A/N: Here's the next chapter, I've only got 3 pre-written so any pushes of creativity are welcome guys!
Also, I'd like to respond to a Reviewer here, just real quick:
To ShmokeyDaBear: First, thank you for Reviewing! Second, Thank you for the constructive criticism, I really do appreciate you taking the time to explain your reasoning about your likes/dislikes about this story already, seriously, it helps me think out responses and consider the writing in a different light, so, again, thank you! Now, to answer a few of your concerns/points!
First, you stated that "the preface is the antithesis of world building", and went on to explain that the large info-dump made it feel artificial and bland, and that proper World Building entwines withing the story, and, with an amnesiatic character, I have a perfect audience surrogate that I'm not using. To respond, I'm just going to point out that the only part of the fic that I info-dumped on were the parts that made this different from the game's canon, and the other Pokemon Mystery Dungeon fics out there. I created new shops, towns, guilds, and history, and removed the things that made it so similar to the games/other fics. I haven't given any of the actual world away as far as I can tell, beyond hints and points that will just give a bit of a reference point to those reading. Knowing that Abby has no want to return to her human self and no dimensional scream, and that evolution is a natural part of this world, simply keeps the readers from expecting certain scenes or plot-points to happen, without giving away actual background on the story itself.
Second, thank you for complimenting my writing, I work hard to check and make sure the story itself is as grammatically sound as possible, because I don't like using Betas, as I'm an impatient brat at my core and waiting on others to do something I can do myself can irritate my soul. Its also why my Authors Notes are so different, as those are, at their core, a written version of what I would say if this were, for example, a video (Random capitalized words are capitalized for emphasis, as I didn't feel like italicizing them and I do put a lot of emphases on my words when speaking).
Third, while usually your worry about the fact I'm asking for character ideas, and your reasoning, are sound, in this case I simply need names and ideas for what amounts to "Filler". I have solid Ideas for Main Characters, Scenes, Towns, Antagonists, and Plot, and I know where my story is going to go and what I want to happen at key points, its just that I have difficulty coming up with the random, seemingly useless filler bits that always happen in stories like these. Asking for Character Ideas not only gives me something new that can add to character growth or plot growth, but also, I feel, allows interested readers a chance to interact with the story itself, something that's always fun to see in the reviews.
And, Finally, on your note about Sagara: Yes, I know that the pronunciation can/will be called into question, and that the ending A is silent. Thank you for pointing it out, as I know that it can be a concern when using foreign names that they'll be miss-handled. Personally, I tend to read it as Sa-gar-ah, more because that's how I remember how to spell it, but also because the baby name book I'm using as reference used that particular pronunciation as a differential note. Sort of like the different ways you can pronounce Tournament.
Again, thank you SO MUCH for reviewing, and for your critiques/suggestions, I really do appreciate it!
Apologies for the long A/N's, all, here's the next chapter!
Pokemon Mystery Dungeons:
Explorers of the Sky!
Chapter One:
Beach Town
Abby did rest, dozing in her nest and listening to what was definitely beginning to sound like an ocean, enjoying the soothing sound of waves and the distant calls of-other?-Pokemon. It was very quiet, and calm, and she enjoyed being well enough to be aware of the almost idyllic atmosphere...
"Ma! Ma! Is she awake?!" a loud, high-pitched call of a young boy's voice shattered the calm, swiftly followed by the sound of another door being pulled back and small feet smacking against the ground.
"Mano, quiet down!" Another voice, slightly older and definitely feminine, scolded immediately after. "...Is she awake, though?" Abby lifted her head, feeling her large ears flick and spread out a little bit to better hear the sounds of the two siblings. Sagara's voice chuckled.
"Awake and without fever, yes," she answered; immediately, the one Abby now realized must be Mano the Tympole cheered loudly, and almost covered the heavy, relieved sigh of what must be Morie the Palpitoad.
"Thank Arceus," Morie's voice declared; Sagara hummed, a vibrating sound so strong the floor-boards trembled.
"And the Spirits," she agreed. "It seems like young Abby is still within the Steps of Xernes, instead of beneath Yveltals Wings. Although, silly Egg's, I warn you now, the fever has damaged her memories." Morie gasped softly.
"Her memories?" Mano asked.
"It seems she has very little recollection of how she ended up alone in the storm, let alone how she fell into the sea. Only a sense of being hunted remains, and her name." Silence fell, and Abby shifted in her nest uncertainly.
"She's okay now, though, right?" Mano asked; another floor-thrumming hum.
"Indeed, sweet Egg, she is. You may go and check yourself, if you'd like," Sagara teased kindly; immediately, there was the sound of rushing footsteps, being followed by slightly heavier-sounding steps. Abby struggled upright, her head aching a bit and her arms—legs? Forelegs?—shaky from disuse and lack of energy. She managed it, just as the makeshift door to her room was pushed to the side and she found her room all but invaded by an excitedly vibrating Tympole and his exasperated, yet curious, sister.
"You're awake!" The Tympole exclaimed, bouncing around happily for a moment, as Abby offered an uncertain smile.
"I am, thank you," she agreed; Morie walked over and nudged her excited little brother with her head.
"Calm down, Mano, you'll make her nauseous, bouncing all over the place," the older Pokemon scolded, exasperated, before offering Abby a sweet smile. "We're glad you're okay," she told the Shinx, Mano nodding exuberantly next to her. "I'm Morie, and-"
"I'm Mano!" the Tympole interrupted, loudly, only to deflate with a sheepish giggle as Morie huffed at him.
"I'm Abby," the Shinx offered in return; the two lit up, both grinning happily at her.
"Are you gonna go home once you get better?" Mano asked, stepping forward in order to nudge a bit of red scrap-cloth back into the nest. Abby hesitated, forehead wrinkling.
"I... I don't think I had a, um, home, Before," she told them uncertainly, wincing as her temples began to ache a little, reaching up to rub her head. "I don't remember, really, but I don't get the, uh, feeling that I did? I'm not sure," she murmured, dropping her paw to blink at the wide-eyed duo. The other Pokemon shared a look.
"Then you'll just have to stay with us!" Mano declared loudly, Morie hesitantly nodding along.
"We'll have to discuss it with Mother, but I don't think she'd mind you living with us," the Palpitoad informed her, before she straightened, nodding firmly. "I'll go ask. Mano, stay here and don't bother Abby," she ordered her brother sternly; Mano rolled his eyes but nodded, and Morie hurriedly padded from the room.
"She's always so bossy!" Mano immediately complained to Abby, rolling his eyes again. "She thinks she's so smart, just 'cause she helps Shelly keep inventory at her shop and is good with numbers and stuff." He pouts, and Abby isn't sure if he's expecting her to respond or just listen, so she offers him a small smile instead. Immediately, the Tympole's irritated pout vanishes behind a bright smile, and he bounces in place happily (it's this moment when Abby realized the 'running footsteps' sound wasn't feet at all, but the sound of the Tympole's body and tail tapping against the ground at slightly-off beats).
"I can't wait to show you around Beach Town, Abby!" he gushed at her happily. "I'll show you all the really cool places to play and hunt for treasure! And, and I'll introduce you to Weirdo Finn! You'll like him! I mean," he glanced towards the doorway before leaning closer and whispering conspiratorially. "His name's not actually 'Weirdo Finn', but just Finn, but most of us call him that anyways 'cause, see, he's this little Finneon who set up a Trade Shop, called Finn's Finds, about three months ago. Well, he collects random things that have washed up or been left in weird places, right? And he'll just hand it out to Pokemon if they ask, without charging them or asking for something in return, 'cause, apparently, he owns this big Pearl Mine out between Rustic and Sulpher Island, which is in a chain outside Silver Island, so why he's here no one knows, but, anyways," the Tympole paused to take a deep breath, and Abby did too. He spoke very quickly. "Anyways, he has, like, a lot of money, so, so he doesn't even need a shop but, when I asked him, he just said it was somethin' to do to pass the time! Like, isn't that weird?!" He demanded; Abby could only shrug uncertainly, blinking at him.
"But... Is his shop helping peo—er, Pokemon?" she asked him; Mano paused and thought it over.
"...Well," he started, reluctantly, frowning in thought. "He did find old Miss Genie's missing Lucky Goggles. She's the Golduck that helps out at the Marooned Messenger's Inn," he explained at Abby's confused look. "See, she sometimes does Swimming Races in the summer, and is the Swim Champion of Beach Town, but last summer, she lost her Lucky Goggles during a storm, and she was refusing to race again without them, but Weirdo Finn found them tangled up in some seaweed and handed them over without more than a 'looking forward to racing you!'" here, Mano tried to make his voice deeper, and was surprisingly able to, the round half-sphere's on his head vibrating at a weird, high-speed pace, probably helping him change his voice. He stopped and returned to the story.
"And, a couple days before Ma found you, he gave us a biiiig basket of Kelpsy Berries and seaweed for Ma to use! For free, too!" He exclaimed; Abby smiled a little.
"So, I guess it's not so weird at all, him wanting to help p-Pokemon, right?" she offered; Mano hesitated, then sighed, his tail flicking like a reluctant, sulking kick at the ground.
"Yeah, I guess," he muttered, pouting, and Abby chuckled a little. He was cute... Footsteps from the doorway had them both looking up, to find a beaming Morie there.
"Mother says you can live here as long as you like!" the Palpitoad announced happily. "That mean's you're practically my new sister! I've always wanted a sister!" Mano cheered, bouncing happily as Morie hopped over as well, and Abby couldn't help but laugh, despite her aching head.
Somehow, she felt lighter than ever.
… … … … … …
It took a few days before Abby felt well enough, and Sagara said she was well enough, to venture outside her nest. She discovered, then, that the place she would be staying was a decent-sized shack on the edge of a silvery-blue sea, with pink-yellow sand and thick foliage in the distance.
There was a lot of beach.
"The driftwood that make's up our home was gathered by my mother and father themselves," Sagara informed her as Abby stared around herself, marveling. "It was collected right here, on this beach, when I was but a Tympole. The seaweed that makes up the roof is reapplied every spring and fall, so that it does not crumble under the summer sun or winter chill." So that's what the not-grass is, Abby thought, before her attention was grabbed by Mano as he bounced over.
"Come on, Abby!" He urged excitedly, Morie waiting a little ways off, tail flicking happily. "We're gonna show you Beach Town!" Glancing at Sagara and receiving an encouraging nod, Abby followed the siblings as they hurried along the beach. Occasionally, they'd stop to dig something out of the sand at the water's edge, Abby helping as she actually had paws to dig with. They found two pretty shells, what looked like some sort of large pink scale, and a grime-covered bottle with something inside it.
"Finn's place is closest to us, so we'll stop by there to give him these," Morie informed her as they padded along, the found items stuffed into a small bag the Palpitoad had looped around her body. "Then we'll take you around town and introduce you to everyone! They're all curious about you, you know," she informed Abby happily. "They're always curious about Mother's new patients, so don't be surprised if they all start asking you questions. We went ahead and explained your memory loss, but some Pokemon are just nosy and can be rude."
"She say's that 'cause she's nosy and rude," Mano announced, before squealing as his sister knocked him into a roll with a huff, sending the Tympole into Abby's side, where she stopped his roll with a paw and a smile.
"That's okay," she told them both honestly. "As long as they aren't mean about it, I don't mind answering what questions I can... But I don't think there will be many I can answer," she admitted, absently rubbing her head as they continued, wincing as she got sand on her face.
"Come on, Abby!" Mano shouted, throwing himself forward towards the top of the sand-hill they were walking up. "It's just over this hill!" Abby shook the sand off her face and shared a glance with Morie, before the two girls ran up the hill after him. At the top, Abby froze, eyes going wide as she stared out at the surprisingly large town that lay spread out before them.
"Whoa," she murmured, stunned, as Morie and Mano beamed at her. There were several buildings, some of them obviously simple homes and the rest of them shops of some sort. And most of the shops were brightly colored and shaped almost like Pokemon, with a few differences. The biggest building was actually made of what looked like a wrecked ship, on the farthest edge of the town, built half-in the water with no sails but a brightly colored flag that, from what Abby could barely make out, had what looked like the general "Deserted Island" image on it.
"That's the Marooned Messenger's Inn," Morie told her, nodding at the ship. "And, over there, that's Shelly's Shell's, where I work sometimes," she offered eagerly, gesturing at a small building built fully on the sand, that was shaped like a dark purple oyster or clam.
"Over there's the Treasure Chest!" Mano told her excitedly, drawing her attention to a large brown hut on the edge of the water that was shaped like a chest, which had a short, dark pier trailing out behind it. "Old Man Gyarados owns that, he's a treasure hunter," the boy told her with relish. "Him and his Magikarp Crew hunt for wrecked ships and buried treasure, and they sell it here and ship it to other towns too!"
"And that's the Sea Breeze Spa!" Morie interrupted, making Abby's head turn in yet another direction (she was starting to get dizzy). The building in question looked like a coiled Milotic, with rainbow-stained glass windows and jewel-bright accents on its pink-and-tan walls. "It's run by Marina, she's a Milotic originally from over in the Aqua Island Chain, to the East of Bronze Island. . She runs it with her three daughters, Coral, Lotus, and Aloe, but Aloe's the youngest and is the only Feebas right now."
"And that's Ben's Reef Ride!" Mano continued, naming a dark blue building that looked vaguely like a turtle shell, built on the water at the end of a long pier. "Ben's great! He's a Lapras, and he does tours for a bit of coin or trade, he'll pull a boat or let you ride on his back, and take you out to this little island that's actually made entirely out of a huge reef! Quinn, that's his partner, is kinda rude and gruff, but he's a Qwilfish, so, that's typical, right?"
"That gold building, the one that look's like a ball?" Morie said, gesturing at the one in question, nearly right smack in the middle of town. "That's our very own Evolution Solution shop! It's run by this really nice Vaporeon named Vanora, and her two daughters, Lyra and Erica. Lyra evolved into a Leafeon recently, and Erica was so jealous, 'cause she's older but hasn't evolved and she wants to be an Espeon, see?" A little lost, Abby can only nod, smiling as the two siblings grin at her.
"And that is Finn's Findings!" They both said together, pointing at a completely plain brown hut, that would look similar to Sagara's own, only it was made out of fine, dark wood with no gaps between the planks, and it was oddly spherical, more so than the Evolution Solutions building, which had a flat roof.
"Come on!" Morie urged, bumping her head into Abby's shoulder to send the Shinx stumbling forward a little, Mano laughing as he rolled himself down the hill like a tiny, squealing boulder. "Let's go!" And Abby went, laughing a little herself as she stumbled into a run, racing down the side of the sand hill with Morie almost surfing beside her, the Palpitoad using her tail and flat feet to slide with a surprising amount of grace down to the bottom, where Mano was swirly-eyed with dizziness and giggling to himself, flat on his back and vibrating faintly.
"You okay, Mano?" Abby asked, laughing as she staggered to a stop, smiling widely; the Tympole rolled slowly upright, swaying dizzily.
"D-dizzy~!" he giggled; Abby laughed and Morie rolled her eyes.
"Come on, you two! What are you, Slowpokes?" The Palpitoad demanded; Abby grinned and nudged the Tympole carefully forward, padding along beside his dizzy, zigzagging steps and occasionally catching him before he could fall. By the time they reached Finn's Findings, he was back to normal and bouncing along in front of her happily. Abby admired the smooth, waxed appearance of the building as the siblings led her to the door, and liked the way the black-and-opal-colored lettering, lined with a thin border of pink, looked against the dark wood.
"Finn's Findings," she read, squinting at the smaller writing beneath the larger letters. "If We Found It, It's Here...? That's a little strange," she admitted; Mano nodded.
"Told you he was weird," he informed her sagely, only to yelp when Morie swatted him with her tail.
"Don't be rude!" She hissed, huffing, before pushing open the door and leading them in. "Finn! Are you here?" She called into the neat, if cluttered, shop. Abby gazed around with interest. There was all sorts of things collected on shelves and in baskets or glass tanks. Strange looking plants, either in water, hanging from pots, or growing out of the very ground were scattered about without any seeming rhyme or reason. There were gleaming rocks that she vaguely recognized—?—as precious stones and gems, some different sized pearls, and the whole store was lit in an amber glow thanks to strange, gleaming rocks that were hanging from the ceiling every few feet.
"Whoa," she murmured, admiring the rocks, feeling the urge to bat at the closest one start to rise in her chest.
"Quite pretty, aren't they?" A deep, masculine voice directly next to her asked; instinctively, Abby snarled, her fur standing on end and her head hunching as she whirled to glare at the stranger, lips pulled back tight and a faint, crackling sound coming from her stiff, twitching tail. Immediately, the Finneon she found in front of her backed up, smiling nervously and patting the air in a calming way with his fins as sweat beaded his forehead.
"Ah, h-hah, s-sorry about that!" He exclaimed, chuckling weakly. "Bad habit of mine, really. I mean no harm!"
"It's okay, Abby!" Mano told her, making her glance at him, fur already starting to resettle, along with her heartbeat. "That's Finn! He always just sorta pops up when Pokemon come in. He gets Morie to squeal sometimes," the younger Pokemon (was he younger? She thought so...) grinned mischievously and, finally, the tension in Abby's shoulders released and her tail stopped glowing and sparking faintly, making her sigh as she abruptly sat down.
"I almost squealed," she complained, shaking her head, and Finn chuckled, wiping sweat from his head and offering a sweet smile.
"Truly, I am sorry for startling you so badly, Abby, was it?" He told her. "You must be the Pokemon dear Sagara has been tending for days now, correct?" She offered him a nod and he beamed. "I'm most pleased to see that you have recovered! Welcome to Beach Town, it's quite nice, isn't it? Very peaceful," he chatted, moving forward as if he was swimming, although Abby saw him hop a little every so often. "I am Finn, I own and run this little shop, as these two have no doubt informed you," he told her, nodding indulgently towards Mano and the returned Morie. "Before I startled you, I had noticed you admiring my Glow Stone lights! Beautiful, aren't they?" he asked, repeating his first question, and Abby once more looked up at the glowing stone lights.
Each was hanging from the ceiling by thick black twine, causing them to sway teasingly from the wind that was breezing through an open window in the back of the shop. The urge to play with them came back, and Abby forced it down in order to return her attention to the patiently waiting Finneon.
"They are," she told him honestly; he beamed, and the pink spots on his tail seemed to glow in the dim lighting with his delight.
"They were a gift from a dear friend, Douglas, a Dugtrio who runs the Glow Stone Mine on the far side of Bronze Island," he gushed, bouncing a little in place happily. "I was oh-so-pleased, you see, because the only other lights I have are better suited for the Festivals, and those require an Electric-Type Pokemon to Charge them, which would have had to be done every day, and, well, not many of your Type come around Beach Town," he chuckled, winking one pink eye at her. "Few too many Water-Types to make anyone comfortable, you know? But, seeing as how Sagara's family are dual Water/Ground-Types, why, it's the perfect arrangement! I'm so glad," he declared happily; Abby smiled back at him, a little bemused, but nodded in acknowledgment all the same.
"We brought you some more stuff, Finn!" Morie jumped in before the Finneon could continue to babble; instantly, the Water-Type turned his pink eyes on her, and the Palpitoad hopped away, towards what looked like a counter.
"Let's see what we have today, hmm?" Finn asked, moving after Morie with Abby following behind him. Mano had promptly hopped away, vanishing into the shelves curiously. Abby had no doubt the Tympole would be digging through everything he could, searching for whatever shiny things caught his eye. Once Finn was behind the counter, Morie dumped their findings out on the counter.
"Ooh, those are some pretty shells, though you may want to keep those to sell to Shelly. She does get miffed with me selling seashells," he chuckled, nudging the two shells back towards the Palpitoad. "And this, here, is a Deep Sea Scale, which Miss Karen can use, so you can take that with you since she work's at Shelly's," he told her cheerfully, nudging the pink scale at her too. "Clampearls, you see, have two ways to Evolve, and one is using this Deep Sea Scale. While Miss Karen has been a Clampearl for, well, several years I imagine, she might decide using this to become Gorebyss. If we can find her a Deep Sea Tooth, as well, then she'd get to decide between that or being a Huntail... Of course," he mused. "She could just be content being a Clampearl. Some Pokemon get all fussy when asked if they wish to evolve," he informed Abby, absently, as he peered at the grim-covered bottle. "And, if she doesn't want it, I'll be happy to hold it here for her, of course," he added, turning the bottle carefully before pulling a Glow Stone out from behind the counter, setting it beside the bottle. Immediately, the amber light of the Stone made it easier to peer through the grimy glass, and Abby could just barely make out what looked like a tightly rolled piece of paper inside.
"What's in it?" Morie asked, peering at it bottle, her poorer eyesight making it more difficult to see inside. Mano came hopping out of the back with a shiny necklace hanging from his mouth and a silly-looking feather hat on his head, eyes bright and curious.
"I do believe that this is a Message Bottle, dear Morie," Finn informed them cheerfully. "Oh, I do so love finding these little things~! You see, sometimes Pokemon from the smaller Island Chains can't send messages to the larger Islands for one reason or another," he informed the trio of curious Pokemon. "Some can't afford the air-fare, some don't trust the Messenger Pokemon, and some just don't live on an Island that has either of those options. So, they write out their letter or request, tuck it into a water-proof bottle, and toss it into the tide, for the current to take it!"
"How do they know it'll even reach a bigger Island, though?" Abby asked; Finn blinked, then smiled.
"Ah, well, you see, young Abby, each of the three Islands have a very specific Tide and Current Pattern," he told her warmly. "Bronze Island has a clockwise current, that, over twelve hours, goes completely around it. So, if one were to throw a bottle into the tide at, say, Noon, then by Midnight it would appear on the Main Islands largest beach. Silver Island has one that it counter-clockwise, and does the same every twenty-four hours. Our own Gold Island has a switching current, in that, every seven days, it turns from a Clockwise Current, to a Counter-clockwise Current, and our Tide is every eighteen hours. Does that make sense?" he asked kindly; Abby frowned in thought.
"What's our current this week?" She asked; Morie spoke up.
"We're in a Clockwise Current this week," she told the Shinx; Abby thought for a moment.
"So... So someone on a smaller island to the... The West? Threw the bottle into the sea?" She asked; Finn beamed.
"Very good!" He informed her happily. "And, when we are Counter-clockwise, bottles will wash up on the East of the beach. I collect them here, you see, and give those who bring them a bit of a treat in thanks," he winked, nudging forward a small basket, that held what looked like little fish-shaped cookies. "Have one," he urged, smiling, as the three of them did so, Mano hopping up to set his find on the counter, feather hat flopping over his eyes a little.
"What do you do with them?" Abby asked, nibbling on her own cookie, something that tasted vaguely like vanilla and maybe tuna? Hmm...
"Why, open them, of course," Finn told her cheerfully. "I open them and then see where they go. You'd be surprised how many Pokemon are just bored and wanting to see who will respond. But sometimes I get Mission Requests for the Guild, and that's always so exciting!" The Finneon exclaimed, all but wriggling with glee, his tail-spots gleaming; Abby blinked.
"What Guild?" She asked, confused; the three Water-Types blinked at her, then shared a look.
"Wow," Mano said. "I didn't think the memory loss covered that!"
"Mano!" Morie and Finn both exclaimed, disapproving; the Tympole huffed.
"What? The Guilds are famous!"
"Don't make fun of Abby!" Morie scolded while the Shinx in question just stared at them all, wide-eyed and confused. "She can't control her memory loss! Idiot!" She scolded whacking the Tympole with her tail and chasing him across the room as he squawked in complaint.
"I apologize for him," Finn told her seriously. "He is a bit young to understand what 'tact' is."
"Er, it's okay?" Abby offered uncertainly. "I don't really get what the big deal is, but could you explain about the Guilds, please?" Instantly, the Finneon smiled and bobbed his head.
"Of course, come, follow me," he urged, scooping the bottle up with his fins and moving away. "You see, the Islands we all live on are very, very large and surrounded by many, many smaller chains and single islands," he told her, leading her to a sectioned off part of the building that seemed to be filled with nothing but maps and diagrams. Finn set the bottle down on a free bit of shelf and pointed her to the largest map, which was several times bigger than Abby and took up a good chunk of wall by itself. On it were three large islands surrounded by smaller islands, with a medium-sized island in the very center.
"These are the Treasure Islands," he informed her happily. "Gold Island, which is the one we're on, is this one," he announced, gesturing at the topmost Island, which was shaped almost like a leaf. "It was named that because, in fall, the tree's turn gold. Not just the leaves, but the trunks themselves," he told her eagerly. "This is Silver Island," he pointed to the rightmost Island, which looked almost like a clam. "It's tree's turn silver in winter, once all the leaves have fallen. And that is Bronze Island," he finished, pointing at the last one, which looked similar to a wing, in a vague way. "It doesn't have as many forests as Gold and Silver, but when the sun hits the mountains at just the right angle, they turn a brightly polished bronze color."
"What's that one in the middle?" Abby asked. It was shaped oddly, looking almost like a cup, or maybe a trophy.
"That is called Tournament Island, a Neutral Territory. Once a year, the Guilds take their most promising Teams there to compete against one another," he told her. "But we're getting ahead of ourselves," he chuckled, shaking his head. "Each of these main Islands, as you can see, is very large," he told her. Finn hopped up onto one of the nearby shelves to point at a thin stretch of pale tan on the bottom of Gold Island. "This is where we are, at Ivory Beach. Beach Town is right here, in the very center. See the size discrepancy?" Abby nodded, wide-eyed. Really, the Treasure Islands were more like small continents, as far as she could tell. The image of Gold Island was about as big as she was, and Ivory Beach was a little less than a quarter-inch wide and only two or three long.
"With the size, populations spread out, small towns cropping up everywhere and, of course, with prosperity comes those who wish to prosper." Again, Abby nodded. It made sense that with more space to live, there would be a great many towns and groupings. "Crime rates soared," the Finneon told her seriously, pink eyes solemn. "Pokemon vanished into the wilds, disappearing, and no one able to find them again, no one knowing whether they had been victims or were simply loss, or if they, too, had turned rogue. Ruins and treasure was being found and fought over and lost again. It was chaos, truly, and the Islands were being torn apart by it. Finally, the three biggest towns chose a Pokemon to speak for the Island as a whole, and the three met here, at Tournament Island," the Finneon told her, nodding at the center Island.
"These three Pokemon came to an agreement, that each Island's inhabitants would stick to their own land. At first, this agreement was enough to settle the major issues, as each of the Pokemon set about reigning in their populations and cutting down the number of crimes. But then, more problems became apparent, such as traveling issues, family, property-claim, thieves moving from one island to another with amnesty, you know, things like that," he explained, waving a fin about nonchalantly.
"So, the three Pokemon met again, but, by then, they'd each become more comfortable with the way they ran their own Islands. After all, each Island was large, was prospering under their separate rule, so, obviously their way was better than the others. Of course a truly vicious fight ensued. They clashed for days, it's said, exhausting themselves until they were forced to rest, then starting anew each time they recovered. Finally, it ended when a Tournament Island native, a Steelix, broke up the fight between the three. He declared the Island as Neutral Ground, where none of the three could attack one another, and that if they wished to discuss things like rational Pokemon, he would judge their issues fairly. It was, after all, the home of his Pokemon, and he would no longer allow them to harm those living there, especially when they were supposed to be negotiating." Abby nodded along, fascinated by this history lesson a single question had devolved into.
"So, the three Pokemon, beaten and exhausted, stepped back and finally discussed things clearly, and compromises were reached," Finneon said. "With permission from Steelix, when the tensions rose too high between the three Islands, a group from each one would meet on Tournament Island, to compete against one another for prizes provided by the opposing Islands. The prize would change every time, from money to food to free passage for a year or even for a treasure map, whatever was decided. Beyond this, it was also determined that Criminal Pokemon would be immediately returned to whichever Island they were most wanted in, and that whatever charges the other Islands held would be added on as additional punishment. If the criminal managed to gain equal notoriety in all the Islands, then they were punished accordingly and returned to their home Island."
"With these agreements in place, the three separated and returned to their Islands, and began to gather Pokemon. At first, these Pokemon were trained to fight in the Tournaments, but, as years passed, more and more were brought in for different reasons. Exploration, treasure-hunting, bounty hunting, and several other, smaller issues from assisting during natural disasters to rescuing lost or injured Pokemon. The Main Islands took responsibility for their outlying chains, and began to send Pokemon in groups of threes and fours to these islands, to aide during tropical storms, or in disputes, or just lend a helping hand. Then, it became the theme of the Islands, and the Guilds were given form."
"So, the Guilds are like... Like police, or militias, or something?" Abby asked, a little lost; Finneon shook his head.
"There are still police forces, and some towns have their own militia, but Guilds are more like extra help in whatever you're willing to pay for that isn't illegal," he explained.
"Oh," she said, still not quite getting it, because it seemed very... Generalized, to her. As if these Guilds were the end-all, be-all for major careers. It seemed almost too fantastical and yet too simple to her.
"Now a days, Guild Teams are Pokemon sent out to explore, hunt criminals, and bring honor, prestige, and money to their Guild," the Finneon told her. "It's all much nicer than the fighters of years ago!"
"Okay," she decided, nodding her head, and Finn cleared his throat to continue.
"Now, the Gold Island Guild is the Superior Guild," he told her, pointing at a darker section of map only a little ways away from Ivory Beach. It looked like the center of a large clearing, from what Abby could tell. "It's here, in Spiral Town, and is lead by Lord Serperior—Yes, that is his name," he added dryly, clearly amused, as Abby just gave him a befuddled blink. "I'm uncertain if he was, unfortunately, born with it or if he changed it upon final evolution, but it is his name." With that, he pointed at Silver Island, to a white spot between a trio of mountains, which looked like it would be the center of either a valley or a gully.
"This is Snow Town, where the Emperor Guild, lead by Elven, an Empoleon, is found. And, finally, here," he pointed at a group of mountains on the farthest side of Bronze Island, directly at the top of the highest one. "This is where Peak Town is, home of the Elevated Guild, headed by Valor, a Braviary." The Finneon jumped down from the shelf, smiling at Abby, before passing around her to head back towards the counter; Abby quickly got up and followed.
"Each Island is ridiculously proud of their Guild, Abby. They accept a large number of applicants once a year, and, by the end of that year, those numbers are cut down to a third," he told her seriously, hopping up behind the counter as the Shinx sat in front of it, bemusedly eyeing the small pile of shiny and strange objects Mano and Morie had collected while she was learning. "The training is hard, and if you don't have a certain level of drive, the peer pressure alone can be vicious."
"Why do Pokemon join it, then?" she asked.
"It's a really, really good paying job!" Morie chirped as she hopped over, sighing at the sight of the pile of items. "Seriously, Mano?" She complained, before refocusing on Abby. "Being a Guild Member pays really well, once you reach a certain level. And, the idea of finding treasure, saving Pokemon in danger, being a hero?!" The Palpitoad's eyes sparkled as she sighed dreamily. "I wish I could find a nice Guild-member for myself, one day," she told the Shinx; Abby blinked.
"Why don't you join the Guild, then?" She asked, instantly snapping Morie out of her daydream and making the Palpitoad shake her head hurriedly.
"Oh no, I couldn't!" She declared firmly. "Didn't you listen to Finn about how hard it was? I have enough trouble keeping Mano out of trouble, let alone some stranger or object!" She shuddered. "No, I'm happy here in Beach Town, I just, well, I just really wouldn't mind a nice Pokemon to settle down with one day who knew how to treat a girl right, you know?" She sighed happily, and Abby shook her head, bemused.
"Mano, unless you're willing to trade something for all of these," Finn called, amused, as he eyed the tangled, glittery mess the young Tympole had left on his counter, "than you need to put all of them back. Preferably where you got them from."
"Aww!" Came a complaint from somewhere in the back of the shop, and both Abby and Morie shook their heads as Finn chuckled. A glint of silver in the mess caught Abby's eye, and she reached forward to carefully untangle it from a group of charms. It was a necklace, a strong-looking chain with a tiny, silver lightning bolt on it... Only, it wasn't silver, she realized as the pendant shifted in her paw and a gleam of almost-rainbow shone in the amber Glow Stone light.
"Ah, that's made from the inside of a particularly beautiful shell," Finn told her. "Shelly traded it for a basket of my cookies! Isn't it nice?" Abby nodded.
"It's very pretty," she told him; the Finneon eyed her for a moment as Mano reappeared, balancing an empty basket on his now hatless head to gather the collection of sparklies he'd picked up.
"Why don't you keep it, Abby," the Finneon told her, smiling. "Think of it as a Welcome to Beach Town gift, as well as a thank you for listening to me babble on," he chuckled; Abby hesitated.
"Are, are you sure?" She asked him; he nodded, firmly, smiling, and she pulled the necklace on. The pendant landed right in the middle of the base of her neck, flashing faintly as it caught the light, and Abby smiled.
It felt right, something that was just hers.
"I'll be right back, ladies," Finn announced, suddenly, hoping down from the counter and slipping through the shelves, pink spots glittering; the two girls shared a curious look but, seconds later, they heard Finn's voice murmur a question and Mano yelp loudly, and they both laughed.
And, beneath the amber Glow Stones with her lightning-shell necklace and a smile curling her lips, Abby felt light.
Chapter End
Chapter Notes: I had difficulty portraying characters and providing information without being too specific/too ramble-y... I think I failed. The history lesson was the wild Pokemon that jumped out of the grass and bit me on the left ass-cheek, I apologize. Things still seem stilted, but I did my best, and so I call it , Ivory Beach is loosely based off of the pink Beaches of Bermuda. The sea is more like what you'd see around Ireland and the UK, very much darker and grayer than the Bermuda's Sea, but I thought the images would be very nice together.
Character Notes: "Finn" was originally going to be a Phanpy, in honor of my Partner in my current game of PMD: EotS, but then I figured that a Water-Type would be best, and "Finn the Finneon" was adorably childish. He's also a huge History Nerd. (If you couldn't tell).
Shelly sells Seashells at the Sea-Shore. That's the reasoning behind the name for the seashell-seller (She sells shells as themselves, in decorative jewelry like Abby's necklace, attached to lamps and the like, as well as ground up and colored, like the dyed sand/salt you can get in decorative jars. It's a surprisingly well-to-do Tourist shop). Shelly is a Cloyster. Karen the Clampearl is her best friend and assistant.
Marooned Messengers Inn was originally going to be the place to go for the Message Bottles, hence the name, but I changed my mind because Finn seemed more likely to collect them. Genie the Golduck works here as an assistant/Desk Clerk. Her boss is Barbara, a Barbaracle, and Guild Teams, depending on their Guild Level, get a certain percentage discount when they stay.
Sea Breeze Spa actually does raise a Pokemon's Beauty Stats. It's a favored spot for professional competitors (At least, those on Gold Island). Little Feebas Aloe just doesn't feel like she's ready to evolve. Her mother and sister's are very supportive.
Old Man Gyarados is literally that cranky sea captain/grandpa who yells at kids to stay off his lawn when hedoesn't even have a lawn. None of the Magikarp that work for him are related to him in any way. His actual name is unknown to most of Beach Town, because he's just been Old Man Gyarados for a very, very long time. (There are rumors that his name is embarrassing but there is no proof)
Beach Town's Evolution Solution Shop was originally ran by a Flareon named Felix, who has since moved to a different town because he got tired of getting wet. Vanora was very amused, but happy to take over her cousins store so she could raise her daughters somewhere peaceful and friendly. (And also so close to the Sea)
Ben's Reef Ride's started as just a silly thing Ben the Lapras would do to introduce little Pokemon to the wonder of the Reef Island. His buddy, Quinn, however saw dollar signs and immediately jumped on that. Ben doesn't care, he just enjoys chatting about his cool reef, the big dork.
Finn sends the Bottle Messages through a local group of Pelippers in exchange for cookies and the occasional cup of tea. As most of the Pelippers are what amounts to little old ladies, they adore him and his cute little fin-spots (Finn is terribly embarrassed yet flattered).
The three Original Island Pokemon chosen are never named. Gold Island's was a Dragonite, Silver's was a Mamoswine, and Bronze's was a Granbull. Dragon, Ice, and Fairy are all weak against Steel, hence Steelix beating them all. (Meet the Shodai Kage's XD)
Thank you everyone who has read, favorited, followed, and reviewed for this story!
HINT/SPOILER: Abby has a Serious Nature.