The light from the badge is blinding—one moment I'm in that dark temple, the next I'm back in the Explorer's Lounge.
It's amazing, it's based on Hoopa's powers, but somehow it's so much…better. I didn't land facedown with a pounding headache, and I don't feel like throwing up even once.
I wonder if Hoopa makes their rings feel awful for us on purpose. Possibly for fun. I honestly wouldn't be surprised.
My thoughts about badges and portals are severely interrupted when I see the chaotic scene unfolding.
Cradily's party with Rotom, Noivern, and Seviper have seemingly just returned, and they're not looking good. Noivern's holding Seviper tightly while she hisses and swipes viciously with her tail. Lying in a crumpled pile on the ground, looking beaten and bloody, is another pokemon, who I'm assuming is their client. A zangoose.
Oh no…why didn't they check before sending her on a mission who the client was? Seasoned explorers like them must know about the…inherent challenges…some pokemon face.
Although, based on the way Delcatty and Cradily are shrieking and going back and forth, I'm wondering if it's just a problem in our own world. They seem totally shocked and bewildered.
"Seviper, ease up! Cradily! What's the matter with her?!" Delcatty cries frantically. "I-I don't know! It was like she could sense him!" She gestures to Zangoose. "She just ran ahead and went nuts! She wouldn't listen…I-I don't know what to do!" She continues, fighting back tears. Through all this, Seviper is still fighting to get loose—now from both Noivern and Dragalge—to finish mauling Zangoose.
"It's not her fault! She can't help it!" I say, getting their attention. "Gwen, what the heck is this? Make her stop!" Delcatty cries, panic in her eyes. "I can't—nothing can! We have to get Zangoose out of here, now!" Back in our world, the only way we ever got Seviper to calm down was to remove her from the situation entirely. Not an easy feat; imagine two human women having to remove nearly 9 feet of angry, writhing pokemon who won't go back into her pokeball from a public park. But quite a spectacle for passersby.
Before Delcatty can reply, a beam of light appears beside us—Ampharos' team. Stephanie's got a huge grin on her face, which immediately evaporates, leaving only shock when she sees what's happening. The whole situation is made extra chaotic by Budew and Togepi's screaming.
Ampharos looks at the bizarre scene unfolding. "What in the—" "Seviper! Stop! He's down, you won!" Stephanie shrieks, trying in vain to calm her down. "We have to get Zangoose out of here!" I yell, trying again to get everyone's attention. There's so much panic it's hard to tell who's saying or screaming what. "Hoopa! Teleport him to the hospital, please!" I plead, remembering they have that miraculously convenient ability. "Tch, you can't tell me what—" "Hoopa NOW!" Delcatty shouts. "You got it boss!" They wink, before throwing a hoop over Zangoose, who, based on how they haven't moved in response to any of the commotion, must really need the attention of Dr. Drampa regardless.
One second he's here, the next he's gone. I wonder for a moment what they make of the unexpected guest over at the hospital?
The spell broken, Seviper immediately passes out, going limp against Noivern and Dragalge, who are both breathing heavily. We stand in stunned silence for a few moments, before Delcatty finally speaks. "So…anyone fancy explaining that little outburst?" She says pointedly. "You're the world-famous explorer! Don't you know what happens when you put a zangoose and a seviper together?" Stephanie snarls. "Nothing happens! But your friend…she's nuts!" Delcatty retorts. Stephanie looks ready to attack, so I intervene. "In our world, those pokemon are natural enemies and attack on sight. But they can't help it, it's instinctual! Do they…not do that here?" I probe, wondering if my theory is correct. "No, they don't 'do that here'!" Delcatty says, furious. "Why the heck would they do that? How can you guys live like that?!" "With difficulty," Serperior mutters, earning several nasty looks. "Well it's true," he continues, "we always have to be careful. She can sometimes even sense them from inside her pokeball."
Delcatty processes his words while studying the ground. "That's…frightening, I'm not going to lie. Amazing…such a difference between our worlds…" "it's not that amazing," Hoopa interjects, "you should see one of the dimensions I visited last week! God of time and space fighting it out, 24/7!" They grin. "Not helping," Delcatty says, looking unimpressed.
We're distracted by Seviper's groaning—she's finally waking up. "Ugh…did we deliver the berry?" She says groggily. "Think again. You delivered major hurt to the client!" Rotom says, zooming to her. "I…what?" She says with confusion. "The client was a zangoose and you went ballistic!" She clarifies.
Seviper's eyes go wide, and she rushes over to Cradily and Delcatty. "I'm sorry! I-I can't help it…I've tried! If I had known who it was I-I-" it seems she's having trouble getting her words in order and instead starts crying. "It's alright, it'll be ok…" I say, patting her side. "That's easy for you to say!" Delcatty interrupts, "you don't have a client lying in your hospital!" "He's in the hospital?!" She says, looking up with horror. "Yes, thanks to you. You're on probation. The rest of you, wait here—we'll check on Zangoose, discuss your performances, then return," Delcatty says, obviously donning her 'Master of the Center' persona.
"M-master Delcatty? Can we-can we go now?" Togepi says, trembling, Budew in tears behind them. In all the confusion, I'd forgotten they were there. "Oh my, yes! Of course, and please, enjoy the various amenities the Exploration Center has to offer," she says, seamlessly slipping into her 'hospitable hostess' persona.
With that, Delcatty, Ampharos, and Cradily depart, leaving us to sit in awkward silence in the Explorer's Lounge.
A moment passes, then another. "I…really am sorry…I didn't mean to…to ruin everything," Seviper says, not meeting anyone's eyes. Stephanie lets out a sigh. "It's ok…I know you can't really do anything about it…" she says, not sounding fully convinced. "Do I…really make life…difficult?" She says, evidently having heard Serperior's words, despite seeming unconscious when they were spoken. The way no one replies for a moment too long makes it go from awkward to unbearable.
"No. No more than any of us, anyway," I say, trying to think of a way to lift her spirits. "We all have quirks and challenges, and this is yours. We know you don't really want to hurt any zangoose, the same way they don't really want to hurt you…so we just work with it, the same way we work with Stephanie's lactose intolerance," I say with a smirk. Her eyes water, "…thank you," she sniffles.
As we wait for the others to return, we eventually exchange stories about our assignments. It sounds like everyone had really different experiences! Our mission was relatively straightforward compared to theirs—I can't believe Ampharos' group got completely cornered and almost defeated!
"Stephanie was amazing. She probably defeated more enemies than Ampharos and I combined!" Serperior says excitedly. "Aww, it wasn't that impressive…having a type advantage helped," she says, waving a paw. "How about you? How was it battling as a pokemon instead of a trainer?" She probes, turning to me. "It was…different, for sure…" I start, feeling embarrassed to say what I'm thinking—that I was totally inept, every step of the way, and probably would've been toast if Dragalge hadn't saved me. "She was fantastic!" Dragalge says, taking me by surprise, "she got one of her moves sealed, was hit by a powerful attack, and still held her ground!" "Woah, really? Were you ok?" Noivern asks, looking concerned. "Yeah, I was fine…just not so used to doing the actual battling…" I laugh weakly. I know in reality my performance wasn't at all impressive, but hearing Dragalge's description…makes me feel a little better, at least.
"Tch, come on now, we all know I carried the mission," Hoopa says, puffing out their chest. "I've got more experience exploring than all of you put together!" "Watching from the sidelines, you mean," Serperior mutters. "Hey! I heard that!" They say, flying over to him. "Weren't you paying attention during my flashback? I was the backbone of this place! That fraud Aegislash couldn't have done any of it without me!" "Yeah, you were! Like, a thousand years ago!" Rotom giggles. "It wasn't that long ago! And I still have the skills!" "Pfft, alright grandpa, settle down, let's get you to bed," she replies. Hoopa, for once, looks lost for words—I'm thinking they may have met their match in mischievousness in Rotom.
Delcatty and the others return before Hoopa can fling a ring over Rotom and send her Arceus knows where. "Delcatty! How is zangoose? Is he going to be ok?" Seviper says urgently. I feel bad for her…she evidently doesn't want to hurt anyone, really, but it seems the instincts are just too powerful. Delcatty sighs, "well, he's quite badly injured, but they've got him stabilized. He should make a full recovery," she says as Seviper breathes a heavy sigh of relief.
"We've also decided we won't put you on probation. Yet," she continues, throwing Seviper a look, "but, we will screen any and all your future assignments beforehand, and if, in the field, you get even the tiniest feeling that something is off, you're to return home. Immediately." "Th-thank you so much! I'm sorry! It won't happen again!" Seviper says, bowing her head. "We'll see that it doesn't," Delcatty says stiffly.
"Now then! On to more pleasant business! We've discussed your performance in your respective missions!" Delcatty says, smiling now. "For first time explorers, it's all very impressive! We've compiled a list of strengths and weaknesses, and will go through them with each of you.
"And then can we do some more exciting missions?" Rotom says eagerly. "As if! You rookies will need way more training before moving onto the good stuff," Hoopa says, giving her a side eye. "You will actually all need more training before moving on to more involved expeditions," Delcatty says, looking pointedly at Hoopa. "The one thing we observed across the board is that your battle styles are reflective of your backgrounds—namely that you've never battled in this context. Some of you have experience battling, either physically or as a trainer," gee, I wonder who that could be? "But those kinds of battles are quite different to how we do things in a mystery dungeon. And some of you have very little battle experience at all. But! Don't be disheartened, you all show incredible promise! So let's get on to the feedback."
With that, Delcatty, Cradily, and Ampharos each go to separate parts of the Explorer's Lounge. Delcatty calls me first.
"So, was it everything you dreamed of? I know I had a blast!" She grins. "It was definitely a lot of fun! Kind of different to when we went exploring, but I had a great time too," I smile. "It was wonderful exploring with you, and very interesting battling with Dragalge in such a different setting." "I bet! I heard from the others that the pokemon you trained were all quite powerful! It sounds like you're a talented trainer!" She beams, making me blush, "aww, thanks…I mean, I wouldn't say that, really, but we do seem to work well together," I say, thinking about some of our past battles. She nods, "I can believe it! How did you find being in the field yourself?" "Ah…I mean, it was different. I know I'm not very strong, and not very aware of how it all works…but I hope with time that can change." "Don't sell yourself short! It can take a lot of time and effort to become strong, develop a move pool that's best for your skills, and all that! But, I'm sure you already know that," she winks.
"Now, some feedback! Try not to get too stuck in your own head! Your opponents will be fast, and your teammates will be reacting how they deem fit, so it's important to think quickly, make a decision, and act without second guessing yourself. Remember, you have the strength and skills to get through any mission the Center sends you on!" She makes it sound so easy, but I think it'll take some time to get used to. Throughout the mission, I couldn't help thinking about Dragalge's attacks, advantages, and disadvantages more than my own, as though I was battling with them in the human world. I guess here I need to be more aware of my own strengths and weaknesses as a pokemon on the field.
The rest of her review is pretty positive, with a few pointers about how to improve my technique. Even though I'm exhausted from today's mission, I find myself looking forward for the next one to test out some of her tips.
After everyone gets their reviews, we regroup. "So, what are you guys gonna do? Head back?" Delcatty asks no one in particular. Stephanie and I exchange a glance. "Well, to tell you the truth…" I start, "Elliot's being looked after by his grandparents this weekend, so…if it's not an imposition, we were wondering if…" Stephanie kind of fades out, leaving the question unasked. We had figured that, given he's away, and no one would miss us, why not enjoy a peaceful, unpanicked night at the Center for once?
"Well we're a little short on space, it'd really be easier if you just went home," Delcatty says, nonchalantly. "Ah, if that's the case—" "kidding! Are you guys crazy? I risked it all to get you back here! There's always room! You can join us in our home!" She beams. Ampharos pulls her aside and whispers in a not terribly discreet manner, "Master Delcatty, are you sure? We don't have the uh…well, the room," he says, stealing a glance our way. "Well, you certainly don't have the room when it's all being taken up by maps and rubbish," Serperior says. "Ugh, Gwen, you told them about our organized chaos? Tsk tsk!" "A bunch of us went to your place! Looking for the books to get us home," Rotom blurts. An awkward silence falls across the group as I remember how we went in search of the books Delcatty had stashed away so we wouldn't find out how to get home. So we wouldn't find out about her betrayal.
I look at my feet. I…do forgive her, truly, but I'll admit, it still stings a little.
She clears her throat, "well then, all the more reason you must come over! We need to make new, happy memories to overwrite the old!" She says, a little too cheerfully. "Anyway, I can't imagine what time it is! I'm sorry, but I must be off, I have several things to do! But it was a pleasure exploring with you today!" She smiles. "I'll see you at the Master's quarters this evening, until then, goodbye," she says, waving her tail and dashing off.
Ampharos uses the opportunity to take his leave, reminding Cradily of some important business. She looks to the entrance of the Explorer's Lounge before addressing us. "I understand you may not be able to forgive Delcatty for everything just yet…but…but I hope you at least understand," she says, looking at the ground. "What she did…it was following years of grief, of searching, of trying to live her life without you all, and being unable to time and time again. So believe me when I say, she's trying to make up for it, anyway way she can. Please, please let her try." She pleads. "Yeah, folks gotta be pretty desperate before they seek my help!" Hoopa says, crossing their arms and grinning. Gee, I wonder why.
"Just, please be kind…you being here means everything to her," Cradily reiterates before heading out.
"Well, I'm gonna bounce, see you later babies," Hoopa says, saluting us before disappearing through a hoop. "Huh, wonder where they're off to in such a hurry," Seviper says, tilting her head. "Probably to steal someone's firstborn," Serperior replies flatly.
Cradily's words still ring through my mind. From the relatively short time I've known her, Delcatty's always been peppy—she brings light to everyone around her, even when she's feeling down. So…if she's still torn up about everything…would she let us know? I know it's not something that can be undone with a wave of a wand, but…I do hope we can get past it in time. Really I'd just like us to go back to how we were before everything, however long that takes.
"Well…now what?" Dragalge asks, interrupting my thoughts. "Well, dunno about you guys, but I'm starving!" Noivern replies. "Don't know why, didn't you eat like, six apples in the dungeon?" Rotom says, flying over to him. "They were just lying there! And I didn't want to make Cradily carry them," he replies indignantly. I suggest we check out the Center's cafeteria, where we eat, then start the ascent to Delcatty's.
