Ears, 1: Courage That Doesn't Save The World

											Chapter 1: Courage That Doesn't Save The World

	His mind accepted the dull consciousness more quickly than his body did. He allowed his idle thoughts to simmer for just a while longer before the prying sunlight beamed uncomfortably through his eyelids and warmed the side of his face. Finally he surrendered the last of the restful night and allowed his eyes a moment to adjust to the bouncing brightness of the room. Slowly the blur would sharpen as the world he recognized flooded into vision soaked with a golden glow. A yawn escaped his throat as he obliged muscles yearning to be stretched.
	The Snivy turned his head and lethargically scanned the room. Not that he expected anything out of place, but what else would you do while in the slow process of waking up? Even now there was too much clutter for the unfamiliar mind to fully comprehend in this state. The most physical objects of the room were a simple low-laying desk and a closed wooden chest which had been shoved into a corner. That wasn't what made it such a startling puzzle, rather it was the illustrations and maps which were littered about the walls that would confuse the eyes the most. You could hardly make out what location the chart represented at first glance, and there were so many that each consecutive glance only muddled with the last. Still he was able to personally recall each of the places by vivid memory alone despite that he was not the one to do the drawing.
	A shuffling pulled him away from his thoughts and drew attention to the adjacent bed. The Fennekin inside shifted disturbed for a moment before deliberately tumbling onto the floor with a soft thud. Back to the ground she let loose a mighty yawn and stared up toward the Snivy with an tiny inverted smile.
	"Mornin', Val," her voice was still grainy from the deep slumber she was encompassed with not a minute ago. She took the time to clear out her throat while he mirrored the movements prior and tumbled down in a similar fashion. Vallion met her warm gaze outside his straw bed as the world flipped over accordingly. Another yawn erupted from within him and popped his jaw; her fault.
	"I think the briefing's probably soon. The sun's already on the far wall," he managed to grumble in his limited state of thought. The Fennekin tilted her own head to confirm this until overwhelmed with another fit of stretching. "We got time," she replied before finally twisting upright. It's true there wasn't much intellectually-stimulating conversation to be had this early in the morning. They would barely have much coherent thoughts to speak of until Ampharos called everyone down.
	"Hey Panne, didn't we have a cartography assignment in the Sand Continent today?" Vallion spoke as he wearily rose to his feet.
	She replied with another yawn before anything else. "Sand Continent, hm? That means you get to do most of the work again," with over-exaggerated pushing motions each Panne both stood from her resting position and propped open the lid to the chest. "Thought I feel like today's not a very nice one for getting sand in my fur. I hope we get a field assignment in a while, I'm in the mood to take down a vicious outlaw."
	"We gotta get everywhere eventually if you want to have that map," he reminded her while she climbed head-first into the chest and disappeared.
	"I know, I know. It's just that some places are a little less pleasant to map out than others," Panne's voice echoed from within the wooden trunk. A bag and several miscellaneous pieces of equipment flew out and onto the floor. "There's so much nothing out there that it's not all that fun sometimes. There's a good chance today we'd just end up with a few miles of sand and mesas."
	Before Vallion could make his way over to organize her growing mess, the angry chime of the bell erupted down the hall and bounced around their room violently enough to cause some vibration. For several more seconds it would continue until silence once again encompassed the building, causing Buizel's distant groan of extraordinary volume to be heard very clearly by everyone.
	"I guess we didn't have much time after all," Panne said as she jumped over the side of the chest and elicited a noisy clatter from everything scattered about. "We'll just have to get our stuff together after the assembly then. I can't say I even remember what region in Sand we were given anyway."
	The two took exit of their room one after another and started down the hall stuck close together. Accompanying them on their routine drowsy march was soon Bunnelby and Archen, and following far behind was a begrudging Buizel who sported nasty bags under their eyes. They would all file into the main hall with pursed lips and heavy steps while Ampharos took a valiant stance in the front. One by one they would file into the usual rows as down the stairs stumbled Mawile and lazily drifted Jirachi. For a few seconds still Ampharos would hold his pose until realizing that everyone had been in their places for some time.
	"Oh! Uh," he took a normal posture and proceeded as usual. "Good morning and welcome everyone to the daily assembly of October 4th. Getting right into it, we all know the ramifications the rapidly approaching winter months will have on our exploration schedules. It's important to remember that during that time the more northern reaches of the Mist Continent will be completely frozen over and too treacherous to traverse. Our duties remain to fully record and chart those areas which will soon be out of reach until glaciers recede, therefore those operations must be enacted immediately..."
	Vallion allowed his eyes to wander as others were given orders entirely separate from his jurisdiction. His idle gaze was caught as soon as it drifted over to the Fennekin beside him. She remained shooting a look of intensity toward the front, her giant ears pointed forward and fully attuned to Ampharos. A fluttering pang rose inside of his chest at the sight and forced a curse within his thoughts. Just when did she get so cute? It's not as if she was acting any different than usual, what changed in just a week that made her so damn adorable?
	"Panne, Vallion," he hastily turned to the front as their names were called. "I am fully aware that your current assignment has you mapping out some of the western portions of the Sand Continent. However, yours is a task which isn't as time sensitive as the other members. In fact, it's probably more preferable to take on such things during the colder parts of the year," to the side Panne cheered happily, but definitely not silently. Vallion's hyperactive heart did a flip as she realized this and shrunk down a little.
	"Furthermore, a local crises has arisen which could easily outweigh the gravity of your current affairs. I'm sending you two on a fairly routine rescue mission which takes place still within shores. You'll be familiar with the location already, Poliwrath River to be precise. A report came in recently which spoke of a Larvesta who went missing around the area and hasn't been accounted for in some time. You two are to ensure that this pokemon is found and escorted as swiftly and safely as possible back to it's guardians. This will be your new directive until further notice," Ampharos took a deep breath and moved on to the next topic with his next mouthful. Panne in the meantime returned to bouncing up and down excitedly.
	The assembly carried on naturally from that point, nothing else was left of grave importance to report to everyone in the Society. Eventually it would come to an end with the usual encouraging phrase and alike a resounding response which echoed throughout the main chamber. After the closing shout each of them would quickly disperse in every direction to carry out their preparations for the day with the exception of Buizel, whose movements more resembled a labored slinking. Panne and Vallion would return to their room posthaste with the intentions of continuing the organization which they began prior.
	Panne first opened conversation again upon entering through the door frame with a fit of laughter. "Oh man, am I lucky or what? Usually my predictions never work out like that!" she beamed to her partner before diving headfirst back into the still-open chest.
	"You're a psychic type. You usually get these kinds of things right, then turn around and say exactly what you just said," Vallion mused while using his vines to separate the equipment they'll need for the trip from unnecessary trinkets. Even with such dexterity he couldn't outpace how much Panne was tossing out at the same time.
	"Nuh uh!" she managed with a looplet in her mouth before sticking her head out over the side and dropping it to the floor. "I only evolve to become psychic type, but I'm mostly just fire properties right now. Just because I know a few psychic type techniques doesn't mean I automatically get to be classified as one."
	The two would gather up the rest of the essentials they had readily available. After a particularly intense two-out-of-three game of Rock, Fighting, Flying (made so by the distinct lack of rules), it would ultimately be decided that Vallion was stuck with food duty for the mission. Begrudgingly he snatched up a bag of Poké with which to buy the supplies and sauntered off toward the exit.
	"See ya later, Val! Get something good this time!" Panne called out still inside the room. He playfully stuck his tongue out to her and continued onward. Silently he relished in both the interaction and his little pet name as the hallway shortened before him. Alright, down to business.
	The best place to check would obviously be the Kecleon shop. They had an abundant supply of trail mix for some of the longer roads, but since this trip shouldn't be too extended fruit would likely do just fine. Before exiting the compound Vallion caught an amusing glimpse of Swirlix and Dedenne already caught in a one-way heated argument not five minutes into the day. The other side couldn't offer their piece with cheeks still stuffed of berries, after all.
	Upon first exposure to the morning, a rush of cool air immediately chilled his insides and brought an undeniable freshness to pierce any feeling resembling drowsiness which remained. Another deep sigh fell from his mouth and blew into the wind like smoke. While he followed with his gaze the long shadows drawn by a low sun, the cacophony of a waking city could be heard nearby. This was a fine day to carry out this kind of assignment. Though it's not so much the same while caught underneath the grasp of infatuation. For now, he had business to attend to.
	Farther into town the early commotion was given image to the sound. Miltank could be seen rushing about to make her daily deliveries on time while Krookodile lagged several stops behind in his laziness. Doduo must have grown restless watching such sloth trailing behind Miltank's timely sprint and decided to start doing laps around town themselves. After that Mienfoo might have become inspired by his speed and challenged the Doduo to a race, which explains plainly how he was now caught panting in a trudging jog with a face full of determination and perhaps the slightest pinch of regret. This place didn't have lively in it's name for nothing.
	Several shops were still either closed or in the process of setting up to the atmosphere of orange glow. It was still far too early for the streets to be bustling with travelers and tourists. The Kecleon shop was nonetheless open for business at an absurd hour as was typical. As Vallion approached the stand the owner could be seen turned around as he tidied up behind the counter before a thicker population accumulated. With the quick tap of a vine on hard wood Kecleon's attention was quickly earned.
	"Oh?" he turned to see the first customer of the day. "Oh! Good morning, Vallion. What can I do for you at this early hour?"
	"Hey Kecleon. Panne and I just got assigned a rescue mission down in the more central parts of the Water Continent. We're going to have to head out pretty soon if we want to arrive at a decent time, so I'd like to stock up on some edibles real quick for the trip," Vallion delivered accordingly.
	"Ah, you get food duty again?" Kecleon asked, it was responded to with a nod. "She played Arceus during Rock, Fighting, Flying again did she?" another nod, this one more pronounced than the other. Kecleon gave a hearty chuckle and stepped back to begin a search through his available wares. "It's cute how you actually humor her every time she does that. Now, what kind of meals are you looking for today?"
	"It's not going to be all that far, maybe one brief camp away. I'd go as far as to say that some fruits would easily survive to that point. What do you have in the sitrus department?" he elaborated and brought the burlap bag of coins onto the counter with a jingle.
	Kecleon nodded and dove into his stock for anything that would match the description. A few more moments passed filled with the sound of rummaging before clattering became a part of the song, it was clear he did not hesitate to be absolutely thorough in his search. With a dismissive huff he finally stood to face Vallion, his hands empty and his frown full.
	"I must apologize, it seems we're stark out of, well, any particular food. Our next shipment has yet to arrive and yesterday was a busy one," he pushed the coin away from the center.
	"Huh?" Vallion hesitated to retrieve the Poké. "That's never happened before. Don't you order everything locally from producers still on the Water Continent?"
	Kecleon nodded. "That's where it all comes from, but the shipment I sent order for a few days ago hasn't come in yet. It was actually due from over the mountains last night, and it seems they never came after all. You're going to that general area on your mission, correct?"
	"Yeah, Poliwrath River," he replied.
	"I'd advise to use more caution than typical. My shipments are late once in a blue moon, so something heinous might have transpired in that region that would cause this kind of delay. Anyway, you're going to have to find someone else to provide for your trip."
	Vallion finally wrapped a vine around the coin and nodded. "Will do; we'll try to find out about the shipment as well. Thanks anyways."
	With goodbyes exchanged rather than currency he wandered off away from the stand and moved the bag to his arms. In truth the march was aimless, an action just to disengage conversation. He still was processing where to look next while strolling deeper into town. In the distance he stared off at the vastness of a choppy sea as a gust of wind brought the jagged scent of brine sweeping by. Down at the docks the shadowy figures of workers rotated huge crates with ease and loaded them onto a lonely single parked ship. He shook his head, his thoughts should be carried in tandem.
	Kangaskhan Cafe provided food, but it was doubtful they'd play market for any of their raw materials. Especially if Kecleon was out of stock would they horde all they could and prepare for a high tide, it was just good business to them. The Society's larder was always overstocked enough that a small amount could be donated as fund toward a mission. When considering that you have to factor in the reason WHY it's constantly filled, and how Swirlix would take such a proposition to sacrifice that tiny bit. Worse yet, someone is going to have to explain to her that the local produce has been delayed in arrival.
	Scavenging for natural growing fruits and nuts was always something on the mind during a mission. While convenient and efficient, it's never a good idea to rely on such a tactic for obtaining nourishment. It would be incredibly foolish to leave empty-handed and expect there to be an abundance of apples just waiting to be picked along the way. At least this lush continent may support us a little better in those regards than the Sand Continent region we'd have to travel to otherwise.
	Vallion sighed to himself, there wasn't much choice other than getting through Swirlix. Resigned to his fate he started back in the direction whence he came from earlier. Above the sky steadily turned brighter as the morning gradient fell to a sun rising higher in the blue. Every shadow cast grew more modest than when he first stepped into the cold, though the one created by the Society itself still harbored frost in it's being.
	While the task at hand might have brutal consequences, he appreciated the immediate warmth which spread across his body as he reentered the building. Grimly he continued into the eastern wing and braced to turn into the silent mess hall. Well, it WAS silent until a constant munching made itself apparent in earshot. Swirlix sat at the far end of the room near the open door to the larder, beside her was an ignored clipboard and a jar of nuts which she paid all her (short) attention to. All signs pointed that she was meant to take inventory but became distracted with exactly the thing she was trying to count. Though he supposed it didn't matter all too much considering the numbers may as well have been a depreciating equation.
	"Uh, Swirlix?" Vallion spoke up seemingly in vain to catch her regard.
	Several more moments of chewing passed before she seemed to care about the noise."Hm?" she swallowed and turned. "Oh, hey Vallion! What are you doing in here for? Hopefully not for a snack," she said with her mouth still a quarter full.
	"Ah, yeah... About that," he took a deep breath and began his delicate explanation. "I just got back from the Kecleon shop to buy some food for the rescue mission we've been assigned. As it turns out, he hasn't gotten his next shipment and is completely out of pretty much everything in that department. I was wondering if it were possible to put some funds forward and borrow some things from our own food storage," Vallion gulped and awaited an explosive response of some kind.
	Swirlix made a shrugging motion and crammed another mouthful of nuts into her maw from the jar. Suddenly her face lit up like she just had some desperate food-related epiphany. "Wait a minute," she gravely swallowed everything in her maw. "If Kecleon is out of food, and you're the first to stop by wondering if you could borrow some... that means you're not going to be the last."
	She gasped. "My larder! You're all coming to raid my larder!" with a speed so great it could barely be comprehended with the naked eyes, Swirlix dove head-first past the door and into the storage. The following voracity which could be heard spilling from inside was not too unlike that of a mad horror movie.
	"Ah- Swirlix! Save some for us!" Vallion gathered his bravery and plunged likewise into the war zone, emptying his bag of Poké onto the floor to make room for anything he could grab. It was difficult to understand what was happening in the flurry, but still he reached for anything in bunches and shoved whatever touched his hand into the burlap. At times he could vaguely recognize a few items by touch. Perhaps a roll made it in, a few round fruits and berries seemed to be caught and liberated, though he wasn't entire sure what that sharp hard object was. Suddenly a wall of force collided square into his mass and sent him spiraling into the mess hall.
	The door slammed shut while Vallion laid reestablishing his composure on the hard ground. With a groan he rubbed his fresh bruises and dared a peek up at Swirlix, who was busy engaging the sixteen lock mechanism over-zealously installed onto the food storage.
	"Hah, now they'll have to get through me!" she shouted while puffing her chest out triumphantly, crumbs still adorning her face. Vallion struggled to stand and brushed off any excess foodstuffs that somehow stuck to him in the tornado. "Ah, thanks," he said and swiftly started towards the exit before she did anything else irrationally violent. It was a fairly cost-inefficient tactic, but it got the job done nonetheless. Soon after he returned to Panne they'd be able to take off once-
	"Wait!" Swirlix called out from behind him. After a dead stop he slowly turned to meet her, whose face was still as messy as ever. "I've been meaning to ask what's been bothering you, but I always forget until just after you leave."
	"Huh, what do you mean? Nothing's been bothering me," Vallion replied, moving the sack just an inch further behind his back. Just in case.
	"Don't think you can play that game with me. I know everything that goes on around here; I can sense the slightest change in mood, and I know for certain that something's been under your skin," she closed the distance between them to an uncomfortable measure for emphasis.
	"I, uh... How do you figure?" he stammered out and took a step backward. A fleeting thought materialized in his head that made his insides start to churn. Was he really that obvious this whole time? If it was, how many other people figured this out? Did Panne already know at this point?
	"Oh please. When you've been a steward and a chef for this long, you start to sense the very soul of the dinner table. The specific ways people eat, how fast they do, and what they even choose to put on their plate; it all becomes like a language after enough experience. By eating my food you've already lost the choice to hide anything from me," Swirlix finished with a face of sheer pride. Vallion's flustered visage progressively became more and more puzzled as he tried to understand her convoluted claims.
	After catching onto the silence, she huffed impatiently. "Well? Aren't you going to tell me what's the matter? I've mastered this ancient technique you know!"
	"Huh? Oh, no thanks. It's nothing significant," as Vallion turned to walk away, Swirlix swung around and stood in his path with the same supernatural quickness she exhibited earlier.
	"No no no! It's not going to be like that at all! Stop ignoring my plot device and tell me what's wrong, or else I'll be forced to take legal action!" her shouts echoed into the adjacent hall for most to hear, yet none to pay heed to. Fortunately for him Swirlix yelling in the mess hall was typical of the morning routine. This was especially so if anyone at all had business with food that day.
	"But why am I legally obligated to tell you anything personal? Listen, I need to leave for Poliwrath River as soon as possible," his pleas fell mostly on deaf ears.
	"I make you dinner, now shush with the questions! If you don't give me the details then I'm never going to let you leave here. It's my secondary duty to ensure all society members are emotionally full as well as physical, and I refuse to let my gift go to waste just because you're all bottled up about it," she dared not move an inch from the exit. While she didn't do much of the fighting, it was common knowledge Swirlix had the strongest stance in the entire Society and could knock anyone down without so much as a spilled drink.
	Vallion looked away anxiously. She really wasn't going to let him leave without an answer, was she? He considered using some of the food in the burlap bag as a distraction, but it felt like he gathered so little that it'd be unwise. Through his mind cycled through possible excuses and lies that might allow him to slip out with secrets intact. With how many he could think of none of them seemed to fit the bill enough for Swirlix to fall for. Perhaps she actually did have some kind of empathetic power?
	"Come on!" she exclaimed impatiently. "Do you honestly think I would tell anyone? Even if I did they wouldn't be able to understand me with my mouth full, so no foul." That was true, people tended to just zone her out when she tried holding a conversation while stuffing her face. Even with the information there weren't many horrible things she could do with it. It's possible that his mind might just become a bit clearer and the tension in his chest just a little bit slackened if he did tell someone about it.
	"...Fine," Vallion surrendered. He paused to find the right words to express what he felt, but found far too many dead ends. A heat had already began to spread over his face and nothing had been said yet. "Hmm. It's just- Well... It's just Panne."
	"Oooh, are you two fighting?" Swirlix chimed.
	"What? No, it's nothing like that," he replied, but the rest of his explanation was cut off promptly.
	"Listen, Vallion. When a girl's furious at you it usually means you haven't been treating her quite the way she likes. It's not too hard to correct, but first you're going to have to give her a nice dinner. Candlelight, rose petals, smooth music, everything in-"
	"Swirlix, me and her and getting along just fine!" Vallion had to shout for to catch her attention again. She ceased stammering on about what kind of food he should use and wiped the drool from her face.
	"Huh? Then what the heck could possibly be going down between you two? Did you steal her lunch or something?"
	"I- agh! I think I have a crush on her, alright!? It's that simple. It's. Just. That," he turned away an incredible shade of vibrant crimson. All about the room he searched with his eyes, looking for everything and anything to concentrate on to quell the flightiness swirling within. It took all his willpower to not begin fidgeting with his hands.
	Swirlix continued to stare at him blankly as if trying to parse a puzzle which was made up of many others. After a few moments of watching Vallion squirm in embarrassment, she finally found a grin and prepared to offer her most professional response. "What?"
	"It kinda started a while ago, but I guess if you really do have that weird power then I don't need to tell you that," he looked to the floor while he spoke and fought against the heat which flared over his cheeks. "I mean it's not like she's all that different then any time before, but something just... clicked, you know? All of a sudden I can't concentrate and... it's just distracting."
	She blinked slowly before beginning again. "Oh this is a lot funnier than I thought. Vallion, I don't really know how else to tell you this, but everyone already thought you two were together."
	That was plenty enough to break his flustered spell and turn him around. "W-what? What do you mean?"
	"Mm-hmm. It's been that way for a while, actually. Ampharos was the first one to come up with calling your team 'The Lovebirds' when you guys aren't around. Even Buizel gets jealous that you two are so close while he's too busy to even head out into town and meet people," as she finished Vallions expression was painted with seven layers of disbelief and one that looked like he wanted to crawl into a corner and hide for the rest of his life.
	"...Oh! Don't worry, don't worry, the fact that you're feeling this way now means that we're not all entirely wrong! You've come to exactly the right place to ask for romantic advice, let me tell you. I know just the right way to get to a girl's heart super easily!" she puffed out her chest once again with sheer confidence.
	Vallion hesitated nervously before figuring he was meant to guess. "Um... Is it... through her sto-"
	"Through her stomach!" Swirlix interrupted with gusto and a sly grin. "When you get back from that mission of yours, I'm going to have you whip up a huge dinner just for the two of you! I just need you to think about the specifics. Stuff like the candlelight, rose petals, smooth music, the entire larder..." while she fantasized about the costly romantic dinner nobody would serve her Vallion was suddenly reminded that he had a mission to get back to. That, and he would very much like to exit this conversation as soon as possible.
	"Yeah, I'm heading off now," he said while deftly skirting around the drooling roadblock. It was partway out the door until she noticed anything had changed in her stupor.
	"Wuh- but I haven't even told you about Mawile's fanfiction yet!" she called out after him.
	"No!" he hastily replied before taking off down the corridor as quick as his tiny Snivy legs could carry. Finally her voice began to fade away; that was far too much stress for just a single morning. His heart was already fluttering enough as it was, he didn't need the weight of that kind of knowledge added on. To imagine that everyone thinks... agh, none of that. The food they needed for the journey was secured well enough.
	Too much time had already been wasted on that frightening revelation anyway, Panne has probably been waiting for quite a while now. As he passed into the main chamber Vallion noticed a mass collapsed in the middle of the room; Buizel just couldn't make it any farther into the morning it seems. With a silent chuckle he continued on his way past the sight, it serving barely to calm the excitement which still coursed through his veins. He could practically already see Dedenne shouting angrily over his unconscious and uncaring body before jump-starting him with far too many volts than was safe.
	As expected, Panne had gathered up and packed what remained of this preparation phase and now sat patiently gazing out the window. She became alert as soon as he entered the room, lighting up entirely at the mere sight of him despite being in deep thought not a second earlier. So much for slowing his heartbeat.
	"Wow, where have you been? Not even I get distracted for so long when I get food duty," she hopped up from her sitting position and met him. "And that counts the one time when that Talonflame crashed into the middle of the town and caused six house fires."
	"I still only barely believe you, there's no way anyone can clean up that many scorch marks so quickly," Vallion held up the bag which contained all he liberated from the larder, and suddenly he saw it was much emptier now than it was before. "To answer where I've been: Kecleon's shop ran completely out of anything food-related and I had to raid our own storage while Swirlix was still there. Frankly I'm surprised I made it out alive."
	She stifled a giggle. "Man, am I doubly glad I won this morning. Arceus is such a good move," Panne stepped aside so that he could put away what measly scraps they did earn from the mighty voracious beast who makes dinner every night.
	"So what's the deal with our travel time? Still a little over a full day like usual?" Vallion spoke as he fiddled with straps that were secured far too tightly for the rate they'd be going at.
	"Yep. If we left now we should get there at about midday tomorrow," she was able to fasten a pack to her side in just the time it took him to stow away the food past all the ridiculous knot work. "Why was Kecleon's shipment late, anyways? I've never even heard of that happening before."
	He fastened the straps more reasonably and slipped the bag onto his back. "Dunno. He said we should probably be extra careful around the area just in case something went down."
	"Ooh, I hope so!" Panne beamed as she started towards the door restlessly. "A rescue mission's great and all, but this one sounds maybe a little too routine. Could you imagine how much more interesting this can be if something really started getting wild over there? What if there was some territorial dragon type dispute that accidentally traveled downward into the valley?"
	Vallion shrugged and followed her eager exit. As much as he'd rather not have to fight an agitated dragon type, it was excruciatingly adorable how worked up she was getting over the speculation. At that thought, he concluded that this was going to be a very, very long mission.


	Across the canopy and deftly between branches the Serperior diligently slithered toward where he had first heard the commotion break out. Nearly silently he crossed every gap in-between with an ease that made it sound as if the leaves were simply rustling from the wind. Though it was not so necessary considering the chaos below ensured his eavesdropping would undoubtedly go unnoticed. Just above he ceased movement and glared down with piercing eyes at the scene which so loudly transpired.
	"A fool! A fool is all that it makes you!" was the first legible line he came across upon halting. The Poliwraths from earlier stood across from each other two to one, accompanying the more populated side was the Poliwag. Both sides still bore the wounds and blaring injuries from the prior engagement, and since then they had not even made an attempt to dress them. Instead of beginning the healing process they decided to embark on a heated debate.
	"You dare to call me a fool when you harbor the same scars as I? Did that battle teach you nothing?" said the one standing alone. "How can you possibly understand true strength when all you do in defeat is kick and scream like a spoiled child?"
	"It is not we who have thrown away our dignity, brother. To submit yourself so readily to anyone with a meager experience in both the pen and the sword; what makes you believe we are so inferior?" the leftmost Poliwrath shot back with a cold tone.
	The lone side shouted to the air with anger. "Have you heard not of grace?! Do you not get that knowing when to bow your head is what creates dignity, not destroys it?! You're all far too stubborn to even make an attempt to understand their words! There is no shame to stand behind a power if their cause is equally as just and beneficial."
	"Listen to yourself," the rightmost sneered with crossed arms. "You speak of their great power and greater vision, but they are not us. They do not think like us, they do not act like us, they seek to change the very fundamentals of our lives. Would you still side with such a pretender even if it meant our home would be lost to their rabid ideals?"
	"Perhaps I am the only one of us who does not fear change as a coward would," the lone Poliwrath spoke like a growl. Enraged, the leftmost yelled hatred and made to charge forward, only to be held back by the other two pokemon on his side of the dispute.
	"Save your strength! None of us are in the position to be fighting!" sense was cried by the rightmost Poliwrath. It seemed to persuade the angered water type to calm, if only for the moment. Instead his stare would shoot daggers at the betrayer. "No, but we will be."
	He stepped backward and pivoted away. "We will return," he continued grimly. "The next time we will not be alone. What is rightfully ours will be earned back by blood and tears from this narcissist and their fellow traitors. Prepare yourself for that day, as mercy is not within the vast vocabulary of your pretentious little leader."
	"This is exactly what they were talking about! Don't you see? You would turn so quickly on a brother with violence and malice, and for what? Nobody said you couldn't continue living here, it's only the irrational pride you harbor so dearly that keeps you from contentedness in a life just as similar to the past!" the lone Poliwrath tried desperately to reason with his comrades, but all he earned was a scoff.
	"Now you go and preach their choir? Would you say if we gave an inch they wouldn't take a mile? Enough of this." the rightmost said as he turned heel and began to painfully limp away. The remaining two exchanged both desperate and malevolent glances before taking their opposite directions. Finally the Poliwag seemed to anxiously look both ways before deciding on sprinting after the majority before they shrunk in the distance.
	Once again the softest of silences overcame everything else in the woods. From above the Serperior watched the finale of the Poliwraths with bated breath, now he stared at the surreal emptiness left in their wake. Through his nose he exhaled deeply. "This does not bode well. But, it is to be expected," he muttered to himself once certain he was alone. Soon he would begin his hushed slither through the treetops once again, scarcely possessing a harsh motion and indistinct from the gentle caress of the winds.