Special Chapter 1:
Today's dreamers, tomorrow's heroes!
"Wake up honey! You'll be late to school!"
"Just five more minutes, mom!"
...
...
"EMBER! COME DOWN HERE THIS INSTANT IF YOU DON'T WANT TO BE GROUNDED FOR A LONG TIME!"
"Ugh... I'm coming!"
Opening my eyes and yawning, I slowly stood up without a single bit of strength in my legs, and definitely no desire to go to school either.
The only thing that pushed me forward was the fact that I really didn't want to see my mother angry.
I walked out of my room and entered the kitchen, and saw the white furred Meowstick using her psychic abilities to prepare our breakfast.
"Good morning, sweetie. Did you sleep well?" She greeted without looking at me.
My response was an annoyed groan, before dumping myself in front of the table. "Come on, honey! You are 15 already! You can't act like a little kid every day!"
"Of course I can. In fact, it's what I'm doing now!"
"Oh, Arceus, what will I do with you?" She giggled while shaking her head.
She finished making the pancakes and served them in three plates that she put on the table. Afterwards, the psychic type sat down on the opposite side of the table.
"Eat up, honey. And don't you give me that look! You only have five months of school left!"
"'Only' she says..."
"It will be longer if you keep up that attitude!"
"Is that pancakes, I smell?"
That voice belonged to my father. The Delphox had just entered the kitchen and had a rather hungry look on his face.
He made his way to the table and sat in front of his own plate.
"Indeed! And they are fresh out of the pan!"
"Delicious!"
"Good morning, dad" I said groggily.
"Good morning, dear. I see you are full of energy to begin the day with, huh?"
"Hey, leave your daughter alone! I think she already has enough with having to go to school!"
"Very funny, mom..."
"Anyway, let's eat already! I'm starving..." Dad stated, sitting down.
I was on the verge of falling asleep again, and my mom seemed to realize. "Ember, if you don't hurry up, you will be late for school! And your father will eat your pancakes if you are not careful!"
"Listen to your mom!" My dad added with his mouth full.
"As if that would be a big problem..."
Seeing that her tactic didn't work, she frowned and began eating her own food. "Alright then. I thought you wanted to be early so that you would be reay for the visit from that explorer team, but I guess you changed your mind. Do as you please then"
My eyes instantly shot open. "I COMPLETELY FORGOT!"
I devoured the pancakes in record time and hurried to the bathroom to prepare myself for school, my mother chuckling all the way.
"I knew that would wake her up completely"
"You know that girl as if she were your daughter, don't you Christine?"
"Don't be so silly, Richard! And finish your breakfast already! We also have a job to go to!"
"Roger that, sergeant mom!"
Meanwhile, I had already finished brushing my fur and cleaning myself. I was about to exit the house when my mom called me.
"Ember! You could at least say goodbye, you know?"
"Sorry mom, but I have been waiting for this so long that I can't waste anymore time!"
"If I recall correctly, you didn't want to get out of your bed a few minutes ago..."
"That was because I forgot! Can you let me go now? Pleaseeee?"
She raised a brow.
"Fineeee! Goodbye, mom! Goodbye, dad! Good luck with today's expeditions!"
"That's what I wanted to hear! Goodbye, sweetie! And remember to control yourself in front of that team! The food will be just where it always is!"
"Okay!" I yelled while running out of the house.
My mom sighed. "What are we going to do with her?"
"Don't worry about it. I'm sure she will grow up someday. Hopefully, we will be able to see it before we are too old!"
Dashing through the streets of New Hope Town, I made my way to the house of my bestie, waving at everyone I came across. We have always gone to school together, and today wasn't going to be an exception!
The Snorunt was standing in front of the door, looking around until she saw me running.
"Agatha!" I yelled, stopping in front of her.
"Ember! Excited for today?"
"Of course! An explorer team is coming to our classroom, Agatha! A real explorer team! And they are going to teach us loads of things about exploring!"
"Aren't your parents explorers too?"
"But it's not the same! They are always 'You always have to follow the rules' and those kind of things! They make it sound so boring!"
"They are your parents, girl. Of course they act like that! They know you better than anyone else"
We started walking to the school. The trek was mostly spent talking about today's main event.
"Can you believe the school managed to convince real explorers to give us a talk?" Stars were practically appearing in my eyes.
"Well, I think it's a bit weird, you know? They organize a meeting with an explorer team out of the blue just to teach us lessons we can have in a regular class?"
"I think you are missing the point, girl: THEY ARE EXPLORERS!"
"Geez, okay, I get it!" She giggled.
The school was not too far from my parents' house, so the walk there wasn't too long. It was even shorter when you were walking with your best friend.
"We already arrived? I can't wait for the afternoon to arrive!"
"Yeah, but we will still have to deal with class for most of the day"
"I forgot about that! It's going to be a loooong day... But I'm sure it'll be worth it!"
We kept walking for a bit more until we saw the familiar sign that said 'New Hope Town School', a familiar figure standing just in front.
"Good morning, girls! Ready for today's event?"
"We are, nurse Audino!"
"Good! Now come on, class is about to start"
We walked inside and towards our classroom. The building wasn't too big, so it didn't take long to arrive to our destination. In the classroom, everyone was talking and discussing about the explorer team that was going to come here.
"Who do you think that will come?" Asked Louie, a Mareep.
"No idea" Answered Phoebe, a Ralts.
"You think that maybe it's a lame team that nobody knows about?" Asked Pancham, or rather Mark.
"They wouldn't do that, would they?" Added our Buizel classmate, Misty.
"Bah! I'm sure that I am stronger that all of them combined!" Yelled Trace, a male Nidoran.
"Don't go acting tough, dude! You wouldn't even be able to steal an apple from a Slakoth!" Replied Mark.
"I believe you, babe" Reassured Trace's girlfriend, Brooke a female Nidoran while nuzzling him.
"Silence, SILENCE! Everyone, sit in your respective seats! Class is starting"
"Yes, Mr. Farfetch'd!"
After everyone had calmed and sat down, our teacher cleared his throat. "Good morning, class. As you know, today we are going to have a special visit from an explorer team who have been so kind to come to our class to give us a talk. I expect the best of your attitude, am I understood?"
"Yes!"
"Very well, then. You should also know that they will arrive on the two afternoon periods, just after lunch, so in the meantime we will have regular class, as always"
A loud grumble coming from all of the students.
"Now, open your textbooks at page 41, please!"
*Ding Dong, Ding Dong!*
"Alright children, time for recess!"
All of us ran outside, headed to the back yard of the building where the big field known as the playground was located.
Today was one of the days where the class wasn't divided in different groups around the whole area. Instead we were all forming a circle, theorizing about the upcoming event.
"Does anyone know anything about who is going to come today?" Asked Phoebe.
"Can't you just red our teacher's mind and tell us?" Replied Mark.
"Reading minds is not as easy as it sounds! Only adults know how, and they say that it's very hard and energy consuming! So no, I haven't read Mr. Farfetch'd's mind!"
"Can we get back on topic? We only have half an hour!" Interrupted Misty.
"Yeah!" I yelled.
"Hey Ember, aren't your parents explorers?" Asked Louie.
All eyes turned to me.
"Yeah, but they said they knew nothing about it, so they didn't tell me anything"
"That's disappointing..."
"Anyway, we should think about what the talk will be about" Said Agatha.
"Or if they are going to make a test out of it..." Sighed Mark.
"I think it will have something to do with Emeras. We haven't talked a lot about those" Suggested Trace.
"You really think we are going to talk about something that simple?" Asked Brooke.
"Yeah, it must be something a bit harder, like dungeon classification or something like that" Replied Phoebe.
Slowly, everyone began sharing their ideas out loud, but no one knew which one was the correct one, if there even was a correct one at all.
Before long, the bell rang again, telling us that our rant was over, and that it was time to go back to class.
Two more periods of class awaited us as Mr Farfetch'd started explaining us about Emeras and Looplets, surprising us. What was the talk going to be about then?
Before long, it was time for our lunch break, so I waved goodbye to Agatha and walked home, ready to eat.
I loved being home alone, specially when it was lunch time. My mom always left some delicious food for me whenever they knew they wouldn't be able to be with me at lunch.
I didn't mind, though. I knew that explorations could take more than just a few hours. They normally were at home when I came back from school, but it wouldn't be the first time they came home long past sunset.
Once I had finished the plate of Torchick wings, I took a look at the clock. I still had about an hour left to go back to school. I decided the best way to pass the time was by reading a book in my room.
My first thought was to pick something about explorers, but I realized that if I read about them I would be constantly thinking about going back to school and that would make time go slower, so instead I decided to go with another theme.
"Myths and Legends about our world" I read out loud. "Sure, I can read this"
Laying on my bed, I opened the book and began reading.
Chapter 1: The Original One or Arceus.
Born before it even existed, it is said that The Original One shaped our whole universe as we know it with his 1,000 arms.
It is also theorized He was the one that created the Aura Trio (Mesprit, Azelf and Uxie) and the Pokémon of Myth (Dialga, Palkia and Giratina, the latter of which was banished for his high violence. See chapter 5 for more information)
[...]
Chapter 2: Mew.
Appearing only to those that have a pure heart, Mew is said to possess the genetic composition of all Pokémon. It is capable of making itself invisible at will, so it entirely avoids notice even when approaching Pokémon.
Due to being able to use every known move, it is theorized that Mew is the ancestor of all Pokémon.
[...]
Chapter 3: Celebi.
Revered as a guardian of the forest, this Pokémon wanders across time, but is said to appear only in peaceful times. Celebi bolsters grass and trees with its own strength, and can heal wounds too.
It is thought that so long as Celebi appears, a bright and shining future awaits us.
[...]
Chapter 4: The Lunar Duo.
It is formed by two Pokémon known as Cresselia and Darkrai.
The latter is said to cause unending nightmares, with only a Lunar Wing coming from the former being able to stop them.
Despite their opposing natures and abilities, there is no indication that leads us to think that they are enemies.
[...]
I kept reading the book for who knows how long before I decided to check the clock again. There were only about ten minutes remaining for the class to start again.
Closing , I quickly made my way back to the school, my excitement growing by the second.
Everyone sat in their seats. Murmurs filled the classroom as all of us tried to think about who was going to come today.
Finally, our teacher walked inside the classroom and cleared his throat, drawing everyone's attention.
"Listen up, students! The moment you've been waiting has arrived. As stated before, I will ask you to behave correctly, okay?"
"Yes, Mr. Farfetch'd!"
"Good. Now, without further ado, give a warm welcome to..."
The door opened.
"Team AWD!"
An Arbok, Weavile and Drapion entered the classroom waving at us.
"Sup, Kids!" Greeted the Drapion.
"We are team AWD..." Began the Arbok.
"And we are going to be answering your questions today!" Finished the Weavile while the three of them striked a pose
The whole class erupted into cheers and claps.
"Told ya, lady Weavile that this wasn't going to be boring!"
"Looks like you were right this time. Anyway, kids! We are team AWD, and we are here to answer any questions about our job and all that stuff, so let's start now!"
I was the first one to raise my paw. "What type of work do you guys do?"
"We do a lot of things, but our favourite of them all is finding lots of treasure! One time we even found a huge chest full of gems inside a Mistery Dungeon!"
A loud 'Woah!' went around the classroom.
"Are there any secrets to success?" Phoebe asked.
"You just gotta be strong and not let anything intimidate you! That's the key to explore anything in this world, be it Mystery Dungeon or not!" The Drapion answered.
Murmurs.
"Where are you guys from?" pondered Misty.
"Straight from Treasure Town, in the Grass Continent"
"You should come and check it out someday" Arbok added.
The questions didn't stop there. They ranged from questions that had to do with the jobs in general, like 'Do you get paid well?', to more complicated and personal questions, such as 'What is your favourite expedition that you have done?'
Team AWD told us about a dungeon from their continent called 'Zero Isles'. "We have been searching for that dungeon for months now, but to no avail" Said Drapion.
"What's so special about that dungeon?" I said, raising my paw.
"Everything!" Yelled Arbok.
"What's your name, little Fennekin?" Asked Weavile.
"Ember"
"Well, Ember. You see, that dungeon is not just your regular space-time distortion. Not only do the regular rules for dungeons apply, but the Zero Isles will also take away all your items and reset your strength back to the minimum, basically making you as weak as when you were just hatched"
"Wow! How does it do that?"
"No one knows! That's why it is so special, even considered not to exist, but when we find it, we will enter and conquer its 50 floors!"
"50 floors?!" The entire class exclaimed.
"Quite a big amount, isn't it? Don't worry, for nothing can stop..." Began Weavile.
The three team members striked a pose. "...team AWD!"
Everyone clapped at their small play.
"Anyway, does anyone have anymore questions?"
I raised my paw again.
"Yes, Ember?"
"Here in the Water Continent, we have a few legends exclusive to us only, like the Tree of Life. Does your continent have any?"
After thinking for a bit, Weavile snapped her claws. "Now that you mention it, there is one!"
She looked at the class. "Has anyone heard about the legend of the Time Gears?"
Everyone began murmuring to themselves again.
"I see you haven't. You see, time gears are supposed to be objects enchanted with some sort of magic that allows time to flow. Supposedly, Time Gears are located in hidden places all over the continent, guarded only by the harsh natural landscape that surrounds them. It is said, that removing a Time Gear from its place will result in that area getting stuck in time until the gear is returned"
"But what happens if all time gears are removed?" Asked Brooke.
Weavile closed her eyes and crossed her arms. After a dramatic pause, she eerily grinned and answered. "Then, the whole planet will freeze in time. Forever "
Everyone shuddered.
"But if only nature protects the Time Gears, what stops someone twisted enough to steal them?" I asked.
Arbok scoffed. "Don't be ridiculous. Even the most crazy and despicable criminal knows that stealing a Time Gear is crossing a line. No one has enough guts to even get too close to them. After all, how are you gonna steal anything if the whole world is paralyzed?"
"What about the rumors, though?" Drapion asked his teammate.
"What rumors?" Inquired Agatha.
"There has been some rumors around the continent about some Grovyle hunting the time gears and stealing them for who knows what..." Weavile responded.
"That's terrible!" Yelled Trace.
"Yeah, but those are rumors. And as far as I know, no part of the continent has been paralyzed, so..." Shrugged Weavile.
*Ding Dong, Ding Dong!*
"Well, kids. It's been a pleasure coming here and talking with you, but our time is up already. Remember, being a good explorer is always about being the strongest and the best at your job! But also to have compassion and know how to work under pressure!" Added Weavile.
"And with that..." Began Arbok.
"...this has been..." Followed Drapion.
"...team AWD!" Finished Weavile, before all three of them striked the same pose as before, followed by a round of applause coming from the class.
The three of them bowed and Mr. Farfetch'd stood up from his seat.
"Thank you for coming here today"
"No problem, at all! It was our day off, anyway. We should be the ones to thank you for inviting us"
"Class, say goodbye to them!"
"Goodbye team AWD!" Shouted everyone.
The three of them waved at us and exited the classroom.
"Alright, students! You have behaved excelently, and have demonstrated a great interest. That's what I like to see. You are free to go home. See you on Monday!"
"That was amazing!" I yelled.
"I can tell, girl" Responded Agatha.
"Oh, I can't wait to tell my parents about everything!"
Both Agatha and me were walking home after today's day of class. If I was not mistaken, it had to be around half past four in the afternoon, and since there wasn't class tomorrow, it was time to hang out with my friends!
"Alright, girl. I gotta grab some things, but how about we meet at the plaza in... twenty minutes?" I asked.
"Yeah sure!"
We waved goodbye and we parted ways. I turned the corner of the plaza and walked some more, heading home.
"Mom! Dad! I'm back! Are you here?" I yelled, entering though the door.
"Welcome back, sweetie!"
"How was your day?"
"Amazing!"
"What about the team?"
"They were so cool! They were called team AWD and we talked about everything there is about exploring! They even told us about a legend from the Grass Continent!"
"That's amazing! I suppose you'll want to go out with your friends now?"
"Yep! Agatha and me are going to the plaza in twenty minutes or so"
"Do you want anything to eat before you go? I have some leftover salad from our lunch" Mom asked.
"Salad? Seriously? You know how much I hate salad!"
"You have to be healthy if you want to be a great explorer!" Dad chuckled.
"I'd much rather eat a random twig I found on the way back..."
"I suppose that's a no then"
I didn't respond to that. "I'm going to ready myself alright?"
"Sure sweetie" Answered my dad.
Just when I got out of my room having grabbed everything, my dad called my name. "Ember, your mother and I have been called for another quick mission, so we'll be heading out. It shouldn't matter too much though, since you are going with Agatha. Have fun, by the way" He said.
"Sure! Good luck with your mission!" I said, exiting the house.
"Bye!" My parents waved.
Running, I headed back to the town's plaza. Soon enough, the Snorunt I call my friend faded into view, talking with Misty, who had apparently decided to join us.
"Agatha! Misty!" I yelled.
Both of them turned to look at me. "Hey, Ember!" Greeted Agatha.
"Hello there!" Added Misty.
"Hi! What are you doing here, Misty? I thought you had something to do with your sister!"
"Well, yeah... Turns out she doesn't know how to read calendars and the swimming competition is next week, not today. Which means that I get to have this afternoon free! I hope you don't mind if I join you..."
"Not at all! The more, the merrier!"
She smiled.
"Anyway. What do you wanna do?" Asked Agatha.
"How about we sit here and talk for a bit? Then we could go to an ice cream shop and have something!" Suggested Misty.
"That's a great idea!" I agreed.
"Yeah! Let's pick a bench before they are gone!" Agatha added, running to sit on one of the benches before there were none left.
We sat down next to her and our little gossip session began. "Let's start with the most important part" Agatha began with a teasing smile, looking at the Buizel.
"Agreed" I said while doing the same.
"...?"
"We have both seen how you look at Louie, Misty. Do you like him or something?"
"What?! N-No, of course not!" She stammered, blushing.
"Your face says the opposite!"
"S-Shut up!"
Both Agatha and me laughed. "If you say so..." That remark only added more to her already red face.
"Alright, let's leave her be for now. Have you heard of the rumors about Them ?" Agatha suddenly asked us.
The sheer mention of Them sent a shiver down our spines.
"You mean how everything ended?" I inquired.
She nodded.
"I heard them. Don't they say the leader of the whole organization was the one that betrayed it and managed to destroy it?" Guessed Misty.
She nodded again.
"I'm honestly happy for that guy, whoever he is. Don't get me wrong though, I know they have done some things that are unforgivable, but they have at least realized their mistake and mended it somehow..." I added.
"It takes a lot of guts to do what they did, I'll give them that"
"Giving up everything to do the right thing? Yeah, you need a lot of those..."
Awkward silence fell over the group.
"How about we talk about something less depressing?" I broke the silence.
"Yeah"
"Agreed"
We ended up talking about today and our plans for the weekend. Apparently, Misty was going to visit her grandparents a few towns away while Agatha didn't have anything particularly planned.
At least two hours had to had passed, and we still were laughing and talking sitting on that bench.
"Seriously, how can you even manage to pick things up while being on four legs?" Asked Misty, confused.
"It's not that hard when you have been a quadruped ever since you were hatched, y'know? You end up getting used to it, whether you like it or not" I answered.
"I just can't wrap my head around how it must be..."
"Hey, when I evolve I'll have two powerful arms, so you don't need to worry, if that's what's bothering you!"
"That will be if you evolve. You need to be very mature to do that and supposedly, that doesn't happen until around your 20's. And sorry to tell you, but I don't think you'll mature anytime around that age" Agatha teased.
"Hey! At least I won't need to search for a stone!"
"I could just evolve into a Glalie, you know?"
"Yeah, but that's not happening, is it? Who would want to lose every limb?"
All three of us bursted into laughter. It was fun to spend time with your friends after a long day of school.
"Maybe we should head to that ice cream shop already?" Misty asked, interrupting my thoughts.
"Yeah, let's-" That's when I noticed the amount of Pokémon running towards one of the streets, yelling and pointing.
"What's going on?" Agatha exclaimed.
"I don't know, but something's off" Answered Misty.
"Let's go investigate"
Both of my friends nodded and we quickly followed one of the Pokémon that ran to see what was going on.
(TW: This part of the chapter contains a Pokémon attempting suicide)
The sun was close to setting. It was a beautiful day to be running around with your friends.
But instead of that, we were fighting our way through a huge group of Pokémon that were all talking among themselves about something we didn't manage to understand.
"I don't see anything!" Yelled Agatha above all of the noise.
"Me neither!" I added.
"What's happening?" Misty asked to one of the adults, a Hypno.
"Huh?" He said while looking at us. "What are you kids doing here? This is too serious for you"
"We just want to know what's happening!" Replied the Buizel.
"Someone is at the roof of that building. He's gone up there with the intention of commiting suicide"
All of us gasped. "That's horrible! Isn't anyone even trying to help him?"
The Hypno just shrugged. "They did, but he threatened with jumping if anyone got too close"
"That's terrible..." Simply stated Agatha.
"Maybe we should go back? I can't watch this..." Asked Misty.
"Agreed. Let's get out of here, Ember. Let the professionals handle this"
...
"No way"
"Ember?"
Taking advantage of my small size, I slipped through the crowd of Pokémon, making my way to the entrance of the building.
"EMBER!"
I couldn't stand still seeing how someone was about to jump off a building while I was somewhere else, pretending it never happened. I could never forgive myself if that was the case.
If that Hypno was telling the truth, I would make sure not to get too close, but I was going to try and save him, because even if I was just a teenager, my mind kept repeating the same thing over and over again:
If no one is going to do it, I'll have to do it by myself.
I grew more and more nervous as I walked up the stairs to the rooftop of the building. This was a serious matter, and I was starting to regret coming here. I could still turn around. I could still go back and act as if nothing happened. I shook my head. Now it was not the moment to second-guess myself.
Finally the stairs led me to a half opened door. Peeking through it, I saw the Pokémon in question. A Zoroark was standing near the border of the building leaning on the railing.
I accidentally bumped into said door, making it creak. The Zoroark's ears perked up, and he looked back.
"Who's there?" He demanded.
His eyes were red, and down his face rolled tears. He looked... miserable.
Since there was no answer, he took a step closer towards the edge. "I already told you! Don't try to stop me, or I swear I'll jump!"
Fearing the worst, I slowly stepped from behind the door. When he saw me, his reddened eyes widened a bit.
"What's a kid doing here? This is not a fucking joke!" He warned before taking another step back.
"Wait!"
He stopped in his tracks.
C-Come on... Don't screw it up. "I-I just want to help you!"
He scoffed. "You? Help? It's too late for any of that!"
Panic was beggining to set. I didn't know what to do. I didn't know what to say. The smallest of the mistakes could cost that Pokémon his life.
I shouldn't even be here. I-I should have just stayed down on the ground.
I looked at the Zoroark in his eyes. Despite his attempt to look angry and serious, his eyes had a glint of desperation and depression.
But I can't just let him down.
"B-But why? Why is it too late? W-What happened?"
"And why do you even care?! You are a kid! You should be playing with your friends and not negotiating with a sucidal Pokémon!"
"I care because my dream is to become an explorer, and that means helping Pokémon out! It's not only me who wants to help you! Everyone does! Why do you think so many 'mon have come here? We can't do anything if I don't understand what's going on with you!"
The Zoroark looked surprised for a moment, and then softly laughed. "You have some big innocence, kid. I envy you"
He looked to the side, as if thinking. After a while, he finally started speaking.
"I have done terrible things, kid. Things you wouldn't even be able to imagine, and I felt no remorse at all. I-I pushed the few Pokémon that cared about me away just for a goal worthy of a supervillain, and now, not even they want anything to do with me anymore"
I took a small step towards him, making him recoil a bit, but otherwise he remained still.
"I-I had a girlfriend, you know? She was the best thing that happened in my life. She was shy, cautious and had the biggest heart in the entire world. She wouldn't even hurt a Cutiefly. She was perfect. I convinced her to help me with my ambitions. She didn't want to at first, but she ended up agreeing just because that would make me happy. After that though, she was never the same again. She changed. I changed her. It was my fault. O-Only my fault"
Another step. This time, he didn't react. Tears were starting to roll down his face.
"I did what I should have done from the start. It was too late to just bail, so I... I had to take down the only thing, the only family I had left, just to ensure no more harm would be done to the world"
Another pair of steps. The distance between me and the Zoroark had shrunk in half. I could now clearly see how much he was crying.
He finally kneeled down, not bothering to hold it any longer.
"SO NOW WHAT?!" He yelled. "That hell of a guild is gone, but what happens to me now?! My parents never liked me in the first place, my friends are either gone, or hidden away Arceus knows where. My girlfriend thinks I'm a traitor, something even worse than scum,..."
A pause. The crying had stopped, being replaced by the dark type looking at his claws, with a mixture of grief and regret.
"What's left for someone like me?"
Without any more words and a gloomy look on his face, he slowly stood up and turned around. He spoke one last time. "It was a pleasure meeting you, kiddo. Good luck with your dream" He eerily stated, climbing the railing.
Panic and dread made me act without thinking, so I started running towards him.
"Stop!" I jumped and latched onto his leg. That made him stop and look down at me. Now I was the one crying.
"You-You can't do this! You can't just jump off! There-There has to be something we can do! Please... Y-You can't..."
"Look, I appreciate what you are trying to do. It's cool to see that at least someone still gives a damn about me, but things in life don't always end up in a happy way. You already showed guts by getting up here, but there is nothing you can do"
He picked me up and pushed me off his leg, throwing me onto the ground. "Now, please, don't make this any more difficult" He added while turning around once again.
An Ember attack passed just near his leg. With yet another confused look, he turned around.
Seeing me in a battle stance, he frowned. This time, his expression changed into an angry one. "What do you think you are doing?"
"I-I won't let you. If you want to jump, y-you'll have to knock me out first"
He scoffed again. "Kid, I'm not in the mood for this type of things. Just go away, for fuck's sake"
Another Ember.
His mouth twitched a bit. "You are starting to annoy me, you know? Last warning. Now, for the love of Arceus. Leave. Me. Alone" He said before giving me his back.
I shouldn't have done what I did, but the fear of that Zoroark jumping off took hold of me, and I shot another Ember, this time aimed at his claw.
The Zoroark disappeared in a flash before the attack could hit him, and appeared behind me, using Night Daze and knocking me down onto the floor, almost making me faint.
"Warned you" He snarled.
Everything hurt, and my vision was blurry from just one attack. But I couldn't give up. Not now.
Something neither of us expected was the fact that I slowly stood up, and faced him once again.
"I said... you'll have... to knock me out"
This time, he fired a Dark Pulse, pushing me back a big distance. Somehow, I found the strength to stand up again, despite the sharp pain I felt on my front right paw and my raspy breathing.
"Just listen... to me... Please"
This time, he looked confused, but still held his ground. Another Dark Pulse. Despite hitting me for a third time, the attack was much weaker. I didn't know if it was hesitation or just a way to make sure he didn't accidentally kill me.
No matter the answer, though, it was getting harder and harder to get up every time.
"Why?!" He yelled. Another attack, and another time I was knocked down. This time, however, I didn't stand up.
"Why do you keep trying?! You are just a kid! Why waste your time in someone like me?"
"Because everyone deserves a second chance! No matter what you did, you said that you knew that what you did was wrong, and that's enough to deserve a second go!" I slowly got on my paws. "Good explorers never give up, as you should"
"What...?"
"You can't give up. No matter what life throws at you, you can't just give up. You have to be strong. I'm sure that at least someone has to care about you, because... I do"
At this point, any sign of agression disappeared from the Zoroark's face.
I extended my paw towards him. "Please, let us help you. I-I know there is a way, please!"
He eyed my paw as if it were some sort of weapon. After what felt like hours of eyeing each other, he began chuckling between sobs.
"You are the first one that has cared about me in a long fuckin' time, kid. There's been loads of guys coming here to persuade me, and every single one of them did it just because it's their job. But you... You came here, knowing damn well that you are just a kid, knowing that you have no need to do this at all. You didn't do it because you had to. You did it because you really cared. I-..."
"Thank you" He finished.
...
"Does that mean...?"
"If a kid can be so optimistic in this kind of situation, I am not going to let her down! Jumping off places is overrated anyway..."
A smile began forming in my muzzle.
"Really?!"
"Yeah. I think I owe you one. A big one, kid. What's your name?"
"Ember. What's yours?"
"I'm Kit. Nice to meet you"
"Honey!"
Before I could even take a step outside, I was already being hugged by both of my parents.
"You are okay! When Agatha told us you went up there, we didn't know what to do!" My mom said.
"We were so worried!" Dad added.
"It's fine, Mom! It's fine, Dad! Everything's fine"
After some much appreciated hugs, my parents finally let me free and dropped me onto the ground... only to get punched by Agatha and Misty.
"What in Giratina's domain were you thinking?!"
"We were so worried when you ran away!"
"Sorry... I just couldn't stand still watching how someone was about to take their own life away, you know?"
"Yeah, than sounds like you..."
"Wait, but where is-"
Mom couldn't finish the sentence, as Kit walked from behind me. After giving me a quick nod, he ran away as fast as he could.
"Was he...?"
"Yep" I simply said. "Everything's alright, I told you"
It hurt me to see Kit run away, but I supposed he just needed some time to think. Hopefully, I would see him again someday.
"Wait, did you...?" Began my dad.
"Yep"
Suddenly, I was being hugged again. This time, however, it was even tighter.
"Sweetie! You saved someone's life!"
"Honey, you are a hero! We are so proud of you!"
It was hard to even breathe, but I managed to answer. "It was... the right... thing to do. Please, I think something is broken..."
"Excuse me"
Dad dropped me to the ground again, and we looked towards the source of the voice. A Pikachu wearing a guard cap was standing near us.
"Did any of you happen to see where that Pokémon was headed?"
"He went over there. He's a Zoroark and his name is Kit" I answered, pointing to were Kit had ran off to.
"Thank you!" He said before running after him.
Once the Pikachu had disappeared from our view, I turned to look at my parents. "He is not going to take him to prison, is he?" I asked them.
"No, honey. They are following him to make sure he gets the help he needs"
"Thank Arceus" I sighed before starting to laugh. "I-I was so scared up there..."
"We know, honey, we know"
"Let's go home now. Hope you don't mind us stealing your friend, girls? I think we should take her to the doctor..."
"Nah, I think she needs that" Answered Misty.
"Just wait until we tell everyone at school! You are a hero, Ember!" Added Agatha.
"Come on, it was nothing..."
With that, I waved them goodbye while my parents carried me to the town clinic.
I can't believe it. I actually saved someone. I can't imagine what he had to go through to want to do something like that. I hope he gets help.
I won't let anything like this happen again. I will become the greatest explorer ever! This goes for you, Kit!
END OF S.E. 1!
Hi everyone! If you are a new reader, I'm sure you weren't expecting a special chapter like this! And if you did, well, it doesn't matter! Hope you have enjoyed it as much as I enjoyed writting it.
This chapter was written with almost zero motivation, the only thing pushing me forward being the fact that Kit needed some more lore. I'm sure you didn't expect him to have done something as crazy as that in the past, did you?
Anyway, this chapter was very quick to rewrite, but don't expect the rest of them to come as quick as this one.
Lastly, remember to leave a review! Seriously, they make my say. Goodbye for now!