Hey guys! I've finally finshed another chapter! At this point, I feel we're getting near the end of the story. Of course, there are still quite a bit of story left, and I don't know for sure how many chapters remain. However, I'm happy to have gotten this far, and I'm really looking forward to what comes after these next few chapters.
Also, for those who haven't seen it, I recently posted a one-shot focused on Sirena, one of Sera's older sisters, in "Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Reflecting Balance - Special Episodes", which as the title implies, I intend to eventually add more one-shots focusing on other members of the supporting cast in the future. Feel free to check it out!
Of course, I guess you're here because you want to see the next part of the main story, so let's get right to it! I hope you'll enjoy the chapter!
Chapter 57: I don't really think anyone really knows how floating islands work.
Another morning, and Blitz and Chiaki were heading into town as usual to prepare for any missions they would tackle today. However, as they reached the town plaza, they came across an unusual sight. A large crowd of Pokémon were gathered around something in the center of the plaza for some reason. Curious as to what was going on, the two went closer to try to find out what was happening.
"Blitz! Chiaki! Over here!" Sera called out, waving a paw.
Blitz and Chiaki quickly went over to Sera, who was standing there alongside Azure and Frederick.
"What's going on?" Chiaki asked, looking around.
"It's the seventh crystal!" Azure said, her ears twitching.
"The seventh crystal?" Blitz exclaimed, trying to get a look at what was happening. "Did Stella have another vision?"
"Not this time," Azure responded. "Apparently, somebody else found it."
"Really?" Chiaki asked, staring wide-eyed. "Where? Did they bring it here?"
"Um… I don't think so," Azure replied, her ears twitching as she tried to listen to the conversation between Stella and the dragon-like Pokémon. "Hey, by the way…"
Azure motioned for the group to move to a spot where they could get a better look at the Pokémon Stella was talking with.
"Is that who I think it is…?" Azure whispered, pointing towards the Aerodactyl.
"… Yeah, I think you're right," Blitz responded, squinting a bit as he managed to get a glimpse of the Aerodactyl's right wing.
"Whoa, it really is the same Aerodactyl we helped out that one time?" Sera exclaimed, her ears perking up.
"Aeron!" Chiaki said, smiling as he recognized the Aerodactyl.
While he had only met him once, Chiaki hadn't forgotten Aeron. After all, he was the first Pokémon that Chiaki had helped out alongside Blitz, Sera and Azure. Chiaki was happy to see the Aerodactyl again, and from what he could tell, his right wing had healed up nicely. Of course, he was curious about the news regarding the seventh crystal too. He hoped to get a full explanation of what was going on once Stella was done talking to Aeron and the blue dragon Pokémon that was with him.
"… Understood!" the Salamence said, nodding her head. "I'll tell them to gather there as soon as possible!"
"Very well," Stella responded, smiling. "When they are ready, Kala will send over the rescue teams that will assist you with this mission."
"Thank you so much!" the Salamence replied, smiling back. "All right, then! I'm off!"
Some of the Pokémon in the crowd moved out of the way to give the Salamence space as she began to walk away, before flapping her wings and taking off, flying away. With the meeting apparently over, the crowd began to disperse as rescue teams got together to discuss what had happened and Stella went off somewhere. Blitz and his teammates decided to go talk to Aeron, who had stayed behind.
"Hey, Aeron!" Azure said, grinning at the Aerodactyl. "Remember us?"
"Hmm?" Aeron responded, looking over at the group. "Oh, it's you guys!"
"It's nice to see you again!" Chiaki said, waving at Aeron.
"How is your wing?" Sera asked, looking up at Aeron's right wing.
"Well, Giselle's done a good job fixing it up," Aeron responded, looking over at the wing. "I can at least fly again now."
"That's good to hear," Sera replied, smiling at Aeron.
"So… What was that we heard about the seventh crystal?" Azure asked.
"Ah, well… Angeline told me that some strange things had been happening back home," Aeron explained.
"Angeline?" Chiaki inquired, glancing in the direction the Salamence flew off in. "Was that the dragon who flew off just now?"
"Yes," Aeron responded, nodding his head. "She's a pretty fast flier, so they sent her here to ask for help."
"Help with what?" Frederick asked.
"It's about the crystal, right?" Azure said impatiently. "Come on, just give us the details already!"
"Right… So, from what she told me, it all began with the discovery that the prizes that they were going to give out during our annual flying tournament had been stolen," Aeron explained.
"They were stolen?" Frederick asked. "Why would anyone do that?"
"Apparently, the thieves were a group of Pokémon consisting of the fliers who lost in the last few previous tournaments," Aeron responded. "Someone caught sight of one of them leaving with the prizes, and then someone decided to go after them… When they managed to track them down, they discovered that not only had they stolen the tournament awards, but they also had one of the Axis Tower crystals in their possession!"
"Whoa, they did?" Sera exclaimed, her ears perking up.
"I wonder how they got it?" Chiaki mused, tilting his head.
"I bet it's Erebos' fault," Azure commented.
"And then what happened?" Blitz asked, looking up at Aeron.
"Well, the one who followed them tried to take the crystal, but since they were outnumbered, they failed to get it," Aeron explained, sighing. "By the time they regained consciousness, the group had left with both the crystal, and the prizes."
"Do you know where they might've gone?" Blitz asked.
"We believe they probably headed towards the Sky-High Mountains," Aeron responded. "And that's why we need help from rescue teams."
"Because of the mystery dungeons, right?" Frederick asked.
"Yes, that's right," Aeron replied, nodding his head. "The mystery dungeons there contain some really tough Pokémon, so we need help from rescue teams in order to deal with this situation."
"You don't have enough strong Pokémon of your own?" Azure asked. "I mean, dragon Pokémon often have to be pretty strong in order to evolve, right?"
"Even if they are strong, that doesn't necessarily mean they have the experience needed to explore mystery dungeons," Blitz pointed out.
"Exactly," Aeron responded. "There are a few who have trained to handle the mystery dungeons, but aside from them, we do rely on rescue teams from Fenix Town to handle the missions that come up."
"If I remember right, there's a place somewhere that helps transport rescue teams to Wyvern Island, right?" Frederick asked, tilting his head.
"Yes, that is correct," Aeron replied, nodding his head once more. "Although it seems they're currently closed because of distortions, which is why Angeline will be bringing over some Pokémon to a location near there that hasn't been as heavily affected by distortion yet, and Kala will teleport the rescue teams that agree to help to that location."
"So, Kala can't just teleport us directly to the island?" Chiaki asked.
"Wyvern Island must be out of Kala's teleportation range," Blitz said. "I'm guessing she normally just teleports rescue teams to that place Aeron just mentioned if they happen to have any missions there."
"Oh, I see," Chiaki responded.
"If you guys want to come along, you have some time to prepare before Angeline gets back from the island," Aeron said, smiling at Blitz and his teammates.
"All right!" Azure responded, smiling back at Aeron before turning to her teammates. "We're going, right?"
"Oh, um… Sure," Blitz replied, nodding his head slightly.
"We've helped find six of the crystals so far, so why stop there?" Sera commented, wagging her tail.
"I'd like to see what Wyvern Island is like!" Chiaki said, smiling. "I mean, it's an island floating in the sky, right? How does it do that?"
"I think I remember my parents telling me that Rayquaza was once said to live on Wyvern Island…" Frederick responded, turning his head in Chiaki's direction.
"Ah, you're also from Wyvern Island, little one?" Aeron asked, looking over at Frederick.
"No, not me," Frederick replied, shaking his head. "My parents used to live there at some point, though. And then they decided to move here. I don't know all the details."
"Oh, I see," Aeron responded, nodding his head.
"Rayquaza… That's a legendary Pokémon, right?" Chiaki asked.
"That's right," Sera responded, nodding her head.
"Is Rayquaza's power what made the island float?" Azure asked, looking over at Frederick.
"Um… I don't really know," Frederick replied, tilting his head. "But I've heard there's a tower made of clouds in the sky somewhere far away from here, that is also connected to Rayquaza…"
"Whoa…" Chiaki responded.
Chiaki tried to imagine what a tower made of clouds would be like. What would a cloud feel like, anyways? Clouds… they were made of water, weren't they? Would his paws get wet if he stepped on one?
"So… then does Rayquaza make those places float, or does he just happen to like living in places that are already floating?" Azure asked.
"Like I said, I don't know," Frederick replied, shaking his head.
"It's okay," Aeron said, letting out a chuckle. "I don't really think anyone really knows how floating islands work."
"Fair enough," Azure responded, clapping her paws together. "Well, we've been standing around and talking for a while, haven't we? Why don't we get started on our preparations for our next big mission?"
"All right, all right," Blitz said, gesturing with his paw for Azure to calm down. "Let's get started."
"Yes!" Azure exclaimed, grinning.
Blitz and his teammates made their way over to shops and warehouse to begin sorting out what items they would bring with them. The shop was already out of Reviver Seeds because of the other rescue teams making preparations of their own, but Blitz was at the very least able to pick up a couple more Oran berries and Heal Seeds.
Unbeknownst to the various rescue teams making their preparations, a certain Elgyem was quietly observing them from a hiding spot.
"Soon…" Elina thought to herself as she watched the rescue teams that were getting ready to head to Wyvern Island. "… It'll be over very soon."
Elina let out a silent sigh, as she leaned against a wall.
"I need to prepare myself too…" Elina thought to herself as she briefly glanced over in the direction of Chiaki and his teammates.
In a cave somewhere in the Sky-High Mountains, a group of four Pokémon were admiring the shiny prizes they had taken for themselves. A large orange dragon-like Pokémon with a flame burning on the tip of his tail was smiling fondly as he looked over a medal. Another large Pokémon, a mostly blue and black three-headed dragon, was snacking on a pile of berries while looking over their treasures. A large green dragonfly-like Pokémon was excitedly hovering nearby, while a red eagle-like Pokémon was keeping his gaze focused on a particular dark pink crystal.
"Ah, so many shiny things! I love it!" the Yanmega said, continuing to happily hover around the items.
"Yes, shiny…" the Charizard said, holding the medal up against his cheek. "It's all ours…"
"But… others will try to take them away, right?" the Hydreigon pointed out, while wiping some berry juice off his mouth with one of the two smaller heads at the ends of his arms.
"Indeed," the Braviary responded, his gaze still fixated on the pink crystal. "We can't let them take away our treasures."
"We'll beat them up right?" the Yanmega asked, continuing to flit around. "I'll beat them so fast they won't know what hit them!"
"Yes, we'll defend our treasures!" the Charizard said, holding onto the medal tightly.
"No matter how many of them I have to fight, I'll beat them down with all my might!" the Hydreigon boasted, punching the air a few times.
"Good to see you're all determined," the Braviary said, looking over at the other three Pokémon. "However, sheer strength alone won't be enough. I hope you're all aware of that."
"Of course!" the Yanmega responded. "We've got to use our heads, right? Right?"
The Braviary simply nodded his head in response. It seemed like the other three Pokémon considered him the unofficial leader of their group, since he had been the one who came up with the plan for how they would finally obtain the treasures they had been after for so long. Of course, because of their methods, it would only be matter of time before those other flying Pokémon showed up to try to take them back. The Braviary looked at the dark pink crystal once more. It wasn't one of the prices that would've been given out after the flying tournament, but he knew that someone would try to take that away from them as well.
He stepped over to the entrance of the cave and peeked outside. So far, there were no signs of anyone trying to reach their new hideout. It was possible that the Pokémon in the village simply hadn't figured out where they had gone, but the Braviary couldn't shake the feeling that they probably already had. That they were planning something.
The Braviary took a deep breath to try to calm himself. It didn't matter how difficult the battle ahead would be. He wouldn't let anyone take away their treasures.
Back in Fenix Town, Blitz and his teammates had finished their preparations. Blitz and Chiaki were waiting for Sera, Azure and Frederick to return to the plaza, as the three of them had gone to inform their parents of the mission they were going on, since it would likely take them more than a day at this point to complete it. Chiaki looked over at the other rescue teams that were also planning on heading to Wyvern Island. Both Sting and Mirage's rescue teams were going, as was another rescue team Chiaki had seen around town sometimes.
It was a rescue team led by a bipedal Pokémon with dark fur, sharp white claws and a red crown-like crest of feathers on his head. He also had two thinner feathers on his ears, and two tail feathers. The Weavile grinned as he talked to his two teammates.
One of them was a flying squirrel-like Pokémon with white fur, yellow patches on her cheeks and a black tail that somewhat resembled a lightning bolt. The other was a green Pokémon with two rose bouquets for hands, one red and one blue. She appeared to have white hair, but a closer look revealed the "hair" on her head to actually be white rose petals. The Emolga seemed quite excited about the upcoming mission, while the Roserade seemed calm.
Chiaki couldn't quite hear what they were talking about, but maybe he'd get a chance to get to know them better during the mission? His attention was suddenly drawn to Mirage and her teammates as he overheard a conversation between the three of them.
"The mushroom does not want to go to that island," Cordyceps complained, as he looked up at Mirage. "The mushroom will not last long in battles against flying types."
"I know, Cordy," Mirage responded, glancing over at the other rescue teams. "But it seems the other teams going also have at least one member who is weak to flying, so at least you're not alone!"
"That does not make the mushroom feel better," Cordyceps replied.
"Well… Just try to stay out of battle, then," Megara suggested, shrugging slightly. "If some big flying type tries to attack you, just… hit them with a cloud of spores, or something."
While Cordyceps seemed to consider Megara's suggestion, Chiaki noticed Azure walking back towards him and Blitz.
"All right, I talked to my mom," Azure said. "I feel kind of bad for leaving her with some extra work to do at the café, even if it's just for tonight, but she said it'd be fine."
"That's good to hear," Chiaki responded, smiling at Azure.
It didn't take long before Sera and Frederick returned to the plaza as well. As Chiaki waved to them, he spotted Regina the Servine and Calder the Wartortle carrying the still-sleeping Kala into the plaza towards the other three rescue teams planning to go to the island.
"Ah, I guess it's time for them to head to the meeting spot," Azure commented, looking over at her teammates. "Should we go too?"
"That won't be necessary," Aeron said with a confident smile. "Just get on my back, and I'll take you there!"
"Whoa, really?" Azure asked, grinning.
"Are you really sure you can carry us to Wyvern Island?" Blitz asked, looking up at Aeron's wing.
"Don't worry, I can handle it," Aeron responded. "I might be a little unsteady, but just hold on tight and it'll be fine. Besides, I want to repay you guys for saving me."
"Well… Okay, then. If you're absolutely sure," Blitz replied.
Blitz and Sera climbed onto Aeron's back, with Chiaki and Azure helping Frederick climb on before getting up on his back themselves. A short distance away, they saw Kala teleport the other three rescue teams over to whatever location Angeline had told Stella to send them to, before teleporting herself and her pillow away, presumably back to her room in the HQ. Blitz and his teammates held on tightly as Aeron began to ascend, going higher and higher into the sky. Chiaki was amazed at how much smaller Fenix Town seemed from above.
Aeron was still a little unsteady, but he was still certain that he'd be able to get his passengers to Wyvern Island without too much trouble.
Some time passed as Aeron carried his passengers towards their destination. Chiaki continued to admire the view from above, trying to see if he could spot any locations he and his friends had visited during their adventures. It was difficult to tell if any of the locations they could see from above was specifically one of those places, though.
"You still doing okay, Aeron?" Sera asked.
"Yeah, don't worry!" Aeron responded. "We're almost there!"
Looking over in the direction they were headed, Blitz could just barely make out something else floating in the distance.
"Is that it?" Blitz asked, squinting his eyes.
"It is!" Aeron responded, nodding his head.
At last, Wyvern Island was starting to come into view.
"Wow… It really is floating!" Chiaki exclaimed, staring in awe at the island as they got closer and closer.
"It really is amazing…" Sera commented, also looking at the floating island in awe. "I mean, we've all heard about it, but actually seeing it…"
"I know, right?" Azure said, grinning. "I can't wait to explore this place!"
After some more minutes passed, Aeron landed on a beach, where Angeline was waiting. Judging from the various paw and foot prints in the sand, Angeline and the other two fliers had already dropped off their passengers and gone off somewhere.
"Ah, Aeron, you did make it," Angeline said, as she noticed the Aerodactyl.
"What, were you doubting me?" Aeron responded, panting a bit.
"You okay, Aeron?" Blitz asked, as he and his teammates climbed off of Aeron's back. "You seem a bit out of breath."
"Yeah, I'm fine," Aeron responded. "No need to worry."
"So, where do we go from here?" Azure asked, looking around.
"There's a village not too far from here," Aeron explained. "We'll show you the way there."
"I see," Blitz responded, nodding his head. "I'm guessing that's where we'll be planning out the details of the mission?"
"Yes, that's right," Angeline replied, walking over to the group. "Gale Wing Village is this way. The others have already gone on ahead, so we should hurry."
The rescue teams followed the two large flying type Pokémon as they began leading them down a path surrounded by green vegetation. Looking around at their surroundings as they walked, Chiaki was getting excited about seeing what Gale Wing Village was like. Was it anything like Fenix Town? What kind of Pokémon would they meet there?
He couldn't wait to find out!
End of Chapter 57