Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Seasons of Heaven

Episode 14: Lute's Evolution

"Esther?" Lute cried, making the Pikachu jump. She shook her hands hushed the trio.

"If Esther's here, then that means the High Point is nearby. Was this a trap?" Phoenix warned, looking every which way to try and find it. Lute and Sophitia gasped and did the same.

"No no, he's in the house there. But he's... let's just go. We can get outta here if we're quiet," Esther led the way. She darted off between what looked like a few alleys and backstreets.

Angard turned out to be the most unsettling place that Lute had ever been to. The only colour in the entire world was the house that Esther had snuck out of. Every other structure in this city had that nasty burnt colour. Going through the tight alleyways shrouded them in total black, where not even their sense of smell could guide them. There was no smell, everything felt cold, and the presence of time was non-existent.

They stopped when Esther ran out of breath, where they were on the edge of what looked like a town square. The layout seemed like a functional area Pokémon could live in, but with the area so quiet and lifeless, he just couldn't picture what kind of species would choose to stay here.

"Phew. Okay, I think we're in the clear for a bit," Esther sighed.

"What happened? Did you manage to get away?" Lute asked.

"Something like that. It's weird." She leaned on the wall beside her.

"Don't push the wall!" Phoenix shouted, and she flinched. It was too late, however The pressure she put on caused the wall to tilt, and with it, the foundation of the structure it held up began to collapse.

"Oh shit," Esther whispered.

"Run!" Phoenix said.

"Goes without saying," Sophitia cried, scraping up a gawking Lute to jump away. The building fell straight down onto itself, creating a huge cloud of dust. The crash was louder than she anticipated as well, and she cringed as a tsunami of dust covered them. It took long enough to clear for them to breathe it in and set off coughing as well, but minutes later, they were back in the clear.

"The buildings here are just as bad as the land itself. They will collapse at the lightest touch," Phoenix warned.

"Now you tell us. So much for losing him, too," Esther complained.

"The High Point? I don't know what's happening here, you've got to tell us," Lute said.

"Oh never mind that. It's more like, the heck was that? What actually is this place? This is crazy!" Esther cried as she spun around to look at it all.

"It's... uh," Sophitia said.

"Seriously, this is crazy cool. Did I really just bring down a whole building with one paw?" Esther chuckled. She admired her paws and flexed. "The wonders of what I can do when I'm fed properly."

"Esther, focus!" Phoenix said.

"I am focused, and that was the coolest shit I've ever seen! Or well, in a while. And to think that it was you guys that came to get me, this has gotta be—" she said, bouncing on her toes. She froze and pointed to Lute. "Where's the little Minun? She'd make this scene perfect."

"Infia? She's..." Lute looked behind him. He quickly realised that Esther had gotten them lost. "She's resting at home. It's complicated."

"Oooh. Is she someone special?" Esther went half-lidded.

"What? No, I mean- yes, sorta?" Lute staggered. "Why are we talking about this?"

"That response equals relationship," Esther giggled, and put her paws together. "You look after her, okay?"