Now, I believe I was going to tell you a story of THREE great adventurers, but so far, all I've given you are two. Don't get impatient, our third party member is about to join the fray.
The trumpet blared to signal the start of the next day. Another morning of getting startled out of bed. When did Poochyena say they would get used to it again? Torchic and Piplup met at the regular fork in the tunnels, and headed to the main room.
"Good morning recruits, today's assignments are as follows. All teams are to do jobs on the outlaw and mission boards. Team AquaFlare however will be taking a private mission. Please see me after. Dismissed." All the guildmembers dispersed except for Piplup and Torchic. "Guess that means us." Piplup said joyfully. They ran up to yanma, and asked what the "private mission" was.
"Well, the news of your discovery got out early this morning, and already, someone has come seeking your skills. As you are beginning, we feel it only fit that you get a private mission early on." Yanma explained in a rather bland tone. Man, if he hated giving explanations, why did he always elaborate on everything? "Okay, who wants us to go on a mission for them?" Torchic asked. However, as he said this, the ladder creaked, and Torchic whisked around to see a Kadabra descending into the room.
"Ah, team Aquaflare! " The Kadabra cried out. "I need your help in recovering an item for me. I hear your team is good at finding shiny things!"
"So, what do you need us to find? Lost gold? Ancient Relics?" Piplup inquired
"A spoon."
"…"
"A spoon?" Torchic repeated.
"Yes I lost my precious silver spoon while hiking over at Waterflow Mountain. I can't use my full range of psychic abilities without it." Piplup and Torchic stared at each other, both wondering 'Is this guy serious?'
"Oh please! I'll pay 5000 Poké to get it back!" Kadabra pleaded.
Immediately the strangeness of the request vanished. Even if they only got to keep one 1/10th of what they got as rewards, 500 Poké was still quite a bit of money. They immediately accepted, and were soon out of the guild.
"So, Torchic, you knew a lot about golden fields, what do you know about Waterflow Mountain?"
"Well..." Torchic began as he pulled out their map "Radiant Fields are here" Torchic said pointing to the location of the Radiant Fields. "Waterflow Mountain is around here" Torchic continued, pointing to a small mountain with streams running down it. "Rain is constantly pouring on this mountain, creating beautiful streams. However, the rain also causes a lot of erosion, and thus, mudslides are common."
"That sounds cool!" Piplup replied. That was the thing. Piplup really thought the stuff Torchic knew was interesting. As they started walking, Piplup recalled her realization the previous night. She was in love. No doubt about it. It was strange though. She didn't know why. Perhaps he brought her what she had always been denied: adventure.
Torchic was right again about their destination. Beautiful rivers flowed at the base of the mountain. As they climbed, they had to battle various rock and water types. They did run into a stubborn pair of Drillbur. However, they were left moaning on the hard rocky ground. Eventually, they reached a small cave-like structure, and decided to rest.
"So, Torchic, what do think of the guild" Piplup asked.
"It's amazing, Spheal and Munchlax are great fun."
Piplup could barely take the feeling in her heart.
"What about the girls in the guild" Piplup blurted. She just had to ease the inner tension.
"What about them?"
"Well, uh, erm, do you think any of them are cute?" Piplup asked, choking on her words the whole time. In fact, by this point, her cheeks were beginning to blush.
"Oh. I don't know. After all, the only girl in this guild I've known thus far is you."
Piplup didn't know whether to be relieved that Torchic didn't figure out how she felt, or upset that he was so oblivious.
"Well, let's continue on our way. Beside, Kadabra said he noticed his spoon was gone when he reached the top of the mountain, it could be anywhe..."
As he said these words though, he tripped on a rock, knocking it over. Though he tried to be smart and collected, truly, he was one of the world's greatest klutzes'. However, when he got up, and looked at the rock, it tumbled into a bush. Immediately, a faint shine came from the shrubs.
"Hey… Do you think that could be…" Piplup muttered as she ran to the bush and felt around. After a bit of feeling, her hand bumped into something cold and metallic. She grabbed it and pulled it out. And there, covered in a bit of dirt, and a little bent, was Kadabra's spoon.
"Torchic, even when you mess up, it ends up helping us!" Piplup remarked. Torchic, however, felt a little foolish. You see, no matter how hard he tried to be cool and collected, when he got right down to it, he was the world's greatest klutz. Piplup, on the other hand, thought that his "slight" clumsiness was cute. As a result, she spent the rest of the walk back to the guild imagining what other clumsy things Torchic had done before.
These thoughts soon went away as their route back to the guild caused them to pass near the area they had explored the previous day, Radiant Fields. Even at a far distance, she could still make out the golden glow of the beautiful grass. That was where the adventures of the two of them began. Looking at them made her wish that Torchic shared her feelings about him.
Well why not?
She realized then that her dream of Torchic wasn't that strange.
She then decided right there, while looking at the golden aura, that she would get Torchic to share her feelings. But it would take time. She needed to know more about him. They would have to grow closer as a team first.
Before she knew it, her fantasy had ended on account of their arrival back at the guild. They entered the gates just as the sun was nearing the horizon for sunset.
Kadabra was ecstatic. "Yesssss! My silver spoon! Thank you Thank you Thank you . I knew you could do it. I had total…" I won't tell you how much longer he went on with this, as the text itself would fit in a small novel, but let's just say he was grateful.
He was right though, that spoon did give him psychic powers, as the moment he got his poon in his hand, the spoon bet straight up. A small bag next to Kadabra immediately began levitating, and floated over to Piplup. When Piplup undid the drawstring, 500 Poké fell out. "Yeah, the rest of the money I've already given to Yanma. You get to keep everything in that bag. I also left you a little extra something. Just so you know, I have a lot of very RICH friends. They WILL be hearing what you've done for me. Be on the lookout for any prestigious treasure hunters looking for your brand of expertise." At that point, Torchic was thinking 'What expertise? That was a total fluke. I just tripped on a rock!'
Kadabra began to levitate, and rose out of the hole in the floor where the ladder was. "Well, um he was…" Piplup began, looking for just the right description.
Torchic finished it for her: "Eccentric"
"Yeah, that sounds about right. Say, what did he leave for us?"
"Oh yeah, that's right, let's see… Huh?"
"What, what did he leave us?"
"A box. And a note. It reads: bring this box to me at treasure town at your convenience. I will explain more later." Torchic explained, as he drew an ornate box from the bag.
"Well, what's in it?" Piplup asked, the curiosity killing her.
"Let's see then... Hrng… Jeez this thing is on tight. Maybe we have to take the box to him"
"Okay, we'll see him just as he said, as soon as we get the chance."
"Agreed."
Piplup realized their assignments were done for the day. Maybe she could use this as an opportunity to hang with Torchic.
"So… um… do you wanna hang out in the lounge?"
"Actually, I was going to go to the library to do research on the medallion. It really has me enthralled." Torchic said as he went running off down the corridor.
'Great, just great, he would rather look at a piece of metal than hang out with me' Piplup thought to herself. The next part she mumbled as she neared an intersection in the tunnels. "No way he'll go for me"
As soon as these words left her mouth, a pair of vines shot from the corridor and dragged her to the side. Dejá-vu. She soon came eye to eye with her assailant. Chikorita. What did she want? "I knew it! You do like him!" Chikorita squealed as she let Piplup down. "Oh, what! I don't… I mean… It's not… dang it. You can't tell anyone!" Piplup demanded. "I won't say a thing, except to Flaffy." Chikorita assured.
"Fine, but, why do you care so much?"
"Uh, because, we're going to help you. By we, I mean me"
"No, you'll just make things worse!"
"Okay, but don't say I didn't offer. But you're still going to keep us informed, and I'm still gonna give you advice." Chikorita proclaimed as she walked away, leaving Piplup wondering if she should have taken the offer.
It was soon time for dinner, and it was eventually time for announcements.
Yanma began his usual monotone briefing "Ah-hem. We have a special request tonight. The bandit we have in temporary lock-up has become a bit rowdy, and we require someone to keep an eye on him. It will only be for tonight, as The Magnezone police unit will be showing up tomorrow. Any volunteers?"
It was now time for Poliwhirl to pull another fast one on one of the newbies.
"Hey, Piplup, you got something on your head." He whispered.
"Really! Where?" Piplup said as she raised her hand above her head to try to find what Poliwhirl was referring to.
"Ah, Piplup, so kind of you to volunteer." Yanma said which surprised Piplup until she realized she had been tricked. "Wait, but I didn't…"
"You will report to me at lights out. Thank you. That is all." Yanma said, taking his post.
The rest of dinner went by without any issue, other than the fact that Piplup was furious with Poliwhirl for pulling such a mean joke. He just laughed, and so did the other cooks.
"He got you!" Quilava exclaimed.
"It's just that we always play a joke or two on the newbie!" Scyther said.
Piplup pretty much had no response, and remained silent for the rest of dinner. But she could tell, none of the other guild-members thought it was funny. This was because either they didn't like the joke, or because they didn't know about it.
Soon dinner was over, and it was time to turn in for the night. Except for Piplup. She was made to stay behind by Yanma. "Ah yes, our kind volunteer, please follow me." Yanma explained as he began to hover to the entrance to a passage out of the dining hall.
"Um Yanma, you see the thing is, I…"
"Yes, yes, you're nervous. Dealing with outlaws is a very tricky business. However, I have faith in your abilities."
"Yes, but you see… Wait, you do?"
"Oh yes, complete and utter faith. In fact, if you do a well enough job on this, a brand new outlaw job may be awaiting you in the morning."
At that, the only word that crossed Piplup's mind was: SCORE! An outlaw was just what they needed. Looks like Poliwhirls's joke backfired a little bit
Yanma continued on his tangent, however, he was speaking with the most enthusiasm she had ever heard, only mildly bland. "In fact, you can be here when Chief Magnezone himself arrives to cart away the bandit, as you will receive the bounty on the outlaw's head for you team anyway."
Yanma then led Piplup into a chamber, the wall lined with chambers with strong stone bars over them. In one of the chambers was the bandit, Riolu.
"Your shift will end in the morning. Until then, you shall watch over Riolu. Good Luck" Yanma said, as he hovered out of the room.
Piplup looked through the bars. Riolu was fast asleep. Piplup thought 'this job will be easy.' However, as soon as she turned around she knocked over a small stone pillar, placed for decorative purposes. The first thing Piplup thought of was to look back at Riolu, but luck was not with her. Riolu began to stir. He then stood up and walked to the bars to find the source of the sound. That's when he saw Piplup, and recognized her as the Piplup from his capture.
"Hey, it's you. What do you want?" Riolu asked with a glare in his eyes.
"I'm the guild member to watch you."
"Oh, so I see you joined the gild. Not that I care." The glare in his eyes was persistent.
"I really shouldn't be talking to you. You're an outlaw." Piplup said. She knew she shouldn't, but she was just so bored. She really needed someone to talk to.
"So that's all you see us as, huh. Pretty black and white of you. All us 'criminals' are the same huh. Well, whatever! This world never did nothing for me! The only thing this world taught me was that if something gets in my way. Punch it! As so." Riolu held up his palm, and struck the bars with a brick break. However, nothing happened, as when the dust cleared, the bars were just as sturdy as before. Riolu had a very disappointed look in his eyes.
"Not a very good demonstration." Piplup explained, kind of laughing.
"You think this is funny? I want out." At this, Riolu's gained a solemn look. "Okay, so I made mistakes. But I don't want to go away for them. Please, you gotta help me." His eyes were pleading with her. "Please! It can't end here for me. I don't want to be forgotten! All I've been known for is the bad I've done. I want to be remembered for something good!" Piplup heard every word of this. And for every word she heard, the sorrier she felt for Riolu. He was their age. He didn't deserve this. Even Torchic would agree, right? Right? Well her mind was made.
"Riolu" Piplup said to get Riolu's attention. "I have an idea. But I need you to agree to something."
"What?"
"If you agree to help my team in our adventures, I may be able to get you out of this sentence."
"Well, what's your team?"
"Oh, team Aquaflare? It's just me and Torchic so far."
"That Torchic? Forget about it! He put me here in the first place, why would I help him." Riolu yelled, remembering the cause of his imprisonment
"Because he can help you."
"Hah, help. I was just fending for myself. I had no one. This is my punishment for existing without family." Riolu snapped. Little did he know that Torchic didn't know his parents whereabouts either.
"You'll have family here." Piplup argued. "Everyone here is so nice. I'm sure the Guildmaster will vouch for giving you a second chance. Just give Torchic a chance."
"Hmph. You seem to put a lot of faith in that little goodie two shoes." At that, Piplup blushed a bit.
Piplup then responded with "I do, I do have faith in him. If anyone can help he can. Besides, this is your only option."
"Urg, um, uh." Riolu stuttered.
And then in a moment that changed the fate of three Pokémon, and numerous others, Riolu began to cry. Riolu, the big toughie, cried.
"Please, I'll do it! Anything! Just please. I want forgiveness. Anything except for it to end here. I thought my strength would hold me over but it didn't! Just, please… help."
Piplup felt a little bit that Riolu wasn't fessing up for his crimes, but it was a start, and he seemed sincere. She knew what to do.
"Alright. It's settled. I can't do anything until morning though. We may as well get some sleep."
Riolu just grunted at this and walked to the corner of his little cell. From there he lay on a straw mat, and turned in for the night. Piplup leaned against the wall, and though cold and hard, before she knew it, she was sound asleep.
The night passed with no issues, and Piplup began to cringe at the first rays of light coming through the windows even though she felt as though she just fell asleep. Now, although the night passed quickly, time seemed to stand still as Piplup and Riolu waited for the Guildmaster, Yanma, and Chief Magnezone to show up. Both of them lost track of the amount of times they paced around their respective rooms.
After an excruciatingly painful period of time, both of them heard the distinctive whirring of Yama's wings. This sound was followed by an electric sensation in the air. In came Yanma, Guildmaster, and a third Pokémon. It was Chief Magnezone.
"Alright, where is the outlaw?" Magnezone droned on, in a very mechanical, very monotone voice. That tone sounded a bit like Yanma's actually. Yanma began next, using the same monotonous pitch. "Right in that cell over there, being watched over by one of the new recruits." Piplup began to realize how easy it would be to mix up who was talking if she didn't pay attention.
Piplup didn't know how to react to what was happening. She knew what to do, but couldn't act on it. She just sat there helplessly as Riolu was led out of his cell, and toward the door. Just before reaching the door, Riolu shot Piplup a 'what are you doing? Do something!' look. That snapped Piplup back into it.
"HEY! Wait a minute!" Piplup screamed. Everyone in the room turned to face her. This was it. No turning back now.
"What? The outlaw is now processed as we speak! What could we possibly be forgetting?" Yanma said with a very impatient tone in his voice. Yanma had shown more emotion in the past five seconds, than Piplup had seen in her entire stay at the guild.
Piplup began giving her speech. "Riolu shouldn't have to go away for his crimes. We discussed it last night and we have a proposition."
"Ridiculous" Magnezone and Yanma said simultaneously. Yanma however was the one who continued showing his thoughts on the subject. "This criminal has been captured for committing crimes. He shall receive his punishment."
Piplup didn't give up though, this was too important. "Yes, and he understands that. But we feel there may be another way. If Riolu were to join the guild and serve on our team, could the charges against him be dropped?"
"Ludicrous, absolutely absurd. Chief Magnezone will not stand for such jests."
Piplup felt a sinking feeling in her gut. 'Oh-no! Magnezone's gonna reject the idea!'
However, this didn't happen. As Magnezone interrupted Yanma's rant. "Actually Yanma, what Piplup is describing to me sounds like a fairly decent form of re-habilitation, and since the culprit in question here is only a youth, I see no reason to not allow such a proposal to go through. As long as this is okay with the Guildmaster that is."
"Wha-wha-wha-wha-WHHAAAAATTTTTT! Chief Magnezone, you can't be serious! Guildmaster, please talk some sense into these people! Please! Do something!" Yanma yelled. The Guildmaster hovered there for a few seconds with a blank expression on his face.
"Are you kidding me.." the Guildmaster began. This didn't sound good.
"…"
Silence. Pure silence
"THAT'S A FABULOUS IDEA! IT WOULD TEACH THIS FRIEND HERE TO BE MORE FRIENDLY TO OTHERS. WE CAN ALWAYS USE MORE FRIENDS IN THE GUILD! WHERE DO I SIGN?" Guildmaster blared. A giant sweat drop rolled down everyone's faces.
"Uhm, well, if you would follow me back to your office Guildmaster, we can discuss the prisoner release and transfer. However, Riolu will have to be present. Come along now." Magnezone said to Riolu as he and the Guildmaster hovered out of the room. With a grin on his face, Riolu ran after them.
"Lunacy, utter lunacy…" Yanma muttered as he flew from the room.
Piplup was relieved. Wait, what about Torchic? How was he going to take it? Piplup realized she hadn't fully thought this plan through. Better let the Guildmaster break it to him.
