Chapter 6: The birth of a new team
I was expecting lots of things from a so called Mystery Dungeon, but never what happened.
The cave became progressively bigger and darker until suddenly becoming a huge space and light appearing out of nowhere. I looked around, amazed by all the features and realized the entrance where we came from was gone, replaced by a solid wall of stone.
"Wait! The exit! It's gone!" I said running to the wall and checking that it indeed, was a solid wall.
"That's what MD's are, Jake. Spatial distortions. Nothing makes sense here" Explained Kit.
"And how do you know that?" Asked Ember.
"Spark and I kinda explored this dungeon several times... That's where we found that MP3 as you call it"
"WHAT? You entered an MD without being an explorer team? You know how much trouble that could bring you?"
"Not much more than what failing this will bring"
He then began to walk forward, but stopped. "Jake, you lead the way. I'll cover our rear"
"You want me to be first?! Why?"
"Consider this a training session. The Pokémon here are mostly rock types with just a few ground types. It should be easy for you. Now come on, we don't have the whole day!"
I gulped, but decided to keep my insecurities to myself. Ember went second, and Kit was last.
"Alright, so this dungeon has 4 floors. We have to scout the whole dungeon, but keep an eye for hostiles. Or if Jake manages to aura-scan the floor, we may be able to save up some time. Got it?"
I nodded and tried to use the aura sense I already trained. I used the same method as when training, and this time, it was easier. But something was blocking it. I couldn't see the outlines behind the walls, and there wasn't any sign of people other than us.
"I can't. Something's blocking it"
"Even that? This dungeons sure are weird. Alright then, manual scouting it is. Keep an eye for any hostiles and lets find that Jigglypuff!"
I stopped using my power and nodded. We already wasted enough time. We followed a small corridor that curved and twisted for what felt like kilometers, but finally, arrived at another room, which was empty except for what looked like stairs going down to the earth.
We walked towards it. Kit seemed to know what this was. "Hey look! The entrance to the next floor! Looks like this was an easy floor. No enemies, and just two rooms. Lets hope we continue being this lucky"
"Where do these lead to? I only see infinite darkness!"
"It's just an illusion, and trust me, I know a lot about those. Just walk down, you will arrive to the next floor eventually. You may feel disoriented at first, but you'll get used to it"
I reluctantly took a step on those stairs. After seeing that they were indeed solid, I took another step. And another.
I finally started descending normally, and heard Ember doing the same, followed by Kit. We walked down and down, until a flash of light blinded us and we arrived to another section of the cave.
"Huh?! Where are the stairs? Where are we?" I said.
"Relax! We are on the next floor. Seems like this one has more branches"
I looked around and realized what Kit meant. This room had four possible exits, all of them looking valid.
"So where do we go? Do we split?"
"No way! That's just straight up dangerous! You are the leader, aren't ya? Then choose a way and we'll follow!"
"..."
Ember was quiet. Like, she didn't say anything since we entered the cave. Maybe she didn't want to, but I'm sure it was not that.
Despite that, I chose to go right side. We walked through another small corridor, until we arrived to a small room. And then, I saw it. A Boldore was looking at us with a blank stare, as if...it wasn't alive.
"Alright, Jake! There you have your first enemy! Take 'im down, and then we continue!"
I nodded and walked forward, with the Boldore doing the same. Both of us prepared to fight, but the Boldore attacked first. It used one of his claws and picked a ball of what I thought was mud, and throwed it at me.
Luckily, I managed to dodge it, and ran towards it preparing a Force Palm. The Boldore may have attacked first, but I was faster. I arrived at its side very quickly and used the attack on it, knocking it out instantly.
I heard a loud thud, and looked back to see nothing but blue smoke.
"Hell yeah! Nice one, Jake! You did it perfectly! Now lets move, we have a kid to save!"
I nodded and kept walking. The hallway didn't seem to have any end. It kept twitching and curving until we found a dead end.
"Dammit! Wrong path!" I yelled.
"Not to worry, lets just go back to the start and choose another one!"
And that's what we did. We walked, and walked, and walked. I was pretty sure we were lost.
We kept walking until we found the stairs...being guarded by another Boldore and a Geodude.
"I guess we'll have to take them down?"
"We do! I'll take the Geodude! You and Ember get the Boldore!" Said Kit as he ran off to fight the Pokémon.
"..."
Ember was quiet. Weird, but we had no time to think.
I quickly ran behind Kit with a Force Palm prepared and struck the Boldore. This time, however, the Pokémon didn't faint. Instead, it hurled another mud ball at me.
I was too close to try and dodge it, so it hit me point blank. It hurt. A lot. I couldn't believe it, it was just a damn mud ball!
Steel types are weak against ground type attacks.
Ignoring the pain, I quickly stood up and attacked the Boldore again, this time knocking it out.
"Nice one! You also experienced your first super effective attack! You were lucky these 'mons are weak. Take this and lets go. How about next time you help him out, Ember?" He said while throwing me one of the oran berries Spark gave us.
Ember didn't answer and she just headed to the stairs. I looked at Kit, but he was just as confused as I was. Not wasting any time, we followed the Braixen and walked down the stairs.
The first thing that we noticed when we arrived was not the fact that we were suddenly in a completely new location, it was that we heard something.
"Come on! I heard him over here! We can't let them find us before we get that kid! "
"You think those are the criminals?" I said.
"Yep. Lets run, quick!"
We bolted towards the direction of the voices, tracking down their steps through their voice. There weren't enemies on the way, which meant that they were probably already defeated.
When we arrived at the last room, I saw a small siluette with red fur going down the stairs.
"I think I saw them! Come on!"
We ran down the stairs like we never did before. And on our arrival, we saw them. Our enemies. A Mawile and a Lycanroc. Both of them cornering a small Jigglypuff.
"You can't run now, kid! Now stop resisting before we actually hurt you!" Yelled the Mawile.
"NOOO! I WANT MY MOMMY!" Cried the kid.
"Then shut the fuck up! You are starting to annoy me!" Answered the Lycanroc.
That was enough. We silently walked towards them and surrounded them.
"Hey! How about you leave that kid alone, thughs!" I said.
With a shocked expression, both of the criminals turned and saw us.
"Shit! They found us!"
"Told you we shouldn't have come here! They sent an explorer team after us!"
We took a battle stance. "So, you wanna do this peacefully..." Began Kit.
"Or do you need us to beat you?" I finished.
The Mawile clenched her fists. "I'm not going to get beaten by some pathetic looking teenagers!"
The Lycanroc cracked his knuckles and his neck. "You can try us, though..."
This was no joke. They were actual criminals. Not an illusion or a sparring match with Kit. If I failed here, it was over. Yet, the adrenaline of the moment made me not think about that at all.
I only know a move. This is going to be hard. I'll have to focus on the Lycanroc. He's the one that is weak against my attacks.
"What are we waiting for, then?" I taunted.
"Bring it on!" Said both of them.
Kit was the first one to react. He launched himself against the Mawile, with a Night Slash prepared. The attack hit the Mawile, but she didn't even flinch. A Fairy Wind knocked him backwards.
"Tchsk. Not even a scratch. Learn about the typing, rookie!"
I wanted to punch her so hard, but I knew that she was part fairy, and a fighting move wouldn't have much impact. At that moment, I wished I learnt a steel type move. So with a Force Palm on my paw, I ran towards the Lycanroc, hoping to at least hurt him a bit.
He seemed to know my intentions, though, and he threw a rock at me. I narrowly dodged it and managed to land a hit on him. I heard him wince from the pain, but he still seemed healthy enough to continue.
He must be a higher level then.
Meanwhile, Ember wasn't moving. At all. Even though a fire attack could be of great help against the Mawile, she didn't attack. She looked as if she was remembering something...
"Ember, hate to break it to you, but it would be very helpful if you actually did something!" Said Kit trying to attack the Mawile.
Ember was shuddering, but it wasn't fear. It was...something else.
I managed to attack the Lycanroc twice before he parried my third attack.
"Do you only know Force Palm? Change your fighting style, bud!" He said as he used Crush Claw on me, the impact knocking me onto the floor.
Despite the fact that my typing countered the Lycanroc's, the Mawile countered both of us with her fairy type moves, and both of them seemed to be at a higher level than at least me. The only one that countered her was...
"Ember! You have to fight! What are you doing? We can't do it without you!" I said looking at her. She was still trembling, and she didn't even seem to be aware of the current situation.
"I-I can't do this..." She said.
"Quiet, lady!" Said the Lycanroc as he ran towards her trying to use another Crush Claw on her.
"Don't you dare touch her!" I said grabbing his tail, and pulling him towards the floor. I stood up and kicked him on his stomach. The Lycanroc didn't stand up, but he wasn't knocked out yet.
"What is it? Is she your girlfriend or something?" He said.
"Oh, shut up!" I said preparing two Force Palms, but the wolf grabbed them both, trapping me there.
"You shouldn't have done that" He said.
Before I could process what he meant, the Mawile crashed into me with Iron Head, knocking the air out of my lungs.
I couldn't stand up. Much like the Lycanroc, I was still conscious, but the attack was too strong. Those two were at a very high level, too strong for me.
The Mawile offered her hand to the Lycanroc and helped him stand up.
I looked over where Kit was, and I saw that he was also on the ground, trying to get up. Conscious, but worn out nonetheless.
"It was too long since I fought like this..." He mumbled.
The Mawile kicked him in the face and knocked him onto the ground. "Shut. Up!"
We took a beatdown. We had no chance of winning.
We should have just waited outside. We were not qualified to do this.
"What type of explorer teams are you? Did you just sign up?" Teased the Lycanroc.
"Where even are your badges?" Said the Mawile.
They both looked at each other and bursted out laughing.
"You aren't explorers?! What kind of joke is this? You really thought you could take us down?"
Every time I tried to stand up, it was either a kick, or an attack that threw me to the ground. Same with Kit. I began feeling drowsy, which wasn't good.
"Hey, girl! We ain't done yet! We still have a foxy ass to kick!"
Both of them slowly walked towards Ember. She still seemed absent.
I-I'm sorry kid. I'm sorry miss Wigglytuff. I'm sorry Ember.
My eyes were slowly closing, and the last thing I heard was Kit yelling my name.
...
Suddenly, I felt something. It was as if every single pain in my body dissapeared and was replaced with energy. I snapped my eyes open and stood on my feet. Both of the criminals looked at me, with both a confused and a horrified expression.
"I said..." I began running towards them. "Do not..." I jumped high in the air. "Touch..." My fist was enveloped in an orange aura. "HER!" I punched the Lycanroc with all my might, throwing him against one of the walls. It knocked him out instantly, making him bleed from his lip a bit.
Reversal. That was Reversal. I just learnt a new move.
Ember seemed to snap out of her trance, and realized the situation.
"What the fuck?! What do you think you are doing, mutt? Attacking someone from behind is a dirty trick!" The Mawile exclaimed.
"Says the damn criminal!" Yelled back Kit, walking towards me while munching the second oran berry. "Eat this. It will make that move weaker, but you will have more energy" He said while tossing me the last berry.
I munched it and felt all my injuries heal up.
"Heal all you want, you still won't win against me. You may have knocked out the rookie, but I won't go down that easily!" Said the Mawile.
"This is where you come in, Ember!" I said.
She looked at me, gulped, and walked to our side. At least that was something.
"Why have you been absent this whole fight? " I whispered to her.
"I-I can't do this Jake. It has been at least four years since I threw an attack! " She whispered back.
"Does it have to do with the incident? "
She nodded. "Listen. I don't know what happened, but please, Ember. There is a kid that needs your help. If we don't knock out this Mawile, that kid will be a goner. After this is over, I promise that you won't have to attack anyone ever again if you don't want to. Deal? "
She thought about it for a while, but she finally nodded. "You know what? I said I was not going to make my past a burden to you" She pulled the stick in her tail out, and lighted it on fire. "I am not breaking that promise"
"Ughh! Come on! Stop with the goddamn chit-chat and fight!" The Mawile interrupted.
I smiled. This was going to be a hard battle, but we were not going to lose. For the kid, and for everyone.
"You can do it! I-I believe in you!" Cheered the small Jigglypuff.
That's what I hope.
"Alright team! Lets go!"
Surprisingly, Ember was the first one to react, and charged at the Mawile. She was enveloped in flames as she hit her, pushing her back a few meters.
Flame Charge. Nice one, Ember.
"You think that hurts? Take this!" She used Fairy Wind at us. I crossed my arms and closed my eyes, preparing to endure it, but didn't feel the attack at all.
When I opened my eyes again, I saw Ember in front of us, forming an energy barrier with her stick. She used Light Screen.
"How many moves do you know?!" I said.
"You thought I was just a regular cashier?" She answered.
The Mawile disappeared in a flash, and didn't seem to be anywhere. "Where did she go?" Ember said.
"Use your aura sense, Jake!" Kit yelled.
Nodding, I concentrated and looked around. The familiar outlines and blurs of colors could be seen. The grey one was Kit, but in front of me...there was something else. A flaming red aura was emanating from Ember. She almost seemed...angry at something.
Shaking that out of my head, another blur came to my view, this time, brown. And it was approaching Kit.
"KIT BEHIND!" I shouted.
He turned around and barely parried the Sucker Punch aimed at him.
"Fuck you and your species, Lucario!" She said.
"Don't blame me for your failure!"
"Guys, distract her! I know how we can win this!" Said Ember.
"Roger!" I said running with a Force Palm prepared.
He ran towards the Mawile. "Whatever you are planning, I'm sure I can tank it!" She said.
"Lets see!" Answered Kit while his body glowed crimson. He raised his arms above his head, probably preparing a Night Daze.
Alright, I'll flank her.
Kit slammed his arms on the ground, creating a dark force field that expanded, hitting the Mawile, but not hurting it enough.
"Pfft. You think that a Night Daze will do anything to me? Go back to schoo-" She was interrupted by me using Force Palm on her back, knocking her to the ground. This time, she seemed actually hurt.
"You bastards! How dare you! I'll show you what I have trained for!"
"No you won't!" Yelled Ember, waving her stick at the Mawile, launching some sort of fireball towards her. She didn't have enough time to dodge it, getting hit by it instead. Despite its appearence, it didn't actually hurt her, instead making her faintly glow orange.
"That's a full Will-O-Wisp attack on you! Enjoy your burn!" She retorted.
The Mawile was starting to get nervous. Now that Ember was actually fighting, she was in a three versus one, and her fire attacks really hurt. Nonetheless, she still stood still and clenched her fists.
"You can do whatever you want, but this ain't over until I am down!"
I ran towards her as fast as I could, but she jumped up, and dodged me. Kit was next to me, and tried a Night Slash, but wasn't fast enough and also got dodged. Ember used Flame Charge, and ran enveloped in flames. This time, she couldn't dodge, and got hit by a super effective move, knocking her down. Add that to the burn status, and she was running out of forces to keep up.
"This is what they get for sending the newest team to a mission like this without any equipment..." She mumbled to herself. She shakily stood up, and looked at us, Ember and me surrounding her, while Kit taking care of the Lycanroc.
"Alright, Mawile. You can give up now, or we knock you out, your choice"
She grunted. "Giratina's domain will freeze before I surrender to you!"
Another Flame Charge from Ember knocked her back and down to the ground. She was barely conscious. I walked towards her, and kneeled down.
"Then we'll have to knock you down"
"You son of a-!" She was interrupted by my Force Palm, which knocked her out.
Finally. We...We won. Thanks to Ember, but we won.
"Ember! You were amazing! You never told me you knew how to fight! If it wasn't for you, we would have lost!"
"Thanks. But you were the one that knocked out the Lycanroc. Congratulations on learning Reversal, by the way"
I smiled and walked towards the kid. He had closed his eyes long ago, and was shivering.
"Hey kid! It's over. Don't worry. We'll take you to your mother, ok?"
He looked at me, and nodded.
Kit had finished tying both of the criminals up when we heard something.
"I heard something! Come on, move!" Said Spark
The guards must be coming
"Hey!! We're here, Sparky! Follow my voice!" Shouted Kit.
"Kit?! Oh shit, move!"
Not too long after, a whole squad of Pokémon appeared from one of the hallways.
"Those two are the criminals?" Asked one of them.
"Did seriously those three beat them?" Asked another one.
"You! Take the criminals. Miles! Get the kid. You three!" Said Spark. "You are in a bit of a mess. Use this Escape Orb, another squad is waiting outside. They'll take you to the mayor's office. He has to...reprimand you.
Oh, great. So we won, and now we have to face the consequences.
I sighed. "Come on guys. Lets not make him wait" I walked towards Kit, who was holding the orb, and he crushed it. We got out of the dungeon with a flash of light.
The mayor's office was a small room, with some decorative plants, and some pictures. The walls were white, and had some paintings on them.
In the middle of the room, there was a table, where loads of paperwork were present, of course, unreadable to my eyes.
And behind that table, was the mayor. The Alakazam was looking through the window behind his desk, while thinking about what he should do with us.
"State your names" He said.
"Kit"
"Ember"
"Jake"
There was obvious nervousness in our voices, but we tried our best to hide it.
The mayor sighed deeply, before turning towards us.
"Let me get this clear. You enter a Mistery Dungeon, knowing that only qualified explorer teams can enter due to their danger, with the objetive of taking down two trained criminals, while a hostage was at stake?"
I nodded. "Y-Yes sir"
"And why? You know that if you are not explorers, you cannot accept missions? Why did you do it?"
"We-We bumped into a Wigglytuff. She was trying to get help from explorers to save her child, but there were none available, so I guess we were the first ones that she came across? I don't know. But she needed help and we couldn't refuse that"
The mayor listened to my explanation, and nodded. "When you arrived at the entrance of the dungeon, and got warned by official guards that you had to wait for reinforcements so that they could enter and help the hostage safely, you entered anyway, is that correct?"
I nodded again. "There was no time to waste! When we arrived, the kid was cornered! If we had waited for reinforcements, that kid would have been long gone!"
The mayor nodded again, and sighed. "Were you aware that if you had failed, you could have died?"
A shiver ran down my back, but I nodded again. "We were"
The mayor turned again. "Normally, breaking this rule would cause me to have to fine you a large sum of money. I'm sure you are aware of that"
I sighed. "We are. Sorry for wasting your time, Mr"
"However..." He interrupted. "The mission was not official, as it was not posted anywhere, so technically you haven't broke that rule. Secondly, that exact Wigglytuff has personally asked me not to be too rough on your punishment. You have also completed the mission by arresting the criminals and saving the child, demonstrating huge fighting abilities, and great teamwork"
"What does that mean?" Asked Kit.
"That you got lucky, and I'll let you three off the hook this time" He said, turning and smiling. "Not all people have the ability to do what you three did, so my most sincere congratulations"
"So we are free? No fine?" I asked. The mayor shook his head. "Thank you a lot, Mr. Mayor!"
"I also have an offering to do to you" He said.
"An offering? Like what?" Asked Ember.
"As I said, you three demonstrated abilities with fighting and teamwork. That's exactly what the town needs to be protected"
"Wait..." I said. "You don't mean..."
"Yes, young Lucario. I am offering you a chance to become explorers, so that you can have the ability to choose an easier mission next time instead of comiting another stupidity like today"
I looked at Kit. "Go for it. I hadn't battled like this in a long time. I would love to form a team with ya, Jakey!" He said.
I looked at Ember. She didn't seem to really like the idea. "I don't know, Jake. I may know how to fight, but do you think I can be a good explorer? I still have a job to go back to..." She said.
"Screw the job! You can win tons more money like this! Come on, Ember! You are a great battler! We need you!" Said Kit.
"Yeah! Please Ember. We couldn't have won without you. We need you in! Pleaseee" I pleaded.
She still seemed a bit reluctant. "I don't know... I need to think about it"
The mayor cleared his throat. "If you are not sure, you can have the rest of the day to think, and come here tomorrow morning. I will be waiting for your decision"
"Alright, we'll do that. Thanks again, Mr. Mayor" I finished.
"Before you go, promise you'll never do something like this ever again" He said.
"We promise! We'll be here tomorrow morning!" I said waving to him, and exiting through the door.
"Bye!" Said Kit.
"Goodbye!" Said Ember.
Today's evening was beautiful, but I still couldn't believe what we just lived.
"I can't believe it! Not only did the mayor not fine us, but he also congratulated us and offered us to be an explorer team!"
"I can see you are excited, huh?" Said Kit.
"Yes I am! Who would have thought that you would actually want to come?"
"I don't even know myself! I just know that battling those bad guys gave me a bit of nostalgia, and I realized that fighting in the dojo is nowhere near fighting for real"
I laughed. We were walking down the street when we arrived at the fountain. It was already getting late, as the sun was about to disappear. Ember didn't speak a word since we got out of the office.
"Ember? Are you ok? I'm sorry for pressing you back there, excitement got a hold of me..."
"It's okay" She answered bluntly. She looked conflicted.
"Guys, stop" She finally said. We did as she said, and turned to her. "What is it?" I asked.
"Remember when I told you that I'd tell you about that incident? This is the moment"
"Woah! Really?" Asked Kit. She nodded and pointed to the benches at the plaza. "Lets sit"
Once we were sitting, she began with a simple statement. "I haven't told this to anyone, so I don't even know if I remember correctly"
"Don't worry, girl! You are already telling us, which is more than enough" Kit said.
"Alright then. Here it goes"
Back when I was sixteen, I was just a small Fennekin. I lived with my parents: a Meowstick, my mother, and a Delphox, my father, both of them were explorers.
I did what every normal kid did: Go to school, play with her friends, and, of course, dream of becoming the best explorer ever.
"I'll be the best in the whole town! And I'll punish the criminals that try to do anything wrong!" Was what I used to say.
Back then, a new era had just begun. The era of freedom. What happened before is a very long story, and I can't fit it here, but the thing is, that night, I was at home, alone.
My parents told me that they had to go on an important mission, over Darkness Cave. Probably off to catch some criminals or something.
I was beggining to get bored. All of my friends were busy with their families, so I decided that since it was not too far away, I would just go and see how they were doing.
As suspected, when I arrived there, I hid in one of the nearby bushes, and watched the scene to see how my parents were kicking some Delcatty ass.
The cat was lying on the ground on her last legs.
"Alright criminal, I've got a family game night to go back to, so give up already!"
I snickered. Even when fighting, my dad never was going to be serious.
The Delcatty stood up, spat some blood and looked at the both of my parents with an angry face...before bursting in laughter.
"You really are that dense, huh? What do you think the whole plan was? A members of such an organization just comitting a crime that simple like that with no reason at all? And alone?"
"What do you mean?" Asked my mom.
Another loud chuckle.
"It's a trap, you dumbasses!" Said a voice from behind the Delcatty.
From the bushes, a Dragonite emerged. He had a scar along his whole face, and looked very fierce.
Then, from behind my parents, a Mightyena and an Abra appeared. They were surrounded.
"Now, you can do this the easy way, and come with us, or you do this the hard way, and we beat you up and bring you by force" Added the Delcatty.
My parents however didn't look scared at all.
"You think this is our first ambush? We've gone through worse" Said my dad.
"You'll have to do more than just the five of you!"
A pair of Psychic attacks blasted the field, knocking all of the Pokémon back a bit.
That was followed by a Fire Blast aimed at the Mightyena and a Sucker Punch aimed at the Abra.
Both of the attacks connected, and before any of the Pokémon could retaliate, they disappeared from their view.
All of them were looking frantically for them, before another Fire Blast and Sucker Punch were fired at the same targets, knocking them both out. That's when they jumped from between the bushes and into the middle of the battlefield.
"When does it hard? I'm getting bored" Teased my dad.
The Delcatty was starting to get angry. "You fools! How come you haven't even moved a muscle! Two of your teammates are down!" Yelled adressing her teammates.
"Sorry, miss..."
"FIGHT, FOR ARCEUS' SAKE!"
The three remaining Pokémon went off to attack, but they couldn't even lie a finger on them.
I was silently cheering for mom and dad from behind the sidelines.
They are awesome!
That's when I heard rustling from behind me, and suddenly, I was lifted from the ground by Psychic, crushing me in the procces.
I moaned from the pain, making the fight stop completely.
"Would you look at this, boss! Look like we've got a little kid spying on us!" Said the responsible for the attack, a Bronzong.
I could never the look of horror that was present in my parents' face. Unfortunately the Delcatty took notice too.
"What's wrong? Not so brave now that there is a little kid on our possession, are you?"
I was squirming in the strong Psychic, trying my best to set myself free, but to no avail.
"Let her go!" Mom shouted.
"Nuh uh" The Bronzong answered.
"Let her go right this instant or I'll burn you to a crisp, you piece of tin!" Answered dad.
The Bronzong's response was tighting his grip even harder. "Not a very gentle way of adressing me, is it?"
The Delcatty walked from behind them and positioned in front of us.
"Good job, Bronzong. Now, you have two options. You come with us and we let her go, or..."
The psychic prison became even tighter than before, making my bones feel as if they were about to break apart.
"...you ain't seeing her again"
Sharing a glance, they both nodded. "Ember, take care of yourself, okay?"
"What?"
"We give up" They said before raising their paws in the air.
"Good choice. Now, Druddigon, if you please"
"Roger that"
The Druddigon picked two weird objects that looked like handcuffs and paced them in my parents' paws.
"Let her go. Now" Snarled my dad.
"You are lucky that I'm in a good mood today. Bronzong, release her"
The psychic grip suddenly disappeared, leaving me to fall onto the ground, unable to move a muscle.
"Alright, we are done here, team. Lets get back to HQ. Boss will be happy to know that we captured these two"
"Aye!"
Fading footsteps indicated that I was alone. Tears rolled down my face, before everything went black.
When I woke, I was in the town clinic, surrounded by Agatha and her parents.
"Ember! You are alright!" Said the female Glaceon.
"A guard found you while he was patroling" Added the male Beartic.
"Are you ok?" Agatha questioned.
"..."
Words didn't come to my mouth. Everything that happened, everything I just lived. And it was my fault.
I began crying again.
"What's wrong?" Asked Agatha.
"I can answer that"
That voice belonged to my parents' boss. The Mawile had just entered the room and had a folder on her hands.
"Her parents are...missing in action"
I was stunned, as was Kit.
"I...never knew that happened to you. I'm...so sorry Ember" I said.
She was crying a bit, but she still answered. "I feel so much better now"
"So that's why you didn't want to be near the cave?" Asked Kit and she nodded.
"Remembering what happened back there made me freeze, but seeing that a kid was helpless against a pair of criminals was just what I needed to snap out of it"
"I understand. And sorry for pushing you to join the team. If you don't want to, I guess Kit and I could make it work. And hey! Then you won't have to worry about taking care of me anymore!"
She sighed. "I guess. I just...It took me by surprise. I just need time to think"
"Need some time alone? I can put up Jake again"
"Don't worry. Lets just meet here tomorrow, alright?
"Sure" He said, not too convinced. "Goodnight, guys"
"Goodnight"
"Bye"
The trip was silent, not like I wanted to talk about anything at the moment.
Alright so lets do a quick recap of what happened since I woke up here.
I turned into a Pokémon, I learned two moves, saved a kid, somehow avoided a fine, and now I have the chance to become an explorer? All of that in four days? Amazing.
Wait a minute. I just realized. If Ember decides not to join us...will that be a goodbye?
"Thanks for telling us what happened. It must have been hard for you"
"I told you I would. Plus, I needed to get that weight off my shoulders"
"Nice to see that you trust us this much"
She smiled. "And to think that it's been four days since you appeared in that river..."
We arrived at her home, and she went to cook our dinner while I waited sitting on the sofa.
I really don't want to say goodbye to her. She's the first friend I got here, and even though Kit is cool, it won't be the same without her...
It will all depend on her decision, after all.
I sat in silence, looking at the ceiling for what felt like hours, and finally, dinner was ready.
I arrived at the small table and started eating. Despite me trying not to, I couldn't stop thinking about it, and Ember took notice.
"Is something up?" She asked.
I shook my head.
"Come on, I'm not dumb. What are you thinking?"
I sighed and looked at her. "It's just...after the mayor told us that, I am so excited to become and explorer! But...you aren't. That's what's been bothering me. You don't want to become a member, and I won't force you, but it's not going to be the same without you. You are the first friend I had, and without you saving me that day, I wouldn't even be here"
I took deep breaths and took another bite of the steak. "The point is, I'm gonna miss you"
She was silent, thinking. I didn't have anything else to say. I finished my dinner and went to sleep on the sofa.
After picking my posture, I closed my eyes, and muttered. "Goodnight Ember. And please, if you don't want to, don't force yourself"
After some time, she also stood up and switched off the lights. Before going to her bedroom, she looked at me for a bit and sighed. She entered the room and closed the door.
This time, it took me more than normal to fall asleep, but I thought it was just the fact that I was going to become an explorer tomorrow.
I hope I don't have to say goodbye...
Before losing consciousness, however, I could swear I felt as if I was being watched. The same sensation I had yesterday.
Nonetheless, I shrugged it off and fell asleep.
Meanwhile, outside, a Mismagious was peeking through the window of the house.
He picked the small badge on his chest and pressed a button on it.
After some time, a voice was heard from the other end, as if it were a phone.
"What do you want? You know how late it is? This better be important! " Answered a femenine voice on the other end.
"Shut it, L! This is important news! And don't act like if you had a regular sleep schedule! I'm sure you were still in front of your whiteboard, making your damn plans!" He answered.
A sigh came from the other end, followed by a small chuckle. "You are lucky that you are my friend, you know? Or I swear to Arceus I would have demoted your ass this instant. Now tell me, what is it? "
"Remember the scout mission you made me do in this town to search for potential threats to our goals?"
"Uh huh "
"And remember the "suspicious guy" I said I was going to follow?"
"Yeah? "
"Alright, so remember the "threat to our plans" you took out?"
"What about him? "
"I might have some bad news..."
"What are you waiting for? Spit it out! "
Mismagious looked back inside, and saw me sleeping.
"I think he may have survived"
...
...
...
"Jake"
"Huh?"
"Jake?"
"What?"
I opened my eyes and found myself in a black void. I couldn't see anything, and I felt as if I was floating in a swimming pool.
I looked around, and tried to find the source of the voice, but I saw nothing.
"Jake? Can you hear me?"
"I...can? Who are you?"
"It doesn't matter! Listen, you have to stop them from succeeding with their plan!"
"What?! Who's them?! What plans?"
"I...everything...next time..."
Like last night, I woke up covered in sweat, gasping for air.
What was that?
Apparently, Ember woke up before me, since she walked to me holding a pair of apples, and with a worried look on her face.
"Are you ok?"
"Yeah. Just...a nightmare, I guess"
She handed me one of the apples, and I ate it. Ember took a bit longer than me to eat it, and looked like she was thinking something.
"Did you also feel as if you were being watched yesterday?" She said.
"You did too? I thought it was just me!"
She shrugged and finished her apple. I still had something to ask her though...
"So...did you think about the offer?"
She tensed up, but didn't answer. "I...still haven't decided"
"Hey, listen. If you don't want to, don't force yourself. I may miss you if you are not with us, but it will be worse if you are with us and you are feeling bad!"
"Can I have until we arrive at the mayor's office?"
I nodded. "Lets go. Kit should be waiting for us. You also have to go to work, don't you?"
We arrived at the fountain, but there was no sign of Kit.
"You think he's late?" I asked.
"I don't think so"
"Then where is he?"
"Right behind you, bud"
I turned around as quickly as I could, but saw nothing. That was, until I realized what was happening.
"You are so funny. I'm laughing so hard right now. Mind appearing already?" I said rolling my eyes.
Just as I thought, Kit appeared from nowhere, as a light crimson mist covered him.
"How'd you like it? Thought that being invisible could come in handy for future missions, so I decided to practice! You know that you have aura-sense, right?"
Damn. I forgot about the aura-sense completely. I keep forgetting I have that! Maybe next time I feel watched...
"Anyway! Did our little Braixen make up her mind? I guess you will be coming if you are not at work, huh?" He said.
"Actually...I am still deciding. I just wanted to accompany you, and I can think about it on the way there"
He sighed, but motioned us to start walking. "Come on, don't wanna make the mayor wait"
And with that, and an increasingly excited feeling, we began marching to the town hall.
"Jake, Ember and Kit! All three of you! I guess that means that you will accept?"
"Hi, Mr Mayor" Kit said, waving.
"...!" Words didn't come to my mouth. I was just too excited to think about anything. I felt my new tail twitch slightly, but I just wasn't bothered enough to care.
"I think that is a 'yes'" Kit said.
"So everyone is ok with it?" He said, eyeing Ember, as she didn't look so convinced.
"Actually...I still don't really know. I just...don't feel ready" She answered.
The Alakazam walked to her and smiled. "It's ok, young lady. Not everyone feels ready to change their lifestyle so drastically. That's normally what puts people off signing up for this. However, I can assure you that your friends will be with you, even in your darkest moments. And, maybe this is what you need to move on, isn't it? So I will ask again, do you want to become an explorer with your friends?"
She looked at me. I smiled, and gave her a thumbs up. "He's right! We will be with you forever! You won't get rid of us anytime soon!"
She looked at Kit, this time, with a bit more confidance on her face. "What he said. We will help you overcome all of your traumas, and that's a promise"
She looked back at the Alakazam, now smiling.
"So?" He said.
"I'm in"
END OF CHAPTER 6
WOOOOOO!
This chapter was hard and took me longer than expected. And I'm still not sure about it. I gave some lore to both of the co-protagonists and introduced the main plot, but I'm sure it could be better written.
If you could tell me what could be improved, even if it's a stupid grammar mistake, I would love if you reviewed. I will even send you a personalized thank you letter (probably not).
Anyway, have a great day!
P.D.
I am capitalizing the species' name, and you can't stop me! :evil:
