A/N: Hey guys. I've already mentioned this in my other story, but in case you don't know, I'm going on a trip at the end of the month, and I'll be gone for 5 months. But don't worry, I'm still going to write and update my stories. Also, sorry if my updates are kind of random for the next few weeks, this trip is going to take a lot of preparation. Okay, enjoy the chapter!
Chapter 8: Believe
By the time we'd made it to Wigglytuff's guild, it was sundown. The bright oranges and pink's of sunset had faded to a violet twilight as the sun rested for the night. I was still getting used to the amount of change this world went through. Every little change of color or movement seemed like magic to me.
Up the very big case of stairs situated to the right of Treasure Town was a tent that was shaped like the Pokémon Wigglytuff. It was pink and had two long ears, but there was a cast-iron gate in the front, forbidding us entry. In front of the gate was a rusted looking grate covering a hole in the ground. Two burning torches stood on either side of the menacing tent. This place was nothing like the shops in town.
I was brought out of my contemplative thoughts by a trembling sound beside me. I looked down to see my new friend Torchic shaking like a leaf.
"Torchic?" I asked, startling her into jumping 10 feet in the air. "You okay?"
"O-Oh, yeah, I'm fine. Perfectly fine!" she responded a little rushed.
"So how do we get in?" I asked, gesturing to the gate covering the entrance.
"Um, you need to stand on the grate, I think." She said. This method of entry confused me, but it was a different time. They did things differently here.
"Why don't you go first then?" I suggested. If they could identify us somehow using the grate, it would be better for a Pokémon to be identified first. On the slim chance they could even identify me as a human; they would surely lock us out.
"R-r-r-r-right." She stuttered. "Be brave, be brave…" she chanted to herself as she stepped onto the grate.
"Pokémon detected! Pokémon detected!" A voice sounded from below.
"AAAAAHH!" Torchic yelled, startled by the random voice. But she didn't move off of the grate.
"Who's footprint!? Who's footprint!?" A different, deeper voice asked.
"The footprint is Torchic's! The footprint is Torchic's!" The first voice said.
I watched the exchange with intrigue. So that's why they had the grate. It was to identify the footprints of Pokémon who came to the guild before they entered; probably to judge whether they were dangerous or not. After all, a Torchic would be a lot less threatening than say, a Salamence.
"You may enter!" the second voice said. Torchic sighed a breath of relief and stepped off the grate, waiting for the gate to open.
"HEY! Someone else is with you! So get that person to stand UP THERE!"
I froze inside. I was hoping they wouldn't notice me, and that just Torchic would be enough to get in. Well, time to see whether they could tell what I was from footprint alone. I walked up to the grate and stood on it. I vaguely wondered if it would be okay since I was wearing boots, but I wasn't about to take them off if it meant they wouldn't let us in.
"Pokémon detected! Pokémon detected!"
I laughed a bit when I heard that. Maybe they wouldn't be able to tell I was human.
"Who's footprint!? Who's footprint!?"
"U-Um, it's….it um….." The first voice trailed off.
"HEY! Respond Sentry!" The second voice boomed.
"Um, it's maybe Infernape?"
WHAT!? I thought to myself. My footprint does not look like an Infernape's!
"WHAT!? MAYBE!?" The second voice yelled angrily.
"Well, it might also be a Hitmoncham, or now that I look at it, maybe Electabuzz?"
"What, are you saying it's some sort of mutant!? Your job is to know all of the footprints sentry Diglett, and that's that!"
"But I don't know what I don't know!"
"HEY!" I yelled, losing my cool. "Would you two stop fighting for 5 seconds!? I don't have time for this! I need to speak to whoever's in charge!" I finished. I didn't have time to jump through hoops to get these guys to let me in the front door. Time was of the essence, and I did NOT appreciate being referred to as miscellaneous Pokémon.
"Well, WHY didn't you just SAY SO!?" The second Pokémon yelled up.
The gate leading into the tent then opened suddenly. Torchic and I looked at each other before heading in.
Inside the tent, there was a hole with a ladder leading down underground. I heard voices coming from inside the hole. I looked at Torchic nervously.
"I'll go try to clear out all the Pokémon that don't need to know you're here. You hide behind the tent, then I'll come find you when they're gone." Torchic offered. I nodded and left the tent again, going around to hide behind it. It was a bit difficult being so close to the edge of a cliff, but I had been trained to have good balance.
After a few moments, I felt a rumbling coming from underground, and then a crowd of Pokémon poured out of the guild and ran down the stairs. Torchic came strolling out after them, and came around the corner of the tent.
"Torchic, what did you do?" I asked.
"I told them that there was a huge sale going on at Kecleon Market, and they all went running." She said. It might have been a lie, but at least it got all the unimportant Pokémon away. I walked in after her, and climbed down the ladder.
The hollowed out space underground was actually quite roomy, despite being made for Pokémon. The ladder looked like it went deeper, but we got off on the first floor. There were boards on either side of the room, with pieces of paper attached to them. It was a truly strange place.
"WOW!" Torchic awed. "This is so cool! I can't believe I'm actually inside Wigglytuff's guild!" Torchic was a bit star-struck, but I had bigger things on my mind.
"Well, how strange!" I heard someone say behind us. "Where did everyone go?"
I turned around suddenly, and locked eyes with the speaker. It was a flying Pokémon, with blue and yellow feathers, and it had a black head shaped like a music note with a pink beak.
"SQ-SQUAK!" he said when he realized what I was. "A-a-a-a HU-" I grabbed him out of the air and clamped his beak shut with my hand. I didn't know how many Pokémon were here, but I knew Torchic and I probably couldn't face all of them on our own. The Pokémon, which I recognized as a Chatot, continued to struggle in my arms.
"Shhh now, it's okay." I spoke calmly to him. He froze, probably shocked that a human could communicate with a Pokémon. "I'm not going to hurt you. I promise."
Torchic looked worried, like she was afraid we'd made a big mistake, and we just might have.
"I need your help. Chatot isn't it? Will you help us?" I asked, looking down at Torchic. I felt Chatot nod against my hand. I took my hand off his beak, but I still held him in my arms, careful that he couldn't escape.
"W-Who are you!? How did you get here?" he asked frantically.
"My name is June, and this is Torchic." I told him. I wasn't sure how to answer the last question though. "The gatekeeper's let us in." I settled with.
"What!? The gatekeeper's let in a human!?"
"They didn't recognize June's footprint." Torchic informed him.
Chatot sighed. "No, I expect they wouldn't have. Human's are only supposed to exist in fairytales, not reality." Chatot looked back at me. "But how did you get here?"
"It's a long story Chatot. But I promise, that I'm not going to hurt you or anyone else here, despite whatever you may have heard about humans."
"How can I trust you? You're still holding me hostage!" Chatot struggled some more.
"Don't you need to be taken away to be held hostage?" Torchic asked. "And, don't you need to send a ransom too?"
"You're taking the term too literally!" Chatot yelled in frustration.
"I only grabbed you because I was afraid you'd go get someone to attack us. But I don't want to fight anyone. I just want to talk." I said, releasing Chatot from my grasp.
Chatot hovered in the air and looked towards the ladder, like he was considering flying down and alerting someone to our presence. But then he looked back at me, and I knew what he saw. Desperation, fear, hope, all written across my face. Somehow, I think that calmed Chatot, seeing how vulnerable I'd become. He flew down to Torchic's level.
"You," he motioned to Torchic, "Why are you defending a human? Are you a hostage!?"
"No, June is my friend." Torchic said without hesitation.
"Blink twice if you need to be rescued." Chatot whispered, but I could still hear him.
"I'm not a hostage! I found June washed up on the beach, and now I'm helping her-" she stopped, realizing she was revealing too much. "Anyway, she's my friend, and she wouldn't even be here right now if I hadn't convinced her to come and ask for help!"
"And why would a human want help from a Pokémon?" Chatot asked, still suspicious.
"Look," I said, "I know that you probably think of human's as monsters. But I'm different. And Torchic is right; I didn't want to come here. But I knew I didn't have much of a choice. I'm all alone, a human in a world inhabited only by Pokémon, and everyone thinks I'm going to hurt them but I'm not! I'm here do the opposite. Chatot, I'm not asking you to trust me, I'm just asking you to listen. I need to talk to whoever is in charge." I finished. Chatot looked hesitant about the idea, but he didn't deny me right away, and that was a good sign.
"Please Chatot! It's an emergency!" Torchic said. It seemed that her outburst is what finally convinced him.
"Alright, follow me." He said as he flew down the hole with the ladder. Torchic and I followed closely behind. The lower floor of the guild didn't have much on the walls, but there were two hallways on either side of the room that led to other rooms, and a door that Chatot was leading us to.
"Hey June!" said Torchic, gaining my interest. "There's a window! You can still see outside even though we're underground."
And she was right. Outside the window was a view of the ocean. "Makes sense," I thought out loud. "The guild is built into the side of a cliff."
"Here it is." Chatot said to us. He knocked on the door. "Guildmaster, I'm coming in."
The doors then opened, and we followed Chatot inside. The room was simple enough. It had a grass covering for a floor, and tapestries in front of the windows that acted as curtains. At the back of the room was a pink creature sitting on a red carpet.
"Guildmaster, you have visitors." Chatot said. The guildmaster's ears twitched, but he did not turn around.
"Guildmaster? Um, Guildmaster…?" Chatot said uncertainly. Suddenly, the Guildmaster turned around so quickly that I braced myself for an attack.
"Hiya!" He said cheerily. He looked like the tent above the guild's entrance. This must have been Wigglytuff.
"I'm Wigglytuff!" he confirmed. "It's nice to meet you!"
I wasn't sure how to react to this. He was the first Pokémon I'd run into who wasn't scared of me upon first glimpse. He was either very brave or very naïve.
"Hello." I greeted him. Wigglytuff looked at me with his big green eyes, and I truly couldn't tell what he was thinking.
"My, you must have come a long way to get here." He said. "How wonderful, a new amazingly rare friend!"
I was so shocked I almost fell over. How could he be so calm!?
"Now, what can I do for you, my new human and non-human friends?"
I looked down at Torchic, and she looked just as confused as me. I walked up to Wigglytuff and kneeled down so I was at eye level.
"You were right, when you said I'd traveled a long way to get here. But I'm here now, and I would very much appreciate it if you listened to what I had to say."
"But of course! I love stories! Explain away!" he said happily. Chatot also looked interested in what I had to say. Torchic walked up beside me, comforting me instantly.
"I wouldn't be here unless I had to be. I'm afraid that just my presence here is putting you all at great risk, but it's not an exaggeration to say that I've gotten desperate. This is an emergency, so please listen to my story no matter how impossible it may sound. Now let me tell you, the story of how the world came to an end…."
I gave Wigglytuff and Chatot the same explanation I'd given Torchic. I told them about how the world was split in two, how the world became paralyzed, and the future world I came from. I also explained that I was from the future, and that I came here to save the world from ruin, and about the accident that led me to meet Torchic.
"I know you don't have any reason to believe me, and I know that my whole story sounds made up, but I swear to you that everything I've told you thus far is the truth. I came here because I need help. If I can just get some information, then I'll leave and I'll never bother you or your guild members again. Please," I pleaded, "you have to believe me."
Wigglytuff and Chatot were both silent for while, contemplating what I'd just told them.
"OKAY!" Wigglytuff decided abrupty. "I believe you!"
"WHAT!" Chatot burst out. "Guildmaster, h-how can you buy her story so easily!? We only just met her today, and she's a human!"
Ouch. That hurt, but I couldn't really blame him. Some people, as well as Pokémon had a hard time letting go of what they'd believed to be the truth their whole lives.
"I can tell June's a good person. And there has been a mysterious outbreak of mystery dungeons lately. If there really is something fishy going on with the time gears, then her story would fit into what we already know to be true."
"B-But Guildmaster-"
"Chatot, you must learn to be more open minded!" Wigglytuff laughed. "June wouldn't gain anything by tricking us. And how else do you explain her presence here?"
Chatot didn't have an answer for that. As far-fetched as it sounded, there wasn't a better explanation for what a human was doing in this world when no one had seen them in years.
"Please believe her." Torchic said. "It's all true. The world is ending, but we can stop it. If you just take a leap of faith and believe her, you'll be making the right choice."
I smiled at Torchic. She really did trust me, and I her. With her help, my mission really could work. But eventually, I'd have to tell her about Grovyle.
"It should be impossible, but….it isn't." Chatot said. "I'm the guild's intelligence monitor. I know everything about everything, and I have heard the legend of Celebi and her powers of time-travel."
"So does that mean…?" I couldn't even finish the sentence.
"Yes, I believe you." Chatot admitted.
A weight felt like it was lifted off of my shoulders with those words. "Thank you." I breathed out.
"So now that that's settled, how can we help?" Wigglytuff asked..
"I need a map." I said. The first thing for us to do was to pin-point the locations of the closest time gears.
"Well then, why don't we give you one of these?" Wigglytuff said as he set down a box in front of us.
"Is that...!?" Torchic asked incredulously. I opened the box and inside was a bag, a map, a badge, and some scarves.
"This is an explorer kit. We usually give them to new apprentices, but since we'll be working together to help you gather the time gears, I'm sure we can spare this one."
I grabbed the map while Torchic looked at the other items in the box. I opened the map and set it down on the ground. Some of the terrain looked familiar, but slightly different. I was able to pin point places that still existed in the future, and guess at old places that had changed into something else in my time. The edges of the map though were unfinished.
"The map is incomplete." I stated.
"There are places where Pokémon have yet to travel too. Usually when we find new places, we add it to the map." Wigglytuff explained. I looked near the bottom, where I could trace the path I'd traveled before long ago. Mt. Horn and then down to the forest. But the map was unfinished beyond that.
"Do you have something to write with?" I asked.
Chatot flew to one of the chests around the room and received a stick of what looked like charcoal. He handed it to me, and I started to sketch in the places where I knew there were time gears.
I filled in the map as best I could from memory, and truthfully, I wasn't sure it was accurate to the terrain of the future, but it would have to be close enough.
The ones in the area that surrounded the town had been marked. I filled in Fogbound lake by the edge of the map. Then there was the Underground Lake, Crystal Lake, Treeshroud Forest, and Boulder Quarry. Boulder Quarry and Fogbound Lake were by far the farthest away. If I wanted to collect them quickly, then I should go after the ones that were close to where I was now.
But I couldn't help but think about Grovyle. I didn't know why, but I got the feeling that he'd landed far away from me. And that just made me want to go to the farthest ones first. The ones closet to us would be protected well and they weren't going anywhere anytime soon. I looked towards Fogbound Lake. I couldn't understand why, but I got the feeling that was where I should try first. And after a long time relying on my instincts, I wasn't about to doubt them now.
"Here" I pointed to the bottom portion of the map. "This is where we start. It may take longer to get to the farthest Time Gears, so I'd like to get them over with first."
"That location is where Fogbound Lake is rumored to be." Chatot said.
"Trust me, it isn't a rumor. It's there. And it holds a time gear." I said.
"This is truly astonishing! Working with someone who is so knowledgeable!" Chatot said. I was flattered a little by his words.
"We were actually planning to go on an exploration to find Fogbound Lake." Wigglytuff said. "The guild could come with you. We'll act as support."
The familiar uncertainty rose in my throat at his offer. It had taken a lot of courage to come here and share my story with two more Pokémon. I was happy they believed me, and I was grateful for the information they'd given me, but having them help in my search didn't sound like a good idea. My search for the time gears had to be done in secret. The more knew about it the more likely I'd get caught. No, I would go with Torchic alone to get the Time Gears, and to find Grovyle.
"I can't accept that. Wigglytuff, I'm grateful for everything you've done, but I need to search for the time gears alone. If a big party went to find them, we'd draw too much attention."
"I see. I understand." Wigglytuff said, sounding somewhat dissapointed.
"I'm sorry. There is something your guild can do for me though. When the time gears are taken from their places, time around that area will stop temporarily. I need you and your guild members to spread the word not to panic. I can't let you tell this world of my mission or my presence, but if you can make sure the Pokémon in this world know that everything will be alright; I would appreciate that."
"You can count on us. Wigglytuff's guild and its members will do everything we can to support you in your mission" Wigglytuff promised.
It warmed my heart to hear him say that. To know that the creatures in this world believed in me made everything worthwhile. It filled me with hope. But perhaps, I thought as I glanced sideways at Torchic, there was something else they could do for me.
"There's one other thing. Torchic has volunteered her assistance in helping me stop the planet's paralysis. When my mission is complete, would you consider accepting her as an apprentice of your guild?" I asked.
"HUH!?" Torchic burst out, not expecting me to say that.
"It's your dream isn't it?" I asked her. "My mission won't last forever, and after everything you've done for me, you deserve to have your dream come true too."
"Oh June..." She sighed, amazed at my words.
"We would be happy to!" Wigglytuff said. "As soon as the world is safe again, Torchic can join this guild. Until then, you guys can be unofficial, honorary members of Wigglytuff's guild!"
"We love this world too." Chatot said. "We want to protect it. So everyone at this guild will no doubt give everything they've got to aide in your quest, June and Torchic."
We both smiled, and I embraced Torchic, overjoyed that they believed me, that I wasn't alone anymore, and that we had a lead. The map would lead us to the time gears and then we would save the world. We were on our way.
"Thank you June." Torchic whispered to me.
"I think I'm the one who should be thanking you." I admitted.
Without Torchic, I would still be lost. With her I knew I could do anything. I didn't want to think about how long the journey would be, or what would happen at the end. Right now, I only wanted to feel the joy of having people who trusted me and I them. All the friends I'd had in the future had been mine because they had to be. We literally had no one else to turn to.
But Torchic….I had met her, I had helped her and she had helped me. That was the way we had become friends. That was the way people were supposed to become friends, not being forced together because of circumstances. I would always love Grovyle and Celebi, but Torchic was the first friend I'd had who was just mine. She chose to be my friend, and I hers. And it felt nice to be normal for once, to not be consumed with my mission and my destiny. For a moment, I had a friend, and I had allies that believed in me. And man did it feel good to be believed.
A/N: Hope you enjoyed this chapter. I've gotten kind of behind in writing this story, but I hope to get back to it this week. Have a nice day!
