I can't believe I'm actually doing this. Look at me, a college male with three running stories already, and I'm about to add a fourth. For Pokémon. I'm surprised myself. Ok ok, so before I get started, I might as well tell the story.
Warning, if you're not one of my author alerts and you're new to my writing, then feel free to skip my author's note if you just want to get reading.
I actually wanted to write this story on a new account, because I was afraid that people would be like, wait, this guy writes dark bloody stories on Final Fantasy, Golden Sun, and Fairy Tail, and now he's writing Pokémon? What the fuck? But then I decided, screw that. I'll do what I want. Haters gonna hate.
I hit writers block on all three of my stories, so decided to spend my off time playing games. But I was bored with all of my games. That is, until I found my stash of old GBA and DS games that I haven't touched in forever. I found the Mystery Dungeon series, which I remember was really freaking awesome. So I plugged in Explorers of Darkness and gave it a replay. Which just reminded me of how amazing the game was. Great story, fun and addictive gameplay, and a decent challenge. Plus it has the typical anime attachment to abstract concepts, like friendship and the heart. Oh, and the music. Great music. It was happy when it needed to be, epic when it needed to be, and sad when the situation called for it. Some of the dungeon music was haunting and creepy at times, which I really enjoyed.
All right, now that I've finished praising the game, here are the reasons I decided to write a fanfiction for it. First, the game is amazing. Secondly, I did a search for Mystery Dungeon fanfics, and found very few of them, not counting the poorly written or shorter ones. I felt cheated. Thirdly, I want to relive the game in greater detail, as well as adding new details and changes here and there. I can already think of a few things that I'm going to change.
Right. Enough about that. Maybe I should actually get writing. I don't actually have a game script, but I do have a DS. I am actually playing Explorers of Sky at the same time that I'm writing, so that's where I get the script.
Disclaimer: Gotta have this stupid thing at the beginning of all my stories. I do not own Pokémon, nor is this story in any way profiting from the franchise. I do this for my own enjoyment, and that of the others around me.
Time. Contrary to the belief of most sentient creatures, time is not by any means a linear construct. In fact, it is comparable to an infinite tapestry, with countless threads intertwining and interacting with one another. Each and every one of the individual threads affects the others, yet are never aware of the existence of the others.
Or perhaps it is like a tree, starting at a single point. From there, it branches out into hundreds of different outcomes, and then into thousands, and then millions. The number grows beyond comprehensible levels until the sky is colored a dusty brown with the interlocking branches.
No matter its composition, time continues on, waiting for no one. It moves on endlessly, no matter how hard one attempts to hold on to it. The passage of time is the one constant among the uncertainty in the expansive universe.
One fateful day, however, something changed in the endless stream of time. It was subtle, a small disturbance in the time vortex, yet at the same time its very occurrence signified an event that had not happened since the beginning of time. Time itself was being traversed.
To the waking eye, time is not something that can be seen. Instead, it is felt. However, to the two individuals that were present in the time vortex, time was very visible indeed. To their eyes, a tunnel stretched out before them, composed of many interlocking threads of multicolored light. Visible through gaps in the threads were millions of parallel timelines flashing in and out of existence. In just a short moment, the two could see volcanic wastelands, sprawling deserts, and tropical islands spiraling into view.
"I like that one." At last, one of the individuals spoke. In the time vortex, the distinctly male voice echoed oddly, as if there was a surface for the sound waves to bounce off of. The one who spoke possessed a humanoid figure. His body was well built, defined muscles bulging in his arms and legs, evidence of the many hours he spent training every day. Silky brown hair sprouted from his scalp and cascaded down the sides of his head. Every so often, rogue strands would fall in front of his hazel eyes, and he would brush them away with his slender fingers. "And, it's gone. Shame," the man added.
"Those islands?" the other figure asked curiously. This individual was not human by any means. Instead, it sported a smaller figure that was slightly reminiscent of a lizard, with a hint of avian influence present in the structure of his feet and claws. His voice was rough and guttural, as his vocal cords were structured differently from those of humans.
"Yeah. Do you think that Pokémon will live in a place like that someday?" the human replied, his tone turning wistful. The creature next to the human, who was a Pokémon itself, sighed.
"I hope so," was all the Pokémon could bring himself to say. The two went silent after that. They knew what they had to do, and talking about it would not change anything.
They proceeded in silence for an indeterminate period after that, as one could not simply measure the passage of time while time itself was being traversed. In the time it took one of them to say one sentence, millions of years could have passed.
"What is that up there?" the Pokémon suddenly said in a worried tone, pointing ahead along the strangely constructed tunnel of time with one of its talons. The human looked to see a strange fluctuation in the time vortex ahead of them. The multicolored threads of light that made up the tunnel were twisting and roiling, as if something had disturbed time itself.
"I'd say turbulence, but I don't think something like that could exist in time. How would that even work?" the human asked. Before his partner could answer, they had reached the fluctuation. Both of the time travelers suddenly found it hard to keep their footing. It wasn't that they were unbalanced, but it was as if their spatial awareness was being affected. At first it was subtle, as they began to feel that they were viewing the tunnel from an angle. Over a period of time, however, the effects escalated rapidly.
"What the hell is even going on?!" the human screamed as he was wrenched from his feet. He was floating in the air above the tunnel's floor, and he felt himself growing further away from the Pokémon. "Help!" the human cried.
The Pokémon, despite the fluctuation's effect on himself, lunged forward and grabbed on to the human's wrist, his talons wrapping around the limb and latching on tightly. However, as the pull grew stronger, he found that his grip was slowly slipping. "I think our very presence in the stream of time may actually be effecting the vortex of time itself!" the Pokémon shouted.
The two suddenly became aware of the sounds of rushing water, and the booming sound of thunder. They found that strange, because they were in the time vortex, and such things did not exist here. With horror, they realized that the fluctuation might actually throw them out of the vortex into an unspecified time.
"Don't you let go of me!" the human roared. The Pokémon's grip slipped further. He was afraid of trying to adjust his grip, for fearing of losing it altogether. "Help, I'm slipping!"
"I can't…I can't hold on!" the Pokémon screeched over the sound of the thunder. The pull grew even more intense, pulling the partners in opposite directions. The Pokémon's grip slipped and the human flew backwards, but with a last minute lunge, he managed to grab on to the human once more. However, even that slipped.
"I'm gonna fall! Oh God!" was the last thing the human said before the Pokémon lost his grip entirely, and the two were pulled in separate directions. Screaming and yelling, the two completely lost sight of one another, and were lost to one another. The human was less scared for his own life, and more for the survival of his best friend and partner.
"Grovyle!" he roared, and then his body struck something hard. He saw stars, and then he fell into unconsciousness.
When he next woke, he was lying on something soft. He groaned in pain. He tried to move, but found himself too weak to do so. His head felt fuzzy, and he couldn't quite remember what he was doing. He opened his eyes, and managed to catch a glimpse of a sandy beach and sparkling waters before he once again lost himself to the darkness.
Elsewhere, a very different tale was unfolding. A giant cliff rose above the sea, waves crashing constantly into its base, filling the air with spray. As the sun set into the horizon and darkness filled the air, the lights emanating from the cliffside became more evident. Several holes in the cliffside were set with panes of glass, from which light steadily streamed. However, the most prominent sources of light were the two large torches standing at the very top of the cliff.
At the top of the cliff was a very odd building. It was not built from wood and plaster like usual buildings, but was instead a particularly large tent topped with the image of a Pokémon. The two torches burned brightly on either side of the tent, the sound of the flames filling the air. On the ground a few feet from the gated entrance of the tent was a wooden grate set into the ground above a large hole that descended into the depths of the cliff. On either side of the whole were situated two totem poles carved into the shapes of various Pokémon.
Standing in front of the whole complex stood a lone female Pokémon. The torchic, for that was her species, shyly shifted from one talon to another. She regarded the tent warily, trying to decide whether it was worth the risk to approach it.
"Hmm," she mused, and then began to pace in front of the grate, but never once making the mistake of standing on it. She clacked her beak nervously, beads of sweat appearing on her crimson head.
Suddenly, she stopped, and then faced the tent directly. She grew determined, her eyes narrowing. "No. I refuse to be paralyzed by this any longer!" the Torchic whispered to herself. She took a few tentative steps towards the grate. "Come on, Blaze, you can do this."
"Okay, here we go," Blaze said with a sigh, and then she stepped onto the grate. Immediately, a voice sounded from below. The Torchic froze and shuddered in shock.
"Pokémon detected!" the voice yelled. Blaze began to tremble, her heart pounding in her chest. Adrenaline surged through her body, and she almost ran away right then.
"Who is it?!" roared an even louder voice from below. The fear and nervousness steadily increased in Blaze's mind.
"The footprint is torchic's!" the first voice replied to the second. That was it for Blaze.
"Ah!" she cried, stepping backwards off the grate and holding a wing to her heart. She could literally feel it thudding rapidly in her chest. "It's too scary!"
Blaze backed away even further, and then she let herself slump down. She waited until she was relaxed again, and then she sighed. A forlorn look crossed her face, and then she sat with her back to the tent.
"I just can't do it," she lamented. Tears squeezed out of her eyes, which she wiped away with her wing. "I just don't have the courage. I thought that this would be the day, but…"
Blaze reached into the small blue pack located on her back with her wing and withdrew a small flat rock, inscribed with an otherworldly pattern. She gazed at it wistfully. She had thought that holding onto it this time would inspire her enough to go inside that tent, but it just hadn't been enough.
She sighed again and replaced the rock in her pack before standing up. She turned to leave. "There's just no helping a coward like me," she sighed. Blaze slowly walked away from the tent and down a the stairs that would lead back down the cliff.
After she had left, two other Pokémon revealed themselves from their hiding places behind some bushes. One of them was spherical in shape and levitating in the air, releasing noxious gases steadily from its pores. The other was a bat that hovered in the air by flapping its wings incredibly fast. Both of them wore amused smirks from what they had just seen.
"Zubat…did you see that? That was fucking hilarious," the spherical Pokémon addressed the other with a nudge and a chuckle.
"God, Koffing, wimps like that shouldn't even exist," Zubat chuckled to herself, flying in circles around Koffing. "But that's not what was really important. Did you see what that chick had?"
"I did. It looked nice to me. Think we could sell it for a good amount?" Koffing replied, an evil grin crossing its homely face. Zubat thought about that for a moment, now flying in a figure eight.
"I don't know, I might want to keep it. It looked pretty to me," she remarked. "But we can figure that out once we have it."
"I like the way you think, Zubat. Come on, let's nab that thing and get out of here." Koffing commented. Zubat cackled gleefully, and then the two Pokémon soared through the air after Blaze, making sure to keep themselves hidden.
The beach was Blaze's favorite place to be, no matter the circumstances. After failing the goal that she had set for herself, it was the first place she went to.
Blaze strode across the sand, leaving little imprints in the sand behind her wherever she stepped. She looked out at the ocean wistfully, wondering not for the first time if anything rested out beyond the horizon.
A bubble floated through the air in front of her, flying over the water into the distance. She followed it with her eyes, a small smile forming on her face as she realized what was going to happen.
Pokémon emerged from the hollows in the rocky cliffs around the beach. They were all krabby and kingler. As Blaze knew, they always came out in the evening to blow bubbles whenever the weather was nice. They began to do so, soon filling the air with glistening bubbles that caught the light of the setting sun and bent it into a multitude of beautiful colors.
"How pretty…" Blaze said to herself. She then lapsed back into silence. She always came here when she was feeling down, and after her failure earlier, that was exactly how she was feeling. However, the sight before her served to cheer her up slightly. It made her feel good to stand here on the soft sand, the waves lapping at her talons, gazing at the bubbles floating lazily through the air.
Blaze turned, trying to spot some of the krabby so she could watch them blow bubbles. After taking a few steps, she noticed something odd.
As this was a rocky beach surrounded by cliffs, there were often boulders and small rocks littering the sand at irregular intervals. Blaze had been here so often that she had memorized where each rock was, which is why she found it odd that there was another rock here that had not been here the day before. Its mere presence on her beloved beach made her curious as to its nature.
"That wasn't here before. How strange," she observed. Blaze decided to check it out, so she walked along the beach until she could get a better look at it. However, she stopped dead in her tracks when she realized what it was.
It wasn't a rock. Instead, Blaze saw a Pokémon collapsed on the sand at the waterline, the waves lapping at its skin, threatening to drag it back out to sea. "Ah! Are you all right?!" Blaze broke into a run, her usual nervousness absent when someone was hurt. She reached the fallen Pokémon and knelt down beside it, noting that it was of the totodile species. It was a particularly fine specimen; it was larger than normal, possessed defined muscles in its arms and legs, and had jaws that looked like they could bite clear through a tree trunk.
At the sound of her concerned words, the totodile stirred weakly, a soft grunt emanating from its jaws. Blaze gasped as the Pokémon forced itself to its feet, despite the presence of several large bruises on its body. She retrieved a bottle of ointment distilled from Oran berries from her bag. "You're awake! Please, let me treat those wounds."
The totodile remained still long enough for Blaze to apply the ointment to his injuries, but he refused to look at her. "I'm fine." He grunted, his voice deep and husky. Blaze found that she rather liked the sound. Immediately after he spoke, the Pokémon wrinkled his brow in confusion.
"Oh, thank goodness. You weren't moving at all, so I was starting to get worried," Blaze fussed, stepping back so that the totodile could have some space. The Pokémon turned around, taking in his surroundings. It was clear by his expression that he had no idea where he was. Blaze grew curious, so she decided to try and learn more about him.
"Do you remember how you ended up unconscious out here?" she asked curiously. At that, the totodile adopted a confused expression. That soon gave way to a thoughtful one. However, he did not answer Blaze's question, instead appearing deep in thought. Blaze figured that he must be one of those strong, silent types. That wasn't going to stop her from talking to him, though. "Well, I'm Blaze. Glad to meet you!"
When the totodile still didn't answer, Blaze pressed on. "Who are you? I don't think I've seen you around before." She was sure that if she posed a direct question, he wouldn't just ignore her. Suddenly, the other Pokémon gazed at her as if seeing her for the first time.
"Aren't you a bit large for a torchic?" he asked bluntly. Blaze reeled back, offended. She glanced down at herself, confused. She didn't think she was that large…
"Excuse me? I'll have you know I go on daily runs around town!" she snapped back, though she did blush under his increased attention. The totodile looked surprised at her outburst, but then just shook his head.
"That's not what I meant. I mean, you're as large as me, and I'm human. That's saying something." He corrected his statement. Blaze blinked, not believe what she had just heard. When his words sunk in, she jumped and flapped her wings in shock.
"What?! You're a human?! You look like a totally normal totodile to me!" the torchic pointed out. Now the totodile seemed startled. He looked over his body, his eyes widened as he took in his own features. Suddenly, the other Pokémon began shaking, gazing in shock at his own claws.
"What the hell!?" the Pokémon exclaimed rather loudly. He rushed to a nearby tide pool, gazing into the water's smooth surface to observe his own reflection. He laughed nervously upon confirming his new appearance. "Heh…this is a dream, right?"
"You're…a little odd…" Blaze observed. She didn't know what to make of the Pokémon in front of her. On one hand, humans didn't exist anywhere on this continent, so it would be impossible for one to be here. On the other, the totodile seemed to be genuinely shocked at his own appearance. "Are you pulling some kind of trick on me?"
"What? No! I don't lie. To imply that I do is insulting," the totodile snapped back. Blaze shrunk away at the tone of his voice, apologizing weakly. He seemed infuriated. Blaze decided not to question him any more on that subject. It didn't matter whether he was a human or a Pokémon. What mattered was what he looked like now.
"All right then. Will you tell me your name?" she asked timidly. This time, she received a quick answer.
"Of course. My name is Hector. A pleasure," the totodile answered politely, and then went back to gazing at his claws, flexing the muscles there as if he were trying them out for the first time. Blaze nodded happily.
"Okay. Well, I don't know about you being human, but you don't seem to be a bad Pokémon, at least." She replied. Hector grunted and turned his head, probably offended that he was suspected in the first place. Blaze caught on to that and quickly said, "Sorry for doubting you. It's just that more and more bad Pokémon have been showing up recently. Can't be too careful."
Blaze saw Hector's expression soften from that, and he nodded understandingly. She was about to ask another question when she noticed the totodile's eyes widening. Before she could ask why, something struck her hard in the back of the head. Blaze cried out in pain, and then saw her world turn upside down as she hurtled through the air before colliding with the wall of a nearby cliff. Along the way, her bag came unfastened form her back and hit the sand near Hector.
She hit the ground painfully, and slowly stood up to see two Pokémon standing not far away from Hector. She recognized one as a koffing, and the other as a zubat. Hector was eyeing them warily, as if trying to ascertain whether or not they were a threat to him.
"Well, I do beg your pardon," Koffing sneered at her. Blaze knew immediately that they meant her ill will. Her throat warmed up as she conjured up fire, but she didn't really want to hurt them.
"Hey! Why did you do that?!" Blaze cried, pressing her wings to the back of her head. She flinched as Zubat flew in circles really close to her, chuckling, which revealed her four sharp fangs.
"Can't you tell? We wanted to mess with you. Can't face up to us, can you?" Zubat taunted, and then zoomed down and slashed at Blaze's shoulder. The Pokémon was not seriously trying to hurt her, as the zubat could have easily sliced her to pieces with her superior speed. Instead, the Pokémon's claws skidded across Blaze's skin, leaving a painful red mark behind, but not drawing blood. Blaze yelped and pressed a wing to it.
"Wh…what?!" Blaze emitted pathetically. She couldn't understand why these Pokémon would want to hurt her. She looked to Hector to help, but the totodile was doing nothing but watching.
While Zubat was tormenting Blaze, Koffing floated over to Hector, curiosity planted on its face. "Don't see many totodile around here. Are you with that shrimp over there?"
"Leave me out of this. If you continue to pester me, I won't be held responsible for what I'll do to you," was Hector's rather violent sounding reply. Koffing seemed to recoil a bit, but then he composed himself and laughed derisively.
"Hah, as if you could do anything. You're both just a bunch of shrimps. Come on, Zubat. Let's get what we came for." The floating sphere shot back. Zubat shrieked with laughter and then began circling the fallen bag on the ground. Blaze noticed her bag over there and gasped, suddenly realizing what they were doing.
"No! Please, don't! That's my…" Blaze cried desperately, trying to rush forward to grab it. However, Koffing rammed her head on, knocking her back. Blaze nursed her head where she had been hit, and helplessly watched as Zubat grabbed the bag.
"Sorry, we'll be taking this." Koffing snarled. Zubat hovered in one place, holding the bag tantalizingly over Blaze's head, just out of her reach.
"What's the matter? Not going to try and get it back?" Zubat asked. "Or are you too scared?"
Blaze flushed red with embarrassment and shame, and she fell to her knees, looking up at her bag. Inside was her most prized possession, about to be taken from her.
"God, what a fucking coward. Let's go, Zubat." Koffing ordered, floating around Blaze. Zubat followed, and then the two disappeared into a hollow in the cliff nearby.
At last, Blaze was left alone with Hector. She began to cry helplessly. She wanted nothing more than to go after them and make them pay, but there was a little niggling voice in her head that was telling her that she wouldn't be strong enough even if she did go. It seemed hopeless to her.
"What should I do? That was my personal treasure. It means everything to me," Blaze sobbed, cradling her head in her wings. "If I lose that…"
There was an internal war within Blaze between her belief that she just wasn't strong enough, and the vision of a future where she didn't have her treasure to inspire her. It was the only thing that she could truly call her own.
As she was deliberating what to do, she suddenly felt the presence of someone near her. Blaze looked up, blinking the tears out of her eyes, and then she saw Hector standing tall next to her. He looked down at her and then at the hollow in the cliff side.
"Come on. They need to pay," Hector told her, offering her a claw. Blaze grabbed it gratefully, smiling a little as she hopped to her feet.
"Really? You'll help me?" she asked, almost afraid to believe it herself. When Hector nodded, she squealed happily. "Come on then. Let's go quickly."
With that, Hector led Blaze into the hollow.
The hollow in the cliff opened up into a cave a further in. The floor was composed of tightly packed wet sand. The air was damp and humid. Blaze found the atmosphere heavy and oppressive, and more often than not she found herself staying close to Hector. His confident silence and powerful appearance did wonders for her peace of mind.
"Be careful. There may be bad Pokémon in here," Blaze warned him. Hector did not reply. That didn't bother Blaze, as long as he listened. She had never fought another Pokémon before, but she did know how to fight a little with fire. She was glad Hector hadn't been bad, because she knew she wouldn't have stood a chance against a water-type like him.
As they progressed through the cave, the two ran into several obstacles. The first were the pools of stagnant water that dotted the ground. Hector could have crossed them easily, but Blaze couldn't. Therefore, Hector chose to move around them so that Blaze wouldn't have to be alone. Blaze noted with some happiness that he was starting to care whether or not she was safe.
When the two reached a somewhat larger cavern, an odd clanking sound echoed through the room. Hector immediately turned to face the source of the sound, while Blaze squeaked and hid behind him.
A kabuto launched itself out of a pool of stagnant water, its shell facing them in preparation for a ramming attack. Hector attempted to stop it, but Blaze saw him move his limbs oddly, as if he'd never used them in combat before.
The kabuto rammed into Hector, knocking the Totodile back into the wall. Hector grunted somewhat, but it didn't seem like he was hurt that much.
"Dammit…I'm not used to this body," Hector muttered to himself. Blaze heard him. She found it odd that he wasn't used to his own body, but then remembered that Hector believed that he had been human.
Believing its prey helpless, the kabuto rammed Hector again and again, seemingly beating the Pokémon down. Blaze wanted to help him in some way, but before she could, Hector made his counter attack.
Hector leapt up and executed a roundhouse kick, his foot colliding with the Kabuto. Although clumsily done, the attack was enough to knock the Pokémon backwards, its shell cracking around the point of impact. The kabuto retreated swiftly into the darkness to nurse its wounds.
"Thanks. You're really tough," Blaze thanked her companion. Hector nodded tersely in reponse, and then he looked at his claws again.
"I'm not going any further until I can move my body the way I want to," Hector asserted. Before Blaze could answer, Hector started a series of exercises, stretching his arms and legs. Then, he began shadow boxing, punching and kicking at nothingness. His motions started off clumsy, but after a few minutes of this routine, they swiftly grew smoother and more precise, until Hector looked like he had been fighting for a long time.
"That's better. Strength is useless if one doesn't know how to use it. Come on, Blaze," Hector affirmed, and then the two moved deeper into the cave.
Blaze knew that the cavern wasn't that deep, because she had been here before the bad Pokémon had started to move in. Therefore, it didn't take that long for the two of them to reach the deepest portion of the cave.
Here, the ground became sandy again. Up ahead, there was an opening in the wall. Through that opening, Blaze could see the ocean surging in.
At the waterline were the two who had stolen her personal treasure. The bag was hanging from a rocky outcropping near them. Koffing and Zubat were looking at the ocean, so that their backs were facing them. They hadn't noticed Blaze and Hector's presence.
"Uh…hey!" Blaze tried to get their attention. Hector hissed at her in warning, but it was already too late. Koffing and Zubat turned around in surprise. However, their surprised looks soon turned to sneers when they saw who had hailed them.
"Well, Zubat, I think you owe me that fifty Poké. The oversized chicken showed up after all." Koffing addressed his partner. Zubat scowled, and handed the money to Koffing with bad grace.
"Oh come on…seriously? Couldn't you have just run away?" Zubat complained, more to herself than to Blaze.
"Uh…give me…give me back what you stole from me!" Blaze forced herself to say, despite her nervousness. For some reason, the presence of Hector standing near her gave her some solace. This kept her from running away and crying like she usually did. "It's my personal treasure! It means everything to me!"
"Hey Koffing! She called it treasure!" Zubat pointed out, once again circling her partner.
"Oho! She did, didn't she? I guess it's valuable after all. It could be worth more than we hoped for, Zubat."
"We'd probably get a really good price for it!" the Zubat replied, speaking loud enough for Blaze to hear her.
"Whaaat?!" Blaze shrieked. "You'd sell my personal treasure? If you do that…I'll never forgive you!"
Koffing and Zubat did not look intimidated in the least. Instead, they adopted a menacing posture, and they advanced threateningly towards the two.
"If you want it back so badly…" Koffing began, gasses expelling from its pores.
"Then try and take it!" Zubat finished for her partner. Then the two of them charged at Blaze directly.
Everything happened too fast for Blaze to react. She saw the two of them coming, but wasn't fast enough to retaliate. She covered herself with her wings and hoped that it wouldn't hurt too much.
It was over in less than a minute. One moment, Blaze was watching them coming, and then Hector was there in front of her. She stood up and watched in awe as he fought the two bad Pokémon.
Koffing led the charge, zooming through the air in an attempt to use his body as a living ram. However, Hector reached out with one arm and caught the Pokémon on his claw, completely halting his progress.
"Wha…?" was all Koffing could get out before Hector slammed his head into the Pokémon, repelling him.
Zubat was a little less straightforward. Instead of charging straight in, she flapped around in midair, trying to choose the opportune moment to attack. When Hector was dealing with Koffing's counterattack, she zoomed around behind him and charged at his unprotected back, claws outstretched.
Hector pushed Koffing back and then planted a vicious kick on him, sending the spherical Pokémon hurtling into the ocean with a splash. Then, in the nick of time, the Totodile whirled around and opened his jaws. A jet of water erupted forth, colliding with Zubat and bringing her to the ground. Before the Pokémon could take to the air again, Hector landed atop her, slamming his foot on her wing. Zubat screeched in pain as a crack sounded from her wing. She looked up to see Hector's open jaws. She screamed once, and then a high pressure stream of water collided with her face and knocked her out cold.
"Zubat!" Koffing cried, getting out of the water and zooming for her. Hector didn't let him reach her. The Totodile leapt into the air and body slammed Koffing to the ground, causing the Pokémon to deflate. All it took was a few lightning fast punches before Koffing was on the sand, panting heavily.
"It's…it's over," Blaze breathed, awestruck. Hector was incredibly strong. The two bullies hadn't even stood a chance against him. Zubat was out cold on the ground, and Koffing was only just hovering.
"Shit…we got roughed up," Koffing groaned. Then, he hovered over to Zubat and nudged her until she was resting atop his body. "Take your damn bag. But don't think you're so awesome! This was a fluke!"
The two bullies fled in disgrace, leaving the bag where it was. Blaze hopped over to it and grabbed it from its perch. A happy smile crossed her face, and she clutched it to her breast.
"Oh, thank God. I actually did managed to get my Relic Fragment back," she whispered. Then she looked over at Hector, who was watching her patiently, waiting. "But it's all thanks to you, Hector. I couldn't have done it without you. Thank you so much!"
"Whatever. Just as long as you're happy," Hector responded, his cheeks turning a little pink. Blaze chuckled at that. Apparently he wasn't used to being thanked.
Once the two were back outside of the cave, Blaze decided to show Hector what the two bullies had stolen in the first place. She placed the flat rock on the sand in front of him, watching him look at it curiously.
"This is a Relic Fragment. Or…at least that's what I started calling it." Blaze told him. "It's…my personal treasure."
"You see, I've always liked legends and lore," Blaze explained, turning to face the horizon. Hector sat down beside her and appeared to be listening, so she took that as permission to continue. "I always get so excited when I hear tales from the past! Don't you feel the same way?"
"I suppose so," Hector replied politely. Blaze continued talking excitedly, happy that she had someone willing to listen to her.
"Hidden troves full of treasure and strange relics, or uncharted territories veiled in darkness...or new lands just waiting to be discovered!" Blaze looked at Hector, her eyes shining with happiness and excitement. "And history! Wouldn't it be exciting to make historic discoveries? It's what I dream about…"
"And then I came across my Relic Fragment. It looks like a rock at first glance, but look!" Blaze continued, turning back to the flat rock, pointing her wing at it. Hector did so, and then noticed the inscription on it for the first time. "See that pattern?"
"You're right. I've never seen a pattern like this," Hector replied, picking up the rock to take a closer look. Inscribed in white upon the rock was a strange circular pattern, marked with odd wing-like projections. "Do you know what it is?"
"No, but I think there must be some significance to this pattern. It must be some type of key to a legendary place! At least, that's the feeling I get." Blaze responded. Hector gazed at the inscription for a moment longer, and then he handed it back to her. She took it gratefully and replaced it back into her bag. "That's why I want to join an exploration team. This fragment has to fit into something…somewhere! I want to explore until I can someday find out where that is."
"An exploration team?" Hector repeated, clearly confused. Blaze nodded. She realized that she was talking a lot, but Hector appeared to be genuinely interested in what she was saying, so she didn't stop.
"Yeah. I earlier tried joining as an apprentice, but…" Blaze deflated slightly, remembering how pathetic she had been up at the top of the cliff. "I couldn't do it."
Blaze turned her head awkwardly, not wanting to see the no doubt scornful look on Hector's face. After a few seconds, she looked back to see an understanding expression there instead.
"What about you, Hector? What are you going to do now?" she asked curiously. He had never really said anything about who he was or why he had been unconscious on the beach, so she found herself curious. Hector sighed.
"I don't know. I can't remember anything since waking up. Well, except for my name and the fact that I was a human once," he replied. Blaze cocked her head. She still didn't fully believe that he was a human turned Pokémon, but she could believe that he had amnesia. Suddenly an idea formed in her head, and she smiled brightly.
"So you lost your memory, and you believe you transformed into a Pokémon. Do you have anywhere to go and stay after this?" she asked. She hoped he'd say no, so she could ask her next question.
"Unfortunately, I don't. I'll probably spend tonight in that cave over there when it starts getting dark," was Hector's response.
"Then, can I ask a huge favor?" Blaze asked hopefully. Hector tilted his head to one side, his expression turning curious. She took a breath, and then asked, "Would you be willing to form an exploration team with me?"
"Wha…?! Me?!" Hector exclaimed, clearly taken off guard by her proposal. Blaze turned her head, blushing furiously. "Why me?"
"I'm convinced that I could form an effective exploration team with you, Hector. Please? Will you?" Blaze asked again. Hector stammered something unintelligible, still shocked.
"Uh…um…I don't know…I…this is rather sudden…" the totodile continued to stumble over his words. Blaze found it rather cute. She hopped closer to him, putting on an innocent smile.
"All right. I guess it wouldn't hurt," Hector finally said. "Yes, I'll join you."
"Yes?! Really?!" Blaze exclaimed, hardly believing her ears. When she saw Hector nod, she started hopping in happiness. "Yes! Thank you! We're going to be a great combination! Let's make this work!"
"Yeah…sounds fun…" Hector stammered again, turning the other direction. Blaze walked past him, towards the stairs that would lead back to the crossroads.
"First, we'll need to go to Wigglytuff's place and sign up as apprentices," Blaze explained. Hector's response was humorous.
"What the fuck is a wigglytuff?!"
Blaze couldn't contain her laughter at Hector's coarse response to Wigglytuff's name. She laughed heartily, turning back to see Hector's utterly perplexed face. This just made her laugh even more.
"It's the name of the guy who runs the place where we can train to become a first-rate exploration team," Blaze explained. Hector seemed to accept that, though she could hear him muttering, "Wigglytuff…seriously…" under his breath incredulously.
"I'm sure the training will be tough, but let's give it our best, okay?" Blaze said to Hector as they walked up the stairs.
Before long, Blaze had led Hector to the very same spot that she had been pacing in front of only an hour ago. Just ahead was the tent fashioned in the shape of the Pokémon wigglytuff, as well as the grate that had scared her so badly. Even now it looked ominous and forbidding, but this time she had Hector with her. For some reason, with him standing so close, she felt very brave.
"This is Wigglytuff's guild. In order to form an exploration team, you have to register here. Then you have to train until they deem you a full fledged exploration team!" Blaze explained.
"Interesting. So I'm guessing that pink thing is supposed to be a wigglytuff?" Hector pointed out. Blaze nodded, chuckling at the expression on his face. He seemed reluctant to accept that someone called Wigglytuff could be in control of anything.
"All right," Blaze finally said. Then she took a deep breath in, before letting it out slowly. Hector noticed her doing so, but said nothing. "Okay…I can do this…yikes…"
"What's the matter?" Hector asked. Blaze looked at him, and then back at the guild.
"This place…is a little scary…" she admitted sadly.
"With a name like Wigglytuff I don't blame you for being scared," Hector joked. Blaze smiled, and then finally formed her resolve.
"No…I'm not going to run this time. I have Hector with me this time. I need to be brave…" Blaze attempted to reassure herself. Then, at last, she stepped onto the grate.
"Pokémon detected!" the familiar voice sounded from below. As always, it caused Blaze to jump in shock, adrenaline surging through her body. She immediately wanted to back away, but she forced herself not to.
"Who is it?!" the other, louder voice shouted.
"The footprint is torchic's!" The first voice replied. Blaze squeaked, beginning to sweat.
"Have to be strong, stay strong, Blaze," she repeated to herself. Finally, after a period of silence, the second voice spoke up.
"If there is anyone else with you, have them stand on the grate," the voice called. Blaze all too quickly obliged, hopping off the grate and standing to the side, smiling happily. She did it. She finally managed to do it without running. She was particularly pleased with herself, and showed it by starting to preen herself.
"I guess that means me. Here goes," Hector affirmed. The totodile hopped on the grate and stood there.
"Pokémon detected!" Hector adopted a bored look. Blaze chuckled upon seeing him.
"Who is it?!"
"The footprint is…the footprint is…um…" the first voice seemed to be having trouble identifying Hector. The totodile allowed his face to rest in his claws, sighing as he did so.
"What's the matter? Sentry? Sentry Diglett!" the second voice shouted. The voice seemed to be growing irritated.
"Um…err…the footprint is…maybe totodile's!" Diglett called back to the second voice, which was less than pleased by that answer.
"What?! MAYBE?!"
"But…it's not a footprint that you typically see around here," Diglett pleaded with the second voice.
"That's just bullshit. You're supposed to be our sentry! You had ONE JOB!"
"Yes, but I don't know what I don't know!"
Up top, Hector and Blaze had adopted incredulous expressions on their faces. They metaphorically sweatdropped, wondering how much longer this was going to go on.
"Seriously? They're arguing?" Hector growled, earning a chuckle from Blaze. The torchic shrugged.
"Well, I guess I can't blame them. You are the first totodile I've seen in these parts for a long time." She reasoned.
"I shouldn't even be a damn totodile…but I see your point." Hector grumbled. Blaze raised an eyebrow. How long was he going to go on about how he used to be human?
"Sorry to make you wait!" the second voice called, this time addressing the two of them. Hector and Blaze grew quiet and listened. "It's true that you don't see any Totodile around here, but you don't seem to be bad, so I'm going to let you enter."
With that, the metal gate that barred entry to the guild shuddered open. Blaze jumped at the sudden movement and she ducked her head, feeling foolish.
"I'm so nervous!" she defended herself, even though all Hector had done was give her a cursory glance. "But I'm glad we're allowed in. My heart is pounding, though. Okay, let's go in."
Blaze walked inside the tent, followed closely by Hector. Once inside, she took a quick look around. The tent was as large as it seemed. Which is to say…not at all. It was very cramped inside, with a few boxes around the edges. However, the one thing that did stand out was the large hole in the center of the room that led all the way down into the cliff's depths. There was a ladder made of bamboo lashed together protruding from the hole. It was clear that the majority of the guild was below ground.
"Let's go, Hector!" Blaze urged. She began climbing down the ladder, gripping the rungs with her beak and talons. Hector was not far behind her.
Once at the bottom, Blaze looked around to see a massive room, filled with other Pokémon. "Wow!" She looked at all the Pokémon, trying to identify their species. She could see a wurmple and a swellow talking to one another nearby, a pidgey and a seedot standing together, and even a bidoof and a sunflora looking at a bulletin board on the wall. "So this is Wigglytuff's guild. So many Pokémon! I wonder if they're all on exploration teams?"
"Excuse me!" another, high pitched voice chirped. Hector and Blaze turned to see a bird Pokémon poke its head out of another hole next to the ladder leading up. It hopped up and walked over to them, taking in their appearances. "It was you two that just came in, right?"
"Y…yes!" Blaze stammered, while Hector took a metaphorical back seat and let her do the talking. The bird nodded.
"I'm Chatot! I'm the Pokémon in the know around here, and guildmaster Wigglytuff's right-hand Pokémon!" the bird introduced itself. Then, before Blaze could say anything else, Chatot started talking again. "Now shoo! Leave the premises! We have no time for salespeople or silly surveys!"
Blaze was shocked into silence. She felt hurt that the bird automatically assumed she was not there to join, but instead to pester them. She guessed that she just didn't look the part. She tried to reply, tell Chatot their real purpose for being there, but Hector beat her to it, surprisingly. The totodile stepped forward, meeting Chatot's gaze. Blaze looked, seeing a dangerous glint in Hector's eyes. Chatot clearly saw it too, for the bird backed up ever so slightly.
"You are mistaken, Chatot. We are here to form an exploration team. Please ask first before making assumptions," Hector said calmly. Chatot grew flustered, flapping his wings and hopping once.
"Wh-what?! An exploration team?!" Chatot repeated in surprise. Hector nodded firmly. The bird turned around and muttered something to himself. Hector didn't like what little he could hear, so he cleared his throat impatiently.
"Um…excuse me? Is the training really that hard?" Blaze asked timidly. She had heard the bird's muttering as well. Chatot jumped at that, and turned around with an unexpectedly happy smile on his face.
"What? No, no, that's not true in the slightest! Our training program is as easy as can be!" the bird quickly attempted to assure her. Blaze wasn't convinced, but she could see that Chatot was trying to keep them there. "I'd wish you'd told me you wanted to join up front!"
"That was a quick change in attitude," Blaze remarked quietly to Hector, earning a harsh laugh from the Totodile.
"All right, let's get your team signed up. Follow me, then!" Chatot sang, and then turned and started hopping towards the other hole in the ground. Blaze shrugged and followed him. She noticed that the other Pokémon in the room were gazing at her and Hector curiously, and she flushed under their stares.
Chatot led them down another long ladder to yet another chamber, only this one was much more extensive. Blaze could see several passages branching off from the main chamber. "This is the guild's second underground floor, where the apprentices mainly work," Chatot explained. Blaze and Hector looked around excitedly. "Team registration is this way, if you'll follow me a bit further."
Chatot hadn't led them far when Blaze noticed a window. She was so surprised to see one, that she dashed over to it and peered out over the ocean, her beak open in shock. "Oh wow! We're two floors underground, but we can still see outside!" Blaze cried. Her outburst seemed to have irritated Chatot, as the bird hopped twice, his brow wrinkling.
"Oh please, hush now! The guild is built into the side of the cliff, so it's only natural that you would be able to see outside!" the bird explained irritably. Blaze immediately felt stupid, and she found herself wishing that she hadn't been so hasty. She hung her head and walked back over to Hector, who was eyeing her with an amused look.
"This is guildmaster Wigglytuff's chamber," Chatot pointed at the large wooden door next to the window. Upon its polished surface was engraved a pattern that looked like a red candle flame. "On no account…I repeat, on no account should you be discourteous to our guildmaster."
Blaze's excitement returned as she watched Chatot announce their presence to the guildmaster, before at last pushing open the glossy wooden doors. The bird ushered them inside with his wings.
The room was roughly rectangular, with rounded corners. There were two windows on the back wall, with a yellow and orange tapestry depicting a Wigglytuff pinned to the wall between them. Chests of gems and baubles lined the walls, which had Blaze gaping in awe. The room had a simple feel to it, but it seemed homey.
The guildmaster himself was sitting on a red carpet, facing away from them. Blaze shuddered in anticipation as Chatot tried to get the Pokémon's attention.
"Guildmaster, I present to you two Pokémon who wish to join our guild as apprentices," the bird announced. There was no reply from the guildmaster, or even a movement that would indicate an acknowledgement. Hector and Blaze looked at one another, perplexed.
"Guildmaster…um….hello?" Chatot repeated. More silence. Chatot was about to go up and nudge the Pokémon when the guildmaster whirled around with no warning, causing everyone in the room to jump in surprise.
"Hiya!" the guildmaster greeted them in a childish sounding voice. Blaze glanced over at Hector, and saw the most perfect WTF expression on his face. For the guildmaster looked just like the Pokémon depicted on the tent above ground, and on the tapestry behind him. "I'm Wigglytuff! I'm the guildmaster! You want to form an exploration team?"
"Yes, guildmaster," Blaze squeaked, finding her voice. To be honest, she found the guildmaster a little odd. What was with him ignoring them for a few good seconds before greeting them? Or the fact that he communicated like a child?
"Then let's go for it! First, we need to register your team name," Wigglytuff declared. Blaze suddenly realized that she hadn't thought that far ahead.
"Oh! Our team name? Um…" Blaze knew that she would probably take forever trying to think of a name, so she looked over at Hector. "Hector, what do you think would be a good team name for us?"
Hector appeared to think hard for a few seconds, before lighting up. "How about Phoenix? I believe it would suit us, as you are a fire-type bird, and I'm going to help you rise from nothing." Blaze was shocked for a moment at those words, and then she blushed deeply, making her glad that her cheeks were naturally reddish. That was…oddly sweet of him to say, and very thoughtful. She liked it instantly.
"Phoenix…Team Phoenix! That's a good name!" Blaze repeated, and then turned back to Wigglytuff, who was already writing it down.
"That's settled then. I'll register you as Team Phoenix. Hang on…" Wigglytuff said, and then began to repeat the word "registering" to himself in a sing-song voice. Finally, he threw his arms up in the air and said, "YOOM…TAH!" A bright light flashed through the room, but it was gone in less than half a second. Blaze was completely clueless as to what that gesture meant or what it did, but she wasn't able to dwell on it before Wigglytuff was speaking again.
"Congratulations! From now on, you are an official exploration team! I'll present this to you in commemoration…once I find it." Wigglytuff then retreated to the back of the room, where a small desk was situated. The Pokémon began rummaging underneath it for a few seconds, while Blaze and Hector watched with raised eyebrows. "Aha! Here!" Wigglytuff placed a large yellowish box on the floor in front of them. "It's an exploration team starter's kit! Go on, open it!"
Blaze walked up to the box, undid the latch, and then opened the lid. She could see three distinct objects inside. The first was a small badge that was in the shape of a white circle with wings, and a pink orb in the center. The second was a rolled up Wonder Map, which is what Pokémon used to find their way around the world. Lastly, there was a bag much larger than the one that was holding her Relic Fragment. Blaze smiled, realizing that now she could hold lots of items with her.
"Look, Hector! There's some great items in here!" Blaze ushered over her only friend, who peered inside cautiously.
"What you need to know about is that badge. It's your team's official identification as an exploration team. Once a Pokémon sees that badge, they'll give you the recognition that your team deserves!" Wigglytuff explained.
"Thank you! I'll be sure to use these responsibly!" Blaze thanked the guildmaster. Hector was now peering inside the large bag as she and Wigglytuff finished their conversation.
"Yup. But as you're only apprenticing as of now, you will do your best…to train!"
"Oh, we will! We always will! Right Hector?" Blaze answered excitedly, and then turned to her friend. Hector jumped when he was addressed.
"Yeah…we'll do that. Right." Hector stuttered.
After that, the guildmaster turned back around to face the other wall, and Chatot was ushering them back out of the room and into the main chamber, though they made sure to take their new items.
"This way please. There's one last thing I must show you," the bird said. Blaze followed him eagerly, turning left into a corridor. Eventually, the corridor split into several different, smaller chambers. Chatot took them to the room that was farthest away from the main chamber. Inside the room were two piles of hay, which indicated that this room was used for sleeping. But that meant…they were going to live here? Blaze didn't know how she felt about that, but she did know that if she wanted to train, she would need to accept it if that was indeed the case.
"This is your room," Chatot explained, confirming Blaze's thoughts. She shrugged and walked over to the first bed, while Hector took the second. "You will live here while you work for us. Things will start getting busy for you tomorrow, so rise early and start living by our code! That is all."
At last, Hector and Blaze were left alone in the room as Chatot left them. Blaze sighed and laid back on the bed, spreading her wings. It was comfortable, and it wasn't hard to imagine that this room might soon begin to feel like home.
"Oh, Hector. My heart's been racing all day over every little thing," She confessed to her friend, who was sitting down now. "But I'm glad I made myself come here. I thought Wigglytuff would be scary, but he's actually pretty friendly."
"Oh he's scary alright. Just not in the usual way," Hector remarked, earning a chuckle from Blaze. "Still can't believe I've never heard of one before. You'd think I'd remember such a strange looking Pokémon. Then again, you'd think I'd remember who my mother was too, but I guess my life isn't that clear cut."
Blaze turned her head to look at Hector, who was grinning wryly to himself at his own self-deprecating joke. She felt a little sorry for him. It must be tough, not being able to remember anything about himself. But she didn't want him dwelling on it, so she started talking again.
"We're going to experience all sorts of things tomorrow, but I'm not that scared now. In fact, I'm actually excited. Who knows what kinds of things we'll see, now that we're an exploration team?" Blaze continued.
"Yeah…" Hector replied sleepily. Blaze looked again to see that the Totodile was sprawled out on his stomach, his snout facing the window, from which moonlight was streaming in. She chuckled a little. He looked really cute like that. She actually felt a little sleepy herself, so she shuffled a bit until she was comfortable.
"I'm feeling sleepy too. Okay. Good night, Hector." Blaze told him, and then closed her eyes. It had been a long day, so it wasn't long before she fell into a deep sleep.
Hector remained awake next to her for a little bit, before he too, closed his eyes.
All right, I finished the first chapter but I'm not that happy with it. It was a little too close to the script, but I guess that's only to be expected this early in the game. Later on, when I can create my own jobs and outlaws, I think things will start to get more interesting. Also, this isn't like Golden Sun, where the script isn't really there until major story events, instead this is mostly script based. Therefore since I'm novelizing this, it looks like I'm going to have to keep the script there, but I'm going to do as much as I can to make this story mine. I think I'm going to spoil a few changes that I plan to make to the story…and by a few I mean one.
This no evolutions thing? Gone. I'm going to have the main characters evolve throughout the story, and they will be in their final forms when they take on Dialga at the end. I don't know about you, but writing about a Torchic with a big head and little arms is tougher than it sounds.
Why did I use Torchic for the partner? Because Blaziken. I don't even need to give a better reason than that. Because mother fucking Blaziken is a boss. Same goes for Totodile. While Feraligatr isn't as awesome as Blaziken…he's still pretty badass.
Also, I hope I get some good reviews for this, despite the slow start. I think Pokémon is more popular than Golden Sun, so who knows. But if you're new to my writing, then you should know I respond to reviews very quickly if they have questions in them, and shoutouts are a given.
Keelah Se'lai,
The Proud Quarian,
Terran34