Flynn paced back and forth, the light sound of raindrops filling the air throughout Sharpedo Bluff. He glanced back at the entrance every now and then, trying to ignore the sound.
To be fair, the noise was a little relaxing in its own way. But the rain that it accompanied was putting him a little on edge.
Especially since it wasn't completely staying outside. The bush that hid the entrance to the area from view wasn't as effective at keeping out the rain as the Cyndaquil would have liked. There was a small, but gradually expanding puddle creeping out across the floor from the stairway.
They'd known they would need to have a proper door installed soon, if this was going to be their home going forward, but this definitely drove that point home. At least this was just a very light drizzle, rather than a heavy downpour. That would certainly have been a rude awakening.
Melody had left a little while ago, heading into town to find a mission for the day and prepare their supplies. Usually they'd do that together, or he would do one task while she did the other, but Melody had offered to deal with it herself today. Flynn felt a little bad, like he wasn't carrying his weight, but... he really didn't want to be out in the rain any longer than necessary. Hopefully it would stop before they were ready to leave.
Finally, Melody came bounding back down the steps, seeming relieved to be back out of the rain herself. She quickly shook some of the water off, careful not to send much in Flynn's direction, before shivering a little.
Without saying a word, Flynn sparked the fire on his back. Melody smiled gratefully, walking up closer and letting the comfortable warmth of the fire dry her off more thoroughly. "Thanks."
"How'd it go?"
"Pretty well. I picked out a job for us and got our supplies in order. I grabbed a nice, quick rescue mission over in Mt. Bristle, so hopefully we should have time after we get back to town to find someone to deal with the door situation."
"What about the rain?"
"Unfortunately, it looks like the rain's still gonna last for a little while longer. We'll just have to tough it out."
Flynn's expression soured just slightly, and he let out a faint sigh that Melody almost missed. "I should learn Sunny Day sometime," he muttered quietly, drawing an amused giggle from the Skitty.
"We can keep an eye out for the TM at Kecleon's Shop, if you want. Though I don't think moves like that are allowed within town, anyway. Otherwise you'd have all different types of pokemon all wanting to adjust the town's weather for their own comfort, and... well, that wouldn't work out well."
That made sense, Flynn supposed. Though it wasn't going to make the trip out of town any more pleasant. Oh well. He'd endured rain before, and again, at least it wasn't raining too hard right now.
"I guess a weather band would be an option," Melody noted. "They supposedly block out the effects of weather from the wearer, so it just feels like the weather's perfectly clear." Flynn gave her a curious look, and she shrugged. "I'm... not totally sure how that works, either. I think I've heard they're made from shed Altaria fluff, but don't quote me on that. Either way, they're a little expensive, since they're hard to make and they're useful for more than just explorers."
They stayed there for a little longer, talking about various things, before Flynn turned his gaze back towards the entrance. He wasn't eager to deal with the rain, but he knew they should really get going before much longer.
Walking over to the team's bag, he settled it on his back, trying to cover his flame vents with it as best he could. It was far from perfect, but it would hopefully help a little with keeping the rain out of them.
Later that day, Team Sunrise made their way through Mt. Bristle. Flynn led the way, easily navigating through the branching corridors and rocky terrain as Melody followed closely behind.
The first time they'd come here, so long ago now, this dungeon had been quite difficult for them. They were still novices back then, and it wasn't until partway up the mountain that Flynn had finally started to really get the hang of using his fire, since he'd only been a Cyndaquil for a few days at the time. They'd pushed through regardless, determined to save Azurill from Drowzee, but it had been the first really big challenge they'd had to face as an exploration team.
But at this point, after everything they had been through, this dungeon was downright tame, by comparison. They'd explored much harsher conditions than this, and the wild pokemon here were far too weak to pose a threat to them anymore, generally. Of course, Flynn knew better than to let his guard down in a mystery dungeon, but still.
He spared a quick glance back at Melody, and she smiled happily at him. She seemed a little bit peppier than usual, today, despite how the weather had been. And while she was still paying attention and not getting too distracted, he could tell she was thinking about something.
During a quiet stretch, as they made their way through a long corridor with no wild pokemon in sight, his curiousity got the best of him. "Something on your mind?"
Melody jolted briefly, roused from her thoughts. "Hm? Oh." She blushed a little, smiling sheepishly. "It's nothing important. Maybe a little silly, to be honest. But... do you remember that one team we've seen around town... I think they were called Team AWD? The one led by a Weavile, they've talked a few times about how they were looking for Zero Island?"
Flynn nodded. "Did they find it?"
"Yep! I overheard them talking about it while I was at Kangaskhan Storage this morning, getting our supplies ready."
Interesting. Although that left the question of why Melody was that excited about it. "Wanting to explore the area, too?"
Melody shook her head. "No. Zero Island would probably be way too tough for us, still. Besides, that team... probably wouldn't really appreciate other teams trying to beat them to it. Weavile seemed annoyed with her teammates for even talking about it in the open, like that. And they didn't say anything about where it actually is, so I wouldn't know that part anyway. It's just that... I honestly wasn't sure Zero Island was even real."
Their conversation halted briefly as a pair of wild Spinarak approached, and the explorers stopped to fight them off. Or rather, 'shooed them away' would be more accurate, as Flynn deliberately missed with a Flamethrower and the bug-types quickly scurried off without a fight.
Once they were gone, Melody continued, "When I was younger, I always liked stories about legendary treasures, ancient places shrouded in myth, and the like. It's part of what made me want to be an explorer in the first place. And Zero Island is one of the legends I remember reading about. An island that appears and vanishes like a mirage, home to an incredibly long mystery dungeon that takes all your supplies away as soon as you enter, and supposedly can even make you forget all your advanced moves temporarily, making you practically a beginner again while you explore the dungeon."
She shuddered, imagining how tough a dungeon like that would be. Despite that, though, a wide smile lit up her face. "It was usually considered to be just a myth, I thought, but if that team's actually found it... it's kinda exciting, you know? Makes me wonder what other stories I read about as a kid might actually be out there, somewhere. Or at least have some truth to them, anyway."
Flynn always liked to see that passionate spark shining in her eyes like this. Hoping to keep the topic going, he asked, "...Any stories in particular that stand out, from back then?"
"Well... There's a lot of old legends like that, really. But, for example... there's the Seven Treasures. Seven musical instruments, each imbued with special power and an elemental-type by a Legendary pokemon. Supposedly, they're scattered around the world, hidden away and well-guarded. Again, I'd always figured it was just made up. Why would Legendary pokemon bother to imbue power into musical instruments, of all things? Some pokemon have probably tried looking for them before, but I've never heard of anyone finding anything. But if Zero Island is actually real, after all, then who knows?"
Flynn nodded. "...The Hidden Land was supposed to be a myth too, right?"
"Exactly!" Melody stopped walking, staring off into the distance with a wide grin on her face. "And even if the Seven Treasures aren't real, there's a ton of other old stories like that! There's legends of places like Star Cave, where the wish-granting pokemon Jirachi lives! Or artifacts like the Fountain of Dreams, or the Mirror of Twilight, or the Everlasting Sapling! And..."
She trailed off, suddenly realizing how worked up she'd gotten. Feeling a little self-conscious, she quietly finished, "...a-and I'm rambling, aren't I?"
"...A little," Flynn answered, holding in a chuckle. "But I don't mind. It was genuinely interesting. And besides... you're, um... really cute, when you get like that." He smiled bashfully at her, a light pink tint to his cheeks.
If Melody wasn't blushing before, she certainly was now. "...T-Thanks," she eventually responded, smiling shyly. A pleasant warmth filled her chest, both from Flynn's words and from the fact that he had enjoyed listening to all of that. After quickly checking that there still weren't any wild pokemon nearby, she took a quick step forward and affectionately nuzzled Flynn's side.
After a few moments, the duo continued onward, still keeping an eye out for the pokemon they needed to rescue. As they walked, Flynn wondered to himself how many of those legends were based on reality.
Surely many of them really were just stories, and nothing more. But he honestly wouldn't be surprised if a few of them actually existed. Maybe they would even find one themselves, at some point. And even if someone else found them first, Melody would likely find it fascinating just to know that more of those legends were real.
Melody quietly sipped at her white gummi smoothie as she glanced around the rest of Spinda's Cafe. There were quite a few other pokemon around, though that was to be expected at this time of day. Many pokemon had finished their work for the day, and had come here to relax. Team Sunrise had gotten back from a mission not long ago, and while Melody didn't see anyone from the guild around at the moment, she wouldn't be surprised if some of them showed up before long.
Her attention drifted to Flynn, who was sitting a couple steps beside her and enjoying his red gummi drink. Melody was a little tempted to sit closer to him, and maybe lean against his side, but... given all the other pokemon around, she didn't feel quite bold enough to do that at the moment. Especially since they still hadn't actually told anyone in town about their relationship yet.
It wasn't that they were trying to keep it a secret, exactly. There wasn't really any need to hide it, and Melody had been fine telling her family about it in her last letter to them. Honestly, perhaps they should have simply told the other guild members after dinner some night, while they were still training there with them. But Flynn obviously wasn't likely to do that without being directly asked, and Melody would have felt awkward trying to just casually bring it up like that. Especially given the likely reaction from, say, Sunflora.
(Still... we'll have to tell people eventually, so... maybe being a little closer wouldn't hurt.) Melody thought. After glancing around self-consciously for a moment, she inched a little closer to Flynn, her tail settling on the ground right behind him.
After another few minutes, as the pair finished their gummi drinks, Melody spotted Bidoof and Sunflora entering the cafe. They quickly noticed her and Flynn, Sunflora waving at the duo as she and Bidoof started walking over to them.
"Howdy, Team Sunrise!" Bidoof greeted once he was close enough. "Golly, it's barely been a week since you two graduated, but I've already been missing having you both around, yup yup."
"I know how you feel," Melody replied. "It's kinda weird not talking as much with all of you anymore."
"Missing all the silly mishaps we usually end up chatting about during dinner?" Sunflora asked, giving a laugh that was quickly echoed by the Skitty.
"Yeah. And the dinners themselves, to be honest. Chimecho's cooking was always great, and now, well..." The Skitty blushed, gesturing to her partner. "Flynn can roast apples and berries with his fire, but that's... pretty much the only kind of cooking either of us are practiced with, admittedly."
"Oof, I hadn't thought about that," Bidoof responded, frowning. "Maybe it's not so bad after all that I'm still a long ways from graduating, by golly."
Sunflora chuckled a little at Bidoof's words, before asking, "That aside, how have you two been doing, now?"
"Things have been going well," Melody replied. "It took a couple days to get used to the changes, but it does feel satisfying being a fully-fledged exploration team, now. And there are perks to it, as well. It's nice not having to stick with the guild's rigorous schedule all the time, for one thing. We can even just... take a day or two off whenever we feel like, now. I mean, I love our explorer work, but it's nice having the option, you know?"
"...And you don't have to deal with Loudred's wake-up calls every morning, either," Sunflora added with a smirk.
"Yeah, that's definitely one upside," Melody responded, folding her ears to her head at the thought.
Bidoof shuddered a little. "Yeesh. By golly, I suppose it's effective, but... oof, I wish he wasn't quite so loud. And..." He paused, looking a little sheepish. "Shucks, don't tell him I said this, but... be glad you all don't have to share a room with him, by golly. He snores something awful."
Melody winced sympathetically. "Ouch. I can imagine."
"Oh my gosh, Corphish complains about that sometimes too, especially way back when he first joined." Sunflora shook her head, before deciding to get the conversation back on track. "How about your new Team Base? Settling in nicely over at Sharpedo Bluff?"
Melody noticed Flynn grimace slightly at the memory of that rainy morning. "There are... some issues we've had to fix," she replied. "But overall, it's a pretty cozy little spot. Not as lively as the guild, but the peace and quiet is nice in its own way."
Sunflora nodded in understanding. "Yeah, I can see that. And as a bonus, you probably get a really nice view of the sunset from there, right?"
"...Y-Yes?" Melody replied hesitantly. Despite Sunflora's kind smile, there was suddenly a hint of mischief in her eyes that made Melody nervous. She had a feeling she knew roughly where this was going.
"That must be nice. Instead of eating in the guild's dining room with everyone else, now you get to spend that time together every evening. Oh my gosh, just the two of you, enjoying the sunset view and sharing dinner together as... friends." Sunflora accompanied the last word with a blatant wink, and she had to stifle a giggle with one of her leaves.
Melody felt her face heat up a little, and she tried to decide what to say. She could try to just brush it off somehow, and try to change the subject. But... this was probably about as good an opportunity as any to just get the awkward admission over with.
She locked eyes with Flynn for a moment. He was blushing slightly as well, but he seemed to understand what she was thinking, giving her a silent nod and a reassuring smile.
Taking a deep breath, and bracing herself for embarrassment, Melody scooted closer to his side. "...W-We, um... Just so you know, Flynn and I are actually, um... d-dating, now."
"Oh my gosh, really!?" Sunflora exclaimed. Thankfully, she kept her volume in check enough to avoid causing a scene. "Oh my gosh, I knew it! I knew it was only a matter of time before you two got together!" She grinned gleefully at the pair, clapping the tips of her leaves together quietly. If they weren't in the middle of Spinda's Cafe, she might have outright walked up and pulled them into a hug.
(Yeah, that's about the reaction I expected from her,) Melody thought, both her and Flynn fidgeting a little under the attention.
Seeing the duo's reaction, Sunflora toned it down a bit, giving them a warm, genuine smile. "Seriously though, congrats you two. Oh my gosh, you really are cute together, you know. I'm glad one of you finally worked up the nerve to say how you felt."
Bidoof nodded. "Yup yup! I wasn't as sure about it as Sunflora was, but... golly, it's clear as day you both mean a lot to each-other, yup yup. I'm happy for you, by golly, and I'm sure everyone at the guild will be too once they hear."
"...Thanks, you guys," Melody eventually responded. She and Flynn still felt a little awkward, but they appreciated the sentiments.
After a few moments, Flynn actually decided to speak up. "Anyway, u-um... How have all of you been, at the guild?"
Sunflora chuckled, but went along with the obvious change of subject. "It's been fine, the same old routine. Bidoof and I decided to team up for today, and things went pretty smoothly. Although on the third floor, there was a little bit of trouble..."
The four of them talked for a little while longer, trading anecdotes from the last few days explorations. But eventually they parted ways, Team Sunrise heading back to Sharpedo Bluff as the other two returned to the guild for dinner.
Luminous Spring, located at the depths of Mystifying Forest, was a special location where pokemon could evolve. But when time had started to deteriorate as Temporal Tower started to collapse, Luminous Spring had gone dark, preventing anyone from evolving.
By the time Dialga had brought Flynn back, things had returned to normal enough that the spring had started working again. But Melody still wouldn't have been able to evolve without a moon stone, and those were quite rare. It had taken quite a while for the Kecleon brothers to get one in stock, and even then it had been a little on the pricey side.
Flynn could technically have evolved as soon as he'd returned, but he insisted on waiting until Melody could evolve as well. Besides, to be honest, he'd been kinda hesitant about the idea of evolving, at first. It would mean having to adjust to a new body all over again. But it would likely be much easier than when he'd become a Cyndaquil, and the advantages of evolving were certainly tempting.
So when a moon stone finally appeared in Kecleon's Shop, Melody was eager to finally head to Luminous Spring, and Flynn, despite his initial reluctance, was kinda excited as well. The duo picked out a mission in Mystifying Forest the next time they had the chance, since that would conveniently put them right near the spring anyway.
As they approached the waters of the spring, something seemed to react to their presence. A beam of light shone up from within the spring, and a strange voice emanated from... somewhere, briefly startling the explorers. "You... who seek awakening... This is Luminous Spring."
Neither pokemon could tell where exactly the voice had come from. After glancing around for a few seconds, they could only assume it was somehow coming from the spring itself. The voice continued, "Do you seek a new evolution?"
Shaking off her confusion, Melody hesitantly replied, "Y-Yes. We've both come here to evolve."
"Very well. Step forward, when you are ready."
Noticing Flynn's reluctance to enter the water, even if it was very shallow, Melody stepped up first. She set the treasure bag near the edge of the spring, taking out the moon stone and wading a few steps out.
"Do you require an item for your evolution?"
Melody set the moon stone down by her feet, so she could talk without the stone in her mouth. "Yes, I have it with me, here."
"And you are certain you wish to evolve? You will not be able to return to your current form."
"...Yes. I'm sure."
"Then let us begin."
The light in the center of the water started to get brighter, expanding out to more of the spring. Soon, the light enveloped Melody, and she tensed up as she waited for something to happen.
...But just as quickly as it had begun, the light started to recede, leaving the Skitty standing there confused. "What happened?"
"You... cannot evolve."
"What!? But... why? I brought a moon stone and everything!"
"It is... hard to explain. But... There is a distortion of space."
Melody glanced back at her partner, but he was just as confused as she was. "What do you mean, a distortion of space?"
"The very fabric of space is being... distorted, somehow. And it is disrupting Luminous Spring's power somewhat."
"...Like how the time gear crisis also prevented Luminous Spring from working right?"
"Yes. However... it is different, now. The effect is... smaller. Luminous Spring is still able to function, and Pokemon can evolve. But, you... and the one with you, as well... for some reason, you are... somehow tied to this distortion of space."
"What!?" Melody gasped. Not even just her, but Flynn as well? "Why would we be tied to a distortion in the fabric of space?"
"...I do not know. But because of this... you are both unable to evolve."
Melody just stood there in silence, not really sure how to react. Even though Flynn wasn't as invested in all this as she was, seeing his partner's disappointment spurred him to ask, "Is there anything that we can do?"
"...Unless the distortion were to disappear, or at least shrink enough to not weaken Luminous Spring's power, no. I am sorry."
With that, the light coming from the spring faded, and the mysterious voice went silent.
Melody picked the moon stone back up out of the water, walking dejectedly back to where Flynn was waiting. She let out a small sigh. "Well... that's kinda disappointing. I'll admit, I was looking forward to finally evolving. And, uh..." She paused, looking a little embarrassed. "I was also looking forward to seeing what you'd look like evolved, too."
Flynn couldn't deny he'd been curious as well, despite his initial reservations about it.
"...I guess this was a bit of a waste then, huh?" Melody said, frowning at the moon stone in front of her.
"...Not necessarily."
"Hm?"
"That voice did say that if the distortion went away, we'd be able to evolve, right?"
"...That's true, I guess." Melody tilted her head, looking deep in thought. "But it's not like we have any idea why it's happening in the first place, let alone how to stop it. Where would we even look for information?"
"...I don't know," Flynn admitted. "But maybe we'll find out more at some point, in our adventures." Perhaps it was a long shot, but he felt it was worth suggesting anyway. He gave the Skitty a lopsided smile. "In the meantime... we've gotten this far unevolved, right?"
After a brief silence, Melody returned the smile. "...Yeah, we have." She shook her head to clear her thoughts, perking back up. "You're right. With luck, we'll hopefully find some solution to this, eventually. And if we don't... then I guess we just continue on unevolved like this. It'd be a shame, but... I suppose I could accept it. There are certainly worse things than not being able to evolve."
She picked the moon stone back up, returning it to the treasure bag and setting the bag on her back again. She nodded resolutely at Flynn, and he used the team's badge to warp them back out of the forest.
It was still fairly early in the morning as Melody and Flynn made their way across town. It was slightly inconvenient, having to walk all the way across town from Sharpedo Bluff to check the guild's job boards each day. But they could get most of their preparations done on the way, so it wasn't too bad.
As they reached the crossroads where Spinda's Cafe was, however, a Mr. Mime called out to them. "Oh, Team Sunrise! There you are. Spinda asked me to keep an eye out for you two, he was hoping to talk with you, if you have time."
Melody turned to him, a little confused. "Spinda? Did he say what he wanted to talk about?"
The Mr. Mime shrugged. "He didn't tell me the details, but it sounded like he has a job request for your team."
That definitely caught the duo by surprise. This wasn't the first time someone had asked for their team, specifically, to help with something, but they wouldn't have expected a request from Spinda of all pokemon.
Curious what this was about, they walked down the stairs into the Cafe and made their way over to Spinda. He was standing behind his counter as usual, busily washing a glass. He set it down as he noticed the pair approaching, smiling at them. "Ah, hello, Team Sunrise."
Melody nodded, returning the greeting. "Hey, Spinda. Mr. Mime said you had a request for us?"
"That's right. Usually, Team Frontier does the exploring and scouting for Project P, but in this case I thought it made sense to ask you about it. You two crossed the ocean to reach the Hidden Land, right? Would that Lapras still be willing to help you cross the ocean to explore other places?"
Melody tilted her head in thought. "...I think so. It's certainly worth a shot."
"Excellent!" Spinda struck a grand pose, wobbling in place for a moment as he almost lost his balance. But not missing a beat, he continued, "We might have been able to find a different water-type to ferry Team Frontier, but this will make things much easier. Have you heard of a place called Blizzard Island?"
"...It sounds familiar, but I can't really place it," Melody replied.
"Decades ago, Scizor, a famous explorer at the time, tried exploring Blizzard Island. He was searching for some kind of treasure that he thought was there, but he went missing, and while some pokemon attempted to find and rescue him, no-one ever managed to find him. Eventually the search parties gave up, and most pokemon have been wary of Blizzard Island ever since."
Melody exchanged a look with Flynn. On the one hand, Blizzard Island might be a bit dangerous, if a seasoned explorer had already gone missing there in the past. But... Melody couldn't deny she was interested.
It was an area that had gone mostly unexplored for decades, apparently... What was Blizzard Island like? What was this treasure Scizor had been looking for? And what actually happened to Scizor, for that matter?
There must have been something in her expression that gave away what she was thinking. Flynn quietly chuckled, smiling warmly at her as he asked, "That's a yes, then?"
Melody nodded, returning the smile before facing Spinda again. "Where exactly is Blizzard Island? And what all can you tell us about it, before we set out?"
A/N: This chapter took way longer than I feel like it really should have. Especially the scene with Sunflora and Bidoof. I think I'm reasonably happy with how this has turned out, finally, but as always feedback would be nice. Whether it's things you liked, or things you didn't like, or whatever other things you have to comment on.
