Chapter 19: Where the guild gets emptier.
Mo managed to fall asleep a while later, but woke up again not long after. He was still tired when he and the others went to the morning briefing and the mood of everyone else seemed to be not better than his. Just like the day after the invasion. And just like during dinner time Team Blue was still noticeably absence. This was good for Mo and bad at the same time.
Guild master Hilarius inspected the present embers in silence with both his arms behind his back and carrying an adventurer bag for some reason. Nobody spoke, until Hilarius broke the silence.
"As you all may noticed, Team Blue still hasn't returned from their mission. Especially with the key still not found I'm afraid something bad has happened. But I assure you there is still hope. Last night I have decided to personally look for your missing members and hopefully bring them, and the key, back home."
The hall, again, was very silence. This time not out of respect to Hilarius and tenseness. Now more out of shock. This decision hit everyone. Even Alfons, Heidi and Bao.
"But you can't go looking for them by yourself! And who will be our leader when you're not here?", Heidi finally asked him.
"I've got everything planned.", Hilarius said and put his hand on her head, looking at her with his cold glance.
He turned back to the adventure teams.
"Bao and Gangolf will join me on this trip while Alfons, as my right hand, stay here to speak and act in my name."
All eyes were now on both the Mienshao and the Golem. Both filled with ambition, left their team mates with the other members and stood by Hilarius' side, left and right. The three strongest members of the guild.
At the same time Alfons was surprised by what his boss just said and could not proper realise what just happened. What power he just revived.
"Furthermore, missions are still not allowed.", Hilarius declared once both team leaders were by his side. "Also, from now on, members of the guild are not allowed anymore to leave the HQ and we won't receive any more food from our supplier."
The food that was served daily was brought by a catering service from the outside. Parts of the money the guild got went into this service everyone loved. Not getting warm food anymore at dinnertime was an outrage for almost everyone. And they all, of course, showed their displeasement.
"Silence!", Hilarius ordered loud and so they followed.
"I'm only doing this to make sure you are all save, healthy and ready at all time. We have enough supplies for a month. Everything will go back to normal once our current threat is defeated.", the guild master assured everyone.
Hilarius kneed down in front of the Delibird, who was still baffled about what happened, and put his hands on his shoulders.
"Alfons, you are now in command of the guild. You may change my rules as you like. I'm counting on you, my friend."
Hilarius stood back up again and looked to the other members.
"I'm counting on all of you!"
Everyone stepped back as the three headed for the door to exit the HQ, As they wentby Team Orange, Hilarius stopped and looked at his sons.
"Boys. Behave. Listen to Alfons like you would listen to me.", he said calmly to them.
And with that they were out of the door into the unknown.
With Hilarius gone and Alfons in charge all eyes were on him know.
Alfons forcefully shook his head and then gave is first order to the adventurers.
"You have heard him! You are allowed to train and walk around in the HQ as you wish! Inside, not outside! That's all."
As Alfons walked away, followed by nurse Heidi, all the members began to talk with each other what just happened and what might happen in the near future. For Mo it was now way to loud for him.
"Aaron? Do you still have some of those leafs that taste so bitter and burn in your throat?", Mo asked his friend. He needed something that would bring him other thoughts. "I'd like some of them."
"I don't think you should try them ... again. You don't like them anyway last time.", Aaron answered to Mo, who was already heading back to their room.
"Then I'm going to learn it."
Mo spent the rest of the day relaxing in Team Purple's room. Or at least he tried. He got some of those leafs he wanted, only for him to spit them out again and Aaron going, "I told you.". Mo mostly tried to get some of the sleep of couldn't get last night. One thing was sure for Mo. Yesterday, when he said the could not leave anymore in this situation, now he truly was right literally.
Much later, in the late afternoon, not long before dinner would start, Mo headed to the bathroom, getting a hot bath before eating and hoped they would have left something good in the storeroom. He knew berries could rot fast. If the guild got something he could work with, he could prepare a few actual meals. Then he also would have some work to do for the days to come.
On the way Mo saw Alfons dragging his bag like tails behind him as if there was something heavy inside. It was also larger than normally.
"Do you need help?", Mo asked him from behind.
This startled the Delibird and he quickly turned around and grasped his chest, looking at the Mimikyu with wide open eyes.
"Don't sneak up to me like that!", admonished Alfons.
"That's how just how I walk around.", Mo explained.
"Do you need help with that?", Mo asked him and pointed to Alfons' heavy tail.
"Oh! Thank you, Mo.", Alfons said and opened his bag tail. Inside were alot of books. "I was heading to the library to bring them back."
Mo took some books out and carried it, following Alfons. The pile Mo was holding was slightly bigger than he was and he had to carry them at the high of his face head to see were he and Alfons were going.
"You know? I used to work at a charity long before the guild was established. Giving toys to those in need, you know.", Alfons told. "I'm starting to get old."
Mo nodded politely.
"By the way. Should we call you guild master now? Because ... you're the authority now?", Mo asked him.
"Hilarius is still guild master and I'm still just Alfons to you. This will all just be temporarily.", Alfons explained to him.
Mo wasn't sure how Alfons would be up, now with Hilarius gone and him with the power. Would Alfons like to become guild master? Mo could not tell.
Shorty after, they arrived at the library. There was no one around except for them and there was still some visible damage due to the fight between Mo and the Gloom from a few days ago.
Mo put down the books he was carrying next to Alfons, who began to sort them.
"Is it alright if I go now? I need to do something else myself.", Mo asked him, planning to go to the bath as he intended.
"Sure. Thank you, boy.", Alfons answered him. He was still sorting the book they carried and wasn't looking at him as he answered.
Before he went his way again, Mo, out of curiosity, picked up some of the books he carried. He could not see before what exactly Alfons was carrying back. One was about Mt. Avalanche Mo, Aaron and Charlotte went before, Some were about other places like Lightning Field, Meteor Cave and Iron Rust Mountain. Noticeably there were quite some different books about myth and legends. One even directly about the Origin Stone.
"Excuse me, but what do you needed these books for?", Mo asked Aflons, holding and showing him a book about Meteor Falls and it's connection about live beyond the stars.
Alfons turned around. At first he said nothing and just looked at Mo and back to his book multiple times.
"I tried to investigate about the missing key and the stone. I spend half the day reading through all of them.", he finally said.
Mo put back to book he was holding.
"Did you found something?", Mo asked.
Aflons was silence again and began sorting the books again like before.
"No.", Aflons just quietly said, again not looking at Mo.
"I already talked about this with other guild members and ...", Mo tried to say but not knew if he should or how he should. Alfons was busy with his books anyway. "What if Team Blue took the key for themself?"
For a short moment Alfons lost his balance and fell down. He turned his head and looked at Mo in a similar way minutes before when Mo accidently scared him.
"I know about the power of the stone. I told everyone that night. What if someone, not just Team Blue, would exploit this power? What would we do?", Mo explained himself to Alfons, still not knowing if asking him this really was a good idea. Especially know. Alfons could stare as cold as his blizzard attack was.
Alfons put down the book he was holding at the moment and got very calm very fast. He approached Mo and put his wing on the Mimikyu's fake head.
"If someone is planning to take the stone and may use it for bad deeds, then, sadly, he, she or they would become a threat to us and we must fight them. Like we do with every criminal be encounter. Even if it is a friend."
Aflons then proceeded to sort his books, yet again.
Without saying a word, Mo walked away.
"Sounds easier than done.", Mo thought.
As Mo thought there were no warm meals served this evening and just simple fruits and vegetables. Everyone knew they had no other options at the moment and the dinner was awfully quiet and empty without Hilarius, Gangolf, Bao and Team Blue. Except for Team Orange. They ranted about the foods quality and were sent to bed early shortly after. It was embarrassing to watch.
"And one of them wants to lead the guild one day.", Mo reminded himself.
The dinner was short and soon after every team went back to their room. Paul and Phil invited Team Purple for a card game in their room. While Aaron joyfully accepted, Mo decided to go hit the hay early again. He was still tired, he said. In reality, he just wasn't in the mood now. This backfired to him, because Charlotte wasn't in the mood as well. Moments later Mo found himself again as Charlotte's replacement log. He reminded her about the event in the hotel. Just cuddling. Nothing more. Still, deep inside Mo felt happiness whenever she did this.
Mo wandered around. He had no idea where he was or how he got there. Wherever he was, is was very misty. He could barely see anything at all, not even the ground underneath him. He could not tell if it was grass, stone or sand. It also made now sound when he took a step. He just tried to walk straight. Sooner or later he would find something.
Then, he actually saw something. Mo quickly approached what he was seeing and tried to figure out what it was. Or ... who it was. He saw two silhouettes in the distance. One was very tall and white, the other one small and pink. Mo tried hard but he could not figure who or what these two were. And no matter how fast he ran, he could not catch of with them. It was as if Mo would not move when he ran. Mo tried to call out, but his voice made no sound. Then, the two silhouettes began to talk.
"I trust the choosen one, but I do not trust the one you want to send to aid him.", the white silhouette said. It had a sinister sounding male voice and Mo felt a shiver as it spoke. "He may serve the light, but he is still a creature of darkness. He only needs one bad day, just one push, and he will succumb to the darkness he lives in."
"But there is a good heart inside him.", the pink silhouette said. It was a very soft, light female voice. The voice of a little girl. "He has courage hidden inside him and the will to change everything for the better purpose."
"You are too kind to Pokémon like him. To creatures like he is.", the white silhouette said.
"For me, he is someone we can trust. Someone the choosen one and his partner can trust.", said the pink silhouette.
For a while everything was silent.
"This is your decision. Hope you didn't choose wrong. For it could mean the end.", the white silhouette said, and as soon as he finished his sentence, everything was gone. The two, the mist, the light, ... the ground beneath Mo.
Mo fell into the abyss of the darkness. He tried to scream, but he could not. The next thing Mo knew, he woke up beside Charlotte and Aaron in their room.
Mo stood up and rubbed his eyes, trying to figure out what just happened. His mind was as foggy as his dream he just had. It has been a while since his last weird dream he could remember. Possible due to the food, or his stress.
Finding the room to hot and him feeling sick, Mo decided to try getting some air and then going back to sleep.
The corridor was cooler and fresher than the team room. This feeling reminded him of his first night as a guild member. The night he met Yinping for the first time. He liked this kind of spookyness. Mo thought about going outside the guild. At least for a moment. Or at the very least leaving the door open for a while. They can't breath the same air for days, maybe even longer. Hopefully not.
Mo saw the twins also went back to their room for the night. Probably not so smart not guarding the door at all in the middle of the night, but at least he doesn't have to ask tonight. He thought about telling Alfons about this tomorrow. For safety reasons.
But he saw someone else approaching the door. Two Pokémon, but not the twins.
"I feel bad not telling someone.", one worried whispered to the other. It was Amy!
"Just leave it here on the ground. Tomorrow someone will find it.", said the other one. Axel?
"What are you doing? It's in the middle of the night.", Mo asked them as he approached.
Axel and Amy were startled for a moment. As they realised Mo was there Amy quickly rushed over to him, astonishing him a little with her speed, pushed him to the ground with her might and pressed his hand there, where she expected Mo to have his mouth. She made a gesture with her finger on her mouth, ordering Mo to be quiet.
"What are you doing?", Mo whispered, now angered by her rude action.
"We know where Team Blue is.", she whispered back.
"What?!", Mo said, now louder again, in surprise and stood back up.
Amy ordered him again to keep quiet with her finger.
"They're in danger, and the Forces of Evil got the key. We must hurry.", Amy explained to Mo and walked back to Axel, still standing by the door.
"What? How?", Mo asked and followed her.
"We ... just know it. You have to trust us.", Amy whispered frustrated.
"Seriously. How? Since when?", Mo stopped whispering again. This sounded absurd for him.
"The same way how we found the map.", Axel finally said, more calm than his partner. "I'm the choose one, remember?"
"Yes, right! Dreams and such!", Mo remembered. It still sounded strange to him. For him, dreams didn't had a meaning. It was just some nonsense in your head.
"And Steve? Where is-?", Mo tried to ask but was interrupted by Amy. He was too loud for her again.
"We also told him, but he refused to come with us. He even told jus not to go. 'We can talk about this with Alfons tomorrow'. You know? But we can't wait.", Amy explained, mocking their Voltorb friend.
"You're not trying to stop us, are you?", Axel asked Mo and looked at him with his seemingly closed eyes.
Mo thought what to say to them. On one side, he couldn't tell what they're doing and if he should trust them. On the other side, he IS the chosen one. Or at least that's what Mo was told.
"I just hope you know what you doing. You are longer guild members than I am, but you're still kids.", Mo honestly answered.
Amy looked at Axel, back at Mo again and again back at Axel. Amy opened the bag Axel was carrying and pulled out an envelope. A normal envelope for letters with an exclamation mark on it in a bright red colour.
"Here.", Amy said to Mo and gave him the envelope.
"This is very important. If we don't return within three days, open it and read what's inside. Not sooner, not later. Do you understand?", she told Mo.
Mo examined the envelope. It was not heavy and closed. It was something inside but probably only paper.
"I guess?", Mo answered.
Axel slowly opened the big entrance door, not making a sound while doing it.
Amy looked at Mo and gave him a friendly smile, as if she would assured him everythign would be fine.
"Goodbye, Mo.", she said and both she and Axel left the HQ, closing the door behind them.
For a moment Mo felt a cold and fresh breeze from outside as the door was open.
"Good luck you two."