Chapter Notes: I wrote all but the first 500 words of this while working off a near-anxiety attack due to an energy drink that I didn't KNOW was an energy drink bc it was a flavor packet that you mix with WATER so I thought it was, like, off-brand Minute Maid lol… So, yeah, enjoy this!
Pokémon Mystery Dungeon:
Explorers of the World!
Chapter Four:
The Journey Onward
"You have all of your supplies?" Finn asked her earnestly as Abby adjusted the sturdy side-bag the Finneon had gifted her. It was an almost copper colored brown, with little white lightning bolts sewn into the sides, and a clasp that had been a pretty shell Shelly had carved into a set of wings with a yellow jewel in the center.
"Yes, Finn," Abby replied fondly.
"You have the snacks Sagara and I made for you?" He asked again, fretting as he bounced in place.
"Yes, Finn," she said easily.
"What about the paperwork, do you have your papers?" He fretted. "They Town Guard won't let you in without your papers!"
"I have them right here, Finn," Abby reassured, pulling out the water-proof envelope that had her Travel Papers. Sagara, Finn, and Barbara at the Marooned Messenger had worked with her to fill them out, and so Abby now was the proud owner of legal identification stating she was a citizen of Beach Town, and that Sagara was her legal Guardian and mother. The papers included what they decided her Hatching Day was, her family and Hometown, her gender, species, name, type, Ability, and a section that had her temporary Destination of Spiral Town.
"Be calm, silly Finneon," Sagara scolded kindly, teasingly, as she stepped forward to gently set a hand on Abby's shoulder. "She is as prepared as we can make her. Now it's up to her to carry forward."
"Oh, I know, I know," the deep-voiced Finneon sighed, offering a bright, sheepish smile as the pink spots on his tail lit up. "Oh, I will miss you around the shop, Abby! Make sure to send as many letters and interesting things as you can!"
"I will, Finn," Abby agreed fondly, smiling as the Finneon backed up and away to give her space with her family. Morie and Mano were bouncing, almost as anxious as Finn but also childishly excited.
"I can't believe you're going to join the Guild!" Morie squeaked, for once as enthusiastically bouncy as Mano usually was.
"You're going to do great, Abby!" Mano declared happily. "And, and when you're a super famous Guide member, you've got to come see us again!"
"Silly!" Morie scoffed at him, rolling her eyes. "She'll be back sooner than that! At least for Festivals and Home Visits!"
"Right!" Mano agreed, bouncing and hopping all around. Abby laughed at her siblings, shaking her head fondly as Sagara chuckled.
"Come here, silly Eggs," the Seismitoad said with a sigh, using her long arms to wrap all three of them up in a tight hug, making Morie and Mano squeak and giggle as Abby laughed as well.
"We're gonna miss you!" Mano declared loudly, Morie nodding along earnestly.
"I'll miss you, too," Abby said honestly; Sagara pressed a fond kiss to her head and set all three of them on the ground.
"Spirits guide and watch over you, little Abby," the Seismitoad told her gently. "Best be heading on your way, while the sun is on your side." Abby nodded determinedly, taking a deep breath, and turning away from her family. She loped away towards the entry point of Beach Town, an archway made of gnarled, twisted driftwood painted deep blue and studded with bits of shells and sea-glass. Pausing in the gateway, Abby looked back, drinking in the sight of her friends and family as they cheered and waved at her.
"I'll make you all proud!" Abby called, waving one last time as everyone cheered even louder, even Old Man Gyarados joining in with a hoarse, throaty roar. Beaming brightly, Abby turned her back on the safety of Beach Town and dove into the forest beyond.
It was a seven-day journey from Beach Town to Spiral Town, with only a few rest stops and a single Inn on the way, and Abby didn't want to waste any more time.
()()()()()()()()
The Tropi Forest that was just beyond Beach Town was a mix of tropical fruit trees, palm trees, and Berry bushes. The occasional Aipom and Ambipom appeared in the first day of her travel, happily tossing her fruit and pointing her on her way if they stopped to chat. A kind Tropius named Thomas welcomed her into his home for that first night. The second day was filled with more travelling, her poor paws aching as she made herself keep moving. A Simipour and her Pansage son flagged her down to ask for directions to Beach Town, giving her a sweet lemonade in exchange for the information before they headed their separate ways.
The third and fourth days were boring and uninterrupted, just constant focus on travelling and ignoring the ache in her paws. The nights were warm enough she didn't mind sleeping under the stars, and the camp-blanket Finn had insisted she have kept her comfortable. The fifth night saw her reaching the Counting Sheep Inn, a comfortable, small Inn with few rooms but cheap fees of exchanged items for a single night. Garret, the Dubwool who ran it, was a cheerful, friendly fellow, if a bit ditsy, something his daughter, a Wooloo named Gwen, had inherited. Still, Abby was grateful for the soft, fluffy nest she got to sleep in, and the hot meal she was given in exchange for a few of her berries and Finn's fish cookies.
The sixth day of travel saw her passing more Pokémon on the roads, of various Types and Species. There were those travelling with carts, with bags, with children and even a group of Guild Pokémon with Gold Sigils who were heading towards the Inn she'd left behind. She spent the night sharing a campfire with a small caravan of Grass- and Water-Type Pokémon who were heading East towards a place called Cornn Town for an early Harvest.
The seventh day finally saw her reaching the Check Point Station of Spiral Town, the rolling hills and large, fancy buildings making Beach Town look like a ramshackle group of lean-tos and stick-houses. Standing in line, legs and muscles aching, eyes half-lidded with exhaustion, Abby could barely keep herself awake enough to be awed and slightly intimidated by the bustling Town.
"Next!" The Gate Guard called, as the Pokémon in front of Abby (a Graveler) ambled through the fancy gates. Abby stepped forward, blinking tiredly up at the bored-looking Venusaur that was checking papers, her partner, a stern-looking Marowak, keeping an eye out for anyone attempting to cut inline or sabotage any Pokémon.
"Papers," the Venusaur told Abby, her voice drawling as one thick vine flicked at the Shinx in an impatient way. Abby quickly pulled her waterproof envelope out and handed the papers within over, watching the Venusaur glance over the information quickly. "Reason for visiting? Wait, no, let me guess," she said, peering over at Abby with a half-smile. "Joining the Guild?"
"If I can, yes," Abby replied, the Venusaur hummed in approval even as she initialed the Check-In sheet and had Abby sign her own name and the date, handing her back her papers.
"Well, if you wash out of the Guild Training, the Town Guard is always accepting recruits," she told Abby easily. "Our training is difficult, but nowhere near as hard as Lord Serperiors, so as long as you put in the effort, you've got a guaranteed back-up plan." Abby couldn't help but smile a bit at the large Grass/Poison-Type.
"Thanks," she told the Venusaur as Marowak waved her in with a sly wink and a small smirk.
"No problem, kiddo. Next!" the Guard called as Abby wandered into the Town. There were Pokémon hurrying through the winding streets everywhere she looked, some with Guild Pendants, most without, just hurrying about their day making deliveries, shopping, or chasing little ones. Within an hour, she was hopelessly lost but not overly upset about it as a friendly Mr. Mime handed her a kebab with some sweet, syrup-covered dough balls on it after she'd placed a few Gummies in his tip bowl after watching him perform some Psychic tricks.
Wandering contentedly after throwing the kebab-stick in a nearby trashcan, Abby paused to peer at a public bulletin board, sitting down to read through the various offers, requests, coupons, and announcements. One large, flashy poster edged in gold-colored, leaf-and-flower designs caught her eye, and she was pleased to see it was information on the Guild Acceptance Day. Eyes darting over the paper, Abby was happy to see that she'd arrived just in time.
She had three days to rest and recover before the Registration Date arrived, and another four days after that before the apparent Acceptance Trials happened. The poster warned that the Trials weren't for the faint of heart, that only a certain number of Pokémon would make it into the Guild on probationary status, that the Guild didn't accept those over a certain Level or Age due to the intense Training that would be required, as they needed fresh minds and bodies to strengthen the Guild.
It clearly stated the times and dates, and even had a small map showing where to find the Guild and the Registration Tent for both events. Quickly, Abby dug through her bag and pulled out some spare paper she had and a pen, quickly sketching out a rough copy of the map, as well as writing down the times for the events. Humming happily, Abby tucked her map into her Travel Papers so she definitely wouldn't lose it, and returned to scouring the board for anything on housing, as the only Inn in Spiral Town was expensive and only accepted Poké coins, of which she had precious few.
Thankfully, with the Guild Acceptance Trials coming up, several stores and families in Spiral Town were opening their spare rooms to both Tourists and Guild Hopefuls in exchange for workers. Several had specifications, such as 'must know how to cook' or 'capable babysitter required', but there were a few that simply asked that you were willing to do menial labor. Humming, Abby pulled out yet another piece of paper and wrote down several different options and directions to a few of the places. With a determined nod, she set off to see what she could find.
The first three places on her list had already been claimed, the home-owners apologetic but encouraging her to keep trying. The next one, a Fearrow named Carren who was apparently a member of the Town Guard, apologized but wasn't accepting Electric-Types, as her nephew was visiting and had a deep fear of them after being attacked by a criminal Magnemite once. She'd awkwardly tried to comfort Abby in what had to be the most bizarre way, insulting her dirty fur and pointing her towards a public bathhouse that had a specialty bath for her Type, before closing the door in her face.
The next two on her list were also taken, and the one after that. By the time she was turned away from the last place on her list, the sun was setting, and Abby was exhausted. Sighing dejectedly as she began to make her slow way back to the Public Announcements Board to find some new places to check, Abby stumbled to a stop as she almost ren head-first into a large Pokémon carrying a large basket of berries.
"Whoa there, Shinx!" The Pokémon cried as they tried to back up, wobbling dangerously.
"Whoa!" Abby yelped, lunging forward and grabbing the baskets edge in her teeth, pulling the off-balance Pokémon back onto his feet properly. A few berries fell off the top of the overflowing basket, bouncing on the ground around them as the two Pokémon stilled with relieved sighs. Carefully, Abby let the basket go, backing up a couple steps as the Pokémon carefully lowered the basket to the ground, exposing the sheepishly smiling face of Lickilicky.
"You alright there, Shinx?" He, as his voice denoted, asked her as he stretched with a groan.
"Yes sir," Abby replied honestly. "Sorry about that… And about spilling some of your berries," she added, wincing slightly as she nudged one of the mentioned berries. There were about seven of them on the ground, a few Bluk Berries, a pair of Razz Berries, and a Magost Berry.
"Ah, not much harm done," the Lickilicky chuckled, wiping a hand over his brow. "The ones that fell may be a little dust, a little bruised, but I'll just rinse them off and use them in some smoothies!" Abby smiled and obligingly helped him pick them back up, carefully putting the dirty berries into a small bag that the larger Pokémon pulled out of the pocket on the purple apron he was wearing. Lickilicky eyed her for a moment, before offering her a warm smile and a thumbs up.
"How about you help a Pokémon out, huh, Shinx? Would you mind helping me get all this to my diner?" Abby blinked, hesitating as she looked up at the steadily darkening sky. "I'll make you one of those smoothies I mentioned, free of cost, and throw in a hot treat as well!" As if on cue, her stomach growled, making the Shinx chuckle sheepishly.
"Alright, if you're sure," she agreed, accepting the back of bruised Berries.
"Let's get to it, then!" The large Pokémon cheered, once more heaving the large basket of Berries up off the ground. Abby trotted alongside the large Normal-Type as he cheerfully led the way through the winding streets.
"So, I'm guessing you've come to join the Guild, little Shinx?" he asked easily as they walked.
"Ah, yes sir," she replied, pausing to scoop up a fallen Magost Berry when a particularly bouncy step had it rolling off the top.
"Excellent, excellent!" Lickilicky cheerfully declared. "Not the sort of thing for me, of course, but more power to you youngsters! I'll stick to my cooking and smoothies, heh, heh!"
"Having a job, you're happy with is good," Abby replied easily. "Back home in Beach Town I worked as an assistant at what amounted to a Knickknack Shop. It was pretty fun." The Lickilicky nodded cheerfully.
"My first job was as a waiter at my uncles diner," he informed her happily. "It didn't pay much, and my uncles diner was slower-going, since Meadow Town was a good deal smaller than Spiral Town is, but it got me my first taste of what I wanted to do when I went out on my own. Now here I am, thirty years later, and I own my own diner in one of the largest Town's on Gold Island! Speaking of, here it is!" He declared happily, beaming around the basket of Berries as they arrived in front of a large, pink building shaped vaguely like the Lickilicky's head.
"Welcome to Larry's Eats!" He declared enthusiastically, pausing. "Heh, heh, ah, I'm Larry, by the way," he belatedly introduced himself, grinning sheepishly down at her; Abby grinned up at him.
"I'm Abby," she returned, before moving forward and pulling open the diner's front door, holding it open for Larry. The tiny bells above the door chimed pleasantly as she did so and, from somewhere in the store, a girl's voice called out a greeting.
"Just one moment!" She called. "I'll be right up front to take your order!"
"No need, Lydia!" Larry called back as he shuffled past Abby with his basket. "It's just me! And a new friend!"
"Oh, welcome back, Dad!" the girl called back happily as Abby followed the Lickilicky inside. The diner was filled with friendly pink and pale-yellow decorations. The tables were all round and pale, yellowish wood, the chairs were pink with little yellow circles and stripes. The lights hanging over each one were made of familiar Glow Stones, carved into rings, and hanging in interlocking little streamers from the ceiling. A quietly chatting pair of Raticates were sitting in the far corner, and a quietly reading Machamp was sitting next to the door, sipping a violently purple smoothie as he absently adjusted his glasses. Behind the counter, wearing a cute little purple chef's hat, a Lickitung beamed at the two of them as she quickly opened the side-door for the Employees.
"Hello!" The Lickitung greeted Abby as she tentatively followed Larry through the door.
"Hi," Abby replied, before Larry happily called over his shoulder as he waddled towards what she assumed was the kitchen.
"Lydia, meet Abby! Abby, my daughter Lydia!" He introduced gleefully. "Lydia, Abby here is a Guild Hopeful! I promised her a Smoothie and a hot snack for helping me bring these Berries back and catching the few that have fallen out on the way here!"
"Oh?" Lydia said, blinking before beaming at Abby warmly. "Well, you're already off to a good start if you want to join the Guild! The first year or two of training is just filled with little chores and adventures just like this! Come on!" She urged, gesturing at Abby to follow her to the kitchen. "Let's get you that Smoothie and, once that's all done, I'll whip you up one of our fresh tarts! They're our most popular hot-treat, you know!"
"Ah, thank you, Lydia," Abby accepted, padding after the Lickitung, and peering around the clean, spacious kitchen curiously. Lydia pointed her over to an empty stood at a large table, where Larry was cheerfully sorting through the large basket of Berries and humming to himself.
"Why don't you pick out your favorite kinds of Berries and I'll get you set up!" Lydia urged happily; Abby offered her a shy smile as she hopped up onto the stool and carefully set the bag of dusty, lightly-bruised Berries on the table.
"Ah, I don't actually have any Berry preferences, Lydia, so, I guess these ones will work, since Larry said they'd be made into Smoothies anyways?" Larry let out a loud laugh, grinning at her from across the table and several small piles of Berries.
"That's my kind of Pokémon, heh, heh! I love sweet-flavors myself!" Lydia nodded along with her dad easily.
"Me too! And we both dislike dry-flavored Berries. But we'll still eat them because you don't waste food in this house!"
"Just so!" Larry cheered, grinning brightly at his smiling daughter; Abby couldn't help smiling as well, warmed by the friendly, happy pair.
"Pass me those Magost Berries, a Razz Berry, and three Bluk Berries, please, Abby! I'll make you a Gengar Blitz Smoothie!" Lydia declared; Abby obliged, happily handing over the requested Berries, and turning her attention to the remaining ones as Lydia carried her prizes over to a different part of the kitchen.
"If you'd like, you can rinse those up and then separate them for me!" Larry told her cheerfully. "Any when you're done with that, if you'd like you can help me go through all these to find more bruised Berries! There are always more Smoothie-bound Berries in these big baskets, heh, heh!" Abby couldn't help but shake her head with a small smile and do as suggested. Larry shower her to a small sink she could use to gently rinse off her Berries.
For the next ten minutes or so, Abby found herself quietly sorting and checking Berries alongside Larry as the Lickilicky hummed happily. She was just adding a few bruised Nomel Berry into the Smoothie Piles when Lydia returned. The Lickitung set the finished Smoothie down in front of Abby with a flourish and a gleeful 'ta-da!'. Abby peered at the tall drink with fascination as a chiming sound from the front of the diner called the Lickitung away.
The drink was a deep reddish purple with darker purple speckles throughout. The top of the Smoothie was covered in a paler purple froth, and two triangular pieces of Razz Berry were set in it, over the top of a wedge of Magost Berry, making the familiar, sinister smile of Gengar in fruit-form. Curious, Abby pulled it close and took a cautious sip.
Immediately, him mouth puckered at the sour taste, making Larry burst out into gleeful guffaws. Abby shuddered fully, shaking her fur out as the sour taste faded into a sweet taste that made her hum in pleasure. Larry slowly settled back down into chuckles instead of his raucous laughing of before, grinning at her as he continued to sort Berries. Abby slurped down another mouthful of Smoothie, shuddering happily through the hair-raising sour until the sweetness crept back in. Once she was enjoying the sweetness again, Abby quickly got back to sorting Berries, pausing every so often to gulp down more of the delightful drink.
Lydia eventually returned long enough to take the freshly-empty cup away, only to return with a couple of steaming, round tart with half Razz Berry filling, half cream. Each were the size of one of Abby's ears, making her blink slowly in wonder at them. The Lickitung set one in front of the Shinx and the other in front of her dad, grinning at Abby's awed expression.
"Here we go, one fresh and hot Voltorb Tart, on the house!" Lydia declared, winking at the Shinx as she waddled away, scooping up a large tray filled with more tarts and moving to the front of the store. Larry hummed happily as he gobbled down his tart in a flash, making Abby blink at him, startled, as he brushed crumbs from his hands and chest.
"Eat up, Abby," he urged cheerfully. "I'm going to start putting these all away, as they're for tomorrows treats!" Abby blinked as she swiftly found herself alone at the steadily emptying table, before turning her bemused attention to her slowly cooling tart. With a shrug she dug in, humming happily at the bright, slightly-spicy flavor mixed with the thick, sweet cream. She found herself devouring the entire tart, ending up sighing contentedly afterwards, slumped over the table with a full belly and sleepy eyes. Larry returned soon after she'd begun to doze, chuckling at her and carefully shaking her shoulder.
"Come along, little Abby," he told her fondly. "The diner closes in less than an hour. I'm assuming you don't have a place to stay for the night, right?" Abby hummed in agreement, covering a massive yawn with her paw.
"I w-was o-oooon my way t-to find one on the, hmm, bulletin board," she managed, a few more yawns breaking up her sentences as she spoke; the Lickilicky chuckled as he helped her down from her stool.
"Well, your welcome to stay in my eldest daughter's room while you're here, if you're willing to help out around here like you did today," he told her kindly. "My oldest, Louise, moved out last year to start up her own diner with her Fiancé. The room is clean and furnished, and only a little dusty, I promise."
"A-are yoooouu, hmm, sure?" She asked sleepily; Larry chuckled and lead her out of the kitchen and into a further back area of the building, where it was clear the living quarters were.
"Wouldn't have offered if I wasn't, silly Shinx," he chuckled fondly, pushing open a door with pink flower sticker on it. Abby muttered out a sleepy 'thank you' as she stumbled into the room, her travel-bag sliding off her shoulders to fall on the floor next to a chest as Larry, still chuckling, closed the door behind her. Yawning hard enough to make her jaw hurt, Abby staggered into the large, round nest that took up a whole quarter of the room, covered in soft blankets and small, flower-shaped pillows.
Yawning yet again, Abby curled up in the nest, eyes quickly sliding shut as she sighed heavily and relaxed. Within moments, she was asleep, dreaming of delicious tarts and the sparkle of sunlight on the sea. She had made it to Spiral Town, had gotten a safe place to stay until the Acceptance Trials, and the chance to join the Guild was literally days away.
She slept deeply, and peacefully, throughout the night.
End Chapter
Chapter Notes: A special nod to the Reviewer Telethicus in the form of the mentioned Town Guard Fearrow, Carren. She WILL turn up again later, with her quirky Tsundere-Comfort self. Thank you for suggesting a Character!
Larry was an excuse to have a Lickilicky because they're a stupid Pokémon and I wanted to use them for a friendly, possibly-reoccurring side-character. His daughters, Louise, and Lydia will also be less-important-but-reoccurring characters later.
Louise is a Lickitung, and her Fiancé is Derek the Ditto, and they have a Pun-Themed Diner in Cave Town.
Both Larry and Louise have Jolly Natures.
SPOILER/HINT: Lord Serperior has a son!
Don't Forget!
I'm always looking for more help/inspiration! If you guys would like to suggest some things, I'd happily welcome them! I have all the Guild Information, Team(s) Information, and Main Characters Information figured out. I also have some Towns and Dungeons figured out, and some Missions.
You CAN Suggest: Pokémon Characters, Clients, Missions, Treasure, Prizes, Town Names/Themes (Please!), Store Names/Items They Sell/Trade, Bounties/Criminals, and Food Mix Ideas (Using Canon PMD/PKM Foods! No Human Foods!)
You CANNOT SUGGEST: Legendaries, Crossbreeds, Other Human Characters, OP Characters, OP Moves/Attacks/Powers, Non-Canon Powers/Moves, Magic Things, Shinies (One or Two will be accepted, but not every single one), Albinos, Melanistics, Mutations, Deaths, and no Original Pokémon/Coloring/Anything Not Related To Canon in SOME sense!
Anyways, suggest what you like if you want! I may not accept them all or they just might not show up until later, but Ideas are still welcome, and so is commentary/criticism! Thanks for reading~!