By the evening, we reach the Guild entrance. It's time to make the call about where we will live. Here at the Wigglytuff Guild, or in Pokemon Paradise with the rest of New Hope. For the past week, Thunder and I had been discussing the best way to approach the problem. Of course, neither of us wanted to leave their groups behind, but there were compelling arguments for both.
Bringing New Hope into the fold of the Guild would give us more resources to work with and more support from other exploration teams. Not to mention, our expertise dealing with outlaws would be of great use out on the frontier. Meanwhile, Paradise offers independence, less restrictions on what we can do, and, the most compelling of all, not getting a freaking 90% tax on our earnings.
With all that considered, I said I wanted to return to Paradise, but Thunder wasn't quite so sure. But now, standing at the mouth of the tent, the time to decide has come.
"Have you decided yet?" I ask.
"I... think I have. As hard as leaving the Guild would be, I think you're right. Paradise just has more opportunities."
"I understand. I promise we'll try and hop on over here every so often to check in with everyone. Maybe do a couple missions as Shock-Leaf."
"I'd like that a lot. Does that mean we're both New Hope and Shock-Leaf?"
"Yeah, I think so." I step onto the grate in front of the tent.
"Hold still! Checking footprint!" Diglett yells from below. Both Josh and Jackson jump from the sudden and surprisingly loud voice.
"Why that?!" Josh yells. "Why do that!? It's stupid!"
"Footprint is Snivy! Alex, specifically! Next Pokemon step onto the grate!"
"That's an interesting security system." Jackson muses.
"Speaking from experience, determining someone by footprint alone is not easy. Diglett is really good at his job." Thunder says. One after another everyone else steps onto the grate and is identified. Once we're all checked in Diglett gives the go-ahead and the portcullis raises. "Now then, follow me." Thunder leads us into the tent and down the ladder into the guild proper. By the time we reach the next floor, nearly everyone is gathered around, all mobbing around the ladder with questions.
"Alright, everyone! Settle down!" I call out. Slowly, the commotion dies down, giving us a chance to speak. "Thank you. I'm gathering you all want to hear what happened to us for the last month and a half." Assenting murmurs sound out from the crowd. "Alright then. Get comfy. It's a long one."
Thunder and I tell the story as everyone listens with fascination. A tale of a world of humans and pokemon must be a wonderous concept. They seem especially interested in Mewtwo, a living being designed as though they were a machine. I make sure to iterate that in spite of their origin, Mewtwo is just as much a pokemon as the rest of them. We also discourage people from traveling through these portals. Ninetales' job is hard enough without tourists trying to break through. We also take the time to introduce Jackson and Josh, of whom are welcomed with open arms.
"...There is one other thing we need to mention." I say, starting to wrap things up. "Thunder and I have agreed that we will return to Pokemon Paradise together. To be frank, it has better opportunities than we could get here at the Guild."
"Although, Alex, would you mind if we stayed for the night here? I'd like a chance to say goodbye to everyone and gather my things."
"Of course, Thunder."
"Well..." Chatot muses. "This has certainly been a very bizarre chain of events... I suppose your actions preventing the Planetary Paralysis are enough to justify you graduating to full, independent explorers. I guess all I can say is good luck."
"We will miss you both." Wigglytuff adds. "Be sure to visit every so often!"
"We will, Guildmaster." Thunder says. "It's been an unforgettable adventure. One I'm happy to have had. For now, though, we should get some rest." He directs the four of us down the ladder to the next floor and to our room. As he enters, he stops for a moment, reminiscing. "I'm gonna miss this place."
"I still wish I could remember my time here." I muse.
"It's okay. After the whole Mewtwo adventure, I think I've come to terms with it. In all the ways that matter, you are the Alex Russet I befriended on the beach."
"And all it took to realize it was us being in mortal peril." I let out a chuckle and a smirk. "In all seriousness, though, I am relieved that this all worked out. To have us drift apart like that... I'm not certain I could take it."
"I know the feeling." He says with a yawn. "We should rest. Tomorrow is a big day. Josh, Jackson, the guest rooms are down the hall. Look for one that says 'vacant.' It should have two beds for you to use."
"Thank you, Thunder. Sleep well." Jackson says as he ushers Josh to the door.
"See y'all tomorrow!" Josh calls as the door closes, leaving the two of us alone. I curl up onto one of the straw beds, quickly remembering how surprisingly cozy such a bed can be. I try to speak to Thunder a little bit longer, but sleep takes ahold and pulls me under. Not that it would've mattered if I stayed awake. Thunder looked completely conked out as my eyes slipped shut.
"ALRIGHT EVERYONE! RISE AND SHINE!" The thunderous voice rattles the walls of the room and quickly wakes me with a start along with an auditory induced migraine. I turn to the source and find a Loudred standing over us, one of the guild members.
"Sweet mother of Arceus, could you not scream right into my ear?!"
"JUST DOING MY JOB." He says before stepping outside. Moments later, I can hear him screaming again, no doubt awaking another pair of pour souls.
"Well, that's one thing about this place I won't miss." Thunder mutters as the adrenaline high wears off.
"You had to deal with that every morning?"
"Yeah. You got kinda used to it, but never enough to make it seem reasonable."
"Come on, let's go get Jackson and Josh. If we're lucky, we can still beat Loudred to them."
We could not, in fact, beat Loudred to them. I had forgotten the fact that I had no idea which guest room they had decided to use. By the time we figured it out, the big guy was already there bellowing.
Regardless, it's time to head home. After a big farewell breakfast in the cafeteria, we return to our room and help Thunder pack up his belongings, as well as stopping by Sharpedo Bluff to grab the rest of his things. As we pack everything up, I spot something sitting in one of the shelves of the dresser. A New Hope badge. Thunder's New Hope badge.
"Here." I hand it to Thunder. "You're gonna want this. Nice to see that it survived the trip back in time."
He smiles as he takes it and puts it on. "I always had a feeling this thing would prove important. Never would've guessed this to be how, though."
"Alright." Jackson says, having filled his bag. "This looks to be the last of it. Time for the long trip to Paradise."
"Not as long as you'd think, Jackson. I got something that'll get us there in minutes."
"Do tell."
I am about to speak when I spot Thunder staring out of the "mouth" of the bluff and out to the beach below. The beach where my gravestone sits prominently in the sand. I walk over to him.
"You good?" I ask.
"Yeah..." He says absently before turning to face me. "Yeah. I'm fine. Just getting a little closure."
I nod before resting my hand on his shoulder. "You ready to go?"
"I am. Let's do it."
"Alright, everyone, this is how we're getting to Paradise." I pull out the Magnagate Generator and Entercards, setting the cards for our desired destination. "These are called Entercards. long story short, it bridges the distance between two points with a mystery dungeon. Though this is a prototype set that basically turns it into a teleporter. Word to the wise, Unless you want the worst nausea you've ever experienced in your life, keep your eyes closed while we travel."
"That is... cool!" Josh comments. His tone of voice indicates that he was hoping to use a much stronger word but didn't know any.
"Honestly, yeah, it kind of is." I agree before setting down the generator and pressing the center. "Alright, stand back." They do so as the light around us darkens and concentric rings expand from the device followed by a swirling portal on the floor. "Now step on the Magnagate before it closes."
"You're sure this is safe?" Jackson asks.
"Trust me, I've used this thing dozens of times. It's perfectly safe." Reluctantly, he and Josh step into the Magnagate. Thunder and I follow suit.
"Now what?" Thunder asks.
"Now we wait for it to close." One by one, the circles fade until the gate snaps shut around us.
Next destination: Home.
To be continued in:
Search and Rescue