Chapter Eleven: Lycanroc's Rock



Wes's POV



We found Glad and Shu hiding behind some shrubbery, and Gary had met up with Hoopa and been taken back to hide with the Pokemon in that rocky hollow. Once Hoopa met up with us and learned that the problem was handled, it led us back to the rocky place and told all the Pokemon that things were all peaceful-like now and there was nothing left to worry about.



By that time, everyone was plum tuckered out, so we decided to make camp for the night. There was some slight kerfuffle over where Terra was gonna sleep, being the only girl in camp. Glad and 'Lima insisted that she sleep as far away from me as possible, and sorta set themselves up as her 'guards.'



Okay, I see how it is. A guy gets raised by thieves, and suddenly nobody trusts him anymore, is that it? Really?



Talk about profiling!



Gladdy wanted his gem back, of course. I told him the gem liked me better. Glad thought that was ridiculous, that a gem couldn't have feelings. I said that just shows how much he knows, and it's no wonder the gem likes me better.



Which is when Terra and Ilima wanted to know just what the heck I meant, so I got to explain exactly what's up with that.



---



I'd been staring at the weird sorta-prophetic carvings inside the ancient ruin when something started to shake inside my bag. (Terra later told me that this was probably the Dark Device or Unearthly Urn that contained the giant Gengar, although she wasn't sure which one was which.)



The Dark Device (or Unearthly Urn, but I'm going with Dark Device here) popped out of my bag, and this whopping huge Gengar came out of it, bringing down the ceiling. I wound up trapped under some rubble -- not seriously hurt, but pretty pissed.



Then I got sucked right into the Dark Device. Bag and all.



It was dark. Really, really dark. Even my night-vision goggles couldn't really penetrate the darkness. There was me, and there was my bag, and there was this... mass... all around me, mass I couldn't penetrate. It didn't seem hard or soft, smooth or fuzzy; it was just THERE, all around me, caging me in, and it was royally freaking me out.



Have I mentioned I don't like being confined? Never have. Free spirit, I am. Probably why any four walls that have ever tried to hold me, inevitably, don't. But this wasn't a set of four walls. This was a roundish... void. Which is even worse, because explosives only work on things that exist, and I wasn't even sure if what was preventing my movement truly existed, or if my inability to move past it meant that I was dead somewhere.



And if I tried to blow it up, I'd be even deader.



My hand brushed against my bag, which told me I was alive. You can't take it with you, after all.



There was a glint. A glow. From inside the bag.



Gladion's Burst Heart.



Now, I'm just gonna admit straight out: what I did next was so mind-numbingly stupid that I prolly don't deserve to be alive tellin' you about this. I mean, I knew what that stone did to Gladdy. I knew, from personal experience, that it turned him into a mindless raging monster. Heck, he bit me twice in that form just hours before.



But I figured, hey, we have this impenetrable surface that might not even be a surface, and we have this magic aura gem that grants superhuman power to its wielder... hey, maybe I could claw my way out of this prison with it.



So I reached into the bag, pulled out the gem, but then I sort of saw out of the corner of my eye that the double-headed arrow and spoon were glowing too. So I slipped the gem into my glove for safekeeping and picked up the Unearthly Urn (or maybe it was the Dark Device, but I don't really care) and the spoon that went with it.



"Hmm," I said. "Wonder if these two are s'posed t' fit t'gether?"



There was a slot in the middle of the Urn, just sized enough to stick a spoon in. And, well, the spoon and the Urn were made of the same weird orange marbled material. And I was trapped in here anyway, so if perchance the thing exploded when I stuck the spoon in it, one way or another I'd be out of this place.



Possibly in pieces. But, as I said, what I did next was stupid.



I stuck the spoon in.



In fairness, how was I supposed to know that a giant Alakazam would appear in a spot where there simply was not adequate room for a giant Alakazam to share with me?



---



I still don't know if Alakazam teleported us both out, or if the Dark Device just straight-up exploded. All I knew was that suddenly I was outside, taking big greedy gulps of cool, clean air, and gasping for breath.



Folks, let me tell you: the Dark Device stinks. It smells of rotten Gengar. And rotten Gengar smells like industrial smog and old socks. I'm surprised I didn't throw up inside that stinkin' place.



After a few gasps for breath, I looked up and saw, of course, a giant freaky striped Alakazam looming over me. And when something 'looms' over you, you don't generally assume it's friendly.



I slowwwwwwly reached for the Burst Heart in my glove.



I wouldn't touch that if I were you.



I blinked. That voice. Speaking inside my head... I gaped up at Alakazam. Was that him?



Yes. Don't worry, I'm not going to eat you.



I blinked. "Glad that's settled, then." I still didn't feel entirely comfortable around something that's clearly bigger, smarter, and more personally adapted to butt-kicking than I am (and that's sayin' something). "Yer takin' this well."



I was imprisoned for quite a long time. Alakazam stretched its notably large limbs. I had almost forgotten what stars looked like.



"Yeah, well, you an' th' outside gotta lot t' catch up on." I picked myself up and started to walk away.



And promptly hit an invisible wall.



That stone is not yours.



I blinked, tried to back off from the invisible wall, but found that I couldn't do that either. Blasted telekinesis! "Yeah, well, I can't well give it back if I'm stuck here!"



I am not sure whether the stone would be safer with you or not. Or, namely, if the rest of the world would be safer from the stone.



"Tell me 'bout it," I said. "Guy who owns this stone goes plumb loco when he uses it. Practically bays at th' moon. Ya know he bit me twice?"



Yes. I read your memories.



I had the feeling this was a pretty rude thing to do, but not like I'm in a position to judge. And no point saying it when Alakazam likely already knew. "Ya think he got a faulty Burst Heart?"



Well, judging from the aura readings, the aura impression of a Lycanroc that the stone holds is incredibly angry. It appears that the previous owner of the stone was a trainer who abused his Lycanroc to get it to grow stronger.



"So, when Gladdy absorbs the stone's aura, he absorbs its anger?"



Yes. Anger, hatred, and a desire for revenge on the world. The latter which usually manifests in biting everything it sees.



"Yeesh." I stared at the stone as if it's an Arbok ready to bite me. "An' I thought he was edgy enough."



It is probably a very good idea not to let anyone use that stone until we can somehow get it proper counseling.



"Wait, counseling for a rock?"



You'd be surprised what's possible.



I'm not sure how long this conversation would have gone on for, but Alakazam's head jerked up suddenly (I felt the wind from when it did so). Oh dear. That Gengar again. I'm afraid I'm going to have to go blast some sense into him before he breaks anything really important.



"Great," I said, slipping the stone back into my glove. "Come back when you're done, alright? We gotta talk about this rock."



I suddenly felt a distinct lack of ground, as Alakazam telekinetically picked me up and set me on his shoulder. Better idea, he said to me. Why don't you come along and watch?



---



"So, I was basically clingin' to its shoulder like my life depended on it," I said, "which it pretty much did. Then Round, Pink, and Jiggly dropped by, sung us all to sleep, and when I woke up, you guys were there. End of story."



'Lima nodded his head. "So the Lycanroc that the Burst Heart impressed on was abused. That's why it freaks out whenever Gladion activates it for battle."



"Still doesn't justify Wes running off with it," Glad snapped.



"I don't blame Wes for running off with it," Gary shot back. "I saw what you did to him back there; that thing is a land mine waiting to go off. I wouldn't blame him if he threw it in the ocean and never looked back."



"I wonder if I could talk to it..." Shu thought out loud.



I tossed the stone to the kid. "Be my guest. Jus' don't rub it th' wrong way. I prefer keepin' most of my skin on."



I gotta admit, I hadn't thought much of Shu's ability to talk to Pokemon. If all it took to translate Pokemon cries was some dumb machine, then why ain't it on the market? But the way Shu looked at that rock in his hand, somehow it didn't seem all that odd to believe that the two of them could have a decent conversation.



"Uh-huh... yeah... I see," Shu muttered to the Burst Heart. "Gosh, that sounds terrible. No wonder you're so upset." A pause. "Really? Oh, that's just sick. Poor you!"



After some more of this conversation, Shu looked up. "I think... I think we need to show this stone that humans aren't all bad. Which means we have to activate the Burst Heart in situations where it's not going to be battling. The heart keeps taking over Gladion the way it does because it associates battles with fights to the death, or something close to it anyways."



Gladdy just about choked. "Seriously? You want us to have FUN? With that thing that takes over my mind?"



"Why, yes," Shu said matter-of-factly. "Otherwise it's just going to keep taking over your mind."



Gary spoke up. "You ever thought maybe the best course of action is, well, not using it?"



Glad whirled around, fists clenched. "You LEFT ME TO DIE!" he hissed. "You don't get to tell me how to live my life!"



This was probably the tenth time Gladion had snapped at Gary for this by now, and we were all already sick of it. "Chill out, Edgy McEdgerson," I said. "We know the guy's a douche. And one's bad enough."



"Look," Gary said, "I think anything said while one is under the extreme duress of being chased by a giant Gengar can be legally qualified under an insanity plea. Certainly no sane person would be running from a giant Gengar."



"You mean," 'Lima said carefully, "no one would stay sane?"



"Exactly."



"I vote we go to bed," 'Lima said matter-of-factly. "Gary, you get first watch. And second. And third, if you argue with me over it."



"WHAT?"



"Consider this a lesson in how to look out for people. Namely, don't treat them like they're expendable."



Gary gaped, making a face like a Loudred. "That... that... that's not fair! I need to sleep, too!"



"Maybe if Team Rocket stops by again," Glad snarked, "you can interrogate them on your missing family. Assuming your family wants you back."



This last part left Gary looking like he was gonna cut a bitch. "Why, you little--!"



They likely would have come to blows if 'Lima hadn't intervened. "Gladion, go to bed. Gary, get over out by those rocks and start your watch. We don't have time for an argument."



The two of them pretty much complied. No one much argues with 'Lima. And there's a reason for it. Reasons I won't go into, but there are reasons.



Hoopa pulled out some sleeping bags from who knows where for the newcomers, and we settled into our tents for the night.



Still, I couldn't help but wonder.



Who the frek carves an alarm clock on an ancient stone wall hundreds of years ago?