Last time, on Explorers of Prehistory...
Tyberius, having been captured by the Shadowed One, manages to escape via Teleport after a lengthy torture session. However, at what cost was his escape made? Meanwhile, Bessie and Bonehead made it to the long awaited mainland, where they were found by Kala the Ralts and her father, a Mismagius doctor named Duro. It didn't take long for Bessie to realize that her mother could have possibly drowned in the seas, all alone, and the Buneary is now gripped by grief.
What will happen next? Find out now!
And today's special thanks go to csigamer1990 and MeguMego3.0! Thanks a ton, and sorry it took me so long!
"...Is she awake yet?"
"No, of course not! Her eyes are still closed!"
"Well, maybe she's awake, but she has her eyes closed!"
"Well, maybe you're just stupid!"
"Um... Guys... Calm down, please."
"I can't help it if she's stupid!"
"Well I can't help it if he's a jerk!"
"Guys... Come on..."
Lily felt her eyes twitch. Her tail bristled. The electric squirrels' eyes opened.
She was in a wooden room, lit by a a few candles. She could faintly see Pokemon from the corner of her eye: a small pack of wet and unhappy looking Growlithe, a small family of Spinarak and Ariados, and, much to her relief, the out cold form of Violet the Meowth.
In front of her was an odd sight. A Purrloin and a Deino were fighting each other, the Deino chomping on the cat's head while she scratched at his... uh, eyes?
Lily groaned as she stood up, stretching her body. Her mind was in a bluff. She struggled to remember what had happened.
It hit her in a flash.
Tiny Island.
Sinking.
Death, mayhem and chaos.
Lily shivered. She survived. Against all odds, she had survived.
Her eyes widened. Her home was gone. Aero, Cotton, even Venom... All gone. Unless Arceus decided to invoke some semi-divine intervention and whisk them away.
Lily had only known those strange Pokemon for a short time, and yet her heart mourned their passing. They had been through a good deal in a short amount of time. She even considered Aero and Cotton to be friends... And Venom was... eh... well, he was Venom.
Lily was so wrapped up in her mourning heart, that she didn't notice the Purrloin sailing towards her until SMACK! the cat smashed into her, flung by the Deino into her. The two Pokemon hit the ground with a grunt.
"Ooh," said the Purrloin. "Sorry." She swiftly launched herself back at the Deino. "Get over here you mangy...!" she snarled.
"Uh..." the Lilligant stuttered. "Guys... Stop fighting... Please..."
"Stupid ball of fluff!" snapped the Deino.
"Kurami..." the Lilligant peeped. "Taylor?"
"Stop... Biting... Ugly!" snarled the Purrloin, Kurami, angrily at Taylor, the Deino.
Lily got fed up. She was feeling very bad tempered and emotional due to losing her home and many people she knew growing up. "SHUT UP!" she shrieked, unleashing a surge of electricity, shocking both Pokemon with a Thunder attack.
Kurami and Taylor fell to the ground, lightning coursing over them. The Lilligant gasped, surprised. "Oh my!" she said, dumbfounded.
"Stop it!" snapped Lily. "Can't you morons see that your bickering is just making things worse!"
Kurami opened her eye, wincing in pain. "Why you...!" she growled through gritted fangs.
"She's right," said a voice. "That is enough."
The voice was calm, feminine, and serene. But it was a voice of command, a voice of authority that expected to be obeyed at once.
Kurami and Taylor leaped to their feet, surprised, and struck a pair of salutes with their paws in the direction of the voice. The Lilligant stumbled beside her teammates, joining their salute.
Standing in the doorway was a Gardevoir, tall and elegant, with dark red eyes and pale green and white skin. She wore a dark blue scarf around her neck with an explorers badge glimmering in the torch light.
It took Lily a few seconds to realize who it was, but when she did, she was awestruck. Sylvia the Gardevoir - leader of the Gardevoir Guild, and explorer first class. Victor of over a thousand succesful explorations.
Lily found herself saluting as well, as did the amazed Violet. Neither said a word.
Sylvia walked over to the three explorers, eying them unhappily. "Kurami. Taylor," she said. "We are in the wake of a massive natural disaster. Hundreds of innocents have lost their lives. This is not the time for your petty rivalry. If you do not cease this idiocy, I will put you on watch duty for the next three months. Do I make myself clear?" she asked, with a tone of finality.
"Yes sir!" Kurami and Taylor said, sweating nervously. Watch duty was perhaps the most boring of all guild duties. You sat in the guard box all day, sitting there and waiting for someone who liked suspicious to come along - which never happened.
Sylvia cast a look at the Lilligant. "Lorelei," she said, "you too are responsible for maintaining the dignity of your team. If you cannot do that than I suggest you find another line of work."
Lorelei nodded sadly. "Yes sir..." she said, sadly, her petals wilting slightly.
Sylvia gave a nod, looking now to the very nervous Violet and Lily, who were still saluting. "At ease," she said, accepting their salutes. She turned to address all of the survivors. "I'm very sorry for your loss..." she said, slowly. "As some of you may be aware, natural disasters are beginning to spread throughout the world. The Gardevoir Guild is using all of its resources to investigate."
No one answered. The Growlithe shivered in the corner, and the Ariados watched wordlessly, one of the females cradling a young Spinarak as she watched the guildmaster intently.
Sylvia smiled, sadly, lowering her head. "But I'm sure that that doesn't mean much to you. You've just lost your homes. Families. Friends. Loved ones. And my words won't be able to heal that. I'm sorry." She gave a quick bow. "If you need anything, ask Team Awesomeness over here." She gave said team a hard look, particularlly at Taylor and Kurami. "They will help you without anything you need, if they can."
Team Awesomeness nodded, saluting to Sylvia. "We'll help!" said Kurami, more to appease her guildmaster than the nervous and scared refugees.
"Good," said Sylvia. "I'll be in the captain's quarters, waiting for our scouts to return with news."
With that, and another elegent bow, the Gardevoir departed.
The room became silent with her leave. The Ariados stayed in their corner, quietly praying and crying. The Growlithe shuddered unhappily, hearing the rain and the waves pounding the boat making them feel even more miserable.
Team Awesomness stayed mostly quiet, thankfully. They meandered about in the corners, quietly. Lorelei, the Lilligant, still looked very unhappy with the scolding she had recieved.
But Lily didn't notice any of this. Her mind was too focused on on the fact that she had just seen a hero.
Sylvia, leader of the Gardevoir Guild, legendary hero and fighter for justice. She was looking into the natural disasters. She'd find the answer and save the world.
Lily sighed sadly.
She felt a paw tap her shoulder. She turned to see Violet, who looked horrible. Her fur was a mess, and she reeked of saltwater.
The two friends stared for a time, before embracing, tears rolling down their eyes. They were both sad and happy - sad that their other friends and their home were gone, but happy that they still had each other. Their bodies shook in silent sobs as they hugged. Finally, they seperated, staing into each other's eyes.
"What are we gonna do?" Violet asked, sadly.
Lily looked to the door of the room, down the passage that Sylvia had gone down.
A determined look crossed the Pachirisu's face. "We find out what's going on - and stop it."
Without another word, she marched down the passageway, leaving a confused Violet behind.
Lily had come to three conclusions. One, the world was going to the pit. Two, she wanted to stop it. Three, in order to do so, she needed to join up with the Gardevoir Guild.
The question was: how?
Lily was young, small, and not particularly strong. She was fast, and smart, but that was about it. Would she really be helpful to the guild. And did she really have the courage to go against the natural disasters?
Lily shook her head, angrily. A determined look was plastered on her face. She couldn't give up. She had to try, she had to at the very least try.
She found her way to the captain's quarters. She raised her hand to knock, but hesitated. Sylvia was waiting for scouts to return with news of survivors. Should she really bother her now? Was a desire to join her guild really worth bothering the guildmaster for? She had much more important things to be thinking about. Lily sighed. She couldn't waste the guildmaster's precious time.
Just as she was about to go back to the room with the other refugees, she heard a voice. "If you need something, come in."
Lily nearly jumped out of her skin. "How...?" she began. "Oh... Right. Psychic-Type."
"Come in," Sylvia's voice repeated.
Lily opened the door slowly, so she didn't seem disrespectful. Guildmaster Sylvia was waiting inside, sitting on a small wooden chair by a table with a large map spread across it.
"Come in," Sylvia ordered, not looking up from the map. She marked off a spot in red ink. "There is something you want, yes?" she asked, looking up at Lily.
Lily stuttered, unsure of what to say, how to say it, and whether she should say it or not. Her doubts reappeared, and she felt very, very nervous.
"Well?" asked Sylvia.
Lily stuttered over her words clumsily. "Er... I came... What I mean is..."
Sylvia raised an eyebrow.
Lily felt a sort of dread well up inside. She didn't want to waste Sylvia's precious time - and she knew that this stuttering made her look like an idiot. Sometimes that was the effect a hero could have on you.
Finally, she said it. "I want to join the Gardevoir Guild!" she declared.
"Do you?" Sylvia asked.
The question caught Lily off guard. She just came in and said she wanted to join, didn't she?
"Do you really want to join?" Sylvia asked again. "You know, over one hundred Pokemon arrive at the guild every year - all seeking training. Only about five of them stay. That's only five percent." She stood up and walked towards Lily. "The other ninety five percent end up qutting due to the difficulty of training. Many of them never even pass the entrance exam." She looked down at the Pachirisu. "So," she said, holding out her hand. "Do you honestly think you have what it takes?"
It wasn't an insult, or a snide remark - it was an honest question. Sylvia honestly wanted her opinion.
A determined look crossed Lily's face. She took the Guildmaster's hand, and shook it. "I do!" she declared.
Sylvia smiled. "Then the moment we get back to the mainland, you can take the entrance exam - don't dissapoint me."
Lily managed a brave smile. "I won't!" she promised.
Breaker hadn't said a word since they lost Chris.
Not one single word.
The Tyranitar, once filled with roguish charm and a lust for adventure was now silent. He was quiet, distant, and could barely even eat.
Chris was gone.
Chris, the Blastoise who had saved them all, the one who never gave up, always trying to be optimistic, always going to the extra mile to help out, was gone.
And it was killing him.
Breaker had never lost a client - never lost a friend. He had failed. He had been the one holding the rope. He had let it slip, and let Chirs get washed away. And now, they were sailing away from the spot Chris had vanished at, heading off.
Breaker gritted his teeth as he sipped his bitter tea. It was all that he had ingested in the past twelve hours. He couldn't eat, sleep, or even speak.
The kids were taking it worse than he was. Faye and Ghost were down below, crying their eyes out. Nicholas, Trinity and Shadow had been somber and quiet. (Quieter in the case of Shadow.) Iron hadn't left the helm except to grab a small bite to eat. Blade was sitting alone, meditating and speaking in words that no one else quiet understood. The new Lopunny who was actually a woman, Laura, was worse off. She hadn't stopped crying since they left the storm. She was absolutely broken over her daughter Bessie's death. She wouldn't stop screaming about how she was all alone in the world and how miserable and cruel fate was.
Nicholas sighed as he opened his eyes. The room inside the ship felt cold and dismal, despite the fair skies and warm weather than had blessed their miserable day. He felt hurt and alone inside. Chris had been a great friend to him, and to them all. The thought of him being gone was almost too much to bear.
A wooden cup containing oran berry juice was shoved into his face.
"Heya," Trinity said. The Farfetch'd was holding two cups of juice in her wings, one for her and one for Nicholas. "Ya thirsty?" she asked.
"Thank you," Nicholas said, taking the drink and sipping it. He hadn't noticed how dry his throat was until he actually had a drink.
"Kinda quiet around here..." Trinity sighed.
"Yeah..." Nicholas said. "It is."
"...Thinking about Chris?" Trinity asked.
"How could I not?" Nicholas replied.
Trinity closed her eyes. "I... I barely ever talked to him," she admitted. "But... He was a great guy, and I'm gonna miss him... A lot..."
"Me too..." Nicholas said.
"So..." Trinity said. "We'll be at the mainland in a few days... What are you planning on doing?"
"...First thing I do is go to Dragonite City and join the Gardevoir Guild," Nicholas said.
Trinity blinked, surprised. "You serious?" she asked.
"Dead serious," Nicholas said. "I've had three islands sink under my feet already. If the guild is investigating that, I want in. I need to help find the answers, for everyone who has died because of those sinkings."
Trinity stared for a second. "Never thought you'd have it in ya, pretty boy," she said. "Well, my forge is in Dragonite City. When you join the guild, and if you need anything metallic, I'm your gal, you got it?"
Nicholas managed a smile. "I got it," he promised.
Trinity managed to smile too. "Good," she said. "We all need to stay focused and positive." She looked over to Laura, who was sitting in the back corner of the room. "Especially her," the Farfetch'd said. "Why don't you go and... talk to her?"
"Why...?" Nicholas said, before pausing and sighing. "Same species, right." He stood up. "I'll give it a try..."
He walked over to Laura, grabbing another cup of juice on the way, passing the still meditating Blade. Faye and Ghost were in the captain's quarters, alone and sobbing, while Shadow was off by himself again.
Nicholas held the cup to the female Lopunny's face. "Laura, was it?" he asked. "Are you thirsty?"
"I'm fine," Laura replied, harshly.
"Doesn't look that way," Nicholas said.
"I'd be better if you weren't here," Laura snapped. "You... You ruffian! How dare you kiss me!"
"It's called mouth to mouth," Nicholas tried to explain.
"I don't care what it's called these days! I am a lady, and I will not be kissed if I don't want to!" snapped Laura.
Nicholas placed the cups down and raised his hands. "Alright, fine..." he said. He walked back over to Trinity and shrugged. "I tried."
"I noticed..." Trinity said, drily.
The door swung open. Iron walked in, a depressed look written over his shark-like face.
"'Ey," said Trinity. "How you feelin'?"
Iron grabbed a chair and sat down. "Fine, I guess..."
"Weren't you steering?" asked Nicholas.
"Breaker's got it," said the glum Garchomp as he scooped the pitcher off the table and poured himself a drink. "We'll be hittin' shore before to long."
"Shore?" asked Trinity. "We can't be that close to the mainland!"
"I know," said Iron. "We're makin' a stop at Moor Island."
It was a good thing no one had been drinking. Someone would've choked.
"Moor?" asked Nicholas, shocked. "We're going to More?"
"As in, Moor, the wretched hide of scum and villainy?" asked Trinity.
"Yah, that Moor," said Iron.
"You cannot be serious!" This time, it was Laura who spoke. "This ship is carrying children! Innocent, tiny children, who need good role models! And you're taking them to that pit!" She sniffed. "It's a miracle that they behave as well as they do, given their current company!" She gave a glare to Nicholas.
Nicholas rolled his eyes in response, not even willing to argue.
"Like it or not," Iron said with a sigh, "we're stopping. Just... Just all of you stay on the ship."
"No need to ask me twice!" Trinity said, sitting down.
Laura stood up. "I'm leaving," she announced.
Iron gave the Lopunny a cynical look. "You're what?" he asked.
"I'm am going to find a ship - I'll hire one, I'll buy one, I don't care - and I am going back to Tiny Island."
Iron groaned. "There's nothing there, ma'am," he said. "You'd be wasting time."
"What I chose to do it my own business!" snapped Laura venomously. "I am going to search for my daughter, and you will not stop me!" She shoved past Iron and through the door to the upper decks.
Iron sighed. He was about to go after her, when he felt a hand - or rather, a blade - on his shoulder.
"Leave her be," said Blade, who had finally gotten up from his meditative position. "She needs to deal with her loss - we all do."
Iron sighed, before nodding. "I know..." he said. "But..."
Blade nodded. "I miss him too," he admitted. "But don't worry. I've just finished my meditations and prayers. I prayed for his passage to paradise to be swift, and his afterlife to be filled with joy."
Iron nodded. Blade was quite religious, as you can see. Still, the thought of Chris really being gone bothered him. He sighed. It couldn't be helped. Part of life is losing the people you love, after all.
"Alright," Iron said. "We're about to hit shore soon. I'm gonna send out our message, and then head back to the ship. Trust me, we do not want to spend a lot of time here," he told Trinity and Nicholas.
"That goes without saying," Nicholas said.
Iron nodded, turning away. "Let's get it over with then... and keep an eye on the kids. They need to be with their friends right now."
Trinity nodded, solemn. "We all do."
Moor Island stood out of the sea like a jagged, hideous scar. The island was obsidian black, completely unappealing to anyone who was looking for a nice spot to picnic or vacation. Even the beaches were nothing but large, hard stones, covered in kelp and slime. There was only one dock on the island, and it wasn't very big for good reason. No one came to Moor unless they were hiding from the law or they were stopping for supplies - usually unfairly overpriced stolen supplies. The town consisted of several buildings and warehouses jutting out of the ground, built in an ugly mish-mash of bricks of all shapes and sizes. Smoke endlessly seemed to pour into the air from the clubs, the only buildings in the city to have lights. Strange music could be heard echoing from these clubs, and many a devious act was committed inside, whatever perverted pleasure you could desire at your disposal and whim - for the right price.
Shadow made a sour face as the island came into view. Even a loner like him knew all about Moor. He never thought he'd end up here.
He heard the door from below the deck slam shut. "Stupid... Inconsiderate..." he heard a female voice mutter. Shadow didn't need to turn to recognize the emotionally unstable Lopunny as she burst out of the deck, grumbling to herself.
She leaned against the railing next to Shadow, growling to herself as she eyed the approaching shore. "Could this take any longer."
Impatience merely makes the wait feel longer, thought Shadow. He didn't say it out loud.
The air was deathly silent for some time. Eventually, Iron came up from below the deck, and walked over to the wheel, getting ready to bring the ship into port. Breaker walked out from his cabin and began to meander around quietly. Nicholas, Trinity, and the kids stayed below, along with Blade.
Shadow looked out of the corner of his eye. The Lopunny was staring into the distance, her eyes foggy and sad. He sighed. He really didn't want to play counsellor. It hadn't worked well with Nicholas - he had heard the screaming from above the room. He couldn't really think of anything to say, but, it ended up coming out anyway.
"Please accept my condolences of your sudden and tragic loss."
Laura barely gave the Umbreon a look. "Thank you. That means a lot to me."
Shadow wasn't sure if he could detect any sarcasm underneath all of that lifelessness in her voice. He decided to speak again. "Your daughter meant much to you."
"She was all I really lived for..." Laura admitted, sadly. "She was the only thing I had that really mattered, her and her cute little friend. I wish... I just wish that I hadn't been so hard on her..." She gave Shadow a look, a little anger in her eyes. "What do you know about it? !"
Shadow shrugged. "Not much. I haven't dealt with personal loss since my mother died."
Laura blinked. "I... I'm so..."
Shadow looked indifferent. "She died giving birth to me. I never really knew her. I only felt the loss because my father would always remind of that. That she died giving birth to me." He paused. Why on earth was he giving this female so much information about his personal life?
"I'm sorry," Laura said, finally. "He shouldn't have done that."
"I've gotten over it," Shadow said. "That's part of grief. Getting over it. You'll always remember, but the pain will die away in time."
"But it will never be gone..." Laura said faintly.
The boat came a stop. Blade came from the deck below, heeded by a call from Iron, and two tied the rope to the pitch black dock, and laid down the gangplank, leading down to the cursed island.
Laura began to walk down to the gangplank.
"You're still going?"
The Lopunny turned back to Shadow, standing alone behind her, his yellow eyes staring at her. "I am," she said.
"It's quite likely that she died," said Shadow.
"I know," Laura said.
"And you're going anyway?"
Laura turned to face the Umbreon. "If... If there was a chance you could get your mother back... Just one... Wouldn't you take it?" she demanded.
Shadow stared for what felt like an eternity. Finally, he spoke. "I would, I suppose."
The Umbreon began to walk down the gangplank.
"Hey!" Iron shouted. "Shadow! Where you goin'?"
"I'm going to escort Ms. Laura to a place she can hire a crew," Shadow answered plainly.
Blade stared for a second. "Are you certain?" he asked.
"I'll be fine," Shadow said, calmly.
"Alright," Iron said. "But be careful! All sorts of scum live here!"
"I've noticed," Shadow said, reaching Laura.
"You don't have to come with me," Laura said. "And I can't pay you."
"I know," Shadow said. "I don't fight for money."
"Then why do you fight?"
"Because sometimes... Fighting is the only way to ensure peace."
The Lopunny and Umbreon, allied together, took their first steps on Moor.
"This place is revolting."
"Hmm."
Shadow and Laura walked through the filthy streets of Moor, both disgusted.
The ground with covered in filth and mold that even Grimer would have trouble eating. The sky was filled with a foul smog. Every club they past made them feel uncomfortable, each one with a painting of some female Pokemon of an egg group painted in some seductive pose. Naturally, most of the paintings were of Lopunny, Gardevoir or Gothitele, but there were a few obscure ones; one club called the Honey Pot had a painting of a Vespiquen giving a cute wink to passerbys, in a pose that would be arrousing for a Bug Type, supposedly.
However, if there was one thing that Laura and Shadow were both grateful for, it was that no one was paying any attention to them. Everyone on the streets simply ignored them... Except for one.
A single Scyther stood in a dark alley, a scar running down his face, and dressed in a dark cloak, watching the two silently. In one of his blades, he held a piece of paper - a wanted poster.
The Scyther looked at the poster, then at the two Pokemon. Placing the poster back into his cloak, he wordlessly began to follow.
Author's Note:
I'm baaaaaaaaaaaaaack. Even though I never really leeeeeeeeeeft.
Hi... Whoever still reads this. A lot has happened since I've seen you last (well, some of you.) I went to Gettysburg, I became a brony, my dog died, and I'm looking for a job. So, what kept me so long to update?
Tony's Journey, my other Pokemon fanfic.
I have found Tony's Journey an easier story to write compared to this. Here's the thing: Tony's Journey is about one guy - Tony. He's the main character, and while every other character I've put in is awesome, he remains the main character, and his desire to become champion and show his mother how strong he really can be is his driving point. In this story, however, there are several characters to write for, each with different story arcs. It's really much harder. Not to mention that I was writing this story before Tony's Journey, and therefore I was a more mature and a better writer than I was when I began to write this one. Therefore, I find it easier to write for Tony's Journey. Writing this story is quite hard, so maybe I should find someone to collab with. If you know anyone who could, let me know, and I'll consider it.
Also, I hate to say this, but while I did allow more OCs to be submitted, I may not be able to use all of them. I spent a lot of time rewriting this story, and some of them didn't quite fit. But don't worry, I am using some of the shopkeepers and the guild members, along with the Eeveelution Resistance!
Still, I've kept you waiting for a long, long time. I'm sorry.
So, we got a new team, Team Awesomeness, and you finally got to see Sylvia, leader of the Gardevoir Guild! I was originally going to potray her as a good-spirited and kind, but very ditzy, supporting character, but in the end I decided to make her into a kind but focused, though-but-fair character. Also, Lily's joined the guild before Violet. Why Lily? Because I've barely developed her at all. Also, Shadow is travelling with Laura to find her a boat to use, because like Lily, Shadow hasn't had much development, so I decided to fix that. Hope I can do them okay!
That's it for this time! Tune in next time for a new adventure and new OCs in Beauty and the Bounty Hunter!