Based on my Explorers of Sky game. I was always curious about how the Wigglytuff Guild would react to the news of the hero's disappearance. So I ended up writing a story about it. It gets a little corny at the end, though, but oh well. I hope it's still all right despite that. Enjoy.

The Price Paid

"Pokémon detected! Pokémon detected!"

"Whose footprint? Whose footprint?"

There was a pause as Diglett stared up at the grate above him, and his eyes widened with instant recognition. "R…R-Riolu!"

"What?! Riolu?!" the echoes of the other guild members exclaimed after him, but by that time he was already lost among the rock wall, burrowing his way up to the surface. His excitement pushed him up quickly, and it wasn't long before his head popped out by the guild entrance. As he looked, his mind confirmed what he already knew.

"Riolu's back!" he cried out jubilantly, more to himself than anyone else. "Riolu made it back!"

Despite his fatigue, Riolu smiled happily at the sight of one of his friends. Before he could greet the Mole Pokémon, however, the guild's gate opened with a rumble. It was the only warning he had before the other members of the guild rushed out to greet him, surrounding him in an instant and talking enthusiastically and all at once.

"You're here!" Loudred exclaimed. "You really did it!"

"Oh my gosh, we were all so worried about you!" Sunflora said.

"You were gone so long, we just didn't know what to expect, by golly!" Bidoof added.

"Hey, hey! So what happened?" Corphish wondered. "How did it go?"

"And are you all right?" Chimecho said, watching Riolu with concerned eyes.

"Was it difficult?" Dugtrio asked. "What happened after you left?"

The familiar flutter of wings stilled the bombardment of questions for a moment. "Now, now, Pokémon. Let's give him some room!"

They all turned towards Chatot as he emerged from the guild's entrance. "Chatot!" Riolu said, his face brightening. "You're okay!"

The bird Pokémon smiled, almost gently. "Of course," he replied. "You didn't think I would be so easily taken out by those ruffians, did you? Now then…" He cleared his throat, returning to his stern position as second-in-command as he hopped to the side and turned expectantly to the entrance. The other members of the guild followed his example, stepping aside and clearing a path for Wigglytuff as he approached the weary Riolu.

"Welcome back!" Wigglytuff said cheerfully. "Did everything go all right?"

Riolu marveled how the Guildmaster could sound so casual about the whole situation, as though he had just returned from a regular exploration. In a way, though, he was grateful for Wigglytuff's laid-back attitude, which made him feel a little more relaxed than he actually was.

"Well…" Riolu said slowly, "we stopped Temporal Tower from collapsing…"

Wigglytuff nodded. "I knew you could do it." He paused then, a puzzled frown replacing the smile on his face. "But some of our friends are missing."

And only then did the other guild members notice, rather guiltily, that Riolu had returned alone.

"Hey, hey…" Corphish said, "now that you mention it, where's Meilin?"

"Wasn't Grovyle with you too?" Sunflora wondered, looking at Riolu curiously.

"What happened to them?" Loudred asked.

Riolu winced, fidgeting a little as he once again became the center of everyone's attention. He quickly averted his gaze, afraid that they would see the images of his last adventure as it flashed before his eyes. Seeking his voice, he somehow managed to murmur, "Let's go back inside…I'll explain everything there…"

A heavy silence fell over the guild as Riolu came to the end of his story. They all glanced at each other, and then back to Riolu, wanting to ask so many questions but unable to bring themselves to.

Finally Chatot cleared his throat, shattering the tension with well-practiced authority. "So just a moment," he said, turning to face Riolu completely. "Let me see if I understand you correctly…After arriving in the Hidden Land, you traveled on until reaching the Old Ruins, where Lapras informed you the Rainbow Stoneship resided. But before you could activate it, you encountered Dusnkoir and proceeded to vanquish him once and for all. However, as you went to prepare the Rainbow Stoneship, an altercation between Dusknoir, Grovyle, and Meilin took place that forced Grovyle to take Dusknoir back to the future and entrust the Time Gears to you and Meilin…"

"Yeah…" Riolu replied softly.

"So you and Meilin continued on ahead to Temporal Tower, where at the top you not only confronted Primal Dialga, you fought and defeated him. Afterwards, you put the Time Gears in place, therefore restoring Dialga to normal and returning the flow of time to the planet…"

"Uh-huh…"

"And then…" Here Chatot paused in his summation, as though unwilling to bring this part up again. "And then…as you and Meilin were returning to the Rainbow Stoneship, Meilin was suddenly encased in a strange, mystical light and disappeared before your very eyes?"

Closing his eyes, Riolu sighed and nodded.

"Oh gosh…" Sunflora whispered.

"By golly," Bidoof murmured in awe.

Suddenly Loudred stamped his foot impatiently. "But I don't GET it!" he said. "I mean, after hearing all that, it's obvious why Grovyle isn't here. But why did MEILIN disappear?!"

Riolu shrugged. "I…I don't really understand it myself. Meilin just said that Dusknoir told her…that if the future was changed, then Pokémon from the future would disappear. That's why she had to leave…"

"The future…" Chatot said thoughtfully as confused babble rose from the guild members, "and Pokémon from the future…" Rubbing his beak as he contemplated, he closed his eyes to drown out the buzz of the Pokémon around him. Finally he said, "Ah…I understand now…"

Everyone turned towards him. "What, Chatot?" Dugtrio wondered.

But the bird kept his eyes focused on Riolu. "Unfortunately, what happened was only reasonable. Grovyle and Meilin both came here, to our world, in order to prevent the planet's paralysis – their world – from taking place. But because that world ceased to exist, Pokémon from that world ceased to exist as well."

After a moment, Riolu nodded in somber comprehension and looked away once more.

"But if they knew what would happen," Diglett said, "how could they still go through with it?"

"Because," Riolu answered slowly, his eyes kept downcast as he remembered the future they came from, "they wanted to prevent the planet's paralysis…to prevent that future world of darkness…no matter what."

Silence fell over them once again, heavy and constricting. Then, in a soft, uncertain voice, Chimecho said, "Then…what do we do now?"

"We live."

Everyone, even Riolu, looked up as Wigglytuff stepped forward, uncharacteristically solemn. It was the first he had spoken since Riolu began telling the tale.

Wigglytuff stood beside Chatot, looking over his guild members with serious eyes. "That's why Grovyle and Meilin sacrificed their lives to prevent the planet's paralysis…So that the Pokémon of this world can continue to live as we always have. So, to honor the memories of our friends, we must keep living the best lives we can…We must live the lives that they deserved to live."

"But," Sunflora said, "thinking about them, and knowing what happened…it just seems so hard."

Wigglytuff nodded. "It can be very hard. But hard times and bad times…times of sadness…It's all part of life. And it's those times that help us enjoy all the good times. It can be tough, but it's how we know we're alive. We have to appreciate those moments…to appreciate all the pieces of the life we were given, and never forget those who helped us get to where we are now."

The other Pokémon were still, turning the Guildmaster's words in their heads. Then they all turned to Riolu and waited, watching him almost in anticipation. Everything that the Guildmaster said was especially intended for him, and they all realized that his reaction was particularly important.

At first, Riolu did nothing, his eyes focused on the treasure bag that hung at his side. Then his body straightened, and he met Wigglytuff's patient expression with a look of determination. He still said nothing, but his resolute nod spoke louder than anything.

Heartened and inspired by their colleague's decision, the rest of the guild also unanimously agreed to live their lives to the very best.

To repay the ones who gave them this chance in the first place.

The End