Episode 4: A Casual Eventful Beginning to Adventure
"Something's happening!" Shelly cried, bringing everyone to focus.
Silence had fallen after Suzie's departure, only because of not knowing what to do from here on. A minute or so later, the lines between the tiles of the floor began to light up. Light erupted from the entire roof of the temple. A cool wind blew from below too, while the sound of a grand bell rung in a slow beat.
"Is… uh, did you do something?" Crystal gasped.
"Why's it always gotta be me?" Ruby snapped.
"Darn it Ruby, this isn't the time! Did you do something or not?" Crystal shouted.
"No! I didn't do a thing!" Ruby argued.
"Girls, calm down! Can't you feel that?" Azu said.
"She's right. This is… soothing," Lucca said, stood on his tail with his arms out. Mimia copied his pose and hummed a relaxed tune in agreement. He fell back after a moment, but wasn't bothered.
"It's… I-it's like my energy is coming back to me," Shelly sighed, laying paw on his chest.
"But what is it?" Ruby wondered.
The light and sound began to die down a bit. The sound of a weak breeze remained, and a very faded blue glow continued to flow up into the sky.
"It's like some kind of fountain of light. It's… pretty," Crystal said quietly.
Shelly hesitantly edged closer. "It is, isn't it?"
"Yeah," she whispered.
She agreed… she likes the warm light, Shelly thought with a smile.
"Fountain of light? Dare I take a guess?" Azu said, still entranced.
"You're not far off the mark, kiddo!" a familiar, jumpy voice sung. It was loud enough that the whole group, besides Azu, jumped at the first syllable. Behind them in a burst of blue flames, Angel spun into view.
The Togekiss was huge. Big enough to carry all of the Pokémon here, Suzie and her infants, and still have lots of room to move around on her back. She wore a bright purple cape that shone in the fiery light, which she coolly flicked around her body to make it flow behind her. The rest of her colours were slightly faded and ghostly. With her cape movements, the blue light calmed down.
"Hiya everyone! Shining Warriors, you've done impeccably to make it this far and awaken your first fountain," Angel announced. Despite her size, the volume of her voice was very normal. The group expected it to be booming.
"Fountain? Er, we're all here, right? So you can finally explain," Lucca said.
"Of course. As promised, you all got to Fossil Hill. And as fate played its role, you all came together and awakened your first Bestia Fountain. Let's see here, where do I start?" Angel began, tapping her chin. She leaned back and pointed her wings and feet them, spreading her feathers in a way that made stubby fingers. "Six heroes! Each one wielding an amulet with a sword inside of it. Six fountains, too! These are the Shining Warriors. When each of you gather and pray at these six locations, you can awaken the fountains, and Bestia energy will pour forth into Heroica."
"This is a Bestia Fountain, huh? Azu, you were on the money. This was a temple after all," Ruby said with a smile. "So lemme guess, all we have to do is pray at each fountain to bring Bestia back to Heroica?"
"Yee haw, catching on fast! Just what I like to see. That's essentially it, but when you've awakened all six fountains, the Shining Warrior's sword will appear. It's that sword that grants full control over Bestia in Heroica. With that, you get to decide upon yourselves what really becomes of Heroica's Bestia energy," Angel explained. "I gotta be fair, though. You guys fought a monster at this fountain, and that'll be a standard. At each of the fountains, there'll be trials awaiting you. Very tough battles against powerful monsters. You will have to overcome these trials in order to awaken the fountains."
"Does it have to be scary monsters?" Shelly slumped.
"There are some specifics, but I don't wanna bore you with those. I'm your guide, Angel! Your tour guide, even. My job's just to point you in the direction of the fountains. What you do or how you get there is completely down to you. Unless you specifically want help, in which case I can give ya little hints," Angel explained. All the time she spoke, she fluttered around the party and posed, at one point even floating upside-down. "You could take years to complete the quest. Or try and do it all in two weeks. It's all down to you. If it were up to me though, I'd try and get it over with quickly, for obvious reasons."
"Erm, I assume from the way you guys are talking and stuff that the guardian guide Angel appeared," Azu asked quietly.
"Oh right, you can't hear or see her, can you?" Lucca pointed out. Azu shook her herself. "That's the thing. Miss Angel?"
"Just Angel is fine," the Togekiss responded, still floating upside-down.
"Angel, you said there are six heroes, but there's only five of us here. Azu doesn't have an amulet," Lucca informed.
Angel froze and lazily looked up at them. "What?"
No one replied, so she righted herself and began to count them. She squeaked and began to count them again, each time with increasing panic on her face. "What? What, what, what, what, how?"
"Please don't expect us to actually answer that. I don't have a clue, either," Ruby said.
"I told everyone to- argh, what the heckles! That stupid Pikachu really thought it was a good idea to play hokey? Here I am putting all my energy and looking cool and being all majestic and legend-like to try to get all legendary up in their face, but they're too far up their own—" Angel began to ramble, with more and more gibberish coming out with every word. The group exchanged nervous glances and shrugged, Lucca and Ruby even snickering to each other.
"Pikachu?" Crystal eventually replied.
"Yeah! Er, fine girl with a blue scarf, big blue glasses thingies, and one of those toys with a ball on the end," Angel described, making signs with her wings. Everyone was blank. "You know, Pokémon sometimes wear 'em when they swim?"
"Glasses thingies… a Pikachu in goggles? That's not somebody we know, I think," Crystal mumbled and glanced at Ruby, who shrugged.
"We don't live near water, so no googles around here," Ruby replied.
"Goggles, Ruby," Crystal muttered.
"That's what I said. Googles," she nodded. Crystal slapped her forehead and groaned.
"I've never seen a Pikachu, or goggles before. Not in real life, anyway," Shelly replied.
"Don't look at me. Mimia, ring any bells?" Lucca asked. Mimia replied with a sad whine. A glance at Azu only confused the poor Azumarill, but she didn't question it.
"But if there was only five of us, how did we wake up the fountain?" Shelly stepped up.
"Urgh, seriously. You're all bumpkins, what the heck are the odds! Let me guess, you guys don't even know what Dragon Quest is, do ya?" Angel grumbled with folded wings. The group exchanged blank glances again. "Fine, fine, forget it. Yeah you can do this quest with the five of ya, but you've gotta have the full six by the time you reach the end."
"Well that's fine. We can find the last warrior on the way," Lucca smiled. "They must be nearby, right?"
"No, I can sense their location. They're nowhere close. In fact, I dunno what they're doing," Angel complained. She started pulling at the tufts on her head. "The last time something like this happened… uurgh, I don't wanna think about that!"
"Well whatever. We won't find 'em by sitting here," Ruby stated.
"Way to make things a difficult." Angel folded her wings. She paused and smiled at the group again, then pointed enthusiastically. "Well you're right, no biggie for now! You guys know how to get outta here, right? You get a special VIP route for the exit."
"We do?" Crystal cocked her head. Angel didn't answer. She just stared at the end of the area where Suzie had waited for them. A set of glowing stairs like the transparent steps in the temple had appeared, and they looked like they headed for the other end of Fossil Hill. "Whoa, when did those get there?"
"Uh, you guys are going to translate for me at some point, aren't you?" Azu asked nervously. "I-I know I'm unimportant here and stuff, but…"
"Oh er, heh yeah, of course!" Lucca laughed. Mimia whined at him. "What? Angel never said anything about not telling, right?"
But when they turned back, Angel had vanished. Not a trace of white feathers or her ghostly glow remained. There were lots of questions, but the biggest one now was how such a massive Togekiss managed to vanish so easily without them noticing.
…
Not much later, the group were back in the flow of travel, somewhere in the depths of Fossil Hill. The stairs had taken them to somewhere deep in the middle of the cliffs and gorges, where they soon entered a cave. It was wide and steadily descended, while the floor was lighter coloured as if to mark out a public road.
The group kept quiet, letting the shuffles and whispers of feral Pokémon echo around. Shelly kept to the back of the team, listening while eying anything that could have been a Pokémon in secret. He desperately didn't want another sandy Marshtomp situation, even if the others looked strong enough to deal with it. They didn't seem as on edge as he was, and even looked cool with how concentrated they were.
This was especially true for Crystal. Now that Ruby was back, the Piplup had a confident march that gave her an admirable aura. She was curious but protective, clearly interested in the unfamiliar area, but also able to strike an enemy at any moment. He felt this even though she didn't attack once during the Lycanroc battle. He had only just met her, yet admired her cute appearance, and the more he thought about it, the more he related to her character. A low grumble took him out of those thoughts, promptly followed by a groan from Ruby.
"Hey, we're gonna do something about food, right?" Ruby asked.
Lucca flopped over. "Ugh, I thought nobody would ever ask! I don't know about you all, but I'm ready to keel over here."
Oh, they're just hungry, Shelly sighed in relief. They have a point, though. I haven't eaten yet today.
"I wasn't sure how long we'd be gone, so I only packed a little trail mix for myself, I'm afraid," Azu said.
"Hey, food is food!" Lucca cheered.
"No! It's mine," Azu cried, pulling her bag behind her.
"Aww, not even a nibble?" Lucca teased, chewing a flipper.
"There's a village a short march ahead. If we get there before sundown, we can get ourselves a proper meal. Well, if you guys have got money, that is," Azu informed.
"We have the money from all those battles, right? I hope we'll be okay. I'm starving," Crystal added.
If we got into a fight now, would we be okay? Shelly wondered. He realised he'd been left behind and had to jog to catch up, making extra sure he remained behind the group. This is just like the palace, though. No food until the evening. This just hurts more because of all this climbing and walking. Urf, I'm so hungry, but I can't really complain about it.
Back to concentrating on the surroundings. The area quickly grew quieter, and just like Azu said, they soon came to an exit. Crystal and Ruby laughed to each other and jogged ahead, making the group give chase. Shelly couldn't help but gasp and freeze in awe upon exiting.
The entire region had transformed between the cave and the area beyond. While the cave had Fossil Hill's stagnant humidity, dusty, rocky floor, and a quiet darkness, this new area was almost everything of the opposite.
A colourful variety of greens stretched for miles, as fields of moist, grass covered hills and plains that went on as far as the eye could see. Farms of crops and flowers were dotted here and there in the distance, as well as herds of Pokémon, presumably feral.
"Wow," mouthed Shelly as a pleasantly cool breeze loosened the leaf on his headband. The village Azu mentioned wasn't far ahead. It was a collection of white stone cottages nestled at the foot of a hill by a river that ran between the fields, and with the sun setting over the horizon, warm glimmers of light came from it.
"Hmm, that's strange. You said you awakened the Bestia Fountain, right?" Azu asked as she began their trek down to the village.
"That's what Angel said," Crystal confirmed.
"Well, this is what an area bursting with Bestia feels like," Azu stated. "But Fossil Hill clearly doesn't have much. You awakened the fountain, so why didn't nature return to the area?"
"Was Fossil Hill not meant to look like that?" Ruby wondered, and glanced back at the cave. Even the mountains and walls were covered in green and flowers on this side.
"Not really? I don't fully know to be sure. That was an assumption based on my research, but I guess the effect takes a bit longer than that. I wanted the area to magically transform," Azu said, getting excited.
"We can try and ask Angel," Crystal suggested, holding up her amulet. Nothing happened, even when she tapped it. "… however we get her to appear."
I wonder what happened to her? Shelly cocked his head. "Maybe she went to look for the Pikachu?"
"Heh. Some tour guide she is, ditchin' us after telling us what to do. Back to looking for revenge," Ruby said.
"Ruby," Crystal groaned.
"Can we hurry it up? I'm so hungry," Lucca complained, clutching his belly as it growled again. Him and Mimia were several paces ahead already.
"Alright Mister Munchlax. Don't worry, we'll get your meal," Azu said with a smile.
"And a place to sleep," Shelly mumbled, hoping nobody heard him.
The village was even nicer than Shelly imagined it would be. Despite the evening hour, there were a lot of Pokémon around, and each of them sounded as friendly as they looked. He couldn't recognise a lot of species, but he was sure that many were children younger than him. He caught some staring at him curiously, which made him blush and turn away.
Otherwise, general chatter and upbeat laughter filled the air. Groups passing through happily conversed, while some working on the buildings or in front of shops advertised and ordered one another. Most Pokémon had smiles, but even species that couldn't smile had an aura of pleasantness coming from them.
It's just like the village on Van Aken, Shelly realised as admired it all. The grass here was much shorter than the fields he knew. It was even more comfortable and soft to walk on, and covered the entire floor. The buildings were laid out very simply, with a large square in the middle of the village and single streets going off in the four compass directions. The buildings varied in height, but many of them had large signs and fancy writing to tell what they were.
"Score! It's a fruit stand," Crystal cheered, breaking away from the group to check out one of the larger stalls. Several market stalls were lined around the corners of the square selling various goods, but most of them looked like they were closing up.
"Wow, it's way bigger than Lillistep," Ruby remarked. "They have apples, and oranges, and corn! And I don't even know what that is, but it looks tasty!"
"What should we get, what should we get?" Crystal bounced excitedly. The rest of the group slowly walked over, though Lucca started drooling.
"Which one's your favourite, Crystal?" Shelly asked.
"Me?" she seemed surprised. "We rarely get it back home, but the Razz berries. They're kind of spicy, but tasty and easy to eat."
"You like spicy food too," Shelly felt his face brighten. Ruby gave him a scowl, so he stood back.
"Well, if you're looking to buy, be quick! You're lucky, because I was about to close up like everyone else," the male Ivysaur manning the stand alerted.
"It's all so fresh," Lucca remarked. He hastily took a handful of apples and rubbed one on a ruffle. "Itadakimas!"
Everyone's eyes widened when he took a bite, but he didn't seem to notice at all, even though Mimia started barking wildly. He ate the whole pile in a few bites, and then snickered at them all. "It's really good! Way better than the apples I'm used to."
"Hey, what the heck?" Ivysaur rushed to the front of the stand.
"L-Lucca?" Ruby staggered. He looked at her dumbfoundedly. "I-I-I know you're hungry and stuff, but did you seriously just steal?"
"Steal?" he replied.
"You're going to pay, aren't you?" Ivysaur shouted. A small crowd gathered at a distance, making Shelly gulp, and he tried to shrink away.
"Where you come from, you pay for your food before you eat it, right?" Azu joked.
"Pay?" he replied. "Gkk- r-right… this is Heroica now…"
"If you're going to take, you're going to pay or I'm going to report you to the authorities!" Ivysaur raised his voice.
"Th-that won't be necessary, I will! I just, er," Lucca replied. Mimia whined. "Psst, Mimia. Help me out here?"
"Oh Arceus, are you being serious?" Azu gasped. "Please don't tell me you don't know how to shop at a store."
"I do, I do, I just… aha… I read about this. Er, how does this work again?" Lucca snickered, rubbing the back of his head.
"Is this some kind of joke?" Ivysaur shouted.
"It's not!" Ruby shouted back. "Nobody said anything about not paying. Keep your bulb on!"
"Excuse me?" Ivysaur growled.
Shelly quickly searched for a visible menu or price list, finding one rolled up on the side of the stand. Thankfully everything was cheap, so he gathered up the coins and some extra, and then threw himself between the groups. His heart was racing, though.
"I'm sorry about this!" he squeaked loudly. Ivysaur looked like he was about to snap at him too, and then saw the money in his paws. "I'm sorry. J-Just t-take it for the trouble."
"Shelly?" Crystal gasped.
Ivysaur counted the coins with two extended vines from his bulb, and then threw them into a sack behind his stand. "If you had the money in the first place, why'd you play the thieving skit? Thought you could get away with something cheeky, did you?"
"You got your money, didn't you? Stop whining you git!" Ruby snarled.
"Ruby, that's enough!" Azu ordered. "We weren't even supposed to stop here. Let's just drop it here."
"Tsk. Try and pull something like that again and I'm reporting you for sure," Ivysaur growled as he got back to closing up. There was still a crowd watching the scene, but many of them started to disband.
"Ugh, way to blow first impressions. Lucca, what in the world was that?" Azu hissed. "You really don't know how to shop?"
"I do, I just… urf… y-yeah, it's different… where I'm from," he replied with shifty eyes. Azu smacked her face.
"Alright, I'll explain how shops work. This is so dang embarrassing," she groaned.
"Wait, aren't we going to buy more?" Lucca wondered with a flipper by his lip. "I'm still hungry."
"S-seriously? You just gobbled like six apples," Ruby gasped.
"Why are you surprised? That's a snack to you." Crystal rolled her eyes.
"Oh- shut up," Ruby groaned. "He does have a point, though. Shouldn't we get stuff for the road?"
"Adventuring 101, guys. There's an inn here, and they'll serve much more filling food," Azu informed. "Plus, since we're travelling far, we want longer lasting food. Fresh fruit and berries will go off within a day since we can't store them properly."
Oh, that's true. I'm used to eating things right away. What could we buy to eat instead? Shelly wondered as they made their way to the tall building by the corner of the square.
'VERGRACE INN' was written on a large banner in an unusual, fancy font. He thought it was fancy, anyway. It went well with the arty pots and paint on the outside. This was the only building to have a pattern for decoration. It had green vines drawn like stripes around the entrance, with leaves and flowers occasionally jutting out.
Inside was even nicer. The room was wide, warm, carpeted, and even had its own fireplace. There weren't many Pokémon in here, but a tasty scent wafted from a room behind the counter where a Roserade waited. A few Indeedee could be seen wandering around back there, too.
"Welcome to Vergrace Inn! Will the group of you be staying with us?" Roserade greeted them with a bow. "How many of you are there?"
"Er," Lucca began, but Azu squeezed his nose.
"There are six of us. What would a breakfast and dinner set us back?" Azu asked. "For tonight and tomorrow morning."
"Fortunately for you, we've got three rooms open, if you're okay with sharing. Factor in breakfast and lunch…" Roserade mumbled as he shuffled with something behind the counter. "An easy three hundred Gald."
Azu hesitated. "That's my savings for the month…"
"Is everything okay?" Ruby asked.
"N-no, nothing. That's fine. We're splitting the price, right?" Azu laughed nervously.
"Duh, I thought that was a given. You do the math!" Ruby said. "Just, hurry up. I'm dying back here."
"Ruby come on, just be patient," Crystal complained.
"Dad, look!" a young voice squeaked. A Roselia that was half the girls' height jumped over the counter and ran up to them, bouncing and squealing excitedly.
"Lilan! What have I told you about bothering guests?" Roserade groaned.
"But Dad, you're silly and never look at guests properly!" Roselia laughed as he danced around the group.
He approached each of them individually gave them a sunny smile. Shelly wasn't normally comfortable with Pokémon scanning him like so, but there was something cute about this kid. Mimia snorted at him too, making Shelly giggle.
"They have the amulets. The real amulets!" Roselia cheered.
"How many times do I have to tell you that it's rude to—" Roserade began, and then froze. Shelly felt his chest churn as he was examined up and down by the older Pokémon this time. Roserade's eyes narrowed, and he let out the slightest grumble before returning to his pleasant look. "Well this is a surprise. But Lilan, it's rude to bother guests like that. You shouldn't stare at them."
"I don't mind. Are we heroes?" Lucca perked up.
"The opposite, actually. By that I mean, Vergrace doesn't have the nicest history with the Shining Warriors," Roserade informed as he returned to the counter.
"But Dad—" Roselia whined.
"But it has been a long while since that trouble befell our little place. If you really are this generation's heroes, then it's foolish of me to charge you full. We can only afford to drop the price to two hundred," Roserade continued.
"Yay! The Shining Warriors get to stay with us!" Lilan threw his arms up.
"Heh, it's seriously nice to be treated with respect for once," Ruby remarked.
But why the wariness? What happened? Shelly wondered, staring at the Roserade. There was no hiding that troubled look as he sorted out some work. He came back with three tags.
"Hang these outside the rooms. That lets others know the room is occupied. How long do you plan on staying with us?" Roserade asked as he handed Azu the tags.
"We just need a place to stay the night. As far as I know, we're just passing through," she answered, also unable to hide the wariness in her voice.
Roserade hesitated again, and then bowed. "You're on the second floor. Would you like me to guide you?"
"We… should be alright. Thank you," Azu replied. She turned to everyone. "We need to decide who is staying with who. "There's three girls and boys, so I'm hoping the rooms have separate beds."
"Huh? What's wrong with that?" Lucca cocked his head. Everyone stared at him. "Wha-what? I-I-I mean, yeah, we should talk about this."
"Uh-um, I could share a room with Crystal," Shelly suggested. Just saying her name made his chest heavy.
"Uh uh uh, nice try smartass. That ain't happenin'," Ruby objected. Shelly felt his insides twist even more, and had to turn away. "You should share with Azu, since you already know her and stuff. Me and Crystal are sleeping together, and Lucca and... Mimia, right?"
Mimia yipped happily.
"Yeah, Lucca and Mimia, you two are together. No point in mixing or fighting over this rubbish," Ruby ordered. "Now can we please hurry up? My stomach's gonna start using roar in a minute."
"You're telling me," Lucca groaned and slumped.
"You're both gluttons." Crystal rolled her eyes.
"Hee hee. No complaints from me," Azu shrugged. "I'll let you get dibs on bed choice, Shelly. I don't really care which side I sleep on, as long as it's in a bed."
"Dinner will be ready in about twenty minutes. You have good timing," Roserade informed as the group began to disband. He had to pull Lilan back. "You stay here, you little sapling. No bothering the guests."
"Aww, but they're the heroes. Oh, wait wait wait, please misters, wait!" Lilan cried, jumping out of his father's roses.
"Lilan! Argh, where does he get all this energy from?" Roserade grumbled.
Lucca and the group exchanged glances, silently agreeing to wait. The Roselia quickly returned with a potted plant that shone a myriad of neon colours, almost like it was made of stained glass. He handed it to Lucca with surprising delicacy.
"It's for you! My Dad may be a worrywart, but I'm rooting for you guys. I'm hoping this can help you," Lilan said.
"But what is it? Can I eat it?" Lucca wondered, examining it.
"No!" Shelly gasped and leaned forward.
"You and food right now. After eating so many apples, too," Ruby giggled. Lucca's stomach growled, to which she leaned back and blushed. "I- wait, I thought you were playing. You really are still hungry?"
"Starving," Lucca said. Ruby giggled and turned away, but Shelly could see the slightest hint of blush on her cheeks.
"It's called an Anima Flower. Dad said these used to grow all around the village, and he sold 'em to travellers because they can glow really bright in the dark. You can use it as a beacon to keep nasty Pokémon away while you're camping," Lilan explained.
"Are you sure? We can really have this?" Azu gasped. "Anima Flowers don't grow anymore. Aren't they almost extinct? This is the first time I'm seeing one!"
"We can still grow them!" Lilan said happily. "But they take really long to grow now, so we don't sell them anymore. It's really important for you guys, so you should take it."
"We can't really grow flowers on the road, can we?" Ruby asked.
"U-um, it doesn't really take much to look after. Anima Flowers are as hard as they look, and this one is already grown," Shelly answered.
"Oh? You know about this?" Ruby turned to him.
Shelly couldn't look at her as he played with his paws. "I've learnt a lot about rare items and stuff. Anima Flowers were really common necessities for travellers because they acted as beacons for those going far, leading the way to towns and villages. The flowers themselves grow in very specific light conditions, the small amount of light that reflects off Heroica's moons. So moonlight. They often adapt to the cold as well, which makes them harder than—"
"Alright, save the dickitonary recital. I can't understand a word with the way you talk," Ruby spat.
"Ruby," Crystal groaned. "And it's dictionary, not dickitonary."
"It's… just… my accent…" Shelly mumbled, playing with his paws.
"Point is, it's safe to take with us and super useful. Thanks little mister! This'll make camping out a breeze," Ruby cheered. "I do feel kinda a bit too lucky, though. We can really have this without paying?"
"I wouldn't dream of—" Roserade began.
"Of course! It's to save the world, so you should get everything for free!" Lilan cheered.
"Heh, if only things were that easy. I'll definitely take good care of this flower, so thank you very much, Lilan. Now c'mon you guys, no more trouble," Azu replied, directing everyone upstairs.
"I hope they have blankets! Been so long since I got to sleep under one." Ruby threw her arms up as she ran upstairs ahead of everyone.
"What do you mean? It's been like, two days," Crystal commented. Shelly glanced back and forth as he was left behind again, then hurriedly gathered a bunch more coins.
"H-here. It's for the extra trouble." He handed them to Roserade. "And the flower. It's really appreciated."
"Eh, thank you," Roserade replied and bowed, but Shelly already left after handing him the money.
This inn turned out to be much better than he imagined. It was like a miniature Van Aken Palace, with all the features he loved but of a smaller quality. On the way to the room, he spotted a library with a few Pokémon reading in there, and a little knickknack shop selling things like pressed flowers or dried berries on necklaces. Everything was tempting, so he picked up small flag.
Their inn room was large with two fluffy, circular feather beds by two hollow windows, but it also had empty shelves to put stuff on. He blankly wandered over to the right side to get a feel for the bed, and instantly felt it was softer than his bed at home. That couldn't be right, could it?
When they were called down for dinner, he was even more surprised. An Indeedee showed them to a large hall filled with tables, or soft mats for those who couldn't sit at tables, and then gave them bowls or plates. They were allowed to fill their plates with whatever food was provided at a silver counter. A wide array of baked fruits were being served alongside sauces and rice, to salads of all kinds of flavours, and everything in between. They even had his coveted apple curry, and it somehow looked even tastier than he remembered. Likely the result of a long day of walking.
I shouldn't be too greedy though. The others might think bad of me, he thought as he hesitated on scooping a large amount. Lucca popped up beside him with an absolute mountain of food a second later, though.
"Are you still deciding?" Lucca asked. Shelly couldn't help but gawk.
"Yeah hurry up, you're holdin' up the line!" Ruby cried behind him. She had even more food in her bowl.
… I guess it won't be so bad if I indulge a bit, he smiled to himself as he heaped rice, apples, and curry for himself.
When he got back to the group, Ruby and Lucca had their faces buried in their bowls. The duo competed to see who could eat the most, and by the time Shelly was done with one plate, those two were wolfing down their fourth. Mimia and Azu encouraged them too, which only led to oversized bellies and moaning teammates. Shelly did get to relax enough to eat his fill, though.
Before he knew it, night fell, and he was flat on his back on top of the covers while Azu shuffled about beside him. Dinner felt like home, arguably even better. Unlike back home though, this area was cool. So cool that he could wrap himself up until he was a burrito of softness that defined comfort.
"I'll try not to snore and stuff again. But if I do, just pinch my nose or something," Azu said with a slight blush. Shelly dozily rolled over and shook his head at her. "You're so polite. But I give you permission. I-I'm not fun as a roommate, so feel free to chuck my stuff aside if you need to get up, too."
He leaned over the side of the bed and was surprised. She'd borrowed a heavy handful of books and already had them scattered all over the floor on random pages. There was also a few standard exploration items being played with, like various seeds and berries.
"What are you doing?" Shelly wondered with a furrowed brow.
"Trying to make potions. It's a little something I dabbled in years back, but I stopped to focus on aviation and then legends. Not that any of those interests got very far," she replied with a sigh. "I figured if I'm helping you guys out, I need to make myself useful somehow. Potions are the way to go. Y'know, energy drinks and that stuff."
That does sound useful. But if she hasn't made any before, will they work? Shelly thought, watching her intently. He knew a few theories himself, and she seemed to be working on a basic one.
"Ugh, I wonder if there's any shops still open. I need Blast Seed oil," she mumbled, glancing back and forth. "You gonna be alright on your own for a bit? I'll be back soon."
He nodded, and she promptly skipped out. He stared at her work for a bit, and the nosiness got to him. 'Beginners guide to alchemy', 'one thousand materials you never knew you had a use for', 'household mixing for a fancy drink', and other such books lay open on ingredient pages. That last one didn't fit amongst the other books, but Azu had evidently read it.
It's all about… alcoholic drinks? I'm not supposed to drink those, he remembered as he flicked through a few pages. He scanned the room again and put a paw to his lip, while his leaf turned yellow. All of this must be fun to play with, though. I wonder if Azu would mind if I—
There was a hard knock on the wall just then, and he immediately dropped the berry he picked up. "U-uh, I didn't touch anything! I-I mean, you can come in!"
Of all the Pokémon, Ruby came in, and she quickly stopped after accidentally kicking a bowl. "Ack- what the? You're messy, too?"
"I'm not, the hen is. But um, hello," he said, and stood back.
"The… hen?" Ruby replied.
"Miss Azu," Shelly corrected.
"Azu? Oh right, her place was kinda messy too, now that I think about it. Alright, I'll let you off for that one," she grumbled. "Well? Don't just stand there. Make a path, I'm not gonna sit in the hallway!"
"Sorry, sorry," he huffed as he shoved stuff aside. He tried not to fold any pages, but she didn't seem to care and plonked herself down by the bed he chose. "Um, what's wrong?"
"Good. Straight to business, just the way I like it. Although, that's the problem here," Ruby began, playing with her feet. Her eyes opened, and they weren't friendly. "I'm onto you, smartass."
"Me?" Shelly pointed to himself.
"You've got your eyes on Crystal," Ruby stated. Shelly felt his chest twist, and he instinctively shifted back. "Don't think I don't notice. In fact, I'd be surprised if anybody didn't notice. You're so direct that I don't get why nobody else has called you out yet."
She seems really mad about this. What do I tell her? Maybe I shouldn't like Crystal? But I do… he thought, and shook his head. "You noticed? But I er—"
"Don't waste your time now. You stare at her, you ask her and nobody else questions, and then the invite to sleep was the kicker. I know a kid too nosey for their own good when I see one," Ruby rambled.
"You're right. I… I think I do like her," Shelly mumbled, slumped forward a bit. He started playing with his paws. "I've never met a Piplup before. I thought the lass was cute, and she's really kind, too."
"Well you better give up on those thoughts now, if I were you. She's off-limits to a useless kid like you," Ruby stated. He was surprised. "I saw you run away from the fights! You couldn't do a thing. You don't even have a weapon, do you? Even I've got a weapon. But I don't want no wannabe useless guy dragging her down just 'cos he's got the hots for her. Buzz off, or else you deal with me! Got it?"
The… hots for her? If that means what I think it means, Shelly's mind wandered, and he shook his head. "I'm sorry I ran. I'm not that good at fighting yet. I'm not very strong, either."
"So you're a weakling? Yeah, defo no. If I catch you staring at her or trying to ask her weird stuff again, you will pay for it. Don't test me," Ruby warned. "What kind of boy is as weak as you, anyway? I've never met a guy who doesn't fight well. Then you're quiet, you sew clothes apparently, you're a girly mess! How'd you end up becoming a Shining Warrior?"
"I dinnae ken either. But I didn't know that stuff had to do with lasses and lads," Shelly replied. "If I was strong, would ye let me talk to Crystal?"
"And that weird funny talk, too. I dunno if you're trying to annoy me now or you're just that stupid," Ruby groaned.
"It's my accent, I cannae talk any other way," he objected.
"Whatever. Crystal deserves a strong man, not a weak little girly wuss like you, so stay away. That's all I wanted to say," Ruby said, and stood up to leave.
"Hang on... Ye've been with lads a lot in your life, right?" he asked. Her face turned red and she stood forward.
"What the heck's that supposed to mean? What do you take me for?" she raised her voice.
"Would ye teach me how to be more of a lad? Er, a man?" he requested. There were a long pause, and she seemed to get madder every second. "Please?"
"I'm gonna pinch myself, and I'm gonna wake up back in my room. There is no way somebody is this stupid," she said, turning to leave.
"Wait, please! I mean it," Shelly cried, and she stopped. She stared at him for a moment, and cocked her head.
"You're really being serious. Okay, first of all: you're asking a girl how to become a man. In what world would I be able to help with that?" she replied.
"That's exactly why you can help. Ye said I'm too weak and too much of a lass to talk to Crystal. But I really want to. If I can become someone who is allowed to talk to her in your view, I want to. You must know how to not be a lass," he said, and put his paws together. "I want your blessing to be with Crystal, so I should follow your advice."
"I- wow okay, that does actually make sense," she growled. "But secondly: what's in it for me? I've got tons of better stuff to do than try and teach a weakling."
Oops, she's right. I can't expect anything like this for free. Money doesn't seem like a nice answer here. Think Shelly, think! He stood back and groaned for a moment, and then his face brightened. "I might actually be able to help you a lot. It's all theory, but I could teach you Pokémon attacks."
"Okay that one's definitely bull. A water type that can teach a fire type Pokémon moves? Not even in your dreams," Ruby snickered.
"No no, I'm serious lass! I learnt a lot about weapons and fighting. I know techniques I can't do very well, but someone good at fighting could use them," he said enthusiastically. "Ye was after vengeance, aye? And ye can do a mean Flamethrower. We can make that stronger!"
"O-kaaaay… then let's see it. If you can actually help me learn new moves and get stronger, then maybe I'll consider it. This should be a laugh," Ruby smirked.
"I noticed something about your umbrella weapon. I think it can catch your flames," Shelly began, pointing at it. She held it up with an unsure look. "If you blow fire into it as you spin fast enough, you could pick up a whirlwind. Then twirl the opposite way, and flick the contained fire at the enemy. Ye should unleash a Fire Spin!"
Ruby kept staring at the umbrella, and blinked. "Why in the almighty's name would I burn my umbrella?"
"Because it's forged from Derris Ore. It even has a modified Wonder Orb embedded in it. I believe that orb is programmed to manipulate or resist particular attacks. The canopy is a shield, ain't it?" Shelly explained.
"Doesn't explain why I should try to burn it!" she cried.
"You're not trying to burn it!" Shelly pouted. "But if I try and explain properly, you're just gonna call me a nerd again."
"Ya got that right," she smirked.
"Just give it a try! Please," he bounced eagerly.
Ruby sighed. "Alright. This might just be crazy enough to work."
After a moment, she started. She held the umbrella open so that it shielded her front and shot a weak stream of fire into the canopy, where to her surprise, the flames began to gather there rather than spread out around. She stood on her hind legs and slowly twisted as she added more fire, where a small stream of it began to follow her.
"That's it! Spin harder and throw those flames," Shelly cheered her on.
She spun the opposite way with much more force than before, and the fire gathered inside the umbrella was released as a small twister of flames. Shelly realised that he was the target and screeched before he braced, covering his front with both arms. A second later and heat bathed his form, burning him mostly from the ground up. He could only shiver and grunt as he felt his fur peeling away, but thankfully the attack died off before any lasting damage was done.
"That… actually worked…" Ruby whispered, gawking at him. He groaned and fell on his front, and she shook herself. "Oh my gosh, are you okay?"
"I… ow, you're really strong," he whimpered. I'm supposed to get hurt less by fire, but it feels like my body's going to fall apart. I really am weak…
"Seriously, are you okay? I didn't actually mean to hurt you," Ruby gasped, trying not to touch him.
"I'm okay," he huffed. He was eventually able to sit back, but those burns would stop him from sleeping tonight for sure. Still, he gave her his best smile. "Um, you still did it. Do you believe me?"
"Ah- you—" she said with a flinch. "Geez, you dumb thing. You're still thinkin' about Crystal when you're gettin' burnt to death?"
He did reply. Is it wrong to? That's why we were doing this in the first place, right? Not complaining about pain is how you know someone is strong, right? But that probably only counts because they don't get hurt in the first place.
Ruby grumbled something, shifted about a bit, and then closed up her umbrella. "I didn't put full effort into that, you know. No need to be a drama queen about it. Trying to big me up isn't going to win you any love points."
"I know. If you used Flamethrower properly, think of how big the Fire Spin could get," he remarked excitedly. "I'd love to see you do it properly!"
"Argh, you don't make any sense," she complained, turning her back. He expected her to leave, so his anxiety shot up when she stopped by the exit. With an exaggerated sigh, she turned to face him again. "You have other moves you can teach me?"
"Huh? U-um, yes. Lots and lots! And if I don't, I can read and learn about more. And I'm really good with weapons too, so I can make yours stronger too, and—" he replied, standing up.
"Alright alright, simmer down kiddo," she said. She sighed again. "I can't believe I'm saying this - but if you're serious about making my moves stronger, then I'll try. You just wanna learn how to be more of a man, right?"
"Y-yes! And if I do, will ye let me talk to Crystal?" he asked.
"I… actually kinda think it's an unfair deal, so I'll try and get you on her good side, too. But that's only if this starts to work out, okay? Right now, you're still a big weirdo! I just think good moves are worth it," she barked as she pointed at him. "If these moves turn out to be hokey or you don't take this seriously, the deal's off!"
"Thank you… thank you, thank you! I'll do my best, I promise!" he gasped, and moved to shake her hand. She smacked his paw away, though.
"Ah- back off! First rule: never touch a girl unless she gives ya permission to," she stated. "That's an easy way to come off as creepy."
"R-really? What if we have to go across the scary bridge again?" he asked.
"Oh well obviously, emergencies are exceptions. If you're tryin' to help in battle or our journey, that's a different thing," she said. She pointed at him again. "But don't go trying to look for excuses. No touching means no touching. You follow advice like that, and I might start getting along."
But Kusha was okay with me touching her. Elise too- oh my gods, I forgot about Elise! He gasped and shifted back. She's not here, and Kusha said I should try and get to know other Pokémon, so it's okay… right? Oh no, I already made a promise… I… it'll be okay, I hope.
"You okay? Something come up?" Ruby asked.
"Oh, u-um, yes. I'm fine. Just… I'm sorry. I won't ask questions," he replied. Where is Kusha, anyway? She could help us lots.
"Well don't do that, either. If ya did everything I said without questioning it, you might as well let other Pokémon step all over ya," Ruby said. "There's a difference between doing something creepy and trying to excuse it, and then asking stuff you actually don't know. So just, don't be stupid, okay?"
"I don't know the difference, though," he mumbled. Her eyes opened wide and she gave him such a glare that it felt like his face was being blended. "I-I mean as in, I'll just ask stuff I don't understand. I mean. I know how to not be stupid."
"I already regret signing up for this," she groaned.