I sigh. Standing around delaying the inevitable isn't going to solve anything. I gesture with my head for Boon to follow my lead and take on the bridge. The thing is creaky as all get out and sways faintly in the wind. I take another look at the drop and immediately force myself to bring my gaze ahead. Baby steps. I'm not even at the hard part yet. I raise an uncertain finger towards the bridge stakes and prod them. Scarily enough they move at my touch; those things are not secure. Baby steps. Baby steps. I mean, come on. Pokémon can get freaking gigantic, and I doubt I've seen the largest yet. Obviously when they built this bridge they took those sizes into account, right? I'm just a little lizard traveling with a little mouse. Light as a feather?
First uneven step on the bridge—only slight creaking. Alright, feels good. I check the drop. That doesn't. Look ahead, long way to go. Second step. So far nothing going wrong. Now I'll just move my little clawed foot ahead for the… third step. And then the fourth. Fifth. Sixth. The bridge suddenly sways violently and I kiss the planks, hugging them tightly so I don't fall off.
"Sorry." Boon apologizes. "That was me. I just got on." He lets out a whistle as he checks out the view due east. "Man, look at that ocean. Beautiful! I'm so glad I decided to move to this island!" The Pikachu chuckles. "There are worse places for you to have turned into a Charmander in." I'm not paying much attention to him anymore; too busy staring at the drop. Jesus Christ that is the mother of all drops! This bridge is too rickety for me to get up; I'm too scared I'll lose balance and fall off. I'll just crawl across it. Lizards crawl. I'll be fine. I pull myself further along the bridge as Boon takes light steps behind me. Every time we make any sort of movement the bridge squeaks and creaks from the weight.
I can do this. I can do this. I think I can I think I can I think I can I think I can. "I thhhi I cu I thhh ica I thh ica I thhhh ic-c-ca." I mumble. I immediately stop when I realize I'm thinking out loud.
"Wow." Boon says. "That is the worst stutter I've heard from you yet! Maybe the next town will have speech therapy." No comment. We continue to ease our way across the bridge at a snail's pace, attempting to ignore the rocking and creaking it faithfully emits. Eventually we reach the halfway point, but then Boon taps on my back with his foot. "Um, Browley? Explorers are on the other side." Shit, they are. And judging from their excited pointing they probably intend to fight. "Holy crap, they can't be serious." Boon says as the Explorers file onto the bridge and make their way towards us. Okay, we got a Snivy, a Kirlia, a Prinplup, and a Psyduck in that order. I'll stay low and hit the first two, Boon can shoot over me and hit the last two. Perfect.
"Look what you're making us do, outlaws!" Prinplup yells as the Exploration Team closes the distance. "Wouldn't it be easier to come quietly? Nobody wants to fight on this bridge!" I get the feeling they aren't going to get out of the way unless we go with them. That's not going to happen.
"Hey guys! You do realize how many of your buddies died fighting us, right?" Boon shouts back. "Can't you give us a rest?" Both we and the Explorers continue to cross the bridge; within moments we are going to be face to face with them.
"That's exactly why we can't! You know that!" Prinplup argues.
"I just want to shove them off this bridge." The Snivy comments. Oh yeah, he's going to be the first to go.
It is then we are a mere foot and a half from the Explorers. Green tentacles grow from Snivy's back like Doctor Octopus as he smiles sinisterly.
"Last warning." Prinplup declares. "Surrender yourselves or we will be forced to throw you off."
"That doesn't sound very professional." Boon says. "What ever happened to capturing outlaws?"
"What ever happened to knocking Pokémon out?" Their Kirlia counters.
"You going to stop this?" Prinplup asks again. He waits for a moment and grabs the ropes along the bridge's edge. "No?" He then yanks down hard, sending the bridge swinging very violently and Boon stumbling slightly. The Explorer's team is also caught off guard, just barely managing to secure themselves on the bridge. "How about now?" This can't go on. I send the plan of action telepathically to Boon, whose cheeks spark up.
"Ooh. Violent, eh?" Psyduck says. "Give it another swing." Now. Before he can react, Prinplup is discharged with a Thunder Shock while I engulf Snivy in Ember. The grass snake panics from being set ablaze and staggers off the bridge edge. His screams echo through the canyon the entire way down. The rest of the Explorers watch in shock as their member plummets to his sure death. This distraction leaves Prinplup open to another shock as I grab Kirlia and shove her off the bridge as well. Snivy and Kirlia are falling to their deaths, Prinplup's charred husk is dangerously close to slipping off, and Psyduck is the only Explorer remaining. He rockets back to attention and prepares to avenge his fallen comrades. Boon is ready for him though, and a Thunder Wave denies the yellow duck that chance. Adrenaline pumps into my system as I rise to my feet and grab the Pokémon by its head. With a mighty push I send the last Explorer plummeting off the bridge, the action of such a shove knocking off Prinplup's corpse as well. Bridge cleared.
"Eugh." Boon groans. "I just pictured myself in their position. Let's not lose our footing." Agreed. But you can't imagine yourself as the enemy when you kill them. That's like, combat rule number one. Or maybe it was seven? With the adrenaline still pumping getting to the other end of the bridge is a cakewalk. I should thank those Explorers. Just past the bridge there is a sizable opening into the cliff wall. At least, there was. It is covered up by a pile of rocks now and therefore inaccessible. Boon looks to the top of the cliff and grimaces. "I'm betting that used to lead up there. We're going to have to take the long way now."
We shove our backs into the wall and scoot along the only way we can—east. Our ledge has a gap in it, only passable by dropping to another walkway below and climbing up on the other side. Alright, before I loose what little motivation I have to press on. I ease myself down and slide to the other end of the ledge. Climbing up cannot be so simple, as the next ledge will require a jump for my hands to reach its height. For the first time in my life I see the usefulness of parkour. I inhale a breath and throw myself toward the ledge, grunting from the new strain of hanging on. Then I pull myself up and scoot further along to give Boon space to climb.
"Just try not to look down." Boon advises as he yanks his form onto the cliff ledge. "Actually, no. Make sure you have good footing. Don't look at the drop, just your feet. Yeah." We slide further and must drop down again. Thankfully there is nothing else to climb up, just a bend in the cliff to curve around. The ledge also gains some more width, surely enough. I think we may have gotten through the worst of it.
We turn the corner and standing on a sizable bluff are four identical Pokémon with Exploration Badges, satchels, and scarves. Son of a bitch! I dart back around the corner and hope they didn't see me. Boon gets a telepathic heads up to ready him for fighting in case I was.
"Cliff duty. And on a mega cliff!" An Explorer complains. "This sucks…"
"Quit whining. You're a Pawniard; act like it." Another scolds.
"Did you hear about the commotion in District Three?"
"What of it?"
"I heard there are monsters killing Explorers."
"No shit. What do you think the 'mon' in 'Pokémon' stands for?" Boon sends me the message that he has an idea.
"Wigglytuff's a virgin!" He screams. Fucking idiot! Does he want me shove him off!? Sure enough I hear the footsteps of cautious Explorers coming our way. Boon messages me to duck and attack them as they come by with Ember. We're going to drop them as they pass in front of us. The first Pawniard crosses the bend. He is hit with Ember and stumbles off the cliff from the surprise attack.
"Woah!" An Explorer shouts. "We lost one! Watch out!"
Boon leapfrogs over me and goes around the bend. I pursue him and see that the Pikachu has already paralyzed two Pawniards and is busy shocking the third. Ember works surprisingly well on the stunned Explorers, dropping them almost instantly. Two Scratches finishes the job on the last. Time to go bag looting. We steal three Blast Seeds, two Warp Scarves, a bundle of Iron Thorns, and a journal entry.
"Bleh. Warp Scarves suck." Boon says. "All they're good for is getting yourself lost." We toss them off the cliff and pack the rest. I read over the journal quickly as it is miraculously in standard print.
How are we supposed to find this 'Lost Treasure' nonsense if we don't even know what it is! Let me sum up all the information we have on it: It's on this island, it's probably been around since The Ancient Years, and it might-MIGHT be worth a fortune. I swear, the Federation is insane for starting this search again. Jichi hates Explorers. The war should be enough evidence of that.
Wonder what they fought an entire war over. I look out at the view the bluff gives of the ocean, noting the lack of sun in that direction.
"B-B-Boon?" I ask. "W-What time is it?"
"That tunnel gets me a little confused." Boon says. "But if I had to guess, I'd say the sun should be setting in a couple of hours." No sun where the bluff is facing, sun should be on its way to setting. I look above and the sun appears to be closer to the cliff opposite the bluff. Sun always sets in the west, which means the bluff faces east. There is a bridge on the bluff's northern edge, connecting to the east of a sizable plateau with paths carved along its sides. I can see some activity over there but I cannot tell what it is. "Don't worry about the bridge. I'll be right behind you." Boon assures.
We move across the bridge step after step as we did before. To our left there are many other cliffs, plateaus, and bridges hinting at what is to come. I groan and press on.
"You're not going to start spitting all over the bridge again, are you?" The Pikachu behind me teases. We reach a few steps past the bridge's halfway point when we pick up on a noise. First it is faint, but as we cease movement and strain to listen the rhythmic sound increases in volume. "Browley? You hear that? It sounds like…"
Flap
Flap
Flap
Oh Jesus no. From behind a cliff to our left flies a giant gray beast—straight for us.
"Aerodactyl!" Boon screams. We go as fast as we can across, but it doesn't' feel fast enough. The Pokémon stops directly beside the bridge and within its jaw glows a ball of energy. "Hurry up!" Boon shouts. "It's gonna blow the bridge!"
I count the approximate steps remaining as we push forward, wishing the countdown to speed up. Sixty steps. Fifty Steps. Forty Steps. Thirty. Behind me the sounds of a laser blasting through wood echoes throughout the canyon. Time seems to flow in slow motion as the path before me turns into a staircase which grows ever steeper by the moment. Within moments I'm forced to use my arms to pull myself up plank by plank, which becomes more difficult as our side of the bridge's leftovers swings towards the plateau wall. My feet loose something to stand on, dangling and leaving only my hands holding me up. With a forceful thud we slam into rock. The resulting shock causes me to lose my grip and I desperately reach for the now-ladder as I am thrown off.
"Gotcha!" Boon shouts as the feeling of falling abruptly halts. Boon holds me single handed by my foot. Even then I can feel myself slipping from his grasp. I grunt and grab hold of the wooden planks; though from my angle I will need to quickly readjust myself to avoid falling off again. "Fuck!" Boon swears as his hand no longer can hold onto my foot. For a moment the wind rushes past me while I twist my hands to grab the planks from another angle and my body swings to where I am looking up at the Pikachu. Relief washes over his face at my relative safety. A roaring to our left reminds us what caused our predicament. Boon points an arm at the Aerodactyl and fires multiple strings of electricity at its wings. Each shock tears a hole in the purple velvet, until the Pokémon's wings look like Swiss cheese. It roars as it rockets to the ocean below. We can see the resulting explosion of water even from where we are.
Boon and I climb the rest of the way up, and my ally rests against the rock wall at the top. "You okay?" He asks. I nod in response. "Good. Good." He fires off a white beam from between his ears at the ground. "Totally forgot about that Move. Meh, looks like a stat-booster anyways. Wasn't worth risking it on that thing." Boon sighs. "Here's a tip: if it's a white beam of energy, chances are it's stat related. I'm probably going to replace this thing first chance I get…"
"This is taking too long." Someone ahead says. "Where is Aerodactyl?"
"You think they took him out?" Someone else asks.
"Can't be. That's just ridiculous."
"One of them is an electric type."
"…Shit, you're right. Let's go check."
Two Pokémon in scarves walk around a bend in the cliff path. They have Explorer badges and carry a satchel each. Shinx and a… Gothorita. Took Boon a second to remember that one's name. He's concerned that the purple chick will take a few more hits to take down, but that's what the cliffside is for. She is the first one to spot us.
"Shinx! Go get reinfor-" Boon slams his body into her chest with a Quick Attack, knocking her back and off the ledge. The blue cat pivots on the spot and attempts to run away, but loses its footing and falls flat on its face. This gives me the perfect chance to catch up and throw myself on top of it. He struggles fiercely, and if I waste any time he might just get the better of me. A good right hook to the face buys me precious seconds to scan the area around us for any sort of weapon. A yellow furred hand smashes a rock into Shinx's head, knocking it out cold.
"Didn't I say packing rocks was a good idea?" Boon smugly asks. I climb off the unconscious cat and study the damage. The head's bleeding but not by enough to guarantee death. That's not good enough, so I roll the body off the edge and wipe the dust from my hands. "That-that was uncalled for, I think." The Pikachu says. "But then again I wouldn't want to be the Pokémon that accidently knocks someone else off of here." I agree. That shit better be intentional. "Well crud. Look what's next."
We need to switch cliffs again, but this time the target is barely considered a chunk of land. It is more of a pillar with a fraction of trail around it, and the only way to get to the damn thing is to platform across giant stalagmites with flattened tops. This can't be the only way to go. Nobody in their right mind would expect someone to cross this.
"Hey dude, I think I found what's wrong." Boon is standing at one of the edges of our ledge, peering across a gap at more stalagmites —these with bridges. There were supposed to be three; one connecting to a cliff northeast, one going northwest, and one going south to where we are. Our bridge is (of course) destroyed, leaving the only option what I shall now name the 'Mario Detour'. Boon hops onto the first platform with ease, then to the next. "Well come on!" He presses. "Let's get this over with!" Easy for you to say, mister parkour. I line myself up with the first jump, take a step back, and sprint for the cliff edge. I get closer and closer to the end of the line, then kick myself off and to the platform. A little air is knocked out of me as I land on my stomach. "Great job! Now you've only got four more jumps to go!"
We've made it across the jumps, curled around the stalagmite, and made it to the bridges. I scowl at the other end where we just were. This would be much more productive if that freaking bridge wasn't out.
"That wasn't too bad, was it?" Boon asks as he passes me walking on only his hands. Showoff. The bridges connected to the small rocks we stand on are much shorter than the previous ones, and much sturdier as well. It is unfortunate that the next obstacle is a zipline west. Next to the pole with our end of the cord is a wooden sign decayed with time. The Unknown words having been carved through survived okay and are understandable.
Jichi Islands Gondola Lift
Hello friends! Tired of walking across bridges? Want to see the beautiful view from a sitting position? Then try the new state of the art Gondola Technology from Excadrill Industries! Bringing you efficient and interesting travel for forty years!
"Wow." Boon quips. "I wonder if that's the same Excadrill we know or a relative. Or someone completely unrelated."
To operate the machinery, simply twist the wheel inside to ascend, or let it free to descend. Pull the handle to brake.
There is no Gondola on the wire, nor is there any wheel on the cliff to operate even if there was one. How would I call it over to our side if it was at the bottom of the line? Maybe they had an operator inside when this thing was up and running. Problem is that the Gondola isn't around anymore, so this is a one-way trip of stupid stunts now.
"Whooo-hooooo!" Boon shouts using his satchel to slide down to the other side. Speaking of stupidity…
I copy his movements, throwing my own satchel over the wire and catching it with my other hand. Nervously I step on the cliff edge and look towards Boon, whom is already on the other edge waving me over. Welp, Shaka brah. I leap off the side and slide down the cable, wincing at strain of holding onto my satchel. You can do it, upper body strength! I reach the other side and trouble rears its ugly head again.
"Outlaws spotted! Move in!" Shouts a large green turtle with twin bushes on its shell. Grotle. It is flanked by a… Kiriketot and a gray and white Pokémon Boon never saw before. "Kricketot! Bide! Spewpa! Protect!" As per ordered, the gray Pokémon throws a stereotypical force field around the team and the red one begins to glow. Razor sharp leaves fling from Grotle's bushes at me, and I am forced to cover my eyes to avoid permanent blindness. I get an idea which roughly translates to:
Throw everything!
Huh? Oh right. The badges. The onslaught of leaves ends for a moment, and I can see Boon is throwing rocks at Grotle. The stones completely ignore the shield, so I grab from Boon's bag as well and throw at the gray bug. What did the turtle guy call it? Spudpup or something? With the defeat of the bug, the shield goes away and exposes the entire team to my fire.
"Back up! Back up!"Grotle orders as I Ember the living shit out of him. The flames eat away at him within moments. Out of spite I slam an Iron Thorn into Grotle's lifeless eyes. His team members try to run away, but their movements are slow and more flames engulf them as well. The team is entirely wasted moments later. We pass through a rock tunnel afterwards, encountering no resistance at first. Then there is a section of wall completely blown out, exposing the outside—where a team of plant Pokémon with bulbs growing from their backs wait across a chasm. Upon seeing Boon and I, they point their large cabbage-things at us; all eight of them.
"Bulbasaur! Set!" They call. "Solar Beam! Charged!"
"Dude. Run." Boon orders already making a break for the other side of the tunnel where the opening stops. I join him in our rush as the onslaught begins.
"FIRE!"
One after another the Bulbasaur fire beams of power out of their backs into the opening. Each shot barely misses us as we run as fast as we can with fresh memories of the bridge incident to further drive the point home that these cliffs are anything but beneficial to us. The last laser impacts the rock wall, extending the trail of black marks where we just crossed.
"You missed!" One of the Explorers shouted. "Change positions! Give Team Muncher support!" Team Muncher? At the end of the second tunnel is another opening to the cliffside, where a land bridge goes straight ahead and connects to a cliff edge. To our left is a view of a great ocean and a destroyed… bridge… Holy crap, that's the Aerodactyl bridge. To our right I see that the cliff side across the rocks has its own wood bridge where eight Bulbasaur are getting into position for another volley. But where's Muncher? "Set! Solar Beam charging!" Screw it, let's run!
There is a repeat of the tunnel dash, though this time we run across a bridge made of rock rather than through a miniature cave. Something about the idea of 'if the blast doesn't kill you, the fall will" makes the situation all the more annoying.
"Fall back and recharge!" A Bulbasaur yells when we clear the gap between cliffs. We don't get a moment to rest when the sound of something sliding along a cord emits from above. I look up to see an Exploration Team rappelling down the cliffside.
"Ack! Rope burn!" A pink lamb wails as it reflexively releases its grip prematurely. It falls on its head on the cliff side and bounces off. Ha, I didn't even have to touch that one! The rest of the Explorers land without problem, leaving a Meowth, Zangoose, and Buizel left to fight two outlaws on a very narrow space.
Buizel is shocked off without fuss by Boon while I shove an Iron Thorn into Meowth's throat. I'm unprepared for the feeling of my back bursting open from Zangoose's razor sharp claws. The blow has me kissing the wall as tears gush down my face. By the sounds it seems Boon has already dispatched the attacker, but that does nothing for the wounds. My head pounds, my vision pulses, and sound becomes muffled.
"Oh my gosh! Browley!" Boon cries in concern. "Hang on! There's an Oran berry in their bag!"
"Solar Beam charged!" The Bulbasaur squadron is back, circling our entrapment in the wall with no way out. "Last chance mother fuckers! Come quietly or come quietly!" Boon throws his hands up, admitting defeat. In this condition I'm not sure if I should be upset or not.
"This is not how this was supposed to go…" Boon mutters. "This is not how this was supposed to go. THIS IS NOT HOW THIS WAS SUPPOSED TO GO!" The Pikachu throws his arms forward, Thunder Waves a Bulbasaur, and grabs from his satchel two Blast Seeds—one for each hand. He throws them at the group, letting them explode on impact and shock the Explorers into shooting their Solar Beams uselessly into the air. Blast Seeds may not have a knockback or dismemberment, but they do hurt. It is a desperate struggle, but Boon shoots as much electricity as he can at each of the Bulbasaur, knocking five of them off the edge. Back wound or not, I can't sit here during a last stand. The flame on the tip of my new tail swells up as I summon the energy of an Ember support. I swear the flames which leave my mouth glow twice as bright as they roast the remaining members of the firing squad. At last we are cleared of enemy forces and I can feel the pain of my back intensify. True to Boon's word, inside the satchel belonging to the Zangoose corpse is a big blue berry. I assume this is the Oran thing Boon was talking about. "SUCK IT!" Boon taunts the dead Explorers as he kicks them off the edge. "You are NOT getting in my way!" Determination... I like that. "Browley? You okay? Oh shit, yeah. The berry." His tone of voice returns to that of his normal self. "You want to eat that and it'll patch you up in no time. Science class told me how but I didn't pay attention!" His recovery time is freaking amazing. One minute he's screaming and kicking ass, and the next thing I know he's laughing at his bad school habits. Where the hell did he even go to school anyways? I haven't seen one yet!
I find myself multitasking; crossing bridges, shimmying along cliffs, and eating a giant ass berry which somehow causes the cuts in my back to scab over and close up almost instantly. Magical fruit is another positive to this place. New theory: I died in Africa and this is purgatory. Can't be Heaven, I still have things trying to kill me. And it can't be Hell, I'm not on fire. Well, I'm not completely on fire. Plus I don't think Hell has smoothies. Monsters maybe, but definitely not smoothies.
The thought of monsters brings me back to Boon. He's helped out far more than I initially thought. The original idea was to follow him to town, sleep in his bed, and leave. But then I started to think that maybe having an ally would be a good thing. It was purely on a matter of survivability, but now I'm thinking this might not have been such a bad idea. The guy already saved my life multiple times and he's proven to be able to take care of himself whenever needed. Can't say the same for any of my 'friends' in Africa. They would keep sending me on stupid quests to go kill more people and blow something up. Then when I'm all done with that and trying to outrun NRG or DER reinforcements, they would call me up on that stupid phone I found and say they were in trouble and needed more help! Then they'd guilt-trip me into running all the way to where they were and killing even more people! And did they ever help me out further than that? Did they ever thank me by sparring some extra ammunition, or medical supplies, or doing me any favors? Fuck no! They wouldn't even answer my calls! And then when I'm all set for leaving that desert, what do they do? They fucking-
"Dude! Wait up!" Boon shouts. We're on another bridge when I return to the real world, and there are charred husks in front of me burnt to a completely unrecognizable shape. Not that I'd be able to know what anything was here without Boon's telepathic identification. Did I seriously kill these guys while I was distracted? Something's not right here. "Crap man, you're going to run out of PP." Boon warns. He tosses me a bottle of Max Elixir from his satchel which I gulp down. Boon keeps me stocked—that's another good thing about having him around. "You know, we're a pretty good team. I'm surprised how good you are at this Pokémon thing for being so new to it."
"Th-th-thanks." I reply. "S-some human c-concepts carry over."
"Looks like it. But man! We're like partners in crime or something! Even though the only crime we've committed is about a hundred counts of murder." Boon blinks. "That came out wrong." A hundred already? Man, that mine gig and the watering hole bumped our body count up a lot more than I thought. "Technically it's self-defense. But then again by these numbers I wonder if anyone would really believe it. And not all of them were trying to kill us. Most were fine with arrest. Even though they aren't police and this is not their island. Would that be kidnapping then?" We reach the end of the bridge where more cliff ledge action awaits us. "Oop! Not this again!" Boon says Thunder Waving up above. Two Exploration Teams are attempting to rappel down to fight us. Three of the Pokémon realize a little too late they don't have hands and uselessly fall past us, yelping and barking the whole way. Fucking amateurs. The rest are unable to hold onto the ropes due to paralysis and meet the same fate as their brethren before them. "They aren't even trying anymore. I think we're just about through with fighting them now."
As we cross yet another bridge, Boon points out that we've been at this for a while now. Hopefully this means we are closer to the end of this vertigo inducing death trap. At the end of the bridge is something I don't expect to see—a cabin resting securely on a bluff. There isn't much remarkable to note about it; just a simple log cabin overlooking the cliff sides. From its position it may be some security station, though the size and shape of the structure reminds me more of a home than workplace. It could even be a rest area, marking the halfway point between here and the end of these dangerous paths. Whatever it is, I want to check it out. There might be some valuable supplies we can grab or a Pokémon we can seek assistance from.
"C-come on. Let's r-r-rest here." I stammer.
"Sounds like a plan. We can look over everything we picked up from the Explorers too!"
I walk up to the front door, frowning at my inability to reach the windows for a view inside. The door handle is much too high for me to reach either. I try jumping but it remains tauntingly beyond my grasp. Boon positions himself below the knob and cups his hands together.
"Hop up; I'll give ya a boost!" Well thank you. I step in his hands and with a grunt of effort he pushes me onto his head. It's an unstable support but I can twist the door knob and push it slightly open. I climb down and we shove the door far enough to slip through. "Achoo!" Boon sneezes as we walk further inside. "This place is dusty!" The building looks like it hasn't been occupied in years. Light pours in from multiple skylights tiling the roof. Dust and cobwebs are freaking everywhere, most notable on the barren counter to the far left. In fact, that's the only thing left in this place. "Aw," My 'partner in crime' moans. "This is disappointing. I was expecting more than a big room. But hey, the outside looks nice!"
Suddenly the door clicks shut. I spin around to see a gray-blue weasel thing with a feather for an ear blocking the exit. And clipped to a red scarf it wears is an Exploration Team badge. It smiles. Oh shit. Glass shatters from above as more Sneasel rappel into the building.
"AMBUSH!" Boon screams diving behind the counter. I join him, spraying a Smokescreen at a Sneasel along the way. They quickly circle us, coming from all available directions. One jumps on top of the counter, and is wiped out by an Ember. Its buddies move in for the kill and we hold our ground with smoke and Thunder Waves. Our tactic gives us a second to search our bags for items. I pull out the Iron Thorns and Boon grabs his last Blast Seed. More Sneasel drop from the skylights into the cabin as the blind fall back and the paralyzed are dropped by frantic blasts of fire (blue and regular) and electricity. Boon throws his explosive into a group of blinded Sneasel, knocking them off their feet. More reinforcements pull them to safety on the other side of the cabin and take their place. Something jumps onto my back, throwing me to the floor under its weight. Just as suddenly as it came, it falls off convulsing from my ally's electricity. Boon is using a new attack now, bowling literal balls of electric force into Explorers. As visible dents appear in their bodies as blood waterfalls from their mouths, static discharges throughout their forms.
I blind and burn more and more Sneasel as they attempt to gang-bang me. Soon my blue fire stops coming and instead purple energy erupts from my eyes and mouth. Every Explorer hit by the purple beams panic and their movements become slower. I use this to buy Boon time to drink a Max Elixir until I can summon the move no more. Ember is out of juice, face-thing is out, Smokescreen is out, and all I have left is Scratch and my thorns.
"Support!" An Explorer shouts. "We need support!" My arm wraps around his neck and a thorn is shoved into his chest.
The two windows in the front shatter as different Pokémon hop into the fight. "Those are Weavile! Watch it!" A trio of Pikachu in the room's center with Boon's voice cautions. Wait, what? I put that to the side in my mind for the moment and focus on throwing the Iron Thorns at the new targets as the last Sneasel gets its head smashed in by an electric bowling ball.
Cock your wrist…
-flipping movement…
-stroke your spike on release…
The first thorn goes through a Weavile's shoulder. The second one goes through its neck. That's one down. I switch to another Weavile slicing through the Boons, turning each one to dust upon impact until there's only one left to attack. A thorn penetrates its leg, sending it tumbling to the floor. Boon's cheeks spark and he slams his face into the Explorer, causing it twitch for a moment and then cease movement. He then throws himself into another Weavile and repeats the action. There is an Explorer sneaking up on him from behind, so I repay his earlier save by throwing a thorn into the attacker's face. This time I hit below an eye. Then I'm thrown into a wall. There are at least three of them on top of me. One grabs the back of my head and slams it against the wall. Tinnitus strikes; my hearing is overcome with constant ringing. The Weavile holding me goes limp and its followers turn around. Boon is surrounded by the bodies of many fallen Exploration Teams. His fur is ruffled and stained pink; his cheeks are dripping water.
Free from their hold, I swing my last thorn into a Weavile's throat and kick the other in the shin. My tail's fire flares and the strange feeling of replenished PP washes over me, though not as strong as a Max Elixir's. I summon the energy, and fire forms within my mouth. When I attempt to spray it at Weavile, it remains stubbornly within my maw. I shrug and sink my fangs into the Explorer's side. It is then the fire travels up the rest of the body and cooks the final enemy combatant. The fire dissipates at that point, leaving Boon and I to bathe in the aftermath of the ambush.
The Pikachu sinks to the floor and I slump against the wall. This was like, our third bloodbath. Nowhere near as bad as in the tunnels or when rescuing that chipmunk with the cap, but rough nonetheless.
"Wow. That was a monster house! Literally!" Boon exclaims. "I almost can't believe we survived that one!" Yeah, I walked right into this trap. Boon takes notice of the Pokémon with shattered bones lying everywhere. "Jeez, these new attacks we're getting are becoming brutal. And I still never found out what that one with my ears did… Oh well. Not important." He winces as more juice leaks from his cheeks, reaching up a hand to touch them and immediately recoiling. "Think I may have overdid it a bit. When we clear these canyons I need to take another rest. And eat an Oran Berry. Did these guys have any with them?" Nobody but us carried any satchels during this fight. Shit, we're going to have to see what we nabbed from Explorers on the cliffs. Boon sighs and pulls himself to the countertop, where he empties his satchel and searches through its contents. I don't bother moving and check my bag from where I sit.
I didn't pick up anything more than a couple of Orbs, which Boon identifies as Cleanse Orbs. Basically, it's a bath in a glass ball. We use them to wash the gunk away; I stare in awe as everything unsanitary from dirt to blood just slides right off and disintegrates. So that's how I keep clean without risking my tail flame. Fucking awesome.
"I don't see anything useful in my pile either." Boon says. "Just a Rainy and Luminous Orb." I frown. "Rainy Orbs make it rain in a spot. Why would we want those?" Sounds like a useless Orb to me. Guess they can't all be winners. "Man, this room could use a Cleanse Orb. Or just tearing down." Boon packs his satchel back up and I follow his example. "Come on, let's get a move on. The smell here is giving me a headache." Likewise.
Boon boosts me to the windowsill and I help him climb up. Then we lower ourselves down to the outside and recheck our direction. The Pikachu points at a long wooden bridge.
"We came from there." He then points to a short natural bridge leading to a tunnel in the cliffside. "So we need to go that way?" Sounds good to me. Our hiking goes without a hitch. We cross the bridge, enter the tunnel, and find a straightforward path into a spacious chamber. There is a large sign up ahead reading in standard English print (yes!):
Poliwrath Cenote straight ahead!
Come rest up on your way to Conkeldurr Temple! Or take a daring leap of faith into the water below town!
"Sounds quite riveting, eh?" A voice asks from behind, causing Boon to yelp and send a static discharge into the closet available target; AKA me. He promptly apologizes and focuses on who snuck up behind us. The source of the voice is a giant rock face with a red nose and bushy moustache. Boon sends me a telepathic shrug of confusion. "My apologies, good sirs. Allow me to introduce myself. Professor Probopass at your service."
"Hi! I'm Boon! My friend here's Browley!" Uh… I'm not entirely sure if we should keep our guards up or not. Then again Boon does have a habit of yelling my name during battles. As long as we kill everyone in the area, it's fine I guess.
"Pleased to make your acquaintance." Probopass replies. "Now fellows, don't find me odd, but I have been following you since you've crossed that first bridge." Then you should know that is a very bad idea. "You see, at first sight I noticed something peculiar about you, Browley." Oh boy. "More specifically, your eyes, my dear boy. Have you heard of the Thousand Yard Stare?" I nod. "Simply put, you have it."
"What's the Thousand Yard Stare?" Boon asks.
"It m-means I s-s-stare at nothing a lot." I answer.
"Ha! Yeah, you do that all the freaking time! I didn't know there was a name for that though! Yep, maybe that has something to do with what Simisage was talking about." Don't want to hear it.
The giant nose and moustache blinks. "Indeed. At first glance I held my suspicions that at least one of you was far more capable of what one would expect. I was flabbergasted to find the abilities both of you held." Thank you? "In all my years, I have seldom seen Pokémon with the capacity to… adapt to survive all odds." The nose hovered closer, and its eyes squinted in seriousness. "Which is why I have come to you. There is a duo of Pokémon with abilities not unlike yourselves on these islands. They were captured last night by Exploration Teams and are currently being held captive in armored wagons heading to an Explorer-controlled port. They plan to deport the lads to another country and lock them up until the end of days! This is where the two of you are needed."
Woah. Hold up. Does he want us to go on a prison rescue? Why the hell would I want to do that? Protopass checks his surroundings; possibly to ensure nobody is listening in. "These two prisoners as I said are exceptionally skilled despite appearances. If you intend to maintain these hostilities with the Explorers, simple two-mon crews have a limit. This capture is evidence enough. You can increase that limit if you free these Pokémon. Surely gentlemen of your class have some sort of goals in life?" That's right. "Four minds are better than two." I guess I see your point. I've had a few more close calls here than I'd like, and with some of the funky tools this island has, it might be smart to get all the help I can. Besides, more allies means more work I can get done at one time. And more productivity means more progress. And more progress means speedier escape and faster humanity.
Probopass floats a few 'steps' back and turns around. There is heavy snorting, and when he faces us again there is a rolled up paper sticking out of his moustache. "If you're interested." Boon hesitantly pulls out the paper and opens it up for me. There is a map printed with various sketches and notes scrawled across the sheet. Probopass floats by a hole in the wall with a stairway. "The entrance to the area mapped is up here. That blocked passageway which forced you through these canyons would have been another entrance, but that side sealed after the transports slipped through."
"I knew it!" Boon shouts. "…Sorry." The Pikachu looks at me skeptically. "So what do you want to do? Help out or move on?" I study the paper very carefully, noting the mugshots of the prisoners we are supposed to rescue. The paper identifies them as an Oshawott named Cracka and an Axew named Tyrone… We're being compared to these two? Probopass did say they are extremely skilled despite appearances, and Boon doesn't make me shiver in my theoretical boots either. There are going to be four armored wagons with roughly twelve Sableye guards defending them. Reinforcements may be called by the guards if they shoot a 'Will-O-Wisp' flare into the air. If that happens then expect aerial drops and assaults within three minutes. Breaching the armored wagons can be done easily enough by stealing the keys in the wagons' front. Apparently the wagons are supposed to be stopped under some trees until nightfall, that way they can move without the sun beating down on them. We're already getting close to that point, so if we are to strike we need to strike ASAP. That's not sounding too good. The plan was to get some rest and eat Oran Berries.
"One more thing!" Probopass pipes up. "These are for you after a long day's work." There are two blue berries in front of the rock face, as well as two Max Elixirs. Boon gleefully scoops up everything.
"Perfect! These are just what we needed!" Well, that solves the medical problem and gives us more PP to do this. Do we really need to rest right now? I take a bite of my Oran Berry, savoring its juices as my cuts close and my body rejuvenates. Nah, I feel fine. What about- "I'm ready to help!" Boon exclaims. Alright then. We'll rescue these two prisoners and then go to town.
"Marvelous!" Probopass cheers at the response. "Simply marvelous! You two won't regret this decision!" At that Probopass floats off towards Poliwrath Cenote. Very well. So we're doing a job without monetary pay. But some helping hands doesn't sound too bad either.
We go to the stairs and start climbing. And climbing. And climbing. Jesus Christ, how many of these things are there!? I stop for a breather and look up to see how much distance I lack. I'd give it about another hundred steps. Maybe. Boon pushes past and trots up the stairs without problem.
"Try going on four legs!" He suggests. "The climb is more natural and tires you out less! Charmander bodies can go quadrupled fine!" I sigh. I don't really want to walk like an animal, but if it gets me through these stairs faster than I can do it this once. I lean over and start climbing using all four limbs. Normally as a human it'd be awkward due to the skeletal structure being built differently, but as a Charmander my legs can just bend that way without throwing my ass in the air. The unexpected position though causes me some nausea. I guess my brain is just having a hard time accepting the new degree of motion I have after so many years of not being able to do this.
We exit out of a rock wall into a dirt path surrounded by jungle. I switch back to a bipedal stance once we reach the top of the stairs. The path snakes to a downward slope which leads to a grassy plain with a few trees dotted about. Underneath one such tree are four 'Oregon Trail' styled wagons with steel plating. Their canvases are missing, replaced instead by large steel crates with doors on the back sealed shut. Twelve purple figures with jeweled eyes dutifully patrol around the caravan, matching the sketches in the paper. The sun is more than halfway below the horizon and the sky is darkening from its haze of orange, signaling our shortage of time before these transports begin moving. I take a few steps back and wave Boon over.
"M-m-map." I whisper. He pulls out the map Probopass gave us and unrolls it on the ground. Twelve guards. Four transports. Two Prisoners. Reinforcements possible. That actually sounds off. There are two prisoners and four transports. Isn't that pointless? This means that either two or three of the transports are red herrings and contain nothing, or that there are more prisoners being held than the ones we are looking for. I've got three general ideas for how this is to go.
Idea A is to somehow get to the transports without being spotted, steal the keys for each one, open every lock until we find the objectives, and then sneak all the way back here to escape.
Idea B is to rush in, kill all the guards before reinforcements can be called, and then steal the keys and open the locks.
Idea C is similar to B, only we'll have to fight off reinforcements while freeing the prisoners and then somehow escape.
…And how did these guys move the wagons in the first place? I don't see any means of locomotion. Unless-oh! I get it! Either the guards or some other Pokémon pull the wagons! Maybe a transport has the workers resting inside right now? Or maybe there really are more prisoners and they take turns pulling the wagons. Nah, seems a bit too hard to control the latter. Somebody has to pull the carts. I know that. If there are more Pokémon they have doing that whom aren't prisoners, then technically we have more than twelve guards to worry about. But what if the workers are lobotomized vegetables? A mindless horse here would be like a regular horse in most places. Only with super powers. But would Explorers really do that?
Maybe. And there's our escape—provided that's the case. I never rode a horse before though… meh, I can learn along the way.
"You ready?" Boon whispers. I nod. Time to break some prisoners free. "What's the plan?" I need to decide on one first, then I'll send it over telepathically. Now what do I want to do…? I drum my fingers, using my other hand to trace the guards' paths written on the paper. Screw it. I'll work with all of them. Boon receives the plan, and we decide to immediately take action. This means we run at the caravan full force, hoping we can reach cover before anyone sees us. When we get within a good fifteen feet the sun finishes its decent and the sky turns black. Now the only light comes from the moon, the stars, and oh-shit-my-fucking-tail-is-its-own-flare.
"Huh? It's the outlaws! Protect the wagons!" A Sableye shouts noticing us right away. The one furthest away becomes surrounded by purple fireballs, which it then launches into the sky where they each explode. Fucking fuck! That's the alert! Reinforcements are incoming!
"Well that didn't work!" Boon comments sliding along the ground to an armored transport. I repeat his action with a different wagon, and the entire security force does the same.
"Wagons! Now!" A guard orders. All twelve Sableye become surrounded in force fields as Boon messages me that he's grabbed a key from his transport. The guard whom ordered the shields points at me. "Team two! ATC! Team three! ATP!" I have no idea what these guys are saying! I need one of their badges! One group of four heads straight for Boon while another group comes after me. With those Protect shields up we can't do a thing! Or can we? I message Boon to use his rocks as I climb on top of my wagon's front. Sure enough there is a little key lying in a leather seat, which I scoop up and hang onto. A shitload of purple fireballs fly in my direction, forcing me to drop to my stomach to avoid the attack. As soon as I do so, four Sableye still shielded hop onto the wagon and brandish their glowing claws.
"Rocks are still going through!" A guard in the team going after Boon shouts. The Pikachu is backpedalling and lobbing stones with all his might, clunking the guards in their heads and keeping them at bay. Fortunately the force fields dissipate at that moment, leaving me able to spray Smokescreen at the Sableye about to claw me to pieces and hop off the wagon.
"My turn!" Boon taunts shooting electricity at the Sableye. Thanks to the rocks, that team is eliminated very quickly. Two groups left; time is ticking. With four Pokémon already killed, the team not blinded throws up another Protect and heads for the Pikachu opening one of the wagons. I turn around and Ember all of the Sableye still affected by my smoke, re-blinding those whom regain vision when they do so. I then run to the back of the wagon and put the key in the lock. Turn it. Open the door.
"Sh-shit." I swear. Damn thing's empty! Boon is busy hopping around the camp cradling three keys. He is followed by four pissed off Sableye with flickering force fields.
"Catch!" He shouts as he throws one to me. I grab hold of it and run to the next wagon. Put in the key, turn it, open door. I sigh. There's a load of Max Elixirs, but no prisoners.
"Gah! Fall back!" A guard yells no longer protected by his shield. I run up behind the team and chomp with heated fangs as Boon throws balls of electricity at the others. They fall with our combined efforts. Boon taps his knuckles together and hops between each foot.
"Okay okay okay." He says anxiously. "Don't have much time left. Let's get moving!" His ears spring in alarm and he points to the sky. "Shit! They're here!" I follow his finger and see the silhouette of a large Pokémon flying this way. "Hurry hurry!" He flips a key to me and we run to the last two transports. I can't put in the key. It just doesn't fit. "CRAP!" Boon yells. "Throw me yours!" Boon's key comes sailing through the air and lands at my feet. I throw mine to him. Alright, maybe this time. I put the key in the lock, turn it, and open the door.
"Who the fuck are you supposed to be?" A green Pokémon asks me. Awesome! I found Tyrone the Axew!
"I got Cracka!" Boon shouts from his wagon.
"Bitch, no mofo calls my homie 'Cracka' but me!" Tyrone warns climbing out the back. "Talkin' to you too, Charmander." Oh no. This is one of those 'OG Gangstas'. What have I done? A white and sky blue otter creature holding a shell walks up to us, followed by Boon with four Max Elixirs probably stolen from that one transport. I assume this is Cracka the Oshawott? They both match the drawings.
"Hey. Don't be like that, T." Cracka says. He's got a really soft spoken English accent to him—a far cry from his friend. "Ehem. I'm sorry about Tyrone. He doesn't always think before talking." Tyrone snatches a Max Elixir from Boon and pops the cap with a tusk.
"Well think about 'dis." He counters. "There is a Flygon landing twenty feet away dropping off an Exploration Team."
"Oh blimey." Cracka replies noticing the Axew is right.
Oh look, it's still going. You guys ready for my lame excuses? Too bad, I'm telling them anyways.
I've had lots of school and finals and applying for colleges and the SAT and then Christmas Break where my brother visited and blocked access to a computer most of the time. So I really couldn't do much work. I think I pulled two pieces of fan art out of my butt for some people I really look up to, and even those had delays. Actually, there was supposed to be a third, but I couldn't even find the time to finish that. I've been forced to sit around on my phone frowning at mistakes in earlier chapters and bug other people. Luckily, I got my own personal laptop for Christmas! So that means I can continue typing this story and posting it when I otherwise would be unable to. This also means more frequent updates. Yay! I guess the delay hasn't been for nothing either. Each time I've had something preventing me from writing, it has given me a chance to do more work behind the scenes. It may not look like it, but the story has really changed from what it was going to be when I started. So after two months in development (well, truthfully two months of delay and about a week of development, unless you count behind the scenes stuff), hopefully it would have been worth the wait.
See what I just did?