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Chapter 7:
"Treasure Town, here I come!"
Blue peeked outside from within the rumbling caravan. From behind the thick canvas, Blue watched as the Tauros pulling the vehicle slowly trundle up the slope that lead up and into Treasure Town. Several other Tauros and Boufallant were already present and waiting in front of the caravan he was currently stowing away in.
"What do you see out there, blue boy?" A coarse voice rang out from behind Blue, "Are we in yet?"
"Not yet," Blue replied, closing the flap. He turned around and sat down on a piece of lumber as three voices simultaneously sighed from around him.
Blue glanced around inside the dim caravan. He wasn't the only one who thought about sneaking into town by hiding inside one of the caravans, apparently. Three other hitchhikers were already present within the covered wagon when Blue sneakily leapt inside. One of the hitchhikers crossed his arms and shook his head ifrustratedly.
"What a load of Tauros dung," He spat angrily, "And here I thought we were being clever by hiding in here. But look at this, we're still stuck outside like the rest of the fools back there!"
He snorted and leaned back against a piece of lumber, his hands behind his head. Blue glanced over at him. The Pokémon was monkey – like. He had a long thin tail that extended out from behind him and was coiled around his waist like a belt. Even in the dim light, Blue could tell that the Pokémon was fairly fit, with thick muscles that were just barely hidden by his orange fur.
His other two companions didn't resemble him, but they all shared a similar body shape. One Pokémon was sitting opposite of Blue, on the other side of the caravan. The Pokémon was taller than the monkey, and was covered in a thick layer of yellow feathers. Its feet resembled those of a bird's, complete with talons. It clacked its beak accidentally as it yawned out of boredom.
Their last companion was shorter than the other two, but had a much stouter body than the both of them. It had a large, thick nose and two long black ears that stuck out of the top of its head. It had an orange body with swirling yellow patterns on its belly. Blue watched as it nervously played with its curly black tail, pulling it and letting it spring back over and over.
"Pignite, cut that out!" The monkey shouted furiously, making his pig – like companion flinch and let go of his tail in surprise. "You know how much that annoys me."
Pignite's tail recoiled like a spring and slapped Pignite on the face, making him wince in pain, "S – sorry Monferno... I can't help it, I'm just so nervous!"
"What do you have to be nervous about?" Monferno snarled, making Pignite flinch again, "Just sit there with your mouth shut, just like Combusken over there."
"I think she's asleep, boss," Pignite mumbled, looking over at his feathered companion. Monferno swung his tail at Pignite and whipped him across the cheek, making Pignite squeal in pain.
"Then you go to sleep as well, coal for brains!" He said, standing over his cowering partner with his tail in his hands, "If you keep whining like that, you'll get us all busted!"
"Eee..." Pignite covered his face with his thickset arms, trying to protect himself from another whipping. However, seeing his partner cower like that only made Monferno angrier. The tip of his orange tail was beginning to emit small, yellow sparks.
"I said, shut up!" He raised his tail and prepared to strike at the shivering Pignite again. Then, right as he was about to whip Pignite, a blue paw stopped his arm. Monferno turned his around and glared at Blue.
"Cut it out," Blue said sharply, holding tightly on to the furious monkey's arm. He couldn't just stand by and watch anymore, "You'll get us all caught if you keep this up."
"This isn't any of your business, Riolu!" Monferno snarled, yanking his arm out of Blue's grasp. The air around the tip of his tail began to waver as more sparks shot out of it. Pignite squealed in surprise as one of the sparks landed on a piece of wood around them and began to smolder. He quickly patted the spark out before it grew any larger.
Blue glared back at Monferno, jabbing a finger at his chest, "Then go ahead, set this caravan on fire. We'll see if we can get into town on a burning wreck without getting caught."
"You..." The monkey balled his hand up into a fist. Blue also readied to throw his own punch. The two of them glqared at each other for a few seconds before they leapt at each other, fists drawn and faces snarling. Then, right before their fists connected with each others faces, a sudden explosion of yellow feathers erupted between them, halting both of their movement in an instant.
"You're being too loud, boss," Their last companion, now awake, stood between her raging boss and Blue. Her wing – like hands were outstretched and pushing against both of their faces. She stuffed yellow feathers into Monferno and Blue's mouths, muffling both of their their voices, "I can't even get any sleep with the racket you two are making."
Blue and Monferno both spat out mouthfuls of feathers as they coughed. The chicken – like Pokémon crossed her arms and gave the both of them a bored look, "Boss, don't forget the reason we're here. If you get us kicked out because of your temper, how're you going to face the boys back at home?"
"Rghh... Combusken..." Monferno plucked a feather off his face and shot his companion a dirty look. Combusken ignored him, closed his eyes and sat back down. Within seconds, she was clacking her beak again, soundly asleep.
"B – boss..." Pignite timidly said, tapping his two hands together nervously, "She's got a point... There's nothing to be gained by being kicked out now..."
Pignite squeaked and shut up as Monferno turned to glare at him, then he turned back to glare at Blue, who shook his head and shrugged. Feeling defeated by opposition on all sides, Monferno's tail stopped sparkling as he cooled down. Wordlessly, but still evidently displeased, the orange monkey sat back down and rested his cheek on his fist.
Sighing, Blue sat down as well. It was difficult enough to sneak into the caravan without being seen, but that he had to share it with a powder keg of a team made it even harder. He mused to himself about the possibility of changing to a different caravan, but one peek outside made him reconsider the idea.
"Looks like we're moving now," Blue announced as he watched the scenery outside, "I can see the entrance to town from here."
"Fan – freaking – tastic," Monferno replied sarcastically, "Maybe I'll go get myself something to eat once we're in."
"I'd like to eat something too," Pignite said in a hopeful voice, his stomach grumbling loudly, "I've been feeling mighty hungry for a while now."
"Who said you were going to eat?" Monferno growled, "You're going to go and find out where Machoke's Guild is and get us applied as apprentices. Then you can start thinking about food."
"B – but..." Pignite sounded heartbroken when he heard Monferno's response. He looked like he was going to argue back, but he immediately clammed up when he saw Monferno's expression. Pignite sighed and hung his head in defeat.
"Machoke's Guild?" Blue queried as he closed the canvas flap again, "What's that?"
"Pfft, what rock did you come crawling out from?" Monferno snorted rudely, "Oh wait, you're a Riolu, so I guess you were probably living with rocks all your life!"
He cackled at his own tasteless joke. Pignite hesitantly laughed along with him, shooting Blue an apologetic look as he did so.
"I don't understand," Blue said truthfully, "What do you mean by living with rocks?"
"Oh, you're cracking me up! Ka, ha, ha!" Monferno cackled even harder at Blue's response, "You're such an idiot!"
Blue frowned. While he didn't particularly care about the Monferno's insults, he still felt incredibly annoyed that the cackling monkey knew something he didn't. He glanced over at Pignite, who looked unsure whether or not he should laugh along or to stay silent. When Pignite caught his eye, he quickly shook his head.
"I don't know anything...!" He whispered at Blue.
"Of course you don't! You're both idiots! Ka, ha, ha!" Monferno continued his maniacal cackling, completely misunderstanding Pignite's words.
Blue sighed out of frustration. He wanted to slug that monkey right in the laughing face. But Blue knew that if he knocked Monferno right out of the caravan, they'd all get caught immediately. Grumbling, he decided to just sit and endure it. It wasn't long until the caravan entered the town, all he had to do is keep his anger in check until then.
Monferno continued to cackle loudly as Blue and Pignite both shared a defeated sigh.
After what felt like an eternity, the uncomfortable caravan ride finally ended as the Tauros rolled past the large wooden gate that served as the entrance to Treasure Town.
Blue, Monferno, Pignite and Combusken all quietly peeked out from behind the canvas, trying to gauge the situation before doing anything. The caravan had finally entered the town, but one false move and they could be caught and thrown out immediately. Blue watched closely at the scenery around them for an opportunity to escape.
They appeared to be in a large, circular plaza. Blue watched in amazement as Pokémon of all shapes and sizes wandered around the plaza, filling the air with happy chatter and merriment. Aquatic Pokémon were splashing around in a large stone fountain featured in the center of the plaza, swimming and splashing happily as the fountain spilled refreshing water into the basin.
Surrounding the plaza was a bunch of small, squat buildings. Each and every one of the buildings looked like they had seen better days. Chunks were torn out of the walls, leaving ugly, gaping holes at the sides. Glass windows were shattered, and some of the doors had their hinges blown off. Shop signs were knocked askew, some even had letters missing from the sign. One unfortunate house even had its entire roof blown off.
But all the damage wasn't enough to stop the townspeople from continuing their businesses. Small, wooden stands displaying goods of all kinds were strewn haphazardly around the plaza, temporarily replacing the shopfronts. Storekeepers shouted loudly over the crowds, trying to entice Pokémon to come over and hopefully purchase something. Delectable smells were wafting into the caravan from some of the stands, making the stowaway group drool with yearning.
"Ohhh... that smells so good..." Pignite whined, his belly grumbling like an avalanche, "I wanna go eat so bad right now..."
"Just hang in there," Blue replied, his own stomach growling up a storm, "If we leave now, we'll definitely be seen."
"Ergh..." Pignite squealed sadly, trying to console his aching belly as much as he could. Monferno slapped Pignite over the back of his head, making him squeal again in surprise.
"You're not gonna get anything to eat at all if you keep whining," He snapped, "You have your job, and you're gonna finish that job before you can even think about pigging out, got it?"
"B – boss... that's too cruel..." Pignite sobbed, now trying to console his aching head. Blue sighed and shook his head. He made a mental note to grab something to eat for Pignite as well later.
"Hey, looks like we're leaving the plaza now," Combusken pointed out, pulling the other three's attention back outside, "Hopefully to somewhere a bit quieter."
"No one cares, Combusken," Monferno retorted, "They're probably moving the caravan over to someplace where they can unload the cargo inside here. So we gotta get moving before that happens."
Despite their grievances with the monkey, everyone nodded at his assessment of the situation.
"Once we're out of the plaza, there's probably going to be less bystanders roaming around," Monferno planned, "Once we're in a quiet spot, we'll leap out the back and split up. This way, if one of us gets caught, the rest of us will be able to get away."
"That's a great plan, boss!" Pignite praised, clapping his hands together in admiration. Monferno snorted and rubbed his nose with his finger, evidently pleased with Pignite's reaction.
Blue quickly peeked out through the canvas more time. The amount of Pokémon surrounding the caravan had decreased dramatically as the caravan entered a side road and out of the plaza. He turned his head back at the group and gave a quick nod.
"Alright," Monferno snapped his fingers and pointed out the caravan, "On the count of three, we jump out and scatter, got it?"
The four nodded and huddled around the exit to the caravan. Monferno began to slowly count to three.
"One..."
Pignite gulped as his stomach growled angrily.
"Two..."
Combusken's beak made another clacking noise as she released a loud yawn.
"Three..."
A bead of sweat slid down the side of Blue's face as he waited for the signal.
"Go!"
Pandemonium ensued as the four of them all simultaneously leapt out of the caravan. A Boufallant that was walking behind their caravan reared up on its hind legs, bellowing a loud cry of surprise.
"What are you idiots waiting for?" Monferno shouted as they landed on the ground, "Hurry up and run!"
Blue didn't even wait for Monferno to finish his command. He nimbly leapt on to the Boufallant's massive afro before it realized what was going on. Then, wasting no time, he jumped off the bull Pokémon's head and on to the top of the caravan it was carrying.
An entire row of white canvassed wagons stretched out ahead of Blue. To him though, it wasn't just a bunch of caravans. It was a road.
"See you guys later!" Blue shouted back at the group, "Don't get caught!"
The other three had already skedaddled out of the place, sparing no time to say goodbye. Blue grinned and began to run. There was no time to waste, he had to get out of here and find Fée.
"Alright then," He shouted as he leapt across the caravans, "Treasure Town, here I come!"
"Fée! Fée! Look! It's a big, big boulder!"
I quickly turned around to see what Azurill was talking about. It was a massive Boldore stomping down the road, accompanied by a bunch of quivering Roggenrola around it. Azurill kept bouncing up and down on my back, giggling madly at the Boldore. When the huge mass of rock turned around to look at us, I quickly shushed Azurill and ran away.
"Aw!" I heard Azurill whine, "I wanted to ride on the big rock! Fée, let's go back!"
"That wasn't a rock, Azurill!" I retorted, trying to put as much distance between us and the Boldore as possible, "You shouldn't point out other Pokémon like that, it's rude."
"But I've never seen that kind of Pokémon before!" Azurill said. She kept tugging on my back, trying to make me turn around. I stubbornly continued to run, ignoring her pleas.
"Neither have I, Azurill. But it doesn't mean we can just stand and gape at them like that. Now stop pulling on my ruff and try to look for your brother."
"Pooh!" Azurill pouted as she stuffed her face into the back of my ruff. I sighed and mentally pitied poor Marill. It must be difficult to try and take care of such a rowdy little sister every day.
After a few minutes of frantic running, I stopped at the edge of the Founder's Fountain in the Main Plaza. Taking a break, I let Azurill off my back and into the water, where she started to splash around happily with her tail bobbing up and down in the water. I sat down to catch my breath while also looking around the plaza for any sign of Blue or Marill.
The plaza was so jam packed with Pokémon and caravans that it was practically impossible to tell if any of them were even here. No matter where I looked, I could only find unfamiliar Pokémon wandering around. There were Mankey and Primape repairing the buildings around the plaza that were wrecked during the storm. Pidgey, Taillow and other flying Pokémon were zipping around in the air, chirping with each other about this or that.
I sighed. There was no way I'd be able to find any of them at this rate. There was just too many Pokémon running around town. I leaned my head back against the fountain, letting the mist from the water cool me off.
"...stop nagging at me..!"
My ear twitched. For some reason, someone's voice seemed to stand out amongst the crowd. I pulled myself up and quickly looked around. Maybe it was someone I knew? Was it Blue? Marill?
"...agh, you're so annoying...!"
Frowning, I strained my hearing a bit more to try and find out where it was coming from.
"...I said..."
I closed my eyes and focused...
"YOU'RE SO ANNOYING!"
I screamed in pain as the Pokémon's loud shout nearly exploded my eardrums.
Suddenly, a massive shockwave came billowing from somewhere in the plaza, sending Pokémon all over the place flying into the air. The water from the fountain sprayed all over the plaza, drenching me and pretty much everyone else.
"Fée! Help!" Still wincing in pain from the noise, I quickly looked up and saw Azurill flying up in the air.
"Hold on!" I shouted as I rushed after her. I dived right before she hit the ground, turning around in midair as I did. She landed on my chest with a heavy thump, sending the both of us crashing into the cobblestone road. Panting on the ground, I held on to Azurill as tightly as possible, hoping that she wasn't injured in the fall.
"Fée, are you alright?" I looked down at Azurill's worried face. I quickly scrounged up a smile at her.
"I'm okay," I said reassuringly, "More importantly, are you hurt?"
"No, I'm okay," She said, making me sigh in relief, "Thank you Fée!"
She nuzzled herself into my ruff again, making me blush in embarrassment. I gently pulled the little Pokémon off my chest and put her back on my back.
Looking around in the aftermath of that strange shockwave, it appeared as though we weren't the only ones surprised by the explosion. The Pokémon that were wandering around the plaza or splashing in the fountain were all sitting on the ground, dazed and confused. The Mankey and Primeape on the buildings were raging around, screaming and hollering in anger at whoever it was that made the noise. All the flying Pokémon in the sky landed on the fountain statue or on the buildings, watching the scene curiously.
As for me and Azurill, we were also curious about what happened. I looked around, trying to find the culprit.
"Oh my gosh! Ooooh, look at what you did!"
"Oh... hehe, sorry."
It didn't take long to find out who it was. On the other side of the fountain were two Pokémon standing together. I climbed up on the side of the stone fountain to get a better look while Azurill bounced on top of my head.
"Loudred, you're going to get such a scolding from Chatot, eek!" It was an odd pair of Pokémon. One of them looked like a walking sunflower, and her partner had a gigantic mouth that pretty much took up his entire body.
"I said I was SORRY, didn't I?" When her partner said the word 'sorry,' another shockwave came billowing out of his mouth. I quickly snatched Azurill off my head and ducked below the fountain as the blast of sound came rushing by. I heard the flying Pokémon above us squawk and scatter when the sound wave struck.
"Oooh! Loudred!" I heard the flowery Pokémon shout, "You did it again!"
"Oh...hehe, sorry."
"Don't just repeat what you said!"
Hesitantly, I peeked out from behind the fountain again. The Pokémon that resembled a flower was smacking the other one over and over with her leaf – like hands. Her partner had his gargantuan mouth wide open and was laughing uproariously. Unfortunately, with every chuckle he made, another shockwave was sent racing through the air like a cannonball, and the cycle repeats.
I watched as a Mankey was knocked off a building, sending it through a roof that they just rebuilt. The two of them were becoming a nuisance, and it was starting to hurt other Pokémon. At this rate, the town will be destroyed again!
Taking a deep breath, I leapt out of my hiding place and shouted as loud as I could.
"Please stoooop!" I felt as though I sent out my own shockwave as I bellowed out my plea. Suddenly, everything was silent. The two of them stopped what they were doing and gaped at me. I stood there, in the center of the plaza, frozen in place from a combination of fear and embarrassment.
"Y – you're hurting everyone!" I felt my legs wobble as I continued to shout, "If you keep yelling like that, the whole town will collapse!"
The two Pokémon looked at me with astonished looks on their faces. I took a step back out of nervousness. I didn't know what was going to happen now. Everything felt like a blur as I stared at the two troublemakers. I was afraid, what if they got mad and attacked me? What if I made a horrible mistake? What if they drag Azurill into it? If only Blue was here! More and more frightened thoughts flew through my mind as the seconds ticked by.
"Oh... oh my gosh..." The one with the flower – shaped head covered her mouth with her hands while her big – mouthed partner closed his mouth and scratched his head sheepishly.
"Sunflora..." The big one turned to his partner and mumbled, "What do we do now?"
"I don't know, I've never felt so ashamed before! Eek!" She covered her face completely with her leafy hands and made a noise that sounded like sobbing.
I was taken aback by how they reacted. It was completely unlike what I was imagining. All the tension I was feeling suddenly melted away in an instant.
"What do you me – agh!" My question was cut off when the flowery Pokémon suddenly rushed up and hugged me.
"I'm so, so sorry!" She began to sob into my ruff, "I'm sorry that my big oaf of a partner hurt you!"
"U-uhm...!" I felt incredibly confused and surprised. What was I supposed to do about this?!
"Sunflora," Her partner walked up to us, wearing an expression that was both embarrassed and amused, "I think you're weirding her out. Also, you're suffocating her."
"Eek!" Sunflora quickly let go of my ruff. I coughed a few times, gasping for air. For a flower, she had a pretty strong grip!
"Oooh, I'm so sorry Eevee!" Sunflora apologized again, bowing deeply. Still coughing a little, I looked up at her and tried to give her a reassuring grin.
Her loud – mouthed partner shook his head and looked around. He tapped Sunflora on the shoulder and whispered something to her. They seemed to come to an agreement about something.
"Oooh, that sounds nice," Sunflora said out loud. She faced me and whispered to me, "Eevee, how about we take you to go get something to eat as an apology?"
"E – eh? Well..." Truth be told, I was getting a little peckish. I haven't eaten anything since I woke up this morning, after all. But, I can't just drop everything and go fill up my stomach now. I still have to go find Azurill's brother and Blue!
"I – I'm sorry, but I ca –" I began to say, but suddenly, Azurill leapt on to my head and almost made me bite my tongue.
"Did they say food?!" She cheered loudly, "Come on Fée! Let's go get something to eat!"
"Azurill!" I looked up at the bubbly blue Pokémon on my head, "We can't just go eat! We have to find your brother!"
"But I'm hungry!" She whined, bopping the side of my face with her bubble tail. I shook my head, making her roll off and on to my back.
"We have priorities, Azurill," I scolded, "Reuniting you with your brother is more important than eating right no –"
Suddenly, my stomach growled loudly. I felt a blush racing up into my face as Azurill tittered happily behind me. Sunflora and Loudred both looked at me with amused looks on their faces.
I sighed, "I guess... it wouldn't hurt to go eat for a bit..."
Sunflora and Loudred shared a wide grin while Azurill cheered on my back. I shook my head despondently and mentally apologized to Blue and Marill.
Blue found himself walking among a crowd of Pokémon in a lively part of town. Everywhere he looked, there were various wooden stands and tables strewn around on the sides of the road. Pokémon wearing aprons and other assorted clothing stood behind the stands and tables, peddling their wares and trying to attract walkers over to their storefronts. Blue wandered with the rest of the crowd, impressed and amazed by all the action going on around him.
"You there. Yes, the Riolu over there."
An odd, worldly sounding voice drifted over the crowd. Blue stopped in his tracks, recognizing the word 'Riolu'. He turned his head and saw a strange sight. Sitting at the side of the road was a suspicious – looking Pokémon.
The Pokémon stood stock still, like that of a statue. Its body was green, with two white, wing – like patterns covering its front. Its head resembled that of a bird, with two long feathers extending out from the back of its head.
Separating himself from the crowd, Blue cautiously approached the stranger. The Pokémon stared at Blue as he approached, never blinking and unmoving.
"You need not be cautious," It spoke without moving its beaked mouth, "I mean you no harm."
"And you are?" Blue said, unconvinced.
"You may call me Xatu," The statue – like Pokémon spoke in a vague voice that sounded neither male nor female, "I am but a humble observer of events. I see all that occurs in this town, and everything that surrounds it."
What the Pokémon just said immediately sent alarm bells ringing inside of Blue's head. He tentatively took a step backwards, worried that the Pokémon knew about his escapade as a stowaway.
"What do you mean by that?" Blue said slowly, preparing himself to run away at a moment's notice.
"Calm yourself, Riolu," Xatu replied sagely. It extended one of its white – colored wings in an apologetic gesture, "I repeat myself, I do not mean to harm you."
Still suspicious, Blue glanced around at where Xatu was sitting. The totem pole – like Pokémon was surrounded by strangely shaped knick – knacks and baubles. Ribbons, shells and wooden carvings were strewn all over the surface of an intricately detailed rug. Behind Xatu was a small, oblong tent that was lazily puffing out purplish – pink smoke from the tip.
"Then," Blue said slowly, "What do you want from me?"
"Its not what I want from you," Xatu gazed deeply into Blue's eyes. Blue took another step backwards, feeling incredibly creeped out by the bird's unblinking gaze. Xatu, however, continued to stare at Blue unflinchingly.
"But rather," Xatu spread out its wings, "It's what you want from me."
"What?" Blue replied. He was confused about what the bird was talking about. Xatu's face remained unchanged, despite Blue's puzzled reply.
"It was fated by the stars for you to find me, Riolu," Xatu announced cryptically, "Perhaps... it means that some of my mystical charms can assist you in your journey."
"Charms?" Blue looked down at the baubles around Xatu's feet, "You mean all this stuff around you?"
"Stu – stuff?" Xatu exclaimed, its former airy tone vanishing for a second. It quickly composed itself again and made a quiet coughing noise before speaking in its arcane tone again, "Y – yes... I believe my... stuff... is the key to your problems, Riolu."
Xatu extended both its wings wide in a dramatic fashion, "These glorious charms were hand crafted by legend and blessed by time! For generations and generations, these magical talismans were passed down by my ancestors, and now, I am giving the masses the chance to behold such majesty!"
"Great power courses through these items!" Xatu cried out loudly, making some of the bystanders turn their heads in surprise, "Such grand strength can only be found here, at the hands of the Xatu family!"
Blue was skeptical. Despite the praise that Xatu was lavishing on his wares, the baubles and gewgaws on the carpet simply looked like junk to him. Regardless, he kept his opinions to himself and bent down, picking up a small, pink ribbon.
"So, what does this do then?" Blue said, pointing at the ribbon. Xatu's eyes flitted down at the ribbon for a split second before returning his gaze back to Blue.
"Ah yes, the Aura Bow," It announced in an arcane voice, "Truly, one of the finest pieces of cloth ever weaved by Pokémon hands. It is a great work that was said to have been crafted by Azelf, the Embodiment of Willpower itself! Handed down to my ancestors as gift for their devotedness, it has been passed through my family for generations and gen – "
"Yes, and what does it do?" Blue interrupted impatiently. Xatu's eyes flickered with a spark of irritation before quickly returning to its usual sheen.
"Great works such as this ribbon must be given the proper amount of respect it deserves, Riolu," Xatu said, its voice tinged with annoyance, "But alas, if you do not wish for me to impress upon you the grand history behind such a powerful item, then I have no choice but to tell you what it does."
"Yes, thank you," Blue said, a sense of irritation was slowly growing inside of him. Xatu released a loud, disappointed sigh and continued. Its voice was notably less mystical – sounding now.
"The Aura Bow is said to grant the wearer a great amount of willpower," It said in an annoyed voice, "If a Pokémon were to wear this, they will find themselves filled with immense mental strength and fortitude! Great mystical power will flow through their body, strengthening every aspect of their physical selves!"
"So in other words, it makes the wearer feel stronger?"
Xatu sighed and shook its head, "If you must say it in such common terms..."
Blue held the ribbon in his paws and stared at it for a minute, much to Xatu's annoyance. Then, out of the corner of his eye, he noticed something glint off the sunlight. It was a small necklace that was made out of a small, yellow shell. A ruby – red jewel was set in the center of the shell.
"Ah yes, the Necklace of Memory," Xatu said, noticing Blue's gaze, "Never a more magnificent talisman has been created since its conception! The beautiful ruby present on the shell of an ancient Pokémon was said to have been donated to my ancestor by Uxie, the Pokémon of Memory itself! Passed down through my family through generations and generati –"
"So it helps with memory stuff?" Blue said, quickly interrupting another generations rant by Xatu, "Like, does it help the wearer regain their memories if they lost them?"
"Ahem..." Xatu faked coughing to hide it's growing frustration, "The power of such a charm cannot be quantified with such common explanations!"
"Then what does it do?" Blue replied impatiently, staring at the ruby as it shined in the sunlight, "You called it the Necklace of Memory, so it definitely has something to do with memory, right?"
"Hrgh..." Xatu's frustration was becoming more and more clear, "The necklace is associated with Uxie, the Pokémon of Memory! If that does not convince you, then I do not know what will."
Blue shrugged. He didn't recognize the name Uxie, and even if he did, he wouldn't know anything about it anyway. He picked up the necklace and held it up with the Aura Bow.
"I see that you are interested in these two items," Xatu said, its voice suddenly gaining an eager tone, "You are fortunate. At this moment, I am feeling quite generous. I will sell to you either the Aura Bow or the Necklace of Memory to you for a pittance of 900 Poké."
"...purchase? Poké?" Those words sounded foreign to Blue, "What does that mean?"
"I – what?" Xatu's façade was finally broken. His beak opened wide and his eyes bulged at Blue's puzzled expression. It spoke with an anguished, hoarse tone, "Are you...are you jesting with me?!"
"If that means kidding, then no," Blue said bluntly, "Can you tell me what this 'purchasing' thing is?"
"Oh ancestors, guide me..." Xatu mumbled, covering its face with its wing, "Give me the strength to endure this..."
Xatu spun around in place and dramatically swung aside the flaps into its tent. From within, it withdrew a wingful of small, golden colored coins. Turning around, Xatu presented the small coins to Blue, who regarded them with a curious look.
"Riolu," Xatu said in a tired voice, "This is the currency that we use here in...the civilized world. I understand it might be a concept foreign to a Riolu, but this is how we trade for items here."
"I see," Blue felt a little offended by the bird's remarks, but he decided to let it slide. "So in order for you to give me what I want, I have to give you 900 of this Poké?"
"That is correct." Xatu nodded and put the coins away.
"Hm," Blue thought about his options. He didn't entirely trust the shady bird, but the idea of a necklace that could help him regain his lost memory was tempting. He glanced at the ribbon and the jeweled necklace in his paws one more time.
"Alright then," Blue finally said, "Xatu, do you know where I can go get some Poké?"
"What?" Xatu said, surprised.
"I'll go get you those golden coins, and you hang on to these for me." Blue announced, handing the two charms back to Xatu, "I just need you to tell me where I can go get some Poké!"