Splash sat alone on the eastern terrace outside of the guild, looking down over Lively Town. He tried to distract himself by watching the pokemon in the square, but they were too far away to focus on. Instead, the view only reminded him of Alex. He rubbed his eyes, wishing in vain that he could wipe away his sadness with his tears.
"Wow! The view is great up here."
Splash jumped slightly, and turned to find Cinder standing behind him, gazing out at Lively Town.
"What are you doing out here?" he asked her, though he had a feeling he already knew the answer.
"I came to talk," she said, and took a seat in the grass next to him.
Splash looked away, trying again to focus on the view of the town square. "I've got nothing to say."
"That's okay," said Cinder. "Can you listen?"
He gave a neutral "Hmph" as he sank lower to the ground.
For a minute, they simply sat together, gazing out at the horizon. Then Cinder spoke up again.
"I know what you're going through," she said. "You might find that hard to believe, but I think I really understand how you feel."
Splash was silent, so she continued.
"We had just saved the world. Stopped the planet's paralysis, and were on our way back to the guild to see everyone and let them know we were safe. I was on top of the world, literally. I thought the hard part was over, and that Robin and I could go back to doing jobs for the guild like we used to."
"But he knew. Grovyle told him what would happen if we succeeded, but Robin kept it from me on purpose." Splash glanced over at Cinder, but quickly looked away. She tried to smile at him. "He knew it would hurt me, and that I might lose focus if I was busy thinking about the sacrifice he was making. I don't think he really knew why though. Not the real reason."
"What do you mean?" asked Splash.
"I don't think even I understood how I felt, until right after he was gone, and I thought I'd lost him forever."
"How you felt?"
"The truth is, I love him."
"Robin?"
"Hehe, yeah," said Cinder, looking away. "We've been through so much together. I was such a coward before I met him, but he changed my life. He's the reason I'm part of Wigglytuff's guild, and the reason we were able to save the world. I couldn't have done it without him."
"He couldn't bring himself to tell me until it was already too late. By the time I realized how I felt, he was gone. I still haven't worked up the courage to tell him, but I hope he understands deep down."
Splash looked away again.
"You feel the same about Alex, don't you?"
Splash thought about that. Do I? Is that why my heart won't stop hurting whenever I think about her? When I think about what happened, or what she's going through right now, wherever she is, if she's still out there somewhere?
"You don't have to say it," said Cinder. "It's written all over your face."
Splash glared at her. "Is not," he retorted.
"I don't know, your cheeks say otherwise." She winked at him, and his face suddenly felt very warm.
Cinder continued. "How do you think she felt when she had to watch you vanish? Ampharos said your memories came flooding back around the time you fought Dark Matter, and you suddenly understood what was going on, and what was going to happen to you."
"I don't know…"
"But you do," insisted Cinder. "She searched for you non-stop until she found you again. She didn't want to accept that you were gone, and when she thought she was going to lose Mew the way she lost you, that's when you came back. Her hope was what made you real again, right? You didn't want to see her cry, did you?"
"Of course not!" he snapped. "Alex is my best friend. Anyone that wants to get to her has to go through me first!"
"Well there you go," said Cinder knowingly. "If that's the case, why have you given up hope of finding her?"
That stopped Splash in his tracks. She's right.
Oh, Arceus, SHE'S RIGHT!
Why? Why have I given up hope? Is it just because so much time has passed?
"When I lost Robin, I had no reason to believe he'd ever come back to me. He was erased from the present and future. But you've got us, Splash. You and Robin are proof that there's always hope, no matter how bad things seem. You have to hope against the fear and doubt that are eating you up inside."
That reminded Splash of Dark Matter, the entity that thrived on negative emotions in the hearts of pokemon. That's exactly the evil that Alex and I fought so hard to stop.
Splash stood up, finally feeling strength flow from his heart and into his limbs. For the first time in weeks, the sun felt warm. He finally let himself smile.
"Thanks, Cinder," he said. "I've been lost this whole time. I'm hopeless, but you're right. If she's still out there, I can't give up now."
She returned his warm smile and said, "Any time, Splash. We'll get her back. I promise."
The next day…
Robin and Cinder got up early the next morning. It seemed like the rest of the Expedition Society had too.
By the time everyone finished with breakfast, the sun was barely coming up over the horizon. Ampharos gathered everyone around the Pokemon Nexus, and explained the plan.
"Thank you for being here so early this morning everyone," he said. "I didn't even ask, and you're all already up."
"You've got a plan to find Alex now, isn't that right?" asked Mawile. "Of course we can skip a few hours of sleep to begin the search early."
"Yeah, we want her back as much as Splash does," added Bunnelby.
Ampharos cleared his throat and said, "Last night, I coordinated with Wigglytuff, and we've got a solid idea of what we have to do. Our target is Destiny Tower, a dungeon on Mystery Continent to the north. We face a few days' journey before we arrive, and Wigglytuff and Dedenne spent last night preparing everything we'll need. Lapras has asked a few of his friends to help us transport our gear and ferry everyone safely there, so we're ready to move out immediately."
"As for how we'll proceed when we arrive, we're splitting into groups. Robin, Cinder, and Splash will go as Team A. Wigglytuff, Jirachi, and I will go as Team B. Mawile, Buizel, and Dedenne will go as Team C. Archen, Bunnelby, and Swirlix, you will stand by at the entrance to the tower. If we face greater resistance than we anticipate, we'll be relying on you three to provide emergency rescue so we can continue."
"We'll meet up on floor 90, then proceed to floor 91 together and fan out. Obviously, since this is a mystery dungeon, the layout is going to be different than when Alex and Splash climbed the tower, so we'll have to search diligently for any sign of a disturbance. We'll be relying on Jirachi's extrasensory, but if you find anything out of place, use your Expedition Gadget to contact Dedenne so we can meet up and investigate. This includes any clues you discover on prior floors as well."
The teams formed up around the Pokemon Nexus, and started discussing strategy. Splash said, "I'll get some necessities from our storage, and meet everyone at the docks."
"Sounds good," said Robin. Another stabbing pain shot through his head, and he swiftly clapped a hand to his forehead, gritting his teeth.
"Are you going to be okay?" asked Cinder, stepping closer to him with a worried look.
"I'm fine," Robin asserted. "Besides, the search for Alex is more important. I can fight through it."
"Okay, if you're sure," said Cinder, choosing to trust him, but finding it difficult to hide her concern.
He tried to give her a smile. "I'm sure it'll fade once we're on the way."
Splash gave Cinder a knowing look before adding, "Okay, I'll meet you later then." They nodded, and Splash set off into town.
To say he was apprehensive was putting it lightly. He knew that journeying back to where Alex disappeared would be difficult, both physically and emotionally, but it had to be done. Cinder had convinced him they still had a chance, and now, he couldn't give up. He gathered plenty of healing items as well as some equipment from storage, and bartered with Cofagrigus for some Reviver Seeds, then set off for the docks. By the time he was finished preparing, everyone else was ready and waiting by the water.
Lapras swam between several boats that were being pulled by some of the other water type pokemon that lived nearby. He helped transfer boxes of supplies that Ampharos and Swirlix had prepared, then asked everyone to climb aboard.
Each team had their own boat, though Swirlix joined Team B in theirs. "Does she know what'll happen if she goes after any of the guildmaster's Perfect Apples?" asked Cinder as they started to sail.
"Probably not," said Robin. "Though if she tries, I'm sure she'll find out."
"What do you mean?" asked Splash. "Is there something she should know?"
"Well, let's just say the guildmaster is very protective of his food," said Cinder, stifling a shudder. "I just hope they make it to the tower in one piece."
"Okaaay…" said Splash, and tried not to think about what that implied.
Before long, Lively Town disappeared from the horizon, and the teams' boats followed along the east coast. The further north they went, the colder it got, but Cinder kept the group warm with small, contained fires in the boat, and huddled close to Robin and Splash to keep them warm at night.
After days of sailing, they finally arrived at the northern coast of the Mystery Continent. They made landfall, and quickly transitioned the boats to the shore where they attached wheels, and effectively turned them into carts for transporting the rest of their goods. Hauling the equipment all the way to the tower was difficult. Ampharos and Jirachi tried to help Wigglytuff, but he insisted he could do it on his own, and with a mighty "Yoom-TAH!" he started dragging the boat away before the wheels were attached. Ampharos helped with the others while Jirachi chased after Wigglytuff, frantically waving one of the missing wheels.
They made it to the tower by nightfall, and decided to make camp outside near the entrance. Each team took turns on watch. Robin, Cinder and Splash went first while the rest settled in.
The tower loomed tall overhead, the rising moon bathing the clearing in pale light. Cinder started a fire, and the three sat close beside it. Cinder tried to stay awake, but ended up nodding off not long after the fire was lit.
As they stared at the stars, Splash spoke up. "Robin? Can I ask you something?"
"Sure, what is it?"
"It's kind of awkward, so if you don't want to answer, I'll understand."
Robin let out a light chuckle and said, "Ask away."
Splash paused for a moment, then said, "Can you tell me what it was like? Being human, I mean."
Robin laid back in the grass, sighing, closing his eyes and folding his arms. "Sorry," said Splash, looking away.
Robin hesitated, then asked neutrally, "Why do you want to know?"
"I can't stop thinking about Alex. Cinder talked to me a few nights ago, and it really helped, but… I don't know. I just can't stop worrying about her. I thought that if you could tell me about yourself, it might help."
Robin considered that for a moment, then said, "Truth is, I don't remember."
"Nothing at all?"
"Nothing. When I woke up as a pokemon, I'd lost all of my memories. Cinder found me on the beach one evening, and I helped her get back a treasure that was important to her. I only learned who I really was after we met Grovyle."
"I see," said Splash solemnly.
"I've tried to imagine what I might have been like, or what it was like not to have a tail," added Robin jokingly. "Whenever I try to think about it though, I get this strange headache, like the memories are there, buried somewhere, but I can't find them."
There was another pause, and Robin asked, "What about Alex? Can you tell me about her?"
Splash instantly brightened up. "She's amazing," he said. "She's strong, courageous, and she's always trying to help others." Robin glanced at Splash, his eyes seeming to sparkle in the moonlight. "Back when we lived in Serene Village, there were ghosts haunting our school. Our friends got kidnapped, and I wasn't brave enough to search for them on my own."
"But Alex stood by me. She rallied our other friends and I, and helped me face my fears. We ended up fighting someone disguised as Giratina. It was a hard battle, even though it was just an illusion, but she kept me strong."
"Hehe, you guys too?"
"Huh?" asked Splash, suddenly confused.
"Cinder and I also fought the illusion of a legendary pokemon," said Robin.
"Really?"
"Yeah. During our expedition to Fogbound Lake. When we met Uxie, she conjured an illusion of Groudon to fight us. We didn't know it was a trick at the time, though. Cinder looked like she was about ready to faint, but she stayed strong. She said we needed to be brave, and stand up to it." Robin reached over and gently stroked Cinder's head. She shifted slightly in her sleep and settled more under his touch. "I don't think I could've stayed and fought on my own."
"I might not remember who I was when I was human, but…" Another headache struck Robin, and he cringed. "But I'm happy," he continued as the pain faded. "Cinder is the most important pokemon in my life. I'm sure she told you something about how I showed her how to be brave, but the truth is, she showed me too, probably more than she knows."
Splash thought back to Cinder's talk with him again. "How do you feel about her?"
Robin gave Splash a kind smile and said, simply, "I love her."
Splash looked to the tower, imaging that Alex was in there somewhere. "You should tell her that."
"No, no, I couldn't," said Robin, turning red and shaking his head. "She's my best friend."
Splash laughed to himself.
"What?"
"Oh, nothing," he said. "You're lucky."
"Lucky?"
Splash's thoughts drifted back to the tower, and to their mission tomorrow.
"We'll find her," said Robin. "She's got to be out there. If you and I could come back, then I'm sure we can bring her home."
"Cinder said the same thing," he said, trying to smile.
The two sat together until Buizel came to trade places with the rest of his team. Robin picked up Cinder and carried her on his back, trying not to wake her, and the team went back to their tent to try and rest. They had a big day tomorrow, and had to be ready for anything.
Hang in there, Alex, thought Splash. I'm on my way.