Don't worry, I'll be continuing things along soon enough... just a bit more development.
Enjoy.
PMD: Life In Flames
Chapter 10: Busting an Outlaw
Elisa woke up the next morning before the Chimecho had come into the room to wake them up. Her night had been somewhat restless as the question she had gone to bed with had been buzzing in her mind the entire night and wouldn't leave.
How did Rio know that team so well?
The living alarm clock hopped in and was pleasantly surprised to see her up already.
"Well, it's great see you getting up by yourself now!" he said, as cheerful as ever. Elisa decided to just take the comment. No need to disappoint the little bell with the fact that she had merely had a bad night.
"What is your name anyways?" she said, wiping sleep from her eyes, "I keep meaning to ask, but I've never had the chance to do it, with all the work to be done."
"Pitch." He said with a little hop, "Cute, isn't it?" he giggled.
Elisa blinked away more sleep, giggling about the name as well.
"Pitch?" she said, confirming it, "As in the 'pitch' of a musical note?" she guessed.
"Yep. Parents thought I'd be a singer or something along those lines. Didn't imagine I was going to join the guild." He said with a silly grin.
The conversation woke up Rio, who sat up, drowsily yawning.
"Oh yeah, I'd better make sure everyone else is awake for morning meeting!" Pitch said, hopping in place and then running off, "It's nice to talk with you, Elisa!" he called back as he ran off to the other bedrooms.
Elisa couldn't get the amused grin off her face.
I have to admit, being in this guild... it has its pleasures.
o0o
Rio was surprised when, following morning meeting, Elisa immediately insisted on yet another new adventure.
"Hey, let's take it easy. One thing at time, okay?" Rio chuckled.
Elisa sighed when she couldn't get him to change his mind about going somewhere they had already gone before. So instead, she managed to get him to choose a harder job.
"How about we go bust an outlaw then? There's a job for one right there." Elisa said, pointing to one slip with the picture of a pokemon on it. Rio looked closer at the job and then glanced at Elisa uncertainly.
"You sure you want to try tackling an outlaw?" he said with a speculative look.
"Why not?" a Russian accent spoke behind them. They turned to see the Jinx that was always alongside the guildmaster during meetings approaching them. A Jinx looked very human though rather short (and impossible to confuse with an actual human) and was predominantly a shade of violet with some pink. She had no legs, but drifted across the ground as if she did (under that dress-like lower-body) and had very long, shiny, yellow hair trailing from her head.
The Jinx had a kind smile, a very rich voice, the accent was quite thick, and was eyeing Elisa like she was impressed.
"It's been a while since you attempted to capture an outlaw, Rio." She said, "You may have failed then but you were alone then too. That is not the case now, so I believe you can do it with this determined little foxie." Jinx said, ending with a serene smile and an amused little chuckle.
Elisa didn't appreciate being called "little foxie" but she realized Jinx was complimenting her bravery so she opted to not complain about the name this once.
Rio sighed, a silly grin on his face as he conceded to the point. He pulled the note off the job board and looked at it closer again.
"Alright… let's see here… Denwood Forest… a Vileplume." He muttered, reading over the details of the job.
"Even better: type advantage." Jinx added, "She should be most effective on this outlaw."
Elisa was distracted at the moment, trying to figure out where a pokemon like Jinx got the Russian accent.
"I still think we might be getting in over our heads…" Rio said, rubbing the back of his head.
"Just go prepare yourselves well." The Jinx said reassuringly "I believe you can do it."
o0o
As they headed into the village, Elisa found she wasn't so much nervous about fighting an outlaw as excited to see if she could put up enough of a fight to take an opponent like that down. There was little doubt in her mind that this Vileplume would be tough but she'd seen the pokemon before and even if she hadn't, the picture made it pretty clear they were dealing with a grass-type as the pokemon in question looked like a massive flower. By the time they were leaving, Elisa had figured she wasn't scared, because if she could deal with some water-types like she had at Moss Cove, even a tough grass-type should be no problem.
They shared the news with Quil in passing, who looked a little stunned at their daring and wished them luck as they headed out of the village again.
o0o
They headed to Denwood Forest again and made sure to look around carefully this time for anyone tailing them. Finding no one suspicious, Rio pulled out the job slip and read it over again, reviewing.
"Alright… apparently this Vileplume's been playing innocent with some pokemon before stealing their items. Our client had a Leaf stone swiped from them and the outlaw sent them off to dreamland with a sleep powder attack before escaping. They're sure they last saw the outlaw escaping into this forest and no one's seen a Vileplume come out."
"A Leaf Stone is used for evolution, right?" Elisa said, going over the information.
"Yeah, there's supposed to be a place pokemon can evolve around Veil Island but no one's willing to tell me. I suppose the client might know but I doubt we'll get them to tell either." Rio said, sounding a little envious.
"Oh well, I'm fine as I am anyhow. The only way I want to change right now, is back to human." Elisa said confidently.
Rio put away the job slip and stretched a bit, readying himself for the task ahead.
"You're probably going to be the key to taking this outlaw down, so I hope you're ready."
"Let's do it." She said and walked into the forest.
o0o
As might've been expected, not much had changed about Denwood. They were still encountering the occasional fire-type in the scorched portion of the forest and there were still plenty of birds, grass-types, and other pokemon wandering the maze of giant trees.
This gave Elisa plenty of time to reflect on various things when they weren't fending off unwelcoming residents.
Try as she might, she couldn't help continuing to ponder the possible existence of a much deeper connection between Rio and Team Gangster, and the more she dwelt on the topic, the more aggravated she became.
How does he know them? Was he press-ganged in for a few weeks? No, that's not it. They only cornered him once and his dad apparently got him out of that mess with some help. But he'd have to have been around them for at least a few weeks to know details like how Mort's apparently a coward.
She was actually grateful when a confrontation with another forest resident distracted her from these spiraling thoughts. The questions were not finding answers, but yet more questions.
Maybe he heard from his dad? But I wouldn't think he'd know anymore than Rio. Someone else told him? Then who would know?
Her frustration eventually started showing through on her face and Rio noticed.
"You alright, Elisa? You look like something's bothering you."
Elisa was tempted right then to slam the question in Rio's face and demand an answer to her questions. However, she kept her mouth from blurting it out and held herself back.
"It's… it's nothing Rio…" she said shaking her head, "I'm just a little nervous since we're probably getting close to finding that outlaw." She lied, yet again. Guilt over this concealment started to fester, turning her aggravation to shame in herself. However, she kept those thoughts buried and Rio set a paw on her back, offering some comfort.
She glanced at Rio, the question still buzzing in her mind, but it seemed to die away slightly as she looked appreciatively at her partner.
He really is affectionate and cares about me. I'm so sorry to be hiding this from him but… I don't know how he'll react… I don't want to damage our… our friendship.
About a week ago, she would've been shocked to hear herself considering this pokemon a friend, and one she wanted to maintain that relationship with. But now… she found a new happiness in having him around.
She stopped her thoughts before she started recalling old events… her compassion for the Riolu was reminding her of an old, human friend… and she didn't want to think about that.
He's not like that… we're not like that. She convinced herself.
Elisa exhaled, as if bracing herself for the hard task ahead, and they proceeded deeper into the forest.
o0o
They did come across the Vileplume in an unburnt portion of forest, trying to hide his contraband in a grassy patch. The flower-pokemon whirled about as he heard them coming and looked quite surprised to see an exploration team. The Vileplume managed to look even more like a flower in-person. It had five massive, red petals with black spots and under those petals, on its dark purple "stem" was the Vileplume's innocent-looking face. A simple set of arms and legs were also visible.
"Alright Vileplume, we're here to reclaim stolen property." Rio said as they confronted the outlaw.
"What are you talking about?" the grass-type said, trying to sound innocent while standing guard over the patch of grass to keep them from investigating. Elisa's first immediate impression was a ditz. This flower wasn't the brightest light-bulb in the pack.
"No innocent acts. We know what you've been up to." Elisa countered.
Vileplume, already nervous from being caught red-handed, started to panic slightly as he realized he was facing a fire-type. He actually hadn't been hiding his stolen item, but checking on it. Bad timing on his part.
"J-just leave me alone, please." He said, almost begging.
Rio stepped forward.
"Just hand over what you've stolen and maybe we can handle this peacefully." Rio said.
"No!" the flower protested before suddenly exploding. A wave of purplish dust blossomed like a cloud from the top of his head. Elisa sucked in a quick breath of air and squinted to avoid being blinded by the dust. Rio, who was closer, yelped and hopped back, trying to avoid inhaling the dust as well.
The Riolu blinked a bit but remained awake. Elisa wasn't affected as she succeeded in not inhaling the dust and focused, readying her counter-attack.
The Vileplume yelled in alarm when Elisa came at him, spitting small flames.
"Fire! I hate fire!" he yelled and spat a purple fluid at her.
It wasn't water but it still burned when it hit.
Elisa tried to shake off the fluid, but it wouldn't come off. However, it stopped burning after a bit, apparently wearing off.
"I'm not about to let a bit of acid intimidate me!" Rio declared, trying to sound brave and charged at the grass-type, punching it in the face.
The grass-type counter-attacked, punching Rio back. Rio grunted as something was visibly sucked from him and pulled into the Vileplume's body, the grass-type perking up again immediately. Rio staggered back, looking pale and weak.
That's the same kind of move that Lotad in Moss Cove used on me. Only it's stronger in this case.
Elisa stepped defensively in front of Rio and faced the outlaw again. The Vileplume bowed its head, and fired a ball of green-yellow dust at Elisa. Elisa again, quickly held her breath as the dust burst over her head. She couldn't hold it long enough this time though and gasped slightly for air before the air was clear.
She coughed and a moment later, started feeling sick.
Poison! Ooog... not good...
She withstood the poison though and willed herself to stand firm.
Rio's protected me from a lot of dangers up to this point. It's time I pay my dues to him by showing how I've improved.
She inhaled (resisting the illness urging her to retch), readying herself to attack. The flame sac expanded, reaching that remarkable size again.
Elisa then unleashed a blast of fire that caused the Vileplume to scream as it was hit by the fire attack.
As the flower panicked over getting burnt, Elisa felt her stomach turn and her knees buckled slightly with weakness. The fight up to this point had already taken a good deal of her energy and the poison was sapping what was left of that strength.
Then Rio set a paw on her side and held out a pink, peach-shaped berry to her.
"Nice work. You brought out the bigger flames again." Rio said sounding tired, "Here… I know you've been poisoned, this should help."
Elisa ate the berry (which tasted sweet, like candy) and after a moment, her stomach settled, the poison neutralized.
"No! No! No! No!" the Vileplume cried, sounding scared as he desperately patted out an ember burning at one his petals, "Fire's bad! Very bad! Stop it!" and he whirled, sending a flurry of small petals flying into the air.
The petals whirled through the air sharply and a wall of petal-filled wind slammed Elisa. The petals crisped as they hit her fur however the attack was still incredibly powerful and the blow was staggering. Amazingly enough, Elisa managed to call up the strength to stay standing. The Vileplume continued to spin about, yelling about fire being bad and causing more petals to fill the air.
"Look out!" Elisa yelped and dove aside as another wave of petals came flying at them. Rio jumped back to avoid the assault and the Vileplume's spinning slowed to a stagger, his eyes rolling about. The outlaw was clearly in a state of confusion now as he continued to blather disjointed sentences.
"That's enough!" Elisa yelled and exhaled another large blast of fire at the flower-pokemon. The flames knocked the Vileplume over and it remained down. Elisa nearly collapsed then, exhausted from fighting and taking hits.
Rio produced an oran berry from their treasure bag and offered it to her.
"So… how'd I do?" Elisa panted as she accepted the berry.
"I'd say you're a good explorer now…" Rio said with a slight chuckle, "Especially if you can take down an outlaw."
"Ah… good…" she sighed and sat down (somewhat hard) on the ground before eating the berry.
"I really think we're a good team Elisa. You know when to let me handle an enemy and you've stepped up when the fight's been too much for me. I'm glad to have you for a partner." He said, pulling out another oran berry and eating it himself.
"Rio… I…" Elisa started but she paused and thought over what she was doing.
I can't…
"Yes?" Rio said, curious to hear what she had to say.
"I… I'm glad too. Glad to be your partner." She said, at least being honest this time.
o0o
It turned out that their client was a Geodude, much to Elisa's confusion.
Don't grass-types use the stones to evolve? I thought the client would be a grass-type themselves.
"I like collecting rare stones of all sorts," The Geodude explained, "especially evolution stones. They make nice snacks and these Leaf ones are good for the diet," the rock said.
Man, am I glad I'm not a rock-type… Elisa thought privately, completely (and justifiably) uninterested in the diet of a Geodude.
Once he was done talking about his diet, the rock-type gave them the promised reward for getting his stone back and headed on his way. They had also received a monetary reward from the local constable (effectively the village's police officer) for capturing Vileplume and bringing him in for arrest.
With the job complete, Elisa's mind was back to the question waking her up early.
Ugh… not again… I really need to ask someone… someone who might know something besides Rio…
Her eyes fell on the Jinx, who was talking to the Guildmaster about something.
Come to think of it… maybe she knows something… the Guildmaster was there to stop Rio from being pressed-ganged into Team Gangster. Jinx was probably there to intimidate those three.
"Hey Rio, I want to just chat with Jinx over there really quick." Elisa said quickly "I want to tell her the good news and all that. I'll be right back, okay?"
Rio took a moment to understand but nodded before Croc came over to congratulate him on the outlaw-job.
Elisa approached Jinx who was just finishing her conversation.
"Hey Jinx." She said put up a cheerful attitude, "Did you hear about how our job went?"
"I did." She said with a pleased smile "My congratulations for a job well-done. The Guildmaster and myself will be expecting just as excellent work tomorrow."
"Actually, I wanted to also ask you something." Elisa said, getting to her point quickly. Jinx looked directly at her, giving her her full attention.
"I've heard about how the Guildmaster stopped Team Gangster from forcing Rio into their team. Were you there when that happened?"
The guild lieutenant nodded.
"Yes… I was there. The Guildmaster knew for a team like that, I would be invaluable and I was happy to assist. Why do you ask?"
"Do you have any idea why Rio knows Team Gangster so well? I mean he never actually joined them, right? So how does he know about them so well?"
Jinx considered the question for several moments… then she nodded slowly.
"I do know their history… however, that is a deeply personal question you ask. I will tell you this much though: it has to do with Kale."
"Kale?" Elisa echoed "Who's that?"
"Rio has not told you his father's name?" Jinx said, giving her a mildly puzzled look.
"His dad's name is Kale?" Elisa blinked. She hadn't expected a name like that for a pokemon.
"Yes. However, I believe if you truly wish to know, you should ask Rio yourself. It is not my place to share information of this nature."
Elisa groaned as she had just received the same answer Quil had given her: ask Rio.
"But… But…" she said slowly, unwillingly "I'm… afraid of how he'll react." She finally admitted to Jinx.
Jinx gave her a very understanding smile. When she spoke next, her accent was diminished, making her easier to understand.
"Asking about such matters is a sensitive and risky act… however, I think he will understand if the question is from you. Just have the same courage you demonstrated to me this morning." She said gently, but encouragingly and patted the shy Vulpix on the shoulder.
Elisa breathed in and then out, preparing herself. She thanked Jinx for her help.
"Please, my friends call me Jiji." She said sweetly.
"Jiji?" Elisa said, a little confused.
"A little pet name I invented for myself. I like it and the Guildmaster uses it in private all the time." She finished with a gentle laugh, "I like a cute name, believe it or not."
Elisa couldn't help laughing a little herself. It was an interesting name.
She thanked Jinx again, calling her by her "cute" name and heading back to Rio.
o0o
Though she tried to get up the courage, Elisa found she couldn't get over her concerns about a negative reaction from Rio over digging into his personal matters.
Dinner went by and they were going to bed and Elisa still found she couldn't get up the nerve to ask.
She made eye contact with Rio, who started to bid her a good night and she willed herself to ask right then… but her resolve was weak and faltered.
"I… good night Rio…" she said, feeling embarrassed that she could face an outlaw without a problem but couldn't ask her own partner a simple question.
Rio didn't notice her expression and settled down to sleep.
Elisa sighed and settled down, mentally bracing herself for a rough, sleepless night.
Why am I so concerned about it anyways? It's not really my business...
But for reasons she couldn't fathom, the question would not leave her mind.