Pokemon Mystery Dungeon
Shadows of Ganderosa
Chapter 25
The Frying pan
Dillan stumbled down the iced-over stairs and entered the lower deck. It smelled very musty. He took in a breath of dust and coughed. The gabite saw boxes littering the floor. A wooden door was in the wall at the back of the room. Thankfully, it was with a handle instead of a knob. He began walking as fast as he could, with the unconscious Hazel in his arms being dragged behind him, towards the door. Dillan heard a "Bang" come from the left. The ship rocked from the waves, testing Dillan's balance. With difficulty, he remained on his feet.
"Dang it!" Dillan said. They need help up there! He continued on his way to the back room.
Dillan pushed on the door, opened it, and looked at the room. There was a bed made of blue cloth stuffed with hay. There was also a wooden desk along the wall to Dillan's right. He moved towards the bed and laid Hazel on it. He then made a mad dash back out of the room and carefully up the stairs to rejoin Tracey and Ryan.
"Dillan!" Tom called out as Dillan emerged from the double doors embedded in the floor of the ship. Another "Bang" came from the ship's right. Dillan looked as splinters flew into the air. Tom inhaled sharply. "That'll cost me."
Dillan heard a crackle above him. He looked up to see a yellow arc of electricity flying through the air above him. He traced the source of the attack to Ryan. Tracey began shooting a volley of icicle shards towards the prates.
Dillan turned his attention back to Tom and said, "What can I do?"
"I need you to tell Tracey that we're doing the Ferriday Maneuver." Tom told him.
"Right." The gabite said. Normally, I would ask questions, but there's no time for that. He turned towards the ladder attached to the main mast and began climbing it. I won't wait for something bad to happen. I can't forgive myself if someone gets hurt because of me.
There was a "Splash" off the right of the ship. It rocked due to the waves created, but Dillan kept his balance. He continued to climb the ladder to the top.
"What's the captain want us to do?" Ryan asked Dillan as he scaled the last few rungs of the ladder. Ryan swished his tail and sent five stars towards the enemy.
"Tracey," Dillan started. "Tom said he wants to use the "Ferriday Maneuver"."
Tracey gave a groan. She looked down at Tom and yelled, "Really?" She then got up and faced the front of the ship. "You'll have to work without me... pachirisu."
"What?" Ryan said with shock. "We've been having trouble intercepting all of these attacks! I can't do it alone!"
"Well," Tracey said with annoyance. "Make due! Your friend's unconscious in the lower deck and Dillan's going to help me, so you're on your own!"
Ryan gave a huff and began blasting swifts as fast as he could at the pirate's attacks while focusing some attacks on their ship.
"Alright, Dillan." Tracey said. "I need you on the middle of the ship's ladder relaying what I say to my dad."
"Got it." Dillan said. He made his way down the ladder to the middle like Tracey instructed.
"You ready?" Tracey shouted.
"I'm ready!" Dillan said as he hooked his right leg through one of the rungs so he couldn't fall.
"Port, fifteen degrees!" Tracey shouted.
Dillan relayed the command back to Tom.
The ship lurched left as Tom turned the steering wheel.
"Starboard, seventy-five Degrees!" Tracey shouted again.
Dillan, again, relayed the command. This time, the ship made a hard right, sending one of Ryan's attacks off into nowhere's land.
"Are you insane?" Ryan shouted from above Dillan. "Our course is going to kill us!"
"It wasn't my idea!" Tracey shouted back.
"Stop arguing and focus!" Dillan shouted up at the two. Under normal circumstances, he wouldn't yell at his friends. It wasn't like him. But right now, their lives were at stake. Fighting wasn't going to help.
Dillan looked to the front of the ship. He saw what Ryan was talking about. About fifty feet in front of them was a cluster of icebergs. His face tightened into a grimace. "We aren't going in there, right?"
"We are!" Tracey shouted. Dillan gave a hard gulp. "Once we get in there, I need you to relay my commands precisely, accurately, and quickly; otherwise we'll damage the hull and we'll take on water!"
"Right." Dillan said halfheartedly. Can I do this? I don't like this much responsibility. What if I mess up? What if I'm not fast enough? I-
"Dang it, Dillan!" Tracey shouted. "Stop thinking about it and just do it!"
She's right. I can do this. I can do this. I can do this. Dillan took a deep breath. A "Bang" came from the back of the ship. It shook from the impact.
"That's not good." Tracey said. Dillan barely heard her.
Tom began moving the steering wheel wildly to the left and to the right. He slammed the edges of his fins on the wheel. It shattered from the impact.
"Abandon ship!" Tom shouted up to the group.
Dillan's face turned into a look of horror. "A-Abandon ship?" he shouted down to Tom. He was positive he heard the empoleon wrong.
"What?" Tracey shouted worriedly. "Tell me I heard that incorrectly!"
"Everyone get down here, now!" Tom ordered.
"Come on!" Dillan shouted to the crow's nest. He unhooked his leg and began his descent down the ladder followed by Ryan and Tracey.
The gabite hopped down onto the deck and faced Tom.
"We need to abandon ship." Tom said sternly. Another "Boom" sounded from the back of the ship.
"Why?" Tracey asked as she and Ryan reached the bottom.
"The rudder's damaged beyond repair." Tom said with a frown and saddened eyes. "The pirates are going to sink her."
"So we give up?" Tracey asked, thoroughly stunned by what she was hearing.
"We can't do anything else." Tom said. "We'll jump ship and swim to the glaciers. The ship will sink and those pirates will think we're dead."
"That's a horrible plan!" Ryan said.
"What's wrong with it?" Tom asked.
"I-It's... Um..." Ryan stuttered. His cheeks went orange. Right. You couldn't swim back on the Kerroshian border, so it makes sense why you would be worried. As much as Dillan thought that was a problem, he thought of a bigger one.
"It's Hazel." Dillan said.
"R-Right." Ryan said. "If she goes into the water now, her tail-flame might go out for good. She can't make it."
"I'll take Hazel first." Tom said. "I can make it to a glacier in-" A splash went off on the right side of the ship. "Seconds." Tom finished. "I'll come back for you guys and take you over."
"That won't work!" Ryan said.
"Just go with it!" Tracey shouted. "We're running out of time!"
Tom went down below the deck to get Hazel. Another "Bang" sounded. This time, Dillan could see it. The mast had been hit right in the middle.
"Move!" Tracey shouted as she tackled Ryan, moving them both out of the way. Dillan jumped to his left. The mast smashed into the deck, tearing through the wood. It sliced the boat from the middle to the end of the right side, creating a gap in the ship that lead into the water.
"Are you alright?" Tracey asked Ryan.
"Yeah." Ryan said.
"Everyone abandon ship already!" Tom called from below deck. Dillan knew why. The ship was sinking, and fast.
"I can't!" Ryan shouted.
"Get on my back!" Dillan told Ryan.
"What?" Ryan asked, obviously appalled by the idea.
"Just do it!" Dillan shouted again.
"Alright!" Ryan said as he ran up to Dillan. The pachirisu made his way up Dillan's tail and sat on his back-fin.
The water was almost up to the deck.
"Come on!" Tracey shouted. She leaped over the right side of the ship and into the water. Dillan did the same.
He hit the water. I...I... Dillan couldn't think. It was as if the icy water froze his mind the instant he plunged into the water. He kicked his feet in short bursts attempting to get above the waves. Each kick felt harder, as if his muscles were starting to go stiff. He gave one final kick and emerged from the water. Dillan felt himself bobbing in the water, barely managing to stay afloat.
"Dillan!" Ryan shouted.
"I-It's..." Dillan tried to say. He felt his jaw muscles begin to tighten. They began burning. "T-too cold." he finished feebly.
"Dillan!" Tracey shouted. She jumped from the ship and hit the water with a "clap" sound. She came up in seconds and swam over to him. "What's wrong?"
"I don't know!" Ryan shouted. He started throwing his head in different directions frantically for something to help. Dillan felt his legs lock. He felt the water rise over his head. The air escaped his lungs and floated up to the surface. The gabite stayed under, unable to move his limbs. Dillan's eyes grew wide, focusing on the white light that shot into the ocean. He watched the beams start to shrink as he sank. Dillan felt his heart stop from pure fear. He felt a tingling sensation on his back. Ryan was slamming his feel against his back in a wild attempt at swimming upwards. Dillan focused on his arms and legs. With a great and pain-filled effort, the gabite gave a kick and pushed with his fins. He watched the beams grow closer as he came up above the water again.
"Take this!" Tracey shouted as she shoved a piece of wooden wreckage towards Dillan. He threw his arms over the piece of wood. For the moment, it seemed to be keeping him afloat. "Can you move?"
Dillan tried to answer, but he felt his muscles burn at the mere opening of his jaw.
"Dillan!" Ryan shouted from Dillan's back. A white paw came over the gabite's shoulder and pointed out to sea. Dillan followed the pachirisu's pointing.
The gabite saw three yellow prongs sticking out of the water, making its way towards them at a great speed. The force of its speed was so great, it seemed to create white waves that shot out around the yellow objects. They seemed to be coming straight towards Dillan.
"It's Tom!" Ryan shouted. Dillan took a closer look. That's when he saw the black figure underneath the water. Dillan was shocked that the empoleon could move at such a speed.
Tom stopped in front of the group, sending a mini-wave over Dillan's head. If he could move, Dillan would have shuddered from the wave.
"What's wrong?" Tom asked with eyes of worry.
"Dillan can't move!" Tracey shouted. "Hurry, dad!"
Tom dove beneath the water. Dillan watched as the black pokemon moved underneath him and came up from behind. Tom emerged and grabbed Dillan's waist.
"Hold on." Tom told the two. He kicked his feet and the three were off. Dillan felt his body skid through the water as such great speeds, he felt like he was about to bounce on the waves. The empoleon went nearly twenty miles per hour. Dillan watched as the group dashed towards a glacier.
"Hold your breath." Tom told the group.
"Don't!" Ryan told Tom sternly.
"Here we go!" Tom shouted. Dillan took a shallow breath, which was as much as his lungs would allow.
The empoleon dove under the water, pulling Dillan and Ryan with him. Dillan couldn't see much due to the blurry effect the water gave him mixed with the speeds Tom was swimming; but he did see the black void below him along with the beams of light that pierced the dark waters ahead from holes in the glaciers. Tom continued under the water for a few seconds before making his way upwards. The group entered one of the rays of light and emerged from the water on an icy ground covered by snow.
Tom dragged Dillan out of the water and put him on the snow, stomach down.
"Alright." Tom said. "You two need to start rolling in the ice."
"We're already cold, Tom-" Ryan tried to say as he got off of Dillan's back.
"Do it!" Tom ordered. "It'll help with the cold." He turned around and dove back into the water.
Ryan looked at Dillan. Dillan could see the pachirisu shivering from his soggy fur. "Are you alright?" he asked with knitted eyebrows.
"I-" Dillan tried to say. His body seemed to be relaxing slightly due to being out of the water, but that made it all worse. Every movement felt like a numbing-burn which discomforted the gabite terribly. His body was shaking uncontrollably which made the numbing-burn feel even worse. "No." he said flatly.
Ryan rotated his head in order to see his surroundings. Dillan watched as the pachirisu's eyes widened and a smile dawned on his face. "Hazel!" he called out. Dillan followed Ryan's gaze. He felt his heart leap for joy as his eyes set on Hazel. She was sitting up, conscious, holding her tail with her right paw. Hazel looked over at her friends. A massive smile came to her face as she stood up and darted to where her friends were.
"Are you guys okay?" she yelled as she tackled Dillan in a hug.
"We're fine." Ryan said. "We just need your flame." Hazel broke from her hug and grabbed her tail once more. "Dillan, where did the wood go?"
Dillan looked to the hole in the ice where Tom had emerged earlier. The piece of wreckage was sitting in the snow. Dillan pointed shakily at the wood. Ryan walked over and grabbed one side of the wood. Upright, it was the side of the pachirisu. Ryan didn't seem to take note as he began dragging the wood behind him to the group. He then turned to Hazel and said, "Can you light it?"
"I can't hear you." Hazel said. "My ears are too numb."
Ryan pointed to Hazel's tail-flame and then to the wood. Hazel nodded her head. She set her tail-flame on the piece of wood. She then closed her eyes. The wood began to burn until there was a nice fire resting on top of it.
A "Splash" came from the water. The group looked to see Tom and Tracey emerge from the ocean.
"Is everyone alright?" Tracey asked.
"No," Ryan said. "Dillan can hardly move and Hazel can't hear."
"That'll clear up in a little bit." Tom said. He looked at the still-wet Ryan. "Now I thought I told you to roll in the snow."
"What good will that do?" Ryan questioned. "It's just going to get snow in my fur."
Tom gave a sigh. "The snow will absorb the water on your body, therefore drying you. Once you're dry, you'll warm up faster and avoid hypothermia."
Ryan thought about it for a few seconds before saying, "Oh." He looked at the snow for a few seconds before getting down and rolling around in it. Hazel looked at Ryan for a few seconds with a raised eyebrow. Dillan tried to move his leg in order to get down in the snow, but he couldn't.
"Hazel!" Tom shouted at the charmeleon. Hazel looked at Tom. "Can you hear me?" Hazel gave a nod. "Use your flame-thrower attack on Dillan!"
Dillan looked at Tom for a few seconds with shock. A-Attack me? How does that help? A-All it'll do is burn me and m-melt the... Dillan thought about it for a few seconds. On second thought, it m-might warm me u-up.
Dillan looked at Hazel. She was looking at him, waiting for his approval. Dillan nodded as best he could, though to the charmeleon it seemed more like a twitch. Hazel's brow-line tightened together. Nevertheless, she stood up, planted her feet, and blew a burst of fire on top of Dillan. The gabite felt the warmth immediately. He also felt the water start to evaporate from his body. He did feel a slight burn on certain parts of his body, but he didn't care; as long as he was warmed up, the pain didn't matter.
After a few more seconds, Hazel stopped. She looked at Dillan for a sign that he was in any pain. He gave a smile to Hazel, signaling to her that he was alright. Hazel gave a grin, obviously happy she could help the gabite out.
"Alright." Tom said. "I'm going to check on the pirates. If they're not coming this way, I'll come back and we'll leave." With that, Tom jumped back into the water and swam away.
"Are you okay?" Tracey asked Dillan as she walked over to the campfire. "You looked bad out there."
"Still cold," he said. Dillan felt his muscles were starting to loosen. "But yeah. I'll be fine."
"That was not an experience I would go through again." Ryan said.
"Agreed." Hazel told them, obviously gaining some of her hearing back over time.
Dillan took a look around. The group was on a glacier, or an island of ice. He wasn't sure how to classify it. There were hills of snow surrounding them, creating a natural valley that hid the group from the outside world. There was a hole of green and blue water next to where they were sitting that led into the ocean. That's how they entered their safe-haven.
"Hey," Tracey said to Ryan. She started shifting her weight nervously. "Um..."
"Look," Ryan said flatly. "If your going to be rude, don't bother."
Tracey hung her head in shame. "It's just that..." she began. "I'm sorry for how I treated you guys..." Ryan looked at Tracey with wide eyes of confusion. Tracey looked at him. When she saw his expression, she gave a scowl "I'm not heartless, you know."
"Oh." Ryan said. "Uh... I mean..." Ryan sat there for a few seconds, trying to think of what to say.
"Whatever." Tracey said. "This was a bad idea, anyways." She lied down in the snow, annoyed by Ryan's lack of words.
"N-No," Ryan stuttered. "Th-That's not it. What I mean to say is..." He trailed off.
"What he means to say-" Hazel said, attempting to cover for Ryan. But the pachirisu held up his paw, stopping Hazel.
"It was also my fault." Ryan said sincerely.
"How was it your fault?" Tracey asked with a raised eyebrow, now curious about what Ryan had to say. "I was the one who attacked you guys."
"But I didn't try and understand 'why'."
"But I was the one antagonizing you guys." Tracey said. "And I'm sorry for that..."
Ryan walked over to Tracey and sat down next to her. "It's fine." he said. "We all have our own problems. Some of us choose to keep their feelings to themselves while others let their feelings show. We all choose to deal with pain differently." He waited a few seconds before saying, "So... why do you hate us so much?"
"It's not you." Tracey said. "I don't hate you. To be honest..." Tracey paused for a good thirty seconds. "I'm... envious of you." she said softly.
"Envious?" Hazel asked.
Tracey gave a sigh. "You guys have everything. You have each other as friends who would help one another no matter what. You guys seem to care about each other as a team. Me? I have Team Armageddon who left me behind to go on some mission here in the Alkan Islands. They don't care about me or what I've been through. They were just using me as another member of their group. I'm a nobody. I'm alone."
"Tracey," Dillan said. "You're not alone. You have us."
"Even after the way I've treated you?" she asked.
"You have a reason, right?" Hazel asked. "A reason to hate us? We just don't know what that is."
Tracey looked at Dillan, as if waiting for his acknowledgment that it was alright to tell the group about her past. Dillan gave a nod.
"Alright..." Tracey said. She told the group about her mother; about when and who took her. She then told them about how her guild used her.
"So the Guild wanted to use you?" Hazel asked.
"There aren't enough good pokemon watching the Guild." Tracey said. "It's too easy to take advantage of civilians, so they do."
"Tracey," Ryan said. "What guild said they had information on your mother?"
"What they said is they couldn't give me any information." Tracey said. "But it's the Harrier Town Guild. That's where we use to live; or near to where we lived. We were closer to the coast, but Harrier Town was the nearest town we had."
"That's shocking." Ryan said. "I have... Friends down in Harrier Town. As such, I've been to the Guild there. I've never known them to do anything wrong to another pokemon."
"Well, they did." Tracey said sharply. "They left my mother for dead."
"Ryan," Dillan said. "You have friends in Harrier Town?"
"Well..." Ryan said slowly, thinking about what to say. "They're more like my foster parents."
Hazel snapped her claws together. "I've got an idea."
"What is it?" Ryan asked.
"Well," Hazel started, looking at Tracey. "Once we finish this mission, we'll stop by Harrier Town and get information on your mother for you."
Tracey's eyes lit up. She stared at Hazel with a hopeful gaze. "R-Really?" she asked.
"How does that work?" Ryan said. "What makes you thin they'll give us anything?"
"Think about it like this." Hazel said. "We're working for King Judah, right?"
"Right." Tracey said. "I forgot about that."
"Yeah." Ryan said. "What about it?"
Dillan perked up. "I think I get it." he said. "The King would owe us a favor."
"Exactly." Hazel said. "We could get the King to tell the Harrier Guild to give us their evidence. That way, we could investigate into your mother."
"R-Really?" Tracey asked. She began tearing up.
"Let me point out one thing." Ryan said. "From what I've seen about Judah, he's the kind of guy to be all, 'I don't owe you anything. You three did the job for your guild, and that's it'."
"It doesn't matter." Hazel said. "He'll agree."
"How can you be so sure?" Ryan asked.
"Because Judah wants to set an example for his Guild." Hazel said. "He's going to reward those who do a good job for him. Trust me."
"Yeah. With a fruitcake." Ryan said. He gave a sigh and said, "Oh, well. Sure. Why not?"
"Sounds like it'll work." Dillan said.
Tracey's lip began quivering. The glaceon tackled Hazel in what looked like a very tight hug. "Thank you!" she shouted as she began to sob. "Thank you so much!"
"No problem!" Hazel said with a strained voice.
A "splash" came from the water behind the group. Dillan looked to see Tom come out with a bunch of planks in-hand. He walked over to the group, not noticing Tracey's bear-hug. Tracey broke away from the hug of gratitude. Tom set the wood on the snowy ground in front of their one-plank camp fire.
"Alright, then." Tom said. "If we go North from here, we should only need to hop over to a few ice bergs in order to get to Frost Island. From there, it's about an hour's walking distance to the village.
"Not much longer, now." Dillan said. He looked up at the sky. The sun was about three-fourths of the way down, touching the peaks of the floating ice-mounds.
"And if the sun goes down before then?" Ryan asked.
"It won't." Hazel told him. "We've got about four hours left of sunlight. Plenty of time to get to Frost Island Village.
"Not if we keep standing around talking." Tracey said with a smile.
"Hold on, Trace." Tom said. "The guildmembers don't have a source of heat." Tom grabbed one of the pieces of wood and set it on fire. He was about to hand it to Dillan. "Oh." Tom said as he realized Dillan couldn't hold onto anything with his claws. He thought about it. "Well, that presents a problem."
"It'll be fine." Hazel said. "My flame can keep Dillan warm."
"What about Ryan?" Tracey said.
Ryan looked longingly at the piece of wood. He wanted to carry it, but he rolled his eyes in annoyance. "My fur will work." he told the group. "Stupid height..." the pachirisu mumbled to himself.
"Well, if that's settled," Tom said. "I guess we won't be needing these. And to think I went all the way out to the ship for nothing." The empoleon gave a hearty laugh.
"Let's go!" Tracey urged excitedly. "By this rate, it'll be sun-set by the time we get to Frost Island!" Tracey ran up the snow-hill with Tom following at a walk. Team Rapture walked close together to get at Hazel's tail-flame.
"She seems more cheerful." Dillan noted.
"What made her come out like that?" Hazel asked.
"I don't know," Ryan said. "But I hope she stays like this. I like the change in atmosphere and I really don't want to fight with her again."
"Agreed." Dillan said. The group walked onward, following Tom and Tracey.
Nearly three hours went by. Team Rapture had made their way onto Frost Island an hour ago. Tom was leading the way with Tracey hanging out with Team Rapture.
"So Ryan," Tracey began. "You're from Harrier Town?"
"Uh..." Ryan said slowly. "Yeah... Well, no... It's complicated."
"I like complicated." Tracey told him, trying to get him to talk.
"Well," Ryan said as he stared up at the sky. "My blood family hated me, so I left them. I ended up in Harrier Town. From there, I met my foster parents. I stayed there for a few years before going to Castelum Town."
"Is that where you met Adelina?" Hazel asked.
"She's a very good friend of mine." Ryan explained to Tracey. "But yeah. After a while, I left that place, too. Things happened that led me to meet Dillan and Hazel and I found myself in Palando Town."
"Don't look now," Tom said with a light smile. "But Frost Island Village is right there."
Dillan looked ahead. There was a snowy plain surrounded by white hills. In the middle of the plain was a town as white as the snow. The only defining difference between the buildings and the ground was the yellow light making its way out of the tiny windows as well as the colored roofs which were also covered by snow.
"It's so pretty!" Hazel exclaimed. "It looks like a town of ice!"
Dillan shuddered. "I hope not." he said. "I want to warm up." As cool, or in this case warm, as it was to have Hazel's tail-flame warm him up, it was only enough to keep parts of his body from freezing. His feet and tail had no such luck.
"Well," Tom said. "Not that much further now. Probably another fifteen minutes."
"Already?" Tracey asked. "But we were just starting to get to know one another."
"You're leaving?" Dillan asked.
"Once we get to Frost Island Village." Tom told them. "We don't have much of a choice. We have to find another boat to take us back to the main land."
"Alright." Tracey said with a frown, obviously sad about their inevitable departure. I am, too. Now that we're on friendlier terms with Tracey, I would've enjoyed being with her for a while longer.
"We might as well make the most of right now." Hazel said.
"Good point." Ryan agreed.
"Well," Tracey said. "Why don't we make it a race to the town? One final challenge for us to take on."
"Sounds cool to me." Ryan said. "I like a challenge."
"Just as long as Dillan can't use dig." Hazel said with a laugh.
"Hey!" Dillan protested with a smile.
"If you're that scared of losing to him." Tracey said.
"Scared?" Hazel said. "I'm not scared."
"Then let's..." Tracey began. "Go!" the group was off. Dillan was about to use dig when Tom grabbed his shoulder.
"I would run if I were you." Tom told Dillan. "The whole island is made out of ice. It's thick ice, but not thick enough to use dig."
"Really?" Dillan asked. Tom didn't give any answer, not even a nod. Dillan imagined digging only to find the icy water again. He gave a gulp. "Thanks!" he shouted back as he dashed away in an attempt at catching up to the group.
Tracey made it to the town first followed by Ryan, then Hazel, and Dillan in last.
"I won!" Tracey shouted with glee. "That was fun!"
Ryan was panting. "Not... a good... idea... in cold... weather."
"I feel fine." Hazel told Ryan. "How about you, Dillan?"
Dillan shook his head quickly. His jaw was clattering from the cold.
"You, too?" Tracey asked. "Well, that's alright." She turned towards the town. Dillan did as well.
The place was very pretty. There were icicles hanging from the edges of the roofs. Snow lined the town like a thick carpet. Dillan noticed the road they were on stretched towards the center of the village that was about four blocks down. The windows of each town had a light peering out of it due to the sun almost setting.
"I love Alka." Hazel said. "All the snow makes everything look like a foreign land. It's hard to imagine a place like this."
"Alright, Tracey." Tom said from behind the group. Dillan turned around to face the empoleon. He was surprised. Tom seemed to catch up pretty quickly and he didn't look worn out one bit. "We best be heading off."
"Right." Tracey agreed with knitted eyebrows. She turned to Team Rapture. "I'm sorry for the trouble I caused you guys."
"It's alright." Ryan said with a smile. "We understand now."
"It was fun, Tracey." Dillan said. "I hope we can see you again."
"Hope?" Hazel asked. "Don't worry. We will see you again. Next time, it'll be as friends."
Tracey nodded in agreement.
"Thanks for the help, Tom." Hazel said. "Sorry about your boat."
Tom gave a sigh. "It's alright." he said. "At least she saved all of us."
"We'll see you later." Dillan said.
"Will do."
With a final wave, Tom and Tracey Adams turned away from Team Rapture and began walking down the path. I wish we had gotten along earlier. Maybe that would have saved us from all the arguing. We might have enjoyed the trip a lot more. Oh well. We'll have more fun when we see each other again. With that last thought, Tracey and Tom turned the corner, out of Team Rapture's sight.
"So," Hazel said as she got the group's attention. "What's next?"
"I think we needed to..." Dillan started. "Find a diner?"
"Right." Ryan said. "Then we ask for someone named..." He thought about it. Dillan did as well. "Hank something."
"Peterson." Hazel finished. "Hank Peterson."
"Right." Dillan said.
"King Judah said he'd give us more information, right?" Ryan said.
"Yep." Dillan said.
"Did I mention how much I hate this plan?" Ryan said.
"Would he be at the diner right now?" Hazel asked, ignoring Ryan's comment.
"Maybe." Dillan said.
"There's one way to find out." Ryan said, ignoring Hazel's ignoring. He waved for Team Rapture to follow him. Dillan and Hazel did just that.
They had been walking around the town for about an hour. Seeing as Team Rapture made their way to about every yellow-roofed building they found, it took a while for them to find what they were looking for. On top of that, the snow made it harder to see what color the roofs were. Some pokemon must have seen that was a problem because they had chimneys coming off of some of the houses that were colored. However, some didn't, which made it even harder.
"Ah." Ryan said. "Here we are." It was dark outside, but there were torches above the doorway that lit up a sign. The sign said, "Bubba's Fine Dine". There was a picture of a pokemon on the sign. It was a green sphere that opened its massive mouth. The sphere had little stubs for arms on the side of its body. The pokemon had a small, yellow feather jutting up from the top of its head. The pokemon was squinting its eyes.
The front of the diner was nice. It had a pair of red doors attached to the white walls. It also had a pair of windows with plaques on them that said things like, "Number One Nachos" or "Snot fries: Don't hate 'em until you've tried 'em".
"Classy place." Hazel said sarcastically as she looked at the "Snot Fries" sign. She and Team Rapture entered through the red doors and into the diner.
The inside was better as the outside. The main difference Dillan loved about the place was the burst of warmth he felt upon entering. He gave a sigh of relief and took in the smell of different delicious dishes. He took a look around. The floor was gray cobblestone. The walls were white just like the outside. They seemed to sparkle, which made Dillan fell as though he was in a fancy restaurant. There was a metal chandelier suspended by a chain that was attached to the middle of the wooden ceiling. There was a flight of stairs that led up to a second-story balcony which overlooked the restaurant. The odd thing was the mienshao standing by the stairs. It didn't seem to look at anyone or anything that went on around it, yet Dillan guessed it was guarding the steps. Why else would it be standing there? Other than the balcony, there were booths and tables all over the place. There was also a bar with a group of pokemon sitting down having drinks and nachos.
"Hello!" a cheery voice welcomed. Dillan looked ahead of him to see a pokemon he didn't recognize. It was a tall, bipedal pokemon that stood on long, yellow legs. Its body seemed to be wrapped in leaves sewn together with string to make some sort of cloth. Judging by the fact that it had a thorax, Dillan guessed it was a bug pokemon. The upper side of its yellow thorax was draped in leaves, leaving the underside exposed. It had long arms with leaves that had a hole on the ends like a leafy hook. The pokemon's head was exposed and looked like a yellow circle with antlers. It seemed to have a leaf bonnet around its head which Dillan thought looked like a strange style. The pokemon had red eyes that seemed warm and welcoming accompanied by its light smile.
"We were hoping you could help us find someone." Ryan told the leavanny.
"Well, there's a bunch of people here." the leavanny said. "Take your pick."
Ryan looked at the leavanny with a raised eyebrow. "Really?" he asked.
"Only playing." the leavanny chuckled. "Have to do something for some fun in here, am I right?" no one on Team Rapture responded.
At that moment, Dillan felt his crystal begin to tug on its chain. It seemed to want him to do something. What is it?
"Remember." A voice called out.
Who are you?
"Dillan, remember."
Remember? Remember what? The gabite thought about it. What was it I was suppose to remember?
"Could you lead us to-" Hazel began saying before Dillan cut in.
"Trinity Fitz?" The gabite asked himself aloud.
The leavanny looked at Dillan. "You want to see Trinity Fitz?" she asked with shock. Dillan noticed her tone. It seemed to him that the name Trinity Fitz didn't seem random to the leavanny, but something weird. That's when it clicked in Dillan's head. He felt his crystal fight the string harder the more he
"N-" Hazel tried to say.
"Yes." Dillan interrupted, remembering what the voice had told him days ago. Go to Bubba's Fine Dine and ask for Trinity Fitz. But is this going to interfere with my mission? Man, I hope I'm doing the right thing.
"I'll be a minute." the leavanny told the group. She walked away towards the stairs that led up onto the balcony.
"What are you doing?" Hazel asked Dillan with knitted eyebrows. "We were suppose to talk to Hank Peterson. Not... Trin... Whatever you said!"
"Sorry." Dillan said. "I guess I should have told you guys about my dream."
"What dream?" Ryan asked.
"I-"
"Excuse me." a pokemon with a deep voice said from behind Dillan. The gabite turned to face the pokemon.
Dillan looked on at a pokemon that was slightly taller than him. It stood at nearly five feet. The pokemon was a stained red with black markings along its back as well as stripes on its arms, body, and legs. The pokemon was a bipedal pokemon with black scales around its eyes, giving it an ominous look. The pokemon looked like an overgrown lizard. Its arms were thin as can be with small hands. The opposite could be said for its thick feet and legs with pearl-white talons. Its head came out like a crocodile to a snout with sharp teeth protruding over its lower lip.
"You're interrupting." Ryan told the krookodile flatly.
"Who do you think you are?" the krookodile asked.
"I could as the same, buddy." Ryan said.
The krookodile took one look at Ryan and gave a snort. He turned to face Dillan. His eyes landed on the gabite's chest. "Nice crystal." he said. "Where did you get it?" He's interested in my crystal? Why? Well... What if... No. That can't be right.
"Are you Trinity Fitz?" Dillan asked.
"No." the krookodile answered.
"Where is she?" Dillan asked. But if I don't ask...
"Hold on, buster. You need to answer a few questions first."
Well, the voice in my crystal did tell me to go here. Alright. Here goes nothing. "Does she have a sapphire cut into the shape of a star?" Dillan asked, hoping he knew what he was doing.
The krookodile looked at Dillan with a scowl. He didn't seem to like what Dillan said. The krookodile stood up straight and said, "We're done here."
"So she does?" Ryan asked. The krookodile ignored him. He started walking towards the balcony.
"Wait!" Hazel called out to the krookodile. "We're here to buy something." The pokemon stopped in his tracks and turned around. "If you take us to Trinity Fitz, we'll give you five hundred pokes."
"Ten-thousand ." the krookodile said.
"One-thousand." Hazel said.
"Five-thousand and not a poke lower."
"Two-thousand is my final offer." Hazel told the krookodile blatantly.
The krookodile thought about Hazel's offer for a few seconds before saying, "You've got yourself a deal." the pokemon grinned and held out his paw.
"We'll pay you after we meet with Trinity Fitz." Hazel said. Dillan was surprised. Hazel helped me out? But she didn't even know I wanted to meet with this guy until now.
"Right this way." the krookodile said with a wave of his hand. He began walking towards the balcony. Team Rapture followed him.
"Why did you help?" Dillan asked Hazel.
"For starters," Hazel began. "That's what friends do. Secondly, you said something about a sapphire necklace. Is it the same one that you wore when we met? Do you really think this pokemon has it?"
"I've come this far without a hitch." Dillan said. "And something tells me that I'm close."
"Well," Hazel said in a whisper. "Based on this guy's reaction, I'd say we're on the right track."
Dillan nodded. The krookodile led the group past the stair's guard and up to the balcony.
The balcony had a bunch of wooden tables. Each table had a plate at the chairs with some napkins as if waiting for someone to come by and sit down, yet all but one were unoccupied. There was only one pokemon sitting down at the table next to the railing. The pokemon was looking down into the diner.
"Ms. Fitz," the krookodile said. "These guys are looking for you."
The pokemon sitting at the table waved a hand in the air, signaling the group to come forwards. Dillan looked at Fitz. Something seemed familiar about her.
Team Rapture walked to the table. Fitz turned around to face the group. Once she laid eyes on them, she rolled her eyes and went back to the balcony.
Dillan looked at the pokemon again, thinking about if she looked like someone he knew. That's when it clicked. He had met Trinity Fitz before in Kerroshia Castle, only they didn't have a face to face conversation like Dillan would have wanted to.
"What do you three want?" the hakamo-oh, Trinity Fitz, asked.
"Ever heard of greeting your guests?" Ryan asked Fitz. The hakamo-oh turned around and faced Team Rapture. Dillan, this time, looked for the Sapphire Star around the pokemon's neck. He felt his heart sink when he saw Fitz didn't have it. Instead, she seemed to be wearing a purple scarf with the Ganderosan symbol on it, a dragonite skull with two spears on either side.
"I saw you Armageddons come in." Fitz said. "Now why are you here?"
"You don't remember me?" Dillan asked, trying to keep calm now that he saw she didn't have his crystal.
"Should I?" Fitz asked slowly as if bored by the conversation.
"A few weeks ago in Kerroshia Castle." Dillan said.
Trinity Fitz sat there, thinking about it. "Did you..." she thought. "Did I sell you something?"
"Wait a minute." Ryan said with a stunned expression. He turned to Dillan. "It was her?" he asked quickly. Dillan nodded.
"That's not it." Fitz said. "I... screwed you over somehow. Did I sell you that thing?"
"You already asked that." Ryan said.
"You sold it?" Dillan yelled worriedly.
"Um..." Fitz said as she put her paws to her temples as if trying to concentrate. She sat there for a few seconds before dropping her hands and saying, "I give up. What did I do?"
"Where's my crystal?" Dillan asked.
Fitz looked at him. Then, recognition dawned on her face. "Oh. You were that idiot with the pendant who walked out of that club."
"That was you?" Hazel asked with shock, finally realizing who they were talking to. "You were the thief?"
"I am not a thief." Fitz said sternly. She began scowling at the group. "I am an opportunist. I search for idiots who cannot keep track of their valuables. If they do not want their things taken, they should keep better track of them."
"Don't sugar-coat it." Ryan said angrily. "You're a thief!"
"I am no thief!" Fitz yelled as she slammed her paw on the table. "F-" she stopped herself. She closed her eyes as she thought about her words carefully. "I want you to leave."
"Where is it?" Ryan asked forcefully.
"Ms. Fitz?" the krookodile asked.
"Take them away, Captain." Fitz told the krookodile. The pokemon began advancing on the group.
"We aren't leaving." Dillan said. "Not until you tell us what happened to the Sapphire Star."
Fitz looked at Dillan with curiosity. She raised her hand and the krookodile stopped advancing.
"What did you say?" Fitz asked.
"I asked what happened to my crystal." Dillan said.
"No, you didn't." Fitz said. "You called it something. What did you call it?"
"The Sapphire Star." Dillan said again.
Fitz looked at him for a while before smiling and saying, "I sold it."
"You did?" Dillan asked, horrified by the answer.
"Yes."
"When?"
"A few weeks ago." the hakamo-oh said. "Some... lycanroc came in. the first thing she talked to me about was the stone. I was shocked by the fact that the pokemon knew I had the gem. She bought it for a bunch of pokes. Easiest poke I have ever made."
"You just sold it?" Dillan asked again, processing what he had just heard.
"Was that all?" Fitz asked. "I am a very busy pokemon and I need to be getting back to... my work." Fitz turned around to spy on the pokemon below again.
"I'm not finished."' Dillan said sternly. "What was the lycanroc's name?"
"My customers deserve privacy." Fitz said. "From me and from you."
"Oh, no." Hazel said. "You're giving us more than that."
"No, I'm not." Fitz said. "You can either take what I've given you and you can leave, or my associate can take you out." The krookodile took a step forwards to enforce Fitz's point.
"I choose neither." Ryan said with a glare at the krookodile
Fitz gave a sigh. "You're making this difficult. Just leave."
"Alright, you three." the krookodile said. "Out."
"We're not going anywhere." Ryan told the krookodile.
Hazel didn't say anything, not to Ryan or the krookodile. Dillan couldn't blame her. She must have been fighting with herself. Dillan knew how much Hazel liked to avoid a confrontation, unlike Ryan. He also knew she probably didn't wan to leave until they got the information they needed.
"The crystal you stole from me," Dillan said. "I need it back. Some really bad pokemon are hunting it and they can't have it. I think something bad will happen when they get their paws on it."
"Who?" Fitz said quickly. She turned around forcefully and began leaning over the table, intently listening to what Dillan had to say. The gabite was surprised by her reaction. "Who's hunting for the crystal? Do they have the second one?"
"Second one?" Dillan asked.
"N-Never-mind that." Fitz told them. "Just tell me who's hunting the crystal."
"I don't think that's any of your business." Ryan cut in rudely.
Hazel looked at the conversation with shock. Dillan could say the same thing. He was lost. What is she talking about?
"Besides," Ryan said. "Why do you want to know so badly?"
Fitz looked as though she was going to give an answer, but she said nothing.
"Look," Dillan said. He was getting tired of all the other information diluting the purpose he was there. "All I want to know is who has my crystal."
Fitz turned away from the group. She looked down from the balcony. The group stood there, waiting for her response for a good minute before she said, "You'll need to fight for it."
"What?" Hazel asked.
"I don't trust you three with that information." Fitz told them. "If you expect me to believe what you are saying is true, then you need to prove to me you are strong enough to keep the crystal safe."
"Fine." Ryan said. "This should be quick."
"Not you, shorty." Fitz told Ryan dismissively.
Ryan slammed his foot on the floor and said, "What did you say?"
"You." Fitz pointed towards Dillan.
"M-Me?" the gabite stuttered, caught off-guard by Fitz's direct challenge.
"You're the one who had the crystal to begin with." Fitz said. "So you're the one I should be testing, no?"
Dillan looked over at Hazel and Ryan for their approval.
"I mean," Hazel said. "I guess that's alright. I don't have an issue with it. Ryan?"
"W-What?" Ryan stuttered.
"You're better at battling than me and Dillan." Hazel said.
Ryan put his paw under his chin as he thought about it. "Well," he said. "You'll both be at a disadvantage in the fight." Ryan said. "You'll both probably be using your dragon moves, so you'll be at an advantage as well as an advantage." Ryan stood there for a few seconds before saying, "I'm not sure. I'd have to see her moves before deciding what you should use."
"Well?" Fitz asked. "What is it gonna be?"
"I say you fight her." Hazel said. "If you lose, we don't get any information which would be the same outcome if we don't fight at all."
"Agreed." Ryan said. "Just watch out for her dragon-type moves."
"Alright." Dillan said. He faced Fitz and said, "I'll fight you."
"Good." Fitz told them. "Come with me." She got up from her chair and walked towards the stairs, descending them into the lower levels. Dillan, Hazel, and Ryan followed, followed by the krookodile.
Fitz, weaving between tables, lead the pokemon towards what looked like the back of the diner. There was a set of wooden doors hanging on the white walls. The hakamo-oh pushed on the doors and let Team Rapture pass into the next room.
The group found themselves in another white-walled room. There were fancily set tables positioned around what looked like a stage. The stage had poles sticking out of the corners and rope tied to each making a sort of barrier around the inside of the stage.
"Really?" Hazel asked with a curled lip. "A fight club?"
"If you do not approve," Fitz said. "Then you can leave."
"I think it's neat!" Ryan announced with wide eyes and a smile.
"This is where we're fighting?" Dillan asked.
"This is where you're fighting." Fitz said.
"What do you mean?" Hazel asked as she looked at Fitz through the corner of her eye.
"I said you will be fighting." Fitz said. "I never told you who you would be fighting."
"So, who am I fighting?" Dillan asked.
"I'll beat him, Ms." the krookodile said. "It'll be a piece of cake."
Fitz thought about it. "I was going to pit you against the gabite," Fitz said. "But now that you mention it, it would be to easy for you. Not a very entertaining fight."
"Entertaining?" Ryan asked.
"This isn't about proving ourselves to you, is it?" Dillan asked
"That's part of it." Fitz said. "Though it is not the whole reason." She clapped her hands together. "I have a better idea. I want you to fight each other."
"What?" Team Rapture asked in unison.
"The gabite versus your strongest member!" Fitz told them enthusiastically.
"You expect us to fight against each other?" Ryan asked. "Do you think we're stupid? The moment we weaken each other, you'll just run!"
"I will not run." Fitz said with a hand to her chest as if the mere suggestion of dishonesty on her part was an attack on her ideals.
"Lets say Dillan is our strongest member." Hazel said.
"Hey!" Ryan protested. "I could beat Dillan easy!"
"What?" Dillan asked. When did this become a competition between us?
"An excellent idea!" Fitz said. "Pachirisu, if you think you are so powerful, then prove it by fighting your friend."
"Wait a minute!" Hazel shouted.
"I'm cool with that." Ryan said.
"I'm not!" Dillan argued.
"Why not?" Ryan asked Dillan. He smirked. "Don't you want to know which one of us is stronger?"
"Now?" Hazel asked.
"It'll be like sparing." Ryan said.
Hazel turned to Fitz with a raised eyebrow. "How does that prove Dillan's strong enough to be trusted?"
"The fight can prove that much." Fitz said. "And I have a solution to the problem of you being too weak to stop me."
"Which is?" Hazel asked.
"I will tell you in the middle of the fight." Fitz told the group. "That way, I will have seen if you are strong enough, the fight will entertain me, and you will have the information you want."
"Sounds like a plan to me!" Ryan said.
"Ryan!" Hazel snapped.
"It's alright." Dillan said.
"It's far from alright!" Hazel said. "this isn't the way to get the information! All it's doing is weakening our team!"
"What other choice do we have?" Dillan asked. "Besides, I think I know who we need to look for. I just need some more evidence before we go out of our way to see if I'm right." As much as he wanted to say it was his only motive, he had to admit that he wanted to see if he was stronger than Ryan. Besides, the pachirisu looked so excited to fight him that he didn't want to ruin it.
Hazel looked at Dillan for a few seconds before saying, "This is still a bad idea!"
"Hazel," Dillan said. "Trust me."
Hazel stood there for a few seconds before face-palming and saying, "Fine..." She turned to Fitz and said, "But your lackey needs to leave the room."
"I won't do that." the krookodile said.
Fitz thought about it before shrugging and saying, "Fair enough."
"Ms. A-" the krookodile tried to say. Fitz turned to the pokemon with sharp eyes. She slammed her fist into the krookodile's chest, cutting off his sentence. He didn't seem hurt by the attack. He merely flinched.
"Don't." Fitz warned sternly.
"My apologies, Ms. Fitz." the krookodile said.
"Leave." she said sternly. The krookodile bowed and exited the room. Fitz turned to Hazel and said, "Better?"
Hazel turned to Ryan and Dillan. "Are you two sure about this?"
"Let's just get on with it!" Ryan said enthusiastically as he dashed on all fours towards the stage. He slipped below the ropes and entered.
"I'm sure." Dillan said.
"Alright." Hazel sighed.
"Come on." Fitz said. She tapped Hazel on the shoulder as she went over to a table right next to the stage. Hazel rolled her eyes and begrudgingly sat next to Fitz.
Dillan walked up and climbed onto the stage, crawling under the rope before standing up. He looked around. Different pokemon at different tables were either looking at him and Ryan, wondering if they were about to fight, or minding their own business and chatting among themselves.
"So how is this going to work?" Dillan asked. "Do I fight until you drop?"
"Standard stadium rules." Ryan said. "The first pokemon to be knocked to the ground three times losses. And no attacks fly outside the ring or you lose automatically."
"So knock you down five times?" Dillan asked. It's only a friendly competition, so it makes sense. He smiled. "Alright, then."
"No holding back!" Fitz shouted from her table.
"Wasn't planning on it." Ryan told Fitz, not taking an eye off of Dillan. He grinned.
"Your move." Ryan told the gabite.
Dillan nodded. He focused on his arm-fin. It began to glow a dim blue and extended. Dillan rushed in towards Ryan. Ryan looked at Dillan with a grin. The gabite slashed at Ryan. The pachirisu jumped to the left and swished his tail through the air, sending yellow, glowing stars towards Dillan. The gabite put his fins in a cross to protect himself. The stars collided with his arms, sending a dull pain through his bones. Dillan grimaced. He felt his fin shrink back to normal as it lost its glow.
"Right here!" Ryan shouted from behind Dillan.
He's behind me? How'd he- Dillan's thoughts were cut off by Ryan leaping onto his back fin. The pachirisu's teeth bit down on Dillan's neck. He felt his energy start to leave him. Already?
Dillan gave a grimace of pain.
"What now?" Ryan asked with a mouth-full of scales.
"This!" Dillan shouted. He started shaking his body wildly in an attempt at removing the pachirisu. Ryan didn't seem to be biting very hard, because he flew off of Dillan after a few seconds. He began rolling on the ground for a second before bouncing onto his feet.
"Does that count?" Dillan asked.
"Did you attack me?" Ryan asked.
"Well, no." Dillan said.
Ryan smiled and said, "Do the math." He rushed in on Dillan.
The gabite had a second to react. He side-stepped out of Ryan's way. The pachirisu slammed his feet and turned sharply towards Dillan. He started glowing white as he rushed around the gabite. Dillan tried to keep track, but Ryan started gaining speed. He became a white and blue blur.
Dillan watched Ryan's movements. "Wait for it." he told himself quietly. Dillan watched Ryan slam his feet on the ground again to change his direction. There. Dillan focused on his fins again. They extended one more time. He watched the white blur get close to him in seconds as he slashed at it. He saw through the light that Ryan looked away as if expecting the impact. Dillan's fin collided with Ryan's head. The pachirisu flew a few inches before rolling once again on the ground. Ryan was about to go over the edge of the stage. That's it.
Dillan watched Ryan. The pachirisu was at the edge when he slammed his feet mid-roll onto the ground. He bounced up and landed on the ropes that created the barrier. They pulled back and sent him back onto the stage. He hit the ground and kicked off, launching himself towards Dillan.
The gabite had no time to comprehend what had happened. He only had time to widen his eyes as the pachirisu slammed into his chest. Dillan fell backwards onto the ground, air being forced from his lungs. He slammed into the wood, sending a dulling pain into his back accompanied by the sharp pain of his fin bending. Dillan gave a cry of pain. Ryan hopped off of Dillan's chest and landed at the edge of the stage.
"You alright?" Ryan asked, though he didn't look worried. In fact, he was smiling.
Dillan got up, trying to ignore the pain in his fin. "Is my fin bent?" Dillan asked.
Ryan looked at the gabite's back and said, "Nope."
"Then, yeah." Dillan said. "I'm fine."
"Cool!" Ryan said.
"Stop stalling!" Fitz shouted, though she seemed happy with how the fight was going so far.
"We're not 'stalling'." Ryan said in a mocking tone. He turned to Dillan and said. "Score stands at one to one."
I'm going to win this. Dillan planted his feet and focused on his pain. He used it to arouse the miniature fire that was dormant in his chest. It seemed to flare inside of him, rising up through his throat. Alright. Not too much fire. Just enough. Dillan opened his mouth and let a stream of fire fly towards Ryan. The pachirisu grinned as he rolled to the side. He rushed in on Dillan, bearing his teeth with a wide mouth. He was close to biting Dillan's left arm when the gabite cut the fire and swiped it at Ryan's head, sending him flying to the side. The pachirisu landed on his feet and jumped once again at Dillan. He swiped his tail in the air, sending five stars at Dillan. Dillan focused on his fins and swiped at the stars. He managed to block three of them, but the other two hit him square in the face.
Dillan stumbled backwards, trying to recover. He then felt an object collide with the side of his head, once again, sending him onto the ground. He felt the object leave his face once the right side of his head hit the floor. The gabite tried to see what had hit him, but the world seemed to be spinning.
"That makes two." Ryan said from next to Dillan's head.
"What?" Dillan asked as his vision started to stabilize.
"Two to one." Ryan said. "I'm winning."
Dillan tried to get up. He felt warn out. "A-Alright." Dillan stumbled. He got onto his feet and took a quick glance at Hazel and Fitz. He saw the hakamo-oh was leaning over the table, whispering to Hazel. The charmeleon looked at Dillan with knitted eyebrows as if she was concentrating.
"One more time?" Ryan asked. He had his paws up in a fighting stance.
"I'm out." Dillan said.
"You're done?" Ryan asked, dropping his stance.
"Yeah." Dillan said. "That last attack had my head spinning."
Dillan looked at Fitz as she pulled away from Hazel. She faced Dillan and Ryan and said, "Thanks for the entertainment. You're friend has the information you were looking for."
"Alright, you two." Hazel said. She waved her hand in the air, telling the two pokemon to come down from the stage.
Dillan walked towards the edge and stepped down. The moment he left the stage, clapping came from different tables around the room accompanied by a few whistles. Ryan looked around and saw the pokemon congratulating him. He took a bow and began smiling. He walked over to the edge of the stage as well and hopped down.
"Well," Ryan said. "That means I am the best fighter on our team."
"that remains to be seen." Hazel said.
"If that is all you three wanted," Fitz said as she stood up. "I'll be taking my leave."
"That's it?" Dillan asked. He turned to Hazel.
"She told me who bought the crystal." Hazel told Dillan.
Dillan watched as Trinity Fitz walked away from the table. She walked with her chest out proudly as she exited the room.
"Well, what did she tell you?" Ryan asked as he hopped onto the table to see Hazel at eye level. Dillan sat down in the chair next to Hazel's to listen.
"She told be that the lycanroc's name was 'Lily' and that she was from the lycanroc tribe in Fericia."
"So it was Lily." Dillan said.
"You knew?" Ryan asked.
"I had a feeling it was her." Dillan said. "I mean, she gave it to me. So that means it's probably with her in Fericia."
"Well, that's good." Ryan said. "At least you know where it is."
"Hey, you three!" a deep, male, and commanding voice said. Team Rapture looked towards the exit to "Bubba's Fine Dine" to see a pokemon walking towards them. Dillan did not like what he saw.
There was a bipedal pokemon staring at the group. He had stubby legs and stubby arms. He didn't have hands or feet. The tips of his legs and arms were red. He had ears that were as big as half of the pokemon. His head was circular with a small black nose. He had red cheeks with a "plus" sign in the middle of them. The pokemon looked at the group with its black eyes. It had a stubby tail with a red "plus" sign on the end.
If it was just the pokemon, Dillan didn't think he would have had a problem. The issue was with the crest the pokemon had strapped to his chest by black bands that slung around his shoulders. The crest was that of Team Armageddon.
The plusle looked at the group furiously. "Just what are you three doing here?"
"We're talking." Ryan said flatly. "And you're interrupting."
"You maggots have got to be kidding me!" the plusle yelled. "You were suppose to be at the guild waiting for the Armageddon meeting!"
"You're a Team Armageddon commander?" Hazel asked.
"What in Ganderosa do you think this crest is for?" the plusle asked sharply as he slammed a paw onto the symbol strapped to his chest. "How did an idiot for a maggot like you get into Team Armageddon? And another thing. How did an idiot for a maggot like you get chosen for this mission?"
Hazel looked at the plusle with discomfort. Dillan couldn't blame her. If he was an Armageddon commander, they were probably about to be tested on how well they could act like Armageddon members.
"Then why are you here?" Ryan asked with a raised eye brow.
"Don't sass me, maggot." the plusle said. "Who's squad are you with?"
"Sir?" Hazel asked.
"I asked you who's squad you were with." the plusle repeated. A vein began to bulge from his forehead. "Who's your commanding officer?"
Team Rapture sat in silence for a few seconds before Hazel said, "You, sir." The plusle moved five times faster than Ryan. In a second, the plusle had his paw planted in Hazel's stomach. Hazel doubled over and fell to the ground.
"Do you think I'm an idiot?" the plusle shouted at Hazel. "If you were on my squad, you wouldn't be here!"
I need to think of a name and fast. Dillan thought about it for a few seconds. His heart started thumping on his chest. Then, a name came to his head. "We're with Molan, sir." Dillan said quickly.
"Molan?" the plusle asked. "I always knew his tastes in good soldiers was lacking, but to hire you maggots?" the plusle rolled his eyes. "You three are coming with me." The plusle turned away from the group and waved for them to accompany him out of Bubba's.
"This isn't good." Ryan whispered to the group. Hazel stood, gasping for breath, on her feet.
"We can't go." Hazel whispered back. Her voice sounded strained from the plusle's attack. "We need to meet with Hank Peterson."
"Do we have a choice?" Dillan asked. "I mean, if we stay, he might find out we're not really..." Dillan didn't dare finish his sentence.
"I say we take him out." Ryan said. "Then, we meet Hank."
"Really?" Hazel asked in disbelief.
"What?" Ryan asked.
"Too many witnesses, for one." hazel told Ryan sharply. "Word would spread about a rebellious group in Team Armageddon and then we'd be sunk!"
"Dang it, maggots!" the plusle yelled at the door. "Unless you want to die, get your sorry tails over here!"
"Now that I think about it," Hazel told Ryan. "I'm with Dillan."
"Fine." Ryan agreed. "I guess we could always ditch him later and come back here."
"I like that plan." Dillan told the group.
"Then we're all in agreement." Hazel said. Team Rapture broke from their huddle and walked towards the plusle.
"You maggots done with your powwow?" the plusle asked.
"We're ready, sir." Dillan stated.
"Then, let's move out!" the plusle led the way out of the diner. Dillan couldn't say he wasn't worried. In fact, he was terrified. He couldn't help but think about what would happen if they were to get caught. Would they die? Would they be tortured? He didn't know. As he walked with his team, he could only hope that things would turn out for the better.
(Author's notes)
Hey guys! I'm back! I just wanted to thank everyone who's favorited/followed/viewed the story! It means a lot to me that you guys are here enjoying what I'm writing.
Shout-out to msimang475 and Idfiction! This and the reviews, and even the views on the story help me to know that it's something that you guys like to read.
I wanted to say sorry to everyone for my rant I had before I took a break. I realized it had the potential to come off as me blaming you guys for myself not being happy with my writing and I just wanted to say that's not true. You guys are the reason I took the break; not because I wasn't getting the amount of feedback I wanted, but because I wanted to improve for you guys. Again, I'm sorry if it came off as me blaming you guys, that was not my intention whatsoever.
So, I wanted to tell you all of you that I'm at a point where I feel as though I've been able to seriously grow in my work as a writer (even if it isn't much, I have grown) as well as take a step back and think about where I've wanted to take the story (Had it all planned out, just needed to think about my execution). So, I wanted to thank you all for bearing with me for the month I've been gone. I will be posting a chapter to my regular schedule from now on (once every two weeks) starting May 4th.
If you have an issue with my "new" writing style, feel free to point it out! My reason for the break was to improve for you guys and if it somehow made a new mistake arise, I want to hear about it.
Anyways, thanks again for reading! Hope you guys enjoyed the chapter! Have a great day! I'll see you guys in a few weeks!