Ch. 10
The next morning…well more like the afternoon, we woke up from a long night of celebration. The previous night's excitement had drained just about every ounce of energy we had in us. Oversleep was something anyone would approve of.
"…Morning…Shin… Last night was a blast, but… So tired… Maybe we stayed up too late partying, but we can't just lie around all day, right? Let's give it our all again today… Yawn…"
"Yawn… Do we really have to? I think sleeping would be definitely OK with everyone else. "
"No no. Let's not waste this day. Every day has to be full of adventure. Otherwise… yawn… we're not seizing the day."
"I think you're body says otherwise, Silvy."
"Well I'm going out regardlessof what I want. And you're coming with me!"
"Aww… Alright, you win. Let's get on with our day then."
"Hehehe. That's right."
I really didn't have the energy to argue today after last night. Perhaps the outdoors would wake me up. With that set, we went outside for another adventure.
"Heeey! Silvy!"
When we got outside, we heard Emolga's voice calling for Silvy.
"Huh? Was that…Emolga?"
"But he's nowhere to be seen…"
"Heeey! I'm over here! This way!"
"Huh? The voice is coming from over there?" I wondered.
"That's it! He's behind the house! Let's go!" Silvy said.
We went towards the back of our home, but he wasn't there.
"Heehee, you're getting colder! I'm over here!"
"Now he's on the other side?!"
"It's like he's running around in circles! Is he just messing with us?"
"Running in circles, you say? Hohoho, that would be tough. But that's not exactly what's going on here, if you know what I mean! How about this? Hahahahahahah!"
His voice was first coming from the other side of our house but then switched to the front. Then he started laughing from behind the house once more.
"Heheheheheheh! Hohohohohoho!"
His voice then proceeded to appear to be coming from everywhere as different laughs could be heard. It was virtually impossible to determine where Emolga really was.
"Gah! Emolga's everywhere! It's like we're surrounded by 'em!" Silvy said, surprised.
"Hehehe! Do you give up? This is my ultra-secret ultimate move: the Emolga Multiplier! Bwahahahah!"
I knew something like this would happen the moment Emolga received his Frism, I thought wryly.
"Grr! When did you learn such an awesome move, huh? Were you doing some kind of special training while we were away at the glacier?"
It was clear that Silvy had still not realized how Emolga was doing this. It was cute in its own way how Silvy was flustered by this.
"Bwahahahaha! Bwaaahahahaha!"
I've already figured it out, but…
I started walking around looking for the object in question. Silvy was left grumbling until she noticed me walking away.
"Oh! Shin! Where're you going?"
She quickly followed after me as I circled the house.
"And here's what I was looking for."
"There's a Frism back here!" Silvy remarked.
The frozen part of the Frism was producing sounds and the voice was plain to see.
'How'd you like my ultimate Emolga Multiplier move, huh? Bwahahaha!'
"Emolga's voice is coming out of it… So that means…"
"That's right. He's using these to make us believe there are multiple copies of himself. See? Here's another one."
I pointed out the next Frism that was on the west side of the house. We walked back to the entrance only to discover Emolga setting up his next Frism.
"How about it? You ready to bow down to my awesomeness? It's a total mystery, right? Bet you can't even begin to guess how it's done, right? Bwahahahahahaha!"
"…Hey."
I called out to Emolga and the voice startled him into turning around.
"Shin! S-S-Silvy! …H-h-how's it going?"
"Oh, just great… NOT! What d'you think you're doing?!" Silvy demanded.
"N…no, I just… You know, the Frisms you brought me are just so great and so much fun, so… I was thinking about some of the ways I could use 'em…and I needed a little test… B-but the important thing is, it was all made possible by you guys conquering the Great Glacier! Wow! That sure was awesome! You're just the best! Hahahahaha!"
"Nice save, Emolga," I said with a wry smile.
"Why, you… But thanks. We only got to go on that adventure because you stayed behind for us, Emolga."
"Hehe! You don't have to tell me."
"Oh, yeah… Speaking of that… Did anything happen while we were away? Anything interesting?"
"Interesting? Hmm… Oh! There was one thing… We saw some lights floating up, from time to time."
"Some lights were floating?" I asked.
"Yeah. We could see these balls of light floating high up into the sky from way far away. I asked Herdier and he said he'd never seen anything like it here before. Everyone was wondering what in the world they could be, but… No one really knows, right?"
"Balls of light, huh?"
"Yeah, you could see 'em really well from up on the hill. They were appearing pretty often… So I bet you guys will see one, too, sooner or later. That's about it. There was nothing else special while you were gone. See you guys later!"
Emolga began to quickly abscond from his coming scolding but stopped all of a sudden.
"Whoops! Nearly forgot my Frisms!"
He rushed back for the Frism he was currently talking to and then went midway to the other one before saying,
"S-see ya…"
He awkwardly said his good-bye and grabbed his Frism as he went towards Paradise.
"Emolga sure is quite the little troublemaker, huh?" Silvy commented.
"That's true," I agreed.
"But I'm glad he liked our present at least! And the Frisms really are fun. Mine is definitely my favorite treasure."
"Yeah, they are fun… but I don't think that's why he did this. Emolga probably wanted to show us that he was happy, too."
"Yeah, you're right Shin. Alright then… It's about time we head out, wouldn't you say? We're back to normal life as of today! Time to check out the ol' Request Board and work on developing Paradise! Let's give it our all!"
"You bet!"
After another day's adventure, we had turned in for the night. Today we had to deliver an item to a Pokémon that was out in a dungeon. The simple delivery made for an easy job but it still paid nonetheless. I think Silvy only picked it because she, too, did not want to overexert herself when she was still sleepy.
The dream in my sleep had become colorful and bright once more. Yes, it was the same dream once more.
… … … …Th…this is… This looks like one of those dreams… I haven't had one in so long… Is that…Is that a voice?
"Shin…you…you…hear me? Shin?"
Whoa! It's much clearer than last time! Just a little more… Just let me dream… a little longer…
Sadly, it didn't happen. Try as I may, my dream began to fade slowly but surely. The voice did not say anything more until finally I woke up.
"Morning, Shin! …Huh? You seem a little out of it today. Oh! Did you have another one of those dreams of yours?"
"Yeah, I did…"
"So you did… Sure has been a while, huh?"
I began to explain what had happened in my dream. I told her about the voice and how it had become much clearer than before.
"What? So basically the voice keeps getting clearer and clearer, right? …Shin! Then that means… I knew it… You just needed to get in sync with each other or whatever! And if that's the case, then you should definitely be able to hear that voice load and clear soon!
"Maybe you're right. I keep waking up before I can hear much, but… I did feel this time like I was so close to hearing what she had to say…"
"It'll be okay. Once you know who that Pokémon is who's calling for help, we'll go save her at once. I'll go along, too, of course! I want to know, too, after all…why you were called to this world. So let me help you out with this!"
"Yes, thank you Silvy. I wouldn't have it any other way."
Silvy only gave a smile to my thanks and we both walked out the door for another day of work.
"Hey, Shin? Can I ask you something?"
"Sure. What is it?"
"You know, ever since you told me about your dream, I've been thinking… I still don't know why you got turned into a Pokémon, Shin… But I guess it must mean you have some sort of role to play here. I think that's why you came to this world. So you've got to find out what it is you're meant to do…and you've got to see it through to the end. But when you do… When you finish everything you came here to do… Shin, you… …You'll probably go back to your own world, won't you? The human world?"
…Will I? I hadn't really thought about it lately… But if I'm here in the Pokémon world to complete a specific task, then I guess it makes sense that I would be sent back home afterward.
This silence felt like it went on forever. We could only stare at each other, lost for words, lost in our thoughts. Silvy finally broke the silence and said,
"You…don't know either, huh? … …Hey, Shin? If you don't know what to do, I…I… I think you should stay here forever!"
She said that with vigor and excitement that it had caught me off guard.
"What?"
"Please, Shin! Just stay here with us forever, OK?"
"Yeah, of course."
"Really?! Alriiight! Ahhh, I'm so relieved! Thanks, Shin!"
Silvy was jumping for joy at my staying here despite fulfilling my role. She really looked like a weight had been lifted from her shoulders.
Oh… That was such a pure-hearted plea from Silvy that I promised without really thinking. …But really… What is it that I'm really here for? If I do have some sort of role to fulfill, then when I'm done… What happens to me?
"Thanks, Shin! Now let's get down to work!"
Today's request was a simple request that involved saving a lost Pokémon in a dungeon. Silvy decided to take two new members of Paradise in order to introduce them to Team Starlight. I approved the idea of personally teaching the newbies but once we were in the dungeon, my mind began to wander. Silvy was ahead with the other two, Zorua and Glameow. Zorua asked to join our team when we defeated him out in the Glacier Palace. Glameow, the Catty Pokémon, joined our Paradise after being defeated by Emolga's party. She resembled a simple cat with a very long spring shaped tail. The tips of her ears, her mouth, her tail and even her paws were a soft colored white while the rest of her coat was a dull grey. Apparently Emolga went on some requests as he waited for our return. He said that doing requests would not only improve Team Starlight's reputation but also help Paradise grow.
"So have you two been adjusting well in Paradise?" Silvy asked.
"I've done very well! There's so many friendly Pokémon in Paradise, that I'm never lonely! I have friends now and it's always fun to go out and do some pranking with Emolga!" Zorua voiced.
"I for one enjoy going out on adventures. It never hurts to be admired and appreciated by the Pokémon we help every day. The money we earn is also very much appreciated, meow," Glameow said coolly.
Both of their personalities had some worrisome quirks but overall they were good Pokémon in the end. They were enjoying being taught by the founders and leaders of Paradise and taking in our stories and knowledge with great pleasure.
We were halfway through the Redlands Reaches with our client not too much further ahead. The Redland Reaches was another wasteland type dungeon. Dead trees could be found littered about as well as fallen rubble. The name of this place probably came from the canyon walls that were painted with different shades of red. The ground had a desert color to it while the clouds passing by overhead darkened it.
Everyone was walking a little ahead of me as I was lost in thought.
I agreed to stay so suddenly. I didn't even think when I said yes to Silvy. Would I be selfish in wanting to stay by Silvy's side? Would I be betraying all of the children in the orphanage if I were not to come back?
These thoughts continued swirling my mind throughout the duration of this adventure.
I already knew I had taught the children of the orphanage well in taking care of themselves. After all, ultimately we wanted to be adopted. We wanted a family and a place to call home. Some of us may have been content with staying with each other in that place, but not all of us wanted to stay forever. We all wanted a family. How we defined 'family' was up to us.
Being here taught me so many things I would have never learned in the orphanage. I met new Pokémon and befriended many others. I never felt alone in this place. Even though I had everyone back home, I still felt alone. No one could understand how it felt to be the oldest and viewed upon as everyone's guardian. Although I never complained, it did feel a little lonely. I raised everyone to able to take care of themselves in case something was to happen to me. Would I be wrong in wanting to stay here? Here every day was an adventure. Everybody helped each other in order to accomplish a goal. I may have arrived here alone, but it was her that took my hand and led me to this point. How would she feel if I were to just leave? Would she be able to continue without me? She has so many others here, so would she miss me?
Too many questions and too few answers kept plagued me. Noticing the distance between us, Silvy turned around and walked over to me.
"Shin? What's wrong?"
"Hm? Oh, nothing. Well, maybe I'm just a little tired."
"Are you sure? Then let's finish up this request and get home quickly."
"Will you be alright, Shin? We're almost to where the client is," Zorua encouraged.
"Yes. Let's not quit now. Think about the reward and the stares of admiration you'll receive. Use that as a motive to move faster, meow," Glameow said.
They all tried to reassure me in their own way so I could not let them down.
"Alright, you guys. I can't look uncool in front of the newbies, so let's press on!"
""Yeah!""
We hurried towards the area the client listed he was lost in. It didn't take us long before we found him sitting nervously. We then greeted the client, much to his relief, and we all transported back to Paradise Center.
The next morning began like all the others. This time, however, Emolga was waiting for us outside with news.
"Hey! Nice timing!"
"What's up?" Silvy asked.
"Remember I told you before about those strange lights that keep appearing? You can see one of 'em now if you want."
"Really?" I asked.
"Yeah. You can see it from the hill. I just came from there. You two should go check it out."
"Thanks, we will! Let's go, Shin!"
"Mm."
The both of us said our thanks and goodbyes to Emolga as we both ran towards the top of the plateau in Post Town. Once there, we found Ducklett and Rufflet staring out into the distance.
"Huh… But what could it be, really?" Ducklett wondered.
"Who knows? I've got no idea, man," Rufflet answered.
"Looks like we're not the first ones," Silvy commented.
We both walked up towards the ledge where Ducklett and Rufflet were and peered out in the direction they were looking.
"So… Where's this light supposed to…" I began.
"Over there! There it is, right there! Shin, look! There! See it? There's a huge ball of light!" Silvy pointed out.
"I see it! A ball of light floating off in the distance..."
"… … But it…doesn't really look like it's moving, does it? Emolga said he saw balls of light floating up into the sky, but—"
"He was telling the truth," Ducklett interrupted, "That light is definitely going up."
"It's just real slow. It's so slow that it looks like it's practically frozen, see?" Rufflet said.
"Hmm… Well, it is pretty…and it's definitely mysterious," Silvy observed.
"Yeah, it's pretty. It is…but…"
"Hm? But what?" I probed.
"N-naw, nothing… I mean, I'm probably just overthinking things… But I've lived in this town my whole life. And I have never seen anything like that before. Not once. And now these things keep showing up—and pretty often, too… It just makes me kinda…uneasy," Rufflet explained.
"Uneasy?" Silvy asked.
"Yeah. Folks are always saying stuff, right? Like it's a bad omen or something. The more mysterious and strange things that happen… I can't help feeling like it's some kinda sign of bad things to come. I hope we're just worrying for no reason, but…" Ducklett explained, uneasily.
A sign…of bad things to come…
These words rang in my head with an ominous feeling.
Those lights…somehow…I feel like they're special…I feel odd when I look at them now…like there's a connection between my purpose and those lights…
The ominous feeling even extended to the lights. Things looked grim according to Ducklett but in the end, there really was no basis for it. I, too, hoped that they are worrying for no reason.
"In any case, thinking about it won't get me anywhere… We might as well focus on our jobs for the day!"
Silvy's cheerful declaration brought me back to reality. She always knew how to brighten things up. She may very well be an embodiment of hope.
"Right! Let's get to work then!" I said with a smile.
"…me… Shin… …you… Can you…hear me…? Shin!"
"…Whoa! I can! I can hear you really clearly now!"
"…You can! Th-thank goodness! I finally… I finally got through to you! Shin!"
A pink Pokémon then materialized in front of me. This Pokémon was known as Munna, the Dream Eater Pokémon. She was rather small and was probably no bigger than an adolescent pig. She had flower patterns with purple petals on her body, a rose colored mark on her nose and ruby eyes.
"Y-you're-?! You're the one I saw being chased... So it really was you… that I saw in that vision…"
"Yes, that's right! My name is Munna!"
"You were being chased by some scary-looking Pokémon—are you OK? I mean, I can hear your voice now and everything… So you're doing OK, right?"
"…I suppose so. At least I've managed not to get caught so far…"
"Really? Well, that's good to hear! I was pretty worried, you know."
"Yes. But I'm getting so tired… Hyedreigon just doesn't give up. He keeps finding me…"
"Hydreigon? That was the Pokémon chasing you, wasn't it? He seemed pretty brutal…"
"He is. Hydreigon of the three fearsome heads… He uses those three heads to devour everything before him… He's pure destruction in Pokémon form. It's all because of him that the balance in this world has been upset. If he isn't stopped, this world will eventually be destroyed. But Hydreigon doesn't care about anything other than himself. He says if the world is destroyed, it doesn't have anything to do with him. I want to do something, but Hydreigon is so violent that I… No one can stop a monster like him. I couldn't see a way out…so I thought I might find help in the human world. I can go into people's dreams, you see. And the dream I entered… Shin… It was yours. I called out to you in desperation, Shin."
This revelation made me think back to the very beginning. The point where I was called out to in a dream and was thusly pulled into the Pokémon world.
"But just as I called out to you, Hydreigon noticed that I was trying to get help. And that's why he began chasing me."
So that's what happened… And now Munna is…
"I've been hunted mercilessly by Hydreigon ever since that night. I've somehow managed to get away from him so far, but…I'm just so tired… It won't be long now before I…"
"…Alright. Tell me where you are now, Munna."
"Wha-? Y-you… you mean you'll help me?!" Munna said, surprised.
"Of course. After all, you're the one who brought me here," I said reassuringly.
"Th…thank you, Shin! I'm at the base of Mount Kilionea now. It's a volcano in the middle of a forest. I'm sorry to ask, but…please help me!"
Munna then jumped up suddenly, visibly started.
"No! H-he's found me! I have to run! I'm sorry! I have to cut off the dream now! Good-bye!"
"Gahhhhh! Hah… Hah…"
The dream being cut caused me to scream out. This woke me up and left me out of breath. Taking a few moments to compose myself, I found myself standing, full of cold sweat.
… … … Silvy… She's still asleep… But…at least I could finally see everything clearly. It's just like Silvy said. I guess we finally got on the same wavelength. But I've gotta remember everything. Let's see… Munna's the one who needs help… And the one chasing Munna is…Hydreigon. Right now, Munna is at the base of some volcano called Mount Kilionea… And…I'm the one she asked to help her. I came to this world because her voice seemed to pull me here. It made me happy when Silvy said she would go with me, but… But this is really my problem. I don't want to drag my friends into danger, especially Silvy. So I feel like I should go alone… But… Munna said Hydreigon is upsetting the balance of the whole world. She said he's going to destroy everything. All of the Pokémon are feeling uneasy about the future… Maybe that feeling has something to do with this Hydreigon. Then this isn't just my problem. It affects everyone.
I turned to gaze at Silvy. She was sleeping so peacefully. She even looked to be having a pleasant dream with that smile on her face.
When morning comes, I… I'll have to talk with Silvy, and with everyone.
"What? WHAAAT?!" Dunsparce yelled.
"Shin, you-?!" Espeon gasped.
"You're not a Pokémon at all…" Umbreon began.
"…but actually a human…from the human world?!" Emolga finished.
"Dude, that is way messed up, yo!" Scraggy said.
"Hmmmm?!" Quagsire said, surprised.
"GURDUUURRRR?!"
"Ah…right…I hadn't told any of you that I'm a human yet, had I? That's got to be quite the shock… I guess maybe I should've mentioned that before telling all of you about my dreams…"
"Sorry, everybody. We didn't mean to hide it from you… But it just never seemed like the right time to say anything. Anyway, here's the story. Shin heard someone calling for help… Then got turned into a Pokémon…and ended up here in this world. That was when the two of us met. Shin didn't have anywhere to go, so I offered my house—or my land, anyway. That's how we ended up building Paradise together. Shin has been here this whole time without knowing why… And if there is any key to solving that mystery, it's… It's just got to be in these dreams. That's what Shin and I have come to think and in Shin's dream last night, that answer finally came. I know this all seems like a lot to swallow, but…"
"Well, yeah… 'Course it is. When you just suddenly throw out something like that… We'd have to be crazy to actually believe it. Right?" Scraggy said.
"He's right. I don't believe a single—" Gurdurr started.
"Oh? I believe it, though," Virizon said.
"I-I don't believe… I don't believe… I don't believe…a single one of you would not believe it! Bwahahaha!"
"Well, if our friends say it's true…" Umbreon said.
"If Shin says it's true…" Dunsparce said.
"Then we'd believe it no matter what anyone else says!" Emolga declared.
"You… You guys…" I said, left speechless.
"If this Hydreigon is really devouring everything and if that's upsetting the balance of the world… We can't just stand by and watch that happen, can we?" Espeon stated.
"Thanks, everyone! That's exactly how I feel! So I guess that decides it then! We, the Starlight…with all our strength… and all our members…are gonna back Shin up in this adventure!" Silvy yelled.
""YEAAAAAAHHH!""
"We'd better start getting ready then. Does anyone know anything about this Munna or Hydreigon?" asked Espeon.
"Not a thing. I've never heard either name before," Virizon answered.
"Hmmm… I don't know anything either, hmm?"
I timidly raised my hand to voice my mind.
"I do know some things about Munna and Hydreigon. I do know that Munna is a Psychic type while Hydreigon is a Dark and Dragon type Pokémon. From this, we can say that Munna is running away from a truly fearsome foe that can easily defeat her."
"Are you serious, Shin? Then from what you have said… That Hydreigon sounds pretty dicey. Three heads that devour anything in front of them, a brutal Pokémon that no one can stop, right? It's too horrible to even think about. It doesn't even seem like all of us together could stop him, does it?" Emolga shuddered as he spoke.
"Yeah, but this is no time to be giving up too easily either… First of all, we should focus on how to save Munna," Umbreon said.
"That's right. There's just too much we don't know about Hydreigon yet. But we have to consider even the worst outcome. If we end up being hunted by Hydreigon ourselves, we need to ensure that we don't bring disaster back to Post Town with us," Espeon warned.
"So our goal is to save Munna...without alerting Hydreigon. Once we find Munna and make sure she's safe, we'll come right back to Paradise. Then we can learn more about Hydreigon from Munna and decide how we should best fight him. Does that sound good to everyone? But if we're looking at it that way, then I suppose we shouldn't send a very large party in to go save Munna, you know? It'd draw too much attention," Virizon analyzed.
"Yeah. Shin and I will take this one alone," Silvy boldly said.
"Be careful. We don't want you to bring that dangerous Hydreigon back with you! But you can count on us to hold down the fort," Emolga said proudly.
"Come back safe, OK?" Dunsparce said.
"Thanks, Emolga and Dunsparce. We'll do our best and keep our guard up," I said reassuringly.
"Tell me again where you're headed? That Munna you talked to… She said she was at the base of Mount Kilionea, right?"
"Yes, that's right." I said.
"That's a volcano down south. It's pretty far from here," Virizon said.
"Seems like using the Entercards will be the fastest, but we'll have to think about the right combination of cards," Espeon concluded.
"You're right about that. Let's start testing at once. So Espeon and I will start thinking about how to set up the Entercards. We'll try to find a dungeon that will get you straight to the base of Mount Kilionea. It's a long way away, but finding the right Entercards shouldn't be too tough. I wouldn't expect it to take us too long. Whatever you two need to be ready go get it done," Umbreon said.
"We'll be up on the hill whenever you're good to go. Just give us the word," Espeon added.
"We will. Shin, let's hurry up and get everything set. Once we're ready, we should just head up to the hilltop," Silvy said.
"Right."
When we had gathered our supplies, we made our way towards the plateau Espeon and Umbreon were working at. We had made sure to stock up on plenty of Oran Berries, Heal Seeds, and Reviver Seeds. Since we were going to make the journey by ourselves, it was imperative that we had more than enough supplies to make the trip to Munna and back. I double checked our supplies and met up with Espeon and Umbreon, who were waiting for us.
"Hey! You all ready to go save Munna?" Umbreon asked.
"Yes," Silvy answered.
"We've already assembled the Entercards and everything. All that's left is to summon the Magnagate. It's pretty far from here to Mount Kilionea. We'll get you there, but we won't be able to get you back using the Entercards," Umbreon explained.
"I think it'll be a long road home. You'd better be prepared for that possibility. You sure you're OK?" warned Espeon.
"Yes. We're ready," I said resolutely.
"Alright! Then let's get this Magnagate open!" Umbreon declared.
Once more, Espeon and Umbreon placed the cards in their symmetric position and the world suddenly grew dark as the gate opened. The vortex swirled and expelled light, as if enticing viewers to enter its midst.
"Alright. Everything looks good here," Umbreon assessed.
"Shin, Silvy… We're ready for you," Espeon said.
"Thanks, Umbreon. And you, too, Espeon," I said gratefully.
"Well then everybody… I guess we'll be off," I said.
I was bidding farewell to our friends who had come to see us off.
"Hold down the fort while we're gone, OK?" Silvy ordered.
"Yeah, and you two be careful out there," Emolga said.
"Don't do anything crazy. Once you find Munna, come straight back, y'hear?" Gurdurr said.
"Come back safe. We'll be waiting to hear your story, Shin," Virizion said.
"We know. We've just got to be careful that Hydreigon doesn't find us. We won't be doing anything crazy," I assured.
"Let's go, Shin."
" OK. Time to get going."
We both stepped into the vortex and began waving to everyone watching us.
"Hmmm, good luck!"
"Shin! Silvy! Good luck finding Munna!"
Quagsire and Dunsparce both wished us luck on our mission as we the gate began to close.
"Thanks! We're leaving Paradise in your hands, everyone!"
Silvy's final words signaled the gate to close. We were pulled into the vortex and the gate closed behind us. Everyone may have been worried about us, but they still said goodbye with a smile on their face. They felt that we would come back victorious and had little to worry about. Thus, we traveled to Mount Kilionea.