt a lot, but the heat pads also left me with a burn, hurting and weakening one of my most valuable stats as a Gallade; Attack.
As if it wasn't already hot enough in here.
Why did I make this again?
I went for Psycho Cut anyway, landing a critical hit, and Aileen gave us a lucky break and used Sing, creating music to P.A.I.G.E.'s ears and lulling her to sleep.
Now I could "safely" go all-out, and attempted to end it quick with Close Combat. But it wasn't anywhere near enough, and my burn left a number on me even more than the lowered defenses.
Aileen used Sparkling Aria, attacking the sleeping mech and healing my burn at the cost of a bit of HP. Stacia woke up as well, and hurried over to help.
I brought myself back up with an Oran Berry from my Pocket Dimension, as Aileen struck with Disarming Voice and Stacia used Laser Focus.
P.A.I.G.E. woke up then, and replaced my burn with poison, from the spike in her chest since I was too close.
Seeing it as now or never, I attacked with Close Combat again, stronger than before, and Aileen used yet another Disarming Voice, and Stacia made the most of her Laser Focus with Drain Punch, forcing a critical hit and regaining the health from P.A.I.G.E.'s sleep attack.
The robot tried something different, as a lock-on cursor appeared on her face and she began analyzing us closely.
I had a general idea I remembered what this did, and made sure not to trigger her counter by mixing it up with Psycho Cut.
Aileen wasn't so lucky, not suspecting anything and carelessly using Bubble Beam, which P.A.I.G.E. had prepared to stop with her foot and freeze the incoming Water-type attack, then kicked four of the frozen bubbles back for a weak but multi-hitting Ice-type counterattack.
Stacia attempted to ready Laser Focus, and P.A.I.G.E. had already used her turn, so one more time, I attacked with Close Combat.
It finally did the job, and the machine was on the ground, holding herself up with a hand, a knee, and a foot.
"AAH!!" she screamed in pain.
"We…we did it!" Aileen took it in. "We beat P.A.I.G.E.!"
"Yeah, sure…" the robot remarked, "you let yourselves believe that.
"Don't think this is over…"
"But it is now," I stepped up, ready to do what I had to. "This nightmare is finally over."
P.A.I.G.E. looked me in the eye with her digital face, light blue now, as I drew back my fist, ready to punch straight through it and save her from herself…
But was interrupted when Gumshoos and Golisopod came out from behind the entrance hole and charged at her.
"RAAAAAAAAAHHH!!!!"
They both attacked at once, striking her body from both sides and knocking her back to her feet.
Ruining my chance.
"What the heck?!" I shouted, startled and confused. "What're you doing?! I was just about to finish her!"
"Oooh, no you don't!" Gumshoos said. "Not until we get what we came for!"
"Wha?"
"I TOLD YOU!" P.A.I.G.E. announced to them, "I can't even if I tried! It's already been done!"
"You can fool others, but you can't fool us!" Golisopod insisted and attacked again.
"Ack!" P.A.I.G.E. turned tail and ran further into the cavern, attempting to throw them off with a shot of electricity from her tail.
"GIVE ME BACK MY SON!" Gumshoos screamed and pursued her.
"AND MY PARENTS!" Golisopod went with him.
"WaiWHAT?!" I suddenly understood.
"Guys, no!" Aileen shouted after them.
Driven by hope for their families, the two Pokémon ignored us and continued running.
"We gotta stop them!" I tried to run after them, but the heat was too much. Sapped of any energy I had upon taking a step further into the hot cave, I fell backward onto the ground instead, panting.
"I…SAID…" trying to force myself and get my body to work with my mind, "we HAVE…to…"
But it was no use. I couldn't take any more.
Aileen was experiencing similar symptoms, barely able to keep herself standing as the heat and adrenaline crash were beginning to get to her as well. "Ngh…"
Stacia saw what was happening. "You guys can't stay here," she thought out loud. "Get out of here, I'll go get them!"
"What?"
"Just go!"
"What about you?"
"I shouldn't have to tell you 'I'll be fine' more than once! Get the heck out of here!"
Reluctantly, Aileen helped me to my feet, and we went back out the way we came. As it gradually got cooler, the going got easy enough for us to escape. We sat down for a bit just outside to catch our breath.
"Oh, man," I barely said through my weakness. "I think she might've been right. Another minute and that'd have turned into heat stroke."
"You think she'll be alright?" Aileen asked.
"Aileen, this is Stacia we're talking about. She's stronger than either of us, and been through everything we have, plus a lot more. She can handle the heat for a while longer."
"And when she encounters P.A.I.G.E. again…?"
"I think we got her weak enough now that the three of them can take her in that state. She can't take that extreme heat for much longer, either."
"How do you two know so much about her?" she caught on and finally accused me.
"U-uh…"
I sighed. "Yeah, I was meaning to tell you at some point anyway. Might as well come out with it…"
And so I revealed Paige's identity, and with it my darkest secret as a Team Perial Admin, to Aileen.
"Wh…WHAT?" was her initial reaction. "You…y-you did that?"
I solemnly nodded. "I didn't believe it, either."
"Augh…" her heart sank. "Th-that poor Eevee…how could you just turn on her like that? That's like throwing a friend away…"
"That's exactly what it was," I admitted, "and I'm going to spend the rest of my life paying for it. Why else do you think I was so keen on confronting her?"
Aileen was silent.
"I almost saved her this time, too…
"Now look at this mess…
"Y'know, now that I think about it," I realized, "Team Perial wasn't really that much of a threat before I showed up. But now that I gave them Terminal Balls and P.A.I.G.E.…all this has happened. Global disappearances…attacks on society as a whole…actual progress toward world domination…
"In the end, it really all just traces back to me."
My gaze fell to the ground.
"I'm responsible for it all.
"I brainwashed Sky…
"I destroyed Crossroad City…
"I broke up the investigation team…
"I took the orphans' families away from them…
including yours."
I didn't have to look up at her face to see that she was in shock and about to cry.
"Stacia stole my soul and forced me to open my eyes and see what I've done…
and I know I can't undo it all. It's impossible."
I sniffed back tears.
"I'm so sorry…but I know that doesn't mean anything now.
"If I want to be forgiven…then I have to redeem myself in full.
"I have to take down Team Perial…
"I have to save the world from whatever turned Stacia into Marshadow…
"And I have to save Paige. That's all I can do…
"But will it be enough?
"Or is it already too late…"
I turned to look Aileen in the eye, my vision too blurry from tears to make out details on her expression.
"Look at me. Look at me, and tell me what you really see.
"Do you still see me as that friend who's been with you all this time?
"Or do you see me as the cause of all your troubles, now that I've admitted that I am?"
Silence.
Eerie, painful silence.
Until she finally spoke:
"I…I don't really know what to think or say…I can't believe it, to tell you the truth…
"But…this makes me think of what Sky said to Skuntank way back then…"
I blinked. "Huh?"
"About how, even through the bad choices made, everyone has the potential to be a truly good person. And how that potential never disappears."
"All I have to do is build off of it..." I remembered.
…
"I think…I think that's exactly how to describe this," she said. "Even through what you've done…I see that potential. That potential to be a truly good person.
"That person that you are now.
"I believe in you, Gabriel," Aileen said. "I believe in who you've become. This…this is who you truly are.
"In reality, you've already redeemed yourself as a person. You did that early on; why else would you have saved me from Cradily and the Lileep on our first investigation together?
"I forgive you, Gabriel," she concluded. "And I'll help you forgive yourself the rest of the way."
I smiled and wiped away the tears.
"Thanks, Aileen…tha-that means a lot more to me than you know…"
"Come on," she stood up. "Let's start by helping Lurantis fix Crossroad City as best we can."
I nodded and stood up, leading the way back.
When we got there, we were actually surprised by how much had been done while we were away. I almost forgot it had been destroyed earlier. The road had been entirely repaved, the shops were almost exactly like they had been before, more than usable, and everyone was pitching in to put the sign back up on the reconstructed SnorMor Hotel. By the time we saw, everyone was climbing back down, and the renovations were complete.
Like it never even happened.
Ha ha…guess that's just a lesson to never underestimate the power of Pokémon!
We found Lurantis in the mix and rushed over. She noticed us and waved.
"Jeez," I said, still taking in the scale of the repairs. "You don't mess around! Why didn't you tell us you were a carpenter?"
Lurantis laughed. "Ahahaha! Oh, that's hilarious. I'm really not."
She gestured over to a trio of Pokémon coming down from the construction. "Save the compliments for these three."
Two Timburr and a Gurdurr came up to her. "Thank you so much for your service," Lurantis thanked them. "I know it was a bit of a hike coming here from Pokémon Paradise and all, but I'm sure you understand why I called you here."
"Oh, you can say that again," one of the Timburr brothers replied.
"No problem," the other said. "Glad you got us over here instead of trying to do it by yourselves."
"Well, can't argue with that," Lurantis shrugged. "Thank you again."
She reached into her Pocket Dimension and pulled out a fair share of Poké. "Will this be enough?"
"Bwahahahaha!" Gurdurr laughed, almost losing the steel bar in his arm. "Nah, we don't want your Poké. I put my heart into it and helped some people out. That's enough for me."
"N-no, I insist," our boss offered the reward again.
"I'm telling you, keep it," Gurdurr insisted. "We'll just be on our way now that everything's patched up."
"Hah…" Lurantis put her money away. "Well, uh…th-thank you so much."
And the three carpentners began their journey back home.
"So…yeah," she turned her attention back to us. "That happened…"
Then her expression turned puzzled.
"…hm? Where's Stacia?"
Oh.
Right.
"Hey."
Just then, we turned to see Gumshoos and Golisopod right there behind us, who had come up without us even noticing, and Gumshoos put an unconscious Stacia into my arms.
"Huh?" I had no idea what was going on.
"Uh…" Gumshoos began, but then went quiet for a while.
"Thanks," he finally said, and walked away.
An awkward silence.
"Yeah…" Golisopod also had a hard time facing us. "Th-thanks for the save, Gabriel, Aileen. Thank her for me, too, when she wakes up."
Then he, too, left us, going into the orphanage.
"I don't know what just happened," I said, "but it looks like they're alright."
"What do you think happened to P.A.I.G.E.?" Aileen asked me.
"We'll ask Stacia when she comes to," I figured. "But in the meantime…what now?"
"Huh?"
"Shiinotic was captured," I remembered, "so that orphanage is really just an empty building now. The remaining orphans are homeless…as are we."
"Oh…" Aileen registered. "Right…"
"I know we have to figure out something for them, too, soon…" I deduced, "but it's getting late now, and we don't have a caretaker or a place to stay. What do we do…?"
This was a tough spot. As strong and mature as Aileen was, she was still only a little kid underneath it all. I mean, I'm 24, but I don't know enough about being a Pokémon to survive on my own.
"Y'know…" Lurantis said, "I've been thinking about this for a while, now, ever since I learned that you were orphans…"
"Aileen is," I corrected her. "I'm actually not…"
"Whatever," she said. "You both have a new mom now, congratulations."
"Wait, what?"
"It's me. I'm adopting you."
"WHAT?" Both of us were only getting more and more confused.
"I'd fill out the paperwork if Shiinotic were here, but I don't see how that'd work now," Lurantis said. "You two have been so good to me, I don't even…"
"L-Lurantis…" Aileen was tearing up.
"I don't know how I'll fare as a motherly figure," she shrugged, "but I'll try. Consider it my thank-you for staying with me through all this. We're practically family anyway now, so why not make it official? I don't see why Stacia would mind if you two lived with us, too."
"I…I-I…" Aileen was so happy she was about to cry. I was deeply touched, too.
"Come here," our new adopted mother opened her arms, and Aileen wholeheartedly hugged her, crying into her shoulder.
"What did I do…to deserve this?" she asked through tears.
"Aileen," Lurantis returned the embrace, "you were just yourself."
I would've joined in and made it a group hug, but I had Stacia asleep in my arms already.
Boo. I want a hug, darn it.
Lurantis let go of Aileen and looked around.
"Come on," she said. "Let's go home for tonight."
Aileen and I nodded, and we headed back to the investigation firm.
Back home.
Once there, Lurantis locked the door behind us and went to her room. She simply shifted hers and Stacia's beds over a little, and I set the unconscious Marshadow down onto hers as our adopted parent assembled two more.
"There," she said. "It's not the most, but it should do. I just hope it isn't too crowded in here for all of us…"
"No, it's alright," I insisted with a smile. "Just this is more than we could've asked for right now."
"Ahaha, stop it," Lurantis giggled.
Aileen yawned. "Well, I don't know about you, but I'm bushed. G'night…"
She laid down on the bed closest to the back wall and was out in moments.
Lurantis and I both just laughed, and then looked at each other.
"Yeah, I'm gonna hit the hay, too," I stretched out and laid down. "See you in the morning, 'Mom'."
"G'night, you."
I closed my eyes and just let all my worries fade as I fell asleep…
(Chapter 16 begins, and Special Episode 3 has been unlocked!)

Description
Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Investigators of Soul/Heart/Spirit

a fanmade story

Two days later, Aileen and I woke up, got ourselves out of bed, ate, and were off to the firm. I had given ourselves five more days to prepare for the raid.
When we walked in, Stacia waved to us and we waved back, then turned to Lurantis.
"I tried sending a letter to the PHEW," our boss told us her progress, "but apparently it never left the mailbox. Something must've happened to Pelliper."
"I wouldn't be surprised," Stacia reasoned. "Last I checked, P.A.I.G.E. was taking shots at crippling our resources to weaken our capabilities before finishing us off."
"Well, if we can't reach them indirectly," I reasoned, "let's go pay them a little visit."
"Huh?"
"You had me meet Solgaleo at Daybreak Ridge," I motioned to Stacia. "Let's drop on by again."
"Oh, I see what you're trying to do," she figured it out. "Use him as a messenger to the whole organization."
"I mean, it's worth a shot," Lurantis shrugged. "We're really just grabbing at scraps at this point, but we can try that."
"Which is why we need to take whatever we can get," Aileen nodded. "Let's go."
(Gabriel: 32 [+1]
Aileen: 34 [+1, evolved into Primarina!]
Stacia: 49 [+1]
Lurantis: 65)
Once the four of us were back at the Daybreak Ridge Cliffside, I looked up in the sky for the same Ultra Wormhole as before. It was there, and sure enough, shortly thereafter Solgaleo dropped down out of the portal and appeared before us.
"Back so soon?" he asked Stacia and I. "What brings you here this time?"
"Business again," the Marshadow said, "but on a bigger scale."
"How so?"
"We need direct collaboration with the whole PHEW now," Stacia explained. "We're running out of time, and are making preparations to storm Team Perial Base in five days, and to do that, we're going to need as much force as we can assemble."
"I tried sending a letter," Lurantis noted, "but it seems Pelliper never picked it up. We suspect P.A.I.G.E. has attacked the mail system…"
"Even our means of communications…" Solgaleo pondered.
"Which is why we didn't have much else of a choice than to come to you," I summed it up. "Think you can relay the message for us?"
"I will see what I can do," he assured us. "But you all be careful. If it is true that P.A.I.G.E. has captured Pelliper, then there is no telling what she may attack next.
"You especially, Gabriel."
"You think I don't know that?" I replied.
"Do not let your desire to act leave you open in battle," he warned anyway. "It is a difficult urge to suppress, but you must wait for your chance."
I dropped my arms and sighed. "Yeah…"
Aileen and Lurantis gave me confused, "is-there-something-you're-not-telling-us" looks.
"I shall waste no more time," Solgaleo nodded. "You should not, either."
And with that, he jumped, roared, and disappeared into an Ultra Wormhole toward the sun, high in the sky.
"He's right," Lurantis ignored her suspicions for the time being. "There's no more time to spare. Let's head back, quickly. If we hurry, maybe we can get some appeal in Crossroad City."
Having seemingly obtained what we came for, we turned home and made our way with haste.
All four of us made the full trip to Crossroad City as quickly as we could…
But we were too late.
"Ah!!" I actually jumped back.
"Wh-wha-" Aileen lost her voice upon seeing what I saw now.
Lurantis was also speechless, covering where her mouth would be in her shock.
"Wha…bu…no!" Stacia formed her thoughts. "How? I-it's…!"
Crossroad City was in ruins.
I looked around. The pavement was shattered in spots, broken apart like an ice cube taken a hammer to. The buildings were nearly unrecognizable, recolored by many traces of elemental damage and broken into rubble, exposing the carnage even inside them. Some survivors were beginning to come out of their hiding places and under the demolition, but there were much less than there were this morning.
In just the time we had been away today, the closest thing we could call to home had been completely destroyed.
Our group split up, helping those trapped underneath the rubble to safety. I dashed over to get Honchkrow out of his shop.
"What the heck happened?!" I asked.
"Some crazy Pokémon showed up and trashed the entire city!" he sputtered. "My key collection is safe, but heck if that matters…"
I pulled him out of what was once his roof with great effort, and ran over to help others and hear their stories.
They were all different, shaken by the sudden turn in events, but most of it was the same; a Pokémon, described among them as "tall", "unlike anything I've ever seen before", "colorful and shiny", and "insane" had waltzed in and suddenly opened fire. A lot of them recalled seeing bursts of light shortly after they threw something, and when the light subsided, the townsperson in that area wasn't there any more.
It was a vague description overall, but after discussing it with Stacia and Lurantis, we knew there was only one thing that could have and would have done this.
P.A.I.G.E.
"She actually came here…" I barely made myself believe.
I scanned the remaining townsfolk, talking amongst themselves, shaking in fear. Bounsweet, Snorlax, Kecleon, Golem, Cofagrigus, Hypno, Honchkrow, Togedemaru, Purugly, Chansey, Malamar…
Everyone else had been captured.
That included Minccino, Electabuzz, Tsareena, Misdreavus, Araquanid, Shiinotic…
Even Shiinotic…
P.A.I.G.E. had done this…
I had done this…
Aileen was trembling, all of a sudden lost.
"A-Aileen?" Lurantis noticed the Primarina's discomfort.
She couldn't speak. Aileen couldn't formulate what she was thinking as tens of emotions went against each other in her mind.
But I knew the basics.
This one was too close to home. Literally and figuratively.
First the investigation team falling apart…now this?
I don't know how much more she or anyone else can take…
Something inside me rose up. Something…new. I suddenly felt…guilty, depressed, and outraged at the same time. But above any of those…
determined.
Is this…passion?
I turned to the survivors. "Does anyone know where the attacker went?"
That got everyone's attention. And I mean EVERYONE'S.
"I think they said something about Cavern of Ashes or something," Togedemaru remembered. "Gumshoos and Golisopod went after it."
That made me flinch. "They PURSUED them?!"
"I saw them run off after it when it left," he was sure. "They seemed pretty intent."
"That's just putting them in danger!" Aileen cried.
I turned back to everyone else. "Cavern of Ashes, right?"
Nods all around.
"Okay, we're on it!"
That stunned everyone again.
And I mean EVERYONE.
"Wait!" Lurantis held it. "Don't tell me you're going off to confront her now!"
I turned with a smirk. "Yes, we are!"
"But what about the city?!" she insisted. "If they're remembering wrong and she comes back to finish up, there'll be nothing left at all!"
"I know," I assured her. "That's why Aileen, Stacia, and I are going, and you gotta get someone to get on repair duties."
"Whoa, whoa, whoa!" Stacia interrupted me. "Solgaleo warned you, I warned you, you know what she's capable of…we're just going to go fight P.A.I.G.E. anyway and disregard all that?!"
"Yeah, maybe," I said, "but…if we're gonna go help Gumshoos and Golisopod anyway, it's not like we can avoid battle with her."
I had everyone there.
I looked at Aileen, and then at Stacia.
"Let's go!"
They both nodded, and went with me as I ran off toward Cavern of Ashes.
"Good luck!!" Lurantis called after us.
I looked back and gave everyone still there a thumbs-up. "Hang in there, folks! WE'LL get this straightened out!"
The entrance to the cave, assembled of dark igneous rock, was a foreboding presence as we came up to it.
"We've been through worse places in weaker states," I was sure.
"Are you sure you're ready for this?" Stacia made sure. "In more ways than one?"
"I'll be fine," I smirked. "The three of us can take her. She actually was built for one-on-one combat, not necessarily waves of strong Pokémon."
Aileen heard that, and snapped out of her internal conflict to ask: "How do you know this?"
"…I've got a bit more of explaining to do at some point…" I figured. "What I should be asking is will YOU be all right."
"I-I'll…fight through it," she assured me. "I'm scared out of my skin, but…I have to help them while I st-still can…"
I patted her shoulder. "It'll be alright. If we go now, we can make it in time."
"THEN LET'S GO ALREADY!" she outbursted.
I motioned for Stacia, who nodded, and we all dashed into the Cavern of Ashes.
(Cavern of Ashes
B12F
Many Fire types, with an occasional Rock or Ground Pokémon
Gabriel: 33 [+1]
Aileen: 34 [no change]
Stacia: 49 [no change])
We reached a clearing in the dungeon, in which it was becoming progressively hotter, and stopped for a moment to catch our breath and attempt to cool down.
"We've come quite a ways in…" I deduced, sweating, "but still no sign of P.A.I.G.E. or anyone…"
"Ugh…" Stacia panted. "WHY does it have to be so frickin' HOT…"
"C'mon kid, pick it up!" we barely heard. "We're almost there!"
The voice was distant, but there, and I knew whose it was.
"That's Gumshoos' voice!" Aileen realized and said for me.
I got up off of my knees. "C'mon! It sounds like they've nearly caught up with P.A.I.G.E.! We have to beat them to her!"
"Who knows what'll happen if they try to fight her," Stacia agreed. "You say she's not built for multiple foes, but I'm pretty sure she can easily curbstomp two Pokémon without breaking a sweat!"
"WHAT are you talking about?!" Aileen demanded to know, getting frustrated. "Stop leaving me out of the loop!"
"Focus on the task at hand, please!" I defended myself and went on.
(Cavern of Ashes
B13F-B25F
Same as before, but stronger, evolved enemies
Gabriel: 34 [+1]
Aileen: 35 [+1]
Stacia: 50 [+1])
"Are we getting close yet?" Aileen asked me, as the heat only became more intense, really feeling the extent of it.
"Yeah," I was sure. "Their voices are becoming clearer…"
"…once upon a time, I used to care," P.A.I.G.E. was saying. "But those days were long gone long ago."
"So you just ADMITTED to being heartless," Gumshoos snapped.
"So what?!" P.A.I.G.E. was equally angry. "You'd never understand, you and your weakhearted selves!"
"Better to have a weak heart than none at all," Golisopod argued, "you mechanical meanie!"
"THAT'S IT!" P.A.I.G.E. was done. "You want to be with your relatives so bad? Then I'll take you to them!"
"HOLD IT!" I called out.
Aileen, Stacia, and I arrived on the scene just in time to split up the opposing parties.
"Wha-" Gumshoos didn't expect to see us.
"Gabriel?! Aileen?!" Golisopod recognized us from the orphanage.
"UGH!!" P.A.I.G.E. moaned. "You two just don't qui-
"Wait a…"
She turned and recognized Stacia.
"AND the Marshadow, too? Oh, I think I know where this is going…"
"Do you?" she questioned.
"Heh," P.A.I.G.E. smirked at us. "With the PHEW now, are you? Like I hadn't already told you way too much as is…"
"Hey!" I whispered back to Gumshoos and Golisopod. "This is your cue to get out of here!"
"Grrr…" the old man wasn't too thrilled about it, but reluctantly they went the opposite way, and I turned my attention back to my monstrosity.
"Do you even realize the extent of what you do?!" Aileen lashed out, not holding her emotions back any longer. "Just going out and attacking poor Pokémon, brainwashing them into your team's mindless obedience?! As bad enough as that already is, do you have ANY IDEA how it impacts families and friends?!"
"Yeah, I just got a taste of that from them," P.A.I.G.E. mentioned. "Not that it matters."
"NOT THAT IT MATTERS?!" Aileen was furious now. "You really are heartless! Then again, you're a machine, what else should I expect?"
Those words cut deeper into me than they did into P.A.I.G.E., who just shrugged. "I don't know. What else SHOULD you expect? I can't give sympathy."
"Rrrrr…"
She was running out of patience.
I couldn't blame her, to be honest. I can't bring myself to say it now…
"Whatever," P.A.I.G.E. figured. "If I bag you three, then that's yet another score on the resistance. Gee, I'm actually surprised at how well I'm doing today, and I'm only at 43% battery life still."
Shoot! I missed my chance…
Remain calm…I'll get another one soon enough, probably after this battle.
"Ha!" she laughed, and got ready to fight. "This'll be fun. Come on! Try me!"
And so the battle began.
I got the first hit with Shadow Sneak, and unlike our first encounter, it seemed that I could actually do significant damage now, through the strength I had gained this whole time.
Aileen unleashed her fury upon the robot with Bubble Beam, slowing her down with a hit, as Stacia Dodged over to P.A.I.G.E. and attacked with Spectral Thief. It hit, but P.A.I.G.E. countered her coming close and got a grip on Stacia's head, releasing sleeping gas from her hand and sending the Marshadow to dream land.
I stayed where I was and used Shadow Sneak again, and Aileen kept her strategy up with another Bubble Beam.
P.A.I.G.E. Dodged over to her and swung her arm, connecting with the upper arm for a supereffective Grass-type attack.
I walked over there to help Aileen, who was keeping P.A.I.G.E. at bay with Disarming Voice, but my monstrosity noticed me and elbowed me with all her might.
Not only did the move hurt a lot, but the heat pads also left me with a burn, hurting and weakening one of my most valuable stats as a Gallade; Attack.
As if it wasn't already hot enough in here.
Why did I make this again?
I went for Psycho Cut anyway, landing a critical hit, and Aileen gave us a lucky break and used Sing, creating music to P.A.I.G.E.'s ears and lulling her to sleep.
Now I could "safely" go all-out, and attempted to end it quick with Close Combat. But it wasn't anywhere near enough, and my burn left a number on me even more than the lowered defenses.
Aileen used Sparkling Aria, attacking the sleeping mech and healing my burn at the cost of a bit of HP. Stacia woke up as well, and hurried over to help.
I brought myself back up with an Oran Berry from my Pocket Dimension, as Aileen struck with Disarming Voice and Stacia used Laser Focus.
P.A.I.G.E. woke up then, and replaced my burn with poison, from the spike in her chest since I was too close.
Seeing it as now or never, I attacked with Close Combat again, stronger than before, and Aileen used yet another Disarming Voice, and Stacia made the most of her Laser Focus with Drain Punch, forcing a critical hit and regaining the health from P.A.I.G.E.'s sleep attack.
The robot tried something different, as a lock-on cursor appeared on her face and she began analyzing us closely.
I had a general idea I remembered what this did, and made sure not to trigger her counter by mixing it up with Psycho Cut.
Aileen wasn't so lucky, not suspecting anything and carelessly using Bubble Beam, which P.A.I.G.E. had prepared to stop with her foot and freeze the incoming Water-type attack, then kicked four of the frozen bubbles back for a weak but multi-hitting Ice-type counterattack.
Stacia attempted to ready Laser Focus, and P.A.I.G.E. had already used her turn, so one more time, I attacked with Close Combat.
It finally did the job, and the machine was on the ground, holding herself up with a hand, a knee, and a foot.
"AAH!!" she screamed in pain.
"We…we did it!" Aileen took it in. "We beat P.A.I.G.E.!"
"Yeah, sure…" the robot remarked, "you let yourselves believe that.
"Don't think this is over…"
"But it is now," I stepped up, ready to do what I had to. "This nightmare is finally over."
P.A.I.G.E. looked me in the eye with her digital face, light blue now, as I drew back my fist, ready to punch straight through it and save her from herself…
But was interrupted when Gumshoos and Golisopod came out from behind the entrance hole and charged at her.
"RAAAAAAAAAHHH!!!!"
They both attacked at once, striking her body from both sides and knocking her back to her feet.
Ruining my chance.
"What the heck?!" I shouted, startled and confused. "What're you doing?! I was just about to finish her!"
"Oooh, no you don't!" Gumshoos said. "Not until we get what we came for!"
"Wha?"
"I TOLD YOU!" P.A.I.G.E. announced to them, "I can't even if I tried! It's already been done!"
"You can fool others, but you can't fool us!" Golisopod insisted and attacked again.
"Ack!" P.A.I.G.E. turned tail and ran further into the cavern, attempting to throw them off with a shot of electricity from her tail.
"GIVE ME BACK MY SON!" Gumshoos screamed and pursued her.
"AND MY PARENTS!" Golisopod went with him.
"WaiWHAT?!" I suddenly understood.
"Guys, no!" Aileen shouted after them.
Driven by hope for their families, the two Pokémon ignored us and continued running.
"We gotta stop them!" I tried to run after them, but the heat was too much. Sapped of any energy I had upon taking a step further into the hot cave, I fell backward onto the ground instead, panting.
"I…SAID…" trying to force myself and get my body to work with my mind, "we HAVE…to…"
But it was no use. I couldn't take any more.
Aileen was experiencing similar symptoms, barely able to keep herself standing as the heat and adrenaline crash were beginning to get to her as well. "Ngh…"
Stacia saw what was happening. "You guys can't stay here," she thought out loud. "Get out of here, I'll go get them!"
"What?"
"Just go!"
"What about you?"
"I shouldn't have to tell you 'I'll be fine' more than once! Get the heck out of here!"
Reluctantly, Aileen helped me to my feet, and we went back out the way we came. As it gradually got cooler, the going got easy enough for us to escape. We sat down for a bit just outside to catch our breath.
"Oh, man," I barely said through my weakness. "I think she might've been right. Another minute and that'd have turned into heat stroke."
"You think she'll be alright?" Aileen asked.
"Aileen, this is Stacia we're talking about. She's stronger than either of us, and been through everything we have, plus a lot more. She can handle the heat for a while longer."
"And when she encounters P.A.I.G.E. again…?"
"I think we got her weak enough now that the three of them can take her in that state. She can't take that extreme heat for much longer, either."
"How do you two know so much about her?" she caught on and finally accused me.
"U-uh…"
I sighed. "Yeah, I was meaning to tell you at some point anyway. Might as well come out with it…"
And so I revealed Paige's identity, and with it my darkest secret as a Team Perial Admin, to Aileen.
"Wh…WHAT?" was her initial reaction. "You…y-you did that?"
I solemnly nodded. "I didn't believe it, either."
"Augh…" her heart sank. "Th-that poor Eevee…how could you just turn on her like that? That's like throwing a friend away…"
"That's exactly what it was," I admitted, "and I'm going to spend the rest of my life paying for it. Why else do you think I was so keen on confronting her?"
Aileen was silent.
"I almost saved her this time, too…
"Now look at this mess…
"Y'know, now that I think about it," I realized, "Team Perial wasn't really that much of a threat before I showed up. But now that I gave them Terminal Balls and P.A.I.G.E.…all this has happened. Global disappearances…attacks on society as a whole…actual progress toward world domination…
"In the end, it really all just traces back to me."
My gaze fell to the ground.
"I'm responsible for it all.
"I brainwashed Sky…
"I destroyed Crossroad City…
"I broke up the investigation team…
"I took the orphans' families away from them…
including yours."
I didn't have to look up at her face to see that she was in shock and about to cry.
"Stacia stole my soul and forced me to open my eyes and see what I've done…
and I know I can't undo it all. It's impossible."
I sniffed back tears.
"I'm so sorry…but I know that doesn't mean anything now.
"If I want to be forgiven…then I have to redeem myself in full.
"I have to take down Team Perial…
"I have to save the world from whatever turned Stacia into Marshadow…
"And I have to save Paige. That's all I can do…
"But will it be enough?
"Or is it already too late…"
I turned to look Aileen in the eye, my vision too blurry from tears to make out details on her expression.
"Look at me. Look at me, and tell me what you really see.
"Do you still see me as that friend who's been with you all this time?
"Or do you see me as the cause of all your troubles, now that I've admitted that I am?"
Silence.
Eerie, painful silence.
Until she finally spoke:
"I…I don't really know what to think or say…I can't believe it, to tell you the truth…
"But…this makes me think of what Sky said to Skuntank way back then…"
I blinked. "Huh?"
"About how, even through the bad choices made, everyone has the potential to be a truly good person. And how that potential never disappears."
"All I have to do is build off of it..." I remembered.
…
"I think…I think that's exactly how to describe this," she said. "Even through what you've done…I see that potential. That potential to be a truly good person.
"That person that you are now.
"I believe in you, Gabriel," Aileen said. "I believe in who you've become. This…this is who you truly are.
"In reality, you've already redeemed yourself as a person. You did that early on; why else would you have saved me from Cradily and the Lileep on our first investigation together?
"I forgive you, Gabriel," she concluded. "And I'll help you forgive yourself the rest of the way."
I smiled and wiped away the tears.
"Thanks, Aileen…tha-that means a lot more to me than you know…"
"Come on," she stood up. "Let's start by helping Lurantis fix Crossroad City as best we can."
I nodded and stood up, leading the way back.
When we got there, we were actually surprised by how much had been done while we were away. I almost forgot it had been destroyed earlier. The road had been entirely repaved, the shops were almost exactly like they had been before, more than usable, and everyone was pitching in to put the sign back up on the reconstructed SnorMor Hotel. By the time we saw, everyone was climbing back down, and the renovations were complete.
Like it never even happened.
Ha ha…guess that's just a lesson to never underestimate the power of Pokémon!
We found Lurantis in the mix and rushed over. She noticed us and waved.
"Jeez," I said, still taking in the scale of the repairs. "You don't mess around! Why didn't you tell us you were a carpenter?"
Lurantis laughed. "Ahahaha! Oh, that's hilarious. I'm really not."
She gestured over to a trio of Pokémon coming down from the construction. "Save the compliments for these three."
Two Timburr and a Gurdurr came up to her. "Thank you so much for your service," Lurantis thanked them. "I know it was a bit of a hike coming here from Pokémon Paradise and all, but I'm sure you understand why I called you here."
"Oh, you can say that again," one of the Timburr brothers replied.
"No problem," the other said. "Glad you got us over here instead of trying to do it by yourselves."
"Well, can't argue with that," Lurantis shrugged. "Thank you again."
She reached into her Pocket Dimension and pulled out a fair share of Poké. "Will this be enough?"
"Bwahahahaha!" Gurdurr laughed, almost losing the steel bar in his arm. "Nah, we don't want your Poké. I put my heart into it and helped some people out. That's enough for me."
"N-no, I insist," our boss offered the reward again.
"I'm telling you, keep it," Gurdurr insisted. "We'll just be on our way now that everything's patched up."
"Hah…" Lurantis put her money away. "Well, uh…th-thank you so much."
And the three carpentners began their journey back home.
"So…yeah," she turned her attention back to us. "That happened…"
Then her expression turned puzzled.
"…hm? Where's Stacia?"
Oh.
Right.
"Hey."
Just then, we turned to see Gumshoos and Golisopod right there behind us, who had come up without us even noticing, and Gumshoos put an unconscious Stacia into my arms.
"Huh?" I had no idea what was going on.
"Uh…" Gumshoos began, but then went quiet for a while.
"Thanks," he finally said, and walked away.
An awkward silence.
"Yeah…" Golisopod also had a hard time facing us. "Th-thanks for the save, Gabriel, Aileen. Thank her for me, too, when she wakes up."
Then he, too, left us, going into the orphanage.
"I don't know what just happened," I said, "but it looks like they're alright."
"What do you think happened to P.A.I.G.E.?" Aileen asked me.
"We'll ask Stacia when she comes to," I figured. "But in the meantime…what now?"
"Huh?"
"Shiinotic was captured," I remembered, "so that orphanage is really just an empty building now. The remaining orphans are homeless…as are we."
"Oh…" Aileen registered. "Right…"
"I know we have to figure out something for them, too, soon…" I deduced, "but it's getting late now, and we don't have a caretaker or a place to stay. What do we do…?"
This was a tough spot. As strong and mature as Aileen was, she was still only a little kid underneath it all. I mean, I'm 24, but I don't know enough about being a Pokémon to survive on my own.
"Y'know…" Lurantis said, "I've been thinking about this for a while, now, ever since I learned that you were orphans…"
"Aileen is," I corrected her. "I'm actually not…"
"Whatever," she said. "You both have a new mom now, congratulations."
"Wait, what?"
"It's me. I'm adopting you."
"WHAT?" Both of us were only getting more and more confused.
"I'd fill out the paperwork if Shiinotic were here, but I don't see how that'd work now," Lurantis said. "You two have been so good to me, I don't even…"
"L-Lurantis…" Aileen was tearing up.
"I don't know how I'll fare as a motherly figure," she shrugged, "but I'll try. Consider it my thank-you for staying with me through all this. We're practically family anyway now, so why not make it official? I don't see why Stacia would mind if you two lived with us, too."
"I…I-I…" Aileen was so happy she was about to cry. I was deeply touched, too.
"Come here," our new adopted mother opened her arms, and Aileen wholeheartedly hugged her, crying into her shoulder.
"What did I do…to deserve this?" she asked through tears.
"Aileen," Lurantis returned the embrace, "you were just yourself."
I would've joined in and made it a group hug, but I had Stacia asleep in my arms already.
Boo. I want a hug, darn it.
Lurantis let go of Aileen and looked around.
"Come on," she said. "Let's go home for tonight."
Aileen and I nodded, and we headed back to the investigation firm.
Back home.
Once there, Lurantis locked the door behind us and went to her room. She simply shifted hers and Stacia's beds over a little, and I set the unconscious Marshadow down onto hers as our adopted parent assembled two more.
"There," she said. "It's not the most, but it should do. I just hope it isn't too crowded in here for all of us…"
"No, it's alright," I insisted with a smile. "Just this is more than we could've asked for right now."
"Ahaha, stop it," Lurantis giggled.
Aileen yawned. "Well, I don't know about you, but I'm bushed. G'night…"
She laid down on the bed closest to the back wall and was out in moments.
Lurantis and I both just laughed, and then looked at each other.
"Yeah, I'm gonna hit the hay, too," I stretched out and laid down. "See you in the morning, 'Mom'."
"G'night, you."
I closed my eyes and just let all my worries fade as I fell asleep…
(Chapter 16 begins, and Special Episode 3 has been unlocked!)