Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Seasons of Heaven

Episode 21: Temple of the East

If everywhere ended up like Angard right now, then all would be lost.

"Let's catch up to Kuri." Lute faced forward.

"That's more like it. Not like you to get tripped up 'cos of some jerk," Sophitia said with a smile.

"Well actually, I want to try to talk to Lassic about all this. Properly. It's just that if the seasons don't come back, the whole world could end up like Angard right now. If that happens, we're all done for," he said. "But I am curious. Gen, why do you and Kuri hate Lassic so much?"

"That's private for both of us," Gen turned away.

"How private are we talking?" Esther asked. There was no response.

"Not a good question, Esther," Phoenix said.

"Ya'know, Pokémon would be a lot happier if they talked about their problems rather than keepin' a lotta secrets," she teased, batting her eyes.

"It's not even important. All you need to know is that I hate that Pokémon with all of my being. He continues to act against our interests, so that makes him and most related things an enemy," Gen reasoned.

"You say that, but he has to have done something pretty bad for you to hate him with 'all of your being'. If I'm being really nosy, I'd say you're living out here in the sticks to avoid him and his world that much," Esther pointed out.

Gen squinted and came to a sudden halt. With the command of one paw and lifted ears, she pulled Esther off the ground and dangled her upside-down with Psychic, making the Pikachu squirm and squeak.

"A-ah-ah stop please okay I'm sorry! Guys, get me down from here!" cried the Pikachu.

"You were asking for it." Phoenix rolled his eyes. The others could only blink in a daze.

"Alright alright, I'm sorry, just stop already, please?" Esther whined, trying to hold her tutu over herself. "They can see everything it's gross and—"

"You can stay like that until we get to the temple," Gen said.

"Gross? What's so gross about—" Lute said.

"Don't look! Not for your eyes yet, Lutey!" Esther cried.

"... Lutey?" he tilted his head.

"Forget it. She's just being Esther," Infia sighed.

He laughed lightly as did the others, and then left it at that. He was more concerned about the nerve that had been touched with the subject. What could Gen and Kuri have known about Lassic that made them get so furious? Or maybe he was just reading too much into it, and they were crazier environmentalists than he first thought.

It took them a while to reach the temple. Gen took them from the streets of the drained, texture-less town they had seen before, to the dark fields and plains that lay beyond it. It wasn't too different to the open space outside of Everend, but the dead lands took the tone of dread Lute felt and multiplied it. It led to a trip that felt long and draining, and all the time he couldn't think straight.

By the time they reached the temple, he felt exhausted. The rugged slope up to a mountain looked daunting, even though its layout was as public friendly as could be. It even had the remains of fences all the way up to the top.

"It's just as we left it. Just like I promised, too," Esther said, still upside-down. Gen ran up the slope to check for herself, but made no comment when she looked it over.

The crater looked like the one underneath the Radial Castle. It was as if someone had taken an ice cream scoop and used it on the ground to create a crusty crater. Just like they had been told before, there was a Teleportal, too. Kuri was there as well, impatiently tapping his foot with folded arms.