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Chapter 27
"I'll make you unable to forget me!"
A tense and prolonged silence blew through the store. Blue, being pinned down by the angry Mienfoo, could only communicate his confusion to her through stunned gaping and muddled gargling. Fée and Brin, on the other hand, found themselves immobilized by Feyley's cold glare. Unable to move, unable to do anything except watch their friend be abused by this stranger.
"Well?" Scowling, Feyley glared down at the wincing Riolu beneath her, "Do you accept my challenge? Answer me!"
Blue opened his mouth, but the only sound that came from his lips was a muffled gurgle. He stuck out his tongue and coughed, his right paw was gesturing toward the foot she had pressed down on his chest.
"You're choking him!" Fée cried out, "Your foot! Get it off of him!"
The Mienfoo shot Fée and Brin a quick glance before shifting her foot off Blue's chest and onto the floor. Freed from her pin, Blue opened his mouth wide and sucked in lungfuls of air. He placed his right paw on his chest, panting, catching his breath.
"Such weakness, such weakness indeed!" Not content with letting the Riolu rest, Feyley reached down and grabbed onto Blue's collar. His eyes were jarred open as the Mienfoo plopped herself down on his belly, pinning him down against the floor with her rear. She leaned her face in close to his, giving the poor Riolu an eyeful of her furious expression
"To think that I was defeated by the likes of you!" The tips of their noses were grinding each other as she continued to shove Blue's head farther and farther backward with her intense glare. "It shames me to my very soul, it does!"
"I don't... I told you..." Uncomfortable with how close she was getting, Blue turned his face away from hers and grunted out, "I don't remember a thing about what you're saying! I really don't!"
Feyley's eyes narrowed as her lips curled into a furious scowl. She removed her paws from the Riolu's collar and folded her arms across her chest. For a moment, Blue thought that he was allowed to go free. However, those hopes were quickly dashed when he realized that the Mienfoo was still pinning him down by sitting on his gut.
"Our match was only two days ago!" Feyley hissed, "How empty must your head be to have forgotten something so recent? Your memory must be worse than a Slowpoke's!"
"Well I won't deny that my memory is a little shoddy, bu –geh!" Blue's remark was cut short as he felt a pair of paws clamp onto his cheeks, forcing his eyes and mouth wide open. Feyley slammed her forehead against his, making a dull clonking noise as she filled his vision with her angered face.
"Very well..." Feyley said at a slow pace, taking her time to lace every syllable with a thick layer of fury, "if you wont even give our first meeting the respect it deserves, then I shall refuse to listen to your complaints!" She let go of his cheeks and stood up. The Mienfoo glared down at the coughing Riolu from high above. She jabbed a finger at his face, pressing it against his nose.
"I will not ask for you to accept my challenge! For we will battle once more! And I will remind you of our first duel!"
"Eh?!" Before he could even begin to process what was going on, the Mienfoo began to manhandle the poor Riolu again. This time, she wrapped her arms around his waist and hoisted him off the floor. In a single swift motion, she yanked Blue off the floor and tossed him onto her shoulder. Utterly stunned and confused, Blue could only stare blankly at the Mienfoo's back legs as she carried him around the store as if he were a bundle of hay.
The Riolu struggled against her grasp, but Feyley's grip was far stronger than he had expected. His entire upper body – arms and all – were bound by the Mienfoo. His head was beginning to feel faint from being held upside down as well, leaving him with a debilitating sense of sluggishness forming in his limbs.
He was trapped. Captured.
"Blue!" Feeling was finally returning to Fée's extremities. Despite the lingering numbness in her legs causing her to wince with every step, the hardy Eevee forced herself to trudge over to the Mienfoo that was keeping her partner captive. However, Feyley didn't even turn to acknowledge her. Instead, the Mienfoo was facing the owner of the store – Meowstic.
"Mr. Meowstic, I've received word earlier that my order has been completed?"
Meowstic – despite what had just happened before him – still wore a stoic, composed expression on his face. His eyes were pointed at the front door of the store, but he quickly shifted his gaze over to Feyley upon being addressed. He adjusted his neckerchief and gave her a terse nod.
"Yes, it had been completed before you arrived," Meowstic said. He pointed at a large, white – colored box that was lying atop the store counter. "you can take it with you once we've sorted out the issue of payment."
"P – payment?" Feyley said, looking startled. She looked down at her feet as she fidgeted with her whiskers. She glanced around the store while wearing a worried expression. "H – Hariyama didn't say anything about me having to pay..."
"Hariyama?" Fée's ears twitched as she picked up that familiar name. A small bell rang in her head, irking something at the back of her mind. However, she dismissed her rising curiosity and returned to sneaking over to the three of them.
Now within paw – distance, Fée reached out and tried to grab a hold of Blue's dangling paws with her own. However, right before they could touch each other, Feyley suddenly swung around and moved Blue out of his partner's reach.
"C – could you bill it to the Guildmaster?" Feyley stammered as she nervously fiddled with her whiskers, "I'm currently lacking in funds at the moment, having just joined the guild and all... and my first stipend doesn't come until next week..."
Meowstic tapped his neckerchief with his paw, thinking. After a moment of silence, he nodded and said, "Very well. Considering that it was an order made by your guild in the first place, I will send the bill to your Guildmaster instead." He closed his eyes and bowed, "Whatever happens afterward, is your issue."
Once more, Fée neared her partner and attempted to rescue him. The two Wigglytuff's Guild members reached out and attempted to grab onto each others' paws. However, at the very instant their paws touched each other, Blue's body was suddenly shunted upward. Like a pair of flails, Blue's heavy paws went flying up – accidentally smacking Fée's paws away and knocking her down onto her rump.
"Thank you very much, Mr. Meowstic!" Feyley said as she returned the storekeeper's bow with her own deep, respectful bow. "You have no idea how grateful I am! Grateful indeed!"
Fée sat on the floor of the store, dazed from being tossed away all of a sudden. She shook her head and tried to quash down the feeling of stinging numbness in her legs with willpower. However, by the time she managed to regain feeling in her limbs again, Feyley had already grabbed onto the box on the counter and slung it underneath her other arm.
"Thank you, Mr. Meowstic!" Feyley shouted as she raced over to the front door, "I will forever remember your assistance! Farewell!"
"Mm." Meowstic patted his neckerchief and bowed as the Mienfoo slid through the entrance – with both of her presents in tow – and disappeared into the town.
"W – wait!" Fée cried after them. Before she could even take a single step toward the door, her legs gave out and she collapsed back onto the ground.
"Ugh... what did that Mienfoo do?" Fée groaned, rubbing her aching chin, "It was like she suddenly froze my entire body with a single glare..."
As she struggled to stand back up again, Fée felt a small hand press onto her back. Fée craned her neck and saw that Brin had knelt down beside her; the Braixen's eyes were closed, and she seemed to be murmuring something. Before Fée could ask her what she was doing, a gentle warmth spread out from her fingertips and spread throughout Fée's body.
"Brin, you..." Fée felt awed by the immense heat that was searing up inside of her. In an instant, all the numbness in her body was blown away by Brin's strange ability, and was replaced with an energetic, pulsating strength.
With this new found energy burning inside of her, Fée pulled herself off the ground and stood triumphantly on her four paws. She turned to Brin and gave her a quick nod – which the Braixen returned with one of her own.
"Are you alright?" Fée glanced down at Brin's legs, which were shivering a bit.
Brin shook her head and gave Fée a small thumbs up.
"I'm sorry Brin," Fée said, frowning. "It looks like we're going to have to postpone visiting the library for a bit." She frowned and tapped her chin with her paw, "I want to go help Barie too... but I don't want to just leave Blue alone with that Mienfoo. Who knows what happened between those two?"
Sighing, the Eevee shook her head and turned back to Brin. "Worrying about it now wont help anyone. Brin, let's go get him back, and then we can worry other things later. Okay?"
Brin frowned and nodded along with Fée. She clenched her right hand and held it over her chest as she trudged over and stood beside the Eevee. After taking Fée's pain as her own, it felt like her legs were covered in a thick layer of spiny nettles. However, to the young Braixen, such a thing wasn't enough to dishearten her. Especially not when her friend was just kidnapped in front of her very eyes!
"If the two of you are leaving now," Meowstic's stoic voice came drifting over to the hyped up pair, drawing both of their attentions toward him. He held up his paw to his neckerchief and continued, "then I suggest you do so quickly."
"Why didn't you stop them?" Fée asked, feeling a little annoyed. "She was right there, taking my friend away!"
"It was none of my business," he said in a curt tone. "whether or not you regain your friend or make amends with that lady is your issue." He held out his paw to Fée and added, "However, I would not mind telling you where she might be headed."
"There's no need," Fée snapped back, averting her head at the store owner. "she's a part of Machoke's Guild, isn't she? I overheard her mention Hariyama earlier, and I'm definitely certain he's a member of that guild."
"That's correct."
"Then all we have to do is make sure we make it there before she does!" Fée put on a small smile and tapped the ribbon on her ear, "And I know just how to do that."
The Eevee turned to face Brin and nodded, "Come on Brin! I'll lead the way!"
"Mhm!"
"You've been poring over that map for a while now. Are we lost?"
"Quiet."
"You know, my partner's pretty knowledgeable about where everything is in this town. If we head back now, we could probably ask her to take us to wherever it is you're looking for."
"I said be quiet! I'm concentrating!"
"Can you at least let me sit on the bench with you? I promise I wont run away, I'm getting a headache from hanging down like this..."
"No."
Blue let out a defeated sigh and let his head flop back down. While the Mienfoo had located a comfortable bench somewhere in a less – populated part of town, her Riolu captive was still resigned to being draped over her shoulder like a particularly fuzzy pauldron. With his arms firmly constrained by Feyley, there wasn't much Blue could do other than stare at the curious passerby wandering around behind the bench.
In the meantime, the Mienfoo was busy trying to make heads or tails out of the large piece of parchment in her paws. She spun it left, right and upside down – all the while wearing a frustrated look on her face.
"Ergh!" Her patience wearing thin, Feyley folded the paper in half and threw it onto the bench. Clutching her face, she grumbled out loud to herself, "This map is worthless!" She leaned her head back against the bench, glaring up at the sky as she continued to gripe to herself.
"Why must this town be such a maze? If this were the village back on Travail, I would've found my way back home in a blink of an eye!"
"Like I said..." Blue straightened out his back and raised his head over the top of the bench, "if we head back to that store, we can go get my partner and she can figure out where you want to go. Fée's smart like that."
"Rrgh..." annoyed, Feyley took her other arm and shoved Blue's head back down. The Riolu let out a quiet sigh and shrugged his shoulders.
"I'm just giving you a suggestion..." Blue grumbled, shaking his head, "what are you gonna do then? Just sit here until the sun goes down?"
"I have half a mind to start our rematch right now if you continue to prattle in my ear like this!"
"Speaking of that," as she brought up the topic, Blue pulled his head back up and turned to look at the grouchy Mienfoo, "why are you so fixated on fighting me anyway? Is it really that big of a deal?"
"Of course it is!" Feyley shot back as she spun around to glare back at him, "Do you have any idea how insulted I felt when I finally awoke, and couldn't find my erstwhile opponent anywhere?"
"Hrm..." Blue closed his eyes and tilted his head to the side, thinking. "...opponent... huh..."
"You... do you honestly not remember our battle?" Feyley asked, her voice hushed, "You, the first Pokémon that I dueled during my first foray into this foreign world... it was only two days ago, do you truly not remember?"
Blue noticed that her voice had softened, and that her grip on his body had loosened just a slight bit. Taking a gamble that she wouldn't get mad at him, he pulled his right arm out from Feyley's grasp and scratched his cheek with his paw.
"Two days ago?" Blue muttered as he tapped his chin against the back of the bench. "That was the first day that I spent here in Treasure Town too..." he paused to gather his thoughts together. As he closed his eyes, the faces of his friends came fluttering into his mind.
"I remember meeting a lot of Pokémon that day. Xatu, Azurill, Loudred and Sunflora..." Blue recited. "I remember meeting Rapta, and flying with him over to some mountain to fight some criminal..."
"You what?" Feyley shouted. "You rode on the third – in – command's back? Why? How?"
As Blue opened his mouth to reply, Feyley quickly slapped her paw over her face and shook her head. "No, that's not important right now! What is important is what you remember! Is that really all you can recall of that day?"
"To be honest, nothing else really sticks out in my mind–" he cut himself off as a cloying sense of dread washed through his insides. A cold sweat streamed down his back as he turned toward the Mienfoo, his mouth gaping and his eyes wide.
In that instant, he realized that he said something very, very wrong. The Pokémon carrying him was beginning to emanate waves of strong anger once more, and the arm she had around his gut had begun to constrict again, forcing him to wince his eyes.
"Just how can you not recall something as important as our battle?!" Feyley roared. She grabbed onto the Riolu's torso with both of her paws and pulled him off her shoulder. A muted squeak escaped Blue's mouth as she planted him on the ground beneath her. He tried to sit up, but the Mienfoo pinned him down by sitting on his chest.
"Personal space!" Blue choked out, but Feyley just jammed his mouth shut by clamping her paw over his muzzle.
"Your memory is as faulty as a Cubchoo's nose!" Feyley snarled, "Are you toying with me? I refuse to believe that somebody can have a head as empty as yours!"
Thunk!
"Guh!" Blue winced in pain as she knocked her forehead against his again. He planted his paw in the space between their faces and prized them apart. "Look, I'm remembering as hard as I can! You're really not helping me by hitting me on the head like this!
"Ergh!" Frustrated, the Mienfoo released her grip on Blue's torso, letting him fall back onto the ground. Getting off of him, Feyley sat back down on the bench, and fell silent with a wide frown on her face.
Finally freed from her grasp, Blue leaned back and stretched out his aching body. He threw a few practice punches and kicks at the air in front of him to get rid of the numbness laden in his limbs. Once he was satisfied, he sat down on the bench next to the grousing Feyley.
"Are there more than one Riolu in this town?" Feyley wondered aloud, sighing as she rested her face on the palm of her paw. "Was it really you who fought me that day, or was it another Riolu?"
"More than one Riolu... huh?" Blue mimicked Feyley's pose, planting his chin atop his paw, "I dunno. I doubt it though, all I ever hear about Riolu from others are bad things." He chuckled and shrugged, "Maybe I'm the only Riolu here because all the other ones want to avoid hearing stuff like that!"
He lifted his head off his paw and leaned back on the bench, grinning at his own joke.
"Why do you say that?"
Blue turned and saw that Feyley was staring at him with a confused expression on her face. She tilted her head to the side, and folded her arms across her chest.
"Why do I say what?"
Thock!
"Ow!"
Blue winced as Feyley withdrew her paw from his head. Her chop wasn't all that painful to him, but it still left enough of an impression that he could feel a small bump forming at the top of his skull. Grumbling, he rubbed his aching head while the Mienfoo continued to stare at him.
"What do you mean by 'all I ever hear about Riolu are bad things?'" She clarified. "I'm curious. Curious indeed."
"I have no idea."
Thock!
"Ow! Cut it out!" Blue snarled as he leapt off the bench, clutching his head with both of his paws. "I'm being honest! I really don't know!" He rubbed the growing lump on his head as he grumbled, "You're going to split my head into two pieces if you keep chopping me like that!"
Feyley twitched her whiskers and sneered, "Good! Then we can see just how empty the inside of your head is!"
"Oh, very funny," Blue retorted.
Feyley let out a great big sigh and planted her chin back on her palm. Frustrated and annoyed, all she could think about was just how irritating her so – called opponent was. Was this idiotic and forgetful Riolu really the Pokémon that defeated her during that big battle festival? She just couldn't believe it.
How absurd! How absurd indeed!
Blue scratched the back of his head. He just didn't know what to say to the angry girl. To him, speaking to her felt like walking through a field filled with pits. Anything he said might as well be like throwing himself off a cliff, and hoping for the best.
He glanced over behind him. Although he didn't pay attention to where they were going, Blue figured that he could probably make his way back to Wigglytuff's Guild at the very least. Of course, going around the maze – like Treasure Town would've been much easier with his trusted partner around, but as of this moment, he couldn't rely on her.
But as he entertained the notion of leaving, the Mienfoo on the bench let out a loud, depressed sigh, which drew his attention back to her.
Truth is, he did know what Feyley was talking about. The Battle Royale, Machoke's festival of strength. He remembered being coerced into fighting in it for Xatu, and he remembered coming out of it in a bad shape. As for why he didn't want to tell her that he knew, it was because he didn't want to fight again. Especially not after he just got his leg fixed.
However, by the time he had managed to recall that event, he had already been thrown into a much more difficult situation. He thought about coming clean and admitting to his lies, but one look at the grumpy Mienfoo's face warned him that it wasn't the best of ideas. He was worried about his partner, his friend, and even Barie.
Sighing, Blue shook his head. He had to stay though. After all, he just promised her that he wouldn't run if she let him go. Not only that, it wouldn't sit right with him if he just up and left after making her so mad with his 'clever plan.' No. He had to make amends somehow.
"Hey," Blue sat back down on the bench and tapped Feyley on the shoulder. She opened one eye and glared back at him.
"What is it?"
"I'm sorry," Blue muttered, fiddling around with the strap of his bag. "I'm sorry that I can't... remember our battle. And I'm sorry for being... um, empty – headed."
He placed his paw on his chest and put on a small smile, "I'm know that this battle we.. probably had is really important to you, and that you're really, really mad that I can't remember it." He paused to see if the Mienfoo would reply. She didn't, but continued to stare at him nonetheless.
"If you want, I can accept that rematch challenge you wanted," Blue offered. "if it makes you feel any better, I wouldn't mind fighting you again." He grinned and tapped his head, "Who knows? Maybe if we end up slugging it out, I might remember a thing or two about our first battle."
No response.
"So how about it?" Nervous, Blue decided to take his words one step farther. He thrust his right arm at her, clenching his paw into a fist. "This time, I'll challenge you to a fight!"
Feyley continued to stare at him, wordless. Her expression was one of confusion, or perhaps disbelief.
"...pfft..."
Blue's ears twitched as he heard an odd sound. He dropped his paw and tilted his head, curious as to what it was.
"Pfff... haha..." Feyley had doubled over, clutching her paw over her face. She turned away from Blue, shuddering and shivering in her seat. Then, right as Blue reached over to see what was wrong, the Mienfoo threw her head back and exploded in laughter.
"Haha! Hahahahaha!"
Blue leapt back, startled by her sudden change in demeanor. Where there used to be a grouchy frown before was now a wide, gleeful smile. The Mienfoo continued to revel in her laughter for a while, drawing confused and startled stares from the passerby around them.
"Hoo... hee... hee..." shaking her head, Feyley draped her back over the bench and took in several deep breaths to calm herself. With all the laughter gone from her body, she clutched her head and staggered onto her feet, tipsy and wobbling. She meandered her way over to Blue and grabbed his shoulders before jamming her face right up into his, giving him a good look at her grinning face.
"Very well!" She shouted into his ear, "I accept that offer!" Feyley separated herself from Blue and spun around on one foot. Then, with a swift flick of her leg, she shoved her foot mere inches before the Riolu's face.
"I'll make you remember our first match," she said, grinning. "no– I'll do more than that! I'll make you unable to forget me! Unable indeed!"
The eager Mienfoo lowered her foot and grabbed Blue by the collar. She yanked him close and repositioned her paws around his waist. Blue didn't even bother to struggle as Feyley threw him over her shoulder once more.
"I can walk, you know."
"Quiet!" Feyley, basking in her good mood, skipped over to the bench and picked up her package and map. She unfurled her map and pored over it while humming a gleeful tune.
"Aha!" Hardly a second later, Feyley let out a cheerful giggle as she folded her map up again. She threw her head up high, looking up at the dimming sky above. She raised up her right arm and jabbed it up into the air, pointing at the tallest building around them. "That's where we should be going!"
"Oh?" Blue edged his head around Feyley's shoulder, trying to see what she was pointing at. "Does that mean you figured out how to get back?"
"No," a blunt response came as he reply, followed by a paw pushing his head back down. "this town's too much of a maze for me, and this map useless. Instead, I have devised a much faster way to get back home. A much faster way indeed!"
"A faster wa– aaay?!"
A tremendous force was pressed onto the back of Blue's head, almost making him bite his own tongue in surprise. As he stared down through bugged – out eyes, he saw the ground beneath them shrink as they flew higher and higher into the air.
"Why walk the streets, when we can take to the skies?"
After planting her feet on the flat roof of the nearest building, Feyley put on a wide grin on her face. She spun around, holding her paw above her eyes and scanning the horizon. The setting sun had basked the entire town in a glorious golden glow, illuminating the many blocky buildings and winding roads surrounding them like a Lanturn's light shining beneath the sea.
"There it is!" Feyley announced to her green – faced companion. "I have spotted my guild!"
"That's great," Blue grumbled as he held his paws over his mouth. "can you go a little slower this time? I think I can feel my lunch going back up my throa– aaaagh!"
He clamped both of his paws over his mouth as Feyley rocketed off her perch. The giggling Mienfoo sailed through the dusk, leaping from building to building, from rooftop to rooftop, with a screaming Riolu in tow. Feyley gave little care to anything, and everything else around her as she soared over the top of the town to her destination.
Case in point, a flock of flying Starly screamed and scattered as she plowed her way through them. A wandering Zorua was knocked onto his rear as the forceful Mienfoo landed beside him. Papers and envelopes swirled around Feyley as she prepared to leap again.
"What the–?!" the Zorua shouted, outraged. But Feyley paid him little mind. Instead, she just rocketed off in a maelstrom of white and paper.
"Sorry!" Blue hollered back at the seething courier and tittering Starly. He wasn't sure if his apology even reached their ears, as even he couldn't hear his own voice over the wooshing wind.
–
After several harrowing minutes, Feyley and her green – faced luggage reached their destination. With a triumphant air, she flipped off the building and landed back on the streets with a great big smile on her face. On the other hand, her Riolu baggage wore an expression that was the exact opposite of hers.
The two of them stood before a sheer cliff wall, rising high above them like a great bastion of stone. Long, flat slats of wood were nailed against the wall in a haphazard fashion, while gravel and dust lay littered all around the base, giving the area a very desolate feel. Above all else though, the most eye catching aspect of this cliff was the huge, rounded boulder lying against it.
"Blegh..." Blue groaned as the Mienfoo let him flop off her shoulder and collapsed onto the ground in a fuzzy blue lump. He clutched his belly and mouth with his paws while as he struggled to keep his innards inside of him.
"What was it that you claimed earlier? That you rode on the third – in – command's back?" Feyley jeered, prodding the twitching Riolu with her foot. "How weak must your guts be if you can't even handle a few jumps and jolts?"
"That's... that's different," Blue gurgled back as he swatted Feyley's toe away. "Rapta's flight was smooth... and fun. What you just did was just horrible... and painful... blegh..."
Clicking her tongue, Feyley reached down and yanked Blue off the ground by his collar, pulling the nauseous Riolu back onto his feet.
"I feel as though you're going to rip my collar off by the end of the day..." Blue griped, brushing her paws off of him. Turning away from the Mienfoo, he closed his eyes as he tried to alleviate his rumbling insides with several deep breaths. As he calmed himself down, he felt a cold breeze rush past him, making him shudder a bit.
The Riolu wrapped his arms around himself, shielding his chest from the icy draft. He set his jaw tight, clenching his teeth together to stop them from clattering from the cold.
"...lu..!"
Blue opened one of his eyes. He thought he had heard someone shouting at them. He turned around, thinking that the Mienfoo behind him was calling for him. However, Feyley wasn't paying attention to him at all. Instead she appeared to be fumbling around with the large boulder that was laid against the cliff wall.
"...iolu!"
Spinning back around, the Riolu pulled away one of his arms from his chest and held it over his ear. Now unprotected from the cold, he shuddered as he listened around for whoever it was that was calling. From the distance, he could just barely make out the sound of feet hitting the ground.
"Bwahah! I knew it! It is that Riolu!"
"Eh?"
Blue's eyes snapped wide open, not out of surprise or clarity, but because something fast – something extremely sweaty – had charged right into him. A thick, powerful arm wrapped itself around Blue's neck, pulling him into a painful choke hold. A horrid stench wafted into the Riolu's nose, searing up the insides of his nostrils. The smell was so painful, so horrific that he almost fainted on the spot.
"G – Guildmaster Machoke...?!" Blue gasped out.
"In the flesh!" the Guildmaster grinned at the Riolu trapped underneath his armpit. "I cannot believe you came and sought us out on your own! So you changed your mind after all, eh? Bwahahaha!"
Not only was Blue's nose being assaulted by a burning stench, his ears were being blown out by an explosive voice. With his ears ringing, his nose burning, and his mind frazzled by the awful combination of the two, it was a testament to his willpower that he could still remain conscious.
"Hey! Don't go falling asleep now! Not when we've just been reunited! Bwaha!"
Blue opened his mouth and released a choking, gurgling sound. In response, Machoke reared his head back and chortled. As he laughed into the sky, a large hand grabbed the musclebound Pokémon on the shoulder. A large, bulky Pokémon stood behind Machoke. His eyes narrowed, and he furrowed his brow.
"Guildmaster, I believe that's because you're strangling him," Hariyama said. "I recommend releasing his neck before he faints."
"Nonsense!" Bearing a bright, wide grin on his face, Machoke spun around to face his second in command. While a paling, gasping Blue swung around with him, jammed in between the Guildmaster's tree trunk – like muscles and rock hard pectorals.
"A strong Pokémon like Blue here is just like me!" Machoke raised up his other arm and flexed his bicep. "A small hug like this is nothing!"
While trapped within the Guildmaster's clutches, Blue shook his head and shot desperate looks at Hariyama. He mouthed 'help' and 'save me' to the Guildmaster's second – in – command.
"If it was just a hug, then there would be no problem." Hariyama sighed and slapped his hand over his face. "However, I believe you're going too far, Guildmaster."
Hariyama's large hand slid down half an inch, revealing the steel – like sheen of his eyes. While Machoke was preoccupied with reveling in his own amusement, Hariyama lowered himself close to the ground. His hands reached out to his sides, one against his wide hips, and one pointed out toward Machoke.
"I apologize in advance for this, Guildmaster."
"Bwahahah– eh?"
Fwumph!
In a blink of an eye, Hariyama thrust his arm forward at a ridiculous speed. His palm struck Machoke in the face, knocking his chin up into the air. Struck dumb by his subordinate's sudden assault, Machoke's grip on Blue loosened. His eyes glinting, Hariyama took this chance and sent his second arm zooming toward the Riolu's limp body.
Woosh!
Like a bar of soap, Blue slid out from Machoke's clutches and into Hariyama's wide palm. Now that he was safe, Hariyama put the poor, panting Riolu back down on the ground.
"T – thanks..." Blue managed to gasp out in between labored breaths. Hariyama nodded and patted him on the shoulder before placing his large form in between Machoke and Blue.
"Bwahahaha! That was a dynamic slap!" Still laughing, Machoke lowered his head and beamed at Hariyama. "Startlingly fast as always my friend! You sure got me good with that one, didn't see it coming at all!" He held his right arm beneath his chest and flexed it, while Hariyama and Blue both let out loud sighs.
"Honorable Guildmaster! Master Hariyama!"
Both Machoke and Hariyama's heads turned to Feyley, who rushed up beside Machoke. She clasped her paws before her chest and bowed her head before them.
"Oh! If it isn't the Princess!" Chortling, Machoke slapped Feyley's back and grinned. "You're out late tonight! Don't you usually hit the hay early?"
"E – eh?!" Feyley shook her head and frowned, "I – I don't sleep this early, Guildmaster! Y – you're mistaken!"
"Oh?" Machoke grinned, "Then was I mistaken when I saw you stealing some shuteye around this time yesterday? You were snoozing so soundly in the storage room, I didn't have the heart to wake you! Bwaha!"
Blushing, Feyley covered her face with her paws and shook her head.
"I believe she is out because of the errand I gave her earlier," Hariyama said, patting the Mienfoo on the shoulder.. His eyes fell upon the white box clutched beneath Feyley's arm. "I see you've acquired it successfully, Feyley."
"Y – yes!" Feyley shouted, throwing her arms in the air. "It was a difficult journey, but I've accomplished my task, Master!"
"You've done well, my student." Hariyama patted the young girl on the head, drawing a small blush and smile from the Mienfoo. "We'll talk more about your new training regimen in the morning. For now, why don't you retire to your room and call it day?"
Feyley's whiskers and tail shot straight up as she pressed her paw against her chest. "Master Hariyama! I will not sleep early tonight!" She announced. "I will not indeed! Instead, I have a request of you and the Guildmaster!"
"Hm? A request? What is it?"
"Master, I humbly request the use of the training room for a duel!"
"A duel?" Hariyama glanced over at Machoke, who shrugged in return. "With whom? Monferno? Pancham? ...The Guildmaster?"
"T – the Guildmaster?" Feyley's eyes flew wide as she cringed at the thought of fighting her Guildmaster. Panicked, she shook her head and stammered, "N – no! Not with the Guildmaster!"
"Bwahaha!"
Hariyama raised an eyebrow, "If it isn't the Guildmaster, then who is it?"
Taking care to leave a wide berth between her and the laughing Machoke, Feyley sidled along the cliff wall and over to where Blue was resting. She grabbed onto the Riolu's arms and hoisted him back up, eliciting an annoyed groan from the aching boy.
"It is this Riolu that I wish to fight!" Feyley announced. "For I wish to absolve myself of the shame I felt when he defeated me two days ago!"
Machoke let out a roaring laugh and strode over to Feyley. He held up his hand again, ready to pat her on the back. "Princess! You're still obsessed about that little defeat? Bwahaha! You're cuter than I thought!"
With a hearty chuckle, he swung his hand at her. However, this time he only swatted at the air, as the Mienfoo saw it coming and hurried away at the nick of time.
"I – I'm not obsessed!" Feyley stammered back. "I just want to redeem myself after that dismal display back then! That's all!"
"Bwaha! Dynamic!" Machoke dropped onto a knee and flexed both of his arms. "I like your drive, Princess! Seeking a match this late in the day, just to regain your honor? I like it! You can use the training room until your heart's delight! I approve!"
"Hold on," Hariyama pushed the Guildmaster out of the way and stood before Feyley. "Blue. I recall on the day that you ran away from the Guildmaster and I that you were very heavily injured." He held out his hand and pointed at different parts of Blue's body, "Bruises here, cuts there... I have no intention of belittling you, but you were in a very bad shape that night."
Blue motioned to reply, but was cut off by a peal of laughter from Machoke.
"Bwaha! But take a gander at him now, Hariyama!" He held out his hand at Blue and grinned. "Not a single scratch on him! No bruise, no cuts, nothing at all!" He puffed out his chest and planted his hands on his hips, looking proud for Blue. "He is just like I am! In the glowing, shining prime of our youth! No wound, no harm can keep us down for long!"
Exasperated, Hariyama averted his gaze from the flexing, posing Guildmaster. However, he still glanced over at Blue, scanning over his wound – free body. Curiosity and suspicion flitted across his face.
"Erm, well..." Blue coughed into his paw. With regards to the promise he made to Mismagius and Brin, he didn't want to just go and tell Hariyama the reason behind his miraculous recovery. He glanced at Machoke, who was still admiring his own biceps and making odd poses with his arms and pecs. Having no better idea in mind, Blue held out his arms and copied the Guildmaster's motions.
"It's exactly what he said!" Blue said, flexing his arms. "I – erm – I recovered because I was... young! Glowing and shining and all that! Yeah!"
A sense of shame and idiocy flooded through the Riolu as he posed with his arms beside his head. The utter embarrassment he felt was further worsened by the approving nod that the Guildmaster was giving him.
"What in the world are you doing, Riolu?" Feyley slapped Blue upside the head. "You look ridiculous!"
"Guh..." the sense of shame at enacting Machoke's poses stung more than Feyley's slap.
"Very well," Hariyama shook his head and walked over to the boulder behind Feyley and Blue. "perhaps we can hasten your training regimen to tonight, Feyley. Come, let's head inside."
"Bwahah!" Machoke took his place beside Hariyama and placed his hand on the boulder. "This will be fun! Some entertainment after that dull, dull Guildmasters' meeting earlier!"
When you hear of adventuring or exploration guilds from outside of Treasure Town, most of the time you'll probably hear about Wigglytuff's Guild. After all, they're the most well known, and the most famous. Even Pokémon that only hold a passing interest in exploring would have heard about them. Even outside of the frontier, they're that famous!
But what about the rest of the guilds here in town? Of which there are many of course – just not as well known or as famous as Wigglytuff's. That's not saying they're not as important as them, of course! That would be silly!
Out of the hundreds and hundreds of different guilds here in town, there are some of them that reach or even equal Wigglytuff's in terms of fame and notability here in Treasure Town, but aren't quite as well known outside of it.
However, out of all these hundreds of guilds, three stand out as the most successful. Wigglytuff's, Kadabra's, and Machoke's.
"Oh!"
Brin interrupted my long lecture by pointing her finger at the doorway. Hovering above the large entrance archway, hewn from natural stone and supported by wooden beams, was an eye – catching, almost comically large sign. Emblazoned on the massive stone slab were the words: "Machoke's Guild." And engraved below that, "Home of the strong, the brave and the dynamic!"
"That's right," I nodded and smiled at Brin. "this is the Guild headquarters for Machoke's Guild. I would've preferred to show you my guild's headquarters first... but, I guess that wasn't meant to be, huh?"
We shared a quiet giggle as we sat back in our uncomfortable stone chairs. Unlike the warm, inviting atmosphere that Wigglytuff's guild had, this place had a more cold, lonely feel to it. The walls were ashen gray, having been mined out of the cliff like a cave. Even the chairs, tables and shelves were carved out of the same gray stone made from the walls.
While my guild house had windows carved in the walls that let natural light flow in from the outside, the walls here instead has strange, glowing jewels embedded in them. The jewels radiated a faint blue light, illuminating the empty lobby around Brin and I. The dim lighting, coupled with the stony gray walls, made me feel like I was sitting in the middle of a lonely prison.
There were no forms of decoration or any kind of fancies in here. The only things that adorned this lobby were rows of chairs that were lined up against the walls. There were shelves carved into the walls of the lobby, filled to the brim with brochures extolling the positives of joining this guild. I've already read them many times before, so they did not keep my interest for long.
At the very center of the lobby was a single, U – shaped counter. I assumed that there would've been a receptionist sitting there. But right now, it was abandoned and empty. I mused about checking behind it, maybe sitting in the receptionist's chair for some laughs. But I didn't want to seem rude. We're already kinda trespassing, so I didn't want to make things worse in case someone comes back.
It's already been a while since Brin and I arrived here at this drab, stony place. At first, we mused with the idea of just waiting outside the guild house to head off that Mienfoo. But as time went on, the sunlight became fainter and the air around us colder. After the first gust of icy night wind blew past us, we both agreed that waiting inside was a much more attractive idea.
For me, it was the first time I've ever visited a guild headquarters that wasn't my own. Of course, that isn't saying much since I haven't been an apprentice for very long, but I digress. Despite that though, I've heard many things about the other two guilds here in Treasure Town. Smiling, I turned to Brin and continued my lecture.
"Wigglytuff, Kadabra and Machoke are sometimes called 'The Big Three' here in Treasure Town," I said, holding up my forepaws and one of my hind paws to illustrate, "and that's because the three of them run the largest and most influential guilds here."
Brin smiled and poked at the base of my feet, making me giggle and pull my paws back. I grabbed onto her hand and gave her a playful grin.
"While Wigglytuff's Guild is best known for being the best of the best at exploring and discovering new things out here in the frontier, Machoke's guild runs a different road."
"Road?" Brin asked, pulling her hand out of my grasp.
"Well, that's a figure of speech," I clarified, "what I mean is that Machoke's Guild doesn't play on the same field as Wigglytuff's Guild. Instead of being focused on exploring, this guild prefers to work within the town. Because of that, they prefer to recruit strong, tough Pokémon and train them here as apprentices."
"The apprentices then go out and help out the residents of Treasure Town with various tasks and such." I turned to Brin and held out my paws above my head, "You saw those Mankey and Primeape above the town earlier right? Swinging from building to building? And the Tauros and Bouffalant too, pulling all those heavy caravans and wagons."
Brin nodded and held out her arms as well, waving them in the air as if she was trying to mimic the Mankey swinging around. I giggled and did the same, waving my paws over my head and pretending I was a Primeape.
"Well, a lot of them come from Machoke's Guild. They're very focused on bettering the lives of the Pokémon who live here. They build, they fix and they protect." I closed my eyes and recalled the sheriff's office from a few days ago. "The Magnemite, Magnezone and Sheriff Nidoking... a lot of Pokémon that graduate from this guild use their newfound strength to protect the residents from danger, keeping everyone who live here safe and sound. They're a very important guild, Brin."
"Bwahah! What was that? I believe I hear someone tooting my horn in here!"
All of a sudden, an explosive voice rang throughout the cave – like lobby we were sitting in. The uproarious laugh rebounded off the walls, bouncing all around us like an iron ball coated in rubber. Said rubber iron ball was also slamming, blasting and drilling its way into our ears.
"Eek!"
"Eeh...!"
I squinted my eyes and scanned around the lobby. Just a few seconds ago, it was just Brin and I sitting in here by ourselves. I turned toward the entrance of the lobby, where the huge sign was hovering above. Underneath the archway, and the gigantic sign, was a large boulder that had been stuck in the doorway for a reason I could not fathom.
All of a sudden, the boulder began to shake and rumble. Tiny bits of silt and dust slid down the sides of the lobby, piling up at the base of the walls as the boulder continued to jitter. Brin and I clung to each other as we watched the great big rock trundle away and disappear behind the other side of the archway.
"Welcome back to my humble abode, Blue!"
Four Pokémon came waltzing through the now – cleared entrance. To my utter surprise, the first of whom that came walking through the entrance was none other than the master of this guild himself, Machoke!
Following in the Guildmaster's wake were two other Pokémon. One of which was somebody I recognized as well. It was the heavyset Hariyama from the sheriff's office a few days ago. And walking beside him was that Mienfoo from before, the one that kidnapped Blue from us!
Feeling sour, I sent a glare at her, but she didn't seem to even notice me. Instead, Hariyama and the Mienfoo seemed to be staring at Machoke for some reason.
"Oh!"
Brin pointed her finger at Machoke, or rather, what was in his arms. A wriggling, blue – furred Pokémon was clamped between his forearm and side, trapped in a painful – looking headlock. It didn't take long for me to recognize who that was.
"Blue!" I rushed off my seat and ran over. My partner stopped trying to gnaw at Machoke's biceps and looked up at me.
"Fée!" he croaked. "What are you doing here?"
"I think I should be asking that of you!" I stopped before the four of them and looked up at Machoke. "Guildmaster Machoke, can you please let go of my partner?"
"Well if it isn't that cute little Eevee from back then!" Machoke bellowed out another loud laugh and planted a heavy hand on top of my head. "How've you been? I see you've become an explorer for old Wiggly, have you? Great work!"
"T – thanks," I said, feeling a little dazed at being patted by him. "m – my partner... can you please let him go?"
"Eh? Partner?" Machoke's eyes darted between Blue and I. He then glanced over at Hariyama, looking startled. "You mean... he's...?"
Hariyama let out a loud sigh and shook his head. He pointed at the Explorer's Pack hanging off Blue's body and said, "You mean you hadn't noticed from the Explorer's Pack he was wearing? Guildmaster?"
"Well, I had..." Machoke scratched the back of his head and bit his lower lip. "I was hoping it was just a replica though..."
"You weren't thinking of trying to recruit an apprentice from another guild again, are you?"
"...I had hoped..."
With a sigh, Machoke raised up his arm and released my friend. Blue slumped onto the floor, clutching his neck while groaning. Brin and I both surrounded him and supported him back onto his feet.
"Thanks, you two." Blue grinned at us as he straightened himself back up. "Were you two waiting here the whole time? How'd you know where to find me?"
"Well it wasn't that hard." I smiled at Blue as I pointed at the Mienfoo, "She mentioned Hariyama earlier, didn't she? So I just assumed that she was a part of Machoke's Guild."
I took a step back and sat down, thumping my tail against the floor. "Brin and I just took a shortcut. That's how we got here so quickly."
"But how did you get inside?" Hariyama asked. "The door should've been sealed while the Guildmaster and I were out on our business."
"Ehe... about that..."
I wandered over to the stone chairs that Brin and I were sitting on a few minutes ago. Machoke, Hariyama and Blue all followed behind me, watching me as I pushed one of the chairs aside. There, hidden in the crook between the wall and the floor was a small fissure in the smooth stone. I dug my paws into the crack and pulled.
Whumph!
Like pulling bark off a tree, an entire chunk of rock came sliding out of the wall. Now that a portion of the wall was gone, the secret passage that was hidden behind it was in plain view. A long tunnel that extends all the way out to another hidden cave entrance situated behind Kecleon and Kecleon's Wares.
"What...?!" Machoke's jaw dropped. He rushed up to the hidden tunnel and stuck his head into it. "Whoa...! This is deep! And long! Deep and long!"
"I can't even see the end of this tunnel!" His astounded voice echoed through the tunnel and back into the lobby. "Hariyama, was this always here? How come I never knew about this?!"
His large subordinate walked up and pulled him out by grabbing onto his shoulder. "If I knew, I would've informed you about it already." He turned to me and asked, "Eevee, how did you come across this?"
"Oh... I – um – I just found it one day," I said, not looking him in the eye. "it goes all the way to Kecleon's, and it's a bit of a tight squeeze. So I don't think a lot of Pokémon would be able to use it, right Brin?"
Brin coughed into her hand and brushed away a bit of stone dust from her skirt. Like when we were heading to the Marketplace earlier before, she didn't have a very pleasant experience when we were crawling through that tunnel, seeing as how she was almost twice my height.
"Hrm... that's a bit worrying," Machoke mumbled. The Guildmaster's expression turned serious all of a sudden, and all the joviality in his voice had vanished. "this does prove a pretty serious problem with our security, don't you think? Hariyama?"
Hariyama nodded and folded his arms, "I agree. Leaving this vulnerability open like this endangers our students and apprentices. We'll have to do something about it soon."
Machoke rubbed his chin and said, "I'll have Rapta deliver a message to Dugtrio when he returns in the morning. He's still off inspecting that new outpost near Amp."
"Very well. Shall I draft the letter?"
Machoke shook his head, "Nah, I'll do it later. It'll be less hassle if I use some of my clout."
"I see. I'll leave it to you then."
"We'll deal with that tomorrow though," Machoke stretched his arms above his head and grinned. He picked up the chunk of wall that I removed and jammed it back into the hole. "after all, there's something more interesting about to happen soon. Right?"
"Something interesting?" I echoed, curious.
"Bwahaha, oh you'll enjoy it, Eevee!" Machoke said, grinning. "Tonight, we got a special show that's about to happen! Something exciting, something dynamic!"
I tilted my head to the side, confused. I sent Hariyama a questioning glance, but he had covered his face with his large hand and was shaking his head. Blue, on the other hand, looked a little perturbed. His paws kept flitting between fiddling with the strap of his Explorer's Pack, or on his face, scratching his cheek.
"I suppose there's no reason to dawdle," Hariyama said. He strode in between Blue and the Mienfoo, and placed his hands on both their shoulders. "come. Let's head to the training room."
"Yes, master!" The Mienfoo said, clasping her paws in front of her chest. A big smile was on her face as she turned toward Blue, who just sighed and shrugged. He plucked Hariyama's hand off his shoulder and separated himself from them, moving over to Brin and I instead.
"I'm sorry Fée, Brin," he said. "I've gotten myself wrapped up into something troubling again. Do you guys mind if we stay here just a little bit longer?"
Brin and I both shared a look of befuddlement.
We both nodded at Blue, while I said, "We wouldn't mind staying for just a bit longer, but... why?"
"Er... well..." his voice trailed off as he glanced over at Hariyama and the Mienfoo again.
The two of them were following Machoke across the lobby and heading toward an exit at the other side. The three of them paused before entering to wave at us. The Mienfoo in particular was staring at Blue with a nasty expression on her face. After letting out another sigh, he faced Brin and I again and put on a small smile on his face.
"Look, I'll explain it as we walk," Blue said as he grabbed both of our paws, "I'm afraid of what might happen to me if I keep dawdling around like this..."
There was one specific book that I remember reading a long time ago, when I was still a little girl. It was a sort of diary written by a young Drilbur who worked as a miner in some part of the frontier. In that Drilbur's recollections, he described walking down the long mines as cold, unforgiving and lonely. He wrote that, as he traveled through the endless corridors of stone and grit, the only things that kept him company were the lanterns overhead.
However, shadows of all shapes and sizes formed around the Drilbur. Created by the dim, faint light from the swaying lanterns. He felt as though he was never alone. The shadows beside him were always around him, watching, waiting... smiling... The thought of being alone, in the dark and surrounded by shades was a terrifying thought.
Needless to say, I couldn't sleep for nights after reading that book.
Right now, walking down this corridor inside of Machoke's Guild reminded me of that diary. Like the lobby, the lights all around us were dull and dreary. As the only sources of light came from the tiny gems embedded in the walls, I could only see a few inches ahead of me at most. Fearful of the dark, I clung to Blue's side, leaning myself against him while he held on to my back.
Blue and Feyley didn't seem to mind the dark at all. The two of them were walking down the corridor, side – by – side, unperturbed by the dismal lighting. To my surprise, even Brin wasn't scared either. In fact, she seemed to be more interested in the gems encrusting the walls than being spooked by the myriad of shadows around us.
"Sorry about the lighting situation, kids!" Machoke's loud voice barreled down the corridor, jarring me out of my thoughts. "We've been meaning to put up some lanterns or something, but we've never been able to get around to! Bwahaha!"
"And that's because you spent a large portion of our treasury commissioning goods like 'Machoke Focus Bands' and 'Machoke Jump Ropes.'" I heard Hariyama grumble ahead. "We still haven't cleared out the storage of all that junk yet."
"Bwaha! We still broke even in the end, didn't we?"
"That's not something to be proud about..."
Machoke just bellowed out another laugh and slapped Hariyama in the back as they walked ahead, leaving Blue, Brin, the Mienfoo and I behind. With the levity that Machoke was providing gone, all that was left behind was a thick, tense atmosphere hovering over us. The source of which... came from that Mienfoo.
"Mrgh..." she grumbled again. Her displeased scowl was plainly visible, even in this dim hallway. Even now, I still don't understand why she would be so mad. I was desperate for any kind of sound, anything to break away from the monotony of our echoing footsteps. Nudging my head underneath Blue's arm, I gave him a quick nip on the paw to grab his attention.
"B – Blue... don't you find this place a little creepy?" I stammered. "It's nothing like Wigglytuff's at all, d – don't you think?"
"It is a bit dark," Blue mused. He rubbed the top of my head with his paw and grinned, "Fée, are you afraid?"
"M – me? Afraid?" I shook my head, bumping the size of my muzzle against his leg in the process. "I – I'm just not good in the dark! I'm... not scared, no, don't be silly!"
Blue sniggered and patted me on the head, "Sure, I believe you. This place isn't so scary, right? Here, I'll slow down a bit, and you can take the lead. Okay?"
I watched in astonishment as he stopped in his tracks. He then backed up, leaving me alone while the Mienfoo and Brin continued to move ahead, unaware of what was going on. A few seconds later, Blue's entire body vanished into the shadows.
"No!"
The next thing I knew, I was racing down the corridor at top speed, panicking at the thought of being left alone in the dark. As soon as I caught sight of his face again, I rushed and jumped at him.
Whumph!
"Eh?!" Blue's eyes bugged out as I crashed into his chest. The two of us were sent tumbling backward, spinning head over tail as we rolled down the corridor. A few dizzying moments later, we came to a stop and found ourselves sprawled over the stone floor.
"Ooogh..."
"Again...?"
Groaning, I shoved myself off the ground and shook the dust off my fur. I turned and saw Blue face down on the floor. Worried, I rushed over and wriggled under his arm to help him back up.
"Pathetic."
I turned around as a scathing voice rang out behind us. A paw came down and snagged Blue by the back of his collar, yanking him back up on his feet and tossing me to the side. She pushed him away, shaking her head and crossing her arms.
"To be afraid of the dark... feh!" Feyley snorted. She gazed down at me, her eyes glinting in the dim light. "Back on Travail, we had to train in the darkest of nights! There was no light for us, no light indeed!"
Brin ran over to where I was lying on the ground and wrapped her arms around my waist. I turned and thanked her as she helped me back on my feet. I stared at the Mienfoo, tapping my paw against my chin. What she said had reminded me of something I've read before...
"Travail?" I asked. "By that, do you mean Mount Travail?"
"You've heard of my home?"
I nodded, "I've read about it before in a travelogue that I found in the library." I turned to my friends and said, "It was a book detailing the various mountains that surround the frontier. You know, like Horn, Mistral, and Bristle!"
"Oh!" Blue piped up. He grinned at Brin, and then at me before throwing his arm up in the air, "I know the last one!"
Giggling, I patted him on the side and said, "Of course you do. We've been there, silly." I batted him with my tail as I turned around, "Anyway. That book I read also detailed a few interesting tidbits of info about Mount Travail."
"Do tell, Eevee," The Mienfoo was clearly disinterested, what with the way she talked and how she was already walking far ahead of us.
I wasn't disheartened though, not when there's a chance for me to teach my friends more about the frontier. I turned my head to Blue and Brin as I followed Feyley down the dark tunnel. All of a sudden, it doesn't seem so scary anymore, not when we're all talking to each other.
"I've heard that over a hundred of different Pokémon live on Mount Travail," I said. "All of them different, of course."
"Over a hundred?" Blue repeated, sounding impressed. "I wonder what kinds of Pokémon live there? I mean, there's definitely Mienfoo, but what else?"
"Well, from what I've read, there's are Machop, Tyrogue, Meditite, Makuhi–"
"Only Mienfoo and Mienshao live there."
My attention was jarred back by the sudden return of Feyley. She stood before us as she planted her paws on her hips and scowled.
"You're misinformed," she claimed. "the only Pokémon that are permitted to live atop our mountain are Mienfoo and Mienshao." Feyley raised her paw and pointed it at Blue, "The only times it is allowed for a Pokémon other than a Mienfoo or Mienshao to reside within our training grounds are when we find somebody injured on the mountain... or when someone brings home a mate."
"E – eh? That can't be!" Out of instinct, I reached for the bag around my neck as if the travelogue was inside of it. Realizing that I was wearing my Explorer's Pack instead of usual pink bag, I paused myself in the middle of rummaging through my pack and looked back to Feyley.
"I don't know what your 'travelogue' says, but it's wrong." Feyley held her fist before her face and sneered. "My family, along with all the others, have lived on the mountain for centuries. Training, honing ourselves to become the pinnacle of strength." She threw a punch at Blue, her fist stopping mere inches before hitting his nose.
"From early morning to late night, we would train and train until we faint from exhaustion! That is the Travail way!"
"That sounds tiring," Blue remarked. "you'd wake up in the morning, and just keep punching each other until the sun sets?"
"W – we do not just punch each other all day!" Feyley seethed. She jabbed Blue in the chest with her paw, looking irritated, "We do more than just hard combat! We meditate, study, and do spiritual training! Do not be mistaken!"
"Alright, I get it!" Blue said, brushing away her paw. He tapped his cheek with his paw. A small grin crawled on his face as he began to chuckle to himself.
"What's so funny, Riolu?" Feyley grumbled.
"I just remembered something," Blue nudged Feyley in the chest with a finger. "didn't Machoke just say that you went to sleep around this time yesterday? So much for training all day, all night hm?"
Feyley's face flushed a deep red, which was still visible even in the dim light. Her paw shot out toward Blue again, reaching for his collar. But before she could take a firm grasp on him, my partner ducked out of the way and avoided it.
"Not this time!" Blue said, grinning. "I saw that coming!"
"Errgh...!" Feyley glared at him, her paw clenching into a fist. "Your memory is only good when it suits you, doesn't it?!"
"I don't remember."
"Argh!"
The Mienfoo's blush intensified from a bright red to a deep scarlet after Blue's remark. At this point, it was hard to tell if her blush was caused by her anger at Blue, or by her embarrassment at being called out by Blue. She launched another attempt to grab him, but Blue just sidestepped it and ducked behind Brin, all the while smirking at the furious Feyley.
Brin and I watched as Feyley turned away from Blue. She began to grumble and mutter as she started to stomp down the hall. Her loud footsteps were masking her angry mutterings, but I could still pick up the gist of what she was mumbling.
"It's... it's a luxury to be able to go to sleep before sundown..." Feyley grumbled. "This town is so lax... it's nothing like Travail... the guild even lets me sleep in the morning... how can I allow myself to be so carefree?... Even that stupid Riolu noticed... how frustrating! How frustrating indeed! I'll need to toughen myself up again.. no more naps, no more snacks...!"
"Hehe..." I shook my head and ran up beside Feyley. Putting on my most innocent smile, I glanced up and asked, "What kind of snacks do you eat? Candies? Cakes?"
"Biscuits," she replied without looking at me. "a fellow guildmate of mine brought in a bag of biscuits the other day. They were.. so delicious that I accidentally wolfed all of them down." Sighing, Feyley shook her head and covered her mouth with her paw. "If I could ever find out where he found those biscuits, I'd go and buy an entire box of them and spend an entire afternoon eatin–"
All of a sudden, she halted her ramblings about the biscuits. Her head snapped back, her eyes goggling at the sight of Blue, Brin and I smiling as we listened to her talk about biscuits. Her cheeks looked as though they were lit afire, glowing a bright red again. With a huff, she spun around and returned to ignoring us.
"Biscuits, huh?" I looked over at Brin and said, "You know, Duskull runs his own bakery here in town. We – that is, Blue and I – saw him making biscuits right in front of us." I closed my eyes as I recalled that event.
"A big white smoke cloud came from the oven, and the entire bakery was filled with a delicious smell. Ahh..." Realizing that I was licking my lips, I covered my open mouth with my paw and blushed Brin giggled and tapped her chin as she looked up at the ceiling with a pensive expression on her face.
"Mmm!" Brin nodded as she pressed her hands over her cheeks.
"Hey, save some for me, you two," Blue said, tweaking my ear with his paw, "I'd really like to have some more of that bread Duskull gave me. The big, long and white one. You know, the one that tasted all minty and cool?"
I nodded, "I remember! That was really delicious!" I couldn't help but lick my lips again as I reminisced about that delectable, berry – encrusted loaf. "Mmm... hehe... thinking about all those pastries he gave us makes me want to just want to go back and visit Duskull."
Blue grinned and held Brin's hand, "Well, we're going to be visiting there again in a bit. So that's something to look forward to, right?"
"Brin," I said. "when we go back to the Phantom Patisserie, you must ask him to make us some fresh pastries! We can all have a nice pastry dinner together! You, me, Blue, Oro, Mismagius, Duskull... all of us!"
Blue and Brin both let out a cheer and clapped their hands and paws over me. Giggling, I looked ahead at Feyley. She was walking alone ahead of us, acting standoffish and uninterested. But I could tell that she was listening in on what we were talking about. One of her ears were raised, and she seemed to be holding her belly with one of her paws.
"You can come with us too!" I shouted ahead at her. "If you want, we can ask Duskull to make you the kind of biscuits you were talking about! He's definitely capable of that!"
It was a strange feeling. Even though she had acted so fierce, so violent, to us before, I couldn't help but want to make friends with her. If it were the Fée of the past, I never would've even given a thought about even talking to someone so scary. But now... I find myself beaming at the Mienfoo, inviting her to our little pastry party.
Maybe I've changed. After meeting so many nice Pokémon like Sunflora, Loudred, and even Barie... I find that I'm at my happiest with Pokémon I can laugh with. It's such a nice feeling to have friends for once. I just couldn't wait to make more.
"What do you say, Feyley?" I asked. "Do you want to come along with us–"
"Oy, kids!"
The four of us all jumped about a foot in the air when Machoke's outrageous voice came barreling down the corridor. My question was gone, blown away like a leaf in a windstorm. We looked ahead, and saw the muscled figure of Machoke standing at the end of the hall. His entire body was illuminated by a bright light beaming out from behind him.
The powerful Guildmaster raised his arm and announced, "Welcome to the training hall, Blue! I hope you're ready to put on a dynamic show!"
I turned around and saw Blue wearing an indecipherable expression. Was he worried? Or was he excited? I couldn't tell by the way he was looking.
"Hey."
With a confident smirk plastered on her face, Feyley grabbed Blue by the shoulder and held her fist against his face.
"I hope you'll give me a good fight, Riolu. I'm looking forward to it."