Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Twisted Space

5: Shattered Dreams

Fallen and Vigil patiently sat in the chairs in front of Laurel's desk. Fallen watched as the sentret beside him kicked his feet back and forth like a child. His eyes wandered all around the office, despite the room being so small and plain.

"Say, Laurel. Where do those doors lead?" Vigil pointed to the doors that sat on opposite walls.

Fallen didn't even notice those when he was here the first time. He was overwhelmed by his panic that the nuances of the office around him were indistinct. In fact, the office looked completely different to him. A few torches were mounted against the corners, and those two wooden doors sat on both lateral walls. They were adorned with a golden pattern that Fallen recognized, forcing him to shift his focus away from the door. Those menacing eyes were ingrained in his memory.

"Those doors connect to the other offices," Laurel explained. "The one to your right is Auris' office, and the one to your left belongs to the the third leader, Azure. They're probably both locked. Auris always locks up before she leaves, and Azure never really leaves his office unless it's urgent."

"Wow. You have to be really strong to be a leader of the Alliance."

"I'm not that strong. But I'm probably one of the best healers here. It's why I am in charge of all medical personnel."

"Medical personnel?"

"We have an infirmary not too far from my office. We use it whenever team members get injured while on the job, or when a client requires immediate assistance."

Fallen decided to join the conversation, "It must take a lot of Pokémon to keep this place running."

Vigil turned to Fallen, shocked by his response, "I didn't know you were one for small talk. You barely spoke to Waver and me on our way to Amethyst City."

"It's not that I don't enjoy it. These past few days have just been a bit much for me to handle. I've just been quietly piecing everything together. That, and I've been constantly digging through my head for any lingering memories."

"Still nothing?"

Fallen shook his head.

"I'm sure after Auris is done with you, that won't be a problem anymore," Laurel smiled.

Fallen sighed, "I sure hope so."

"Laurel! I'm back!"

The two children turned to the pokémon behind them. Fallen slinked back into his seat when he saw who was standing in the doorway.

"Auris! Welcome back!"

That's Auris?

Fallen replayed the events of this morning in his head. The white pokémon standing over him. The blue aura that surrounded him as she revealed the extra set of eyes beneath her ears. The horror that he felt as he was lifted off the ground.

The meowstic craned her neck, trying to peer over the chairs, "Who are those two?"

Vigil jumped to the ground and turned to Auris, "Hi! I'm Vigil, and this is Fallen."

Fallen slinked further into his chair, hoping to disappear from Auris' sight. There was no way he would let her delve into his mind.

"Nice to meet you, Vigil. But why is your friend hiding behind the chair?"

Laurel pouted at Fallen, "She's not going to hurt you, Fallen. Auris is the most powerful psychic-type in the Pokémon Alliance."

That's exactly why I'm afraid of her.

"She's right! So why don't you come out from behind that chair?"

I guess I don't have a choice. Fallen reluctantly plopped onto the floor and revealed himself to Auris. The meowstic studied him for a bit, then broke into laughter.