CHAPTER TWO: ENTER MIDORI NASH
It was starting to get late, afternoon slipping to evening as the sun slipped lower in the sky, which was turning into a bright painting of oranges and pinks. After the storm yesterday, the sky was clear except for a few small clouds the colors making a rather more beautiful site than normally. Due to the time of day, Treasure Town was quieting down, shops slowly closing as pokemon went back to their homes, and the exploration teams mostly were already all back at Wigglytuff's Guild. The only ones still out would be those finishing up a long day.
Wigglytuff's Guild… it stood as intimidating as ever, on one of the two cliffs in the area. Overlooking the sea, the building was the shape of it's amazing guild master, two torches standing behind wooden poles carved like pokemon. The torches were lit every night, as soon as the sun had gone all the way down, first few stars of the night starting to illuminate the dull sky. Midori knew this, as he had been here almost every night, most of the times lurking in the shadows as to not be seen by the loudred who lit them.
And now it was almost dark, and he had been standing there since around noon, pacing on occasion, pretending to leave when seen by guild members, and trying to get the courage to go inside. However, that grate on in front of the door looked rather intimidating. Although Midori had tended to stalk the guild, he'd never been able to see what happened when you stood on it. The guild members passed it with no notice, and he must have horrible timing, because he'd never seen anyone else approach the guild. The metal of the grate looked cold. He imagined finally standing on it only for it to open under his feet and leave him falling into the blackness below and barely stopped himself from shuddering.
Reaching into a small cloth pouch the Treecko wore around his neck and draped around his arm like a purse, he shifted around for something for a moment. His face lit up as he found it, and he drew his hand back out, now clasping loosely a peculiar stone. Its rugged edges made it clear it had once been a part of something else (a cave wall? An interesting trap door?), and the unique marking that sat on its light, smooth surface was the only thing that made the pokemon think it was odd. It had a weird marking engraved into it, one like Midori had never seen before. He traced it thoughtfully. Perhaps it had originally been part of a puzzle or a trick, or perhaps it was just shaped by weathering…
He had found this object many years ago. So long, in fact, he didn't even remember how he had found it. He figured he just picked it up somewhere and decided to keep it. He did, however, remember how it began his goal. He wanted to find out where it came from. And to work his way up to there, he had decided brilliantly, he would join up with Wigglytuff's guild to be part of an exploration team.
But Midori was the most timid pokemon around. Going to the guild every day for roughly three years now, he had never even been able to bring himself to step on the grate. It was a simple task, too. Just move your legs and stand… But anyway he thought- if he did, what if it was a trap? Would he be able to get through the training? And who would want to be in a team with HIM? Weak, cowardly, useless Midori…
Swallowing, he looked at the stone for another moment. His stone, his good luck charm. He had to be brave. This was his first step in making great discoveries, solving his stone's - or, as he called it, the Relic Fragments mystery, and overcoming his bravery. Closing his eyes, he stepped on the grate. He nodded firmly to himself, but then swallowed again and close his eyes. The Treecko hesitated before slowly stepping forward, onto the grate. His breath held, he waited to tumble into blackness, to get mauled by the Guildmaster, or-
"POKEMON DETECTED! POKEMON DETECTED!"
"WHOSE FOOTPRINT? WHOSE FOOTPRINT?"
Midori nearly screamed, but managed to bite his tongue and yelp instead as he leapt off the grate, accidentally tossing the Relic Fragment a few feet away in the process. Scurrying over to the stone, he grasped it, then ran full speed towards the beach.
The sun slowly sunk lower into the sky, illuminating the sky with brilliant oranges, pinks, and purples as it wished the world good night. Back at the Guild, Loudred was lighting the torches as the explorers got ready for dinner. A gentle wind blew, making it slightly cold despite the fact that it was summer, which could probably be expected after the storm. The waves on the beach slowed themselves in and out, causing both a calming motion and sound that could cause anyone to forget about their troubles, supposing they were willing to do so. Midori, at the moment, was not, even though the beach was beautiful and relaxing. He gasped for breath, cool air filling his lungs, and collapsed into the still-warm sand. Waves lapped at his toes and he sighed.
That… Hadn't gone well. His heart was still pounding in his chest and he was out of breath, but perhaps that was due to the fact he had just ran so far. Rolling onto his back, Midori looked at the sky. It was somewhat light, still, stars just beginning to appear as bubbles filled the air, drifting across the water and floating into the sky. The Krabby that blew them would soon be calling it a night. They did this every day, weather permitting, just as the sun was setting. Although everyone in Treasure Town agreed it was an amazing sight. Midori was the only one who normally had time to come out here every night. He had no family, he had no shop, he wasn't in the guild. There was nothing else to do.
Gradually, the bubbles stopped, popping and drifting beyond sight. The Krabbies had gone rather long tonight, Midori thought. Perhaps to make up for yesterday? They only came out when the weather was nice, and last night… It certainly hadn't been. The storm was complete with harsh rain, crashing waves, thunder, and lightning. Everyone in Treasure Town had been horrified, confining themselves to the warmth of their homes until the storm ended.
Midori slipped the fragment back into its pouch, climbing to his feet. He wasn't quite ready to go home yet, but was getting tired of just laying there now that the bubbles had stopped… Maybe he would go for a walk.
