Chapter 7: Beneficial Connections
Toft fluttered and soared through the night air, the letter from the Sage clutched tight in his talon with the light breeze from the sea buffeting his small body as he flew above the treetops. He occasionally found himself looking around for any signs of Voids that might have wandered from the dungeon and picked up on the faint sound of his flapping wings. However, he knew that even if he was able to remain completely silent, there would still be a chance that he could be found because of his Aura. The thought of being preyed upon by those shadowy beasts was enough to make him sweat, but not enough to break his concentration on the very important mission he had been given. Thankfully, his flight so far had gone according to plan.
The trip from Auraciel to Zephyros that took most Pokémon a good hour or so only took the Pidove around ten minutes to complete. With the expediency expected of him, he sure was glad that he had been born a flying-type Pokémon. He had never walked the rugged road from Zephyros to the temple, and he honestly never wanted to. The crows found along that route were known to be jerks at times.
It wasn't long before he caught sight of his destination; the darkened rooftops of Zephyros, with their softly glowing windows and chimneys that spouted plumes of smoke that billowed into the night sky like apparitions before dispersing into thin air. He was in the home stretch, and now he just had to reach the Mayor's residence— conveniently located atop town hall.
It wasn't much of a chore for him to find town hall, which had predictably been built at the head of Windfall Square— the site of numerous public events and festivities, including the upcoming Springtide Festival. It was one of the largest structures in town at five stories tall, with several white marble pillars holding up its entrance and a big belltower capping off its roof. The mayor and a few of his staff resided on the fourth floor, as suggested by an array of open-air balconies with small tables, chairs, and decorative pottery sitting on them. There was a balcony longer than all the others, with a door at each end rather than one in the center. This was the terminus for any flying messenger, not just himself, to land and meet with the mayor or other members of his staff as well as hand off urgent letters like the one he held in his talons at that very moment.
The Pidove had made this very same trip many times before, but never so late. As such, the wood and glass door on the balcony that he usually landed on to deliver letters directly to the mayor was closed, and there were no lights on inside either. He sighed heavily as he slowed his descent and landed on the railing of the balcony, hopping over to the door on one foot as he didn't want to drop or damage the parchment he had been carrying.
"Please be up, please be up!" he whined as he fluttered onto the surface of the door, his free talon gripping an embossed part of it that he could use as a makeshift ledge. He caught his breath and thought for a moment, unsure how to proceed as he didn't exactly want to peck on the glass for fear of breaking it. However, he didn't really know of any other way to get the attention of those inside. However, he quickly came up with a better idea, which was to use a talon to knock instead. He reached down and took the letter with his beak, freeing up his talon while the other continued to grip the door.
With that, he began to gently knock on the door's glass with his talon, his taps getting louder and more frequent as he got the hang of it. About a minute passed before he saw a light turn on inside through the closed curtains, and he breathed a sigh of relief as his efforts had paid off. However, instead of the door he was standing on opening like he expected, Toft could see another light turn on through the door on the opposite side, which led to the mayor's assistant's office. The little Pidove tilted his head in confusion as the other door swung open and a rotund, pink-skinned Pokémon walked out onto the balcony. The stone terrace shook slightly with every step the plump creature took as his chubby face and beady eyes looked strained just from the small actions he was taking. He groaned and grumbled as he looked around, bringing a doughy arm up to his spherical torso before turning towards the Pidove. It was then that their eyes met and the two got a better idea of what they were looking at.
"Hurmph! And just what in the world are you doing here at a time like this? Mleh!" the large, pink Pokémon snorted in a deep, somewhat goofy voice as an incredibly thick and long tongue flopped out of his mouth and landed against his bulging belly with a wet slap.
"AAAUGH!" Toft screeched in fear as the wet, slimy muscle emerged and wiggled disturbingly. He was so perturbed by what he had just seen that he reflexively jumped off the door and flung the letter he had been holding into the air. "Oh, cripes! The Mayor's letter!" he choked as the rolled-up parchment spun through the air and began to fall off the side of the balcony. The big Pokémon immediately noticed the letter and with a glint in his eye and reflexes quicker than expected, whipped his long, slick tongue towards it and successfully caught it before it fell too far. He then retracted his tongue with a loud slurp, bringing the letter with it. He grabbed the letter off the tip of his tongue and inspected it for a moment before shooting an annoyed glare at Toft.
"Do you have any idea how late it is for shenanigans like these?" he sighed.
"Wh-who the heck are you?! You're not the mayor or his assistant! Are you a burglar?! A vandal?!" he squawked frantically as he tried to land back on the railing. Although the stranger had graciously caught his letter for him, the Pidove couldn't help but eye his sticky, saliva-coated tongue warily. "Don't tell me… You didn't EAT them, did you?!" he gasped as he nearly fell off the balcony after conjuring such a horrifying vision for himself. "Say it 'aint so! Give them back right now!"
"Huuurrmph… You were sent here to test my patience, weren't you?" the unknown Pokémon grumbled. "Don't you think I get enough comments like that from ignorant jerks already? This is just how we Lickilicky look! I can't help it!" he huffed as he stuck his tongue out a bit and turned his nose up at the Pidove.
"A… Lickilicky, huh?" Toft grunted as he hopped a bit closer to the stranger and looked him up and down.
"Yes, a Lickilicky. I'm not some demon of gluttony, just an ordinary Pokémon like you."
"S-sorry, I've just never met one of your kind before. Your appearance took me by surprise, that's all," Toft murmured sheepishly. "Oh, and uh… Sorry if I offended you!"
"Whatever gave you that idea?" the Lickilicky muttered sarcastically.
"But who are you, anyway? And where's the mayor and his assistant?"
"Hmm? You're lookin' at one of 'em, guy," the Lickilicky responded as he pointed to himself with one of his nubby hands.
"Wha?! Then you must be…"
"The mayor's assistant."
"But what happened to—," Toft asked, but was cut off by the Lickilicky.
"The old one resigned, obviously. I'm his replacement."
"Huh. That's news to me."
"Really? I've worked here for three whole months already!"
"I guess I never heard that the old one left because I don't live in Zephyros…"
"Hmm?" the Lickilicky murmured as he reached up and rubbed his chin in thought. "Where exactly are you from, then?"
"I came here from Auraciel. Ya know, the Auracle temple just up the way?"
"Oh, you did, huh?" the Lickilicky grunted as he held up the letter. "Then THIS must be a payment of compensation for damages!"
"Huh? What do you mean?"
"You heard me. Compensation for damages that your little Riolu menace caused over the past month!"
"Wait… You mean Eli?"
"Ah, right! That was the little bugger's name. Friend of yours'?" the Lickilicky sneered.
"N-no, not exactly! I don't even really know him that well!" the Pidove gulped. "And no, that's not what the letter's about, but I'll be sure to bring it up to the Sage once I get back," he added nervously.
"Hurmph! That so? Well I suppose I'll have to wait on those payments a little while longer. I'm positive your Sage is scrounging them together right now…" the Lickilicky groaned as he rolled his eyes.
"W-well at any rate, I really need to get that letter to Mayor Cecil," Toft replied, hoping to change the subject as he pointed to the parchment that the assistant was holding. "It's of the utmost urgency! Where is he, anyway?"
"What's all this ruckus about?" a tired, gravelly voice asked from behind the door closest to the Pidove, accompanied by the sound of heavy footsteps.
"Does that answer your question?" the Lickilicky grumbled to Toft as the other door creaked open.
Out through the door and onto the balcony stomped a wide, bulky turtle-like Pokémon known as a Carracosta. He wore a necklace around his thick neck crafted from sturdy rope with painted wooden charms hanging from it, some shaped like swirls and others like sea creatures. He had a somewhat dour expression that made him look quite serious and intimidating under the moonlight, but Toft wasn't unnerved in the slightest because he just so happened to know him quite well. "Olaf, what's going on out here? Do you have any idea how late it is?" he yawned in a slightly annoyed fashion before spotting the Pidove perched on the railing. "Well by the stone of my shell, its Toft! It's been a while hasn't it, my friend?" he addressed cordially as he gave him a welcoming smile.
"Yes it has, Mayor Cecil! I wish our meeting could've taken place under better circumstances, but I have some grave news to deliver from Sage Linus… You'd better take a look right away," the Pidove murmured as the Carracosta glanced at his assistant and noticed the letter in his grip.
"Thank you, Toft. I'll be sure to read it at once in my office. If this came directly from Linus then its sure to be important," he told him as he turned back towards the door and motioned for Olaf to head inside as well. However, before going inside he looked to Toft and gave him a warm smile and a slow nod. "Oh, and please be sure to give him my sincerest thanks as always."
"Sure thing, Mister Mayor! Take care!" Toft replied bashfully as he flapped into the air and flew away into the night sky.
"B-but sir, shouldn't we make sure that he asks their Sage about—," Olaf tried to say, but was cut off by the Mayor.
"That's enough, Olaf. We already spoke about this, didn't we?" he replied sternly. "I said that we would cover the damages in full and that was the end of it."
"I understand that, but—."
"Good, now come along then! Let's get this letter inside. I'm gonna need some light to read it."
"Erm, y-yes, Sir…"
They both made their way back inside and walked down an adjoining hallway towards the Mayor's office. As they traversed the quiet, darkened corridors of the town hall, a tense silence hung in the air between them. Olaf made an effort to keep pace with Cecil and cleared his throat as he started to talk again.
"Mayor, forgive me for being so persistent but honestly… You really shouldn't be letting this go so easily!" the Lickilicky protested.
"I've made up my mind, Olaf," the Mayor sighed. "Disciplining that kid is a bit tougher than you think due to his connections with the temple. Despite this, Linus assured me that he would do his best to straighten him out and that was our agreement for relenting on him. The affected parties have been compensated and Linus will handle the boy himself. However, if things get too out of hand, I'll reserve the right to deal with him in any way I see fit," the Carracosta firmly explained.
"That's not fair, Mister Mayor! That Riolu is one of the most egregious—."
"Assuming that what you're about to say is even true, your acute focus on him wouldn't happen to be because he's personally annoyed you, is it?"
"And what if it is?" Olaf huffed. "That's not the only reason, mind you! He's a bad influence on our town! It already has its fair share of problems, and if you allow him to run rampant all over it then things will only get worse…"
"We already have high crime rates and that hasn't changed for several decades. It's the nature of our location. Zephyr Island is essentially a rest stop on the way to bigger and brighter waters. We get all sorts here; anyone from drunken sailors and rowdy tourists to brigands and mercenaries. We're bound to attract various ne'er-do-wells which our guards are ill-equipped to deal with because so many travelers are coming and going at any given time."
"But sir! This is a slippery slope you're navigating. If you go soft on one troublemaker then before you know it you'll have scores of other thugs acting the same or even worse since they know they can get away with it," the Lickilicky insisted. "You have to set an example! You're the highest elected authority in town aren't you, mleh?"
"Olaf, please. I've tried cracking down hard on crime before, and all that did was force the troublemakers to be craftier with their exploits, making it more difficult to pursue them. It didn't stop a thing. What we need isn't stronger authority, but rather better resources. More opportunities for our citizens! Unfortunately I've been at a loss as to what to do about that," Mayor Cecil responded tiredly as he opened the door to his office and walked in. Olaf quickly waddled over to the Mayor's desk ahead of him, switching on a small gas lamp that would provide some reading light.
"With all due respect, Sir, that might be because you're not thinking enough outside the box. Quite a few folks in the town council have some pretty deep pockets. All we have to do is convince them to—," he began to say, but was once again interrupted by the old Carracosta.
"I've tried that in the past, but they're all notoriously tight-fisted. They care more about courting tourists than helping their fellow citizens because they're the ones with the spending money. They rarely ever throw their wealth behind something unless it threatens their ability to profit. But honestly, what could I do about that? Threaten them?" he sighed as he lumbered around to the other side of his large desk and took a seat on a big chair, placing his flippers onto the desk's surface.
Olaf closed his eyes and groaned as he shook his head. "I'm just trying to help you out, Mayor… I wouldn't be doing my job as your assistant if I didn't."
"Well… You can start by opening that letter you're holding for me," the Carracosta murmured dismissively.
"Hurmph. Right, here you go, mlem," Olaf grumbled as he unfurled the parchment and placed it on the desk in front of the Mayor so that he could read it.
"Thank you," Cecil told him as he began to read the letter. He leaned down and read its contents carefully, his expression changing from intrigued to worrisome the further he got. Olaf wasn't standing close enough to read it himself, but from what he could tell on his boss's face, it wasn't good.
"Sooo… What's going on?" the Lickilicky asked.
The Carracosta let out a deep sigh and shook his head. "Bad news from Auraciel. It seems that a mystery dungeon has once again decided to plague our little island…" he murmured grimly.
Olaf grunted loudly and nearly fell backwards onto the floor when his boss uttered the word "mystery dungeon". His eyes grew wide and he began to shiver as his mouth fell agape, his long, slimy tongue dropping onto the carpet in complete shock. "BLEH?! W-w-what did you just say, Mayor?!" he whimpered as beads of sweat started to trickle down his spherical head. "You… You can't be serious! Surely th-they m-must be mistaken!"
"I'm afraid that doesn't seem to be the case. I've known Linus for many years, and he'd never joke about something like this," the Carracosta replied. "He must be telling the truth. And what's worse is that he's confirmed that the dungeon has started spawning Voids."
"Y-you've got to be kidding!" Olaf shouted frantically. "Oh no! OH NO! No no no! This is unbelievable! This is the worst! The absolute worst scenario possible!"
"Calm down, my friend! Losing our heads isn't going to help us solve this problem, now is it?"
"Y-you're right… You're right, Mayor," the Lickilicky panted as he leaned on a nearby table to help steady himself. "But what can we do? The Springtide Festival starts in just three days! You know what that means! Zephyros will be swarming with tourists, and with hordes of Voids at large it's sure to be a disaster!"
"Hrrm. I would prefer postponing the festivities until we get this situation sorted out, but I have a feeling that the town council will veto my decision. They have too much money riding on the festival, so putting it off and discouraging tourists from attending is something they're not likely to agree to," the Mayor sighed as he placed a flipper on his forehead. "It's all just such bad timing…"
"W-well uh… M-maybe the Voids will just, um, stay away from Zephyros for the time being, huh?" Olaf suggested nervously. "Or at least until the festival is over…"
"Not likely, chum," the Carracosta replied solemnly. "Those Voids have already attacked Auraciel and their Guardians, and they'll most likely come after our town once they get a whiff of our citizens' Aura."
"Hurmph! This is all looking very bleak, Sir…"
"Not entirely, Olaf," the Mayor replied, causing the Lickilicky to look up.
"W-what are you saying, Mister Mayor? Do you have a plan?"
"I'm going to see if I can convince any of the council members to postpone the festivities tomorrow, but my hopes for that aren't high. At the very least however, our town guards and the Auracle Guardians can cooperate in order to keep the Voids contained around the dungeon as much as we can."
"S-sure, but won't the Voids just eventually overrun us?"
"Without a doubt. We'll only be able to fix this mess by permanently destroying the Voids and closing that mystery dungeon. And that's precisely where the next part of my plan comes in," the Carracosta replied with a smirk. "You see, Olaf… I haven't told you this yet, but I just so happen to have some very beneficial connections in the Far Realms."
"Beneficial connections?" Olaf asked in confusion. "Just what are you talking about?"
"Not what. Who," Cecil chuckled as he reached down and opened one of his desk's drawers. He grabbed something inside and placed it on top of the desk, allowing Olaf to see what it was. The Lickilicky waddled over to the desk and saw that it was a small, clear orb with a metallic ring wrapped around it and gasped in surprise.
"Wait a second! I've seen one of these things before! That's a—!"
"A Link Orb," the Mayor confirmed with a cheeky smirk.
"Th-that's an advanced, long-distance communication device, right? I know that there are other components and devices it can connect to, but even with that basic orb you've got you can still communicate with others that also have one…"
"I don't really know what a lot of those terms mean, but yes! That's essentially what I was planning on using it for."
"So, you're going to contact someone on that thing?" Olaf asked skeptically. "Just who, exactly?"
"An old friend of mine," Cecil replied jovially. "He's the one who gave this thing to me so that we could remain in contact even over long distances. And he just so happens to have access to precisely what we need to turn things around…"
End of Chapter 7…
