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Chapter 11:
"Just help me find her!"
Blue panted heavily as he stopped in front of the Founder's Fountain. Grunting in exertion, he threw his arm over the side of the fountain, and leaned his tired body against the cool stone. His right leg was throbbing agonizingly, screaming angrily at him for not giving it any rest. Grimacing, he slapped himself with his paw, trying to keep his mind off the pain.
There were more important things at stake here, he thought. It was something that was worth more than just a leg or two!
As if it was listening to his thoughts, the pain in his leg slowly receded. Sighing in relief, Blue let his body slide down the side of the fountain until he was sitting on the ground. He buried his face in his paws, trying to calm down his wildly beating heart. He felt a strange wetness from his paws as they touched his face. He glanced at his paws, and realized that one of them was soaked with water.
A sudden thought raced through his head. Without any warning, he hastily pulled himself back up and turned around. He leaned over the edge of the fountain, staring at the pool of water inside Without any reservations, he suddenly vaulted over the fountain wall and dived into the water. When his body entered the water, he gasped in shock. It felt like millions of icy needles were jabbing into him as he submerged himself in the fountain pool.
He grit his teeth and endured the freezing cold water. Taking a deep breath, he submerged his head under the surface.
He scanned the interior of the fountain pool. He had hoped to find Azurill sitting in the corner, waiting for him to pick her up. To his dismay, all that he could see was just piles and piles of discarded coins. He couldn't fathom as to why there was so much Poké just lying unclaimed inside the fountain, but he quickly dismissed his curiosity and resurfaced for air.
He waded over to the side of the fountain and spat out the fountain water that had seeped into his mouth. The Riolu angrily slammed his fist against the stone wall, venting his frustration against the fountain. He glared at his injured leg through the wavy surface of the water. If only he wasn't injured, then he could've easily caught up with Azurill and stopped her from running away.
But no, thanks to his aching leg, he could only watch as the little girl vanished into the crowd before his very eyes. He winced as his leg suddenly spasmed painfully as if in response to his frustration.
As he floated in the water, a certain memory surfaced up inside of his mind. That vision he had... didn't he hear somebody scream the word 'help?' What if that voice belonged to Azurill? And if it was Azurill, what could've happened to her to make her scream? What if that Drowzee found her again? He wasn't by her side this time, he can't protect her if she runs into that dangerous Pokémon!
His heart began to beat faster and faster as the fear inside of him grew. He desperately tried to recall as much as could about the blank vision. He hoped that he could break through the dark void and possibly discover where Azurill could be. But, for all his struggling, all he managed to achieve was a sharp pain at the back of his head. The memory of the vision stayed obstinately black, invisible and useless to him.
Annoyed and frustrated at his uselessness, he climbed out of the icy water and back onto the road, water dripping forlornly off his face and arms. He glanced around the plaza, thinking. Where else could he go to find Azurill? He didn't know the town's layout very well, and with all the Pokémon wandering around, it would be like searching for a needle in a haystack.
He violently shook the water off his fur, drenching the dirt beside him. Several unfamiliar Pokémon walked past him, shooting him curious glances. They quickly averted their gazes when Blue glowered at them. There wasn't any reason for him to stay here if Azurill isn't here.
But, right as he was about to leave the plaza, he noticed a familiar face rushing toward him. He felt a sudden rush of guilt flare up inside him as he recognized the Pokémon.
"You... you...!" The tall bird stopped in front of him, panting and gasping. His eyes were bulging out of his head as he glared angrily at Blue. The Riolu actually took a step back, intimidated by the sheer fury that was radiating out of the bird's gaze.
"Xatu..." Blue greeted the furious bird, trying to back away slowly.
"Where... where have you been?" Xatu said breathlessly, "You... have you forgotten our deal?"
"Urk...!" Blue took another step back. His back was now against the fountain's stone wall. He quickly thought back to the deal he struck with Xatu. How he promised to do a few matches in that battle event or whatever in exchange for some of Xatu's charms. However, the entire fiasco involving Azurill and Drowzee had completely blown that memory out of his mind.
Plus, he had spent an unknown amount of time unconscious and immobile. There wasn't anything he could've done about that!
"Xatu... I have a reason why I wasn't here," Blue said carefully, trying to sound as apologetic as possible. Xatu, however, just shook his head and sent Blue another angry glare.
"Save your excuses, Riolu," Xatu said, his voice dripping with ill – hidden anger, "I'll hear them out after you complete your part of our arrangement."
"W – wait," Blue tried to interject, but Xatu just reached forward and grabbed one of his paws. He was surprised by the gangly bird's strength as he was forcibly pulled off the fountain wall and dragged away by Xatu.
"I never would've imagined," Xatu grumbled quietly, but kept his voice just loud enough so Blue could hear, "that once I left you alone, you'd vanish and completely forget about your matches. Must I have to baby sit you like a child?"
"I'm telling you, I have a reason...!"
Xatu ignored him and continued with his angry tirade, "I was aware of the fact that, as a Riolu, you might be a little unaware of social norms and conduct. But I assumed you'd have to responsibility to at least try to honor our arrangement!"
"I don't understand what you mean by that!"
"How do you think I felt when I realized that you missed two of your matches?" Xatu seethed, still ignoring Blue's protests, "I had honestly believed that you were reneging on our deal, Riolu!"
"And worse of all," Xatu stopped dragging Blue and turned around, "imagine how I felt when I finally found you. Paddling around in the Founder's Fountain like a child, without a single care in the world."
His face was a mask of indignation as he scowled at Blue, "Were you possibly insulting me from afar?"
Blue tried to reply again, but he barely even got a single syllable out before another tirade from Xatu cut him off.
"Oh, a deal? Oh no, that's not important!" Xatu's voice became high pitched and stinging, "For I am a Riolu, I'd rather go for a swim than keep my promises! Wasting my time away inside of a fountain pool is much more important to me than anything else! I do not have a single care in a world! What a lark!"
Xatu mimed splashing around in a pool like a child before grasping Blue's paw again to tug him away. But, as he tried to pull the Riolu, he spoke.
"No..."
Xatu stopped. He suddenly felt as though a block of ice just slipped down his back. The Riolu's voice appeared to have changed. It suddenly sounded much more cold and threatening. He slowly turned around and saw Blue staring at the ground, unmoving.
"No? What do you mean no?"
Blue's head suddenly snapped upward. Xatu flinched when he saw Blue's face, or to be more precise, his expression.
Blue yanked his paw out of Xatu's grasp with an incredible force and glared at the bird, sending a wave of fear through the prophet's body.
"R – Riolu?" Xatu spoke with a quiet voice. He didn't know what to expect from the furious Pokémon in front of him.
Blue held up a single paw and pointed at him.
"You're wrong."
His tone was almost unrecognizable. It was almost as if another Pokémon had taken the Riolu's place and had spoken for him. Xatu took a nervous step back and quickly turned away from the Riolu's terrifying gaze.
"I'm wrong, am I?" Xatu said, trying to adopt his usual prideful voice to mask his growing unease, "Then do tell, give me an explanation that will satisfy my all – seeing eyes."
"If you do have all – seeing eyes, then you would've already known why you're wrong."
Xatu's eyes widened. He was unprepared for such an unexpectedly fast reply. He nervously glanced to his sides, trying to concoct a retort to give back to the Riolu. But before he could even conjure up a single word, the Riolu spoke again in the same low, icy tone.
"I remember when I first spoke with you. You boasted that you could see everything that happens in this town, and everything that surrounds it. Was that the truth?"
The Riolu's accusatory words felt like a freezing slap across Xatu's face. A cold sweat ran down his back as he took another step backward, away from the quiet Pokémon.
Panicked, frantic thoughts ran through Xatu's head. Did this Riolu know his secret? If so, then how? No, more importantly, if he did know his secret, then he could possibly spread it all around town...!
Xatu covered his face with his wings, trying to hide his terrified expression. If his secret got out, then his entire livelihood could be ruined! Taking a deep gulp, Xatu tried his best to recompose himself. He folded his wings on his chest and raised his head up high, putting on the most haughty expression he could muster.
He looked down at the Riolu. Despite his height, Xatu felt as though the Riolu had somehow grown to three times his size, towering over him like a behemoth.
"Y – yes, that is the truth." A pang of fear exploded inside of him as he heard his own voice come out as shaky and weak.
Blue's expression remained unchanged. His face still displayed skepticism and disbelief. Xatu glanced around him again. The two of them were slowly attracting a small crowd of curious onlookers. Suddenly, a flash of inspiration hit Xatu. He quickly swung his wings out wide, adopting his usual dramatic pose.
"It is because the blood of prophets and seers, my ancestors, run through my veins! We, Xatu, have incredible powers of precognition and divination that you cannot comprehend!" He was brutally aware of the amount of attention he was attracting from the passerby. But, that was the intention. Maybe, just maybe, if he managed to draw in enough people, the Riolu will stop questioning him...!
Gambling on that plan, he raised his voice to announce to the curious Pokémon watching, "To say that I am wrong would be to say that many generations of great prophets were wrong!"
"Alright then," Blue was unfazed, neither by the Xatu's forceful voice nor by the crowd slowly gathering around them. He simply crossed his arms and fired a simple question at the bird, "Then I'd like you to find something for me, find something with your all – seeing eyes."
"I... my eyes?" Xatu faltered. He could feel his hastily built plan crumbling around him. The crowd was beginning to mutter suspiciously amongst themselves as they watched the scene unfold.
"Yeah, that's right," Blue said as he bent down. With his paw, he began to sketch something in the dirt road. After a few moments of tense silence, the Riolu completed his drawing and took a step back, revealing the picture to Xatu.
"Is that... an Azurill?" Xatu said in a confused voice.
Blue nodded and pointed at the sketch, "I want you to use your all – seeing eyes and find out where she is."
"What – why?" Xatu spluttered, desperately trying to keep the pressure off of him, "Why do I have to do this?"
He took another nervous step back and glanced around him. The crowd was getting more and more riled up as the seconds flew by. Another idea appeared in his head, and without even considering it, he went with it.
"Hold on, this isn't even a part of our deal, Riolu!" He shouted in an indignant voice, "Do not try to mislead me!"
"I'm not misleading you or anything," Blue retorted with a low growl, making Xatu freeze up again, "You said you had the power to see everything in town, didn't you?"
He pointed accusingly at Xatu, "...or was that just a lie?"
"How dare you accuse me of lying! Such sight is but a simple task for a prophet as powerful as I!" Xatu shouted, but his indignant tone was faltering. The crowd's mumblings grew louder as Xatu continued to sweat nervously.
"Then why aren't you helping me?" Blue retorted immediately. The Riolu took a heavy step forward, sending sand scattering into the air from his foot, "It should be simple for you! Just... just help me find her! With your all – seeing eye!"
"I – I..." Xatu turned away from the Riolu's crimson eyes. He looked around them, trying to gauge how the crowd was reacting. The whispers had increased in volume as more and more bystanders began to congregate around them. To his horror, he thought he saw a few of his former customers within the crowd, watching him with suspicious eyes.
He needed to take control of their argument before the situation becomes too dangerous...!
He spread out his wings and shouted toward the heavens in the loudest voice his lungs could allow, "I AM XATU! I am the latest in generations and generations of prophets! The blood of seers and diviners run through my body, granting me the great power of prophecy and prediction! How dare you just come up and beg me for help?! You dirty Riol –!"
A sudden gust of wind struck Xatu squarely in the face, filling his beak with sand and immediately putting a halt to his angry tirade. A short cry of surprise and fear erupted from the crowd as the windstorm passed by. Xatu doubled over and coughed, having swallowed several grains of sand. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see the Riolu standing at the center of the miniature tornado, surrounded by swirling sand and dust.
"I see." Blue withdrew his throbbing right foot from the small crater he made in the ground and turned his back to the coughing bird.
"R – Riolu...?"
Blue held up his arm to Xatu's face, shutting him up, "I honestly believed that you were a good person when we first met, Xatu." His voice wasn't angry. Rather, Blue sounded disappointed, sad even. "I don't understand many things about this world. Money, reading, or what that 'grand battle royale' was."
"But," Blue clenched his right paw into a fist, "I was glad when you struck that deal with me. I thought you were a pretty nice guy, a little creepy maybe, but still a nice enough person to help out someone as clueless as me."
"Your charms? You said they were worth weeks worth of Poké. It wasn't something that was possible for me. But then, you gave me a way to earn them." Blue paused and looked at Xatu for a second before continuing, "You told me that all I had to do was fight in a few matches in this battle event, and you'd give them to me. That was generous of you, and I appreciate that."
Blue's head slumped down, breaking their eye contact. He spoke in an ashamed voice, "But I know I broke our deal, and I'm sorry. It was my fault, and I can't really deny that."
"But, there was a reason why I had to turn back on our deal."
Xatu stared down at where Blue's eyes were looking. The small drawing of the Azurill was still there, just barely visible underneath all the kicked up sand.
"A friend of mine disappeared, and I need to go find her," Xatu noticed that Blue's right arm was trembling as he talked, "That's why I can't go play around in that battle royale anymore. That's why I have to break our deal. For every second I stand here, unmoving, the longer it'll take for me to find her, and the more danger she could be in."
Blue spun around and looked at Xatu. His expression wasn't angry anymore, but rather, it was an expression of desperation.
"That's why I'm begging for your help," Blue suddenly fell to the ground, bowing down in front of Xatu, pleading, "I don't know this city. I can't find her on my own. I need your help. Use your sight, use that ability of yours to see everything and find her. 'Dirty Riolu?' I don't care whatever you call me! Just... just help me find her!"
"I..." Xatu was speechless. He didn't know what to do. The Riolu was now in front of him, prostrating like a fool and begging for his assistance. The crowd around him was beginning to whisper even louder and louder. Everybody seemed to be waiting expectantly for Xatu's reply.
"Xatu, please answer me!"
What can he do? What can he say? How can he just go out and announce to the Riolu that he lacked the power of sight?!
"Um... contestant number 27? This is your third call!"
The Buneary looked around the crowd surrounding the combat ring uneasily. Contestant 27, the Riolu from Crystal Cave was absent again, for the third time. She could hear the grumbles of discontent slowly rising from the crowd as they waited for the Riolu to appear. Nervously, she turned her head over to the roof of the building where her bosses sat.
Machoke wore a bored expression on his face, his chin on his fist and his arm on his knee. He stared at the ring, where only one of the two combatants were present. His companions, Hariyama and Staraptor stood beside Machoke, watching their guildmaster's expression concernedly. When Machoke gets bored, bad things tend to happen.
"What is going on?" He grumbled, making Staraptor and Hariyama jump. Machoke pointed his thumb impatiently at the half – empty ring, "Why the heck hasn't the battle started yet? This is getting to be really freaking boring."
Staraptor and Hariyama glanced over at the ring, and then back at Machoke. A small frown had formed on his craggy face, a clear warning sign to the two that something dangerous was about to occur.
"I'm gonna go and see if there's anything I can do about this," He said, sending a chill down Hariyama and Staraptor's spines. Machoke turned and gestured to his avian companion. The crested Pokémon gave a loud sigh and extended his wings. Machoke hopped on the large bird's back and within seconds, the two launched off the roof and into the air.
"Where are we going, guildmaster?" Staraptor asked in a hesitant tone. Machoke folded his beefy arms across his chest dangerously as he sat on Staraptor's back. He pointed at the floating Buneary with a finger.
The Buneary watched worryingly as her bosses soared closer and closer to her. Staraptor flapped his powerful wings and halted his flight, stopping himself next to the balloon and bunny pair.
"B – boss, what's the problem?" Buneary asked in a timid voice. Machoke grunted and stood up on the flapping bird's back, expertly keeping his balance.
"What's going on?" He demanded with a shout, making the bunny flinch in fear, "Why hasn't the battle started yet? This is the third time already!"
"E – eep...!" Buneary covered her eyes with her fluffy ears. Fearfully, she peeked out from underneath of of her ears and answered hesitatingly, "I – It's because one of the contestants is missing, again..."
"Which one?" Machoke grunted, flexing his two beefy arms, "I'll go find that fighter and give him a stern talking to." He slammed his fist into his other hand, making a loud booming noise.
Buneary mentally apologized to the Riolu before she replied, "I – it's the 27th contestant, sir... a Riolu from Crystal Cave."
"A Riolu, eh?" Machoke mused, rubbing his chin thoughtfully, "That's pretty rare around these parts."
"Honestly Machoke, have you been paying attention to every match?" Staraptor remarked exasperatingly, "That Riolu's already fought in a match against a Mienfoo earlier."
"I must've been asleep," Machoke grinned and shrugged, "Some of the fights have been boring as heck, so I decided to take a nap."
"You hosted this battle royale, the least you could do is be present for it."
"Forget that!" Machoke folded his arms again, cutting the conversation short. He slapped Staraptor's back energetically, "Come on Rapta, we got a Riolu to find!"
"You never listen, do you?" Rapta shook his head, trying to endure the five – fingered pain he now felt on his back, "Well, you're the boss. Just try to not hit me while we fly, alright?"
Rapta quickly uttered a few quick instructions to Buneary on how to proceed with the battle royale before flapping his powerful wings and soaring agilely into the sky.
"Let's see, Riolu, Riolu, Riolu..." Machoke clutched Rapta's feathers tightly as he leaned over the side of the bird to see the ground below. Hordes and hordes of Pokémon were still just wandering the streets and roads of Treasure Town, making it fairly difficult to pick out a single individual out of the crowd. But Machoke didn't care, he continued to scan the surroundings for that one Riolu.
"Out of curiosity, Guildmaster," Rapta said to Machoke, but still keeping his head forward and focused on his flight, "Do you even know what a Riolu looks like?"
"Of course!" Machoke announced bombastically. Staraptor sighed and nodded, feeling a sense of relief wash over him.
"...not!"
Rapta suddenly braked in midair. If he was on the ground running, then he might've made a loud skidding noise. The great crested bird turned his head around as he tried to stabilize himself in the air. He goggled at the grinning muscular Pokémon on his back.
"Are you joking, Guildmaster?!" He squawked in disbelief, "You don't even know what we're looking for?"
Machoke roared with laughter as he saw his avian companion's incredulous expression. He slapped the bird on the back again, making them drop down a few feet in altitude.
"Of course I know what a Riolu looks like, Rapta!" He said, tears forming in his eyes, "I was just joking with you, ha ha ha!"
"Ugh... Guildmaster, please," Rapta sighed as the stinging pain on his back doubled, "Save the jokes for when we're back on the ground."
"Alright, alright." Machoke agreed, still amused, "Let's fly a little bit lower. I think I see something interesting going on near the Founder's Fountain."
Rapta nodded and lowered their height, gently descending toward the ground. With a loud flumph! noise, the great crested bird landed on the road in a dignified fashion. Pokémon that were standing around their landing spot quickly covered their eyes and face as a great gust of sandy wind was blown toward them.
Machoke dismounted his avian friend and grinned as he stood in the center of the small crowd of cringing Pokémon. He looked around to see what was going on.
"M – Machoke?!" One of the Pokémon behind him shouted in surprise. Machoke grinned at the sight of someone recognizing him. He quickly flexed his muscles and performed his usual dynamic pose.
"That's Guildmaster Machoke to you!" He announced, pointing a muscled finger up into the air. He spun around and displayed a shining smile while Staraptor ashamedly covered his face with his wing behind him.
His smile faltered when he saw the strange sight in front of him. A Xatu was standing in front of a prostrating Riolu. The Riolu looked like he had seen better days, as scars and wounds covered his entire body. Both Pokémon wore similar expressions, but they contained different emotions. Xatu looked startled, his face aghast and terrified. But the Riolu held a defiant gaze behind his startled expression.
The Riolu shook off his surprise first. Machoke watched as the little blue Pokémon stand up. He expected the Riolu to walk up to him and ask what he was doing here, and maybe ask him for his autograph, so he quickly displayed his pectoral muscles in anticipation.
"Xatu, I need your answer. Please."
Machoke's mouth dropped wide open. The Riolu had completely ignored his dynamic pose in favor of addressing the Xatu! Even the Xatu looked amazed at the sheer audacity of the Riolu.
"My, my," Rapta shook his head, amused, "I've never seen a Pokémon ignore you like that before." He tittered behind his wing before finishing, "What a refreshing sight."
"Xatu...!" The Riolu grabbed onto the totem pole – esque bird's wings with his paw and tugged hard, nearly pulling the bird off balance.
"I... Riolu..." Xatu looked like he was going to faint. So many things were happening at the same time that it was overwhelming the poor bird's senses.
"Hey now!" Machoke, indignant at being ignored, stomped forward and separated the Riolu and the Xatu. Several white feathers flew into the air as the Riolu was forced aside, his paw still clutching a few of Xatu's plumage.
"What do you want?" The Riolu angrily shot Machoke a threatening glare, "I don't have time for this!"
"That's my line, you brat!" Machoke shouted, returning the blue Pokémon's glare, "You're that Riolu, right? You're supposed to be fighting in my battle royale, have you forgot?"
"That has nothing to do with this right now!" He shouted back obstinately, "There are more important things right now than your stupid battle royale!"
"Riolu!" Xatu shouted, aghast.
Machoke stared at the Riolu with his mouth hanging. He simply could not believe the sheer brazenness coming out of this little Riolu. Machoke had never seen a Pokémon brave enough to stand up to him and call something of his stupid before, in his face no less.
"Guildmaster, calm down," Rapta sensed the tension in the atmosphere and quickly rushed to Machoke's side. He placed a wing on the muscled Pokémon's back, trying to calm him down, "Losing one contestant isn't a big deal. Just let it go. We can go back to the arena and watch the rest of the battles play out. Come on, Guildmaster...!"
Rapta glanced nervously at Xatu, and then to Riolu. He didn't know how the situation was going to play out, and was afraid that this might end up drawing his Guildmaster's anger out. The last thing they needed right now was a great brawl to break out in the middle of town between his Guildmaster and a random Pokémon!
"Guildmaster!"
Machoke suddenly swept his arm out, knocking aside Rapta's wing. Rapta's eyes widened in surprise as he saw his Guildmaster slowly step toward the Riolu. The Riolu wasn't moving away either. In fact, the little Pokémon was standing his ground against Machoke.
"So you're Riolu, eh?" Machoke growled in a low voice.
The Riolu glowered at the taller Pokémon. "My name is Blue." Machoke's eyes widened as Blue continued, "I'm getting sick of people calling me Riolu."
Machoke raised his eyebrow curiously. It's not often that a Pokémon would divulge their personal names so easily. This Riolu must be incredibly brave or foolish, he thought. Or perhaps he was just trying to catch him off guard with a false name.
"Heh, alright then 'Blue,'" Machoke spoke in a deep, low voice, "I have a deal for you."
"I'm sick of deals," Blue spat out angrily, making Xatu flinch beside him, "The answer is no. I don't want to waste anymore time dealing with this."
"Hold on Rio –... Blue," Machoke said, grabbing onto Blue's shoulder.
Blue grumbled angrily and tried to brush off Machoke's hand, but he couldn't break off from Machoke's incredibly powerful grip. Giving up on pulling out of his grasp, Blue settled for glaring at the grinning Machoke instead.
"You're tough, and you're pretty stubborn. I like that," Machoke said, making Blue raise an eyebrow in confusion.
Machoke grinned widely at the Riolu and announced loudly, "I want you to join my guild, Blue!"
"What?!"
Blue, Xatu and Rapta all echoed the same word. Machoke released his grip on Blue's shoulder and folded his arms, looking like he had just made the best decision in the world.
"You went and ditched my battle royale so you'd be able to go and catch my attention, didn't you?" Machoke said in a smug voice, believing he had just figured everything else, "And let me tell you, I'm impressed!"
Machoke chuckled as he began to list out his thoughts, "You're strong, I could tell by how you're still standing tall even with all those injuries you have on you. You're brave, seeing as how you went and stood up against me and gave me your name like it wasn't anything."
Machoke lifted up his hand and made a thumb's up, "You're the best of the best! I like you Riolu... I mean, Blue! I'd gladly welcome you into my guild!"
Blue stared silently at Machoke. Completely dumbfounded. He turned his head and looked at Xatu. The totem pole bird was also staring at Machoke in disbelief, his beak hanging open like a mailbox. Rapta was also struck dumb by his Guildmaster's unbelievable proclamation.
"Well? Don't leave me hanging here! What do you say, Blue?"
Blue folded his arms and closed his eyes, mulling over what just happened. Everything seemed to be rushing by so fast that he couldn't quite keep up. But, despite that, he knew what he had to do right now.
"No."
"Haha, great! Let me just take you to the guild ha... what?" Machoke's grin seemed to slip off his face like water as he watched Blue shake his head. Rapta sighed and shook his crested head at Blue's response while Xatu just continued to gape at the proceedings in stunned silence.
Confused and startled, the muscled Pokémon rushed forward and grasped the Riolu's shoulders, "What do you mean, no?! You're giving up the chance to join the strongest and the bravest and the best of the best! Machoke's Guild!"
"I said no, Machoke," Blue brushed off Machoke's grip easily this time. He backed up a few paces away from the muscled Pokémon, wary of being grabbed again. He shook his head, confirming his decision.
"I'm sorry, but I don't have time to play around right now with guilds and battle royales." Blue bowed and stared straight into Machoke's despondent eyes, "I need you to understand. A friend of mine is possibly in severe danger right now... and I need to find her."
"...danger?" Machoke quickly recomposed himself as soon as he heard that word. He glanced over to Rapta, who was sharing the same serious expression on his face. Machoke quickly turned back to the Riolu, his previous boisterous tone completely replaced by a serious, no – nonsense voice, "What do you mean danger? Tell me all the details, Blue."
"What...?" Blue was taken aback by Machoke's sudden change in personality.
"I'm the Guildmaster of one of the three largest guilds in Treasure Town," He said with a slight hint of pride in his voice, "I have connections to many Pokémon that work in this town. If one of your friends is in trouble, then I can definitely help you."
"Machoke..." A great wave of gratitude flooded through Blue's body when he heard that. Machoke grinned at him and thumped his chest with his fist.
"On our honor as members of Machoke's Guild, we will do whatever we can to assist you, Blue." He turned to Rapta and nodded. Rapta nodded back and placed his wing on his feathered chest, making the same pose as Machoke.
"Thank you so much!" Blue shouted, bowing low in front of the muscled Pokémon.
"So hurry, tell us what happened, Blue," Rapta said, his voice urgent.
Blue nodded and began to recount the events to the two guild members.
"Fé~e!"
I turned around and saw Sunflora and Loudred running up to Marill and I. Both of them seemed to be carrying large, heavy bundles of rolled – up paper. I quickly gestured to Marill to stop running and to wait.
"Sunflora, Loudred! Did you discover anything?" I asked as soon as they reached us. Loudred panted heavily, clutching his legs as he tried to catch his breath. Before I could ask him anything, he hurriedly shoved a piece of paper in my paws.
"Fée..." He said, still panting, "This... this is bad! Read the paper and see...!"
"What?" I pulled the paper out of his hand and unfurled it. I covered my mouth as I saw a large drawing of a Drowzee adorn the surface of the rolled – up parchment. At the top, in large, bolded letters displayed the word OUTLAW.
"It's... it's, ooh! It's really bad...!" Sunflora gasped, pointing at the Drowzee's face, "This Pokémon was just listed as an outlaw on... on every notice board in every guild...!"
Outlaw... the word echoed inside my head. For a Pokémon to be considered an outlaw, that means they did something awful enough that the guilds deemed it necessary to have all explorers and citizens to be aware of how dangerous that Pokémon is. It's not often that outlaw boards get updated nowdays, especially after they introduced the apprenticeship system for new explorers.
But, there still are bad Pokémon out there. I thought back to yesterday, when I was attacked by Koffing and Zubat and had my treasure stolen from me in the middle of town.
I quickly shook my head and dismissed that memory. I stared down at the outlaw poster that Loudred gave me and read the description underneath Drowzee's face.
"'Drowzee: Name unknown. This outlaw is a felon who is known to have attempted kidnappings of children in: Spring Town, Post Town, and Unity City. All citizens and explorers who spot this outlaw are encouraged to immediately report to the nearest sheriff's office or exploration guild. Do not, under any circumstances, engage in combat with the outlaw. Reports have cited the outlaw to possess the ability to forcibly induce unconsciousness within seconds."
I quickly looked up from the poster and gave Sunflora a terrified look.
"K – kidnappings? Children?!" I could hardly hold back my fear when I spoke, "D... do you think he might've..."
I bit my lip and looked over to Marill. He gaped at the poster in my paws, and his mouth was quivering. He looked like he was about to burst into tears at any moment.
"We don't know," Loudred quickly said, noticing Marill's condition, "but the fact that this alert was just put up means that he's definitely in this town."
Sunflora quickly slapped Loudred over the head, making him spill some posters onto the ground. One of the rolled up papers ended up in front of Marill, where it unfurled on its own.
"He's in this town..." I echoed Loudred's words, mulling them over. Blue said he ran into a Drowzee that was terrorizing Azurill before he fell unconscious. A sickening thought ran through my head.
"Where's Blue?" I asked Sunflora, "Weren't you all running together to go find Azurill?"
Sunflora shook her head and pointed over to the end of the road, "We got split up very quickly. Blue ran ahead so fast that he left me and Loudred behind." She glanced worryingly over to her companion before continuing, "So we went to the guild district to see if we could gather up any information from the Pokémon there. That's when we found these outlaw posters."
She gestured to the paper rolls in her hands, "We were terrified at the prospect of Azurill running into that outlaw, so we took as many extra posters as we could carry and started pasting them all around town. Just in case someone sees him."
"That doesn't mean she's been caught by him or anything!" Loudred quickly interrupted, noticing the mortified look on Marill's face, "We're just being cautious, that's all!"
"So what should we do now?" I asked, quickly patting Marill's back to calm him down, "Do we keep looking around the town, or should we try to meet up with Blue?"
Sunflora handed me another poster and said, "You two go and find Blue. We'll keep on placing these posters up while asking the Pokémon around if they've seen either Azurill or this outlaw."
Loudred heaved his load of posters onto his shoulder and glanced behind him. "The way I see it," He said, waving a rolled up poster around, "We'll be safe if we find either of them. If we find Drowzee, then we don't have to worry about him capturing Azurill. If we find Azurill, then we can protect her from that creep."
"What if someone else finds Azurill and kidnaps her...?"
The three of us turned to look at Marill, who was staring intently at the outlaw poster in front of him. He clutched the sides of the poster with his paws, crinkling the paper.
"What do you mean?" Sunflora said nervously.
Marill shook his head and said in a hollow voice, "What if... what if there were more than one kidnapper? What if it isn't just Drowzee?"
"Ooh..." Sunflora dropped her stack of posters and covered her mouth with her leaves. Loudred quickly picked up her posters and shook his head.
"Don't think like that, Marill," He stated confidently, adding Sunflora's posters to his own stack, "We'll find her, don't you worry."
"But what if you dont?!" He shouted, throwing the poster away and staring at Loudred with watery eyes, "What if I never find her again?! What if... what if she's gone forever...?"
He dropped to the ground and grabbed the dirt, "I don't want... I don't want our last conversation to be an argument between us... I'm so sorry Azurill... I'm so sorry mother...!"
He stared at the dirt on his paws as he quivered on the ground. Tears began to stream down his eyes again as he kept mumbling apologies to his sister and his mother as if it was a mantra.
"Marill..." I tried to speak in a calming tone, but my voice was shaky as well. I was just as scared as Marill was. I didn't want to imagine Azurill being captured by the Drowzee, but even I couldn't help but think about the worst possible outcome. I fought to hold back my own tears as I tried to comfort the sobbing Marill.
"Marill... I'm so sorry," Sunflora knelt and gently wiped away the dirt on his paws, "But I promise you. I promise you...!"
She wiped away his tears with her leaves and gave him a confident look, "You'll have your sister back before the sun rises tomorrow. She'll be back home, safe and sound. On our honor as members of Wigglytuff's Guild!"
She stood up and nodded to Loudred, who returned the gesture by flexing a bicep.
"Fée," Loudred addressed me, "Take care of Marill, and go meet up with Blue. I'm sure he'll be at the Founder's Fountain."
"How do you know?"
"He shouted something about going to check the fountain before we got split up," Loudred replied. He pointed over to the other end of the road and nodded to me, "The two of us will go and gather as much information as we can, and we'll go and tell every Pokémon we meet to keep their eyes, ears and noses open for Azurill or Drowzee. Alright?"
"Alright, thank you Loudred," I gave him a curt nod and looked over to Sunflora, "Thank you too, Sunflora."
"Oh my gosh, don't waste your time thanking us!" She said, hurrying me back onto my feet, "Go, go! Time's a wasting, eek!"
I understood. I hastily pulled Marill up from the ground and began to shove him toward the direction of the plaza with my head. He moved sluggishly. Apology after apology kept coming out of his mouth as I pushed him. I turned around and saw Sunflora and Loudred waving at me. Loudred give me a quick thumbs up before they ran off in the other direction.
"Fée... am I a bad brother?" Marill mumbled as I turned back to keep pushing him.
"Don't worry Marill. We'll find her. We'll definitely find her."
I said that in my most confident voice. I wanted Marill to feel better. I didn't want him to be scared anymore. But...
I was also scared. Doubt and worry kept clouding my mind as we continued to run. I wanted someone to comfort me as well, to tell me that everything will be alright. But, I can't beg for such a selfish wish right now. It took everything I had to try and put on a confident facade to keep Marill from completely breaking down.
Xatu stood stock still as Blue finished recounting his situation. From when the Riolu separated from Xatu to when they met each other again next to the fountain. An acute sense of nausea began to rush into his body as he took in the information he just received.
His nausea was compounded further as he remembered the Riolu's face and voice when he begged him for help. It wasn't anger, it was desperation. The Riolu sought the abilities he had so boasted about, and sincerely asked him to use those powers to rescue a missing friend. How selfish had he been, to think about his own reputation and pride when this Riolu was trying to find help? Why had he been so blinded by his pride?
But, due to his own selfishness, he couldn't just divulge the fact that he lacked such powers. He couldn't tell the Riolu that he lacked the sight that his ancestors all possessed. Furthermore, he made the situation even worse by dragging in more and more bystanders, making it even more difficult for himself to admit his shortcomings.
Instead, he hid his false pride under a mask of bravado, of anger and fury toward the Riolu. He wanted to shame the Riolu for forcing him into that difficult situation, and for the sake of his worthless reputation, he wanted to shoo the Riolu away when all the Riolu wanted was help. Help that he erroneously made the Riolu believe he could provide.
But now, as he stood there, silently watching the selfless Riolu thank Machoke and Staraptor for lending him their aid, he realized just how lamentable he really was.
What pride? What reputation? He was no prophet. He had no great power of great prophecy or prediction. The only thing he had was the blood of his ancestors, and even then, he had sullied it with his cowardly ways.
Day by day, he would sit in his tent, waiting for a fool to be interested in his overpriced, worthless wares. Then he would take the money and waste it by gambling with Persian and his crew. Xatu remember the coin that Persian had handed to him earlier today. A symbol of his avarice, of his foolish pride. A symbol of his worthless, pitiable life.
What had he believed that he had over that Riolu? Was it knowledge? No, even though Xatu knew the value of money, it didn't matter. Even though he knew how to read, it didn't matter. Since he couldn't even understand the value of being selfless.
A sickening wave of shame forced Xatu to cover his face. He felt the missing feathers in his wing, when Machoke tore him and Riolu apart.
"And so, I'll head back to the combat ring and tell Hariyama to make an announcement about this situation. Then, I'll be heading to the sheriff's to get the news out." Through his wing, Xatu heard a snippet of their conversation. It seemed like it was wrapping up, with Machoke delivering the final orders.
"What about me, guildmaster?" The Staraptor asked.
Machoke gestured toward the Riolu and said, "Rapta, you'll be taking Blue up into the skies and making a quick trip around the perimeter. Where the two of you will scour the town and keep your eyes open for that Drowzee scumbag."
"I see," Staraptor nodded and turned toward the Riolu, "Do you have any objections with riding on me in the sky?"
"None," The Riolu stated fearlessly.
Xatu admired the Riolu's bravery. To accept such an offer without any reservations. A sense of jealousy arose within him. If he had been that strong, would he have been able to prevent himself from making the mistakes he made in his past?
His shame grew. He could no longer allow himself to stay present in the proceedings. As the Riolu leapt on top of the Staraptor, Xatu slowly slunk away into the crowd and sneaked away, still covering his face in guilt.
"Hang on tight, Riol... I mean, Blue," Rapta cautioned, "It might be a little bit rough if you've never flown before."
"I don't think I'll ever be able to fly," Blue commented wryly as he threw his arms around the great bird's neck, "You'll have to tell me how it feels."
Rapta clacked his beak, amused. "Heh, perhaps if you join our guild."
Before Blue could reply, the Staraptor extended his two dark – brown wings out from beside him. With a powerful beat of his wings, the two of them were immediately airborne. Blue stared in awe as he saw the town rapidly shrink beneath him. A great panorama of the world stretched out from beneath him. Trees, hills, and mountains all mixed together to form a beautiful pastel of colors.
"You alright back there?" Rapta yelled through the noise of the wind as they continued to ascend high and higher.
Blue leaned over to Rapta's head and shouted, "I'm fine! How much higher are we going to go?"
"Just a little more, hold on tight!"
Blue took the advice to heart and clung tightly onto the thick feathers on the bird's back.
"We're going to go for a quick fly around the town," Rapta announced, "Keep your eyes open for any sightings of that Drowzee fellow."
"Understood!" Blue steeled himself and pulled himself up so he could get a better view of the world below.
Rapta tucked in his wings and went into a dive, descending toward the town at breakneck speeds. Blue felt as though his entire body had become weightless as an incredible amount of wind pressure blew against him. Once Rapta reached the perfect height, he extended his wings again and tilted toward the side, making a wide turn in the skies.
When Blue opened his eyes, he found that they were gliding over the town, skimming just barely above the roofs of the buildings. He quickly looked down and strained his eyes, scanning the Pokémon wandering around in the town. Every street, road, back alley, plaza and district were crammed to the brim with hundreds, if not thousands of Pokémon, making it near impossible for him to pinpoint the two Pokémon.
"Any luck?" He heard Rapta shout over the wind.
"None so far," He said bitterly as he blinked away the dust that got in his eyes, "Can you make another turn around the main plaza again?"
"If that's what you wish," Rapta acquiesced and began to ascend again. Once they were at a safe height to turn, Rapta soared around in a large loop and began to fly toward the Founder's Fountain once more.
Blue continued to scan the crowds for yellow or blue Pokémon wandering around, but every time he saw a flash of that color, it always turned out to be a Pokémon other than Drowzee or Azurill. Frustration welling up inside of him, he leaned over to the side of Rapta's head again.
"I can't find them anywhere in the town," He voiced his frustrations to the bird, "Do you think Drowzee or Azurill could be in a building or outside?"
"Building searches aren't our job. Machoke's got that handled," Rapta replied, "As for being outside, there is only one safe way out of Treasure Town. And that is through the entrance."
Blue turned around and looked at the large gate that separated the town from the frontier. A massive crowd of Pokémon was still lined up against it, waiting for permission to enter the town.
"If Drowzee had tried to exit that way, then he definitely would have a hard time getting through while carrying a prisoner." Rapta reasoned, gliding in a circle above the gate.
Blue mulled over the idea of Drowzee leaving the town through the entrance. If he was carrying a struggling Azurill in his hands, then definitely, he would be stopped for being suspicious. However, what if he didn't look suspicious? A sudden idea entered his mind.
"Rapta, a friend of mine told me that Drowzee have the ability to put Pokémon to sleep," He informed the bird, "What if Drowzee knocked Azurill unconscious, and then smuggled her out while she couldn't resist?"
"You have a shrewd mind," Rapta replied, his voice darkening a bit, "As much as I hate to imagine it, that is a possible scenario. Drowzee are Pokémon that are well known to be proficient in hypnotic powers."
"What do we do then?"
Rapta clacked his beak before responding, "There's one place around here that can provide a high enough vantage point for us to see everything around Treasure Town. If we stop near the summit, we'll have the perfect view of the frontier. We'll be heading there."
"Where is that?"
"A mountain," Rapta replied, "Mount Bristle."