Arc One: Mystery
Chapter Seven: Saved By The Bell
Oh boy, my head hurts really bad.
I slowly open my eyes. Man, why do I feel like I got hit by a bus...
Wait a minute, the last time I felt like that was...
Oh no, I didn't forget everything again, did I?! I can't. Things were going so well. Lucas and I just got out of the horrible maze that Pokemon here call a forest, and-
...
...
YES, I DIDN'T FORGET ANYTHING! What a relief. I don't want to lose another life.
...now what?
I go to scratch my head to try to think what I should do now when my hand doesn't move. I look down and see a brown blur around me.
A while later my eyes finally focus enough so that I can decipher what the brown blur is: Rope.
Oh yeah, the thing that happened AFTER we got out of that forest. There was a small orb that was tossed in the air, and when it crashed into the ground, a white light erupted from it, and then someone cheap shotted me from behind.
Whoever this guy is, he must have some unfinished business with us if he want through all that trouble to catch us, and take us to where ever this place is. It just looks like an average cave to me.
Wait a second...us...LUCAS! I look at my surroundings. Well, thanks to the rope, I can't get up and walk around. And if we're at this Pokemon's hideout, screaming Lucas's name will probably not be good idea.
Suddenly, I feel the ropes move. Not by much, but enough that I can tell that someone moved them. I try to move my head to look behind me. From what I can see and feel, I'm tied up against a large boulder.
The ropes move again, and this time so does some noise.
"Huh...wha...where...am I?" I hear someone say in a weak tone. Well it's Lucas, but, unfortunately, I think he's tied up on the other side of the boulder.
"My head...agh...I can't move...I CAN'T MOVE!"
I panic and shush Lucas. "Quiet Lucas, we have to be quiet."
He yelps for a second, but then says, "Red...is that you? Wha-what happened?"
I sigh. "I think someone kidnapped us and brought us to his home. Now, if we're quiet, we could try to-"
"Who do you think I am? Some sort of comic book villain?" A voice calls out.
I turn my head to the side to try and see where the voice came from when I feel something crash into my throat. That pain, however, feels familiar. As if I-oh no.
I look ahead of me and see the same scared-Zoroark from before. Great, just great.
"Nice to see that you two awake. Enjoying your stay?" He says smiling. I go to insult the Zoroark when my throat goes on fire. Right, Throat Chop. I scream inside my head.
"Speechless, huh. Figure." The Zoroark then laughing. Lucas then speaks up. "Why are you here? How did you find-GAHHH!" The Zoroark's Throat Chop gets to him before he can finish.
"Shut up, you stupid Riolu." The Zoroark says as he a step back. "You two made me look like a fool back at that woods. Thankfully, no one was there to see it besides you two, that bleached fox, and that pink marshmallow."
The Zoroark then stops. "Hmm, I haven't even told you who I am. How rude of me." He then raises his dark claws in the air and bows. "My name is Scar, and I'm the most wanted crinimal on this island. You two did something that no one had ever done with me. You...got in my way."
I am very confused. Where is he taking this converstion? "Most Pokemon would try to kill you two if you did something like that to them. However, I've been a criminal for years now, so I know how to play my cards. Instead of using the Vulpix as bait, I'll use you two to get my wish, or at least one of you."
"Bait? Bait for what?" I think to myself, as speaking the words would destroy my throat.
"I can see the looks on your faces. You're both wondering what I want, correct?" Scar says right in front of my pain-stricken face, with his sharp right hand grazing my throat, as if threatening to kill me. "That's for me to know, and you to find out too late."
I struggle to stay calm. The look in his eye is completely empty, aside from the pure darkness and madness that's staring straight into my soul. I can feel the ropes move. Lucas must be sensing Scar and my aura and is getting a heart attack at the same time. "I only really need one of you alive, and I'd also would like to put you in your place. It would be no fun to kill you if you weren't cowering in fear."
His claw inches closer to me. "Show me that raw power you had yesterday and fight me if you want to leave. The only way I'll truly be satisfied is if I beat you at your best." The Illusion Fox Pokemon softly whispers into my ear.
Wait? He wants to fight me? That...can't be right, can it? I don't even know how I even did it, let alone what it even is?!
I then start to feel Scar's claw poking my neck. "What? You scared you'd lose to me. That's ok, I can always end you right now if you like."
The ropes are really moving now. Come on me, where is that same burning energy I had back there. "What will it be Raboot? Are you going to die fighting, or die weak?" Scar says, with the claws pinching even harder, causing me to choke.
Scar then gets angry. "MAKE YOUR PICK NOW YOU STUPID BUNNY!"
"NOW!" A new voice calls out from the dark edge of the cave.
Immediately I see a huge beam of electricity hit Scar square in the chest. It's so wide, however, that I get shocked by some of the bolts. The Zoroark was caught completely off-guard as he rolls on the ground and slams his back against the hard wall.
"GAHHH! WHO THE HECK WAS THAT?" Scar says as he slowly gets back up.
Then a Gardevoir appears out of thin air, wearing a necklace with a tiny white and pink badge on it.
Wait a minute, that's Daisy. And if she's here then-
I feel the ropes give out and drop to the ground. I turn my focus over to my other side and see Crush's giant ponytail mouth with some of the torn rope that was around us. I also see, out of the corner of my eye, Zack charging up for another attack.
"YOUR WORST NIGHTMARE, ZAP CANNON!" He yells as he unleashes his attack. Zap Cannon, a very powerful electric attack that is very difficult to control, and it shows as the Zap Cannon almost hits Daisy before she pulls up a Light Screen to block most of the attack.
"Zack, please be careful!" She says a little mad.
"Sorry." The Ampharos says.
"How the- HOW IN THE WORLD DID YOU FIND ME?!" Scar screams at the Embrace Pokemon.
"Please, we've been after you for years. We know your tricks." She responds.
The Zoroark chuckles. "Not all of them." And fires a Shadow Ball at her. She blinks out of existence only to reappear a second later.
"Zack." She starts. "I want you to stick with Thunderbolt instead, got it?"
"Yes Ma'am." The Light Pokemon says.
"And guard the doorway, we can't let him escape!"
"Sure thing! THUNDERBOLT!"
The Garevoir then chases Scar through the cave, careful not to get hit by his attacks or Zack's Thunderbolts. As the three fight each other, a voice calls out to me.
"Eat this."
I turn and see that it's Crush, holding a couple of Oran Berries in front of me. She has a big smile on her face and is wearing two purple bandanas, one around her neck, and the other around her second mouth, which is also smiling.
As I begin to take a bite out of the berry, I noticed that Lucas is eating some Oran berries too. My, how the tables have turned.
"You two should stay here until you heal up. When you do, make sure Scar doesn't escape out of the cave." Crush says as she charges up a Solar Beam.
"Thanks for rescuing us, Crush." Lucas says to the Mawile as a bright white light starts to form around him, signaling that the berries are working.
"No problem. That's what rescue teams do. Now if you excuse me, I have a Zoroark I need to hit." She says as she fires a fully charged Solar Beam at the Pokemon. The Zoroark, however, dodges the Solar Beam effortlessly.
He then lands on the ground, with a crooked smile. "Give up, Scar." Daisy exclaims. "This is the end of the line. Five against one. You're paying for your crimes."
"You say that every time you fight me." Scar replies to the Gardevoir, dodging a Thunderbolt at the same time. "And every time, like the sly fox I am, I always find a way out. SHADOW CLONES!"
Suddenly, a multitude of Zoroarks appear, covering the entire battle field, and all of them laughing. Well, that's not good.
"NOT THIS TIME! ZACK, USE DISCHARGE!" Daisy yells.
"ROGER, EVERYONE TAKE COVER!" He yells as he readies his attack.
I hit the dirt, with a large wave of electric following soon after. I carefully look up and see all the Zoroarks turn into nothing. Soon, Lucas, Crush, Zack, Daisy, and I are the only ones in the room.
"How did he-NOOOO!" Daisy angrily says. "I'm not giving up that easily. Zack, take those two home, Crush and I will try to find Scar. Come on." The Gardevoir and Mawile soon rush out of the cave, trying to catch up to the Zoroark.
"Aww, he's gone. I wanted to fight him too." Lucas says in a very disappointed tone. Wait, he looks and sounds perfectly normal, and now that I think of it, I feel great as well. Man, those Oran Berries work very fast and taste very good.
The Ampharos smiles. "Don't worry, young Riolu. One day you'll become a strong Lucario, and when that day comes, you'll be able to combat all the evils in this world using the power of aura." He then strikes a heroic pose, one flipper on his side, and the other one pointing into the air.
Lucas and I just stare at him. "You do remember we fought and WON against him yesterday at Apple Woods, right?" I ask the towering Pokemon. Zack falls on his back, causing a mini earthquake. "My mistake. I should have remembered. I'm not called "The Remembering Wander" for a reason."
"But I thought your name was Zack." Lucas asks all puzzled.
"Yes, most people know me by that name, but to others, I'm known as-" He then resumes his pose and yells, "THE DASHING WANDER! I think it has a nice ring to it, don't you agree?"
I stare straight at the Ampharos. Really? Dashing Wander. What kind of nickname is that?
"Does everyone have nicknames at the Guild?" Says Lucas.
"Well, if I'm being honest, I'm the only one who comes up with nicknames, and I'm the actually only one who ever uses them." Zack says. "Nevertheless, I enjoy coming up with them, even if no one uses them. Now then, let's grab your bag, and get the heck out of here."
You know, teleportation is pretty fun.
After looking around for a bit, we found our bag besides some rocks. The strangest thing was everything was accounted for. I guess Scar didn't want anything besides that thing he wants from Wigglytuff. Zack then grabbed his badge and used it to take us out of the cave. I'm so relieved that we're finally back at the Guild. I see that the sun has just disappear and see the moon rising in the sky. Man, we were there for a long time.
"It's so good to be back. I never knew how great this place was until today." I say as we all go to climb down the ladder in order to get into the Guild.
"I know that you get captured and all, but the trip through Green Forest had to be very relaxing. It was a nice day, after all." Zack says.
Both Lucas and I stop in our tracks. I wonder if he'd believe us if we tell him what happened. But before I have the chance to, I find myself looking straight into a Chatot's eyes.
"There you two are. The Guildmaster would like to see you two right away." Ray says while flying in the air.
"Ok, Ray. We'll be right down." Lucas responds. Ray then zooms to the ground and makes his way to the Guildmaster's headquarters. We then get off of the ladder and go to climb down the next one.
"See you guys later. Hope the Guildmaster has nothing but kind and thoughtful words to say to the both of you." Zack says, waving to us.
"See you later." Lucas answers back and follows me down the ladder. My mind is racing as I reach the bottom. The only reason the Guildmaster would want to see us is to tell us how we did on our test. I look over at Lucas and see that with his worried expression, he has come to the same conclusion. He soon stops in his tracks and starts shaking.
"Hey, don't worry about it." I tell Lucas. "Team Forever knew that we were in trouble, so maybe Wigglytuff will let us retake the test tomorrow." Lucas looks at me, and then looks back to the ground.
That didn't work too well.
I sigh. "Even if we can't take the test again, it won't be the end of the world."
Lucas then bursts at me. "Red, we need this more than you think. If we don't get in, how in the world are we going to get around. I'm not some sort of flying-type or a rich Pokemon."
I caught off-gurad by Lucas' tone. "Hey, i-it can't be that hard. Come on, you had a home before we came here, right? Besides, we can find some other job to get some money."
Lucas looks at me for a while, and then sourly says, "Let's just go in."
I'm shocked by this. I've never seen him like this. Then again, I did meet just him yesterday, and this is his dream job, so maybe I have a lot to learn about him. Whatever, let's see what Wigglytuff has for us.
We walk in and see Wigglytuff, who's juggling an apple, standing behind her desk with Ray off to the side writing on his board and Eve peacefully sleeping on a nest in the back.
"Welcome friends, I trust that Team Forever managed to save you without a problem." The Balloon Pokemon exclaims with joy.
"Yeah, it was...smooth. I'm just happy we're back here." Lucas says.
"Maybe you two should think twice before you go after Scar. I knew you two were adventurous, but I didn't think you were THAT adventurous. Typical kids." Ray says.
I'm caught off guard by his comment and say, "What do you mean by that?"
"Don't act like you don't know. You know what I'm referring to."
Well, it's kind of hard to act like you do know something if you don't remember that certain something.
"Ray, please, let me do this." The Guildmaster says as she puts her apple down on her desk.
The bird pauses, but then says, "As you wish, Guildmaster." and then moves further into the corner as the Wigglytuff walks towards us.
She takes a deep breath. "As I'm sure you both know as well as I do that Dark, Ghost, and Poison-types are very hostile, unpredictable, and evil Pokemon that live in areas that are cut off from Pokemon like us. The area to the left of Green Forest, Shifting Caves, is filled with those types of Pokemon. That's why I told you to stay on the trail that would lead you to Flower Hills."
I panic. Now the dots have connected. "Are you saying that you think we were going after Scar? We didn't know he lived there!"
"Slow down. I never said you were going after Scar, but you both did exit the forest where I said not to go."
"Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait! You got it all wrong. We had no idea that we went to Shifting Caves. That was an accident!" I shake my head. "We were going through the forest when everything started going crazy!"
This makes the Guildmaster raise her eyebrow. "Forest going crazy? In what way?"
"Please Guildmaster, they're just coming up with excuses for their failed attempt." The Chatot tells the Guildmaster. I growl at the Chatot. He sure isn't being too kind to Pokemon who were just being tortured by a very well known criminal.
"We are not lieing! We have proof. You gave us a compass that didn't work, and the badges were dead, too."
The Chatot then breaks down into laughter. "You're serious?! The Guildmaster's compass is one of the most well made in the world. Now this I have to see. Why don't you show us then?"
I smile. "Well, don't mind if I do. Lucas, can you grab the compass out of the bag?" Lucas looks at me and then reaches into the bag to pull out the compass. He then shows the compass to Ray and Wigglytuff. "As you can see, it was working fine, but after a while, it started to spin out of control, like it is now."
The Wigglytuff gets a worried face. "Well, at least it's working now."
I turn white. "Wait, WHAT?" I run over to look at the compass and see that it isn't spinning. Lucas also looks at the compass and starts to move it around. The arrow is following where ever Lucas is moving it.
It's working?! We could have used that earlier.
"I know you both wanted to get into the Guild, and trust me, I wanted you two in as well. But it seems like-"
"Wait, you gave us dead badges too!" I interrupt.
Ray shakes his head. "That only means that you two were going to use them to quit. Besides, they're glowing, so of course they work."
Do I dare look down...dang it, he's right!
Lucas then gets on his knees and starts to plead. "Please, the forest was against us! We were walking around in circles, the whole layout was changing, Pokemon were attacking us, and the stairs, DON'T GET ME STARTED ON THE STAIRS! That was so weird."
Wigglytuff and Ray then look at each other. Ray then laughs even harder, and Wigglytuff does her best to make it not look like she's laughing. I know I wanted to tell everyone what had happened, but to be fair, I did expect this.
"Forgive me for my laughter, but that story is hilarious. You're really using every trick in the book, aren't you?" Ray says.
"BUT IT'S TRUE!" Lucas screams. "We were doing so well until the mist, circles, Pokemon, and the stairs, man, I TOLD YOU ABOUT THE STAIRS!"
"Please be quiet, you two, Eve is trying to sleep." Wigglytuff says, pointing to the Vulpix, who is starting to move.
"Sorry." I say quietly. "But that's just the truth. We can show you wha-"
"Show us?!" Ray confusingly says. "What can you show us? All your evidence so far has just been a bunch of stories. What makes you think that we'll go all the way into the forest with you?"
I look to the Guildmaster, who is saying nothing. She's thinking about what to say.
She then finally says, "I'm sorry, but that story is...how should I put it...unbelievable."
Great, so no one believes us. She pats us on our backs.
"Cheer up. Just because you failed once doesn't mean you can't try again. Sure you'll have to wait a while, and will have to pay for it, but I'll let you sleep here tonight before you head on your way. You can even keep the bandanas if you-"
"GAHH!" A scream interrupts us. I look over and see that the Alolan Vulpix has woken up. Poor thing, it looks like she had a nightmare.
"Sorry if we woke you up, sweetie. Did you have a nice nap?"
"...I...huhhh..." The little Fox Pokemon starts. "What's going on?"
"Red and Lucas just got back from their test, which they failed unforunately." Her mother replies.
Eve's ears dip. "...they did?"
"Yes, why? Did something happen?" Wigglytuff asks.
Eve stares at her mother. Now I want to know what is going on.
The White Vulpix then says, "Can I talk to you for a moment?"
Wiggytuff nods and says, "Oh, of course. Ray, can you take Red and Lucas outside please?"
I soon find myself being pushed by the small, yet powerful Chatot. "Come on you two. Move, move, move. Give the Guildmaster and her daughter some space."
We exit the room. Chatot then grabs the door leading to the room. "Wait here until you are called." He says as he sneaks into the room, closing the door behind him before we have a chance to say anything.
Lucas and I look at each other. "Well." Lucas says. "That came out of nowhere."
"Yeah, I wonder what's the meaning of that." I wonder.
Then hear some Pokemon coming down from the ladder.
"So close. WE WERE SO CLOSE!"
"We'll get him next time, Daisy"
"Well maybe, but's not everyday that-oh! Hello you two." Daisy says, with Crush besides her.
We wave to them. "Hi Daisy, Crush." Lucas says. "So I take it that you two didn't find him?"
The Mawile looks to the ground "...yeah. I knew he knew Double Team, but Shadow Clones?! That just makes it going even harder to catch him."
I'm confused. "Aren't those the same moves?"
"Kind of." Daisy says. "Double Team makes one strong clone, and Shadow Clones makes more but weaker clones."
I then smile. "Thanks again for rescueing us. How did you find us?"
Crush and Daisy then speak at the same time.
"We were in the area and saw Scar dragging you two-"
"We were having lunch when we got a call from Wigglytuff saying that you were-"
They look at each other again. Both with worried faces.
"What's going on?" I ask. Before I can get an answer, though, Ray appers from the room.
"Red, Lucas, the Guildmaster would like to have a word with you...again." Both Lucas and I nod and walk over to the room. I think I hear Daisy and Crush make a sigh of relief. What was up with that?
We soon find ourselves looking at the Guildmaster once more, who has picked back up her apple and resumed juggling. "After speaking with my daughter, I decided that you will take me to Green Forest tomorrow to see if you are right. Forgive me, and especially Ray, for being quick to brush off your claims."
"W-what?! You believe us?!" Lucas says in a shocked tone. I'm shocked too. What would have Eve said that made them change there mind.
Ray chuckles. "We don't believe you, but we are willing to see if you are correct. You two once again can stay here for the night. In the morning, you will take the Guildmaster and her daughter to the forest."
The Vulpix is frighten by the comment. "WHAT?! NO, NO, NO, NO, NO, NO, NO, NO, NO-"
Wigglytuff settles her down. "Don't worry, it'll be fine."
Eve goes to argue. "B-bu-"
"No buts. I know you hate going out, but you have Lucas, Red, and me with you this time. It doesn't matter what you say or do. You're coming with us."
She then looks down at her feet. "...ok." Eve says sadly.
"Very well. See you two tomorrow. Feel free to stop by the kitchen to pick up some apples if you're still hunrgy."
"Thanks, but I think we're fine." Lucas says. "Come on Red. Let's hit the hay." He then dashes to our room. Well, it looks like Lucas is all better now that they'll give us a chance.
As I chase after him, but I still wonder why she changed her mind. And what did Scar want from Wigglytuff...oh well, best not to think about it. It's not that important right now. All I want is some sleep.
"Hey, Red." Lucas says by the door. "Sorry for yelling at you. I was just really worried that we wouldn't be able to take the test again."
I smile. "Thanks Lucas. Don't worry, we'll show them."
As the door closes, Ray goes over to the Guildmaster. "You're sure you should do this. It's going to be pointless. I can feel it."
She smiles. "It could be, but I'm willing to try now. If Eve says it happened, then it happened."