A Ranger's Mission: A Lost Soul

Chapter 7 - The Dreams at Striaton

Straiton City used to be a bustling hub of activity, not only having a Pokémon League Gym with the gimmick of having three leaders, but places like the Pokémon Energy Laboratory, the Trainer School, and its public garden made the city a go-to tourist attraction. It brought eyes to the usually sleepy corner of the Unova region, one that the residents had been clearly grateful for.

Even with the changes that time brought, such as the abandonment of the lab, the Gym Leaders stepping down, and even a new shiny Trainer School being built on the opposite side of the Region, Lena noted that the city still felt fairly populous and busy. The decorative street tiles were pristinely maintained, and the buildings had flowerpots and gardens hanging from the window stills, it was a healthy smaller-scale city nevertheless.

Even the loss of jobs from the Pokémon Energy Laboratory only went on to change the distribution of people who came into Straiton; the workers who went to the restaurant after a hard day of work were replaced by Trainers who explored the ruins to train or catch the unique Pokémon found in the area.

(Though privately, Lena held her own gripes about the owners of the building letting the public go free in and out of it and catch and battle as they please in a ruined, falling apart building. At least they let the Rangers in to make sure the biodiversity was kept healthy.)

They arrived at the entrance to the city almost on the dot right at 5:00 PM, the Top Ranger taking a breath from the light exercise as she stretched and felt a light burn in her legs from the hurried pace they took. It had been a while since she had done an extended jog like so on a Route, it felt nice.

Sadly, William on the other hand… clearly had a different opinion, even if the light jog was his own idea.

Even though he took off his sweatshirt and tied it around himself as they jogged, it wasn't enough to keep him cool. William was panting, red in the face, huffing for air just behind Lena, stopping just a couple feet and placing his hands on his knees as he caught his breath.

“Ha… dammit… gah… how the hell d-do… you…” He grasped for his water bottle in his bag, drinking as if he had never had a drop of water in his entire life, still panting in between gulps.

Lena, contrastingly, felt an amused, incredulous expression form on her own face. “I mean… just a perk of being outside constantly, I suppose. The drills they had us doing at the Ranger School were pretty brutal…”

William narrowed his eyes, as if he didn’t believe Lena before he sighed, panting some more before finally pushing himself up, muttering all the while. “The ‘FitnessGram PACER Test’ was bullshit… didn’t prepare me for anything…”

Lena couldn’t help but laugh lightly at his comment, she vividly remembers some Student Rangers muttering similar curses. “I don’t mean to harp too much, but we didn’t have to do this, I said we’d probably still reach here by daylight even if we didn’t jog.”

He just nodded, grunting due to soreness from not properly cooling down after the exercise. “Y-Yeah… I know…” He stopped for a breath, and another drink of water from his water bottle again, finishing it off before continuing. “Aah… but I already knew I was out of shape, so figured… might as well… it’s only gonna get worse once we’re on more rocky terrain.”

While she could see how he got to that conclusion with his logic, it didn't make it fully sound. “It’s said that a Journey isn’t a sprint….” She paused, tilting her head back and forth as she rethought that statement. “Well, unless you want it to be… what do you want your Journey to be? Rushed and hurried? With you panting like this to reach every town?”

A harsh grimace formed on William’s face, Lena reasoning it was him imagining the image and physical exhaustion of that. However, he fell silent and didn’t retort… his grimace not lightening as she decided to continue, seeing an opportunity with this line of conversation. ‘Maybe I can get him to open up about his goals… or home.’

“Journeys are all about self-discovery, about finding and growing into one’s self, finding a passion or… what you wanna do in life. I mean, some people go on a Journey for years, it’s not something you can rush.”

William’s grimace lightened, shifting to something thoughtful. “Then what made you decide you wanted to become a Ranger?”

The question made Lena pause her thoughts, thinking back… “I think… well, I didn’t go on my own Journey, so maybe not the best example…” She prefaced to be safe. William eye’s got a bit sharper at the detail, but he stayed silent as she gathered herself.

A frown formed on her face as the memory started to resurface. “I think… most likely around the time when me and Rina had found the aftermath of a poacher’s operation when we were young and wandering around Eterna Forest.” Lena tentatively said, feeling the Floatzel’s Dive Ball shake slightly on her belt at the mention of that event. Even Arthur’s Great Ball shook, most likely feeling the swirl of her aura at remembering the event.

William stayed silent as Lena continued. “There… weren’t any poachers there, thank Arceus, but it was clear what the operation was.” Lena said with a breath as she crossed her arms, and a pointed expression came onto her face as she took a deep breath. She was too young to realize what some of the contraptions were, but she eventually learned in Ranger School, and from the rare instances of seeing Pokémon with them during her time as a Ranger.

‘It was a bit of a blessing to not fully understand it when I was so young, but…’

She pushed her musings aside, not wanting to give William the same visual imagery in his head (if he didn’t already have it in mind), continuing on instead. “I reported it to a Trainer in the town who was an adult since I was so young. And well, he didn’t feel comfortable going to check it out even when I told him there were no more poachers, and the police took their sweet ass time to respond… ” She spat with a bitter tone, crossing her arms and taking a breath to recenter herself.

A moment paused before a more thoughtful, if almost determined tone of voice came from her. “After that… I guess I, and by extension Rina, wanted to do something about it ourselves… even if we didn’t know what yet. A Ranger came into class one day, I think as a part of a job fair program…? And after the presentation I think… that’s just kinda what sealed the deal. It was the avenue that we could take to help Pokémon… and well, the rest is kinda history.”

She remembered the day she officially became a Ranger and ran out of the gates to the Ranger School, so excited to get to her Buizel partner back in Sinnoh, only to then be tackled by Rina the second she stepped out the gate…

The memory made her smile and feel warm as she lost herself in it, so lost in fact, that she didn’t even realize that they had reached the Pokémon Center until she heard the automatic door whirr open in front of her. The sound snapped her out of her own thoughts, and Lena blinked in a daze as William looked up at her with a faint look of concern. “You okay?”

“Yeah — yeah, was just reminiscing lightly.” She responded quickly while shaking her head slightly to force herself to reorganize her thoughts.

William just nodded and hummed, seeming to understand as he grabbed Ronin’s Poké Ball from his belt as well as his Pokédex for his Trainer ID while they walked up to the Nurse’s Desk. As he and Lena walked through the usual check-in process, Lena remembered that she still had a question from their previous conversation that William managed to deflect from. “Hey, what do you want from your Journey then?”

His polite smile to the Nurse faltered slightly as he placed Ronin’s Poké Ball on the tray, but not before whispering something that caused it to shake once before he set it down. A quick ‘thank you’ left him as an Audino took the tray to the checkup room in the back of the Center, before finally responding to Lena. “Well, it’s not like I have much of a choice yet. Have to get a couple Badges to get the League or Interpol from taking Charon… or me.”

Lena wasn’t fooled though. ‘Another deflection.’

Being direct would probably make him close up like a Clamperl, so Lena tried to lighten the mood with a teasing tone. “I mean, you have to have some kind of idea. Come on… if you’re embarrassed about it, I swear you have nothing to be embarrassed about.”

The younger Trainer only held his slight frown as they started to walk away from the front desk, heading down the hall to the Trainer dorms they would have for the night. “I wasn’t lying though, my first… ‘goal’, if you can call it that, is to get through all the red tape the Pokémon League and the International Police seem determined to throw up. Getting a couple Gym Badges is the best way to do that. ”

Lena could understand William’s weariness towards the Pokémon League, and Interpol.... Was, well, Interpol. The thing that stuck out the most to her was that the Ranger Union wasn’t on the list he mentioned.

Ignoring the petty mental laugh she did towards them in her head, she quickly responded to stay on topic. “So, your goal is to get stronger then? That’s a pretty common goal, most Trainers in the season have the same goal.”

William hummed… not necessarily agreeing with Lena, but appearing more to concede a point… which point it was, it wasn’t clear to her. Another silence fell over them as they eventually reached William’s room, and the Top Ranger could tell that William was anxious about something.

The way his hands squeezed the key card as he placed it in front of the door sensor to open it, along with all the previous comments and his… focus on getting through Gyms…. He was more tightly wound up than a Spoink. Something Lena couldn’t help but feel partially responsible for…

‘He needs to do something to relax, to distract him...’ Lena quickly stopped him from going into his room by speaking up suddenly, blurting out the first thing that came to mind. “W-Why don’t we let our Pokémon relax tonight?”

William’s hand hovered over the door handle, his head turned to her to show confusion etched on his face.

Seeing him pause was enough to prompt Lena to continue, grabbing her footing quickly. “It’s late in the day, and early enough in the season that no one else will really be there to bother us for a battle. So we can relax as we go around the area, maybe do a quest… while our teams decompress? Then we can get dinner afterwards.”

“Where would we go though? I… think that letting Charon out in the public garden park would be bound to draw eyes still…”

‘Shit, he’s right… ah… what else was in the area?’

Lena’s mind raced, going through everything she knew about the area so as to not lose the potential chance. ‘The former Gym? No, the siblings battle guests sometimes, and even if they’re former Gym Leaders, they’re probably at least somewhat in the loop… dammit, the only place is…’

Suppressing a faint shiver at the idea of having to feel the weird energy of the place, even just for a bit, Lena quickly spoke. “How about the Dreamyard? No kids or adults should be there around this time of the season.”

William’s face shifted into something considering as he responded. “Won’t Ronin be looked at overnight though? Wouldn’t want to leave him alone in the center…”

Though his care for his new team member was clear, it still amused Lena how he underestimated the healing capabilities of a Pokémon Center. “I guarantee that he’ll be healed before the hour is over. We can wash up and get fresh clothes, and Ronin will probably be all recovered.”

William still appeared oddly hesitant, but looked to be considering it at least. He rocked his head back and forth before he nodded and gave the best half-smile it looked like he could muster. “Alright, I’ll… go wash up then…. Meet you in… the lobby?”

Lena smiled back, just nodding before moving to turn to her own room. “Works for me, I’ll see you downstairs in a bit.”

As Lena started to walk to her own room, her smile shifted to a frown… and a deep breath left her as now she felt anxious.

‘Dammit kid, you’ve got too much on your mind. Let the adults handle all the heavy stuff and just enjoy being a kid while it lasts...’ She thought with another sputter from her lips as she played with her own room card in her hand, tapping it against her palm and she thought to herself to plan for tonight…

‘Alright, let’s see if any small Quests can be done in… or preferably outside the Dreamyard too… something easy that can give William a goal to focus on tonight instead of stressing over Gyms or Plasma or whatever else is on his mind. Rina and Arthur can keep an eye on Charon and Ronin… yeah, yeah. That’s a good plan.’

With a newly reformed smile, Lena walked with a slight pep in her step, Rina and Arthur will enjoy the time to relax as well most likely, tonight will be good.

The sky had a noticeably darker tinge, but it wasn’t sunset yet thankfully, allowing the group to carefully walk about. The path towards the Dreamyard was straightforward, but it was clear that nature and Pokémon had overtaken the surrounding area with ease. The trees around made it feel like they were choking the former human establishment with nature. Still, it gave an almost melancholy feeling, yet the sounds of Pokémon echoed in the wind to counteract the feeling. It was a quiet flavor of lively, peaceful.

The Pokémon didn’t even mind the rather large group of evolved Pokémon and two humans walking through, content to observe from the bushes or trees. It matched the overall tranquil aura the place gave off, somewhere you could find a nice place to rest and take an afternoon nap in.

“I’m surprised some of the supports are still standing…” William muttered to her left, his eyes tracing over the rebar that had been laid bare to the elements, twisted and chipped by time.

Lena nodded in agreement. “Yeah, it surprised me too when I first came to Unova, but Conkeldurr and Gurdurr assisting originally probably helped.”

William looked interested suddenly, turning to Lena with a curious expression. “So, how does that work? Pokémon Employment? I’ve tried to look that up, and some stuff for Almia or Oblivia came up, but nothing really for Unova, or… any of the main regions. Hell, even Galar had more than I could find for Unova…”

At this, a chuckle found its way leaving Lena’s throat that seemed… dark. Even Charon looked a tad perturbed, turning from looking at the ruins to the Top Ranger. Rina and Arthur let out a chuckle and sigh respectively.

“Float-Floatzeeel. Float.” (Now you’ve done it. Good luck.)

“Don’t talk his ear off Lena, unlike that other poor Trainer…”

“Oh, there’s a lot I can tell you about Pokémon and employment and work status. I’ll tell you all about it while we do the Quest, don’t worry, Arthur and Rina will keep an eye on Charon and Ronin.” She said with an ardent, if worryingly level, tone. Her smile matched this while turning to William.

The younger Trainer looked a bit concerned, glancing at Charon and Ronin as if for assistance, but Charon simply glanced at him and snorted, pulling the Oshawott from his hoodie to leave him to his fate. Ronin on the other hand looked slightly confused, but waved ‘goodbye’ at William as Lena gently pulled his sweatshirt to guide him away from the Pokémon. She did, however, hand Arthur a quick pouch from her bag before continuing to drag William off.

“W-Wait — what even is the Quest—”

“Oh, nothing too complicated, someone just wants some photos of some Pokémon nearby, that’s all. Come on, I can tell you all about it while telling you about the history of Pokémon Labor Laws, starting with —”

As Ronin watched his new Trainer get dragged off, he glanced around at the group of Pokémon he now found himself in. A slightly confused… with a pinch of nervousness leaving him as he spoke. “So… what do we do now?”

Rina beside him stretched slightly, mirroring Lena as she let out a sigh and smiled as she turned to Ronin. “Now? Whatever we’d like. If you want to try and practice Aqua Jet a bit more, we can do that…” She paused, humming as she started to consider something… “...or if you’d like to get a bit of practice with Water Gun, I have an idea we could do… been a while since I’ve done any target practice…”

Arthur rolled his shoulders and hummed… glancing at Charon with a raised eyebrow. “If they are going to do training, I would not mind going against you again in a sparring match… Grandpa.”

The Fire Ghost Type snorted, but didn’t seem to take the taunt to heart as he looked up and down at Arthur with a raised eyebrow. Ronin noted that Charon’s eyes paused briefly on each of the discolored patches of fur the Lucario still had. “Well, ‘Grandpa’ ain’t interested, whippersnapper. This old man is going to explore, it's been too long since I’ve seen anything other than stuffy office buildings, or forests.”

Charon also shot Ronin a careful look from the corner of his eyes, one that Ronin knew instantly what it meant.

‘Don’t reveal anything to these two while I’m gone.’

Ronin’s eyes hardened just barely, and a subtle nod left him. Arthur frowned at being so thoroughly rejected but nodded as he respected Charon’s choice. The Typhlosion then started to lumber off in a different direction, all while Arthur glanced down at the pouch Lena gave him and let out a sigh. “I suppose it has been a while since I’ve relaxed… Rina, will you be okay with Ronin?”

The Water Type snorted and waved Arthur off. “Yeah, yeah. I will be, you know me. Go ahead and find a nice quiet place where you can read whatever you want. I’ll shoot our signal in the air if we need you.”

Arthur nodded respectively to Rina, before nodding to Ronin as well and then turning, and leaping to the top of the towering wall, before vanishing from sight in moments as he lept further into the Dreamyard.

This left the Floatzel and Oshawott alone, Rina turning smiling at Ronin with eagerness. “So, where do you want to start?"

Ronin thought for a moment, thinking before looking up at Rina. “Can we do Water Gun? I want to get better… it seems like a better follow-up if I need to avoid an attack…”

Rina tilted her head back and forth a bit, something Ronin had noticed her Trainer do as well a couple times when William asked a question to her. “It can be, but it all depends on the situation… though, you did amazing with Aqua Jet today.”

Ronin couldn’t help but frown slightly from the praise, denying it with a shake of his head. “I… should have done it better, it needs a bit of a build-up right now…”

Floatzel shook her head, frowning now. “Hey now, that’s no way to talk about yourself… has Grandpa been making mean comments?”

Ronin quickly shook his flippers at the fellow Water Type in a slightly panicked wave back and forth to deny her accusation. “N-No no! I just… I don’t want to make my Trainer worry… he always gets so scared about seeing Pokémon hurt… so if I can have a better reaction to defend myself… he won’t be scared…” He explained, Rina humming and crossing her arms before nodding.

“Yeah… I can see William being like that….” She muttered, before smiling and looking down at him. “It’s nice that you’re worried about your Trainer and taking initiative, but that doesn’t mean you should put down your own accomplishments. I haven’t heard of an Oshawott pick up Aqua Jet as fast as you!”

Ronin couldn’t help but feel his cheeks warm, flustered by the praise now and turning away, only making Rina giggle before making a motion. “Come on, follow me… we'll get Water Gun down for you to show William by the end of the night, I guarantee it.”

Rina couldn’t help but feel giddy as she guided Ronin to an open area inside the ruined facility, the chitters and mewls of Patrat and Purrloin around them, curious about the newcomers, but not bothering them as they went along their own lives. The shade of the facility casted shadows across the floor, but they still had more than enough daylight for what Rina wanted to do.

She was practically bouncing in excitement as she glanced around at the walls and ceilings, yeah, this would work perfectly. Her tail, which was wrapped around a bundle of sticks she had collected on the way here, shifted so she could grab them with her arms.

“So! Let’s get ready to practice Water Gun, but have some fun with it… have you ever seen humans play darts?”

Ronin tilted his head, shaking it as she expected which only made her grin. “Well, they have this thing called a target, which they throw a dart at. We’re gonna make some targets, and use Water moves as our dart!”

As she said this, she moved to a soft patch of grass that was overtaking the concrete floor, and stabbed a stick into the ground to keep it from moving. Ronin watched with curiosity, his eyes following Rina’s every movement. “Now, with this… we’ll need to make the target.”

Taking a deep breath, Rina could feel the cold build up inside her body, her throat feeling superchilled as frost formed in the air around her mouth as she let out a low-powered Ice Beam on the stick. The crackling of ice gathered around the tip of the dead appendage, growing bit by bit until the weight of it almost made the stick start to lean, which is when she stopped.

The size was nearly the same as a tennis racket, easily large enough for target and force practice for Water Gun… though, it did need to be cut down a tad, the front was a bit too bulky…

“Hey, Arthur, would you mind — ” Rina stopped herself mid-sentence, feeling a tad embarrassed as she remembered that Arthur wasn’t with her right now. “Ah… right.”

Ronin stared for a moment at the makeshift target, before glancing down at the scalchop on his chest, before back at the ice. He moved forward, taking the scalchop in his flipper before he glanced at Rina. “How… how much do we need to cut it?”

Rina glanced back at Ronin, looking a tad surprised, but smiled as she plucked the stick out of the ground and laid it down carefully in front of the Oshawott. “More so on the front, the sides need to be holding most of it together so that when it’s hit, it shatters, or at least enough to be noticeable.”

Ronin nodded, looking at his scalchop for a moment and back at the ice, weighing the side and what Rina said for a moment before he placed a flipper on it to keep it from moving before he started to cut into it, slowly carving away from him.

Rina leaned a bit closer, curious about Ronin’s movement, and noticing how comfortable he was at carving the ice, slowly flakes lightly spreading and falling to the ground where it melted. “Hey, that’s pretty good, you have experience using your scalchop to cut?”

Ronin paused for a moment, before nodding and continuing to slowly carve it down. “Yeah, I’d… cut the berries with the professor sometimes, or would…” He paused, frowning as the young Pokémon attempted to find the right word. “...peel branches or trees with it. It was nice… I could be alone from the other Pokémon and they wouldn’t bother me. I could think.”

Rina hummed, watching Ronin continue to carefully cut more and more ice away before he spoke up again. “Besides, William was good at removing a lot of things too when he was younger, I wanna be like him.”

“Oh? What do you mean?”

Ronin visibly faltered, his scalchop catching in the ice as he stuttered for a moment before he spoke up. “H-He… ah… Charon said h-he had a lot of habits when he was little… er. Like p-peeling labels off of small toy cars, or… wallpaper, which… got him in trouble. Charon said t-that dexterity would be good for me to learn… please don’t tell Charon or William about the wallpaper… ”

Rina couldn’t help but chuckle, a cheeky grin forming aimed at Ronin to help ease the young Water Type’s worries. “Don’t worry, your secret is safe with me… and gives me the excuse to tell all sorts of stories about Lena when she was younger as we set up.”

Rina was glad to see Ronin relax, the Oshawott smiling back up at his mentor as she grabbed another stick seeing that Ronin had skillfully carved off enough of the ice to make it almost perfectly smooth, yet thin enough to be broken by a strong enough Water Gun.

The Floatzel smiled, taking a deep breath and relaxing herself as she reflected for a moment. It had been a while since she was able to mentor any Pokémon, she enjoyed it more so than Arthur, though he did enjoy fighting Pokémon they did help with a move on the Quests that Lena would sometimes get that they could do…

She started to think about the moves that Ronin might be able to learn once he gained more mastery over Water Type energy. ‘Surf is a good all-rounder move, but Waterfall may be better, considering he seemed to lean more for physical attacks…’

Well, she still had to cover the fundamentals with him, shaking her head slightly, she grinned as she took another deep breath as the chill of Ice Type energy filled her, and she blew on another stick once more to create the next target…

Despite the entire area almost feeling… off, in a sense that would normally keep him alert, Arthur couldn’t help but feel tranquil and at peace, almost ready for a nap. He kept his wits about him nevertheless as he leapt up another level of the deteriorating facility, the roof completely gone and providing a nice source of light that was slowly turning orange.

The Lucario took a deep breath, staring out at the slowly setting sky before he shifted over to a wall and sat down against a wall. Opening the pouch that Lena gave him, he carefully pulled out a stack of three worn, but clearly very well-kept books.

‘Where was I…’ It took Arthur a moment as he opened the top book to where a black bookmark had been placed, his eyes scanning the page for a moment as his mind started to recall. ‘Ah, yes, about halfway through the princess’s time masquerading as a knight…’

Of Courage, Of Tribute, an old story that Lena had gotten when he was still a Riolu, and one to teach him how to read human language. He read the Sinnohan translation and edition during that time, but he spotted a Galarian version when they transferred to Unova. Lena grabbed that (and some music disks with written lyrics for Rina that Arthur swore he could hear in his sleep sometimes to his horror) to help them both adjust to the new Galarian language.

He intended to read it sooner… but they got swept up in Ranger work, and then the siege happened and…

‘Well, it had been a while either way…’ Arthur thought with a shake of his head, dispelling those thoughts before he decided to discard his place and scroll to the beginning. Though he didn’t need to read the story to learn Galarian, a re-read would probably help his understanding…

The first couple months of him reading Galarian did make him wince in hindsight… but the idea of re-reading it did make him feel a bit excited, his tail wagging behind him just faintly as he started.

‘Let’s see… ‘In a land before our time, of knightly order and of kings and queens, there was once a soon-to-be queen and her Bisharp…’

His mind started to paint the scene once again, of a castle towering over a kingdom, pale marble shining in the sunlight, a collective of both Pokémon and People milling around the castle to prepare for a festival. An energy of joy and excitement consumed the halls entirely like a wave, one that even the then princess was having fun with. She was assisting with decorations and talking excitedly with a servant, despite her position, her dutiful Bisharp standing close by, yet holding up a ribbon to keep it off the floor.

“The sight of this would cause a scandal, Lady Isabelle. A soon-to-be queen helping a lowly servant with tasks? Think of what the Rookidee will sing…” The servant said with both respect and a tone of teasing. The princess smiled and shot a look with a twinkle in her eyes back at the servant.

“Oh, let the rabble talk. I won’t have a single word of protest helping a childhood friend, Joan.” At this, Joan sighed and shook her head, but the smile never vanished from her face as she turned to the Bisharp standing resolutely.

“At least you have a partner like Bisharp to protect you from the masses, who knows what they’d dare say if not protected by such a strong knight.”

At this, Isabelle huffed and seemed to almost pout. “How rude, I’ll let you know that I can protect myself. I took more than enough lessons with squires to know how to use a sword or polearm.”

Joan’s expression fell flat, looking a touch unamused. “With your father’s knowledge?”

“Father would love that his daughter is able to protect her people, and herself if the time comes.”

“I hope that it doesn’t for your safety, and my sanity.”

Despite her flat tone, Joan and Isabelle couldn’t help but laugh at it, even Bisharp’s shoulders shook in a silent chuckle… the day joyous… energy all around and spreading… the light of the sun beaming through and seeming to almost cut through all worries…

‘It’s strange… knowing what comes next, though I suppose that is the joy of re-reading something you know well…’ Arthur mused with a hum, smiling slightly as he was excited to read through and see what Isabelle would go through once again as he turned the page…

Charon had seen many abandoned locations throughout his time on this plane, each one having their own reason. It always differed from place to place, but the reason could always be told by the decaying architecture, the remnants of what once was, and the lingering souls that clung to the place.

The basement of the Dreamyard had sunlight shining through holes in the ceiling that had been worn by time. It was bright enough to the point where someone who wasn’t a Ghost Type would have been able to see well enough. The holes may prompt questions from others about the structural integrity of the building, but Charon could feel in his bones and through the whisper of souls abound that this place would still last for decades.

He nudged a fallen paper to the side with a huff, glancing around at the bookcase that fell over. Every document was written in Galarian, but the formulas might as well have been Unown writing, and it was clear someone took the time to write it out carefully to reference, but it was just… left to rot.

‘I never really understood why humans would leave things such as this in buildings… ages ago, such a loss would be considered incompetence.’ He shook his head as he thought to himself, thinking about how every resource would be desperately clung onto in case they were needed later, and for fear of someone else obtaining them.

Charon stopped walking for a moment, taking a deep breath, already knowing where his thoughts were leading back to.

‘No. I will not think of that again, not now.’

With a huff, he continued deeper, feeling the gentle, almost guiding pull of his being lead him into the facility, further and more remote than where other Pokémon tended to dwell. An Ariados and Raticate hissed at him earlier, but a simple stare and narrow of his eyes sent them on their way in a frantic scurry.

It was curious though, the place was stained with Psychic Type energy all around it, in the walls, the floor… even the weirdly colored glass he saw in a case earlier seemed to glow purple. Yet, he had not seen a single Psychic Type as of yet.

‘It doesn't matter, as long as they do not get in my way for my duty…’

Finally, after what felt like a walk too long to find, Charon saw it. Huddled in the corner, scared, yet invisible to all except those in touch with spirits, a flickering, wisp of a soul. An almost rotten essence surrounds it, corrupting what once was a living being.

Melancholy, and a gentle weight were placed on the Typhlosion as he stared at it, it has been long since he had seen such a thing. “Now, how long have you been down here…?”

He walked forward to the flame, noticing how it would pulse and flicker at his appearance, even seeing it glow in a faint… fright? “It’s alright… have you never seen my kind before?”

The soul didn’t react, or respond, simply pulsing in place as Charon carefully lifted the soul from the ground, holding it in his palms as he observed it… carefully looking at the corrupting presence around it… feeling it attempt to touch him, yet easily rejected like a Paras’ poison coming in contact with antivenom.

‘Ah… it has lingered too long on this plane, a simple cure…’

He paused, not moving an inch as his collar lit up around him, illuminating the dark area in a pale purple and red tint as he spoke aloud. His tone measured, but like an iron wall into the darkness. “You do not hide yourself well enough, Psychic. Reveal yourself, I have no business with you.”

‘I’m impressed. Most Ghost Types, nor other Psychic inclined Trainers are able to sense me.’ A feminine, if loose-sounding voice echoed around Charon, a glance behind him revealing his stalker. It was the same species as the Psychic who made the barrier for the battle the Professor had with her.

They looked to be a floating, sleeping baku floated up into the light, with a pink mist emanating from its head like the old incense burners that Charon lit himself ages ago.

Charon let out a grunt at the praise the Musharna gave him, as if it was to be expected. “Psychic Type tricks don’t escape me, even with the staining of Psychic energy all around here…”

‘Ah… you sense it as well? You are an old, old ghost. It has been too long since such a true Ghost has visited… I am the keeper of this Dreamspace.’ She introduced herself, Charon turning to look at her with a dismissive noise. Maybe long for her, but he could tell she had not been alive as long as himself.

“I am Charon, and I can tell it’s been too long since you’ve had a Ghost clean through, that’s clear…” He said as he turned his attention back to the soul in his palm… taking a soft breath before breathing onto it. The spiritual flames licked his palms as he constantly blew, but the rot and stain of the soul in his palm slowly started to flake off, flickering before burning into an ethereal crisp.

Charon continued this for a full minute before stopping, and looking over the soul with a careful, crimson gaze. The aspects corrupting the soul had vanished, leaving what looked to be a newly departed soul in his palms… flickering peacefully… calmly… the ethereal flames almost seemed to have smothered it in a warm, protective flicker around it.

‘Curious… I don’t believe any Musharna here has not seen a Ghost treat a soul in such a way…’

Charon’s flames around his collar grew as he pulled the soul close, a variable mix of warmth and cool washing through him as it was consumed by the flames, and he could feel everything that the soul was. The regrets… the joy… the memories of their being… all of it briefly brushing against his being.

‘...Before they consume them.’

Embers flickered off his ghostly mane as he focused on making sure the soul was purified, whole… before releasing them to the beyond where it should have been so many years ago. The flames around his collar reached what seemed to be a crescendo, reaching almost the wall behind him and bright enough that would require anyone else watching to cover their eyes.

Just as quickly, it subsided, and the ghostly flames around his collar flickered back to their normal wisp-like appearance. It left Charon a hollow yet fulfilled feeling spiritually, a deep breath leaving the old Pokémon as he closed his eyes. He could still feel the energy of the soul on this plain, slowly traveling further and further away… until he could no longer feel it among them.

Musharna stayed silent behind him, her eyes visibly closed, but Charon could tell she was staring at him, as if wanting to read his own soul to understand why such a Ghost would be gentle.

He couldn’t help but feel a twinge of some emotion at being so clearly stared at. William, of course, stared when he did this to a departed Pokémon the first time, but that was understandable for him. He watches and observes everything.

…William also understood the reason and meaning behind the process. Or at least, better than amateur so-called ‘experts’ on Ghost Types. The things he’s heard in passing… well, he might as well dispel some myths for a young Psychic. Some at least.

“Souls don’t taste as good before they are purified.” He deflected with a grunt. Before continuing without letting her speak up. “I know that emotions can influence your kind, an angry soul will be blistering, stubborn to let go, and a soul that lingers too long in the elements will decay… be rotten.”

‘Don’t Ghost Types feed on those negative emotions?’

“Some do. Such Ghosts only feed and consume. I have no interest in that, as a guide.”

‘Ah… a guide of souls, I see. Yes, that does make more sense… and the taste is only an afterthought?’

“Would you let rotten food go somewhere where it may harm others? Or infect other rotten food?”

‘...No, I suppose I would not. Dreams are my kind’s domain, but we are more… archivers, of them, rather than guides. I have had to guide some younger humans who accidentally have nightmares while asleep here… so I suppose I guide some through dreams…’

Charon’s collar smoldered itself out as he started to walk back the way he came, the Musharna following. He didn’t protest, a twinge of curiosity finding its way into him as to the nature of this facility. He could most likely ask William, but his information was… scattered, or limited. “And what did the dreams of the humans who ran this place say?”

Musharna stayed silent, but the cloudy mist of dreams emanating from its head shifted, akin to someone running a hand through it. ‘Some dreamed of hope, for their findings to help others… some dream of the wealth that this place could have provided them only in their dreams, and never in reality.’

Charon snorted at that, the usual array of human wishes then, he saw similar things echoed in souls… “The usual for humans then.”

‘Indeed, but they are each a fascinating insight into a person…. Soul and dreams are similar from certain perspectives, are they not?’

Charon couldn’t disagree, Sinnoh knows that the Lunar Pokémon herself would be upset if he did. “They can be. Souls are everything that makes up a being… while dreams can be everything that could make up a being…”

‘Yes, I suppose they are… though, I’d like to believe that dreams can be… well, I’m sure you’ve had souls you couldn’t understand, or were confused by.’

The Typhlosion let a chuckle rumble in his chest, stopping fully before turning to the Psychic Type. “Oh, I have many stories I can tell… in over the one-hundred years I’ve been on this plane, I’ve seen much. Why don’t you sit down, young ‘Keeper’. Let me tell you a couple stories of souls I’ve seen…”

“...and that brings us to the end of Galar’s mining coal strike, with the agreement of reconciliation between the Rolycoly line native to the mines, and the miners and Trainers who supported them, and the Galarian Government,” Lena said in a hushed whisper from the tall grass, glancing at William next to her who blinked once, twice, and then thrice, before he finally spoke.

“I’m… surprised that the government gave in,” William muttered, before pausing and humming before shaking his head. “Actually, no, that makes sense. Rose wasn’t the Pokémon League chairman then…”

Lena felt baffled as to why that would make more sense, but ignored that for now as she watched as William carefully lifted his Pokédex with the camera function on. His eyes were now entirely focused on the screen’s preview of the photo, aimed solely at the side of the ruins, where two Ledian were relaxing on some fallen rubble, eating berries together without a care in the world.

He pressed the button to focus the shot, waiting a moment before pressing it in again, his Pokédex making a faint shutter noise as the shot was in almost perfect focus, much better than what Lena could have taken with her Fine Styler.

And she felt so, so tempted to ask where he got those skills, but she tried to hold back as the entire point of this detour tonight was to let him relax, and not have to worry about… much of anything.

She must have not hid it well enough on her face, as a slight glance from William made him sigh as he focused on taking another photo; this time of a Crobat hanging upside down in the shade, asleep. “You know, you can ask if you want.”

Lena bit her lip, shifting slightly, though, not from any physical discomfort. “I… don’t want to impose. I know how…”

“How much I try to hide things about myself?” William said while shifting his gaze to Lena with a raised eyebrow, before moving back to the camera with another focused expression, taking another photo. “It’s… nothing against you, just… everything else around… give me a moment to think.”

The words were soft coming from him as he took a deep breath, closing his eyes. If it was to reminisce, or to carefully formulate his response, Lena didn’t care at that moment as he started to speak.

“My mom, she’s a photographer. Bought her own cameras and would do photoshoots of families, weddings, births… all that.” He said with a smile flickering on his face as he glanced at another Pokémon, a Kricketune gently weaving a calming tune that seemed to reverberate in the Dreamyard. A gathering of Kricketot around it, rubbing their antennas together as well to match the tune, and adding a peaceful chime as a back.

“She… would bring me sometimes, sometimes needed help to carry stuff inside or to tape down the extension cords… but sometimes she had me help take photos, and taught me the basics.” He murmured, listening to the tune the Bug Types with a distant look in his eyes before raising his Pokédex, and taking another moment to focus as another picture was taken.

Lena didn’t stop him, even though they had already gotten the photos the Quest required.

Other Pokemon seemed to also be watching the impromptu symphony as well with them, Lena spotted some Watchog with their pack of Patrat, Purrloin watching from the side, and even a stray Munna looking down from above, the picture a perfect representation of just… peace, and tranquility.

“It’s just… I don’t know, the muscle memory of it, something I’ve kept still I suppose… of home.” William spoke up finally, glancing at his Pokédex to see the photo he took. The waning sun in the sky had given way to auburn sunset at this point, with rays of light visible as it cast against the gathering of Bug Types, and the other Pokemon. It was honestly a really impressive shot, perfect for a phone background, computer wallpaper, or a magazine.

Lena didn’t miss how he fell silent, his eyes transfixed by the photo before he took a deep breath and pressed a button. His Pokédex’s screen went black with the top screen sliding back as he pocketed the device. He was content to watch the hoard and listen to the beautiful melody the Pokémon played.

“You’d never see anything like this at home… this world surprises me still…” William murmured, his eyes closing as he seemed content to just listen and… be, looking to actually relax as Lena had intended. His words rang true though, sights like this, while Lena knew would happen in the wild, were still a wonderful surprise to see; even for a Ranger, who was closer in touch with nature and Pokémon habits.

“Yeah… me too.” Lena said softly, a smile forming as she was content to watch as well… this memory, this moment, committed to her memory.

…and as if the Twins or The Original One itself were out to spite her, a sudden, rapid series of beeping came from her Fine Styler. Her body jolted, acting on autopilot and flipping it open to shut off the notification and cover the speakers so as to not disturb the Pokémon.

Thankfully, none of them looked disturbed, minus a lone Purrloin’s ears twitching, and looking in their direction before disregarding them, focusing on the music once more. Lena couldn’t help but still send a mental apology to the entire group… but glanced down at her Styler's screen now, her eyes entirely focused on reading the critical notification.

“Lena?” William’s voice entered her ears, but she ignored him, her eyes fixated on the notification as her heart skipped a couple beats.

UNOVA RANGER PUBLIC ALERT NOTIFICATION - REQUEST FOR RANGERS NEARBY TO HEAD TO THE NACRENE CITY POKÉMON CENTER.

ASSISTANCE NEEDED FOR UPCOMING CRITICAL MISSION IN PINWHEEL FOREST.

Notes: If possible, request nearby Trainers with Fire, Psychic, Rock, or Ground Types to join. Monetary Reward included.

Beta Readers:

David “TheBlizWiz” R

Garmfild