PMD: Fateful Saviors

Chapter 17: Homecoming

The trek back to Pokemon Square was long and arduous, but now that we were all together, it went without a hitch. No legendary Pokemon bothered us and not even the strongest Pokemon posed a threat to Team Lazulian united. We feared bounty hunters still going after our heads, but a quick stop at a local village remedied that.

"Team A.C.T told us the news! I'm so glad you're innocent," A Nidorina grinned. Howard recognized her as the Pokemon who sold him supplies a few days ago, "I believed in your team from the start, you know"

"Huh… so Team A.C.T's going around spreading the news of Ninetales's word. That saves us the effort at least," Erdalla sighed contently, "Hopefully we won't be ambushed out of nowhere when we make it back to Pokemon Square"

"Yeah… hopefully," I frowned, still not at ease even with the criminal mantle lifted off my shoulders. The fact that Groudon and by extension, Kyogre were awakening didn't put me in the best of moods. I doubted even Team A.C.T could handle a Pokemon that shaped the world. Sooner or later, disasters would erupt again and I would likely take the blame for it. Erdalla noticed my discomfort, lifting my head slightly.

"Chin up, Alfrin. I know you're worried about Team A.C.T and the Groudon situation, but they're a strong trio. Stronger than all of us probably," The Pikachu reassured, "And we've taken down legendaries ourselves. Let's trust that A.C.T can handle the situation, alright?"

"We're all pooped from our journey back home anyways. We wouldn't have the power to assist," Salazar added, "So don't worry about it, yeah?"

"Fine," I submitted, although a strange tingling in my stomach told me otherwise. Something was going to happen and we were going to need to go on the move again soon. How soon wasn't clear though.

"Seems like we're on the plain separating Lapis Cave from Mt Thunder," Howard said, checking a map, "We should be back in Pokemon Square by dawn"

I glanced up at the night sky. Thousands of stars lit the cloudless darkness in a shining blaze and the moon shone overhead with it's ethereal light. Frankly, with the state of the world as it is, the night sky seemed oblivious to it. The scene around us was as peaceful as it could be.

"How is everyone doing right now?" Erdalla turned around, addressing the entire team, "We could stop and rest off the night or we can continue going"

"Even with a group our size, it's unwise to travel so late into the night. I say we camp and continue on in the morning," Erina suggested, "We won't be missing much arriving home a day later anyways"

"Anyone else in agreement?"

More than half of our group raised whatever limb they had. Only Zeplin and Fiona denied.

"Alright, it's settled. We'll camp out for the night and resume our journey home tomorrow," Erdalla nodded, secretly glad for the time to rest, "Salazar, Fiona and Zeplin, I'm assigning you three to go hunt for dinner. The rest of us will set up base"

"Understood!"

A few hours later, after we finished dinner and everyone was down and asleep, me and Erdalla laid together in bed, not at all subtle about our relationship. We tried flirting with one another earlier, but we both were terrible at it.

"When you arrived at the peak of Mt Freeze to save me and the others, you never looked any more beautifu-" I groaned, cringing at my own words, "You know what? Let's stop. This isn't working"

"And it's clear our relationship isn't built on sweet words," Erdalla agreed, relieved that the session stopped. She was groaning both internally and externally from her and my attempts, "I already know you are grateful for me saving you there"

"Yeah. I don't think I need to express it more than I do," I smiled, "Seriously though, when I saw you flash that radiant smile at me, I didn't think I would be more stunned. You showed up like a guardian angel there"

"Stop it," Erdalla demanded, blush marking her face, "Me and the others were trying to catch up with Team A.C.T as fast as we could. I was marred with scraps, dirt and exhaustion there. Nothing eye catching, if that's what you're looking for"

"It was still a sight for sore eyes. After all, I was…" The pain of losing Erdalla crept back onto me and a tear dropped from my eye. Erdalla gently wiped it off. I realized I never cried at all over Erdalla until now. I bottled up all the pain and resentment, taking it out on Zeplin and the wild Pokemon, "... I was destroyed for a brief spout. Now I understand how you feel"

"Like when you died atop Mt Blaze to Moltres?"

"Yes"

"Alfrin, you have to realize that in our occupation, things like that can happen," The Pikachu said, half scolding and half soothing, "You can't save everyone and fate can turn against you at any moment. All you can do it brave through it and continue moving"

"I figured you'd say that, but still," I embraced Erdalla tightly, "You are my anchor in this world, the person who gave me a home when I first arrived. I can't simply walk away, especially if it concerns you"

"Now who's getting sappy?" Erdalla joked before planting a kiss on my forehead, "I jest. I appreciate your attitude and care for me and all the others. I just wanted to tell you that to lighten the stress. Things like that will happen and you can't let it get to your head so easily"

"I know, Erdalla. I know. Howard said as much"

We sat in silence for a while after that, simply taking joy in each other's presence. I stared into Erdalla's eyes and she stared into mine. All I saw was pure, unadulated adoration and love. It was something not spoken in words, but crafted by months of experience together. The strongest of friendship was built on the field of battle and now it has blossomed into something more.

"... I want something from you, Alfrin"

"What is it?"

The Pikachu leaned forward, whispering something into my ear. When she drew back, I blushed madly, taking in the sudden request. I didn't expect something so brazen from her.

"If you don't want to do it, you're free to refuse. I won't think any worse of you for it," Erdalla said meekly, "And I hope you do the same"

"N-no! I could never think poorly of you, Erdalla. It's just…" I swallowed, "Are you sure you want to do this?"

"Yes. It's why I asked," Erdalla said with more force, "Now come here"

What transpired next made the night unforgettable.

The next day, our group hit the road once again. We were getting close to Pokemon Square and more and more familiar views opened up to us. It felt strange seeing them after so many days of being on the run, but a sense of home settled into me quickly. This was my home region and nothing was going to change that.

"What are all those Pelipper doing?" Fiona asked, breaking me out of my thoughts. I gazed up to the sky and saw swaths of Pelipper flying around, dropping newspapers out of their bills. Erdalla snatched one out of the air and read it.

"It's just a newsletter detailing our innocence and Team A.C.T going off to fight Groudon," The Pikachu stuffed the newspaper into her toolbox, "Nothing that we haven't heard of"

"Hold on. There's something else here," Howard shook his head, reading his own copy, ''"Gengar and Team Meanies facing accusations of falsely blaming Team Lazulian for the disasters. The trio continue to fend off the populace, stating that the word of Team A.C.T isn't enough proof""

"Team Meanies is still residing in Pokemon Square?! Gengar too?" Erdalla suddenly perked up, eyes ahead in the direction of the square, "That ghost can travel remarkably fast. Last time I saw him, he was tracking me in the Frosty Forest"

"What?! You saw Gengar there?"

"I'll tell you later," Erdalla promised me, "But regardless, let's hurry! We have to stop Gengar from whipping the populace against us again!"

With that, we took off at high speed, blitzing past the Silent Chasm and Sinister Woods. Erdalla in particular seemed to be in an urgent mood, as she augmented her speed with electricity to rush by even faster. Salazar had to shell out a Quick Orb for all of us to even catch up.

"Come on everyone! I see them!" Erdalla skid to a stop at Pokemon Square's entrance, her feet kicking up dust and static. When we arrived, I saw a large gathering of Pokemon around the town square. Gengar, Medicham and Ekans were at the top, arguing vehemently against the townsfolk. We didn't have a moment to lose.

"I've told you blockheads ten times already! Wherever Alfrin goes is where disaster strikes. He cannot remain alive!" Gengar roared in protest, "The forest fire nearby Lapis Cave, the blizzard striking Frosty Forest and now the earthquake rocking Magma Cavern. All of it was because of him!"

"Sure. As if we'd trust you after what Team A.C.T told us," A Lombre replied dryly, "Alfrin never went to Magma Cavern. So why would an earthquake start there, hm?"

"Yeah! Team A.C.T would never lie to us! I believe what Ninetales said to be true!" Caterpie cried, "Team Lazulian is innocent. You're just a bunch of meanies!"

"Meanies?! Why, you sully the good name of Team… Meanies…" Gengar, realizing his mistake, grumbled under his breath, "Why did I pick that name again…?"

"Gengar! Stop right there!" Erdalla marched onto the scene, with the rest of us behind her. Everyone in the square gasped in shock at our return. Medicham and Ekans especially looked frightened, given that we came back with practically a full team's worth of companions.

"Eh? Stop what exactly?" Gengar marched up to meet Erdalla face to face, "And you've got a lot of nerve coming back here after all you've-"

Suddenly, Erdalla struck Gengar in the face with Thunder Punch, making the ghost stagger back in pain.

"Everyone, lend me your ears!" Erdalla declared in her most commanding voice yet, "Gengar and Team Meanies have deceived you! Alfrin is not the cursed human from the legend and thus, not responsible for the disasters. We spoke to the legendary Ninetales ourselves and it has confirmed it!"

"S-so what then?! What's your proof?" Gengar growled defiantly, still massaging his face, "Did you really think crossing the entire continent and back would make you innoc-"

"Gengar, shut up," I told the specter decisively, stepping forward. Facing the crowd of Pokemon in front of me, I saw mixed expressions. Some were fearful and some were doubtful. But a few were hopeful and I focused on that, "We don't have any proof, but Team A.C.T themselves witnessed it and have already told you the news. We all admire Team A.C.T, so we wouldn't believe they would lie to us, right?"

"YEAH!"

"As we speak, Team A.C.T is moving to defeat Groudon and quell the latest disaster. This was a mission given by Ninetales itself!" Erdalla continued, "So I ask this from all of you: we don't have proof that Alfrin isn't the cursed human, but does your trust and belief in us and Team A.C.T tell you otherwise?"

"Ridiculous! Trust and belief is nothing in the face of hard evidence!" Gengar roared, desperate, "Disasters will continue to ravage the planet and nothing will be done to stop them unless Alfrin is killed!"

"Well, too bad for you because I believe them!" Shiftry stepped up, defiant, "If Alfrin was truly who you say he was, fate would have done him in already. They saved me once, so I'll stand by them today!"

"Me too! Team Lazulian saved me from a disaster and I can't go against them now!" Caterpie piped up.

"Me too!" His Metapod friend piped up and a chorus of other Pokemon joined along, pushing Gengar and his gang into a corner.

"WE STAND WITH TEAM LAZULIAN!" They all shouted in unison.

"Gah! You fools are avoiding the problem! The disasters are still destroying the world!" Gengar cried angrily, "All we were trying to do was-"

"Silence. We have nothing to speak to you anymore," Lombre growled, "You rotten pieces of Pokemon garbage stain the streets of Pokemon Square. Get out of here and never come back!"

"YEAH! LEAVE!" Everyone else chanted and Gengar snarled with contempt while Medicham and Ekans squirmed in fear.

"... Fine. All of you go rot in a ditch," Gengar spat before grasping his two teammates, teleporting away in a flash of purple light. With the three of them gone, the Pokemon Square residents turned back to us. Lombre stepped up to us, extending his hand.

"Welcome back to Pokemon Square, Alfrin and Erdalla. On behalf of the square, we're sorry for chasing you out," Lombre apologized, "I think I can speak for everyone in that we were desperate on that fateful day. We had nothing to source the disasters on until Gengar arrived"

"I understand. I'm just glad it's all sorted out now," I smiled wanly as I grasped Lombre's hand and shook it, "What matters now is finding the true source of the disasters. Ninetales cleared my name, but we still know nothing beyond that"

"We as a society will devote all our energy to finding the truth. It's what we owe your team after dragging you through such an ordeal," Lombre promised, "For now, get some rest. I'm sure you're all exhausted"

"We burned their house down though. Where can they all live?" Snubbull asked, wincing at the memory.

"We have camping supplies. We can use those until we restore our base," Erdalla assured, tapping her toolbox, "That said, where can we find a builder around here? I don't recall one living her in the square"

"I heard a rumor that a rogue trio of Mankey are living out in Uproar Forest," Shiftry offered, "Apparently they're scions to a once-renowned steelworker. Try seeking them out"

"A "rogue" trio of Mankey?"

"Yeah… about that. Lately these Mankey have been harassing explorers and rescue teams prowling around the region," Lombre bit his lip, "They're nimble, so nobody are able to catch them"

"I wouldn't trust them with a bag of Poke, much less our home base," Salazar cautioned, "Let's try finding someone else"

"I get what you mean, but them being the sons of an esteemed steelworker intrigues me. They might be able to put some furnishings on the base I wasn't able to," Erdalla stroked her chin thoughtfully, "I say we give them a shot at least. Maybe we can convince them to help us"

"When you say harass, do they steal stuff too?" I asked Lombre and Shiftry as the rest of the townsfolk dispersed, "If so, what do they usually take?"

"... Nuts. The Mankey trio love chestnuts," Shiftry recalled, "Try gathering some of those and you can either bribe or lure the Mankeys out"

"Chestnuts… you don't find a whole lot of those easily," Erdalla frowned, "Guess we'll have to scour Sinister Woods and Tiny Woods for that"

"BZZT! IF THE MANKEYS LIKE CHESTNUTS SO MUCH, I BET THEY'RE HOARDING SOME IN THEIR HOME FOREST. BZZT!" Zeplin piped up, "SEARCHING AROUND UPROAR FOREST FOR THEM WOULD BE A GOOD IDEA. BZZT!"

"We'll go after them soon. First, let's set up our base again," Erdalla turned to our team, "We have a lot of things to do to get settled back in the square"

We spent the rest of the day setting up our camp, along with organizing the items and money we picked up on our journey in exile. While the quest was arduous, I couldn't lie in that it gave us a great bounty in experience, money and loot. We had a dozen new TMs now, food items, utility orbs, seeds and numerous other treasures that would make a dungeon explorer drool.

"This one would suit you well," Erdalla handed me a light blue TM case. The word Ice Beam was coded over it, "Given that you control water already, freezing it into a beam shouldn't be too tough. Give it a try"

I accepted the Ice Beam TM, opening the case gently. I still didn't understand how they worked and I doubt I would ever in my lifetime. Grasping the disc in my hand, I stared into it until a spark of light blue light danced off it and vanished onto my body. In an instant, I knew how to execute Ice Beam like Fiona did.

"Good. Looks like it went off successfully," Erdalla took the now-dull TM out of my hands, "That should give you some more coverage on the battlefield"

I frowned, examining myself carefully. Naturally, I had a number of Water and Ground type moves, but now I have access to Rock and Ice ones. It felt a little too much for a little Mudkip like me.

"Water types generally have well-rounded coverage with their moves. You're one of the lucky ones, thanks to your second type," Erdalla told me, "I would be proud of that. Most of the team can't boast that strength aside from Howard"

"Still, it feels ridiculous that a Mudkip can do so much," I smiled lightly.

"Never judge a Pokemon by its size. We're truly miraculous creatures," Erdalla replied sagely, "Anyways, that completes inventory management. Let's get back to camp and see what's cooking for dinner"

"Right behind you!"

That night, I awoke in the kaleidoscope dream-like area again, where I always met Gardevoir. I stood, waiting and patient until the beautiful Pokemon appeared before me again.

"Gardevoir. We met again," I greeted her, "Thank you so much for guiding us up Mt Freeze. I doubt we would of made the journey without you"

"Oh, don't act like it was entirely me. You had the power to make the climb. You just needed a bit of a push forward," Gardevoir laughed, "So Alfrin, what would you like to talk about?"

"... Excuse me?"

"What would you like to talk about? Chat with me for a while," Gardevoir repeated casually, "We don't get time to talk very often, you know"

"Yes and that's why every time you contact me in a dream, you do so with purpose," I stated, "What are you here for, Gardevoir? Do you need to warn me of something?"

"Not at all. At the moment, you can relax," Gardevoir said serenely, "I came just to chat. See if you were curious about anything"

"Well in that case…" I frowned, "Why do you appear in my dreams?"

"I became an agent of spirits after being cursed by Ninetales. It is my duty to watch over you," Gardevoir replied, "In fact, I might of been the one who put you here in the first place"

"... What?"

"But pay that remark no mind, Alfrin. You still have a role to play here in this world," Gardevoir brushed it off easily. I groaned, feeling a bit irritated. I didn't like being played like a pawn, "In any case, I obtained this formless form thanks to my trainer, who initiated Ninetales's curse in the first place"

"Your trainer? Like the human in the legend?" I inquired.

"Indeed. Oh how terrible a person they were," Despite that, Gardevoir smiled fondly, "Mean, conniving, prideful and a daredevil. In simple terms, they weren't a good soul. Truly"

"Why do you smile then?"

"Because I don't hate them. They may have been a terrible soul, but I never harbored hatred," Gardevoir answered, "I can't understand this feeling myself, but perhaps there is one reason"

"What is that?"

"In this world, there is no one truly good or truly evil. Everyone exists in a shade of grey morality," Gardevoir explained sagely, "My trainer was the same. Beneath all of their bad were good qualities. They were determined to a fault, they were brave and dared to do what others were too scared for. I admire qualities like that"

"And those manifested into the urge to protect them when the time came?"

"Yes. I protected my trainer with my entire being when Ninetales's curse was invoked," Gardevoir nodded, "As Gardevoirs, we have the urge to protect our masters when they are in danger. It's simply our role as Pokemon"

"Our role…" I repeated and Gardevoir smiled.

"Yes. All beings in this world have a role. They all serve a purpose, one way or another," Gardevoir said, "Just as my role is to watch and guide you, you have your certain role too. It's why you became a Pokemon after all"

"Tell me then. Why did I become a Pokemon? What is my role here in this world?" I demanded, "I didn't get whisked away from my human life simply to aid Erdalla, right?"

"No, no. It's much more grand than that," Gardevoir laughed, "You're soon coming to the crux of that role. You'll know soon enough"

"Don't leave me in the dark like that! Give me a straight answer at least!" I cried, but suddenly, the dream landscape shook like an earthquake was rocking the world around us. With that, Gardevoir's form flickered and disappeared, "Gardevoir!"

When the shaking stopped, I woke up in cold sweat on my bed. Erdalla was still blissfully sleeping beside me. It was a miracle she wasn't affected by the quake because I knew it happened in real life. Zeplin buzzing in a panic nearby was an indication of that.

"Oh calm down, you! It was just a minor shock!" I heard Natalie scold as she wrangled Zeplin down, "Relax!"

While the two of them struggled, I sank back down onto my bed, trying to remember my conversation with Gardevoir. I came to this world as a Pokemon to fulfill a certain role and that role was soon coming to its climax. Yet still, I had no idea what that role was. Gardevoir said it was more grand than simply aiding Erdalla, but what was it? Save the world from the disasters?

"Focus on the present, Alfrin. Soon you'll have all your answers," I told myself as I closed my eyes once again, "Quake overnight… Groudon rising… and…"

Before I knew it, I was down and asleep again, consumed by the blissful darkness of slumber.

Our team:

- Alfrin, Mudkip - Disaster Survivor

Level 34

Moves: Water Pulse, Ancient Power, Mud Shot and Ice Beam

- Erdalla, Pikachu - Inspiring Leader

Level 35

Moves: Thunder Punch, Thunderbolt, Quick Attack and Thunder Wave

Short chapter this time around, seeing as no major battles or dungeons were taking place and it's just showing Team Lazulian returning home to Pokemon Square. Coming up next is Uproar Forest, where the team works to see their home base restored from the ashes. If you want to be notified of when a new chapter comes out, favorite and follow. If you want to give constructive criticism, leave a review. Until next time!