"W-Wait!" The Eevee stopped me from walking off. I turned towards her. The other three Pokemon stood behind her. I guess they're all friends. It must be nice to know a few Pokemon that you can trust...
"That's it? You're just going to walk away after saving someone's life?" She said it casually, with a smile. Weird. I didn't say anything to her. "Well then, I want to ask, who are you exactly?"
Strange... For once, a Pokémon was interested in who I was? No... Something's wrong here. She's being too friendly. I folded my arms.
"Why does it matter to you who I am? Isn't this the part where I turn my back and you all rob me?" The Eevee tilted her head at me.
"What are you talking about? You saved my life! Why would we rob you? I just want to know your name, really!" If this Eevee was trying to trick me into something, she was doing a really bad job of it. Still... I don't think she intentionally fell from that tree. Maybe she was being sincere. "Oh! I guess it's impolite for me to not introduce myself first." She really is being friendly. "My name's Celeste. Thank you very much for saving me!" I guess it wouldn't hurt to tell them my name.
"The name's Strom..."
"Strom!" Celeste's eyes lit up. "Thank you again!" she repeated herself. I started to get annoyed. "I should probably introduce the rest of us..." I really didn't care, but before I could tell her that, she started going off.
"This here is Brazen!" Celeste raised a paw to the Chimchar. Brazen held a very weak smile across his face. Orange fur padded his arms, legs, and head. A small fire was blazing from where a tail would be. He rubbed the back of his head.
"Celeste, I don't really think this is necessary..." He seemed very shy. If I had to guess, he's probably not that much of a fighter.
"And this is Wayde!" Celeste pointed to the Oshawott. The otter-like Pokemon gave a more gentle smile than Brazen.
"I know Celeste already said it, but really, thank you for saving her. I'm not really sure what we'd do if..." he paused. "Well, let's not think about that." Wayde had purple eyes, which is rather strange for an Oshawott. The scalchop on his belly was a pale yellow, but it looked rather sharp. A convenient spot to carry a weapon. He seemed a lot more relaxed and open than Brazen. Probably a better fighter too, but that's just a guess.
"And finally, we have Siegfried!" Celeste pointed to the Mienfoo. Siegfried... interesting name. He bowed his head to me.
"Thank you for saving Celeste," he said. His face held a stern expression, as if he wasn't afraid of anything. His fur was pinkish around his arms and legs. The rest of his body was covered in yellow fur. "I apologize for troubling you in our matters. But we are grateful for your help." He doesn't seem to show a lot of emotion, but he speaks very properly. It's kinda hard to make out what kind of Pokemon he is. Considering it was Celeste and him that saved me from falling, I'd say he's got a lot of courage. It'd be fair to assume he's the best fighter of the bunch.
Admittedly, with Celeste introducing everyone, they all seemed friendly enough. Celeste turned back towards me.
"And now with introductions out of the way, I can tell you..." she paused. Was she trying to give this a dramatic effect? "We are-" she held out her arms. "Rescue Team, PokeHeroes!"
"Y-You don't need to be so dramatic about it..." Brazen spoke up. Wayde seemed to glance away. Siegfried folded his arms. I guess they didn't share her enthusiasm.
PokeHeroes? That's... a rather childish name. And they don't look much like heroes. Still, a rescue team, huh?
"Where's your badge?" I asked. Celeste's ears perked up.
"Huh?" She seems surprised by the question.
"If you're a rescue team, don't they give you a badge to signify it? Show me yours."
"W-Well, you see..." Celeste gave an awkward and nervous laugh before drooping her ears. She let out a sigh. "To be honest, we're not an official rescue team..." So, she lied? Her ears perked back up. "At least, not yet! We may not have our badges, but we've been helping Pokemon ever since we built our Paradise!" Paradise? Is she referring to...?
"Wait... You mean that sign back there-"
"Yep!" Celeste nodded. "We built a Paradise. A place where no Pokemon has to fear being trapped in this world... I'm sure you know what it's like. Paradise is completely free from that. No fear! No darkness! A place where we can all be happy, like how it once was! And as a rescue team, we're always looking to help those even outside of Paradise!"
I had a lot of doubt now... No. I don't believe them at all. It's already pretty suspicious that they don't even have rescue team badges. And after I've been traveling for years, I'm hearing about a place like this now? That doesn't seem right at all. It's not possible for such a thing to exist. I stared daggers back. Celeste gave a surprised look and stepped back.
"I don't know what you're planning, but I'm no fool. You can keep this Paradise. I'll be on my way." Celeste frowned. As I turned around, the other three glared at me.
"I... didn't think the despair would've taken a nice Pokemon like you." Celeste tried to grab my attention. I kept walking.
"Wait a second." It was Siegfried's voice. I still didn't turn around. "Is that... a sword?"
I stopped.
"Oh hey, you're right! I didn't even notice it behind that cloak," Wayde commented.
"Does it matter to you if I have a sword?" I asked.
"It's just... odd for a Pokemon to fight with one," Wayde replied.
"Hmph." I started walking off again. They don't need to know- Hm!? Celeste quickly ran around in front of me. What's she planning? I spread my legs and got in a battle stance. But she calmly sat down.
"Strom listen... I just... want you to come to our Paradise," she spoke softly.
"And how am I supposed to trust you? You don't have a rescue team badge, and you think some crude sign that points to this Paradise is supposed to make me believe you?"
"Hey, Celeste," Brazen spoke. "I don't know what you're seeing in this guy, but maybe we should just leave him alone? N-No offense, Strom!" I didn't care. I was really annoyed by this point. I just wanted to leave. I continued staring down Celeste. But she didn't look like she was giving any sign of attacking. In fact, she looked like she was getting ready to cry. I almost felt bad. But I didn't understand what she wanted from me. And it's not like the other three were doing anything. It was just Celeste acting this way.
"Strom! Please come back to our Paradise!" she cried. "Let me... repay you for saving me!" her ears perked up. Why is she so damn persistent? "I can even offer you a place to stay, if you need it." Okay, now I know this is a trap. No Pokemon would act this generous to me. I drew my sword out.
"I'm not falling for you lies! Get out of my way!"
"Hey!"
"Wait a second!"
I glanced back and saw Wayde and Brazen walk towards me. They looked like they were ready to pounce me at any moment.
"Don't be foolish!" Siegfried stepped in front of the two of them. "We're not here to make an enemy! Fighting would only make things worse!" At least one of them has a brain. I looked towards Celeste. She still didn't give any sign of hostility. I lowered my sword.
"Strom... I know it's hard to imagine such a thing," Celeste glanced towards the ground. "Believe me, I know the feeling. When it seems like everything is hopeless, and you'd rather just drown in sorrow and let everyone else leave you alone. But..." she looked back up. "I solemnly promise that I am not your enemy. I rarely come across a Pokemon who would risk their own life to save mine. I... just want to be your friend."
A friend? Are you kidding me!? She must really think I'm stupid. Well... I could at least tell she wasn't going to fight. I raised my sword to put it back in its sheathe. "I'm sorry, but I still don't-"
"Gotcha~." A devilish smirk crossed Celeste's face. Within a blank of an eye, she appeared right in front of me. Before I could make any reaction, she leaped forward. Her paws landed on my chest. She then leaped off me, tearing my sword out of my hand with her mouth in the process. As I stumbled back, falling on the ground, I looked up and saw her dash down the path into the forest. Her friends all gave a confused and shocked expression.
"Did... Did she just...!?"
"What the heck is she thinking?"
"Agh!" I growled. What the hell!? I quickly stood up and started sprinting after Celeste, darting past the other three. Why did she take my sword? She can't even use it! Of course. Another all too familiar situation I've fallen victim to. Helping someone in need, only to be robbed from them a second later. Hmph. I can't afford to lose that sword, though.
My feet continued to kick off the ground as I chased after Celeste. Rows of trees and bushes lined alongside the path we ran down. All other details were oblivious to me because I was focused on getting my sword. Normally, I don't chase after those who steal from me because it's never much to worry about, but my sword was a different story. It's the only thing I have in this miserable world to remind me of my family... I don't care what happens. I need to get it back.
I'm just noticing, she's running pretty fast, even with a sword in her mouth. The sword isn't really that heavy, but still. Guess she has to have some special ability in running away. I'm not surprised.
Eventually, I managed to catch up to Celeste. I was only a few feet away. I held out my hand in hopes of grabbing her. Just when I could barely touch her tail, she looked over her shoulder, gave me a wink, and suddenly took off ahead of me! She did this again and again, as if to tease me. I grew more frustrated each time.
Then, Celeste just suddenly stopped in place. I ended up running right by her, but managed to turn around and leap towards her. She casually stepped out of the way and dodged me. Gah, how annoying.
"Give me my sword, dammit!" I shouted to her. As if by command, she gently lowered her head and dropped my sword on the ground.
"Here you go!" she said with a small smile.
W-What? I was dumbfounded. Why...? Ugh! I picked up my sword and held the blade towards her. She didn't seem fazed by it at all.
"Give me one reason why I shouldn't cut you right now."
"Because-!" Celeste raised her arms up. "We're in Paradise!" It was then that I stopped to look at our surroundings.
Behind us was a large, red archway, signifying some kind of entrance. The dirt path we had been running on faded into the forest beyond it. Out in front of us was a large open field, the grass shining a dark shade of green under the cloudy sky. Towards the center of the field, a large, round, wooden house stood. It was smoothed out, and had round glass windows. A neat pile of hay and straw formed the roof. Around that house appeared to be a variety of stalls set up, like some kind of marketplace. Over to the left and right of us were two other areas with giant waterfalls streaming down them. Watermills were constructed near the edges. Meanwhile, a few types of Pokemon were walking around to their leisure. I noticed they all had one thing in common. They were all... happy.
It was... strange. I can't recall the last time I had been in such a peaceful atmosphere. The wind blew gently. The grass and trees swayed. The sound of casual chatter accompanied the ambiance. It was... nice. It's a shame the sun wasn't shining. This calming atmosphere made me relax. I felt as if I had just returned home after a long journey. Celeste was telling the truth. A place where there seemed to be no darkness, nothing to worry about... I'll admit, I was in awe of this Paradise. Celeste seemed to notice.
"Told you you'd like it," she gave a sly smirk.
"Hmph." I turned my head away. "That doesn't change the fact you stole my sword and ran off with it."
"Oh! Relax! I only did it because I knew you wouldn't come to Paradise. And if you didn't chase me down, I would've returned it." She gave me a wink. It annoyed me, but I knew she was being sincere. I mean, she willingly gave my sword back.
"So then... why did you bring me out here?" Celeste flinched at the question, as if she wasn't expecting it. "Why did you go through so much trouble just to show me this place? It could've been any other Pokemon." Her eyes glanced down at the ground.
"I um..." Celeste began to fidget in place. "It's because... you see, I-"
"Celeste!" Someone called her name. We both looked out back into the forest. It was Brazen. He ran up to Celeste.
"What is it, Brazen?"
"It's... hah..." He was panting heavily. Probably from running all the way over here. "It's that... Charizard again!" Celeste's eyes widened. She froze. Brazen paused for a moment to catch his breath. "That Emolga from Post Town told us he came back, and he's terrorizing everyone again! Siegfried and Wayde already went ahead to try and slow him down, but..." Brazen glanced at the ground, "They won't be able to do much without us."
This Charizard he spoke about didn't sound good. I take it this isn't the first time they've fought him, either. But I guess I'm glad I ended up running into PokeHeroes, otherwise I'd probably be the one fighting that dragon by now. From the sound of it, this isn't the first time he's been here. And Celeste... was silent. She looked pale. Charizard can be a pretty scary Pokemon. Brazen put his hand on her shoulder to comfort her.
"Celeste, I know that you have a bad history with a Charizard, but... we really need to prepare! We are a rescue team after all!" Despite Brazen's optimism, she stayed motionless. She was petrified. So she's scared of Charizards? That's not good. But then she looked over at me. There was a sudden spark in her eyes.
"Strom!" She ran up to me, eyes wide. "I... I hate to do this but... could you please help us?" It's ironic that she put me through all that deception, only to then turn around and ask for my help.
"What? You really think this guy is going to say yes after dragging him over here?" Even Brazen knew it was dumb to ask. Yet... I sighed. A part of me really wants to say no. But she did show me that she was being truthful about herself and her rescue team. I folded my arms.
"Alright. I guess I'll help." Celeste gave me a surprised smile. "But if things get bad, then I'm getting out of here." I really shouldn't be risking myself for them since they've done nothing for me. Yet, I felt I couldn't say no. Not to Celeste, at least. Upon hearing my answer, she suddenly hopped on my shoulders and shined a bright smile.
"Thank you, Strom!" My face felt hot. I could feel my heart beat faster. W-What? Why am I...? Ack! I stepped away from her.
"Shouldn't we be getting ready!?" I said in an annoyed tone.
"Yes! Of course! Follow me!" The three of us entered the wooden house in the center of the field.