Hello everyone, welcome back once again to the life of Erin. Time for our quiet little MC to go on her very first solo mission. I wanted to attack something in this chapter that always confused me as a child, so please enjoy my wacky little chapter.
Expect things to really pick up though, now that we have gotten to know the main cast. Until then, I hope you enjoy. :P
Chapter 9
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"Hey, Erin, wake up!" Liza's words broke into Erin's dream. Flashes of golden eyes had plagued her throughout the night.
"The old man wants us to get an early start in the day," Liza added urgently.
Erin stretched sleepily, blinking in momentary confusion as unfamiliar surroundings greeted her. A couple of caffeinated blinks reminded her that she was in the bedroom of the Peridot City Justice Guild. She had been offered a room with Liza which was placed in a side room of the downstairs hallway. It was small, with two beds on either side of the wall for the two Pokemon. Apparently, Duncan, Bendy and Todd had their own room which apparently got…loud at night. Kameron and Guildmaster Finnegan, meanwhile, both had their own respective rooms.
Erin wasn't certainly against the idea of sharing a room with her new mentor. Remembering the events of the day prior, she leapt to her feet. Her drowsiness evaporated as energy surged through her veins. Everyone understandably had gone to do their own thing after the meeting, so Erin hadn't gotten the chance to talk to anyone.
She was a little surprised to see Liza in a relatively cheery mood as the Luxray was washing her face. "Let's hurry up, I'm starving, and Todd WILL eat everything on the table if we don't hurry." She urged her roommate as Erin paused, cocking her head.
Erin nodded. "Uh…yeah." She started, trying to get a read on Liza. "How are you?"
Liza paused from her cleaning, her eyes down casting a bit. "Yeah…I mean, no, obviously. But we all will eventually, you know. Paulson would be pissed if we let Thorn kill more Pokemon because we were busy being sad. Plus, I have to work twice as hard now, everyone's depending on me." She spoke quickly before she stood up and went to exit into the hallway, Erin following.
I'll have to work as hard today too…
Gathering herself and gripping her fists in determination, she got ready, deciding that today nothing would stop her.
"YE GO'A BE KIDDIN ME!" The familiar thick Irish accent that Erin was growing accustomed to rang throughout the hallway, its slur indicating that the Guildmaster once again was drinking away his anger.
"Uh oh, what now?" Liza asked, walking more quickly to the meeting room. Erin followed, curious if not afraid of what was awaiting them. Liza was the first to get in, with Erin right behind unfortunately.
CRASH
Erin's eyes were wide and white in comedic shock as a bottle exploded next to her face, making her fall to her rump in fear as she was inches away from a PokeCenter visit.
Guildmaster Finnegan was standing on the other side of the table, his eyes furious as Clay was seated across from him on the table with a big plate of food in front of him.
Clay wiped his mouth. "Now, calm down here a little, Filip. You're going to get glass in my beans."
"SCREW YER BEANS!" The Guildmaster retorted. The room was fairly empty except for Kameron who bobbed in the water, watching the scene unfold with a look of terror in his eyes. Trager and Dalton were also in the room, with the son of Clay resting his back against the wall with an angry look in his eyes. Both dragon types still wore their suits.
Clay, acknowledging their presence, picked up his plate. "Perhaps we should take this to your office." He drolled. "Oh, and make sure our scrumptious new deputy joins us." Guildmaster Finnegan gave him a look of fury, but silently agreed as he walked in the office.
"Liza, ye come as well." He ordered. Liza looked momentarily surprised, before looking like she remembered she was the deputy now and bounded quickly into the room after them.
Dalton sweat dropped. "I guess that means I have to go in as well." He sighed, clodding in after them. The door closed behind him, when Trager reached his green arm out to Erin.
"You okay?" He asked her, his piercing red eyes catching hers for a moment.
She blinked, a little stunned by them for a second. "Er, yeah." She said stupidly, forgetting about her near-death experience for a second. "Is everything okay?"
His already dark eyes shadowed even further. "Unfortunately, not. It appears the Guild won't be able to acquire any more members until next month at least. And with no recruits wanting to join this guild…. there's going to be no help for a while." He sounded annoyed, which surprised Erin a bit.
Kameron had gotten over his fear as well. "Don't we get any more flexibility with Thorn becoming a five-star level threat now?" True to his word, a bounty poster with Thorn's photo was now plastered on the bulletin board, five golden stars lining the bottom.
Trager shook his head. "According to my father, they aren't giving him any more money. Erin, I'm not sure how much you know about how we operate since you volunteered to join this city's guild." Erin gave him a look as though telling him to continue. "But for those that get through the program that don't mind what city they get sent to are essentially put up for auction by the academy itself. Guilds are given more money depending on the needs and all that. According to my father though, this guild isn't getting any more to its already putrid allowance."
Erin bit her lip. "Losing two members isn't going to help either." She remarked.
Kameron rolled his eyes. "Mystery Guilds have it so easy. Anyone can just waltz in, get some cool gear, no questions asked, and bam." He complained, splashing the water.
Trager had a castaway look to him. "Yeah…" He was cut off as Todd burst into the room, a light green nightcap on his head as he glanced around. Erin was surprised to see his sunglasses still on his face.
"What happened? Are we under attack? Everyone get down, I've got this covered." He raised his tail to strike, but Kameron put his fins up in self-defense.
"Todd, wait, we're all fine. The Guildmaster just had a drunken tantrum, we are fine."
"I HEARD THA'!" A drunken yell echoed out of the room. Kameron's eyes went wide in fear, and he slowly tried to sink his way into the water to avoid being seen.
Trager pinched in between his eyes. "Arceus, it's always rambunctious here." He muttered, crossing his arms before starting to look downcast. "I do apologize for the situation you all are in. If I was any fighter like my father used to be, I'd happily join."
"Your father was a guild member?" Erin asked in surprise.
"Yeah, he actually used to be a pretty successful member of the Opal City Justice Guild when he was younger. Probably could've been a deputy." He admitted, much to Erin's astonishment. She was having trouble picturing the creepy, overweight Haxorus as a powerful guild member.
"Should make him take off the blazer and get to finding Thorn himself then." Duncan's sarcastic voice rang from the hallway as he made his way into the room, Bendy right behind him. Erin noticed Bendy's eyes looking a little more tired than usual, silently sitting himself down away from everyone.
Trager sweat dropped. "Let's not send the men to his death quite yet." He replied, watching the guild members start to sit down in their seats for breakfast. Erin couldn't bring herself to, however, her energy making her want to bounce on her feet.
Her depression from the day before had all but since been forgotten and now she saw today as another day to prove herself. This was going to be the day she showed everyone that she belonged in the guild.
Almost as if on cue, the door opened, and Liza walked out with a few posters in her mouth. Placing them on the table, she looked at the room and watched it fill with silence as everyone waited for her to speak.
She cleared her throat. "Erm, hi everyone." She started awkwardly.
"Hi Liza." Everyone answered in unison.
Liz took a breath. "Arceus, this is going to take some getting used to." She said under her breath. "Right, so jobs for the day…Bendy and Todd, you'll be patrolling the Amethyst City Border side, you two know the drill. You let us know if anything comes up, especially any hint of Thorn." Bendy nodded, sipping his tea underneath his facemask, while Todd scarfed down his sixth bagel.
"Duncan, the old man wants you at the village to see if you can track anything. "Her eyes narrowed. "It's apparently cloudy, so if it starts to rain, just come back immediately."
Duncan cocked his head. "Aren't you coming with me?" His tone sounded a bit hurt.
Liza's eyes glistened in sympathy. "He wants me to stay here today. Thorn could very well attack the city at any point, until we know what he wants, we can't risk anything." She told her brother, who begrudgingly took a bite out of an apple.
Trager interjected. "Be careful today, Liza." He spoke up. "The news of what happened is going to be out by now. Citizens are going to be scared and angry, and the Guild will be receiving the brunt of it as they will blame all of us. I'll do damage control in that regard, but the rest of you make sure you don't take anything to heart, it will only do more bad than good."
Liza's cheeks sparked. "Let someone say something, I'll give them something to be afraid about." She muttered, earning a sharp glance from Trager. "Jokes, jokes."
"That's not all…" Trager continued. "Since Thorn has gone on this terrible rampage, there's been increasing amounts of Hazaranmon being targeted as a result. This is, of course, being met with retaliation…including some siding with Thorn. We can't do much until he is stopped, but that's another thing to keep an eye on. Hazaranmon only make up about 10% of the city's population, but the last thing we need right now is a fight with ourselves."
Duncan twitched. "How could anyone think what Thorn has done is good?" He snarled.
Trager glanced away. "Years of oppression and hatred will cause resentment. At some point, it becomes more about what's right or wrong, but about blindly defending what you believe in. Even if it is wrong."
Liza nodded. "Thank you, Trager. I will keep an eye out for that today." She told him. "Anyways, Erin, I've got a mission for you. It's one star, so no biggie. We got a message from a Mrs. McHorn today about her husband being kidnapped earlier today."
Erin's eyes stretched wide. "Kidnapped?" She asked incredulously.
"Yeppers. I guess he just up and carried Mr. McHorn away." She replied very nonchalantly. "I guess the Scouts in the area saw them near the Mushroom Fields, very near the mine we went to yesterday. Normally we wouldn't want you to do a solo mission yet, especially considering the situation…but our hands are a little tied." She shot a fake glare at Trager, who raised his hands up in mock self-defense.
"We have bags pre-made in the room; everyone is to make sure they have all their equipment. Any thought that Thorn could be in the area, and you contact the old man and me. We are taking no more chances." Everyone nodded in agreement. "Now, let me get you the poster with the specifics." Liza blinked as she stared at her papers and walked back into the office wordlessly.
Erin, however, was too excited and bounced out of the room quickly to grab her gear so she could leave.
Duncan munched his apple. "She did grab something to eat, right?" He asked. As he did, Liza walked back in with a poster in her mouth.
She looked surprised to see Erin had already left. "Where did she go?"
Trager raised a brow behind him. "I think she took off already." He told her.
Liza blinked. "Oh…." She said looking at the poster she placed on the table. "Well…. I'm sure she'll figure it out." She said sheepishly….
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The forest was serene, trees with red mushrooms poking out lining the way. A light rain still filled the air, surprising those in it after the promise of a sunny day.
Mr. McHorn groaned lightly as he slowly awoke from his slumber. He was a species known as an Onix, a thirty-foot-long snake composed of a giant chain of boulders that steel itself couldn't break. Most other Pokemon looked at him and his wife as intimidating due to their sheer size and loud voices. He ate rocks for breakfast, lunch and dinner. His physical strength would be thought to be unmatched by almost anyone in the entire city. Yet, he blinked his eyes open to the Pokemon that possessed more physical strength than even he himself…
An Oddish.
Yes, the small sentient bulb that currently looked like a small snack next to the rock type Pokemon smiled evilly as he stared up at his victim.
"Hey, look who's finally awake tough guy!" the Oddish yelled, doing whatever version you could call it of squaring up. "Let's go old man, I ain't afraid of you!"
McHorn sweat dropped, backing away in confusion. "W-what?"
"Yeah, I'm not afraid of you old timer! You don't scare me with your thirty something boulders! I took you out here to fight you to prove I'm the best!" He yelled, bumping the Onix and knocking him off balance a little bit. "I'll fight you and I'll win like a champion! You have no chance! C'mon, prove me wrong!"
"You kidnapped me just so you could fight me? What kind of lunatic are you?" McHorn cried.
"Chaz Blueberry's the name, being the strongest is the game! I'll be the strongest! The very best! Let's go tough guy!" He shouted, pushing the much larger rock snake back again.
"Someone help me!" Mr. McHorn wailed.
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Erin's head perked as she picked up on the anguished echo that trembled the forest. She stopped on a dime in order to locate the exact location of the sound. She had not been in the forest for long as she had gotten to her location fairly quickly via train. Her enthusiasm did the rest of the work as they almost flew her to the forest.
This wasn't going to be a repeat of yesterday, especially now that Liza already trusted her to go out by herself… she had to prove she belonged. No matter what.
Turning on her heels, she sprinted towards the sound the shout came from, jumping over gnarled roots and using her vines to occasionally propel her a little faster. She moved with incredible athleticism, her long, slender body aiding her acrobatics.
The part of the forest she was in at the moment was very hard to maneuver in, with large bushes and roots in every direction. Any Pokemon that didn't happen to have Erin's natural build for the area would have a rough time to move through it. Even the large red mushrooms occasionally got into the way.
Flipping onto a tree branch, she surveyed the area in order to locate her mission. Squinting, she located an Onix and an Oddish squared off against each other. The Onix looked like it had its head drawn back…. To strike, perhaps?
Moving even more quickly, she bounced branch to branch, keeping her eyes locked on what she could only assume to be the Pokemon responsible for kidnapping the small Oddish that was presumably Mr. McHorn. Catching the branch of the tree that was closest to the two Pokemon, she catapulted herself into the air and above the heads of the other two.
"Stop there!" She shouted, raising her tail above her head as it emitted a light green glow.
Chaz gritted his teeth in anxiety. "Crud, that must be a Guild Member!" He exclaimed.
Tears of relief fell down McHorn's face. "You guys came. Thank-" However, his look of fear quickly melted into a slow, dawning look of horror as he realized the Snivy was quite confused at who was the kidnapped one at the moment. "... wait."
It fell on deaf ears, unfortunately. "LEAF BLADE!" Erin's tail crashed into the top of McHorn's, instantly knocking him out. Chaz's eyes bulged out of his head in both shock and confusion. McHorn crashed into the ground, swirling in his eyes as he lightly groaned again.
Erin landed, crossing her arms and staring down at the Onix. "The nerve of you, picking on someone smaller than you" She scolded, before turning to the stupefied Oddish. "Are you okay, sir?"
Chaz could only blink stupidly. "Oh…er...yeah. Thank you?" He said unsurely. He backed slowly away before taking off into a full sprint the opposite way.
Erin stared after him in confusion. "That was weird. Well, hopefully he gets back to his wife safely." However, pride swelled in her as she skipped in on herself. Not only had she completed her first mission, but it was easier than she thought as well.
Triumphantly happy, she clenched her fists. "I did it! I'm a real member now!" She shouted happily. Without further thought, happiness clearing her memory of the knocked out "criminal" that lay near her, she took off to inform her guild over her first victory, her feet somehow moving even faster than before….
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I did it, I can't wait to tell everyone.
Erin's depression from the other day was long gone as she heroically made her way back to the guild, turning on the street in order to get back to the guild. As it came into view, however, she was shocked to see the Onix from earlier outside of their guild building. Did he escape custody after she left? Did she leave too soon? She thought he was knocked out, was he attacking the guild?
However, squinting, she saw him talking to Kameron, who poked his head out a pool Erin didn't know was outside of the building. The water splashed against the side of the building, making Erin assume that the pool was the same one in the main entrance. She was surprised to see Kameron so casually talking to the Onix, if anything seemed genuinely concerned.
That's when Erin noticed the Onix also wasn't the one from earlier as well. She had a large blonde wig that seemed fitted for her and red lipstick painted on her lips. She slowed down a little bit as she got close, her brain malfunctioning as she failed to realize her blunder.
"Uh, is everything okay?"
Kameron perked at seeing her. "Hey, Erin, you're back!" He then looked confused as he stared off behind her. "Hey, isn't Mr. McHorn with you?"
The female Onix blinked in worry. "Yes, where is my husband?" She asked.
Erin could only stare blankly, her eyes white circles as the color drained from her entire body.
Meanwhile…
The night was darkening as Mr. McHorn laid, now upside down with swirls still in his eyes. A couple of Spinarak sat on top of him, watching the sky as they sat close together. The poor Onix moaned in light pain as he prayed to just get home.
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Second A/N: Seriously, why did Game Freak have to make Oddish's Physical Attack higher than Onix's. XD
Aw well, just something I always wanted to poke fun at, thank you for those that read this far. Please review, it strives as my source as inspiration, and until then I shall be back this weekend! :D