Hey guys! I'm back again with another big ol' chapter!
This one's kind of boring, but I promise things will start picking up soon! It's only chapter 10, after all.
So without further ado, here is my latest chapter! Enjoy!
Chapter 10: Smiles and Tears
Jay felt a twist of anger and fear in his stomach. Krokorok looked so serious… had he done something wrong? Surely he couldn't have messed up… right?
Aria remained stoic, but her eyes widened in fear as she looked up to Krokorok's face. She gulped and seemed to be holding back a scream.
"You two are incredibly late. We have already finished our dinner; indeed, we were getting ready to lock down for the night. Would you like to explain why you only now return?" Krokorok said flatly.
Aria began to stutter out an explanation. "We were running an errand—"
"We got a package for the Guildmaster—" Jay added.
"But then, on our way back, a Buizel stole it—"
"Took it to Echo Cave—"
"We had to get it back…"
Jay held up the heavy package; the effort nearly drained him, but he managed to hold it out to Krokorok. "See? We got it back… and we did our daily exploration…"
Krokorok examined the box, running his hand over a dent in the side. Jay felt a twist of fear; Krokorok was slowly starting to frown, his yellowed teeth sticking out of his mouth.
"Do you have an explanation as to why it got so dented?" he asked quietly.
"Buizel may have dropped it a few times…" Aria said as she looked down at the ground.
Krokorok's frown grew deeper, but before he could say anything more, Jay blurted something out against his better judgment. "But wait! Before we took off after Buizel, we told the Kecleons to tell Flygon where we were! Did they not tell you?" he cried.
"The Kecleons did not tell me anything of that sort…" Krokorok said dryly.
"But…"
"Enough." The firmness behind his voice warned them not to say another word. Jay looked to the ground in shame—perhaps it would've been better to talk to the Guildmaster before taking off.
"As you should know, it is against the rules to go off on unapproved explorations. Because of this, we will have to report this to the Guildmaster…" Krokorok explained.
Aria turned pale and gasped. "No! Please! We didn't do anything wrong!" she cried.
Krokorok turned to Aria and growled. He raised his hand in the air as Aria flinched; for a moment, it looked like he was going to strike her across the face. However, he thought better of it and lowered his hand, though the sour look still remained on his face.
"If you want to know what's best for you, you will stop talking and follow me. The Guildmaster will assign appropriate punishment for you both," Krokorok whispered. His dark eyes held a very sinister look to them.
Jay looked hopelessly at Aria, who simply shook her head. Looking closer, he realized that tears were starting to leak out of the corners of her eyes.
"Follow me," Krokorok repeated firmly.
He made his way to the tent and ducked under the flap. He began scaling down the ladder, beckoning for the two to follow him. Aria let out a long sigh but still followed the large alligator.
Jay found that it would be almost impossible to scale down the ladder with the package in his hands, so he set the package down and wrapped his tail around it. He found that his tail was actually rather strong; although he was still getting used to it, he still had a firm hold on the package.
He walked down the ladder with dread in his heart. Krokorok's stern tone made him feel like he hadn't done the right thing… but they had stopped a criminal and retrieved their package… what was so bad about that?
Ugh… If I'm gonna get in trouble for doing the right thing, I'm not gonna stick around here any more, Jay thought bitterly.
The guild had transformed while they were away. Only a few torches were lit, providing only a little bit of light. There weren't any Pokémon around except for him, Aria, and Krokorok. The only sounds that could be heard were the distant snores of the sleeping apprentices.
Jay longed to return to his room and tuck in for the night; the eventful day had drained him both physically and emotionally. Though most of his wounds and bruises had healed, he still ached and he had trouble seeing straight.
When he reached the bottom of the second ladder, he followed Krokorok to the Guildmaster's chamber. He loosened his tail's grip on the package, and with a soft thunk, it hit the ground. He bent down and heaved the package up with his arms, relieved that his tail could finally get a break.
Krokorok knocked on the wood door, and a few seconds later, Flygon opened it. She looked rather weary at first, but when she noticed Aria and Jay, she brightened up considerably.
"Team River Song! Oh, I'm so glad you're okay!" Flygon gushed. "I was so worried… We were about to send a search team out for you guys! You've been gone a long time…"
Hearing this only made Jay feel even guiltier. Though it was a relief to not be immediately punished, he had a feeling that Flygon would quickly get over her euphoria and scold them. He looked down at the brown package in his hands as his mouth curled into a frown.
"Come in, come in! You must be starving… I saved a portion of dinner for you guys just in case you were gonna be late…" Flygon said, gesturing listlessly to the bright chamber behind her.
Jay still didn't say anything. Aria coughed and looked around, and out of the corner of his eye, Jay could see Krokorok looking very sour.
Flygon quickly noticed this and frowned slightly. "What's with the long faces? Did something bad happen out there?"
"Why aren't you angry at us for going out without telling you?" Jay blurted out.
Krokorok shot Jay a glare, but he focused on the dragon. Flygon tilted her head curiously.
"Why would I be mad? You seem to have gotten my package. Sure, I was kind of expecting it earlier, but…" Flygon said.
"They broke one of our number one rules! Nobody is allowed to go out without checking with you or someone else first!" Krokorok said.
"We couldn't help it! There was a Buizel, and he stole from us, and we had to go chase him down! We didn't want to return to you and say that we failed!" Aria cried.
"Shh… Don't forget that the others are sleeping…" Flygon said, holding a finger to her mouth.
"That's no excuse! You could've just come down here and told the Guildmaster that you were going out… It wouldn't have been too time consuming!" Krokorok retorted.
Flygon considered this for a moment. Jay glanced nervously from Krokorok to the Guildmaster. He could feel his eyes stinging from lack of sleep and his arms aching from holding up the heavy package.
If you're gonna punish us, do it already!
After what seemed like eternity of silence, Flygon finally nodded. "Well, it is true that you did break one of our rules… It would've been nice if you let us know before taking off, but I can understand that you'd be in a rush…"
"That still doesn't excuse—" Krokorok began.
Flygon glared at Krokorok. Jay tensed; he could practically see the fire in her eyes. Krokorok returned this stare, his clawed hands clenched into fists.
For several tense moments, it seemed like the two were going to break out into a fight. In those long moments, Jay felt a strange sympathy for Flygon; he figured it must've been incredibly difficult to have Krokorok as a partner. He could barely last two minutes with him, but Flygon had to survive the whole day…
Why does she even let Krokorok stick around? If she quarrels with him this much, why doesn't she kick him out? Jay wondered.
Finally, Flygon spoke up. She nodded curtly and didn't take her eyes off Krokorok. "Thank you for your input. You are dismissed." She pointed at the dark guild behind her, and her tone made it clear that he should leave.
Krokorok grumbled something under his breath—most likely an insult. However, he turned around and stalked back into the darkness. A few seconds later, the shadows swallowed him up, but Jay couldn't help but feel that his eyes were still watching them.
Flygon sighed and turned back to the youngsters. "I'm so sorry. Him and I just don't get along…" she said.
"I never noticed," Jay said sarcastically.
Aria nudged him in the side, but Flygon chuckled dryly. "Yes. I'm sure it's very obvious that we have our share of differences… Anyway, come in, and let's discuss your consequences."
Jay gasped and nearly dropped the package. He had assumed that Flygon wouldn't punish them for breaking a rule; they got the package and went exploring, just like Flygon had said. Sure, they broke a rule… but they couldn't very well let Buizel get away, right?
Aria seemed to deflate. Her tail fell to the ground and her ears flattened. Her legs were trembling hard as she stepped forward into the Guildmaster's room.
Jay followed her on awkward footing; his arms were getting tired from holding up the box for so long. He stumbled into the bright room and set it down as gently as he could.
The Guildmaster closed the door behind them. With a flap of her wings, she fluttered over to the center of the room. Her feet touched the floor, and though her gaze was kind, Jay felt like he was being burned to a crisp. It didn't help that the room carried a heavy aromatic smell; it felt like he was suffocating under the heat and stifling smell.
"We're sorry…" Aria apologized.
Flygon held up her hand. "Enough!" she asserted. "I don't want to hear 'I'm sorry' or 'please don't punish us'. I appreciate that you're sorry for breaking a rule, but I don't want to hear it…"
Jay took an involuntary step back at her harsh words. He had never heard the Guildmaster use this tone of voice on him.
Aria didn't seem to be so scared; she simply nodded and didn't say anything. Something told Jay that his partner had gotten this talk many times before.
"But wait... Are you saying that the Kecleons didn't tell you anything? We asked them to tell you where we were..." Aria asked.
Flygon tilted her head. "Oh? You told the Kecleons to tell me that you were away?" she asked.
"Yeah... Did they not?" Jay asked.
"No. Then again, it would be unwise to ask a shopkeeper to run an errand for you, especially the Kecleons. They never leave their shop during their hours; you never know when a customer might come in. And those two stick together like glue; they almost never leave each other alone," Flygon explained.
"That's a pretty lame excuse..." Jay noted.
"Yeah. When we say that we need a message to be delivered to you, we usually mean it," Aria said.
Flygon spread her arms apart. "I can't control others," she said.
Jay felt even worse as he listened to the Guildmaster speak. He began to feel like he should've told her where they were going... were they really doing the right thing by just darting off without telling her?
Flygon took a deep breath. "But enough about that. I want you to tell me the whole story. Start when you first left the guild to pick up my package," she said. Her voice seemed noticeably softer.
Jay sighed and relaxed a bit. That was all he needed at the time: tell the Guildmaster about their adventures in a hope that she would understand their plight. Maybe she wouldn't punish them so hard if she knew the whole story…
"Well, when Jay and I went out to Trader's Village this morning…"
Jay and Aria took turns explaining the day to Flygon. Sometimes, she'd open her mouth like she wanted to make a comment, but she remained quiet through most of their explanation. However, when they got to the part about challenging Buizel, she couldn't help but start gushing about their safety.
"You guys took on a criminal all by yourselves? That could've really hurt you! And if he beat you, he would've taken away the package and we wouldn't know what happened to it because you'd be sitting there unconscious in the dungeon and—" Flygon blabbed.
"What's so important about this stupid package?" Jay asked, kicking the box by his feet. His toe rammed into the heavy object inside and stung for a little while, but other than a small wince, he ignored the pain.
Flygon sighed and creased her brow, looking from the package to Jay's curious face. "It's… nothing you need to worry about," she said after a moment's hesitation.
"Oh? If we don't need to worry about it, then why don't you just show us what's in there?" Aria pressed.
"I forgot how inquisitive you guys are… Trust me; you'd lose sleep if you knew about it. Don't worry; it's nothing bad… Look, j-just forget about it. It's nothing." Flygon suddenly looked nervous.
"You know we're never gonna forget about it…" Jay said.
Flygon shook her head adamantly. "You don't have to forget about it. You just can't know about it. Now, continue on with your explanation, please."
Jay wasn't quite ready to let it go, but he realized that there was no point in trying to get an answer out of her. Between her tone of voice and firm expression, he knew that all conversation about the mysterious package had stopped.
"Okay… So when Buizel was trying to attack me…"
The duo completed their conversation without further interruption. Jay noticed as he was talking that Flygon seemed on edge, but she didn't say anything as they finished talking.
"Alright, enough talking. What's our consequence?" Aria prompted.
Flygon didn't seem to have an answer right away. She rubbed her chin and mused to herself, but she didn't seem to be angry or upset. If anything, she looked… sorry.
"Well… you got me on a technicality," she said at last.
Jay tilted his head. "What do you mean?" he questioned.
"You did what I asked. You retrieved a package from the Kecleons and went exploring afterwards. Even though you broke a rule, you did what I asked you to do…" Flygon elaborated.
"Um… thanks?" Aria said, chuckling sheepishly.
"But we still get a consequence, right?" Jay asked.
"Yes. But don't worry; it isn't a major consequence. You won't miss dinner tomorrow or anything like that; no… like I said, you did what I asked you to do, even if you bent a few rules," Flygon said.
"Well, what are we gonna have to do to make up for it?" Aria asked. The annoyance was clear in her voice.
"I'm going to have to take away a few things of yours… don't worry; all I want is a bit of Poké and a few items," Flygon said.
Jay instinctively put his hand on his Explorer Bag. After what had happened today, he wasn't ready to trust anyone with his items. He stepped back and clenched his teeth, but he didn't say anything to argue with his superior.
Aria looked down at her feet and nodded. "I understand, Guildmaster. It's only fair… Just because we're beginners doesn't mean we get a free pass for breaking the rules," she said quietly.
"Thank you guys for your understanding," Flygon said with a nod. "Now… can you please hand over 300 Poké, an Oran berry, and a Rawst berry?"
Jay didn't want to hand over anything, but his arm moved on its own as he unfastened his Explorer Bag.
As he peered into the leather satchel, he realized he had never seen the contents of the bag. He wasn't surprised to find that it was stuffed with berries, seeds, and other trinkets which he had no name for. On the side of the bag, a small pocket was fastened by a silver button.
He unfastened the pocket and found it was filled with shiny gold coins—Poké. He didn't know how much each coin was worth, but when he grabbed a handful and presented them to Flygon, she seemed pleased.
Returning to his bag, he brought out two blue berries: an Oran and a Rawst. He silently handed them to Flygon, who nodded in thanks. She turned around and set the coins and fruits on the ground behind her.
"Thank you for your cooperation," she said.
"Uh huh," Jay mumbled. Though he was still relieved that they weren't punished too severely, he was still noticeably upset. His bag already felt lighter than before.
"Can we have dinner now? I'm hungry!" Aria asked, completely changing the subject.
Flygon smiled. "Of course you can!"
She picked up two plates that were piled high with colorful berries. She presented the explorers with the plates and grinned. Jay eagerly grabbed them from her hands and tried not to let any of the berries fall.
"Scoot on over to your room now. You can finish dinner there," she said.
Jay's stomach rumbled as he looked over the platters of food. He was so hungry that he felt like he could devour both servings in one gulp, but he figured that wouldn't be very good for his health.
"Thanks, Guildmaster!" he said gratefully.
He ambled to the door and licked his lips; the towering plates of food almost made him forget about his punishment. Aria followed behind him, looking just as hungry.
But before he could continue to his room, Flygon cleared her throat.
"I'm sorry I had to do this… You truly did do a good job. Tracking down a criminal just so you could get back a package for me… that's dedication," she said.
Jay noticed that Aria was trembling slightly in place and making weird noises. Looking closer, he realized with faint shock that her tears had returned, but they seemed to be joyful instead of nervous.
"Thank you, Guildmaster," Jay said respectfully.
Aria sniffled and wiped her eyes, looking up with a bittersweet smile. She barely managed to squeak out "thanks" before starting to tremble again.
"You're very welcome. I'm very proud to have you two as apprentices here," Flygon beamed. "Now, get on to your room and finish up your dinner. You're gonna need the energy for tomorrow!"
"Thank you again, Guildmaster," Jay said with a nod.
He turned around to the wood door and kicked it open with his foot. Taking one last look at Flygon, he led Aria into the dim guild behind them.
XxX
The two ate dinner without much conversation; Jay was busy stuffing his face with berries and Aria was still shivering with tears of joy to talk much. She picked at her food and squeaked a few incomprehensible words, and after a while, Jay began to get annoyed.
"Can you please stop crying like that? It's kind of annoying me," he said.
"Sorry! I'm just…" Aria trailed off, her eyes staring beyond Jay.
"What? Is there something bothering you?" Jay asked, sitting forward and preparing for a heart-to-heart.
"I just wish the Guildmaster wouldn't treat us like we're special," Aria said plainly.
That was an odd thing coming from her mouth, and Jay didn't know how to respond.
"I mean… You're a human-turned-Pokémon, which is practically unheard of. So you're special and all. And me… I've got my own quirks," Aria explained when she saw the confused look on her partner's face.
"What do you mean?" Jay asked.
"Oh, just forget about it," Aria said quickly.
Jay sighed, his annoyance rising. "Why are you keeping secrets from me? Am I not trustworthy?" he asked.
"No! No! It's not that. It's just… I don't know how to tell you. I-I can probably tell you later; just not now. I just don't know how to tell you right now…" Aria picked up a yellow Aspear Berry and nibbled halfheartedly on it.
"I don't like that, though. It's like everyone's keeping secrets from me! First Flygon, and now you…" Jay rambled.
"Like I said, I'll tell you later. Just not now." Aria busied herself in eating the rest of her meal.
Jay gobbled up the last berry on his plate and set it aside, feeling full, tired, but above all, happy. They had completed another day of exploring, they had taken down a rotten criminal, and they had gotten off lightly despite their rule breaking. It was a good day.
He closed his eyes and curled up on his bed of straw, snuggling in tight to conserve heat. The air was cold and clammy but oddly relaxing. "I'll bug you tomorrow, I guess. I'm tired," he yawned.
"Yeah, so am I…" Aria said. She shuffled around on her bed, trying to find a comfortable position to sleep in. "Ugh… Good night, Jay."
"Good night. See you tomorrow," he replied lazily.
Jay began to doze off, his full belly lulling him to sleep. As he drifted off to sleep, he smiled.
Maybe this'll work out okay after all…
XxX
Mrs. Jackson stood in front of the bathroom mirror, staring in faint shock at the rat's nest that was her hair. She ran her fingers compulsively through her tangled blond locks, wincing in pain as she pulled on a particularly tough knot.
"Ugh… There is no way that I'm going to my meeting looking like this," she mumbled under her breath.
She sighed and picked up her hairbrush, realizing that she had to tackle her monstrous hair eventually. And she still hadn't even gotten dressed.
"Honey? Are you ready yet?"
Her husband's voice came in from the other room. She peeked outside the bathroom door and wasn't surprised to find Mr. Jackson sitting on their hotel bed, still in his boxers. He held a remote in his right hand and was watching television.
"Have you seen my hair today?! It's disastrous! I won't be done for quite a while, I dare say," Mrs. Jackson replied. She tugged at a knot in her hair to prove her point. "If you're so eager to get going, why don't you get dressed in there? I won't watch!"
But her husband was too distracted by something on the television to notice what she had said.
Mrs. Jackson sighed. "Sometimes I wonder why I even deal with you…" She was only half serious; she truly loved her husband, even if he could be stubborn sometimes.
She returned to the bathroom and brought her hairbrush up to her hair. She was about to drag it through the tangles, but before she could do anything, three sharp knocks rang out on the door.
"I got it," Mr. Jackson said quickly. He strode to the door and clicked open the lock to see who was on the other side.
"I am truly sorry for the interruption. But are you Mr. Jackson?"
Peeking out the bathroom door, Mrs. Jackson saw a man in a blue uniform standing in the doorway. He had a blue cap on his head and held a white envelope in his hand. She had seen him once or twice—he was some sort of delivery man or something.
"Why, yes." Mr. Jackson straightened his pose and ran his hand over his head. "This is him."
"Great… I've got a letter for you. It's from… 'Elizabeth and Larry Littlefield'? It was first class mail; it seemed very urgent," the deliveryman said, looking over the white letter in his hand.
Mrs. Jackson sighed and cursed inwardly. Ugh… Of course, those simpletons can't be bothered to do anything normal… If you want us so bad, why don't you just call us?!
"Ah, yes. I'll just take that…" Mr. Jackson grabbed the letter from his hands. The deliveryman seemed rather surprised but nodded nonetheless. "Thank you, sir."
"Er… no problem." The deliveryman dipped his head and smiled. "If you need any letters delivered, feel free to call me!"
Mr. Jackson didn't bother to tell him that he would probably never write a letter in his life.
He closed the door and looked over the letter, turning it over in his hands. "Hmm… What could they be writing to us about?" he wondered aloud.
Mrs. Jackson set her hairbrush down and scampered out of the bathroom. She seized the letter from his hands, and sure enough, she recognized the loopy handwriting as her sister's.
"I have no idea… Maybe Jay's been acting up again," Mrs. Jackson assumed.
"I wouldn't be surprised. That little tyke never really liked them…" Mr. Jackson said.
Mrs. Jackson tore open the envelope with her long fingernails.
Inside was a plain white card with a gold border. Upon opening the card, a small piece of paper fluttered out and fell to the floor. As Mrs. Jackson began to read the writing inside the card, her husband picked up the spare piece of paper.
My dear sister,
How are you doing? I hope that you are
finding your latest business trip a success.
Larry and I have been very busy ourselves.
Jay can really be a handful at times, but we
are honored to be taking care of him in your absence.
However, something has happened while he was
in our care. I would've called as soon as
it happened, but we are too much in shock to talk
to you in person. I attached a newspaper
clipping to this letter; I hope it will help clear things up.
Both of us are truly sorry for this tragic incident.
It was not our fault that this happened, and we
hope you can understand. Please reply as
soon as possible.
Your dear sister, Elizabeth.
Mrs. Jackson folded up the letter, her stomach sinking lower and lower. "No…" she whispered. "There's no way…"
"Read this." Mr. Jackson's voice was surprisingly firm as he shoved the scrap of paper in his wife's hands. "You need to read this. Now…"
Mrs. Jackson unfolded the grayish paper and found that it was a cutout from a newspaper article, just as Elizabeth had said. She began to read over it, her eyes widening in fear as she skimmed over the words.
TEEN BOY FOUND ON SIDE OF RIVER BEND
Police and Paramedics Issue Warning about River Rafting
Last Saturday, a young boy in the care of his aunt and uncle went to
Whitewater River for a day of river rafting. The day started out normal
but took a turn for the worst.
Jay Jackson (14) was with his aunt and uncle when a tragic accident happened.
Elizabeth Littlefield, one of his caretakers at the time, reported that Jackson
was swept overboard when the river reached a particularly rough patch.
Both Littlefields tried their best to keep Jackson on board, but their efforts were
sadly futile: he lost grip and tumbled into the rushing waters.
Mrs. Littlefield contacted the police and paramedics as soon as they
finished the rest of their rafting trip. The police responded quickly and rushed to
the site, frantically looking for Jackson. After a quick search, they found Jackson's
body floating in shallow water. Though he looked like he had died,
a closer examination revealed that he was in fact still alive.
He had contracted a minor head injury and was having trouble breathing, and
he was rushed to the nearest hospital to recover.
Jay's condition is relatively stable. He has lapsed into a coma and won't
respond to anything, however, his heart rate is stable and his head has been
patched up.
Following this incident, the state police have issued a public warning about
river rapids. For more information, visit their website at…
The rest of the paper was cut off.
Mrs. Jackson scanned over the letter again and again, praying that she had misread it. There was no way that Jay was truly in a coma… there was simply no way. No way…
Why did she even take him river rafting?! She knows he's not an adventurous person! She should've kept him at home where he would've been happy… Grr, why is my sister so STUPID?!
Despite her anger, she could feel tears stinging her eyes. Her husband also looked like he was on the verge of tears; he dropped the letter on the carpet and opened up his arms. Mrs. Jackson ran into them without hesitation.
"Oh, honey… I'm so sorry…" Mr. Jackson said simply.
For several minutes, the two held each other in their arms, not speaking a word. Tears fell down both of their faces without stopping. Mrs. Jackson wanted to go home so badly, hold Jay in her arms, tell him it would be okay even if he couldn't hear her.
But they were stuck in this stupid hotel room in a completely different state.
"We have to go back," she said.
"But what about—" Mr. Jackson inquired.
"I don't care. Tell Stanley that we're gonna miss his meeting. Family emergency. Surely he'll understand. And get the next ticket back home… we've gotta go back!" she cried.
Mr. Jackson looked like he wanted to argue with her logic, but he nodded and brushed away a tear. "I understand… I agree. We need to be back home… oh, I'm never gonna let him out of our sight again!"
He hastened to the phone to call his boss while Mrs. Jackson began to brush out her hair.
Jay…
XxX
How do you like them apples? We got to see a bit of the human world again... yay? I guess...
And yes, I did write this chapter name with EarthBound in mind. In case you don't know, "Smiles and Tears" is the name of a song from EarthBound. (It got an awesome remix in the new Smash Bros!)
Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Don't forget to review! :)