Chapter 6: To Catch a Train!

Author's Note:

So, I didn't quite meet the bi-weekly update goal I'd hoped for, but this is certainly more promising than an update every six months. ^^' Since the last chapter of this fic was more or less an extension of a teaser that I left up for years without an update, the proper chapter's length is more than double the size of this one; however, I think this is a decent size for a more frequent upload. The length of this chapter is about the average length for anything I write on a chapter by chapter basis, including my novel, so I feel right at home here. That being said, the next chapter of The Starlit Forest is up next! I can't say for sure if that one will be up in two weeks, but it shouldn't take anywhere near as long as my updates used to take. I plan to give these stories and characters a proper exploration, so feel free to help me see them through to the end. Reviews are appreciated, and as always, thank you so much for reading!

- EMG

Timbre Village – Ruby:

"So, you lot are headed for the capital?" Basil prodded with mild shock. The violet-eyed zorua hobbled along, aided by the confident, steady stride of her eevee companion as we pressed onward into Timbre Village once more. Curiously, the portal from before had also dropped an obsidian shard, and so I added it to my collection before Basil could get her grubby paws on it. "The new guild too?" She grinned, energy brimming from her upturned ears as she strained to meet my gaze. "I've always wanted to see what it's like there. I don't mean to brag, but Aloe here is an expert healer! Any guildmaster would be a fool to turn her away, and this new one is the perfect chance!" She nudged her friend, nearly toppling the both of them in the process.

Aloe didn't seem nearly as enthused, her ears drooping at the idea as she regained her balance. "I told you before, Basil. It's not so easy to go from healing your stumbling wounds to dealing with all of the problems that a bunch of explorers run into. I may know what's best to treat bruises and scrapes, but the real serious ones? And what about illnesses? Surely guild healers have to cure treat those as well." She sighed. "It's a lovely idea, but I need to learn more first."

"Which is exactly why we're going with these guys!" Basil puffed out her chest with confidence. "I'm sure they'll have some program or something to teach you, and there's no way my best friend is missing out on a cool job like that!"

Aloe shook her head with a sigh. "Well, either way. If you four were planning on reaching the capital by paw, you might want to reconsider. Even if the continent were completely flat, it'd still amount to a month's travel at the very least, and that's not counting the mountains, forests and other obstacles we'll need to travel through to get there. Meladi's a huge continent, even larger than Veralos, and that's where the Exploration Team Federation is headquartered!"

"Really?" Sky inched closer; curiosity alit in his sky-blue eyes. "So, these guilds are from the continent your mom is from, Ruby?"

"I don't know if 'from' is the right word." I shrugged. "From what she tells me, it's like she lives on two continents at once. She lives over in Veralos during the summer months, then travels back to Meladi to be with us during the school year. It's been the same process every year since I was little." I flicked my tail cheerily, hoping to dismiss their concerns. "She's a high profile guildmaster in her own right, so I understand." I shook my head. "But I wouldn't say she's from here nor there."

"Miss Jade…err, umm. Evelyn is a guildmaster and a teacher?" Sky looked almost overwhelmed. "No wonder she was always so strict." He chuckled. "Did you know about that, Ryan?"

The clumsy riolu had lagged behind the group as we returned to the central park, but nodded ahead nonetheless. "Why do you think I never joked around in class?" He sighed. "Being late may have been my style, but never with her." He shuddered.

Serena frowned, flicking her six tails about in mild annoyance. "You'd think the same would have gone for my mom. You know, the principal?" The studious vulpix sighed. "I should start collecting poké for the amount of times I had to help you study."

"You lot already know a guildmaster, then?" Basil's grin grew. "Huh. Maybe if this thing doesn't work out, you can introduce us to her." Seeing the soft, dew-moistened bushes of the plaza, the zorua flopped down onto her haunches and leaned back into the foliage to rest, whilst her friend took to one of the various benches for a proper place to sit. "Anyway, you guys still need a better way to travel, and it just so happens that we have an answer! Ever taken a train?"

The question threw me for a loop, landing my rear in the moistened grass as well to Serena's dismay. In her scramble to avoid running into me, the sapphire-eyed vulpix stumbled forward and managed to cling to the bench next to Aloe. "Careful, Ruby!" She sighed, then took a seat next to Aloe.

"Sorry!" I snickered. "So, uh. There's a train?"

Basil nodded. "There's one that travels across the whole continent and cuts straight through the capital!" She smashed her forepaws together for emphasis. "The only problem is that it's really expensive, and I don't exactly have a uh... method of getting through to Conifer." She chuckled nervously. "The normal way at least. There's been talk around town lately about a bunch of bandits delaying travel around this area lately. I'll bet if we help out, they'll have to give us free passes or something!"

"That's work for explorers, Basil." Aloe sighed. "We can't just go out and fight a bunch of strangers because we want train tickets. The way into the capital? We can figure that out later!"

"Don't have to." Serena cut in. "We're not exactly stuck traveling in one direction, Basil. The courthouse in Fermata could probably set you up with the right documents, I'll bet." Serena smiled proudly. "Just uhh... Make sure you have a proper cover story."

"Oh, fine." Basil folded her forelegs with a huff. "Got any better ideas, Aloe?"

Aloe shook her head. "We'll just have to pay." The teal-eyed eevee rustled through her neck fur and pulled out a small coin purse attached to a chain. "I can pay for the first stop, but we'll have to find a way to earn the money at each stop. That goes both ways." She nudged her friend playfully. "Luckily, as you so generously pointed out, the train's been hindered by bandits. The conductors are taking extra precautions to keep passengers safe, so wait times between stops have gone up considerably. That means we'll have plenty of time between stops to do just that!"

Basil scoffed. "Well sure, if you wanna do it the lame way." She muttered. "Oh, right! I suppose you guys will want to know what that Turloff thing I mentioned earlier was all about, huh?" She giggled.

Sky nodded. "You said something about it being a broken-up chunk of reality. What was that about?"

Basil shrugged. "That's just what I assumed. It's definitely not a dream, regardless of how Timbre's local folklore puts it." She flicked her tail at the village fountain, the stony surface of which had been engraved with the outline of a strange, dearling-like creature. "Everything about that place reminds me of the tales of the Turloff. They're like, well… How do you describe something that's both a crystal and a deer, but also a shapeshifter?" She shook her head. "It's a little complicated, and not everything in the library discussing it translates all that well, if at all."

Serena nodded. "I can agree with her on that. Ryan and I couldn't find a single thing about the legends that weren't in messy footprint runes or some other odd, forgotten language." She sent Basil a knowing smile. "That being said, it wasn't a total loss. We got ourselves a name for them! They're really called that? The Turloff?"

Basil nodded in kind. "According to what I could read, this village assumes they were some kind of dream gods or whatever." She stuck her snout up at the idea. "As if our dreams are something an entire species would want to watch over all the time. That's way too boring if you ask me." She glanced back at Sky. "The only other thing I can think of is the Obsidian Mirror. That old fairy tale is all over our library as well, but who knows if it has anything to do with the voids." The zorua shrugged. "Which brings me to you! You can enter and leave those dark portals whenever." She grinned. "There's gotta be a connection."

Sky took a step back. "I uhh. I don't really know all that much about my powers." He chuckled. "I just like to create stuff with them, and my dreams are really vivid." He demonstrated with the flick of his wrist. In an instant, a puff of snow materialized above his hand. The snivy promptly formed the powdery ice into a ball and tossed it into the fountain, where it melted on contact with the slow-churning, mid-summer water. "I just assumed I was entering a dream when we fixed up those portal things."

"Woah!" Basil blinked, searching the distance between Sky's hand and the fountain for some sort of explanation. "I thought you could only do stuff like that in the Remscapes."

"The Rem…scapes?" Sky frowned. "What're those?"

"More importantly, what's this about an obsidian mirror?" Serena inquired.

"I'll explain on the way!" Basil replied, then whirled on Sky. "Oh! It's just what I call the dark rifts that have cropped up all over the place lately." She grinned. "Like the one I fell into. REM is a term involved in sleep according to Aloe, so I just used that. Cool, huh?" She puffed out her chest with pride. "Anyway, uh. I don't know why your powers are the way they are, but it definitely has a connection to the Remscapes, so all the more reason for me to stick with you guys."

"On that note." Aloe slid from her seat and leaned forward to stretch. "We can't sit here all day. If we do that, the train will…" As if on cue, a loud, horn-like sound rang out across the village, followed by a low rumble that shook the ground beneath our paws. "Leave." She sighed. "That's our warning." She practically yanked Basil to her paws. "Come on. That means we have five minutes!"

"F-five?" I stumbled to my paws and grabbed Ryan's paw with my tail. "Enough lazing around. Let's go."

"Wait, huh?" He protested, to no avail. "It's five minutes. What're we going to do? Jump on board while it's moving?"

His protests only served to strengthen my hold over his arm; however. "If that's what it takes, yeah!" I snickered. "So, if you guys don't want to be labeled as bandits, get moving!" Without another word, the boys picked themselves up and rushed toward the source of the sound.

Basil was the only 'mon who seemed confused. "What do you mean, Aloe? The warning is for thirty minutes, not five."

"Wait, thirty?" I paused; my breath caught in my throat as I glanced between the eevee and zorua. "Aloe?"

Having been found out, Aloe released her grip of her friend's paw. "So?" She giggled mischievously. "A little prank never hurt anyone." The mischievous eevee tucked her coin pouch back into her mane and smiled my way apologetically. "Sorry for the scare." She chuckled. "Come on. Let's catch up to the boys before they jump the train."

Timbre Pass – Transcontinental Station:

As luck would have it, Sky picked up on the ruse hallway down the path and managed to convince Ryan not to rush past the poor ticket collector. The orange-eyed shaymin had nothing but glares for the riolu as Aloe stepped forward to pay for our fare. Curiously, the rest of the train's staff appeared to be shaymin as well, each sporting their sky forms as they padded about the train, either instructing passengers or peddling tickets. "Sorry Ozone." Aloe bowed her head politely in apology. "I sent those two ahead under the assumption that the train was about to leave. It's on me."

The shaymin shook his paw dismissively and tilted his mail-mon hat with a chuckle. The dude also wore goggles. Peculiar fashion statement, especially with the color orange, but he was rocking them at the very least! "No, no. A little mischief is more than forgivable for all that you've done to help this little village." Ozone smiled. "Just don't make a habit of it." He chuckled. On close inspection, the shaymin's eyes weren't all that set him apart from his crewmates. The usual green fluff atop his head faded halfway, becoming more of a crisp, golden-brown as it drifted down from his forehead and over one eye. The white of his pelt seemed somewhat muted, as if stained a light, caramel yellow, and the scarf-like flower that attached to his neck was a deep, sky-blue, rather than the typical red. "So, Miss Aloe and co. Where to?"

"Just the next stop is fine." Aloe nodded gratefully, politely forking over the coin. "We're actually headed for the capital, but…"

"Short on cash?" Ozone chuckled. "I figured. Not many can afford trips that far without some form of work. The captain's been thinking of making the new routine a standard, if and when we can get a handle on those bandits, wherever they are." He shook his head. "Ever since we slowed our pace, locals from all across the route have been setting up shop near the railway. I hear there's even request boards for rookie explorers in some of the towns. No explorer badge required." He winked. "If funds are what you're after 'n all."

Basil grinned. "Request boards? Think that'll give us some rep with the guild if we do some, Aloe?"

Aloe sighed. "I suppose it might, but we're after funds first and foremost, Basil. Don't forget." She returned her pouch to her mane along with our tickets. "What about you, Ozone? I always see you out here at this stop. There something you like about Timbre?"

Ozone seemed to pause on those words for a moment. "Hmm…" He closed his eyes and smiled. "Perhaps so, but I wonder what it might be?" He chuckled. "In all honesty, I've been considering taking a break. A little vacation might do me some good, so I asked the captain to give me the role of ticketer at all stops. Figured it might help me decide." He shrugged. "In any case, there'll be trouble if I hold up the line any more. Maybe I'll catch up with you on the train." The sunset-eyed shaymin nodded a hello at the rest of our group as we padded along toward the train to find our seats.

The interior of the train itself was on another level. Despite the cold steel of its outer construction, the interior was as inviting as the sunny side of a flowery meadow. And by that, I mean it literally. Grass similar to that of Timbre village and its surrounding plains ran along the floor of the car we'd chosen, accompanied by glossy, wooden benches anchored to the floor by unseen bolts. Potted plants and flowers of all kinds hung down from the ceiling on all sides, just high enough to not crash into the heads of pokemon, but low enough to decorate the steel chamber with something inviting. Vibrant, slender vines spiraled up nearby support poles, ending in a long stretch of maintained foliage atop the ceiling of the car and edges of the windows.

"It's a bit fancy, eh?" Basil sniffed at a nearby flowerbed before taking a seat at one of the unoccupied benches. "I didn't expect it to be like this on the inside." She nudged Aloe, who'd promptly taken residence on the bench beside her. "You've ridden this thing before, too! You should've told me."

Aloe rolled her eyes. "Gee. I wonder why that might be." She nudged the zorua in return. "You're hard enough to keep up with when there's not a train involved." She snickered. "Well? Come on then." The teal-eyed eevee patted the space next to her. "We should all fit."

Serena took the invitation in stride, the vulpix clambering onto the bench with the grace of a magikarp, followed shortly by Sky who, despite Serena's grunts of protest, was more than happy to aid her with his vines. I followed along suit, propping myself up on the next bench over with a satisfying plop. There'd been enough room left over on the following bench for Ryan and I to lay about, and so I took to my belly for some much-needed rest. "Finally…" I yawned, resting my head on my forepaws for the first time since we'd left. "Think we'll have time for a nap?" I prodded hopefully. "How long are these trips usually, Aloe?"

"About an hour or two, since last estimate." Ozone descended from above, clinging to combined armrests with orange-tipped paws as he landed gracefully in the space between benches. The shaymin allowed his head to droop off to one side of his new perch as he glanced my way, a lazy smile adorning his former courteous muzzle. "You'll have the time. Trust me." He chuckled softly. "Don't tell the captain, but I'm not opposed to getting lost among the passengers for a nap or two between stops."

Sky sat up, an inquisitive glint alight in his atmospheric eyes. "Aren't you afraid of getting fired?" He frowned. "I've never had a job or anything, but this seems like a cool place to work. I wouldn't want to lose it."

Ozone lifted a paw to silence the curious snivy. "Oh, don't worry about me. The captain's not completely in the dark about it. We're all from the same village, the staff and I. We're family." He shrugged. "Speaking of, the village is along this route." He grinned. "Mind if I stick around? If you're serious about making it all the way to the capital, you'll have to pass through the mountains. This train happens to pass right by our village, and I suppose I wouldn't mind giving you lot the tour. Of course, given you're able to pay the fare to get there in the first place." He paused. "In fact, I'll accompany you until you can! How about that?"

Serena pressed her forepaws together politely, a distant twinkle settling in behind her sapphire orbs. "Oh! You mean the shaymin village? At the base of Sky Peak?" The vulpix's tails flitted about excitedly. "I've heard the view from the peak there is unworldly! Please do!"

The sincerity in Serena's voice seemed to do the trick, eliciting a hearty laugh from the laid-back shaymin. "Then by all means, I'm your guide!" Ozone slid onto the bench alongside Ryan and planted his forepaws firmly on the bench's polished oak. Seems we had our seventh! "Naturally, I know my way around most of the other stops as well, so feel free to pick my brain if you have any questions."

"Will do." I chuckled. Despite his leisurely tone, something told me the guy was far more capable than a train ticketer would suggest. Plus, he could fly! As cool as Sky's powers were, the last thing I needed was to get stuck in yet another remscape tree. "Welcome aboard, Ozone!"

"And welcome aboard Mom!" I called over to the lavender and jade-furred espeon who had just paid her fare. "Wait..." I gasped. "Guys, we almost forgot our promise!" I nearly froze up as the espeon padded over to our section and shook her head.

"I figured you might forget." The espeon's emerald-green eyes scanned our newfound friends before she smiled at me reassuringly. "Not to worry. I made sure to reserve a seat just in case." She took a seat on the bench ahead of me and chuckled. "You kits have fun. Even a guildmaster needs her rest on occasion." She sighed. "I practically sprinted here." Even though there was a bench between us, I could tell she mimicked me in claiming nearly the entire bench for herself. Sky seemingly had the same idea, the snivy returning to his sprigatito form and yawning.

"If our guide is taking a nap, then so am I." He curled up next to Serena and closed his eyes, quite to Ozone's amazement.

"You lot have a shapeshifter amongst you? And a guildmaster?" He grinned. "Which one are you? Mew? Oh! Ditto? Or perhaps maybe another zorua? I've always wanted to see how they make their illusions, and Basil never tells!" The shaymin grinned to Sky's dismay. "What?" He frowned. "Don't tell me it's neither."

I snickered. "It's complicated. We'll tell you later."