The saga of Maya continues from the last installment: http://www.furaffinity.net/view/20429746/

Story edited 11/2020
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The evening falls yet again over the Kalos Alps. Tension fills the air of the meeting room. Not a single operative says a word as their Boss taps his claws against the armrest of his chair. Two plans to confirm and retrieve this authentic Key Stone have failed miserably, and on top of it, Orion is now short two operatives. Although the shadows obscure his figure, his disappointment and frustration is quite tangible. All in the room are unnerved in anticipation of what’s to come. Suddenly, the Boss' tapping stops, and he rises from his chair. Everyone's hearts nearly stop in their place as the large houndoom rises from his chair, and leaves the room silently. Everyone is abandoned to work out their own concerns.

In a training room, elsewhere in the same facility, a smaller female Lopunny is alone practicing her moves against some dummies. The muffled tones of swift, yet precise kicks and powerful punches fill the Japanese-style dojo as her onslaught continues against her padded opponents. After a couple brief minutes on hard fighting, she stops to take a breather at the water fountain. He sharp senses quickly catch a silhouette approaching from behind the paper door.

“209!”, the Boss calls as he slides the paper door open. He scans around the room, but she is nowhere to be found inside. As he enters to search further, he quickly picks up her presence as she falls from the ceiling to launch a surprise attack.

The Boss easily counters many of her quick punches with his gauntlets. With a burst of agility, she latches onto his cape, and covers his head with it. As he quickly tries to get it off, she pulls out a false Mega Stone from her black training outfit, and transforms into her more powerful form while she lunges at the opponent that looms over her. She slides beneath and between his legs with great speed just as he frees the cape from his face, and bounds up to perform a final kick towards the back of his head. As she closes in, the Boss flings around to his right with a fiery glow in his eye. The lopunny quickly realizes her attack left herself exposed far too late. In that millisecond, the shadowed houndoom has already grabbed her leg, and flings her into the ground. With the tide turned, he pins her below him. The bout is over.

“Heh. You are still sharp as ever, Boss.”, the lopunny chuckles.

“Only because I have someone like you keep me on my guard, dear 209. It’s been a while, but I have a job for you. Something I can only trust to someone whose never failed me before. Are you interested?”, the Boss replies in his deep, alluring voice.

“Oh? Someone must have royally flubbed this time.”, 209 teases as she traced the fingers of her left hand below his belt. “Tell me. What do I get extra if I do this, big guy?”, she then asks.
Without a word, the Boss leans in and covers the lopunny below him, and she reaches up to meet him. Outside the dojo, feint, rhythmatic cries of 209 eventually start to echo through the empty metal halls.

---

The scene shifts to a busy highway in the Kalos countryside. Moving along in her meager-sized sedan, Maya, Den, and their new tag-along, Ricky, travel south towards Lumiose City.

"Ugh, it's been, like, three hours. How long until we get there?", Ricky complains.

"We will arrive when we are destined to get there. Your complaining will not make this journey any faster.", Den responds with a strict tone.

"Please have patience, Ricky. Hopefully it won't be too long now.", Maya says to try to calm the mood.

The three are off to follow up on a hunch that Den picked up earlier. If it is correct, it will lead them straight to a High Mega Stone Priest of from the days of old. However, a lot of uncertainty clouds the trip. All the Priests should have passed on ages ago. When they get to their destination, there isn’t even any guarantee that they’ll find anything outside of some old artifacts that survived the time. Still, Den remains steadfast in his resolve. With the mysterious group, Orion, going to great lengths to steal the genuine Key Stone in their possession, the fake Key Stones the ruffians wield, and Maya's budding abilities, the need to find a Head Priest is greater than ever. Perhaps their experience and insight might bring enough clarity to this confusing situation. Until then, all they can do is trudge down the highway in a car with its broken radio. Ricky is also not a very patient chap.

"I don't even know why I have to follow you guys on some wild goose chase. Why am I here, exactly?! You have just left me back cleaning that cruddy museum. At least there’s a TV back there.", Ricky snorts.

"Ricky, stop this nonsense! You’re acting like a child!”, Maya scolds. Ricky slumps back into his seat in a reluctant response to her command. “Besides, you said it yourself, didn't you? How you aren’t safe, right? Don’t you think it’s a good thing to at least be away from where Orion might come looking for you?"

The scene flashes back to the night when Ricky trashed Gil's museum. The local police are gathering every last bit of evidence they can. Ricky sits handcuffed against a cop car on the ground as Maya, Den, and Sir Gil are interrogated by Detective Rhydon, a local Interpol agent. He instantly recognizes Ricky as an Orion operative after some previous stunts he’s pulled. In fact, he’s been looking forward to getting his hands on him personally. Rhydon apologizes to Sir Gilbert that they can’t do much to replace the artifacts that were damaged in the fight. He does assure, however, that Ricky will be locked up for a long time, and pose no danger to anyone anymore. Ricky quickly snaps back in protest.

"C'mon, man! You can't do that! You know we have guys on the inside already! If you throw me in there, they'd gut me long before you’d try to make me squawk! You can’t write me off that quickly! I'm begging ya, here!", Ricky pleads futilely.

He may act tough in a crowd, but it seems when it comes to failing Orion, the consequences are enough to make him beg like a child. Maya, sympathizing with the blaziken, nervously asks Rhydon if there is anything they can do for him. She explains about the Masterball he was captured with, and how it’s able to control him. It’s out of her place to ask, but she wonders if there is perhaps another way they can use him that might also keep him safe. With the information he has already, he could be a great asset. Ricky scoffs at her stupid request, but deep down, her genuine care moves something in him. Perhaps Maya is in over her head, however, after making the connection to the rowdy blaziken’s aura, she feels she needs to do something. Detective Rhydon, still won't relent though. The law is the law, and he has a job to carry out. When Maya's request fails, Sir Gilbert surprisingly offers a compromise for his pupil's sake. He plays on the logic that even expert computer hackers have been able to be utilized for the greater good in light of punishment, and in everyone’s pursuit of Orion, someone of his caliber is invaluable. Rhydon admits many things are possible in due time. No sooner than he says this is he pulled away to take an important call from headquarters.

Everyone stands there with the blaziken in awkward silence. After a short while, Rhydon returns.

“Alright, I just got off the phone with my superiors, and we are all in agreement that he still needs to be processed. If his safety is really a concern, we’ll put him in solitary for a few days until we can question him. However, one of our affiliates noticed your concern and wants to leave him in your care. I have no idea what in the world they are thinking or planning, but their decision holds a ton of weight. So if Ricky is cooperative after questioning, he’s yours.”, he says in his frustration.

Maya lets out a sigh of relief.

“Also note his release will be conditional. We’re going to regularly check up on him, and he will be obligated to comply with us as we continue our investigation. If not or if he is being a danger to you or anyone else, we will not hesitate to lock him away for good, his safety be damned. Got it?”, Rhydon continues mentioning clearly to Ricky as he nudges him with his boot.

“I will continue doing everything in my ability to make sure she come to no harm. You have my word.”, Den assures.

"One bodyguard alone won’t be enough. Our affiliate has apparently been keeping a watchful eye on the young lady here since her little run-in with Agent Lucas. If they think your in real danger, they will keep you safe. In fact, they’re watching us right now.", Rhydon remarks as he and a few other officers drag Ricky off.

Back in the present day, Maya continues her conversation with Ricky as she drives along.

"Try to see some good in this. Isn't it nicer to take a break and go outside for a while? Getting stuck cleaning the mess you made couldn't be that much fun, can it?", she asks Ricky.

"Yeah, yeah. Trading broken bones for watching trees pass. Huge improvement. You wanna grab some food or something, Missy? That’s the fifth burger joint we passed now." Ricky asks as it passes out his window.

"My name isn't Missy. It's 'Maya', thank you very much." she frustratingly points out.

He does bring up a good point though. They've been driving for a while with no clear idea how long it will still take.

“So how much further do you think we still have, Den?”, Maya asks.

“It’s close. Since arriving into the borders of this city, the presence has gotten much stronger.”, he replies.

“So they are somewhere here in Lumiose City? It imagined it would have been something much further away”, Maya asks. Den nods in agreement.

“So about this priest... what are they like? M-maybe not this one personally if you don’t know. It’s just that I’ve deciphered some hieroglyphs about them, but the info we have had always been vague.”, she then asks.

Den goes to length to explain that, back in the old days, the Priests were very important figures status-wise. They had the power to tap into the auras of those who had, in his words ‘ascended’, and control Mega Evolution so that it's power could be used for the greater good. As such, the Priests were always regarded highly among every tier of society, and were supposed to be the pinnacle of all which was right and just in the world. If it is a priest they find at the end of the journey, he has no expectation that this one will be any different.

---

"You've got to be fucking kidding me!", an irate Pidgeot screams out.

"Kidding you? Are you kidding me?! You told me you'd have the money this week, Millie...!", an older Diggersby exclaims. "...and before that, you said you'd have May’s rent when your ‘spring rush’ came in! Well, I don’t see no rush, and I'm done waiting! Either you pay by Friday or you’re out!"

Millie, a rotund Pidgeot, works from her apartment in the suburbs of Lumiose City selling beauty products for a shady multi-level marketing company. However, when ends don't meet, she falls back on a home-based spiritualist practice. Needless to say, business doesn't come around that often, and it’s finally come to a head when another landlord in her life is threatening her with eviction for missing two months worth of rent. So tensions are running high, especially when she knows he knows she will not make her deadline.

"I'll make sure you get your money...!". She yells as she slams the door in his face. "...Right up your ass.", she mutters to herself before flopping down onto her couch. Just then, a knock on the door breaks her momentary peace. Still angry, she heaves up to answer it. As she pulls it open, Den's large, imposing silhouette fills the doorway and blots out the sunlight.

"You know why I am here.", he says as he glares at her.

Instantly, Millie slams the door right in his face leaving the lucario completely dumbfounded by what had transpired. Maya decides to knock on the door herself.

"I told you already, I’ll get your money asshole! If you think some goon squad is going to scare it out of me sooner, you’ve got another thing coming!" Millie exclaims as she swings the door open.

"I.. um think there was a misunderstanding, miss. A-actually, we were looking for a...", Maya nervously tries to explain.

"OH MY GOSH! Customers! I'm so sorry. I didn’t mean to raise my voice. Please, please come in!", Millie excitedly interrupts in realization.

She explains to Maya and her entourage that it's been a while since she's had customers come around, and sit them down in her living room as she rushes to find her mail order catalogs. Maya wonders if they have the right place. The apartment looks kind of dingy, and place smells like cheap incense. Den is unfazed by the dirty conditions; certain this is the source of the aura. Millie soon returns with a ton of books and papers, and drops the whole lot onto her coffee table with a loud ’FWUMP’. Like a kid on sugar, she quickly begins going into detail about all the different fragrances she is selling.

“I have everything from ‘Audino’s Blush’ to ‘Cosmog no.5’. If it’s hot this summer, it’s in, and availability is never an issue. This, my little delphox, I know you are going to love.”
After spraying Maya’s wrist with a sample bottle, the delphox’s perk up a little from it’s aroma.

“PhoxFire has an absolutely lovely orange hint that will go perfect with work and play. Your handsome friends here might even find it particularly enticing the next rainy night you have them over. If you know what I mean, eh?”, Millie winks and nudges. Ricky rolls his eyes. She rambles on non-stop about many other beauty products until Maya can finally mutter in that they are actually looking for a Priest. Realizing her error, Millie's quickly shifts tones. She hurriedly grabs all the catalogs, and rushes out again, but before anyone can blink, she flies back into the room placing a cheap crystal ball on the coffee table. Cheap crystals and trinkets are dumped around it to invoke the image of a makeshift ritual table.

"I'm so sorry again. Sometimes I get so excited to see customers, I forget to slow myself down. If you are looking for a priest, say no more. Are you here for a seance? Fortunes read? Perhaps I can interest you in some lucky talismans?", Millie says as she waves around different items in her collection. She turns her attention to Maya and presses her face against the delphox’s. "If your looking for something for perpetual youth or love, I have a few things that can help you out.”

"N-no, I'm fine. Actually, um...", Maya stutters.

“Ah, no need to be so modest, dear! I can read you like a book. It’s my specialty. Tell you what, I have two of these gems that’ll keep you invigorated, beautiful, and loved for ages AND I’ll throw in some of that PhoxFire for free. How about it?”, Millie pressures while moving in closer. Maya blushes as her feathered wing intimately wraps around her shoulder and the avian’s huge bosom presses against her smaller form.

“Well… eh, heh. T-they are very nice looking...”, she chuckles in submission.

"We're not here for your junk, bird! We drove a hundred miles to look for a stinkin’ Mega Stone Priest! Ya seen one or not?!", Ricky finally blurts in frustration out as he slams his hands upon the table.

Millie stops in her tracks and a cold chill flushes through her body and a drop of sweat drips across her face. She quickly snaps out of it, and tries to brush off what he says.

“S-sorry. Never heard of that one, dear. Anyway-”, she hastily flutters to change the subject before being interrupted.

“He is being serious, Miss. Our search for one has somehow led us to this apartment. If you have any information, no matter how big or small, even if it’s just an artifact you might have collected along the way, I would gladly pay whatever you ask for it. It might have a symbol that looks like this on it.”, Maya pleads as she pulls her Key Stone hiding under her shirt.

A shock freezes Millie. Upon seeing the symbol embedded into the gem, a cavalcade of memories, especially bad ones, from a time long thought lost floods her mind and brings tears to her eyes. Her mood quickly becomes far more serious. Frantically, she darts across the apartment locking the door, shutting off all the lights, and closing all the blinds. Devoid of any prying sunlight, she gets right to interrogating her three prisoners.

“Alright, I’m going to get straight to the point. Who are you, what do you know of them, how do you know of them, and what are you planning on doing with them? Spit it!”, the bird aggressively commands.

“W-well...”, Maya stammers nervously.

“Do you have any idea of the kind of forces you are messing with? Do you have any idea the amount of pain these things are capable of causing?! Of course you don’t! These are not mere trinkets one can peddle at some shop. These are capable of undoing society as a whole if not given proper respect! This is the kind of stuff that leads to war among nations, and common folk like you have no purpose invoking it’s power. It’s not for any passing curiosity! Now get out! No more crystals, no more fragrances, just get! I’m taking that stone, and just go back to wherever you came from, and forget you ever had this! Live in ignorant, privileged bliss for the rest of your minuscule lives, and keep it that way!”, she yells. Clearly whatever experience she had on the matter must have been troubling indeed.

Den immediately stops her from snatching Maya’s stone, and takes full responsibility for bringing them to her. He explains he guards over the one Maya possesses, so if there is an issue, maybe it’d be best if she talked to someone more familiar with them.

“And you are?” Millie questions.

“‘Den’ is the only name I was given. I was a Temple Guardian before it fell into ruin, and the ordained protector of that stone she holds.”

He wastes no time in recapping their whole situation. Millie quizzically raises an eyebrow to his story, but still listens as he continues on about the ability Maya has shown already to calm it’s power, and since he feels her heart is in the right place, her talent needs to be nurtured or it could put people in real danger. It may the only way to restore a balance the stone’s resurgence has brought to this world. This statement especially interests her.

“You know the Priest we are looking for, aren’t you? I beg you. Please consider what I have to say.”, Den pleads as he unflinchingly gazes deeply into Millie’s purple eyes. She walks over to Maya, and closely examines the delphox.

"Yes... You are correct, guardian. There is a particular potential about this one. I can even feel the other auras she already possesses. If this was a long time ago, I’d recommend her for Priest’s Training also. What is your name, dear?", Millie asks as she places her hand on Maya's thigh.

"M-Maya, miss…um.", she replies, but realizes she never asked the pidgeot’s name.

"Some time ago people used to call Meryt, but these days everyone just call me Millie. Sorry for spooking you earlier, dear. I am that priest for which you seek."

The mood in the room seems to calm down a lot. Millie moves around the apartment opening the place back up to the daylight while recounting the old days to the group. Of the temple she ran, and its many thousands of followers, and how everyone looked up to her as if she were a deity. However, over time the climate became drier, and as crops failed, patronage began to drop. This eventually led to discontent, and not long after the ancient kingdom fell apart. It was a chaotic time that tested her life choices. She had nothing left. No temple, no followers, just her and her stones in the end. Feeling forsaken and with nothing else to lose, she committed a taboo and use the Mega Stone's power and keep going until she could find purpose again. Before long, her life ended up boiling down to taking on an array of odd jobs, and disappearing when people started becoming suspicious of why she never aged. Some began accusing her of witchcraft, and she would have to flee to start all over again. It had been a hard many centuries, but the thought of teaching someone in the practices of old again lights a spark in the pidgeot that she hasn't felt in a long time. She apologizes for snapping at them again, and obliges to take Maya under her wing.

"Hey, your holiness, I’m glad your all cheery again and all that, but it's been a long day. You got anything to eat around here?", Ricky interjects rudely.

“I don’t have much, but feel free to rummage around the kitchen. My home is your home... for as long as I have it.”, she grants.

“Thanks, babe.”, Ricky says as he heads off.

“So you mentioned you used your Mega Stone’s power to live on all these years. Are you implying there’s another Key Stone around?”, Maya asks.
“Indeed there is.”, Millie responds. A quiet gasp of surprise escapes the delphox.

Den is quick to ask what she thinks the best thing would be to do about this Orion group. Millie explains she might not know how to best deal with the ruffians since she has only just now heard of them, but if there is someone out there using the stones for bad, as a priest, she has a sworn duty to put a stop to it.

“...but, we might not be able to do much against these misguided souls if we aren’t properly equipped.”, Millie ponders as she looks over Maya’s casual dress and makeshift string necklace hold her stone. “Come to my bedroom, dear. I have a something we might be able to make use of.”
In her chambers, she brushes off an old, dusty box from her closet, and places it on her nightstand. It squeaks open, and from it, she pulls out a couple hefty pieces of jewelry. Ricky comes in at that moment with some newly scrounged cereal to see the reveal.
"Maya, dear. If you are going to learn how to use that, you'll need to have something that will protect it better." Millie says as she shows her an ornate gold necklace. Much to everyone's surprise, the other Key Stone already hangs attached to its pendant. Maya stares in disbelief. Although she was already told she had another one, to see the second stone existing is still as exciting as the first time. After all the trouble Sir Gilbert and her had gone through to just find one also, it's almost impossible to fathom that a second one had been lying around so close to home this whole time.

Ricky, on the other hand, has other realizations. He’s now able to confirm there are two of these things. One for his mission, and the other now a potential bargaining chip. If he were able to somehow escape with both of them and return to the Boss, it’d give him more than enough leverage to get back in his good graces for his failure. It’s a dilemma, but perhaps it’d be best for him to bide his time until he can figure things out. He’ll go along with the gang. For now.

Meanwhile, Millie rummages more through the box, and tosses a similar necklace with an empty slot to Maya.
"If I'm going to train you, we can’t do it here. Where do you live?", Millie asks.
"I-in my bookstore. It’s in a suburb called Greenglen, just outside of Tuffield in Galar." Maya replies.
"Oh perfect! I love books! Well we should have no problem getting along then, Maya-dear." Millie chuckles as she gathers her belongings. It’s certainly far enough away from her money troubles here and that’s good enough.

To be continued...

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Sweet Arceus! I drew something clean!

But, this portion of the story didn't really call for anything too raunchy. It was more just introducing a new character, and building upon it. I already have the next part ready drawn out and ready to go, so I'm going to get that upload by the weekend. At the same time, I have a couple other pieces to dump out there that I've been working on over the last while. So more to come really soon. Stay tuned.



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