In the last chapter, Team Alpha's members rescued the captive Team Omega, and have transported them back to Paragon Village (hooray for skipping mindless filler!). In the following chapter, we will meet the members of Clefable's Guild, and more will be revealed to you lovely people who are reading this!
I extend a thanks to Honeywhisker for her Vienna and both Honeywhisker and PhantoMNiGHT321 for reminding me of the following.
Yes, all villain Pokemon fall under the classification of 'Outlaw' unless they are an admin for the end-of-the-world factions. As for more villain Pokemon, I need them to build up the grand finale. As the story progresses, Team Ragnarok and Rapture will become more volatile, but the two—as well as two more teams to be introduced in later chapters (PhantoMNiGHT321, don't tell anybody who they are)—answer to a higher Pokemon. Who is that Pokemon? I'm not going to tell you now! Spoilers, people!
I own the plot, Team Alpha, Team Omega, and most of the apprentices at Clefable's Guild, as well as Clefable and Unfezant. The characters, not the actual Pokemon. Szac and Honey belong to Joker'sTwinBro-FlameOfRecca's and Honeywhisker, respectively.
Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: The Eternal Nightmare
Chapter 4: Clefable's Guild
Kahrik's POV
It was longer than I thought it had been between the time we left and the time we got back. We must've been stuck in that blizzard for quite a while, because when we got back the other Pokemon told us we were gone a week. It felt like three days, though. I led the way back to Clefable's Guild, head held high, brandishing my bruises like medals of honor. The samaritans near the guild stood in awe and amazement as we strode across the bridge to the entrance of the guild.
Clefable was much more eccentric than the famous Wigglytuff. Rather than building his guild in a cliff, he got the help of several Water and Ground Pokemon and built the guild underwater. This made some Pokemon nervous, but I didn't care. I had the heart of a lion. Figuratively speaking, of course.
When we reached the entrance, I lowered my head to speak into the communication pipe made from bamboo. "Team Alpha leader Kahrik, species Charmeleon, code Alpha Lambda Pi Eta Alpha, requesting permission to enter with Team code Omicron Mu Epsilon Gamma Alpha."
After a moment of waiting, there was an answer. A suave, crisp voice echoed in the pipe from the other side. "Permission granted. Team Alpha and Team Omega may enter the guild now." The door to the guild opened to reveal a spiraling staircase leading down to the ocean floor.
I turned to the five Pokemon behind me, then stepped to the side. "Ladies first."
Kyuri was the first to step forward. She nodded, then began her descent, followed by Soul (a little clumsily) and Victoria. As soon as they were fifteen steps down, I looked at my team. "Kind of awkward, aren't they?" Victor commented, shaking his head.
"Victor, be nice. Now you go, then Spirit. I'll shut the door." They inclined their heads, then scurried in. I stepped through the doorway, then pulled a lever on the wall. The door slammed shut, nearly smacking me in the face. After that, I followed the others downstairs.
Clefable had taste, and class. The guild was decorated with shells, kelp, and sand to make it feel like an underwater forest, and there was a fire on all three floors of the guild. The stairs continued down to reach the second and third floors, but we got off on the first floor to turn in our mission. There, Audrey Audino stood waiting for us, to heal any serious wounds we had.
As soon as she saw me, she panicked. "Oh, Kahrik, can you never return without a scratch? Goodness, boy, you play rough," she complained, rubbing a cream of her special recipe on the bruised areas. Once applied, she wrapped it up with strips of cloth to keep it from rubbing away. "I might as well give you the recipe for my special cream, the way you get banged up. I guarantee it to work on everything, big or small, from bruises to cuts to broken bones, it makes the pain go away. Mix it in with water and you've got an energy drink that'll boost your confidence and your healing," she advertised her product every time we came back.
"Audrey, you worry too much about me. I'm a big boy. I can care for myself," I replied. I must've used this argument a thousand times before, but she never listened. It must be some sort of motherly instinct for her. She worried about everyone in the guild, but she paid particular attention to me.
Finally, she noticed Team Omega. "Kyuri! Soul! And Victoria too! I'm so relieved! Team Alpha brought you back safe and sound!" She waddled over to the female Cubone and hugged her, kissing her forehead. "You aren't hurt are you?"
Kyuri ignored her quite nicely. "That reminds me!" She wriggled out of Audrey's grasp and ran over to me, bowing her head. "Thank you for rescuing us," she said, pulling a Gold Ribbon from her bag, as well as a small disk. "Your reward."
I nodded calmly, then took both items and examined the disk. It was a TM01. Hone Claws. The move increased your attack, but I already knew Swords Dance. I could save this for later, though. Maybe it would prove useful for Spirit. "Thank you," I replied, lowering my own head in response. "Any time you need help, give me a call." Why in the hell did I say that? I wanted to reach out, grab my words, and shove them back down my throat, but it was too late. Open mouth, insert foot.
"I'll remember that," she replied with a smile.
Spirit saved me from coming up with a clever response. "Hey, we need to report to the Guildmaster."
Clefable! Oh, powerful Clefable, known for his incredible Metronome. Somehow, instead of choosing random moves, he could concentrate on moves he'd seen before, and his Metronome would allow him to use that move. He was the ultimate copy cat. And when teams didn't report immediately after long, hard missions, he got mad.
I clapped my hands to my head. "Oh no. Clefable!" With that, I left Team Omega on the first floor, and my team followed me down the staircase to the second floor.
It was abnormally quiet. I guessed the apprentices were off doing missions, so we knocked on the Guildmaster's door. "Who is it?"
Unfezant. I was having a great day until I heard his voice. It was ridiculously snide, and he had a French account. French! He was a prick, just because he was shiny. "Who do you think, feather-face?" I snarled, curling my hands into fists. "Or did you ignore Sentinel when he reported Team Alpha's return?" Sentinel was our Watchog, the one who answered all the calls down the pipe. Instead of having two Pokemon keep an eye on the grate like at Wigglytuff's Guild, Clefable came up with the pipe system. One Pokemon could speak at the top of the pipe. The sound waves would echo down the pipe and come out clearly on every floor, so every Pokemon could hear the conversation. Sentinel, or sometimes his son Espy, would listen on the third floor, verify the code, and then tell the visitor if their entry was granted or not. Then, it was Mole the Drillbur's job to open the door.
His response echoed loudly all across the floor. "Feather-face? FEATHER-FACE!"
"Do not disrespect Team Alpha, Unfezant. They bring in a large amount of money."
"But he just-"
"I DON'T CARE!"
Clefable was defending us, as usual. One of the benefits of being a good team trained by Clefable himself was he was often on your side. Unfezant may be his second-in-command, but he was nowhere near Clefable's skill level. The normal Pokemon commanded respect, even if many Pokemon felt Clefable were girly.
After some more arguing, the violet-crested bird opened the door. "The Guildmaster wishes to see you," he growled, beak almost clamped shut.
"Polly want a cracker?" I jeered, pushing him aside and strutting in before kneeling in front of Clefable. "Guildmaster Clefable, we have returned from the Southern Wastes. The rumors of an enormous blizzard overhead were true, though we found shelter before anything terribly serious happened. Also, we encountered a strange Pokemon." I looked up gravely. "Seraph, a Froslass."
The Guildmaster took a step back, one hand over his mouth. "Oh dear," he muttered, shaking his head. "They're back, Unfezant! Shut the door," he hissed. The bird Pokemon glared, then obeyed.
I stared at my Guildmaster. "They, sir?"
He remained quiet for a while, then closed his eyes, sitting down. "At ease, Kahrik. In order to explain this to you, I have to tell you a long story."
^..^ ^..^ ^..^
It was winter time, five years after the Dialga Incident that nearly paralyzed the planet. Clefable was still a Clefairy back then, and Unfezant was still a young Pidove. They were exploring Crystal Cave together, in the hopes that they too could see Azelf, the Being of Willpower. Pidove was terribly afraid, and could hardly muster the courage to attack a fellow Pokemon. They thought that maybe, just maybe, Azelf could offer him the guidance he needed to allow himself to fight.
However, in the aftermath of the incident, strange things were happening, especially after the Darkrai Incident only six months later. Pokemon grew more violent than usual, and some Pokemon experienced Group Evolutions, where sometimes nine or ten Pokemon in the same area would be forced to evolve, no matter their level. Often, it sent them into a frenzy, and they became murderous. One incident happened to seven Pokemon: a Snorunt, a Misdreavus, a Haunter, a Murkrow, a Houndour, a Corpish, and a Nuzleaf. Now, normally, most of these Pokemon needed special items to evolve. With the Snorunt, she needed a Dawn Stone to become the Froslass she wanted to be. Misdreavus needed the Dusk Stone, and so did Murkrow. Nuzleaf needed a Leaf Stone, and Haunter needed a Link Cable. However, and this instance had never before been recorded, the Pokemon evolved without the items they needed, some even learning moves impossible for their species to learn.
The sudden spike in their power made the Pokemon grow arrogant, and more violent then they already were. The Pokemon of synonymous types formed two teams: Rapture and Ragnarok, respectively. They vowed to fix the Group Evolution problem by destroying the world in entirety, creating their own in its stead.
Clefairy and Pidove made their way through Crystal Cave and Crystal Crossing to find the most horrific sight. A team of four Ghost Pokemon—Froslass, Gengar, Mismagius, and Sableye—were preparing to attack Azelf.
"Don't be difficult, Azelf. Submit, and allow us to do what we came to do," the Froslass cooed, her associates taking a step toward the small Psychic Pokemon.
"No! You plan to steal the Time Gear! I won't let you!" Azelf cried, glaring at the team. "I swore to protect it!"
"Foolish Azelf, we're not here for the Time Gear. Without willpower, all Pokemon will fall to our knees, begging for mercy. Your corruption will bring us one step closer to taking this world for ourselves," the Froslass cackled, holding up a golden chain with a Snorunt's skull as a medallion. "I've Hexed this charm so you'll do my bidding when I put it on you."
"NO!" Clefairy cried, scurrying forward and pushing past the Ghost Pokemon to protect Azelf. "You can't! I won't let you harm Azelf!"
The Psychic Pokemon looked down in confusion at the small Clefairy. "A... Clefairy?" he whispered, putting a hand in front of his mouth.
The Froslass simply grinned, and waved her hand. "Dispose of this meddler!"
"With pleasure!" the Gengar cackled, charging toward Clefairy with a Focus Blast charging up.
Clefairy stood his ground and waited for the impact, closing his eyes. However, the attack did not hit. Cautiously, he opened his eyes to see Azelf's Protect surrounding his pink, furry body. "Thank you," Azelf smiled at Clefairy. Then, he brought his hands together and fired a Shadow Ball at Gengar. The ghost flew backwards and crashed into Sableye, sending both of them sprawling.
The Froslass glared at Mismagius. "Don't just stand there, fool! Get them!"
Without a response, the ghost flew forward, mystic leaves floating around her. Magical Leaf. This was Clefairy's chance. He leapt into the air and, taking the hit for Azelf, used Magic Coat to return the attack at double the force. It connected easily, and the Mismagius joined her companions in unconsciousness.
Froslass howled in fury. "I'll crush you!" She roared, powering up a Hyper Beam. As she fired it, there was a bright flash of light.
"NO YOU WON'T!" Came an unfamiliar, brave voice. When Clefairy could see again, in the place of Pidove stood a Tranquill, taking the full blunt of the attack. "YOU WILL NEVER HARM MY FRIEND!" With that, he flew up into the air and unleashed Brave Bird, slamming into the Froslass over and over again, five times, before landing on the ground and panting. He had bruises on his head and shoulders from the impacts, and a nasty burn mark on his right side.
The Froslass knew when she was beat. She gathered up her companions and ran off, never to be heard or seen again...
^..^ ^..^ ^..^
"...until now," Clefable finished, shaking his head. Then, he looked at Unfezant. "Call a Guild Meeting. Tell the apprentices to gather in the Relaxation Area on the third floor. They have to know what has happened."
^..^ ^..^ ^..^
Not a long time later, all the apprentices were waiting for us; Honey the Eevee; Szac the Riolu; Snide the Krokorok; Skipper the Tirtuoga; Team Quadru, which was Missy the Lillipup and Frauline the Purrloin; Sage the Pansage, Sear the Pansear, and Pour the Panpour of Team Triplet; and Team Victory, which was a Snivy, a Tepig, and an Oshawott that had no nicknames. They sat in even rows, conversing with one another.
"What's this all about?" I heard Honey whisper to Szac. "They never call a Guild meeting in the afternoon."
Szac remained silent, staring forward, his eyes locked on me. That Charmeleon is pretty banged up, he thought, resting his head on his paw. What happened?
Finally, Sentinel, Espy, and Audrey strode in, marking the beginning of the meeting. Spirit, Victor and I stood next to Unfezant, behind Guildmaster Clefable at the front of the crowd. "Attention, everyone!" Clefable shouted, waving his arms. "We have grave news that you must know about." Then, he pointed to me. "This is Kahrik. He leads Team Alpha. He recently returned from the Southern Wastes!" More murmuring. Frauline shivered, and the mute monkey trio gave the Hear no, see no, speak no evil sign, Sage covering his ears, Sear covering his eyes, and Pour covering her mouth. "The rumors of the blizzard are true. Take it away, Kahrik."
I stepped forward, nodding my head at Clefable. Then, I turned my attention to the young Pokemon in front of me, not a one of them above level 20. "To rescue Team Omega, we of Team Alpha fought our way through the blizzard and discovered something we wish were laid to rest after we heard Clefable's story. In the ghetto in which Team Omega was trapped, we came across the leader of Team Rapture."
The room broke into distraught uproar. Mixed whispers speaking of the foretold doom by Team Rapture rose above the heads of the apprentices and drifted to my ears. "Team Rapture? Oh no, not them again!" "I heard Guildmaster Clefable speaking with Unfezant about that when I joined here." "Isn't that the team led by-"
I got tired of the interruption and let a short Flamethrower burst from my mouth, catching their attention as the blue flames licked the air above their heads. Some of them gaped in amazement, others cowered behind their companions. "Team Rapture is led by an evil Froslass known as Seraph. She's the one who gave me these," I snarled, tearing off the bandages to reveal the bruises on my ribs. "If not for Victor, I would've come back with broken ribs instead of fractures and bruises. And I'm a Fire Pokemon. Seraph is an Ice/Ghost Pokemon." More terror spread across the room. "That's why, after talking with Spirit and Victor, we've decided to set up the Team Alpha base in the cave behind Paragon Waterfall, right next to the village!"
Calm spread over the room. Several of the apprentices looked relieved. Honey looked like she was about to faint from excitement. "Team Alpha, Szac! They're going to be living in Paragon Village!"
"We will too!" a voice called from the staircase. I turned and there was Team Omega, Kyuri standing bravely in front. "No way we're going to let our town get ransacked by those ruffians! C'mon, girls, let's show 'em what we're made of!" Soul, Victoria, and Kyuri strode over, heads held hi, and stood by my team. "Kahrik, we're just as good as your team! Just give us the chance!"
As good as my team? We just fought our way through a blizzard to rescue them and she has the gaul to compare her team to my own, when in the same situation we would've fought our own way out? Still, turning down their help would make us look arrogant, not to mention rude.
After a while, I came up with a good response that would agitate her without making me look like an incredible asshole. "Just don't get in our way," I growled, throwing my head back and giving a triumphant roar. "Team Alpha is on the case, putting outlaws in their rightful place!" I snarled, putting my hand on top of my head and dragging my claws down my forehead before stopping my hand in front of my face, glaring like a caged animal. Spirit slithered over and coiled around me, his head over my own, and Victor flew up and landed on his head before we roared in unison, our signature pose.
That got the apprentices going. They all stood up and cheered, clapping their hands, waving their tails, however they could get our attention. All, that is, except Szac, who remained seated, watching us through unsure eyes.
Finally, after everyone else sat down, he stood up, pointing at me. "I was told Team Alpha was led by a Charmander. I was also told you could only evolve at the Luminous Cavern, north of Paragon Town. You guys went to the Southern Wastes." It didn't take me long to figure out what he was getting at. "How the hell did you all evolve?"
End Chapter 4
Oh boy, that was a long chapter for me.
The apprentices have been informed of the arrival of Team Alpha and the creation of their base near Paragon Town. But Szac's question has merit. How indeed did Team Alpha's evolutions occur, and so far from Luminous Cavern? If you're paying attention, you'll know without me telling you in Chapter 5.
I'm still accepting OC's for the story. I'd like Outlaws at this point, and possible recruits for the evil teams. Again, submit them in your reviews!
Name: (What's your Pokemon's nickname?)
Gender: (Are you a boy or a girl? lol)
Species: (What kind of Pokemon is it?)
Level: (How experienced is your Pokemon?)
Personality: (What is your Pokemon like?)
Goal: (A vendetta is a prolonged, bitter quarrel with someone. Does your Pokemon have a vendetta against another, or maybe a grudge against a Pokemon who wronged them? Or are they just out to explore or have fun?)
Appearance: (Do they have any interesting attributes abnormal to their species? If not, just leave this out)
History: (What's so special about this Pokemon's past that sets them apart from every other Pokemon of its species?)
Moves: (What moves does your Pokemon have?)
Alignment: (Outlaw, Shopkeeper, Team member, Team leader, Solo explorer Guild member, or other)
Team: (Only if they are on a team. If they are, you need to submit at least 1 other Pokemon on the same team or I can't use them)
^..^ ^..^ ^..^
Name: Clefable
Gender: male
Species: Clefable
Level: 75
Personality: Clefable is a serious, skilled Pokemon with an affinity for detecting promising recruits for his guild. He's an old rival of Wigglytuff's, and will do anything to one-up the other Pokemon.
Goal: Raise the next generation of exploration teams to rival Wigglytuff's.
Appearance: normal Clefable.
History: As a Cleffa, he once fought alongside Wigglytuff while he was still Igglybuff. However, after an argument they had on how to train apprentices, he split away from Wigglytuff and created his own guild with his friends Unfezant and Sentinel, a Watchog.
Moves: Metronome, Magic Coat, Calm Mind, Psychic
Alignment: Guildmaster